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Bert Payne (instrumentalist : electric guitar)
Source: Decca
Search Bert Payne on wikipedia.org
Decca 83681 12/3/1952 There's nothing else that I can do Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 83682 12/3/1952 The soon-a baby Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 83683 12/3/1952 You didn't want me baby Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 83684 12/3/1952 A man's best friend is a bed Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 84627 5/28/1953 Hog wash (Hot wash) Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 84628 5/28/1953 House party Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 84629 5/28/1953 Everything that's made of wood Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 84630 5/28/1953 I want you to be my baby Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 84631 5/28/1953 You know it too Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 85657 1/4/1954 Locked-up Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 85658 1/4/1954 I gotta move Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 85659 1/4/1954 Nobody knows you when you're down and out Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 85660 1/4/1954 If it's true Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 85661 1/4/1954 Wake up, Jacob Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 85662 1/4/1954 Lollypop Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Decca 85663 1/4/1954 Perdido (Instrumental) Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bert Payne (instrumentalist : electric guitar)," accessed July 18, 2019, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/talent/detail/160242/Payne_Bert_instrumentalist_electric_guitar.
Bert Payne (instrumentalist : electric guitar). (2019). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved July 18, 2019, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/talent/detail/160242/Payne_Bert_instrumentalist_electric_guitar.
"Bert Payne (instrumentalist : electric guitar)." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2019. Web. 18 July 2019.
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Anti-Film School
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Reviews by Steve
Posted by Buster the Administrator
by Steve Habrat
In early October, Alfonso Cuarón’s space drama Gravity was on everyone’s lips as a shoe-in at the upcoming Oscars. It was king of the box office throughout the month and it seemed impossible to meet someone who wasn’t raving about how great the film is. In the past few weeks, the hype has cooled around Gravity and has begun to heat up around director Steve McQueen’s sobering 12 Years a Slave, an unflinchingly graphic look at the horrors of slavery. Based on the autobiography of the same name, 12 Years a Slave tells the devastating story of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was ripped from his family and sold into slavery. Impeccably acted from a cast of A-list talent and featuring some of the most handsome cinematography I’ve seen all year, 12 Years a Slave lives up to its reputation as being an emotional wrecking ball that shatters your heart. McQueen allows his camera to highlight the raw emotional anguish of his characters, but its also his refusal to pull the camera away through some of the more violent images that really brings the audience to their knees. The end results are unforgettable, guaranteed to haunt you for the rest of your days.
12 Years a Slave tells the story of Solomon Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man living with his wife and two children in Saratoga Springs, New York. He makes a good living as a prominent musician and he stands as a well-respected member of the community. One day, while out on a stroll, Solomon is approached by two men, Brown (played by Scoot McNairy) and Hamilton (played by Taran Killam), who claim to be traveling artists looking to employ Solomon as one of their musicians. Solomon graciously accepts their offer over dinner and drinks, but the next day, Solomon wakes up in a dank cell with chains around his wrists. After enduring a savage beating, Solomon is told that he is being transported to New Orleans to be sold into slavery, despite his insistence that he is a free man. Upon his arrival in New Orleans, Solomon is sold to William Ford (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), a kindly plantation owner who is receptive to Solomon’s ideas and even gives him a violin after learning he is a muscian. After a nasty confrontation with Ford’s overseer John Tibeats (played by Paul Dano), Ford is forced to sell Solomon to Edwin Epps (played by Michael Fassbender), a brutal plantation owner who enjoys relentlessly tormenting his slaves. Fearing for his safety, Solomon begins plotting a way to get away from Epps and to be reunited with his family.
Last year, Quentin Tarantino delved into the topic of slavery with his grindhouse revenge tale Django Unchained, a film that was accused of allowing one of the darkest chapters in American history to morph into a blood-splattered cartoon. Despite the attacks, I still thought that Django Unchained struck a chord with some of its material and it really sent a chill with the way it presented the seething racism of the time (It also topped my list of the best of 2012). While it’s undeniable that Tarantino padded portions of his film with dark humor and winking nods to obscure spaghetti westerns, McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave never even considers softening on the viewer. He keeps his camera fixed on the weary faces of those forced to labor away in the hot sun, allowing the anguished cries of a woman separated from her two young children to slice our soul, and the souring hope in Solomon’s eyes etch itself into our brains for the rest of our days. When he pauses to show us the overkill brutality of a lashing, there is no eruption of candlewax blood that calls attention to the fact that you’re just watching a slice of escapism. It’s a bit too realistic, especially when the cries of pain jolt you in your seat. McQueen is careful not to exploit the graphic violence, refusing to give long glimpses of slashed skin or puffs of blood. He drives its impact through constantly allowing us to see the faces of those who are enduring the beating—something that is sure to cause certain audience members to break down in tears.
Further securing 12 Years a Slave’s place in cinematic history is the A-list talent, especially the barbaric Fassbender and the crushed Ejiofor. A good majority of Ejiofor’s performance is in his wide eyes as he constantly stares just past the camera or down at the dirt under his feet, attempting to make sense of his current situation. It seems like he is always holding back tears and reassuring himself that he will not bow to the cruel overseers that patrol around with guns and whips. His passion sucks the air out of the theater as he is beaten down in the jail cell, told repeatedly that he is bluffing about being a free man and that he is simply a runaway from Georgia. We feel his desperation, fear, confusion, and anger as he pleas to be unlocked from the chains that imprison him. On the plantations, its unbearable to see him forced into submission, the only bright spots coming when the impressed Ford realizes the potential in him. A sickening dread takes over in the second half of the film when he is sold to Fassbender’s Epps, an abusive monster that enjoys waking his slaves in the night, dragging them up to the main house, and forcing them to dance for his amusement. He never passes up the chance to humiliate them; giggling at their trembling anxiety while he weighs the amount of cotton they picked for him that day. He’s also consistently at odds with his lust for the frail slave girl Patsey (played by Lupita Nyong’o), who he awakens in the middle of the night to have his way with, only to give way to instant disgust in himself. You won’t believe your eyes as he drools down on her, choking and slapping the poor girl for no reason at all.
As far as the secondary performers are concerned, Cumberbatch’s Ford is a gentle individual who hasn’t blinded himself to the fractured humanity in the men and women before him. Paul Dano’s John Tibeats is a stringy racist who forces the new slaves to clap their hands while he cheerily sings a menacing song about a runaway slave being caught and severely punished. Paul Giamatti shows up briefly as Theophilus Freeman, the man in charge of selling these petrified souls to leering plantation owners who act as though they are purchasing livestock rather than a human being. Brad Pitt gives a small but pivotal performance as Samuel Bass, a Canadian who is sympathetic to the cowering individuals aiding him in his construction. Scoot McNairy and Taran Killam will earn your disgust as Brown and Hamilton, the two men responsible for kidnapping Solomon and selling him into a world of constant suffering. Nyong’o is fantastic as Patsey, Epps’ favored slave who is loathed by his wife, Mary. Sarah Paulson brings Mary Epps to life with plenty of terrifying gusto. Don’t be fooled by her glimmers of kindness, as cruelty is always close behind it.
As far as some of the technical aspects are concerned, the cinematography from Sean Bobbitt offers us some natural beauty in between some of the more disquieting moments of the film. Also worthy of mention is the score from Hans Zimmer, who trades in the pounding drums of The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel for a much more intimate score that captures the film’s wounded spirit. In the film’s darker sequences, the tranquility is traded for wailing strings that will make the hair on your arms stand up. One complaint I have with the film is that I would have liked to have seen just a little bit more of Solomon’s life before he was sentenced to the fields. We get a handful of flashbacks that get the job done, but considering the length of the film, I was left wanting just a bit more than I got. Overall, McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave is a searing experience that is elegantly shot, sharply written, courageously realistic, and superbly acted by all involved. This is an emotionally taxing and startlingly powerful film that sends you away at a loss for words. I find it difficult to believe that there will be another film this year that challenges its status as the best of 2013.
Posted in REViEW
Tags: 2013, benedict cumberbatch, brad pitt, chiwetel ejiofor, drama, lupita nyong'o, michael fassbender, paul dano, sarah paulson, scoot mcnairy, steve mcqueen, taran killam
Prisoners (2013)
Earlier this summer, news broke out of Cleveland that three girls who had been missing for over a decade had finally been found alive in a home belonging to Aerial Castro. This miraculous discover was a happy ending for the families who were forced to endure years of torment over whether their loved ones were alive or dead. With such chilling news reminding us that the most terrifying monsters of all could be living just next store to us, now is the perfect time for a film like director Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners. Dealing directly with child abduction, Prisoners wastes no time getting under the viewer’s skin and striking an all-too-real chord that sucks the air right out of the theater. With its dreary atmosphere and lack of polish to keep the audience removed from the story, Prisoners becomes a riveting revenge thriller that sidesteps an exploitative side, a trap many well-known revenge thrillers have fall into. Then there is the powerhouse cast (Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Paul Dano, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, and Melissa Leo), a slew of Oscar nominees and winners who comprise the fractured center of this deeply disturbing piece of filmmaking.
Prisoners begins with Keller (played by Hugh Jackman) and Grace (played by Maria Bello) Dover and their two children, young Anna (played by Erin Gerasimovich) and teenage Ralph (played by Dylan Minnette), heading up the street to the home of Franklin (played by Terrence Howard) and Nancy (played by Viola Davis) Birch for Thanksgiving dinner. While the adults sip wine and visit, Anna and Ralph wander around the neighborhood with Joy (played by Kyla Drew Simmons) and Eliza (played by Zoe Borde). The kids soon stumble across a dingy RV that Joy and Anna proceed to start climbing on. After discovering that someone is inside, Ralph and Eliza lead the kids away before the owner can come out and yell at them. Later on, Anna and Joy head back out to the Dover’s so Anna can show Joy her safety whistle. After failing to return, the parents begin frantically searching the neighborhood. Unable to find the girls, the parents alert the police, who immediately put Detective Loki (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) on the case. That evening, Loki discovers the RV that the girls were reportedly playing on. Inside the RV, Loki discovers Alex Jones (played by Paul Dano), who he immediately takes into police custody. After discovering that Alex has the IQ of a 10-year-old and there is no evidence of the girls having been in the RV, Loki releases Alex back with his aunt, Holly Jones (played by Melissa Leo). Enraged and convinced he is guilty, Keller takes the law into his own hands, kidnaps Alex, and begins torturing him in the hopes of finding the whereabouts of the missing girls.
While Prisoners presents itself as a revenge thriller, the film could also pass as a horror film—a horror of personality film to be exact. Early on, Villeneuve suggests that there is something ugly and horrible about to strike in suburbia. There are low rumblings on the soundtrack and he cuts to outside shots of the Birch home with an ugly gray tree cutting right through the center of their lovely home. Something is about to break up this happy family and leave them scarred forever. There is also no sunny comfort, as every exterior shot is filled with billowing snow, low roars of thunder, gray clouds, and sheets of rain smashing against homes and car windows. It’s about as atmospheric as a film can be. When the revenge aspect kicks in, the film doesn’t rely on copious amounts of blood and gore to shock (that isn’t to say the film is bloodless), but rather the heaving animalistic savagery that can erupt when one is consumed by unguided accusation. Villeneuve serves up several shots of rundown apartment hallways complimented by Jackman’s angry shouts and Dano’s terrified whimpers barely audible through the rotting drywall and wood. The yellowing walls and crumbling apartment building where much of the torture takes place mirrors the deterioration of the central character’s morals. The trust in the law is long gone and the only way to get answers is to viciously and relentlessly attack someone who may not even be guilty. Villeneuve and screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski suggest that even through uncertainty, the drive to put a face on our pain and suffering can bring out the worst in us, even those who are claim to be men and women of God.
With the grim tone keeping us frozen in our seats, Villeneuve then allows the performances to emotionally drain us. Jackman completely disappears in the role of Keller, a bleary-eyed man of God who looks like he has been blasted by a wrecking ball. His anger erupts when Dano’s Alex is released in from police custody and when his wife sobs that he needs to protect his family, his revenge plot turns him into grizzled shell of a man who has to keep reminding both God and Alex that he doesn’t want to be unleashing the rage that he is. Howard’s Franklin is a timorous disaster who continuously suggests that torturing Alex is a grave mistake. Despite his protest, he aids in beating the man to a bloody pulp. Davis walks a fine line between objecting and approving of Keller’s approach to the horrific situation. She’s certainly distraught, but she demonstrates a bit more strength than Bello’s crumbling Grace. Piled under a mound of blankets, clutching tissues, and popping prescription meds, Grace finds solace in coma-like slumber. Dano is fragile yet dark as the bespectacled Alex, who enjoys yanking a dog up in the air and dangling it from a leash. Gyllenhaal is magnetic as the tattooed hard-boiled detective simultaneously trying to get to the bottom of the disappearances while unraveling something much bigger than he ever could have imagined. It’s even worse when his superior suggests that maybe he should let the case go. Melissa Leo rounds out the A-list cast as Holly Jones, Alex’s aging aunt with a broken past.
At a towering two and a half hours, Prisoners is surging with ripped-from-the-headlines realism that is never given a million-dollar sheen some films of this sort get. The film seems cold to the touch and the violence, when glimpsed, is absolutely stomach churning. People gasped when we caught a glimpse of Alex’s swollen and beaten-in face, the presentation of a torture device made out of a shower makes you groan in disgust, and a sudden suicide blasts both the characters and the audience across the face with a sledge hammer. Even the film’s child abduction subject matter is darker than the midnight hour and becomes a tough pill to swallow. The climax of the film threatens to become a bit ludicrous, but Guzikowski’s screenplay has every angle covered to make sure the events never plummet into implausibility. Overall, its tough to call if Prisoners will become a darling come awards time, but the film dares to explore humanity at its absolute worst. Not only that, but the performances, especially Jackman’s, demand to be seen and will not easily be forgotten. As an early fall movie season effort, Prisoners disturbs the viewer at the deepest levels imaginable.
Tags: 2013, aaron guzikowski, denis villeneuve, drama, hugh jackman, jake gyllenhaal, maria bello, melissa leo, paul dano, terrence howard, thriller, viola davis
For quite some time, I’ve been griping about the never-ending stream of recycled ideas coming out of Hollywood over the past few years. I’d say that one of the most original films I’ve seen recently is without question Christopher Nolan’s 2010 mind-boggler Inception, a film that left me speechless after my first viewing. Well, now I can add writer/director Rian Johnson’s Looper to the short list of wholly original films. Fresh but flawed, Looper is truly something you’ve never seen before, a confident science-fiction vision that has the stones to pat itself on the back in the first fifteen minutes. While I believe that Looper is a little too hasty to congratulate itself for breathing new life into science fiction, the film’s opening hour is near classic levels. It’s incredibly riveting, funny, thrilling, and just begging to be revisited so the viewer can piece the brainy plot together. Unfortunately folks, it is too good to last and Looper does hit a snag in its second half, leaving Johnson in a scramble to recover. The second half of Looper is shockingly comatose, shifting the focus off the nifty time travel and onto a little boy and his mother, two characters who fail to draw the viewer in the way that stars Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt do early on. Luckily, the ending is somewhat of a recovery but it still leaves us feeling a bit empty.
In the year 2074, time travel exists but is instantly outlawed. Time travel is secretly controlled by a mob organization in Shanghai and is led by a mysterious figure called the Rainmaker. This organization captures individuals they want wiped off the map and they send them to the year 2044, where hitmen known as “loopers” kill the individual and then dispose of the body. Joseph Simmons (Played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) happens to be a looper in Kansas City, a dystopia gangland controlled by Abe (Played by Jeff Daniels), a man sent from the future to run the looper organization in 2044. Joe and his looper buddies quietly carry out their assassinations by day and by night, they hang out in Abe’s nightclub where they take recreational drugs through eye drops and flirt with the beautiful dancers. While loopers appear to live the high life, their bosses can suddenly end their contract, which means they send an older version of the looper through time to the younger version to be killed off, which is known as “closing a loop.” After Joe’s friend Seth (Played by Paul Dano) fails to “close his loop,” he comes to Joe’s apartment in a panic and asks Joe to hide him. Joe agrees to hide Seth but is soon convinced by Abe to give him up. Thinking the mess is behind him, Joe heads out to wait for his target to arrive. To his horror, his next target is the older version of himself (Played by Bruce Willis). The older Joe manages to escape and sets out to settle a nasty personal score. As the younger Joe frantically searches for the older version, Abe’s personal army known as “gatmen” begin to close in.
Certainly not the easiest film to sum up, Looper is chock full of twists and turns that will have your brain swimming, at least at first. The opening introduction is truly something to marvel at as Johnson’s camera explores this rusty, unglamorous vision of the future where cell phones are transparent and hovering motorcycles exist. It is in these opening moments, when Joe and his friends zip through the city streets in a sports car, almost mowing homeless people over, that I was vaguely reminded of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. The comparison quickly fades and we are left with a completely original story with plenty of savage wit and blood-drenched violence. Johnson does his best to not have to pause and explain plot points to the viewer, something that films of this sort often are forced to do. He manages to find a way to let the story naturally play out with only a small assistance from Joe’s voiceover. The film also tells us that there are individuals that have suffered genetic mutation and posses telekinetic powers. The film never fully elaborates on this aspect of the story but it becomes increasingly important as the film advances towards the climax. The second half of the film introduces us to isolated farmer named Sara (Played by Emily Blunt) and her son, Cid (Played by Pierce Gagnon), who are forced to take in the younger Joe, who is hiding out from Abe. It is on Sara’s farm where you may find some yawns making their way into the story.
Judging from Looper’s trailer, you’d think the film would be heavy on action but you are in for a surprise. Looper puts more effort into exhaustively developing its main characters. This is all well and good with Willis and Gordon-Levitt but when the film shifts to Blunt and Gagnon, the film is sent into a slump. Gordon-Levitt continues to prove why he is one of the most talented men in Hollywood as Joe. A mumbling junkie who coldly carries out his work, Joe is a young man heading for an unknown disaster. We feel it in these early scenes but we can never put our fingers on what that disaster is. Joe is busy stock piling all the silver bars he is paid for his assassinations and studying up on his French so that he can retire from being a looper and move to France. He mimics Willis almost perfectly, with a little help from subtle prosthetics glued to his face. In the early scenes, away from Willis and Blunt, Gordon-Levitt has a groove that I was sure wouldn’t be thrown off. Then he comes face to face with the even colder Willis, who has some nasty business to attend to that I will not ruin here. Trust me when I say, his business got some nervous rustles and uncomfortable twitches from the audience in my screening. The scenes where Willis and Gordon-Levitt are forced to come face to face don’t seem to have the zing that Johnson thinks they do. They are devoid of any real chemistry that would make these exchanges fun. They are almost, dare I say, flat! Luckily, Johnson separates them and lets them shine on their own
Then we have beautiful Blunt, a moderately talented actress who always seems to fly just under the radar. She has never really delivered a performance that has absolutely floored me and here, she is really no different, no matter how much raw emotion she chooses to pour into her brooding role. Similarly to Willis, she can’t really seem to find a groove with Gordon-Levitt even if the two are demanded to spark up a romance. Surprisingly, the young Gagnon is another standout as the lovable tyke Cid who can turn into a monster in the blink of an eye (we will leave it at that for fear of spoilers). While there are brief moments where Sara and Cid’s story will have you at the edge of your seat, they just failed to make me really care about them and trust me, I wanted to. Looper also makes the grave mistake of under-using Paul Dano as the hotshot Seth. Johnson only hands him a small number of scenes before he vanishes. The same thing happens with Jeff Daniels, who is here on an extended cameo. While memorable, I wished he would have remained in the action a bit more than he does. He hands his dirty work off to the screw-up gatman Kid Blue (Played by Noah Segan), a character that is more for comic relief than true menace.
While I hesitate to really call Looper a mediocre movie, I was certainly hoping for more consistency. Instead, it gets switched on to autopilot before the furious climatic confrontation. While the arching plot is relatively easy to follow, Looper leaves a lot on the viewer’s plate to chew on and debate. I’m still trying to piece everything within the picture together and make sense of every little plot point that Johnson hands us. Despite the frustrating stand still in the middle of the film, there are moments where we are sucked back in and overtaken by the early thrill, especially when the film switches from Sara’s farm back into the city. Overall, I admire the ambition and I certainly have to give it up for the premise, as it truly is one of a kind. I commend Johnson for trying to do something new and I even have to give TriStar credit for taking a risk on Looper. Despite the flaws, Looper is still a minor triumph for science fiction and I am left wanting quite a bit more from Rian Johnson.
Tags: 2012, action, adventure, bruce willis, emily blunt, jeff daniels, joseph gordon levitt, noah segan, paul dano, pierce gagnon, rian johnson, science fiction, thriller
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← The Sacrifice of the Sons and a Midnight Meal – 40 Days of Exoduses (16)
The Ear and the Doorpost – 40 Days of Exoduses (18) →
Crushing the Dragon’s Head at the Crossing of the Sea – 40 Days of Exoduses (17)
Posted on March 8, 2013 by Alastair Roberts
Baptized into a New Creation
The Red Sea crossing is the decisive moment of transition in the Exodus narrative. It is the watery threshold between slavery and freedom, between life in Egypt and the wanderings into the wilderness. It is the broken waters of the womb of Egypt and the narrow birth canal of the nation. It is the baptism into the new life of ‘body of Moses’. It is the great existential boundary marker of the nation.
As I observed in a previous post, such crossings and establishing of boundaries are not merely events in a historical narrative, but are the inscription of the spiritual identity of the nation onto a particular geography through divinely guided itineraries. YHWH places his people in the land by walking them into it and through it, by marking out its borders and boundaries with spiritual transitions, by ‘story’-ing its territory. While we are accustomed to thinking of the spaces of Israel – its tabernacle or its land – as viewed from the panoptic and detached perspective of the map or diagram, for Israel these places were known through itineraries, related by means of particular journeys or movements through time and space, with all of the meaningful transitions that those entail (this article raises some helpful thoughts along these lines). For instance, God didn’t give a diagram of the tabernacle, but rather ‘walked’ the reader of Exodus through it, describing its furniture step by step and then later described the process of moving through its space in the sacrifices. If we are to understand events such as the Red Sea crossing, we need to recapture something of this way of thinking about space.
When we think of the washing of water associated with the worship of the tabernacle, or in such events as the Red Sea, we are at risk of thinking purely in terms of actions detached from movements in time and space, in terms of such things as ‘purification’ or ‘cleansing’, failing to recognize that the geography, orientation, and time of water crossings are significant. We pass through waters from one realm and time to another, come up out of the waters of the deep and ascend through the waters of the firmament – they cannot be detached from time and geography.
We live in a watery world. The great divisions of the world are divisions of water, something that is clear from the story of creation. The waters above are divided from the waters below. The waters are gathered together in one place and divided from the dry land, the lands are divided by the great rivers. To pass from one realm into another one must pass through waters. To go into the abyss, you enter into the below-waters, the waters of the deep. To go into heaven, one must pass through the above-waters of the firmament. These divisions are not merely divisions in space, but also divisions in time. To enter into the restored creation, Noah had to pass through the waters of the flood. To enter into the new era YHWH had prepared for them, Israel had to cross through the Red Sea. In entering the new creation we are baptized into Christ’s death.
To find one’s place on earth, one does so by defining oneself through water crossings. To become Israel, Israel had to pass through the waters of the Euphrates, which marked off former idolatry from the patriarchs’ service of YHWH. They had to pass through the Jabbok/Jordan, where Jacob was given his new identity. They had to pass through the Red Sea, where they left slavery. They had to pass through the Jordan, where the conquest of the land began and the wandering of the wilderness years ended. Finally, to truly become Israel, they had to venture out onto the Gentile sea and become fishers of men.
The great movements of the world are movements of water and movements through water. It is the springing up of water within the garden and the flowing of that river of water into the world. It is the rain of heaven and the rainbow of God’s promise that signify the descent of God’s good favour upon us from above. It is the rising up of the waters below and the flooding of the world that signifies death and judgment. It is the pouring out of the water of the Spirit and the flowing out of the Spirit into a parched creation that signifies the healing and life of the new creation.
Water brings together and, while forming certain divisions, dissolves others and unites new wholes. While dividing Israel from Egypt, the waters of the Red Sea dissolved many people into one new nation under Moses’ leadership, just as the waters of baptism dissolve Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, into one new people in Christ, their separations and oppositions broken down. The old divisions and separations are washed away as we enter into a new creation.
The Red Sea crossing is a great threshold in the story of Israel, a watery seam between eras of its narrative. As a seam between stories, it is sometimes associated with the story that precedes (the exit from Egypt) and sometimes associated with the story that follows (the entrance into the wilderness wanderings).
The Preparation for the Crossing
YHWH hardens Pharaoh’s heart and causes him to pursue the Israelites who have departed with his chariots (I have commented on the biblical theme of chariots and water elsewhere). It has become clear to Pharaoh that this is not a temporary departure, but that his Israelite slaves intend to leave his service for good, much as Jacob fled from the service of Laban. YHWH declares that through this event he will decisively prove his identity to the Egyptians. The Red Sea crossing is a site where YHWH’s identity is demonstrated with power.
YHWH declares that at the Red Sea he will accomplish a decisive victory over the Egyptians, establishing a definitive boundary between Israel’s past life of slavery and its new life of freedom. Their old master will be defeated and they will be a free people, with a deep watery line drawn between them and their former bondage. Due to its definitive character, the Red Sea crossing can serve as a sort of synecdoche for the entire Exodus – the one event that encapsulates the whole.
Seeing the Egyptians coming upon them, the Israelites complain against Moses, accusing him of bringing them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness (14:10-11), claiming that they would have been better off remaining in the service of the Egyptians. This grumbling seems out of place in the order of the narrative, as we typically associate such wilderness complaints with Israel’s unbelief in the wilderness before crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land. In this event in the wilderness before the Red Sea we see an anticipation of this later unbelief of the forty years of wilderness wandering and also of the faithfulness of YHWH and the victory that he provides. The Red Sea crossing should have prepared them for the later crossing. As we shall later see in more detail, the Red Sea crossing is a decisive event that occurs in two stages: the first part of the washing through the Red Sea, to be completed in the crossing of the Jordan. The two events become conflated at various points in the scripture and in the imagination of its later interpreters (e.g. Psalm 106:9).
YHWH declares that this is his battle and that all should hold their peace and see the salvation that he will accomplish on their behalf: he will put a final end to the Egyptians, without the Israelites having to raise a finger (vv.13-14). Moses is instructed to lift up his rod and stretch out his hand over the sea and it will be divided so that the children of Israel can pass through on dry ground. The man who was drawn out of the reeds and the water as a child will be used by YHWH to draw his people out of the Sea of Reeds. Through this event, Israel will enter into the experience of Moses. The return to the themes of the first chapters of Exodus also involves the presence of Miriam as the witness of both great birth events and the throwing of the Egyptian boys into the waters, just as they had thrown the Israelite boys into the Nile.
Red Sea as New Creation
The creation themes here should be clear to us. The great acts of creation are ones of forming by means of division (days one to three of the creation) and filling (days four to six of the creation). The waters are divided as they were divided on the second day. The sea is separated from the dry ground as it was on the second day. Israel is the dry ground taken up out of the sea and the Egyptians are consigned to the abyss and the deep. The Egyptians and the Israelites, formerly mixed together, are going to be separated in YHWH’s new act of creation. YHWH’s cloud – the water of his presence above – comes between the Egyptians and the Israelites (v.19). The Israelites are symbolically drawn above the firmament, and the Egyptians placed beneath it. It also serves as a division between darkness and light (v.20), such as that accomplished by YHWH on the first day of the creation. The wind of YHWH passes over the waters (v.21), just as at the creation (Genesis 1:2) and the flood (Genesis 8:1). At the Red Sea YHWH is creating a new world. Later on in such places as Isaiah 63:11-14, these creation themes will become even more pronounced. Having formed a new creation through these great acts of division, YHWH will bring the Israelites in to fill those divisions.
As we shall see, the Red Sea is the site of both a creation and a de-creation. The Israelites are drawn up out of the deep, out of the undifferentiated sea of their slavery among the Egyptians, established on dry ground, and symbolically set in the heavens, above the firmament of the glory cloud. The Egyptians, however, descend into the primeval waters of the abyss (notice that the ‘deep’ is mentioned in 15:5 and 8, a word that is associated with the waters that existed before the formation of the creation and at the time of the flood – Genesis 1:2; 7:11; 8:2). The entire story of the plagues has been one of decreation, as the world of Egypt has been steadily destroyed: this is the final decisive blow.
As in the case of previous exodus patterns, the movement from the darkness to the new dawn is given great prominence within the story of the Red Sea crossing. The wind blows through the night (v.22) and the Israelites cross over, the morning watch comes and God troubles the Egyptians (v.24), then, as the morning appears, the sea returns and drowns the Egyptians (v.27). This movement from evening to morning is not merely the ending of a period of symbolic darkness: it is also the transition that marks out a creation day (‘and the evening and the morning were…’).
The Battle of YHWH
The Red Sea is YHWH’s battle and the Israelites are supposed to stand by and watch (v.14). Through this event, YHWH will bring honour for himself. 14:19 refers to the Angel of YHWH moving from the front of the camp to the rear, with the pillar of cloud moving too. Until this point in history, the Angel of YHWH had always appeared by himself, without the Glory cloud (see my discussion of the Angel of YHWH here), on odd occasions and for a limited period of time. Now, at this point in time, the Angel was clothed in the Glory cloud.
Here we see a fuller revelation of the identity of the Angel as he is accompanied by the Spirit-Presence. The ‘glorification’ of the Angel of YHWH manifests a deeper and more powerful presence and association of YHWH with his people. Prior to this point, the Angel of YHWH had appeared in less dramatic form, often as a man, such as in his appearance to Abraham in Genesis 18:1-2 and his wrestling with Jacob in Genesis 32:24. This development is like the development between Christ’s self-revelation (the Angel of YHWH is, I believe, a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ) during his incarnate ministry and Christ following his ascension, at which point he receives the Glory-Spirit (cf. Acts 2:33). The Angel of YHWH who wrestled incognito with Jacob at the fording of the Jabbok now rides on a glorious pillar of fire and cloud (Exodus 14:24), fighting with the Egyptians from his stormy throne chariot in the midst of the Red Sea.
In the Red Sea, the sea monster Pharaoh has his head crushed (cf. Psalm 74:13). This is the final judgment: the defeat of the dragon and the Angel of YHWH coming with the fiery glory cloud of heaven. In this Day of YHWH, God’s identity is revealed to Israel in a way that it hadn’t been before. It is a foretaste of the last day, when the true glory, power, and justice of YHWH will be made known.
The Song of the Sea
It is not surprising that the narrative of this event is immediately followed by the Song of the Sea, in which the event is memorialized. The Song of the Sea contains in nuce much of the larger early history of Israel, presenting the Red Sea crossing as an anchoring point for the broader sweep of the surrounding narrative and for the identity of Israel more generally. This song should be regarded as Israel’s national anthem, what some have described as ‘a foundational piece of literature’ that was drawn upon by later tradents for the description of events within their own time. The Song of the Sea frames the crossing as a battle, in which the warrior God gains victory over the foes of Israel. The continuing presence of the Red Sea crossing event in the regular prayer and worship of Israel is evidenced in many of the psalms.
The Song also introduces the canonical motif of YHWH as the divine king, where earlier texts focus primarily upon YHWH as guide and provider. Until this point in history, Israel hadn’t seen YHWH riding his throne chariot. Now, seeing the Angel of YHWH enthroned on the Glory-cloud there is a fuller revelation of and response to his identity. This historical revelation of YHWH’s might, and the closeness of his alliance with Israel, will cause the surrounding nations to melt with fear.
Brevard Childs observes the effect of the literary device that juxtaposes the original events with their continuing celebration, ‘The original events are not robbed of their historical particularity; nevertheless, the means for their actualization for future Israel is offered in the shape of scripture itself.’ The fact that the Red Sea crossing is immediately presented to us in the form of a liturgical memorialization testifies not merely to its foundational character, but also that ‘the authentic form of departure for the story is the celebrating assembly in its present reality’ (Chauvet) as I observed in the previous post. As the Song is a liturgical retelling of the Red Sea crossing event, the text never ceases to be a contemporary declaration of YHWH’s might and victory to its readers and performers, rather than just a witness to a past history.
Worship is a response to YHWH’s self-revelation in his great acts of salvation and judgment in history. It is appropriate that this, the fullest revelation of YHWH’s salvation and judgment in the life of Israel to that point, should immediately give rise to answering praise declaring the greatness of YHWH’s power and goodness to those who fear him and his judgment upon all oppressors. This event and the song that follow establish a pattern for much of the worship of Israel that follows.
It should once again be stressed that this Song is a liturgical memorial. As such, it was designed to be sung throughout the centuries that followed, and by us in the present. Like other such memorials, it declares YHWH’s great covenant acts of old and calls him to remember and fulfil his covenant in the present. In this way, declaring such past victories of God in our worship recognizes them as realities that give direction and impetus to the covenant actions of both God and man in the present. Past deliverances are joyfully sung forth as reality-filled promises of future deliverances. We sing to YHWH, calling him to remember his covenant that we are memorializing and finding strength and orientation in the present as we do so.
As songs and dancing follow after military victory and birth, so Moses’ Song of the Sea and the dancing and the song of Miriam are the joyful response to the great act of YHWH at the Red Sea. This crossing is the decisive transition in Israel’s life, the moment when they are born as a new nation and the foundation of a new creation, the moment when they pass from slavery to freedom. It is the final judgment on the dragon and the crushing of his head. It is a powerful new revelation of YHWH’s identity and is consequently fundamental for much of the worship of Israel that follows. As the climax and final decisive blow of the Exodus deliverance, the Red Sea crossing encapsulates the entire moment.
As we shall see as this series develops, the themes associated with the Red Sea are extensively developed over the course of biblical history and, unsurprisingly, provide one of the most important biblical paradigms for understanding the meaning of Christian baptism.
This entry was posted in Bible, Exodus, Lent, OT, OT Theology, Sacramental Theology, Theological, Theology. Bookmark the permalink.
6 Responses to Crushing the Dragon’s Head at the Crossing of the Sea – 40 Days of Exoduses (17)
Pingback: A Portable Mountain and Competing Calves – 40 Days of Exoduses (19) | Alastair's Adversaria
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Pingback: A Successor, a Harlot, and an Invasion – 40 Days of Exoduses (21) | Alastair's Adversaria
Scott Fairbanks says:
This is a great series with great insights into the design of scripture. I hope to write a meaningful response or share an insight of mine that your insights have triggered at some point. But for now I wanted to make a small editor note that you mistakenly wrote ‘Moses’ instead of ‘Abraham’ as the character in Genesis 18 in this post in the section titled ‘the Battle of YHWH.’ This is an amazing series. Thank you very much.
Thanks, Scott! And thanks for pointing out the error too: some of them always slip through.
Pingback: #Luke2Acts – Some Notes on Luke 3 and 4 | Alastair's Adversaria
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Daily Mail: Julian Assange smeared faeces on walls of Ecuador's London embassy
The revelation was made by Ecuador's Interior Minister after the Wikileaks founder was dramatically arrested by British police officers today.
Ecuador United Kingdom
Julian Paul Assange London
Assange friend, jailed in Ecuador, proclaims innocence as pressure rises on WikiLeaks. A close friend of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who was arrested last month at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, told CNN in an exclusive jailhouse interview that he hasn't committed any crimes and is being detained as part of an international campaign to crack down on WikiLeaks. >>
Ecuador orders arrest of former foreign minister. An Ecuadorian judge has ordered the arrest of a former foreign minister linked to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who was evicted from the country's London embassy last week >>
Ecuador says hacking attempts doubled after it ended Assange asylum. Hacking attempts on Ecuadorean government institutions have doubled since the country revoked WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's asylum at its London embassy last week, an official said on Monday. >>
Ecuador spied on Assange at London embassy, lawyer says. Ecuadorian lawyer for Julian Assange files complaint alleging diplomatic staff from Ecuador spied on the WikiLeaks founder while he was at the country's London embassy >>
Julian Assange arrest: Edward Snowden warns of 'dark day for press freedom'. WikiLeaks founder Assange, 47, was arrested by police in London this morning after Ecuador dramatically withdrew his political asylum seven years after he first entered the embassy. >>
Julian Assange used the embassy as ‘center for spying,’ Ecuadorian president says. WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange reportedly violated his asylum conditions when he used the Ecuadorian embassy in London as a “center for spying,” the country’s president said in a recent interview. >>
Julian Assange's legal battles have only just begun. The WikiLeaks founder put his legal problems on hold when he fled to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Now he's out, they are more complicated than ever. >>
Moreno: Assange used to coordinate hackers from the embassy. Ecuador's president is accusing Julian Assange of hosting numerous hackers at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to give them directions on how to propagate information on topics important to the WikiLeaks founder and his financiers >>
Omissions in Assange case and ongoing investigations signal broader charges to come. Julian Assange faced a single criminal charge when he was pulled from the Ecuadorian embassy in London last week -- but, according to a CNN review of court records, prosecutors have already given a roadmap about how they may be continuing to investigate WikiLeaks and suggested that more charges are to come. >>
Pamela Anderson visits Assange in prison. Former Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson met Julian Assange at Belmarsh high-security prison on Tuesday, in his first social visit since he was hauled out of London's Ecuadorian embassy and arrested in April. >>
Pamela Anderson visits Assange: He's an innocent person. Actress Pamela Anderson met Julian Assange at Belmarsh high-security prison in London, in his first social visit since his arrest at London's Ecuadorian embassy. >>
Pamela Anderson visits Julian Assange in prison. Former Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson met Julian Assange at Belmarsh high-security prison on Tuesday, in his first social visit since he was hauled out of London's Ecuadorian embassy and arrested in April. >>
Video shows Julian Assange skateboarding in Ecuadorian embassy, arguing with security guards. Video has been revealed showing some of the bizarre behavior exhibited by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he has lived for the last seven years. >>
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Rapid Acoustic Survey for Biodiversity Appraisal
Jérôme Sueur, Sandrine Pavoine, Olivier Hamerlynck & Stéphanie Duvail
http://www.mendeley.com/research/rapid-acoustic-survey-biodiversity-appraisal
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Mendeley 46505 May 12:13 UTC
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Many methods-from rapid biodiversity assessments (RBA) to all-taxa biodiversity inventories (ATBI)-have been developed for decades to estimate local species richness. However, these methods are costly and invasive. Several animals-birds, mammals, amphibians, fishes and arthropods-produce sounds when moving, communicating or sensing their environment. Here we propose a new concept and method to describe biodiversity. We suggest to forego species or morphospecies identification used by ATBI and RBA respectively but rather to tackle the problem at another evolutionary unit, the community level. We also propose that a part of diversity can be estimated and compared through a rapid acoustic analysis of the sound produced by animal communities. We produced alpha and beta diversity indexes that we first tested with 540 simulated acoustic communities. The alpha index, which measures acoustic entropy, shows a logarithmic correlation with the number of species within the acoustic community. The beta index, which estimates both temporal and spectral dissimilarities, is linearly linked to the number of unshared species between acoustic communities. We then applied both indexes to two closely spaced Tanzanian dry lowland coastal forests. Indexes reveal for this small sample a lower acoustic diversity for the most disturbed forest and acoustic dissimilarities between the two forests suggest that degradation could have significantly decreased and modified community composition. Our results demonstrate for the first time that an indicator of biological diversity can be reliably obtained in a non-invasive way and with a limited sampling effort. This new approach may facilitate the appraisal of animal diversity at large spatial and temporal scales.", "link"=>"http://www.mendeley.com/research/rapid-acoustic-survey-biodiversity-appraisal", "reader_count"=>441, "reader_count_by_academic_status"=>{"Unspecified"=>10, "Professor > Associate Professor"=>6, "Librarian"=>2, "Researcher"=>105, "Student > Doctoral Student"=>18, "Student > Ph. D. Student"=>85, "Student > Postgraduate"=>28, "Student > Master"=>97, "Other"=>16, "Student > Bachelor"=>48, "Lecturer"=>5, "Lecturer > Senior Lecturer"=>4, "Professor"=>17}, "reader_count_by_user_role"=>{"Unspecified"=>10, "Professor > Associate Professor"=>6, "Librarian"=>2, "Researcher"=>105, "Student > Doctoral Student"=>18, "Student > Ph. D. 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PubMed Central17 Apr 08:39 UTC
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Facebook 629 Jul 16:02 UTC
Journal Comments21 Oct 13:07 UTC
{"id"=>"793782217185124352", "text"=>"PHOTO CREDIT: (Sueur et al., 2008) Accessed online: https://t.co/pHnNq9ZJrN #EBE2016", "created_at"=>"2016-11-02T11:50:02Z", "user"=>"katiehumpers", "user_name"=>"Katie Humphrey", "user_profile_image"=>"http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/431471521693843456/vVs07frD_normal.jpeg"}
Wikipedia 1014 Mar 13:42 UTC
{"title"=>"Bioacoustics", "url"=>"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioacoustics", "timestamp"=>"2018-10-28T07:02:31Z"}
{"title"=>"Bioacústica", "url"=>"http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioacústica", "timestamp"=>"2018-01-06T22:54:10Z"}
{"title"=>"علم الصوتيات الحيوية", "url"=>"http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/علم_الصوتيات_الحيوية", "timestamp"=>"2018-07-14T10:16:47Z"}
{"title"=>"File:Rapid-Acoustic-Survey-for-Biodiversity-Appraisal-pone.0004065.s013.ogg", "url"=>"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rapid-Acoustic-Survey-for-Biodiversity-Appraisal-pone.0004065.s013.ogg", "timestamp"=>"2016-12-26T20:12:36Z"}
Wordpress.com17 Nov 09:14 UTC
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/912141"], "description"=>"<p>(<i>a</i>) Variation of <i>H</i> within and among forests. (<i>b</i>) Ward's hierarchical cluster analysis applied to <i>D</i> index. The orange dot refers to the single misclassified recording between sites. “Dawn” = chorus from 6.00 am to 6.15 am, “dusk1” = chorus from 5.30 pm to 5.45 pm, “dusk2” = chorus from 6.30 pm to 6.45 pm. Boxes are bounded by the first quartile, median, and third quartile; whiskers are 1.5 times the interquartile range; points outside the whiskers are outliers.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["richness", "dissimilarity", "tanzanian", "lowland"], "article_id"=>582604, "categories"=>["Ecology"], "users"=>["Jérôme Sueur", "Sandrine Pavoine", "Olivier Hamerlynck", "Stéphanie Duvail"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.g003", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>1, "page_views"=>7, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Acoustic_richness_and_dissimilarity_of_two_Tanzanian_lowland_coastal_forests_/582604", "title"=>"Acoustic richness and dissimilarity of two Tanzanian lowland coastal forests.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2008-12-30 00:43:24"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/912263"], "description"=>"<p>Mean spectral profiles of the two forests at tree times of the day. The plots depict variations of amplitude (sound energy) over frequencies. Each line corresponds to one recording session. Arrow indicates the cicada species singing in Ngumburuni. The orange profile refers to the recording misclassified (<a href=\"http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065#pone-0004065-g003\" target=\"_blank\">Fig. 3</a>). “Dawn”, “dusk1” and “dusk2” refers to three recording times along the day, see <a href=\"http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065#pone-0004065-g003\" target=\"_blank\">Fig. 3</a> for details.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["profiles", "tanzanian", "lowland"], "article_id"=>582722, "categories"=>["Ecology"], "users"=>["Jérôme Sueur", "Sandrine Pavoine", "Olivier Hamerlynck", "Stéphanie Duvail"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.g004", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>0, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Spectral_profiles_of_two_Tanzanian_lowland_coastal_forests_/582722", "title"=>"Spectral profiles of two Tanzanian lowland coastal forests.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2008-12-30 00:45:22"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/911946"], "description"=>"<p>Waveform and spectrogram showing frequency profile over time, amplitude being depicted with a relative decibels (dB) colour scale. The chorus, which originally lasted 30 s, includes 5 birds (<i>Fringilla coelebs</i>, <i>Parus major</i>, <i>Strix aluco</i>, <i>Troglodytes troglodytes</i>, <i>Turdus merula</i>), 5 amphibians (<i>Alytes obstetricans</i>, <i>Bufo bufo</i>, <i>Hyla arborea</i>, <i>Pelodytes punctatus</i>, <i>Rana ridibunda</i>), and 5 insects (<i>Chrysocraon dispar</i>, <i>Cicada orni</i>, <i>Gryllus campestris</i>, <i>Metrioptera bicolor</i>, <i>Oecanthus pellucens</i>).</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["simulated"], "article_id"=>582403, "categories"=>["Ecology"], "users"=>["Jérôme Sueur", "Sandrine Pavoine", "Olivier Hamerlynck", "Stéphanie Duvail"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.g001", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>1, "page_views"=>5, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Example_of_a_random_simulated_chorus_/582403", "title"=>"Example of a random simulated chorus.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2008-12-30 00:40:03"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/450671", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/450736", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/450786", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/450835", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/450875", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/450912", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/450953", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/450983", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451017", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451070", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451124", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451186", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451270", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451294", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451316", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451345", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451373", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451400", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/451437"], "description"=>"<div><p>Biodiversity assessment remains one of the most difficult challenges encountered by ecologists and conservation biologists. This task is becoming even more urgent with the current increase of habitat loss. Many methods–from rapid biodiversity assessments (RBA) to all-taxa biodiversity inventories (ATBI)–have been developed for decades to estimate local species richness. However, these methods are costly and invasive. Several animals–birds, mammals, amphibians, fishes and arthropods–produce sounds when moving, communicating or sensing their environment. Here we propose a new concept and method to describe biodiversity. We suggest to forego species or morphospecies identification used by ATBI and RBA respectively but rather to tackle the problem at another evolutionary unit, the community level. We also propose that a part of diversity can be estimated and compared through a rapid acoustic analysis of the sound produced by animal communities. We produced α and β diversity indexes that we first tested with 540 simulated acoustic communities. The α index, which measures acoustic entropy, shows a logarithmic correlation with the number of species within the acoustic community. The β index, which estimates both temporal and spectral dissimilarities, is linearly linked to the number of unshared species between acoustic communities. We then applied both indexes to two closely spaced Tanzanian dry lowland coastal forests. Indexes reveal for this small sample a lower acoustic diversity for the most disturbed forest and acoustic dissimilarities between the two forests suggest that degradation could have significantly decreased and modified community composition. Our results demonstrate for the first time that an indicator of biological diversity can be reliably obtained in a non-invasive way and with a limited sampling effort. This new approach may facilitate the appraisal of animal diversity at large spatial and temporal scales.</p></div>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["acoustic", "biodiversity", "appraisal"], "article_id"=>148828, "categories"=>["Ecology"], "users"=>["Jérôme Sueur", "Sandrine Pavoine", "Olivier Hamerlynck", "Stéphanie Duvail"], "doi"=>["https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s001", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s002", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s003", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s004", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s005", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s006", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s007", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s008", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s009", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s010", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s011", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s012", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s013", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s014", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s015", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s016", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s017", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s018", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.s019"], "stats"=>{"downloads"=>19, "page_views"=>11, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/Rapid_Acoustic_Survey_for_Biodiversity_Appraisal/148828", "title"=>"Rapid Acoustic Survey for Biodiversity Appraisal", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>4, "published_date"=>"2008-12-30 02:27:08"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/912037"], "description"=>"<p>(<i>a</i>) evolution of <i>H</i> index in relation with the number of species composing the chorus. <i>H</i> was calculated for eight chorus series among which the number of species per chorus varied from one to 10. Non-linear regression: <i>H</i> = 0.1176×log(<i>S</i>)+0,6107, <i>n</i> = 300. (<i>b</i>) evolution of <i>D</i> index in relation with the number of unshared species between choruses. <i>D</i> was calculated for eight chorus series including seven species each among which the number of species differed from one (14.3%) to seven (100%). Linear-regression with null intercept: <i>D</i> = 0,0268×<i>S</i>′, <i>F</i> = 2054, <i>R<sup>2</sup></i> = 0.908, <i>n</i> = 240. Error bars indicate standard deviation. Regressions are plotted with solid lines and their 95% confidence intervals with dotted lines.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["entropy", "dissimilarity", "tested", "simulated"], "article_id"=>582494, "categories"=>["Ecology"], "users"=>["Jérôme Sueur", "Sandrine Pavoine", "Olivier Hamerlynck", "Stéphanie Duvail"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004065.g002", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>1, "page_views"=>2, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Acoustic_entropy_H_index_and_dissimilarity_D_index_tested_with_simulated_choruses_/582494", "title"=>"Acoustic entropy <i>H</i> index and dissimilarity <i>D</i> index tested with simulated choruses.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2008-12-30 00:41:34"}
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A powerfully gripping story that’s never been told until now, and stars Academy Award winners Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner, and Academy Award nominee Annette Bening. A group of free grazers, four men trying to escape their pasts, are driving cattle and living off the land on the open range – a place where nature makes the only laws. When a ruthless, evil rancher tries to run them out of town, the men’s peaceful existence takes a tumultuous turn and ends in the grittiest, most explosive gunfight on film as two men battle a town for honor, justice and a way of life that’s quickly disappearing.
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Starring: Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening Directed by: Kevin Costner
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All posts tagged Rubens
Landseer’s The Monarch of the Glen @ the National Gallery
The National Gallery uses room 1 to focus on particular works. (To get there go into the main Trafalgar Square entrance of the gallery, then turn immediate left up the steps, and left again at the landing). These exhibitions, small and thoughtful, are always free.
At the moment they’re displaying one of the world’s best-known animal paintings, Edwin Landseer’s The Monarch of the Glen, alongside fourteen other paintings and drawings, to set the picture in the context of Landseer’s own technical and psychological development, showing how he developed his distinctive approach to the representation of the stag as hero.
The Monarch of the Glen (1851) by Edwin Landseer © National Galleries of Scotland
The double doors take up most on one wall so there are in effect three walls in the room:
the left-hand wall indicates some of the intellectual and artistic preparation
straight ahead is the monarch himself, magnificent, flanked by two other Landseer oil paintings of stags
the right-hand wall is devoted to the lion sculptures in Trafalgar Square
1. Preparation
Landseer (1802-73) was one of the most famous and successful artists of his time. Immense painterly talent, charm and good looks helped Landseer achieve early success and he was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1850. I didn’t know that, even this young, he was struggling with alcoholism and mental illness.
Landseer had a deep knowledge of earlier painters, such as Rubens, and experimented with large scale complex compositions in the style of the Old Master.
The half dozen drawings and paintings here include a copy of the head of Christ on the Cross, taken from a painting by Rubens. In 1840 Landseer had had a breakdown, and, for his recovery, his doctors suggested a change of scene, so he went on the tour of Europe. He made this very evocative copy on a visit to Antwerp. We know that Rubens compositions lay behind some of Landseer’s earliest representations of horses and dogs, but the head of Christ powerfully introduces the idea of nobility and sacrifice. More, the Rubens Christ suggests a vision of a lone animal struggling against a hostile universe.
Christ on the Cross after Rubens (1840s) by Edwin Landseer. Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Unexpectedly, there’s a drawing by George Stubbs, with a story behind it. Stubbs (1724-1806) was of course the great painter of horses. In the 1750s he made hundreds of detailed anatomical drawings of horses for his revolutionary book, The Anatomy of Horses, published in 1766. Amazingly, Landseer acquired the entire collection in around 1817 (i.e. still a boy) and they provided crucial inspiration for the young Landseer’s own studies of animal anatomy.
Next to it is a detailed (and rather gruesome) study by Landseer of the flayed leg of a dog. This kind of detailed study of the weaving of muscle and tendon over bone was and is still referred to as an écorché. This is just one of countless écorchés which Landseer made the better to understand the anatomy of the animals he wanted to pain.
Nearby a pencil study of a dead stag combines some of these themes, Landseer’s staggering draughtmanship, based on detailed study of anatomy, underpinned by profound pathos at the fate of a noble animal cruelly, tragically struck down.
A Dead Stag by Edwin Landseer. Black and white chalk on paper © National Galleries of Scotland
2. Monarch and other stags
The Monarch of the Glen is hung on the wall facing the visitor, flanked by two other paintings featuring stags. It is by far Landseer’s most famous painting and one of the most famous paintings of an animal in the world.
It was undertaken for the Parliamentary Fine Arts Commission as one of three paintings showing ‘the chase’ i.e. hunting deer. It was originally commissioned to hang above panelling in the dining room of the House of Lords. What a grand location, a constant reminder to the Lords of their nobility and the striking scenery of one of the constituent parts of Great Britain! However, in a typically British fashion, when the time came to pay, the House of Commons refused to grant the £150 promised for the commission, and so the painting went on public sale in the National Gallery and was sold to a private owner. Since then it has passed through about ten sets of hands before the Scottish National Gallery successfully ran a public campaign to buy it for £4 million from the British multinational alcoholic beverages company, Diageo.
It was intended to be hung above head height. In other words we are looking up, while the stag is painted serenely looking over our heads into an imagined distance.
Knowing what we now do about Landseer’s mental problems and having Rubens’ Christ fresh in our minds we at least understand Landseer’s intention, if it is in practice difficult to put into words, of conveying the idea of nobility, the idea of a kind of superior spirituality which retains its dignity even in a hostile world.
The commentary points out how Landseer gives tints of light to the tips of the stag’s antlers. This subtly conveys the idea of a band of sunlight breaking through clouds to reflect on the antlers, which we cannot see but which the stag can. It sees the view our backs to. It sees – and knows something which we cannot.
There’s a lot more to be said, about the fantastic painting of the deer’s skin and pelt and fur, the way Landseer captures its variations and shimmer – and of course about the violet colouring of the distant crags, a bringing to perfection of the romantic vision of the Scottish Highlands which was to become iconic.
It comes, then, as an amusing surprise to discover that Landseer painted the entire picture in his studio in St John’s Wood where he kept an extensive menagerie, including deer. And he had, of course, been undertaking regular trips to Scotland, sketching and painting, since 1824,
In 1858 Landseer accepted a presitigious commission to create four sculptures of lions to flank Nelson’s column, directly outside the National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square, completing William Railton’s original design for the monument. Landseer’s appointment proved controversial because he was not a sculptor, however his widespread fame as a painter of animals outweighed reservations.
Landseer prepared by, among other things, spending several years doing detailed drawings of the lions at London Zoo. This all contains four drawings and oil sketches, plus a portrait of Landseer working on the actual sculptures in his studio. This is one of two large oil sketches that Landseer made at the London Zoological Gardens which wonderfully captures the menace and power of a pacing lion.
Study of a Lion (about 1862) by Edwin Landseer © Tate, London
There are several more sketches and the painting of him working on one of the clay sculptures which were then cast in bronze, done by John Ballantyne.
it was not immediately obvious why four pictures of lions were in an exhibition devoted to the Monarch of the Glen, except that they are further proof of Landseer’s stunning skill at painting animals and the even simpler fact that the results are there for all visitors to go and visit, after they’ve exited the gallery into the square outside.
Curators talk
I really praise the National Gallery for not only hosting extended talks or lectures or discussions about their exhibitions, but for going to the trouble of filming them and posting them on YouTube.
If you have the time, this is a really good way to enter the world of the art or exhibition being discussed.
Here are Susan Foister, curator of Landseer’s The Monarch of the Glen, and Daniel F. Herrmann, National Gallery curator, discussing the Landseer display.
Landseer’s The Monarch of the Glen continues at the National Gallery until 3 February 2019
Reviews of other National Gallery exhibitions
Mantegna and Bellini (January 2019)
Courtauld Impressionists: From Manet to Cézanne (December 2018)
Monet and Architecture (June 2018)
Ed Ruscha: Course of Empire (June 2018)
Thomas Cole: Eden to Empire (June 2018)
Reflections: Van Eyck and the Pre-Raphaelites (February 2018)
Degas from the Burrell (December 2017)
Monochrome (December 2017)
Michelangelo and Sebastiano (March 2017)
Australia’s Impressionists (January 2017)
Beyond Caravaggio (December 2016)
Painters’ Paintings: From Freud to Van Dyck (August 2016)
Delacroix and the Rise of Modern Art (February 2016)
Every room in the National Gallery (December 2015)
Goya: The Portraits (November 2015)
Inventing Impressionism (May 2015)
Making Colour (September 2014)
Veronese (May 2014)
Facing the Modern: The Portrait in Vienna 1900 (January 2014)
by Simon on January 13, 2019 • Permalink
Tagged alcoholism, Antwerp, art, écorché, Christ, Daniel F. Herrmann, draughtmanship, drawing, Edwin Landseer, exhibition, George Stubbs, House of Commons, House of Lords, John Ballantyne, Landseer's The Monarch of the Glen, London Zoo, mental illness, National Gallery, Nelson's column, oil painting, painting, print, Queen Victoria, room 1, Rubens, Scottish National Gallery, Susan Foister, The Anatomy of Horses, The Monarch of the Glen, Trafalgar Square, Victorian art, William Railton, YouTube
Posted by Simon on January 13, 2019
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2019/01/13/landseer-monarch-of-the-glen-national-gallery/
Symbolist Art by Edward Lucie-Smith (1972)
Symbolist art does not depict nature as it actually exists, but brings together various impressions received by the mind of the artist, to create a new and different world, governed by its own subjective mood. (p.151)
Although this book is 45 years-old, I picked it up in a second-hand bookshop to compare and contrast with Michael Gibson’s account of Symbolism. Gibson’s massive books is packed with brilliant full-colour reproductions but, as I read it, I did increasingly find myself wondering where ‘Symbolism’ ended and where the simply fantastic or morbid or sensationalist began. So I read this book to further explore whether Symbolism was really a movement in a narrow definable way – or is just the word given to a kind of mood or feeling of other-worldliness apparent in a huge range of artists between about 1880 and 1910.
The World of Art series
Symbolist Art is a typical product of Thames and Hudson’s renowned ‘World of Art series’ in that, although there are 185 illustrations, only 24 of them are in colour. So you’re not buying it for the pictures, which can be better seen, in full colour, in numerous other books (or online); you’re buying it for the text.
Edward Lucie-Smith
Lucie-Smith was born in 1933 and is still alive (aged 84). Public school, Oxford, the RAF during the war, then freelance poet, art critic, essayist, author and curator, he has written over 100 books. His book comes over as significantly more learned and informative than Gibson’s.
Symbolism in Renaissance painting
He starts with a basic consideration of symbols in art starting back in the Renaissance. Renaissance art is packed with symbols – classical gods and goddesses are accompanied by their attributes, kings and queens are shown in allegorical paintings accompanied by war or peace or the triumph of the arts and so on.
To get the most out of Renaissance art you undoubtedly have to have a good eye for its religious, political and cultural symbolism. For example, spot the symbolism in this masterpiece by Rubens.
The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de’ Medici (1622-1625) by Peter Paul Rubens
(In this picture the portrait of Marie de’ Medici – daughter of the Grandduke of Tuscany – is being presented to Henry IV, the king of France, and her future husband. The gods of marriage and love – Hymen and Amor (Cupid), to the left and right – hover in midair. From up in heaven the king and queen of the gods, Jupiter and Juno, look down in approval. Jupiter’s symbol, the eagle of war, clutching lightning bolts in his talons, is literally being squeezed out of the picture, to the left, while Juno’s symbols, the peacocks of love and peace strut (the male) and look down at the scene of love (the female). A pink ribbon symbolising their marriage binds them together. The chariot the peahen sits in bears a gold relief on the front showing Cupid standing on/triumphing over (another) eagle, and holding a garland (symbol of marriage). Behind Henry stands the personification of France, wearing French blue silk embroidered with gold fleur-de-lys (the coat of arms of the French monarchy). She is reassuring Henry that it is a good match for the nation. The burning town in the distance and the dark clouds to the left of the picture, beneath the eagle, symbolise War, as do the helmet and shield at the foot of the painting. These must all be abandoned so that Henry can concentrate on the lighter, feminine arts of peace, subtly emphasised by the light source for the whole scene coming from the right, the side of the Future, peace and harmony.)
Lucie-Smith draws the distinction between ‘closed’ and ‘open’ symbolism.
Open symbolism is the use of publicly available and traditional imagery. All of the symbolism in the Rubens picture is ‘open’ in the sense that any educated person could spot it.
Closed symbolism refers to ‘secret’ knowledge, available only to ‘initiates’. Renaissance and post-Renaissance art features numerous painters who included closed symbolism in their works: some has been investigated and explicated by later scholars; some remains obscure to this day.
In other words, symbolism as a strategy or technique, is absolutely intrinsic to the Western artistic tradition.
What Lucie-Smith brings out is the strand of artists over the past few hundred years who brought something extra to the idea: who incorporated open symbolism or straightforward allegory (where x stands for y, where, for example, an hourglass stands for ‘Time’), but something else as well.
He takes an example from the wonderful Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721). On the face of it Watteau was painting fashionable fête galantes for the French aristocracy, scenes of dressing up and carefree flirtations in an idealised classical setting, thus:
The Embarkation for Cythera (1717) by Jean-Antoine Watteau
Yet (apart from the fabulous rhythmic compositions, the draughtsmanship of the figures, the wonderful use of colour) what makes Watteau ‘magical’ is the sense he achieves of a deeper meaning which somehow diffuses a mysterious influence around itself. According to Lucie-Smith, Watteau:
had already abandoned conventional allegory in favour of a use of symbolism which was more pervasive, more powerful and more mysterious. (p.21)
Something else is conveyed above and beyond the ostensible subject and its over symbolism. Somehow it achieves a sense of mystery.
The Romantic roots of Symbolism
There follows a chapter about Romanticism, a movement which I, personally, find boring, maybe because I’ve read too much about it and seen too many times the same old paintings by Fuseli (The Nightmare), Goya (The sleep of reason produces monsters) or Caspar David Friedrich (The Cross in the mountains).
Lucie-Smith’s purpose is to show that ‘Romanticism’ is (quite obviously) the godfather to modern Symbolism – in its use of obscure but meaningful images, nightmares and dreams, scary women and looming monsters – in the use of pseudo-religious imagery which has lost its literal meaning but acquired a spooky, Gothic, purely imaginative resonance.
Victorian symbolists
The next chapter looks at symbolist currents in British art during the 19th century, starting with the self-taught mythomane, William Blake. It then moves on to consider the group of artists who claimed to be his followers and called themselves ‘the Ancients’, including Edward Calvert and the wonderful Samuel Palmer, with his strange visionary depictions of rural Kent (Coming from Evening Church).
Then we arrive at the pre-Raphaelites. Lucie-Smith identifies Dante Gabriel Rossetti as the most ‘symbolist’ of these young idealistic painters, not least because his technique was quite limited. Rossetti wasn’t very good at perspective or realistic settings and so his mature paintings often have a vague, misty background which helps to emphasise the ‘timeless other-worldliness’ of the main subject (generally cupid-lipped, horse-necked ‘stunners’ [as the lads used to call them] as in Astarte Syriaca).
Astarte Syriaca by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1877)
Burne-Jones and Watts
Lucie-Smith credits Edward Burne-Jones (1833-98) with developing the medieval and dream-like elements of pre-Raphaelitism to their fullest extent and in so doing creating a stream of late works devoted to expressionless women moving through heavily meaningful landscapes.
The Golden Stairs (1880) by Sir Edward Burne-Jones
Burne-Jones exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1889, where he won a first-class medal. (Intriguing to think the Impressionists were almost entirely excluded from this show and forced to mount an exhibition at the nearby Café Volpini – as described in in Belinda Thompson’s book about the Post-Impressionists.)
French symbolist artists were well aware of Burne-Jones’s work. But the most overtly ‘symbolist’ of the late Victorian artists was George Frederick Watts. He was quite clear about his intentions and his own words give quite a good summary of the symbolist impulse:
I paint ideas, not things. I paint primarily because I have something to say, and since the gift of eloquent language has been denied me, I use painting; my intention is not so much to paint pictures which shall please the eye, as to suggest great thoughts which shall speak to the imagination and to the heart and arouse all that is best and noblest in humanity. (quoted page 47)
His many contemporary fans and supporters considered Watts a ‘seer’ and suggested his work be hung in a temple not a gallery (an ambition which sort of came true with the dedication of his final home and studio in the village of Compton, Surrey, to his work, a venue you can now visit – the Watts Gallery).
The dweller of the innermost by Watts (1886)
‘The dweller of the innermost’ is obviously someone important, and something very meaningful is going on in this painting – but who? and what?
All this background is covered in the first 50 pages of this 220-page book in order to get us to the Symbolist movement proper.
Symbolism in the narrow sense was a literary movement, embodied in the poetry of Paul Verlaine and Stéphane Mallarmé in the 1870s and 1880s. They used real world images but set in shimmering, vague and allusive contexts. By the late 1880s this kind of literary worldview overlapped strongly with a revival of a so-called ‘decadent’ style, in both writing and painting. It was largely to distinguish between the two outlooks that the minor poet Jean Moréas in 1886 wrote the essay which introduced the term ‘symbolist’ and ‘symbolism’.
According to Moréas, both symbolism and decadence turned away from the oppressive mundaneness of the everyday bourgeois world but whereas the symbolists emphasized dreams and ideals, the Decadents cultivated heavily ornamented or hermetic styles and morbid subject matter.
Lucie-Smith asserts that the first phase of symbolism lasted from Moréas’s 1886 essay until he himself rejected the name in 1891. Its central figure was the poet Mallarmé. Lucie-Smith lists the qualities of Mallarmé’s poetry, and points out how they can also be found in the symbolist painters of the day:
deliberate ambiguity
hermeticism (i.e. closed to easy interpretation)
use of the symbol as catalyst i.e. to prompt a reaction in the soul of the beholder
the idea that art exists in a world separate and apart from the everyday one
synthesis not analysis i.e. while the Impressionists analysed light and its effects, the symbolists brought together elements of the real world – from tradition, myth and legends – into strange and new combinations or syntheses
An important element of synthesis was not only the unexpected combination of real-world elements, but the notion that all the arts could and should borrow from each other. Symbolism always hovered around the idea of a ‘total work of art’ which combines music, dance, art, even smells and touches. Everyone in the 1880s was entranced by Wagner’s massive operas which aspired to just this condition of being Gesamtkunstwerks or ‘total works of art’. The idea was very powerful and lingered through to the First World War – the Russian composer Scriabin composed works deliberately designed to evoke colourful fantasias and artists like Wassily Kandinsky in the 1900s theories about the closeness of painting and music.
Here’s a Symbolist depiction of the hero of one of Wagner’s massive operas, the pure and holy knight Parsifal.
Parsifal by Jean Delville (1890)
Gustave Moreau (1826-98)
Moreau is the painter most associated with the first phase of Symbolism. He developed an ornate jewel-studded style of treating subjects from the Bible or classical legend.
Jupiter and Semele by Gustave Moreau (1895)
Reviewing the Salon of 1880, the novelist Joris-Karl Huysmans singled out Moreau’s work for being mysterious and disturbing. Four years later in his classic novel A Rebours, which describes a decadent aristocrat who retires to his country house to cultivate sensual pleasures and experiences, Huysmans singled out Moreau as the patron painter of his decadent lifestyle, using a lexicon of late-19th century decadent terms: Moreau’s art is ‘disquieting… sinister… sorrowful symbols of superhuman perversities’ and so on.
Of his own painting Jupiter and Semele, Moreau wrote:
It is an ascent towards superior spheres, a rising up of superior beings towards the Divine – terrestrial death and apotheosis in Immortality. The great Mystery completes itself, the whole of nature is impregnated with the ideal and the divine, everything is transformed. (quoted page 66)
That gives you a strong sense of Symbolist rhetoric.
Huysmans also includes Redon in his short list of artists favoured in the country sensorium of his decadent hero, Des Esseintes. Redon seems to me by far the more symbolist painter of the two, and the polar opposite of Moreau. Whereas Moreau paints relatively conventional mythical subjects in a super-detail-encrusted fashion, Redon strips away all detail to portray the subject in a genuinely mysterious and allusive simplicity.
Orpheus (1903)
The Cyclops (1914)
Redon wrote of his own work:
The sense of mystery is a matter of being all the time amid the equivocal, in double and triple aspects, and hints of aspects (images within images), forms which are coming to birth according to the state of mind of the observer. (quoted page 76)
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824-98)
Puvis wanted to revive the academic tradition and his compositions of figures in landscapes in one way hearken back to the posed landscapes of Nicolas Poussin (1594-1661). But he did so in a strange dreamlike way which pointed forward, towards the semi-abstraction of Cézanne. He wrote to a friend that he preferred low skies, solitary plains, bad weather – a temperament which resulted in melancholy often mysterious paintings.
The Dream by Puvis de Chavannes (1883)
I don’t like Puvis because of what I take to be his rather ropey draughtsmanship – his figures seem angular and uncomfortable, especially the faces.
Eugène Carrière (1849-1906)
Lucie-Smith doesn’t like Carrière much because he developed one subject – family members, especially mother and baby – and painted them over and over again, in a very distinctive way, as if seen through a thick brown mist. I can see how this would quickly grow tiresome, but in brief selections Carriere comes over as a powerful element of the symbolist scene.
Her mother’s kiss (1899)
At about this point in the book it struck me that a quick way of distinguishing between post-Impressionist and Symbolist painters is that the former were experimenting with ways of depicting reality, whereas the latter are experimenting with ways to try and depict what lies behind reality. Of the former, contemporary critics asked, ‘What is it meant to be depicting?’, of the latter they would ask, ‘I can see what it’s depicting – but what does it mean?’
Paul Gauguin and the Pont-Aven school
Gauguin the post-Impressionist is included? Yes, because in the several summers he spent painting at Pont-Aven in Brittany, Gauguin attracted young disciples who both inspired him to become more abstract and ‘primitive’, but also came back to Paris to spread his influence.
The young Paul Sérusier organised a group of like-minded young artists at the private art school of Rodolphe Julian, which included Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, and Maurice Denis – and christened them the ‘Nabis’ (Hebrew for ‘prophets’). Without really intending to, Gauguin found himself being lauded as a prophet to the Symbolists. When he set off for the Pacific he was given a going-away party by the Symbolists, presided over by Mallarmé himself.
Here’s a work from Gauguin’s South Sea period.
Contes barbares (1902)
Lucie-Smith says it is symbolist work because it has mystery, ambiguity and is clearly an invitation to seek some deeper meaning lying beneath the surface. Well, yes… I find several works by other Nabis more convincingly symbolist:
Christ and Buddha by Paul Ranson (1890) The title and motifs are straightforward enough – but it is a classic synthesis in that what does juxtaposing them like this mean?
L’aprés-midi d’un faune by Ker-Xavier Roussel (1919) Reminiscent of Redon, a classical theme treated with a vague touch and high colour. Lucie-Smith dismisses him as a painter of ‘drawing room paganism’.
Les fleurs du mal by Armand Séguin (1894)
Lucie-Smith devotes a chapter to the Salon of the Rose+Cross founded by Joséphin Péladan in 1892, which held a series of six exhibitions from 1892 to 1897 at which they invited Symbolist painters to exhibit. Featured artists included Arnold Böcklin, Fernand Khnopff, Ferdinand Hodler, Jan Toorop, Gaetano Previati, Jean Delville, Carlos Schwabe and Charles Filiger.
The Salon combined rituals and ideas from Medieval Rosicrucianism with elements of Kabbala and other aspects of esoteric lore. Charming and distracting though much of this arcane knowledge may be to devotees, it is also, at bottom, a profoundly useless waste of time and intellect. However, the Salon of the Rose+Cross’s practical impact was to bring together and promote a wide range of painters who shared the symbolist mindset:
The Vision by Alphonse Osbert (1892)
The Siren by Armand Point (1897) A positively bad and silly painting.
The Chimaera’s Despair by Alexandre Séon (1892) Nice try
More impressive are Soul of the Forest by Edgar Maxence (1898) and:
Orpheus by Jean Delville (1893)
Aubrey Beardsley (1872-98)
An illustrator who created line drawings in black ink, Beardley’s big breakthrough came in 1894 when Oscar Wilde’s play, Salome, was published in a version with Beardsley’s woodcuts and caused a succès de scandale. Well aware of fashionable taste, Beardsley tackled favourite Symbolist themes like the medieval dreamworld of King Arthur, the femme fatale, Wagner’s operas, and pretty risqué pornography, as in his illustrations to the classic play, Lysistrata.
Beardsley’s clarity of line and hard-edged arabesques make him one of the founders of Art Nouveau.
Salome by Aubrey Beardsley (1894)
Symbolists in other countries
This summary only takes us up to half way through the book which beings to risk – like Gibson’s book – turning into simply a list of relevant painters with a paragraph or so on each.
Part of this is because Symbolism was so thoroughly international a style, with offshoots all across Europe. Lucie-Smith makes the point that it was a little like the Mannerism of the end of the 16th century – the product of a unified and homogenous culture, and of a social and artistic élite determined to emphasise the gap between itself – with all its sensitivity and refinement – and the ghastly mob, with its crude newspapers and penny-dreadful entertainments.
Later chapters describe the Symbolist artists of America, Holland (Jan Toorop, Johan Thorn Prikker), Russia (Diaghilev, Bakst and the World of Art circle), Italy (Giovanni Segantini, Gaetano Previati), Czechoslovakia (Franz Kupka), Germany-Switzerland (Arnold Böckin, Max Klinger, Otto Greiner, Alfred Kubin, Ferdinand Hodler, Franz von Stuck).
The kiss of the Sphinx by Franz von Stuck (1895)
I particularly liked:
The Lotus Soul (1898) by Frantisek Kupka
The Bride by Johan Thorn Prikker (1893)
The books ends with extended sections devoted to James Ensor, Edvard Munch (who Lucie-Smith considers the most avant-garde painter working anywhere in the mid-1890s) and Gustav Klimt.
Modernists who had symbolist phases
Like Gibson, Lucie-Smith points out that a number of the great Modernists first passed through identifiable symbolist phases before finding their final styles.
Two great examples are Wassily Kandinsky, whose pre-abstract paintings are admittedly influenced by Fauve and Divisionist techniques but as, Lucie-Smith points out, depict undeniably Arthurian and medieval subject matter, and so qualify for the symbolist team.
Couple riding by Wassiliy Kandinsky (1905)
The other is Piet Mondrian, the Dutchman nowadays known for his black-lined grids of white squares and rectangles, enlivened with the occasional yellow or red exception. But before he perfected the style that made him famous (about 1914), Mondrian had gone through a florid Symbolist period in the 1910s – in fact he was a keen theosophist (member of a spiritual movement akin to Rosicrucianism).
Evolution (a triptych) by Piet Mondrian (1911)
In a final, surprise move, Lucie-Smith makes a claim for Picasso to have gone through a Symbolist phase, before becoming the father of modern art.
He quotes Evocation, which does look remarkably like something by Odilon Redon (Picasso was only 19 at the time) and whose subject is a characteristically fin-de-siecle one of suicide and death. Or take Life, which uses a handful of meaningful figures to address this rather large topic, not unlike the confessional approach of Edvard Munch just a few years earlier.
Life by Pablo Picasso (1903)
As with Michael Gibson’s book, I felt that Lucie-Smith pulled in so many outriders and fringe symbolists that he watered down the core vision and essence of Symbolism.
Beardsley? Gauguin? Whistler? Ye-e-e-s… but no. Beardsley is an illustrator who anticipates Art Nouveau design. Gauguin is a post-Impressionist. Whistler is a type of Impressionist with little or no interest in ‘religion’ or ‘the beyond’…
But that is the difficulty with the Symbolism as an-ism, it is extremely broad and covers themes, topics, ideas which spilled over from earlier movements, spilled into contemporary movements, which touched artists (and illustrators and designers) of all types and genres. At its broadest, it was the spirit of the age. All we can say with complete certainty is that the Great War utterly destroyed it, and ushered in a new, anti-spiritual age, in literature, poetry, music and the visual arts.
And, turning back to the immense and beautifully illustrated Gibson coffee-table book, I’d say that if you were only going to own one of these books, Gibson’s is the one: Lucie-Smith’s text is thorough and informative but Gibson’s illustrations are to die for.
Symbolist Art on Amazon
Symbolism by Michael Gibson
Kandinsky by Hajo Düchting (1993)
by Simon on December 28, 2017 • Permalink
Posted in Art, Books, European History, History
Tagged 1972, 19th century, A Rebours, Alexandre Séon, Alfred Kubin, Alphonse Osbert, Armand Point, Armand Séguin, Arnold Böckin, Arnold Böcklin, art, Aubrey Beardsley, Édouard Vuillard, Bakst, Burne-Jones, Carlos Schwabe, Caspar David Friedrich, Charles Filiger, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Des Esseintes, Diaghilev, Edgar Maxence, Edvard Munch, Edward Calvert, Edward Lucie-Smith, Eugène Carrière, Ferdinand Hodler, Fernand Khnopff, Franz Kupka, Franz von Stuck, Fuseli, G.F. Watts, Gaetano Previati, Gauguin, Giovanni Segantini, Goya, Gustav Klimt, Gustave Doré, J.K. Huysmans, James Ensor, Jan Toorop, Jean Delville, Jean Moreas, Johan Thorn Prikker, Joséphin Péladan, Ker-Xavier Roussel, Maurice Denis, Max Klinger, Mondrian, Odilon Redon, Otto Greiner, painting, Paul Ranson, Paul Sérusier, Paul Verlaine, Picasso, Pierre Bonnard, Pre-Raphaelites, Puvis de Chavannes, Renaissance, Rubens, Samuel Palmer, Stéphane Mallarmé, Symbolist Art, Thames and Hudson, the Nabis, the Salon of the Rose+Cross founded, Watteau, William Blake
Posted by Simon on December 28, 2017
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2017/12/28/symbolist-art-edward-lucie-smith/
Every room in the National Gallery
A friend’s son is over from Spain. He’s studying art and so we spent one full day, from 10am till closing time at 6pm, on a mission to visit all 66 rooms in the National Gallery. We did it, and with 20 minutes left over to slip into the Goya exhibition as well.
The four sections
The Gallery holds some 2,300 works. They’re divided into four periods or themes, all of which are found in the 66 or so rooms spread over the gallery’s second floor:
13th- to 15th-century paintings (rooms 51-60, west or Sainsbury wing) Duccio, Uccello, van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli, Dürer, Memling, Bellini
16th-century paintings (west wing, rooms 2-14) Leonardo, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Holbein, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titian, Veronese
17th-century paintings (north wing, rooms 15-37) Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velázquez, Claude, Rembrandt, Cuyp, Vermeer
18th- to early 20th-century paintings (east wing, rooms 33-46) Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Ingres, Degas, Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh
Floor plan of level 2 Hover your mouse over a room to see its title and click through to a detailed listing.
NB Rooms 41 and 42 are closed, some of the paintings have been moved to rooms C, D and E on level 0. Floor plan of level 0
There’s an audioguide: it costs £4, covers almost every painting in the collection and takes 5 hours to listen to non-stop. Obviously, if you pause it to wander from picture to picture, have lunch or take a comfort break, it will take longer. Maybe reckon on doing one of the four themes or periods on each visit.
As with my recent trip to the British Museum, these are obviously not any kind of official highlights, just a list of things that made me stop and think or admire or want to make a note:
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist (‘The Burlington House Cartoon’) (about 1499-1500) by Leonardo da Vinci, 1452 – 1519. The National Gallery, London.
Leonardo da Vinci The Burlington House Cartoon (1500) This is kept in a small darkened room by the entrance to the Sainsbury wing where you can sit and admire genius. It is worth visiting the National Gallery to see this one image. Has any artist ever made any image more perfect, more mysterious and profound than this one? Leonardo is in a class of one. If you had to explain Western art to a Martian this painting would do it.
The Wilton Diptych (1395-9) This was a portable altarpiece made for the use of King Richard II (1377-99). I like the sideways posture of the young king and the generally static, hieratic posture of the figures. A gallery attendant explained Richard has ginger hair and therefore so do the angels. I really liked the image of the white hart on the reverse, with a crown round its neck and a golden chain. It was Richard’s personal emblem and therefore it is stamped onto the chests of the angels’ astonishingly blue tunics, like the logo of a football team.
Jan van Eyck Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?) (1433) Next to the famous Arnolfini Portrait is this work. Like so many works of the northern Renaissance it is of a real person. No Christ child, Mary, angels, Magi, disciples or attendant saints. A real person commemorated for all time in their hereness, nowness, personhood.
Robert Campin A man and woman (1435) Real people.
Portrait of a Woman of the Hofer Family (about 1470) Swabian. A real person painted with great delicacy and sensitivity.
Sandro Botticelli Venus and Mars (1485) Not really looking like any human beings ever seen, this is like a high class cartoon, complete with lines around the figures, and the stylised neck, jaw and hair of the woman.
Giovanni Battista Moroni – Portrait of a Gentleman (‘Il Gentile Cavaliere’) (1564) Not a beautiful man but the rendition is perfect in every detail, including the gold lining and buttons up the front, and the loose binding of the leather-bound books under his left hand.
Titian emerges as one of the great geniuses of painting. He seems to have introduced a new much brighter palette. His portraits of 16th century notables are striking and individualistic. But I was struck by the handful of outdoors paintings which seem to have created a new way of conveying the human figure in outdoor settings, complete with realistic trees and earth and streams, old ruined buildings, in a brown palette. Before him there was nothing like this and after him everything looked like this for centuries: the effect on Gainsborough, for example, seems obvious:
The Death of Actaeon (1559-75)
Paolo Veronese The Dream of Helena (1570) The posture of the dreaming woman is perfect and the light on the dress, shimmers impressionistically.
Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) A whole room is devoted to Poussin (room 19) and I thought it significant that it was almost empty (three people). I’ve read that Poussin is a very intellectual painter and appreciating him is a developed taste. But I find his paintings empty of all passion or feeling, the characters positioned in stylised gestures, the overall composition draining the mythical events depicted of all energy or meaning. They are like a kind of abstract idea of painting, specimens of what painting would be if drained of all passion or feeling:
A Bacchanalian Revel before a Term (1632-3) by Nicolas Poussin
Peter Paul Rubens (room 29) is famous for his plump women. Out of his big compositions I noticed his subjects’ black eyes, white breasts and shiny armour, all three exemplified in Minerva protects Pax from Mars (1630). In The Judgement of Paris (1632-5) the black eyes and white boobs are obvious, but the shiny armour is there in the bottom left, in the shield with an image of the Gorgon and a discarded helmet on the ground.
Rembrandt van Rijn Portrait of Aechje Claesdr (1634) I like north European art because its humanism trumps the Mediterranean’s emphasis on Christian ideology. The compassion doesn’t come from choruses of angels or saints turning up their tearful eyes to heaven, but from the honest depiction of real people in all their frailty and humanity, deserving our empathy and compassion.
Portrait of Hendrickje Stoffels (1654-6) by Rembrandt. His mistress, apparently, young, fresh faced, innocent, her open chemise hinting at her warm body, the whole image exudes intimacy, trust and love.
The solid, thick-waisted, small-breasted Rubens women make the Rokeby Venus (1647-51) by Diego Velázquez in the next room (30) all the more striking, her very slender waist, narrow back and defined shoulder blades looking anorexic by contrast.
Frans Hal Portrait of a Young Woman (1650s) A real person, looking innocent and vulnerable. You expect her to start talking to you
The Procession of the Trojan Horse into Troy (about 1760) by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, only a sketch but the more powerful for that.
Thomas Gainsborough The Painter’s Daughters with a Cat (1760) What could be lovelier, more charming, more innocent. After all the friars, monks, weeping saints and tortured Jesuses of the Spanish and Italian Baroque, coming into the Gainsborough gallery was like being able to breathe again. Generally, arriving in the English gallery with its trees, open country and educated landowners was a great relief: sun and air, trees and rivers and not a tortured, bleeding Christ in sight.
La Coiffure (about 1896) by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas. In last year’s Impressionism exhibition I was surprised not to like more Degas. But this painting seems to me a masterpiece: the combination of reds; the unfinished parts on the left; the heavy black lines giving a cartoon quality; the ordinary everyday subject matter; the two quiet women, not kings or gods or angels; the intimacy. A ragged modern perfection.
I learned…
Ugly babies There are a lot, a really huge number, of terribly painted babies masquerading as the little baby Jesus. I don’t think we saw one believable image of an actual baby, and so many horrid ones we started a competition to find the ugliest baby Jesus. From a strong field (eg Virgin and Child (1475) by Hans Memling) the winner was The Virgin and Child in a Garden (late 15th century) in the style of Martin Schongauer. Enlarge the image to savour the full horror of the old man baby.
Geniuses who died young
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, known as Raphael (1483-1520) aged 37.
Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) aged 36.
Carlos’s Law All the Dutch winter landscapes under snow (room 26), of villages or towns with people ice skating on frozen rivers and so on, are immediately appealing:
A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle (1608-9) by Hendrick Avercamp
A Scene on the Ice near a Town (1615) by Hendrick Avercamp
A Winter Scene (1640s) by Isack van Ostade
A Scene on the Ice (1645) by Jan van Goyen
My friend’s son is called Carlos and after he pointed this out we developed a hypothesis – maybe one day it will become Carlos’s Law – which is that: No painting of a winter scene can be bad. Or, Every painting of a winter scene is automatically good. This held pretty much true from the 17th century Dutch painters where it began to dawn on us, through the intervening centuries to the wintry Impressionist works at the end of the gallery eg:
The Louvre under Snow (1902) by Camille Pissarro
The Boulevard de Clichy under Snow (1875-6) by Norbert Goeneutte
Turns out I like medieval and Gothic art and don’t like the Renaissance. I like medieval art’s emphasis on the humane, on gorgeous or quirky detail, the prevalence of design and pattern over the clear and (to me) often empty or sterile backdrops which Italian Renaissance art uses to show off its mastery of perspective. Thus I prefer the tight composition, the symmetry, the packed and slightly claustrophobic feel, the sumptuous fabric and cracked floor tiles and the dense foliage climbing over the cloisters of The Virgin and Child with Saints and Donor (1510) by Gerard David to, say, The Nativity (1470-5) by Piero della Francesca, with its – to me – sense of abandonment in a sterile, rocky, Beckettian landscape.
And so I preferred almost any northern Renaissance painter – van Eyck and the fabulous Hans Holbein and Rogier van de Weyden – to the more famous Italians, because they seem to me to be more humane; to value the truly human, often ungainly, individual over the more religious types of the Italian Renaissance. Botticelli’s Venus and Mars are smoothly executed cartoons: Robert Campin’s man and woman are people.
The National Gallery website
The National Gallery floorplan
The National Gallery collection online
Other reviews of National Gallery exhibitions
Posted in Art, Christianity, History
Tagged Baroque, Botticelli, Degas, Frans Hals, Gainsborough, Impressionism, Jan van Eyck, Leonardo da Vinci, Moroni, National Gallery, National Gallery of Art, Poussin, Rembrandt, Renaissance, Robert Campin, Rubens, the Arnolfini Portrait, The Burlington House Cartoon, The National Gallery, The Wilton Diptych, Tiepolo, Titian, Velázquez, Veronese, Virgin and Child
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/every-room-in-the-national-gallery/
Rubens and his Legacy @ The Royal Academy
This is a large exhibition in terms of number of items, but a vast one in terms of scope. It sets out to track the legacy of the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), one of the most influential of all western artists, and makes large claims for his impact on a wide range of genres and painters in every European country.
As it is setting out to demonstrate his impact and legacy, the majority of the pictures (and sketches and engravings) in the exhibition are not by Rubens; in some of the rooms it feels like only 3 or 4 out of 20 items are by Peter Paul (PP). Most of them are by the contemporaries or later artists who followed in his footsteps. It might be possible to misread the posters and publicity and feel a bit cheated…
Nonetheless, as the exhibition proceeds, its curators’ intentions are to some extent fulfilled, insofar as you do start to genuinely see Rubens’s influence – in composition and colour and treatment – in a growing number of the paintings by other artists. You begin to have an intimidating sense of the breadth and depth of his legacy. (And, from the enjoyment point of view, many of the works by other artists are masterpieces in their own right, a pleasure to see whatever the context.)
The audioguide (26 items, 50 minutes) claims that without Rubens, no rococo, no romanticism, no impressionism. Bold claim: is it justified?
The exhibition is divided into six themes. By ‘poetry’, the curators mean landscape. Early on the commentary makes an amusing statement of national stereotypes. Apparently, English painters took from Rubens his techniques in landscape, the French were interested in his treatment of love and eroticism, the Spanish copied his Counter-Reformation religious drama, and Germans liked the virility and pathos of his paintings. Each conforming to type, then.
The exhibition starts with ‘the English theme’, Rubens’s treatment of landscape. We are shown a Rubens landscape with carters and are told that the left side of the picture is in moonlight, the right side in sunlight, impossible in reality, but adding drama to an otherwise mundane scene. Near it the curators hang similar subjects by the English landscapists Gainsborough, Constable and Turner, among others – notably Constable’s full-size oil sketch for The Haywain. Rubens dramatised landscape, the moonlight-sunlight being an example. Another popular one was showing a landscape just after a rainstorm has ended, leaving a brilliant rainbow behind. There’s a Rubens showing just such a post-storm rainbow – and then a number of examples showing how English artists copied him. Constable, in particular, explicitly praised Rubens composition and colour in his notebooks. (Apparently Constable is famous for his use of red and the commentary says he copied this from Rubens). The section on Constable reinforced the impression gained from the recent Constable exhibition of how artful and calculating an artist he was.
Rubens to one side, I enjoyed many of the works by other artists on show in this room, including a wonderful sketch by Gainsborough, The Harvest Wagon, notable for its handling of the human figures, a cartoon, Daumier-like precision of shape and line and action. Also – very English – for its modesty.
Like many of Rubens’ larger paintings, the hugely influential Garden of Love is drenched in allegory and classical models: the elaborate architecture, the flying putti, the statue of Jove, queen of the gods, squeezing water from her ample breasts. Beneath them, in their shade and protection, these flirting mortals are featuring in one of the first ever scenes of contemporary people enjoying leisure time outdoors. Previously it was gods or military heroes or landscapes with peasants. Here are real people – albeit well-off people – but still real contemporaries, wearing contemporary costume, flirting and partying in the open air.
Peter Paul Rubens, The Garden of Love, c. 1633
Museo Nacional del Prado. Madrid
This painting bewitched the French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) who went on to develop his own style of light-hearted love scenes set outdoors. The argument goes: Rubens invented Watteau who invented the fetes galantes, inaugurating the age of rococo art in France.
More examples of Rubens, such as Chateau In A Park, are set against numerous sketches and oil paintings by Watteau, including the wonderful La Surprise, as well as works by other 18th century rococo painters such as Jean-Honoré Fragonard.
La Surprise: A Couple Embracing While a Figure Dressed as mezzetin Tunes a Guitar, (1718-19)
By which the curators mean portraiture. Rubens spent four years in Genoa (then a city made rich by trade in silks and fabrics) painting the wives of the richest bankers and merchants. The largest example of this period is the portrait of Marchesa Maria Grimaldi, and Her Dwarf – an ugly painting but, wow, the detailing of the gold cloth of her dress is amazing and lustrous in reality (reproductions completely fail to capture it). Note the classical columns (aren’t I classy) and the rich velvet curtain (aren’t I rich) and the bounding little dog (aren’t I sensitive).
The most direct influence of Rubens’s portrait style was on Anthony van Dyck, child prodigy and Rubens’s pupil, working directly under him in Antwerp before himself travelling to Genoa to make money. Van Dyck toned Rubens down, his portraits are cooler, more detached. In the Genoese Noblewoman and her Son, we have the classical architecture in the background and the luxury curtain (aren’t I cultured and rich) but the sitter is side on to the viewer, that much more self-contained, less revealing (aren’t I aloof). The boy is staring at us with the look of command and authority he is destined to grow into, and the dog is looking up at his future master. The thing is dripping with multiple layers of power and authority.
A Genoese Noblewoman and Her Son, c. 1626
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Widener Collection
Van Dyck came to the court of Charles I (generally thought to have been the most genuinely cultivated of all British monarchs and who was rewarded for it by having his head cut off) and was knighted for his services to the crown and aristocracy. Van Dyck forged an image of Charles as the tall (he was short), wise (he was stupid), and authoritative (he alienated everyone who ever served him) ruler that he wasn’t.
The commentary made the striking claim that van Dyck invented the English gentleman which, if you’re familiar with his portraits of the English aristocracy, is at least plausible.
Back with PP, the exhibition is making the claim that Rubens is the father of the grand British portrait, and sets off to prove it by placing his huge portrait with dwarf opposite a selection of equally imposing portraits of rich people by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Thomas Lawrence, portraitists to the British upper classes from the 1770s to the 1830s. The examples here – say, Elizabeth Lamb Viscountess Melbourne with her son – are very large like the Rubens originals, they keep an architectural frame and a drape, but they are less sumptuous and rich, the colour is drabber, and the background is, in line with the English fondness for landscape, a realistic slice of countryside, presumably the estate of this rich woman.
Or take Thomas Lawrence’s Portrait of Mrs Arthur Annesley, a big slab of classical architecture, but with quite an extensive view over the estate on the right, and the painting dominated by sweet little darling children, appropriate to the Age of Sentiment.
The previous rooms feel like they’ve been warming us up for the heart of the exhibition, two rooms dedicated to Rubens’s work as a propagandist of genius. It is staggering to be reminded all over again of his achievements completely outside the realm of art, for Rubens was also a diplomat, a spy and an antiquarian – a figure famous across Europe. Rather as with The Garden of Love, mentioned above, his achievement in political painting was to integrate classical mythology with everday reality, in this case with accurate depictions of living contemporary rulers, and to set both in a convincing space and tableau.
His masterpiece is the series of massive 24 paintings showing the career of Marie de Medicis and her husband, King Henri IV of France. A room is dedicated to a small selection of the numerous preparatory sketches Rubens made, and to an enormous screen projecting a video compilation of the finished paintings which currently hang in the Louvre. They are overwhelming, brilliant, vast, powerful in conception and in their myriad of details
The Triumph of Henri IV, 1630
Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1942 (42.187)
Also in the same room and given the same treatment is the immense roof of the Banqueting Hall in Whitehall, London, which can still be seen today. It is covered in its entirety by scenes painted by Rubens and commissioned by Charles I to depict the power and glory of his father, King James I of Britain. It, also, is a commanding series of images, though less overwhelming than the Medici ones – and its impact slightly spoiled for anyone who knows that the paintings were still not complete when Charles I was led from that very room onto a scaffold built along the first floor of the building, to be beheaded. Absolute Monarchy, English style.
Hundreds of painters copied the example Rubens set of lending mythological force and dramatic mises-en-scenes to the depiction of contemporary rulers, from the Sun King to Hitler. The results are splendid but may be the most antipathetic to English taste…
Or at least that’s what I thought till I entered the 5th room, which is about religion. Rubens was a devout Catholic and painter to the Counter-Reformation authorities. Ah. The largest Rubens in the room is the altarpiece Christ On the Straw, in which I found all the faults I dislike about most Christian art (and which I loathed in the recent Veronese exhibition at the National Gallery) – sentimental, lachrymose, stagey, inauthentic and banal.
There were lots of copies of this image, or something like it, by numerous subsequent artists, from David Wilkie doing the Grand Tour to Vincent van Gogh (!). Maybe the only one I liked was another sketch by Gainsborough, Descent from the Cross (after Sir Peter Paul Rubens). Seems to me Gainsborough expresses compassion in the shape and flow of the composition – the agony is implied, unlike the Rubens original where the white operatic faces are white with extreme emotion, the eyes drenched with tears and turned imploringly up to an angel-infested heaven.
Hell Along with the sentimentalism it evokes around the story of the crucifixion, Christianity is also famous for the extreme violence of much of its imagery of revenge, and the weakest room in the exhibition is devoted to these images which take their cue from Rubens’ large and vividly imagined Fall of The Damned. Shame we couldn’t see the original, which is in a church in Germany to terrify the faithful. The engravings and copies here show the delight in a multitude of grisly physical tortures which always tickle the Christian imagination (Dante’s Inferno) but not the sense of falling into the picture and joining the devilish throng which the original was presumably designed to make you feel.
Rape The violence of the religious imagination is set by the curators next to the popular of myths and legends about the rape or abduction of women in classical mythology, which Rubens depicted repeatedly, along with his copiers and devotees – The Rape of Proserpina, The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus. These compositions are stagey, operatic, full of carefully arranged violence, at the centre of which are plump women with their clothes falling off. Various reviews mention how uncomfortable the British have been with elements of Rubens’s legacy, and I personally dislike this and the religious iconography, both, for shamelessly exploiting the viewer. With a landscape I feel my aesthetic sense is being appealed to. With a painting of Mary bursting into tears or scantily clad women being abducted by musclemen in armour I feel much baser emotions are being aimed at.
The Hunt Another room was dominated by Rubens’s very big painting of a Tiger, Lion and Leopard Hunt (1617) and around it hung works showing the way this scene – the full drama of the capture of a large, exotic, wild animal – was repeated with variations by painters like Eugène Delacroix and the Englishman Sir Edwin Landseer. It was Delacroix, apparently, who said: ‘Be inspired by Rubens, copy Rubens, look at Rubens.’
We arrive, exhausted with sensual overload, at the final room which has numerous paintings of scantily clad women being leered at, or just about to be seized by, a satyr. The women are notable for their large thighs, buttocks and bellies and relatively small breasts, as in the Pan and Syrinx of 1617.
Pan and Syrinx, 1617
Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, Gemaeldegalerie Alte Meister, Kassel
The women are always painted as pink and light-skinned, symbolising their purity and innocence. The pans or satyrs are super-muscular figures, their sunburnt skins darkening towards their crotch, wherein lies the source of lust and the hellish pleasures which will buy their owners a one-way ticket to the Fall of Damned, mentioned above.
It was interesting to learn how Rubens used a variety of tints to create the appearance of flesh, including the use of blue or green tints to imply shadowed skin, next to unshadowed pink or white.
And it was interesting to see a roomful of works depicting the same subject by Watteau, Boucher, Renoir and Picasso – but whether this is due to Rubens’ influence or to the abiding interest in revealing the naked female body to the male artist’s male patrons and buyers, to the male gaze generally – is open to debate.
Certainly a room full of predatory, half-bestial men caught in the act of preying on exaggeratedly innocent, wide-eyed maidens left me feeling queasy and was maybe not the best final image to have of Rubens.
But this exhibition, exhaustive and exhausting, succeeds, and then some, in convincing you that Rubens was one of the most important and influential painters in western art.
Rubens and his Legacy at The Royal Academy
Rubens and his Legacy at The Royal Academy: Gallery
Rubens and his Legacy at The Royal Academy: Video
Guardian review
‘Peace and War’ at the National Gallery
Tagged Constable, Delacroix, Fragonard, Gainsborough, Landseer, Lawrence, Peter Paul Rubens, Picasso, Reynolds, Rubens, Rubens and his Legacy, The Royal Academy, Turner, Watteau
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/rubens-and-his-legacy-the-royal-academy/
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Fonds F0428 - James Tenney fonds
James Tenney fonds
Tenney, James, 1934-
1 audio cassette
208 audio reels
James Tenney (1934-2006), composer and educator, was born in Silver City, New Mexico and grew up in Arizona and Colorado where he received his early training as a composer and pianist. He was educated at the University of Denver, the Juilliard School of Music and Bennington College where he received his BA in 1958. He received an MMus from the University of Illinois in 1961. His teachers included Chou Wen-chung, Kenneth Gaburo, Lejaren Hiller, Lionel Nowak, Carl Ruggles, Edward Steuermann and Edgard Varese. As a performer, he was the co-founder and conductor of the Tone Roads Chamber Ensemble in New York City from 1963-1970 and has performed with the ensembles of John Cage, Philip Glass, Harry Partch and Steve Reich, among others. He has long been interested in the field of computer and electronic music and, as such, worked with Max Matthew and others at the Bell Telephone Laboratories in the early 1960s to develop programs for computer sound-generation and composition. He is the author of numerous articles on musical acoustics, computer music, musical form and musical perception and is the author of "META-HODOS : a phenomenology of 20th century musical materials and an approach to the study of form," (1964, 1988), and "A history of consonance and dissonance," (1988). He taught in the Music Department at York University in Toronto, ON from 1976 until 2000 after teaching New School for Social Research, the California Institute for the Arts and other American schools. Tenney is a modern composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, piano and electroacoustic music with over fifty works completed including "Quintext : five textures for string quartet and bass," "Sonata for ten wind instruments," and "Clang for orchestra." He has collaborated with Carolee Schneemann and Stan Brakhage on film projects and is an expert on the music of Conlon Nancarrow. He has also been commissioned by several organizations for compositions, has released several recordings of his compositions and arrangements and published numerous scores. Up to the time of his death on 24 August 2006, he was the Roy E. Disney Family Chair in Music in the School of Music at the California Institute of the Arts.
Fonds consists of material that documents Tenney's career as an composer, musician and academic and contains personal and professional correspondence with friends and colleagues including copies of letters received from such people as Carolee Schneeman, Steve Reich, Stan Brakhage and Lionel Nowak, among others, as well as correspondence with Bell Telephone Laboratories that documents his efforts in developing programs for computer sound-generation. It also contains records in the form of musical scores, computer outputs, programmes, clippings and sound recordings that document his musical output and material that documents Tenney's ongoing academic and professional interest in the fields of composition, music theory and electronic music, among others. There is also correspondence, photographs and other material that documents his relationship with his famil and, in particular, his father.
Donated by James Tenney in 1978, 1998 and 2000 and by Roma Carlisle in 2006, and by the Tenney Estate in 2010.
james-tenney-fonds.pdf
Related material may be found in The Music Gallery fonds (F0119).
The fonds comprises the following accessions: 1978-018, 1998-038, 2000-045, 2006-047, 2010-050. Further accruals may be expected.
2002/04/08 Jizi Chen:. (Creation)
2003/05/07 Shannon MacDonald. Added URL for online finding aid. Updated wording in accruals, access restrictions.
2006/03/28 Sean Smith. Revised fonds level description including adding series level descriptions.
2006/03/28 Sean Smith. Corrected extents.
2006/03/29 Sean Smith. Revised fonds level description. Expanded series level description.
2006/09/11 Sean Smith. Added date of death to bio sketch.
2006/11/17 Sean Smith. Updated fonds level description.
2013/06/25 Anna St.Onge. updated accessions
2014/07/22 Migrated to AtoM
2014/10/31 Anna St.Onge. Updated scope and content note. Deleted stub accession records improperly imported.
2018/08/01 N. Roz, KCP. Post-migration metadata clean-up. Addition of GMD and accession numbers. Published description and generated finding aid.
Tenney, James, 1934- (Creator)
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Koda's Summer 2018 Anime Favorites
Koda Kazar
Filed to: ani-tayFiled to: ani-tay
cells at work
lupin the 3rd
What a shock, another season comes and goes, and I don’t manage to get my end of the season article out until a month into the next season. Naturally I have a good reason for this, this time being the fact that I was busy moving during the end of the Summer season and start of the Fall season, meaning I didn’t exactly have any time to sit down and write a full article, or even watch that much anime for that matter. Trust me, it gnaws away at me too that I’ve been late with articles literally all dang year long, and hopefully, fingers crossed, this is the last one that will be drastically late like this for the year.
Speaking of watching anime, damn was it hard for me to keep up with shows during this season. Not because I didn’t want to watch shows, I did, just didn’t have the time to watch much of anything on some weeks, causing me to periodically have to do binge sessions on my more liberated weeks to catch up. All told, only a paltry 11 shows have qualified for the genre awards for this season. I didn’t get around to watching any of Netflix’s September anime releases(honestly I spent my September Netflix time on watching the latest season of BoJack Horseman instead), nor catch up on the other shows Amazon had that I was interested in.
So it was just the 14 shows from my season progress report, and to explain where the other 3 went, well I actually just straight up dropped Chio’s School Road not long after writing the progress report, and Banana Fish and Attack on Titan Season 3 aren’t eligible for the genre awards due to my rule that they are only for shows/seasons that end during the season. That last part is the key point here, and thus why AoT isn’t eligible. It didn’t end until two weeks into the Fall season. This article may be late, but I’m not gonna bend that rule here. Nevertheless, they are still perfectly eligible for the production awards, as those are more or less meant for anything that happened during the course of the season.
So now that my, unfortunately becoming quite customary, state of the union rant is out of the way, let’s get started with my genre awards.
Winner: “Braver” by Straightener (Angolmois: Record of Mongol Invasion)
I’m gonna be real with you guys, I just wasn’t feeling most of the openings or endings from this season. Honestly, the OP I rewatched the most this season was last season’s winner, “Winding Road” from Golden Kamuy. Out of the ones actually from this season, it just wasn’t a contest for me. Angolmois’ OP got watched the most by me this season. That’s not to say some of the other shows didn’t have good OPs.
For example, My Hero Academia had a pretty catchy theme this season, Banana Fish’s OP is just all around pretty damn good and honestly the closest thing to a runner-up I had in this category this season, Asobi Asobase had one of the greatest bait and switch OPs in the medium that was legitimately good on its own, and HANEBADO! had a good song and some gorgeous animation that is unfortunately undermined thanks to this animation bookending copious amounts of re-used footage from the show itself. Now granted, yes, this OP also re-uses footage, quite extensively at that, but not in the way HANEBADO!’s does. This one changes things up a bit, giving the characters in the footage some beautifully messy and thick outlines that makes them look like they came out of a Japanese painting. Plus, while the song in HANEBADO!’s OP is good, to me it has nothing on “Braver”.
The song and OP start off slow, building ever so much over time, and then it suddenly cuts into just a solid minute of chorus after sweeping across the Mongol fleet. Trust me, having heard the full version of the song I can confirm, everything after the title drop on the OP is parts from the chorus in the song. Which makes it one of the more unique OPs, song wise, in a year that already has a lot of unconventional OP song choices. Probably my favorite aspect of the song, however, is the sheer emotional electric guitar playing throughout the chorus. It is somewhat subtle, but it gives the song a stronger punch to me.
Winner: “Inkya Impulse” by Hina Kino, Rika Nagase, and Konomi Kohara (Asobi Asobase - workshop of fun -)
The race for my favorite ED of the season was even more dire than the OP race. I honestly don’t think I’ve had this many EDs I’ve skipped or just weren’t interested in, and I’m usually the kind of the person that will just let the ED play. I did have a few favorites, such Banana Fish’s, Steins;Gate 0's, Attack on Titan’s, and Angolmois’, but my far and away favorite, in quite possibly one of the easiest choices I’ve ever had to make in terms of my favorite OP or ED in a season, is the excellent metal ED to Asobi Asobase that is far more fitting for the trio of shitheads that form the core cast. I quite like metal, especially when it is used for anime OPs and EDs, so I was instantly in love with this the first time I heard it.
Winner: Fleeing Rat (Attack on Titan Season 3)
For a good bit of time the winner I actually had penciled in here was kind of cheating. What I mean was, originally I was going to give a sort of “group win” to all of the amazing callbacks in the later portion of Lupin the 3rd Part 5, but that wasn’t exactly fair, because that’s multiple moments all being grouped together, and this award is meant for my favorite singular moment or scene from the season, and when sticking to the spirit of the award, there just wasn’t anything else I felt I could give the award to this season other than the just absolutely stunning chase scene from the second episode of Attack on Titan Season 3 that finds fan favorite Titan-slaying buzzsaw Levi desperately, and narrowly, avoiding death at the hands of Kenny the Ripper and his human-combat squad. The crowning moment of this chase being the sequence above, which is basically animation’s answer to the long take camera shot from filmmaking.
Winner: Lupin the 3rd Part 5
In a shocking twist, despite this season having both My Hero Academia and Attack on Titan, franchises that both won my seasonal favorite soundtrack award before, this time the nod goes to neither. Frankly speaking both shows didn’t really impress me much this time around with their new musical material. In Attack of Titan’s case, some of the new music is actually quite...questionable. A very rare misstep for the phenomenal Hiroyuki Sawano. Instead, the show to win me over with its music is the latest entry in the Lupin the 3rd franchise, yet again composed by Yuji Ohno, who is basically tied to the franchise by the hip. Many of the songs he used this time around are new takes on Lupin classics, but given a new breath of life by infusing French musical influences. Much of it isn’t groundbreaking new material, but honestly this is a case of don’t fix what isn’t broken.
Winner: Asobi Asobase - workshop of fun -
Now this is certainly going to create some confused looks I’m sure, but this is after all favorite visuals, it isn’t just a purely animation award. With a show like Asobi Asobase, which I’ll fully admit isn’t likely to win animation awards any time soon, it lives and dies on its ability to utilize its visuals to help sell its gags. Needless to say, Asobi Asobase nails this with flying colors. If it wasn’t for how consistently creative and hilarious the various character reaction shots were, I really don’t think the show would have been anywhere near as funny as it ended up being.
Out of all the shows I saw this season, this was easily the one most heavily reliant on its visuals being what they were. Obviously I loved the visuals in other shows this season too, such as Planet With’s glorious throwback aesthetic to early-to-mid 2000s anime, or HANEBADO!’s oftentimes stunning animation, or the just all around phenomenal work MAPPA did with Banana Fish, but to me those shows were enhanced by their visuals and not as dependent on them as Asobi Asobase was.
It was already a contender for this award last season, so all it had to do to contend again was stay course, but Lupin the 3rd of course couldn’t do that. Instead the show just kept ramping it up as it went, somehow finding a way to continuously get better and better as it went, and had biting commentary on things ranging from our reliance on technology to the dangers of giving too much power to companies, taking a detour to also poke a little fun at how America likes to topple foreign powers for their own personal interests. All the while still maintaining the excellent character writing that made it a contender in the Spring season in the first place.
Though, Lupin didn’t exactly win this award running away. It was really difficult for me to choose between this, Planet With, and Asobi Asobase. Planet With almost won for having so much stuff crammed into only a single cour of episodes, we’re talking the amount of material some shows take two or even three cours to cover, and the pacing never felt off. Not to mention the show also had its own great character writing. Asobi Asobase also almost won on the strength of its jokes, because it is hard to write a comedy series were the majority of the jokes land, but Asobi Asobase manages to do this, on top of effortlessly handling the difficult balancing act that is having a main cast comprised of assholes. Ultimately though, Lupin the 3rd was just too damn good for the others to compete with.
And now we move on to the genre awards.
Winner: Planet With
Runner-up: Angolmois: Record of Mongol Invasion (Silver), My Hero Academia Season 3 (Gold)
This just wasn’t a contest, really. Planet With just kept getting better and more confident as the show went on, which is saying something as the show launched out of the starting gate already feeling pretty confident in itself. It was only further aided by its only eligible competition stumbling down the stretch.
Angolmois was very fun historical fiction for most of its run, but the last few episodes suddenly had an influx of issues just all deciding to pile up at the same time. The biggest issue being a weird sense of time management in terms of focus. Several dramatic and would be emotional moments get severely undercut because the show moves on from them way too quickly while things that probably should have been dealt with quickly was allowed to be drawn out. On top of this, the show’s animation took a big hit in its final episodes, which is a shame because the animation was one of the strongest things about the show early on.
My Hero Academia wasn’t bad, it is just the material in this second half to its season wasn’t as phenomenal as what we got in the first half of the season. It was still very much entertaining to watch, it just wasn’t at the same level.
So against this type of competition Planet With had little to worry about, thanks to its aforementioned tight writing, combined with its great visuals, and some surprisingly great use of CGI and a sound design that, while not to everyone’s taste, granted more impact to the fight scenes.
Runner-up: N/A
So in one of the easiest decisions of the season, thanks to it being unopposed, Lupin the 3rd takes the adventure category. Now even if it had actual competition, it would still win quite handily. The latest, and possibly greatest, entry in the franchise has Lupin and friends hopping all over the globe as they try to find any remaining shadows to lurk in while living in an ever connecting world. On top of being just a great show in and of itself, this season of Lupin was also a celebration of the series up to this point, featuring cameos and callbacks from throughout the history of the franchise. Not to mention working in some incredible throwback episodes between each of the miniature arcs this season contained.
Much like the favorite adventure category, this was an easy decision, and this was the inevitable result even when I had Chio’s School Road as part of my lineup. The gulf between these two shows was just that vast for me. In every possible facet I felt like Asobi Asobase was the better show. From the writing, to the visuals, to the music, to the characters. Hanako alone locked Asobi Asobase into winning this award, more specifically the incredible performance by her voice actress Hina Kino, who just put her all into each line delivery, be they one of Hanako’s smug lines or one of her many screamed lines. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever forget this show. This had to be quite possibly one of the funniest shows I’ve seen in years.
Winner: Steins;Gate 0
Runner-up: HANEBADO! (Silver)
So, up until the final episode for HANEBADO!, these two shows had their places swapped. I knew HANEBADO! was flawed, but I still really enjoyed the show despite those flaws. However, it really did come down to how the two shows ended, and Steins;Gate 0 ended on a strong note, where as HANEBADO! ends, but it doesn’t really resolve much of anything. There are still important things not entirely addressed, such as Ayano’s relationship with her mom and step sister. Which isn’t really a good thing, because those were kind of the main driving parts of the series. Ayano was the way she was because of how her mother rather cruelly just up and left her after Ayano lost a badminton match.
Steins;Gate 0 may have stumbled in some areas, especially during the majority of the second half with the biggest offense being how drawn out it was, and I’m probably not going to watch it again, at least not for a while, but it is still Steins;Gate, and as such it was able to edge out HANEBADO! just enough to squeak out the win and become, rather fittingly paradoxical, both my most disappointing show of the season and my favorite drama series of the season.
Winner: Encouragement of Climb Season 3
Runner-up: Ninja Girl & Samurai Master 3rd (Silver)
The first time all year I actually had multiple shorts to compete with each other for my favorite shorts series award, and both of them just so happened to be the third seasons in shorts I greatly enjoyed! Unfortunately, despite this season of Ninja Girl & Samurai Master being probably its best one to date, certainly its most emotional one, I just prefer the Encouragement of Climb franchise more.
While this season of Encouragement of Climb didn’t feature as much mountain climbing as usual, it made up for that by helping our characters grow more as they face new personal challenges. On top of that we got to see extended character interactions between combinations of characters we didn’t get to see much of in prior seasons. In addition, this season still had enough gorgeous scenes in the mountainous Japanese countryside to satisfy fans of the series. It was a change of pace from the usual, but I feel like it was one greatly needed.
Winner: Cells at Work!
Runner-up: Harukana Receive (Silver)
Taking the genre title seriously, we have a literal slice of life show taking the crown this season. Cells at Work! was a wonderful series about the “lives” our cells live. The show utilizes an excellent combination of comedy and badass action scenes to not only entertain viewers but also actually teach people about biology on the microscopic level and how our body works. It wasn’t a particularly deep series, but it was constantly entertaining, informative, and quite honestly far better than it probably should have been.
Harukana Receive ultimately maintains its status of easiest watch of the season I bestowed upon it during the progress report. It exists, it is relaxing, it is sometimes funny, and just all around a fun watch. It wasn’t like other sports shows where things are super serious. Even when this show was at its most focused, it still had a calming edge to it, and exemplifies how sports anime are more times than not about the characters and not the sport they play, as the actual beach volleyball games in Harukana Receive only account for a fraction of what the show focuses on.
I’ve always enjoyed Lupin the 3rd. It’s been one of those anime franchises to pop up in my life periodically over time. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect it to produce not only what was far and away my favorite show in a given season, but one of the strongest contenders for my favorite anime of the year. I just simply love this season of Lupin, top to bottom. They always find a way to pump life into the franchise and reinvent things for a new potential audience, but never quite to this extent.
This was just a stellar entry in the Lupin series for both existing fans and newcomers alike. I know a lot of people are warded off thanks to that dreaded “Part 5" in the title, but fear not! Lupin is a franchise where you can pretty much jump into any part of it and hit the ground running. So yet again, if you haven’t seen this season of Lupin the 3rd yet, I implore you to please find the time to correct that! You won’t be wasting your time, trust me.
So those are my favorites from the Summer 2018 season. In terms of medal breakdown, this is quite rough compared to the Winter and Spring. A total of 3 shows earned platinum medals this season, which is an increase of 2 over the Spring season, but in terms of gold medals, a mere 2 shows earned that this season, down a whopping 5 from the Spring’s 7. In a way, this is oddly consistent with the Summer season, it seems, as Summer last year only ultimately produced 2 gold medal shows and no platinum medals for me.
Anyways, feel free to comment down below what shows you guys liked from the Summer season. Until next time!
Recent from Koda Kazar
Pokemon Detective Pikachu solves the mystery behind being a good video game movie
Alita: Battle Angel is a divine technical marvel amid a scrapheap of adaptations
Koda's Anime Favorites of 2018
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i) Introduction - Teams
Most people know that Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay climbed Mount Everest (in 1958) but what is less well known is that a team of 500 backed them up (Tony Boyd, 2013a)
Despite the popular myths, Steve Jobs did not invent the iPhone (the bestselling product of all time, eg 1.2 b. sold by 2017). He was supported by a team of people designers, hardware engineers, user interface experts, software engineers, etc who experimented with a collection of technologies to develop the core of the iPhone, ie multi-touch finger sensors to work with Apple software. it is interesting to note that around 15 years before its launch, a similar product to the iPhone was developed called the IBM Simon, eg a large black rectangular product with touchscreen buttons, apps and a web browser. It was not successful. However Steven Jobs' role was pivotal due to his business manoeuvrings, his an aesthetic tastes, etc..
Similarly, Edison did not invent the lightbulb; it was developed by a team of brilliant researchers (including Edison). He simply perfected it into a consumer product.
NB "...The vast majority of inventions were achieved not just by people working in teams, but often simultaneously, by different teams, even sometimes working in different parts of the world..."
Mark Lemley as quoted by Brian Merchant, 2017
. Teams are one of the ways to improve management/employee communications, organisational performance, and foster connectedness and empowerment. Some definitions of "team":
"...teams also bring a diversity of individual traits and capacities that enables task to be shared according to the interest and capabilities of the team members..."
Harry Onsman, 2004d
"...a group of people who need one another in order to take effective action..."
Robert Hicks et al, 1990
"...A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable..."
Harvard Business Review as quoted by Tony Lendrum, 1998
"...T = Together; E = Everybody; A = Achieves; M = More..."
L&D Earthmoving, 2001
Remember: there is no "I" in the word "team" but there is a "ME" and in France, the word team is "equipe"
"...Organisations experimenting with the team concept soon discovered that teams take time, teams can fail, not everyone wants to work in teams, not every manager wants to rely on teams, team accountability is a slippery concept, teams vary in effectiveness, and that teams are slow mechanisms for dealing with a crisis. Yet there were enough gains to keep the concept popular..."
"...Teamwork is a practice. Great teamwork is an outcome; we can only create conditions for it to flourish......we cannot simply will it to happen....... becoming skilled at doing more with others may be the single most important thing you can do..."
Christopher Avery as quoted by Jerry Useem, 2006
"...successful teamwork depends more on management skills than on technical expertise......members of teams respond favorably when their suggestions are taken seriously and when reflections on a procedure occur in a collegial manner......decision-making as a process rather than an event. Members of a group should be encouraged to ask questions of one another, to weigh the pros and cons alternatives, to advocate positions other than their own; such an approach militates against hierarchy and promotes buy-in once a decision has been made..."
Howard Gardner, 2006a
(sources: Robert Hicks et al, 1990; Robert Kriegel et al, 1996; Harry Onsman, 2004d; Jerry Useem, 2006a; Howard Gardner, 2006a)
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Doctor, You’re Not Listening
by Cristen Pascucci | Sep 30, 2014 | Advocacy, All, Birth Trauma, For Providers, Obstetric Violence, Trauma | 2 comments
Earlier this month, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a well-researched article on traumatic childbirth (“In traumatic childbirth, women say a healthy baby isn’t the only thing that matters“). The article featured a mom, Erin Shetler, whose daughter was born by episiotomy and forceps (before a manual removal of the placenta) without informed consent on Erin’s part. Her doctor didn’t just fail to get her permission–he never so much as notified her that they were performing any of these procedures (she had an epidural so was not aware at the time). Erin was devastated. She felt violated, and was plunged into mental and emotional turmoil–including post-traumatic stress disorder–for months. She says all that could have been avoided had her doctor taken a few seconds to tell her what was happening. (Erin’s story is here. She and I became friends through Improving Birth, when she reached out to tell us she wanted to share her story.)
Improving Birth’s campaign to #BreaktheSilence on abuse and trauma in maternity care was also featured in the article, and I was interviewed about it. That campaign shared the stories of hundreds of women reporting bullying, physical force, manipulation, and cruelty in their care. The campaign also revealed a clear pattern: unsafe, outdated care that was enabled by blatant violations of women’s bodies, decisions, and rights.
Click to share image on Facebook!
In response to this article, a local obstetrician wrote a letter to the newspaper, titled “Expectant mothers must realize giving birth is unpredictable.” She stated that birth doesn’t follow a plan, that informed consent is not possible in emergency situations, and that “realistic childbirth expectations would decrease the growth of childbirth trauma.” She also compared U.S. maternal mortality rates from 1900 to today. It should be noted that, today, the U.S. has an abysmal maternal mortality rate compared to its peers and the only rising maternal mortality rate in the developed world.
I wrote a letter to the editor, which wasn’t published. I’d still like to get this letter out there, though, for one reason only: the doctor’s well-meaning sentiments are an excellent example of what we hear all the time as justifications for unethical and substandard care. From care providers, policy makers, and even the general public, there’s a failure to listen to what women are saying, and a failure to acknowledge the crisis state of maternity care in the United States.
An obstetrician’s response to the recent article about traumatic childbirth highlights the unfortunate disconnect between what women are saying and what some of their care givers are willing to hear.
It is not childbirth, but maternity care, that women are pointing to as the source of their trauma. It is not in medical emergencies, but in everyday, routine care that women are reporting they were ignored, bullied, coerced, or even forced into interventions they do not want or need.
Yet, in response to allegations by women giving birth that their rights were violated and they were subjected to unsafe care, it is often implied that women should lower their expectations, trust their doctors, and be glad they have a healthy baby at the end of a dangerous process.
Unfortunately, such ideas are not logically possible for many informed women. The U.S. has some of the very worst health outcomes in the developed world for women giving birth, and doesn’t do very well for infants, either. Nine in ten American women receive maternity care that increases, rather than decreases, their risks of complications. In the last year, major organizations like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Joint Commission have openly pointed to the variable practice styles of individual physicians as contributing to this kind of care.
In other words: suspending expectations and the right to information seems like the exact opposite of what women should be doing when it comes to their own health and that of their babies.
Moreover, women have the fundamental legal and ethical right to information and to decision-making when it comes to their health care, including their maternity care. These rights are grounded in the U.S. constitution, and strongly upheld by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, whose Ethics Committee calls informed consent “a fundamental tenet of contemporary medical ethics,” a “requirement,” and an expression of the patient’s “moral right to bodily integrity.”
Implying that informed consent compromises health outcomes is dangerous, inaccurate, and outdated—and condescending to women. Modern maternal healthcare must change to reflect the status of women in 2014 as having legal capacity and the mental ability to make the most important decisions of their lives within a system fraught with needless risk.
We urge maternal health care providers to really listen to what women are saying. So much trauma could be prevented by simply listening to and respecting the women giving birth.
Bamboola Baby on October 1, 2014 at 11:16 am
This article is awesome. Thank you for exposing the painful truth. Sharing where I can.
Kate Ditzler on July 11, 2015 at 3:07 pm
Having been in a traumatic birthing situation, in which my care providers changed (because I was no longer low-risk), I think informed consent in an emergency situation is best described not as a debate, but as a basic explanation — I care that they can’t take ten seconds to say to me, for example, “We believe your uterus has ruptured, and the best chance for everyone is an emergency c/s.” As opposed to suddenly knocking me out without explanation. (I’ve informed husband to yell and throw elbows if shit starts going down without a basic explanation.) From my first birthing experience, I care that they put me on oxygen and didn’t tell me WHY.
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Tag Archives: Islamic State
THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN ISLAMIST TERRORISM
"Un Silence Religieux", Algeria, Amedy Coulibaly, Bataclan, Caliphate, Charia, Charlie Hebdo, Daesh, Feuerbach, Franco, Gérard Bronner, Hyper Cacher, ISIS, Islamic State, Islamophobia, Jacques Derrida, Jean Birnbaum, Jihadism, Marx, Michel Foucault, President Hollande, Saïd and Cherif Kouachi, Sham, Stade de France, Syria, Theology of Liberation, Third World War
This is perhaps the most important of the 425 posts I have published so far in this Blog. It will definitely be the least original, because it consists essentially of quotations from a recently published book in French : Jean Birnbaum, “Un Silence Religieux. La Gauche Face au Djihadisme” (“A Religious Silence. The Left in Face of Jihadism”), Seuil, Paris, janvier, 2016. One thing is certain : readers of this Blog are highly unlikely to read anywhere else what I am about to write and translate here. Even if you can read French, you may never, regrettably, read the book, though I would urge you to do so ASAP.
The thesis : the raison d’être of Daesh, Islamic State, ISIS, and the motivation of its terrorist members are primarily religious, founded on an Islamism inspired directly by the Koran and the Hadiths. Their objective in the short term is the provocation of terror and civil war, and in the long term the elimination of Infidels and the installation of a worldwide Caliphate and the universal rule of the Charia.
The author rejects the politically correct distinction that has led President Hollande and his Minister of the Interior to state that the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the Jewish deli in January 2015 and on the Stade de France, the Bataclan and Paris cafés in November 2015, “had nothing to do with Islam”. For fear of exacerbating existent “islamophobia”, the French Government has preferred to protect “moderate” Muslims by insisting that the only “bad guys” are the “Islamist” (not Islamic) terrorists. These are, moreover, said to be the products of poverty, lack of education and social and economic discrimination, whose motivations are based on a thirst for recognition, power, fame and adventure, rather than on the Islamic faith practised by the “good guys”, the moderate, friendly, well-behaved Muslim citizens in your neighborhood. The problem, for Birnbaum, remains the religion they share with the fanatical, radicalized terrorists.
It seems to me that the best service I can offer readers, rather than paraphrase the author’s ideas, is to present a selection of his texts. The choice is difficult and extremely limited, but I hope adequate to correct certain mistaken ideas about the true nature and dimensions of the challenge now facing the whole world.
“Top representatives of the State … have repeated one and only one idea : that the attacks which have recently spilled so much blood in France have ‘nothing to do’ with religion in general and with Islam in particular. The men who committed these crimes ‘have nothing to do with the Muslim religion’, said François Hollande.” (page 13)
“The men who committed these attacks” (in fact explicitly) “cite religion as their source : ‘I am Amedy Coulibaly” (the assassin in the Jewish deli) “a Malian and a Muslim. I belong to Islamic State … The difference between Muslims and you Jews” (he was speaking to hostages in the Hyper Cacher) “is that you give a sacred meaning to life … We give a sacred meaning to death. You attack the Islamic State ? We attack you. You and your coalition bombard us, you kill civilians and our troops … We are not going to let you do that. We will fight you, Inch Allah, to glorify the word of Allah.” Like Coulibaly, Saïd and Cherif Kouachi – the assassins of Charlie Hebdo – were proud to identify themselves as soldiers of God : ‘We have avenged the Prophet Mahomet’ “. (pages 15-16)
“What links the French terrorists with their confreres in Somalia or Syria is not their social origin or their personal itinerary. It is essentially the same messianic certitude, the same discourse.” (page 19)
” ‘Barbarians’, ‘Weirdos’, ‘Psychopaths’ – any label will do so long as there is no reference to faith (page 21) … Since the attacks of January 2015, all sorts of explanations have been given, every possible cause has been envisaged, except one : Religion (page 22) … Today everything happens as it it were quasi-impossible to reconcile two objectives : on the one hand, to avoid the ‘confusion’ between Islam and terrorism, thereby disassociating Muslim faith from its Islamist perversion: and on the other hand, to take fully into account the religious dimension of jihadist violence … What is central here is our own reticence to envisage religious belief as a specific cause. ” (page 23)
“The idea which links sectarian extremism and a low social and educational level is quite simply false.” (the author is quoting Gérard Bronner, page 25)
“In fact, jihadism is practised by men (and women) who identify themselves as Muslims, and who are convinced that they are the only Muslims worthy of the name.” (page 29)
Readers will discover in Birnbaum’s book much more than quotations like these. His profound analysis of the religious dimension of the war in Franco’s Spain and later in Algeria, his rereading of Marx and Feuerbach, his study of Michel Foucault’s first-hand experience in Iran and of his 1979 prophetic warning : “Islam, which is not simply a religion but a way of life, a belonging to a history and to a civilization, is in danger of constituting a powder keg threatening millions of people” (page 110), as well as his references to Jacques Derrida (page 113 et al.), his dissection of the Theology of Liberation (page 144 f.), and his criticism of the contemporary French Left, demolish the accepted idea that once society has changed, religion will disappear (page 170).
“A Religious Silence” arrives at the following conclusion :
“The jihadists are convinced that the destiny of the world depends on what will become of Syria, or rather the region of the Levant they call ‘Sham’. In their vision, jihadists view the ‘best of Allah’s lands’ as the scene of a Third World War which will result in the Coming of Paradise on Earth. The ISIS videos hammer the message : ‘Good News for Sham ! I see Allah’s angels covering the whole of Sham with their wings … Rupture with the West : only a religious force is capable of achieving it; the power of the Sacred alone can desacralize profane power.” (pages 208-210)
It is time for us to admit that Islam is the problem, and that unless it is radically reformed, unless its teeth are removed, it will devour us all.
SUNNIS , SHI’ITES ? “LET ALLAH SORT IT OUT !” (Sarah Palin)
Islamic State, Michael Crowley, Sarah Palin, Wars of Religion, Winston Churchill
To state the obvious, I am not a geopolitician. I am not even a politician. I am a former priest and Professor of Theology, a retired Director in a French multinational and a co-founder of its corporate University, become a militant atheist whose Blog is dedicated to sharing insights into the absurdity and dangers of religious credulity. I try to keep up with what’s going on in the world, in particular with events related to religious faith and practice. My sources are authors of recognized expertise, scientists, philosophers, politologues and even some journalists like TIME’s Michael Crowley, whose June 30 article, “Irak’s Eternal War” is the source of much of the information presented here. The opinions expressed are my own.
Some of us have trouble remembering the differences between the two fratricidal factions within Islam, the Sunnis and the Shi’ites. The conflict dates from the very beginnings of Islam in the 7th century. Westerners, non-Muslims, rarely understand or remember the difference between them. Sarah Palin and the rest of us are in good company : at the end of World War 1, as he helped draw up the victors’ imposed new map of the Middle East, Winston Churchill wrote : “Sunnis, Shi’ites : I always get mixed up between these two.”
Here’s what I’ve understood – a mini-primer for amateur geopoliticians – about this internal, murderous, ancient conflict between the two sects, that goes beyond our own historical Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants, which we hope, non obstante the recent history of Ireland, are a thing of the past.
It all began with a fierce dispute about who should succeed the Prophet when he died in 632 A.D. Sunnis wanted a new leadership by consensus; the Shi’ites wanted leadership to stay within the Prophet’s family and to be given to his son-in-law Ali and his descendants. These were the “Followers of Ali” – the “Shiat Ali” – who ever since, though today only 10% of the world population of 1.6 billion, have been mortal enemies of the Sunnis, who are determined to restore the original Caliphate with its elected leader.
The Sunnis, 90% of Muslims, are dominant in Indonesia, in Saudi Arabia, in Pakistan (which has both the second largest Sunni population and the second largest Shi’ite), in Egypt, Jordan and what is now called Sunnistan, the growing territory straddling Iraq and Syria, conquered by the Sunni radical extremists who call themselves Daech or ISIS or the Islamic State. Saddam Hussein was a Sunni but ruled as dictator over the Shi’ite majority in Iraq, which is today under Shi’ite rule, like neighboring, nuclear-equipped, Iran and Bashar Assad’s Syria. Al Qaeda is, of course, like ISIS its rival, Sunni. The 35 million Kurds who dream of, and are ready to fight for, their former independence, are Sunnis determined to turn the conflict with Baghdad to their own advantage. The reason that Shi’ites have power disproportionate with the 10% of Muslims they represent, is their control of Iran – which has the world’s largest Shi’ite population as well as enormous wealth in the form of black gold – and their concentration around oil-rich areas.
That thumbnail summary may leave some incapable of distinguishing a Peshmerga from a Peche-Melba, a Kurdish militia-man from the Dame Nellie dessert. But I hope it is enough to help begin to understand that no one, and notably no American-led military action, is going to resolve the ancient hatred motivating the imperialism and terrorism of ISIS. The U.S. spent nearly $1,000,000,000,000 and lost 4,500 lives in its liberation of Iraq after deposing Saddam Hussein. The superpower is conscious that its present “restrained” intervention against ISIS is taking place in the context of a potential nuclear confrontation between the Sunnis of Pakistan and the Shi’ites of Iran. Already Iran’s eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s cost more than a million lives.
This Blog’s mantra is “RIDENDA”, even “DELENDA RELIGIO” : religion deserves and needs to be ridiculed and if possible destroyed. As long as we witness, and become more and more threatened and terrorized by, radical Islam, which, not content with “M.A.D.” (“Mutually Assured Destruction”) of its coreligionists who dispute how leadership of their common religion should be determined, sees us as infidels deserving death, we cannot but continue to encourage the enlightenment of all believers and the elimination of all religions.
RIDENDA, DELENDA RELIGIO
MUSLIMS AND CATHOLICS : IRRECONCILABLE COUSINS IN FAITH
George Orwell, Inquisition, Islam and Catholicism compared, Islamic State, Terrorism
There are enormous differences between Catholicism and Islam, but they have much in common. To list their principal similarities : both are monotheisms; both recognize Jesus as a Prophet; both make daily prayer obligatory, although Islam prescribes multiple daily prayers for all its adherents, while Catholicism imposes the Divine Office only on its religious orders and clergy; both believe their Founder ascended into Heaven (one on a cloud, the other on a horse); both consider what their Founder said (neither wrote anything) to be the Word of God ; and most importantly, both religions believe they have a monopoly on the truth.
It is striking that though Catholicism has been forced in recent centuries to abandon the temporal, political and military power it once had and exercised, literally and figuratively with a vengeance, notably against Muslims, and has now neither armed divisions nor vast territories, its supreme authority and headquarters retains the status of … a State. Islam is, in our own time, trying to recreate the Caliphate through its expanding “Islamic State”. It is a consummation devoutly to be wished that after a much shorter period of terrorism and dictatorship than it took to bring the Catholic Church under control, Islam will be enlightened enough or even forced, to become just a religion again, deprived of power over the lives of its members and, through terror, over the rest of us. The task may be more difficult because of a major difference between Islam and Catholicism : there is no equivalent in Islam of a centralized authority similar to the Vatican. But even if Islamic extremists’ political, totalitarian ambition to rule the world is one day contained, both Islam and Catholicism will continue to exercise considerable influence over the minds of their followers.
One can describe the range of belief both in Catholicism and Islam in terms of a line from one extreme to another. As I believe that the normal, rational, unbiased, objective view of the Universe, of life and of death is to refuse to accept fantasy and myth as truth, I begin with atheism. My own is not your everyday “Believe what you like; I don’t buy any of that religious nonsense”, but an active dedication to inviting others to share the freedom atheism has given me by abandoning all religious belief and practice.
So I begin the gamut with Militant Atheism, way out there on the left. Moving to the right we have , in turn, more or less militant Atheism – Agnosticism – Doubt – Belief on the Brink – Total Indifference – Cool to Warm to Red-Hot Faith – and, finally, Fanaticism and Terrorism. The right-of-center categories include Catholics who range from the indifferent to the lukewarm to the devout to the Pentecostalists to the pre-Vatican 2, Tridentine lovers of the Latin Mass to the fanatics of Catholic fundamentalism. I am not familiar enough with Islam to describe in detail possibly similar degrees and manifestations of their faith. But different from the Catholic Church mercifully deprived of the power it had during the Dark Ages and notably during the Inquisitions and, in some measure, during the era of the Papal States, the extreme right of Islam today is terrorism while the extreme right of current Catholicism is “mere” fanaticism.
The challenge of Islamic terrorism, practised by armies or bands of Jihadists or individuals brainwashed into using their own bodies as IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) or beheading randomly chosen people in Sydney’s Martin Place or the mountains of Algeria, is not going to go away any time soon. It is virtually impossible to win a war against guerrillas, as we discovered at great cost in Vietnam. But if we capitulate to the imposition of Charia “law”, humanity will be condemned to live in slavery. We need a Muslim George Orwell.
“Sapienti sat” – that should be enough for the wise. Another “voeu pieux”, a “pious wish”, wishful thinking ? The guru who can solve all this has no doubt not yet been born. Many will continue to distinguish Islam from Islamism (though it is difficult to believe that the Jihadists’ motivation is not Qu’ran-Hadith driven), to say nice things about devout, God-fearing, law-abiding Muslims, to regret the structure of their decentralized, Pope-less religion and the impotency of their imams to eradicate the fanaticism and terrorism their religion produces in their mosques and madrassas.
In the meantime, the Jihadist expansion goes on. Can it be eliminated militarily ? Like some American generals, I fear not. We are in for a long haul of trying to contain at least the most violent of the manifestations of Islamic terrorism. But, as the Brits would say, the real battle is for the hearts and minds of Muslims everywhere. We have not been terribly effective in eradicating Catholic credulity (but some of us will keep on blogging …). We can only hope that enlightened Muslims, even if they continue to believe in Allah, will begin to preach an Islam that leaves the Dark Ages behind them, at least to the point of renouncing violence, forced conversions and the imposition of the Charia. After all we did succeed in taking the teeth out of the Inquisition, and in getting the Church to recognize that it had to change its views on geocentrism, evolution and a literal understanding of its sacred texts. The Church has laid down its arms, put away its instruments of torture, no longer punishes people for disagreeing with Church doctrine; it lives and lets live with dissidents, Protestants, Jews, Muslims and even atheists. This is a lot to expect from Islamic State or our own young citizens leaving home to join them. But even if we can’t convince them that Allah does not exist, that like Christianity Islam is blindfaithblindfolly, perhaps we can settle for less and try to lead them at least to accept the non-violent cohabitation of people of different faiths and even people with no faith at all.
P.S. Just a few hours ago before posting this, a fourth hostage was decapitated by Jihadists. After the two American and one British journalist, a French mountain-guide was beheaded in Algeria this evening in response to the French bombing of Jihadist installations and personnel in Iraq. It is hard to predict what will happen in the immediate future. The threat of both further barbarous acts of terrorism and a violent, irrational over-reaction is real. Religion poisons everything. Nothing to laugh at here. “Ridenda Religio” reverts to …
IMAGINE !
Giordano Bruno, Islamic State, John Lennon, Transubstantiation, Trinity
In this post THOM shares with us his timely reflections on our most precious freedom : to think for ourselves.
“On 8th December, 1980, a murderer’s gunshot rang out in New York that would guarantee legend status for his victim. John Lennon was just 40 years old. Had he lived he would now be almost 74 – an “elderly” man like myself. But his murder has ensured that he will survive in our imaginations as the talented and controversial singer-songwriter-composer in his prime. Almost 400 years before in Rome, a talented philosopher, mathematician, poet and astrologer was murdered by agents of the Catholic Church. Giordano Bruno was murdered because he represented a threat to those who wanted to control the way others thought. He challenged Catholic doctrines including the Trinity and Transubstantiation. He had used his imagination and the Church didn’t like it – so it murdered him. Lennon’s murder was even more pointless. Mark Chapman wanted to be “famous” himself. But he lacked the imagination to be truly creative. So he murdered Lennon who was. Just imagine.
Lennon urged all of us to Imagine – in the iconic song and album of that name. The simple tune and inspirational lyrics will remain as a worthy memorial to Lennon and a touchstone for rational people throughout ages to come.
It’s easy if you try.
Above us only sky.
“Imagine there’s no countries;
It isn’t hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for,
And no religion too.
“Imagine all the people,
Living life in peace.
But I’m not the only one.
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will be as one.”
The psychopaths of IS are the most recent manifestation born of the failure of peoples to use their imaginations – their failure to think for themselves – their naive trust in allowing others to tell them how and what to think – the very stuff of Religion. Just imagine !”
“D A B I Q” : THE FINAL CONFLICT BETWEEN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY
Armageddon, Daqib, Islamic State, Jihadists, Muslim Threats in Sydney
The recent threats of random beheadings in the center of the city of Sydney have, as intended, spread terror throughout the population. That is what terrorism is all about. Whether or not such threats are ever carried out, we know from the much-publicized horrifying decapitations of two American and one British journalist that they are real : “Ab esse ad posse” – “From what exists one can deduce what is possible”. Over-reaction can fan the flames of fanaticism and blatant or latent Islamophobia across all levels of society, especially among Bogans over their beer. But the fear of faith-based conflict Down Under is amply justified as a famous unprecedented riot in the beach suburb of Cronulla proved not long ago.
In a broader world perspective and in view of the recent emergence of a well-armed and well-financed “Islamic State”, already in control of a territory in Irak and Syria larger than France, it is not unreasonable to wonder whether we are not condemned to witness, if not be involved in, a repetition of history’s infamous wars between Islam and Christianity. It is somewhat disturbing to learn, for example, that ISIL is already speaking of its Western, Christian enemies as “Crusaders”. It is even more frightening to discover that behind the title of ISIL’s official magazine “DABIQ” is reference to a locality in the north of Syria between the city of Alep and Turkey, which is mentioned in an apocalyptic prophecy, very popular among jihadists, as the location of the final conflict between Muslims and “the infidels” that we are.
Most of us have had little contact with the world of Islam. Many, even a theologian like me, would have to admit to having very superficial knowledge of the religion, its followers and their history. Our fantasies about Arabs, mistakenly identified as representing the world’s Muslim population, are perhaps colored if not based on movies like “Lawrence of Arabia”. Who can forget the backwardness and the chaotic incompetence of the competing Arab tribes after Lawrence led them to victory over the Turks, the enemies of their World War 1 ally, Great Britain ?
In a world where oil has given Middle East Muslim countries enormous economic power and the means of financing terrorism and the Islamic State’s holy war against us (with the added help of European ransom money), where a coalition of Western allies, along with several Arab states, has been formed and is at present militarily involved in trying to destroy the Islamic State, one cannot but be afraid that the Third World War has already begun. Apocalyptic Armageddon, or more precisely, Dabiq, has become less unthinkable.
While religious fanaticism is not the sole mobilizing factor fueling the conflict, the apparent impossibility of dialogue between the protagonists does not favor optimism for a peaceful outcome. Are we condemned simply and impotently to lament with Christopher Hitchens that “religion poisons everything” ?
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Muharram The Month Of Revolution
by Dr Soghra Fatima | Oct 21, 2018 | General | 4 comments
Although a revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structure that takes place in a relatively short period of time we are applying the term to an Islamic month that carries in its fold the immortal message of Imam Husain a.s. because of the great awareness it brings in our everyday life. Every sip of water we drink brings to our mind the picture of our little prince, Ali Asghar a.s. who was the youngest soldier of Imam Husain’s a.s.’s mission and contributed to the event that culminated on the 10th of Muharram [1].
The revolution that took place in retaliation to duress and oppression in the month of Muharram, under the Imamate(divine leadership) of Imam Husain a.s. left the warm light of Islam turned on for everyone to accept, whenever they felt compelled to find the ultimate truth. Imam Husain a.s. has burned a lamp that draws us to it and provides the feeling of connection with God in its engulfing warmth. It is a revolution that gains more momentum with time. As more and more people realize its significance and get drawn to it they experience the peace they were in search of and feel their quest for truth has been answered. This emotional satisfaction is an outcome of the love they receive through the doors of Imam Husain a.s. which are forever open welcoming each one of us to connect to Allah swt just like he went to the side of every martyr of Karbala and held him close to his self during the last moments of their lives.
Imam Husain a.s. learned Islam from his grandfather – the one who received the Holy Quran on his heart, his father – the epitome of knowledge in the Prophet’s mission and his mother who was also called Zakiyah – the knowledgeable. He represented the true living spirit of Islam. When unnecessary and unwanted changes were being incorporated into Islam, Imam Husain a.s. was duty-bound to bring it back into its original form. This called for a revolution because Imam Husain a.s. was conscious of the wrong and he knew that he was the only one who could correct the wrong because he was accurately aware of the extent to which the wrong had taken place [2]. When Imam Husain a.s. was given no choice but to give allegiance to a tyrant and an infidel enemy of Islam or face death, he took a few members of his family – including women and children and left Madinah towards Makkah. While in respite, he aspired to perform Haj. His peace did not last long and when the enemy plotted to kill him while performing Haj, Imam Husain a.s. performed Umrah instead of Haj to preserve the sanctity of the Holy Kaaba. Since Makkah had also become unsafe for him, he accepted the invitation of Kufans and left Makkah for Kufah. His family accepted Imam Husain a.s.’s divine decision with solidarity [3]. His brave and obedient brother Abbas a.s. suppressed his anguish and obeyed Imam Husain a.s.’s command to avoid bloodshed at the Holy Kaaba and give in to the compelling demand of the enemy to leave Makkah without performing Haj.
When Imam Husain a.s. learned that Yazid’s forces had assembled in Kufah and were waiting to assassinate him, he changed direction to go back towards Madinah. Hurr a.s.’s army obstructed Imam Husain a.s. from returning to Madinah. Not wanting to go to Kufah and unable to go to Madinah, Imam Husain a.s. moved in the direction towards Karbala. There, he was besieged and the supply of food and water to his camps was cut off. His family – consisting of infants, children, women and nursing mothers suffered hunger and thirst for three days in the extreme heat in the desert of Karbala. Imam Husain a.s. requested everyone to leave him and save their lives for staying with him would mean certain death. On the day of Ashura, he began to lose one companion after another. After his small company of seventy two was killed in the matter of a few hours, and he had participated in the agony and death of every companion, he offered his thanks to Allah swt in prostration in complete submission and attained martyrdom [ 4].
In Muharram, our beloved Imam Husain a.s. set an example for us to conquer oppression in a way that weapons were not needed to be victorious. He vanquished falsehood with truth creating history which only gets more relevant with passage of time because new depth is displayed in the character of Imam Husain a.s. each time it is closely examined. The success of Imam Husain’s mission is manifold and multifaceted.
The humanitarian sacrifice of our Prophet’s beloved grandson is intense, immense, incomparable, invaluable and impassable to any event in the history of this world. In a matter of few short months after he left his home in Madinah, Imam Husain a.s. contentedly offered all he had – including his family, his followers, his footing, in the way of Allah swt. Imam Husain a.s. was a unique revolutionist. The noteworthy revolutions include the revolution of colored people against whites in the 1790s and the Iranian revolution in the 1970s, which reformed the society, as well as all revolutions in between are a reawakening after Islam had prohibited slavery and set the standard for leading a blissful life centuries ago. However, there was no reformer like Imam Husain a.s. who brought changes that will last until the very last day of the existence of this world.
The incarnate truth was revealed by the Holy Quran al Karim, brought to us by the message of our Holy Prophet sas who, by example, taught the believers how to live a truthful and sanctified life. He invited the people to one God – Allah swt. He explained the verses from the Holy Quran as they were brought to him by Gibrail a.s. A lifetime’s dedication of Prophet Mohammad sas for the cause of Islam was being eliminated by the changes being brought to the religion by the rulers after the Prophet sas. These changes hurt the soul of spiritual freedom which is the essence of Islam. They worked against truth and the preaching and principles of the Prophet sas and favored the corrupt rulers.
When Islam was being modified from the inside to suit the political greed and shortcomings of the rulers, the true custodian of Islam set up his defense to protect Islam with the divine help and integrate the true spirit of Islam in such a way that no one would be able to change the essence of the religion till the very end. Therefore Imam Husain a.s. is the protector of Islam.
In a revolution, there is a reversal of direction to revolve and go back into its original form leading to a radical and complete change. Imam Husain a.s. unfolded a new era in Islam by his unique sacrifice and clearly distinguished the truth from falsehood in the shadow of the Karbala Revolution.
The battle of Karbala that took place in the month of Muharram and subsequent events exposed the tyrants whose roots can be traced back to the infidels who had joined Islam either to save their own skin or in greed of bounty they expected from a prosperous religion. The two groups, truth and falsehood, were clearly separated – the first group restored the religion of Prophet Mohammad sas, and the second group fed their own greed without a clue or understanding of the true spirit of Islam. The two groups diverged even further with time as the sacrifice of Imam Husain a.s. and his companions was revealed to the world and the tyrants continued their tyranny on Ahlul Bayt a.s. Imam Husain a.s. became an iconic figure not only for the true Muslims but also for the justice seekers who were seeking a true humanitarian as a role model. The severed head of Imam Husain a.s., the savior of Islam, on the spear inspires every oppressed individual to raise his head and fight for his dignity.
If the question still remains: Who won the battle of Karbala? The victory is Imam Husain a.s. ’s because this one man revolution in the month of Muharram revived and brought back to life the true spirit of Islam complete with humanity as illustrated in the Holy Quran. Imam Husain a.s.’s mission, which was to reawaken the spirit of Islam and rekindle the Islamic conscience that was nearing extinction by the conduct of Muslim rulers of his time, was accomplished perfectly. The blood of Imam Husain a.s. and his companions keeps the lamp of Islam lighted as a means of guidance to all humanity, till eternity, to keep the spirit of freedom and refrain from surrendering the liberty of mind to evil ways [5].
Muharram is the month of display of patience, bravery, loyalty, heroism, faith, belief, trust, humanity and sacrifice. It is the month of Husain a.s. It is a month of Abbas a.s., Ali Akbar a.s., Hurr a.s., Habeeb a.s., Ali Asghar a.s. It is a month wherein the tyrants who were in power lost to the powerless and uprooted family of Prophet sas and their small group of devoted friends.
The sacrifice of Imam Husain a.s. started a new trend, the ritual of Majlis in the month of Muharram in the Imambargahs(the places where commemorating mourning assemblies or majalis are held) and Mosques. This provided a unique opportunity of learning Imam Husain a.s.’s martyrdom and sacrifice in Karbala. The respected orators convey the message of Imam Husain a.s. from the pulpits. This must be made full use of in understanding the true meaning of Islam and the victory of chests, hands and necks over spears, swords and arrows. We, the followers of Imam Husain a.s., do not need artillery to remain truthful and fight the Satan. Falsehood will eventually be defeated by the truth and vanish with time so long as we have the courage to rise against the tyrant even when we are weak. Imam Husain a.s. taught us to make sacrifices and remain firm if we are with the truth and not to give in to the Satans in our life.
We commemorate Imam Husain a.s.’s martyrdom in the month of Muharram. We mourn by wearing black as a symbol of sorrow. We experience the pain that Imam Husain a.s. and his family went through in saving the prestige of Islam. We remember the sacrifice made by him to save Islam when it was in peril of extinction only a few years after our Prophet sas passed away.
The revolution in the month of Muharram is the cause of many revolutions we bring in our lives by taking strength from the martyrdom of Imam Husain a.s. because we do not consider Muharram to be a ritual to follow each year. Rather, Muharram is a month in which the less powerful become more determined and muster strength to overcome the more powerful miscreants in their lives. The enemy need not be an outsider, it could be your own ego that you learn to tame and get rid of in Muharram. It could be your impatience and loss of focus that you need to learn to conquer. It could be your temper and destructive nature that is causing harm to others and destroying your own self – this needs to be eliminated.
To my father who is a wonderful father, an adorable grandfather, and a devoted husband to my mother.
https://www.al-islam.org/nafasul-mahmum-relating-heart-rending- tragedy-karbala-shaykh-abbas-qummi
https://www.imamreza.net/old/eng/imamreza.php?id=10018
https://www.al-islam.org/articles/divine-will-martyrdom-imam-husain-allamah-sayyid-saeed-akhtar-rizvi
https://www.al-islam.org/lohoof-sighs-sorrow-sayyid-ibn-tawus
http://english.khamenei.ir/news/4212/Imam-Hussain-s-Revolution-for-Humanity
Zainab on October 21, 2018 at 1:51 pm
Mashallah ,aap salaamat rahe aur aur baba ko bhi sehat ke saath salaamat rakhe aameen
Hajji Bassim on October 22, 2018 at 2:01 am
Another masterpiece from Dr Soghra that explained the purpose and abjactive of Majalis of Imam Hussain as(the spertual gathering) of of the followers of Ahlulbayt. The massage of this gathering is the massage of Imam Hassan as to free the human been from any external or internal Chain and completely submit to Allah. To live like Imam Ali as and to die like Hussain. Thank you and thanks to Dr Soghra and may Allah bless you all.
Raza Mir on October 24, 2018 at 12:07 pm
Excellent analysis!
Syed Abid on October 25, 2018 at 3:00 am
Dr. Soghra has rightly depicted the essence of mourning of the martyrdom of imam Hussain A.S. In Muharram, which attaracts the masses towards imam Hussain to know the truth about him and his endeavors to save the true Islam which prophet Mohammad (saws )had preached, there by saying that If imam Hussain A.s. had not taken timely stand against the oppressors and tyrants we would never have received the real islam.
She has rightly pointed out that imam Husain Risked his n his family lives for the sake of Allah”s n prophet Mohammad’s religion and ultimately acrificed himself n his family members n friends in the way of Allah to keep alive the Quran n teachings of the prophet which are the code of conduct to live a disciplined n righteous life,
We hope Dr soghra keeps writing such articles for the benefit of all readers specially the youngsters,
Thanks Dr. Soghra
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Extinction Rebellion: disruption and arrests can bring social change
By The Conversation April 29, 2019
‘Banksy’ Extinction Rebellion artwork appears at protest site at London’s Marble Arch
Alexander Hensby, University of Kent
Extinction Rebellion burst onto everybody’s screens with disruptions and mass arrests across the UK and around the world in protest against government inaction on climate change. Radical disruptions have been at the heart of Extinction Rebellion’s activism since it was founded in 2018 – from January’s disruption of London Fashion Week, to the infamous naked protest in Parliament at the beginning of April. But the scale of the most recent actions has finally succeeded in forcing mainstream news cycles to start giving the politics of climate change the attention it deserves.
One could argue that Extinction Rebellion’s week of action was fortunately timed – the extension of Article 50 to October has created something of a news vacuum while everyone takes a momentary breather from Brexit. Nevertheless, activists would rightly claim that climate change is the bigger looming catastrophe.
In October 2018, the UN’s climate agency published grave projections of the enormity of the challenge ahead if we are to limit the most catastrophic consequences of climate change. For both Extinction Rebellion and the Fridays for Future school strike movement, the piecemeal response of nations at the UN’s annual climate change conference in Poland in December 2018 made it clear that there is no more time to lose.
The aim, then, is to force the issue. Through their blockades of iconic central London sites, Extinction Rebellion is keeping climate change at the forefront of the public and politicians’ lips, making the seemingly abstract problem facing all of us feel real. And rather than just warning of this climate emergency, it offers a vision of an alternative future, where a Citizens’ Assembly takes the lead in reducing UK emissions to net zero.
Perhaps inevitably, Extinction Rebellion’s actions have been met with a familiar backlash from some political commentators – witness Adam Boulton’s sneering performance on Sky News, and David Blunkett’s indignant authoritarianism in the Daily Mail. But while activists say they regret the disruption caused to working people, they consider their actions a necessary evil in order to change the conversation.
Older activists will surely point to the impact and legacy of 1999’s Battle of Seattle, when the Global Justice Movement successfully closed down the World Trade Organisation’s annual meeting. Not only was this extremely empowering for those involved, it crucially helped make resistance to a largely abstract neoliberal governance structure seem concrete and real.
Much like the Occupy demonstrations seven years ago, Extinction Rebellion’s latest eye-catching protests have been friendly and open, laden with artistic performances, talks and human connection. This good-natured spirit has so far meant that the movement has gained significant traction – not only on the airwaves, but on the streets too.
Extinction Rebellion’s efforts are aimed at building momentum and are based in political science – their website highlights that it takes just 3.5% of a nation’s population engaged in sustained nonviolent resistance to topple a dictatorship. In the UK, that’s less than 2.5m people.
Their clear demands and principles give the movement a clarity and focus that the Occupy movement may have lacked, and they are growing week by week – Extinction Rebellion says that 50,000 people have joined the movement since the protests started.
But contemporary mainstream news cycles are fast and fickle, so the movement will have to act quickly and carefully to maximise use of its new-found public platform.
Danger of diminishing returns
It’s extremely important that the movement’s purpose does not become overshadowed by its tactics. Extinction Rebellion has ransacked the playbook of direct action repertoires – blocking roads, using fake blood, recreating funeral marches, and surprise nakedness. While these have so far been successful in bringing the movement’s name and cause to the fore, using such tactics ad nauseum can quickly lose the public’s imagination and support. This was evident in the Global Justice Movement of the 2000s, as the desire to recreate the euphoria of Seattle resulted in tactical “summit hopping” with diminishing returns.
State agencies also learn quickly how to police repeated mobilisations more ruthlessly and extremely – although Extinction Rebellion’s “trademark” repertoire, the tactical use of mass arrests, so far appears to be combating this threat effectively. Police have powers to disperse protesters, but the sheer number of people now willing to be arrested shifts the balance of power between the public and the state. For example, police have so far been unable to clear any of the four sites in central London, as spates of arrests were closely followed by new wave of protesters arriving to entrench control. The city’s police stations do not have the capacity to hold hundreds of arrested protesters for long periods, and court costs will discourage officers from pursuing charges, limiting the punitive power of the state.
At the same time, Extinction Rebellion’s tactics risk fetishising the act of being arrested as a symbol of participants’ commitment to the cause. The movement’s co-founder, Roger Hallam, recently told the BBC that in order to achieve its goal of “getting in the room with government”, it may need to create a law and order crisis on the scale of 1,000 arrests. Such an arbitrary target is problematic, as it may encourage activists to take more risk in pursuit of a goal that is by no means guaranteed.
Even if one is critical of the politics seemingly behind many “aggravated trespass” charges, a criminal record can be extremely costly and cause significant problems for many younger activists – especially people of colour. This contrasts with the relative risks posed to seasoned activists whose job, lifestyle or privilege allows them to ride the consequences. It is crucial that Extinction Rebellion fulfils a duty of care to support those who are prepared to put their bodies on the line but, with more than 900 arrested already, its an expensive, high-risk game should multiple criminal charges be brought.
For now, Extinction Rebellion activists will consider recent events as a runaway success. They have gained visibility and traction – and have at least temporarily steered media attention away from Brexit. Most importantly, they have put climate change squarely in the middle of public conversation. Let’s hope it stays there.
Click here to subscribe to our climate action newsletter. Climate change is inevitable. Our response to it isn’t.
Alexander Hensby, Lecturer in Sociology, University of Kent
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Brevity, Part 3: Long Takes Continued (well, they’re long)
January 10, 2010 - Uncategorized
While writing my previous post, I grew aware that I wasn’t mentioning any women filmmakers. So I’d like to add something addressing that (because of course one can find numerous examples). And along the way, I’ll also try to say more in general about the power—and limitations—of the long take.
But first, a little more explanation about how I chose the first set of clips. In that first list, I tried to stick to directors who regularly employ long takes in their films—in other words, directors whose films display a long Median Shot Length.
For instance, the final shot in Tarkovsky’s Stalker is fairly typical for that film, in terms of length. Here’s another long take:
I don’t think that the final scene is even the longest one in the film (I haven’t checked, but I believe that the take where the three men enter the Zone by rail is longer).
In making that first list, I chose to pass over films that include a single standout long take for dramatic effect, but overall are more typically shot and cut (in terms of the lengths of each take). These long takes are usually “bravura” moments that call attention to themselves: again, see the openings of Welles’s Touch of Evil and Altman’s The Player, as well as the final shot in Carol Reed’s The Third Man, the opening of Brian DePalma’s Snake Eyes, and scenes scattered here and there in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas. Not to mention many more examples in more recent films by various US directors who pay frequent homage to those directors. I have nothing against any of these films or these kinds of takes; I just didn’t feel like discussing them here (and I think that the other list I linked to does a good job of focusing on these kinds of long takes—which, indeed, are often tracking shots).
But allow me two quick points about such takes: Brian DePalma has made his career on them. And although Hitchcock’s Rope is frequently cited as his chief influence here, it’s worth remembering that the man loves Antonioni as well. His remake of Blowup (1966), Blow-Out (1981), is too little seen.
Secondly, any list of “bravura” long takes would be incomplete without the opening shot of Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days (1995):
(If there’s any justice in this world, both Avatar and The Hurt Locker will be nominated for Best Picture, and Bigelow’s film will trounce Cameron’s.)
…That all said, it was inexcusable for me to exclude from my first list Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (and despite my having recently rewatched it). Akerman’s 1975 masterpiece is comprised heavily of long takes, which streadily and methodically generate an unbearable tension over the film’s 201 minutes:
If you haven’t seen this film, I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s one of the greatest works of the 1970s, and it’s finally readily available. The DVD also includes Akerman’s fantastic first film, Saute ma ville (Blow Up My Town, 1968):
Akerman frequently employs long takes, for example in her brilliant Je Tu Il Elle (1975), also now available on DVD. (1975 was a very good year for Akerman, and for cinema).
Akerman’s use of the long take exemplifies (among other things) its “documentary” usage. While I find Akerman’s long takes dramatic and spectacular, and technically challenging in their own ways, they seem intended more as a means of getting us to watch actors perform everyday actions in real time, over a long duration, thereby creating tension. Which is a different kind of tension, say, then watching Nicolas Cage stagger manically through a boxing arena.
(Not to mention their purpose in critiquing the menial household tasks that women usually have to endure.)
Another film that works in a similar mode is Barbara Loden’s Wanda (1970). This film features a wide variety of takes, some relatively long, others shorter. Loden seems to have been influenced at least in part by Antonioni (there are some shots toward the beginning that indicate this), but the long takes are also present to accomodate the acting, which features a lot of improvisation:
I think of Wanda as being a Marxist-feminist response to Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Whereas Penn’s classic hints at Clyde’s abusiveness toward Bonnie (through his neglect, and his impotency), Loden goes much, much further. Her Wanda Goronski (who’s an alcoholic) falls in with “Mr. Dennis,” who’s a petty thief, and a thug, and nowhere near as cute or as dashing as Warren Beatty. The increasingly co-dependent couple proceeds to drive around Scranton and Carbondale, Pennsylvania, failing to rob banks. It’s a lot like real life, and not at all glamorous. (If you like Herzog’s Stroszek (1977)—and who doesn’t?—then I really encourage you to check out Wanda, which in places eerily foreshadows it.)
Another film that uses long takes here and there to accomodate its performances—its wildly improvisational performances—is Elaine May’s Mikey and Nickey (1974):
According to legend, May repeatedly ran single-shot scenes until the camera ran out of film. She shot so much footage, so much of it improvised, that it took her a year to edit the film, which was eventually taken away from her. The result is heavily edited, but it still contains many long takes, and you can really feel the duration of the performances and the scenes even when the footage cuts.
Another filmmaker who makes frequent use of this documentary long take style is Samira Makhmalbaf, for example in her first feature, Sib (The Apple, 1998). You can watch the opening here (apparently the entire film is up at YouTube).
Long takes are a hallmark of contemporary Iranian cinema (see Greg’s post on Abbas Kiarostami). Anyone interested in this stylistic phenomenon should check out Marva Nabili’s The Sealed Soil (1978). It’s difficult to find information in English about this film, but you can pick up used VHS copies fairly easily. And it’s tremendous: an extremely methodical observation of a family’s life that has no fear of letting scenes play out in long, static takes (often in long shot). Some will no doubt find it too challenging, but there’s nothing else like it. It’s one of the few films I’ve seen where the day is allowed to progress naturally; you can actually see the daylight changing in some of the shots.
In a somewhat similar, but also in a more poetic/lyrical vein, Marguerite Duras’s India Song (1975) features some very long takes, both static and tracking (something was in the air in the mid-70s—and Delphine Seyrig was in both this and Jeanne Dielman!):
This duration-based, voyeuristic style can quickly become confrontational (as it does frequently in Akerman’s work). Yvonne Rainer has made spectacularly bold use of long takes in this regard, for instance in her classic Film About a Woman Who… (1974). You can watch the whole thing at Ubuweb. (See, for instance, the undressing scene that starts at about 57 minutes in.)
Rainer hails from a performance background, and her films display a love of watching actors perform. (See the dance sequence that starts around minute 73.)
This recalls one place where mainstream films often let the cameras keep running, and often in long-shot: dance movies. For example, Sally Potter’s The Tango Lesson (1997) is a fairly conventionally edited film (in terms of its average shot length), but consider this scene, which plays out in relatively longer takes:
There are cuts, but for the most part we’re allowed to watch the dancing develop and unfold. (Note also how Potter “hides” many of her cuts by passing behind poles—stealing a trick from Hitchcock!)
By way of contrast, look at this later scene, which is much more heavily edited. Personally, I think that the cuts diminish the dancing: the effect is more the impression that they’re dancing, rather than allowing us to watch them really dance:
Moving on, we can see many different uses of the long take (lyrical, documentary, confrontational) synthesized in the conceptual work of VALIE EXPORT. In her work Conjoined Dislocations (1973), EXPORT strapped one camera to her chest, and another to her back, then turned them both on and walked around. She meanwhile used a third camera to film herself doing this; the resulting three channels are presented simultaneously:
The camera equipment she was using limited the lengths of the shots she could make, but this is clearly a duration-based cinema. (Later, video cameras allowed artists to take this kind of thing further.)
Finally, I want to discuss one alternative to the long take, partly to further define them, but also to point out one of their limitations. André Bazin liked long takes because they supposedly strengthen a film’s spatial and temporal continuity. But cutting can create a fantastical continuity that actual long takes would problematize.
It was Lev Kuleshov who noted that he could film some actors looking upward on one side of town, then film an upward-looking shot of a lamppost on the other side of town, then edit them together to create a cinematic space that didn’t really exist. No filmmaker has explored the construction of this montage-based cinematic space more thoroughly than Maya Deren. Like Rainer, she was a dancer, but the camera she used in the 1940s limited the length of the takes she could make. Deren ingeniously responded by using extremely strong match cuts to set her films in spaces that exist only in her cinema. See, for instance, her Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), and the stepping/knife/kiss scene that runs minutes 3:22 through 4:10 (in this clip):
…or the walk she makes in At Land (1944), where her male companion keeps transforming (minutes 4:58–6:15). (Look for John Cage’s cameo at 5:50!)
…as well as many, many other examples in nearly all of her films.
Again, this list is hardly intended to be complete, but I hope it’s now more representational. Happy viewing!
A. D. Jameson
A. D. Jameson is the author of five books, most recently I FIND YOUR LACK OF FAITH DISTURBING: STAR WARS AND THE TRIUMPH OF GEEK CULTURE and CINEMAPS: AN ATLAS OF 35 GREAT MOVIES (with artist Andrew DeGraff). Last May, he received his Ph.D. in Creative Writing from the Program for Writers at UIC.
some thoughts on context
Thinking About Age Differences, Relationships, and Academics
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“I don’t believe less is more. I believe that more is more. I believe that less is less, fat fat, thin thin, and enough is enough.”
“Literature is that which denounces and slashes apart the repressing machine at the level of the signified.”
“Sentimentality is a form of fatigue.”
“Ninety percent of everything is crud.”
9 thoughts on “Brevity, Part 3: Long Takes Continued (well, they’re long)”
Ahhh! Adam I love Barbara Loden’s Wanda, I love her use of the long takes, especially in the beginning, when she’s a white ghost in the distance walking slowly across the coal mines. The pace of that film is unbelievable.
It’s funny when the film came out everyone compared it to Bonnie & Clyde, but Loden hadn’t seen it when she was working on the “script”/idea for the film – it was actually based on a newspaper story she had read, of a woman who was jailed after a robbery, and when she heard her ruling, she thanked the judge. Loden was dismissive of the beauty and glamour of Bonnie & Clyde, and always said Wanda was an anti-Bonnie & Clyde.
The pace and poetry of that film is so devastating. Jeanne Dielman is a wonderful counterpoint. The lives of these trapped women, the claustrophobia of their interior spaces, whether it be ponytailed Wanda in a crowd at the bar, looking dazed, or Jeanne Dielman peeling potatoes. The slow muted unraveling.
A D Jameson says:
I wasn’t aware that Loden hadn’t seen B&C. There really are a lot of (accidental) parallels. For example, the scene where Mr. Dennis makes Wanda change her hair, and put on the dress, then throws her other clothing out the window of the car. It makes me think of the scene in the diner in B&C where Clyde tells Bonnie to change her hair. (The two of them are also eating hamburgers there, which makes me think of the scene where Mr. Dennis makes Wanda go out to get him a hamburger—an amazing scene!)
We all dream that we’ll end up in Bonnie and Clyde (save maybe the final scene…or maybe even that), but in reality life is much more like Wanda (whose own final scene is one of the best in all of cinema).
Also, I’m from Scranton, so Wanda has a special place in my heart for having been filmed there. I recognize a lot of the locations, especially at the end of the film. (It’s a pretty place!)
yeah as far as i know she hadn’t seen it from what i’ve read of the film (which granted, isn’t much). mr. dennis is really based on her svengali-relationship with elia kazan, who wrote about her in his novel the arrangement and directed her in the marilyn monroe role in after the fall (and said he cast her because her and marilyn were both “orphans”) and of course in splendor. and mr dennis is in many ways wanda’s director, for the bank heist, grooming her to be more feminine, etc.
i’m sure she saw it, but not when she was making the film. and she reacted quite strongly to the parallel.
god i love that film. that hamburger scene, the casual cruelty of it – yes.
“Oh, here’s my wallet… What’s it doing in the trash?”
Greg Gerke says:
Great list Adam. Faithless by Liv Ullmann I believe has some long takes, I believe strongly that it does and it is a marvel. She just directed Blanchett in Streetcar Named Desire in Brooklyn as well.
Edward Mullany says:
re: Maya Deren
rarely do you see a movie that captures the logic and sensation of a dream as well as Meshes of the Afternoon and At Land. They are fluid, unfunny, yet bizarre. The Japanese instrumentation that accompanies Meshes is as important as the actual footage in that it’s original instead of evocative; it doesn’t try to make you recall what it feels like to be unsettled – it unsettles you.
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Five Poems, by Micah Zevin
Four Poems, by John Yau
“No difference without alterity, no alterity without singularity, no singularity without here-now.”
“Work on good prose has three steps: a musical stage when it is composed, an architectonic one when it is built, and a textile one when it is woven.”
BIG OTHER is an online arts and culture magazine, published since 2009. It features fiction, poetry, art, hybrid works, reviews, essays, interviews, a podcast, and more. BIG OTHER is edited and managed by John Madera.
© 2009-2019 Big Other. All Rights Reserved.
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Oman Air flight experiences burst tyres following landing at Abu Dhabi: no injuries reported
Oman Air flight WY 635, a Boeing 737 – 800 flying from Muscat to Abu Dhabi, has experienced two burst tyres while landing at Abu Dhabi. The incident occurred on Wednesday 27th April, at 2107 local time. Thanks to the professionalism of the well trained crew, no further discomfort was experienced by the guests on board.
The flight took off from Muscat at 2025 local time with 150 passengers and seven crew on board. The guests and crew were unharmed and were disembarked smoothly.
Spare parts have been sent to bring the aircraft back to base as swiftly as possible. A full investigation will take place how this technical incident could occur, despite the thorough maintenance planning and execution.
Oman Air’s over-riding priority is to safeguard the well-being of all its customers and staff, and the airline is proud of its unblemished safety record. Oman Air provides extensive training for its crews on how to effectively manage problems when they arise, and ensure passenger safety. It also works closely with all the airport authorities throughout its network. This incident illustrate the effectiveness of that training and co-operation.
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Home » News » 2017 Stanley Weinstein Dissertation Prize Award Announcement
2017 Stanley Weinstein Dissertation Prize Award Announcement
The Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University is pleased to announce that the Stanley Weinstein Dissertation Prize for academic years 2014-2016 has been awarded to Matthew Mitchell (Duke, 2016) for his impressive Beyond the Convent Walls: The Local and Japan-wide Activities of Daihongan’s Nuns in the Early Modern Period (c. 1550–1868). Mitchell’s dissertation was the unanimous selection of the prize committee out of a very strong pool of nominees.
Based on extensive first-hand research of Japanese manuscript and archival sources, Mitchell’s dissertation was universally praised by the prize committee as a meticulous work of scholarship that illuminates a host of broader topics in the study of Japanese Buddhism and Japanese religion – topics including gender, class, pilgrimage, material culture, social networks, doctrinal history, and economic and institutional history – through a case study of the convent Daihongan and its branch temples that sheds much light on lived religion in eighteenth and nineteenth century Japan.
In his dissertation, Mitchell explores the tensions and power struggles between the convent Daihongan and the (male) monastic compound Daikanjin at Zenkōji, and in doing so he transforms our understanding of the role of Buddhist nuns in Japan during this time, showing that far from being cut off from society they played a wide and active role beyond the convent walls in their interaction with Japanese society, including influencing the highest levels of Japanese politics.
Mitchell demonstrates how the nuns of Daihongan had to negotiate a number of complex forces in order to preserve their autonomy and agency. No passive subjects vis-a-vis an androcentric Japanese society and Buddhist tradition these nuns were actors who took ambitious initiatives and who to a high degree were able to shape their own world, and by extension the entire world of early modern Japanese Buddhism.
Mitchell’s study will serve as a model for how a fine-grained focus on particular Buddhist institutions and their histories can allow scholars to reach wide-ranging conclusions about the nature of Buddhism’s interaction with the wider society in which it has always existed.
The Stanley Weinstein Dissertation Prize was established in 2008 to honor Professor Weinstein’s many contributions to the study of East Asian Buddhism in North America. The prize will be awarded once every two years to the best Ph.D. dissertation on East Asian Buddhism written in North America during the two previous years. The dissertation must be based on original research in the primary languages and should significantly advance our understanding of East Asian Buddhism. East Asian Buddhism is understood for this competition to refer to those traditions in East Asia that take Chinese translations of the Buddhist scriptures as their basis (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese). Studies of East Asian Buddhist communities in the West are not eligible for consideration. The recipient of the award will be invited to give a public lecture at Yale under the auspices of the Council of East Asian Studies. There is an honorarium of $1,000.
For the next round of the competition, Ph.D. programs in Buddhist Studies/Religious Studies in the United States and Canada will be invited in the future to nominate one dissertation that was completed during the academic years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.* A call for nominations with complete requirements and instructions for submission will go out during the summer of 2018. The deadline for the next round of nominations will be December 31, 2018.
* Nominations by the authors themselves will not be accepted.
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MPS: Sport Studies
Undergraduate Sport Studies
Graduate Sport Studies
Sports Law at Tulane
Player Care Foundation Body & Mind Screening
search tulane.edu
Center for Sport
Home / Who We Are / Sports Medicine / Professional Athlete Care Team
Professional Athlete Care Team
"Once you're ours, you're always ours. Everyone is considered family here."
Since 2011, the Professional Athlete Care Team (PACT) has been caring for retired professional athletes through partnerships with the National Football League and National Football League Players Association. PACT is a distinctive care model designed to meet the specific needs of former professional athletes' health and safety both on and off the field. Privacy and transparency are hallmarks of the program, allowing professional athletes the freedom to discuss their health in an open, trusting environment. The PACT program is unique in that uses athletic trainers as navigators to provide former athletes with a higher level of comfort and familiarity.
"You have to feel safe enough to disclose what you’re really going through. When you can be yourself – not the guy under the helmet – your transparency and vulnerability becomes a strength in helping you get better and stay healthy."
Jabari Greer, former New Orleans Saints cornerback and Super Bowl champion
NFL Player Care Foundation
NFL Neurological Care Program: In 2011, Tulane became one of five medical centers in the U.S. that partnered with the NFL Player Care Foundation to evaluate and treat possible neurological conditions among retired players. Our neurological specialists provide comprehensive evaluations of brain and spinal function along with an individually tailored treatment plan for eligible players.
Healthy Body and Mind Screening Program: Tulane is also the sole provider for the NFL Player Care Foundation’s Healthy Body and Mind Screening Program, supported by the NFL Alumni Association. This free national screening program is open to all former NFL players and includes a series of cardiovascular and prostate screenings and mental health resources and education. The screenings are offered as part of the NFL Player Care Foundation’s research programs, which help to advance public awareness and scientific understanding of health issues that affect former NFL players. With consent from players participating in screenings, clinical information gathered is used for important research initiatives that may lead to advances that improve the lives of NFL retirees.
NFLPA - The Trust
Brain and Body Assessment: In 2013, Tulane became one of four sites for the NFLPA's Brain & Body Assessment - a set of screenings and tests designed for the former player who has played in the league in the past 15 years. Following their assessments players are given a plan of action that they can follow in their home community.
Milestone Wellness Assessment: In 2017, the NFLPA Trust announced its Milestone Wellness Assessment program which provides screenings and tests designed for former players who have been removed from the NFL for 15 or more years.
Mission: The Professional Athlete Care Team (PACT) takes pride in caring for the overall health and well-being of all former professional athletes. PACT provides athletes with facilitated access to comprehensive evaluation and treatment plans.
We operate as a team with each player's success being the sole measure of our own success, individually and collectively.
We empower players to take charge of their health, careers, finances, and growth.
We find solutions, not excuses.
We embrace good ideas, regardless of from whom they come.
We over-communicate and under-complain.
The Trust Staff and Partners exhibit teamwork and absolute commitment to the Mission and Principles.
The PACT team has provided world-class health care to over 1,500 former professional athletes since its inception in 2011.
The PACT team provided health screenings for over 150 former NFL players at Super Bowl LI in Houston in February 2017.
The PACT team has helped over 400 Brain and Body patients from 31 states with their health care needs since November 2013
Center for Sport at Tulane University
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Tag: Film and Media Studies Program
Recap and Photos from Hopkins in Hollywood
A Johns Hopkins Alumni and Student Networking Event and Panel Discussion in Los Angeles on 1-12-17
Over 75 alumni, students, and faculty from Johns Hopkins got together on January 12, 2017 for a networking mixer and panel discussion relating to the entertainment and media business. Johns Hopkins alum and emeritus board of trustees member Don Kurz (A&S ’77) graciously hosted the event at his company Omelete in Culver City.
Just prior to the event the current students, primarily seniors and juniors who were visiting Los Angeles as part of an Intersession course within the Film and Media Studies Program, met with alum and cinematography legend Caleb Deschanel (A&S ’66) to hear about his industry experiences and ask questions. Following this there was an hour long drinks/hors d’oeuvres mixer of both students and alumni.
Host Don Kurz then thanked everyone for attending and introduced Film and Media Studies Program Director Linda DeLibero. She gave a quick overview of the program and its growth over the past few years and introduced the group of students who had traveled out from Baltimore for the class.
Don Kurz (JHU A&S ’77) welcomes everyone to Omelete while Caleb Deschanel and Linda DeLibero watch from the far left.
Following this Don moderated a panel discussion and Q&A featuring alumni Paul Boardman (A&S ’89), Jason Altman (A&S ’99), Devon Chivvis (A&S ’96), and Chris Aldrich (Engr. ’96). Panelists discussed how some of their Hopkins experiences helped to shape their subsequent careers in the entertainment and media sectors.
Panelist Paul Boardman (seated at far end) describing how his experience in breaking down films scene by scene at Hopkins helped to prepare him for a subsequent career as a screenwriter. Jason Altman and Devon Chivvis sit to his right.
After the discussion, Linda presented Don with a gift of a framed artistic print of the newly renovated Center Theatre, part of Station North and a hub for the Film and Media Studies Program. She thanked him for all of his work and effort on behalf of the program, saying she knew he’s “always got our back.”
Panelist Devon Chivvis (right) watches as Linda DeLibero presents host Don Kurz (left) with a small token of the Film and Media Studies Program’s gratitude.
Emily Hogan gave a brief overview of her work at the JHU Career Center and encouraged alumni who had job openings or internship opportunities within their companies or knew of other opportunities for students/alumni to contact her with details and help in filling them.
Following some additional networking, a portion of the crowd retired to nearby pub/restaurant Public School 310 to continue the discussion.
Alumni continue the conversation at Public School 310. Picutred left to right: Jason Somerville, Jason Altman, Paul Boardman (obscured), Devon Chivvis, Cari Ugent, Karen Swift, Mark Swift, and Kathryn Alsman.
Chris Aldrich (near left) captures a quick selfie before the event.
Don Kurz welcoming the crowd.
Don Kurz (JHU A&S ’77) welcomes everyone to Omelete.
Students and Alumni listening to the panel discussion
Linda DeLibero (right) presents host Don Kurz with a small token of the Film and Media Studies Program’s gratitude.
Chris AldrichPosted on 9:45 am January 15, 2017 January 16, 2017 Categories Entertainment Industry, EventsTags Alumni, Caleb Deschanel, Don Kurz, Film and Media Studies Program, Hopkins in Hollywood, JHU AEME, JHU Alumni Association, Johns Hopkins, Linda DeLibero
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MSE Symposium Unspools Tuesday at Shriver Hall : At 100, Why Do Movies Matter? | JHU Gazette
Reposted MSE Symposium Unspools Tuesday at Shriver Hall : At 100, Why Do Movies Matter? by Mike Giuliano (Johns Hopkins Gazette: October 9, 1995)
MSE Symposium Unspools Tuesday at Shriver Hall
At 100, Why Do Movies Matter?
Mike Giuliano
Special to The Gazette
Not that turf-conscious professors need worry about one of the main campus buildings being converted into a nine-screen multiplex theater, but the movies have arrived on the Homewood campus in a big way.
Most immediately, the Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium, "Framing Society: A Century of Cinema," opens this week to examine the roles of the motion pictures in American society. Its undergraduate co-chairmen, Matt Gross and Chris Aldrich, are no strangers to the subject of film. Each is involved in film classes, student film organizations, film production, screenings and a just-launched magazine. All of which, considered together with the symposium, they hope will provide a new frame of reference at Hopkins for the only art form that proceeds at 24 frames per second.
Lest anyone still harbor the prejudice that movies should be accompanied by popcorn and not term papers, young filmmaker Gross is quick to defend the academic worth of their symposium offering.
"Chris and I always felt it was an appropriate topic for the symposium," he says. "It wasn't so much deciding whether to do it as how to do it. We want to explore how cinema fits into our culture. Can a particular movie or stream of movies change things in society?"
By way of example, he dips into film and political history for the famous anecdote about President Woodrow Wilson's proclamation that D.W. Griffith's controversial 1915 film Birth of a Nation was "like history written by lightning."
Gross says, "It's a historical fact that Wilson was one of the first people to give legitimacy to film. Since he went to Hopkins, he's like this guy sitting on top of the ivory tower saying this is a way of reporting history. That legitimizes film as a historical pursuit. And the 100th anniversary of cinema is an opportunity to look back on film in a cultural and intellectual way."
Gross adds that a visit to Paris reinforced his sense that the French, whose visionary Lumière brothers began showing movies commercially in 1895, have a much keener sense of film history than do Americans.
"It's not just that Americans don't have a grasp of film history. There's not a good grasp of history among the American people," he says.
There's yet another reason why Gross believes movies haven't always received the respect they deserve in this country.
"Also, possibly, the business of film has gotten in the way somewhat," he says. "Because it is big business--it's a product--some people may not feel it's worth looking at" in an academic forum, he says.
Gross looks on this year's symposium as a springboard for a broader discussion, both on campus and in the larger community, of the role played by movies.
"The symposium is a way to get everybody who is interested together in one place to talk about movies. Beyond the symposium, we're trying to create at Hopkins a kind of cinematic culture. And we need to expand so that the Baltimore public knows about what's at Hopkins," Gross says. "Being on campus for four years, everything feels so isolated. Many students know a lot about film but not always about what's going on off campus, and people off campus in Baltimore know about film but not about what we have here.
"We'd like to integrate Hopkins into the Baltimore community at large. We want to be a regular part of the movie scene. So we want the symposium to act as a catalyst for everything else," he says.
One impact the symposium will have on and off campus will result from the outfitting of Shriver Hall with a new 38-foot screen.
"The old screen had been subjected to The Rocky Horror Picture Show and other things," says Mary Ellen Porter, special assistant to dean of students Larry Benedict. The film is noted as much for its campy content as for its cult following, who make viewing the film an interactive experience replete with vegetables and other substances tossed at the screen.
Also added were 35mm film projectors, and there are plans to add "surround sound" equipment next year. These technical enhancements will make the 1,174-seat hall the largest and potentially one of the best movie theaters in the Baltimore area.
Existing film series such as the long-running Reel World and Weekend Wonderflix will look better on screen. Porter says the booking of preview screenings and other special programs "will give us a chance to reach out to the greater community in a way we don't now."
Better campus screening facilities can enhance both a weekend date for the latest Die Hard movie and a student taking notes on the mise-en-scène in a Renoir film.
"In terms of facilities, film is a machine art and machines are a part of it," notes Richard Macksey, a longtime Hopkins professor of humanities and film and an active member of Baltimore's cinema culture. He cites the upgrading of 110 Gilman several years ago as an instance of how film courses prosper when projection moves closer to state of the art.
Indeed, the cinematic zeitgeist on campus seems healthy. Last summer saw the birth of yet another film series, The Snark, which offers classics and avant-garde fare. Also recently arrived on the screen scene is the Animation Club.
The recently established Johns Hopkins Film Society and its magazine, Frame of Reference, promote film culture at Hopkins, including criticism, theory, history and production. Mardi Gras Baltimore, co-directed by Gross and 1995 graduate Gil Jawetz, will premiere at the symposium at 8 p.m. on Nov. 15.
Gross hopes the diversity of symposium speakers will provide the insights and inspiration to support and nourish the
confluence of Hopkins' film-related activities.
For example, James G. Robinson, founder and CEO of Morgan Creek Productions, will talk about the business of making movies. Veteran screenwriter Millard Kaufman and young director Rose Troche will each talk about their place within that industry. Critic Molly Haskell will talk about the role played by women in filmmaking and criticism. And Thomas Cripps, among the world's leading scholars of black film history, will add his reflections on the representation of blacks in the movies and the social effects of those images.
It's a lineup that has won over at least one initial skeptic.
"Frankly, I was a little skeptical of it at first because a lot of money goes into [the symposium], and I didn't want to see speakers who'd stand up there schmoozing and then vanish into the night," says English professor Jerome Christensen, who directs the Film and Media Studies program.
Established in 1991, Film and Media Studies is a cooperative program of the departments of English, French, German, Hispanic and Italian Studies, Writing Seminars, Humanities and Philosophy. Presently, students may minor in this area, but Christensen expects that the eventual addition of a film production course will enable students to major in Film and Media Studies. Although he says Hopkins "will never be a film school" on the scale of New York University or the University of Southern California, it is taking its place with other academic pursuits at Homewood.
"I'm glad [Gross and Aldrich] have used [the symposium] in a way that will be educational," Christensen says. "I'm hoping the symposium will demonstrate the range of opportunities both in terms of careers and the intellectual challenges that contemporary film represents. It also gives us a push to do other things."
Christensen suggests the symposium visit of Indian filmmaker Girish Karnad will likely figure into classroom discussions in a course on Indian film being offered in the spring. Undergraduate internships with Robinson also are under discussion.
"My aim is to have some institutional pay-off to these things," he says.
"Film is especially adaptable to an interdisciplinary approach and it's used for so many pedagogical purposes now," says Macksey of the Hopkins approach to teaching film. Having mentored such future Hollywood talents as Walter Murch and Caleb Deschanel during their student days in the 1960s, Macksey has been a constant advocate for film studies on campus.
And what would the students like to see on the classroom screen scene in the semesters ahead?
"I'd like to consider how the film study is done at New York University, Columbia, USC and elsewhere and then find a different and original way to go at it at Hopkins," Gross says. "Many of those film schools examine how movies are made and not as much attention is paid to movies as literature. That's something Hopkins can do."
Chris AldrichPosted on 9:00 am October 9, 1995 August 8, 2018 Format LinkCategories Entertainment Industry, Repost, Social StreamTags Caleb Deschanel, Chris Aldrich, Film and Media Studies Program, film history, Frame of Reference Magazine, Gil Jawetz, Girish Karnad, Jerome Christensen, Johns Hopkins, Mardi Gras Baltimore, Matt Gross, Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium, pedagogy, personal publicity, Richard Macksey, Shriver Hall, Shriver Hall renovation, Walter Murch
Leave a response on MSE Symposium Unspools Tuesday at Shriver Hall : At 100, Why Do Movies Matter? | JHU Gazette
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/ David Pescovitz / 12:06 pm Tue Nov 17, 2015
Listen to the soldiers' musical soundtrack of the Vietnam War
We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War is a new book by veteran Doug Bradley and Craig Werner, professor of Afro-American studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, about soldiers' musical memories and the impact of James Brown, Eric Burdon, Country Joe McDonald, and other popular artists on the Vietnam experience and our understanding of it.
At KQED's Next Avenue, Bradley shared the "Top 10 Songs of Vietnam" mentioned by the hundreds soldiers they interviewed for the book. Here are the top three with Bradley's comments on them:
1. We Gotta Get Out of This Place by The Animals
No one saw this coming. Not the writers of the song — the dynamic Brill Building duo of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil; not the group who recorded it — The Animals and their iconic lead singer, Eric Burdon; not the 3 million soldiers who fought in Vietnam who placed extra importance on the lyrics. But the fact is that We Gotta Get Out of This Place is regarded by most Vietnam vets as our We Shall Overcome, says Bobbie Keith, an Armed Forces Radio DJ in Vietnam from 1967-69. Or as Leroy Tecube, an Apache infantryman stationed south of Chu Lai in 1968, recalls: “When the chorus began, singing ability didn’t matter; drunk or sober, everyone joined in as loud as he could.” No wonder it became the title of our book!
2. I Feel Like I’m Fixin to Die Rag by Country Joe & The Fish
Misunderstood and misinterpreted by most Americans, Country Joe’s iconic song became a flashpoint for disagreements about the war and its politics. But Country Joe, himself a Navy veteran — who when we first met him told us “I’m a veteran first and hippie second” — intended this “not as a pacifist song, but as a soldier’s song.” “It’s military humor that only a soldier could get away with,” he added. “It comes out of a tradition of GI humor in which people can bitch in a way that will not get them in trouble but keeps them from insanity.” And the soldiers got it! As Michael Rodriguez, an infantryman with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, affirmed: “Bitter, sarcastic, angry at a government some of us felt we didn’t understand, Rag became the battle standard for grunts in the bush.”
3. Leaving on a Jet Plane by Peter, Paul and Mary
When we played this song at LZ Lambeau, a welcome home event for Vietnam vets and their families held at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., in 2010, we were overwhelmed by the response it received, especially by spouses of Vietnam vets. They sang along with tears in their eyes, because they were the ones saying goodbye to the men who were boarding the planes for Vietnam. And it got to soldiers/vets, too. As Jason Sherman, an AFVN DJ during part of his tour in Vietnam, recalled: “Leaving on a Jet Plane brought tears to my eyes.”
We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War (Amazon, thanks Bob Pescovitz!)
"Top 10 Songs of Vietnam" (KQED)
Book / music / vietnam / war
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Your Movie Sucks
Roger Ebert's I Hated Hated Hated This Movie, which gathered some of his most scathing reviews, was a best-seller. This new collection continues the tradition, reviewing not only movies that were at the bottom of the barrel, but also movies that he found underneath the barrel.
From Roger's review of Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (0 stars): "The movie created a spot of controversy in February 2005. According to a story by Larry Carroll of MTV News, Rob Schneider took offense when Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times listed this year's Best Picture nominees and wrote that they were 'ignored, unloved, and turned down flat by most of the same studios that . . . bankroll hundreds of sequels, including a follow-up to Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, a film that was sadly overlooked at Oscar time because apparently nobody had the foresight to invent a category for Best Running Penis Joke Delivered by a Third-Rate Comic.'
Schneider retaliated by attacking Goldstein in full-page ads in Daily Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. In an open letter to Goldstein, Schneider wrote: 'Well, Mr. Goldstein, I decided to do some research to find out what awards you have won. I went online and found that you have won nothing. Absolutely nothing. No journalistic awards of any kind. . . . Maybe you didn't win a Pulitzer Prize because they haven't invented a category for Best Third-Rate, Unfunny Pompous Reporter Who's Never Been Acknowledged by His Peers. . . .'
Schneider was nominated for a 2000 Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor, but lost to Jar-Jar Binks. But Schneider is correct, and Patrick Goldstein has not yet won a Pulitzer Prize. Therefore, Goldstein is not qualified to complain that Columbia financed Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo while passing on the opportunity to participate in Million Dollar Baby, Ray, The Aviator, Sideways, and Finding Neverland. As chance would have it, I have won the Pulitzer Prize, and so I am qualified. Speaking in my official capacity as a Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Schneider, your movie sucks."
More Books by Roger Ebert
The Great Movies
I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie
Roger Ebert's Four Star Reviews--1967-2007
A Horrible Experience of Unbearable Length
33 Movies to Restore Your Faith in Humanity: Ebert's Essentials
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Betsy Adult Fiction Ask Me Anything, Francesca Delbanco, Friends from College, New York City Leave a comment
Living in big cities can make for an interesting experience, full of opportunities and meeting people from all over the place. There are a whole genre of novels that center around characters in the big city. Ask Me Anything, by American author Francesca Delbanco, falls into that category.
New England native Rosalie Preston lives in New York City and aspires to be an actress. She is a part of a theatre troupe called the First Borns that consist of her and several of her college friends. Rosalie also has a day job as a love advice columnist for a teen girl magazine. Life In New York City also means love triangles among the group of friends, though Rosalie’s experience goes a different direction when she falls in to an affair with her best friend’s father.
Being a transplant myself who moved to a big city, I related to Rosalie’s experiences about what leaving home can be like. However, I felt like I’ve heard the plot line before: young columnist who lives in New York, has a group of diverse friends and is aspiring to be an actress. It reminds me of Sex in the City meets Friends meets Seinfeld. I’m not saying I have anything against those TV shows, but reading similar plot points made the story feel recycled and tired. Rosalie also interjects commentary throughout the chapters, but instead of adding to the story, I felt like it interrupted the flow. Delbanco created interesting characters, but there just wasn’t much of a story.
I later found out that Francesca Delbanco is one of the creators of the Netflix series Friends from College, which tracks the lives of Harvard graduates in New York City. After watching the first episode, I can definitely see the parallels between this novel and the TV show. I’m glad to see that Delbanco found success as a TV writer, which in my opinion, suits her more.
I do recommend this novel for a good read during a trip. I actually read this book during a bus trip to New York City, which did make for a relevant setting.
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Zambia Votes’08: Participate In The Zambian Chronicle Poll …
Posted by microplus under Blogroll, democracy, elections, Godfrey Miyanda, Hakainde Hichilema, Levy's Successor, Levy’s Legacy, Michael C Sata, Rupiah Banda
[30] Comments
Practice makes perfect; Zambian democracy gets even better by the day …
Posted by microplus under Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), democracy, economic zone, elections, Emerging Middle Class, Hakainde Hichilema, Levy fought corruption, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, Levy's Successor, Levy’s Legacy, Michael C Sata, Rupiah Banda | Tags: Miyanda |
The old adage “practice makes perfect” holds true to every locale in the human enterprise and or in everyone’s life. The upcoming presidential by-election will usher in a 4th president for the Zambian Enterprise, democratically elected in a peaceful transfer of power.
While others may want to just take this for granted, we at the Zambian Chronicle realize its importance and significance that we just had to write home about it. On a continent filled with rage and at best incumbents’ desire for lifelong presidencies, the Zambian Enterprise leads the pack in many ways.
In fact, other than ours in the Sub-Saharan region, Botswana is the only country that boosts of holding the longest record in peaceful transfer of power with democratically elected presidents and its economic stability speaks volumes of its own.
All things being equal, democracies have the ability to bring out the best among the collective; the people and not the system(s) become the means through which society chooses for itself what its desired posterity should be.
No one single person becomes more powerful than the sum of the all and by so doing it (a democratic system) creates checks and balances for the mutual benefit(s) of both the system and its peoples. Of all other latent issues, democracy tends to create a system of correcting wrongs with the greatest of ease.
Take the emergence of multiple party politics in 1991, for instance. The Kaunda era though vibrant at first could not stand the test of time. This is because it was built on flawed communistic policies and no amount of humanism preaching by KK or even Archangel Gabriel could improve anything otherwise at all.
The fact is simply that communism does not work, however perfectly envisioned even in a perfect world. Man is impenitently self-interested and when there is nothing for him/her but for the collective he/she tends to be ineffective at best.
It is no wonder every body during the latter Kaunda era developed a “Niva Boma” attitude. One was not obligated to anything and “Waco ni waco” (nepotism) swelled and huge misappropriation of all resources led to corruption and other graft devices.
When FTJ came on the scene, he really did not have any message at all but the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise gave him a chance all because they were ready for change. They were promised privatization, and without asking for accountability they went along because they had hope the time for “Niva Boma and Waco in Waco” had come to an end. When they matched through the streets chanting “The Hour, The Hour, The Hour Has Come”, to many others it did not matter whether or not that hour had come for them to be unemployed, that hour had come for them to be without medical coverage, free hospitals and free education; it mattered dimly squat what that “hour that had come” meant.
Most smarts even mistook democracy for privatization I often remark … but the system worked. This is not to say, there was no corruption, this is not to say peoples’ perception about “Niva Boma and Waco ni Waco” changed, in most cases these were actually amplified.
The Chiluba regime proved that too much power bestowed in the presidency was erroneous and corrective measures were taken, it also proved that zeal without knowledge is murderously dangerous for any enterprise and we started replacing rhetoric with execution starting with Levy P Mwanawasa, SC.
We learnt that government works better when it is accountable to the electorate and not the other way round. We learnt that there is still a lot of international goodwill out there as long as a nation is willing to do the right things, by taking the right steps, every time, all the time …
And overall, as every one adhered to good governance, bad apples were being identified and exposed, culprits brought to book including FTJ himself and the system got perfected day by day, thanks a trillion in great part to Levism (MHSRIP).
Levy had his share of mistakes too but we will leave those for others to comment at the present moment. But we know that he did his best to turn the economy, the work culture and posterity around; at each and every stage, he had the best interest of our Enterprise at heart …
After next week, the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise are heading to the polls again, in part to prove the system works but overall, to perfect it even further.
Oh yes, practice makes perfect and we encourage all the eligible smart people of the Zambian Enterprise to go the polls en masse, it’s our God given right, make use of it …
We once said here that not much would be expected out of this by-election because it is more of a care-taker presidency until the Tripartite General Election in 2011.
But we encourage even losers to understand that there is a lot of winning in losing and moving the nation forward after conceding – there can only be one president at a time.
Whoever becomes the next CEO of our Enterprise, we at the Zambian Chronicle will render our full moral support just like we did for Levy.
We will criticize him when we see mistakes made not because we want to be vocal for nothing by using our bully pulpit but because Zambia is greater than any single one of us.
Whatever the outcome, the real winner will be Levy P Mwanawasa, SC. who proved the system works and practice makes perfect, Long Live Levism!!!
Live Long & Prosper; that’s this week’s memo from us at the Zambian Chronicle … thanks a trillion.
More Skepticism Voiced at House Hearing on Iraq
Posted by Humanbeing under America Votes, Blogroll, democracy
Newyork Times
By BRIAN KNOWLTON
WASHINGTON — General David H. Petraeus, the commander of American forces in Iraq, and Ryan C. Crocker, the American Ambassador to Iraq, faced a new round of deep congressional skepticism today, not only about progress in the war and the prospects for eventual withdrawal, but also about whether the nation’s involvement in Iraq had made it more vulnerable on other fronts.
Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times
Gen. David H. Petraeus during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.
Reach of War
Go to Complete Coverage »
A blog looking at daily life inside Iraq, produced by The Times’s Baghdad bureau.
Go to the Blog »
Assessments of the War
Live Video of the Hearings (via MSNBC)
The Lede: Verdict on Day 1 of Petraeus-Crocker
Petraeus Urges Halt in Weighing New Cut in Force (April 9, 2008)
Hearing Intrudes in Sadr City, if Power Lasts (April 9, 2008)
The general and the ambassador carried their message of “fragile and reversible” progress in the war to the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday morning and the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the afternoon, the day after they testified before the corresponding committees in the Senate. Repeating the opening statements they made to the Senate panels, the two men once again yielded little fresh information about when the American military presence in Iraq could be reduced beyond the roughly 140,000 troops who will be left when the “surge” of about 30,000 extra troops sent to the country in 2007 winds down again in July.
Representative Ike Skelton, Democrat of Missouri and the chairman of the Armed Services committee, said in opening the first hearing on Wednesday that he saw far too few signs of real progress in Iraq, and warned that the continuing war’s strains on the American military were diverting the country from attending to other threats, starting with what intelligence reports say is a terrorist resurgence along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. “The effort in Iraq is putting at risk our ability to decisively defeat those most likely to attack us,” he said.
Mr. Skelton said that while the “surge” had temporarily lowered the amount of violence in Iraq, Iraqis had failed to “step up” to take advantage of the improved security. And he said he feared that officials in Baghdad would feel no sense of urgency to pursue sectarian reconciliation and achieve full autonomy until “we take the training wheels off and let the Iraqis begin to stand on their own two feet.”
General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker acknowledged the problems — “The situation in certain areas is still unsatisfactory, and innumerable challenges remain,” the general told the House panel, as he had the Senate committees on Tuesday — but the two men said that the current course was producing important results and that it was the only way forward. “I do remain convinced that a major departure from our current engagement would bring failure,” Mr. Crocker said.
Representative Duncan Hunter of California, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services committee, agreed with their assessment. While some had declared the surge a failure from the start, he said at the morning hearing, “I think, by all metrics, it’s been a success.” He cited Anbar Province, where some formerly hostile Sunni tribesmen are now aligned with American forces, saying the situation there had changed from violent to “extremely benign.”
Despite lingering problems in the Iraqi Army, Mr. Hunter said, “I think they’ve made enormous advances and improvements since the last hearing we held.”
Republicans’ expressions of support for administration policy clashed again with deeply expressed doubts about Iraq, mostly from Democrats, when the general and the ambassador moved to the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the afternoon.
Representative Howard L. Berman, Democrat of California and the chairman of the committee, said, “In some areas, we seem to be slipping backwards.” He cited a recent resurgence of violence in Baghdad. Vital areas of Baghdad, like the central neighborhood known as the Green Zone that includes the United States Embassy and the heavily fortified headquarters of the national government, remained vulnerable, Mr. Berman said.
“How effective could this effort have been when mortars and rockets can rain on the Green Zone?” he asked. “For more than two weeks, our embassy is bombarded. In all, the past two-plus weeks have seen the worst violence in the Green Zone since the war began.”
But Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the ranking Republican, embraced the administration’s argument. “Immediate disengagement would only embolden the forces of radical Islam and leave an enormous power vacuum in Iraq, one to be filled by the regime in Iran, with its proxies in Iraq and throughout the region.”
President Bush, who has indicated that he expects to rely heavily on the general’s recommendations, is scheduled to outline his policy for the months ahead at the White House on Thursday. Despite their regular prodding and criticism of the administration on the conduct and cost of the war, the Democrats in Congress appeared to lack sufficient support to force a significant change in the president’s approach. With some exceptions, Congressional Republicans have stood with Mr. Bush.
General Petraeus’s plan, laid out for both the House and Senate committees, is to hold force levels steady after the surge ends in July, with no new withdrawals for at least 45 days, while commanders evaluate the situation in Iraq. That would leave little time to withdraw more than two or three brigades before the end of the Bush presidency, even if a pullout began in earnest as soon as the 45-day period ended.
But in his testimony before the Senate panels, the general seemed far from ready to recommend such withdrawals, or even to say under what conditions he might favor them, despite persistent questioning from Democrats on the two committees.
Tuesday’s hearings lacked the suspense of last September’s debate, when the focus was on measurable benchmarks and heightened expectations of speedy troop withdrawals. But they thrust the war to the center of the presidential campaign, as General Petraeus faced questioning from the two Democrats and one Republican still vying for the White House. He told them at one point that progress in Iraq had been “significant and uneven.”
General Petraeus’s tone was notably sober, and he acknowledged that “we haven’t turned any corners, we haven’t seen any lights at the end of the tunnel,” despite the intensified American military campaign over the past 15 months of the surge.
Though the increased troop commitment sharply reduced insurgent attacks across much of Iraq last year, the relative calm was broken last month when the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki ordered an assault on Shiite militias in Basra, setting off renewed violence there and around Baghdad.
At times, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, the Democratic candidates, and Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, seemed to be talking about two different wars. “We’re no longer staring into the abyss of defeat, and we can now look ahead to the genuine prospect of success,” Mr. McCain said.
Mrs. Clinton, sitting just a few feet away as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, cited Iraq’s sluggish political progress and a questionable recent Iraqi military campaign in Basra as evidence not of success, but rather failure.
“It might well be irresponsible to continue the policy that has not produced the results that have been promised time and time again,” Mrs. Clinton said.
Senator Obama, Mrs. Clinton’s rival, restated his view that the war in Iraq had been a “massive strategic blunder.” During a hearing of the Foreign Relations Committee, he said his efforts to end the war would include a timetable for withdrawing troops and an intensified diplomatic effort that would include talks with Iran.
In their remarks on Tuesday, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker referred only infrequently to the political benchmarks that served as a framework for their testimony last fall, but which the Iraqi government for the most part has been unable to achieve.
“Countless sectarian fault lines still exist in Baghdad and elsewhere,” General Petraeus said. But he noted that Sunni leaders previously marginalized by Iraq’s Shiite-led government had joined the security efforts over recent months, with important successes.
General Petraeus said the security situation in Iraq remained in flux in part because of the “destructive role Iran has played,” with its backing of “special groups” of Shiite radicals that he said now posed the greatest immediate threat in Iraq. He said that the threat posed by Sunni extremists who say they are aligned with Al Qaeda had been “reduced significantly” but would required “relentless pressure” to ensure that the extremists did not regroup.Both General Petraeus and Mr. Crocker faced sharp questioning from Democrats who sounded increasingly exasperated. “A year ago, the president argued that we wouldn’t begin to withdraw troops from Iraq, because there was too much violence,” Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts said. “Now the president argues we can’t begin to withdraw troops, because violence is down.”
A recurring theme of the criticism involved the financial costs of the war at a time when Iraq has built up a budget surplus fueled by high oil prices. Another was that a timetable for withdrawing American forces would force the Iraqi government to shoulder more responsibility for its own fate.
The Democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, also criticized the Bush administration’s negotiations on a lasting security agreement with Iraq and its refusal to submit the agreement to the Senate for ratification. Mr. Crocker repeated several times that the agreement being negotiated would not rise to a level requiring a Senate vote, but that did not satisfy Mr. Biden.
“You need to do much more than inform the Congress, you need the permission of the Congress if you’re going to bind the next president of the United States in anything you agree to,” the Democratic senator said.
In the Senate galleries, protesters echoed those attacks, interrupting the debate on occasions. As Mr. McCain argued against what he described as “reckless and irresponsible” calls for rapid withdrawal from Iraq, a protester stood up with a banner saying, “There’s no military solution.” When Senator Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat, questioned General Petraeus on when reductions of troops could continue, a man shouted, “Bring them home,” and was later evicted.
A group of women attended in traditional Muslim dress, their faces painted with ghostly makeup. Some held bloodied dolls, and some had red-stained hands. Their signs read, “Surge of Sorrow” and “Endless War.”
Even some Republicans voiced reservations about a war effort whose end remained far from clear. “Our patience is not unlimited,” said Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, who was sworn in less than a year ago.
But General Petraeus signaled that the war was far from a foreseeable end. “We haven’t seen any lights at the end of the tunnel,” he said when pressed by Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana about the basis for his positive assumptions. “The Champagne bottle has been pushed to the back of the refrigerator. And the progress, while real, is fragile and is reversible.”
This article incorporates portions of an earlier report on the Senate hearings by Steven Lee Myers and Thom Shanker.
Oprah ‘s words on Race and Gender- Obama Campaign
Posted by Humanbeing under 'first black president' of America, A Weekend With Bill Clinton, africa, America Votes, Barack Obama, Belliah Katonga Theise, Bill Clinton jets in Zambia, Black President, Blogroll, brainwave mumba, Clinton Global Initiative, democracy, elections, First Black African, Oprah Winfrey
George Bush endorses Hillary Clinton, Hillary,McCain friends
Zambia Votes 2011: A Second look at Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika as the Next Zambian President
Posted by Humanbeing under 'first black president' of America, A Weekend With Bill Clinton, africa, Africa's President of Year (2007) Award, African nation, African Union, AFRICOM, Angola, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), artificial intelligence, Barack Obama, Belliah Katonga Theise, Bill Clinton jets in Zambia, Billionaires For Africa, Black President, Blogroll, Chief Operations Officer, chiluba, Citizens’ Economic Empowerment Commission, Clinton Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, corruption, democracy, Economics, education, elections, Emerging Middle Class, first female president, First Lady, foreign service, Global Competitive Index, hichilema, Hillary Clinton, indegenous Zambians' participation, inflation, Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, International Monetary Fund, international reserves, Kaunda, Laura Bush, Levy fought corruption, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, Levy's Successor, Levy’s Legacy, lusaka, Maureen Mwanawasa, Michael Sata, mwaanga, mwanawasa, Nawakwi, ndola, New State House, Oprah Winfrey, parliamentary supremacy, people-driven constitution, politics, President Chiluba, President Mwai Kibaki, President Nifikepunye Pohamba, President Robert Mugabe, Presidential Award for Meritorious Service, public scrutiny, qualified Zambians, regina chiluba, richest man, U.S. subprime crisis, United Nations, US Ambassador, US State Department, Wall Street Journal, Woman President, zambia, Zambia - German Co-operation, Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue, Zambian Constitution, zambian economy, zambian politics
This week ‘s memo is about the next Zambian president. Who should take the Zambian presidential sit in 2011?
I hate to admit this, the truth is, our leaders are always voted by villagers, marketeers and street boys who have no clue about education and foreign policies.
According to our observation, most politicians have a way to get into a mind of a person with little knowledge or no knowledge at all. This includes developed countries. If you take a close look on politics, you will find that people end up voting for a candidates who keeps preaching what voters want to hear. People will go out to vote just because of a hear say, without assessing a candidate in practical terms.
In most cases, political Candidates have a tendency to study what the audience want to hear. Any one can stand and say I will give you jobs, bring rich breakfast, lunch and dinner in your home. Zambian Voters will listen because there are no jobs and are in poverty. As a candidate, you are happy when people vote for you. Are you going to keep your promise once you are voted in office?
Practically, things always turns out to be different from all the promises that politicians make.
it’s time for candidates who are aspiring, to start preaching on practical issues and not to give fake hopes to people. Talk about real things that affects the economy of every country, and explain, to voters that it is not an easy path to bring stability to the country, it takes hard work and devotion to make things happen.
Disappointments, comes out when a candidate makes fake promises, do something else after being voted into office. We ask all the aspiring candidates to be more practical in the way they make promises to people, to avoid early disappointments.
It is not fair for voters who have no clue on “Inflation” or economics, who listens innocently and line up to vote for a candidate who later does something contrary to his/her promise.
Zambia has highly experienced ,knowledgeable, and educated people. Why is it that Zambians ends up voting for wrong leaders?
Could it be that all the educated Zambians, are too frustrated with the system, and has opted to sit back and watch, while the poor Zambian villagers , marketeers and street boys take their stand to vote for what they hear from those who can read their minds and give them fake promises? or could it be that qualified leaders and educated Zambians are too busy with other duties and other personal stuff, or they are not brave enough to fight for their people or is it lack of bringing themselves out with a positive approach to their fellow Zambians?
If you are candidate or a voter. It is time to revisit your weaknesses and try to improve on them.
Our advice is:
Avoid: Hate, tribal, gossip, and malicious rumors. By all means, should not be used as a tool to pick a right candidate for president. Validate each rumor, use your own discretion and common sense. Avoid operating like robots that are programed to perform certain functions. Operating like a robot, makes both leaders and their voters look like idiots, when things go sour.
Not every rumor or gossip is true. Yes there is no smoke without fire, but you have to remember that humans always enjoy negatives that appear on a candidate without using their good sense of judgement or common sense, they vote basing on those facts. If a negative outweighs a positive side of a candidate, it takes away all the good work he/she has done.
Remember, Media and campaigns are there to help voters to pick the best candidate, but at the same time, uses that as a tool to bring down a candidate, if the opponent has strong links to the media. Many great leaders are brought down in no seconds, and voters end up voting for useless candidates.
Again… use your common sense and your good judgement, when you read negatives that comes flying on potential candidates.
On that note, we decided to re-visit Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika’s profile, as she seem to be carrying all the package of what makes a great president.
We at Zambian Chronicle, would like to see Dr Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika, contest for president in 2011. We have well rounded Zambian candidates like, HH and Many more, Inonge adds to the package.
For years, Zambians have had a problem when it comes to picking a president. It’s time to check where Zambians go wrong when it comes to voting?
We Vote with emotions, tribal, rumors and hate, Worse more when it comes to gender.
In the end we get disappointed with our own voting when things go in a different direction.
May be it is time to turn around, and look seriously inside lives and works of the aspiring candidates, without looking at a tribe, relations, cheap gossips or malicious rumors.
It is even more difficult to convince a Zambian mind, when it comes to women leadership.
When we look at Zambians, we see a lot of potential candidates men and women, that can lead us in 2011, and bring light to Zambia.
I am not here advocating for Inonge because I am a woman.
Here at Zambian Chronicle, we are looking at the credentials, Education and experience.
Zambia needs a candidate for president, that has both local and foreign policy experience. As an African country we can not rule out education. It should be very cardinal in this aspect.
Therefore when it comes to choosing a president, let us open our eyes and pick quality and not quantity.
Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika and Hakainde Hichilema are both quality.
Having said that, Zambian Chronicles will continue to bring out candidates, that we think can make great president for Zambia in the future.
As we pointed out, in our earlier debates, Hakainde Hichilema and Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika, have the real package.
Therefore, without looking at the tribes and gender, we feel Inonge can make a great president for Zambia for 2011. This includes, the appointees of ministers and local government officials.
This forum may help the next Zambian President to pick right candidates for certain roles.
Below is Inonge ‘s profile and credentials:
Copyrights © 2008 Microplus Holdings Int., Inc
Princess Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika (born 10 July 1943, Senanga) is a senior Zambian politician currently. For more about her check
http://www.inongelewanika.com/family.htm
1. Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika is currently Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia to the United States of America . Before her appointment to Washington D.C.
2. She was Ambassador and Special Envoy to the Zambian President during his term as Chairman of the African Union.
3. Dr. Lewanika served as a Member of Parliament in the Zambian Parliament from 1991 to 2001. She was the first Chairperson of the Zambia All Party Women Parliamentarians Caucus and also founding Vice-chairperson of the outhern, Eastern and Horn of Africa African Women Parliamentarian Caucus.
4. At a very critical time just before national elections in 2001, Dr. Lewanika chaired the National Crisis Committee of the Alliance of Opposition Political Parties.
5. She is a former candidate for President of the Republic of Zambia in the December 2001 Elections.
6. She is an Educator by profession and has worked in various levels of Education.
Prior to her involvement in politics, Dr. Lewanika worked with UNICEF in key leadership roles in Africa overseeing more than twenty countries at a time. Jim Grant, the former head of UNICEF once called her “the most knowledgeable person about the children of Africa .” Dr. Lewanika was among five women from various continents to brief members of the United Nations Security Council on the first and unprecedented debate that resulted in UN Resolution 13 on WOMEN, PEACE and SECURITY in the year 2000. She was among sixteen (16) eminent African Women Members of the Organization of African Unity (now African Union) Committee on Peace and Development, an Advisory Group to the African Union.
She was President of Federation of African Women’s Peace Networks (FERFAP) from 1997 to 2002. As President of the Federation of African Women Peace Networks (FEFAP) she contributed to mobilization of peace activities. In that capacity, she was selected to be among ten prominent African Women Peace Workers that visited Rwanda soon after the genocide. She later led a United Nations delegation to Burundi and Rwanda to assess the effects of the genocide on women and children and recommend intervention strategies. She led the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) Observer Mission of 96 Southern African
Academicians, Researchers and Members of Civil Society to the Zimbabwean Presidential, Mayoral and Council Elections in 2002. She was one of the International Youth Foundation’s founding board members.
Dr. Lewanika holds a Ph.D. in Early Childhood and Primary Education from New York University . She is a mother of two grown daughters, a grandmother to four boys and a grand daughter. She has lived in five countries and speaks eight languages.
A look at more of Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika’s work Below:
By Lori Nitschke
WeNews correspondent
After 30 years of promoting girls’ education in the less-developed world, aid workers are now realizing that it is not enough to simply open the school door to girls. Unemployment, clean water and HIV/AIDS are now also on their agenda.
WASHINGTON (WOMENSENEWS)–Like many aid workers and activists trying to improve the lives of women in developing countries, Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika has long viewed education as the key to solving many of her countrywomen’s problems.Mbikusita-Lewanika, a former member of Zambia’s parliament and now the country’s ambassador to the United States, says the benefits of educating girls are so numerous– from raising marrying ages and lowering birth rates to stemming health and economic problems–that she would like to install a plaque reading “Send the Girls to School” in every village.But 30 years after the U.S. government and other aid-givers began to promote gender equality in their programs, they, like Mbikusita-Lewanika, have learned that relieving the burdens of poor women is more complex than once thought. Foreign aid officials from the United States, United Kingdom, United Nations and various nongovernmental organizations say that it is not enough to open the school door to girls if their families are besieged by unemployment, unclean water, labor-intensive household chores and, increasingly, debilitating health problems such as HIV/AIDS. Nor is it enough to get a few women elected to the parliament or congress while women in the countryside still suffer age-old discriminations.To succeed, say aid experts, gender-equality programs must be integrally incorporated into the aid process from top to bottom, beginning with constant attention to gender issues at the policy level and ending with a wide distribution of burden-relieving aid in the rural areas where discrimination is often most ingrained.In Africa, for instance, women perform about 75 percent of agricultural work, according to Mark Blackden, the lead economist in the World Bank’s Poverty Reduction and Management of Gender Equity Division. He estimates the continent’s per-capita income would have doubled over the last 30 years if women had been given more aid and education to help with crop production. But aid givers have only recently realized that “one does indeed need to talk about the African farmer and her husband,” Blackden said.Instead, because of cultural misunderstandings, they have often directed agricultural education and technology to men. As a result, Mbikusita-Lewanika said, it is not uncommon to see men sitting on tractors as women and girls continue to cultivate with a hand hoe nearby.Clearing a small plot of land in this manner can involve 18-hour days, leaving women little time to raise their children, gather fire wood, walk long distances to find potable water and, increasingly, care for the sick. With such intensive household labor needs, Mbikusita-Lewanika said girls often have little time for school.”The average woman takes care of everyone else but herself,” Mbikusita-Lewanika said at a recent Capitol Hill briefing for legislative staff.In countries where economies have been destroyed by conflict or AIDS, another factor diminishes the rationale for education: The lack of jobs when a girl graduates. As a result, Mbikusita-Lewanika said that, while education “may be the most important investment, it may not necessarily be the first investment” that donors should undertake. For instance, providing drinking water would save women in many Zambian villages 1 1/2 hours a day, she said.In 1973, the U.S. Congress passed the Percy Amendment requiring that the nation’s foreign aid help integrate women into the mainstream of developing countries’ societies. Since then, the U.S. Agency for International Development–the main administrator of U.S. development aid–and other organizations have progressed from conducting a few gender equality projects a year to considering gender issues as a part of nearly every decision. While women’s issues once were often segregated in a separate office or set of discussions, all programs are now expected to address their impact on women.”The progress can be summed up in one sentence: It is no longer a separate thing,” USAID administrator Andrew S. Natsios told a Washington foreign aid conference earlier this month.
More Work to Be Done
Still, aid officials and activists say there is much more to do. According to the World Bank, more than 20 percent of the world’s population still lives on about $1 per day. The majority are women. And women’s burdens, especially in AIDS-stricken Africa, are growing as they bear bigger social and financial burdens.
One way donors can begin to lift that burden, Mbikusita-Lewanika told legislative staff, is to bypass governments and distribute aid money to local faith-based organizations and other groups that work at the local level and already know the intricate problems the women in their community face. Many central governments have not established effective ways to distribute help in the countryside, she said.
Other officials suggest increasing funding to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. The $2 billion the Bush administration is prepared to spend in 2004 “is not enough,” said Kathryn Wolford, president of Lutheran World Relief, based in Baltimore.
Wolford also suggests an increased focus on debt relief for poor countries, which would free funds for social programs and infrastructure that could relieve women’s burdens.
Other activists say aid organizations need to collect and process more data showing the positive link between women’s participation and economic development. While many activists suggest that there is already too much talk about women’s problems and not enough action to solve them, economists say that more convincing evidence of the link between women’s progress and economic progress could be found.
At the foreign aid conference, Phil Evans, the senior social development adviser for the United Kingdom’s U.N. mission, said that statistical gender analyses are often riddled with “methodological problems,” in large part because researchers have focused on studying women instead of placing them in a societal context.
Some say the United States should signal its commitment to gender equality by ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, an international treaty that aims to outlaw discrimination against women and requires signatory countries to periodically report on their progress. President Carter signed the treaty in 1980 but the U.S. Senate has not ratified it as 174 nations have done.
Ratifying the treaty would send a powerful signal that the United States will join the world to “use the instruments available to us to hold countries accountable” for improving women’s lives, Geeta Rao Gupta, president of the Washington-based International Center for Research on Women, told legislative staff.
New Solutions in Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, USAID is attempting to deal with these challenges and its methods are not always very subtle. To encourage families to educate their daughters, USAID gives extra rations of vegetable oil to girls who attend school every day for a month, Natsios said. The number of girls attending school has increased overall from 6 percent to 35 percent, Natsios said, and is reaching 50 percent in some towns.
Not all of USAID’s work in Afghanistan is so targeted at women and girls but Natsios said he has found that nearly every project is having an impact on women’s status. For instance, the U.S. program that is building a 300-mile road from Kandahar to Kabul is unexpectedly improving women’s health in southern Afghanistan. Now mothers in childbirth and women in other forms of medical distress can be driven to medical facilities in Kabul in a matter of five to six hours. Before the road was built, the trip could take two days, Natsios said.
In addition, USAID has installed day-care centers in all Afghan government ministry buildings. Natsios said women who work for the ministries–many now widows with young children–said they would not return to their jobs unless their children had a safe place to go.
While many activists and government officials say gender issues are no longer seen as women’s alone, they hope the next 30 years will bring a greater resolution to age-old problems.
“It has taken a very long time to get as far as we are and (we) have a very long road to go,” said Julia Taft, assistant administrator and director of the United Nation’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery.
Lori Nitschke is a freelance journalist living in Washington, D.C. She was recently a Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University in New York, where she received master’s degrees in journalism and business administration. Previously, she covered economic issues for Congressional Quarterly.
500 Chambishi workers Fired
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ABOUT 500 workers at Chambishi Copper Smelter (CCS) have been issued with summary dismissal letters following their two-day riotous behaviour in protest against alleged poor conditions of service. And Police have apprehended seven CCS workers in relation to the riot that took place on Tuesday at the copper smelter company.Both CCS company secretary, Sun Chuanqi, and Copperbelt permanent secretary, Jennifer Musonda, confirmed the figure of the dismissed workers in separate interviews yesterday. Mr Chuanqi revealed that company property worth about US$200,000 was allegedly destroyed by the irate workers during the riot.He said management was saddened that the workers rioted before the conclusion of negotiations with union representatives.
Mr Chuanqi said the workers had been given a grace period of three days within which to exculpate themselves and show cause why disciplinary action should not be taken against them.
He complained that work had been adversely affected by the workers’ riotous behaviour.
Mr Chuanqi warned that all workers identified as ring leaders would be dismissed from employment to discourage others from behaving in a similar manner.
By press time yesterday more than 19 alleged ring leaders had been identified while more than 66 workers collected their summary dismissal letters.
Mr Chuanqi appealed to workers to exculpate themselves within the stipulated time so that the innocent ones could be reinstated.
“We’re appealing to the workers to respond quickly to the summary dismissal letters so that those that did not take part in the riotous behaviour could be reinstated because work has been grossly affected and we need local manpower,” he said.
Mr Chuanqi said CCS belonged to Zambians and wondered why the workers destroyed what belonged to them simply because of a dispute that could have been resolved amicably.
“What we are building here also belongs to Zambians, so people must desist from destroying this investment. For those who will not come to collect their letters, we will follow them until they get them so that they can exculpate themselves,” he said.
However, Mr Chuanqi paid tribute to government for its continued support to Chinese investment in Zambia.
He also said the Chinese worker only identified as a Mr Li who was injured during the riot on Tuesday was discharged from the hospital.
And Mrs Musonda also confirmed that workers were served with summary dismissal letters when they reported for work yesterday.
A check by the Zambia Daily Mail crew yesterday at the CCS premises found several riot police officers manning the company.
Some Zambian workers were found waiting to collect their summary dismissal letters while others were reluctant to collect them, claiming that they did not take part in the riot.
Those spoken to said they were ignorant about the whole thing and that they were just forced by some of their colleagues to riot.
Copperbelt Police commanding officer, Antonneil Mutentwa, revealed that six officials of the National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) and their member were apprehended by police in connection with the riot.
Mr Mutentwa said the union officials and their member were apprehended around 17: 45 hours on Tuesday.
NUMAW national secretary Albert Mando condemned the action by the workers to riot and damage company property.
“We are not in support of what the workers did. We are also disappointed with what happened on Tuesday because the negotiations have not yet collapsed, so why strike or riot?” Mr Mando said.
Zambia Daily Mail
Times of Zambia reports…
Chambishi fires 500
ALL the 500 striking workers at Chambishi Copper Smelter (CCS) were yesterday fired while seven National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) branch officials were arrested and detained on Tuesday evening.
The workers were served with letters of summary dismissal by management in the morning.
The move by management was as a result of the riotous behaviour by the workers at the company premises on Tuesday morning.
Police said those arrested were detained at Kitwe Central Police Station to help with investigations.
The workers at the Chinese-owned company had been on strike since Monday, demanding improved conditions of service.
The situation worsened on Tuesday when the workers decided to become violent and damaged property worth millions of Kwacha.
Both CCS company secretary, Sun Chuanqi and NUMAW national secretary, Albert Mando, confirmed that all the 500 workers who took part in the work stoppage had been served with letters of summary dismissal and had been given three days in which to exculpate themselves.
But Mr Mando said it was unfortunate that management had decided to serve the workers with letters of summary dismissal, saying there was no reason to continue with negotiations when its members had been served with letters of dismissal.
He, however, said his union would work hard to ensure that the seven branch union officials, who had been arrested, were released so that negotiations could continue.
“Yes, I have been told that the management at the company has also served the workers with letters of summary dismissal, but it is unfortunate management has resolved to take this stance.
“This decision by management will affect our negotiations because how do we negotiate when our members have been given letters of summary dismissal,” Mr Mando said.
And speaking in an interview at CCS, Mr Chuanqi said the management at the company had decided to serve its workers with letters of summary dismissal as a way of disciplining them for their riotous behaviour, but that they were free to exculpate themselves.
He said management was eager to listen to the concerns of the workers, but was saddened that the workers quickly resolved to become riotous and damaged property at the company.
He said the Chinese investment in Zambia was there to benefit both Zambians and Chinese and there was no reason for Zambian workers to become violent and damage property.
“As management, we do not take pleasure in dismissing our employees, but we want them to know that violence does not pay and that they have to do things according to the law. Problems arise where there are people, but things must be done correctly,” Mr Chuanqi said.
And Mr Mando confirmed the detention of the seven union branch officials and that he was trying to secure their release.
Mr Mando, who was still at the Kitwe Central Police Station by Press time, said those arrested were branch chairman, Oswell Chibale Malume, vice-branch chairman, Christopher Yumba, branch secretary, Steven Kabwe, branch vice-secretary, Christopher Nkandu, treasurer, Kafwaya Ndombwani, vice-treasurer, Chanda Mhango and a shop steward, Kachinga Silungwe.
Mr Mando said the seven were picked up on Tuesday evening and had not been formally charged although they were still being interrogated.
“Yes I can confirm that seven of NUMAW branch officials at Chambishi Copper Smelter have been arrested and detained at Kitwe central police station. They were picked up around 18:00 hours on Tuesday.
“I am actually at the police station, but I have not talked to them because they are still being interrogated and have not been formally charged. As a union, we are trying to secure their release,” Mr Mando said.
The Times team which went to CCS found the place deserted with only armed police dotted all over to keep vigil.
End of report.
Difficult Tasks Awaits Kenyan MPs
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BBC Reports..
Difficult tasks await Kenyan MPs
By Karen Allen
BBC News, Nairobi
It had all the pageantry and trappings of a state ceremony.
The two leaders agreed the power-sharing deal last week
The national anthem, the guard of honour, the ceremonial dress – but this was a unique opening of parliament.
Kenya’s lawmakers are under the spotlight in a way never seen before.
Kenyans still stunned by post-election violence are vesting their trust in leaders in a country where in the recent past, they have been badly let down.
More than half of the members of parliament are newcomers and they will be expected to hit the ground running, to turn up to vote and pave the way for a historic coalition.
A coalition aimed at restoring unity to what the president described as “one Kenya”.
It was a week to the day that a power-sharing deal had been agreed between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
They shook hands in the presence of the world’s media, flanked by Kofi Annan and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.
The new parliament began with two minutes of silence
In pictures: Parliament opens
Q&A: Power-sharing pact
‘Too soon to celebrate’
That was just the start of a process. In the coming weeks lawmakers will be expected to enact legislation that will amend the constitution and allow a grand coalition to be formed.
They then have to try to “sell” the idea of power sharing to their constituents, among them people who are now homeless or who have lost loved ones in the violence.
There are still potential stumbling blocks ahead – in particular, how power will be shared and how cabinet posts and other senior positions will be allocated.
But for Thursday’s ceremony the tone was conciliatory and upbeat.
After a two minute silence – first for parliamentarians killed in post-election violence and then for “ordinary” Kenyans who lost their lives, President Kibaki rose to his feet.
In a 30-minute speech he stressed the need for last week’s peace accord to be quickly enacted into law, but warned that it would require “goodwill, unity, good faith and integrity” of Kenya’s lawmakers.
Awkward realities
This country is emerging from one of the darkest periods of its history and the coming weeks will be a real test of the commitment of all sides to a durable peace.
Some 1,500 people died in unrest after disputed poll results
Kenyans will be forced to confront some awkward realities with the establishment of a truth, justice and reconciliation commission to investigate past injustices and violence blamed on supporters on all sides of the political fence.
They will also be forced to compromise.
There are concerns that a grand coalition will rob Kenyans of a real opposition.
This has effectively been a deal between two political blocks – those supporting President Kibaki’s PNU and those backing Raila Odinga’s ODM.
Earlier in the day, diplomats insisted the onus would be on the media to help keep the government in check.
But what is clear is that this could be the start of a new pragmatism in Kenyan politics. A chance for a new breed of politician to shine, putting aside a past where winner takes all.
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Richard Baxter Dishes on the Drama Behind the Deals at Casa Lever
By Jotham Sederstrom January 3, 2012 3:00 pm
It was lunchtime at Casa Lever, the high-end restaurant in the iconic Lever House, and Richard Baxter was on his BlackBerry negotiating.
SEE ALSO: Sentinel Capital Partners Taking 28K SF at One Vanderbilt
It was a busy year for Mr. Baxter and his colleagues at Jones Lang LaSalle. His four-man team comprised some of the city’s most prominent brokers of large-scale commercial office buildings, and as the Manhattan sales market’s post-recessionary thaw continues, Mr. Baxter estimated that the group had tallied an impressive $1.3 billion in deals this year.
Three days before Christmas, however, it wasn’t one particular skyscraper Mr. Baxter was bargaining over from his plum seat at Casa Lever. In a year-end rush, his group had loose ends to tie up, deals to close and transactions still in the works. And so, on this particular Thursday amid a bustling lunch crowd, Mr. Baxter was not negotiating with a buyer or a building owner, but rather one of his own assistants, whom he was asking to stay late to receive critical documents and to help get the team through the rest of the day.
Richard Baxter. (Illustration by Joao Maio Pinto
“She was going to take the train to Boston,” said Mr. Baxter, after hanging up with his assistant. “But we just booked her a flight for later this evening.”
Such are the costs of deal making in the city, much like lunching in prime and pricey spots like Casa Lever. On the way in, Mr. Baxter, along with JLL colleagues Ron Cohen and Glenn Tolchin, stopped to chat with Jon Mechanic and Sush Torgalkar, who were having lunch at a nearby table. The conversation that ensued had all the easy chatter and laughs of old acquaintances catching up, yet it wasn’t difficult to imagine how casual encounters like this can spawn business. Mr. Mechanic is the city’s top transactional real estate attorney and Mr. Torgalkar is the chief operating officer of Westbrook Partners, an active buyer and seller with holdings that include boutique asset 444 Madison Avenue.
A natural networker with a sharp wit, Mr. Baxter seems readily able to take advantage of such opportunities. Having a grasp of the industry’s personalities is helpful in brokerage, allowing a level of insight beyond the facts and figures of a transaction. To hear him tell it, simmering disputes, hidden ambitions and other underlying factors can play as much of a role in sealing a deal as an investment’s rate of return or a building’s vacancy.
Settling into what he claimed was the real estate investor Aby Rosen’s usual booth, Mr. Baxter shifted conversation to the Seagram Building, the trophy tower that sits across Park Avenue from Lever House and, like Lever, is also owned by Mr. Rosen.
Years ago, Mr. Baxter was one of the brokers who sold a stake in the property to the billionaire investor Peter Brant. Earlier this year, Mr. Brant traded that interest at a huge profit to the Blackstone Group.
Rumors in the industry circulated that the sale had as much to do with Mr. Brant’s soured relationship with Mr. Rosen as it did cashing in the stake’s big returns. According to published reports, in fact, Mr. Rosen had allegedly made insulting comments about Mr. Brant’s wife, the former supermodel Stephanie Seymour.
“A woman’s scorn,” Mr. Baxter said, acknowledging with both amusement and marvel the dramatic sequence of events that may have led to the investment’s turnover.
In a more recent deal that Mr. Baxter wasn’t involved in but that also highlighted the hidden psychology underpinning the business, SL Green, among the city’s largest commercial landlords, was rumored to have snapped up the office building 10 East 53rd Street. SL Green has been one of the city’s most active acquirers of office buildings, specially through the downturn in the market when prices sagged from record highs. But the JLL team’s assessment of the deal was more penetrating than attributing it simply to SL Green’s voracious appetite.
SL Green had likely been disappointed at not getting 510 Madison Avenue, a nearby building that the firm nearly foreclosed on last year by buying up the property’s debt. The deal had slipped away from the firm when the rival REIT Boston Properties recapitalized the property, taking control. SL Green was paid handsomely, but 10 East 53rd Street was its way of restoring a bruised ego, picking up a boutique building that can potentially compete for the same kinds of tenants that 510 Madison Avenue attracts.
What is such insight worth in a deal? Perhaps not much. But if a broker’s job is to decide who is going to have the extra oomph to fully realize a property’s potential value, perhaps a lot.
“It is a matter of marketing and finding the buyer with the right vision for the asset,” Mr. Baxter said. “Directing the buyer towards maximizing the property’s true potential enables us to obtain premium pricing for our sellers. The five to ten percent premium wins the property. That is what our team does.”
Mr. Baxter and his team’s grasp of the industry’s players has paid off in the deals they have arranged in recent months. This year, the group sold both 737 Park Avenue and 150 East 72nd Street, for $360 million and $70 million respectively, to Harry Macklowe. Mr. Macklowe, once the prince of Manhattan’s real estate industry, took a precipitous and publicized fall during the recession. Though few doubted that Mr. Macklowe was still well-heeled enough to compete for major assets in the city, the acquisitions marked a surprising comeback and earned Mr. Baxter and his team accolades for identifying Mr. Macklowe as a buyer with resilience when many others had counted him out.
Mr. Baxter began his career during the early 1980s in sales brokerage at Newmark, where he and Mr. Cohen first became brokerage partners. The pair shifted to the Edward S. Gordon Company by the 1990s, at the time one of the city’s major real estate firms. ESG, as the firm’s name was abbreviated, eventually was acquired, first by Insignia, and later by the world’s biggest real estate services firm, CBRE.
CBRE, however, already had a powerful brokerage duo in place: Darcy Stacom and William Shanahan, who had a contractual right at the company to broker its deals in the city, said Mr. Baxter and Mr. Cohen. With a bustling business of their own, the pair proposed merging into a four-member group to defuse a potential rivalry and allow everyone to operate within Manhattan.
“It got complicated,” Mr. Baxter said about the talks then to join the teams, preferring not to go into the details of what those complications entailed.
Soon after, the pair ended up departing for Cushman & Wakefield, where they met Scott Latham and Jon Caplan, two sales executives at the firm. The two groups quickly merged and have been negotiating deals together ever since, although they have their specialties.
Mr. Cohen, for instance, has focused on recruiting foreign buyers and sellers into the team’s pipeline of contacts and deals, especially from Israel, where he is from and where investors have been active in the New York commercial real estate market in recent years. The four-man team’s time at C&W proved successful: In 2007, the group brokered the $1.8 billion sale of 666 Fifth Avenue, then the biggest commercial office sale in Manhattan, to the real estate investor, and Commercial Observer owner, Jared Kushner.
Keywords: 10 East 53rd Street, 444 Madison Avenue, 510 Madison Avenue, 737 Park Avenue, Andrew Mathias, Blackstone Group, Boston Properties, Casa Lever, CBRE, Darcy Stacom, Edward S. Gordon Company, Glenn Tolchin, Harry Macklowe, Jon Caplan, Jon Mechanic, Jones Lang LaSalle, lever house, Peter Brant, Richard Baxter, Ron Cohen, Scott Latham, seagram building, SL Green Realty Corp., Stephanie Seymour, Sush Torgalkar, Westbrook Partners, William Shanahan
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Pictured Above: Terrorism Risk Conference held in the United States Capitol with US Office of Homeland Security, RAND, Wharton Business School, University of Southern California, and Congressional Quarterly.
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Pictured below : Health Care Conference at UC Berkeley cosponsored by RAND, Stanford Medical School, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, USC, UCLA and Fresno State.
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Tag: Brisbane Heat
BBL popularity a product of Scorchers’ success
It was pleasing to see the Perth Scorchers romp to victory over the Sixers in last night’s BBL decider and lift the trophy for the third time in the competitions six-year history. As a Brisbane fan, you might think that I’m still bitter from Friday nights epic which saw the Sydney based franchise overcome the Heat on their home patch, in front of a record-breaking domestic crowd and during a super-over that had more twists and turns than a Bollywood drama. But I’m not. Last night typified exactly why this competition continues to go from strength to strength in terms of popularity while other t20 competitions around the world are stagnating. Teams like the Perth Scorchers, on beautifully sunny summer evenings at intimate grounds like the WACA, are what defines the competition. The three trophies the Scorchers now have stowed away in their trophy cabinet have not only set a precedent for the other franchises, but layed the foundations for future rivalries, traditions and has given the BBL a sense of history and context.
Perth Scorchers, three titles in four years.
Given that t20 domestic league fixtures give fans instant gratification, but rarely last long in the memory, shows what the success of the Perth Scorchers in the third, fourth and sixth edition have done to give the BBL a platform from which it can grow its brand, allowing the fan to buy into the history of a contrived competition whose aim will always be to raise revenue and subsidise the less popular formats, but has managed to grow an unprecedented backing simultaneously.
Next year the competition will grow, with CA confirming in the days just past that each team will play an extra game, increasing the competition from 32 matches to 40. This is a win for both the fan, who craves more of the history that this years’ BBL has created, and the administrators, who use it as a vehicle for increased revenue and participation rates. Only one of the aforementioned by-products doesn’t promise to trigger a self implosion.
A packed Gabba crowd watch the opening BBL fixture.
The Australian Open TV ratings have been smashed by those of the Big Bash this year and this comes as no surprise when you consider how CA have marketed its love child. The casual tennis fan couldn’t recall who won the 1976 Australian Open because its history, while steeped in glory, stretches right back to just after the turn of the nineteenth century and not a lot has changed since. Not the coverage, the fan or the structure. The BBL, on the other hand, is hip, modern and resonates with the young and old because of team’s like the Perth Scorchers, that have given a previously listless competition relevance and delivered excitement around match results in an era where immediacy determines a viewers enjoyment levels.
For now, the Big Bash will be in the back of our minds as the end of the cricket season signals the rather swift transition into the marathon football season which begins to warm up next weekend. But as soon as the 2017/18 competition rolls around – with its new look and expanded geographical reach that keeps it from becoming repetitive and hence unattractive to the viewer who tunes into the cricket for one and a half months every year – all of the memories of season’s past return to give the competition context, prompting excitement in a way that only test matches against the big three have been able to previously.
Posted on January 29, 2017 by Jordan CrickPosted in BBL, CA, Cricket, UncategorizedTagged BBL, Brisbane Heat, CA, Perth Scorchers, T20. Leave a comment
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What is the Cyber War Doctrine of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation? Examining The Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation, we can see a number of references to the information aspects of war. Below we examine the Russian Military Doctrine of 2010 and compare it to the updated version published in 2015.
Analysis of Russian Cyber War Doctrine
Much of Russian cyber military doctrine is similar to what we would find in the United States. For example, there is an emphasis on the role of information technology in command and control. There also is a specific emphasis placed on development of advanced weaponry using cyber. In addition, the Russian military is charged with protecting the information infrastructure of the Russian Federation.
But it appears that Russian military doctrine defines the cyber and information aspects of warfare in a considerably broader way than in the United States. Here are a few examples:
Information Actions Precede Combat Action. Before being used, Kinetic force (traditional military action) is to be preceded by all other non-violent instruments of statecraft. Information operations (cyber operations), therefore, are viewed as a precursor to kinetic warfare.
Figure 1 –– Differents function of cyber in Russian military doctrine. The references refer to parts of the official Russian Military Doctrine published in 2015(*). These are translated below.
Protection of Russian Territory Includes Information Territory. Apart from protecting the physical territory of Russia, the concept of territory has been extended to include “cyber space” or “national cyber space”, and the military is specifically tasked with protecting all of the cyber space within the Russian Federation.
Cyber Weapons Are Viewed as Increased Threat. In the Russian view, the conventional (including nuclear) strength of the Russian military is such that it is less likely Russian will receive a conventional attack. Paradoxically, the Russians view this as increasing the risk that Russia will be attacked through communication and information technologies. It is a cyber version of guerilla warfare.
Very Broad Definition of Cyber Attack. The type of cyber incident considered by be an “attack” is very broad. It needs only to have an effect on political independence or sovereignty. Any attack against infrastructure also is included. This would cover denial-of-service, or malware. But if a cyber incident has a destabilizing effect on the “social” or “political” situation, then it also is considered to be an attack.
Spiritual and Patriotic Traditions Protected Against Cyber Attack. An information incident can be classed as a “subversive information activity” if it is “aimed at undermining” the opinions of young citizens towards “historical, spiritual and patriotic traditions”. This would mean, for example, that it is the duty of the Russian military to protect Russia against information that undermines Russian traditions.
The Non-Military Population Can be Used for Cyber Defense. The Russian military is empowered to work with non-military elements in Russia for the purpose of taking “information” measures for defense. This refers to the “army” of civilian hackers that work ostensibly outside of government control.
Cyber Attacks Are Authorized Anywhere. The Russian military is authorized to launch a cyber attack (defensive action) against the enemy anywhere in the “global information space”, e.g., not only within the territory of the enemy state.
Cyber Weapons “Indirect and Asymmetric” in Nature. Cyber weapons, and other means, are viewed as being potentially indirect and asymmetric in their utility. In this case, “asymmetric” means “low cost; high impact” or “low cost; high defensive cost”.
Information Operations. The Russian military is empowered to engage in information operations that are aimed at influencing public associations and political groups. The military is empowered to “neutralize” threats through political and non-military means. This is a very broad mandate.
Cyber Espionage is Doctrine. The use of information technology and “modern technical means” is authorized for assessment and forecasting. This is the classical function of foreign intelligence operations.
Control Over Internet to Protect Third Countries. The military is empowered to take steps to make it impossible for any force to use information and communications technologies to influence sovereignty and political independence not only of Russia, but of other states as well.
Excerpts from Russian Cyber Military Doctrine
(The operative terms are underlined.)
Part I §5. The Military Doctrine reflects the commitment of the Russian Federation to taking military measures for the protection of its national interests and the interests of its allies only after political, diplomatic, legal, economic, informational and other non-violent instruments have been exhausted. (В Военной доктрине отражена приверженность Российской Федерации к использованию для защиты национальных интересов страны и интересов ее союзников военных мер только после исчерпания возможностей применения политических, дипломатических, правовых, экономических, информационных и других инструментов ненасильственного характера.)
Part II §11. There is a tendency towards shifting the military risks and military threats to the information space and the internal sphere of the Russian Federation. At the same time, despite the fact that unleashing of a large-scale war against the Russian Federation becomes less probable, in a number of areas the military risks encountered by the Russian Federation are increasing. (Наметилась тенденция смещения военных опасностей и военных угроз в информационное пространство и внутреннюю сферу Российской Федерации. При этом, несмотря на снижение вероятности развязывания против Российской Федерации крупномасштабной войны, на ряде направлений военные опасности для Российской Федерации усиливаются.)
The main external military risks are:
Part II §12(k)(l) use of information and communication technologies for the military-political purposes to take actions which run counter to international law, being aimed against sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity of states and posing threat to the international peace, security, global and regional stability; (использование информационных и коммуникационных технологий в военно-политических целях для осуществления действий, противоречащих международному праву, направленных против суверенитета, политической независимости, территориальной целостности государств и представляющих угрозу международному миру, безопасности, глобальной и региональной стабильности;)
13. The main internal military risks are:
Part II §13(a) activities aimed at changing by force the constitutional system of the Russian Federation; destabilizing domestic political and social situation in the country; disrupting the functioning of state administration bodies, important state and military facilities, and information infrastructure of the Russian Federation; (деятельность, направленная на насильственное изменение конституционного строя Российской Федерации, дестабилизацию внутриполитической и социальной ситуации в стране, дезорганизацию функционирования органов государственной власти, важных государственных, военных объектов и информационной инфраструктуры Российской Федерации;)
Part II §13(c) subversive information activities against the population, especially young citizens of the State, aimed at undermining historical, spiritual and patriotic traditions related to the defense of the Motherland; (деятельность по информационному воздействию на население, в первую очередь на молодых граждан страны, имеющая целью подрыв исторических, духовных и патриотических традиций в области защиты Отечества;)
Characteristic features and specifics of current military conflicts are:
Part II §15(a) integrated employment of military force and political, economic, informational or other non-military measures implemented with a wide use of the protest potential of the population and of special operations forces; (комплексное применение военной силы, политических, экономических, информационных и иных мер невоенного характера, реализуемых с широким использованием протестного потенциала населения и сил специальных операций)
Part II §15(b) massive use of weapons and military equipment systems, high-precision and hypersonic weapons, means of electronic warfare, weapons based on new physical principles that are comparable to nuclear weapons in terms of effectiveness, information and control systems, as well as drones and autonomous marine vehicles, guided robotic weapons and military equipment; (массированное применение систем вооружения и военной техники, высокоточного, гиперзвукового оружия, средств радиоэлектронной борьбы, оружия на новых физических принципах, сопоставимого по эффективности с ядерным оружием, информационно-управляющих систем, а также беспилотных летательных и автономных морских аппаратов, управляемых роботизированных образцов вооружения и военной техники)
Part II §15(c) exerting simultaneous pressure on the enemy throughout the enemy’s territory in the global information space, airspace and outer space, on land and sea; (воздействие на противника на всю глубину его территории одновременно в глобальном информационном пространстве, в воздушно-космическом пространстве, на суше и море)
Part II §15(f) enhanced centralization and computerization of command and control of troops and weapons as a result of transition from a strictly vertical system of command and control to global networked computerized systems of command and control of troops (forces) and weapons; (усиление централизации и автоматизации управления войсками и оружием в результате перехода от строго вертикальной системы управления к глобальным сетевым автоматизированным системам управления войсками (силами) и оружием)
Part II §15(i) use of indirect and asymmetric methods of operations; (применение непрямых и асимметричных способов действий)
Part II §15(j) employment of political forces and public associations financed and guided from abroad. (использование финансируемых и управляемых извне политических сил, общественных движений)
Part III §21(a) to assess and forecast the development of the military and political situation at global and regional levels, as well as the state of interstate relations in the military-political field with the use of modern technical means and information technologies; (оценка и прогнозирование развития военно-политической обстановки на глобальном и региональном уровне, а также состояния межгосударственных отношений в военно-политической сфере с использованием современных технических средств и информационных технологий)
Part III §21(b) to neutralize potential military risks and military threats through political, diplomatic and other non-military means; (нейтрализация возможных военных опасностей и военных угроз политическими, дипломатическими и иными невоенными средствами)
Part III §21(s) to create conditions to reduce the risk of using information and communications technologies for the military-political purposes to undertake actions running counter to international law, directed against sovereignty, political independence or territorial integrity of states or threatening international peace and security, and global and regional stability. (создание условий, обеспечивающих снижение риска использования информационных и коммуникационных технологий в военно-политических целях для осуществления действий, противоречащих международному праву, направленных против суверенитета, политической независимости, территориальной целостности государств и представляющих угрозу международному миру, безопасности, глобальной и региональной стабильности)
Part III §35(b) to provide for a more effective and secure functioning of public administration and military governance system and to ensure communication between federal government agencies, bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and other government authorities in addressing defense and security tasks; (повышение эффективности и безопасности функционирования системы государственного и военного управления, обеспечение информационного взаимодействия между федеральными органами исполнительной власти, органами исполнительной власти субъектов Российской Федерации, иными государственными органами при решении задач в области обороны и безопасности)
Part III §35(j) to improve the system of information security of the Armed Forces, other troops and bodies; (совершенствование системы информационной безопасности Вооруженных Сил, других войск и органов)
Part III §39(d) ensuring the reliable functioning of the command and control system of the Armed Forces, other troops and bodies in peacetime, under the conditions of an imminent threat of aggression and in wartime; (обеспечения надежного функционирования системы управления Вооруженными Силами, другими войсками и органами в мирное время, в период непосредственной угрозы агрессии и в военное время)
Part III §39(h) formation of territorial troops to provide protection and defense of military, state and special facilities, critical infrastructure, including transport, communications and energy, as well as potentially hazardous sites; (формирования территориальных войск для охраны и обороны военных, государственных и специальных объектов, объектов, обеспечивающих жизнедеятельность населения, функционирование транспорта, коммуникаций и связи, объектов энергетики, а также объектов, представляющих повышенную опасность для жизни и здоровья людей;)
Part III §39(l) ensuring effective information security of the Armed Forces, other troops and bodies; (эффективного обеспечения информационной безопасности Вооруженных Сил, других войск и органов)
Part III §46(c) to enhance capacity and means of information warfare; (развитие сил и средств информационного противоборства) Note: The word “противоборства” does not mean strictly “warfare”, but instead means “confrontation” which could be thought of as a level of violence short of full-scale warfare.
Part III §46(d) to improve the quality of the means of information exchange on the basis of up-to-date technologies and international standards, as well as a single information field of the Armed Forces, other troops and bodies as part of the Russian Federation’s information space; (качественное совершенствование средств информационного обмена на основе использования современных технологий и международных стандартов, а также единого информационного пространства Вооруженных Сил, других войск и органов как части информационного пространства Российской Федерации;)
Part III §46(f) to develop new types of high-precision weapons and means of counteracting them, aerospace defense assets, communication systems, reconnaissance and command systems, radio jamming systems, complexes of unmanned aerial vehicles, robotic strike complexes, modern transport aviation and individual protection systems for military personnel; (создание новых образцов высокоточного оружия и средств борьбы с ним, средств воздушно-космической обороны, систем связи, разведки и управления, радиоэлектронной борьбы, комплексов беспилотных летательных аппаратов, роботизированных ударных комплексов, современной транспортной авиации, систем индивидуальной защиты военнослужащих;)
Part III §46(g) to create basic information management systems and integrate them with the systems of command and control of weapons and the computerized systems of command and control bodies at the strategic, operational-strategic, operational, operational-tactical and tactical levels. (создание базовых информационно-управляющих систем и их интеграция с системами управления оружием и комплексами средств автоматизации органов управления стратегического, оперативно-стратегического, оперативного, оперативно-тактического и тактического масштаба)
Part III §55(f) to develop a dialogue with interested states on national approaches to confronting military risks and military threats brought about by the extensive use of information and communications technologies for military and political purposes; (развитие диалога с заинтересованными государствами о национальных подходах к противодействию военным опасностям и военным угрозам, возникающим в связи с масштабным использованием информационных и коммуникационных технологий в военно-политических целях)
Russian Cyber Military Terminology
информация инструмент –– “information instruments”. This is a general term that applies to any use of information to further nation state objectives, including military objectives.
информационное пространство –– “information space”. The Russian defines the nation as having an information space. This is the entire cyber infrastructure of Russia, including government, commercial, military and private networks and information processing systems. In this sense, Russians believe it is important to protect this “information space” as much as it is important to protect physical land mass.
информационная инфраструктура –– “information infrastructure”. This refers also to the entire country, but is more specific than “information space” because it focuses on the specific technical details of the computing and telecommunications network.
деятельность по информационному –– “information activities”. This refers to communication of information, such as through publications, the media, social media or other means that can have a negative effect on Russia. These are considered to be subversive.
комплексное применение –– “integrated employment”. Here this refers to the integration of military force with information (cyber) activities by the population.
информационно-управляющих систем –– “information and control system”. This refers to the cyber components of military weapons. It encompasses everything from general command and control to artificial intelligence or other technologies that enable more intelligence weapons.
глобальное информационное пространство –– “global information space”. This refers to the World Wide Web, and everything connected to it. The doctrine calls for identification of activities on the enemy throughout the world’s cyber infrastructure and then attacking these points, even if they are outside of the national territory of the enemy country.
информационное противоборство –– “information confrontation”. A cyber conflict that fall short of full-scale military warfare.
информационные технологии –– “information technology”. Used the same as in the United States.
невоенные средства –– “non-military means”. Cyber weapons and information operations are viewed as being a type of military action without using kinetic force.
информационная безопасность –– “information security”. Generally the same as the term “cyber security”. It refers to protection of information systems and other infrastructure from hackers.
информационная война –– “information warfare”. Cyber and information operations conducted by the Armed Forces.
обмен информацией –– “information exchange”. Refers to communication within the military.
Russian Military Doctrine Published in 2010
By comparing the 2010 version with the 2015 version above, it is possible to see the giant advance in cyber strategy made by the Russian Federation.
Part I §4. Use of informational instruments for the protection of the national interest.
Part II §9(c). The informational infrastructure of the Russian Federation is a vulnerability because it might be disrupted.
Part II §12(d). Information warfare is an essential component of military conflict.
Part II §13(d). Information warfare should be used prior to kinetic military force so as to shaping international public opinion.
Part III §19(a). Information technology should be used to assess international relations [between countries] and for prediction of political events. (This is a reference to classical intelligence; thus the use of cyber tools to collect intelligence.)
Part III §30(j). Cyber is to be used to provide information support to the armed forces. (This is the same as US doctrine.)
*Part III §41 (c). The armed forces are to develop resources for information warfare.
Part III §41(d). The Russian Federation has an “information space” and the Armed Forces are to have a “single information field” within that space. Cyber is to be improved within those spaces so that information exchange is easier and more efficient. (The concept of a “single information field” for a country is an interesting one. It goes against the idea of the Internet being a global and essentially transnational technical system for movement of information.)
Part III §41(f). Cyber should be used to support “new models of high-precision weapons”.
Part III §41(g). The armed forces will develop information systems that will be integrated for command and control, including automating some functions. This will be done at the “strategic, operational-strategic, operational, operational-tactical, and tactical levels”. (This refers to communication and information exchange within the armed forces.)
Analysis of 2010 Russian Military Doctrine
Much of the Russian doctrine is focused on the use of information technology for improving command and control of the Armed Forces. This includes Part III §30(j), Part III §41(d), Part III §41(f) and Part III §41(g).
Other parts of the doctrine define cyber war as a tool or one method (among many) of protecting the national interest. These include Part I §4, Part II §12(d), and Part III §41 (c).
There is an interesting notion of a national “information space” and the fear that it might be a target for attack by enemies. Part II §9(c), and Part III §41(d).
The final part of the doctrine covers the offensive use of cyber weapons (or information tools) as an extension of state power. First, they should be used to shape international public opinion. Part II §13(d). This is the classic use of propaganda or “public diplomacy” in international relations. Second, they should be used to collect intelligence. Part III §19(a).
The doctrine does not clearly spell out the offensive use of cyber weapons. In Part III §41(f) there is mention of “new models of high-precision weapons”. In generally understood language, this would mean items such as precision guided munitions. It would be possible, however, to define a “new model” weapon as being a cyber weapon. But it is doubtful this is the meaning. In Part III §41(c) there is a call for resources for information warfare, but this is not defined. So possibly cyber weapons could be included under this section.
In any case, the essence of the Russian doctrine is clear. Cyber weapons, or information operations, are to be used in place of kinetic military force preceding a conflict, and hopefully to avoid a further escalation of a conflict. If the conflict deepens, then cyber weapons will continue to be used to support the Armed Forces.
(*) It was published December 25, 2014.
Filed Under: CYBER ATTACK, CYBER WARFARE, Information Operations, Information War, Russian Cyber War Doctrine
Tags: Command and Control : Cyber Espionage : Cyber Strategy : Cyber Weapons : глобальное информационное пространство : деятельность по информационному : информационная война : информационная инфраструктура : информационно-управляющих систем : информационное пространство : информационное противоборство : информация инструмент : комплексное применение : Global Information Space : Information Operations : Information Space : INFORMATION WARFARE : Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation : PROPAGANDA : Public Diplomacy : Russian Federation
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"Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. "This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. "You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. Christian Canvas Art
Huram also made the pails, the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of God: the two pillars, the bowls and the two capitals on top of the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the pillars, and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the pillars.read more.
Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. ...
Remember that biblical art, as a visual representation of the Bible, is not always rated “G.” The Bible is not a children’s story, so some biblical art contains nudity or bloody depictions of violence. Not all things in the Bible are beautiful and calming; many times biblical stories are full of distortion and dissonance. As such, biblical artwork will tell the full Story of God that includes creation, fall, and redemption, with each of its harsh realities. As in all of life, the believer is called to be discerning. Share Your Faith Products Canvas Art
Huram also made the pails, the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of God: the two pillars, the bowls and the two capitals on top of the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the pillars, and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the pillars.read more. Share Your Faith Products Canvas Art
The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. Christian Art and Gifts
He also made two capitals of molten bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five cubits and the height of the other capital was five cubits. There were nets of network and twisted threads of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one network to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. The capitals which were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. There were capitals on the two pillars, even above and close to the rounded projection which was beside the network; and the pomegranates numbered two hundred in rows around both capitals. Thus he set up the pillars at the porch of the nave; and he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz. On the top of the pillars was lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished. Now he made the sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits in circumference. Under its brim gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, completely surrounding the sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast with the rest. It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom; it could hold two thousand baths. Then he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was four cubits and its width four cubits and its height three cubits. This was the design of the stands: they had borders, even borders between the frames, and on the borders which were between the frames were lions, oxen and cherubim; and on the frames there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. Its opening inside the crown at the top was a cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its opening there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. The four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. On the top of the stand there was a circular form half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its stays and its borders were part of it. He engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders, cherubim, lions and palm trees, according to the clear space on each, with wreaths all around. He made the ten stands like this: all of them had one casting, one measure and one form. He made ten basins of bronze, one basin held forty baths; each basin was four cubits, and on each of the ten stands was one basin. Then he set the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the sea of cast metal on the right side of the house eastward toward the south. Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished doing all the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of the LORD: the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands; and the one sea and the twelve oxen under the sea; and the pails and the shovels and the bowls; even all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of the LORD were of polished bronze. In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; the weight of the bronze could not be ascertained. Solomon made all the furniture which was in the house of the LORD: the golden altar and the golden table on which was the bread of the Presence; and the lampstands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; and the flowers and the lamps and the tongs, of gold; and the cups and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and the firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, that is, of the nave, of gold. Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of the LORD was finished And Solomon brought in the things dedicated by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.
So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. So also he made for the entrance of the nave four-sided doorposts of olive wood and two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two leaves of the other door turned on pivots. He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the engraved work. Christian Canvas Art
What does the Bible say about creativity? The very first verse of Scripture actually describes a creative act as "God created the heavens and the earth." Additionally, from Genesis, the Bible says, "God created man in his own image." This could be interpreted as we are creators just as God created us. We create relationships, art, homes, cities, nations and many more things including inventions even yet to be known! The creative spirit is certainly favored by God and our fellow man. Learn more from the collection of Bible verses about creativity below! Christian Art and Gifts
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. ... Christian Art and Gifts
“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: ... Christian Art and Gifts
"You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth. "As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall set them in filigree settings of gold.read more.
The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. On the top of the stand there was a circular form half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its stays and its borders were part of it. He engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders, cherubim, lions and palm trees, according to the clear space on each, with wreaths all around.read more. Christian Canvas Art
He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat; one cherub at the one end and one cherub at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at the two ends. The cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat. Christian Art and Gifts
He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat; one cherub at the one end and one cherub at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at the two ends. The cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat. Share Your Faith Products Canvas Art
This verse is a reminder for me that all I need is Christ. When I feel helpless or weak, I don’t primarily need a practical solution or answer. I need God’s grace. God’s grace is sufficient. It is all I need. His strength shines brightly when I am weak and depending on Him. I don’t need my life to be in perfect order or all to be going well in the world around me. All I need is Christ. Christian Art and Gifts
A good piece of biblical art can help us see the truth of a passage as well as give us “fresh eyes” for familiar passages. The artist becomes our companion who points out details of a passage that we might have passed over in haste. Biblical art from other cultures or time periods can be especially help us gain a fuller understanding of a passage that we are used to seeing through our own “cultural lenses.” Scripture engagement through art assists in our spiritual development by letting us share in the wealth of insights God has already given to others. Christian Canvas Art
David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him forever. And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it. And David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites: of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, with 120 of his brothers; ... Christian Canvas Art
Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. ... Christian Canvas Art
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains of prey. The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands. ... Share Your Faith Products Canvas Art
Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; their clothing is violet and purple; they are all the work of skilled men. But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. Thus shall you say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” Bible Scripture Verse Art
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The Library of Congress > Chronicling America > The Cedar County advertiser.
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About The Cedar County advertiser. (Tipton, Iowa) 1853-1856
Tipton, Iowa (1853-1856)
The Cedar County advertiser. : (Tipton, Iowa) 1853-1856
Tipton advertiser Jan. 5-19, 1856
Tipton, Iowa
Tipton, Cedar, Iowa | View more titles from this: City County, State
Chas. Swetland
Vol. 1, no. 4 (Dec. 3, 1853)-v. 3, no. 3 (Jan. 19, 1856).
Iowa--Tipton.--fast--(OCoLC)fst01230985
Tipton (Iowa)--Newspapers.
"Devoted to literature, agriculture, mechanics, education, and general intelligence."
"Independent in all things--neutral in nothing."
Editors: Wells Spicer & H.C. Piatt, Dec. 3, 1853-June 17, 1854; Wells Spicer, July 15, 1854-Jan. 19, 1856.
Publishers: Chas. Swetland, Dec. 3, 1853-Mar. 18, 1854; Swetland & Spicer, Mar. 25-June 17, 1854; Wells Spicer, July 15, 1854-Jan. 19, 1856.
Suspended publication June 24-July 8, 1854.
Vol. 1, no. 32 not published.
The Cedar Co. news-letter. (Tipton, Iowa) 1853-1853
The Tipton advertiser. (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962
The Cedar County advertiser. December 3, 1853, Image 1
The Cedar County News-letter, The Cedar County Advertiser and The Tipton Advertiser
The Cedar County News-Letter was originally published in the small town of Rochester, Iowa, in 1852. It was published by Nelson C. Swank, who had originally settled in Cedar County in July 1839. After one year of publishing, Swank sold the press, type, and other materials to Charles Swetland, who moved them to Tipton. Swetland changed the title to the Cedar County Advertiser, but the first few issues published in November 1853 were printed with the Cedar County News-Letter masthead. The first issue with the Cedar County Advertiser title appeared on December 3. Wells Spicer and Hermon C. Piatt served as editors.
The Advertiser’s motto was “Independent in all things – neutral in nothing,” and in an introductory editorial, Swetland wrote, “Political matters will be beneath our notice. We will eschew them as an owl does daylight.” Instead, the paper would be “devoted to literature, agriculture, mechanics, education, and general intelligence.” As the title suggests, advertisements make up a large portion of the paper’s content. The first page often consisted of poetry and serialized fiction, and occasionally other miscellaneous items. The second page featured local, state, and national news of interest, and the third and fourth pages were mostly ads, business cards, and a few additional articles.
Publication was suspended from June 24 to July 8, 1854. During this time, the Advertiser moved to a new office and Swetland and Piatt left the business, leaving Spicer as sole editor and proprietor. In January 1856, Spicer changed the title of the paper to the Tipton Advertiser, and later that year Samuel Dewell joined him as part owner. By September 1857, the paper was in entirely new hands, owned by Norman and Henry Moffett and Simeon Daniels, with Daniels serving as editor. The Advertiser’s content had become increasingly political by this time, aligning with the Republican Party and advocating on behalf of Republican candidates in local, state, and national elections.
Throughout the next century, the paper continued to publish weekly under a number of different editors and proprietors. In October 1962, the Tipton Advertiser merged with the Bennett Gazette to become the Tipton Advertiser & the Bennett Gazette. In January 1970, it merged with the Tipton Conservative, and still publishes today as the Tipton Conservative and Advertiser.
Provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa
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← SpaceX to Debut the Falcon 9 Block 5
SpaceX Iridium NEXT 51-55 (Iridium 6) from CA →
ISS Resupply Launch from VA This Week
Posted on May 16, 2018 by AstroDan77
Images credit & copyright: NASA & Orbital ATK.
LAUNCH ALERT: Monday, May 21, 2018 at 04:39 EDT (08:39 UTC & 01:39 PDT) an Orbital ATK Antares 230 rocket will be launching from Launch Pad 0A (LP-0A) at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on the South end of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), Virginia, carrying the Cygnus cargo ship (S.S. “JR” Thompson/Cygnus 10) as part of Orbital ATK-9 (OA-9) to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). This launch has a 5 minute launch window.
After rendezvous with Station on Thursday, May 24, it will be grappled via Canadarm2 and berthed to the Earth facing (nadir) side of Station’s Unity Module (Node-1) where it’s scheduled to remain for about a month before being loaded with waste and released to disintegrate in Earth’s atmosphere.
This will be the 8th launch of the Antares rocket, the 3rd launch of Antares in its 230 configuration, the 9th of 10 contracted launches of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft and the 6th “enhanced” Cygnus.
S.S. James Robert Thompson JR: As with every Cygnus flight it has bestowed upon it, a name to honor a prominent member in the space industry. This mission’s (OA-9 or CRS-9) Cygnus vehicle has been designated the S.S. “JR” Thompson. Thompson was the 5th Director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) where he spent more than 20 years, NASA Deputy Director and after retirement stayed in the spaceflight industry, joining Orbital/ATK until his retirement in 2013.
Orbital ATK Antares 230 Rocket: Formerly known as Taurus II, the Antares Launch Vehicle is a two-stage (with optional third stage) medium-lift rocket.
Antares 230 numbering system explained:
2: Two NPO Energomash RD-181 first stage engines.
3: One Castor 30XL solid fuel second stage motor.
0: No third stage.
Height: 42.5 m (139 ft.)
Core Diameter: 3.9 m (13 ft.)
Width at Base: 3.9 m (13 ft.)
Stages: 2 (optional 3rd)
Boosters: 0
Total Engines: 3 (2 in the first stage and 1 in the second stage)
Total Liftoff Thrust (sea level): 3,844 kN (864,000 lbf)
Gross Mass: 398,000 kg (657,000 lb.)
Payload to Low Earth Orbit (LEO): 7,000 kg (15,432 lb.)
Payload to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO): 2,700 kg (5,952 lb.)
Payload to Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO): 3,000 kg (6,614 lb.)
Cygnus Spacecraft: An expendable, uncrewed, pressurized cargo re-supply spacecraft that’s 6.3 m (21 ft.) in length by 3.07 m (10.1 ft.) in diameter. This iteration of Cygnus boasts a great increase in payload capacity (roughly 7,600 lb. or 3,380 kg) due to the increased size of the ship with its stretched or “enhanced” Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM) as well as lighter weight components such as the ATK Ultraflex solar arrays.
Main Payload Fairing (PLF): Two-shell composite 9.9 m (32.5ft.) high and 3.9 m (12.8ft.) in diameter. The fairings are used to protect the spacecraft during ascent through atmospheric turbulence and into space. Once the rocket has reached a safe altitude the fairings jettisoned, exposing the spacecraft(s).
Third Stage (optional): There are two optional third stage variations for the Antares 230; the STAR 48-Based Third Stage (48BV) and the Bi-Propellant Third Stage (BTS).
Second Stage:
Height: 4.2 m. (13.8 ft.)
Diameter: 2.3 m (7.5 ft.)
Engine(s): Single Orbital/ATK Castor 30XL (Castor 120 heritage) with thrust vectoring capability
Engine Chambers: 1
Engine Type: Solid
Propellant Feed Method: Solid
Chamber Pressure: Solid
Fuel Type: Solid
Fuel: Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene/aluminium
Thrust (vacuum): 474 kN (106,559 lbf.)
Specific Impulse (vacuum): 348 s
Burn Time: 156 s
Restart Ability: None
Reusable?: No
First Core/Boost Stage (First Stage):
Height: 27.6 m. (90.5 ft.)
Diameter: 3.9 m (12.8 ft.)
Width at Base: 3.9 m (12.8 ft.)
Engine(s): Two NPO Energomash RD-181 engines with independent thrust vectoring
Engine Type (cycle): Oxidizer-rich, staged combustion
Propellant Feed Method: Turbopump
Chamber Pressure: 25.8 MPa or 258 bar or 3,740 psi
Fuel Type: Liquid
Fuel: Rocket propellant-1 (RP-1) or highly refined kerosene. Lower specific impulse than liquid hydrogen (LH2) but is cheaper, room temperature stable, less explosive and denser. RP-1 is much more powerful than LH2 by volume and much less toxic than other room temperature fuels such as hydrazine (N2H4).
Oxidizer: Liquid Oxygen (LOX). LOX is often coupled with rocket propellant-1 (RP-1), liquid hydrogen (LH2) and methane (CH4) as it creates a high specific impulse.
Single RD-181 Thrust (sea level): 1922 kN (432,000 lbf.)
Single RD-181 Thrust to Weight Ratio: 89
Specific Impulse (sea level/vacuum): 311.9 s/339 s
Go ANTARES! Go CASTOR! Go CYGNUS! Go OA 9!
Watch Live:
Launch webcast begins: Sunday, May 20 at 04:40 EDT (08:30 UTC & 01:30 PDT).
Rendezvous & capture webcast begins: Thursday, May 24 at 03:45 EDT (07:45 UTC & 00:45 PDT).
Berthing coverage: Thursday, May 24 at 07:30 EDT (11:30 UTC & 04:30 PDT).
NASA TV: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
NASA YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision
OA-9 Mission Info:
NASA’s Orbital/ATK page: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/orbital.html
NASA OA-9 Press Release: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-tv-coverage-set-for-next-resupply-mission-to-space-station
NASA OA-9 East Coast Viewing Map: https://blogs.nasa.gov/orbital/2018/05/15/how-to-watch-the-orbital-atk-crs-9-antares-rocket-launch-in-person/
Orbital ATK Cygnus S.S. “JR” Thompson: https://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/feature-stories/OA9-Mission-Page/Documents/SS_JR%20Thompson_Bio.pdf
Orbital ATK OA-9 Mission Page: https://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/feature-stories/OA9-Mission-Page/default.aspx
Orbital ATK OA-9 Fact Sheet: https://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/feature-stories/OA9-Mission-Page/default.aspx
Orbital ATK CRS Fact Sheet: https://www.orbitalatk.com/space-systems/human-space-advanced-systems/commercial-resupply-services/docs/CRS_Factsheet.pdf
General 2018 Launch Schedule (Wiki): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_in_spaceflight
Orbital ATK Social Media:
Orbital ATK homepage: https://www.orbitalatk.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrbitalATK/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/orbital_atk/
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/orbital-atk
NASA:
All NASA social Media: https://www.nasa.gov/socialmedia
Orbital ATK Antares Launch Vehicle:
Orbital ATK Antares: https://www.orbitalatk.com/flight-systems/space-launch-vehicles/antares/default.aspx
Antares Fact Sheet: https://www.orbitalatk.com/flight-systems/space-launch-vehicles/antares/docs/Antares_Factsheet.pdf
Antares Mission History: https://www.orbitalatk.com/flight-systems/space-launch-vehicles/antares/docs/AntaresMissionHistory.pdf
Antares Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antares_(rocket)
Orbital ATK Cygnus Spacecraft:
Cygnus Fact Sheet: https://www.orbitalatk.com/space-systems/human-space-advanced-systems/commercial-resupply-services/docs/Cygnus_Factsheet.pdf
Cygnus Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus_(spacecraft)
Wallops Flight Facility & the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS):
NASA Wallops main page: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/home/
NASA Wallops Twitter: https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops
NASA Wallops Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NASAWFF
Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS): http://www.marsspaceport.com/
Thales Alenia Space:
Website: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/global/activities/space
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThalesAleniaSpace/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Thales_Alenia_S
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thalesaleniaspace/
NPO Erergomash:
Website: http://engine.space/
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The regulation of genes involved in trichome development
Matthew Lloyd Brown, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical CollegeFollow
Arabidopsis thaliana is an organism that can be used as a model for most of the processes that occur in flowering plants. The leaf hairs, or trichomes, of Arabidopsis thaliana are macroscopic single cells that have been used as a model system for cell fate determination, cell expansion, cell cycle regulation, cell wall deposition, as well as other processes. Initiation of the trichome cell fate is controlled by a complex of genes including GLABRA1 (GL1), TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA (TTG), and GLABRA3 (GL3). This work examines the role of GL3 in trichome initiation and uses plants expressing varying levels of GL3 to determine if genes involved in trichome development are regulated by GL3. Though several genes are given a cursory examination, the regulation of two genes, an α-carbonic anhydrase and a novel cell-cycle regulator called SIAMESE, are given a thorough examination. The α-carbonic anhydrase At2g28210 was previously not known to be involved in trichome development. Its involvement in trichome development was discovered with the aid of an enhancer trap line with robust reporter gene expression in developing trichomes. Pharmacological studies indicate that this α-carbonic anhydrase may play a role in trichome expansion. SIAMESE (SIM) was first identified in a mutant screen in the Larkin lab. This dissertation demonstrates that this gene encodes a novel type of cell-cycle regulator with several homologs in Arabidopsis and other plant species. SIM and one of its homologs in Arabidopsis were shown to be expressed in a trichome-dependent manner. These investigations shed new light into the molecular process of trichome development.
Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.
Brown, Matthew Lloyd, "The regulation of genes involved in trichome development" (2006). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 234.
John C. Larkin
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Artistic Director: George Marriner Maull
Orchestra Staff
Board and Ambassadors
George Marriner Maull, Artistic Director
EDUCATOR & PUBLIC TELEVISION PERSONALITY
George Marriner Maull wants you to become a super listener! Writer, conductor and host of the televised Discovery Concerts® Bach to the Future©, Discover Beethoven’s 5th© and Discover Vivaldi’s Four Seasons© distributed by American Public Television, he has reached millions of viewers across the United States as tracked by the Nielsen ratings. As presenter of Fall in Love with Music, a music listening course for adults based on the groundbreaking work of Dr. Saul Feinberg, and as host of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Bank of America Classical Overtures, he interacts with thousands of New York/New Jersey/Connecticut metro participants each season. Fall in Love with Music, is now a new 8-part series from American Public Television being broadcast in major television markets across the country.
Two Cable Telly Awards, Fall in Love with Music© (2016)
Emmy Nomination, Discover Vivaldi’s Four Seasons© (2014)
Three Cable Telly Awards, Discover Vivaldi’s Four Seasons© (2013)
Emmy Nomination, Discover Beethoven’s 5th© (2012)
Three Cable Telly Awards, Discover Beethoven’s 5th© (2011)
Somerset County, New Jersey Excellence in Arts Award (2005)
Emmy Nomination, Bach to the Future© (2004)
Conductor Laureate, New Jersey Youth Symphony (1997)
Distinguished Alumnus, University of Louisville (1994)
WNET documentary Art Effects: Young & Noteworthy (1987)
Recipient, Medal of the Belgian Ministry of Culture (1983)
1st Prize with Honors 32nd European Muziek Festival (1983)
Who’s Who in America (1997 – present)
Founder and Artistic Director of The Discovery Orchestra, his former music director posts include the Philharmonic Orchestra of New Jersey, Louisville Ballet, New Jersey Youth Symphony, Bloomingdale Chamber Orchestra, Plainfield Symphony and the Eastern Suffolk Symphony. He has appeared as a guest conductor with the Kentucky Opera, New York Virtuosi Chamber Symphony, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Washington Square Festival Orchestra in New York City and the Orchestras of the Aaron Copland School of Music and the University of Louisville School of Music and has conducted performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, as well as in England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Poland, Hungary and Romania.
His CD releases conducting the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in compositions by Max Schubel, Ernst Levy and Frank Ezra Levy with cello soloist Scott Ballantyne are on the Naxos label.
VIOLIST
Formerly a professional violist with the Louisville Orchestra, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Caramoor Festival Orchestra and American Symphony Orchestra, George Marriner Maull had the privilege of performing under many celebrated musicians including Igor Stravinsky, Pierre Boulez, Sir George Solti, Arthur Fiedler, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss, and Robert Shaw.
A Philadelphia native, he studied piano and voice at St. Peter’s Choir School and viola with Irving Segall of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Later he studied with Czech violinist, Paul Kling at the University of Louisville where he received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees. He later continued his studies at The Juilliard School with composers Robert Smolensky and Lawrence Widdoes. His conducting teachers were Richard Johannes Lert and Jorge Mester.
David Osenberg of WWFM-The Classical Network interviews Maestro Maull about The Discovery Orchestra and music listening.
Jeff Friedman interviews Maestro Maull about increasing the pleasure you get from listening to classical music!
Maestro Maull discusses TDO’s YouTube Discovery Chats and the ‘discovery process’ with Frank Macioce of HomeTowne TV.
John Patten of The Warren Patch interviews Maestro Maull after TDO receives a 2011-2012 grant from The New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
FOR BOOKINGS
Guest Speaker/Guest Conductor, contact rmspro223 (at) gmail (dot) com .
Orchestra Executive Staff
VIRGINIA JOHNSTON, Executive Director
Virginia Johnston received her Bachelor of Music (Summa Cum Laude, University Scholar) from Syracuse University and her Master of Music (with Honors) from Boston University in both composition and clarinet performance. She has also studied choral conducting at Westminster Choir College through their Continuing Education department. Starting as an Administrator with the Philharmonic Orchestra of New Jersey (TDO’s predecessor organization) in 1992, she assumed the responsibilities of Managing Director in 1999 and Executive Director in June, 2009. She brings strong organizational, problem-solving and grant writing skills to The Discovery Orchestra. Virginia worked as Music Director at the Springfield Emanuel United Methodist Church for 7 years and is a professional free-lance clarinetist, conductor and composer in the tri-state area. Her works have been performed by the Society for New Music, the Tunnel Vision Writer’s Project of Montclair and the New Jersey Youth Symphony at Alice Tully Hall, among others. Several of her compositions have been published by Ethos Publications and Earnestly Music. In 1992, she co-founded Triad Arts Ensemble, a non-profit performing arts organization. Through Triad,Virginia has co-chaired the annual Canticles for Life AIDS Benefit Concerts in New Jersey since 1997. To date, over $100,000 has been raised in this effort. Since 1995, she has been Conductor of the Triad Vocal Ensemble, a mixed adult community choir specializing in accessible contemporary repertoire as well as traditional works, with a focus on female composers and New Jersey composers. Through the Triad Vocal Ensemble,Virginia has commissioned several new works from emerging New Jersey composers. Additionally, Ms. Johnston performs locally as a singer-songwriter in folk/rock and jazz styles and has released two CD’s of original material. Virginia served on the Board of Trustees of the Newark Boys Chorus School and lives in Maplewood, NJ with her family. email: Ginny (at) DiscoveryOrchestra (dot) org
ELLIOT DEE, External Relations Director
A graduate of Cornell University and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Elliot Dee worked in admissions, advising, academic planning, student life and development at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Babson College and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for 20 years. He served as Assistant Dean for Development at the Tisch School of the Arts where he launched a number of new fundraising initiatives with parents, alumni and friends of the School. Following his career in higher education, Elliot worked as a consultant to numerous nonprofit organizations on strategic planning, program development, communications, public policy and fundraising projects. He came to The Discovery Orchestra in August of 2013 to work with the Board and staff on the Orchestra’s new strategic and fundraising plans and joined the staff as Director of External Relations in July of 2014. He enjoys music of all genres from rock to jazz to classical and lives in Ridgewood New Jersey with his wife and three children. Email: ElliotDeeLLC (at) gmail (dot) com .
DIANE LESTER, Administrative Director
Diane Lester received her BS from Bucknell University majoring in mathematics with a minor in computer science and accounting. She spent the next 15 years in the corporate world (Travelers and Crum & Forster) in Information Systems/Technical Services Management. Taking time off when her children were young, she joined The Discovery Orchestra in 2003 as Administrator. Email: Diane (at) DiscoveryOrchestra (dot) org .
JUDITH SUGARMAN, Personnel Manager
Personnel Manager Judith Sugarman is one of the pre-eminent professional bassists in the tri-state area, regularly performing as Principal Bass with Solisti New York, Stanford Symphony, New York Virtuosi and The Discovery Orchestra. She has performed in chamber music concerts with the members of The Guarnieri and Colorado String Quartets. She has played on the soundtracks of many feature motion pictures, including Kramer vs. Kramer, You’ve Got Mail, and Carlito’s Way. She was formerly on the faculty of The Juilliard School Pre College Division, and currently is a member of the faculty of the Mannes College of Music Preparatory Division.
Stephen Reynolds, President
Rachel Weinberger, Secretary
David A. Williams, Treasurer
Brian Braytenbah
Sandra Braddy-Hall
Caitlin Haughey
Susan Head
Mary G. Horn
(Trustee Access)
Catherine Aquila
Clelia Biamonti
Ken Browne
Tom Davison
Dave Emmerling
Dennis A. Estis
Elizabeth C. Gump
E. J. Harrison
Vina Isaac
Michael J. Johnston
Judith Musicant
Walter Schoenknecht
Sandra Brown Sherman
Tricia Tunstall
Richard Somerset-Ward
Alan Yu
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dnaunion Sponsors 6th Annual Graduation Ceremony of Sharif University of Technology
Henkel Company: Exercise and Cleanliness… ABC of Health
All Highlighted News Studies
The Sound of Silence Is Louder
Imagine the world stands still for a moment, where the sound of breathing can be heard and the sound of the flapping birds has weight; when silence makes sense, to move on and grow…
The AXE BLACK in its new campaign that has been implemented integrally throughout the world invites us to silence; a chance for being seen...
The campaign, tag lined the “Sound of Silence Is Louder” has taken shape and implemented in Magnolia; the intimacy of the people and the spirit of their teamwork was a feature that was prominent in this half-an-hour interview...
Roya Tabibi, the Project Manager of Magnolia says: “The customer in the briefing he had given us demanded a digital activity for the AXE. But, after considering the audience and the market as well as the need of the customer for a bigger market and Magnolia’s experience in the digital campaigns, we reached the conclusion that the audience who gets involved in this game is younger than the audience considered by AXE. In this campaign AXE wanted to see the growth of both itself and its audience.
Therefore, after several meetings we concluded that with the help of a campaign engaging the audience we should better carry out an activity in the digital environment which will no longer present an entertainment or a play and with this approach we shaped the campaign the “Sound of Silence Is Louder” with the presence of Sirvan Khosravi.”
Customer Service Director of Magnolia Arash Afshin says: “Two to three months of activity is needed to bring people together and do some information dissemination. After these few months the campaign will come to an end and practically what the campaign gains is not as much as you have worked for it. Therefore, we wanted to be active in a place where its audience is already present and there is no need to start from zero and in this way the stars and those who are active in the social networking could help us.”
Ramina Naqiyoun, Director of Campaign Creativity says: The campaign has been implemented in different countries and in different forms. In the original campaign for the presentation of the product the emerging musicians had been employed and different music through different performances had been covered. Even some of the songs had been implemented in the streets. Why Sirvan? We wanted to think bigger. Sirvan is very much popular and the AXE BLACK is popular too. We wanted to offer something that would receive a lot of coverage. Sirvan Khosravi is someone whose path of work and life has always been growing. He has reached from the bustle and the desire to be seen to calm and a kind of maturity. Perhaps amidst this huge bustle he has chosen silence. The campaign wanted to say that its audience was young adults who have grown up now and are mature. This can be seen in Sirvan’s style and music. We proposed the “unplugged” concert. Sirvan was popular and we were sure that the campaign would receive big coverage.”
Pooya Sabbagh, the Executive Director of the campaign says: “We wanted to have no difference with the global campaign. AXE is a brand whose campaigns are carried out concurrently around the world. Each year from the integrity of the campaigns it is clear what characteristics the new product will have and what it is going to talk about. This year the AXE BLACK wanted to present a new concept. It wanted to say that it audience was no more a teenager and therefore his outlook about the world has changed. He is no more the one to make rash and sentimental decisions. In its advertising AXE always speaks about the effect of its products and stresses that if you use this spray it would give you special charm. So far, this brand used noisy advertising in order to convey this concept to the audience, but this year for this concept instead of exaggeration, commotion and glamor, it says you can be noisy but within such a noise your voice would not be heard. Here the global brand tag line, that is, ‘Bring the Quiet’ is highlighted; that is to say we would better live a calmer and more minimal life. The tag line was localized by Kasra Frouhi in Magnolia and was turned to: ‘The Sound of Silence is Louder.’ For this reason, Sirvan was chosen and again for the same reason we chose unplugged as in such concerts the artist would arrange lighter songs and the performance would take a special form.
“We had counted on Sirvan and his social networks a lot. In his Instagram Sirvan had explained the atmosphere of the campaign and informed his fans about the event. Apart from this media outlet, we also used the Web banners, the print and outdoor advertising.
“We had invited the people to visit the AXE website and participate in a three-question competition. Those who gave correct answers had the opportunity to participate in Sirvan’s first unplugged concert. News websites and his fans gave a good coverage to Sirvan’s activities with this brand. We defined a month-long activity in Instagram and called on Sirvan’s fans to take pictures with the product and upload it with the hashtag #AxeBlackIran. The fans made attractive fan arts in Instagram both of Sirvan’s picture and of the product.
"The concert was performed at Azadi Tower in the presence of 300 people on September 19. A good coverage was given to the concert and even up to now it is being referred to in the news and music websites as a different experience for the fans and the first unplugged concert.
“Sirvan is also satisfied with the cooperation. It was similar to his style as he is looking for different activities and is not fond of routine performances. Recently he wrote in his Instagram posts about the intimacy of the concert and that he wanted to repeat the event.
“During the six-month duration of the campaign, the product was sold out twice and the sales was fantastic. And this is the same success that a brand expects to happen in the course of the campaign.”
Arash Afshin further says: “Another specific event in this campaign was that in the first few seconds we used Sirvan’s video clip “Where Are You” as the product placement. The video was in black and white and matched the minimal colors of the product. Among the facilities Sirvan put at our disposal in this campaign was his social networks and the possibility of using the product in the video clip and 15-second videos which showed him while using the product. The enthusiasm shown by the fans and their artistic posts in Instagram were among major factors for the success of this campaign.
“Given his popularity, Sirvan was nominated as the ambassador of the brand AXE and his fans highly assisted us. The first Instagram post of Sirvan which showed his hands taking the AXE BLACK received 27,000 likes in the first half an hour which is unprecedented in its kind. And this was a success that would not have been achieved with a digital campaign. In conclusion I should say that the presence of Kaveh Yaghmaei as the organizer of the concert songs was both highly effective in attracting the audience and in culminating the excitement of this 6-month campaign.”
The executive team of Magnolia for AXE BLACK:
Executive Director of the Campaign: Pooya Sabbagh
Copywriter: Kasra Forouhi
Creativity Director: Ramina Naqiyoun
Production Project Manager: Ayda Alam-ol-Hodaei
Media Planner: Sara Kiaeiyan
Production Team Manager: Shabnam Vosouqi
Project Manager: Roya Tabibi
Media Director: Sarvnaz Sur Esrafil
Customer Service Director: Arash Afshin
Download for press
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Book Highlights
Exploring proteomics and metabolomics through NMR studies
Book URL: https://ebooks.benthamscience.com/book/9781681086415/
Release Date: 25-April-2019
This eBook is edited by Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, published on April 3, 2019.
Bentham Science's seventh volume of Applications of NMR Spectroscopy, published by Bentham Science Publishers covers NMR methods in proteomics and metabolomics, and nucleic acid biochemistry.
Applications of NMR Spectroscopy is now in its seventh volume under the co-editorship of Atta-ur Rahman and M. Iqbal Choudhary. The new volume delves into specific avenues of applied NMR studies. The volume starts with a review of recent advances in magic angle spinning (MAS) ssNMR of self-assembling proteins by researchers from the University of Bordeaux, France. In terms of metabolomics, the volume presents 2 chapters on NMR assessment of the gut microbiome (Cox et al., King's College, UK) and application of NMR methods to study lipid metabolism (Nieva-Echevarria, et al., University of the Basque Country, Spain). Continuing the same theme, an Italian team of researchers present their research on the use of NMR metabolomics profiling for diagnosing and treating chronic lung disease. This is followed by a collaborative review on metabolomics profiling for early cancer diagnosis (Talreja et al.). The volume also brings a review on NMR methods to study nucleic acid structure (Kaushik et al., University of Delhi, India).
Researchers who are interested in applied sciences involving NMR spectroscopic methods, particularly in the field of proteomics, metabolomics, medical diagnosis and nucleic acid biochemistry will find this volume interesting.
Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman
Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Cambridge University (1968), has over 1080 international publications in several fields of organic chemistry including 751 research publications, 37 international patents, 69 chapters in books and 222 books published largely by major U.S. and European presses. He is the Editor-in-Chief of eight European Chemistry journals. He is Editor of the world's leading encyclopedic series of volumes on natural products, Studies in Natural Product Chemistry, 54 volumes of which have been published under his Editorship by Elsevier during the last two decades.
M. Iqbal Choudhary
M. Iqbal Choudhary is a Ph. D. scientist in the field of organic chemistry from Pakistan working at the University of Karachi. He is known for his research in bioorganic chemistry and natural product chemistry. He has more than 900 research publications.
Keywords: Solid State NMR, Metabolomics, Proteomics, Medical Diagnostics, Nucleic Acid Chemistry. Biochemistry.
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Accueil Actualités Chief Superintendent Françoise Munya Rugero - Champion for the fight against sexual violence in DRC.
Chief Superintendent Françoise Munya Rugero - Champion for the fight against sexual violence in DRC.
Chief Superintendent Françoise is one of the pioneers in the fight against sexual violence in DRC; She got involved in the fight against sexual violence in 2000 following the armed conflict in the east of the country.
She took the initiative to put into place informal protection units for children and women, victims of sexual violence in the province of Nord Kivu. She organised the first coordination mechanisms to fight against sexual violence in the province of Nord Kivu in 2005 by putting in place a synergy for state services and national NGOs to work together at a joint response to sexual violence. This has been undertaken with the support of the GBV project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). As a police officer at the time, she put together a team of police officers capable of ensuring survivors were listened to and legal cases were compiled and brought against the perpetrators.
The relocation to Kinshasa in 2007 was an opportunity for Chief Superintendent Françoise to strengthen her plea for the fight against sexual violence within the National Congolese Police. In regards to this, it has also benefited from UNFPA capacity building support and actively participated in high level advocacy actions with senior officers from the National Congolese Police Force and the Armed Forces, resulting in the Forces’ commitment to fight sexual violence.
Based on this achievement, Chief Superintendent Françoise was appointed advisor and gender focal point for sexual violence to the Inspector General of the Congolese National Police; This function allows her to work with the technical and financial partners to develop an action plan for the police force for the fight against sexual violence, as well as training modules for police officers for the fight against GBV. She has contributed to the capacity development of members of the police and supported the establishment of six special units for the fight against sexual violence and the protection of children within the provincial police forces in areas of humanitarian crisis. These units mainly existed in the east of the country to provide a crisis response in an informal way/manner.
The recent change of the institutional framework governing the security sector, characterised by the reform of the police, was an opportunity for the Chief Superintendent Françoise to maintain the actions undertaken in emergency situations; As a result, she worked in close collaboration with the Police Reform Commission to integrate the children and women’s protection
Avec l’appui de UNFPA, la RD Congo en quête des solutions pour booster la lutte contre la mortalité maternelle
Commissaire Supérieur Principale Francoise MUNYA RUGERERO, Championne de la lutte contre les violences sexuelles en République Démocratique du Congo :
UNFPA, FAO, PAM, le Canada, la Suède, OXFAM et la MONUSCO, joignent leurs efforts alléger la souffrance des femmes du camp des déplacés de Katanika.
Bulletin mensuel SR & VBG en zones humanitaires Juin 2018
Evaluation de besoin en SONU en RD Congo.
Cette enquête a été menée dans trois provinces de la République Démocratique du Congo...
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The Memory Project
Upload Memory
In DREAMS of the DEAD, we are trying to capture some magic. The kind of magic that reveals the meaning hidden within the objects and places that surround us. Magic that makes us feel like every moment of our own histories is simultaneously present — that nothing that we love can ever really be lost.
– Marlene Rodgers and Franco Pante, Directors
This film began with a box of negatives that my co-director Franco and I found in 1986, when we moved into the house that my grandparents, Baka and Dido, had lived in since immigrating from Croatia. The negatives yielded hundreds of photos dating back as far as 1938 – most of which I had never seen before. They were taken on a Brownie camera, primarily by Baka, and they captured our family’s life on a two-acre farm in a Vancouver suburb. When I was a child, the farm had always seemed a magical place outside of time. Baka and Dido kept sheep; they had a wine press and a smoke shack. Laundry was done on a ringer washer. The attic was full of gowns and crinolines from the 1950s, and in the fields surrounding the house, I could travel to the moon, be a bank robber, or interact with fairies. Or just sit in the cherry tree and sing Partridge Family songs.
When I was in my early 20s, Baka died suddenly and traumatically. She fell down her stairs and fractured her skull in multiple places. Her death presaged another loss – the loss of the farm. Suburban development had been circling the property for years, but our family wasn’t ready to sell. Franco and I moved into the house, and my connection to the place continued. However, eventually the farm was sold and the house slated for demolition. The idea of losing the house and farm was daunting. The house was a repository for the memories of all who had grown up there – not just me, but my mom, my uncle, and my cousins. It was a portal to the past for all of us. Franco and I decided to film the demolition.
The 16mm demolition footage and the photographs found in the house have formed the basis for the short film that Franco and I have put together now, years after Baka’s death. The third element of the film is a series of vivid dreams about Baka I had after her death, which had a deep impact on my grief process. We’ve interwoven these elements to tell a story that explores the resonance of the places and objects left behind in the wake of death, and acknowledges how our deepest attachments must inevitably surrender to the transience of all things.
DREAMS OF THE DEAD has allowed us to think deeply about the experience of loss. We hope that audiences will enjoy being part of this very personal exploration.
– Marlene Rodgers
Marlene Rodgers
Producer, Director, Writer
Marlene works as a writer, story editor, and producer on feature film, documentary and factual television productions. She has worked as a development executive in feature film, and as an instructor of screenwriting at institutions across Canada including the NSI, the Canadian Film Centre and SFU’s School of the Contemporary Arts. Among her credits, she wrote and produced the award-winning dramatic short FOXY LADY, WILD CHERRY, which premiered at TIFF and sold in multiple territories. DREAMS of the DEAD is her first film as a director.
Franco Pante
Producer, Director, Editor
Franco Pante is an award-winning editor and filmmaker who has worked on features, dramatic series, documentaries and shorts, including the CTV television feature ELIJAH and the series ARCTIC AIR. He previously directed the documentary BLOOD MAKES THE GRASS GROW about conscientious objectors during the Gulf War, which was broadcast in Canada and the US, and widely distributed in the educational market.
Cinematographer Paul Guenette was there at the beginning. He spent five days at the farm, documenting the place – and then its demolition. Paul has spent many years in the camera department on countless productions.
Cinematographer Goran Basarić came aboard in the final phase of production, to help us create the surreal dream sequences and visuals throughout the film. Goran has worked extensively in film and television and also has an accomplished body of work as a still photographer. Like many of our collaborators, Goran is from the former Yugoslavia.
Cinematographer Chino Saavedra joined us to assist on dream shoots, and then took on the role of DP for the “Bakery Dream.” Chino, originally from Spain, is a filmmaker, editor and compositor.
Composer Daniel J.K. Ross created an ambitious and rich score for DREAMS OF THE DEAD that evokes the complex emotions explored in the story. Dan is a composer, musician and music producer with a long list of credits in feature film and television.
Animator Branko Teslić and artist Branka Bakarić live in Zageb and Toronto. They worked with Marlene and Franco, brainstorming and conceptualizing the visual approach to the dream sequences.
VFX Artist Janez Ferlan was instrumental in refining the animation throughout the film, including the magical dream sequences that are at the core of DREAMS OF THE DEAD. He is a partner in Iridium Film and Jatko.
© Copyright 2019 Nightvision Productions
Graphic Design by Sarah Cruise / Website Design by BloomingWorks
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* All submissions will be reviewed prior to appearing on the site
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2 October 2017 - 19:30
Iran world’s 3rd largest gas producer
The International Energy Agency (IEA) in its latest report on the status of the global energy market said that Iran was the world’s third largest producer of natural gas in 2016, ISNA reported.
The IEA in its report said Iran had produced 190 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas last year which it said was 5.3 percent of world’s total.
The agency in its report said the US and Russia were the leading gas producers over the same period adding that their outputs stood at 749 bcm (20.7 percent) and 644 bcm (17.7 percent), respectively.
The next top producers were Canada (174 bcm – 4.8 percent) and Qatar (165 bcm – 4.6 percent).
The IEA further in its report identified Iran as the world’s fifth producer of crude oil in 2016.Top on the list in the same category was Saudi Arabia followed by Russia, the US and Canada, Pakistan Observer reported.
On the same front, Iran’s total oil production in 2016 was 200 tonnes or 4.6 percent of a global total of 4,300 tonnes. Saudi Arabia was the leading producer with 583 tonnes (13.5 percent) followed by Russia (546 tonnes – 12.6 percent), the US (537 tonnes – 12.4 percent) and Canada (220 tonnes – 5.1 percent).
Elsewhere in its report, the IEA named the US, France, Russia and China as the world’s leading countries in terms of production of electricity from nuclear energy.
Iran is considered to have the world’s largest reserves of natural gas and its current production stands at around 660 million cubic meters per day. The country also has the world’s fourth largest oil reserves and its current output is believed to be above 3 million barrels per day.
Latest: International
City of White Nights
India's Jagran Film Festival to review Pouran Derakhshandeh's works
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Are the wars in Syria and Afghanistan about to be privatized?
Ştefan Oprea
Even if President Trump manifests his love for the private sector, sending a private army to fight on behalf of the United States in a foreign country is easier said than done.
Under the terms of the security agreement signed between Afghanistan and the United States in 2014, the Kabul Government could mess this plan before it begins.
In a previous article, I was saying that James Mattis’s resignation as secretary of defense will affect Trump’s presidency. Because his views were no longer in line with President Trump's, Mattis resorted to this gesture so that the president could find a leader for the Defense Department's leadership whose views would better align with president’s ones. One of the aspects of the resignation letter referred to the President's lack of support for the US alliances in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
An announcement of the withdrawal of US forces in Syria one day before resignation is succeeding on the day of the announcement of halving the number of militaries in Afghanistan.
Like the withdrawal from Syria, the rapid decrease of US forces in Afghanistan represents a steep change in previous policies. In addition, both Republicans and Democrats criticized this decision, saying the president ignored advice from military and intelligence leaders, and the decision would be a “costly mistake”. Both critics and supporters of this decision have one thing in common: I share the hypothesis that Washington will actually withdraw from Syria and Afghanistan.
In all this controversy, an outlook was increasingly discussed: the replacement of American troops with private military contractors.
Such a similar failed proposal about the privatization of the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan has been previously circulated in 2017 after presidential counselor, Steve Bannon, had asked the founder and former CEO of Blackwater, Erik Prince, for alternative proposals to decrease the troops in theaters of operations.
But why Prince, and what are his proposals arguments?
A short hindsight reveals his contacts with president Trump’s campaign team and his support for the electoral campaign.
Even if the proposal to use private military companies was refused by the White House and criticized by Mattis, who considered that it would mean the transfer of the national objectives regarding national security to contractors, the idea emerged again. As Mattis has resigned (a decision which astonished a main part of the Pentagon), such idea could be implemented, this being the perfect timing.
President Trump's decision to withdraw the US from Syria and reduce its forces in Afghanistan has proven to be a highly controversial move that surprised and shook its Middle East, NATO and many US allies.
But, when the American Blackwater mercenaries’ group, said, through its founder, “WE ARE COMING”, the idea of a privatized war became really clear.
How is it thought that behind this story would be the private military industry, Erik Prince, the founder of the private military company Blackwater Worldwide, and Stephen A. Feinberg, a billionaire holding the giant military contractor DynCorp International, the situation could become even more complicated. According to Prince’s plan, the private force group would be conducted by a person who would have authority over the entire operations theatre and will directly report to the president. Its mission: do everything possible to pacify Afghanistan. The American experience in Japan, but also the English one in colonies, are showing that such an approach will lead to abuse of power. Because the activity of the private security companies, in the conflict areas, are full of incidents with serious consequences, juridical unsolved until now, such a leadership would cause major concerns.
From a military perspective, there are a lot of concerns related to responsibility, morality culture, people’s reaction and so on.
Such an initiative is feasible for a small force, in certain conditions and with an adequate supervision, but it is completely different from what Erik Prince had in mind for the Afghan war. However, the privatization is in process in many areas, and denial is not a management and settlement strategy for this increasing problem.
As a business man, president Trump’s agreement on the effectiveness of governmental services privatization, from this point of view, reveals that these private contractors would represent a force economy and financial resources to assist the allies in the region in the post-conflict operations. Furthermore, this process would be a pilot-project to measure the effectiveness of privatization for such operation.
Who are the contractors and what do they do in theaters of operations?
The Pentagon defines a defense contractor as “any individual, firm, corporation, partnership, or other legal non-federal entity that enters into a contract directly with the DOD to furnish services, supplies, or construction.” Most civilian contractors work in all imaginable areas to fulfill these roles to help manage and improve conditions in conflict and post-conflict areas.
The numerical evolution of these service providers oscillated, depending on the size of the military troops' participation in the theater of operations, on achieving the strategic objectives or even changing the strategic interest for the theater of operations concerned.
The war and reconstruction of Iraq has generated another opportunity, the development of the private security industry, which has turned out to have transformed the battlefield. Immediately, private security firms (PSFs) also included the theater of operations in Afghanistan taking on increasingly important military functions not only for security services but also for strategic planning, combat training, translation service, interrogation, operational support, etc. These entities with legally controversial status and activities appear to be increasingly used precisely because of their main advantage: the cost.
Because the security contractors operate outside the military command chain, as well as most legal jurisdictions, they were characterized as mercenaries. Soldiers serve their country, while contractors serve their managers and shareholders. When soldiers violate the law, they can be sent to court. When contractors violate the law, they can be fired.
From this point of view, the use of PSFs as force multipliers helps to overcome the constraints imposed by legislation and Congress pressure and, because the contractors' losses are not officially counted, they also hide the human cost of the war. As a conclusion, the use of PSFs gives the Government the opportunity to solve certain problems without getting involved directly.
Returning to the situation in Afghanistan, significant progress has been made throughout this period, and the Afghan Public Protection Forces (APPF) led by govern are today performing most of the security tasks. Nevertheless, insecurity remains a major problem, and the continued presence of NATO troops in this country, as well as the security demand for foreign embassies, military bases, organizations and NGOs, diplomats or businessmen, impose an increased presence of forces capable of fulfilling these missions.
As a result of scandals against such a private security company, they were forbidden to activate, and in 2010, by presidential decree, the Afghan Public Protection Forces was created to replace their work.
However, the international community in Afghanistan has expressed concern about the capacity of the new government security plan. Under these circumstances, foreign diplomatic structures, international organizations with diplomatic status and military bases have managed to keep their own security firms. Companies have also been authorized to re-register as risk management companies. To conclude, these foreign security companies have manifested, with few syncope’s, and are still present in Afghanistan today, not only in the field of security but also in training and advising Afghan national security forces.
Moreover, the existence of parent companies, subcontractors and joint ventures as well as the difficulty, for security reasons, to access real data about the records and responsibilities of employees of these companies make it almost impossible to know the exact size and complexity of this “industries”. What is known, with sufficient accuracy, is that 16% of the personnel are used in security services.
Blackwater is coming back
Against the background of the announcement of the withdrawal of US forces in Syria and their decrease in Afghanistan, the Blackwater security contractors company, regardless of the current name, through its founder, announced its return.
All of this data, as well as the profound involvement of these contractors in security and country reconstruction issues, has justified Erik Prince to declare that entrepreneurs are the key to ending the long-standing war in Afghanistan.
Through strong media coverage, Prince has pledged to support the privatization of military action. His main argument is that the current logistical and financial tire has reached several trillion dollars, a burdensome effort for the American nation. Additionally, the new South Asian Strategy, outlined by President Trump, together with Mattis, has already reached a year without tangible results.
The founder of Blackwater introduces in this discussion the solution to the replacement of American troops in Syria. Moreover, it resumes the Afghanistan issue and offers a solution to replace NATO's existing military force in Afghanistan (about 16,000 soldiers), with a force of around 8,000 people at a cost of about $ 5 billion a year. From a financial point of view, the plan was not bad, since, since 2001, the sums spent have reached astronomical figures.
Prince motivates the viability of the solution by the fact that the necessary logistics to support the US effort in Afghanistan and Syria, now worth of billions of dollars, becoming too burdensome.
Also, the use of contractors would allow President Trump to keep his campaign promise to put an end to “wars forever”, leaving behind some protection.
Blackwater was founded in 1997, by Al Clark and Erik Prince, both Navy SEAL instructors, to offer assistance for the military organizations. In 2001, the company becomes Blackwater Security Company (BSC), and in 2007 Blackwater Worldwide. After only two years, in February 2009, Blackwater announced that it will change its name again, in “Xe Services LLC”, as part of a restructuration plan. At the same time, Erik Prince announced his resignation from the CEO position, remaining in the company only as the president of the administration council, but without actually being involved in the current operations. In 2010, the company sells a formation center to a group of investors which is creating a new company called “Academi”. From that moment on, no one talked about the old company anymore.
However, in the administration council of Academi enters the ex-general attorney, John Ashcroft, ex-White House counsellor, Jack Quinn, Bobby Ray Inman, a retired admiral with an important experience gained in DIA, NSA and CIA, as well as the business man McCombs. We must mention that John Ashcroft and Jack Quinn are directors without being affiliated to the company. In 2012, the retired brigade general Craig Nixon was assigned as Academi’s new CEO. The general came to Academi from the Mc Chrystal group, where he was the coordinator of leaders’ development program. The last position he had in the army was deputy director of the operations of US’s Central Command. Triple Canopy and Academi Training Center, along with other companies which were part of the Constellis Group package, are reunited and will go under Constellis Holdings Inc umbrella, a designation that still exists.
In the last period, Erik Prince has built a new mercenary empire in China, called Frontier Services Group (FSG), whose companies are tied with the Chinese authorities. It seems that success followed him this time also with security and logistic contracts in China and Africa.
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https://eventseeker.com/los-angeles/jun-15-2019/344324330-chicago-cubs-at-los-angeles-dodgers-tickets
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs
1000 Elysian Park Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/ballpark/index.jsp
{"https:\/\/9968c6ef49dc043599a5-e151928c3d69a5a4a2d07a8bf3efa90a.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com\/319167-12.jpg":"Sam Howzit^:^https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/aloha75\/7981314503^:^https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/"}
Photo:Sam Howzit
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team and a member of the National League West Division. The franchise was established in Brooklyn in 1883. The team had several names over the first 50 years until finally adopting the name "Dodgers" in 1932. The Dodgers made baseball history in 1947 when owner Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to a contract. Robinson became the first African-American baseball player in Major League Baseball. He won the Rookie of the Year award that same year. Before the 1958 season, the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. That same year, the Giants also moved from New York to California. Bitter rivals in New York, the two franchises remain, hated opponents, today. Some of the best players in Dodgers history include Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson, Don Drysdale and Duke Snider.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Miami Marlins
Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
Miami Marlins at Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Wednesday - 24 Jul 2019
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
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Vaalco Energy, Inc. Announces Changes in Company Leadership
GlobeNewswire• March 22, 2019
HOUSTON, March 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VAALCO Energy, Inc. (EGY) today announced that Phil Patman, VAALCO’s Chief Financial Officer, has elected to resign from the Company, effective March 31, 2019, to pursue other interests. Elizabeth Prochnow, the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer, has been appointed by the Board to the role of Chief Financial Officer effective April 1, 2019. Mr. Patman’s departure was not related to any issues regarding financial disclosures, accounting or legal matters.
Ms. Prochnow has served as VAALCO’s Chief Accounting Officer since joining the Company in March 2015. Ms. Prochnow has held a variety of senior finance leadership positions including Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Sterling Construction Company, Inc., and Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Bristow Group Inc. Ms. Prochnow began her career as a public accountant at Arthur Andersen LLP in 1981. Ms. Prochnow holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Accounting from Rice University and is a certified public accountant in the State of Texas.
VAALCO also announced that the Board has appointed Michael Silver as Vice President and General Counsel effective April 1, 2019. Mr. Silver has nearly 30 years of experience in the energy industry. Prior to joining VAALCO in November 2018 in a non-executive role, Mr. Silver served as Managing Counsel for the Petroleum Division of BHP Group plc, Senior Counsel at Constellation Energy Commodities Group, Inc. and spent 17 years at ExxonMobil Corporation in the law department with multiple roles of increasing responsibilities. Mr. Silver holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from Lafayette College, an M.B.A. from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business and a J.D. from the Duke University School of Law. Mr. Silver is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Cary Bounds, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We wish Phil well in his future endeavors and want to thank him for his contributions over the past two years. Liz has been an integral leader for VAALCO over these past four years and her knowledge of the Company, coupled with her comprehensive financial background and experience will allow for a smooth transition. We are pleased to promote Michael to an executive role and believe he will be a great addition to our leadership team. His extensive experience in the energy industry will benefit us as we look to deliver on our Company goals. We remain focused on the near-term and long-term opportunities at Etame and are poised financially and operationally to deliver profitable growth and value for our shareholders.”
About VAALCO
VAALCO Energy, Inc. is a Houston-based independent energy company principally engaged in the acquisition, development and production of crude oil. The Company's properties and acreage are located primarily in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in West Africa.
Al Petrie 713-543-3422
How Many Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ:ZNGA) Shares Do Institutions Own?
Should You Buy Uniti Group Inc. (NASDAQ:UNIT) For Its 2.3% Dividend?
A Closer Look At Abiomed, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:ABMD) Impressive ROE
Market Recap: Thursday, July 18
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One-repetition maximum
"1RM" redirects here. It is not to be confused with RM1.
One-repetition maximum (one rep maximum or 1RM) in weight training is the maximum amount of weight that a person can possibly lift for one repetition. It may also be considered as the maximum amount of force that can be generated in one maximal contraction.[1] One repetition maximum can be used for determining an individual's maximum strength and is the method for determining the winner in events such as powerlifting and weightlifting competitions. One repetition maximum can also be used as an upper limit, in order to determine the desired "load" for an exercise (as a percentage of the 1RM).
1 Calculating 1RM
1.1 Epley formula
1.2 Brzycki
1.3 McGlothin
1.4 Lombardi
1.5 Mayhew et al.
1.6 O'Conner et al.
1.7 Wathan
1.8 Wendler
Calculating 1RM[edit]
1RM can either be calculated directly using maximal testing or indirectly using submaximal estimation. The submaximal estimation method is preferred as it is safer, quicker, and less unnerving for inexperienced exercisers;[2] however, it may underestimate the actual 1RM.[3] One rep maximum calculators are used to predict a one rep maximum lift. The degree of accuracy can vary largely depending on the weight training experience and muscular composition of the athlete. Also, most one rep maximum calculators are designed for seasoned strength trainers, and those with little experience may find their actual one rep maximum is much lower because their nervous system cannot handle the stress of a high weight. This test should be performed with a spotter for reasons of safety.
Weight training protocols often use 1RM when programming to ensure the exerciser reaches resistance overload, especially when the exercise objective is muscular strength, endurance or hypertrophy. By understanding the maximal potential of the muscle, it is possible to reach resistance overload by increasing the number of repetitions for an exercise.
Determining the 1 rep max can be done directly through trial and error and simply requires the exerciser to complete one full repetition with the maximum weight. There are several common formulas used to estimate 1RM using the submaximal method, the Epley and the Brzycki being the most common.[4] In the formulas below, r {\displaystyle r} is the number of repetitions performed and w {\displaystyle w} is the amount of weight used (note that w {\displaystyle w} is a factor of each formula, so the unit of measurement doesn't matter).
Epley formula[edit]
1 RM = w ( 1 + r 30 ) , {\displaystyle 1{\text{ RM}}=w\left(1+{\frac {r}{30}}\right),} assuming r > 1. {\displaystyle r>1.}
Epley, B. Poundage chart. In: Boyd Epley Workout. Lincoln, NE: Body Enterprises, 2985. p. 86.
Brzycki[edit]
This version of the one rep maximum calculation is often referred to as the Brzycki Formula after its creator, Matt Brzycki,[5] and can be written either in terms of integers or as a decimal approximation:
1 RM = w ⋅ 36 37 − r = w 37 36 − 1 36 r ≈ w 1.0278 − 0.0278 r {\displaystyle 1{\text{ RM}}=w\cdot {\frac {36}{37-r}}={\frac {w}{{\frac {37}{36}}-{\frac {1}{36}}r}}\approx {\frac {w}{1.0278-0.0278r}}}
Formula 1 (Epley) and formula 2 (Brzycki) return identical results for 10 repetitions. However, for fewer than 10 reps, formula 1 returns a slightly higher estimated maximum. For example, if a person can lift 100 pounds on a given exercise for 10 reps, the estimated one rep max would be 133 pounds for both formulae. However, if the person were to complete only 6 reps, then formula 1 would estimate a one rep maximum of approximately 120 pounds, while formula 2 would return an estimate of approximately 116 pounds.
These types of calculations may not always produce accurate results, but can be used as starting points. The weight can then be changed as needed to perform the number of reps called for by the training protocol.
Several more complex formulae have been proposed which use different coefficients for different rep numbers and sometimes even for different exercises.[6] Using the same notation as above,
McGlothin[edit]
1 RM = 100 w 101.3 − 2.67123 r {\displaystyle 1{\text{ RM}}={\frac {100w}{101.3-2.67123r}}}
Lombardi[edit]
1 RM = w r 0.10 {\displaystyle 1{\text{ RM}}=wr^{0.10}}
Mayhew et al.[edit]
1 RM = 100 w 52.2 + 41.9 e − 0.055 r {\displaystyle 1{\text{ RM}}={\frac {100w}{52.2+41.9e^{-0.055r}}}}
O'Conner et al.[edit]
1 RM = w ( 1 + r 40 ) {\displaystyle 1{\text{ RM}}=w\left(1+{\frac {r}{40}}\right)}
Wathan[edit]
Wendler[edit]
1 RM = w ∗ r ∗ 0.0333 + w {\displaystyle 1{\text{ RM}}=w*r*0.0333+w} [7]
Which is basically the Epley formula stated differently
w ∗ r ∗ 0.0333 + w = w ( r ∗ 0.0333 + 1 ) ≈ w ( r ∗ 1 30 + 1 ) = w ( 1 + r 30 ) {\displaystyle w*r*0.0333+w=w(r*0.0333+1)\approx w(r*{\frac {1}{30}}+1)=w(1+{\frac {r}{30}})}
^ Marchese, Rosemary; Hill, Andrew (2011). The essential guide to fitness: for the fitness instructor. Sydney, NSW: Pearson Australia. p. 135. ISBN 9781442510203.
^ Marchese, Rosemary; Hill, Andrew (2011). The essential guide to fitness: for the fitness instructor. Sydney, NSW: Pearson Australia. pp. 158–159. ISBN 9781442510203.
^ Knutzen, Kathleen; Brilla, Lorraine; Caine, Dennis (August 1999). "Validity of 1RM Prediction Equations for Older Adults". The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. p. Vol 13, Issue 3, Page 242–246. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
^ Calculate your One Rep Max (1RM).
^ Brzycki, Matt (1998). A Practical Approach To Strength Training. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-1-57028-018-4.
^ LeSuer, Dale A.; McCormick, James H.; Mayhew, Jerry L.; Wasserstein, Ronald L.; Arnold, Michael D. (November 1997). "The Accuracy of Prediction Equations for Estimating 1-RM Performance in the Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift". Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 11 (4): 211–213. doi:10.1519/00124278-199711000-00001.
^ Wendler, Jim (2011). 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System to Increase Raw Strength 2nd Edition. Jim Wendler LLC. pp. 21, 32. ISBN 9780578097381.
Lesuer, DA, Mccormick, JH, Mayhew, JL; et al. (1997). "The accuracy of prediction equations for estimating 1-RM performance in the bench press, squat, and deadlift". J Strength Cond Res. 11: 211–213. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
Campanholi Neto, José; Cedin, Luísa; Dato, Carla Cristina; Rodrigues Bertucci, Danilo; de Andrade Perez, Sérgio Eduardo; Baldissera, Vilmar (Jun 2015). "A Single Session of Testing for One Repetition Maximum (1RM) with Eight Exercises is Trustworthy" (PDF). Journal of Exercise Physiology – JEPonline. ISSN 1097-9751.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=One-repetition_maximum&oldid=890048369"
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American television drama series
Not to be confused with When the Heart Calls.
by Janette Oke
Erin Krakow
Daniel Lissing
Pascale Hutton
Kavan Smith
No. of seasons
60 (list of episodes)
Jimmy Townsend
Roman Viaris
Brian Bird
Brad Krevoy
Alfonso H. Moreno
Vicki Sotheran
Greg Malcolm
Production location(s)
Production company(s)
Believe Pictures
Brad Krevoy Television
Jordan Films
Hallmark Channel (U.S.)
Super Channel (Canada)
480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
January 11, 2014 (2014-01-11) –
present (present)
When Hope Calls
When Calls the Heart is a Canadian-American television drama series, inspired by Janette Oke's book of the same name from her Canadian West series, and developed by Michael Landon Jr. The series began airing on the Hallmark Channel in the United States on January 11, 2014,[1] and on April 16, 2014 on Super Channel in Canada.[2]
The series originally debuted as a two-hour television movie pilot in October 2013, starring Maggie Grace as young teacher Elizabeth Thatcher and Stephen Amell as North West Mounted Police officer Wynn Delaney.[3] In the television series Erin Krakow is cast as her niece, whose name is also Elizabeth Thatcher (played by Poppy Drayton in the movie[4]), and Daniel Lissing plays a Mountie named Jack Thornton, with Lori Loughlin reprising her role as coal mine widow Abigail Stanton.[1][5]
On March 21, 2018, Hallmark renewed the series for a sixth season. The season premiered with a two-hour Christmas special that was broadcast as part of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas event, and was to continue for a 10-episode run starting in February 2019.[6] However, due to the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal involving Loughlin and her subsequent removal from all Hallmark properties, the season was put on a "retooling" hiatus and resumed in May to conclude in June, with Loughlin's scenes edited out.[7][8]
On April 13, 2019, the series was renewed for a seventh season to air in 2020.[9]
A spin-off of the show, When Hope Calls, was announced at Hallmark's Television Critics Association summer press tour on July 26, 2018. This series is expected to debut in August 2019 on the Hallmark Movies Now streaming service.[10][11]
3.1 Main
3.2 Recurring
6 Broadcast
Plot[edit]
When Calls the Heart tells the story of Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow), a young teacher accustomed to her high-society life. She receives her first classroom assignment in Coal Valley, a small coal-mining town in Western Canada which is located just south of Robb, Alberta. There, life is simple, but often fraught with challenges. Elizabeth charms most everyone in Coal Valley, except Royal North West Mounted Police Constable Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing). He believes Thatcher's wealthy father has doomed the lawman's career by insisting he be assigned in town to protect the shipping magnate's daughter. Wishing to thrive in this 1910 coal town, Elizabeth must learn the ways of the Canadian frontier.
Abigail Stanton's (Lori Loughlin) husband, the foreman of the mine, and her only son—along with 45 other miners, were killed in an explosion, due to the mining-company site manager's irresponsible management and lack of due care in his management of the mine. The newly widowed women find their faith tested when they must go to work in the mine to keep a roof over their heads, food on the table, and help pay the wage for the town's teacher.[12] The town of Coal Valley was renamed Hope Valley in Episode 1, Season 2 after the coal mine was closed.
Episodes[edit]
Main article: List of When Calls the Heart episodes
Originally aired
First aired
12 January 11, 2014 (2014-01-11) March 29, 2014 (2014-03-29)
7 April 25, 2015 (2015-04-25) June 13, 2015 (2015-06-13)
New Year's Wish
December 26, 2015 (2015-12-26)
8 February 21, 2016 (2016-02-21) April 10, 2016 (2016-04-10)
10 February 19, 2017 (2017-02-19) April 23, 2017 (2017-04-23)
The Christmas Wishing Tree
The Greatest Christmas Blessing
9 February 24, 2019 (2019-02-24) June 2, 2019 (2019-06-02)
Main[edit]
Erin Krakow as Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton
Daniel Lissing as Jack Thornton (seasons 1–5)
Lori Loughlin as Abigail Stanton (seasons 1–6)[13]
Jack Wagner as Bill Avery
Martin Cummins as Henry Gowen
Pascale Hutton as Rosemary LeVeaux Coulter
Kavan Smith as Leland Coulter
Paul Greene as Carson Shepherd
Andrea Brooks as Faith Carter
Recurring[edit]
Clayton Chitty as Kevin Townsend
Erica Carroll as Dottie Ramsey
Mark Humphrey as Frank Hogan
Chelah Horsdal as Cat Montgomery (season 1)
Charlotte Hegele as Julie Thatcher
Max Lloyd-Jones as Tom Thornton
Brooke Shields as Charlotte Thornton
Garwin Sanford as William Thatcher
Lynda Boyd as Grace Thatcher
Marcus Rosner as Charles Kensington
Josie Bissett as AJ Foster
Steve Bacic as Charles Spurlock (season 1)
Kristina Wagner as Nora Avery
Laura Bertram as Mary Dunbar
Niall Matter as Shane Cantrell (season 4)
Spencer Drever as Cyrus Rivera (season 4)
Jeremy Guilbaut as Ray Wyatt (season 4)
Characters[edit]
This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia's inclusion policy. (October 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton is an independent, strong-minded, passionate and dedicated young teacher from the city. The middle daughter of William and Grace Thatcher, Elizabeth has two sisters, older sister Viola and younger sister Julie. Elizabeth was in her mid-20's when she found herself in Coal Valley, a small community on the Canadian frontier in need of a teacher, and quickly discovers it is not an easy place to live, lacking the creature comforts and luxuries of her privileged life with her family. She soon meets the newly appointed and charismatic Mountie Jack Thornton and develops an immediate dislike for him. However, over time they become good friends, and develop an obvious attraction to one another. In the season 1 finale, "Prelude to a Kiss" (also titled as "Final Adieu"), after overcoming many obstacles throughout the season, Jack tells Elizabeth "You're the one, you're the only one" and they share a kiss. Throughout season 2, Elizabeth's feelings for Jack are high at times as well as low. Finally, in the season 2 finale, she admits that his job as a Mountie scares her. After being comforted both admitting that they love each other, Jack and Elizabeth kiss. Season 3 continues the love story of Jack and Elizabeth, all leading up to Jack's marriage proposal in season 4 "My Heart Will Go On." The two wed in season 5's "My Heart Is Yours." Just days into their marriage, Jack is given a new assignment and leaves. He is killed (offscreen) in season 5's "In My Dreams." In the season 5 finale, "Close to My Heart," Elizabeth finds out she is pregnant with Jack's baby.
Jack Thornton is a laid back country boy. Jack is the son of Mountie Thomas Thornton and his wife Charlotte Thornton. Jack has a younger brother, Tom (named after his father). As a Mountie and a man of stout character and integrity, he often finds himself protecting and saving people. In season 1's "A Telling Silence," Jack finds a basset hound whom he names Rip (after Rip Van Winkle) and takes home with him. A source of comfort and companion in the small town, Jack often goes to Rip when times in his life are difficult. In season 2's "With All My Heart," Rip, who's afraid of thunder, hides in the mine shafts during a storm. Jack and Elizabeth search for him; in their search, their relationship grows stronger. Upon his first meeting of Elizabeth, Jack developed an instant dislike and it appeared she irritated him. However, he grew to like and then fall madly and completely in love with her over time. In "Rules of Engagement" (S.1), it is revealed that Jack was briefly engaged to Rosemary LeVeaux when she comes looking for him. However, they have both changed and realize that they cannot have a relationship as they once did ever again. In "Prelude to a Kiss" (S.1), Jack found out that Elizabeth may be leaving Coal Valley. Taking her on a walk and giving her a framed picture of them that he had sketched, he asks her not to leave Coal Valley and tells her, "You're the one, you're the only one." She replied that she was "not going anywhere", Coal Valley was where she belonged before they share a kiss. In season 2, Elizabeth and Jack share a hot-and-cold relationship until the finale, "With All My Heart." They both admit that they love each other and share another kiss. Jack's brother, Tom, is introduced season 2's "Trials of the Heart," and their rocky relationship continues until "Coming Together, Coming Apart." Jack gently reminds his younger brother how their father was so proud of him, but he wouldn't be proud of the way he was currently living. Both in tears, Jack tells his younger brother that he believes in him and that he can turn his life around. More recently, Jack has become good friends with the sawmill operator, Lee Coulter. In season 3, Jack begins the new year knowing that Elizabeth only has eyes for him and that her relationship with Charles is over for good. In "Hearts In Question," Jack's mother Charlotte shows up unexpectedly. She meets Elizabeth and is suspicious of her, but through staying her sees Elizabeth for who she really is: a trustworthy, dedicated teacher. In the season finale, "Prayers From The Heart," Jack is injured in a flood. But he miraculously recovers in time to serve as Lee's best man at his wedding. Jack proposes to Elizabeth in season 4's "My Heart Will Go On," the night before he leaves for a new Mountie assignment. In season 5's "My Heart Is Yours," Jack and Elizabeth finally wed. Days into their new marriage, Jack receives a new assignment and leaves. He is killed (offscreen) in season 5's "In My Dreams," but his legacy will live on in his wife and their unborn child.
Abigail Stanton is a Coal Valley woman whose husband and son died in the mining accident. Abigail is a very kind woman, and she stands strongly for the things she believes in. She is one of the first women to welcome Elizabeth and the two women quickly become friends. When Elizabeth accidentally burns down the little teacherage, Abigail gladly welcomes her into her home to live. After being complimented on her cooking, Abigail decides to open a cafe in Coal Valley. Together, Abigail and Elizabeth move into the rooms above the cafe. At the end of season 1, Abigail enjoys the company of Bill Avery, a Mountie, serving as a Forensic Investigator and friend of Jack Thornton's. In season 2, Abigail takes in her daughter-in-law, Clara, the wife of her late son Peter whom Abigail sees as the daughter she never had. With Bill's past being revealed, Abigail ends their friendship and spends more time with the new pastor, Frank Hogan. Also, she is a strong independent woman that is set on doing the things that are right and tries to help Elizabeth. In season 3, Abigail takes in two orphans, Becky Hastings, and her younger brother Cody. In season 4's "Heart of A Fighter," Abigail legally adopts Becky and Cody. Abigail serves as one of Elizabeth's matrons of honor in season 5's "My Heart Is Yours."
Bill Avery is a mysterious, quiet man. He first appears in season 1's "Rules of Engagement," in order to help Jack expose Mr. Gowen's wrongdoings. Bill is immediately attracted to widow Abigail Stanton. Things are going well until Abigail discovers a picture of Bill's family and his wedding ring. He later tells her that his son died, as well as his wife. However, his wife, Nora, comes to confront him in season 2's "Heart's Desire."
Henry Gowen is a cold, cynical man who formerly managed the coal mine. After the mine was shut down, Henry became the mayor of Hope Valley and still creates a cold, cynical presence whenever people are around him. Henry is highly disliked and feared in the town. He frequently uses bribery to get what he wants, which is never for the good of the town. In season 5, however, Henry seems to be turning into a new man, coming to the aid of the town often and actually helping Bill catch a criminal red-handed in season 5's "In My Dreams."
Rosemary "Rosie" LeVeaux Coulter is a flamboyant, enthusiastic actress from New York. She was briefly engaged to Jack Thornton, but they both realized that it wouldn't work out. Rosie immediately disliked Elizabeth and viewed her as "the competition," but eventually came to really care about Elizabeth, even if she has a hard time showing it. At the beginning of season 2, Rosemary began working at the cafe with Abigail and the two quickly became friends. Spending time with Abigail helped tone down some of Rosemary's enthusiasm and made her a more likable person. She can also often be found somewhere writing her weekly advice column for Hope Valley's newspaper. Rosemary also shares a mutual attraction with Lee. Throughout season 3, their relationship becomes more romantic. In "Heart Of A Hero," seeing that Lee needs to spend more time at the sawmill to help the new settlers find jobs, Rosemary tells Lee that the theater doesn't have to be built. He insists, but she says how important his job is. He smiles and tells her he will one day build her theatre, telling her that she is "the best part of his life." The couple shares in their first kiss. In "A Gentle Heart," Lee is injured. Thinking he is asleep, Rosemary pours out her heart to him, telling how much she loves him. In "Heartbreak," Rosemary is offered a job in Hollywood filming. This has always been her dream, to be an actress. Lee unselfishly tells her to do whatever she feels best, but the thought of her leaving Hope Valley hurts him. She considers her options and realizes that her place is in Hope Valley, with him. He then tells her that he has another "role" that he thinks would be perfect for her and proposes marriage; she happily accepts. In "Hearts In Question," she enthusiastically plans for their wedding. The couple weds in the season 3 finale "Prayers From The Heart," with Elizabeth and Abigail as her maids of honor. Rosemary is one of Elizabeth's matrons of honor in season 5's "My Heart Is Yours."
Lee Coulter is a kind, laid-back, patient man who opens a sawmill in Hope Valley. When timber becomes Coal Valley's major source of natural resources, the town is renamed Hope Valley. He shares a mutual attraction to Rosemary and proves to be one of the few people who can outwit her. When she declines his romantic intentions, Lee recruits his friend, Molly Sullivan, to make Rosemary jealous; the ploy succeeds and Rosemary accepts his suit, appreciating Lee's good qualities. Despite her dramatic and occasionally prickly personality, Lee's compassion and patience never fails with her. With Rosemary's help, Lee beat Mr. Gowen at his own game in "Heart and Home." When not at work, Lee enjoys being with friends, including Jack Thornton, who shares Lee's simple and laid back outlook, allowing the men to discuss their lives and exchange romantic advice. In season 3, Lee's mill is sabotaged by a man inside. Through Bill and Jack's investigation, they find the culprit. In season 3's "Heart Of A Hero," Rosemary unselfishly gives up the theater that Lee promised to build her. Lee promises that one day, he will build her the theater at a time when he isn't so involved with the sawmill and finding people jobs. In "A Gentle Heart," Lee is injured. Thinking Lee is asleep, Rosemary pours out her heart to him, telling him how afraid she was when she heard he had been injured. He however hears every word. She tells him how much she loves him and to never leave her. In the episode "Heartbreak," Lee thinks Rosemary may leave Hope Valley when she is offered a movie role in Hollywood. When she gives up the movie, seeing her future in Hope Valley with him, he asks her to marry him. The couple weds in the season 3 finale, "Prayers From The Heart." Jack serves the role of Lee's best man. Lee returns the honor for Jack in season 5's "My Heart Is Yours." In season 4's "Heart of A Fighter," we learn that Lee lost his brother Patrick at a young age.
Julie Thatcher is Elizabeth's hopeless romantic younger sister. She often gets herself into sticky situations by falling head over heels for men who aren't quite what they seem. In season 2 she gets involved with Jack's brother Tom, which causes trouble with her family and for Jack and Elizabeth's relationship.
Cat Montgomery is a kind, encouraging woman in Coal Valley. She is a widow and mother of three: Gabe, Miles, and Emily. Cat was one of the first mothers to show kindness to Elizabeth when she first came. She desperately wants her children to remember the good memories of their father as seen by her self-sacrificing acts in "Secrets and Lies." Possessing a great sense of teamwork and encouragement, Cat supports the women of Coal Valley while working in the mines in "Cease and Desist." She is good friends with Elizabeth and Abigail. In "These Games," she also helps Jack catch a thief.
Florence Blakeley is a feisty gossip in Hope Valley. She often has a pessimistic perspective and always seems to find the negative, even in a very positive situation. In "Heart and Home," Abigail told Florence what she really thought about her, which causes Florence to rein in her negativity somewhat, though she remains fairly outspoken. While not always likable, Florence adds spice to life in Hope Valley.
Molly Sullivan is a friend of Lee Coulter and Elizabeth Thatcher. Molly's husband was killed in the mine disaster. She has a daughter Rosaleen. In season 1's "A Telling Silence," Rosaleen has trouble in school because she misses her father so much. When she runs away, Elizabeth finds her in the mine, feeling guilty that she didn't bring her father his lunch the day of the disaster because she wanted to play with a friend instead. She fears her mother will blame her, but Elizabeth convinces her that Molly will "say that she loves her more than life itself." Molly is reunited with her daughter, to the joy of the town's people. In season 2's "With All My Heart," Lee feels it's time to "play hard to get" with Rosemary, so he enlists help from Molly. She pretends to be interested in him romantically. This ploy works and Rosemary admits that she does in fact like him. Molly is a kind woman and was among the first to welcome Elizabeth to town.
Clara Stanton is the wife of Abigail's late son Peter, and is a sweet, quiet, and sensitive young woman. Abigail never knew she had a daughter-in-law until season 2's "Trials of the Heart;" with Peter having married Clara only three days before he was killed. In "Heart's Desire," Abigail invites Clara to come live with her in Hope Valley, an offer that Clara accepts.
Charles Kensington III is an old friend of Elizabeth with whom she reconnects while in Hamilton. He is interested in her, though her feelings for Jack get in the way of their relationship.
The series, originally planned to be filmed in Colorado, is filmed south of Vancouver, British Columbia, on a farm surrounded by vineyards. The fictional frontier town of Coal Valley (later, Hope Valley) was erected in late 2013. Some of the set trimmings and a stage coach came from the Hell on Wheels set.[14] The Thatcher home is the University Women's Club of Vancouver.[15]
The series was renewed for a second season,[16] which aired from April 25 to June 13, 2015. Hallmark Channel announced in July 2015 that the series had been renewed for a third season, which aired from February 21 to April 10, 2016,[17] with a sneak peek airing during the 2015 Christmas season.[18]
In mid-2016, it was announced that Season 4 would premiere on the Hallmark Channel Christmas Day with a two-hour special. On April 11, 2016, Lissing and Krakow announced via the series' Facebook page that Hallmark Channel had renewed the series for a fourth season, which aired from February 19 to April 23, 2017.[19][20]
On April 24, 2017, series star Erin Krakow announced via the Hallmark Channel website that the show would return for a fifth season,[21] which premiered in February 2018 and ended in April.[22] Filming for season five began in Vancouver on August 22, 2017, and ended on December 21, 2017.[23][24]
On March 14. 2019, Hallmark announced it had dropped Loughlin from future company projects due to her role in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal.[25] On April 10, 2019, it was announced that season six will resume on May 5, 2019, with Loughlin's scenes edited out.[8]
On April 13, 2019, the series was renewed for a seventh season.[9]
Broadcast[edit]
The first season of the series was subsequently picked up by CBC Television for rebroadcast as a summer series in 2015.[26] The network has since aired all five seasons.[27][28] The series became available internationally on Netflix in August 2017.
^ a b Reiher, Andrea (January 11, 2014). "'When Calls the Heart' premiere: Will you return to the frontier?". Zap2It. From Inside the Box (blog). Retrieved January 13, 2014.
^ "'When Calls the Heart' features Aussie Mountie". Canadian Press, April 10, 2014.
^ "Hallmark Channel - The Movie Cast". Hallmarkchannel.com. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
^ ""When Calls the Heart," Hallmark Channel's Newest Original Primetime Series Kicks Off with a 2-Hour Special Extended Pilot on October 5" (Press release). Hallmark Channel. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-01-11 – via The Futon Critic.
^ The Deadline Team (June 12, 2013). "Hallmark Channel's 'When Calls The Heart' Adds Cast; 'Cedar Cove' July Premiere Set". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
^ Petski, Denise (March 21, 2018). "Hallmark Channel Upfront Presentation Canceled Due To Storm, Net Makes Announcements, Including 'When Calls the Heart' Renewal, At Central Park Event". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
^ DeSantis, Rachel (March 17, 2018). "When Calls the Heart Is 'Retooling' Without Lori Loughlin After Hallmark Cuts Ties with Actress". people.com. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
^ a b "When Calls the Heart Return Date Set, Lori Loughlin Edited Out of Episodes". TVLine. April 10, 2019.
^ a b "When Calls the Heart Renewed for Season 7, Following Lori Loughlin Firing". TVLine. April 13, 2019.
^ "Hallmark Movies Now's First Original Series, "When Hope Calls," Premieres August 2019" (Press release). Pasadena, California: Crown Media Holdings. The Futon Critic. February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 26, 2018). "Good Witch Renewed for Season 5, When Calls the Heart Gets Spinoff". TVLine. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
^ "Hallmark Channel - About the Series". Hallmarkchannel.com. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
^ Swift, Andy (March 14, 2019). "Lori Loughlin Fired From All Hallmark Projects Over College Scandal — Report". TVLine.
^ Brioux, Bill (December 6, 2013). "'When Calls The Heart' TV Series Set In Fictional Town Built In B.C." The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
^ Owen, Rob (May 1, 2015). "TV Q&A: 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Younger,' 'Bones' and a former Pittsburgh news anchor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
^ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 5, 2014). "When Calls the Heart' Renewed for Second Season by Hallmark Channel". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
^ Petski, Denise (July 28, 2015). "'When Calls The Heart' Renewed For Season 3 On Hallmark Channel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
^ "When Calls the Heart videos". Hallmark Channel.
^ McLennan, Cindy (April 11, 2016). "When Calls the Heart: Season Four Renewal for Hallmark Channel Series". TV Series Finale. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
^ Petski, Denise (April 15, 2016). "'When Calls The Heart' Renewed For Season 4 By Hallmark Channel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
^ "Special Announcement - When Calls the Heart". April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
^ Petski, Denise (July 31, 2017). "'When Calls The Heart' Gets Season 5 Premiere Date On Hallmark Channel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
^ Takeuchi, Craig (August 21, 2017). "Filming in Vancouver: Johnny Depp, When Calls the Heart, and Eggplant Emoji". Inside Vancouver. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
^ Krakow, Erin [@erinkrakow] (December 21, 2017). "That's a Season 5 WRAP for Elizabeth! It flew! Missing my Hope Valley friends already!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 25, 2017 – via Twitter.
^ "Lori Loughlin Dropped by Hallmark Channel in Wake of College Bribery Scandal". March 14, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
^ "CBC-TV stacks fall and winter lineups with British, Aussie fare". 680 News, May 28, 2015.
^ "CBC Television reveals its 2016 summer schedule with five new primetime series, returning hits and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games". CBC Television. May 18, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
^ "CBC Announces 2017-18 Programming Slate". CBC Television. May 24, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
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On the March, From the UN
UN moves LGBT+ refugees to safe houses after Kenya camp attacks
NAIROBI, Dec 13 (Openly) - LGBT+ refugees in Kenya's remote Kakuma camp are being moved to safe houses in Nairobi after they were attacked when protesting for greater protection, the United Nations said on Thursday.
The refugees said they were assaulted by locals and fellow refugees outside the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) office while protesting about rising homophobic attacks in recent months where LGBT+ members were beaten and their shelters set alight.
There are more than 750 LGBT+ refugees registered in Kenya with the UNHCR, mostly from Uganda, but also from Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Burundi, South Sudan and Somalia.
The latest attack happened on Tuesday in sprawling Kakuma camp in Kenya's northwestern Turkana county, home to at least 180,000 refugees from more than 10 countries.
Sexual minorities face widespread discrimination in Kenya and many other parts of Africa, where about 33 nations out of 54 criminalise same-sex relations, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).
"While UNHCR has undertaken great effort, together with the Kenyan government and partners, the Kakuma context does not provide a safe environment for LGBTI refugees and asylum-seekers," said a UNHCR spokeswoman.
"UNHCR believes that the LGBTI refugees who were involved in this incident would be better protected outside Kakuma. The necessary measures have been taken to facilitate their removal."
Read more via Thomson Reuters Foundation
Tagged: Kenya, Uganda, refugees, violence, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR
Newer PostMexico: The Alternative 2020 AIDS Conference Is Definitely Happening in Mexico City
Older PostChurch of England Guidance for gender transition services published
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02/05/2014 Steve Norman 2 Comments
By Steve Norman
American Samoa are an unlikely team to be etched in football folklore. The small Pacific island nation are in the record books with the heaviest defeat in international football, a 31-0 defeat to Australia in a qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup back in 2001.
The result had a number of effects on football. It led to preliminary rounds in Oceanic World Cup qualifying to reduce the chance of other embarrassing and crushing results and it kick started Australia’s campaign to move into the Asian Football Confederation as they looked to become more competitive. It also turned the American Samoan team into the butt of many joke and the answer to many a football quiz question.
Next Goal Wins, directed by Steve Jamison and Mike Brett, starts just prior to qualification for this summer’s 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Most telling about the quality and standard of a team who were, at the time, ranked bottom of FIFA’s world rankings, were heavy defeats, to fellow minnows such as Vanuatu and Fiji.
The players try hard, and the coaches are certainly encouraging, but there is a lack of professionalism and nous among the camp which limits this team. The American Samoan FA use their connections with the United States to bring in a professional football coach for the opening round of qualifiers where the team will face Tonga, the Cook Islands and Samoa.
That man was Thomas Rongen, a graduate of the Ajax academy, one of the most renowned in football, and a veteran of American soccer, having played with the likes of George Best and Johann Cruyff as well as coaching DC United and the US under 20 national team.
His impact on the team was massive. After struggling initially with a negative mentality he had to change the way the team thought as well as improve them physically and tactically. Rongen, whose wife accompanied him in this new venture, threw himself in, took on the challenge head on and endeared himself to the team.
He is just one of many characters in this documentary that make it so entertaining, funny and heart-warming. Another is goalkeeper Nicky Salapu. He was the ‘keeper in the 31-0 defeat to Australia and for many defeats after. He seems a glutton for punishment and keeps coming back for more. The heavy defeat seems to have affected him deeply and really left its mark.
Perhaps the most important person in Next Goal Wins, especially from a football perspective, is Jaiyah. She is the first transgender player to play in a FIFA sanctioned match. In American Samoa transgendered people are accepted, certainly more than they are in other parts of the world, and there is even a name in American Samoa for this ‘third gender’ – ‘Fa’afafine’.
Jaiyah is accepted as one of the team and is perhaps one of the most important in the team. She is constantly positive and Thomas recognises her importance to the mentality of the squad, however on the pitch she really shines as well.
It is refreshing to see how she is accepted by a team full of men, especially when you consider the problems surrounding gay footballers, or the lack of those who are out, in football at the highest professional level.
Homosexuality and transgenderism are of course two completely different things but the inclusion of somebody ‘different’ is great to see when the likes of Tomas Hitzlesperger feel they have to wait until they retire before they can come out. Saying much more would ruin the film for people, although you could search online and find out the team’s results under Rongen and in the time since he left.
Next Goal Wins transcends football and is a story about togetherness, ambition, and triumph over the odds and against adversity. While Next Goal Wins will find fans among the football community it has something for everyone and will serve a broader audience than just football supporters. And with a World Cup fast approaching that will feature the world’s best, and best paid players, this fantastic documentary shows what football is, or at least should, really be about.
NEXT GOAL WINS is out on 7 May (nationwide previews) and 9 May (select cinemas)
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About Fallbrook Skate Park Inc.
The nonprofit organization, Fallbrook Skatepark Inc (FSI), was founded in 2003. In July 2010 the board of Project Skate Safe, President Roger Harrell, Vice President Sean O’Callaghan and Secretary/Treasurer Michelle Albanna was voted in by the previous FSI board to take over the non-profit. At that time, the organization was in a non-active status according to the State of California. By October 31, 2010, the new board was able to revive the entity to an active status once again
In an attempt to provide a safe place for kids to skate, FSI, as an active nonprofit, ran a pay-for-play, members only skate spot in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of North County in their basketball court from November 1, 2010, to October 31, 2011. Skate elements were built, insurance was paid, a monitor hired but it was not what the skate community desired:
Those over 18 years of age could not skate so parents could not skate with their children.
The park was open to members only through payment.
It was only open the hours of the Boys & Girls Club.
Our current FSI board has devoted their time to obtain an open, free skate park for the community:
President: Sean O’Callaghan
Vice President: Chuck McLaughlin
CFO/Secretary: Michelle Albanna
Members at Large: Todd Winegar and Kevin Spencer
Our achievements include:
A skatepark added to the 5 year CSA 81 project list in 2013 and is now the #1 project on the list.
The Avocado Bowl “skateable art” design gained the backing of the Fallbrook business community for its ability to represent the Avocado capital and differentiate itself from parks in other communities thus serving as a safe place to skate and a way to bring families into Fallbrook to utilize our commercial services (restaurants, gas stations, downtown shops).
Roger Harrell was approved by Supervisor Horn to the CSA 81 advisory committee on June 15, 2015. When Roger moved to northern California at the end of 2015, Michelle Albanna was voted to the board in March 2016 and approved in June 2016.
Tax Exempt #481303087
COPYRIGHT © 2018 Fallbrook Skatepark, Inc.
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Daniela Hernandez May 17, 2019
Photo by dsopfe via CreativeCommons
On Monday May 6, the UCLA On-Campus Housing Council presented their Spring 2019 Town Hall in the Northwest Campus Auditorium. Representatives presented reports and listened to students’ concerns regarding UCLA Housing, Dining, Rooms Division, Maintenance, and UCPD/Security.
Housing Services shared concept art regarding future changes and construction of dining and residence spaces. Covel dining hall will be undergoing renovations and will be closed next spring quarter while the De Neve Grab n Go will change their menu to allow students to customize their food rather than being restricted by the menu. Furthermore, the current Lot 15 construction near Hitch and Saxon will become the new Centennial and Olympic residence halls.
For off-campus housing the construction of Gayley Heights on Gayley and Le Conte is underway, which will include a new unit-type of undergraduate apartments featuring two bedrooms and community space for six residents. Also, next to Weyburn Terrace there are plans for Warren Hall, which will have a mix of undergraduate and graduate apartments. Warren Hall will include a new unit type including four double bedrooms and two bathrooms for eight residents. The current housing construction aims to extend housing guarantees to a four-year guarantee from the previous three-year guarantee for incoming first-year students and a two-year guarantee for incoming transfers, a welcome extension as over-enrollment continues to be a problem for student housing.
Dining Services has installed vending machines near The Study at Hedrick as a pilot for a new dining service to be built in the new Lot 15 residence halls. For a meal card swipe the machine will provide an entree, a side, and a beverage based on the current selections at The Study, primarily sandwiches and salads. The pilot arose from students calling for healthy food options to be available between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. when regular dining places are closed, leaving the vending machines throughout the Hill as their only food options.
The Sustainability Manager for Housing and Hospitality Services reported findings about composting on the Hill and their progress on their 2020 campus sustainability goals. Waste audits of residence halls conducted with the help of student groups found that 60 to 70 percent of waste generated on the Hill is compostable. In response, a pilot program was launched in Hedrick Court that switched landfill trash shoots for compost, added compost bins to bedrooms and bathrooms, and increased availability of compost bins in study spaces. The pilot program will continue into the summer in the hopes of extending the changes to all residence halls by the fall.
Their reported goal of reaching 20 percent sustainable food by 2020 is on track, with the Hill reaching 20.9 percent this past summer and reaching 18.3 percent in the fall, rising 3 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile, the campus-wide initiative of zero waste by 2020 is currently a work in progress, with 65 percent of all waste composted or recycled.
Two police officers from the UCLA Police Department reported about their 24/7 services available to all residents. They also spoke of their “Coffee with a Cop” event, which they aim to host at the beginning of each quarter, as a chance for students to meet and speak with police to build community bonds. Residents raised concerns regarding the number of officers in uniform at the “Coffee with a Cop” events, and the handcuffing students as part of protocol 5150, in which an individual is deemed a danger to themselves and others and is transported to a nearby hospital. The police officers acknowledged to have heard the concerns before, but cited the decision for a need for uniforms as the officers are on duty, and the need for handcuffs when an individual is deemed a danger to themselves and others.
Another resident brought up concerns regarding the Roebling block party from earlier in the quarter. Footage had circulated of officers detaining a Black individual as fireworks were set off amongst crowds mere feet away. One of the officers cited the incident as a traffic stop that began before the setting off of fireworks and fires started. He stated that the police officers witnessed a 24-year-old Black male who is unaffiliated with UCLA make two hand-to-hand narcotics deals. They reportedly released the individual afterwards with a warning for the possession of narcotics, possession for sale, selling, and a warrant for selling narcotics in the past, before the officers turned their attention to the block party. The police officer reported to have met with the USAC Campus Safety Alliance and other students since then regarding the traffic stop.
The use of harmful profiling techniques as white people set personal property on fire in the middle of the street begs the question of what priorities the UCPD operates under. The police officer made a point to state that while targeting and “stopping people for the color of their skin” may occur in other police departments, he insists that this doesn’t happen in the UCLA Police Department. Of course this is an ideal to strive for, but hand waving away a history of harm towards Black and Brown communities is worrisome to say the least.
The Northwest Auditorium was sparse with attendees, but the questions posed represented the general concerns of the student population, and the answers offered showed a willingness to listen. However, much of the information presented is lost on most UCLA students until the changes are implemented or heard through word of mouth.
Consistent communication between Housing Services and students would facilitate more engagement and quicker feedback, speeding up the process of improving students’ housing experience. Perhaps the recently released UCLA Housing app could hold the answer.
“Stacies!” Is a Grim Yet Honest Look at Adolescence in the Digital Age
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With the Jager banner in the background, Gabe is shown here on August 26, 2004 at FPB's Yorkville, NY summer concert. Fred is shown here with his Excelsior on August 24, 2004. Rick & Gabe are shown here during FPB's gig in Pulaski Park on August 24, 2004.
Fred is shown here during FPB's performance at "Taste of Oswego" on August 22, 2004. Fritz cranking out a tune on the button-box at the "Taste of Oswego." (Note the Jagermeister sticker on the FPB bandstand) Frank plays a few tunes on bass in Oswego, NY.
The guys in FPB are shown here with members of the Buneo Family, who gathered to celebrate John Buneo's birthday in Forestport, NY on August 20, 2004. Fred is shown here in Forestport, NY on August 20, 2004. Frank & Fred are pictured here ripping through a tune on August 19, 2004.
The guys in FPB stand proudly in front of their FPB/Jager banner in Marcy, NY on August 29, 2004. Fred, Fritz, Rick, & Gabe shown in-action on August 19, 2004. Fred is pictured here during FPB's performance at the Delaware County Fair on August 18, 2004.
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Marvel Casts David Wenham as Villain in IRON FIST Series
TV MarvelIron FistDavid Wenham about 3 years ago by Joey Paur
Marvel has cast David Wenham (Lord of the Rings, 300) in the role of Harold Meachum in their upcoming series Iron Fist. I imagine some of you aren’t familiar with the character, but he does play a very important part in the story.
Returning to New York City after being missing for years, Daniel Rand fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.
Iron Fist's real name is Daniel Rand, and in the comics he traveled to a lost mystical city called K’un-L’un with his family at the age of 9. After a series of tragic events, Daniel is adopted by city’s ruler and taught an advanced form martial arts as well as the mystical power of the Iron Fist, which basically allows him to channel his chi to the extreme, giving him powers of healing, telepathy, and super fighting abilities. When he's all grown up he returns to New York City and becomes a superhero.
Harold Meachum played a role in bringing on those tragic events. The character is described as a “ruthless corporate leader who was partners with Danny's partners at the time of their deaths. The role he plays in Danny's past and future will be revealed over the course of the series.” In the comic series he was Wendell’s former business partner, and he betrayed him in hopes of taking the company and Harold's wife for himself. If you don’t want to know the details of his involvement, stop reading now. If you do, here ya go!
On a snowy expedition near the mysterious city of K'un-Lun, Harold Meacham violently turned on the other three members of his traveling party. Meachum facilitated Wendell Rand falling to this death. Upon killing his former friend and rival, Meachum proclaimed his unspoken love for Wendell's wife Heather. Outraged, Heather Rand and her young son Danny ran from Meachum. However, she was soon devoured by wolves as she attempted to shield and protect Danny. However, young Danny survived, was rescued, and spent his formative years in K'un-Lun, eventually becoming the martial arts master known as Iron Fist.
Wenham joins Finn Jones (Game of Thrones), who plays the title character, and Jessica Henwick, who is set to play Colleen Wing. Scott Buck (Dexter) will serve as showrunner on the drama, which will be released sometime after Luke Cage.
Characters Rumored to Appear in Marvel’s IRON FIST Series
New Story Details Revealed for Marvel's IRON FIST Series
Marvel Releases Four New Photos From IRON FIST
Marvel Releases New Photos From IRON FIST
Marvel Unleashes a Kickass New Trailer for IRON FIST!
Marvel Almost Cast Chinese-American Actor Lewis Tan as Danny Rand in IRON FIST
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The Band are coming to the Toronto Film Festival. Rock doc Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band about The Weight rockers is to open the festival as its Opening Night Gala Presentation on September 5.
It will be the world premiere of the doc, which is directed by Ghosts of Our Forest director Daniel Roher, and marks the first time a Canadian doc opens the festival.
The film, which is inspired by Robertson’s 2016 memoir, Testimony, tells the moving story of Robertson’s personal journey as he overcame adversity and found camaraderie alongside the four other men who would become his brothers in music, and who together made their mark on music history.
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band blends rare archival footage, photography, songs, and interviews with many of Robertson’s friends and collaborators, including Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Peter Gabriel, Taj Mahal,
See full article at Deadline »
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ First Trailer: Tom Cruise Feels the Need for Speed in Nostalgic Trailer
by Kate Erbland
The long-gestating “Top Gun” sequel, Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” may not have had an official slot at this year’s Comic-Con, but that didn’t stop star Tom Cruise from surprising a packed Hall H during Paramount Pictures’ “Terminator: Dark Fate” panel to deliver a nostalgic first look at the followup to Tony Scott’s 1986 action ride.
“For 34 years you guys have been very patient with me, and I felt it was my responsibility for me to deliver for you,” Cruise told the Hall H crowd. “Everything you see in this film is very real.”
After years of chatter about the possibility of a sequel, the film has finally come to life with Cruise again stepping into the flight suit he made famous as the eponymous fighter jet ace Maverick. A few decades on, and the hotshot pilot still appears to have a need for speed, but changing
See full article at Indiewire »
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ First Look Teaser: A New Need For Speed With Tom Cruise [Comic-Con]
by Ava Witonsky
If you’re looking for some cinematic aviation action, San Diego Comic-Con has got it all covered. Next summer, after 34 years, “Top Gun” is returning to the screen with “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Read More: The Best Films Of 2019… So Far
The sequel will be directed by Joseph Kosinski.
Continue reading ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ First Look Teaser: A New Need For Speed With Tom Cruise [Comic-Con] at The Playlist.
See full article at The Playlist »
‘Farming’ Trailer: A Young Nigerian Boy Searches for Himself Inside Brutal Skinhead Culture
by Tambay Obenson
Lionsgate has unveiled the first trailer for British-Nigerian actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s feature directorial debut, “Farming,” a fascinating true story about a young black boy’s search for love and belonging within a savage skinhead subculture. Based on Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s own unbelievable story as a troubled youth in London, the title “Farming” refers to the practice of giving children over to informal fostering, which many Nigerian parents did in 1960s and 1970s Britain.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s parents, at the time students in 1967 London, gave him to a white working-class couple in Tilbury, which was then a fiercely insular, majority white dockside community. He was in constant danger of physical attack from local kids who, encouraged by their parents, nurtured a violent fear of black people.
Seeing his skin color as a burden, and actually thinking of himself as white, Akinnuoye-Agbaje developed a reputation for violence, eventually joining the local skinhead gang
by Charles Barfield
If you’re a big ‘Terminator’ fan, you probably watched the recent trailer for “Terminator: Dark Fate” and noticed the absence of someone pretty vital to the story — John Connor. Of course, in the subsequent sequels to James Cameron’s “T2,” the character has appeared quite often. But in ‘Dark Fate,’ which is said to erase the other sequels and pick up right from ‘T2,’ the fact that John Connor isn’t seen is a bit strange, right?
Continue reading James Cameron Confirms Edward Furlong Will Appear In ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ at The Playlist.
by Bill Desowitz
Japan’s anime powerhouse Kyoto Animation Studio, known for its compassionate storytelling and respectful treatment of its animators, was attacked by an arsonist on Thursday, with a fire breaking out at the company’s first studio building in Fushimi-ku, killing at least 33 workers and injuring more than 30 more.
The country was rocked by the shocking terrorist attack, as the death toll was the highest for an arson incident since 1989. Around 70 people were working when the fire broke out in the morning, which quickly spread throughout the three stories; a 41-year-old suspect was taken into custody and no motive was ascertained.
Kyoto Animation (KyoAni) was founded in 1981 by the husband-and-wife team of Hideaki and Yoko Hatta, who serve as president and vice president, respectively. KyoAni, which has a second studio facility located in Uji city, is acclaimed for its focus on anime TV series and movies about pre-teen and teen schoolgirl empowerment.
by Zack Sharf
Neil Gaiman has taken to social media to shut down rumors that a live-action remake of “Coraline” is in development. Reports of a “Coraline” film started circulating on social media among fans, leading Gaiman to question what the source was for the story. Many “Coraline” fans reacted with outrage to the idea of a live-action update of Gaiman’s award-winning 2002 novella, which director Henry Selick and Laika Animation Studios turned into a beloved 2009 stop-motion movie.
“If anyone has any idea where this ‘live action Coraline’ nonsense started can you send me a link?” Gaiman asked his Twitter followers. “All I can see is thousands of upset people who have apparently all heard it from each other.”
While most fans reacted with disdain to the idea of a live-action “Coraline” remake, others began offering up casting ideas for the potential film. One popular casting idea was for “Stranger Things” actress Natalia Dyer
Somewhat surprisingly, this year’s San Diego Comic-Con features the final panel for HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” This is surprising because the series already aired its finale back in May and it’s unclear what actually will be shown or done at the panel, other than the expected “victory lap” where the network and actors get one last ovation from the adoring crowd. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of the upcoming panel is with who isn’t attending, namely, the shows co-creators D.B.
Continue reading ‘Game Of Thrones’ Co-Creators Skipping San Diego Comic-Con As HBO Announces Panel Line-Up at The Playlist.
Marvel’s ‘Agents of Shield’ Coming To An End After Next Year’s Season 7
Even though it wasn’t that long ago, it’s interesting to see just how much the landscape of Marvel TV and Marvel Studios productions has changed since 2012. After the record-breaking success of “The Avengers,” Marvel TV thought it would be a great idea to spin the film off into a new series titled “Agents of Shield.” The series debuted with a ton of hype and quickly became the crown jewel in the Marvel TV lineup.
Continue reading Marvel’s ‘Agents of Shield’ Coming To An End After Next Year’s Season 7 at The Playlist.
‘Jay and Silent Bob Reboot’ Trailer: Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes Get Crazy Meta
Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes’ iconic indie stoners Jay and Silent Bob are officially back in the debut trailer for this fall’s “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.” The characters made their debut nearly 25 hours ago in Smith’s breakout 1994 indie “Clerks” and recurred in other Smith films like “Mallrats” and “Chasing Amy.” Smith wrote and directed a standalone movie for the characters called “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” that opened in 2001. Jay and Silent Bob last appeared in “Yoga Hosers.”
“Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” follows the title characters as they discover Hollywood is attempting to remake an old movie based on their lives. Jay and Silent Bob head out on a cross-country trip to stop the movie from being made and predictably get into an onslaught of shenanigans. Joining Smith and Mewes on screen are Rosario Dawson, Justin Long, Shannon Elizabeth, Craig Robinson, and many more.
Honoring Kyoto Animation: Where to Stream the Studio’s Anime Films and TV
by Tyler Hersko
Kyoto Animation, responsible for some of the world’s most cherished anime films and television shows, was set ablaze in Japan Thursday morning. Thirty-three people have been confirmed dead in the arson attack, and anime fans from around the globe have shown an outpouring of support and sympathy for the renowned studio on social media.
Anime has had a loyal following in the United States for years, but the genre is relatively uncommon on most streaming platforms. Although some American streamers are beginning to incorporate anime in their content libraries, it’s often difficult to find legal, high-quality streaming sources for many anime films and television.
Here’s a list and descriptions of some of Kyoto Animation’s most popular television shows and links to where they can be legally streamed:
A high school boy is dragged into a club founded by Haruhi, an eccentric girl with incredible reality-altering powers.
‘Jay And Silent Bob Reboot’ Trailer: Kevin Smith & Jason Mewes Return to Hollywood [Comic-Con]
by Harry Frazer
It has been a while (13 years to be exact) since “Jay and Silent Bob” have appeared in a live-action film, but they are back in “Jay and Silent Bob Rebooted.”
The Jersey boys, who are played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith respectively, last featured in the animated film “Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie.” The duo will return for what will be the eighth film in the View Askewniverse, which was in turn, created by Smith.
Continue reading ‘Jay And Silent Bob Reboot’ Trailer: Kevin Smith & Jason Mewes Return to Hollywood [Comic-Con] at The Playlist.
Gwendoline Christie Among 3 ‘Game Of Thrones’ Actors That Landed Emmy Noms From Self-Submission After HBO Didn’t Enter Them
It’s always good practice to be your own biggest cheerleader. Whether it’s in your job or just life, in general, you should always be proud of your accomplishments and not be afraid to put yourself out there for recognition. Apparently, that’s sometimes exactly what you have to do to get an Emmy nomination, as well. At least for some of the cast of “Game of Thrones,” that is.
According to THR, three castmembers of the massive HBO series “Game of Thrones” self-submitted for Emmy consideration after HBO didn’t submit.
Continue reading Gwendoline Christie Among 3 ‘Game Of Thrones’ Actors That Landed Emmy Noms From Self-Submission After HBO Didn’t Enter Them at The Playlist.
‘Unbelievable’ Trailer: Sexual Assault Victim Fights to Be Heard in Toni Colette-Starring Netflix Drama
by Christian Zilko
Netflix found a hit this summer with “When They See Us,” adapting a true story of a past injustice into a miniseries that addresses contemporary societal demons. Now the streaming giant is hoping to repeat that success, and perhaps some of the progress that accompanied it, with “Unbelievable.” The new limited series about rape culture in America, based on reporting from ProPublica and NPR, is set to debut on the platform this fall.
Netflix’s official synopsis reads: “When teenager Marie Adler (Kaitlyn Dever) files a police report claiming she’s been sexually assaulted by an intruder in her home, the investigating detectives, as well as the people closest to her, come to doubt the truth of her story. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, detectives Grace Rasmussen and Karen Duvall (Emmy winners Toni Collette and Merritt Wever) meet while investigating an eerily similar pair of intruder rapes and partner to catch a potential serial rapist.
12 New Lgbtq Films Not to Be Missed This Year
by Jude Dry
This year’s Outfest Los Angeles hosts a bevy of fantastic queer cinema, including a daughter uncovering a mom-and-pop gay porn shop, a lush gay romance reminiscent of “Weekend,” and the story of “A Nightmare on Elm Street II” star Mark Patton.
More from IndieWire'Cubby' Trailer: A Quirky Queer Coming-of-Age Comedy Featuring Patricia Richardson'End of the Century' Trailer: Swooning Gay Romance Is the Argentine Answer to 'Weekend'Outfest Announces Complete 2019 Lineup, Including 'Circus of Books' and 'Before You Know It'
‘The Lion King’ Actor Talks African Heritage & Cultural Authenticity Of Jon Favreau’s Remake
by Griffin Schiller
When we think back to ‘The Lion King’, it’s easy to get swept up in the vibrant, hand-drawn animation, emotionally powerful story, iconic songs, and colorful characters, but something that isn’t talked about nearly as much is how the Disney classic dared to show us a part of the world that, historically, has been grossly misrepresented on screen.
Even though the original ‘Lion King’ was an animated film about animals, there was so much cultural authenticity that went into shaping the narrative.
Continue reading ‘The Lion King’ Actor Talks African Heritage & Cultural Authenticity Of Jon Favreau’s Remake at The Playlist.
The first season of “Fargo” came out of nowhere, surprising folks that were naysaying the series, based on the Coen Brothers’ film of the same name, before it even aired. But could Noah Hawley actually make another season of the series just as good as the first? Well, a year later, it happened. Then in 2017, the third batch of episodes was released and guess what?
Continue reading Jason Schwartzman, Ben Whishaw, Jessie Buckley & More Join Chris Rock For ‘Fargo’ Season 4 Debuting In 2020 at The Playlist.
‘The Farewell’: Lulu Wang Made the Year’s Most Exciting Hit By Refusing to Americanize It
by Eric Kohn
Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” is the most exciting hit movie of the summer, but its success wasn’t preordained. A24 acquired the movie out of Sundance, following raves for the complex look at an Asian American experience through the lens of a woman grappling with dueling cultural identities. When it opened in limited release July 12, it beat out “Avengers: Endgame” for the year’s biggest per-theater average. And it almost didn’t happen. For Wang, the fragmented experience facing her movie’s central character mirrored the filmmaker’s multi-year experience attempting to make “The Farewell,” and it only came together once she had all but given up on it.
There were many disheartening encounters with American financiers as she pitched the premise: a young woman’s family visits her ailing Chinese grandmother while keeping the matriarch in the dark about her illness. Many suggested that Wang introduce a prominent white character into the narrative,
Chloë Sevigny, Alice Braga, Kid Cudi & More Join Cast Of Luca Guadagnino’s HBO Series ‘We Are Who We Are’
After breaking out in a big way thanks to the award-winning film “Call Me By Your Name,” director Luca Guadagnino has made some interesting career choices. He immediately followed up his period tale of young love with a remake of the classic Giallo film “Suspiria.” And now, after that horror film, the director is about to begin work on his TV debut, the HBO/Sky series “We Are Who We Are.”
And according to a new report from Variety, the upcoming drama series has secured its cast.
Continue reading Chloë Sevigny, Alice Braga, Kid Cudi & More Join Cast Of Luca Guadagnino’s HBO Series ‘We Are Who We Are’ at The Playlist.
‘Fargo’: Ben Whishaw, Jessie Buckley, Jason Schwartzman Among New Season 4 Cast Members
by Steve Greene
When it comes to assembling an impressive cast, “Fargo” has upped the ante once again.
After announcing that Season 4 would be lead by Chris Rock, FX on Thursday unveiled a bold list of performers who’ll be joining him. Perennial TV/film favorites Ben Whishaw and Jessie Buckley lead the additions to the cast, alongside Jack Huston, Jason Schwartzman, and Andrew Bird.
The official synopsis accompanying these new details describes more of how all these actors fit into place for the new season: “In Kansas City, Missouri, two criminal syndicates have struck an uneasy peace. One Italian, one African-American. Together they control an alternate economy — that of exploitation, graft and drugs. This too is the history of America. To cement their peace, the heads of both families have traded their youngest sons.”
Rock plays the head of one of those families, struggling to keep the uneasy peace even as he
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An exciting milestone
As of 11:00 p.m., Global Military Justice Reform has had 2000 hits from 31 countries.
Update, Feb. 8, 2014: we now have readers in 43 countries.
Posted by Eugene R. Fidell at 11:00 PM No comments:
Shuffle the deck of cards?
His Honour Judge (ret)
Gilles Letourneau
In Canada, pursuant to ss. 60 and 273 of the National Defence Act (Act), civilian criminal courts and military tribunals have concurrent jurisdiction to try ordinary criminal law offences committed by persons subject to the military Code of Service Discipline, even when they are committed outside Canada. This is due to the fact that s. 130 of the Act transforms all ordinary criminal law offences into service offences, i.e., disciplinary offences. This duality of jurisdictions begs the traditional thorny questions: who should prosecute what, when, where, why, how and under what conditions? While the answers to these questions are important for the following reasons, they are not easily found.
First, prosecutions before military tribunals for what has become disciplinary offences allow an accused to raise the special pleas of autrefois acquit and autrefois convict in bar of a subsequent trial. A plea of res judicata is also available.
Second, persons tried by military tribunals are deprived of their constitutional right to trial by jury. Instead they can be tried by a panel five of members of the chain of command. As a matter of sheer common sense it is easier to obtain a unanimous verdict from five persons who share the same training and institutional baggage than from twelve (12) different persons from all walks of life with no common institutional baggage.
Third, contrary to what prevails in Australia, there exists in Canada neither the equivalent of s. 63 of the Australian Defence Force Discipline Act 1982, which requires the consent of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) before an enumerated number of serious crimes can be prosecuted by the Director of Military Prosecutions, nor, where a s. 63 consent is not required, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the civilian and the military authorities determining the conditions under which military authorities can prosecute ordinary criminal law offences before military tribunals. The conduct alleged may be of so serious a nature that the public interest may be best served by prosecution of the alleged offender before a civilian criminal court: s. 36 of the MOU.
In the Canadian federal system, there are 11 civilian Attorneys General: one at the federal level for the prosecution of federal offences, and a provincially appointed one in each of the 10 provinces, constitutionally invested with the power to prosecute crimes contained in the Criminal Code of Canada.
The provincial Attorneys General are responsible for the administration of criminal justice in their respective province and are the ultimate guardians of justice and the public peace. They possess vast discretionary powers to enforce the laws and prosecute their violations. Yet they have abandoned in practice their prosecutorial powers to the military authorities when ordinary criminal law offences are committed by persons subject to the Code of Service Discipline.
The provincial Attorneys General in Canada should shuffle the deck of cards and repatriate, assume and exercise their powers to prosecute before civilian criminal courts ordinary criminal law offences committed by members of the Canadian Forces (CF). The military could still enforce discipline before their service tribunals for the inappropriate behaviours, but no criminal record would ensue from the military prosecutions and no special pleas in bar of trial would be available. In plain words the rule would be the same as it is for other disciplinary proceedings: a criminal prosecution does not preempt disciplinary proceedings and vice versa.
If for whatever reasons the Attorneys General are not willing or able to fully assume their role, they should at least exercise a control over the prosecution of ordinary criminal law offences committed by members of the CF by establishing the conditions and circumstances under which serious ordinary criminal law offences could be prosecuted before military tribunals and deprive accused of their constitutional right to a trial by a jury. A member of the CF is, like a police officer, a Canadian in uniform. Why should he or she be deprived of the right to a jury trial when the police officer is not? They both assume the role of protecting the public. Why such a drastic differential treatment? The time has come for the Attorneys General to pick up the deck of cards and shuffle it.
Lecture and discussion in The Hague: assessing developments in Israeli military juvenile courts
On Friday, February 7, 2014, the Hague Academic Coalition, in cooperation with gate48 and A Different Jewish Voice, will present a lecture by Gerard Horton, founder of Military Court Watch, titled "Assessing developments in the Israeli military juvenile courts." His talk will be followed by comments from Anat Sultan-Dadon of the Israeli Embassy at The Hague and Prof. Jaap Doek, with Prof. Karin Arts as moderator. The event will run from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., at the T.M.C. Asser Institute, R.J. Schimmelpennincklaan 20-22, The Hague. The program announcement states:
"According to UN figures, since June 1967, at least 730.000 Palestinian men, women and children from the West Bank have been prosecuted in Israeli military courts and imprisoned. This works out at around 1 in 4 men and includes 500 to 700 children as young as 12 years. Reports of ill-treatment and the denial of basic fair trial rights’ standards within the system are widespread. According to Israeli and Palestinian NGO’s, in the overwhelming majority of cases, children are arrested at friction points in the West Bank, most notably, where an Israeli settlement or road used by the army and settlers has been built close to a Palestinian village in violation of international law. Although Israeli settlers living in the West Bank are also technically subject to military law, in practice they are prosecuted under civilian law with far greater rights and protections. This in turn gives rise to the discriminatory application of law based on race, nationality or origin in cases involving identical offences committed in the same territory.
"The lecture will begin with an overview of the system with reference to a typical arrest and the military objectives behind it. The focus will then shift to the main developments in the military courts since the establishment of a juvenile court in September 2009, which will be considered and assessed. The lecture will conclude with a look at some simple and practical measures that, if implemented, would make a substantive difference."
Please RSVP by Feb. 3 to secretariat@haguecoalition.org. Admission is free.
Posted by Eugene R. Fidell at 2:25 PM No comments:
Code Committee meeting
U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Armed Forces Courthouse
The Code Committee created by the Uniform Code of Military Justice will meet at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 450 E St., N.W., Washington, DC, at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 11, 2014. Given the reforms enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 and the pendency of other reform proposals in Congress, this could be an unusually interesting meeting. The Code Committee's meetings are open to the public.
Posted by Eugene R. Fidell at 7:00 AM No comments:
Appeals in absentia
Chief Judge James E. Baker
In an interesting decision, a 3-2 majority of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces has dismissed a petition for discretionary review on the ground that the accused had not personally authorized the filing of the petition. Of particular note in United States v. Moss, 73 M.J. ___ (C.A.A.F. 2014), is Chief Judge James E. Baker's recognition of the tension between allowing trials in absentia but not appeals in absentia. He commented (at p. 8) that "trials in absentia are the sort of trials that undermine the credibility of foreign military justice systems." Senior Judge Andrew S. Effron joined in the dissent.
Does your system permit courts-martial in absentia? Can there be an appeal if the appellant is a fugitive? Must the appellant have personally authorized the appeal?
Army Times article on Response Systems Panel meetings
Today's Army Times has an article concerning the hearings conducted by the Response Systems to Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel, including whether the panel's subcommittees should meet behind closed doors. The full panel's next public hearing will be on January 30, 2014 in Washington, D.C.
Posted by Eugene R. Fidell at 7:21 PM 1 comment:
A criminal record for a simple disciplinary offence!
In Canada prosecutions before disciplinary boards for disciplinary offences such as conduct prejudicial to the profession do not create a criminal record. The same act, however, may give rise to a criminal prosecution where, upon conviction, the accused will inherit a criminal record. In Canadian military law, the situation is different. Some disciplinary offences prosecuted before service tribunals, although not criminal in any way, may upon conviction saddle an accused for life with a criminal record.
Pursuant to the newly enacted, but not yet in force, s.249.27 of the Strengthening Military Justice in the Defence of Canada Act, S.C. 2013, ch.24, behaviours such as conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, absence without leave, false statement in relation to an absence without leave, insubordination and drunkenness will generate a criminal record if the sentence imposed is higher than a severe reprimand, a reprimand, a minor punishment or if the fine exceeds basic pay for one month. While generally the existence of a record is linked to the nature of the offence and its objective gravity, here it depends on the severity of the sentence. As a result of Supreme Court of Canada decisions, the scope of review of the severity of sentences by the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada is quite narrow and limited. Thus a soldier to whom a fine slightly higher than basic pay for one month has been imposed is unlikely to be successful in his attempt to reduce the fine and avoid the devastating effects of a criminal record such as the impossibility to work for or to obtain a contract from the Federal Government, restrictions on his travels, stigma, refusals of entry in other countries, etc.
The aim of the Code of Service Discipline is to enforce discipline and good behaviour in the profession of arms just like the aim of the lawyers' and doctors' Code of Ethics is to ensure good behaviour and discipline in the legal and medical profession.
Should convictions for disciplinary offences give rise to a criminal record when the accused is deprived of his constitutional right to a trial by jury? Is the provision overreaching and, as a result, unfair? Can it withstand a constitutional challenge?
MSNBC Show on Military Justice Reform, 1:00 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014
MSNBC announced tonight that its show Taking the Hill will air a program on Military Justice Reform this Sunday, January 26, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. (ET). Sen. Kerstin Gillibrand will be on the show and taking questions.
Postscript: here is Sen. Gillibrand's interview with Taking the Hill's Patrick Murphy.
Actual and perceived independence of military judges
Under Canadian military law military judges have a rank. The highest rank is held by the Chief Military Judge who stands in the hierarchy as Colonel. His rank is inferior to that of the Judge Advocate General who is not a judge and who, with his lawyers, argue cases before him. His rank is also inferior to some 150 officers. He has to salute them. Yet all these superior officers, including the JAG, the Chief and Vice-Chief of the Defense Staff, are subject to the Code of Service Discipline and fall under his judicial jurisdiction. In addition, grievances by military judges are decided by the Chief of the Defense Staff.
This ranking, especially the inferior ranking of the military judges, does little to boost soldiers' and public confidence in the administration of military justice. Nor does the grievance process applicable to military judges. Through numerous cases, fiercely opposed by the JAG's office, and resulting decisions from the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada, military judges have been granted judicial independence in terms of appointment, remuneration and security of tenure.
Should military judges have a rank? Should they not be classified apart and simply called "Judge" and "Chief Military Judge," thereby leaving no doubt as to their independence from the chain of command and erasing any perception that, after all, they might not be as independent as it appears? In the same vein, should not grievances by military judges be decided outside the chain of command?
Reform of the Israeli Military Justice System
From the Law Library of Congress's 2013 report, Military Justice System: Adjudication of Sexual Offenses: Israel:
Several changes have taken place in recent years that impacted the adjudication of sexual offenses within the IDF. These include the way in which the determination of whether to pursue an adjudication is made and the forum for such a determination. Unlike the adjudication of other violations of military law, the decision of whether to adjudicate sexual offenses in disciplinary proceedings can only be made by the MAG’s attorneys and not by commanders.
An additional development in adjudication of “lighter” sexual offenses in disciplinary proceedings is the requirement that presiding adjudication officers (AOs) be at least at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and have either a legal education or special training in handling sexual harassment cases at the IDF School of Military Justice. Israel’s Military Advocate General (MAG) maintains a database of AOs who are qualified to adjudicate sexual harassment cases. The selection of the AO for such disciplinary proceedings from the database is made by the MAG and not by a commander.
Additional changes occurred based on the Supreme Court’s judicial review and the requirements established by the Court to follow rules that exist in criminal litigation. Whereas decisions of the Appeals Court Martial (ACM) may be subjected to review by the Israeli Supreme Court upon special authorization only when there arises “[a] legal question [that presents an] important, difficult or novel [legal issue],”the MJL does not expressly provide for Supreme Court review of commanders’ decisions in disciplinary proceedings. However, the Supreme Court has extended its jurisdiction to disciplinary decisions based on general principles of due process. In a case involving IDF disciplinary adjudication, the Court voided a commander’s decision to convict and sentence a soldier based on procedural defects found in the disciplinary adjudication—defects that, according to the Court, deprived the soldier of his right to due process.
MK and Brig
Gen (Res) Miri Regev
The IDF has faced new challenges as a result of an increased focus on holding disciplinary adjudications to the same requirements that apply to criminal adjudications. A private member bill by Knesset Member (KM) Miri Regev to reform the MJL and meet these challenges is now pending. The bill proposes to establish a third mechanism for military adjudication by establishing military disciplinary courts in addition to the existing military courts and disciplinary proceedings. The bill proposes that offenses under the Law for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, 5758-1998, be adjudicated by the proposed military disciplinary courts. [Footnotes omitted.]
Should a bare majority suffice for conviction?
His Honour
Judge Jeff Blackett
Contrasting UK military procedure with civilian practice in England, Wales and Scotland, the Judge Advocate General, His Honour Judge Jeff Blackett, suggested to the BBC last year that it was "an area of concern" that British military law permits conviction by a 3-2 vote and does not permit the accused to learn the actual vote of the board. He noted as well that New Zealand had moved to a unanimity requirement in recent military justice reform legislation. What is the rule in your country? Should civilian and military voting requirements for conviction be different?
Posted by Eugene R. Fidell at 10:35 PM 3 comments:
Prosecution of children before service tribunals
His Honour (retired)
Judge Gilles Letourneau
Under Canadian military law, the accompanying family of a member of the Canadian Forces or persons under contract with the Canadian Forces are subject to the military Code of Service Discipline. A minor may and will be prosecuted before and tried by a service tribunal. Should that child be deprived of the benefits of the Youth Criminal Justice Act such as diversion from the penal system? Is this differential and likely more punitive treatment of a child justified when the Canadian civil courts retain jurisdiction over offences committed by persons subject to the Code of Service Discipline, even when committed abroad? Should not children be referred to the civilian system of justice? Should not the Attorneys General who are responsible for the administration of justice ensure that the legislation mandates the transfer of children to civilian youth courts to make sure that prosecution of children before military tribunals do not occur?
Speak up, please (and pass the word)
Now that the blog is up and running, let's make it a two-way street. The comments feature has been turned on. At least for the time being, comments will be moderated and must include your real name. Please do comment, and pass the word to others. Stand by, as well, for some guest bloggers.
Nexus Redux
Chief Justice Edmond P. Blanchard
There was an important decision on January 21 by the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada. In a unanimous ruling, the court, per Chief Justice Edmond P. Blanchard, made it clear that there must be a "military nexus" (what U.S. practitioners used to call "service connection") in order for a court-martial to try a civilian-type offense under § 130 of the Code of Service Discipline. The case is Moriarity v. The Queen; Hannah v. The Queen, 2014 CMAC 1. The court acknowledged Solorio v. United States, 483 U.S. 435 (1987) (which abandoned the service-connection requirement of O'Callahan v. Parker, 395 U.S. 258 (1969)), but observed (¶ 64) that "the American jurisprudence in this area is founded on constitutional provisions that are different than our own and where the status of the accused is the key jurisdictional concern -- not the nature of the offence." The decision embraces Lamer, CJC's observation in R. v. Généreux, [1992] 1 S.C.R. 259, that "[t]he purpose of a separate system of military tribunals is to allow the Armed Forces to deal with matters that pertain directly to the discipline, efficiency and morale of the military" (emphasis supplied). Although it puts to rest an important issue, the decision benefits neither of the appellants, as they had not raised the absence of a military nexus for any of the offenses of which they were convicted.
Gabriela Knaul, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, wrote in 2013:
"98. As a specialized jurisdiction aimed at serving the particular disciplinary needs of the military, the ratione materiae jurisdiction of military tribunals should be limited to criminal offences of a strictly military nature, in other words to offences that by their own nature relate exclusively to legally protected interests of military order, such as desertion, insubordination or abandonment of post or command."
"99. States should not resort to the concept of service-related acts to displace the jurisdiction belonging to the ordinary courts in favour of military tribunals. Ordinary criminal offences committed by military personnel should be tried in ordinary courts, unless regular courts are unable to exercise jurisdiction owing to the particular circumstances in which the crime was committed (i.e. exclusively in cases of crimes committed outside the territory of the State). Such cases should be expressly provided for by the law."
What is the law (and actual practice) in your country?
Posted by Eugene R. Fidell at 1:29 PM 2 comments:
Open Justice: Must the Names of Soldiers Acquitted in a Court-Martial be Made Public?
On December 17, 2013, the Divisional Court of the Queen's Bench Division made public the final version of its judgment in R. v Marines A-E [2013] EWCA Crim 2367, holding among other things that the names of two Royal Marines who had been acquitted of murder had to be made public. Mr Justice Holroyde, dissenting in part, noted that "if the necessary balancing exercise had been conducted, the judge in my view could legitimately have concluded that the [European Convention on Human Rights] Article 8 rights of Marines B and C (who had been found not guilty of any crime) should prevail over the Article 10 right of the media (who had been able to report the trial in full, and are now able to name the convicted murderer). Thus the failure to address the balancing exercise was a serious error. I would therefore have quashed the order in relation to Marines B and C and remitted their cases to the judge to conduct the balancing exercise." In an ironic twist for a case having to do with (and strongly affirming) the principle of open justice, the majority took umbrage at the fact that the draft judgment provided to counsel had been disseminated: "We made our decision in this case available before we handed it down. It was communicated far more widely than we had permitted. It is of the utmost importance that those to whom draft judgments are provided abide by the terms on which they are provided: see CPS v P [2007] EWHC 1144 (Admin). A court will always take a very serious view of any breach. It will treat it as a contempt of court with the penal sanctions that apply." Query: when, if ever, should the names of the accused in a public trial by court-martial be kept out of the media?
Posted by Eugene R. Fidell at 10:10 PM 1 comment:
Is There a Right to be Tried by Court-Martial?
Every so often one runs across a case in which a soldier claims a right to be tried by court-martial. It's happening in Pakistan, where former President and Army chief Pervez Musharraf has appealed the denial of his objection to being tried for high treason by a special court instead of a court-martial. His appeal will be decided by a two-justice division bench of the Islamabad High Court. Readers in Pakistan: please keep us posted on the appeal.
Asian Human Rights Commission Statement on Impunity
On Jan. 17, 2014, the Asian Human Rights Commission issued a statement concerning impunity for military and police personnel in Myanmar/Burma. According to the Commission: "Three low-ranked soldiers attacked Zaw Min Oo and his companion on a riverbank in Pyi during 2013 nearby the Nawaday Bridge over the Irrawaddy River (AHRC-UAC-122-2013). Zaw Min Oo died in the attack while his companion survived by feigning death. She ran to call for help and in a short time local search parties had located the men, whom they took to the police. The police initiated criminal proceedings but the commander of the battalion where the men were stationed came and took them from police custody. Although investigating police, including from the specialised Criminal Investigation Department, told the family and other persons involved that they have enough evidence to prosecute and are sure that the three soldiers are the perpetrators of the crime, the army has refused to hand them over. Instead the battalion conducted a court martial that absolved the men of any responsibility in the crime. The court martial was closed off from the family or other persons concerned with their interests, and according to them all the authorities have refused to deal with them or keep them informed of what has happened to the alleged murderers. Even the men’s whereabouts are uncertain, with some reports suggesting they are still being at their battalion camp, others that they have been transferred elsewhere." The statement concluded by observing that "the legal barriers to prosecution of these persons, in the case of the police through the Criminal Procedure Code and in the case of the military through military regulations and orders, need to be removed so as to enable ready prosecution of accused persons in cases of this sort." Where should cases like this be prosecuted: in a court-martial or in a civilian court? What would justify keeping the public from observing the trial?
Bangladesh Rifles Mutiny Case
It happened before this blog began, but readers will want to be aware that sentences were handed down on November 5, 2013 in the civilian court case arising from the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles mutiny. According to the Daily Star, there were 152 death sentences, 161 life sentences, and 262 sentences of 3-10 years imprisonment. Two hundred seventy-seven defendants were acquitted in the mass trial conducted by the Metropolitan Sessions Court in Dhaka, with both civilian and military defendants. Appeals by both the defense and the prosecution are anticipated, and the proceedings have been faulted by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. Thousands of other soldiers had previously been sentenced by military courts to up to seven years imprisonment on lesser charges. The paramilitary border force was renamed the Border Guard Bangladesh in 2010.
Where Should This Case be Tried: Court-Martial or Civilian Court?
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chair of the Awami Action Committee in Kashmir, has called for Indian Army personnel currently charged before a court-martial to be tried in civilian court instead in order to improve transparency. "Addressing a public gathering at Shangus in south Kashmir’s Islambad district, Mirwaiz said that countless incidents like Mach[ch]il have occurred in Kashmir during which innocent civilians were killed, adding, however till date not a single army personnel was held responsible or punished for the crime he committed." The case grows out of a 2010 encounter at Machhil Fake.
Military Justice Reform in Taiwan
On January 13, Amnesty International released this statement on implementation of last year's legislation to reform the Taiwanese military justice system. The legislation took effect on January 13, having been enacted at warp speed as a result of public outrage over the July 4, 2013 exhaustion death of Army Cpl. Hung Chung-chiu in a military disciplinary detention facility: it was passed on August 6 and signed into law on August 13. According to the China Post, the new law subjects military personnel to the civilian justice system in peacetime. Cases involving abuse of subordinates, illegal punishment, murder, sexual assault, robbery and drugs were transferred immediately to civilian prosecutors and courts. Transfer of other cases was deferred for five months. In November, the Supreme Military Court and Northern District Military Court filed a challenge to the constitutionality of the legislation with the Council of Grand Justices, Taiwan's Constitutional Court. Readers in Taiwan: please let us know when the Grand Justices decide the case.
Goodbye to George III
Sen. Kerstin Gillibrand
Should commanders have the power to compel (or block) the prosecution of serious criminal offenses (i.e., those other than minor disciplinary infractions)? This article in Slate discusses the current U.S. debate. The Senate will soon vote on the question. What is the law in your country? What should it be?
Indian Express Op-Ed by Navdeep Singh
Navdeep Singh, a leading Indian practitioner, has a worthwhile op-ed in the January 15, 2014 Indian Express, titled Compromise of Judicial Independence: AFT and Other Tribunals. Maj Singh is a High Court lawyer, founding President of the Armed Forces Tribunal Bar Association, and creator of the Indian Military Services Benefits and Issues blog.
Posted by Eugene R. Fidell at 11:49 AM No comments:
Report to the General Assembly by Special Rapporteur Gabriela Knaul
Last summer, Gabriela Knaul, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, submitted an important report focusing on the administration of justice through military tribunals. The report, which deserves more attention than it has received, makes a variety of recommendations "with the aim of assisting States in ensuring that, where military justice systems exist, military tribunals administer justice in a manner that is fully compliant with international human rights law and standards." The recommendations appear in paragraphs 92-110, and cover such pivotal issues as independence and impartiality, subject matter jurisdiction, jurisdiction over civilians, treatment of serious human rights violations, and fair trial and due process guarantees. How does your country's system stack up?
A reader asked if she could receive Global Military Justice Reform posts automatically. This feature has been added in the lower right hand corner of the page. Simply enter your email address.
In only a short time, the blog has acquired a following around the world, with readers in Afghanistan, Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, and Vietnam. Welcome aboard! Please send information and links about military justice developments -- progressive or not -- in your country, and pass the word to interested colleagues.
Global Seminar on Military Justice Reform
On October 19, 2013, Yale Law School hosted the Global Seminar on Military Justice Reform, with financial support from the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Fund. Background readings for the seminar, which addressed reform issues in several countries, can be found in the seminar's Reading Room.
Posted by Eugene R. Fidell at 7:45 AM 2 comments:
Why George III?
You may have been wondering why a portrait of George III is prominently displayed on this blog, and why three Georges appeared on the post before this one. This is not a case of picking on someone. It's simply that George III was on the throne at the time of the 1774 Articles of War that were the model for the 1775 American Articles of War. Since the 1774 Articles continue to cast a long (and in important respects retrograde) shadow across the military justice systems of the United States and some other countries whose systems may be traced to the classic command-centric British model, the blog will award one or more Georges to features or developments that fail to reflect contemporary standards for the administration of justice. Positive developments, on the other hand, will receive one or more Ansells (named for Brigadier General Samuel T. Ansell, who labored in the cause of reform). Here's one now . . .
Department of Unfinished Business: Military Judicial Terms of Office
Sometimes reading in one field can be thought-provoking in a seemingly unrelated field. In this vein, my mind turned to Military Justice the other day when, preparing for my Federal Indian Law course, I came across the following in a report by the Indian Law Resource Center, Restoring Safety to Native Women and Girls and Strengthening Native Nations: A Report on Tribal Capacity for Enhanced Sentencing and Restored Criminal Jurisdiction (Fall 2013):
"The length of judicial terms of office varies widely among tribal court systems. Of the twelve tribes surveyed, one indicated a term as short as one year for associate justices, and two indicated that they have no defined terms of office. The Navajo Nation has a two-year probationary period after which the Judicial Committee of the Navajo Nation Council can recommend a permanent appointment until the judge is 70. Most other tribal court judges serve terms of three to six years. Many tribes have different term lengths for different types of judges or courts." Id. at 80 & nn.526-30 (footnotes omitted).
The 566 federally-acknowledged tribes are entitled to maintain court systems, and roughly half do so. Many tribes are working to improve their judiciaries, and tribal judicial independence has unfortunately been an issue from time to time over the years.
Given the varied tribal judicial terms of office arrangements described above, what is the situation in the United States armed forces? The Supreme Court held in Weiss v. United States, 510 U.S. 163 (1994), that the Constitution does not require military judges to have the protection of fixed terms of office (of any duration). Nothing in the UCMJ provides fixed terms for trial or appellate military judges. The Army and the Coast Guard years ago gave their judges three-year terms by regulation, while judges in the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force continue to serve on an at-will basis. Significantly, judges in one branch can and do preside over trials of members of other branches.
The current military judicial tenure hodgepodge is indefensible.
Now back to Indian tribes. They enjoy sovereign rights. Each is independent, with its own laws, so the inter-tribal variation indicated above is not surprising. The armed forces, however, are all subject to the same Uniform Code of Military Justice. Numerous countries with military justice systems have recognized the connection between terms of office and judicial independence.
Isn't it time Congress fixed this aspect of our system? Until it does, our system merits three Georges.
Welcome to the Global Military Justice Reform blog
Developments in the field of military justice have been coming at an extraordinary pace for the last several years, both in the United States and around the world. Some of these developments have been wise, some have not. In some respects, there has been remarkable resistance to change. The purpose of this blog will be to identify and comment on developments in the reform of military justice from a national and global perspective. The content reflects only my views. The blog will be a work in progress, and the only thing that is certain is that it will change over time. For the moment, the comment feature has been disabled. If you have any suggestions or know of significant relevant developments, please email me. Above all, I hope you find this blog useful.
Lecture and discussion in The Hague: assessing dev...
Army Times article on Response Systems Panel meeti...
A criminal record for a simple disciplinary offenc...
MSNBC Show on Military Justice Reform, 1:00 p.m., ...
Actual and perceived independence of military judg...
Open Justice: Must the Names of Soldiers Acquitted...
Asian Human Rights Commission Statement on Impunit...
Where Should This Case be Tried: Court-Martial or ...
Report to the General Assembly by Special Rapporte...
Department of Unfinished Business: Military Judici...
Welcome to the Global Military Justice Reform blog...
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Tag: Buster Douglas
Entertainment, Movies, Sports August 2, 2014
Jamie Foxx to Play Mike Tyson in New Film
Having already played the corner man to one of the greatest boxers of all-time in “Ali” starring Will Smith, Jamie Foxx looks ready to get back in the ring and take on the lead role to portray one of the most recognizable boxers and sports figures of this generation.
Foxx is attached to play Mike Tyson in an untitled biopic that Terence Winter (“Wolf of Wall Street”, “Sopranos”, “Boardwalk Empire”) is set to script. Rick Yorn, who is Foxx’s manager, will produce the movie.
As one of the most polarizing figures in sports, producers are eager to tackle Tyson’s life story. Known for the power and ferocity he displayed in the ring, Tyson became not just the top boxer at the end of the ’80s but one of the most popular sports figures, with a rough around-the-edges personality he displayed both in and out of the ring.
After losing his heavyweight title in 1990 following the upset loss to Buster Douglas, Tyson’s life began to spin out of control, including a six-year stint in prison after being found guilty of rape. Tyson returned to boxing but never quite returned to form, and became more known for his losses to Evander Holyfied (a match which made headlines when Tyson bit off part of Holyfield’s ear) and Lennox Lewis.
After leaving boxing in 2005, Tyson still had hurdles to overcome, such as his 2003 bankruptcy and the death of his young daughter. In recent years, he has kept out of trouble.
He premiered a one-man show in Vegas in 2012 that he later took to Broadway with the help of Spike Lee and released a memoir “Undisputed Truth” that made the New York Times bestseller list.
Though it’s unknown exactly which parts of Tyson’s life Winter will focus on, he has plenty of material to cover over the past 30 years. HBO tackled the story before with the 1995 pic “Tyson” starring Michael Jai White, but no one has tried to adapt his story as a feature film, though boxing is a popular sport for films.
Foxx played Dwight “Bundini” Brown in “Ali” and also cocky quarterback Willie Beamen in Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday.” Winter, on the other hand, is no stranger to taking on controversial figures after receiving an Oscar nom for adaptation on Wall Street bad boy Jordan Belfort’s life in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
Foxx can be seen next in Sony’s reboot of “Annie.” He is repped by CAA and LBI Entertainment. Winter is repped by CAA and is currently working on the final season of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.”
article by Justin Kroll via Variety.com
Filed under: "Ali", "Annie", "Undisputed Truth", African-American heavyweight champion, Buster Douglas, Daddy Warbucks, Dwight “Bundini” Brown, heavyweight boxing champ, Jamie Foxx, Mike Tyson, Rick Yorn, Spike Lee, Terence Winter, Will Smith
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Birmingham District
Currency (clear)
GBP (28)
£0 - £500 (0) £500 - £1,000 (0) £1,000 - £5,000 (1) £5,000 - £10,000 (0) £10,000 - £50,000 (8) £50,000 - £100,000 (6) £100,000 - £500,000 (5) £1,000,000 - £10,000,000 (7) £10,000,000 + (0) See Less
West Midlands (28)
Birmingham District (28) Bromsgrove District (2)
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The Big Lottery Fund (28)
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Birmingham City Council (26) Sutton Coldfield Young Mens Christian Association (21) Sport 4 Life UK (14) See More
Greet Primary Infant & Junior - Drainage, Levelling and Re-turfing of Field 19 Apr 2004
The project will take place at Greet Primary & Infant School, Sparkhill, Birmingham, and it will provide a new sub-soil drainage, levelling and re-turfing of the school's existing playing field.
Funder: The Big Lottery Fund
Recipient: Birmingham City Council
Turves Green Boys and Turves Green Girls- 4 Court Sports Hall and Dance Stu 06 Sep 2004
This project will provide a four-court sports hall, a fitness suite, a dance studio, two changing rooms, toilets, showers and reception facilities. The sports hall will be use for netball, hockey, badminton, basketball, volleyball and five-a-side football. The school aims to increase its extra-curricular activities and will benefit 670 Turves Green students, 1,000 other school pupils and 700 community users.
Amount: £1,793,283
Baverstock Specialist Sports College - Modernisation of Upper Level Hall 15 Nov 2004
Birmingham LEA will modernise the small upper level hall at Baverstock Specialist Sports College by providing new flooring and a wheelchair lift, which will encourage increased participation in a wide range of physical activities. The improved facility will benefit the school's 2412 pupils, 80 pupils from the cluster of feeder schools and up to 100 visits from the community.
St. Peters RC Junior and Infant School - New Multi Use Games Area 15 Nov 2004
Birmingham LEA will provide a multi use games area to increase its area of outdoor provision at St Peters Catholic Primary School. The facility will enable the school to deliver the aims to provide after school clubs, develop mini-tennis and build further links with the community. The project will benefit 200 school pupils, 200 other school pupils and 140 community visits.
Bartley Green Tech College -Extention of Two to Three Netball/Tennis Courts 15 Nov 2004
Birmingham LEA will modernise and extend an existing tarmac area into three netball and tennis courts, plus fencing. The facility will complement and extend the range of sports available to school aged and older community members. Beneficiaries will be 400 pupils from the school, 1000 pupils from other schools and 5000 community visits.
Dame Elizabeth Cadbury Tech Coll 4 Court Hall, Changing & Multi-activity R 15 Nov 2004
Birmingham LEA will construct a new 4 court sports hall with changing facilities, multi-activity room and additional parking at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury Technology College. It will enable the school to deliver quality PE per week within and beyond the curriculum in a wider range of activities, such as basketball, cricket and badminton. The new facility will benefit the school's 680 pupils, 800 from partner schools and up to 520 community visits per week.
Reminiscence events 27 Oct 2004
A project to commemorate the events of WW2 with the provision of a re-enactment and opportunities to reminiscence for the benefit of this community based in Shard End, Birmingham.
Amount: £2,000
Holte School - sports hall, changing and ancillary accommodation 14 Feb 2005
Birmingham LEA will use funding to build a four-court sports hall, new changing rooms and additional accommodation at the school in the Lozells area of Birmingham. The new facility will improve facilities for badminton, table tennis, and indoor cricket. Beneficiaries include the 1050 pupils at the school, 400 pupils from other schools and 1900 community visitors.
Clifton Road Youth Centre - New Outdoor Education Centre 13 Dec 2004
Birmingham's LEA will construct a new Outdoor Education Centre including 2 training rooms, changing facilities and a lift above the Clifton Road Youth Centre.
Birmingham VE Day Celebrations 27 Apr 2005
A project to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of WW2 with the provision of a series of exhbitions and displays based on life during that period for the benefit of the people of Birmingham.
Eastside City Park: A Landmark For The Future 23 Aug 2006
Project: The Eastside City Park: A Landmark for the Future Location: East Birmingham The Eastside City Park will be a project that through an unprecedented combination of architecture, monumental sculpture and landscape design will redefine the concept of a city park, a first for the UK and be the first entirely new City Park in Birmingham. A previously declining area of the City will be recreated as a place of great beauty, a place for meeting, activity, relaxation and contemplation.
Anderton Park School - Playground Markings 18 Oct 2004
Four separate playground areas at Anderton Park School will get a major overhaul as a result of the programme. The funding will be used to improve PE and sport provision for the 710 students that use the facilities each year. The grounds are used for a multitude of sports including football, hockey, volleyball, cricket, basketball and netball.
St Georges CE Primary - New Grass Zoned MUG Sports and Adventure Area 06 Sep 2004
This project in Ladywood, Birmingham will see a new multi-use games, sport and adventure area. It will offer activities both inside and outside the curriculum including football, basketball, tennis, tag rugby, cricket, athletics and orienteering. Beneficiaries will include 200 of the school's own pupils, 35 parents and 125 other school users from a range of faiths and cultures.
Stockland Green School - Dance Studio and Fitness Suite 06 Sep 2004
This project will build a dance studio and fitness suite. The aim is to increase the variety and quality of sports and PE that will be offered at the school. Standards will be improved, there will be more varied dance styles taught and performed and individual fitness levels will rise. The beneficiaries will be 600 pupils at the school and 1,000 pupils from other schools. There will also be 400 community visits.
Birmingham Play Portfolio 27 Nov 2007
The Birmingham Play Portfolio will provide new, accessible, inclusive and quality play provision across the city. The portfolio will address the gaps in provision and address the play needs of children and young people across the city's 10 constituencies, identified through the Birmingham Play Strategy and the consultation carried out in support of it. It is estimated that 60,000 children and young people across the city will benefit.
Tindal Primary School - Playground Modernisation 15 Nov 2004
Birmingham LEA will enhance an existing playground with markings for cricket, basketball, netball and football and static equipment for cricket, basketball and netball. The aim is to improve health, skills and provide sports leadership training. Beneficiaries will be 406 pupils at the school, 250 pupils from other schools, 240 community visits per annum.
Children in Care Payment by Results Contract 31 Oct 2014
Acocks Green Infant and Junior School - New Playing Field and Drainage 06 Sep 2004
This project will develop a disused area into a grass playing field. It will enable better delivery of the curriculum and increase PE hours. The field will offer better opportunities for children with dyspraxia and associated difficulties to support social inclusion work. It will offer a wide range of activities such as football, PE, athletics, cricket, rounders and hockey. Some 500 pupils, 50 other school users and 150 community uses will benefit from the new field.
Holy Trinity Catholic School - 2 New Floodlit Multi Use Games Areas 18 Oct 2004
Holy Trinity Catholic School will gain two new state-of-the-art multi-use games areas due to lottery funding. The programme will increase opportunities for students to take part in extra-curricular activities, such as football and tennis. They will now be able to receive an improved standard of physical education in a complementary environment. The new facility will benefit the school's 620 pupils, plus 250 pupils from adjacent schools and members of the wider community.
St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School - Playground Development 15 Nov 2004
Birmingham LEA will resurface and mark two existing playgrounds of irregular shape. The markings will allow athletics, rounders, football, volleyball and informal lunchtime games to be played. The project will benefit 185 pupils, 150 pupils from partner schools and 25 children per week who will attend after school clubs.
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More than Just For Pregnancies
Ultrasounds are most commonly associated with helping expectant mothers-to-be see their precious unborn babies. For most pregnant women, an ultrasound, also known as a sonogram, is the first glimpse of their child. For doctors and medical staff, ultrasounds play a critical role in monitoring the development of an unborn fetus and can help them visualize, identify, and diagnose many potential complications well before birth.
Ultrasound technology has much broader and greater applications than for just pregnancy. They can also be used to visualize, monitor, and image other vital parts of the body as well.
"Ultrasounds record images in real-time. By digitally recording a series of ultrasounds digitally, doctors and patients can better visualize changes over time within the body."
--- DR. CRISTIN DICKERSON, MD
What is an Ultrasound?
An ultrasound is a medical imaging procedure that utilizes sound waves to create an image of a person’s internal organs and anatomical structures. Ultrasound devices emit high-frequency sound waves, which are not discernible to the human ear, through a transducer which is set on a patient’s skin. The sound waves travel through the patient’s body and bounce off of internal organs and structures. Returning echoes are then translated into an on-screen image for the doctor and patient to see.
Ultrasounds record images in real-time. By digitally recording a series of ultrasounds digitally, doctors and patients can better visualize changes over time within the body.
What is the Ultrasound Procedure Process?
Each ultrasound procedure will progress differently and may require differing preliminary preparation depending on the organ or internal tissues to be examined. Some ultrasounds may need a general fast 8 hours prior while others may require significant liquid intake and a full bladder. Consult with the imaging clinic (i.e., Green Imaging) in charge before undergoing the procedure.
Typically, the first step in an ultrasound procedure is for the patient to remove their clothing, including jewelry and shoes, and change into a medical gown. Then, depending on the procedure, a patient may be asked to either lie down or sit in a private examination room. For surface-based ultrasounds and sonograms, a conductive gel may be applied at a location on the skin nearest the target area to help facilitate transmission of sound waves throughout the body. The technician or medical professional in charge then places a transducer on the skin. Sometimes, a wand may be used for specific applications. As echo waves from the transducer pass through the body, images are produced which are, in turn, sent to a radiologist for interpretation. The procedure is now complete, and the patient is free to change back into their regular clothing.
What Are The Different Types of Ultrasounds?
Doppler Ultrasound
A Doppler ultrasound, often times simply referred to as a doppler, is a particular type of ultrasound used to evaluate blood flow in and around various organs and parts of the body. It produces valuable audio and visual data that can be easily graphed and quantified in other ways to help doctors evaluate and diagnose their patients. Dopplers are particularly useful for detecting the presence of dangerous blood clots, or the presence of deep vein thrombosis in susceptible patients and for diagnosing significant narrowing or dilatation of blood vessels.
Transrectal Ultrasound (TRUS)
A transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) is a diagnostic procedure utilizing an ultrasound probe to image the prostate gland and the surrounding tissue. The probe sends and receives sound waves and echoes through the rectal wall into the adjacent prostate gland.
Echocardiograms
Also known as an echocardiography, an echocardiogram is a diagnostic cardiac ultrasound used to visualize the heart. Echoes are used to create pictures and videos via a transducer, of your heart’s chambers, valves, walls and the blood vessels in motion.
Transesophageal Echocardiogram
Sometimes a standard echocardiogram cannot produce images of adequate fidelity of the upper chambers of a patient’s heart. In this situation, a transesophageal echocardiogram. What this means is that the echo transducer is inserted into a patient’s esophagus to get a clearer picture of the heart’s muscle and chambers, valves and outer lining (pericardium).
Bone Sonogram
As the name implies, a bone sonogram is an ultrasound designed to image a patient’s bone structures and is most useful in helping doctors identify signs of osteoporosis. Unlike a traditional x-ray, which is also very useful for visualizing bone structures, a bone sonogram does not produce radiation.
Transvaginal Ultrasound
A transvaginal ultrasound, also known as a female pelvic ultrasound, relies on a transducer wand which is inserted into the vagina to produce diagnostic images of the uterus, ovaries, and other reproductive structures.
Unlike a traditional ultrasound which produces a 2D image, a 3D sonogram can create a live 3D representation of a baby within the mother’s womb. 3D ultrasounds can also make diagnosing specific birth defects such as cleft palate, easier.
4D ultrasounds produce a series of 3D sonogram images over time to create a video.
Why You Might Need an Ultrasound
Generally, ultrasounds are used to image or visualize soft tissues within the body. These can be anything from a fetus and gestational sac to the large veins in a patient’s legs. Common reasons to undergo an ultrasound procedure include pregnancy and evaluations of other internal organs for damage or disease such as abdomen, pancreas, kidney, and heart. Another significant use of ultrasounds is for detecting blood clots and other disorders involving the arteries and veins.
Ultrasound Safety
Ultrasounds are non-invasive, generally painless, and incredibly safe. Unlike traditional x-rays and CT scans, ultrasound procedures do not produce or emit radiation. Nor do most require the injection of dyes or other contrast agents necessary for some MRIs. Ultrasounds are also widely available and usually less expensive than other imaging techniques.
The Green Imaging Difference
Choosing the right diagnostic exam for you takes a little time, patience, and research. Green Imaging can help. At Green Imaging, we are all about transparency and affordability. With Green Imaging you can save between 50 and 80% of your out-of-pocket costs for MRI, CT, ultrasounds, and other high-quality imaging services. Affordable MRIs start for as low as $250, compared with $1,600 at other imaging facilities in the Houston area.
Don’t pay secret rates for a diagnostic imaging exam. Go Green Imaging instead!
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Realising the vision for a UK Green New Deal
11 years after the concept first emerged, with Greens at the heart of its conception in the UK, what is the Green New Deal and how can we make it a reality? A panel at the Green Party’s Spring Conference explored the issues – Aditi Bhonagiri reports.
Aditi Bhonagiri
Every day, the Green New Deal (GND) is finding more purchase in the mainstream political agenda in the US and the UK.
The term is purposefully reminiscent of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’ of the 1930s, which oversaw substantial investment in jobs and public infrastructure and created social and economic reforms to pull the US out of the Great Depression. Here in the UK, the idea had its origins in the 2008 financial crisis. The Greens were at the heart of its conception and today, even more so, need to be a major driving force, in our collective efforts to co-construct the movement around it and push for a radical vision of equality and fairness.
In early 2007 the Green New Deal Group of nine finance, energy and environment experts, including MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas, was set up to brainstorm solutions to the ‘triple crunch’ or interrelated crisis of credit-fuelled finance, volatile energy prices underpinned by encroaching peak oil and accelerating climate change. The group’s report in July 2008 was based on three main elements:
An environmental transformation of the economy, with massive investments in the renewable energy sector and green infrastructure that will oversee the creation of thousands of green-collar jobs;
Reigning in the reckless activity of the finance sector while creating access to low-cost capital to finance UK’s green economic shift; and
Building a new alliance between environmentalists, industry, agriculture and unions to put the interest of the green economy first, instead of one that is dictated by footloose finance.
The concept of the GND found wider support in 2009, when the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) proposed a Global Green New Deal, calling on OECD and G20 countries in particular to allocate stimulus funding to green sectors and reduce their carbon dependency.
11 years on, the idea has been re-energised by the unstoppable US Democrat Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who backed the Sunrise Movement’s call for a GND in the US, and has found momentum through civil disobedience movements like Extinction Rebellion and global Youth Climate Strikes.
Image: Morecambe Bay Community Renewables (MORE Renewables)
Investment in renewable energy industries will provide much needed 'green-collar' jobs
A Green vision for a GND
A panel at the Green Party Conference in Scarborough this month reflected on the lost decade, but mostly looked ahead at how we can seize the opportunity to revolutionise a Green economy.
The panel was chaired by Caroline Lucas and included three speakers representing diverse viewpoints: Andrew Pendleton (Director of Policy and Advocacy at the New Economic Foundation), Fatima Ibrahim (climate activist, campaigner and commissioner at the Institute of Public Policy Research Environmental Justice Commission) and Anna Vickerstaff, senior UK campaigner at 350.org.
Lucas outlined the existing basic tenants of the Green vision for a GND:
Restoration of the natural environment needs to be at the core of its efforts to address the devastation to wildlife and habitat since World War II;
Efforts need to be international but also intersectional and intergenerational, because it’s the poorest people in the UK and the Global South that will bear the brunt of the climate breakdown, and it’s the younger generations who will pay the price for the current generation's throwaway economy; and
We need to end our obsession with economic growth and create an ecologically literate economic paradigm not dictated by output indicators like GDP.
Tackling the new ‘triple crunch’ crisis: An acid test for the GND
Pendleton updated the ‘triple crunch’ concept from the 2008 report to include the economic crisis intensified by austerity, the growing climate and ecological crisis, and the political crisis that has developed as a response to the financial crisis of a decade ago.
According to calculations by the New Economics Foundation, the austerity programme cost £100 billion last year alone, so considering its cumulative cost, the investment required to fund the Green economy is not far off the mark from what the UK economy has lost in the past decade because of austerity.
The GND is not just an abstract concept: it has the potential to provide practical solutions to the myriad of problems affecting people’s lives, in the here and now. For example, the ailing manufacturing sector is about to witness yet another round of decimation not only as a result of Brexit but also because of the economic model we’re tied into.
“The economies of whole towns are at stake,” warned Pendleton. The GND can help invest in places and communities suffering from the process of deindustrialisation, political short-sightedness and injustice. Look at the predicted collapse of the Scunthorpe British Steel plant, for instance. According to Pendleton, under the GND, the plant can be salvaged and the steel manufacturing process made much cleaner, if half of the furnaces – currently fired by fossil fuels – are made electric and powered by renewable energy.
Similarly, on the issue of the ongoing housing affordability crisis, Shelter’s Social Housing Commission reports that 3.1 million new social homes need to be created between now and 2030. “These homes have to be zero carbon and include on-site renewables for their energy supplies”, urged Pendleton.
Galvanising a GND from the grassroots: Essential ingredients
What was missing from the early efforts to implement a GND, 11 years ago, was grassroots support, especially from young people, to push for change. Vickerstaff, one of the organisers of the 'Trump baby' blimp that has been flown at multiple protests, said: “We can’t sit back and allow government and global organisations to deliver the massive change that we need. It’s up to us as people and as a movement to shift the balance of power and force action on every level.”
Image: Julia Hawkins / Flickr / cc by 2.0
Extinction Rebellion protests have heightened calls for systematic change to avert climate chaos
Along with Ibrahim, Vickerstaff offered some of the essential elements of movement-building and local organising for a GND:
1. A visionary narrative harnessing the power of storytelling
Big ideas mobilise people, this is why we need to focus on a clear vision with bold measures for a future based on abundance rather than a scarcity perspective.
Historically, in the UK, local community organising about environmental issues has been about saying ‘no’, whether it is about fracking, coal-mining, airport expansion and more. According to Vickerstaff, this kind of campaigning means that all of these causes exist in isolation because we are pushing back against very specific policies or infrastructures.
In contrast, the GND is an opportunity to say ‘yes’ to something and to work together to create a vision of how the needs of all people can be met, at local, national and global levels. It needs to be more than a campaign, it needs to be a social movement.
Realising a GND in the UK will require the power of the people to push decision-makers into action
2. Intersectionality and justice
Ibrahim has been at the forefront of global climate activism for the last 10 years, since she was 15 years old. When she participated in her first youth climate strike, she noted the young protesters came from diverse social, ethnic and religious backgrounds. What struck her most was that they were talking about interconnectedness both to the planet and with each other – they were also talking about the historical responsibility of developed economies towards countries in the Global South. Never before have such solid attempts been made to harmonise climate action with climate justice.
As a local grassroots organiser, Vickerstaff noted that national-level climate solutions are crippling local communities, whether it’s the UK government overturning local democracy in Lancashire to approve fracking as a false climate solution, or the fuel-tax as a climate solution proposed by President Macron in France, which will disproportionately affect rural populations and those living on the margins.
Without intersectionality, the GND will fail, because it will silence and marginalise working class and ethnic minority communities from climate spaces and their struggles will be considered secondary to the climate, when actually they are all interconnected. Focusing on solidarity, shared roots and ownership and the courage to have difficult conversations ensures that we don’t perpetuate the injustices that we don’t see and the solutions that don’t work.
It’s the poorest people in the UK and the Global South that will bear the brunt of the climate breakdown
3. Learning from existing movements
The GND intersects with a number of existing movements so there’s a great opportunity to collaborate and learn from each other. Vickerstaff spoke about lessons to be learnt from the Sunrise Movement that has been campaigning for a GND in the US. This youth-led political movement was born out of a fossil fuel divestment campaign led by a small group of students, organising around climate action at a local level – by making tangible and achievable demands to stop universities investing in global fossil fuel projects.
One of the reasons the GND struck a chord in the US was because it directly spoke to the demands of the American people who ranked the economy and jobs above climate and the environment – the GND is not about offering a choice between them.
The way forward: Getting involved
What is quite clear is that realising a GND in the UK will require the power of the people to push decision-makers into action; the government declaring a ‘climate emergency’ is a pertinent example of that. We won’t have all the answers to policy recommendations, but we shouldn’t feel powerless in the face of an existential crisis – we just need confidence in the collective power of communities and the belief that those communities deserve better.
MPs launch bid for Green New Deal
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new york state history
Travel – Harriet Tubman – William Seward Statue, Schenectady, NY
Statue of Harriet Tubman and William Seward installed at the Schenectady (New York) Public Library. Dedication May 17, 2019. (c)2019
Attending the dedication and unveiling of this new statue was an incredibly moving and surprisingly learning experience. I thought I knew who Harriet Tubman was and her place in history, but in listening to the speakers, the experts in African-American history and the history of Harriet Tubman in particular, I was more than a little surprised at how insufficient my knowledge of Harriet Tubman was. My knowledge was merely on the periphery, and lacked a more indepth substance of her life and who she really was. I was pleased to have had the opportunity to impart this new found information on someone at the statue the following day.
Unless we’ve taken electives in high school or college that focus on the African-American experience, much of this substance is missing. I knew the basics. My daughter is currently studying for her seventh grade finals which include the Civil War, and I don’t think that Harriet Tubman is included much beyond those bare facts that I remembered. Her knowledge (and mine prior to this event) could fit into a thimble.
This would be a travesty in any study on the plight of the slaves, but it is even more so in my home state of New York, where Harriet Tubman eventually made her home.
Put simply, her life was a miracle. She was born on a Maryland plantation where her parents were slaves and where she was forced to work as well as being loaned out. She was named Araminta and called Minty. He didn’t change her name to Harriet until later on in her life, naming herself after her mother.
She was hit on the head by a large object by a slave owner in town. She was unconscious and bleeding, and it is believed that she sustained a concussion. From that time on, she would involuntarily fall asleep at all sorts of unpredictable times. She also had dreams and visions that she took as signs from G-d, calling them revelations. He guided her and she her people to the promised land of the North. She was often referred to as Moses because of her embracing of the Bible’s Exodus story.
Timeline of Harriet Tubman
She was illiterate, and never learned to read or write. I think that her statute outside a public library is such a testament to how far you can come and who you can be when you use whatever skills you have.
She made thirteen trips back and forth to get slaves north, her final rescue in 1860. Because of the Fugitive Slave Act, she brought the slaves in her charge including her parents further north to Canada, to St. Catherine’s where they lived for a time but found it too cold.
One of the things I didn’t know was her role in the Civil War after her time with the Underground Railroad. She was a cook, a nurse, scout and a spy. She carried a pistol. She guided a raid that liberated seven hundred slaves at Combahee Ferry, and that was after helping John Brown plan and recruit for his Harpers Ferry raid. Despite her service for the Union Army, she didn’t receive a government pension until 1899. She was also involved in women’s suffrage with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
She was unstoppable.
Harriet Tubman Historical Society
Harriet Tubman in Auburn, New York, 1911. Public Domain. (c)2019
William Seward, in addition to buying Alaska, was the governor of New York and the Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln. On the night of Lincoln’s assassination, he was also attacked as part of the same plot, and stabbed several times, but survived the attempted assassination and brutal assault.
He was an early abolitionist and provided monies for their works including the Stephen and Harriet Myers home in Albany, NY.
He and Harriet Tubman became close friends. Seward sold Harriet land in Auburn, New York where she settled and moved her parents there when it was relatively safe and St. Catherine’s became too cold. I’m not sure they found the Upstate New York climate much warmer than southern Canada. The land she owned became a refuge for her family and other former slaves. She sold some of it for the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and founded a home for the aged for African-Americans. She lived there until her death in 1913. She was buried in Auburn with semi-military honors.
She and Seward had become so close that she trusted he and his family to care for her niece while she continued her work as conductor on the Underground Railroad and her Union Army service, although the girl may have actually been Harriet’s daughter.
It was this friendship that formed the inspiration for the statue at the Schenectady Public Library.
Video of the Dedication
L-R, Top to Bottom: 1/2. Two views of Tubman-Seward Statue, 3. The three men who worked tirelessly to make this project happen, 4. Rev. Paul G. Carter, former pastor at the AME Zion Church in Auburn, NY, 5. Rev. Paul G. Carter, his wife and the sculptor with the statue, 6. The plaque on the statue, 7. Historian Marsha Mortimore with the statue.
Tags abolition, african-american history, american hero, auburn, civil war, harriet tubman, history, new York, new york state history, schenectady, slavery, statue, travel, underground railroad, week 25/19, william seward
Sybil Ludington’s Ride
Sybil Ludington postage stamp, USPS, public domain. (c)2019
We all know Paul Revere and we practically take the Longfellow poem as historical fact and we pass our elementary social studies exams and move on, probably never thinking about the rest of the country during The Revolutionary War. Several years ago I read a novel by former President Jimmy Carter that centered on Georgia during the Revolution. It was eye-opening in that I never considered the part of the colonies further south than Virginia. As a New Yorker, I am both excited but also sad that it took this long into adulthood before I even heard her name and then to discover a new Revolutionary hero from right here in New York: Sybil Ludington.
She wasn’t very widely known outside of her home areas around Kent and Patterson, New York.
On April 26, 1777 (two hundred forty-two years ago today), at age 16, Sybil rode her horse, Star to alert the Revolutionary militia forces in Putnam County, New York and as far as Danbury, Connecticut. Her ride was more than twice the distance of that than Paul Revere, longer than any of the other men to have made similar rides. She began at around 9pm, and rode forty miles in darkness until about dawn.
Her father was Colonel Henry Ludington and Sybil’s intention was to warn her father’s troops. It was believed that Danbury was targeted because they had a Continental Army supply depot there. At home, she also thwarted a royalist from capturing her father and turning him over to the British.
A statue of her on her horse depicting the ride is erected in Carmel, New York. That statue is also the ending place of a yearly 50K footrace that approximately follows her historic ride.
She is buried in Patterson, NY and has had her ride commemorated on a postage stamp in 1975.
Learn more here:
Historic Patterson
Sybil Ludington’s Statue in Carmel, NY
Tags history, new york state, new york state history, revolutionary war, sybil ludington, the british are coming, week 17/19, women's history
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Night Fishing (2011)
October 19, 2018 Tatsuya Goto
Night Fishing (파란만장, or Paranmanjang, which literally means: 'Ups and Downs’, or better interpreted as ’An Eventful Life’ in the context of the film) is a short film written, produced and directed by PARKing CHANce, a team of brothers, Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyong. It won the Golden Bear for the Short Film at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival and solidified Park Chan-wook’s critical standing as one of the most original directors of his generation. Whilst a certain technical aspect of the direction did much to distract from the creative feat achieved by this movie at the time of release (the entire film was shot by iPhone 4), we now have a sufficient distance from the hype originated from such a technical ‘novelty’ and thus are in a better position to assess their achievement with this film. Night Fishing shows that a short film should not be judged as a smaller and cheaper version of a feature film: in its best form, a short film can eliminate temptations to develop superfluous side plots or characters, and crystallise what it is that a director wants to express without being reductive. Since I have already reviewed exemplary films such as Freckles and The Dam Keeper, I shall digress from further elaborating on what a great short film can generally achieve. I might also add that an even shorter format, namely music videos, can achieve a great aesthetic and critical/philosophical sophistication (see my reviews of I’m Afraid of Americans and Love Is Lost). These instances show that, because of its restrictions, a shorter format could bring a greater focus and an opportunity to experiment in a way that is not usually possible for a feature-length movie: shorter running time can force a greater focus to the subject expressed; and the briefness can allow an aesthetic experiment to define the entire film, instead of inserting flashes of brilliant insights which could disrupt the aesthetic and conceptual integrity of a cinema. That being acknowledged, Night Fishing is truly one of a kind in regard to the subject and the way it is expressed.
Night Fishing begins with an ominous undertone. The shot of an abandoned winter farmland impresses the sense of inconsolable desolation. At a glance one could tell that something went seriously wrong and brought an untimely end to a life once flourished in this place. Admirably, the cinema is devoid of sentimentalism; it is dominated by a deep sense of loss, yet there is a strange sense of detachment to it, as if one is looking into the world through a magnifying glass, albeit an ancient one found at an abandoned house. Then, out of the blue, a traditional Korean ceremonial hat flies over the wasteland. A group of oddly dressed characters, a bearded quartet in black to be precise, appears against the wintry skyline: their presence reminds us of one of the most iconic images in the history of cinema, that is, the closing scene of The Seventh Seal wherein dance of the dead is seen against the empty heaven. Then, suddenly, a portrait of a Korean deity momentarily appears in the sky. The use of this image at this juncture is purposeful yet perplexing, especially for someone who is unfamiliar with religious practices in Korea. Yet, given the overall impression of the film so far, it is abundantly clear that this seeming strangeness is not for a superficial satire as seen in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). In fact, the use of this image represents a rarely discussed aspect of Park’s work, the subject which must be examined later in this article. Following this startling moment, the black clad quartet reappears. They begin to perform a mournful song about a failed marriage: the narrator’s ex tells him that her husband is bankrupt, and she is divorcing him. Why she tells him this now over a drink is anyone’s guess, yet there is an unmistakable sexual tension, the mixture of allure and unresolved resentment, and an irresistible pull of desire and a sense of abjection felt in advance for its fulfilment. The performance is eerily comical yet strangely urgent; it is at once darkly intense and self-consciously unhinged.
Then, the film transposes to the main story; a man in a baseball cap (Oh Kee-seok) softly continues the song and approaches the river bank in the cold evening light. He comes to a spot and sets up several fishing rods to begin his nightly toil. The radio station blares out yet another song about an unrequited love. As the film follows the benign routine of a recreational fisherman, a sense of sorrowful disquiet progressively deepens. When the music switches to what sounds like a traditional song, the protagonist stops cutting a freshwater fish with a knife and appears to introspect for a moment: he vaguely senses that something is amiss. He appears to realise that he cannot remember something critically important. Yet the moment of reflection is all too brief; he goes back to his spot and waits for another catch. It is already dusk, and the sky is strangely tranquil. Then, suddenly, we are thrown into a ghostly monochrome landscape at the dead of night. As the man relieves himself in the bank, the icy sense of dread begins to take hold. With grainy monochrome frames popularised by The Blair Witch Project (1999), it certainly raises viewers’ anticipation. Still, what awaits the protagonist in the following sequence will take your breath away. Upon hearing the bells attached to a fishing rod ringing, the man rushes to retrieve his prey. It soon becomes clear that the catch is not an ordinary one. He heaves with its weight and struggles to keep his bearing on the muddy shore of the black river. He staggers and stumps over the rest of fishing rods, and, upon pulling his catch out of water, an ordinary little fish swings around his ankle and entangles his legs, causing the man to slip and fall onto the mud. Then, suddenly, he lets out a fearful scream. At the end of the hook lies a maiden in white with a porcelain face and long raven hair (Lee Jung-hyun) instead of a common freshwater fish. This metamorphosis signals a radical turn of the narrative: we suddenly find ourselves in a twilight zone between life and death.
Whilst the anticipation is steadily raised through these developments, what follows them from this point on is truly astounding. It turns out that the ‘dead woman’ is not dead at all. She is in fact a shaman who has come to contact the fisherman who met his demise by venturing a night fishing despite a heavy weather warning. She has come to guide his soul from this mortal coil. To this end, she reminds him of the fact that he is deceased. Once he realises it, the screen suddenly blasts with an incredible explosion of sound and vision; we are shocked to find ourselves in the midst of a traditional Korean ritual wherein a colourfully attired shaman performs a rite and readies the dead to open his chest to loved ones for one last time so that he may rest in peace. The shaman, by speaking for the dead, enables to create the last opportunity of reconciliation through a dramatic catharsis. Only by completing this process through a shaman, the dead could be prepared to state his final wish and leave this world for good. Lee Jung-hyun, an internationally renowned K-pop singer, brings an absorbing performance that haunts our days and nights. Lee’s ability to flawlessly embody several distinct characters as a shaman inspires an awe. She plays: a dead woman, a ghost, the dead man’s daughter, the spirit of the dead fisherman, and a shaman who performs a rite of departure. From a beautiful corpse to a strangely homely yet terrifying ghost woman, then to a crying child missing her dead father, Lee makes a series of seamless transitions which surely spooks the viewers. Yet, in her capacity as a shaman who facilitates a reconciliation between the dead and the living, Lee brings a forgotten dramaturgy in front of us; like in Ancient Greek dramas wherein the fate of mortals are determined by divine interventions, Night Fishing embraces a mythical territory without reservation. It is remarkable to witness the revival of ancient shamanistic tradition in modern Korea which is one of the most advanced industrial nations today. Whilst it is easy to brush this subject aside by rendering it a cultural curiosity, it is important to question Park’s intention in telling a story of life and death through this religious practice native to Korea, for religion is featured in a few high-profile films of Korean New Wave Cinema such as The Wailing (Na Hong-jin, 2016) and Thirst (Park Chan-wook, 2009). To this end, I shall present the outline of religion in South Korea.
Although South Korea has developed into one of the most advanced industrial nations in the world and their products such as smartphones and automobiles have become household names, its population remains largely religious: according to a 2012 survey, atheists consist of only 15% of population. Given the persistent popularity of native shamanistic practice called Sindo, which is believed by the most of the ‘non-affiliated’ (about 56% of the population), it is safe to say that this ancient religion is still an integral part of South Korean Geist. Curiously, this vastly popular religion is categorised as religiously ‘non-affiliated’ group of population. It suggests that Sindo, despite its long history and popularity, is not officially recognised as a proper religion in South Korea. This lack of recognition is nothing new: despite its enduring support amongst the populace, Sindo has never enjoyed the official endorsement of the power-that-be. The first major religion that ruled over Sindo was Buddhism. Introduced by Chinese in 372 to the northern kingdom of Goguryeo, Buddhism became a political force before the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) suppressed it in favour of Neo-Confucianism. Under the Joseon reign, Buddhist temples were destroyed; monks and nuns were prohibited from entering towns and cities. As a result, Korean Buddhism lost much of its influence; currently about 15% of population is affiliated with it. Whilst Sindo also suffered marginalisation under the Joseon rule, its popularity has never waned: at the dawn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Koreans practiced it. Whilst there was a decline of its popularity in the early 20th century, it is still considered the most practiced religion in Korea. The aforementioned dip of Sindo's popularity in the early 20th century is due to the specific political circumstances of the time: Korea suffered 35 years of brutal Japanese rule (1910-1945) during which Japanese attempted to absorb Korean Sindo into their state religion, Shintō, in order to enforce the worship of Japanese emperor. During this national crisis, Koreans turned to Christianity, which established the stable base in the peninsula since the 18th century, as a means to resist the Japanese Anschluss of Korea. Whilst Christianity took an advantage of this trying period, its influence is waning since 2000, and Sindo still remains the most popular form of religion in Korea by a substantial margin: according to a 2015 survey, Christianity is practiced by about 27% of population; and 56% of population is non-affiliated. Given the number of atheists, this leaves just over 40% of Koreans practicing this ancient native religion today.
Then, we must ask at this point of our inquiry: Why Sindo, now? I think that there are two reasons why Park has given Sindo a prominent place in this cinema: firstly a reason which considers Korean cultural, not necessarily national, identity; and secondly a critical/philosophical reason which stems from the dissatisfaction in the modern Form of Life dictated by Industrial Materialism. Industrial Materialism is a term I use to define the Geist of Industrial Era which is present in all forms of industrially developed societies: whilst capitalism differs from socialism and communism regarding the means of regulating the distribution of power, these societies unanimously see the world as the aggregation of materials for the production of commodities in order to promote economic growth as a means to an end: domination. The most recent elaboration of this concept is quoted from my article on the Artificial Intelligence and the concept of humanity (Happy Birthday, David).
This kind of materialism must be traced back to the shift in metaphysics, namely, Descartes’ sharp distinction between Mind and Body. According to the French philosopher, Body denotes all material entities, not limited to the bodies of animated entities. Mind is a substance capable of mental activities such as thinking, and survives the destruction of individual bodies since they are separate entities. Mind is present only in God and humankind, hence, according to Descartes, animated entities other than humans must be considered ‘things’. Based on this understanding, the French philosopher famously declared: the cries of animals ‘in pain’ are in fact mere mechanical noises in reaction to certain stimuli. If Descartes is right, then, the shriek made by an animal who is about to be slaughtered is no different from the sound of a stone being ground, or the sound of a musical instrument played by a virtuoso. In this light, the world except humankind consists of mere materials which we are entitled to exploit in any way we can/want. Whilst Descartes’ instrumentalism is under certain restrictions, and by no means directly responsible for the brutality of Industrialism that followed, it came at a particular historical juncture wherein Europeans were about to move away from the restrictive measures imposed by ecclesiastical authorities and preparing themselves to embrace the crude reductionism represented by Industrial Revolution which rendered, yet again, humankind without capital as expendables. The eventual domination of Anglophone empiricism means that the crude materialism which has come to shape the Geist of Industrial Era destroyed the metaphysical ‘safety mechanism’ which, despite its destructiveness, unjustness and incorrectness, kept humankind’s ambitions in check. God was soon declared ‘dead’, and humans without capital became expendable entities ‘which’ fulfil given functions (in non-capitalist societies, states alone own capital; hence the officials of the states function as business owners in capitalist societies. The means of controlling the distribution of power may be the only difference between respective systems).
Whilst it appears moot to mention Park’s denouncement of Industrial Materialism, for anyone who takes the vocation such as artistic creation seriously must reject this Weltanschauung in the first place, it is how Park expresses his rejection of this most infectious Geist that demands our attention. Generally speaking, there are several ways to resist crude Materialism which reduces the world into an aggregation of inanimate objects. One might take a philosophical argument against it by advancing the notion of epistemological/linguistic limit inherent to a human agent, thereby denying the possibility of ‘knowing’ precisely the nature of the world in itself. This argument results in undermining the metaphysics which enabled the crude materialism: the mindless reduction of the world into inanimate objects cannot be justified on account of our constitutive inability to access immediate reality (If in doubt, read some credible writing on Bohr and Heisenberg such as: Heisenberg and the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics by Kristian Camilleri). One could also resist crude physical reductionism by stressing the critical importance of phenomenology as a necessary component of how we exist and operate in the world, and thus stressing the importance of subjectivity and intersubjectivity. Finally one may condemn the instrumentalism on ethical ground by arguing that each agent must be treated as an end in itself, not a mere means. Whilst there have been countless attempts to reject this dominant Geist intellectually, such efforts have had little effect in persuading general public to withhold its support of this distinctly modern Geist. The reasons for the lack of success for these intellectual effort to resist this Form of Life are manifold and too complex to discuss here: I shall limit myself by mentioning in passing some of the contributing factors such as cognitive dissonance, the abysmal appreciation of intellectual vocations amongst public and the lack of willingness amongst intelligentsia to broadly construe and redefine the Geist of modernity itself. Whatever the precise reasons of the failure of intellectual resistance against this dominant Weltanschauung, the fact remains: religion, whether traditionally established or newly entered the fray, has capitalised on the growing discontent and resentment against this Form of Life (as for the popular notion of ‘spirituality’, so long as a respective belief system involves some metaphysical notions to ‘justify’ and articulate their Weltanschauung, it must be regarded as a form of religion. When it lacks metaphysics, then it could be understood as a modern form of self-help. It rarely is properly undertaken as a conscious aesthetic/philosophical praxis).
Naturally the problem with religion as means of ‘resistance’ is: it betrays its letters of intent. Religion, to all intents and purposes, has always been a tool of mass control: it is an effective way to write, rewrite and maintain the story of ‘people’. With its ability to manipulate the story/history of any given Geist, it is still an effective way to restrain/mobilise the masses. In this precise sense religion is a direct ancestor of modern political propaganda. Yet, despite its power over the masses, religious beliefs themselves cannot sustainably attain its ultimate end, that is, domination, without having access to material resources. Hence all religious practices inevitably establish some forms of institutions which are the pretext to the ‘synthesis’ between ’spiritual’ authority and the executive one. The common scheme is that the former affirms the legitimacy for the latter to rule, and the latter protects the material security of the former. Whilst the first half of the 20th Century saw the sharp decline of religious authority which conceded much of its function to political ideologies, it was brought back in business in the latter half of the 20th Century. Whilst the landscape of power has seen many changes since the beginning of modernity, the fundamental mechanism of governance has remained the same: in order to attain/maintain domination, a power-that-be must secure the means to control the masses. To this end, it must obtain two kinds of authorities: ‘spiritual’ and executive. This resulted in a curious case of contradiction which is specific to modern industrial era: the pious embraces science conditionally. They reject scientific world-view yet embrace its by-products, that is, technology and engineering. So long as science serves their end, the religious embraces modern science whose fundamental principle rejects metaphysics on which the legitimacy of a given religious belief system rests. Despite their rejection of science on metaphysical ground, their opportunistic embracement of science’s offspring, technology and engineering, is such that religious, who are supposed to uphold and safeguard morality, unquestionably embrace the development and the deployment of technological means to indiscriminately and effectively destroy nearly all life-forms. Whilst such a selective attitude toward science is perplexing and certainly inconsistent with their 'beliefs', once put in a proper context, it becomes clear that there is nothing to be surprised about this phenomenon: religion, just like executive power, serves the one and the sole end, that is, domination. And thus, so long as science provides us the weapons (e.g., guns, the Bomb) that win wars and ensure our domination over the Other, the religious would empathically stand by it.
At this point of inquiry, it is beneficial for us to re-frame the questions regarding Park’s attitude toward religious practices in Korea as follows: 1) What is the reason for Park’s apparent endorsement of Sindo over other religious practices in Korea?; 2) What aspect of Sindo does Park find helpful in the age of Industrial Materialism? The answer to the first question must be quite clear by now: Park appreciates the fact that Sindo has never enjoyed the official recognition as a proper religion despite its popularity and its distinct place in the development of Korean Geist. Despite all appearances, Park is a fierce critic of the established cultural narrative of his native South Korea. His darling masterpiece, The Handmaiden, represents the damning picture of Korean society under the Japanese rule. Two main villains are Korean imposters: they shamelessly assume Japanese identities to satisfy their insatiable greeds. Kouzuki (Cho Jin-woong) is a Korean collaborator who has been financially rewarded by Japanese for his contribution to the Japanese Anschluss of Korean Peninsula. He became a naturalised Japanese citizen by marrying a Japanese noblewoman whom he promptly commits to a secure mental institution. Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo), on the other hand, is a Korean forger who steals the identity of a Japanese nobleman and plans to take full control of the enormous fortune left for Kouzuki’s niece, Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee), by marrying her. Whilst these two Korean characters are morally degraded beyond human recognition, others are not far behind. Korean maids at Kouzuki’s estate cannot have enough of a handsome ‘Japanese nobleman’. The ‘den of thieves’, from where Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) is sent to assist Fujiwara's elaborate swindle, operates an orphanage of Korean infants and assists their adoption to Japanese families for financial gain. Their daily routine is quite ‘efficient’: they show no hesitation in pacifying a fussing baby with a spoonful of rice wine. Throughout the duration of the movie, none mentions the cruelty of Japanese rule which has already inflicted the lasting scars on Korean Geist. The depth and the extent of Korean degeneration depicted in this film, although functional, is so damning that I for one have no idea how Park got away without a nationwide protest and condemnations. On the other hand, in his highly original take on Vampire genre, Thirst, Park unleashes his most uncompromising condemnation of Christianity. As a priest (Song Kang-ho) descends into a chaotic abyss of primordial human desires, his Christian faith offers no resistance. The man who once wished to sacrifice his life for greater good turns into: a vampire, an adulterer, a serial killer and a rapist. The irrelevance of religious faith reaches its culmination when the protagonist’s mentor reveals himself as a selfish old man with nothing to offer in terms of spiritual redemption. Again, given the history of Christianity in Korea, it is difficult to imagine how Park has not been publicly prosecuted by the Korean public. In both cases, the public reckoning would have been just as harsh as Park’s judgment on the official narrative on modern Korean history and culture. Park’s confrontation with the dominant narrative on such fundamental aspects of South Korean society could have been severely punished as a heresy. I for one am glad that such concerns have been unwarranted and Park continues to enjoy artistic freedom.
Given Park’s unorthodox view of his native South Korean Form of Life, it is not too difficult see why the director favours Sindo; despite its enduring popularity and the prominence within South Korean popular Form of Life, it has never been recognised as a proper religion by the political authority. By giving prominence to this popular practice of shamanistic rite in Night Fishing, Park highlights the schism within South Korean Geist; the official attitude toward religions on one hand, and the popular one on the other. Recognising this sharp disparity between the official national identity and the enduring popular cultural identity is of critical importance, for this duality explains most of the internal conflicts existing within South Korean society. For example, Bong Joon-ho’s international breakthrough feature, The Host (2006), represents the duality of South Korean Geist with the monster, the Gewalt that threatens the domination of humankind over the Other. The creature is arguably the metaphor for the polarity and the contradiction regarding South Korea’s conflicting attitude toward the presence and the function of the American military in the Korean Peninsula. Whilst widely regarded as an ‘necessary evil’ in the face of the military threat from its northern neighbour, just as in Japan, the American military’s pledge to protect its allies has been met with deep scepticism. Like all American bases around the world, there is a prevailing resentment against America’s military presence and its exploitative practice, especially the immunity granted for its military personnel; their criminal actions, especially that of a sexual nature, have been routinely gone unpunished. Whilst Bong’s exposé of the deep schism of contemporary South Korean society is quite timely and a pointed one, in Night Fishing, Park addresses the historic nature of duality existing within Korean Geist. By featuring this ancient religious practice, which has been dismissed as an outdated superstition by both religious and executive authorities, Park illuminates Korean Geist as an uneasy composite of two distinct Forms of Life: the official Form of Life on one hand, and the popular one on the other. Whilst they are indeed intertwined, it is abundantly clear which Lebensform enjoys Park’s support: he has consistently opposed the official narrative and, for the first time in his career, positively expressed his explicit support for the popular Form of Life by giving Sindo a central role in Night Fishing. It is unclear what the exact meaning of his endorsement of the popular Form of Life is. Is he espousing a form of political anarchism? Or is his anarchism strictly limited to cultural and intellectual praxis? Or does he actually believe in shamanism? Whilst we have no clarity to state one way or another, we can safely conclude: Park recognises the duality in South Korean Geist and he has made clear in which Form of Life he is interested.
And finally, there is one more question for us to ask: What has Park found in Sindo? Other than the political and historical reasons, is there anything in Sindo which Park finds helpful in addressing the modern existential discontent? How exactly is this ancient practice helpful in mitigating the effect of modern existential angst, that is, the crippling sense of meaninglessness, when all else have failed? To answer this question, first we must have a close look on what might make Sindo distinct from other religion for Park. Only then we can begin to properly understand the reasons why Park featured this ancient practice at the heart of this unearthly yet strangely moving short film. Whilst Sindo is one of many religions practiced in Korea, it enjoys a distinct place amongst Korean Geist as an ancient and a native practice. As a religion, it does have a set of beliefs and some vague metaphysical claims about afterlife. Like most religion, Sindo’s metaphysics involve some form of ‘reckoning’ and ‘judgment’ on one’s entire life against the moral standard set by gods before leaving the earth completely for a ‘better place’. Whilst the metaphysical notions of ‘gods’, ‘final reckoning’ and ‘afterlife’ are common amongst all religious practices, Sindo, like most ancient and popular beliefs, lacks a developed theology to justify its metaphysics and the institutions to eatablish it as a sociopolitical force. Its existence entirely relies on local shamans and popular beliefs in their supernatural abilities. Whilst it is altogether unclear just how Park is invested in Sindo and its metaphysics, a close examination of Night Fishing shows just how irrelevant the question is. Whilst Park features the images of deities in Night Fishing, the most important function of Sindo in this story is to show that there is a fundamental need for us humans to have this final moment of reconciliation and catharsis, and this occasion is only made ‘possible’ by the shaman’s ability to dramatise it. This ability to create a moment of catharsis by a dramatic enactment of the process of passing is unique to shamanistic traditions: no established major religion allows such a dramatic enactment of a final ‘direct’ interactions between the living and the dead. Although they all offer some form of rituals to provide moments of catharsis for the mourners, it is the priests themselves who speak for god(s), hence the therapeutic effect remains relatively anemic. Only shamanistic traditions can induce a robust catharsis amongst participants by allowing the dramatic enactment of a ‘direct’ communication between the living and the dead. The success of this practice hinges on the participants’ belief in a shaman, and her/their/his dramatic ability to persuade them of the truthfulness of the practice.
In Night Fishing, Lee Jung-hyun makes a strong case for this ancient practice’s power of persuasion. Lee’s explosive performance captivates our attention throughout the duration of this unapologetically ancient spectacle. The process of persuasion is carefully documented in the first half of the rite. The mourners initially appear stunned in disbelief in the midst of chaotic actions, and not without a good reason: it is not easy to see a lonely middle aged man in a young, beautiful and frenzied woman in a drenched traditional costume. Yet, it is Lee’s acting which makes every mourner believe the actuality of their final encounter with the dead. Once one realises this point, the question regarding Park’s faith in Sindo becomes moot. One can easily interpret this religious rite as a pure enactment of catharsis by aesthetic means. And shamanism does provide an occasion when the human need for catharsis in face of an overwhelming angst of life could be fulfilled through the dramatisation of the final tête-à-tête. Given the similarity of the process of an actor immersing herself/themselves/himself into a role and a shaman’s 'channelling', Night Fishing, at one level, is providing a persuasive case for the transformative/therapeutic capacity of dramatic art. Still, an aesthetically accomplished work such as Night Fishing can never be reduced to one simplistic scheme or another. Whilst there is little doubt that Night Fishing is about the most fundamental human condition, that is, the finiteness of human existence and the need for some form of catharsis in facing it, the fact remains that Park chose to demonstrate these subjects through the ancient native religious practice. And this is the point where Park’s critique of industrial Form of Life may be most acute. As we have been so advanced as to ceaselessly inventing the means of mass destruction with ever greater efficiency in our pursuit of domination to the point where we have been capable of the total annihilation of life for a very long time, modern civilisation has no concept of what it means to be human. Since the very concept of meaningfulness of human existence is antithetical to the Geist of Industrial Materialism, there is no hope of finding means to articulate such a meaningfulness within it.
In this light, Park’s enactment of this native ancient religious practice is more than a political act of defiance or a powerful case for the dramatic art's place in all human Forms of Life. This short film hits the heart of the matter regarding the discontent of Industrial Materialism. Whilst Park does not endorse religion in general, Night Fishing does offer a solemnly compassionate contemplation on our fundamental need for meaningfulness. To this end, it brings back the drama as it was understood by the ancient Greeks to whom the art and the religious worship were often one and the same. This particular attitude toward religion is useful for Park: it opens up a grey area between believing and unbelieving. This uncertainty makes all religion’s metaphysical claims necessary yet inconclusive, and renders religion a practical activities rather than metaphysical/moral subject. In short, religion is no longer about ‘teaching’ about the world and our place in it; it is all about its function to appease basic human angst. In short, in Sindo according to Park, religion becomes performative: it is something to do rather than something to believe in. To this end, a shaman becomes an actor whose task is to create a make-believe. Yet, again, Park is uncommitted: he is neither a believer nor an atheist. In his refusal to take side regarding the matter of faith on what Wittgenstein calls ‘mythical’ subjects, Park comes closer to Walter Benjamin whose ‘infatuations’ with occult and religion have become the source of much discomfort for the likes of Gershom Scholem, Theodor Adorno and Hannah Arendt. By refusing to take side and replacing faith with make-believe, both Park and Benjamin stage subtle critique of modern Geist wherein the confrontation between faith and atheism has become uncompromising despite opportunistic appropriations of science by the believers. In this sense, both Park and Benjamin reside in a space of make-believe. This attitude should surely frustrate anyone who seeks to obtain one sense of certainty or another, yet this ambiguity alone can give us the sense of meaningfulness of our existence through the dramatic catharsis. And in putting this ambiguity into practice, Park rejects both, that is, believers and anti-believers.
Hence Night Fishing, despite its brevity, is an important movie both in terms of the subject and its scope, and can be judged against the most accomplished masterpieces such as Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon. And this alone should be enough to persuade the serious audience to embark on a multiple, successive and obsessive viewing.
The Handmaiden (2016) →
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First-Hand Report of Humanitarian Crisis at the Border
By Grotto
When it comes to welcoming the stranger, Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ, has what you’d call authority.
Sister Norma is executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, and is serving on the frontlines of the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding on the border. Pope Francis has recognized her by name for her work, and she met with President Trump in a roundtable discussion when he visited the border in Texas.
If there’s a Catholic in this country you should turn to in order to learn about the conditions immigrants face, it’s her.
Sister Norma sat down with Grotto to introduce herself and share some of her experience meeting and serving immigrants. Here, she also shares encouragement for us to take the issue to heart and translate our compassion into action. (Catholic Charities always welcomes donations — they even have an Amazon wish list.)
.@nspimentel is serving on the frontlines of the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding on the #USMexicoBorder. Here she shares a first-hand account of the #BorderCrisis and what you can do to help.
READ more: https://t.co/u6kKFBtXUT pic.twitter.com/SxBW3O5y7A
— GrottoNetwork (@GrottoNetwork) July 1, 2019
Grotto recently shared a reflection on the photo of the father and daughter who drowned in the Rio Grande river on their way to seek asylum in the U.S. Sister Norma told Grotto that she works with volunteers who served that family before they decided to cross.
“So the question is: What is your response?” she says. “What is it that you feel maybe you’re called to do? I know that I feel my God calls me to be there for others, those that need my help, those that are suffering.
“I think that you may have something that you can do, and you can give, and you can be — whether that is where you are, with the people around you, or whether it is at the border, or anywhere else where you may feel this sense of responsibility to life, to humanity, to make a difference.”
At one point in her life, Sister Norma had her mind set on a career as a professional artist. But she’s learned to follow the voice of God as it unfolds in her life. “It has been an interesting journey of discovery and living out my faith and growing in my faith as I move forward,” she told The Jesuit Post. “I allow God to guide me in what I do and who I am.”
In 2018, Sister Norma was awarded the Laetare Medal, the highest honor in the nation for Catholics. “Scripture comes to life and our faith becomes flesh,” she said when she received that honor. “It is not until you find yourself in front of the face of the immigrant child or mother that you will understand this. It is a moment of realizing we are all one human family.”
How This Nun is Helping Immigrants at the Border
5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Help Immigrants
Teaching English and Building Community with Immigrants
Volunteer Ideas Based on Your MBTI
7 Ways to Volunteer When You Don’t Have Much Time
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Home»Posts tagged with»community (Page 2)
Community Cancelled After Five Seasons of Struggles
By Ignacio Gatti on May 14, 2014 Entertainment, Opinion, TV
Recently it was announced that NBC cancelled Community after five seasons of struggling to stay on the air. This should not come as a surprise for many fans as NBC has had their crosshairs on Community for years. This is due to the fact that for five seasons Community never had a large audience, but […]
NBC Cancels Growing Up Fisher and Community Among Others
By Douglas Cobb on May 9, 2014 Entertainment, TV
NBC has lowered the boom on several of its series, deep sixing Community after a five-year run and also canceling shows from this season, like Believe, Revolution this was its second season), Crisis, and Growing Up Fisher, according to TVGuide.com and numerous other sources. Why, NBC, why? It’s understandable when shows get canceled because they […]
NBC Fires Community Producer Dan Harmon
By DiMarkco Chandler on May 19, 2012 Headlines
By DiMarkco Chandler Amidst a treasure trove of rumors, NBC’s top programming exec, Bob Greenblatt indicated that Dan Harmon will no longer function as the executive producer of “Community.” No one has really come out to say that Harmon was fired. However, a number of sources are reporting that David Guarascio and Moese Port, “Happy […]
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ARCHIVE / 2017 / October
< Previous Article | Next Article >
Forum — From the October 2017 issue
By Anna Wiener
Since Inauguration Day, across Silicon Valley I’ve been hearing software engineers who earn six figures talk about solidarity, collective action, and the rise of labor against capital. In July, word went around that Reid Hoffman, a founder of LinkedIn, and Mark Pincus, a founder of Zynga, were launching a political organization called Win the Future, or #WTF (hashtag theirs), with Adam Werbach, a former president of the Sierra Club. The group, described as the “first people’s lobby,” would attempt to revitalize the Democratic Party by crowd-sourcing a policy agenda and broadcasting popular platforms on billboards in Washington. No specific legislative goals have materialized, but as a start Pincus has proposed soliciting feedback on whether it should be free, for all Americans, to obtain an engineering degree.
A week after the #WTF debut, Sam Altman, the president of Y Combinator, a startup accelerator, announced his own, more sober initiative, the United Slate. Looking ahead to the 2018 Senate races, Altman, who endorsed Hillary Clinton for president and once described Donald Trump as “an unprecedented threat to America,” publicized his search for candidates to support. On his personal blog, he wrote:
I believe in creating prosperity through technology, economic fairness, and maintaining personal liberty. The automation revolution will be as big as the agricultural revolution or the industrial revolution. We need to figure out a new social contract, and to ensure that everyone benefits from the coming changes.
Matt Krisiloff, a twenty-five-year-old California native who is the director of Y Combinator Research, volunteered to run the United Slate. An early, unanticipated task was distinguishing the project from #WTF. “I personally was a little worried that we were gonna get bucketed in with them,” he told me. “I don’t think they had the friendliest reception, but I think ours was pretty well received. I think people respected that we had a pretty thoughtful platform, concrete ideas, and we weren’t just kind of being tech people trying to disrupt everything.”
To show its seriousness, the United Slate has three principles and ten policy goals. The three principles — prosperity from technology, economic fairness, and personal liberty — seem to wink at believers in techno-utopia’s unofficial religion, libertarianism, though the policies — including bolstering affordable housing, moving to single-payer health care, and imposing a carbon tax — are more likely to appeal to progressives. Shortly after state lawmakers committed $45 million to provide legal services to people facing deportation, the United Slate called for immigration reform that would prioritize “high-skilled people” who could contribute to the development of new technologies. The project also released a vision for education that did not mention teachers but supported investing in technology “to make teaching better.” Setting a standard for evaluating teachers, as it happens, has been a matter of contention in California, where per-student spending lags behind the national average and test scores in public schools serving low-income, minority areas reflect far poorer performance than those inside the tech bubble.
With their ideas in place, Altman and Krisiloff began seeking recruits to run for California governor and lieutenant governor, and for Congress. (They’re open to funding smaller races too.) Though the United Slate is not formally affiliated with Y Combinator, it follows a similar method for vetting. “With Y.C., it’s always been really interesting to us — the quality of people that are totally not plugged into networks but respond to our general call for applications,” Krisiloff said. “We really want to see the types of people that are just out of the blue, who we can reach and are inspired.”
Krisiloff believes that, in addition to providing direct funding and access to a network of donors, the United Slate can offer sophisticated advertising technology to help candidates access voters: “Essentially, micro-target down to the types of issues they will care about, so almost person-by-person type of tools.” He went on, “We’re going to be able to pull together really great people from Silicon Valley, types of people who have built these types of tools, to calibrate them, to build stronger profiles of individuals beyond the typical voter profile.”
By midsummer, the United Slate had heard from about forty people interested in entering California races, and they were starting to examine the contenders. “I certainly think this is a little harder than the type of model applied to startups, because with startups there’s more of a concrete product to evaluate,” Krisiloff said. “With this, it’s really just about the person, and the product is essentially a message communicated. I don’t want to push that analogy too far, but if they’re not ultimately effective, then they’re not going to win, much like a startup that is not ultimately effective is not going to stick around. But a very effective startup becomes Reddit, in our case — massive scale that affects a lot of people. A really effective candidate could go on to do really great things.”
The tech world is rigorous but casual, efficient yet antiestablishment — even as tech becomes the Establishment. And with venture capital, when an effort fails, the only loss is someone else’s money. It’s too early for Krisiloff to say for sure whether the Y.C. model will translate to the older, slower, and deeply entrenched systems of government. “We don’t really know if they’re gonna be successful or not,” he told me. “It’s just very much a startup.”
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[21st century]
[Calif.)]
[California]
[Matt Krisiloff]
[New business enterprises]
[Political activity]
[Political and social views]
[Political candidates California Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County)]
[Political participation]
[Politics and government]
[Sam Altman]
[Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County]
[United Slate (Political startup California)]
[Y Combinator]
Anna Wiener works in technology and writes about Silicon Valley.
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Elementals Confirmed To Be These Classic Villains In ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’
by Heriberto Mendez on May 8, 2019
The Elementals have been confirmed to be the antagonists in Spider-Man: Far From Home and will be based on B-List Spider-Man villains.
Tom Holland Teases ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ Has A Vulture Level Twist
According to a report by, ScreenRant, the Elementals are confirmed to be based on a group of B-List villains for Spider-Man: Far From Home. Rather than being immortal powerful beings, the Elementals will be much more different. The Elementals in Spider-Man: Far From Home are going to be more of a group of mindless, tough monsters. This may come as a surprise for some fans, but the MCU is known to have switched certain storylines in order to fit the stories that they are crafting. It was recently revealed that Quentin Beck a.k.a. Mysterio is from another universe, so perhaps not everything will be as it seems in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
According to Spider-Man producer Eric Carroll, the Water Elemental is based on Hydro-Man. Here’s what Carroll had to say about the Water Elemental.
“He’s of course inspired by… a B-list Spider-Man villain called Hydro-Man… He can get his power from [Venice’s] Grand Canal, so the larger water body he has access to can allow him to grow in size and strength. So that will be part of the strategy that he uses to, of course, defeat him.”
As for the Fire Elemental, Eric Carroll stated that it is based on Molten Man and described him as follows:
“Molten Man was always made of molten gold. A yellow, molten metal. So we took that, and again, we think it’s a really unique take on this kind of monster and we’re super excited for this sequence.”
‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ EP On Possible J. Jonah Jameson MCU Appearance
Eric Carroll described Spider-Man: Far From Home as a new story for the character. In the previous film, Spider-Man had a more personal connection to the film’s villain and relied on strength to take him down in the end. Now, in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the team behind the film wanted Spider-Man to take down his villains using other abilities. In this case, Spider-Man may need to rely on his intellect:
“They all exist in the comic books for so long that we decided we think that’s because it puts Spider-Man in all these interesting positions. He can’t punch this guy – he has to use his real superpower, which is his genius-level intellect.”
What do you think of the Elementals being based on Hydro-Man and Molten Man? Are you looking forward to their introduction in the film? Share your thoughts below!
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
Directed by Jon Watts from a script written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Tony Revolori, Martin Starr, Numan Acar, J.B. Smoove, Oli Hill, Remy Hii, Marisa Tomei, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Cobie Smulders, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Spider-Man: Far From Home will be released in theaters on July 2, 2019.
Source: ScreenRant
‘Aladdin’ Images Show Vibrant New Look At Naomi Scott As Jasmine
The latest Aladdin images showoff Jasmine's (Naomi Scott) incredible wardrobe.
Entertainment Weekly has revealed some brand new photos from Disney's upcoming live-action remake of their animated classic, Aladdin. This collection of photos focuses on Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and her vibrant wardrobe collection.
Naomi Scott spoke to EW about Jasmine's colorful wardrobe choices in Aladdin and how it plays a part in her character, the world and the journey she goes through:
"The main conversation is structure versus freedom that I think is obviously is the metaphor for her journey as a character. If she’s wearing something that’s structured and beautiful, it can’t just be the sake of it looking great, it needs to be connected to the story."
EW reports that there are around 10 new outfits that Naomi Scott will don as Jasmine in the film, giving her the opportunity to showcase her beauty as the beloved princess as Aladdin (Mena Massoud) attempts to woo her.
Aladdin costume designer Michael Wilkinson discussed the approach taken to bringing the new costumes to life in live-action form:
"When you’re designing the costumes for a live action film that’s based on animation, there’s an opportunity to take these characters and give them literally more depth and details, really think about them as fully-fleshed people with complex psychologies and interesting personalities, so it was wonderful to explore who Jasmine really was and be able to express that through her many costumes in the film."
You can check out the gallery of new Aladdin photos featuring Naomi Scott as Jasmine down below by clicking "Next".
“Aladdin” is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future.
Directed by Guy Ritchie from a script he co-wrote with John August, the film stars Will Smith as the Genie, Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, Navid Negahban as the Sultan, Nasim Pedrad as Dalia, Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders, and Numan Acar as Hakim.
Aladdin will be released in theatres on May 24, 2019.
Source: EW
Heriberto Mendez
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Latest Saudi Arabia News
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. food agency has reached an "agreement in principle" to restore full food aid to rebel-controlled parts of war-torn Yemen after suspending the aid last month, the agency's director said Thursday. World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley told the Security Council he...
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge denied bail for jailed financier Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges Thursday, saying he poses a danger to the public and might use his "great wealth and vast resources" to flee the country. Epstein, with his hands folded before him, showed no reaction to the announcement by...
NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the sex trafficking charges against Jeffrey Epstein (all times local): 2 p.m. A U.S. senator and a Florida congresswoman are praising a federal judge's decision to keep financier Jeffrey Epstein behind bars. Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary...
House votes to block sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is heading for a showdown with President Donald Trump after the House voted to block his administration from selling billions of dollars in weapons and maintenance support to Saudi Arabia. Trump, who has sought to forge closer ties with Riyadh, has pledged to veto the resolutions...
Janet, Chris Brown, 50 Cent to perform at Saudi concert
NEW YORK (AP) — Janet Jackson, Chris Brown, 50 Cent, Future and Tyga have been added to the lineup for the Jeddah World Fest, the concert in Saudi Arabia that Nicki Minaj pulled out of because of human rights concerns. The website for the event, to take place Thursday at the King Abdullah Sports Stadium,...
Editorials from around New York
Recent editorials of statewide and national interest from New York's newspapers: Follow the Emiratis' lead, out of Yemen The New York Times, July 15 The conflict in Yemen is unwinnable, dangerous for the region and remarkably cruel. So the drawdown of troops by the United Arab Emirates, the biggest outside ground...
North Korea and South Korea have been drawn together in an Asian qualifying group as the road to soccer's 2022 World Cup in Qatar became clearer Wednesday. The Korean neighbors will play each other north of the border on Oct. 15 and in the south on June 4 in the five-nation Group H that includes Lebanon,...
Saudi Arabia intercepts drone launched by Yemeni rebels
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The Saudi military says it has intercepted a drone launched at the kingdom's southern border by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen. Col. Turki al-Maliki, a military spokesman, was quoted in the state-run Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday as saying the drone was launched by the Houthi...
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A small oil tanker from the United Arab Emirates traveling through the Strait of Hormuz entered Iranian waters and turned off its tracker three days ago, leading the U.S. to suspect Iran seized the vessel amid heightened tensions in the region. Iranian state media quoted...
Saudi forces intercept Yemeni rebel drones targeting cities
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia's air force intercepted and destroyed three Yemeni rebel drones before they could reach targets in the southern Saudi cities of Jizan and Abha, a military spokesman said Tuesday. Col. Tukri al-Maliki was quoted in the state-run Saudi Press Agency saying the drones...
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W. West
wallen@howardandhoward.com
“I am an intellectual property and federal court attorney who strategically counsels clients from around the world.”
W. West Allen is an intellectual property litigator and counselor who represents a wide variety of international clients in U.S. Federal Courts. He has extensive experience successfully representing clients in patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, business, and constitutional law disputes and prosecution. Mr. Allen’s strategic counseling for many IP U.S. and foreign clients focuses particularly on those that arise from international trade shows. He regularly prosecutes and defends cases in federal courts involving temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and questions of federal court jurisdiction. Mr. Allen also counsels clients through business dispute resolution services, such as arbitrations, mediations, and proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Elected to the national board of directors and executive committee of the Federal Bar Association, Mr. Allen has worked with federal courts, judges, and lawyers across the country on various jurisprudential and intellectual property issues, and has testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Bankruptcy and the Courts regarding the effect of sequestration on federal courts.
For many years, Mr. Allen has served on the U.S. District Court, District of Nevada, Local Rules Civil Subcommittee and is the principal author of the District of Nevada Local Rules of Practice for Patent Cases. He was appointed by the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, District of Nevada to serve on the Civil Rules Standing Committee on the Local Rules, being reappointed to this committee in 2009 and in 2011, when he drafted Nevada’s local patent rules for this district. In 2010, 2016, 2018, and 2019, he was appointed by Nevada’s federal district judges to serve on the court’s Merit Selection Panel for the Appointment & Reappointment of U.S. Magistrate Judges.
Mr. Allen is the former chair of the FBA's Government Relations Committee, where he helped institute the FBA's "Capitol Hill Day" of advocacy on behalf of the nation's federal courts and its judiciary. He also founded the Nevada State Bar’s Intellectual Property Section and was elected by his peers to be the first chair in 2004.
The John Marshall Law School, 1995
J.D
Brigham Young University, 1991
National Board of Directors, 2010-2014; 2015-present
National Treasurer, 2018
Opportunity Village Foundation
Board Member, 2008-present
The Nevada American Inn of Court
Foundation of the Federal Bar Association
Life Fellow, 2007-2013
Alliance for Youth Services/Humanitarian Experience for Youth
Advisory Board Member, 2008-present
National Government Relations Committee, 2007-present
National Audit Committee, 2012-2013
CVP National Chair, 2011-2013
Circuit Vice President, 2007-2013
Constitution and Bylaws Special Task Force, 2009-2011
National Nominations and Elections Committee, 2006-2007
Constitution and Rules Committee, 2005-2007
Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Children’s Attorney Project, Pro Bono Attorney
Russian Federation Judges Visiting Nevada U.S. District Courts, Delegate
Nevada, 1995
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 2011
Supreme Court of the United States, 1999
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit, 1999
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1998
U.S. District Court, District of Nevada, 1995
Las Vegas Trademark Law, "Lawyer of the Year," 2014
Nevada Business Magazine, "Legal Elite," 2016-2018
Mountain States Super Lawyers, 2014-2019
Top 100 Mountain States Lawyers, 2014, 2018
Federal Bar Association, National President's Award, 2016
Internet and Intellectual Property Law, Lecturer and Adjunct Professor, 2002-2004
Lead counsel in Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, Inc. after the seminal U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding patent infringement damages issued and the case was remanded back to Nevada. Successfully defended Pulse Electronics against the imposition of enhanced damages and attorney's fees as the court found that this was not an exceptional case warranting further recovery under 35 U.S.C. § 285.
Intellectual property litigation counsel for one of the largest gaming corporations in the world against multiple non-practicing entities (NPEs) patent infringement actions and other copyright and trademark claims asserted before U.S. Federal Courts and the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appellate Board.
Lead counsel in first successful invalidation of a U.S. patent in Nevada Federal Court based upon the seminal U.S. Supreme Court case Alice Corp. Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank Intern. concerning patent ineligibility. Successfully represented NRT Technology Corp and related international parties against Global Cash Access, now Everi Holdings, to have the Federal Court grant our motion to dismiss and find the asserted patent unenforceable.
Lead Nevada litigation counsel for major international publicly traded software development and support services provider in the largest corporate copyright dispute action in Nevada State history.
Lead counsel in prosecuting USPTO and U.S. Trademark Trial and Appellate Board proceedings that protect a global family of trademarks on behalf of a worldwide leader in the diving and safari excursion travel industry.
Lead intellectual property litigation counsel for international NYSE® telecommunications and data center corporation in federal trademark litigation and strategic counseling to protect a worldwide brand name.
Lead counsel in prosecuting USPTO and Trademark Trial and Appellate Board proceedings that protect a global family of trademarks on behalf of a worldwide leader in textile manufacturing and the luxury hotel linen industry.
As lead prosecution counsel and defense counsel, successfully negotiated and resolved scores of U.S. Federal Court patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret intellectual property disputes involving U.S. and foreign companies, including international clients from, among other places, China, Canada, Mexico, Austria, and Australia.
Lead intellectual property litigation counsel for a start-up tech company in securing an emergency temporary restraining order and court seizure by U.S. Marshals of patent infringing products in widely publicized CES® Consumer Electronic Tradeshow dispute. The case resulted in the successful ban of the production and sale of the infringing products from a foreign company and changed how many Chinese companies resolve intellectual property cases at international trade shows today.
The William S. Boyd School of Law Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement at Trade Shows: International Perspectives and Best Practices, "Courts and Intellectual Property Rights Disputes at Trade Shows," October 4, 2018, Las Vegas, NV.
The Federal Bar Association Tri-state Judicial Seminar, "An Inside View of Washington D.C. Federal Judiciary Nominations and Confirmations," September 21, 2018, Park City, UT.
China Intellectual Property Road Show, "Strategies for Brand Protection in China: What Nevada Businesses Need to Know," May 9, 2018, Las Vegas, NV.
The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Pro Bono Project, SBA Public Lecture Series, "Intellectual Property Basics," October 19, 2017, Las Vegas, NV.
Howard & Howard Congratulates Attorneys Named to Nevada Business Magazine's 2018 'Legal Elite' and 'Best Up & Coming Attorneys'
W. West Allen, Robert Hernquist, Matthew J. Kreutzer, Jay Young, Jason P. Weiland
Howard & Howard Congratulates Our Twelve Attorneys Named to Mountain States 'Super Lawyers' and 'Rising Stars' 2018
Brian J. Pezzillo, James Kohl, Jason P. Weiland, Jay Young, Martin A. Little ... , Matthew J. Kreutzer, Robert Hernquist, Robert L. Rosenthal, Seaton J. Curran, Stephanie S. Buntin, W. West Allen, Zachary T. Gordon
'Legal Elite' 2018: The Silver State's Top Attorneys
Jay Young, Matthew J. Kreutzer, Robert Hernquist, W. West Allen
W. West Allen: Funding, Judge Vacancies Continue to Plague Federal Courts
W. West Allen
9th Circ. Mostly Sides with Oracle in Rimini Copyright Suit
Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce Business Voice: Meet Your 2017 Business Excellence Awards Honorees!
Alexander Villamar, Arthur O. Rogers, II, Brian J. Pezzillo, Bruce W. Benson, Daniel H. Bliss ... , Gwen Rutar Mullins, James Kohl, James (Jim) R. Yee, Jason P. Weiland, Jay Young, Jennifer R. Lloyd, Jonathan W. Fountain, Mark J. Gardberg, Martin A. Little, Matthew J. Kreutzer, Robert Hernquist, Robert L. Rosenthal, Seaton J. Curran, Stephanie S. Buntin, Thomas W. Davis, II, W. West Allen
Howard & Howard Attorneys Named to Nevada Business Magazine's 2017 'Legal Elite' and 'Best Up & Coming Attorneys'
W. West Allen, Stephanie S. Buntin, Robert Hernquist, Matthew J. Kreutzer, Jay Young ... , Jason P. Weiland
Howard & Howard Congratulates Our Eleven Attorneys Named to Mountain States 'Super Lawyers' and 'Rising Stars' 2017
Brian J. Pezzillo, James Kohl, Jason P. Weiland, Jay Young, Matthew J. Kreutzer ... , Robert Hernquist, Robert L. Rosenthal, Seaton J. Curran, Stephanie S. Buntin, W. West Allen
Gambling Tech Cos. Face 2nd Setback in FanDuel IP Suit
Gambling Tech Cos. Fight to Keep FanDuel IP Suit Alive
9th Circ. Freezes Oracle Copyright Injunction Against Rimini
Las Vegas Business Press Accolades: W. West Allen
Rimini Street Can't Pause Injunction in Oracle Copyright Suit
Rimini Says Judge Must Not Be Reassigned to Oracle Suit
Rimini Takes Oracle Copyright Fight to 9th Circ.
FanDuel Shakes Online Gambling IP Suit for Now
Oracle Gets $28MM Interest after $50MM Rimini IP Trial Win
Howard & Howard Congratulates Our Ten Attorneys Named to Mountain States 'Super Lawyers' and 'Rising Stars' 2016
Brian J. Pezzillo, James Kohl, Jay Young, Matthew J. Kreutzer, Robert Hernquist ... , Robert L. Rosenthal, Seaton J. Curran, Stephanie S. Buntin, W. West Allen
When Does Pop Culture Homage Cross the Intellectual Property Line?
Patent Ruling Opens Casino ATM Market
Judge Axes Casino Patent under Alice after PTAB Refused
Howard & Howard Expands IP Litigation Practice; Welcomes W. West Allen
Since 2008, W. West Allen has served on the board of directors for Opportunity Village, Las Vegas’ favorite charity.
Mr. Allen is a volunteer Children's Attorney Project lawyer for the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and has served on the advisory board for Humanitarian Experience for Youth (HEFY), an international youth service project organization. He has served in numerous national, state, and local legal organizations that advance constitutional principles, preserve judicial independence, and sustain the rule of law.
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The Trendy Boutique that Employs People with Special Needs
Original Article in Chabad.org
“Hello, welcome to ZABS Place! My name is Aaron.”
Aaron Roochvarg sports an award-winning smile. He’s there at the door, enthusiastically greeting customers when they enter the store and asking if they need any assistance finding items.
“How did you hear about ZABS Place?” he asks.
“I’ve been here a few times,” reports the customer. “Thank you, Aaron, for all of your help!”
“You are very welcome!” comes the reply.
It’s just a few minutes after 10 a.m. (opening time) and a stream of people file into ZABS Place in the charming town of Matthews, a 20-minute drive from Charlotte, N.C. There is a buzz around town about the quality and selection of clothing, books, games, toys, home goods, handbags, greeting cards and more at this thrift boutique that opened nearly three years ago.
It’s obvious that the selection of merchandise is excellent. But it doesn’t take long for first-time shoppers to realize just how special ZABS Place is. Colorful signs around the store inform customers that “ZABS Place is a thrift boutique employing young adults with special talents.” (The word “talents” appears over the crossed-off word “needs.”) The store’s website advertises it as “Affordable. Upscale. Inclusive.” That it’s all about “providing opportunities, realizing potential and having fun.”
‘10 Years From Now . . . ’
In one part of the store, three teenagers sip frozen drinks and banter about whether or not an outfit “looks cute.” In another, mothers with kids in tow throw a few outfits over their arms, heading for the dressing room. All the while, half-a-dozen young adults with special needs are doing their jobs in every area of running a business. Roochvarg, 27, continues to greet and assist customers. Erin Keeter, 28, is organizing children’s games. And Jonathan Gale, a 22-year-old employee who has been with the store from the start and now works 10 hours a week, is shelving books.
He picks up a holiday cookbook and perceptively asks his supervisor, “Should this book be here? It is not near holiday time!” She suggests he move it to another section.
In the back corner of ZABS Place, Cammie Wilson, 25, is straightening books and games on a high shelf as employment coordinator Alison Dugo, 30, looks on. “If you can’t reach this, what you should do?” asks Dugo. Wilson carefully considers the question and suggests bringing a ladder next time.
Dugo has been working at ZABS place for two years. In addition to teaching job skills, she spends a great deal of time on soft skills—the not-so-obvious, real-life know-how needed to be successful and professional at work. These include dressing appropriately, having a positive attitude, knowing how to act in the break room, and learning how to get along with fellow workers and bosses. Dugo thinks quite a bit about the employees’ futures. “I ask them: What do you imagine doing 10 years from now? What are you good at? What do you want to be good at; what is challenging for you?”
In many ways, ZABS Place is intentionally designed to be a training ground and stepping stone to future employment elsewhere in the community.
While Dugo is working with Wilson, Rochel Groner—co-director of ZABS Place and Friendship Circle of Charlotte, with her husband, Rabbi Bentzion Groner—is up front with Keeter, patiently going over how to use the store’s scheduling program on the iPad to request time off. The young woman and her family are planning a trip to Canada in a few weeks, and she is learning the various drag-down menu options, which include vacation days, sick leave and time needed for a personal or family emergency.
Keeter works in the store Mondays and Thursdays sorting children’s clothing and organizing the toy section. She is also one of the artists and craftspeople with special needs who have signed a consignment agreement with ZABS Place to sell their creative works. She photographs flowers near her home and makes them into greeting cards. “I sold three last week!” she reports.
Hannah Strunck, 18, is also a consignor, making bath crystals, balms and creams at home to be displayed and sold at ZABS Place alongside jewelry, journals and non-noise-producing fidget toys. Hannah’s older brother, Andy, 27, works at the store two days a week for 90 minutes each day, cleaning floors, hanging clothes, and dusting shelves. He comes with his longtime-care staff member, Aaron, who serves as a job coach.
“Andy feels proud, he feels welcomed, and he can sustain work without complaining,” according to his parents, Michael Strunck and Ruth Singer-Strunck. “For him, this is a huge accomplishment.”
‘A Really Important Place’
For the Strunck family, ZABS Place is more than a vocational training program for their children; it is a source of Jewish pride and identity. While the main indicators that the store has a Jewish affiliation are the mezuzahs on all doors and a sign indicating that it is closed on Shabbat (it’s open on Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.), ZABS Place has become a second “Jewish home” for the Struncks.
“It is a really important place. Much here in North Carolina is Christian-based,” observes Ruth Singer-Strunck, who grew up in New Jersey and moved to Charlotte from South Florida several years ago. “You often hear about a church doing this or a pastor doing that [for a good cause]. It made me feel especially good to have my kids involved in something Jewish. This is a connection to my community. I feel more plugged in and want my kids to have a connection to the Jewish faith.”
They’ve joined the Groners for Passover seder, and their children have participated in Friendship Circle.
Cheryl Slane and her family, former members of the Charlotte Jewish community now living in New Orleans, agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed by the Struncks.
“Chabad believes that every neshamah [soul] has a place,” she says. Long involved with Friendship Circle, she looks to ZABS Place as a model for training young adults with special needs, like their son, Ben, who’s almost 20. “Giving people with a disability a place to work is pretty amazing. That’s what we are trying to do here in New Orleans. There are so few job sites in the country for people with special needs.”
Numerous Charlotte families have gotten to know the Groners through their children’s participation in Friendship Circle, which in many ways was the birthplace for ZABS Place.
“When Jonathan was a junior in high school, we asked him what he wanted to do. He didn’t want to continue in high school; he wanted to work,” recall his parents, Caren and Charlie Gale. “We wanted a place that would understand him in his fullness—with all of his abilities and disabilities. We sat around the kitchen table and said, ‘What can we do to help Jonathan and all the families we have met in waiting rooms all these years?”
The former clarinetist and screenwriter couple, longtime transplants from Los Angeles, had an idea—open a business. The Gales approached the Groners, “concerned about people like Jonathan, who were getting older, and what to do when they age out of Friendship Circle.”
‘A High Bar for Our Children’
Rochel Groner adds some important details in the evolution and growth of ZABS Place.
“In 2012, some Friendship Circle families approached us and asked if we would start a Jewish group home,” she explains. The Groners were more focused on vocational training and the overall lives of young adults with special needs as they got older. “We wondered: ‘What are they doing meaningfully during the day?’ When I would ask parents what their child was good at, many didn’t know. We had to do something.”
Rochel went home and started brainstorming. She was generating ideas for businesses with low overhead and thought of a thrift store. She searched online for “thrift stores and disabilities,” and came across Our Thrift Store in Franklin, Tenn., which provides 25 ongoing jobs for young adults with special needs. “A few months later, when Friendship Circle was on break for the summer, we made the nine-hour drive to see the program.”
Dave Krikac, the store’s founder, was very helpful in providing guidance about the ins and outs of starting and running a thrift shop. When the Groners returned to Charlotte from Tennessee, they met with the Gales and discovered that they, too, had been thinking about starting a business for people with special needs.
Rochel’s formal training is in Jewish education; she was a classroom teacher for 10 years. She also notes with a small smile, “I did help run a basement business with family members many years ago in Baltimore, selling Israeli skirts.” At the time, Groner learned many things, including web design, though she acknowledges that the business was “minimally successful.”
When she and Bentzion married in 2005, they moved to Charlotte. In 2007, she began working with Bentzion at Friendship Circle International, an organization that creates chapters in local communities to foster relationships and friendships between typically developing teens and children with special needs. Through her work with Friendship Circle, Rochel acquired a great deal of experience in working with people who had all kinds of abilities.
“We know from Friendship Circle that everyone is unique, and has hidden qualities and something to share,” states Bentzion. In imagining a workplace for people with special needs, the Groners strongly believed that employees with special needs would develop social skills through their jobs.
Truth be told, “there were a lot of ups and downs” on the road to starting a thrift store, attests Rochel. “We looked at 25 places in a year and a half,” adds Bentzion. “Even when it got tough, people like the Gales stood behind us,” helping with fundraising and much of the behind-the-scenes work.
Throughout the sometimes challenging startup process, the Groners stood fast to their sense of mission and their dedication to the people they serve. “It was a community effort—totally a partnership,” says the rabbi. Many helped gather, transport and store merchandise, as well as remove room dividers, strip and repaint walls, and more.
They credit Rochel with an eye for business and an easy demeanor. “Rochel is sweet, dedicated, hardworking and intelligent. When we met, I thought she was too young to work,” jokes Ruth Singer-Strunck, commenting on the 30-something’s young appearance.
Work she does, 24/6, her only day off being on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, when the store is closed.
“Rochel had a vision—a place that was bright and airy, where people will want to shop,” adds Caren Gale. “It has attracted a cross-section of people, from young thrifters to people struggling financially, and they buy because they feel like mensches here.”
Singer-Strunck also has kind words for the Groners: “They are lovely, good people doing good work. Rochel delivered on a concept. She knew what she wanted it to look like.”
Caren Gale agrees. “I admire her attention to detail, and her desire to run a store that is both professional and beautiful.”
But perhaps most importantly, she says, “Rochel sets a high bar for our children—everything parents of a child with special needs could hope for.” Her husband, Charlie, adds that “she has such an affinity to this population and believes strongly in what they can do.”
A Wonderfully Nurturing Place’
Another fan of the Chabad emissaries is Lisa Shporer, a community member with more than 10 years of retail experience. Shporer volunteers 20 to 30 hours a week, and sees herself as the “snow-globe shaker” since she is known for “shaking things up” at ZABS Place.
Her connection to the Groners and ZABS Place is uniquely personal. Her son, Zachary, died of leukemia in 2012, at the age of 19. He was a student at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, N.C., and an active volunteer with such organizations as the Special Olympics, student council and Friendship Circle.
The Groners, who had a special relationship with Zachary, approached the family at shivaabout “doing something in his merit.” They decided to name the soon-to-be opened ZABS Place in his memory, using the initials of his Hebrew name: Zechariah Avraham Baruch. A sign and picture near the checkout station explains the origin of the store’s name.
Elias Roochvarg, the longtime cantor at Temple Israel of Charlotte and the father of Aaron is pleased with ZABS Place and his son’s work there. “It is a wonderfully nurturing place for adults with special talents,” he says, adding that his son looks forward to two afternoons a week there. “As parents of an employee and as members of the community, we sheppedparental and communal nachas knowing how much our son is thriving as a result of the staff, and how great a service to the community Chabad is performing in this endeavor.”
Caren Gale is proud that Jonathan feels “confident and really productive,” creating the book section at ZABS Place. “Our hope is to be a model for other communities and to expand; it is always a process where we refine and add. We all need to find our own path. Why shouldn’t these kids?”
Merchandise With a Mission
Customers say they appreciate the variety and quality of merchandise at ZABS Place as well as the mission behind it. They learn an important lesson about people, in particular, the abilities of people with special needs.
“It’s nice to see their impressions evolve,” says Rochel. “For many, it is their first opportunity to come this close to people with special needs. ZABS Place helps them build educated opinions—that all people are important and can do things. We even see their patience when one of our employees is at the cash register.”
Caren Gale acknowledges that she hadn’t “anticipated at the start the role ZABS Place would have in educating the community. A byproduct of the program is that people came in, and their minds were changed. People were moved.”
Rochel says she never imagined directing a thrift shop. “But of all the jobs I’ve had, I am most excited to come here. I just love the people!”
She adds: “People ask me if I still teach. And I do. I teach here, every day.”
In fact, the general population got an opportunity to witness Rochel’s abilities firsthand. Several weeks ago, Rochel and Bentzion were on a flight back to the United States, via Belgium, after chaperoning a Birthright Israel trip. About an hour into the flight, a young boy with autism began screaming and crying. Passengers began getting upset, and the mother seemed unsure of what to do. Rochel approached the boy with her hand out, which he grasped; the two then spent a few hours playing near a bulkhead on the plane. A photo posted by Bentzion on Facebook went viral, generating more than 6,500 Likes.
That didn’t surprise members of the Charlotte community and those affiliated with ZABS Place. Singer-Strunck made it a point to say “that is who she is. She saw that a kid was in trouble; it didn’t matter who. This is their world. They are immersed in the work they do.”
Alison Dugo knows that all the attention on Rochel must have been tough. “She is humble and shy. For her, it is a calling—what she thinks she should be doing.”
“I didn’t like it,” admits Groner. “But I will survive the attention,” she says, as long as it’s been an opportunity for others to learn. “I hope what comes out of this is the ability for people to realize that they can reach out and offer support to one another, instead of staring or being apathetic. We’re all different, and the onus is on the community to make it work for everyone.”
It’s what her mother always taught, says the Chabad emissary: “Leave the world a better place than how you found it.”
Employs People with Special Needs, ZABS Place
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Dems To Introduce Bill Requiring 10 Years Of Tax Returns From Presidential Candidates
BY Chris Walker January 2, 2019
In 2016, then-candidate for president, Donald Trump, made several excuses for why he wouldn’t release his tax returns, a practice that candidates before him had done for several decades prior.
At one point, Trump erroneously claimed that an audit from the IRS prevented him from disclosing them, and later stated that Americans didn’t care about them so he wasn’t going to release them. Trump has even suggested that the American people wouldn’t understand what’s in his taxes, so making them public would be pointless, according to reporting from Politico.
But two years after his election, Americans still want to see the tax returns. And Democrats are planning to implement ways to force Trump and other candidates to make them public in the future.
As part of a planned bill, named H.R. 1, in the next Congressional term Democrats in the House of Representatives are set to include a requirement for any candidate running for the presidency (and vice presidency) to disclose 10 years of their tax records to the Federal Elections Commission, according to reporting from CNN. Two sources speaking on the matter said the FEC would then publish those tax returns on its website, allowing for the public to see them firsthand.
It’s an issue that the public, contrary to what Trump has suggested, wants the new Congress to pursue. In a post-midterms election poll conducted by Harvard University in late November, 63 percent of Americans said they wanted newly-sworn in lawmakers to pursue ways to make Trump’s taxes public record.
New: Trump's tax returns. Mueller has them, Dems want to get them – and make them public. https://t.co/LU4LGQNeZG via @nbcnews
— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) December 20, 2018
The measure will likely face backlash, however, for several reasons. H.R. 1 contains many proposals that likely won’t get passed in the U.S. Senate. This provision in particular likely couldn’t pass on its own, for instance, because that chamber of Congress will still be controlled by Republicans.
However, Democrats have other options in mind that could help them expose Trump’s taxes. They could, for instance, subpoena his tax records since they will soon control House committees. From there, it’s possible they could make those records available to the public.
Such a maneuver would likely take some time to get accomplished, however, as the Trump administration would probably sue to prevent their release.
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Hi’s Eye
Iris News
Hi's Eye
WHS’s karate kids go for the gold
Filed under Features, Hi's Eye
Sean Canavan (Junior)
Photo by Sean Canavan
Canavan pictured left with his competitors.
Two golds, three silvers, and one bronze. These are the medals that WHS junior Sean Canavan recently won at the World Karate Commission (WKC) World Championship competition in Dublin, Ireland, making him a world karate champion at just 16 years old.
Canavan got his start in karate at a young age, after his kindergarten teacher recommended that he participate in it due to his rambunctious behavior. He began training at Karate in Motion, a studio formerly in Westfield, and has kept up with it ever since. “I love the creativity of [karate],” he said. “Also, the fighting is fun.”
Now, he trains with various coaches from that studio, and competes for the American Karate Association (Team AKA), a professional team based in Illinois that travels to fight. He participates in the North American Sport Karate Association (NASKA) circuit and has competed in many tournaments over the years. “I’ve been competing for 10 years, which is a pretty long time,” he said.
Competing in the WKC World Championship was a big deal for Canavan, and it took a lot of hard work and dedication to get there. “There was a qualifier for Team USA in Detroit, and I had to train really hard for it,” he said. “Everything I could have done to train for this, I did.” Clearly, it all paid off.
So what’s next for this karate superstar? He’s not exactly sure, but for now, he’s just going to continue his training and see where this all takes him. “I can only get better from here,” he said.
Julia Plawker (Senior)
Photo by Julia Plawker
Plawker pictured right at 2017 World
Championship in Orlando.
In 2009, WHS senior Julia Plawker competed in her first karate competition. In 2015, Plawker was scouted by Team Next Level. Today, she practices seven days a week in the Bronx, NY and competes around the world.
Plawker participates in seven different events and has been a stand-out competitor in her division from a young age. Her proudest accomplishment, she explained, was winning six gold medals at the World Championships in Orlando, FL in 2017. Representing Team USA, she described it as a “one of a kind experience.”
Karate has led Plawker to numerous places as she travels every few weeks for competitions. “It has been an amazing experience to travel both across and out of the country for karate. I have gotten the chance to see many different cool cities and meet many different people,” she said.
As a highly competitive student athlete, she finds balancing schoolwork with her intense karate schedule to be difficult at times. “With training seven days a week and traveling every few weeks, it definitely can be difficult to fit everything into my schedule,” she said.
Although the additional stress put on Plawker has been challenging at times, karate has ultimately led her to many opportunities that the average high schooler may not experience. “My favorite part about karate is the people I meet through it,” said Plawker. “Karate is different from other sports because some of my closest friends are the people I compete against, and while competing, we always cheer on and support each other.”
Karate has offered Plawker invaluable experiences and she will always be grateful for beginning this journey.
What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Courtyard garden blooms again
The wooden gem of WHS
Dancing to make a difference
‘From Paris to Prospect’: Westfield’s trendy bistro
Sleep or succeed? WHS student dilemma
Project ‘79 celebrates its 40th year
Vigil for Dr. Derrick Nelson- 4/10/19
Students Remember Dr. Nelson
Remembering Dr. Nelson
‘Plan it. Live it. Love it’
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29 North Main Street, the Odd Fellows Building (1817)
The Odd Fellows Hall at 29 North Main Street in Ipswich was built in 1817 as a Probate Court and Registry.
Thomas Franklin Waters recorded the history of this building in Volume II of Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony:
“Nathaniel Lord,”Squire Lord” as he was familiarly known, came to the office of Register and served from 1815 to 1851. During his term of office, the Probate Court and Registry attained the dignity of a building, erected for its own use. In the year 1817, the County erected a brick building forty feet long, twenty-eight feet wide and one story high, which was occupied December 15, 1817 and at last the Records were deposited in a secure vault. In the year 1852, the Registry and its records were removed to Salem. The Probate Court continued to sit semi-annually until September 15, 1874, holding its sessions in the Town Hall. During the War of the Rebellion, the vacant Probate building was occupied as the barracks of a military company recruited here by Capt. John A. Hobbs. It was sold to the Lodge of Odd Fellows, December 26, 1867 and was enlarged by the building of an addition on the western end and the addition of a second story.”
Blake’s Drug Store
Advertisement from the “Agawam Manual and Directory” published by M.V.B. Perley, 1888
By 1884 a second floor had been added, and it housed the Odd Fellows upstairs, with Blake’s Drug Store (later Savory’s Drug Store) and the Post Office downstairs.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Agawam Lodge, No. 52, was organized 13 November 1844 for the purpose of mutual assistance among its members.The meetings were held in the Odd Fellows’ Hall the first and third evenings each month.
The Daughters of Rebecca, Martha Washington Lodge, No. 5, was organized in December, 1869, for charity’s sake. Meetings were held in the Odd Fellows’ Hall the first and third evenings each month. (Agawam Manual and Directory by M.V.B. Perley, 1888)
Photo from Harold Bowen’s Tales of Olde Ipswich. Savory’s Drug Store closed in the 1960’s. Bowen noted that the town’s first telephone exchange was located in a back room of the store in 1890, and that Savory also ran a hardware business from the building..
The view today is quite similar to this old photograph, with the exception that wings have been added to the Ipswich Public Library.
The old Treadwell house was taken down to build the Library. This sketch from Genealogy of the Willcomb Family shows it next to the Probate Court, which later gained a second floor and is now the Odd Fellows Building.
Probate Court – Odd Fellows building, 29 North Main Street Preservation Agreement (Ipswich Hertitage Trust, assigned to Ipswich Historical Commission)
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Innovation policy is becoming an integral part of economic policy in a wide range of countries, both advanced and emerging. The DSTI offers comprehensive country level assessments of national innovation systems, focusing on the role of government. These reviews are a resource for policy makers attempting to leverage innovation to achieve their countries’ goals, be they boosting productivity growth, moving up the value chain, or driving sustainable growth and development.
The reviews, conducted at a country’s request, provide concrete policy recommendations to strengthen the science system, harness technological change, boost economic growth, achieve needed social objectives and create environments conducive to further innovation.
Since the first review in 2006 – of Switzerland’s innovation policy and system – the series has grown rapidly, covering a range of OECD member countries and partner economies. Not only do the reviews provide tailored advice, they also comprise a well-spring of good practices in innovation policy that all countries can learn from.
Costa Rica, Finland, Kazakhstan and Norway received reviews in 2017. Country reviews are currently being conducted for Koweit, Austria and Portugal. The latter will also include a review of the higher education system.
Additional information on current and past reviews can be found on the dedicated OECD page.
Rationales for countries to demand a Review of Innovation Policy:
• The critical role of innovation in economic development: The increasing recognition of innovation as a major driver of growth has moved innovation policy up on government agendas. The financial and economic crisis has further highlighted the role of innovation in achieving high, sustainable growth.
• Upgrading and diversification: The role of innovation in upgrading and diversifying countries’ economic activity has become prominent not only in resource-based economies, in countries which perceive themselves as being locked into low value-adding activity and others that are challenged by a changing economic environment and competition.
• Globalisation and competitiveness: Innovation is an appropriate response to the challenges and opportunities of globalisation. A concerted effort to improve innovation capacity provides a sustainable basis for maintaining international price and quality competiveness.
A new macro-level survey on the role of research and development in fostering economic performance in Finland is available on the Finland country review page here.
Latest countries reviewed
Kazakhstan has put in place key components of a modern research and innovation system. This has helped improve scientific output and resulted in some successes in technology commercialisation. Further commitment and effort will be needed to strengthen innovation capabilities and make the most of Kazakhstan‘s advantages.
Following a remarkable transformation in the past century in research and innovation, in particular through the development of new technologies and processes in sectors such as oil and gas, shipbuilding and also fisheries and aquaculture, Norway is today increasingly facing a “triple transition imperative” in which it needs, first, to shift toward a more diversified and robust economy; second, to move to a more competitive, effective and efficient innovation system; and third, to support research and innovation activities that can confront an array of societal challenges (climate change, food security, aging, health and so on).
Finland 2017
Strengthening and lifting Finland’s innovation system out of a period of uncertainty requires a coherent and unified new vision for science, technology and innovation (STI), renewed investment and policy instruments. This vision should be oriented towards renewal tackling societal challenges and developing new knowledge-based competitive advantages at global scale. Success calls for better co-ordination and co-operation among policy actors and national and regional-levels, and further internationalisation.
Costa Rica’s successful economic performance and social achievements realised over the last three decades are widely acknowledged. GDP per capita has steadily increased at higher rates than in most Latin American countries as the economy has evolved along its development path from a rural and agriculture-based to a more diversified economy integrated in global value chains. But Costa Rica faces challenges and must enhance and broaden the basis for productivity growth by strengthening its innovation system and enhancing the role of science, technology and innovation in addressing its national development goals.
Malaysia is one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic economies and one of Asia’s great success stories. Its economic and social development over the last half century has been impressive. High economic performance, based on a profound transformation into a diversified economy, coupled with a striking reduction in poverty levels, has brought Malaysia closer to reaching its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2020.
Lithuania 2016
Following independence Lithuania has made much progress in developing the institutions and framework conditions of a modern market-based economy, which provided the basis for Lithuania’s success in narrowing the gap with the more advanced countries in the OECD.But Lithuania is also facing challenges. The gap in income per capita is still large, and the speed of convergence to the OECD average level of income has slowed in recent years.
The 2016 Sweden Review of Innovation Policy deepens the 2012 Review by focusing on six policy initiatives central to the 2008 and 2012 Swedish Research and Innovation Bills, notably: 1) the increase in funding for university research, 2) the establishment of Strategic Research Areas, 3) actions designed to enhance the role of research institutes in Sweden’s innovation system, 4) the definition and funding of Strategic Innovation Areas in collaboration with industrial, academic and research institute actors, 5) the initiation of a Challenge-Driven Innovation programme addressing societal challenges, 6) improved prioritisation and support for Swedish participation in European research and innovation activities.
A full list of past reviews can be found here.
Request space membership
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2019AddictionAgingFaith & SpiritualityGriefHomeIllnessMedicalRelationships
by Paula Redmann
Photography: Photos by Jacy
If you met Ruth Knutson for coffee and sat across the table from her, you would see a calm, beautiful woman with soulful eyes. Within moments, after just a few sips, you would feel her sense of peace and grace, and would never know she came from — and came through — a very unsettling past, and that she is living proof of the power of forgiveness.
Ruth grew up in an alcoholic home with five siblings in a small North Dakota town. Her mother had four of her siblings with different fathers who were not present in their lives. When Ruth was 4 years old, her mother married an alcoholic who was extremely violent.
As children, they experienced physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse.
Their home life was complete chaos. Heat got turned off, neither clothes nor children were washed, strangers arrived in the middle of the night for parties, and moving was common since rent didn’t get paid. During one period without heat in their home, Ruth and her siblings stayed with their grandmother. It was here that Ruth began to going to church every Sunday.
“I enjoyed the feeling I felt being at church. I could talk to Jesus, and I felt safe and loved,” she says.
There was no steady income or sense of order for Ruth and her siblings. They didn’t know a schedule, bedtime, nap time, meal time, or peace. Neglect was the norm. Any financial assistance received went to purchase alcohol; food stamps were abused. Ruth became the parent and caregiver for her siblings. As a second grader, she did the cooking and cleaning, and her mother called her “Cinderella.” Ruth worked hard to please her mother and stepfather, hoping her efforts would make them happy and the abuse would stop. It didn’t.
Another place of refuge, besides church, was school. Ruth could have a hot meal, be with friends, and be a child. She hoped for a Saturday sleepover with a friend because she knew it was bath night and she could not only have a bath, but there would be a meal. She could also wear her friend’s clean clothes and go to church with them on Sunday. She looked at the families in church and prayed that she could one day have such peace and such a family.
Refuge finally came in the form of law enforcement when in a drunken rage, Ruth’s stepfather threatened Ruth’s grandmother with a knife and the police were called. As a Canadian citizen, he was forced to leave the United States for five years. Ruth was 7 years old the last time she saw him.
FINDING A NORMAL LIFE
Ruth’s mother’s priority was not her children; it was alcohol. The family was certainly familiar to the social services system, and between first and fourth grades, Ruth lived in three different foster homes. One of the homes was that of her aunt and uncle in Williston, North Dakota. Ruth thrived.
“I loved the schedule, the boundaries, the rules, and the proper way of doing things. We learned table manners and respect and kindness. We went to church on Sundays. I could play outside like all the other kids and not have a care in the world. I was filled with gratitude and thanked Jesus that I could finally be a normal kid and have a normal life,” she explains.
Ruth’s mother went through treatment, and when Ruth was in the sixth grade, she and her siblings had an opportunity to move back home. Ruth told the social worker she never wanted to go back.
“I wanted out, I got out, and I never wanted to return,” Ruth says.
Her taste of a happy life with order and church and school had filled her, for the first time, with hope for the future. She stayed away from her mother, kept in touch with her siblings — who were in and out of foster care — as best as she could, and Ruth was happy.
“I’m forever grateful to the foster families that took me in. I learned a lot about life and have incorporated that into my own family,” Ruth says.
FORGIVING vs FIXING
During her senior year of high school, Ruth married Ron. They moved to Grand Forks where Ron started college and the two of them started a family. While Ron and Ruth raised their five children and made a life together in Bismarck, Ruth was ever the student.
“I read books on alcoholism and families and dysfunction. I wanted so much to try to understand where the road could have been different. I learned about shame and vulnerability and that if you can’t forgive, you’re already dying. I learned that it wasn’t my fault and that I couldn’t “fix” my mother. I absorbed everything I read, and when my youngest son started kindergarten, I went to school to realize my dream of a college education.”
Ruth graduated from the University of Mary with a social work degree. She became a licensed addiction counselor and learned again and again how addiction can ravage individuals and rob families.
INCREDIBLE PEACE
Ruth has experienced several “light bulb moments” in her life. A big one was when an aunt told her that her mother was dying of lung cancer and was only given months to live. This aunt knew Ruth wanted to reconnect with her mother one day in the hope of working toward forgiveness. Ruth volunteered to drive her mother to a doctor’s appointment. She envisioned the drive with her mother and the BIG apology; the one where her mother would ask Ruth to forgive her for all the terrible things that had happened to Ruth and her siblings. The apology never came. Ruth asked her mother about those years of her childhood, but her mother had no recollection of the horrors that Ruth and her siblings went through.
“She had no clue. Her alcoholism had robbed her of the ability to be present in my life. She didn’t know the traumatic affect her actions had on me and my siblings,” Ruth says. “And suddenly, I felt this incredible peace.”
It was then that Ruth realized her mother was never really her mother, but she had a very short period of time where she could be a daughter.
“From that moment on, I told her I loved her every time we talked, and after a while, she started saying it back. By this time, my mom had been in recovery for 10 years and had completed her college degree. I had so hoped that being sober would bring an apology, but it didn’t happen. I realized then that hurting people hurt [other people], and I had no idea of what her childhood was like, and I didn’t know her full story,” Ruth says.
Ruth’s mother died a few months later. Her stepfather attended the funeral, and Ruth told him she forgave him.
“I realized I was finally grieving for this little girl that wasn’t allowed a childhood. Ironically, this took place in the same church where I first accepted Jesus in my life.”
THE FORGIVENESS FACTOR
Looking at her own story of loss, fear, and pain, Ruth could be consumed by anger or resentment, but she is filled only with gratitude and grace.
“I’ve been so blessed to have this lesson that showed me the power of forgiveness. It’s important to know that no one plans on having addiction problems. I’ve worked with amazing, beautiful people who found themselves in the grips of addiction who, through treatment and recovery, have been able to get back to rediscovering themselves. Forgiveness is a major factor in recovery.”
Having compassion for the other person is a key component to forgiveness, Ruth says.
“I know that by showing my mother kindness and compassion, I was able to understand that forgiveness is part of my story and it is my privilege to share. I’m forever an optimist. I know that everything in life is beautifully weaved with lessons and learning. I have the power to resolve the things that have happened so that the hurting stops with me. I want to love freely and understand the power of forgiveness. The story is the easy part, and the story gets embellished along the way because we’ve told it repeatedly. It’s like a tape in our heads that we continue to play. Stop telling the story of helplessness and tell the story of recovery. The hardest thing to acknowledge is that we betrayed ourselves by holding on to the hurt.
“Being angry wastes so much time. We spend so much time on the past, on the transgression and hurt, that it prevents us from enjoying the present. It’s like the hurt takes up rental space in your brain. How long do you want that hurt to stay there, rent free? Well, the rent is up, and it’s time for the hurt to get out. Anger and resentment can become all consuming. I used to ask myself, ‘Couldn’t my mother see the terrible things happening in our home?’ No, she couldn’t.
It’s like we have life backwards. We don’t spend time thinking about all the good people in our lives and all the impact they’ve had. We dwell on anger and resentment and not all the beautiful pieces and people around us. I feel so blessed to have the life I’ve been given. I tell my husband and children and grandchildren how much I love them. There are lots of hugs and kisses. The peace I’ve given myself has allowed me to love generously and live freely. What a gift.”
Forgiveness is the bridge between hurting and healing
Tips from Ruth Knutson, based on “Forgive for Good,” by Dr. Fred Luskin
What Forgiveness Is
Forgiveness is the peace you learn to feel when you can let go of past hurts. Forgiveness is for you and not the offender. Forgiveness is taking back your power. Forgiveness is taking responsibility for how you feel. Forgiveness is about your healing and not about the people who hurt you. Forgiveness is a trainable skill. Forgiveness helps you get control over your feelings. Forgiveness is becoming a hero instead of a victim. Forgiveness is a choice. Everyone can learn to forgive.
What Forgiveness is Not
Forgiveness is not condoning an unkindness. Forgiveness is not forgetting that something painful happened. Forgiveness is not excusing poor behavior. Forgiveness is not denying or minimizing your hurt. Forgiveness does not mean reconciling with the offender. Forgiveness does not mean you give up having feelings.
Helpful Steps in the Process of Forgiveness
Tell the story one last time to a trusted confidant.
Recognize that the event may not have been a deliberate attempt to hurt you. It could have simply been circumstances.
Give the grievance story a new ending — one where you choose peace and move on from carrying the grievance with you all the time.
Find the door that lets you out of the room where you have kept yourself. That room is called hurt. The room may not have been started by you, but it’s maintained by you.
Ask yourself, “How is holding on to this story serving me?”
Paula Redmann is the community relations manager for Bismarck Parks and Recreation District. She married her high school sweetheart, Tom. They have two grown sons, Alex and Max.
Look What She Did: Cara Currie-Hall
Vanity Plates Make me Smile
Loretta Knutson says:
Blessed by Ruth and her family. Thankful for her achievements in healing and the fun and love she brings to family. “Mrs. Sunshine”. Love to her, her husband, children and grandchildren!
HazelAnn says:
I am moved beyond words that can express what ii am reading in this article. Knowing Ruth as a family member and how much my mother Evelyn Barkie and our family loved her but not knowing what her trial and tribulations were as a young child, teenager, or adult has been an eye-opener for me. Thank you Ruth for sharing your amazing journey it has brought tears to my eyes and humbles my heart. You are a beautiful woman and you have touched the lives of many, including mine !
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DINER EN BLANC the Documentary is now available on iTunes!
Posted by Aymeric Pasquier on March 20, 2014 | 0 comment
"DINER EN BLANC, The World's Largest Secret Dinner Party" - The Documentary is now available on iTunes! This stunning 40 minute film reveals how a flash mob dinner, started in Paris twenty five years ago by ten friends who wanted to dine in a forbidden spot, grew into an annual communion of 15,000 guests and a worldwide phenomenon while remaining completely non-commercial, proving collaboration and friendship can overcome logistics and all else. Download or watch the movie on Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/diner-en-blanc-worlds-largest/id835449507 Scenario: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2766270/ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pa...
40 Cities Worldwide and 16 U.S. Cities Host First International Viral Culinary Event
Posted by Aymeric Pasquier on November 09, 2013 | 0 comment
40 Cities Worldwide and 16 U.S. Cities Host First International Viral Culinary Event From global phenomenon to highly sought-after “secret,” Dîner en Blanc is spreading over the world, taking over the most prestigious landmark public spaces. The très chic picnic, imported from Paris, is equal parts mystery tour, pop-up feast and je ne sais quoi. Now marking its 25th anniversary, Dîner en Blanc was launched by François Pasquier and a handful of friends in 1988. Today, the original Paris Dîner en Blanc attracts more than 12,000 people each year, and worldwide, the event is exploding to 40 cities across five continents. At a D...
Le Dîner en Blanc International family
Le Dîner en Blanc International family Le Dîner en Blanc carries a unique history and a philosophy that we are proud of. Our family is constantly growing! The many cities that have joined the Dîner en Blanc family worldwide not only wish to participate in this concept, they respect its philosophy. We are welcoming these new cities by creating a network which interconnects and allows members to participate in any Dîner en Blanc event worldwide! Since 2012 we’ve been very busy with more than forty cities joining the family. Our goal is to guide and coach interested and qualified parties who wish to host their own Dîner en Blanc in their city. We als...
Sandy Safi - Co founder of Dîner en Blanc International at TEDx NYC 2013
Sandy Safi - Co founder of Dîner en Blanc International at TEDx NYC 2013 Having lived and worked in over 15 countries, including Canada, U.K., U.A.E., Qatar, France, Spain, Egypt, Italy, and throughout the United States, Safi has worked in various specializations in the performing arts and events fields including: operas, musicals, cirque, concerts, trade shows, exhibits, and other large-scale events. Safi was introduced to the stage at an early age as a performer and later went on to develop her passion for the performing arts in various technical and designer for large scale productions and international tours. In 2011, Safi teamed up with Aymeric Pasquier to bring the Diner en...
Documentary: DINER EN BLANC, The World's Largest Secret Dinner Party
"DINER EN BLANC, The World's Largest Secret Dinner Party" - The Documentary PARIS, 1998: 200 people gathered for an impromptu feast. How did the event remain secret while becoming an annual communion of 13,000 friends? The story of Dîner en Blanc is the subject of a documentary. “Dîner en Blanc: The World's Largest Dinner Party” reveals more about the evolution of this mesmerizing convergence of food, fashion and friendship. The film was produced and directed by Jennifer Ash Rudick with footage by iconic filmmaker Al Maysles (“Gimme Shelter,” and “Grey Gardens”). See the movie: https://itunes.apple.com/us/...
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June 19, 2019 / 10:36 AM / a month ago
Trump administration replaces Obama-era power plant rule, in boost to coal
Valerie Volcovici
(Reuters) - The Trump administration finalized a new carbon emissions rule for U.S. power plants on Wednesday that it said could cut pollution without damaging the coal industry, replacing a much tougher Obama-era version to fight climate change.
The move was a boost to coal companies facing tough competition from natural gas, solar and wind energy suppliers, but infuriated environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers who said the regulation was too weak to significantly reduce emissions and would put public health at risk.
The so-called Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule gives states three years to devise their own plans to cut emissions mainly by encouraging coal-fired power plants to improve their efficiency, the Environmental Protection Agency said.
“Our ACE rule will incentivize new technology which will ensure coal plants will be part of a cleaner future,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said at an event at agency headquarters attended by coal state lawmakers, White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and a dozen coal miners in uniform.
The ACE sets guidelines for states to developF performance standards for power plants to boost the amount of power produced relative to the amount of coal burned. It listed six existing “candidate technologies” plants can use to do so, including duct leakage control and boiler feed pumps.
Obama’s Clean Power Plan, by contrast, had aimed to slash power plant carbon emissions by more than a third from 2005 levels by 2030 by pushing utilities to drop coal in favor of cleaner fuels like natural gas, solar and wind.
That regulation was never enacted because of lawsuits by Republican states. It was stayed by the Supreme Court in 2016.Wheeler said the ACE was written “within the four corners of the Clean Air Act” by confining reduction requirements directly on power plants, not allowing a more systemwide approach.
“States will be given the flexibility to design a plan that best suits their citizens environmental and energy needs,” according to a summary of the rule, which estimated a cut in carbon emissions of 35% from 2005 levels by 2030.
President Donald Trump had vowed early in his presidency to kill the Clean Power Plan as part of his administration’s attempt to revive the ailing coal industry, arguing the regulation exceeded the federal government’s authority.
“DIRTY POWER PLAN”
Environmentalists, Democrats and some state attorneys general dubbed the regulation the “Dirty Power Plan”, saying it would keep coal plants running for longer and is likely to lead to increases, not cuts, in carbon emissions and other pollutants over the next few decades.
“This is an immoral and an illegal attack on clean air, clean energy, and the health of the public, and it shows just how heartless the Trump administration is when it comes to appeasing its polluter allies,” said Michael Brune, head of the U.S. environmental group Sierra Club.
U.S. Democratic Senator Tom Carper said the EPA plan was based on “a warped reinterpretation of the Clean Air Act that allows states to decide whether or not to regulate one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in our country.”
“At a time when Americans are urging us to take meaningful climate action and reduce our carbon footprint, today’s Dirty Power Plan is a failure of vision and leadership,” he said.
Joe Goffman, executive director of the Environmental & Energy Law Program at Harvard said the new regulation could allow some coal-fired power plants to avoid retirement by making “hardware fixes and operational changes”.
But a Reuters survey last October of 44 utilities that have announced plans to shutter coal units in coming years showed none of them expected the new EPA proposal would affect the timing of those retirements - casting doubt on whether it will provide much help to the coal industry.
Domestic coal demand has been sliding in recent years as utilities retiring aging coal-fired units and switch to cheaper supplies of natural gas, along with cleaner energy sources like solar and wind.
Asked after the rule roll out how many coal plants that were at risk of shuttering may get a lifeline with the implementation of ACE, Wheeler told reporters the agency did not analyze this but that states would have more “flexibility” to determine what plants stay open.
FILE PHOTO: Flags fly outside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the EPA headquarters in Washington, U.S., July 11, 2018. REUTERS/Ting Shen/File Photo/File Photo
White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said on Wednesday he would take the pen Wheeler used to sign the final rule and give it to Trump as a memento, adding U.S. carbon emissions have fallen in recent years despite a growing economy, proving the Obama rule was not needed.
One item that the ACE rule did not include in its final version is an update to the New Source Review, a program requiring new plants or major upgrades to power plants to obtain environmental permits. The draft proposal allowed plants to skip the NSR permitting in order to allow ACE-mandated efficiency improvements.
Wheeler told reporters after signing the ACE rule that EPA will address NSR reform in a separate rulemaking that will be finalized separate in the coming months but he did not specify a timeline.
Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Marguerita Choy
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Afghanistan appreciates US’ flexibility towards exempting Chabahar port from Iran sanctionshttps://indianexpress.com/article/world/afghanistan-appreciates-us-flexibility-towards-exempting-chabahar-port-from-iran-sanctions-5498756/
Afghanistan appreciates US’ flexibility towards exempting Chabahar port from Iran sanctions
Last month, the Trump administration exempted India from imposition of certain sanctions for the development of the strategically-located Chabahar Port in Iran, along with the construction of the railway line connecting it with Afghanistan.
By PTI |United Nations | Published: December 18, 2018 1:01:53 pm
First consignment of Afghan exports through Chabahar flagged off
The regional great game
Chabahar port: India, Afghanistan, Iran agree on routes for trade, transit corridors
The Chabahar Port remains an important gateway for providing commercially viable access to the sea linking the Indian Ocean with Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond. (File)
Afghanistan has voiced appreciation for the “flexibility” shown by its “strategic partner” the US in exempting the Chabahar port project, being developed by India, from its tough sanctions against Iran.
The US had imposed “the toughest ever” sanctions on a defiant Iran aimed at altering the Iranian regime’s “behaviour”. The sanctions cover Iran’s banking and energy sectors and reinstate penalties for countries and companies in Europe, Asia and elsewhere that do not halt Iranian oil imports.
However, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said that eight countries — India, China, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey — were temporarily allowed to continue buying Iranian oil as they showed “significant reduction” in oil purchase from the Persian Gulf country.
“The Chabahar Port remains an important gateway for providing commercially viable access to the sea linking the Indian Ocean with Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond. In this regard, we appreciate the collaboration and flexibility of our strategic partner, the United States to work with Afghanistan, Iran and India towards exempting the port from its Sanctions,” Afghanistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Mahmoud Saikal said Monday at a Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan.
Saikal said since last year, Kabul has operationalised air-cargo corridors with India, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Europe, Russia, UAE, Saudi Arabia and China, leading to a substantial increase in export of Afghan products abroad.
The year 2018 also witnessed the implementation of the Afghanistan section of the TAPI gas pipeline project, “which will revolutionise the energy sector in Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India”.
A State Department spokesperson had said that the fate of Chabahar Port that the “exception relates to reconstruction assistance and economic development for Afghanistan. These activities are vital for the ongoing support of Afghanistan’s growth and humanitarian relief.”
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India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Tanmaya Lal told the Security Council meeting that New Delhi is working closely with Kabul in implementing development projects.
In May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan inked a pact which entailed establishment of Transit and Transport Corridor among the three countries using Chabahar Port as one of the regional hubs for sea transportation in Iran, besides multi-modal transport of goods and passengers across the three nations.
The port in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich nations southern coast is easily accessible from India’s western coast and is increasingly seen as a counter to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, which is being developed with Chinese investment and is located at distance of around 80 kms from Chabahar.
The Chabahar Port is considered a gateway to golden opportunities for trade by India, Iran and Afghanistan with central Asian countries besides ramping up trade among the three countries after Pakistan denied transit access to India.
India also criticised the inability and unwillingness of the international community and the Security Council to deal effectively with the source of deteriorating security situation and growing terror attacks in the war-torn country.
“The sanctuaries and safe havens provided to these terror networks for years are well known. The activities of Taliban, Haqqani Network, Da’esh, Al Qaeda and its proscribed affiliates including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have to be stopped,” Lal said.
He also strongly criticized the Security Council sanctions committee for refusing to designate new leaders of the Taliban or to freeze the assets of the slain leader of Taliban, saying the powerful UN body is “falling short of what is expected of it by the Afghans and international community. From the lessons from the past, we who are located in New York, are aware that peace in Afghanistan is tied to the peace and security in the entire world.”
Afghanistan appreciates US' flexibility towards exempting Chabahar port from Iran sanctions
1 Yemen’s deadly seas: Fishermen come under fire in Saudi war
2 Xi Jinping urges implementation of reform but offers no new measures
3 ‘A buzzing thing in the sky’ delivers vaccines to Vanuatu
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Shealah Craighead
World News /14 Mar 2017
Trump’s Middle East Policy
President Donald Trump has managed in his first six weeks to appoint key foreign policy advisors and executives, but he still has to appoint hundreds more who may have an influence on the direction of policy in the Middle East, although the influence of key personnel is likely to continue to be pivotal. Like previous White Houses, its foreign policy staff is not of one mind; they also reflect some key constituents that helped elect the president, most likely those who have foreign policy axes to grind. At the risk of over simplification, the president’s team is composed of several factions including two main groups:
The Movement: These are some dedicated political supporters who believe that “Trumpism” is more than a party, more than an effort to win one or two national elections. Trumpism is a political movement that is changing the United States into a populist system that defends the average citizen against the conceited political and cultural elite, which has dominated the U.S. since the Reagan Administration. This “Movement” believes in reducing the powers and capabilities of the Federal Government even going so far as “destructing” the Federal establishment. The Movement believes in unlimited and unrestrained capitalism. It is a nationalist movement that thinks “America first”; it does not support globalization unless the U.S. dominates.
The Movement Guardians are staunchly anti-Muslim, and to a lesser extent, other religious and/or cultural minorities. Some believe in the inevitability of a major war between the U.S. as the leading “Christian” country and the infidels with whom the U.S. is engaged in a clash of civilizations. Only total defeat of Muslims or at least their religious/political ideology would ensure U.S. security. The other war that the Movement would support is a war with China, which is considered a threat to U.S. primacy and which unfairly dominates the U.S. economy by creating a Chinese monopoly over production of consumer goods, and currency manipulation.
The Movement guardians include Stephen Bannon senior counselor to the president; Michael Flynn the first National Security Advisor; Jarred Kuchner the president’s son-in-law; David Friedman, proposed Ambassador to Israel, and Sebstian Gorka, self-proclaimed expert on political Islam and former Breitbart’s national security editor who will be the resident brain on terrorism. The alt-right is clearly anti-Muslim; its anti-Israel and anti-Semitic original positions have now been largely reconciled.
The Pragmatists: The U.S. Federal Government is a huge enterprise; many are attracted to serve in positions of authority under nearly any president; almost any American would find it difficult to say “no” if offered a job by the president. The Pragmatists include General Mattis, Secretary of Defense; General John Kelley, Secretary of Homeland Security; Secretary of State Rex Tillerson; and Robert Pompeo, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
After six weeks, both camps have scored successes. The Movement Guardians wrote the travel Ban on Muslims arriving from 6-7 countries; managed to appoint an Israeli/American extremist as U.S. ambassador to Israel; vetoed the appointment of a Palestinian/American as an official of the United Nation; and hosted Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House. The Pragmatists re-wrote the Muslim travel ban Executive Orders. The edge as of now favors the Movement Guardians. Coming conflicts between the two camps will make this Administration’s future worth watching.
It may be easier to start with what policies initiated by previous administrations will the Trump Brain Trust reverse or abolish.
Discontinue support for Syrian insurgents. After giving large amounts of financial and technical support (about $500 million annually) for the last six years, the United States has not succeeded in the formation of a pro-US military force that is capable of replacing the Syrian regime. Part of the Trump Pragmatic Approach is accepting the military changes on the grounds that see Russian air and ground forces as crucial to any political settlement in Syria.
The age of the Neo-Cons is ending. President Trump has carefully side stepped those American “pundits” who advised the Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama administrations, and who created a messier situation not only for the native inhabitants of the Middle East, but for the U.S. as well. The president has clearly rejected Neo-Con nominees for major foreign policy positions in his Administration: Secretary of State, Deputy Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, National Security Advisor, and Ambassador to the United Nations.
The Policy of divide and ruin may now end. The Neo-Con-originated policy of attacking, ruining, and then leaving one country in the region after another, meanwhile encouraging future division of the targeted country into smaller political units may now be ended. Dividing and ruining Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, to be followed by Iran and perhaps others, will not make the U.S. more secure, will not lessen formation of forces that oppose the U.S., and would certainly demand expenditure of more scarce resources. The president has repeatedly decried the foolish expending of trillions of dollars in wars of choice that have minimal returns.
No more nation-building. The president does not subscribe to the fiction perpetrated by the last five administrations that the U.S. was concerned about turning dictatorships in the Middle East into liberal democratic societies; the U.S. has not fostered one single democracy. The previous practices of regime change will end. Admiration for “strong man rule,” in Russia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will be the norm.
The Seven Pillars of Trump Policy
1. Primacy of Israel: Statements by presidential candidate Donald Trump and later as president leave no doubt that he is fully committed to not only Israel’s survival but to its dominant position in the Middle East; the president is intent up on supporting any and all actions and policies supported by the current Israeli elite. Future policies toward Israel and its neighbors will be in line with this undoubted support. The U.S. is not interested in appearing “neutral” between Israel and its neighbors. This is a stand fully in agreement with another Trump-stated foreign policy objective: the U.S. stands fully with its “true” friends, the foremost among them being Israel. The U.S. will assist Israel militarily, economically and diplomatically. Non-vetoing a U.N. resolution critical of Israel will not be repeated.
Settling the Israel-Palestine conflict may not be critical to a comprehensive policy in the region, but its “management” will be important to other U.S. objectives. In the long run it matters not whether the two parties opt for a one-state solution, a two-state solution, any other solution, or no solution at all. Such a determination does not limit the U.S. options of occasionally making friendly suggestions. Thus far, the U.S. has hinted at one solution, but has not submitted any. The president announced publicly that he has a really far-reaching proposal that will be submitted on a regional basis. Has he really developed one? The president most likely was briefed on a regional plan that was being discussed by the Obama Administration in 2016. Former Secretary of State John Kerry, in consultation with President Sissi of Egypt and King Abdullah of Jordan, reached an agreement with Prime Minister Netanyahu that included the following points:
A. Settlement of the Israeli-Palestine dispute can best be achieved at the regional level.
B. Settlement will be announced at a summit conference, perhaps in Cairo.
C. The settlement will be based on the two-state solution, with some modifications.
D. Normalization of conditions with other Arab states will follow.
E. The Palestinians will be given greater local authority, but remain within Israel security zone.
F. Palestinian economic development will be encouraged.
G. Further expansion of settlements will be halted.
Kerry received a copy at a private dinner with Netanyahu in a restaurant in Rome on June 26, 2016. Secretary Kerry promised to bring in Saudi Arabia and other “Sunni” states. To obtain greater support within Israel, Netanyahu proposed a national unity government that would include leaders of the Zionist Camp party, specifically Isaac Hertzog and Tsipi Livni. The latter two wanted a copy and a letter affirming Netanyahu’s commitment, for both doubted his intentions; a final draft of the document was given to Hertzog on September 13, 2016, he then proceeded to discuss its contents with Arab diplomats. It did not take long before Netanyahu began to prove Hertzog and Livni right. He began to play for time, as Secretary Kerry told him bluntly, once he realized that Candidate Trump had a chance of winning. By January 2017 he had fully taken back his support for the two-state solution.
The president may keep some of the components of the Netanyahu-Kerry plan, and incorporate them in his vision for a new Middle East. The president has already asked for and obtained temporary suspension of new settlements.
2. Defeating ISIL: Since Donald Trump entered the presidential race he vowed to obliterate ISIL, and heaped much criticism on President Obama for allegedly not taking the war to ISIL, even accusing Obama of being the father of or creator of ISIL. Once elected, Trump directed the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan within thirty days that would lead to ISIL’s defeat. The Pentagon’s plan is now proceeding. ISIL has been losing power and has been degraded for the past year or so; its main external supporters (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel and Turkey) were losing influence on the Syrian battlefield, as well as in Iraq. Casualties among its ranks were not being replaced once these and European powers decided to withhold replenishing their ranks. ISIL’s revenues from oil and other sources were nearly cut in half. The land under its control has been gradually reduced in size. Iraqi and Syrian forces were doing much better in combating ISIL’s forces.
The U.S. military wanted to carry out an air and ground operation on territory marked by two cities: Raqqa, a Syrian city in the west, and Al-Mosul, an Iraqi city in the east. In the west, the U.S. finds possible allied forces already on the ground; they include Turks, Syrian Kurds, Russians, and Syrian regime forces, all fighting ISIL and some fighting each other. In Mosul, there are Iraqi Kurds, Turks, Shi’a militias, and forces of the Iraqi Government. Deciding the future of the land now occupied by ISIL can prove to be more difficult than dislodging ISIL. For now, the U. S. does not want armed conflict among its allies, and definitely wants to see a U.S.-Russian alliance against ISIL TheTrump Administration must deal first with promises made by the Obama Administration, and they were many and contradictory. The Turks have been assured that Kurdish expansion in Syria will be very limited; the Kurds in Syria believe that territory liberated with their help will be annexed to Iraqi Kurdish areas; the Syrians and Russians are convinced that the U.S. supports the unity and sovereignty of Syria. The Iraq side is equally messy with Kurds wanting to expand their borders, the Shi’a militias wanting a liberated Mosul without Kurds or Sunnis, and Sunni Arabs wanting a home preferably in Mosul. While worried about Turkish troop concentration around the town of Manbij, some eighty-five miles north of Raqqa, the U. S. will rely on about 50,000 Syrian regime and Syrian Kurdish forces in attacking Raqqa. The U.S. has a freer hand in Mosul; it has air and artillery superiority and has a supportive Iraqi government.
It is only a matter of time before the fall of ISIL. Will the Trump administration win the peace to follow?
3. Russia is not our enemy: The president has been consistent during his campaign in treating Vladimir Putin cordially, refraining from calling Russia names, and stating on more than one occasion that he wished to maintain friendly relations with Russia. He welcomed joint U.S.-Russian action against ISIL and other Islamist terror groups. He called for reconsideration of the objectives and tactics of NATO, the most adamant anti-Russian alliance. The European Community, a long-term target of Russian resentment, is made a target for his criticism. Post-election furor over Russia’s influence on the presidential election and the latent anti- Russian Washington suspicions of Russia may force the president to modify his plans for Russia. One signal of this trend may be his nomination of Ambassador Jon Huntsman rather than former Republican Representative Dana Rohrbacher, the first candidate and outspoken critic of NATO.
Shift to China: The Obama decision to shift U.S. attention to the Far East and South Asia, and away from the Middle East, fits in easily with Trump’s world outlook, his attitude towards globalization, rebuilding America’s prestige, and his populist nationalism. The Trump Administration will continue the shift. We can look to East Asia for more U.S. military, economic, and diplomatic actions in the next four years.
4. No war with Iran: Holding the view that Israel must be the uncontested regional power, and listening to Israeli pleadings that the future of the Jewish people in Israel and the world is jeopardized by the oft repeated claims that Iran has every intention of killing off all Israelis, once Iranians acquire the required killing weapons, Trump was long viewed as one who would find a reason to decimate Iran. Everyone knows of his Jewish daughter, and Jewish grandchildren. Benjamin Netanyahu has warned for the last twenty years that Iran will acquire nuclear weapons next year or the year after. The same Netanyahu assembled some of the wealthiest Israeli supporters to back Candidate Trump if he would only attack Iran.
But again, expected and unforeseen factors (The Black Swan effect so familiar to the president’s inner circle) argue against war with Iran, or indeed any major military opponent. First, the American people or a substantial portion of them including the president’s own supporters are not itching for another war in the Middle East (undoubtedly the president can change many minds should he opt to). Second, the American military does not cherish a major extended and bloody war in the Middle East that may perhaps sacrifice a significant percentage of U.S. troops (ten percent or more of the country’s fighting force) when the U.S. cannot afford that loss since it has to plan for possible war with China. War with Iran would bring within range of Iranian missiles large concentrations of U.S. troops in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar and the UAE. Third, the Obama Administration has shown the advantages of “normalizing” relations with Iran through diplomatic engagement. Fourth, the multi-party agreement on Iran’s nuclear arms effectively took the air out of Israeli drumming for war sails. Finally, there are no longer forces in Washington or London that are calling for occupation of Iranian oil fields as was the case in the early years of Bush 43.
White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon speaking at CPAC. (Michael Vadon)
A war with Iran will surely expand to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen and perhaps Palestine and Saudi Arabia. It may also risk war with Russia. A war on Islam is not what the U.S. needs especially when Russia is now an important regional power. Stephen Bannon’s prediction of one major Trump war in the region may be avoided. The same may not apply to smaller wars, where U.S. casualties can be held to a few thousand. U.S. over-emphasis and reliance on the military to counteract terrorism is bound to engage U.S. forces in Yemen, Somalia, Mauritania or elsewhere. The resignation of General Flynn, another Islam-phobe and war hawk and a paid lobbyist for a Muslim country, reduces the likelihood of war against Islam. Despite earlier rhetoric and ongoing calls for war, the Trump Administration is not likely to wage war against Islam.
5. Pragmatism: Trump is not the Terminator. He is a negotiator.
The billionaire has never been known as an ideologue but as a businessman who always wanted to succeed. He is also a television producer to whom public performance and drama are important. Such a man is likely to be careful as he deals with an unstable region of the world. He is likely to choose friends and foes very carefully. President Trump is a realist not a religious or political ideologue.
The Middle East as viewed by the president is not a crucial region for survival of the U.S. or its economy, as it was viewed a few short years ago. The Middle East is not an important source of energy resources; in terms of oil and gas it no longer amounts to much since the U.S. is now self-sufficient or nearly so. President Trump is the first American president since FDR who does not have to worry about Arab sheiks or emirs posing a threat to cheap energy; he is the first president who does not need to repeat President Carter’s worries over waiting lines at gas stations. This reality will force him and his team in directions of which no one can be sure. He may not “grab” Iraqi oil as he stated on his visit to the CIA on January 21 of this year, but he may succeed in taking half of Kurdish oil to defray the cost of defending Kurdish independence. His Secretary of State certainly demonstrated similar Pragmatism when he, as CEO of Exxon, made his oil deal with Iraqi Kurds, ignoring the Obama Administration.
It would be a miracle if President Trump learned the other lessons from the Iraq experience, such as the wisdom of such attacks, or the dos and don’ts of occupation of other lands, or how to deal with conquered people, or with a counter insurgency. For the lessons of Iraq to be analyzed and absorbed takes decades if the Vietnam experience is a guide.
Pragmatism may not give the president many clear-cut options, for example when he realizes that a region he inherited is now and continues to be fragmented along sectarian lines, thanks to actions by recent U.S. administrations and close U.S. allies. The president would take advantage of the Sunni-Shi’a divide, which he did not create but is likely to use.
The president will be very selective in identifying regional “friends.” His economic nationalism and business background will steer him towards countries that could enhance America’s wealth or could be targets for, or sources of investments. The U.S. would have only two friends: Israel and Saudi Arabia, with Israel remaining the number one partner. Secretary of Defense James Mattis may have his way and manage to add the United Arab Emirates; it has been reported that the Secretary looks kindly at the UAE and Jordan.
6. Access to post-oil wealth: The president knows that oil and gas resources have not disappeared from the Middle East although they are dwindling; they are still important for the producing countries, and for many other countries around the world that import oil and gas.
The president will continue to exercise great care in approaching them. But the president is a canny international businessman who greatly understands that several Arab countries are leaders in world finances. He knows that a significant percentage of the U.S. foreign debt, about six trillion dollars, is held by foreign nations led by Japan and China. Saudi Arabia alone holds over one hundred billion dollars of U.S. debt and The Gulf States are a source of investments in the growing U.S. economy.
The Gulf States are making plans to replace their fossil fuels with another lucrative resource: cash.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aims to become a financial powerhouse; its oil reserves are dwindling, so they better make a decent return.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been making a pitch to U.S. firms: help us build our investment prestige, and you can run money for us. The PIF is looking for investment opportunities at a large scale. PIF has committed $45 billion to a new technology fund. With the addition of ARAMCO, the Saudi Fund will have more than $160 billion in assets; another $27 billion have been added from official reserves. By 2020 the PIF plans to use half of its assets (not tied up in ARAMCO) making investment abroad. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) manages $792B in sovereign wealth. Kuwait Investment Authority is the fifth largest sovereign fund with assets of over 550 billion dollars.
The Pragmatist President will not ignore these possible investors for long.
7. A Trump Grand Design: President Trump and his foreign policy team have already told us much about their vision for the Middle East, although they are still working to make a comprehensive and consistent approach. U.S. foreign policy generally remains pretty constant even when new parties take over. Important changes may take place; it remains to be seen how much will actually change in U.S. policy towards the Middle East due to Trump’s assumption of power.
Plans by the Bush 43 Administration to recreate the Middle East in a new image (their grand design for a new Middle East) has not succeeded. The Trump Administration will try its hand, and come up with a catchy title for a reshuffled Middle East. America’s greatness will appear in yet another scheme for the region. The president will not be able to resist the power to draw new maps of the region, as several European and some Americans have tried.
The New Trump Middle East will be a three-tiered panorama.
The U.S. Orbit
Israel has advocated a new alignment to be headed by itself and Saudi Arabia, the Sunni Alliance, or the pro-West, pro-American block. Its membership will be limited to states that wish to “normalize” relations with Israel despite the formal state of war that exists with that country, and who consider Iran to be a greater threat. If one adds ample financial resources that is a requirement for friendship future membership will be easily limited to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar. Ultimately Israel would like to see these Arab countries as a market for Israeli goods, and a source of investment in Israeli firms, all connected with a network of railways.
Two other Sunni countries would be included if security conditions with Israel allow: Jordan and Egypt. Both are in serious financial conditions and will need to be assured of Saudi sponsorship. The block needs Jordan for geographic connection with the Gulf; it needs Egypt for numbers of consumers and fighting capacity. Oman is to be excluded since its practices in foreign policy fall closer to the U.K. and would better be a part of the European orbit.
Russian Orbit
Sunni/Shi’a division, the Syria experience, and Russia’s changing role in the region have created a block of nations led by Russia that includes: Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Thousands of Iranians have fought and died in Syria; thousands more will continue to cooperate with Iraqi government forces, and with Shi’a militias. If the U.S. and Saudi Arabia control eastern Syria after defeat of ISIL the region will see substantial bloodshed. U.S. and Saudi effort to disrupt Iran-Iraq-Syria movement of goods and personnel will require placement of troops in eastern Syria for many years. Chances of violent confrontation will be daily events.
Russia will continue to be the sole arms supplier to its partners. Iran, much like Syria, will offer Russia harbors and air bases. Iraq’s control by Iraqi Shi’a will assure its membership in the group, regardless of agreements between Iraq and the U.S. the rate at which Iraq joins will depend on how U.S. relations proceed with Iraqi Kurds and naturally with Turkey.
European Orbit
The president has often spoken of the need to give NATO some meaningful role if it is to no longer be the main anti-Russian alliance. Given the president’s demonstrated preference for white Europeans, his loud support for European efforts to stem North African migration, and his calls for Europeans to share the cost of their defense, it is likely that he will ask European powers to “police” North Africa. He and his team are likely to see the colonial experience of European powers as added qualifications for new control of the region, perhaps under the excuse of fighting “terrorism.” The future of Libya can be left to the French or Italians; France had decades of experience in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania. The French Government will welcome a resurrected French dominion; it may even do more should Marie Le Pen become the next president. None would remember that France, Italy and the U.K. were failures at controlling the native folks.
Nothing in this presentation should imply that the Trump Team has a detailed plan for the Middle East because they do not. Once they begin to address the region’s problems they will find out just how complex they are.
One of the most complex will be relations with Turkey, a country with regional interests, membership in NATO, and a neighbor of Russia. High on Turkey’s interests is the future of the Kurdish separatist movement within Turkey, and in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. has since at least 1991 supported Kurdish separatism and independence. If the U.S. continues to support Kurdish independence, urged by its friends Israel and Saudi Arabia, the Turkish Government will look kindly at steps to improve relations with Russia.
The second country where policy decisions are needed will be Yemen. The Trump Administration can continue the unrealistic assumption that this land is dangerous because of the presence of a handful of al-Qaeda supporters, and come to a realistic decision about a country with ineffective leadership threatened by attack from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and a significant minority and uprising from its Shi’a population. Supporting Saudi Arabia/UAE will continue to bring charges of supporting aggression; reaching an accommodation internally may strengthen Iranian hand. Question: can the Trump Administration live with another aggression by one of its best friends?
Somalia has had no working government for over twenty years despite various U.S. experiments; a U.S. citizen leads the last government as its president. Mass killings have dominated the scene. The U.S. has not allowed any group that has support of Somalis to control the government. It is not likely that this policy will change.
Finally, the Trump policymakers are being told that he need not pay attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, since there are more important issues: ISIL, Sunni-Shi’a conflict; Syria’s reconciliation; the future of the Kurds, or any of other current issues. The president will lose control of the Middle East if he buys into such diversions. President Trump cannot and should not stop considering this conflict as the prime issue in the region.
The Eclipsing of Moon Jae-in
Felix Imonti 07.15.19
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Western economic aid to Muslim nations who hate non-Muslims
Christian mother faces the death penalty in Pakistan
The Islamic onslaught in Pakistan continues to grow despite this nation being deemed an ally and receiving Western economic aid throughout this land. The recent floods saw mainly Western nations donating quickly but just like Afghanistan and Iraq it is clear that Muslims still hate religious minorities.
Political leaders in non-Muslim nations keep on telling us how peaceful the religion of Islam is and President Obama says very little about Islamic persecution of minorities. Instead, President Obama and other political leaders, and many parts of the mass media, desire to not only gloss over reality but they are prepared to lie openly and use quotes that suit their agenda.
In Afghanistan thousands of American troops and other allied forces have been killed for trying to develop and stabilize a nation which is divided by ethnicity, sectarianism, and clan based politics. However, if one Afghan national desires to openly convert to Christianity or Buddhism or any other non-Muslim faith then they face the death penalty.
Therefore, military troops from America and the United Kingdom, and other allied nations, are dying not for democracy but for maintaining Islamic Sharia law and preserving a nation state which hates Christianity, denies the equality of women, despises all other non-Muslim faiths, and wants to stop all alternative thought patterns that will challenge an Islamic state based on Islamic Sharia law .
In Iraq the Christian community is under siege and this nation which once was based on secular law is now under Islamic Sharia law. The Christians of Iraq and other minorities like the Mandaeans, Shabaks, and Yazidis, have been abandoned and hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee. Non-Muslims that remain in Iraq feel betrayed and marginalized.
The more economic aid that Afghanistan and Pakistan get then the more Islamized these nations become. I am not just talking about radical Islamic organizations because it also applies to the institutions of these nations and the Muslim public on a whole which still hates religious pluralism and religious equality.
It is just like Saudi Arabia which is a haven and funder of many Islamic organizations which are spreading hatred. This nation once was a backward Muslim society where modernization had been crushed by Islamic dogma and Mecca was a dustbowl. However, the British and then America, and a host of other modern nations, helped this nation to develop.
Yet the thanks that mainly Christian and secular based nations got was more hatred towards all non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia and this culminated with the majority of people being Saudi nationals who did September 11th. Also, you have mass Saudi funding which is spreading Islamic hatred far and wide and only last week in the United Kingdom it was stated that Saudi funding organizations are teaching hatred in British Muslim schools.
At the same time another majority Muslim nation called Egypt gets enormous amounts of American economic aid but does this help the Coptic Christians? The answer is no because Coptic Christians are treated negatively in Egypt at best and they suffer discrimination within the judicial process. At worse, Coptic Christian women are raped and forced to convert to Islam and you have killings of Coptic Christians by Muslims who think that it is their define right to kill in the name of Allah.
Turning back to Pakistan then this hatred can be seen by recent events and this applies to a Christian male called Zohab who was forced to convert to Islam after falling in love with a Muslim girl called Anum. He converted to Islam because of Muslim attacks against local Christians in Balida Town, Karachi.
Like usual the institutions of Pakistan failed the local Christian community just like it fails Hindus, Sikhs, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and others on a daily basis. Local Muslims had threatened to burn the local Christian church to the ground.
At the same time in Pakistan a Christian female faces the death penalty and Islamic organizations are baying for her blood and like usual many Muslim clerics are joining the bandwagon. Killing or persecuting in the name of Allah is a daily pastime in many Muslim nations and Asia Bibi, a Christian mother, now awaits her fate after being sentenced to death on accusations of blasphemy for saying something about Mohammed.
Asia Bibi is now in Seikhurura jail but why isn’t Islam being “put in jail” and for that matter why aren’t nations like Afghanistan, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and a host of other Islamic based nations being “put in jail?”
However, instead of political Islam and Islamic ways being challenged openly by the democratic world the opposite appears to be happening. This applies to increasing Muslim immigration to non-Muslim nations and then some nations like the United Kingdom are allowing aspects of Sharia Islamic law to be used in certain courts.
It should be remembered that the vast majority of Muslims from Pakistan in the United Kingdom cared little about Islamic terrorist organizations in the 1960s and 1970s or about Islamic Sharia law. However, the political correct kept on allowing more radical Muslim religious leaders into the country and allowed the Muslim “victim card” to grow in the mass media. Also, liberals like Prince Charles talked openly about the beauty of Islam despite the fact that not one Church of England church is allowed in Saudi Arabia.
B. Raman, a specialist in this field stated in the South Asia Analysis Group, paper number 1767, that “For the last fifteen years, there has been a conflict between the Deobandis and the Barelvis for the control of the mosques and their funds not only in Pakistan, but also in the UK. Previously, the Barelvis used to control the mosques in the UK frequented by immigrants from the sub-continent, but they have since been driven out by the Deobandis and Wahabis. This was the starting point for the radicalisation of the Pakistani-origin Muslims in the UK and in the other countries of West Europe. The ISI (Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence) has been supporting the Sipah-e-Sahaba and the LEJ in Pakistan as well as in West Europe.”
At the moment it is clear that Islam keeps on spreading in many non-Muslim nations because of immigration, mixed marriages, conversions to Islam because of liberal Muslims who are on a hard sell course involving major kitman, the Muslim “victim card” in many media outlets, and Islamic funding from nations like Saudi Arabia is spreading a dual message. This applies to literal Islam and kitman Islam in order to spread the faith.
Despite this the democratic world keeps on sending vast sums of money in order to help mainly Muslim nations and in return for this they still hate non-Muslims and Islamization continues.
It appears that the democratic world is sowing the seeds of its own demise and it is clear that in the past that when Buddhists and Hindus were strong in Afghanistan that they did not understand the nature of Islam. Once they understood the nature of stealth jihad, kitman, jihad, and Islamic Sharia law, then it was too late because soon all Buddhists and Hindus would face the sword of Islam and this was replicated in many other societies.
Even in modern times it is clear that de-Christianization is ongoing in Kosovo and de-Hinduization is ongoing in Kashmir and Pakistan. The same applies to Buddhists in southern Thailand and a host of other places like the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh where all non-Muslim groups face an Islamic onslaught and the Hindu population in Bangladesh is also in freefall.
Will the democratic world wake up or will they be crushed by liberal and left-wing forces which appear to be on a self-loathing mission while supporting the Muslim “victim card” and notion that Islam means peace?
Or a more alarming comment could be aimed at the political elites within the democratic world for endangering the free world by implementing policies that favored Islam and ignored the reality of political Islam and stealth jihad. Will these elites ever wake up or are they beyond reach?
http://islamicinquisition.wordpress.com
http://leejaywalker.wordpress.com
Posted in ASIA, ISLAM, ISLAMIC PERSECUTION, PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Western economic aid to Muslim nations who hate non-Muslims
Tags: Asia Bibi and islamic brutality, Asia Bibi faces the death penalty, B. Raman, B. Raman and Islam, B. Raman and the Barelvis, blasphemy law is evil in pakistan, Christians threatened by blasphemy law in Pakistan, de-christianization, de-hinduization in Kashmir, Economic aid to islamic nations, islam is spreading its hatred, Islamic sharia law, islamic sharia law and killing non-muslims, islamization in non-Muslim nations, killing in the name of allah, killing to appease mohammed, persecution of Ahmadiyya Muslims, persecution of coptic christians, persecution of mandaeans, persecution of shabaks, President Obama and appeasement, President Obama lies about islam, saudi arabia and radicla islam, Saudi Arabia and September 11, saudi arabia is spreading hatred, West is ignoring the Islamic threat
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British White Paper Restricts Jewish Immigration and Land Purchase
The 1930s witnessed prolonged Arab violence against the British and Zionists. In late 1936, in the midst of the Arab Rebellion, Britain sent an investigative commission to Palestine to find a solution to the ongoing conflict. Known as the Peel Commission, it suggested partitioning the land into separate Arab and Jewish states, and creating an international zone from Jaffa on the coast up to and including Jerusalem. The Peel Plan was never implemented; the Arab community rejected the plan although Jewish leaders in Palestine who did not like the plan were willing to negotiate.
In May 1939, as the riots were ending, the British issued a White Paper restricting Jewish immigration and land purchase in Palestine. The 1939 White Paper signaled Britain’s readiness to relegate the Jews in Palestine to minority status in a future majority-Arab state. Restricting Jewish immigration to Palestine was especially troubling as World War II was about to engulf European Jews in the Holocaust.
However, by 1939, institutional growth and development for a Jewish state had taken considerable shape. Jewish paramilitary forces continue to grow and protect Jewish settlements. In response to the White Paper, “illegal” Jewish immigration to Palestine slowly but steadily increased. In September 1939, David Ben-Gurion expressed the complexity of Zionist policy to Britain in his famous statement: “We must help the [British] army as if there were no White Paper, and we must fight the White Paper as if there were no war.”
To read the full text of the 1939 White Paper, click here.
The photo shows a demonstration against the White Paper held in Jerusalem on May 22, 1939.
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The One Where We Talk ’90s Styling With ‘Friends’ Costume Designer Debra McGuire
July 11, 2019, 12:37 pm 667.5k Views
When Friends landed on TV 25 years ago, it sparked a number of revolutions: it flipped the script on tired sitcom tropes; it introduced audiences to six characters who would become household names worldwide; and it transformed simple, everyday items of clothing into iconic, era-defining looks. Sure, it might be a bit white by 2019’s standards but back then…
Now, while you probably already know how Friends breathed life into TV comedy by offering audiences something relatable, can list the qualities of the characters as if you were discussing your own family, and can pinpoint instantly your favorite fashion moments, there’s one person intrinsic to the show’s legacy you probably don’t know.
That person is Debra McGuire, the show’s costume designer, who, despite the myriad of articles written about how and why a Friends character’s look is reflective of today’s trends, was never actually that interested in fashion. In fact, she says she finds the comparisons quite funny.
Fun fact, this tee was designed and created for the 1992 Lithuanian Olympic basketball team by the @gratefuldead 🏀 Most recently, @jonahhill wore another one of the designs from the line but I love that this is Phoebe’s form of #athleisure back in 1997
A post shared by Every Outfit On Friends (@everyfriendsoutfit) on Apr 7, 2019 at 5:50pm PDT
“I just read an article about Monica’s clothes being 100 percent on trend for what’s happening today. I find it so humorous,” McGuire says. “The article said we overlooked Monica’s wardrobe, but here, in the context of fashion today, it’s on trend. You know, none of that has any meaning to me because that’s not really what I was doing.”
Instead, McGuire says her primary focus was on the characters and how they would interact with each other visually given they shared so much screen time. She also wanted to present something that hadn’t been done before. So when the show’s executive producer Marta Kauffman told her, “They’re in New York. They’re hanging out. They should be hanging out in jeans,’” McGuire was like, “Yeah, no. I don’t think so.”
Instead, McGuire wanted to create something aspirational. Something fresh. Yet still subtly reflecting the era and New York City.
“It was all about texture and color and staying true to a New York palette,” McGuire explains. “It was very black, white, gray, with hits of color. Jennifer [Aniston, Rachel] brought in these greens and blues. Courtney [Cox, Monica] was in this black, white, burgundy world. Phoebe was all patterns and a sort of contemporary, alternative, bohemian look. Ross was in tweeds. Joey was in chenilles and textures. Then Matthew [Perry, Chandler] brought in his sort of vintage palette.”
In terms of menswear, Chandler was where McGuire had the most fun. While Joey’s and Ross’ looks had their own individualized elements, they were still “nothing that you couldn’t buy at the store,” says McGuire.
“Chandler was the most creatively inspired. I created a lot of the garments for him,” she says, adding that the character’s array of racing stripe shirts were made from scratch. The 1940s were also a source of inspiration while creating Chandler’s looks. “He was the one character that made sense to bring in some inspiration from the past. I did that certainly with the girls a lot, but he was the only male character that I could sort of really play with that.”
chandlers style
A post shared by ava (@avanope) on Nov 19, 2018 at 10:57am PST
Alongside Chandler’s custom-made racing shirts, later on in the show’s run, McGuire also created a number of vintage-looking T-shirts inspired by thrift store rummages. The choice to make them herself was due to copyright issues and specifically related to a vintage trucker tee she used while also working on late-’90s show Freaks and Geeks. Her team weren’t aware that the trucking company was still operating, and using its branding without consent on Freaks and Geeks resulted in drama.
“It made us super-conscious of what we used and piqued our consciousness in terms of what we could do,” says McGuire. “You don’t have to worry about clearances if you’re creating original art. So you can create original art to look vintage.”
Clearances aside, this approach worked the other way, too. Take Joey’s leather jacket, for example. It turns out his beat-up biker jacket wasn’t as thrift store-sourced as it appeared. “Yeah, it was Armani,” she says. “I know. When I bought it, I was like, ‘Ugh, I’m not going to tell this to anybody.’ It’s only 20 years later that I’m admitting it. There’s no way he could have afforded it,” she adds in reference to the character’s not-always-successful aspiration to make it as an actor.
“I pulled hundreds of vintage leather jackets and this was the only one that was right. Sometimes finding something that’s extremely expensive and deconstructing it is going to be more valuable visually, and vice versa. Sometimes the cheapest thing that you just find can work as something couture.”
However, none of the designer threads that appeared in Friends were loaned to the show. Why? Because if McGuire and her team bought the pieces outright, the designer could change them to fit her vision.
“Let’s say I bought a Dolce & Gabbana [piece]. I wasn’t committed to keeping the arms on the dress, you know what I mean?” she says. “So that’s why I didn’t take anything for free. People were always offering to give us clothes. Never, never. I was not interested because it was about our vision, not theirs.”
Keeping the characters’ styles evolving over the show’s 10-year run, McGuire says incorporating slimmer cuts was a natural shift: “I changed the fit of clothes. It’s the first time that clothes were body-conscious again, and you hadn’t seen that. Things were oversized. They were big. Dress shirts on men were huge. And what we did, and I did this quite intentionally, as a way to make things look fresh was to change the fit.”
While streetwear today remains distinctly oversized, McGuire saw shapes in the fashion mainstream begin to slim down as a consequence of the show. “I just felt like it was affecting the world,” she says. “Every decision was very intentional. This was all intentional.”
She says she continues to receive a dozen emails a week asking where to purchase a particular item a fan has seen on the show. “It’s just incredible the impact that young people feel and resonate with those characters and that lifestyle,” McGuire says. “I find it really fascinating, but that’s what fashion is. It’s this sort of cyclical reinterpretation of the past. It’s not that often that there’s a tremendous amount of newness.”
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International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive
Geolocated items
Preserving archival materials
Publishing archival materials
Mailly-le-Camp
Aerial photograph of large military camp, showing it before and after bombing. A railway line runs in from the right centre of the photograph and terminates in upper centre, having split into three lines. There is a train in situ on the main line. There are visible 32 separate, identical buildings, laid out in a grid pattern in the lower part of the photograph, with the edge of what could be another set of 16 just visible in the lower right corner. The remainder of the photograph shows larger buildings and yards.
After the bombing, all of the larger buildings have been completely destroyed, except one in the upper right corner, though this has suffered considerable damage. All but three of the 32 buildings in the grid pattern have been reduced to rubble, and the three remaining appear to have suffered damage. The railway line has minor crater damage, though there is no sign of the train. There are craters visible all over the photograph, but these are mostly concentrated in the lower third.
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
IBCC Digital Archive
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Two b/w photographs
POHaraHF16020001, POHaraHF16020002
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
France--Mailly-le-Camp
O'Hara, Herbert
aerial photograph; bombing; Bombing of Mailly-le-Camp (3/4 May 1944); reconnaissance photograph
Great Britain. Royal Air Force, “Mailly-le-Camp,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed July 18, 2019, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/3586.
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The Bomber Command Digital Archive is an initiative of the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC). The Lincolnshire Bomber Command Memorial Trust (Registered Charity No. 1144182) and the University of Lincoln are partners in delivering the IBCC.
Unless otherwise noted, each item is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre
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Français Español العربية
Statutory meetings
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04/08/2019 - Cairo (Egypt)
09/07/2019 - Algiers (Algeria)
24/06/2019 - Tirana (Albania)
24/06/2019 - Beirut (Lebanon)
16/06/2019 - Cremona (Italy)
04/06/2019 - Yerevan (Armenia)
03/06/2019 - Honiara (Solomon Islands)
21/05/2019 - UNESCO Headquarters, Paris (France)
Tell your living heritage story (2018)
Passing it on: Inventorying living heritage in Africa (2016)
ICH for sustainable development: a virtual exhibition (2013)
Recognizing Our Cultural Heritage... (2010)
Living Heritage: Exploring the Intangible (2007)
About Intangible Heritage
What is Intangible Heritage?
Why safeguard ICH?
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Kallawaya © Y.Shimizu 2014
Forms available for the 2021 cycle
4 July 2019 –
The Secretariat has made available, on the website of the 2003 Convention, the updated forms to be completed by States when nominating living heritage elements to the Representative List and Urgent Safeguarding List and when proposing projects, programmes and activities for the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices for the 2021 cycle as well as for International Assistance requests. ›››
Central Asia strengthens intersectoral cooperation on living heritage and education
24 June 2019 – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan,
For the first time education and culture stakeholders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan came together to discuss benefits and ›››
A new network of young cultural heritage professionals emerges from a UNESCO/EU project
11 June 2019 –
“Heritage it is an inherent part of our identity. It is a way to understand each other better” mentioned Victoria Kel ›››
What to do for intangible cultural heritage in emergencies?
24 May 2019 –
Twenty-one international experts gathered on 21 and 22 May at UNESCO Headquarters at the request of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding ›››
Living Heritage and Indigenous Peoples
Dive into intangible cultural heritage
12 Ethical Principles
Community-based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Viet Nam 05/08/2019 - 09/08/2019 Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam)
Workshop on developing safeguarding plans for intangible cultural heritage 04/08/2019 - 08/08/2019 Cairo (Egypt)
Training of trainers’ workshop on intangible cultural heritage - Strengthening the network of facilitators in Africa 09/07/2019 - 13/07/2019 Algiers (Algeria)
Safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and community-based inventorying - National training of trainers 24/06/2019 - 28/06/2019 Tirana (Albania)
Workshop on the community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage 24/06/2019 - 05/07/2019 Beirut (Lebanon)
13th Annual Meeting of the South-East European Experts Network on Intangible CUltural Heritage 16/06/2019 - 18/06/2019 Cremona (Italy)
Community-Based Inventorying of ICH in Armenia 04/06/2019 - 07/06/2019 Yerevan (Armenia)
Capacity Building Workshop on the Implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention in the Solomon Islands 03/06/2019 - 07/06/2019 Honiara (Solomon Islands)
Expert meeting on intangible cultural heritage in emergencies 21/05/2019 - 22/05/2019 UNESCO Headquarters, Paris (France)
From Ratification to Implementation: Pacific Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop held in Nadi 13/05/2019 - 17/06/2019 Nadi (Fiji)
Side event on the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: Opportunities for indigenous peoples 22/04/2019 - 22/04/2019 New York (United States of America)
Consultation meeting on the role of accredited non-governmental organizations under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 18/04/2019 - 18/04/2019 UNESCO Headquarters (France)
Workshop on the community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage 14/04/2019 - 23/04/2019 Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)
Training Workshop on Participatory Inventory Development with Communities 19/03/2019 - 29/03/2019 Moroni (Comoros)
Workshop on Community based inventorying of the 2003 Convention 03/03/2019 - 12/03/2019 Cairo (Egypt)
Information and exchange session on the provisional upstream dialogue for nominations to be examined in 2019 by the Intergovernmental Committee 01/03/2019 - 01/03/2019 Paris (France)
Workshop for the Implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 20/02/2019 - 22/02/2019 Beirut (Lebanon)
Training on inventorying and technical assistance for setting up an inventory framework 13/01/2019 - 17/01/2019 Khartoum (Sudan)
Validation workshop on needs assessment in Ghana 13/12/2018 - 14/12/2018 Accra (Ghana)
The global facilitators’ network: How can it support countries to implement the Convention 27/11/2018 - 27/11/2018 Port Louis (Mauritius)
Consultation on the priorities for an Action Plan for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Guatemala 27/11/2018 - 27/11/2018 Guatemala City (Guatemala)
13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee 26/11/2018 - 01/12/2018 Port Louis (Mauritius)
Workshop on institutional and legal frameworks in Comoros for Intangible Cultural Heritage 20/11/2018 - 22/11/2018 Moroni (Comoros)
Paris Peace Forum 11/11/2018 - 13/11/2018 La grande Halle de la Villette (France)
Workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Georgia 05/11/2018 - 09/11/2018 Tbilisi (Georgia)
Virtual conference – safeguarding intangible cultural heritage through technical and vocational education and training 29/10/2018 - 07/11/2018 Online (France)
Workshop on implementation of the 2003 Convention 28/10/2018 - 30/10/2018 Kuwait City (Kuwait)
kick-off meeting " Community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in urban contexts" 22/10/2018 - 23/10/2018 UNESCO Headquarters (France)
Extensive training on community-based inventory on the ICH concept 15/10/2018 - 19/10/2018 Dakar (Senegal)
Community-based inventorying workshop in Lamu 08/10/2018 - 12/10/2018 Lamu (Kenya)
Information and exchange session for the members of the Intergovernmental Committee 02/10/2018 - 02/10/2018 Paris (France)
Training Workshop on Community-Based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Elaborating Nomination Files under the Mechanisms of the 2003 UNESCO Convention 26/09/2018 - 03/10/2018 Pyongyang (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)
Workshop on implementation of the 2003 Convention for decision makers 23/09/2018 - 24/09/2018 Khartoum (Sudan)
Supporting policy development in the field of intangible cultural heritage. Training of trainers for the facilitators from Europe. 17/09/2018 - 21/09/2018 Sofia (Bulgaria)
Workshop on implementation of the 2003 Convention for national experts, local associations and communities 16/09/2018 - 20/09/2018 Khartoum (Sudan)
Closing workshop for the project 'Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage through strengthening national capacities in Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia' 12/09/2018 - 12/09/2018 Rabat (Morocco)
Training of trainers on Community based inventorying in Egypt 02/09/2018 - 06/09/2018 Cairo (Egypt)
Workshop on developing policies in the field of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding 26/08/2018 - 30/08/2018 Cairo (Egypt)
Training of trainers workshop for facilitators from the Asia-Pacific Region 02/07/2018 - 06/07/2018 Hangzhou (China)
Pilot Inventorying Activity Bonaire July – Sept, 2018: BONAIRE’S ICH & NATURAL DISASTERS 01/07/2018 - 30/09/2018 Kralendijk, Bonaire (Netherlands)
Final consultation and validation meeting of the multi-year national strategy for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage 28/06/2018 - 29/06/2018 Tunis (Tunisia)
Capacity building workshop on intangible cultural heritage in Vanuatu 25/06/2018 - 29/06/2018 Port-Vila (Vanuatu)
Capacity Building Workshop on the Implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Kiribati 25/06/2018 - 29/06/2018 Tarawa (Kiribati)
National workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention in the Comoros 25/06/2018 - 29/06/2018 Moroni, Comoros (Comoros)
Training of trainers workshop for facilitators from Central Asia 25/06/2018 - 28/06/2018 Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Workshop on implementation of the 2003 Convention for instructors 24/06/2018 - 27/06/2018 Cairo (Egypt)
Workshop on implementation of the 2003 Convention for decision makers, members of the consultative platform and high-level officials 19/06/2018 - 21/06/2018 Cairo (Egypt)
National workshop on the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 18/06/2018 - 21/06/2018 Djibouti (Djibouti)
Sixth meeting of category 2 centres in the field of intangible cultural heritage 07/06/2018 - 07/06/2018 Paris (France)
7th session of the General Assembly 04/06/2018 - 06/06/2018 Paris (France)
Workshop on implementing the Convention at the national level (funded by Sofia category 2 centre) 28/05/2018 - 01/06/2018 Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention 08/05/2018 - 17/05/2018 Libreville (Gabon)
Training for Bangladesh on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage 06/05/2018 - 10/05/2018 Dhaka (Bangladesh)
Workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention and community-based inventorying in South Sudan 03/05/2018 - 11/05/2018 Juba, South Sudan (South Sudan)
Workshop on safeguarding plans for intangible cultural heritage 25/04/2018 - 27/03/2018 Guatemala city (Guatemala)
Information and exchange session for the Overall results framework for the Convention 20/04/2018 - 20/04/2018 Paris (France)
Training workshop for surveyors (1972 and 2003 Conventions) 19/04/2018 - 20/04/2018 Bertoua (Cameroon)
Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage with Young People in Kyrgyzstan 09/04/2018 - 13/04/2018 Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
Training workshop on intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development 04/04/2018 - 05/04/2018 Tunis (Tunisia)
Capacity-building Workshop on Preparing Nomination Files and International Assistance Request 19/02/2018 - 28/02/2018 Asmara (Eritrea)
Workshop on implementing the Convention at the national level (funded by Sofia category 2 centre) 05/02/2018 - 09/02/2018 Dnipetrovsk (Ukraine)
Assessing needs and strengthening national capacities for safeguarding ICH in Malta 25/01/2018 - 05/02/2018 Malta (Malta)
Workshop on implementing the Convention at the national level (funded by Sofia category 2 centre) 22/01/2018 - 26/01/2018 Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Intangible cultural heritage and tertiary education 05/12/2017 - 05/12/2017 Jeju (Republic of Korea)
12th session of the Intergovernmental Committee 04/12/2017 - 09/12/2017 Jeju Island (Republic of Korea)
Regional meeting: Cooperation mechanisms for intangible heritage and higher education 21/11/2017 - 22/11/2017 Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Training workshop on the preparation of safeguarding plans for intangible cultural heritage and Meeting on results of inventorying exercise 20/11/2017 - 22/11/2017 Azrou (Morocco)
Consultation meeting on the development of a national strategy for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage 31/10/2017 - 31/10/2017 Hammamet (Tunisia)
Training workshop on the elaboration of a national strategy for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage 28/10/2017 - 30/10/2017 Hammamet (Tunisia)
Stakeholders' meeting 26/10/2017 - 26/10/2017 Abuja (Nigeria)
UNESCO Youth Forum 25/10/2017 - 26/10/2017 UNESCO Headquarters (France)
Training workshop on the development of safeguarding plans for intangible cultural heritage and Presentation meeting on outcomes of inventorying exercise 08/10/2017 - 10/10/2017 Atar (Mauritania)
Fourth meeting of the 12.COM Bureau 03/10/2017 - 03/10/2017 UNESCO Headquarters (-)
Workshop on participatory inventory methodology in eastern Guatemala 25/09/2017 - 01/10/2017 Esquipulas, Chiquimula (Guatemala)
Training Workshop on Community-Based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage 24/09/2017 - 28/09/2017 Dhaka (Bangladesh)
Training of trainers workshop for the European chapter of the global facilitators’ network 18/09/2017 - 22/09/2017 Sofia (Bulgaria)
Fieldwork for Inventorying and Digital Archiving of Eritrean Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) 15/09/2017 - 03/11/2017 Anseba, Gash-Barka, Maekel, South, Northern Red sea, Southern Red Sea (Eritrea)
Fifth meeting of category 2 centres in the field of intangible cultural heritage 10/09/2017 - 12/09/2017 Shiraz (Iran (Islamic Republic of))
Needs-assessment Safeguarding ICH in Bosnia and Herzegovina 01/09/2017 - 31/12/2017 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Needs assessement for safegaurding ICH in the Republic of Congo 16/08/2017 - 29/08/2017 Brazzaville (Congo)
Workshop on the Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH and Community-based ICH Inventorying in Tuvalu 24/07/2017 - 29/07/2017 Funafuti (Tuvalu)
Training workshop on the development of safeguarding plans for intangible cultural heritage 12/07/2017 - 14/07/2017 Djerba (Tunisia)
Safeguarding Nigeria’s Intangible Cultural Heritage: Workshop on preparation of nomination files to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists and the preparation of request for International Assistance. 26/06/2017 - 30/06/2017 Abuja (Nigeria)
Strengthening the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: sub-regional training workshop for facilitators from Central Asia 19/06/2017 - 23/06/2017 Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
Santa Apolonia pottery pilot inventory 12/06/2017 - 31/08/2017 Santa Apolonia (Guatemala)
Open-ended intergovernmental working group on developing an overall results framework for the Convention 11/06/2017 - 13/06/2017 Chengdu (China)
Community-based inventorying to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage in western Guatemala 05/06/2017 - 09/06/2017 Santa Apolonia, Guatemala (Guatemala)
Community based Inventorying in Mongolia 01/06/2017 - 13/10/2017 Khentii, Dornod, Sukhbaatar (Mongolia)
Training workshop on the preparation of International Assistance requests 26/05/2017 - 28/05/2017 Beni Mellal (Morocco)
Integrating intangible cultural heritage in education: Intersectoral meeting with Education Institutes and programmes 17/05/2017 - 19/05/2017 Paris (France)
Training workshop on the preparation of International Assistance requests 16/05/2017 - 18/05/2017 Tabarka (Tunisia)
Needs Assessment for the Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at National Level 06/05/2017 - 18/05/2017 Conakry (Guinea)
Workshop on elaborating safeguarding plans, ICH legislation and policies 03/05/2017 - 06/05/2017 Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
Reinforcement Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention ICH' 01/05/2017 - 31/05/2017 Paramaribo (Suriname)
Reinforcement Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention ICH' 01/05/2017 - 31/05/2017 Sint Eustatius (Netherlands)
Reinforcement Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention ICH' 01/05/2017 - 30/06/2017 Kralendijk, Bonaire (Netherlands)
Reinforcement Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention ICH' 01/05/2017 - 31/05/2017 Oranjestad (Aruba)
Developing Safeguarding plans 16/04/2017 - 20/04/2017 Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Joint workshop on the nomination, Dutch Caribbean islands 08/04/2017 - 11/04/2017 Kralendijk, Bonaire (Netherlands)
Capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level in Guatemala 03/04/2017 - 07/04/2017 Guatemala (Guatemala)
Workshop on community-based inventorying in the context of implementing the 2003 Convention in Eritrea 03/04/2017 - 18/04/2017 Asmara (Eritrea)
Field survey and inventorying of ICH elements in Fiji 01/04/2017 - 31/07/2017 Fiji (Fiji)
Reinforcement Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention ICH' 01/04/2017 - 30/05/2017 Philipsburg (Sint Maarten)
Training workshop on the preparation of International Assistance requests 01/04/2017 - 03/04/2017 Atar (Mauritania)
Third expert group meeting on cultural contexts of health and well-being 13/03/2017 - 14/03/2017 Paris (France)
Nomination of the UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH in Montenegro 07/03/2017 - 11/03/2017 Cetinje (Montenegro)
Envisioning the future of the global capacity-building programme and its facilitators' network - Strategy meeting with facilitators 06/03/2017 - 09/03/2017 Bangkok (Thailand)
Workshop on the preparation of nominations and safeguarding plans in Norway 21/02/2017 - 24/02/2017 Trondheim (Norway)
Community-based inventorying workshop with the Bida community 20/02/2017 - 24/02/2017 Niger State (Nigeria)
Training on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Fiji 20/02/2017 - 24/02/2017 Suva (Fiji)
Policy Advisory Mission Sri Lanka 23/01/2017 - 27/01/2017 Colombo (Sri Lanka)
Workshop on elaborating safeguarding plans in Lao People's Democratic Republic 05/12/2016 - 09/12/2016 Vientiane (Lao People's Democratic Republic)
Capacity-building Workshop on the Elaboration of Nominations 30/11/2016 - 02/12/2016 Libreville (Gabon)
Learning with intangible cultural heritage in education 29/11/2016 - 29/11/2016 Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
11th session of the Intergovernmental Committee 28/11/2016 - 02/12/2016 Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
Inventory Workshop: Towards a National Inventory for Tanzania 21/11/2016 - 02/12/2016 Dar es Salaam (United Republic of Tanzania)
Capacity-building workshop on Developing Safeguarding Plans for Intangible Cultural Heritage in Nepal 21/11/2016 - 25/11/2016 Kathmandu (Nepal)
Workshop on ICH and Sustainable Development in Kazakhstan, Implications for Policy Development and Implementation 21/11/2016 - 23/11/2016 Astana (Kazakhstan)
Community-based inventorying workshop with the Oyo community 14/11/2016 - 18/11/2016 Oyo State (Nigeria)
Workshop on elaboration of public policy tools for the ICH safeguarding national plan of Ecuador 09/11/2016 - 11/11/2016 Quito (Ecuador)
Institutional Capacity-building Workshop for the Implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 31/10/2016 - 02/11/2016 Ndjamena (Chad)
Training of Trainers on Digitizing Mongolian Intangible Cultural Heritage: First Steps towards the Establishment of a National Inventory and Electronic Database of Mongolian Intangible Cultural Heritage 24/10/2016 - 27/10/2016 Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
Workshop on elaborating safeguarding plans for ICH 24/10/2016 - 28/10/2016 Colombo (Sri Lanka)
Needs-assessment for strengthening national capacities in implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH in Republic of Moldova 20/10/2016 - 30/11/2016 Republic of Moldova (Republic of Moldova)
Workshop on elaborating safeguarding plans in Fiji 17/10/2016 - 21/10/2016 Lautoka (Fiji)
Community-based inventorying workshop with the Calabar community 09/10/2016 - 14/10/2016 Cross River State (Nigeria)
Supporting policy development in the field of intangible cultural heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean 03/10/2016 - 07/10/2016 Lima (Peru)
Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding ICH in Senegal: Needs analysis and development of a project proposal 01/10/2016 - 13/11/2016 Dakar (Senegal)
Training of Trainers on Strengthening National Capacities for Implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. 19/09/2016 - 23/09/2016 Mariental (Namibia)
Workshop on elaborating safeguarding plans in Samoa 12/09/2016 - 16/09/2016 Apia (Samoa)
Expert Meeting on developing an overall results framework for the 2003 Convention 07/09/2016 - 09/09/2016 Beijing (China)
Policy development workshop for Southern African countries in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage 05/09/2016 - 16/09/2016 Lusaka (Zambia)
Training Workshop on Community-Based Inventorying of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 28/08/2016 - 01/09/2016 Pyongyang (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)
6 ateliers sur la mise en œuvre de la Convention organisés au niveau régional 01/08/2016 - 31/08/2016 Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)
Workshop on inventorying, international assistance and nominations in Zambia 25/07/2016 - 29/07/2016 Kabwe (Zambia)
Policy Advisory Mission Lao PDR 20/06/2016 - 22/06/2016 Vientiane (Lao People's Democratic Republic)
Implementing the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH at the National Level in Romania 13/06/2016 - 17/06/2016 Bucharest (Romania)
Workshop on formulating public policy and post-disaster recovery tools for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage 13/06/2016 - 16/06/2016 Puerto López (Ecuador)
Fourth meeting of category 2 centres in the field of intangible cultural heritage 03/06/2016 - 03/06/2016 Paris (France)
Inventorying Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.' 01/06/2016 - 31/07/2016 Paramaribo (Suriname)
Implementation of the 2003 Convention of Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage 29/05/2016 - 01/06/2016 Amman (Jordan)
Workshop on elaborating safeguarding plans in Mongolia 23/05/2016 - 27/05/2016 Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
Joint workshop on the elaboration of safeguarding plans, Dutch Caribbean islands 17/05/2016 - 20/05/2016 Willemstad (Curaçao)
Workshop on the formulation of public policy tools relevant to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage 16/05/2016 - 19/05/2016 Riobamba (Ecuador)
First Aid Support Meeting on Syrian Traditional Music 13/05/2016 - 13/05/2016 Room VIII UNESCO Headquarter (France)
Training of Trainers on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in Viet Nam 09/05/2016 - 15/05/2016 Hanoi (Viet Nam)
Regional final workshop of the capacity building project in Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP) 09/05/2016 - 13/05/2016 Maputo (Mozambique)
Policy Advisory mission in Samoa 02/05/2016 - 06/05/2016 Apia (Samoa)
Workshop on documenting and inventorying intangible cultural heritage of the pastoralist Samburu community 13/04/2016 - 31/05/2016 Arapal, Baragoi, Maralal (Kenya)
Implementing the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH at the National Level in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 11/04/2016 - 15/04/2016 Skopje (North Macedonia)
Inventorying of living heritage in Suriname 11/04/2016 - 15/04/2016 Paramaribo (Suriname)
Workshop on the formulation of public policy tools for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage 04/04/2016 - 07/04/2016 Loja (Ecuador)
Capacity building on the 2003 Convention in Guinea Bissau 04/04/2016 - 09/04/2016 Bissau (Guinea-Bissau)
Workshop on Community-based inventory 09/03/2016 - 19/03/2016 Luanda (Angola)
Inventorying Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.' 01/03/2016 - 30/04/2016 Oranjestad (Aruba)
Workshop on community-based inventorying in Fiji 03/02/2016 - 11/02/2016 Suva (Fiji)
Community-based inventorying workshop 24/01/2016 - 31/01/2016 Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Final workshop Cabo Verde 18/01/2016 - 23/01/2016 Praia (Cabo Verde)
Emergency workshop on nominations for Iraq 26/12/2015 - 28/12/2015 Amman, Jordan (Iraq)
Emergency workshop on community-based inventorying for Iraq 19/12/2015 - 24/12/2015 Amman, Jordan (Iraq)
Information Session Capacity-building programme 01/12/2015 - 04/12/2015 Windhoek (Namibia)
10th session of the Intergovernmental Committee 30/11/2015 - 04/12/2015 Windhoek (Namibia)
Final workshop in Sao Tomé and Principe: community-based inventories for a national safeguarding strategy of cultural intangible heritage 23/11/2015 - 27/11/2015 Sao Tome (Sao Tome and Principe)
Training on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage 16/11/2015 - 20/11/2015 Apia (Samoa)
Training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention in Angola 09/11/2015 - 13/11/2015 Luanda (Angola)
Refresher workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage 08/11/2015 - 15/11/2015 Luang Prabang (Lao People's Democratic Republic)
Training workshop on the preparation of nomination files for the Convention's lists and of requests for international assistance. 02/11/2015 - 06/11/2015 Hammamet, Nabeul (Tunisia)
Regional symposium on the development of post-graduate degrees focusing on intangible cultural heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region 02/11/2015 - 03/11/2015 Bangkok (Thailand)
Workshop on implementing the Convention at national level 25/10/2015 - 29/10/2015 Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Training Workshop on Community-Based Inventorying in Monaco 22/10/2015 - 22/10/2015 Monaco (Monaco)
Community-based inventorying workshop in Norway 19/10/2015 - 23/10/2015 Trondheim (Norway)
Transmission workshop from elderly to younger Kallawayas 17/10/2015 - 22/10/2015 Curva (Bolivia (Plurinational State of))
Second meeting of the 10.COM Bureau 06/10/2015 - 06/10/2015 UNESCO Headquarters (France)
Training on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage 05/10/2015 - 09/10/2015 Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
Community inventories: Boubon, Agadez and Habbanae practice 01/10/2015 - 31/12/2015 Boubon, Agadez (Niger)
Inventorying Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.' 01/10/2015 - 31/12/2015 Willemstad (Curaçao)
Supporting policy development in the field of intangible cultural heritage in Africa: A workshop for expert facilitators from the region 28/09/2015 - 02/10/2015 Constantine (Algeria)
Training on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level in Fiji 24/09/2015 - 29/09/2015 Suva (Fiji)
Training workshop on community-based inventorying 23/09/2015 - 03/10/2015 Ribeira Grande de Santiago (Cabo Verde)
Implementation the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH at the National level in Albania 14/09/2015 - 18/09/2015 Tirana (Albania)
Training on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage 14/09/2015 - 18/09/2015 Taunggyi (Myanmar)
Transmission workshop from elderly to younger Kallawayas 13/09/2015 - 18/09/2015 Charazani (Bolivia (Plurinational State of))
Inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in Ecuador 02/09/2015 - 07/09/2015 Loja (Ecuador)
Inventorying of living heritage in Ecuador 24/08/2015 - 29/08/2015 Riobamba (Ecuador)
Need assessment for strengthening national capacities in implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Egpyt 09/08/2015 - 15/08/2015 Cairo (Egypt)
Suriname taking important strides towards the safeguarding of its living heritage 27/07/2015 - 31/07/2015 Paramaribo (Suriname)
Training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention 27/07/2015 - 31/07/2015 Praia (Cabo Verde)
Field survey and inventory in pilot communities Samoa 20/07/2015 - 21/08/2015 Upolu, Savail (Samoa)
Worskhop on Providing Technical Assistance to States Parties requesting International Assistance 20/07/2015 - 22/07/2015 Paris (France)
Third meeting of category 2 centres in the field of intangible cultural heritage 06/07/2015 - 08/07/2015 Guiyang (China)
Inventorying Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.' 01/07/2015 - 31/10/2015 Philipsburg (Sint Maarten)
Collective steps in inventorying and safeguarding living heritage in Ecuador 24/06/2015 - 29/06/2015 Portoviejo (Ecuador)
Training Workshop on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 08/06/2015 - 12/06/2015 Valposchiavo (Switzerland), Tirano (Italy) (Italy)
Developing a follow-up and evaluation mechanism for capacity-building activities 01/06/2015 - 03/06/2015 Paris (France)
Inventorying Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.' 27/05/2015 - 06/06/2015 Kralendijk, Bonaire (Netherlands)
A stakeholder’s workshop on Eritrean Cultural and Natural Heritage Legislation 26/05/2015 - 27/05/2015 Asmara (Eritrea)
Workshop Development of nominations for inscription on the Lists of the Convention 25/05/2015 - 29/05/2015 Casablanca (Morocco)
Palestinian Law on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage 18/05/2015 - 19/05/2015 Ramallah (Palestine)
Workshop on strengthening the policy and legal framework for the safeguarding of ICH in Nigeria. 14/05/2015 - 14/05/2015 Abuja, Nigeria (Nigeria)
Inventorying Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.' 01/05/2015 - 30/06/2015 Sint Eustatius (Netherlands)
Inventorying Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname to implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.' 01/05/2015 - 30/06/2015 Saba (Netherlands)
Training workshop on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage - Moving towards an ICH Inventory for a State of Goa 27/04/2015 - 28/04/2015 Goa, India (India)
Need assessment for strenthening national capacities in implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Madagascar 24/04/2015 - 23/05/2015 Antananarivo (Madagascar)
Workshop on community-based inventorying for intangible cultural heritage 21/04/2015 - 30/04/2015 Niamey (Niger)
Workshop on needs assessment in Djibouti 16/04/2015 - 16/04/2015 Djibouti (Djibouti)
ADTCA needs assessment in Sudan 03/04/2015 - 10/04/2015 Khartoum (Sudan)
Workshop on community-based inventorying of living heritage 30/03/2015 - 10/04/2015 Sao Tome and Principe (Sao Tome and Principe)
Expert meeting on a model code of ethics for intangible cultural heritage 30/03/2015 - 01/04/2015 Valencia (Spain)
Need assessment for strengthening national capacities in implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Sudan 09/03/2015 - 10/04/2015 Khartoum (Sudan)
Need assessment for strenthening national capacities in implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Djibouti 09/03/2015 - 17/04/2015 Djibouti (Djibouti)
Need assessment for improvement of national capacities in implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Comoros 28/02/2015 - 07/03/2015 Moroni (Comoros)
Joint workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage 22/02/2015 - 28/02/2015 Willemstad (Curaçao)
Training Workshop on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of theIntangible Cultural Heritage 17/02/2015 - 19/02/2015 Goma Nord-KIVU (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
A 2 day Capacity Building and Consultative Conference for parliamentary Select Committee on Culture, Youths and Sports and Key Stakeholders on the Seven(7) UNESCO Conventions Ghana has tabled for Ratification(for the protection and preservation of cultural Heritage)through the 2003 UNESCO Convention(for the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage). 09/02/2015 - 10/02/2015 Accra (Ghana)
Training on the 2003 Convention 09/02/2015 - 13/02/2015 Beirut, Lebanon (Syrian Arab Republic)
Training of trainers workshop on safeguarding plans and policy support for intangible cultural heritage for facilitators from the Asia-Pacific Region 19/01/2015 - 23/01/2015 Shenzhen (China)
Workshop on awareness raising and capacity building on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and its implementation at the national level 02/12/2014 - 04/12/2014 New Delhi (India)
9th session of the Intergovernmental Committee 24/11/2014 - 28/11/2014 Paris (France)
Capacity-building Workshop on the Elaboration of Community-based Intangible Cultural Inventory 17/11/2014 - 25/11/2014 Bujumbura (Burundi)
Training Workshop on the the implementation of the 2003 Convention 10/11/2014 - 14/11/2014 Niamey (Niger)
Workshop on community-based inventorying in Myanmar 27/10/2014 - 03/11/2014 Nyaung Shwe (Myanmar)
Workshop in Mozambique: towards a national strategy for the safeguarding of cultural intangible heritage 27/10/2014 - 01/11/2014 Chinhambudzi, Manica and Maputo (Mozambique)
Need assessment for strenthening national capacities in implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in South Sudan 21/10/2014 - 28/10/2014 Juba (South Sudan)
Expert meeting on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development at the national level 29/09/2014 - 01/10/2014 Istanbul (Turkey)
Review meeting of the global capacity-building strategy for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Europe and Central Asia 23/09/2014 - 26/09/2014 Sofia (Bulgaria)
Joint training on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Dutch Caribbean islands 08/09/2014 - 12/09/2014 Phillipsburg (Sint Maarten)
Capacity-building workshop on ICH community-based inventorying 05/09/2014 - 15/09/2014 Bamako (Mali)
Needs-assessment Safeguarding ICH in the Republic of Albania 01/09/2014 - 30/11/2014 Albania (Albania)
How to provide policy advice effectively? 25/06/2014 - 25/06/2014 UNESCO Headquarters (France)
Curaçao national consultation meeting 24/06/2014 - 25/06/2014 Willemstad (Curaçao)
Tunisia: INV workshop 19/06/2014 - 26/06/2014 Kerkennah (Tunisia)
Review meeting: safeguarding intangible cultural heritage of Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago 10/06/2014 - 11/06/2014 Kingston (Jamaica)
National Consultation for Strengthening Capacities to Safeguard Intangible Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Development in Ethiopia 10/06/2014 - 11/06/2014 Adama (Ethiopia)
Second meeting of category 2 centres in the field of intangible cultural heritage 06/06/2014 - 06/06/2014 Paris (France)
Needs assessment and national consultation Workshop for strengthening capacities to safeguard Intangible Cultural Heritage for sustainable development in Ethiopia 26/05/2014 - 12/06/2014 Ethiopia (Ethiopia)
Morocco: inventory workshop. Marrakech 20/05/2014 - 27/05/2014 Marrakech (Morocco)
Myanmar pursues its march towards safeguarding intangible heritage 19/05/2014 - 24/05/2014 Mandalay (Myanmar)
Training-of-trainers workshop: implementing the UNESCO 2003 Convention at national level 12/05/2014 - 16/05/2014 Trondheim (Norway)
Community-Based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Tajikistan 11/05/2014 - 17/05/2014 Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
Training of trainers in inventory of tangible and intangible cultural heritage 05/05/2014 - 10/05/2014 Yaoundé (Cameroon)
Regional workshop: conceptual and legal frameworks for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in the Arab region 05/05/2014 - 09/05/2014 Kuwait (Kuwait)
Iraq: Workshop on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention 13/04/2014 - 17/04/2014 Erbil (Iraq)
Workshop on community-based inventorying in Dominican Republic 31/03/2014 - 06/03/2014 Baní (Dominican Republic)
Joint meeting of the Bodies of the Convention 27/03/2014 - 28/03/2014 Paris (France)
Morocco: workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention 26/03/2014 - 30/03/2014 Agadir (Morocco)
Using Natural and Cultural Heritage in Sustainable Development – Synergy for Development 24/03/2014 - 26/03/2014 Bergen (Norway)
Strengthening sub-regional Cooperation and National Capacities in Seven Southern African Countries for implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage 18/03/2014 - 20/03/2014 Harare (Zimbabwe)
Inventory workshop in Mauritania 05/03/2014 - 12/03/2014 Aleg (Mauritania)
Elaboration of nomination files to the ICH Lists in Bhutan 04/03/2014 - 08/03/2014 Paro (Bhutan)
Community-based inventorying to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage in western Guatemala 25/02/2014 - 04/03/2014 Guatemala (Guatemala)
Training on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level in Eastern Cuba 11/02/2014 - 14/02/2014 Santiago de Cuba (Cuba)
Elaboration of Nomination Files to the ICH List in Sri Lanka 11/02/2014 - 15/02/2014 Galle (Sri Lanka)
pilot activity on community-based inventorying in Jamaica 01/02/2014 - 30/04/2014 Jamaica (Jamaica)
Tunisia: workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level 27/01/2014 - 31/01/2014 Matmata (Tunisia)
Training on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Lao PDR 20/01/2014 - 24/01/2014 Vientiane (Lao People's Democratic Republic)
Training on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Timor-Leste 03/12/2013 - 06/12/2013 Dili (Timor-Leste)
8th session of the Intergovernmental Committee 02/12/2013 - 07/12/2013 Baku (Azerbaijan)
Brunei Darussalam: workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level 25/11/2013 - 29/11/2013 Brunei (Brunei Darussalam)
Inventorying of living heritage on the top of Kazakhstan’s agenda 22/11/2013 - 29/11/2013 Astana (Kazakhstan)
Indonesia: workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level 11/11/2013 - 14/11/2013 Jakarta (Indonesia)
pilot activity on community-based inventorying in Trinidad and Tobago 01/11/2013 - 31/05/2014 Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago)
pilot activity on community-based inventorying in Belize 01/11/2013 - 30/04/2014 Belize (Belize)
Third meeting of the 8.COM Bureau 28/10/2013 - 28/10/2013 UNESCO Headquarters (France)
Mauritania: workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level 22/10/2013 - 26/10/2013 Kaédi (Mauritania)
Training on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Cambodia 21/10/2013 - 25/10/2013 Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
Samoa: workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage 21/10/2013 - 26/10/2013 Savaii Island (Samoa)
Training on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage 14/10/2013 - 22/10/2013 Santiago del Estero and Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Community-Based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Uzbekistan 08/10/2013 - 15/10/2013 Fergana (Uzbekistan)
Training on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage 07/10/2013 - 11/10/2013 La Havana (Cuba)
Round table on an audiovisual production for intangible cultural heritage in South-East Europe 05/10/2013 - 05/09/2013 Belgrade (Serbia)
Inventorying the living heritage of Belize 01/10/2013 - 09/09/2013 Orange Walk (Belize)
Second community-based inventorying (INV) 23/09/2013 - 28/09/2013 Milne Bay Province (Papua New Guinea)
Global Strategy for Strengthening National Capacities for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage: Latin America and the Caribbean Review Meeting 17/09/2013 - 19/09/2013 Cuzco (Peru)
Training of trainers of community-based inventorying the intangible cultural heritage 16/09/2013 - 23/09/2013 Porto-Novo (Benin)
Safeguarding Nepal’s Intangible Cultural Heritage: workshop on preparing nominations to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, Kathmandu 16 - 20 September 2013 16/09/2013 - 20/09/2013 Kathmandu (Nepal)
Jamaica pushes on with the inventory of its living heritage 04/09/2013 - 13/09/2013 Kingston (Jamaica)
Community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage 24/08/2013 - 31/08/2013 Cholpon-Ata (Kyrgyzstan)
Ratification of the UNESCO Convention 2003, San Salvador, El Salvador 21/08/2013 - 23/08/2013 San Salvador (El Salvador)
Mozambique: workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage 12/08/2013 - 21/08/2013 Manica (Mozambique)
Mozambique: workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level 05/08/2013 - 09/08/2013 Maputo (Mozambique)
Field survey and inventorying of ICH elements in Bhutan 01/08/2013 - 31/01/2014 Wangdi, Bumthang, Samtse, Central Bhutan, Lhuentse (Bhutan)
Field survey and ICH inventorying in pilot communities in Sri Lanka 01/08/2013 - 31/01/2014 Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka)
Training on the use of the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Central America 29/07/2013 - 02/08/2013 Managua (Nicaragua)
First meeting of category 2 centres in the field of intangible cultural heritage 24/07/2013 - 26/07/2013 Sozopol (Bulgaria)
Bangladesh on the right track 16/07/2013 - 20/07/2013 Dhaka, Bangladesh (Bangladesh)
Inventorying of living heritage in Trinidad and Tobago 22/06/2013 - 01/07/2013 Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago)
Training on inventorying intangible cultural heritage in El Salvador with the participation of the community of Conchagua 17/06/2013 - 25/06/2013 San Salvador (El Salvador)
The Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention: its first decade 14/06/2013 - 16/06/2013 Chengdu (China)
Lao PDR: workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage 11/06/2013 - 18/06/2013 Thalat (Lao People's Democratic Republic)
Practical field survey and inventorying of ICH in pilot communities in Nepal 01/06/2013 - 31/08/2013 Khaopsi, Badikhel, Thokarpa (Nepal)
Kyrgyzstan on its way to prepare nominations to the 2003 Convention 28/05/2013 - 31/05/2013 Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
Seventh Annual Regional meeting on Intangible Cultural Heritage in South East Europe 27/05/2013 - 28/05/2013 Sofia (Bulgaria)
Intangible Cultural Heritage Community-Based Inventorying Workshop 22/05/2013 - 28/05/2013 Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
Workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level in Cap Haïtien (Haiti) 13/05/2013 - 17/05/2013 Cap Haïtien (Haiti)
Workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level in Les Cayes (Haiti) 06/05/2013 - 10/05/2013 Les Cayes (Haiti)
Sub-regional worskhop on ICH strategy and capacity building: focus on national training of trainers process 30/04/2013 - 02/05/2013 Harare (Zimbabwe)
Second Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Community-Based Inventorying Workshop in Timor-Leste 16/04/2013 - 18/04/2013 Suai Loro (Timor-Leste)
Workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level in Guatemala 15/04/2013 - 17/04/2013 Guatemala (Guatemala)
Strenghtening national capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention 15/04/2013 - 17/04/2013 Oranjestad (Aruba)
Workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Brunei Darussalam 10/04/2013 - 10/04/2013 Brunei Darussalam (Brunei Darussalam)
Tajikistan: Implementing the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on the International Level 10/04/2013 - 13/04/2013 Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
Namibia: rolling out the capacity building strategy at the national level 08/04/2013 - 19/04/2013 Waterberg (Namibia)
Bhutan: Workshop on Community-based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage 02/04/2013 - 09/04/2013 Phuntsholing (Bhutan)
Pilot inventory in the tango community of Buenos Aires 01/04/2013 - 30/11/2013 Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level in Honduras 18/03/2013 - 22/03/2013 Tegucigalpa (Honduras)
Dominican Republic on the road to the implementation of the 2003 Convention 11/03/2013 - 15/03/2013 Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)
Sri Lanka gets ready for inventorying intangible cultural heritage 10/03/2013 - 17/03/2013 Colombo (Sri Lanka)
Workshop on implementation of the 2003 Convention 07/03/2013 - 08/03/2013 Asuncion (Paraguay)
Inventorying intangible cultural heritage with community participation in Argentina 04/03/2013 - 06/03/2013 Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Cuba: communities involved in the inventory of the rural festivities of Red and Blue bands of Majagua 28/02/2013 - 05/03/2013 Majagua, Ciego de Ávila (Cuba)
A step further in the identification of intangible cultural heritage in Argentina 25/02/2013 - 01/03/2013 Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Nomination of the UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on the International Level 18/02/2013 - 21/02/2013 Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Cambodia reorienting its methods of inventorying living heritage 14/02/2013 - 21/02/2013 Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
Samoa is mobilizing different actors for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage 11/02/2013 - 15/02/2013 Apia (Samoa)
Inventory of the intangible cultural heritage in Nepal 19/01/2013 - 28/01/2013 Kathmandu (Nepal)
The challenges of capacity building in the Arab world 14/01/2013 - 17/01/2013 Doha (Qatar)
MedLiHer final evaluation meeting in Paris on 17 and 18 December 2012 17/12/2012 - 18/12/2012 Paris (France)
Final evaluation meeting in Paris: presenting the audiovisual documentation on Intangible Cultural Heritage of the parnter countries 17/12/2012 - 18/12/2012 Paris (France)
Safeguarding “living heritage” of Jamaica 10/12/2012 - 14/12/2012 Kingston (Jamaica)
Bagamoyo: how to prepare nominations files 10/12/2012 - 14/12/2012 Bagamoyo (United Republic of Tanzania)
NGOs Forum on the occasion of the 7th session of the Committee 02/12/2012 - 02/12/2012 Paris (France)
Review meeting on the implementation of the 2003 Convention with Directors of Culture 27/11/2012 - 28/11/2012 Nairobi (Kenya)
Samarkand: understanding the nominations process 21/11/2012 - 24/11/2012 Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
Caribbean Youth Forum on Intangible Cultural Heritage 20/11/2012 - 24/11/2012 St. George's (Grenada)
Ratification in Benin - what's next? 19/11/2012 - 23/11/2012 Porto-Novo (Benin)
Mongolia takes another step to implement the 2003 Convention 19/11/2012 - 23/11/2012 Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
Youth Forum in Central Africa: awareness-raising on Intangible Cultural Heritage 19/11/2012 - 23/10/2012 Brazzaville (Congo)
Preparing the inventory in the Matanzas Province, Cuba 12/11/2012 - 20/11/2012 Matanzas (Cuba)
On the right track? Review meeting on UNESCO’s global strategy: Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage 07/11/2012 - 10/11/2012 Beijing (China)
Safeguarding of living heritage builds in Belize! 05/11/2012 - 09/11/2012 Belize City (Belize)
Capacity building for officers of the cultural heritage area in the Ministry of Culture in Colombia (2 workshops) 22/10/2012 - 25/10/2012 Bogota (Colombia)
Inventory of intangible cultural heritage of Timor-Leste 22/10/2012 - 27/10/2012 Dili (Timor-Leste)
Inventory of intangible cultural heritage in Goroka 22/10/2012 - 27/10/2012 Goroka (Papua New Guinea)
Open-ended intergovernmental working group on the scale or scope of an element 22/10/2012 - 23/10/2012 Paris (France)
Second IMP workshop for “Patrimonio Vivo”: three South American countries team up for the implementation of the 2003 Convention 15/10/2012 - 17/10/2012 Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Heritage policy advice in Aruba 15/10/2012 - 17/10/2012 Oranjestad (Aruba)
Capacity building for officers of the cultural heritage area in the Ministry of Cultures in Bolivia (3 workshops) 15/10/2012 - 19/10/2012 La Paz (Bolivia (Plurinational State of))
Byblos: how to prepare nominations for the lists of the 2003 Convention 12/10/2012 - 14/10/2012 Byblos (Lebanon)
Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kyrgyzstan 08/10/2012 - 11/10/2012 Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
“Patrimonio Vivo”: three South American countries team up for the implementation of the 2003 Convention 08/10/2012 - 12/10/2012 Salta (Argentina)
Another step in the safeguarding of Jordan’s living heritage: understanding the nominations’ process 07/10/2012 - 11/10/2012 Amman (Jordan)
Sao Tome and Principe embarks on an intangible heritage safeguarding project 01/10/2012 - 06/10/2012 São Tomé (Sao Tome and Principe)
Implementation workshop on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 01/10/2012 - 05/09/2012 Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)
The role of youth in the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in South-Eastern Europe 24/09/2012 - 25/09/2012 Sofia (Bulgaria)
Moroni's working on the implementation of the 2003 Convention 24/09/2012 - 28/09/2012 Moroni (Comoros)
Capacity building review meeting in Harare on elaborating policy and legal framework for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage 03/09/2012 - 07/09/2012 Harare (Zimbabwe)
Egypt: Workshop on the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 01/09/2012 - 30/09/2012 Cairo (Egypt)
New step in the MedLiHer project: Moviemakers and photographers meeting in Paris 27/08/2012 - 29/08/2012 Paris (France)
Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Tajikistan 21/08/2012 - 25/08/2012 Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
Cambodia pursues its march towards safeguarding intangible heritage 13/08/2012 - 17/08/2012 Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
Strengthening capacities for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in Ecuador 26/07/2012 - 27/07/2012 Quito (Ecuador)
Exploring the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nile’s banks: Inventorying activity in the governorate of Damietta, Egypt 14/07/2012 - 18/07/2012 Damietta (Egypt)
Madaba, a pilot region for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Jordan 12/07/2012 - 20/07/2012 Madaba (Jordan)
Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Uzbekistan 03/07/2012 - 07/07/2012 Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
Abuja: introducing the 2003 Convention 01/07/2012 - 01/07/2012 Abuja (Nigeria)
Encountering Zajal Poetry: Training Communities for its Inventory in Lebanon 29/06/2012 - 03/07/2012 Beirut (Lebanon)
Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Sri Lanka 25/06/2012 - 29/06/2012 Colombo (Sri Lanka)
Capacity building on the 2003 Convention in Ecuador 21/06/2012 - 22/06/2012 Quito (Ecuador)
Strengthening capacities of African Universities in intangible cultural heritage 18/06/2012 - 22/06/2012 Mombasa (Kenya)
Capacity building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national Level 13/06/2012 - 17/06/2012 Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
Capacity building on implementing UNESCO 2003 Convention for safeguarding the ICH 12/06/2012 - 15/06/2012 Lahore (Pakistan)
Capacity building workshop on preparing nominations to the lists of the 2003 Convention 11/06/2012 - 15/06/2012 Harare (Zimbabwe)
Capacity building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level 11/06/2012 - 15/06/2012 Vientiane (Lao People's Democratic Republic)
4th extraordinary session of the Intergovernmental Committee 08/06/2012 - 08/06/2012 Paris (France)
A series of local workshops on inventorying intangible heritage kicks off in Gabon 04/06/2012 - 10/08/2012 Lambarene, Koula-Moutou, Mouila and Oyem (Gabon)
St. Kitts and Nevis hopes to soon ratify the 2003 Convention 31/05/2012 - 31/05/2012 Basseterre (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
Need assessment for strenthening national capacities in implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Mongolia 28/05/2012 - 29/05/2012 Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
Strengthening community capacities for the inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina 21/05/2012 - 27/05/2012 Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
The National Institute for Cultural Heritage and UNESCO join forces to improve safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Ecuador 17/05/2012 - 18/05/2012 Quito (Ecuador)
Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Papua New Guinea 15/05/2012 - 18/05/2012 Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)
Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Bhutan 14/05/2012 - 18/05/2012 Paro (Bhutan)
Sixth Annual Regional meeting on Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-East Europe 10/05/2012 - 11/05/2012 Athens (Greece)
Botswana takes another step to safeguard its living heritage with the training of community members and government officials 23/04/2012 - 27/04/2012 Gaborone (Botswana)
Efforts of safeguarding Nepal’s intangible cultural heritage initiated to with the support of UNESCO/Japan Fund-in-Trust 16/04/2012 - 20/04/2012 Kathmandu (Nepal)
Institutional Capacity Building for the Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: Training of technical staff of the School of African Heritage 11/04/2012 - 17/04/2012 Porto-Novo (Benin)
Capacity-Building on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Timor-Leste 10/04/2012 - 14/04/2012 Dili (Timor-Leste)
Kazakhstan: A new State Party to the 2003 Convention on the road to safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. 06/04/2012 - 10/04/2012 Astana (Kazakhstan)
Consultation on Complementary Additional Programme for Intangible Cultural Heritage 30/03/2012 - 30/03/2012 Paris (France)
Zambia hosts workshop to strengthen capacity to safeguard its living heritage 26/03/2012 - 30/03/2012 Lusaka (Zambia)
Upgrading competencies on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage and planning related national workshops 23/03/2012 - 25/03/2012 Paris (France)
Zimbabwe mobilizes communities, traditional chiefs, academia and government officials to safeguard its intangible cultural heritage 19/03/2012 - 23/03/2012 Harare (Zimbabwe)
Malawi welcomes workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention to strengthen its capacity to safeguard its living heritage 12/03/2012 - 16/03/2012 Lilongwe (Malawi)
Capacity building on ratification in Samoa 14/02/2012 - 15/02/2012 Apia (Samoa)
6th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee 22/11/2011 - 29/11/2011 Bali (Indonesia)
NGOs Forum on the occasion of the 6th session of the Committee 21/11/2011 - 21/11/2011 Bali (Indonesia)
Capacity Building Workshop on the Ratification of UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 14/11/2011 - 15/11/2011 Dili (Timor-Leste)
Capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention 14/11/2011 - 18/11/2011 Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
Sensitizing policy makers on the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 convention 07/11/2011 - 11/11/2011 Mombasa (Kenya)
Second capacity-building workshop on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: the role of communities in safeguarding and inventorying ICH 02/11/2011 - 03/11/2011 Santiago (Chile)
National training workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in Montenegro 24/10/2011 - 31/10/2011 Cetinje (Montenegro)
Regional capacity-building workshop on the role of NGOs in implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 19/10/2011 - 21/10/2011 Quito (Ecuador)
National capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention 10/10/2011 - 14/10/2011 Bamako (Mali)
Regional capacity-building workshop on the role of NGOs in implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 28/09/2011 - 30/09/2011 Libreville (Gabon)
Strengthening National Capacities for the Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kyrgyz Republic 15/09/2011 - 16/09/2011 Osh (Kyrgyzstan)
Second meeting of the 6.COM Bureau 15/09/2011 - 15/09/2011 UNESCO Headquarters (France)
Awareness-raising of key stakeholders from the Ministry of Culture on techniques of inventory 12/09/2011 - 14/09/2011 Brazzaville (Congo)
Meeting of the open ended intergovernmental working group on the treatment of nominations to the Representative List by the Committee, Subsidiary Body and the Secretariat 12/09/2011 - 13/09/2011 Paris (France)
Two workshops on safeguarding intangible heritage in Afghanistan 01/09/2011 - 03/09/2011 Kabul (Afghanistan)
Training Needs Assessment Workshop Luanda, 31 August-02 September 2011 31/08/2011 - 02/09/2011 Luanda, Angola (Angola)
Tanzania on its way to implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 12/07/2011 - 13/07/2011 Dodoma (United Republic of Tanzania)
Towards the ratification of the 2003 Convention in Comoros 12/07/2011 - 13/07/2011 Moroni (Comoros)
Capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention 11/07/2011 - 15/07/2011 Broumana (Lebanon)
Second Training Session at Pakistan National Council of the Arts 25/06/2011 - 25/06/2011 Islamabad (Pakistan)
Strengthening national capacities for the inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in Kyrgyz Republic 18/06/2011 - 19/06/2011 Talas (Kyrgyzstan)
Capacity building on implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Cameroun 07/06/2011 - 10/06/2011 Kribi (Cameroon)
Nigeria: A workshop to anchor the Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage at the national level 01/06/2011 - 03/06/2011 Enugu (Nigeria)
National capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention 26/05/2011 - 28/05/2011 Bujumbura (Burundi)
Strengthening National Capacities for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage 19/05/2011 - 21/05/2011 Minsk (Belarus)
Training Workshop on the Implementation of 2003 Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage 02/05/2011 - 05/05/2011 Islamabad (Pakistan)
The Power of Culture in Development 28/04/2011 - 28/04/2011 Accra (Ghana)
Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding ICH: training of trainers for the Arab States 10/04/2011 - 14/04/2011 Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)
Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding ICH: training of trainers for Latin America and the Caribbean 28/03/2011 - 01/04/2011 Havana (Cuba)
Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding ICH: training of trainers workshop in Sofia 14/03/2011 - 18/03/2011 Sofia (Bulgaria)
Awareness-raising on safeguarding intangible heritage for North Korean authorities 23/02/2011 - 25/02/2011 Pyongyang (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)
Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding ICH: training of trainers in Libreville 31/01/2011 - 04/02/2011 Libreville (Gabon)
Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding ICH: training of trainers in Harare 24/01/2011 - 28/01/2011 Harare (Zimbabwe)
Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding ICH: training of trainers for Asia and the Pacific 10/01/2011 - 14/01/2011 Beijing (China)
Windhoek hosts workshop on the elaboration of the nominations to the Urgent Safeguarding List 29/11/2010 - 03/12/2010 Windhoek (Namibia)
MEDLIHER Phase II evaluation meeting 28/11/2010 - 30/11/2010 Cairo (Egypt)
Capacity-building workshop in Central America and the Caribbean on the Implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention 16/11/2010 - 18/11/2010 Panama City (Panama)
5th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee 15/11/2010 - 19/11/2010 Nairobi (Kenya)
Forum on the Contribution of Civil Society and NGOs to the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and to the Rapprochement of Cultures 14/11/2010 - 14/11/2010 Nairobi (Kenya)
Information meeting for the members of the Intergovernmental Committee 25/10/2010 - 25/10/2010 Paris (France)
Implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention through the preparation of inventories 20/09/2010 - 23/09/2010 Libreville (Gabon)
The role of NGOs in implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 02/09/2010 - 04/09/2010 Tallinn (Estonia)
National Workshop on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage Alta Gracia 31/08/2010 - 02/09/2010 Cordoba (Argentina)
Intangible Heritage Beyond Borders: Safeguarding Through International Cooperation 20/07/2010 - 21/07/2010 Bangkok (Thailand)
Regional consultation among category 2 centres in Asia and the Pacific 19/07/2010 - 19/07/2010 Bangkok (Thailand)
3rd session of the General Assembly 22/06/2010 - 24/06/2010 Paris (France)
Meeting of the working group of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (5.COM 4.WG) 21/06/2010 - 21/06/2010 Paris (France)
Meeting of the Restricted Working Group of the Committee on the amendments to the Operational Directives of the 2003 Convention (5.COM 3.1.WG) 01/06/2010 - 01/06/2010 Paris (France)
Expert meeting on the 2003 Convention 15/03/2010 - 15/03/2010 Paris (France)
Civil society and cultural heritage in the Mediterranean: EH 4 Regional Conference 24/02/2010 - 25/02/2010 Palermo (Italy)
Workshop on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Palau 23/02/2010 - 25/02/2010 Koror (Palau)
“Recording and safeguarding the intangible”: third RMSU training module 22/02/2010 - 23/02/2010 Palermo (Italy)
Building capacities for community-based intangible cultural heritage inventorying in Southern Africa 15/02/2010 - 20/02/2010 Maseru (Lesotho)
4th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee 28/09/2009 - 02/10/2009 Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)
Vanuatu inter-departmental meeting on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 03/06/2009 - 05/06/2009 Port Vila (Vanuatu)
Opening seminar of the Mediterranean Living Heritage project (MEDLIHER) 25/05/2009 - 26/05/2009 Paris (France)
Expert meeting on culinary practices 04/04/2009 - 05/04/2009 Vitré (France)
Meeting of the subsidiary body for the examination of nominations for the Representative List 12/01/2009 - 13/01/2009 Paris (France)
Tongan inter-departmental meeting on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 05/12/2008 - 05/12/2008 Fua’amotu (Tonga)
Second Pacific meeting on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 02/12/2008 - 04/12/2008 Fua’amotu (Tonga)
3rd session of the Intergovernmental Committee 04/11/2008 - 08/11/2008 Istanbul (Turkey)
Meeting of the 3.COM Bureau 20/10/2008 - 20/10/2008 UNESCO Headquarters (France)
National Capacity-Building Workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention 19/09/2008 - 20/09/2008 Maputo (Mozambique)
Capacity-Building Workshop on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention for the African States Parties to the 2003 Convention 23/06/2008 - 24/06/2008 Paris (France)
3rd extraordinary session of the Intergovernmental Committee 16/06/2008 - 16/06/2008 Paris (France)
2nd session of the General Assembly 16/06/2008 - 19/06/2008 Paris (France)
Information meeting on the 2003 Convention and the second General Assembly 02/06/2008 - 18/07/2019 Paris (France)
Inter-departmental Meeting on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 21/05/2008 - 22/05/2008 Suva (Fiji)
Sub-regional workshop on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 19/05/2008 - 20/05/2008 Bamako (Mali)
Strengthening National Capacities for Implementing the 2003 Convention 17/04/2008 - 18/04/2008 Jakarta (Indonesia)
Sub-regional Capacity-Building Workshop on the Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 27/03/2008 - 28/03/2008 Pretoria (South Africa)
Inter-departmental Meeting on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 18/03/2008 - 19/03/2008 Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)
Kenyan National Meeting on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention 05/03/2008 - 06/03/2008 Nairobi (Kenya)
2nd extraordinary session of the Intergovernmental Committee 18/02/2008 - 22/02/2008 Sofia (Bulgaria)
Sub-regional meeting in Nadi, Fiji, on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 12/12/2007 - 14/12/2007 Nadi (Fiji)
Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Cultural Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges 11/12/2007 - 13/12/2007 Hue (Viet Nam)
Expert Meeting on Intangible Cultural Heritage keywords 06/12/2007 - 07/12/2007 Paris (France)
Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Crossroads of Cultures 03/12/2007 - 03/12/2007 Paris (France)
Expert Meeting on Current Trends in Linguistic Mapping in preparation of the 3rd edition of the Atlas 29/11/2007 - 30/11/2007 Paris (France)
2nd session of the Intergovernmental Committee 03/09/2007 - 07/09/2007 Tokyo (Japan)
Workshop on inventorying intangible cultural heritage 23/07/2007 - 27/07/2007 Maputo (Mozambique)
National Workshop on inventorying intangible cultural heritage in Madagascar 16/07/2007 - 20/07/2007 Antananarivo (Madagascar)
1st Extraordinary Session of the Intergovernmental Committee 23/05/2007 - 27/05/2007 Chengdu (China)
International seminar on Principles and Experiences of Drawing Up ICH Inventories in Europe 14/05/2007 - 15/05/2007 Tallinn (Estonia)
Expert Meeting on the Lists Established by the 2003 Convention 02/04/2007 - 04/04/2007 New Delhi (India)
Regional meeting for Arab States 31/03/2007 - 04/04/2007 Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)
Expert meeting on Transmission and Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage through Formal and Non-Formal Education 21/02/2007 - 23/02/2007 Chiba (Japan)
First meeting of the 2.COM Bureau 13/02/2007 - 13/02/2007 UNESCO Headquarters (France)
Identifying Good Practices in Safeguarding Endangered Languages in Africa 09/02/2007 - 10/02/2007 Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
Regional meeting for West Africa 04/12/2006 - 05/12/2006 Dakar (Senegal)
Regional meeting for Central Africa 30/11/2006 - 01/12/2006 Douala (Cameroon)
Regional meeting for Eastern and Southern Africa 27/11/2006 - 28/11/2006 Dar es Salam (United Republic of Tanzania)
1st session of the Intergovernmental Committee 18/11/2006 - 19/11/2006 Algiers (Algeria)
1st extraordinary session of the General Assembly 09/11/2006 - 09/11/2006 Paris (France)
Meeting on inventorying intangible cultural heritage in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia 19/10/2006 - 20/10/2006 Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
UNESCO. Executive Board; 175th session; 2006 26/09/2006 - 12/10/2006 Paris (France)
1st session of the General Assembly 27/06/2006 - 29/06/2006 Paris (France)
Expert meeting on the Impacts of the Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity 20/04/2006 - 21/04/2006 Paris (France)
Joining forces for preserving Africa’s linguistic diversity 23/03/2006 - 25/03/2006 Bamako (Mali)
Expert meeting on Identification of Intangible Heritage in Sudan 21/03/2006 - 22/03/2006 Khartoum (Sudan)
Expert meeting on Community Involvement in Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage 13/03/2006 - 15/03/2006 Tokyo (Japan)
Preparatory Meeting for a Manual on Oral Traditions and Expressions 27/01/2006 - 28/01/2006 Paris (France)
Expert meeting on documentation and archiving of intangible cultural heritage 12/01/2006 - 13/01/2006 Paris (France)
Expert meeting on criteria for inscription on the lists established by the 2003 Convention 05/12/2005 - 06/12/2005 Paris (France)
Music, dance and theatre traditions 01/11/2005 - 01/11/2005 Paris (France)
UNESCO. Executive Board; 172nd session; 2005 01/11/2005 - 01/11/2005 Paris (France)
UNESCO. General Conference; 33rd session; 2005 03/10/2005 - 21/10/2005 Paris (France)
Expert meeting on inventorying Intangible Cultural Heritage 17/03/2005 - 18/03/2005 Paris (France)
UNESCO. Executive Board; 171st session; 2005 01/03/2005 - 01/03/2005 Paris (France)
Regional meeting for Caribbean States 17/02/2005 - 19/02/2005 Roseau (Dominica)
Regional meeting for Arab States 05/01/2005 - 06/01/2005 Algiers (Algeria)
Regional meeting for Europe and North America 13/12/2004 - 15/12/2004 Kazan (Russian Federation)
Regional meeting for Eastern and Southern Africa 22/11/2004 - 24/11/2004 Nairobi (Kenya)
International Conference on « The Safeguarding of Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage: Towards an Integrated Approach » 20/10/2004 - 23/10/2004 Nara (Japan)
Regional meeting for Asia 20/09/2004 - 22/09/2004 New Delhi (India)
International Conference on Globalization and Intangible Cultural Heritage 26/07/2004 - 27/07/2004 Tokyo (Japan)
Preparatory Meeting for a Manual on social practices, rituals and festive events 08/07/2004 - 10/07/2004 Paris (France)
Regional meeting for Latin America and Cuba 28/06/2004 - 30/06/2004 Paraty (Brazil)
Regional meeting for West and Central Africa 07/06/2004 - 09/06/2004 Dakar (Senegal)
Expert meeting on museums and Intangible Cultural Heritage 05/04/2004 - 07/04/2004 Oud-Poelgeest (Netherlands)
Expert meeting on Gender and Intangible Cultural Heritage 08/12/2003 - 10/12/2003 Paris (France)
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Expert meeting on the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music of the World 17/09/2003 - 18/09/2003 Paris (France)
Third session of the Intergovernmental Meeting of Experts on the Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 02/06/2003 - 14/06/2003 Paris (France)
Intersessional Working Group of government experts on the Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 22/04/2003 - 30/04/2003 Paris (France)
Expert meeting on Safeguarding Endangered Languages 10/03/2003 - 12/03/2003 Paris (France)
Second session of the Intergovernmental Meeting of Experts on the Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 24/02/2003 - 01/03/2003 Paris (France)
First session of the Intergovernmental Meeting of Experts on the Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 23/09/2002 - 27/09/2002 Paris (France)
Third Round Table of Ministers of Culture: the intangible cultural heritage, a mirror of cultural diversity 16/09/2002 - 17/09/2002 Istanbul (Turkey)
Second meeting of the select drafting group of a preliminary international convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage 13/06/2002 - 15/06/2002 Paris (France)
Expert meeting on "Intangible Cultural Heritage - Establishment of a Glossary" 10/06/2002 - 12/06/2002 Paris (France)
First meeting of the select drafting group of a preliminary international convention on intangible cultural heritage 20/03/2002 - 22/03/2002 Paris (France)
Expert meeting on “Intangible Cultural Heritage: Priority Domains for an International Convention” 22/01/2002 - 24/01/2002 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
UNESCO. General Conference; 31st session; 2001 15/10/2001 - 02/11/2001 Paris (France)
Expert meeting on Women, Intangible Heritage and Development 25/06/2001 - 27/06/2001 Tehran (Iran (Islamic Republic of))
International Round Table: Intangible Cultural Heritage, Working Definitions 14/03/2001 - 17/03/2001 Turin (Italy)
Regional Workshop on the Transmission of the Traditional Technique of Costume-making of the Miao/Hmong People Living in China, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam 01/06/2000 - 01/06/2000 Kunming (China)
International Symposium on the Role of Women in the Transmission of Intangible Cultural Heritage 27/09/1999 - 30/09/1999 Tehran (Iran (Islamic Republic of))
International Conference ‘A Global Assessment of the 1989 Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore: Local Empowerment and International Cooperation’ 23/06/1999 - 30/06/1999 Washington (United States of America)
WIPO-UNESCO Regional Consultation on the Protection of Expressions of Folklore for Latin America and the Caribbean 14/06/1999 - 16/06/1999 Quito (Ecuador)
WIPO-UNESCO Regional Consultation on the Protection of Expressions of Folklore for Arab Countries 25/05/1999 - 27/05/1999 Tunis (Tunisia)
Regional Seminar on the application of the 1989 Recommendation - Beirut 01/05/1999 - 18/07/2019 Beirut (Lebanon)
WIPO-UNESCO Regional Consultation on the Protection of Expressions of Folklore for Countries of Asia and the Pacific 21/04/1999 - 23/04/1999 Hanoi (Viet Nam)
WIPO-UNESCO African Regional Consultation on the Protection of Expressions of Folklore 23/03/1999 - 25/03/0199 Pretoria (South Africa)
Regional Seminar on the application of the 1989 Recommendation - Noumea 01/02/1999 - 18/07/2019 Noumea (New Caledonia)
Regional Seminar on the application of the 1989 Recommendation - Accra 01/01/1999 - 18/07/2019 Accra (Ghana)
Regional Seminar on the application of the 1989 Recommendation - Tashkent 01/10/1998 - 18/07/2019 Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
Regional Seminar on the application of the 1989 Recommendation - Joensuu 01/09/1998 - 18/07/2019 Joensuu (Finland)
Regional Seminar on the application of the 1989 Recommendation - Tokyo 01/02/1998 - 18/07/2019 Tokyo (Japan)
Workshop on Safeguarding and Promotion of the Traditional Techniques of Bamboo in Modern Life 17/12/1997 - 19/12/1997 Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam)
UNESCO. General Conference; 29th; 1997 21/10/1997 - 12/11/1997 Paris (France)
Regional Seminar on the application of the 1989 Recommendation- Mexico City 01/09/1997 - 18/07/2019 Mexico City (Mexico)
UNESCO/WIPO World Forum on the Protection of Folklore, Phuket, Thailand, April 8 to 10, 1997 08/04/1997 - 10/04/1997 Phuket (Thailand)
Intergovernmental Conference on Language Policies in Africa 17/03/1997 - 21/03/1997 Harare (Zimbabwe)
Regional Workshop on East Asian Lacquerware 14/02/1997 - 21/02/1997 Yangoon (Myanmar)
Expert Meeting for the Safeguarding and Promoting of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Minority Groups of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic 07/10/1996 - 11/10/1996 Vientiane (Lao People's Democratic Republic)
Regional Seminar on the application of the 1989 Recommendation- Strá nice 01/06/1995 - 18/07/2019 Stráznice (Czechia)
International Conference on the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region 01/01/1995 - 01/01/1995 Tokyo (Japan)
Expert Meeting for the Safeguarding and Promoting the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Minority Groups in Viet Nam 15/06/1994 - 17/06/1994 Hanoi (Viet Nam)
Expert Meeting for the Safeguarding and Promoting of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Region of Hué 21/03/1994 - 24/03/1994 Hué (Viet Nam)
International Consultation on New Perspectives for UNESCO’s Programme : The Intangible Cultural Heritage 16/06/1993 - 17/06/1993 Paris (France)
UNESCO. General Conference; 26th session; 1991 15/10/1991 - 07/11/1991 Paris (France)
Special Committee of Governmental Experts to Prepare a Draft Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Folklore; Paris; 1989 24/04/1989 - 28/04/1989 Paris (France)
Meeting of the Working Group for the Preparation of a Plan of Action for Safeguarding the Non-physical Heritage; Paris; 1987 05/10/1987 - 08/10/1987 Paris (France)
Intergovernmental Copyright Committee; 7th session; Geneva; 1987 22/06/1987 - 30/06/1987 Geneva (Switzerland)
Special Committee of Technical and Legal Experts on the Safeguarding of Folklore 01/06/1987 - 05/06/1987 Paris (France)
UNESCO. General Conference; 23rd session ; Sofia; 1985 08/10/1985 - 09/11/1985 Sofia (Bulgaria)
Intergovernmental Committee of the Universal Copyright Convention as Revised at Paris on 24 July 1971; 6th session; Paris; 1985 17/06/1985 - 25/06/1985 Paris (France)
Committee of Governmental Experts on the Safeguarding of Folklore; 2nd; Paris; 1985 14/01/1985 - 18/01/1985 Paris (France)
Group of experts on the international protection of expressions of folklore by intellectual property 10/12/1984 - 14/12/1984 Paris (France)
Meeting of experts to draw up a future programme concerning the non-physical heritage 28/11/1984 - 30/11/1984 Paris (France)
Regional Committee of Experts on Means of Implementation in the Arab States of Model Provisions on Intellectual Property Aspects of Protection of Expressions of Folklore 08/10/1984 - 10/10/1984 Doha (Qatar)
Intergovernmental Committee of the Universal Copyright Convention as Revised at Paris on 24 July 1971; 5th session; Geneva; 1983. International Union for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. Executive Committee; 22nd session; Paris; 1983 12/12/1983 - 16/12/1983 Geneva (Switzerland)
Regional committee of experts on means of implementation in Africa of model provisions on intellectual property aspects of protection of expressions of folklore 23/02/1983 - 25/02/1983 Dakar (Senegal)
Regional committee of experts on means of implementation in Asia of model provisions on intellectual property aspects of protection of expressions of folklore 31/01/1983 - 02/02/1983 New Delhi (India)
Committee of Governmental Experts on the intellectual property aspects of the protection of expressions of Folklore 28/06/1982 - 02/07/1982 Geneva (Switzerland)
Committee of Governmental Experts on the Safeguarding of Folklore 22/02/1982 - 26/02/1982 Paris (France)
International Union for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. Executive Committee; 19th session; Geneva; 1981. Intergovernmental Committee of the Universal Copyright Convention as Revised at Paris on 24 July 1971; 4th session; Geneva; 1981 30/11/1981 - 07/12/1981 Geneva (Switzerland)
Committee of experts on the modalities of applying the model provisions for national laws on the "Intellectual Property" aspects of the protection of the expressions of folklore and traditional folk culture in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean 14/10/1981 - 16/10/1981 Bogota (Colombia)
Working Group on the Intellectual Property Aspects of Folklore Protection; 2nd meeting; Paris; 1981 09/02/1981 - 13/02/1981 Paris (France)
UNESCO. General Conference; 21st; Belgrade; 1980 23/09/1980 - 28/10/1980 Belgrade (Serbia)
Working Group on the Intellectual Property Aspects of Folklore Protection, Geneva, 7-9 January 1980 07/01/1980 - 09/01/1980 Geneva (Switzerland)
Intergovernmental Committee of the Universal Copyright Convention as Revised at Paris on 24 July 1971; 3rd session, 1st pt; Geneva; 1979; International Union for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. Executive Committee; 5th extraordinary session; Geneva; 1979 05/02/1979 - 09/02/1979 Geneva (Switzerland)
Intergovernmental Committee of the Universal Copyright Convention as Revised at Paris on 24 July 1971; 2nd session; Paris; 1977; International Union for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. Executive Committee; 4th extraordinary session; Paris; 1977 28/11/1977 - 06/12/1977 Paris (France)
Committee of Experts on the Legal Protection of Folklore 11/07/1977 - 15/07/1977 Tunis (Tunisia)
Intergovernmental Committee of the Universal Copyright Convention as Revised at Paris on 24 July 1971; 1st extraordinary session; Geneva; 1975 10/12/1975 - 16/12/1975 Geneva (Switzerland)
Intergovernmental Copyright Committee; 12th session; Paris; 1973 05/12/1973 - 11/12/1973 Paris (France)
Sint Maarten national consultation meeting 18/07/2019 - 18/07/2019 Philipsburg (Sint Maarten)
- 18/07/2019 - 18/07/2019 ([country])
Isukuti dance of Isukha and Idakho communities of Western Kenya Kenya (2014)
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New Book Reveals Blasey Ford Scrubbed Social Media Profile of Anti-Trump Posts
As reported by WashingtonExaminer
Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, deleted her social media profile weeks before she sent a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein detailing the allegation, according to a new book.
The book, Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court, set for release Tuesday, details how Ford was portrayed as politically moderate. But her acquaintances reported Ford’s profile on social media “had been notable for its extreme antipathy to President Trump,” conservative authors Mollie Hemingway and Carrie Severino wrote. Additionally, her political views “ran decidedly to the left and were at variance with most of her family’s,” and Ford’s friends on Facebook said she “regularly expressed hostility” toward the Trump administration, they said.
Ford’s profile, however, was “completely scrubbed” about the time Kavanaugh was tapped for the Supreme Court in early July 2018. Ford informed Feinstein, the California Democrat, of her alleged encounter with Kavanaugh during a small gathering at a suburban Maryland home more than 30 years ago in a letter dated July 30, 2018.
The allegation roiled the battle to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh unequivocally denied Ford’s allegation, and the two testified separately before the Senate Judiciary Committee in an emotionally charged hearing in September.
The Senate ultimately confirmed Kavanaugh to the high court in October.
In addition to wiping her social media profile, Hemingway, a senior editor at the Federalist, and Severino, chief counsel of the Judicial Crisis Network, also reported that while Ford previously went by her maiden name, the media referred to her by her married name and her formal title, “Dr.”
“Some suggested that she was following sophisticated public relations advice to emphasize her relationship with her husband,” the two wrote.
In her letter to Feinstein, Ford requested the accusation remain confidential. But as word of the claims began to spread in the press, she later decided to speak publicly about the alleged encounter with the Washington Post for an article published Sept. 16.
After Ford came forward, the team working on Kavanaugh’s confirmation maintained a policy of not attacking her, Severino and Hemingway wrote, “even though damaging information about Ford was being openly discussed by people who knew her, some who knew her quite well.”
“Classmates were surprised by the media’s portrayal of her as an ingenue, which was very different from how they remembered her in junior high and high school,” according to the book. “Female classmates and friends at area schools recalled a heavy drinker who was much more aggressive with boys than they were.”
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When IT Meets Politics
Is there really a Digital Skills Crisis?
Philip Virgo Profile: Philip Virgo
Apprenticeship, apprenticeships, BIS, Digital skills, European Commission, Pitcom, Trailblazer
This morning the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee released its report on the “Digital Skills Crisis” This afternoon the House of Lords debated the government response to its “Make or Break” report last year . Last week the European Commission published a proposal for a Skills Guarantee . Meanwhile BIS is ploughing ahead with byzantine routines for a return to the type of training grant and levy scheme that was scrapped (for good reason) in 1980s. Unfortunately though dead, the idea of grants and levies, job creation schemes for bureaucrats, will not stay buried. In 1992 I helped kill an attempt to revive it with a Bow Group Paper on the theme of “Training for jobs not just jobs for trainers”. The processes proposed by BIS to fund “approved “training organisations to deliver apprenticeships which meet criteria dictated by officials not employers, make the average European “initiative” look like a model of efficiency.
I therefore applaud the recommendations by the Select Committee that
“Government needs to work with closely with employers, higher education institutions and schools to understand the apprenticeship marketplace, to ensure that education aligns with industry’s requirements, and that apprenticeships are delivered in a flexible way to adjust to future changes in the digital sector” (Para 54)
“Government should emphasise the need for more digital skills components in all apprenticeships … ” (Para 55)
“should review its Trailblazer initiative, making it more streamlined and accessible … simplifying the scheme’s processes” (Para 56) and
“… make it easier for industry to partner with universities and colleges to support student teaching … work placements … allow the cost to be written off against the Apprenticeship Levy contributions” (Para 57)
I am less happy with the recommendation that “The Government should review the qualifying requirements for the new IT roles added to the Tier 2 visa “shortage occupation list” , making it easier and more flexible for SMEs to recruit top talent from outside the EU” (Para 30). The European Commission proposal for a “Skills Guarantee” to help adults stuck in low paid jobs is more forward looking but the Committee’s recommendation is perhaps inevitable, given the 50 years of policy failure summarised in my evidence to the House of Lords report (see pages 1057 – 70) and referred to in my blog entry, describing the need to break out of groundhog day, when that report was first published.
“The crisis is over. The patient is dead” .
We failed to use the past “crises” as a catalyst for change. Things came to a head during the run up to Y2K and the “false start” of the transition to mass-market, Internet-based on-line systems. My 2001 IT Skills Trends report was about surviving the bursting of the dotcom bubble and preparing for the skills that would be in shortest supply when recovery came – in 2005 – 6. But that recovery did not come. By 2006 demand and salaries for those jobs which could easily be moved off-shore had stagnated. Much of the software and support industry had come to be staffed by a mix of overseas systems development and imported contract labour. We were facing the consequences of our inability to retrain our existing workforce, let alone our failure to educate and train our children. I stopped writing the reports. They had become too depressing and the only ones taking action were those who helped write them.
An Apprentice Levy without a credible, let alone efficient, Grant process
Today we have a curate’s egg wth unemployed computer science graduates in parallel with unprecedented shortages of competent and trustworthy recruits for Fintech and Security roles and another exercise to dig up the dodo of levies and grants – this time with the grants ring-fenced to meet the costs of “approved providers”, officials trying to dictate the requirements that employers are allowed to have and different processes for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Last week I attended a briefing session for employers. Those serious about training their future employees with the skills they will need were already looking at how to bypass the system, writing off the levy as a payroll tax on those jobs they could not realistically subcontract or move out of the UK. It was, as the Commons Select Committee has pointed out, not only unfit for purpose when it comes to the needs of SMEs (Para 30), it looks unlikely to meet the evolving needs of those large firms who already train their own and/or those in their supply chains.
But markets do not stand still. The Commons Select Committee call for the annual “dynamic mapping” of initiatives against demand so as to create a long term mechanism for adjusting the strategy (Para 29) is therefore particularly welcome.
The recommendation that Government should commit “to work with the Tech Partnership to develop industry-led, vocationally focused careers advice …” (Para 43) is also most welcome, but this should be extended to cover school-leavers. We can no longer afford to peddle the immoral fantasy that the majority of our children will benefit from starting their working lives saddled with student debt after spending three years to become less employable than if they had been paid to do a graduate level apprenticeship. In 1982, in “Learning for Change” I attacked both
“the examination treadmill to which we chain our adolescent youth in a set of puberty rites crueler than those of primitive Africa, At least in Africa they do not label any of the participants as failures” and
our confusion of “education” with taxpayer subsidy for the middle class ritual of kicking the fledglings from the nest.
The many recommendations of the Select Committee with regard to computing schools in schools are worthy but the most important boring is Paragraph 83 where it recommends working with the Tech Partnership “to raise the ambition for, and coverage of, industry led digital training, and to make it easier for business of all sizes to get involved“.
The need to “break open the educational ghettos” has been a key message since 1982, when PITCOM organised for relays of school-children (from 30 schools) to man an exhibition in the Upper Waiting Room of the House of Commons (26 computer systems, up to 14 running at any one time running off three power points, at a time when Parliament had no facilities for schools visits!). That exhibition was attended by 120 MPs: one returning six times to get a group doing Economics A Level to run variations on the Treasury Economic Model – hence my long-standing support for Donald Michie’s idea that MPs should be able to simulate the effect of the legislation, including amendments, which they are expected to approve.
That was over 30 years ago. It is therefore particularly sad that the same messages have to be repeated as though they are new. The reason is linked to the prevalence, evident in paragraphs 70 – 76, that teachers (whether in School, College, University or Industrial Training Centre) have to be expert in IT in order to educate their pupils/students. If that is correct then there is no solution – other than to rely on those (in other parts of the world) who use their limited supply of skilled educators to supervise the delivery of blended learning (mix of packaged learning materials, personal contact and supervised work experience) by mixed teams of assistants and subject experts: which is what successful digital “informal learning” groups (para 70 – 77) as well as enlightened employers, have been doing since before school computing curricula or computer science degrees were invented. Hence some of the recommendations in my own submission to the Select Committee
Why I will be voting for Jeremy Hunt
Three years ago I blogged on why I made the mistake of voting Remain. I would still prefer the UK to be a member of a reformed, multi-track, democratically accountable European Union. But that is not on offer. Ursula von der Leyan may be a surprise choice to replace Juncker but she is keeping Timmermans as her deputy and is a strong believer in building towards a United States of Europe.
I will be delighted if she does indeed turn out to be a reformer but until that happens I remain a reluctant believer that Brexit is the only way of bringing about the reforms to the EU that will make it worth be a member. And if that sounds “Irish” … it is. At the time of the referendum an Ulsterman who had worked as long and hard as I had on trying to make a reality of the Digital Single Market explained why had done the same analysis as I had … and decided to vote Brexit.
I have since come to realise that he was indeed right. Knowing what I know now, I would have voted leave.
I also understand much better why the different parts of the UK voted as they did.
The task ahead is not just Brexit
The new Conservative leader faces a massive task in re-building the Party round a shared set of values and visions for the future. Then comes the task of rebuilding trust in politicians, parliament, the civil service and the electoral system. No wonder the Conservative Party faithful want more hustings so that they can look the candidates in the eye and form their own judgements. And all that is before we start discussing the policies that we may, or may not, trust them to deliver.
My reasons for voting for Jeremy Hunt are based largely on his track record. I am less impressed by his claim to be one of the few entrepreneurs in politics than by the nature of the business he created: Hotcourses It is the world’s largest guide for would-be students and parents deciding where to invest their time, money and hopes when the pace of change is accelerating.
Those supporting Boris Johnson think he will be able chair a cabinet in which responsibility is delegated to them. I fear that the Civil Service, facing the post-Brexit existential threats of Devolution and Deregulation to their Whitehall Empires, will come together and run rings round them all.
After surviving his early baptism of fire at NHS, defending a badly botched junior doctor’s contract, Jeremy Hunt set about unravelling the culture of secrecy (including gagging clauses and the persecution of whistle-blowers) that had enabled those frightened of clinical responsibility to create some of the most inhumane (to both staff and patients) and inefficient working conditions in the modern world. The drop-out rate among student nurses is more than double that for students as a whole. Those doing nursing apprenticeships spend more than four times as much off-the-job because of the failure to use modern learning methodologies. I am married into a medical clan and have learned to keep quiet when the iniquities of the Royal Colleges are discussed.
My hope is that Jeremy Hunt will be able to lead a similar unravelling across the whole of central government, making it impossible for the “Empire” to strike back. The cult of “commercial confidentiality” with regard to the spending of public money, whether on in-house or outsourced services, needs to end.
My fear is that, by contrast, that Boris will go for gesture politics, as at the GLA, and will no more be able to begin the overdue reform of central Government than he could that of Transport for London or the Metropolitan Police. Both now in the hands of Sadiq Khan’t with everything blamed on “austerity”.
But it begins with delivering a constructive Brexit
I liked Hunt’s presentation at the recent Conservative Progress Conference – with rapid legislation on what has already been agreed so that it can be “banked” and the areas of uncertainty and fears of potential retaliation greatly reduced. This is the opposite to the more common approach of “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”. It is, however, the approach adopted by some of the most successful negotiators – if one counts “success” as delivering win-win deals that build for the future. They isolate the areas of disagreement and weaken the positions of those holding out against compromise. They then praise everyone in sight as they start lining up their allies for the next deal but one. They are great fun to watch, especially because they are so under-estimated by more aggressive negotiators who make great play out of winning unnecessary battles.
And, as I said in my blog on the Golden Rules and Taboo Questions – the Irish Backstop is a McGuffin. It is there to prevent discussion on topics such as cutting our Corporation Tax rates so that Global High Tech Companies pay tax in London rather than Dublin on their UK earnings. Thus enabling tax cuts to yield higher tax takes.
I also like the clarity of Jeremy Hunt’s ten point plan
That bring me back to my due diligence.
Hunt made his money from providing usable guidance for students and parents around the world on where the invest their time and money in doing courses that would help them meet their objectives. Politely unravelling nonsense is what he is good at. And it is a very powerful negotiating tool.
Who is serious about On-line Harms?
DCMS, Facebook, Google
1) DCMS kicks the can down the road – again
The deadline for submissions to the DCMS consultation on On Line Harms is July 1st. The NAO report politely savaging the UK failure to join up its approaches to tackling organised crime was released today. Organised crime derives much of its revenue from the On-line harms listed in the DCMS white paper. This is co-signed by the Home Secretary. No-where is there any indication in the white paper of the need to join up policy and policing. It is as though the departments still live in parallel Universes.
Meanwhile the timescale for implementing the Age Verification has been delayed again . It is well worth reading the reactions of the House of Lords to the statement . They did not believe the reasons given any more than did the technical press. When DCMS last kicked this particular can down the road they denied it would be further delayed . Pink News then interpreted “three months” in Whitehall speak as the end of the year. Techspot has more recently interpreted six months as manana . This is not a victory for “freedom of expression“. It is another own goal in the fight against organised crime and abuse. The extra time should be used to see whether a simpler solution, e.g. audits against processes which meet the BSI’s PAS 1296, would better protect the privacy of both adults and children.
2) And can expect to pay a price
The excuse given by DCMS is probably open to legal challenge from as many directions as its approach to implementing the Age Verification legislation. Those who believed the original timetable spent £millions developing the necessary “age gates” and gearing up to handle the expected volumes of traffic from July onwards. That work has now been halted amid growing scepticism that the law will ever come into force, let alone be properly regulated and/or enforced. Lay offs and cutbacks are now certain. The DCMS credibility cap, (which dates back to when it “leaked” the e-mail addresses of over 200 technical journalists at the original launch of the scheme ) has widened. We can expect those affected to seek assistance in rectifying the damage.
3) Meanwhile British Industry has produced a global solution
More significant, but unpublicised, is that British service providers have delivered on the promises made when David Cameron was persuaded to announce the original plans for legislation .
The day after Jeremy Wright announced the delay in implementation, Telemedia carried the news that not only had the UK first supplier been audited against the extension of the existing Age Check Certification Scheme to cover on-line checking using PAS 1296 . The PAS is now probably on its way to becoming a global standard. The service is fully operational and was used for the Web Portal for the Channel 4 Documentary “Mums Make Porn”.
Age Checking is not, of course, just about protecting children from accidentally accessing porn, or from having their age controlled social networks penetrated by adult predators. The members of the embryonic Age Verification Providers Association do most of their business with the suppliers of other controlled products and services, such as alcohol, gaming or tobacco. More-over this is a global business. UK-headquartered players like Experian and Lexis Nexis compete with those, like Facebook and Google, who seek to use their domination of Internet Access and Social media to invade the trusted identity market and link it to their big data business models.
4) Who is trusted by Who?
At this point it is worth looking at the annual Edelman Global Trust Barometer to add context. Last year saw a collapse in UK confidence in Government. It has not recovered. This year saw a similar collapse in trust in social media, particularly across Europe and North America. “On-line only” media are now significantly less trusted than “traditional” media. Meanwhile brands headquartered in the UK are more trusted than those headquartered in the US, but not as trusted as those with HQs in Germany, Japan or Switzerland. The global brands, on whose advertising spend the business models of Facebook and Google rely, are looking to halt “contamination” by association with the “on-line harms” listed in the White Paper. They plan to do so by taking back control of programmatic advertising.
5) Facebook and Google have no choice but to respond
There is a simple explanation for Nick Clegg’s welcome, on behalf of Facebook, for Government Regulation . Facebook has less to fear from governments than from a revolt by global advertisers. The track record of regulation in this space is deeply unimpressive. By contrast they face an existential threat if they cannot provide a credible response to the pressures from global advertisers . The latter have been so badly burned by click-bait fraud, linked to free porn at least as often as to fake news, that they will not be content with ticking a few regulatory boxes. They will demand audit that is at least equivalent to the processes of the controlled circulation media . This is likely to include using third party Age Checking, just as the main security consultancies (including the big four accountancies) have had to use third party penetration testing operations. No one trusts big players to mark their own homework.
6) So Age Verification moves centre stage globally
At this point the work of UK Age Verification providers in producing robust processes for anonymising the use of secure and authoritative third-party identity databases (from the credit, education, financial services and health industries, as well as government) come into their own. They should not be viewed as a threat to either the big data business models or the privacy paranoia industry. They complement both.
But where does that leave Government and DCMS?
They appear to have painted themselves into an embarrassing corner – seeking to sustain an idiosyncratic approach to age-checking which fits neither the relevant UK legislation nor that of the EU.
Can they use the six months delay to produce a simpler, cheaper way forward, perhaps based on using audit against PAS 1296 in the context of EU data protection requirements?
Or will they be stuck, defending the indefensible, against all comers – from the Child Protection charities to the Open Rights Group?
Positioning the UK as a globally trusted on-line hub for inter-operable authentication, authorisation, audit and quality control goes hand-in-hand with retaining our position as a world class financial services hub. It also needs privacy processes that are sufficiently robust to the protect the finances of the ruling elites of the world from their security services (as successive US Presidents failed to protect themselves from J Edgar Hoover) and their children from abuses.
I would also like to see effective protection for the rest of us – now that the Internet is used by over half the children in the world.
My new role with the local Safer Neighbourhood Board has led me to discover just how little the “other half” of society trusts either Government or Global Big Tech. The Edelman analyses also reflect the views of the inner city youth and faith groups to which I have been listening. The consequences for the advertising funded Internet are profound. I am therefore prepared to bet a pound to a penny that Facebook and Google will embrace third party audit, including for their age checking process, before Government implements effective regulation.
I would of course be delighted to be proved wrong. But money talks rather more coherently than Government.
Is the internet destroying Western Liberal Democracy?
democracy, fake news, Internet, propaganda
There is an irony in the appointment by the House of Lords of a committee to explore the impact of digital technologies on democracy. The Internet is now, however, global. The majority of users live in parts of the world which had city states and empires while our ancestors were still wearing woad. They tend not to equate not to equate “democracy” with “listening to the empty vessels who make the most noise”. They believe that social cohesion is better served by a more “mature” process in which elder statesmen decide after listening to the views of all parts of society.
The formation of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media is likely to have far more impact on the way the Internet functions than the actions of politicians and regulators. The latter are in thrall to those with the biggest budgets for lobbyists and lawyers. No-one today has lobbying and legal teams bigger than the US West Coast Internet giants. Players like Facebook and Google have, however, seen the need to take action to preserve their advertising revenues from spending strikes by global brand-owners, like Diageo and Proctor and Gamble The advertisers are also looking to take back control from the intermediaries who put their brands at risk , placing them alongside content from terrorists, abusers and peddlers of click bait.
The moves to deny a voice to those who have been driving “moderates” off-line raise questions as to who should exercise editorial control over content. If the dominant players exercise their ability to block/remove content which damages the brands whose adverts they appear alongside, can they sustain the argument that they are not publishers – with the responsibilities of the latter for the content of “letters to the editor” and “classified adverts”.
1) From open debate to self-reinforcing cyberghettos
Early enthusiasm about global dialogue and “on-line town halls” morphed into disappointment that most on-line forums served to polarise opinion into self-reinforcing groups. In parallel we saw the rise of mass-market social media and advertising/trading platforms dominated by a handful of US players. That led to the collapse of the traditional channels of communication between politicians and people. National and local press and broadcast services and labour-intensive write-in and phone-in campaigns have been replaced by botnet-driven spam and twitter storms organised by who-ever has the budget and expertise.
The primitive “dictatorship of the sysadmins” (mediating on-line voting systems) has given way to the automated “dictatorship of the algorithms” with precedence to those views/stories which generate the most clicks, regardless of whether these are from humans or botnets. Now, after protests from around the world and pressure from large advertisers, players like Facebook are bringing back banks of humans to remove material which damages the image of brands alongside which it appears.
2) Mediated by the most powerful cartel the world has ever known.
The rise of on-line bring and buy services and pay-per-click programmatic advertising model have made it uneconomic for newspapers and broadcasters to employ journalists to do much more than regurgitate press releases. The cartel has thus come to dominate communications between current and would-be political leaders and their current or potential followers via advertising funded social media. It appears impossible for that dominance to be challenged by those who recognise US copyright and patent law.
It may be intellectually satisfying to discuss how this situation came about. The bigger question is what should be done to restore democracy. But that masks the question of what we mean by “democracy”.
3) What is democracy?
For over a century we equated “democracy” with universal adult suffrage based on a published electoral register and a secret physical ballot. Then with the rise of postal voting our electoral system rapidly degenerated into one that would disgrace a banana republic . Add on-line registration, the failure to prosecute election fraud and an allegedly “stolen” by election in Peterborough and we have growing scepticism that UK election results reflect “the will of the people”.
Meanwhile we have a steady flow of comment from the intellectual and business elite of the Country, as represented by the BBC, Guardian, Institute of Directors and CBI, that the people were mislead and lied to when they had the temerity to vote to leave the EU. They feel we should therefore re-run the referendum because the plebs had the temerity to disagree with the consensus of the graduate, metropolitan intelligentsia over the nature of Britain’s relationship with the European Union.
4) How did the ruling establishment of Westminster, Whitehall and Media City become so out of touch with over half the electorate?
That split between the plebs and the intelligentsia is not confined to the UK. It is reflected in debate on the supposed need to address the “democratic deficit” of the European Union as a whole. The Union uses hierarchies of consensus creating bodies to produce policies, directives and regulations for Parliamentarians elected by proportional representation to agree. Is that not a triumph of mature democratic process over the shallow populism of Farage, Le Pen and Trump?
London and Brussels have produced consultation processes which engage and satisfy those sufficiently well organised to employ professional lobbyists. These grind on until any dissidents have lost the will to live. We have similar situations in local government. E-mails to councillors protesting against decisions are blocked as spam. On-line objections to planning applications are acknowledged but not registered. But there are no longer any trainee investigative journalists on the local paper seeking to make their reputations by investigating why, how and what is accidental, careless or deliberate.
In consequence dissent can gain traction and grow to critical main using communications channels that politicians and pundits fail to monitor.
5) Leading to Government by Protest
The UK has a long and proud tradition of peaceful protest. Rhis erodes when the gulf between the political establishment and the people becomes too wide. Perhaps the most spectacular example was the UK fuel protests in September 2000 . These appeared to come out of nowhere and were supposedly resolved by firm Government action, alias capitulation followed by revenge (as with the Peasants Revolt). A better way of looking at what happened is to see it as the first and last spontaneous mass protest to be organised over CB radio.
40 years ago CB radio spread from truck and taxi drivers to farmers and teenagers, with illegal burner/relay station on urban tower blocks and rural hill tops. National “cover” was probably as ubiquitous as wifi today. Faced by crippling fuel prices rises, groups of farmers and lorry drivers discussed mounting a French style protest. Support for the idea spread nationally within a couple of days. The consequences are history. Appalled by what they had achieved and with no plan to handle the consequences, the nominal leaders called for the protests to end as soon as the Government, faced with no credible alternative, publicly gave in.
Unfortunately the lesson the Government learned was that independent lorry and taxi drivers and farmers were outside Trades Union control and had to be brought to heel, including surveillance by the security services. The Radio Communication Agency set about monitoring CB radio and shutting down relay/burner stations. No-one concluded that Government needed more sensitive consultation and communication processes in order to avoid provoking such anger.
6) Using the Social Media of the day
Over the next few years mobile phones replaced CB radio over most of the UK. The 2011 riots were “organised” via SMS, Twitter and Blackberry Messenger. Subsequently more of the rioters were caught from social media footage than from CCTV or material collected using powers under RIPA.
The effect of social media campaign and fake news on the 2016 referendum campaign is a matter of disagreement. Government, the EU and those campaigning for Remain spent many times more than those campaigning for Leave. Cambridge Analytica had little if any influence on the results and techniques it tried to sell to the Leave campaign were used extensively used by the Remain campaign – but to little effect. Those using them appear to have miscalculated either the audiences (plural) or the messages (plural).
Then came the 2017 elections which caught no-one, except Conservative Central office, by surprise. The shock result resulted largely from a short order social media campaign to encourage students to register at both home and University and vote and get their parents to vote.
More recently we have the rise of the Brexit party, based on the use of social media to communicate simple messages to the audience that came together for the referendum campaign and were increasingly tired of being patronised and told they did not understand.
Almost exactly two years ago I took part in an event organised by ISOC UK on the theme “Fake news: annoying symptom or life threatening disease” I recommend listening carefully to the comments of the Facebook speaker. What do we really want from them and their peers with regard to editing news, views and comment? I blogged my views on the question “Is fake news destroying democracy?” in advance of the meeting . I quoted Tom Standage’s excellent book “The writing on the wall“. It traces the evolution of social media from the first stirrings of literacy through the ages. The first election campaigns to be successfully distorted by fake news were those of Julius Caesar. His letters described the genocide of the Gauls (we now have archeological evidence) to steal their gold as a series of heroic fights against vast odds. I also used the opportunity to blog my paper for the 50th Anniversary of LEO under the title “Everything on-line is potentially fake and we cannot tell the difference“.
My conclusion was a question: “Can you check the sources, or are you left deciding which editor (Google, The Guardian or the Goebbels of the day) you choose to believe?”
7) The propaganda to influence “democratic decisions” is only part of the problem.
The honesty, integrity and auditability of consultation processes and voting system are critical. The public have to feel confident that results said to represent their views/wishes do indeed do so. That is being lost in the UK.
Key questions for House of Lords enquiry include how we could/should use technology to help restore confidence that our representatives are honestly elected, our “democratically accountable” institutions really are, and that their decisions are not so far out of line with the consensus of public opinion as to risk serious civil disobedience.
I f we do not find and implement answers quickly, the next General Election could be the most fractious, vicious and violent since the 19th century, when the processes for a secret ballot based on a published register of voters were developed. The candidates in the Conservative leadership debate organised by the BBC after the second leadership ballot all wanted a General Election postponed until after trust in Parliament had been restored. Others might say that a General Election is needed to help restore trust. But in the current mood would the losers have any more faith in the result than in that of the Peterborough By Election?
A hospice for a dying HE/FE funding regime – A review of the Augar Report
apprenticeships, Open University
The report of the Independent Panel to the Review into the funding of Further and Higher Education was not just about Student loans and University Funding . But most of the 370 submissions came from Universities and their acolytes. There were only 9 from Further Education providers. “Businesses” and “Employer bodies” were a subset of “Others” alongside academic experts, institutes and organisations representing the arts and science. See Page 14 of the Annex on the Call For Evidence for details.
Those who complain that, like the recent review of Apprenticeship Standards, the report only addresses part of the problem have themselves to blame. Most employer organisations were (and still are) more concerned to be able to import talent than to help grow our own. Hence once of the reasons for the Brexit revolt of the have-nots against the Establishment.
Despite that constraint it is a thoughtful report . It makes serious and detailed proposals to reform the current system. Read carefully. But also think about the political and economic context as you do. Philip Augar is a former equities broker. He was a non-executive board member at the Department for Education while he was writing (he had a History PhD) about the cultural changes that led to the 2008 banking crisis. Now think about the current challenges to the way the century old UK FE/HE funding regime has been evolving over recent decades. Perhaps the best than can be done really is to buy time for constructive evolution as opposed to destructive change akin to the banking crisis and that which followed.
The Tectonic Plates are shifting – the 1917 Consensus is under threat
The authors of the report have done a good job in drily assessing the signs of movement in the tectonic plates that underlie the UK education system and its values. The Haldane Principle has been the basis of Government funding for HE (with FE as an increasingly poor relation) since 1917. It is now under serious threat. Even were the sixty or so recommendations in the report to be implemented in full they would probably not preserve the current system against change. They might, however, reduce the threat that the baby will be thrown out with the bathwater.
The idea that HE/FE funding and policy should be determined by councils of experts with a vested interest in the out-comes, trumping the views of employers, students or the public, will not survive exposure to the scrutiny of the Internet Age. But reaching consensus on a new and more balanced and sustainable approach will not be easy. Nor will transitioning from the present set of hierarchical processes.
That is why it is so important to read the report and the analyses on which it is built. The submissions to the review omit the views of employers or public. Those who submitted may not recognise the way the global English language education and training content and qualification industries now dwarf the UK academic world. They may be ignorant of the way commercial and/or international providers are eating the lunch of those who have not already partnered with them. But the submissions do represent the thoughts of those who dominate our current policy and funding frameworks on how best to respond to the challenges that they see. You ignore them at your peril.
The current structures cannot handle the accelerating pace of change
The evidence submitted pays little or no attention to the way libraries of on-line materials transform the dynamics and economics of global education and training markets. These enable the assembly of customised, modular, blended learning programmes which cut the time to master content or acquire new skills from years to months, months to weeks and weeks to days or even hours.
Those used to a four to five year cycle to approve a new course cannot compete.
The processes the report is attempting to reform will never be capable of handling the pace of change necessary to do more than educate students in the basic disciplines they need for their first career. But a world of accelerating career change and life-long learning will still need academic cadres trained in those disciplines and research methodologies. The issue is to reach a new consensus on the balance of priorities when it comes to using public funds.
How should the recommendations be judged?
The report begins with eight principles:
1. Post-18 education benefits society, the economy, and individuals.
2. Everyone should have the opportunity to be educated after the age of 18.
3. The decline in numbers of those getting post-18 education needs to be reversed.
4. The cost of post-18 education should be shared between taxpayers, employers and learners.
5. Organisations providing education and training must be accountable for the public subsidy they receive.
6. Government has a responsibility to ensure that its investment in tertiary education is appropriately spent and directed.
7. Post-18 education cannot be left entirely to market forces.
8. Post-18 education needs to be forward looking.
There are then nine headline proposals to address the “core problem”of the unfair and wasteful split between the 50% who supposedly benefit from HE/FE and the 50% who do not.
1. Strengthening technical education
2. Increasing opportunities for everyone
3. Reforming and refunding the FE college network
4. Bearing down on low value HE
5. Addressing higher education funding
6. Increasing flexibility and lifetime learning
7. Supporting disadvantaged students
8. Ensuring those who benefit from higher education contribute fairly
9. Improving the apprenticeship offer
We should judge the detailed recommendations against the principles and the headline recommendations.
They are not prioritised. Most of the publicity to date is for proposals 5 and 8, addressing principle 4. That is because most of the submissions were from those seeking to preserve the current funding regime, with modifications in their favour.
To quote the Annex on the call for evidence:
“Across all groups, responses focused overwhelmingly on university education, with fewer responses on the other aspects of post-18 education, including technical education or apprenticeships.
• Further Education (FE) providers considered that higher education works best for well-qualified 18- to 30-year olds and that FE needs further investment in technical education facilities.
• Higher Education (HE) providers emphasised their view that HE is not a business but provides a society-wide benefit. On funding they felt that the review should not just consider fees in isolation.
• Students, graduates and the public were mainly concerned with financial issues, with costs of HE being too high and flexibility of provision limited.
• Employees working at educational organisations particularly noted a decline in part-time, mature students and Level 4/5 course take-up, and commented that the fragmentation of post-18 policy and funding across HE, FE and apprenticeships is restrictive and prevents a joined-up approach.
• Public bodies and others emphasised value for money, choices to meet skill needs of the UK, wider participation in Level 4/5 qualifications and generally better communication with learners.”
The Augar recommendations help open the way to a new consensus.
The press cover to date is almost all on the recommendations on student fees .
The changes proposed are unlikely to change the erosion of public belief in value of incurring debts that will never be repaid in order to spend three years away from home acquiring a qualification that employers do not value. There is no mention of the most serious barriers to widening access for the most disadvantaged: e.g. the way DWP processes penalise a family on benefits when one of its members accepts a place on an apprenticeship programme.
If the core objective are “fairness” and economic value then the first recommendation in the Augar report is the most profound in its potential impact:
• The government should introduce a single lifelong learning loan allowance for tuition loans at Levels 4, 5 and 6, available for adults aged 18 or over, without a publicly funded degree. This should be set, as it is now, as a financial amount equivalent to four years’ full-time undergraduate degree funding.
Combine this with the 11th ,
• The careers strategy should be rolled out nationally so that every secondary school is able to be part of a careers hub, that training is available to all careers leaders and that more young people have access to meaningful careers,
and the effect could be dramatic. But only if the careers advice neutral. It must not be skewed by the way schools are penalised if they allow their brightest and best to be tempted by apprenticeships – even those which are degree-linked and offer privileged entry into world-class careers. That neutrality will only be achieved if schools earn as much from supporting apprenticeships (e.g. in parallel with T levels) as they do from keeping hold of their academically competent pupils to do A levels – whether or not the latter improve their lifestyle choices or employability.
Given such neutrality we can expect the implosion of those FE/HE courses which do not give economic value. This is likely to be the most effective way of addressing recommendation 4.
Handing over the baton of bringing education and training policy into the Internet Age
In May 1968 I accepted a job offer from STC Microwave and Line as a graduate Engineer 1st Class, alias apprentice computer programmer. I then graduated with a degree in History and within two years was a guest lecturer on one of the first Computer Science courses. I have since watched half a century of attempts to define the content of courses and qualifications intended to help students acquire the intellectual disciplines and applications skills to research and exploit digital technologies before they change.
My career, let alone thoughts on how to handle digital skills, on which I have blogged for more than a decade, would have been very different without the habits of mind that I acquired at the Devils Flamethrower The THES article with that title is now behind a pay wall. Ross Anderson’s “Alternative History of Cambridge” and my review are not. In 1971 my reward for a successful decimalisation was two years at London Business School. My education on “manpower planning” began with listening to Denis Pym and Charles Handy. The class included Peter Lampl (Sutton Trust) and David Davis MP (who has also written a review of the Augar Report). One of my MSc projects was on the economics of the commercial training market. The aim was to help ICL decide on the future of a course on business for IT professionals which was not selling. I analysed the database of UK management courses then maintained by the British Institute of Management to find out which courses were regularly repeated, over weeks, months or years. And what was different about them. In the 1980s, after the publication of Learning for Change (see here for original text ) I had responsibility for the NCC Microsystems Centre. My staff maintained similar files. I advised the High Tech Unit of Barclays Bank on requests for finance from several commercial training operations. I also had responsibility for turning found that which I inherited at the NCC as well as advising succession of ministers – although the minds of most of their officials were firmly closed to evidence that did not fit departmental policy.
Earlier this year I pulled together my most recent material in a discussion paper to help set the scene for wider discussion after the Augar review was expected to report. That time is now.
On May 8th a very impressive team at the Open University took over support for the Digital Policy Alliance Skills Group. Much of the discussion was about how to extend the OU tradition of open access to academic excellence to lifelong learning as a whole, keeping pace with the evolution of digital disciplines and the accelerating pace of change in cross-boundary research and applications skills. In other words how to deliver the wider Augar principles and headline recommendations. I was also very happy in the quality of thinking among those to who would be taking over where I left off. I am confident they will do a much better job of bringing the relevant players together across all boundaries – not just intra-UK.
The Augar report is the start of a debate.
At best the recommendations on Student Loans may buy time for sufficient students to vote with their feet to enable a more politically acceptable solution to become affordable.
You should read the analysis and the other recommendations – bearing in mind that this is the “insider” view. Then e-mail dpa@dpalliance.org.uk or DPA-Open-University@open.ac.uk to be kept in touch with (or better still join and help) the plans of those taking over from me to widen the debate and home in on the actions needed to deliver constructive change.
Passing the baton on Cybersecurity Skills
CompTIA, cybersecurity, DPA, ISACA, Skills
This year will be the first time I visit Infosec with no agenda. Or to be more precise I will have a Community Safety rather than a Cybersecurity Skills Agenda. This has caused me to take a cool look at what has happened and what has not over the past decade. It has also caused me to consider what has changed over the past year as the pace of change has accelerated.
What has changed over the past couple of years
The main change has been the rise of the virtual CISO as all but the very largest users outsource their security operations. Unfortunately most of the providers target the 10,000 or so organisations who employ more than 250 staff. The other 1.5 million, who employ between 2 and 250 staff, are commonly left bereft of meaningful support, whether or not they are willing to pay. The Digital Policy Alliance recently held a meeting on the role of Cyber Insurance in setting the standards necessary for a business to be insurable, beginning with an externally assessed version of Cyber Essentials and a support contract. But far too few organisations are addressing this market. And who trains and updates technicians and professionals with the skills necessary? A recent ISSA survey (global but in practice mainly US) identified that training Virtual CISOs and maintaining their skills is a global need. But few employers help maintain the skills of those they have, let alone train new ones.
Who is addressing the skills standards for Virtual CISOs to support large numbers of SMEs, other than Comptia?
Meanwhile, as the recent Institute for Apprenticeship standards review identified, pen testing is not enough.
But who, other than ISACA, is looking at the skills standards to do holistic audits of security processes, including for applications which use ever more complex and vulnerable networks of IoT devices? We need to cross fertilise the work on intelligent weapons systems and integrated warfare systems with than on, for example, autonomous vehicles and mobile phones. Hence a new dimension on the way that the US – China electronics “arms race” has over-taken global co-operation.
Both CompTIA and ISACA helped the Cybersecurity Skills pilot, led by Bluescreen IT on the Plymouth University Science Park.
This showed the viability of a local Cybersecurity Skills partnership, using a shared skills incubator to bring together education and training programmes (from schools to post graduate) in providing work experience running a world class security operations centre with globally recognised qualifications as part of the apprenticeship programmes. The centre is coming up for its second anniversary. In February Bluescreen IT received funding from DCMS to package its methodology for harnessing the skills of “over inquisitive” teenagers to enable others to replicate that success . Perhaps more important is that it has demonstrated the viability of an unsubsidised shared skills incubator providing virtual CISO services to the local community at affordable prices. Put this model alongside COMPTIA Cyber Ready and the growing market for boot camps and apprenticeships and there is the potential to transform the supply of the skills to secure the 99% of British businesses (employing half the private sector workforce) whose needs are left out of the current mainstream cybersecurity skills strategy. The 99% are not greatly helped by a central government strategy which subordinates their needs to those of GCHQ and MoD for cyberwarriors and of major consultancies to secure those businesses large enough to afford their fees. But we now have a viable alternative way forward.
This therefore seemed to be a good time to for me to retire (for the fourth time). On the morning of May 8th I met the team at the Open University who have taken over from me in co-ordinating the work of the Digital Policy Alliance skills group . The group’s portfolio includes the Cybersecurity Skills partnership. I very much hope that one result will be the replication of that approach wherever the Open University has a sufficient footprint. E-mail DPA for details.
My new role brings a new perspective
My new role, as an independent member of the Lambeth Safer Neighbourhood Board, “convening” a pilot Community Safety Partnership, has given me a rather different perspective of the need. The closure of the last bank in West Norwood (population 34,000 and several hundred businesses) has brought home how little the banks, for example, appreciate that as they close branches (rural or urban) they are opening their customers, including small businesses and pensioners (who control half the nation’s disposable wealth) up to on-line fraud [herding the sheep on-line to be fleeced].
The latter need a human, not a help desk, to get them get back on-line. Meanwhile local law enforcement needs a lot more than a couple of skilled investigators per force. Hence the need for many more police forces to exploit the changes made in 2011 to enable security professionals to become police service volunteers, whether warranted as special constables or not.
Meanwhile the failure of major players to act on evidence of criminal abuse using their social media and on-line marketing networks, means that a growing proportion of society (particularly those whose children, elderly relatives or vulnerable neighbours have been victimised) strongly supports holding them to account in ways that may, or may not, be rational – but will certainly destroy shareholder value.
I therefore intend to remain active in campaigning for effective change to meet the needs of users, while leaving those younger than me to do the heavy lifting of making it happen in ways that enable responsible suppliers to develop more sustainable and ethical business models.
Time has, however, run out.
Trust in the cyber security industry has been eroded by the failure to remove decades old vulnerabilities because they are still being used in the three track (AI, Big Data and Cyber) and three way (United States, China and Organised Crime) arms race. There are, of course, other players but result leaves the rest of us (from children and vulnerable adults through SMEs to big business and the critical national infrastructure) unnecessarily open to on-line abuse, attack, fraud and harm.
The focus on “awareness”, without credible action plans, is increasingly counterproductive.
Back in 2008 I had the task of doing the warm up act for Lord Errol as opening speaker for an event on the use of encryption to better secure the on-line world . The fashion of the day was for Privacy Enhancing Technologies. I referred to the industry promoting e-immodium (when the need was to identify the causes of data diarrhoea) and PETS (privacy enhancing technologies) when the need was for bloodhounds and wolf packs to hunt down those causing the mayhem.
Having failed to secure action it is time to pass the baton to those who I hope will do rather better.
But the world is changing.
On the afternoon of May 8th I attended the third annual Global Cybersecurity Alliance briefing in the Mansion House. I am a big fan of their approach, using the proceeds of crime to remove common vulnerabilities. We learned, inter alia, of their new small firms tool kit to help the 99% improve their security. We also had a very interesting briefing on how Intel has carried its end-point security offerings to the next level . What a pity our Computer Science and engineering graduates are still not routinely educated to use the hardware security facilities that have been embedded in most common chip sets for over twenty years. One might even call it criminal negligence – akin to the attitudes of those who place adult rights to privacy above children’s rights to be protected and block the use of anonymised age checking.
Afterwards I learned of Cybersmart which automates the process of compliance with Cyber Essentials. On May 9th I sat in on a global webinar with the President of ISSA on their latest survey on cybersecurity skills and careers. One of the key priorities of respondents was the need for access to training to keep up with the tools now available to remove vulnerabilities, automate response and dramatically improve security. This is particularly so since many more businesses, especially in the US, are now protected by a virtual CISO than have one in-house.
That week I read the Europol press cover for the latest success of an NCTFA led international investigation. We had press cover for the discovery of one of the tools used by intelligence agencies (and others) to spy on supposedly secure social media communications. We had a bout of publicity for the vulnerability of the submarine cables that carry the Internet . I first blogged on this in 2008 . Readers should, however, be aware that their local internet connection is more vulnerable and that regulatory pressures for duct sharing with BT mean it will remain so.
City centres and business parks need multiple routing to meet critical infrastructure standards. Building these will run into the construction skills shortages that I highlighted at the end of last year. I am pleased to say the DPA sub group created in February to address the problem is now under way, chaired by the CEO of the Highways Electrical Association, and has identified the points of leverage that need to be addressed. I plan to blog separately on this, which is also part of the skills partnerships portfolio for the main DPA Skills Group.
Meanwhile Ofcom is talking about setting up a group to forecast future trends so that it can regulate them. This is the very approach that was rejected when its predecessor, Oftel, was created – because it would constrain the future. Instead Ofcom should be looking at how to handle the long overdue job of regulating telecoms as a critical infrastructure utility – with multiple inter-operable routings and mutual hot standby between competitors, maintained by technicians whose competence is individually accredited.
Time to move on
Anyway time for me to move on and leave it to others to make the on-line world a safer, more secure and resilient place as I spend more time off-line – where life is safer … or is it?
The whole of society increasingly depends on the industry living up to customer expectations, not best efforts and blame avoidance. I therefore have a vested interest in ensuring that the next generation make less of hash of skills policy that the current one.
IT in the Tory Candidates’ Manifestos
apprenticeships, Broadband, Leadership
I added a comment on Dominic Rabb’s inclusion of degree apprenticeships in his call for Fairness and Choice to my recent blog on the IfA apprenticeship review. In his opening campaign letter Rory Stewart call for “the vocational training and apprenticeships that equip people for the jobs of an ever-changing economy”. He is also “enraged that our broadband speeds in the UK are slower than Madagascar”. Back in 2010 Computer Weekly reported on the event organised by Rory Stewart that led to the BDUK programme. Rory’s Reivers are still showing the rest of the UK how local enterprise can build better, as well as far cheaper, than Central Government or the incumbent.
Shortly after he was elected Kit Malthouse chaired “Towards a post Brexit Strategy for Gigabit Britain – Building the infrastructure for a Smart Society” at the Conservative party Conference in 2016. That was the conference at which Matt Hancock, having read his way in at DCMS, came down firmly, at a series of meetings, in favour of full fibre – to the surprise and consternation of many lobbyists.
I will update and extend this blog as other candidates raise IT issues in their battles for the votes of first their fellow MPs and then the party faithful.
Their fellow MPs are a sophisticated (to use the polite term) electorate and will be looking to some-one who can not only deliver Brexit (whatever that means) but can rebuild an election winning party around issues that matter to voters in their own constituencies.
Their comments on matters IT, and responses to questions on matters IT, will therefore reflect what they think are the priorities of the future.
Given that the forthcoming NSPCC report on a world-wide review of “On-line Harms” will be launched between two of the main “hustings” meetings I will be interested to see how they reconcile the need to expedite effective action on child safety with improving the protection of personal privacy
5/10 for the IfA Digital Apprenticeships Standards Review
Apprenticeship, CompTIA, Skills
The Statutory Review of the Digital Apprenticeship standards inherited by the Institute for Apprenticeships answers less than half the question. Much of the question (e.g. allowable costs) is outside its remit and the resources available for the review were limited. A low score should, therefore, not be unexpected but the conclusion that IT Support skills are be covered elsewhere was surprising, to say the least.
An Insiders’ Review
The inputs to the review were limited to those employers, apprentice and training providers with “direct experience of the apprenticeship standards”. Those unable to make the standards process work, not interested in the standards agreed or unable to participate for other reasons were not asked to comment. The positive responses:
85% of apprentices said the apprenticeship met their expectations.
95% of respondents said the title of the standard reflected the content.
from those involved were therefore to be expected.
However, “41% of respondents (employers and training providers) encountered difficulties training apprentices”. Unfortunately these are not described in any detail.
89% of respondents said that off the job training on the standards was between 20% and 39%. Those with experience of mainstream industry training programmes would regard this as surprising high for programmes expected to last more than year. The use of supervised, hands-on blended learning, home study modules, interspersed with the occasional group workshop or residential modules means 5% or less would be more common. Such a training programme would not qualify as an apprenticeship for levy purposes. Meanwhile employers with large numbers to train to common standards appear to prefer 10 – 12 week digital boot camps to 12 – 18 month digital apprenticeships, even though the latter can be offset against the apprenticeship levy.
The review looks at a subset of the market. Great care should be taken in extrapolating the results
Sensible updates mixed with unrealistic ambitions
Most, but not all (see below) of the recommendations as to which the inherited standards should be retained and revised and which should be withdrawn, with “some of the content incorporated into revised standards, broadening and enhancing the content” are uncontroversial. The plans to align apprenticeships, T levels and Level 4 and 5 qualifications with common occupational maps are welcome.. So too are plans to link reviews of Level 3 standards and content.
But the idea that the IfA map will cover “the whole of technical education” is over ambitious. The standards for which the IfA has responsibility cover but a subset of the English subset of a digital education market in which most of the standards recognised by industry are international. The IfA is right to focus its efforts on establishing a reputation for quality and relevance but this will not be helped by over ambition as to what it can achieve by itself. It needs to partner with reputable players, local, national or global.
Specific Comments
“Digital and Technology Solutions Professional (Level 6): will be retained on the basis that each of the individual options are reviewed in detail to ensure they each meet the requirements of an occupation.”
Each of the “occupations” cross boundaries and overlap with technologies and applications which are evolving at an accelerating rate. Reviewing the cross disciplinary intellectual frameworks necessary to cope with change is more important than the reviewing transient detail. That will entail looking at how those running industry and commercial certification and accreditation programme handle the pace of change. When the IfA was created I attended a meeting (organised at the request of the Minister) at which members of Digital Policy Alliance Skills Group offered to brief IfA staff on the processes they used to keep abreast of change. At the time there were no staff in post to brief. Perhaps the time has come for the IfA to take up that offer.
“IS Business Analyst (Level 4) will be revised and broadened in scope to become Digital Product Analyst/Digital Business Analyst (Level 4). The occupation should apply to a broader range of sectors rather than just Information Systems to better serve the needs of employers.”
This is particularly important given that there is no separate standard for “systems engineering” where the “system” is an evolving mix of networked hardware, software and wetware (people processes) with shifting boundaries between the three. Thus the AI-based “system” may be hardware (inference and authentication chips) and software in support of people processes (because complete autonomy without human oversight is uninsurable).
Including systems engineering in “Digital Network and Infrastructure Engineer” implies a narrow definition of the range of roles where the disciplines and techniques are required. I speak as one who was trained in the in the 1970s before systems engineering became confused with digital systems engineering.
The problem with removing knowledge units and mandatory qualifications as opposed to the need for robust, rapid and efficient change processes
The report identifies the problems with using “knowledge units” from existing qualifications to enable “future proofing” by building on the review and update processes of those maintaining them. However, requiring the “trailblazer groups” to “bring all relevant information into a standard as they are redeveloped” gives them a difficult choice. Do they attempt to bring the update processes in-house (a massive task) or to negotiate compromises which have the support of those for whom enabling their trainees to acquire the skills currently recognised by their suppliers, customers and peers is more important than recovering their levy. The latter will be essential for the digital apprenticeship market to achieve its potential.
Digital (both information and control systems) is not, however, the only skills market dominated by requirements for internationally recognised qualifications, some generic but many vendor maintained (e.g. to install, use and maintain specific product ranges). Aerospace, automotive and critical infrastructure utilities and many branches of engineering have similar needs.
The solution to the problem of maintaining lists of relevant qualifications coving “the full range of software and approaches required for full occupational competence” is not to wish this onto the existing trailblazer groups. It is to allow them to work with the qualifications bodies, professional bodies, trade associations and training providers who are already in the process of developing semi-automated, networked, routines, linked to on-line libraries of course planning, content and assessment materials. The IfA should look at the potential for working with those seeking to create a neutral “hub“ for such routines in order to transform the position of the UK as market-leader.
This happens to be one of the projects I have just passed to the team at the Open University which has taken over from me in running the DPA Skills Group https://dpalliance.org.uk/about-21st-century-skills-group/. The aim is to package and publicise the existing inter-operability and exchange processes of JISC, the Grids for Learning, the various STEM, Coding and Content initiatives and the main global content libraries. It could also be used to provide a much more practical solution than that proposed.
Supporting Small Businesses
The basic idea of meeting the needs of small businesses, whether suppliers or users, by directly involving sample SMEs in setting digital standards is impractical. According to the ONS Business Survey 2018 there are
7, 500 employers with more than 250 staff, i.e. large enough to have the in-house expertise to help specify training needs.
35,000 with between 50 and 249 employees i.e. large enough to employ more than a handful of apprentices.
210,000 with between 10 and 49 (who might employ one or two)
1,1 million with 1 to 9.
4 million sole traders
Meaningful inputs on the needs of all but the top 7,500 employers will only come via the relevant trade associations or professional bodies.
The decision to require the IfA to work direct with employers, cutting out intermediaries (like the sector skills councils), without providing the necessary resources and budgets, means the standards processes are unable to reflect the needs of over 95% of employers and half the workforce. To remedy the situation it has to allow the trailblazer standards groups to re-create processes for working with those intermediaries who genuinely represent the collective needs of their members, the 1.3 million SMEs who collectively employ as many as the top 7,500.
The good news is that we can see that happening with former “intermediaries” providing the secretariat for many of the more effective standards. But the lack of such input to the review process may explain the most puzzling recommendation in the report: that to remove ”IT Support, as the occupation was judged to be covered elsewhere”. Apart from suppliers of IT products, services and support, only 7,500 businesses are likely to have more than one or two full time digital technicians or professionals. The other 1.3 million are reliant on external support. Hence the reason for qualifications like those from COMPTIA (a not for profit trade association created to provide vendor neutral training for the employees of the IT support market).
There is a need to explain where “elsewhere” is – since it covers most of the digital skills market. .
Promoting Diversity
Changing the language in job adverts can be surprisingly effective but there is also a need to address the academic or other pre-requisites for apprenticeship programmes. Many of these merely serve to filter out those excluded from mainstream education for reasons not relevant to their employability. The bigger issue with promoting diversity is, however, allowable costs – including for socially inclusive recruitment and pastoral care for vulnerable apprentices in SMEs with no in-house processes. This is outside the scope of the review.
Establishing principles for future approval
Most of these look sensible, albeit THEY ARE much harder to implement than to agree.
One of the hardest is: “Naming conventions – occupational standards should adhere to consistent naming conventions across the Digital Route to promote consistency and understanding”. It reads well and similar phrases are repeated regularly in report on skills and professionalism.
Over the fifty years since I became a graduate apprentice programmer (before there were computer science courses) I have seen countless attempts to produce common taxonomies. None achieved traction.
There is, however, an alternative way of achieving the objective.
In the 1980s I ran the NCC Microsystems Centre (the flagship awareness programme of the day). We needed a taxonomy for indexing our monthly-updated “Directories on Disc”, covering the hardware, software and training on the UK market. We used what would now be called AI to help collate those already available. We quickly determined that many definitions overlapped and rarely matched the claims of the suppliers. We decided to instead embed a synonym finder. This was also updated monthly with the aid of the journalists and product reviewers for whom we held open house after I scrapped the PR budget. The result turned the Directories into a must-have industry index and turned round the finances of the operation.
The situation with digital definitions (whether of hardware or software techniques, products and services or the skills to develop and use them) has become even muddier over the decades since.
None of the many subsequent attempts to produce skills taxonomies has been successful outside specialist areas where certificates to practice are mandatory or big budgets (as with some of the US DoD contracts for NIST) are available. That has not stopped players (UK, EU or US) from trying, whenever they can find a sponsor with deep enough pockets. Einstein’s supposed definition of madness is apposite . A synonym finder updated by those who want to use the results for their own purposes is much easier and more useful, especially if it has on-line cross references to the work of others.
The reference to the cross-cutting nature of digital skills and the “Essential Digital Skills Framework” is apposite but that framework is itself overdue for review. The reference to “Handling information and content” needs to include reference to recording and/or checking the provenance of the information. Security for that which is false or misleading, not just misleading, is not enough. This is commonly omitted. The consequent risks are profound. When I did my “digital apprenticeship” in 1968/9 it was core part of my training, alongside the GIGO (“garbage in = garbage out”) principle. I had to find out when, where and how the data was collected and the motivation (if any) of the staff collecting it, correcting it and entering it to the system.
Occupational Maps and the removal of the IT Support path
The removal of “IT Support” without alternative pathways will severely limit the relevance of digital apprenticeships to those who support the 99% of businesses with no full-time digital expertise. One can understand the reasoning that led that conclusion only in the context of confining the review to those who have been able to make the current standards system work. But the consequences it makes my headline score of 5/10 appear generous in the eyes of those whose needs are left out.
In the 1980s the NCC Threshold Programme, the Microsystems Centres and ITECs provided apprenticeship-like programmes and hands-on skills incubators to train tens of thousands of support technicians (with City Guilds 726 providing the framework for customisation to meet the needs of clusters of employers). But their success in putting socially excluded teenagers into well-paid jobs threatened the status of academic computing. Funding and support was diverted into “computer literacy” programmes (to feed students onto the academic courses). The UK supply of digital support technician skills imploded (save for the Millennium Bugbusters programme) until the Americans came to the rescue with vendor neutral programmes (like those of COMPTIA) to complement the vendor Academy programmes (like those of CISCO and Microsoft).
The success of local skills incubators in organising digital and engineering apprenticeships (and other training programmes) to meet the needs of geographic clusters shows what can be achieved. But it appears that those conducting this review decided, possibly correctly, that they have neither the resources nor terms of reference to provide digital support apprenticeship frameworks for use by the Borchester or Causton skills incubators or to help the digital supply chain copy the approach of the Builders Merchants. The latter have apparently organised a network of 200 local training agents to handle the organisation of apprenticeships on behalf of those in the supply chains of their 800 members.
Future Statutory Reviews
The report tells us what we can expect from future reviews. They will “again start with the content of the occupational standard” but “will have an enhanced focus on the quality of each EPA [end point assessment]. They will also “ benefit from even more targeted communications and engagement activity with employers, apprentices, provides and other stakeholders such as EPAOs [end point assessment organisations].
In others words they will again be conducted by those who stayed the trailblazer course and have been able to make the existing system work to meet their needs.
It is unclear how “public” the future consultations on “Occupational Maps” for other sectors will be but it is well worth looking at the IfA Occupational Map for Digital
and comparing this with the maps produced by the various professional bodies, trade associations, training providers and advice services trying to attract people into digital careers
I have awarded half marks because the report covers only half the question. It addresses the concerns of those who have been able to make the standards system work. It does not address the concerns of those who have not. And there are far more of the latter.
Given the resources available to the IfA for this review it might be unreasonable to expect more. But if the Government wants to use a successful start to rebuilding the UK apprenticeship system as part of its platform for the next General Election (whenever that comes) it will need to provide the IfA with the resources and terms of reference to ask, and answer, the whole question.
Comments received:
Jon Hall (Open University) has commented as below
Digital and Technology Solutions Professional (Level 6): will be retained on the basis that each of the individual options are reviewed in detail to ensure they each meet the requirements of an occupation. occupation as opposed to a profession?
The choice of words is revealing: occupation applies to the practitioner as part of a profession, perhaps, but what is an apprenticeship if not the expression of the sustainability of the profession over the individual? Are we to assume that the correct criteria for review are those of the individual, in that case? If so, what hope for those critical skills a degree teaches?
2. Future proofing
This isn’t necessarily achieved by removing anything from a syllabus, but from thinking more carefully about its conceptual core, something that universities (should be) good at, but that trainers can miss. From that conceptual core come the notions of, what I call, a ‘sand topic: something that moves (sand dunes drift) but sufficiently slowly as to be captured in a long term syllabus, and a ’sky’ topic which, like the clouds, moves too fast to capture once and for all. Trainers do the latter better than universities under the traditional models of both, but some unis, including mine, have techniques for keeping up with the leading edge and providing self-updating skills at the same time.
3. Promoting diversity
You’re right, of course. The work of Rachel Acraft is also pertinent (thesis available on demand from me) in which she identified the ‘drama’ model of computing: (paraphrasing) we need set designers, musicians, lighting engineers, producers, directors and myriad others to have something of dramatic value, not just authors. Producing a solution with computation embedded is similarly team based, requiring skills from all over the place. So diversity or role provides for a broader skill base. Digital apprenticeships mould recognise this sort of diversity too.
It has also been pointed out to that the first video manifesto for a Conservative party leadership candidate uses degree-linked apprenticeships as an example of “Fairness” and “Choice”. At least three of the other declared candidates are know to be strong supporters of apprenticeships. Will they also use them as a plank in their campaigns?
Brexit: golden rules and taboo questions
Brexit, fake news
The Brexit debate sees the endless repetition of mendacious claims, meaningless slogans and fake news. But key questions appear off limits – because no-one wants to discuss the possible answers. They reveal that what is a stake is not a simple matter of “in” or “out”. It is what is allowed to happen afterwards – and who really wants what.
Now that the manifestos of the European Reform parties in other members states have been published can we begin to read some of the arguments that no one wants us to hear.
I therefore feel a need to throw a rock into the stinky pool to see what emerges.
But first the Golden Rules for interpreting the answers.
Nothing is quite what it seems.
Everyone has a vested interest, alias valid point of view and they all have good reasons for them.
Those accusing others of ignorance or stupidity should take a look in the mirror and then think a little harder.
Please bear these rules in mind when asking taboo questions and listening to the answers.
I summarise my top three below, I also summarise some of the answers. I would very much wish to hear yours.
1 What is the difference between “the” Customs Union, “a” Customs Union and Swiss style frictionless borders?
“The” Customs Union means that US multinationals can continue to pay VAT and Corporation Tax on UK earnings in Dublin or Luxembourg.
“A” Customs Union means that US multinationals may be able to continue to pay VAT and Corporation Tax on UK earnings in Dublin or Luxembourg.
Swiss style frictionless borders mean VAT and Corporation Tax on domestic earnings are collected (and retained) locally while goods from, for example, Italy can transit a non-member to France (and vice versa) with no need to stop. Pre-cleared Swiss imports and exports can transit equally rapidly. The TIR processes predate the EU and are international. The Mayor of Calais (which stands to lose most from border delays, Calais also owns the port of Dover) has promised equally rapid processes. The risk is that he may have problems with striking customs officials (fearful for their jobs) or fisherman (if they are not squared after Brexit).
2 What is the Irish Backstop?
The Irish backstop is a McGuffin . The aim is to delay decisions that could lead, inter alia, to a 10% (or more) cut in the budget for running the Commission before the current incumbents have left. Such a cut could necessitate halting sessions of the European parliament in Strasbourg. This is already being called for by reform candidates in other member states. It would be a severe embarrassment to President Macron – but not to anyone else.
3 What difference would No Deal and reverting to WTO rules make?
It depends which rules you invoke:
A two year period of no change while agreement is reached?
No change until agreement is reached?
Independent arbitration (various formulae) when agreement cannot be reached?
None of these is the nirvana or the existential threat claimed – according to which side you are on. All, however, end the ability of the EU (or EU Court) to impose a solution in the event of dispute. They also end the potential for imposing changes that have not been agreed by the UK.
So what other questions do you think need to be asked?
Having spent twenty five years of my life trying to make a reality of the mythical digital single market, with its tangle of geographic software and content licenses and differential pricing, I can think of plenty more questions. Then there are questions about the various “licence to practice” barriers to the free movement of professional and technical staff – except when they are in short supply and will not undercut the natives. The depressed after-tax earnings of freelance IT staff in the UK should, of course, be blamed on IR35 and Tier 2 visas for non-EU immigrants. The EU has had little impact. It has its own shortages and many of our freelances have done better by working in, for example, Germany.
Will Advertisers and Insurers hold Social Media Platforms to Account after Governments fail
Governance, Internet, Internet safety
The Shareholder Backlash
Most digerati appear to be in a state of denial over the scale and nature of the damage being done by the abuse of social media. It is fuelling family breakdown, mental problems and violence, particularly in our inner cities. They may, however, be correct in saying that current political and regulatory efforts to address the problem will not achieve their objectives. The delay in implementing UK legislation on Age Checking, in the face of opposition from those whose business models are based on intrusive mass data collection as well as those promoting anonymous access services, shows how easy it is to mislead officials and politicians over the impact of proposals that help enhance, not invade, the privacy of the vast majority of users, particularly the most vulnerable.
Advertisers and, more importantly shareholders, are not so easily fooled.
The dips in share price last year, when luxury brands began pulling adverts which might appear alongside ISIS videos and risk their Middle Eastern sales, were short lived. So too were the dips which accompanied the original revelations of scale and nature of the fake news/click bait “industry”. In both cases assurances of the “technical” measures being introduced appear to have been sufficient.
Not so the 20% fall in Facebook share price as complaints grew that family friendly content and adverts were being used to promote child abuse and drug gang messages and not “just” fake news about politicians and celebrities. Assurances of action have, so far, proved insufficient – in the face of evidence of practical ineffectiveness, particularly with regard to addressing abuse over its platforms for teenagers, such as Instagram and Whatsapp.
The arguments received a very public twist when the DCMS Select Committee used forgotten powers to seize evidence of “intra-US misbehaviour” for use in its report on Disinformation and Fake News . This report refers to the Ledger of Harms produced by the Centre for Humane Technology: “loss of attention, mental health issues, confusions over personal relationships, risks to our democracies and issues affecting children” but focussed on the harms supposedly caused by targeted misinformation in support of political campaigning. Hence the committee’s proposal for a new regulatory category for organisations that are neither “Platforms” nor “Publishers”. But can organisations which claim ownership of the content placed on them (including records of usage and location) and analyse this, sometimes in real time, to target advertising, really claim “Innocent carrier” status at all, let alone avoid responsibility under common law and tort for failing to take rapid action to enforce their terms and conditions when warned that abuse is leading to harm, suffering and death, whether on the streets or in the bedroom.
The Twitter share price has been hit harder, now down over 30%, as it becomes a medium of choice for some of more prolific abusers, whether of truth or of the vulnerable. It has yet to find a way of reassuring advertisers that their brands are not at risk.
The Google (Alphabet) share price has been more resilient, down barely 10%. So far its efforts to monitor abuse have seemed more credible to Advertisers. But it remains to be seen how it will respond to the loss of well- known clients for You Tube advertising. In particular will it be able to reassure AT&T. We can expect it to step up efforts to use technology to identify and remove abusers. Will it feel a need to go further and take a lead in helping drain the swamp, including by organising systematic co-operation to help advertisers prevent their images from being contaminated by indiscriminating pay-per-click automated adtech placement algorithms? Will it feel the need to go further, in co-operation with AT&T and Verizon, to restore faith in the safety and security of the on-line world. If so, where will that leave the current “division of labour” between the Internet Community and the ITU.
The Public Backlash
Meanwhile parents, teachers, picking up on what they know about the hidden fears of their children and pupils, are now well aware that the on-line world needs at least as much supervision as physical playgrounds and streets. We have long had anecdotal evidence of the scale of parental concerns over some of the apps being used to stalk their children . We are now seeing evidence on the fears felt by children and what they would like to see in response.
We can also see the debate over on-line harms spilling over into the way social media are being used to create a climate of violence and fear on our the street. We are also beginning to see constructive thought on how the processes actually work and what we might do in response.
Last Saturday I attended a meeting for local residents on violence reduction. It was attended by the constituency MP, the GLA member and three cabinet members from the Council (in this case Lambeth) . It was standing room only.I had expected some of what I heard. I did not, however, expect the extent to which social media were blamed for contributing to the problems and the anger at their ongoing failure to use their profits to become part of the solution. Perhaps the saddest contribution came from a teacher who was describing the effect on family life. She mentioned a contribution to an early years discussion on what “what do you want to be when you grow up”: – “I want to be an I-Phone, so my Mummy will speak to me.”
At the teenage level the use of social media to video and brag about violence and/or issue challenges is said to be a major factor in the escalation of a local dispute into open warfare. It is also said to be impossible to get rapid and effective action taken by those operating the relevant “platforms”. The resultant bitterness against those who make so much profit while driving local shops out of business and denying responsibility for their actions has to be seen to be believed.
I had not previously appreciated how much of this bitterness is linked directly to the systematic use of social media by drug gangs (not just ISIS or pederast rings) to groom their audiences with the mix of fear and exhilaration that will promote their product at eh same time as helping them control their neighbourhoods and supply chains.
In the physical world you can call Crimestoppers and report where and when the action is happening. What happens when you try to report abusive content to Facebook, Google or Twitter?
The social media giants claim they are innocent carriers but their claims to own the data posted by their users and analyse transmissions to facilitate precisely targeted advertising indicate clearly that they are publishers (and more) – with all the duties entailed.
It appears to be only a matter of time before crowd-funded class actions on behalf of the victims of bullying, abuse and violence cause them to change their business models.
So what could/should be done by those who wish to expedite that process without destroying the undoubted benefits from advertising funded open internet access?
Pre-empting the damage the backlash could cause
1) Implement Age Verification to PAS 1296
The first and most obvious action is to expedite implementation of the UK Age Verification legislation passed two years ago . The members of the new Age Verification Providers Association spent £millions to get effective systems operational in time for the original deadline. More-over the technologies they had in mind to help with enforcement (based on those already used by Hollywood and the Music Industry for copyright enforcement) could also be used to address other forms of on-line harm.
The reasons for delay do not stand up to examination and are doing serious harm to UK-based business. They are in part based on misinformation by those who do not want to see the spread of effective, low cost, anonymised access technologies. The access provider or retailer need only ever know the name and id number and/or biometric of the individual. In some cases even the service provider knows only the age or other relevant attributes (e.g. a membership or security clearance). Everything else is stored behind further layers of one-way encryption on the files of the third parties e.g. health, education or financial services providers who provide only extracts. Such a privacy-centric capproach fits, however, neither mass surveillance nor big data agendas. Hence the publicity for misinformation based on services which do not use data minimised implementations of PAS 1296 (on its way to becoming a global standard).
Early, well publicised, adoption of such implementations, audited against the PAS, without waiting for the legislation to be implemented, is not only a good way of demonstrating family friendly credentials, it can also greatly reduce your potential liabilities under GDPR if allied to an overall data minimisation strategy.
2) Work with Law Enforcement, Crimestoppers and Child/Mental Health/Victim Support and Welfare Charities on expedited and/or automated/collated reporting and response processes
The current confusopoly of victim-hostile, labour-intensive reporting processes is unfit for the internet age. Those involved have neither the expertise nor the resources to sort the situation. That will require action by those who want the rest of society to have confidence in the safety of themselves, their children and their grandparents in the on-line world. More-over, until we have created processes for effective co-operation between industry and law enforcement, the responses will have to come from industry under a mix of civil and contract law.
That raises the questions of whether the organisation is more concerned over avoiding legal liability or enhancing consumer confidence (and profitability). That will divide industry between those whose “conscience” and/or “appetite for risk” are driven by the legal department or the finance director.
3) Find ways of using your expertise and resources to plug the gaps of those in Law Enforcement.
It is now over a decade since the EURIM-IPPR study into Partnership Policing for the Information Society identified that law enforcement would never have more than a fraction of the resources and expertise necessary to policing the on-line world. The need was for processes to enable the police to draw on those of industry – including (but not just) as warranted special constables.
Since then there has been little, if any, progress in implementing the recommendations. We may actually have gone backwards. The current Metropolitan Police criteria for Special Constables appear to preclude almost all those professionally involved with Information Security.
It is unclear whether change requires primary or secondary legislation or this a local requirement but action should be a core part of the National Cybersecurity Skills Strategy
as well as of any strategy to address the on-line safety of the rest of society.
Fit for whose purpose? Submit your views on the Initial National Cybersecurity Skills Strategy
I re-read the “Initial National Cyber Security Skills Strategy: increasing the UK’s Cyber Security Capability” after attending the first of their discussion meetings. The meeting illustrated the difficulty of the task the DCMS team will have reconciling the need of MoD and GCHQ for patriotic cyberwarriors and the need of the rest of us for the skills to protect ourselves and our customers at the same time as working with law enforcement to identify on-line predators and use a mix of civil and criminal law to remove and/or deter them, wherever they may be.
The skill sets do overlap.
But do they overlap sufficiently for a single professional body?
Almost certainly not.
Hence the reason the creation of a Cybersecurity Council makes such good sense.
But the Council will not meet the needs of UK plc if Government support is constrained to fit the undoubted needs to grow our own indigenous cybersecurity skills base while neglecting the need for the City of London, as the world’s premier financial services and global trading hub, to have the cross-cultural and jurisdictional skills base needed by a global hub for security audit and investigatory co-operation. And what about the need to protect the rest of society from script-kiddies, on-line bullies, pederasts and those using social media to promote, for example, a gang-driven, drug-fuelled teenage subculture.
The strategy also neglects the skills needed to build and maintain a resilient and secure digital infrastructure for a society that is critically dependent on 24 by 7 on-line service. The failure to regulate UK telecoms (including internet services) as part of the critical national infrastructure, with all that implies (including for the relevant skills), appear to undermine the rest of the strategy.
I strongly recommend reading the strategy and thinking long and hard before answering the questions. And remember the deadline – March 1st.
Below I summarise the points I am thinking of making in my own submission.
Perhaps most controversial for many readers is that the number of genuine cybersecurity professionals, capable of a UK eyes only security clearance, needed is probably only about 10% of the numbers being bandied about by those making business plans for new professional bodies. Instead we need are very much larger numbers of competent technicians with skills that cross professional boundaries.
Moreover, if we really do want to a world leader, we should look at how to be at the heart of setting and auditing global skills standards and co-operating wholeheartedly with non-Nato countries educating and training those who will help secure the on-line world against all-comers (including nation state actors, “ours” as well as “theirs”). The latter also entails fixing the vulnerabilities that are there because nation state actors want them to be there.
Hence my sympathy for DCMS officials expected to reconcile the irreconcilable – or rather produce a globally acceptable and evolving fudge machine. I am mindful of how, nearly a decade ago, office also from across Whitehall came together to block the joined-up Home Office e-Crime strategy on which I and others had spend so much time and money.
My points below follow the structure of the Consultation paper.
The Strategic Context – Page 15
I found the analysis of the size of the cybersecurity skills gap (page 12) very odd. I then looked at the background report “Understanding the UK Cybersecurity skills labour market” and understood why. It repeats an error common to almost all reports on UK IT skills and demand. It fails to appreciate that 95% of the 1.4m UK businesses with employees have fewer than 50 staff, none of them full time on IT support, let alone cybersecurity. The responses to the survey come from those remaining other 5%, plus the Cyber consultancy community. The statement that 710,000 business and 107,000 charities have a “technical skills” gap is then used to produce numbers requiring differing different types of skill. The UK has barely 250,000 businesses with more than 10 staff and only 42,000 with more than 50. It has barely 34,000 charities with more than £100,000 of income and only 11,600 with more than £500,000. Most businesses with under 50 staff use packaged and/or outsourced IT products, services and support. They have no-one with serious in-house IT, let alone cybersecurity expertise. Only businesses with more than 250 staff (7,500) and charities with more than £5 million turnover (2,200) are likely to have any in-house cybersecurity expertise, as opposed to providing one of more members of staff with the training to know when to call in an “expert” and, hopefully, a call off contract with a reputable “expert.
There is then the question of how many of the “experts” merit the term “professional” and how many are best described as “technicians”, competent to use the semi-automated tools which can be mastered in the 3 – 4 month modular training programmes which produce “consultants” capable of being billed to HMG at £2-300 per day. To the numbers quoted should be added those not on degree courses or IfA “approved” apprenticeships. One commercial training provider appears to have a throughput of over 3,000 students a year (counting up the numbers of the courses it is contracted to run for major aerospace and defence contractors and/or cloud computing suppliers). Meanwhile the big four accounting firms are believed to each be training several hundred a year via the “cyber-academies” they run with the help of well-known Universities. BT has claimed that it has 3,000 in its cybersecurity operations and has said it is training 300 “apprentices” a year and looking to recruit a further 300 a year from outside to replace turnover.
Meanwhile the financial services industry has largely outsourced/co-sourced technical cybersecurity while embedding cybersecurity modules within mainstream disciplines from risk management to identity and access control (including know your customer), fraud prevention and asset recovery. ISACA (over 150,000 members world-wide, over 15,000 in the UK) is probably the main professional bodies for those “auditing” cybersecurity in the financial services sector. Its “body of knowledge” appears to be far wider than that envisaged, because its members already have to audit IoT devices integral to on-line, interactive payment, shipping and maintenance services around the world
The main gap in the analysis is, however, the skills to build and maintain the nations digital communications infrastructure. There is talk of societies increasing dependency on connected devices and services but not on the need to treat digital communication as part of the critical national infrastructure – with the implications that would have for regulated standards for quality of service, resilience and response times and for independent certification of the competence of those maintaining the necessary inter-operable networks with mutual standby.
That leads to the question of the skills to address the responsibilities of Internet Service Providers, including “Over the Top” providers, given that their use of algorithms to fine tune service provision of behalf of advertisers means that “innocent carrier” status no longer applies. They look set to face a perfect storm of class actions under civil and/or common law for the consequences (suicide and murder let alone lesser injuries and suffering) of their failure to take “reasonable action” to enforce their terms and conditions
The National Response – Our Mission
There is a need to unpack the needs for UK or NATO “eyes only” skills for national defence and cyberwarfare purposes from those of the financial services sector where UK-based organisations may be part of the critical national infrastructures (including payment services and sovereign wealth management) of Governments around the world.
One of the best ways of ensuring that the UK has world class skills is to maintain and foster the position of City of London as the neutral base for auditing and quality controlling the cybersecurity of the rest of the world – even if that means operating, at least in some respects, at arms-length from the City of Westminster. That relationship needs to open and honest, including the means for handling the inevitable conflicts, for it to be open trusted and trustworthy.
A Structured and Trusted Profession
Trust is earned. Much will depend on the nature of the “delivery lead”. It needs to be a mutual, jointly owned by a balanced mixed of UK and International professional bodies and trade association with Government contributing as a major user/employer of skills. It also need to move rapidly towards the creation of a de facto “certificate to practice” regime, with members maintaining inter-operable (common formats/definitions) log books of training, updating and performance, validated by course/assessment providers, employers and customers.
A Vibrant Education and Training Ecosystem
The “demystification” of cybersecurity careers is much easier said than done, given that these are probably evolving faster than the attempts to describe them.
It is probably easier to:
• describe the various roles,
• the attitudes, aptitudes, knowledge and experience they might draw on and
• how these might be demonstrated and/or acquired
It is probably that in future, as in the past, the majority of those working in cybersecurity will have transferred in from other career paths and a spell in cybersecurity may well be a stepping stone to another career path.
We need to make it much easier to assemble courses and training and assessment programmes from evolving modules which are internationally recognised,
How successful the Cybersecurity Council is crating the necessary frameworks will help determine its overall it overall success/failure.
Government (DfE as well as DCMS on Cyber) should support (both funding and information on its own activities) clearing houses for work experience, apprenticeship and training opportunities (both local and national) and guidance on pastoral care, particularly for the neuro-diverse and returners.
Broader Cybersecurity Capability
The Government should work with the Information Commissioner and others to implement the outstanding recommendation of the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee report “Cyber Security – the protection of personal data on-line”.
“All relevant companies should provide well-publicised guidance to existing and new customers on how they will contact customers and how to make contact to verify that communications from the company are genuine. This verification mechanism should be clearly signposted and readily accessible, as with existing customer contact and complaints mechanisms.” (Para 14)
“security by design should be a core principle for new system and apps development and a mandatory part of developer training, with existing development staff retrained as necessary.” (Para 18)
“where the risks of attack are significant, the person responsible for cyber security should be fully supported in organising realistic incident management plans and exercises, including planned communications with customers and those who might be affected, whether or not there has an actual breach.” (Para 20)
“it should be easier for consumers to claim compensation if they have been the victim of a data breach. There are a number of entities (for example the Citizens Advice Bureau, ICO and police victim support units) that could in principle provide further advice to consumers on seeking redress through the small claims process. It would be useful for the Law Society to provide guidance to its members on assisting individuals to seek compensation following a data breach. The ICO should assess if adequate redress is being provided by the small claims process.” (Para 25)
“All telecommunications companies and on-line retailers, and other cyber-vulnerable organisations, should take steps to ensure that compliance with data protection rules and Cyber Essentials are key criteria when selecting third party suppliers.” (Para 26).
“Cyber Essentials should be regularly updated to take account of more recent attacks, including the need for security, incident management and recovery plans and processes for responding to cyber ransom demands.” (Para 30)
“The ICO and Cyber Essentials should publish further guidance on informing the relevant authorities and include best-practice examples of how to inform in an appropriate way those affected, in order to strike the best possible balance between protecting information that is sensitive to police investigations, whilst recognising consumer/customer requirements to be made aware of a breach that may affect them. This is particularly relevant as the EU GDPR will extend the obligation to inform consumers to all companies and organisations, not just telecommunications companies and ISPs.” (Para 33)
“escalating fines, based on the lack of attention to threats and vulnerabilities which have led to previous breaches.”. Para 18 … escalating fines for delays in reporting a breach.” and “scope to levy higher fines if the organisation has not already provided guidance to all customers on how to verify communications.” Para 34
“the attention of individuals within the organisation may be better engaged by the threat of a custodial sentence, rather than a fine for their employer.” (Para 36) “bring into force Sections 77 and 78 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, which would allow a maximum custodial sentence of two years for those convicted of unlawfully obtaining and selling personal data.” (Para 37)
“Companies and other organisations need to demonstrate not just how much they are spending to improve their security but that they are spending it effectively. We therefore recommend that organisations holding large amounts of personal data (on staff, customers, patients, taxpayers etc.) should report annually to the ICO on:
• Staff cyber awareness training;
• When their security processes were last audited, by whom and to what standard(s);
• Whether they have an incident management plan in place and when it was last tested;
• What guidance and channels they provide to current and prospective customers and suppliers on how to check that communications from them are genuine;
• The number of enquiries they process from customers to verify authenticity of communications;
• The number of attacks of which they are aware and whether any were successful (i.e. actual breaches).
Such reporting should be designed to help ensure more proactive monitoring of security processes (both people and cyber) at Board level, rather than reporting breaches after they have happened. Those submitting reports should also be encouraged to include such data in their own annual accounts to help give confidence to customers, shareholders and suppliers that they take security seriously and have effective processes in place. (Para 38)
“The vulnerability of additional pooled data is an important concern that needs to be addressed urgently by the Government. Part of the response could be to require enhanced security requirements and background checks for those with access to large pools of personal data.” Para 41 .
My guidance on the DCMS Report recommendations for the Main Board Directors of Computer Weekly readers is available here. DCMS and the ICO have yet to provide a substantive response but they are even more apposite now that the GDPR has come into force.
Discussing the intersection between politics and the information society.
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Iran Shoots Down U.S. Drone
BY Aaron Bandler | Jun 20, 2019 | Nation
FILE PHOTO: An undated U.S. Air Force handout photo of a RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned (drone) aircraft. U.S. Air Force/Bobbi Zapka/Handout/Files via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Iran downed a United States military drone on Thursday, adding fuel to the fire of escalating tensions between the two countries.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed that they shot down the unarmed RQ-4A Global Hawk drone in Iranian airspace, while the U.S. is claiming that the drone was shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway for oil trade.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that “Iran made a very bad mistake,” but added that he thought it was “hard to believe it was intentional. It could have been someone who was loose and stupid who did it.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif tweeted that the “drone took off from UAE in stealth mode & violated Iranian airspace.” Zarif then wrote that Iran “retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down.”
The White House will be meeting with congressional leaders from both parties later in the day to brief them on the situation with Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his support for the U.S. in a statement.
“In the last 24 hours, Iran has intensified its aggression against the United States and against all of us,” Netanyahu said. “I repeat my call for all peace-loving countries to stand by the United States in its effort to stop Iranians’ aggression. Israel stands by the United States on this.”
In the last 24 hours, Iran has intensified its aggression against the United States and against all of us. I repeat my call for all peace-loving countries to stand by the United States in its effort to stop Iranians’ aggression. Israel stands by the United States on this. pic.twitter.com/dansjewMrU
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 20, 2019
According to the Times of Israel, senior Israeli defense officials believe that Iran’s recent belligerence stems from them thinking that Trump is averse to military conflict, and that the U.S. needs a strong military to deter Iran’s behavior.
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Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (https://jjie.org/2011/04/27/grant-help-kids-read/)
Grant to Help Kids Read
By Amie Flanagan | April 27, 2011
More on Grants
Subscribe to Grants
Target is offering a grant to help nurture the love of reading and build strong families. This grant supports, schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations. These grants are worth $2,000 and are accepted between March 1 and April 30.
About Amie Flanagan
Amie Flanagan is a writer and reporter with the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. Amie is currently pursuing her degree in Communication with a strong focus of Journalism and Mass Media Studies at Kennesaw State University. She has a strong interest in news, radio, and film production and editing. She is also writing a book.
More by Amie
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Michael Lairmore, Dean, Veterinary Medicine
Dean's Perspectives
Tag: veterinary medicine Page 1 of 5
Inspiring Action Through Leadership
By Michael Lairmore
In Dean's Perspectives
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
Dean Michael Lairmore assumes role of President of AAVMC in March.
This week I have the distinct privilege to be appointed as President of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), during the association’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. The conference will focus on “The Science of Building Inclusive Teams,” to promote more effective group decision-making and organizational development.
The mission of the AAVMC is parallel to the School’s mission, through the promotion of health of people, animals and the environment by advancing the profession and the education of veterinary students to meet the needs of a changing world. In assuming a leadership position in this organization, I am proud to represent the values, aspirations, and goals of our School beyond UC Davis.
Celebrating Love and Compassion
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” –Dalai Lama
The month of February has special meaning to many of us because of the celebrations surrounding Valentine’s Day. It is a day that has evolved over time beyond romantic love to include expressions of love in many forms. For our School we have the great privilege of observing the love of animals on a daily basis, as we celebrate the human-animal bond.
I have found that a good way to open conversations is to ask people if they have pets or if they are a pet parent. Typically, this question leads to favorite stories of how animals have touched their emotions or influenced their lives. Animals can bring out the truest forms of love in people, evoking the best versions of our humanity. Our interactions with animals have demonstrable benefits in promoting healthy lifestyles and in supporting those with mental and physical disabilities. It is no surprise that our society has continued to embrace the human-animal bond in these turbulent and strident times. We seek from animals what at times seems unavailable from humans: unconditional love and boundless forgiveness.
Lighting the Way into the Future of Veterinary Medicine
“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.” — George Bernard Shaw
The holiday season marks not only a joyous time to celebrate the past year, but the beginning of a new year with all of its promise and hopes for the future. For UC Davis Veterinary Medicine, the past year has been a mixture of tremendous accomplishments and extreme sadness. We have opened new avenues to understand diseases that impact our society and battled disasters in our backyard. Our teachers inspired a new generation of students and learned from them in the process. The contrasts are striking between the extreme optimism of the next generation we are privileged to teach, and the problems we struggle with on a daily basis.
Our plans are made and then disrupted by the reality of the constantly changing world around us. While our beliefs are strong, we are shaken by the stark reality that our democracy faces unprecedented challenges from those who believe scientific facts are a matter of belief versus sound principles of inquiry. As we look to the future we are reminded how connected the world is and how events are part of an interwoven story that connects us to each other and the natural world.
As we envision the future, we are reminded of that connection. Our School is in a privileged position to influence the health of animals and people, while understanding the connections we all have with the environment we must share. Our scientists have unraveled the hidden sources of possible future pandemics and uncovered new treatments for diseases that plague us. We are building new centers that will transform our approach to veterinary medicine and bring transdisciplinary approaches to unravel the complexity of life’s processes and stimulate our students to be lifelong learners.
Into the uncertainty of the future, we have created a new strategic plan to address our core mission and reinforce our shared values. Our global leadership position in veterinary sciences and the education of the next generation of veterinarians and scientists means we must face this responsibility by bringing our talents, ideas, and passion to our work on a daily basis.
I am constantly motivated by our collective strength to face our challenges and move forward to help our animal patients, create new knowledge of how life works, and inspire the creativity of our students. We share a common vision to advance the health of animals, people, and the planet. This unique responsibility will light our way and lead us towards the future.
A Year of Innovation and Discovery
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”– Steve Jobs
As the year of 2018 comes to a close, it is a good time to celebrate our accomplishments. For the school, this past year was a time of innovations and discoveries in multiple areas of our mission—from basic science to community building.
DVM students welcomed into our Class of 2022.
We welcomed a diverse incoming class of students who are academically gifted and prepared to serve in our global society. They joined and strengthened a community united by our common sense of purpose to serve society.
Talented teams of researchers, clinicians, students, and staff used novel techniques and approaches. They advanced new treatments and helped answer fundamental questions to explain our world and advance the health of animals, people, and our planet.
Gratitude and Hope in the Midst of Tragedy
“Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one’s voice. “ – Joseph B. Wirthlin
Galen Groff, a 3rd year DVM student, and Dr. Karen Park, a surgical resident, finish bandaging one of the cats rescued from the Camp Fire. He was later identified as Mayson and reunited with his owner.
As we look skyward through the gray smoke that hovers over us, waiting for the winter rains, it is a good time to reflect on the blessings around us each day.
A holiday to express gratitude following the deadly California fires over the past several weeks is both timely and healing. From tragedy comes hope as we observe all those who came to help the animals and people affected by the fire.
Honoring Our Alumni—Foundation to Our Success
“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” –Oprah Winfrey
We recently hosted the combined Fall Festival and Alumni Reunion allowing us to welcome back our alumni to celebrate their memories of their time with us, their life accomplishments since graduation, and their contributions to the legacy of our school. The gathering featured major milestones for our alumni highlighted by events focused on the 50th and 60th reunions of the Classes of 1968 and 1958, respectively. During our traditional Rose Ceremony, we took time to focus on the Class of 1968 celebrating their 50th anniversary, in a poignant and heartwarming affair in which classmates shared stories, both humorous and touching, about themselves and those that have been lost over the years.
I was particularly impressed by our Friday evening festivities, kicked off with special appearances by Gunrock (the UC Davis mascot) and an energetic performance by the UC Davis marching “Band-uh,” while alumni and current students enjoyed a BBQ dinner. After entertainment by the Uncovered band (comprised of several of our talented staff), current students took part in a talent show. Their singing, dancing, instrumental playing, and spirit overwhelmed many of our alumni who were impressed by our students’ energy, maturity, and talent.
Curiosity is Key to Knowledge
“Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.” –William Arthur Ward
Dean Michael Lairmore greets attendees at the Spring Showcase.
A basic characteristic to becoming a good student, an astute researcher, or insightful clinician is curiosity. The ability to ask questions to learn new information and explore new paths of knowledge is forged from the trait of being inquisitive. Our school has led veterinary medicine and contributed to fundamental knowledge in biomedical and agricultural research by talented faculty, staff, and students who seek new and innovative ways to advance the health of animals, people, and our planet. Many of these advances were on full display at our Spring Showcase, an annual event to highlight the accomplishments and aspirations of the Centers for Companion Animal Health (CCAH), Center for Equine Health (CEH), and our Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center (KCDWHC).
Dr. Michael Kent, on left, chats with donors attending the Spring Showcase.
The CCAH, led by Director Dr. Michael Kent, continues to build upon a rich history of advancing the health of companion animals through research grants, resident project funds, and equipment grants. At the Showcase, Dr. Kent reviewed how the CCAH provided over $1.5 million in research support this past year, made possibly by generous donations from grateful clients, foundations, and individuals united in their passion to help discover new ways to help animals through studies to solve the toughest problems faced in veterinary medicine. In turn, those faculty, residents, and students who are the beneficiaries of this support have responded by creating new knowledge that is at the leading edge of understanding in veterinary medicine. From the discovery of genetic clues to explain diseases in chondrodysplasia in dogs and humans, to bringing new hope to shelter animals through evidenced-based studies to reduce disease and increase adoptions, CCAH funded investigators envision ideas that lead to innovative solutions in animal health.
Resiliency as a Critical Component of Success
“Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.”- Bernard Williams
Members of the Class of 2018 during their White Coat ceremony in 2014 at their induction into veterinary school.
As commencement season begins, my thoughts turn to our new graduates who will soon receive their DVM degree. Since the establishment of the school in 1948, we have been leaders in veterinary medicine by working to benefit the health of animals, people, and the environment in California and beyond. Our school, and its alumni, have shaped the field of veterinary medicine, from developing innovative education programs to discovering mechanisms of animal and human diseases. Our new graduates join this legacy.
The Class of 2018 came to us with an intense desire to gain the skills of this great profession and a passion to advance animal health. They are graduating into a world of great promise, and many challenges. Along the way, they have enriched the school’s history with their own unique characteristics that bonded them to each other and to those that trained them. The many hours of study and exams, along with the countless time spent with their animal patients, are the tip of the iceberg of the journey it took to get them to this moment. Each of them has their own unique story to tell. Each of them has overcome barriers, faced doubt from others and in themselves, or may have endured heartbreaking events that changed their path along this voyage.
Importantly, they would not be at this touchstone along their career unless they possessed a trait that is critical to anyone’s success in life—a characteristic as important as the knowledge learned in veterinary school. They had to be resilient in their own way. Resiliency is defined as the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.
Celebrating Diversity as a Source of Strength
“The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we will be brittle in the face of adversity.” -Joshua Waitzkin
As I watched our students celebrate our annual Diversity Day, I was impressed with their unity expressed through their voices, spirit, and talents. Our students’ energy reflected the strength that is exhibited when we celebrate our nation’s multicultural tapestry. We celebrate those that join us from various backgrounds and cultures, learning from each other as we come together with a common purpose to foster education, research, and service to society.
It is no surprise that in the business world, companies with top quartile diversity (defined as women and international representatives) on their executive boards, generated returns that were ~50% higher, on average, than the companies in the bottom diversity quartile. We should not be surprised that in our profession, when we harness the power of a diverse workforce, we better position ourselves to address society’s problems. Our school has consistently demonstrated our commitment to recruit a diverse workforce and student population. For example, we consistently rank in the top three institutions nationally in our numbers of under-represented groups for our veterinary professional students.
These statistics, while impressive, do not measure what empowers our students, faculty, and staff. Equally important to a successful and diverse workforce is resiliency. Diversity is synergistic with resiliency; mirror images of each other. When we open ourselves to learn from others and listen to their experiences, we draw strength from their ideas and history. The characteristic of a resilient person is not easy to quantify, as it is often only revealed after adversity is introduced to their lives, shattering their plans and perceptions of the future.
Excellence as a Result of Habit
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” — Aristotle
The school has been recognized for the fourth year in a row as the #1 program in the world in veterinary science by QS World University Rankings. So how is excellence measured? It is my belief that the quality of any organization is built from the character, values, talent, and work ethics of its people. Without the habits of excellence brought to work each day by our faculty, staff, house officers, graduate students, and veterinary students, we would not be recognized as the global leader in veterinary medicine. While our buildings, laboratories, hospitals, and other resources are critical for us to do our work, we would be a far less effective organization if it were not for the quality of our people.
At the heart of what we do is the education of the next generation of veterinarians, research scientists, and veterinary specialists. Our educators work tirelessly to improve our curriculum, bringing outcome-driving, and adult-learning models to spark life-long learning as a habit in our trainees and students. The many hours our teachers and staff put into their lectures, teaching laboratories, notes, and course materials is paid back to them in the success of our graduates, who fill important jobs throughout the world in private practices, industry, and government. We seek to develop leaders in all facets of jobs that are filled by our alumni, and desire to reconnect with them as we delight in their successes.
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John Boyko
Events and Speaking Engagements
Cold Fire: Kennedy’s Northern Front
Sir John’s Echo: The Voice for a Stronger Canada
Blood and Daring
Voisins et Ennemis, La Guerre De Sécession Et L’Invention Du Canada
Into the Hurricane
Last Steps to Freedom
Politics: Conflict and Compromise
KISS is Cute But Keeps Us Stupid: Consider an Example
June 16, 2014 June 16, 2014 / John Boyko
The KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid) is cute but keeping anything simple keeps us stupid. While I contend that this idea is true in every aspect of our lives let’s test its validity by looking at one event in History that we know about, or think we know about – the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s freeing of the slaves. The document is far too often simplified beyond recognition. In so doing, in robbing it of its complexity, History itself is deprived of its ability to do what it exists to do, to act as a wise teacher invoking yesterday in an invitation to better understand today. So let’s test the idea with a consideration of the lessons offered by Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.
Lincoln was a visionary but he was also a pragmatist and hard-nosed realist. The American Civil War began with the shelling of Fort Sumter in April, 1861 and for a year Lincoln’s Northern armies lost nearly every major battle. With each bloody month the costs mounted, the astounding number of casualties tore families, support for Lincoln and the war waned, and Britain threatened to tip the balance by entering on the side of the Confederate South.
In the summer of 1862, with everything falling in tatters about him, the president told his incredulous cabinet that he wanted to free slaves in states still in rebellion. The notion met with unanimous opposition. Lincoln swayed them by arguing that he was motivated not by a moral imperative but by military expediency. His stated goal in going to war in the first place, after all, had not been to end slavery but to preserve the union. Freeing slaves now, he told his dubious cabinet, would help pursue that goal by helping to crush the South. The act would allow for the creation of so-called ‘coloured’ regiments to bolster the North’s faltering recruitment efforts. It would stir havoc in the South as even more slaves were inspired to escape. After all, the Proclamation would mean nothing if the North lost the war. Further, the Proclamation would dissuade Britain from offering aid or diplomatic recognition to the Confederacy. Having banned slavery decades before, he reasoned, Britain could hardly be seen supporting the peculiar institution in a war now redrawn as about good versus an evil.
The cabinet relented but persuaded Lincoln to postpone announcing the Emancipation Proclamation until a Union victory was won so that it would not appear to be an act of military desperation. When Lee’s Confederates were not really defeated but at least repulsed at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln claimed the battle as the victory he needed. He publicly announced that he would sign the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
The Proclamation freed some but not all the slaves. It allowed slavery to remain in the Border States of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri. To end slavery there, Lincoln believed, would possibly end their neutrality and spur them to join the South. The act also exempted parts of the South that had already come under Northern control for those areas were chaotic enough without adding the crush of runaway slaves seeking the protection of the Northern army. Also limiting Lincoln’s action was that it was not a constitutional amendment or even a law for he could not have won or waited to win those victories. It was merely a Proclamation that could be more easily ignored at the time or later.
Despite its limitations, the Proclamation changed everything. It meant that with the Civil War’s costs and casualties mounting and Lincoln’s fragile alliance of Republicans, abolitionists and northern Democrats fraying, the struggle was suddenly about something greater than the preservation of a political state. From that point forward the war would be about an idea. It would be about freedom. It would be about the very concept of humanity. The Declaration of Independence had insisted that all men are created equal but the Emancipation Proclamation stated an intention to transform that aspiration to a fact. Millions of people who for over 200 years had been property could become human.
Northern abolitionists and radical Republicans applauded the Proclamation. Britain initially reacted with skepticism but then responded as Lincoln had hoped. Gone was talk of Britain entering the war on behalf of the South or of its recognizing the Confederate government. “Colored Regiments” were formed beginning with enlistment to Boston’s famous Massachusetts 54th. Eventually about 200,000 African Americans donned the blue uniform. Lincoln said their contributions and numbers represented a turning point in the war that could have been lost without them.
But all were not happy. Not surprisingly, the South was outraged. From the Southern point of view the Proclamation was useless as it was merely an act by a foreign leader with no jurisdiction in what it insisted was a newly formed and sovereign state. It was another example of what many were fighting about – a far-away federal government insulting the Southern way of life and attacking the economic foundation of their society. There was more rage when, as Lincoln had predicted, the number of slaves escaping from Southern plantations rose.
There was also consternation among many in the North. Editorials attacked Lincoln for changing the aim of the war arguing, quite rightly, that it had never been about abolition. The Copperheads, a loose amalgam of northerners who wanted peace at any price, said that even though the war was now about freeing slaves that the cost was still too high. They increased their efforts to defeat Lincoln in 1864 and to negotiate an end to the war with slavery in place. Hundreds of Union soldiers deserted. They claimed that they had not signed up to free slaves. Lincoln’s commanding General George McClellan was advised to stage a coup. McClellan refused to do so but a year later he accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination to run against Lincoln for the presidency.
Signing of the Emancipation Proclamation
The Proclamation also affected Canada. Britain had declared itself neutral in the war and so Canada and the Maritime colonies were automatically neutral as well. But then as now Canadians were a cantankerous lot who considered dictates as merely suggestions. Many were disappointed when Lincoln did not immediately free the slaves upon becoming president and so supported the South. The majority of Canadian newspapers were pro-Confederate. Many Quebecers identified with Southern interests fighting a government that seemed unsympathetic to their beliefs about a threatened culture. Many Canadians and Maritimers saw business advantages and believed that Canada would be more militarily secure with a shattered United States and so supported the South. Two members of parliament who ran into the Canadian legislature shouting that the South had won the war’s first battle at Bull Run were welcomed with a loud cheer.
However, even given all of this, newspaper editorials throughout Canada and the Maritimes were unanimous in their praise for the Emancipation Proclamation. It spurred a new wave of Canadians and Maritimers to cross the border and join the thousands of their countrymen who had already enlisted. The vast majority, ironically given pro-Southern sentiment in official circles, fought with the Union. Among those heading south to fight for the North were hundreds who had escaped as slaves but were returning as men. Approximately 40,000 Canadians and Maritimers served in the Civil War. They fought in every major battle and 29 won Congressional Medals of honour.
The legitimate fear of American attack or annexation grew more acute with the Emancipation Proclamation because it was, as Lincoln expected, a boon to his cause. Six months after its enactment, the Confederacy was broke and nearly broken. Union victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg altered the war’s trajectory as surely as the Proclamation had recalibrated its moral imperative. With the Union victory more certain than ever and many Canadian leaders sure that once the South had been dispatched that Lincoln would march his armies north, the impulse to act became acute. Confederation had been talked about for years but it was suddenly a necessity. Canada needed to invent itself to save itself. Plans were made to meet in Charlottetown in September, 1864 to forge a new country.
Abraham Lincoln understood the enormity of what he had done. Upon affixing his signature to the Emancipation Proclamation he said, “If my name ever goes into history it will be for this act.” We owe it to ourselves to pause and reflect upon the Proclamation for the milestone it represents in the evolution of mankind’s freedom. But in considering what it was we should also accept what it was not. We should consider the role it played not just in the re-imagination of America but also in the birth of Canada.
We should also consider the Emancipation Proclamation as an example of how we must invite History to teach us lessons that resonate today and that in order to properly learn those lessons we must dismiss the balm of simplicity and welcome, in fact, demand complexity. Complexity, after all, is History’s highway to the truth. In fact, complexity and truth are reliant upon each other in every sphere of our lives.
Blood and Daring, Boyko, Civil War, Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln
← Racist Canada and the Woman You Should Know
A Man Even His Friends Don’t Like: Seeking Stephen Harper →
His Mouth Got Him Killed and His Death Changed History June 11, 2018
We Need More Ireland June 4, 2018
Why Do We Work For Nothing? May 7, 2018
The Audacious Power of No April 30, 2018
A Candle in New Zealand April 9, 2018
The Rebels Among and Within Us February 19, 2018
My Shame and the Shameless Racist February 12, 2018
Power, Wealth, and Responsibility –Enbridge February 5, 2018
Lennon, Leonardo, and the Responsibility of Genius January 29, 2018
The Important Canadian You Should Know December 12, 2017
I am the author of books addressing Canadian history and politics, an op. ed. contributor to newspapers across Canada, and a public speaker. My sixth book, "Cold Fire: Kennedy's Northern Front" was released in Canada and the U.S. by Penguin Random House Knopf in February 2016. My seventh, "Sir John's Echo: The Voice for a Stronger Canada," will be published by Dundurn Press in April 2017.
Random House Knopf Canada
Chapters Indigo
Goose Lane Editions
Follow John Boyko on WordPress.com
John Boyko’s Blog
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« A Summer of Discontent
Two Summers of Billy Morton **** »
Devaluation of Political Discourse
Posted by jonathanfryer on Wednesday, 25th July, 2018
Last night I did one of my occasional slots on the one-and-a-half hour (Bangladeshi) Channel S TV current affairs show, Let’s Talk. It was sweltering in the studio — the air conditioning was too noisy to be left on during live transmission — and all three of us (me, the host and another studio guest) were roasting in suits and ties. Moreover, the topic for discussion was a heated one: reactions to Donald Trump’s recent visit to the UK and the effect of Trumpism on politics globally. A caller for Oxford bemoaned the fact that Trump has encouraged people to follow his example to use coarse words (as well as bending the truth, of course), which enabled me to talk about what I see as the davaluation of political discourse. Rational debate has often given way to shouty confrontation, and “alternative facts” are seen as equally valid as the truth, providing you believe in them. I am all in favour of satire at appropriate moments — and indeed quite often poke fun at the more absurd arguments of Brexiteers on twitter. But it is clear that social media have encouraged the decline in respect for logic and evidence-based judgments. Mr Trump is partly to blame for this, as some people, on both sides of the Atlantic, feel that if the Tweeter-in-Chief can blast off like an angry child in a playground, so can they. The mainstream media has aided and abetted this lowering of standards. As I said on the programme last night, it was disgraceful that a newspaper such as the Daily Telegraph should pose the question whether Theresa May is a “traitor” because of her Chequers Soft Brexit plan. The gutter Press, not least the Express and the Mail, have continued their obnoxious Brexiteer tirades; do you remember that awful headline about Supreme Court judges being “enemies of the people”? Brexit and Trump are two sides of the same coin, and just as Trump’s rhetoric encourages white Americans to turn against immigrants, Muslims and Mexicans, so the Brexiteer narrative, personified by Nigel Farage, has turned a section of the British public against East Europeans, other ethnic minorities and Islam — fuelling support for anti-hero “Tommy Robinson” and the English Defence League. The BBC, for which I worked almost full-time for 20 years, is itself guilty in giving undue oxygen to extremists; Farage has appeared on Question Time more than any other guest. Meanwhile, both in the United States and here in Britain, society is polarising to such a degree that it is no longer fanciful to draw parallels with the 1930s. We all know what the devaluation of political discourse led to then. It is in everyone’s true interest to ensure that doesn’t happen again.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, 25th July, 2018 at 2:44 pm and is filed under UK politics, US politics. Tagged: Brexit, Channel S, Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Tommy Robinson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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May The 4th Be With You – More Than Just A Convenient Date
Written by Chris Gelderd
The fourth of May… The day that comes but once a year.
To many, just another day of a season, but to most it’s a day beyond anything this galaxy could prepare us for. It’s a day to celebrate all things Star Wars. Is it official? As in a celebration made official by LucasFilm? No. But it has transcended boundaries, as Star Wars always does, because it is now recognised by George Lucas himself, and even by Disney, as a day that means so much to fans of the franchise around the world.
The first organised celebration of the day only came later in the years in 2011 at the Toronto Underground Cinema, where fans gathered for trivia games, cosplay competitions and big-screen presentations of internet based tribute films, spoofs and sketches. And even now, Disney incorporates special Star Wars themed attractions and events at their parks on this day because, while not a national holiday, it has something stronger than a government backing to make it a memorable day – the backing of fans!
But even before then, going back to the late 1970s when ‘A New Hope’ blasted audiences into another galaxy, May the 4th became the day when fans could wear their t-shirts and costumes with pride, play with their toys in the streets and generally do anything related to Star Wars, because it was THEIR day.
And in the world media, the first official incorporation of the Star Wars-themed date was back in 1979 when Britain elected their first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Author Alan Arnold, who was working on ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ at the time, remembers:
“Margaret Thatcher has won the election and become Britain’s first woman prime minister. To celebrate their victory her party took a half page of advertising space in the London Evening News. This message, referring to the day of victory, was ‘May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations,’ further proof of the extent to which Star Wars has influenced us all.”
The date soon spread across the world and it was used by fans to further bring the escapism of Star Wars into their everyday life, almost as if fate allowed it to happen. However, the question is more than just landing on a convenient date, what garners a film franchise the right to be globally celebrated.
It is almost a day specifically created in perfect unison with the most ground-breaking and popular film franchise of all to allow fans to celebrate it, and say thanks to it, how they see fit. This is rather a beautiful thing when you look at it, because this day is something created by fans to share with other fans. Not by the studios or production teams, but by the fans who were given these films who now want to show how much they mean to each individual in any way they see fit. They also want to give something back to the people behind the films, the books, the toys, games, clothing….it’s the ultimate fan love letter.
So what better way to celebrate the franchise? It’s not like you don’t have much to choose from. How will you celebrate your love for Star Wars? How about one of the following;
The classic movie marathon. All current seven episodes and our latest spin-off ‘Rogue One’ in order. But, you have to include the ‘Clone Wars’ animated movie set between Episodes II and III, right? At just over 17 hours, it can be done and will take you right from ‘The Phantom Menace’ to ‘The Force Awakens’, spanning 66 years of galactic history and ready to continue this year in December with ‘The Last Jedi’.
Read a good book or three. With SO much material out there spanning some 25,000 years BEFORE ‘A New Hope’, a wealth of canon and non-canon adventures await you from acclaimed authors including Timothy Zahn, James Luceno, A.C. Crispin and Troy Denning.
Grab a controller and get online for a day of gaming on a classic or next-gen console with a stack of Star Wars games that span the whole saga. Play as heroes and villains from both sides of the Force in land, sea or air adventures ranging from first person shooters, puzzle games, MMORPG and arcade classics.
As you can see, there is so much to do and it doesn’t stop there. Have a Star Wars themed house party! A trivia game at work! Bake Star Wars cakes for your friends! Spam social media with so much Star Wars knowledge your monitor implodes!
The possibilities are endless, but there is no right way or wrong way to smother yourself in Star Wars goodness and know that millions more are doing the exact same thing.
And let’s not forget the new date creeping into fan’s calendars following May the 4th. It’s the revenge of the 5th!
So this is just a little glimpse into the formation of a day by the fans and for the fans to celebrate everything that is Star Wars. Let us know what you’re doing to mark the day and show us via our social media outlets on Facebook or Twitter.
Thank you, and remember….
Articles, Articles + Interviews
Disney, George Lucas, LucasFilm, May the 4th, Star Wars, Star Wars Celebration, SWCOM, The Last Jedi
← Bryan Cranston Drops Everything And Retreats To His Attic In This Wakefield Trailer
This Week In Film Trailers →
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Marlboro Parent Company, Phillip Morris, to Stop Producing Cigarettes
posted by RJ Johnson - @rickerthewriter - Jan 10, 2019
The international tobacco giant behind Marlboro and other major brands like L&M, Parliament and Chesterfield, made a major announcement on New Year's Eve - the company plans on phasing out the manufacturing of cigarettes and move into other smoke-free products.
The company said they've chosen to do "something really big" and move away from cigarette production and instead focus on devices like IQOS, which heats tobacco rather than burn it. It claims the product could potentially reduce the number of noxious chemicals by 95 percent, but research is still being carried out.
"If we stop selling cigarettes, some else is going to sell them because people buy them,” Andre Calantzopoulos, CEO of Phillip Morris International, told Sky News. “So I don’t think that will have any impact on public health or the health of people."
"At the end of the day, the ambition we have is to replace cigarettes as soon as possible, with better alternatives for the people who continue smoking," said Calantzopoulos.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says tobacco use causes nearly six million deaths globally every year. Tobacco use by Americans account for nearly 500,000 deaths every year and is the leading cause of lung cancer according to the American Lung Association.
Since 1964, more than 20 million people have died from smoking-related illnesses with 2.5 million of those being nonsmokers who developed diseases from secondhand-smoke exposure, according to the Surgeon General.
It was reported in December that Phillip Morris had invested heavily in a cannabis company, the Chronos Group. The deal is expected to give PMI 55% ownership within 5 years, so it's unlikely that smokeless tobacco products will be the only venture the international tobacco giant plans on working on in 2019.
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« TOURE NEBLETT APOLOGIZES FOR SEXUALLY HARASSING A WOMAN AFTER ALLEGATIONS EMERGE FOLLOWING HIS APPEARANCE IN ‘SURVIVING R. KELLY’
CELEBRITY NEWS: JANUARY 14, 2019 »
FIRST LOOK/ ON TV/ CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS/ WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (MONDAY 1/14/19)
BOUNCE: Last Call (Premiere) at 9pm and 9:30pm
FOX: The Passage (Premiere) at 9pm
GSN: Common Knowledge (Premiere) at 5:30pm
HGTV: Home Town (Premiere) at 9pm
MTV: Teen Mom 2 (Premiere) at 9pm
MTV: Made In Staten Island (Premiere) at 10pm
TRAVEL: Lost Gold (Premiere) at 10pm
CBS: Happy Together (Finale) at 8:30pm
The divorce is final between Megyn Kelly and NBC – and the former Today anchor is leaving with about $30 million, the balance of her three-year contract, sources tell the New York Times. Kelly’s last Today appearance was in October, after her comments about dressing up in blackface on Halloween drew criticism; lawyers had been negotiating the terms of her exit since then. “The parties have resolved their differences, and Megyn Kelly is no longer an employee of NBC,” said NBC News on Friday night.
(Source: Cynopsis)
CBS Corp., which had been without a deal with Nielsen since December 31, renewed its agreement with the measurement company for CBS, Showtime, CBS Sports Network, Pop and Smithsonian as well as its 27 owned and operated stations. CBS had accused Nielsen of using its market power to raise prices and said that “progress has not been what we and many clients would like” in cross-platform measurement. Of the new deal, Joe Ianniello, CBS Corp. President and Acting CEO, said, “It meets our strategic goals and will allow us to benefit from important advances in measurement as they are rolled out.”
CBS renewed Criminal Minds for a final 10-episode season 15. The procedural, currently shooting season 14, will stay in production to complete its run.
Billy Bush, fired from Today in 2016 after the leak of the 2005 Access Hollywood tape in which he giggled as Donald Trump talked about grabbing women, is reportedly in talks to join newsmag Extra. Two weeks ago, Extra was acquired by Fox Television Stations in seven major markets and will move from NBC to Fox stations in fall 2019.
And in more CBS news, CBS Films will become part of CBS Entertainment Group with a focus on developing and acquiring content for CBS digital platforms. “As part of our ongoing optimization of CBS operations, CBS Films will be folded into the larger CBS Entertainment Group over the course of 2019,” said CBS Corp. “This will allow the company to further focus its entertainment resources on its television, digital and streaming businesses.” CBS Films President Terry Press is expected to remain at the division, while layoffs are expected in March.
Tribune Broadcasting and Charter Communications came to terms on a carriage agreement after a blackout that affected six million Spectrum subscribers. “We are pleased to have reached this agreement that will return Tribune Broadcasting’s local television stations and WGN America to Spectrum customers and Tribune’s viewers,” said the companies.
Children’s book publisher Chooseco is suing Netflix for trademark infringement. Chooseco, which said it has sold over 265 million copies of “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, accuses Netflix’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch of capitalizing on viewers’ nostalgia for the original book series from the 1980s and 1990s. “The film’s dark and, at times, disturbing content dilutes the goodwill for and positive associations with Chooseco’ s mark and tarnishes its products,” says the lawsuit. The Vermont publisher is seeking damages of at least $25 million.
Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Ron Howard announced the launch of Imagine Kids & Family, a division that will develop and produce premium animated and live-action feature films, television series and short-form content across platforms in the kids and family entertainment space. Stephanie Sperber will continue her role as CEO of White Space Entertainment while also serving as President of Imagine Kids & Family, and Imagine Entertainment will continue its ongoing client relationship with White Space. “Our emphasis will be on great storytelling that appeals to global audiences and has the potential to grow into true franchises,” said Grazer. “Sperber is a rare executive that can see the merits of a project not only in its ability to entertain, but also to resonate beyond the screen.”
Cartoon Network ordered a fourth season of animated series Ben 10, slated to debut in early 2020.
Entertainment Studios announced the launch of comedy compilation series The World’s Funniest Weather. Scott Satin (Most Outrageous Moments) is exec-producing the weekly half-hour.
Discovery reality show American Chopper returns for season two of its revival on Tuesday, February 12, at 10p. Series is focused on father-and-son motorcycle builders who are also working to rebuild their fractured relationship.
Fox’s MasterChef Junior starts season seven on Tuesday, February 26, at 8p, following the debut of obstacle course competition Mental Samurai at 9p. The unscripted shows slip into the time slots vacated by dramas Lethal Weapon and The Gifted, making up the first all-reality Tuesday on the net since 2009.
Shadowhunters makes its midseason premiere on Freeform Monday, February 25, at 8p. Luke Baines (The Girl in the Photographs) joins the cast as Jonathan Morgenstern, the true form of Clary’s brother.
EstrellaTV is premiering Colombian drama La Mamá del 10 (The Mother of Number 10) in the U.S. market tomorrow, Tuesday, January 15, at 7p. Series will air Monday through Friday.
CBS’s Late Show will air live the night of President Trump’s State of the Union speech, Tuesday, January 29. The Stephen Colbert-hosted talker last aired live the night of the midterm elections.
Oprah Winfrey hosts Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations from Times Square, an event at the PlayStation Theater in NYC featuring Bradley Cooper, Michael B. Jordan, Beto O’Rourke, Melinda Gates and Time’s Up CEO Lisa Borders Tuesday, February 5, at 2p. Event will air on OWN and be available on Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations podcast at a later date.
Viewers can vote for the funniest Super Bowl commercial for CBS special Super Bowl Greatest Commercials 2019, airing Tuesday, January 29, at 8p. NFL Today host Boomer Esiason and Daniela Ruah (NCIS: Los Angeles) host.
CBS plans over 30 hours of digital video Super Bowl coverage starting Monday, January 28. Live-streaming sports net CBS Sports HQ will focus on the big game on shows including Kanell and Bell, Pick 6 Rundown and Sportline in addition to a 10-hour pregame show on Super Bowl Sunday, February 3, and a postgame show ending at midnight. The game streams for free online on CBS Sports apps and CBS All Access.
Amazon-owned database IMDb is launching ad-supported streaming video channel IMDb Freedive. In addition to IMDb’s current offerings of short-form series and trailers, viewers will have access to movies and TV shows using computers or Amazon Fire devices.
Super Bowl spots are going fast, with 90% of the inventory on CBS reportedly sold. Thirty-second spots are averaging $5.2 million, and many will be packaged with digital TV inventory.
The NBC premiere of former Fox comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine delivered a 1.2 rating among A18-49 on Thursday, its best rating in two years and the best same-day rating for a Thursday NBC comedy this season.
Surviving R. Kelly has reached more than 20 million Total Viewers across all linear telecasts to date on Lifetime and LMN. In Live+3, Surviving R. Kelly is posting an average audience across the six telecasts of 3.5 million total viewers.
Bravo’s Dirty John episode 7 on Sunday, January 6, was the most-watched episode of the series among total viewers, making it Bravo’s most-watched scripted series telecast ever with 3 million total viewers in Nielsen Live+3 viewing. The episode was the #1 scripted series on cable among all key demos during the week of 12/31-1/6.
Fuse grew more than any other cable entertainment network in December 2018 versus December 2017, with a +29% increase among average viewers A18-34 in total day (excluding news, sports, kids and Spanish-language nets). December 2018 was also the network’s highest rated in five years, contributing to a +4% fourth-quarter ratings increase among P18-34. Fuse was dropped by Comcast Xfinity and Verizon FiOS as of December 31.
Marketer Lester Wunderman, founder of Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline, died January 9. He was 98. Wunderman is credited with inventing the term “direct marketing.”
2019 CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS – WINNERS LIST
https://www.eonline.com/news/1002854/2019-critics-choice-awards-winners-the-complete-list
The Upside – $19.6 million
Aquaman – $17.3 million
A Dog’s Way Home – $11.3 million
Spiderman: Into The Spider-Verse – $9 million
Escape Room – $8.9 million
(Source: Box Office Mojo)
This entry was posted on January 14, 2019 at 7:40 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
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TransPower Kenworth – Valdosta Relocates To Larger, Full Service Facility
VALDOSTA, Ga. , February 5, 2019 - Committed to enhancing its facilities and offering an excellent location for fleets and truck operators, TransPower Kenworth – Valdosta has moved its dealership to a new building, located near a major truck route.
TransPower Kenworth – Valdosta
The new location is at 1527 Madison Hwy in Valdosta, one-mile north of its previous facility with easy access to I-75, a heavily traveled north and south interstate truck route. The nearly 20,000 square-foot, full-service facility is located on five acres in Valdosta, Ga., and features 10 service bays and a well-stocked parts department.
“We outgrew our previous location and needed to make a change to increase our support to customers. We are committed to meeting future market demands and this new location will help us achieve that,” said David Joy, parts director for TransPower Kenworth. “The new facility is a larger optimized layout, which enabled us to upgrade to full new and used truck sales, while providing parts and service support to our customer base.”
Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday. The phone number is (229) 259-9393.
TransPower Kenworth has served the South Georgia medium and heavy duty truck market since 1959, and currently also operates Kenworth dealerships in Albany and Douglas, Georgia.
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Tony LabrieTony Labrie
Chris Adler Returning to Stage in October, Not With Lamb of God
Joe DiVita
Ethan Miller, Getty Images
Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler stepped away from his live duties with the group in late July of last year, sidelined by injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Despite having no projected timeline for his return to the band, Adler will indeed be making a return to the stage this October, just not with Lamb of God.
A promotional flyer (seen below) has surfaced, depicting a "Hail! Rockstar Extravaganza" show set in Moscow, Russia on October 19 with an all-star lineup featuring Adler as well as bassist James Lomenzo (ex-White Lion, ex-Megadeth, ex-Black Label Society), guitarist Phil Demmel (Vio-Lence, ex-Machine Head) and singer Steve 'Zetro' Souza (Exodus).
Lamb of God currently have five shows booked out for the remainder of 2019. Three of them are in July (including one tonight — July 3) and two festival appearances in October prior to Adler's all-star gig in Moscow.
It is not known if Adler will perform with Lamb of God at any of these shows and Loudwire's request for comment is currently awaiting reply.
On May 5, the drummer posted a video clip from a rehearsal that he dubbed "undercover," which could possibly be linked to the Hail! Rockstar Extravaganza event. See the clip beneath the show flyer.
In late May at the Sonic Temple festival, frontman Randy Blythe was unable to provide an estimate as to when fans can expect Adler back behind the kit with Lamb of God, telling WSOU, "It’s hard to say what’s gonna happen with Chris Adler. I have no comment on him."
Art Cruz (Winds of Plague, Prong) has been performing with Lamb of God in Adler's absence.
Where Does Chris Adler Rank Among the Top 66 Hard Rock + Metal Drummers of All Time?
Source: Chris Adler Returning to Stage in October, Not With Lamb of God
Filed Under: lamb of god
Categories: Concerts
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« STREAMS OF MANY SHAPES
MIKYOUNG KIM HAS IT MADE »
THE GREEN CARPET
August 14, 2013 by Lisa Speckhardt
Photo courtesy National Park Service
From the August 2013 issue of LAM:
By Linda McIntyre
In December 2006, as the National Park Service was starting up the process of developing its National Mall Plan, Susan Spain, ASLA, and Alice McLarty, who are landscape architects with the park service, took me on a tour. As we walked along the rock-hard compacted soil underneath the iconic, yet worn and weedy, lawn panels of the Mall (the tree-lined central axis of the wider National Mall in Washington, D.C.), Spain and McLarty told me how the park service hoped to overhaul the site’s decrepit infrastructure, including, incredibly, the turf (see “Pall Over the Mall,” LAM, April 2007).
I was skeptical. How could any planted site survive more than 25 million visitors and hundreds of permitted events every year? Paving might be redone and new trees planted. But surely the public’s First Amendment right to assemble in the center of the nation’s capital—for demonstrations, festivals, tourism, and softball, to name a few of the everyday activities there—would be the death of any lawn soon after it was installed, no matter how good the intentions or design.
I was wrong. On a sweltering day early this summer, I met Spain, along with the project manager and planner Suzette Goldstein from HOK, the project’s design lead; and Michael Stachowicz, the park service’s first full-time turf manager, on the Mall to check out the first phase of this ambitious renovation. Seven years ago we saw random, borderless patches of trampled dust and weeds that were barely readable as rectangles at ground level. Now, at least on one part of the Mall, there are blocks of thick, inviting, deep-green grass cleanly edged with sleek granite curbs. There is also a set of strategies that any manager of a heavily used public green space, particularly one covered by turf, could appreciate for its comprehensiveness.
HOK started its design work in late 2010. Phase One focused on the three lawn panels closest to the U.S. Capitol and cost about $16 million, including construction costs; it finished a couple of weeks before the presidential inauguration in January. About a million people crowded onto the Mall for the event. But the new panels survived this baptism by foot beautifully, thanks to an approach designed to keep what the park service calls “America’s front yard” looking good well into the future.
The park service and its partners refer to their approach as a “three-legged stool.” The leg of turf replacement wouldn’t have any lasting impact without the other legs of maintenance and event management. The goals, they say, are to prevent damage rather than fix it and to take care of the Mall in a more efficient and sustainable way.
FIRST LEG: TURF REPLACEMENT
As every landscape architect knows, a lush green lawn that can take a lot of foot traffic is no simple thing to design and install. HOK has experience with soils and turf, but for this project the firm brought in a platoon of experts on the kinds of soil, grass, irrigation, and protection measures used on professional sports fields and other sites subject to extreme conditions. The team included Peter Landschoot, a professor of turfgrass science from Penn State University; the soil experts Norm Hummel and James Urban, FASLA; and the sports turf consultants Murray Cook and Steve Legros.
Goldstein says that after testing the existing soil and taking into account the way the lawns on the Mall are used, the team settled on amendments of coarse sand and compost. These were added to usable existing soil to make a “dirty sand mix” soil consisting of about 60 percent sand and 40 percent organic material. The high sand content helps with compaction and improves drainage, which has been extremely poor in unimproved areas of the Mall.
Athletic fields, she says, typically have even higher sand content, but that would have required more fertilization than the park service wanted to do: Heavier applications of fertilizer would be more expensive and could impair local water quality. Cook also noted in the July 2012 issue of Sports Turf magazine that faster-draining, sandier soil requires very frequent, regular irrigation all season, and the Mall’s event schedule wouldn’t allow for that kind of precision.
A foot-deep layer of this sandy loam lies just under the grass. Another four-inch course of sand, the same kind that was used in the soil amendment, was laid down below that layer for even better drainage.
The grass itself is a mix of 90 percent tall fescue and 10 percent Kentucky bluegrass. “Tall fescue/bluegrass is the best turf for this type of use in this area,” Stachowicz says. “This blend offers the best year-round traffic tolerance, disease and insect resistance, and drought tolerance. More high-performance sports fields may go with straight bluegrass, but it requires more inputs and rest periods.” The grass was installed as massive, 62-by-four-foot rolls of sod in the late summer and early fall of 2012. Public access to the new turf was blocked until the inauguration.
SECOND LEG: MAINTENANCE
Keeping the new grass thriving will be a challenge. But the project team has tried to make sure that the investment in renovating the Mall pays off for visitors well into the future.
Stachowicz is the park service’s first full-time turf manager. He has a background in turf science and golf course management, and he’s diving into the community aspect of his job—watching patterns of use in order to tweak the irrigation schedule, working with volunteers who keep the renovated area tidy, and engaging the Capitol Hill staffers and other locals who play softball and other sports on the Mall.
“I’m trying to educate them about how to use the lawns in a more sustainable way,” he says. “I’m looking out for when the areas used as pitchers’ mounds and bases get worn down. They’ve been pretty good at moving around when they need to.” The renovated space seems to be inspiring a sense of ownership among users, he told me. “People take better care of nicer areas.”
Day to day, Stachowicz is trying a lot of things—adjusting watering and fertilizing schedules, using dedicated mowers to avoid bringing in weed seeds from other park service sites—aimed at putting in place an efficient and sustainable maintenance regime. “No one thing is a cure-all,” he says.
The new design of the panels makes some aspects of maintenance easier. The granite curbs enclosing each new panel keep a nice sharp visible edge along the grass. The low curbs (mowers and wheelchairs can easily pass over them) have rounded corners instead of sharp ones, making them less vulnerable to unsightly wear from foot traffic.
Each panel was regraded and is now crowned slightly (1 to 1.5 percent). The crowning promotes surface drainage, and the regrading makes it easier to keep the grass at a uniform height. This subtle surface manipulation, which I didn’t notice until Goldstein pointed it out, also reduces the visual impact of the roads that slice through the Mall: When you stand on Seventh Street, looking east toward the Capitol, the three panels of lawn look much more like a continuous green carpet than the unimproved ones to the west. Even cars on the intersecting roads blend in more when you don’t see the pavement they’re traveling on.
Heavy-duty lateral drainpipes were installed four feet below the grass, out of danger from tent stakes. The pipes carry stormwater that runs off the lawn and sidewalks into a pair of cisterns that each hold 250,000 gallons of water for irrigation. When the next phase of the project is finished, there will be four of these cisterns.
The pipes of the old, inefficient irrigation system, which hadn’t been in use for at least 30 years, were closer to grade and heavily damaged by tent stakes. Now only stakes with a maximum depth of three feet are allowed for events.
The flush-mounted sprinkler heads throw water 80 or 90 feet, Stachowicz says. This means there are relatively few of them, making them easy to map for maintenance—the heads run in only three lateral rows across each panel—and easier for people setting up event tents to avoid.
Before the collected stormwater in the new system is used for irrigation, it passes through a set of screens that filter out particulates in a high-tech underground pump house. Ultraviolet light is used to disinfect the water before it’s sprayed on the lawn.
The system’s sophisticated computers are tied in to a weather station, and they help control the amount of watering based on how much rain has fallen and how much soil moisture has been lost to evapotranspiration by the grass. Stachowicz can plug in to the system and turn it on and off with his smartphone.
THIRD LEG: EVENT MANAGEMENT
There are more events on the Mall every year than there are days—more than twice as many. Limiting the damage from these activities, while keeping the Mall open and available as a unique public space, is perhaps the most challenging part of the project. So the park service is changing the way it manages events on the Mall.
It’s a delicate balance, because the Mall is, in the words of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the place where “the constitutional rights of speech and peaceful assembly find their fullest expression.”
Not wanting to spring an unpleasant surprise on the event planners who count on Mall access, the park service has reached out to them by holding meetings and explaining the reasoning behind the changes. Groups seeking permits—this is done a year in advance—now have to provide more detailed information about the scale of an event and the infrastructure it will require.
These and other changes are set out in a new operations and maintenance manual developed by the park service and the project team. The manual touches on day-to-day management but mostly focuses on events.
It sets out new limitations on use, especially on renovated lawn areas, and establishes time frames for events, geared to the number of people expected to attend, that allow for the preparation, protection, and recovery of the turf before and afterward. No vehicles of any kind (including golf carts as well as cars and heavy equipment) are allowed on the lawns and curbs, nor are most tents and other temporary structures (permits can be issued for these in some circumstances if detailed protective measures are put in place). The next phases of the project will expand paved areas to accommodate these uses, and new policies will allow for the occasional closure of Madison and Jefferson Drives, which run lengthwise along the north and south sides of the Mall.
Red flags and signs, based on a successful system developed for Central Park, indicate when regular users, such as softball teams, should steer clear of an area because of maintenance activities or conditions such as heavy frost or saturated soil.
Turf protectors—interlocking, translucent plastic squares that let some light and air get through to the grass—have to be used to protect the lawns when big crowds are expected or when the park service determines that a temporary structure can be set up on the turf. The manual details the characteristics of acceptable products and provides for monitoring while the protectors are in place and a period of recovery afterward. The recovery period, during which part or all of a lawn panel is closed to foot traffic, can last as long as eight weeks if Stachowicz determines that’s what’s needed.
The manual was designed to be updated often as Stachowicz and others work with the new turf and the new rules. “What’s impressive is that it brings together management, policy, permitting, everything in one place,” Stachowicz says. “I’m sure things will change over time, but as a framework it’s a great document.” Patrick MacDonald, the manager of this project for the park service, says the manual is something new for him and his colleagues. “In 35 years in the park service, I’ve never been involved in this kind of support document.”
This new system was put to the test during President Obama’s second inauguration in January. The new turf panels were overlaid with what the project team says is the biggest single installation ever of protective covers. The covers, some of which had to be borrowed from sports stadiums around the country, were hand carried onto the Mall a few days before the ceremony. When they were taken up afterward, the team let out a collective sigh of relief: The system worked.
The new strategy, including the measures detailed in the manual, was given a political boost when then-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Honorary ASLA, issued a secretarial order in January that formally directs the park service to implement the policies set out in the manual.
Although the renovated lawn panels are in good shape and the new strategy is working well so far, everyone involved with the project knows there are plenty of challenges ahead. The closure of the remaining lawn panels during the next phases of construction will put heavy pressure on the renovated ones. No matter how good Stachowicz is at his job, managing all of this turf for so many users is a tall order for one guy. He’s supposed to have a staff to work with, eventually, but as it is for so many government activities these days, it’s not clear when funding will be available. The second and third phases of the project are also dependent on Congress’s appropriating the funds (construction documents for these phases are due to be finished later this year, with funding for the second phase planned to come through in fiscal year 2014).
But the progress so far has been impressive. “We’ve built up to people understanding that we had a problem and we needed a multipronged solution,” Spain says. When the park service was developing the plan, a few commenters suggested using artificial turf or even green-painted concrete instead of real grass. But as the process went on, she says, “It was clear that this was a valued landscape, and most people didn’t want anything artificial here. They wanted something authentic, of an appropriate quality for a place where people learn about American values and the heroes and symbols of our nation.”
Linda McIntyre is a former staff writer and a frequent contributor to LAM.
Posted in HISTORIC LANDSCAPES, MAINTENANCE, PARKS, SOIL | 1 Comment
on August 19, 2013 at 9:26 pm | Reply Back Mow Blogger
Reblogged this on Back Mow and commented:
I don’t even know what a reblog will do, but I am due a post. This will let you all know a little bit about what is going on in DC.
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Divers’ Paradise in the Bay
Just as there are national parks in the United States, so there are also national marine sanctuaries that are open to the public. Approximately 150 miles off the Coast of Galveston Island lay the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. It’s one of the only 14 federally designated underwater areas protected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and the only site located in the Gulf of Mexico.
No one is quite sure how the NOAA Flower Garden Banks developed. It’s a jewel in the middle of the Gulf, housing a variety of wildlife more common to areas of the Caribbean. Sitting on salt domes, 23 species of coral grow on these banks. What the coral lacks in variety, it makes up for in beauty and size. Because the sanctuary is farther from shore, only more advanced divers visit the area. The typical dive is between 70 and 90 feet. This keeps the banks relatively unscathed as it flourishes more naturally than reefs that are frequented by tourists.
Despite its smaller size, the NOAA Flower Garden Banks rival or exceed any tourist spot according to many experienced divers. It is believed that the coral is much healthier because it is not visited as often and sometimes new species of wildlife wandering the Gulf stream have found their way to the banks.
The sanctuary consists of three separate areas: East Flower Garden Bank, West Flower Garden Bank and Stetson Bank. Each bank has its own boundaries and miles of open ocean separate all three.
The Stetson Bank is the northernmost reef in North America and only about 70 miles from Galveston Island and 30 miles northwest of the East and West Flower Garden Banks. Because it is shallower and closer to shore, Stetson Bank is more of a sponge habitat, with less coral than the other banks. Some divers prefer it because the wildlife has fewer places to hide and they are easier to observe. Also, it is home to unique marine life including amberjack and manta rays and visited by the occasional blue marlin or school of tuna. About 10 miles separate the East and West Flower Garden Banks. They boast a different variety of coral from the Stetson Bank and more of it. Some who travel there go every year to witness coral spawning, which happens 7-10 days after the full moon in August. It is a phenomenon that few get to experience but many rave is especially beautiful in the NOAA Flower Garden Banks.
Getting to the Flower Garden Banks is not as complicated as it may seem. Several dive and fishing charter operations listed at www.flowergarden.noaa.gov frequent the area. Many choose to stay overnight in order to experience all three banks, but day trips are available as well. The website also ha a wealth of information on the history of the NOAA Flower Garden Banks, as well as current educational and benefit programs.
Argyle Golfer is Living Out Dream Despite Life-Changing Diagnosis
by Steve Gamel About a week before the Class 4A state golf tournament in May, Argyle freshman Justus Christman called
Sheriff’s Corner with Sheriff Tracy Murphree
Welcome to the new Sheriff’s Corner. Things to know about Sheriff Tracy Murphree Sheriff Murphree was born and raised in
DISD & DATCU
The Denton Independent School District Board of School Trustees approved a 10-year, $1 million sponsorship agreement with DATCU. The $1
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SLF: $2.4b reserves?
Given the SLF’s mission and objectives – why is there a continuing need to have huge surpluses and reserves?
I refer to the article “Why Temasek bond got strong retail response” (Sunday Times, Nov 4).
It states that “Singapore Labour Foundation (bond) 3.203% (maturing) Sept 25, 2023 ($70 million)”
The Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF) was formed on 12 December 1977 as a statutory board to promote the welfare of union members and their families, and to advance the development of trade unions in Singapore.[1] The SLF provides financial support for the various educational, social, cultural and recreational activities and programmes organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and its affiliated unions and co-operatives. The foundation also extends help to lower-income union members, and provides club and resort facilities to meet the recreational and social needs of its members”.
Given the objectives and mission of the SLF – why is there a need to issue bonds?
For example, it had a 1.3% 8jun2017, SGD (SG6V27982549) ($60 million).
According to SLF’s Annual Report 2015 (the latest that I can find by googling) – SLF had a Surplus before income tax and contribution to Consolidated Fund of $219 million, and SLF Group had Total funds and reserves of $2.4 billion for the year ended 31 December 2015.
Given its objectives and mission, why is there a need to have such huge surpluses and reserves?
Arguably, from an ‘objectives and mission’ perspective – every dollar of surplus and reserves may be a dollar less – available to help union members and their families.
By the way, how much has SLF contributed to the Consolidated Fund since its founding in 1977?
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lg_tu_day2
Luminous Green 2007
symposium2007
symposium summaries
workshops2007
luminous green notes
luminous green reviews
suggestions 2007
Possible Futures...
hydrogen lunchbox laboratory
foamy ecosystems
Active Discussions...
Luminous Green Time's Up Style
Folke Koebberling
Paul Schausberger
Day 2 of Luminous Green in Linz
The second day of the Luminous Green workshop at Time's up began with a presentation by Folke Koebberling about using the city as a resource for artistic and architectural projects. The second speaker of the morning was Paul Schausberger, who talked about the industrial and small-scale water filtration - mainly for surface water (e.g. from rivers) and sea water (desalination). The afternoon at the harbour began with lifting up the windmill, testing the pump (albeit with an electromotor, as it's nearly wind still in the harbour at the moment), building the water filter and continuing the hot tub. A small expedition of city-resource finders embarked on an expedition to collect trash for a changing room and a shower (as filtering water for the tub wouldn't make much sense without cleansing the human bodies before they submerge themselves in it…). Already in the industrial zone, they found so much usable material, that they had to come back to the HQ, make a first delivery and then venture further afield. Patrick & Theun conducted a memorable circus act by transporting a 6m piece of wood between two bikes for quite a long distance, across roads, down hills & across construction sites, while yelling “totaal holland!!”. Upon arrival at the harbour at dusk, the duo proceeded to take a fresh dip in the freezing Danube. They, as well as the rest of the half-frozen team warmed up over the delicious concoctions from Marie's kitchen & most of us concluded the day with Theun's birthday cake & copious amounts of wine…
Folke described a work that she and Martin Kaltwasser realised next to the Gropiusstadt in Berlin – first a house, built in 24hrs (Hausbau 04) and later a whole settlement on an empty lot next to the highrises of Gropiusstadt. All material came from the street, as trash from a renovated house in Prenzlauer berg, an increasingly 'fancified' part of Berlin. It took only an afternoon to collect all the materials. The house they built was temporary, perceived almost as a 'fata-morgana' by the inhabitants of the nearby community. The settlement that they built the next year was a slightly longer term project, where it took three months to collect the materials. According to Folke, this was an interesting experiment, but aesthetically not too satisfying – it still had an appearance of a shanty-town.
In one of their following project, they made a replica of an existing 'house of the future (named 'telecom haus') in Berlin. In contrast to the original, the 'Munsterhaus' was open to the public, and rather than being dropped into the neighbourhood, but remaining self contained, this house incorporated elements of its environment, quite literally – it was built in a park, and had a hedge growing straight through it.
Their first work in the rural area was Villa Hoerstel – a house built almost entirely from windows (for walls) and doors (for the roof), as it seemed that the local community had a surplus of both, due to a subsidy regulation, that allowed them to put in new windows cheaply. A part of the house is supported by large trea-trunks, that were collected from a nearby woods (with the permission of the forester) after a large storm blew over several trees.
With their later projects, aesthetics of the buildings is becoming increasingly important – they consider their works constructivist paintings, taking care of colour, texture and composition on all sides of the buildings. Their project 'Amphis' in the Wysing Arts Centre in the UK for example, is a community building, an amphitheatre built out of scrap:
In addition to various community rooms & buildings, Folke & Martin are building several commentaries to the dominating car culture on our streets. In their research they found out that an SUV seen from its side has a very similar layout to a bunker – safe for people inside, absolutely oblivious of events outside. Another piece depicted two SUVs crashing into each other. Another again (just finished in Graz) had repurposed a car to make two fantastic bycicles.
Folke & Martin work with existing structures and materials from film & tv sets, fairs and exhibitions – cultural industries that each city is thriving on. After the events are over, tonnes and tonnes of perfectly reusable material is being thrown onto waste dumps, due to lack of storage and labour costs (mainly). Folke mentioned a website that they are currently developing, on which it will be possible to track which materials are going to become available, when & what you have to do in order to get it, etc. The two of them can only take so much…
A project that Folke talked about during breakfast is their “private emissions trading”, or emissions trading for all. In this project, Folke & Antje Grabenhorst stop cars, ask them how much they drive & calculate how much money they would need to pay to offset their driving…
More information can be found on their website: http://www.koebberlingkaltwasser.de/
Reference: Koeberling, F. & Kaltwasser, M. (2006). City as a Resource. jovis Verlag GmbH, Berlin
Paul is an engineer, working for Wabag, a water treatment company, currently in Indian hands. He described the relatively recent state of Earth's water resources, showing that availability of fresh water is decreasing (partially due to melting ice, where most fresh water is stored. This means that direct utilisation of water resources (that is still possible from spring water) is becoming less and less common. Water treatment – both indirect (purifying waste water, then releasing it back into the water resource) and direct (recycling waste water for utilisation) are becoming increasingly more necessary. Paul showed a diagram of substances – both organic and inorganic – that can be either suspended, or dissolved in the water, making it unsuitable for utilisation. Paul himself spends most of his time working on desalination & specifically thermal desalination, that produces distilled water suitable for industrial uses. Distilling is most efficient purification, although some heavy metals can also vaporise, so additional treatment is needed. In order to utilise this water for human consumption (both drinking, cooking and bathing), it needs a chemical treatment to add minerals which would otherwise be absorbed in the water from our bodies. The process of desalination can be found in the slides on the bottom of this page. There are several problems with desalination plants – they use large amounts of energy, the 'waste' of the desalination process – concentrated brine is pumped back into the sea, which destabilises the local eco-systems. There are some (passive) solar systems – especially in Mediterranean countries are being utilised to reduce the energy footprint of the plants. The biggest desalinations plants are able to produce about 1million ton of water per day.
In surface water treatment, salt is not a problem. Instead there are many suspended particles, like mud and sand that need to be filtered. In addition to that, many microorganisms and other organic materials that can be damaging for humans need to be removed before the water can be used for human consumption. A technique called 'deep bed filtration' was discussed, that uses silicate sand, that has a high probability of reducing pollutants. The slower the filtration occurs, the cleaner the water will be. This technique will be used to make the water filter at Time's up, to purify the Danube water for bathing in the hot tub.
Paul touched upon the geopolitical intricacies of water treatment, illustrating it with an example of the Danube water basin, which covers several nation states – from Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, etc. The water polluted closer to the source (say in Germany) will effect the water and its treatment down-stream. The Danube River Basin Management, which should comprise all countries on the Danube (and beyond – as the basin also includes several networks of groundwater) is in the making. We discussed that not just industrial pollutants, but also our own waste is extremely dangerous for the flora and fauna of the basin. An example was given of the concentration of the chemicals from contraception pills that make whole populations of fish infertile. Anti depressants and hard drugs such as cocaine were other big problems that were mentioned.
We concluded with a short discussion about the taste of water and the need for water tasting, not just in fancy restaurants, but on industrial fairs and cultural events. Another short discussion that followed was about the quality of bottled water (which doesn't contain chlorine, while almost all tap water does), that has its own problems – such as development of dangerous micro-organisms, leaching of toxic plastic components and the general 'freshness' of the water. Tap water can be stored in bottles for about six months (according to a Bristol-based water expert, a friend of Kate Rich): “light, heat and air are the potential problems. Less that the water will go bad but it will go flat & lose all its properties. Seal in glass as if jam, keep cool (refrigerate where possible) & dark should be fine for 6 months at least.”
Paul's slides on water treatment
Paul's recommended self-engineered water treatment system: http://www.oasisdesign.net/water/index.htm
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Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Andreas Speer | 13.10.2018 | 379 Aufrufe | Artikel
Ecology and Po(i)etics
Prof. Dr. Reinhold Görling, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
We take it as given, that there is a relation between biological and plant organisms and its environment. This counts as much for plants, as it does for animals and for humans. But how is this relation formed? What is the nature of this relation and what are the type of connections that allow this relation to emerge?
Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Reinhold Görling (rechts im Bild)
Photo: Pia Heidemeier
No matter how we want to describe this relation, we must think of it as something that creates connections, as an agencement as Gilles Deleuze calls it, often translated as assemblage into English. But maybe we can also think of it as a system. And if we do think of it as a system, it must be one that is open, or perhaps even half closed since it would not make sense to think of it as a completely closed one. Now how does such a connection come into being? We certainly should not separate the answer to this question from the concrete ecology that has been evolved. But on a more general level, I would like to suggest calling this process poiesis.
The choice of this term has much to do with the fact that what is formed here cannot be understood as some kind of product or object. It must have its very own quality, a metastability in which it holds relations. It has to be something that has a lot to do with unconscious or implicit relationships, with atmospheres and metabolisms. It is something that is in exchange with something, at least when we are talking about living creatures. It is something that interacts, that brings completely different things into relation and that is familiar to something like a balance or a metastabilility, or at least a reversibility. It must be somehow able to relate to itself, be it for the advantage of two entities. But for this, it needs to have some kind of a memory.
There are two different models that don’t necessarily have to contradict another. The one model is rather spatial, the other temporal. Although both models have a temporal and spatial dimension. The differentiation usually has to do with the idea of identifying who or what is the active agent. It is very interesting to see how each dimension depends on the other.
Spatial models tend to function through a central agent. This agent makes the distinctions of what belongs to its environment and what doesn’t, of what is good and what is bad for it. When there are more agents, then they negotiate their relations with and among each other. Or at least, their relation is mutually beneficial or conductive (zuträglich”, as Immanuel Kant writes in his Third Critique, the Critique of Judgement (§63). But we still have to somehow explain how these agents come about. And for that, we need to consider a temporal element that is able to explain their emergence and continuity. If we think of agents as systems, then the origin can be thought as a self-creation, as autopoietic. If we think of agents as identities, we would have to look for an origin, a cut, a distinction made by someone we would have to be able to identify. But this someone cannot yet exist. And this is why, we have to understand the autopoietic process also as an allopoietic one. That means it is something composed of other things and it also creates something new that has not yet existed before. Here we can make use of the concept of emergence. In this allo/autopoetical process something emerges that always has to be thought together with its environment: it cannot be thought without it nor can it be thought as something closed. Nothing can be entirely sealed by distinctions and each distinction can only be maintained by being continually renewed and also by being exceeded so that the distinction can be re-made again. In Production de l'Espace, Henri Lefebvre developed such a theory of space. There is something like a continuous movement of the distinction. And this distinction is always the invention of an environment. Environment, however, is not fixed nor is it ever static: it is metastable.
In discussions about the relationship between the self and the other, it has often been said that the other always comes before, it is always prior to the self. Emmanuel Lévinas, for example, described this most clearly in his theory of alterity. If you read Lévinas or Jacques Derrida’s texts on Lévinas, you will learn that the other must be thought as both neighbour and total other. Thus, even God would be an “other” – and we will never know if the neighbour is this total other. ("Tout l'autre est tout l'autre", as Derrida expresses it.) This was written in the attempt of eagerly looking for the possibility of ethics after the event of Shoah. But with this ethic, at least in the way it is formulated by Lévinas, it is very difficult to involve other creatures, or even plants, or anything else we call nature. Derrida, for example, has clearly questioned the possibility to ethically keep on with differences like these. But what if the other has no such thing as an identity? What if the other is something metastable like the environment? Where does that what we call an ethical relation begin? Is there a limit or a boundary that we can determine here? Animals that are similar to us? Animals we live with? Animals we hardly have a relationship with? Animals that threaten us? Plants we cultivate? Earth, stone, water, atmosphere, landscape, the ecology of the sea? Do these categories of the self and the other actually make sense for an ecology at all? It is clear, that we cannot really question it in this manner. Our relations are always at the same time unlimited and unique, and not only to the species. (Spiecies are indeed our inventions; by now, in the field of biology there has been a clear criticism of such a categorisation.) What appears here as a responsibility can only manifest itself as a concern, which relates to the now, to what I am in relation with. But what is that? What can it be other than my environment, my ecology?
We have said: spatial models of an ecology work through a distinction. This distinction needs to be understood as a continuous movement towards an outer. Whatever creates itself, it manages this creation out of all that what it wasn’t before. Therefore, a continuous distinction of that what belongs to its environment and what doesn’t, seems to be necessary. In every moment, our bodies decide which bacteria is good or bad and which ones then need to be exuded or excreted. But presumably, also that what is excreted is part of the ecology and used, for example, to separate even smaller organisms. Our psyche does something very similar: at every instant it distinguishes which sense-impression is important and which one isn’t. For instance, which of the sensations are absorbed by our psyche as an assurance for its hold in the world? The light, the smell, the warmth, all of that that our outer senses can perceive, or the things and the people, which the psyche gains through the inner senses, the memories? Which impressions are so negative and threatening that they should better be isolated, incommunicado? Which impression should become conscious? Neuroscientists have shown that within the work our psyche is constantly doing, becoming conscious of something is only a very small part of the mind’s activity. Mostly that doesn’t occur and our psyche mostly works toward a continuous creation of an environment, of which we are barely aware. It is constantly being re-formed; this is a poietic process, which not only has something to do with aisthesis in the sense of mere perception, but also with aesthetics and poetics in the sense of the production of a sensual-mental connection. This is why there is a fundamental relationship between poetics and ecology. Because we are incessantly creating something like a metastable structure, a life-world / environment / ecology, whatever we may call it.
We don’t just do it because we are human beings. All life does this. But human beings have a greater scope of indeterminacy than some other living beings. In the terms of system-theoretical approaches, a differentiation is quite helpful here. This one goes back to Fritz Heider and was taken up by Niklas Luhmann: the distinction between thing and medium. For many living beings a distinction between thing and medium is hardly possible. For instance, for the tick, which is a particularly strong example of a relationship between a living creature and its environment: Even though this is certainly very reduced, what we can observe from their behaviour is that it seems that in the poieses of their environment, they are strongly limited to perceiving the approach of a warm-blooded animal, and then fall upon it. Thing and medium concur so much that one can hardly speak of a medium. But, as I said, this is probably far too simple and will no longer be applicable to complex and socially organised living beings.
So for human beings, there is a difference between thing and medium from birth on. A new-born hears a voice, and very soon knows how to distinguish familiar and unknown voices. Babies are able to distinguish the affects that are expressed and communicated through the voice. The same applies to the face. What we describe with Sigmund Freud, Donald W. Winnicott and others as a play with objects in a transitional space, is then the medium drifting away from the thing, because the transitional object can always be both thing and medium. Therefore, speech can emerge and, with it, the difference between a thing (voice, object, letter) and a meaning. This makes two things possible, which are certainly not limited to human beings, but which are particularly available for humans (in good or bad ways): there is a chance and a need to create this environment continuously and there arises something which can be called the possibility of fiction.
Fiction, too, is first created through and within the play. Perhaps there needs to also be an interpersonal experience, that is, the experience of communicating with someone else in a pretend mode and thereby sharing a fictional world that is different from the normal environment. (Peter Fonagy, for example, represents this thesis.) Perhaps, the experience of being held in different worlds suffices to play with differences. In any case, environment and fiction are both constructs of poiesis: the environment that creates a life and by which environment creates itself, and, let us say, the novel. Both constructs are metastable, except that the normal environment is borne by everyday actions, whereas the ecology of a novel is borne by a specific affective intensity caused by the particular metastability of fiction. In Modes de existence, Bruno Latour calls this metastability N-1.
To put it bluntly: The poietics of the environment and the poietics of a novel differ mainly from the fact that the first poietics has to prove itself in everyday actions and the second poietics in that it has something that strives to be shared”, as Kant says in the “Critique of Judgment” (§19). Unlike for the environment, we do not forget the metastability of the novel. There may perhaps even be something active coming from this metastability, a force that emerges because it has to hold itself, as it were, always in the act of appearing, it does not stand still. Such an activity can, of course, also come from a picture or a poem or music. It is, as though that which shows its ability to create itself as agencement, awakens a solidarity in us or even concern, a compassion which applies to the appearance itself, not to the appeared. Maybe we even feel this in moments of perceiving a landscape, a flower, the movement of an animal, all of which is part of natural beauty.
When this happens to us, we feel the sensation of seeing, hearing or experiencing something beautiful, regardless of whether it is something cheerful or something sad, whether it is something light or hard, whether the colours are light or dark, whether it is something concrete or something abstract. Sometimes it frightens us when we realise that something sad can be very beautiful, for example, when it happens to us that we are standing in front of a picture and can’t help but cry. Surely, there can be something like a death wish. But the real power, which we call the beautiful, proceeds from this emergence, from this N-1, which, if we allow it, awakens our solidarity and anxiety, our tenderness and our hope.
Can these thoughts be reverted to the everyday life of the environment? Is it perhaps that we are connected to our environment in a similar way, but that we do not realise it, because our everyday life is always the metastability in which we live in? A metastability that we create just as much as it creates us. It consists of spaces and colours, of things and relationships, of rhythms and movements, of gestures of thought and gestures of the body, which are all in a kind of tension between map and territory.
And if we take it seriously that subject and world mutually produce one another, that the subject does not exist beyond the agencement, then it might be possible to abandon the old opposition of subject and object that dominates European thought and instead talk of the subject as an ecology of practices (Isabelle Stengers), which in turn is embedded or grounded in further ecologies of practices. Then, the subject is not standing towards the world, but to an ecology that always includes an environment or an everyday life and other ecologies. And this raises the question of whether it is possible to leave our own ecology so that a new way of embedding can result, as percept or perception and, finally, as practic. And if you can think it, then how can it actually happen? In other words, can we perceive a world / environment / ecology without being already anchored in it?
Does experiencing art make this possible? Is it because it brings us into solidarity with the emerging? This would need to be described in more detail though. And if this is affirmed, the question still remains whether it is also possible to experience other, non-human ecologies. The question is all the more urgent, the more we realise that we are destroying other ecologies – ecologies that are environments of our ecologies.
Sicherheitscode bitte in das Feld eintragen: 1Y7V4N
Mediävistik: interdisziplinär und grenzüberschreitend | Das Cologne-Toronto Graduate Student Colloquium 2016
Nachbericht über das Kolloquium von Kathrin Borgers, Promovierende an der Universität zu Köln
Words for Nature: The Art of Ecopoetry
Katharina Maria Kalinowski studies Creative Writing at the University of Kent
On the Relationship of “Media and Mobility”
Anthropological workshop invites international researchers to Cologne
"... ein Tür- und Augenöffner!"
Forschungsorientiert studieren im a.r.t.e.s. Research Master
Geschlecht und Diversität als Themen in der Comicforschung stärken
Nachbericht zur Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Comicforschung
„Hilfe für Helfer“: Erste Generation Promotion – EGP e. V. gewinnt Beratungsstipendium
Interview zum Wettbewerb „startsocial. hilfe für helfer“ | Ein Beitrag von Alessa Hübner
Über die Chancen und Schwierigkeiten transnationaler Geschichtsforschung
a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities-Fellow Tom Menger forscht in Londoner Archiven und berichtet von seinen persönlichen Erfahrungen
Ethnography in the Age of Security
Reflections on research methodology at Kenyan border posts
a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School of the HumanitiesAnimalsAssemblageBiologyDimensionsEcologyEnvironmentMetastabililityPlantsPoeticsPoieticsPromotionResearchResponsibilityReversibilityUniversity of Cologne
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News and Comments 7 Feb 2012
Syria crisis: Gulf Arab states expel Syrian ambassadors
Gulf Arab states say they are expelling Syrian ambassadors in their countries and recalling their envoys from Syria.
The Gulf Cooperation Council said Syria had rejected Arab attempts to solve the crisis and end 11 months of bloodshed.
The US closed its embassy in Syria on Monday, and several European countries have recalled their ambassadors.
The moves came as Syrian government forces continued their fierce assault on the restive city of Homs, and Russian officials visited Damascus.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for a solution to the crisis based on Arab League initiatives, days after Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution on Syria.
After meeting Mr Lavrov, Syrian media quoted President Bashar al-Assad as saying he was willing to co-operate with “any efforts towards stability”.
Separately Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, denied reports that he had threatened Qatar’s prime minister during talks at the UN last week. Someone was trying to drive a wedge between Russia and the Arab world, he said.
The GCC said it would urge all other Arab states to adopt “decisive measures” when the Arab League meets next week. The UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy have also recalled their ambassadors
Ambassadors recalled from Syria
United States (embassy closed)
Gulf Arab states
via BBC
Prop. 8: Gay-marriage ban unconstitutional, court rules – latimes.com
A federal appeals court Tuesday struck down California’s ban on same-sex marriage, clearing the way for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on gay marriage as early as next year.
The 2-1 decision by a panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that limited marriage to one man and one woman, violated the U.S. Constitution. The architects of Prop. 8 have vowed to appeal.
The ruling was narrow and likely to be limited to California.
via latimes.com.
Another President Quits – Mohamed Nasheed Steps Down after Maldives Protests
Rather sad that the former human rights and environmental activist didn’t last the course. He was replaced by his vice president after the police and army clashed in the streets of the island nation amid protests after Nasheed ordered the military to arrest Abdulla Mohamed, the chief judge of the Criminal Court. The judge had ordered the release of a government critic he said had been illegally detained.
The crisis came to a head today when hundreds of police demonstrated in the capital, Male, after officials ordered them to withdraw protection for government and opposition supporters protesting close to each other. The withdrawal resulted in a clash that injured at least three people.
Later, troops fired rubber bullets and clashed with the police. When Nasheed visited the police and urged them to end the protest, they refused and instead chanted for his resignation. Mohamed was released after Hassan took power.
Nasheed resigned on TV this morning, and Mohammed Waheed Hassan, who previously worked as a top UNICEF official, was sworn in as the new Maldivian president this afternoon. Soon after, the judge was released.
New Bruce Lee Film
‘I Am Bruce Lee’ tells the amazing story of one of the most iconic human beings ever to enter the public consciousness. Voted as one of the most important people of the 20th century in Time Magazine’s Time 100, as well as one of the Greatest Pop Culture Icons by People Magazine, Bruce Lee continues to be honoured and remembered for his enduring legacy.
“Water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend”
~ Bruce Lee
Scotland Yard has recovered over 300,000,000 emails News of the World said were deleted
They doubled resources on the team and are analysing and are identifying hundreds, perhaps thousands, of possible victims going back over 30 years. Daily Record
Violence in northern Mali forces over 20,000 into exile
UNHCR report on Mali upheaval:
Malian Refugees in Mauritania
UNHCR has deployed emergency teams to countries surrounding Mali to help meet the needs of some 20,000 people who have been forced to flee fighting in northern Mali. Most of the displaced are in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.
Fighting between rebel Tuareg groups and governmental forces in the Azawad region of northern Mali began in mid-January.
In the past three weeks, at least 10,000 people are reported to have crossed to Niger, 9,000 have found refuge in Mauritania and 3,000 in Burkina Faso.
Local communities along the border, affected by the food crisis themselves in the Sahel, are sharing their resources with the new arrivals. The authorities have also distributed food. Four additional UNHCR staff are already in Niger and more are on their way. We plan to send aid for 10,000 people from our stockpiles in the region.
Our office in Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso also reported the arrival of some 3,000 Malian Tuaregs following attacks on their homes and businesses in the Malian capital Bamako and in the nearby town of Kati last week. Many of the new arrivals are staying with host families in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso, 320 kilometres south-west of the capital. Other new arrivals have been reported in the north west of the country, especially near Djibo, in Soum province. An inter-agency mission, including UNHCR, is scheduled to go there by the end of the week to assess the needs of the people.
Meanwhile in Mauritania UNHCR has sent several missions to the village of Fassala, in the region of Hodh el Chargi 3km from the border with Mali, where over 9,000 people have arrived since 25th January. The mainly ethnic Tuareg Malian refugees come from the region of Léré on the other side of the border. They told UNHCR that they fled fighting between Government forces and rebel Tuareg fighters, fearing retaliation by army troops.
Human Rights Watch Warns of Lead Poisoning Crisis in Nigeria
Thousands of children in northern Nigeria need immediate medical treatment and dozens of villages remain contaminated two years into the worst lead poisoning epidemic in modern history, Human Rights Watch said today while releasing a video on the issue. Four hundred children have died, according to official estimates, yet environmental cleanup efforts have not even begun in numerous affected villages.
Artisanal gold mines are found throughout Zamfara State in northwestern Nigeria, and high levels of lead in the earth and the use of rudimentary mining methods have resulted in an epidemic of lead poisoning among children, Human Rights Watch said. Research by Human Rights Watch in Zamfara in late 2011 found that children are exposed to this lead dust when they process ore in the mines, when their mine worker relatives return home covered with lead dust, and when the lead-filled ore is manually or mechanically crushed at home. Children can also be exposed to toxic lead in contaminated water and food. Healthcare workers in Zamfara State told Human Rights Watch that there have also been high rates of infertility and miscarriage among affected adults.
Politics, Religion, Media – an Unholy Trinity
You might enjoy reading this exclusive article in the Daily Beast about the head of the Washington Times and his roles as unofficial envoy to North Korea for former US President and war criminal at large, George W. Bush. I think it’s great when journalists research and publish this information. But I find myself asking constantly why no action ever ensues. It’s as though ‘publish and be damned’ turned into ‘print and be done’.
Behind The News: Yemen Times
Good, informative story from SourceFabric about the trials, tribulations and revival of Yemen Times, an essential and important source of news from this remarkable country, still dealing with the aftermath of former president’ Saleh’s barbaric regime.
Life lessons from Bruce Lee (holykaw.alltop.com)
Police in Maldives take state TV (bbc.co.uk)
Rebellion or Revolution? (lissnup)
Aid groups: 15,000 flee Mali amid Tuareg rebellion (mysanantonio.com)
Protests in Bamako and Southern Mali (sahelblog.wordpress.com)
Tags Bruce Lee, Burkina Faso, George W. Bush, Human Rights, journalistic ethics, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, media, Mohamed Nasheed, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, press freedom, UNHCR, UNICEF, war criminal, Yemen
Anxious About.. #Mauritania
4 thoughts on “News and Comments 7 Feb 2012”
lissnup
#FreeGary Trying to kill the “Asperger’s Defense” #autism tw: http://snup.us/qQt #Asperger’s ‘May Not Be a Syndrome Much Longer’
All 22 #ArabLeague states need watching to confirm #Syria embassies closed, own envoys withdrawn. List anyone?
My bad tw: Only 11 Gulf #ArabLeague members states are expelling #Syria ambassadors and withdrawing envoys
Maldives steps back in time to the days of repression and police violence. Nasheed resignation no help. http://snup.us/qYX
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Suing for Punitive Damages in Peoria County
Find the right Litigation attorney in Peoria County, IL
Litigation Lawyers in Peoria County
In Peoria County, Illinois, civil litigation serves the main purpose of compensating individuals who have been victims of wrongdoing, and not meting out punishment, vengeance, or moral judgment.
There is an exception to this basic rule, however: in certain cases, a court in Peoria County, Illinois will award damages designed to punish the wrongdoer, and deter others from future wrongdoing. This practice is identified as "punitive damages."
Courts in Peoria County, Illinois do not authorize punitive damages in most cases. The civil litigation system is geared against authorizing financial windfalls to civil plaintiffs. But, there are rare cases, where the defendant has done something to the plaintiff that is so morally reprehensible, that society's interest in punishing the defendant and deterring comparable misconduct outweighs the civil justice system's preference against punitive damages.
Conduct that can give rise to punitive damages in Peoria County, Illinois
Typically personal injury cases in Peoria County, Illinois do not involve punitive damages, because the defendant did not intend to cause harm, or act with some other form of malice. Alternatively, most of these cases involve situations where the defendant acted carelessly, but did not actually intend to cause harm. This is enough to award compensatory damages, but it is far from sufficient to award punitive damages in Peoria County, Illinois.
In Peoria County, Illinois, punitive damages are not awarded in most cases. They are normally only awarded when the defendant's actions was so reckless or deplorable that punishment of the defendant is warranted. Acts such as battery, fraud, and defamation (in some cases) are usually considered sufficient in Peoria County, Illinois to justify punitive damages. In deciding whether to award punitive damages, and how much to award, the two most important factors the court looks at will be the level of immorality of the act, as well as the actual harm that the plaintiff suffered as a result of the defendant's conduct.
There are limits on punitive damages in Peoria County, Illinois. The Supreme Court has held that punitive damage awards which are grossly disproportionate to the immorality of the conduct, and the harm that it caused, are an unconstitutional deprivation of property without due process of law.
Usually, in Peoria County, Illinois, punitive damage awards that exceed the actual damages (those awarded to directly compensate the plaintiff) by a factor of 10. This is not an absolute rule, nonetheless, and is applied on a case-by-case basis. Courts in Illinois have found much smaller awards to be invalid, and upheld much larger awards.
How Can a Peoria County, Illinois Attorney Help?
In Peoria County, Illinois, there are a large variety of situations in which punitive damages are appropriate, because the decision to grant punitive damages is largely up to the discretion of the jury.
If you are engaged in a case in Peoria County, Illinois where punitive damages are a possibility, a very large amount of money could be at stake, whether you are the plaintiff or defendant. You should not delay to speak with a civil litigation attorney in Peoria County, Illinois
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Sea Point sees Crime rate drop of two thirds after Deployment of Hikvision Cameras
Hikvision secures one of Cape Town's busiest and most affluent suburbs with Licence Plate Recognition solution and sees 65% decrease in crime.
Some of Cape Town's busiest roads, leading to one of the wealthiest suburbs, are now secured with an automated Licence Plate Recognition system installed by LPR Solutions. At its heart is a network of 42 sophisticated Day/Night cameras from Hikvision, whose iVMS video management software streams the video data to the LPR software.
The increased surveillance has led to a dramatic drop in crime within the suburb, down an indicated 65% following the introduction of the cameras.
Sea Point is one of Cape Town's most affluent and highly developed suburbs, the only one in fact to have high-rise development of any significance. The area's oceanside location and general level of affluence make it very popular with city residents who enjoy the beach front promenade, a paved walkway along the beach-front used by residents and tourists for walking, jogging and socialising. It is also attracting a large amount of investment in second homes and apartments.
However, it is not that long ago that the area was regarded as less desirable, even dangerous. On top of South Africa's high crime rates, many of the apartment blocks had been neglected by absentee landlords, leaving them in poor physical condition. The result was a very high crime rate, much of which was attributed to vehicle-borne criminals.
Monitoring Universal Access
Located just a few kilometres west of the city's Central Business District, the roads that access Sea Point are some of the busiest in the entire peninsular. Many arterial roads lead in and out of the area, providing drivers with a wide variety of route options and appealing to residents and legitimate visitors. However, the sheer number of route options means that the criminal fraternity has also been able to enjoy only partially restricted access to this valuable real estate.
Recognising the potential to improve the safety and security of the area, the Sea Point City Improvement District, a joint Municipal/Police entity, decided to establish a licence plate recognition (LPR) system to monitor Sea Point's access roads and highways. Their aim was to identify and track every individual vehicle entering or leaving the area and co-ordinate law enforcement activity to combat crime. To design and implement the system they turned to local company, LPR Solutions.
Our challenge - the first LPR installation in Cape Town
"This project is the first large-scale LPR solution to be installed in Greater Cape Town," says LPR Solutions' Chris Hobbis.
"With an average of over 300,000 vehicle movements per hour being expected for the network of just over 40 cameras, the sheer intensity of traffic movement represented a considerable technical hurdle for the system designers to overcome. On top of this, the LPR system had to be robust enough to cope with the speed of the passing traffic on these major link roads in all weathers and be operational day-and-night.
"Therefore, our emphasis for the camera was on build quality, reliability, weather protection, image quality and true day/night capability," states Chris.
The LPR team also installed the network wireless and cabling links to feed the camera streams to a dedicated central control room located within Sea Point, which is manned around-the-clock by a staff of six.
The focus of the design was to record every vehicle movement into and out of the Sea Point area from the minimum number of cameras. After analysing the road infrastructure, the engineers at LPR Solutions identified 42 points for the cameras, with each camera dedicated to monitoring one lane of traffic. Once these points were calculated, the demands to be placed on the cameras were investigated.
Although the primary imaging requirement was for a rugged and reliable, true Day/Night camera capable of withstanding the environmental conditions in this busy seafront neighbourhood, the team's stringent assessment protocol also included:
- Camera and video monitoring software features
- Product availability
- Level of technical support
- Total Cost of Ownership
Their eventual choice was the Hikvision DS-2CD4012F-A Smart IPC day/night box camera, with every camera protected from the environmental stresses by IP66 housing. Each camera's video stream is recorded on a dedicated server through Hikvision's iVMS video monitoring software suite and fed from there to LPR's itrack licence plate recognition software.
A truly SMART solution
Reflecting on their choice of the DS-2CD4012F-A camera, Chris says, "The main challenges we faced on this project were the changes in lighting conditions as we passed from day to the dark of night, the speed of the passing traffic and ensuring the utmost in reliability.
"We opted for one of the new breed of SMART cameras from Hikvision, which offers unparalleled image quality under all lighting conditions and fast, remote focusing capability whilst more than meeting our needs for efficient bandwidth and storage utilisation. Visitors to South Africa will know that daytime conditions can be very bright but the DS-2CD4012F-A copes with everything. Moreover, the bright lens produces brilliant 1280 x 1024 HD720p video at up to 60 fps, critical for an application where image detail is critically important. Combined with the Smart Focus capability, which allows the SMART cameras to automatically adjust the image sensor position to guarantee optimal focus without user intervention, accurate rendering of licence plates no matter what the vehicle speed has not been an issue.
"As well as Smart Focus, the Hikvision DS-2CD4012F-A also features a comprehensive suite of SMART features, including Smart Codec, Smart VQD (video quality detection), Smart Face Detection and Smart Audio Detection. The Smart Codec is particularly significant in a network situation as the advanced encoding algorithm streams images at a very low bitrate without compromising quality. Compared to traditional cameras, the Hikvision Smart cameras enhance image quality by up to 30% while minimizing the system's load and storage requirements. And, if necessary, up to 64 GB of on-board storage can be utilized," added Chris.
The result is crystal-clear images under the most challenging of environmental conditions, making it the ideal camera for all forms of surveillance, from large scale projects to small businesses.
A first for Cape Town and a Drop in Crime
The installation of Cape Town's first large-scale Licence Plate Recognition solution has had "an immediate impact", according to Chris. "Crime in the area has dropped dramatically! Early indications are that there has been a 65% decrease in recorded crime within the Sea Point suburb.
"Another immediate result of the success of the Sea Point installation is the award of a large, 75-camera contract from City of Cape Town Metro, which involved a change from the originally specified camera manufacturer to Hikvision Smart cameras.
"The roads in Sea Point are now being used by those with a legitimate interest in travelling to and from the area, and this is likely to have a significant impact on those that live, work and play within its confines. The contribution of the Hikvision cameras to this increased quality of life cannot be underestimated and should not be ignored."
For more information, please visit Hikvision's website at www.hikvision.com
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Richard III – The Answers
Posted by mattlewisauthor in King Richard III
Edmund Earl of Rutland, Henry VI, King Richard III, Leicester, re-interment, reinterment, Richard Duke of York, Richard III
There is a glut of articles saturating the press at the moment posing some pretty unpleasant questions about Richard III. Maybe it’s time for some answers. We are constantly asked why we are celebrating a child-killing tyrant, or what Richard III ever did for us. Sadly many of the articles cannot answer their own questions because their content demonstrates such a fundamental lack of understanding of the real issues.
Richard III has divided opinion for over 500 years and shows no sign of ceasing to do so as he is laid to rest for the second time in his long and eventful after-life. The Richard III Society exists to promote the re-examination of Richard III and his times. Contrary to the popular impression, most Ricardians are not the ‘loons’ David Starkey sees or any of the other names bandied about, none of which are complementary and all of which are unnecessary and unpleasant.
I’ve been accused of presenting Richard III as a proto-democrat before now. I think it was meant as an insult, but it bears some examination. In the case of Catherine Williamson in 1472, Richard broke the rules of the bastard feudalism under which he lived to hand over men in his service for trial for murder when he would have been expected to protect them. In 1480 he found in favour of John Randson against Sir Robert Claxton, Randson’s social superior who also had a son and son-in-law in Richard’s service. There are a string of examples like these spanning his time in the north. Championing the common man in pursuit of justice unfettered by social rank or wealth? Isn’t that something we could applaud?
What did he ever do for us? More than you might think.
Richard III held only one Parliament during his brief, two year reign. Amongst its statutes were several that we might applaud and which were to have long-lasting impacts. The second statute of the Parliament of 1484 abolished benevolences, a system of forced gifts to the crown used extensively by Edward IV to circumvent Parliamentary taxation. During Henry VIII’s rule Richard’s law was being quoted to Thomas Wolsey when the second Tudor monarch tried to re-impose benevolences. Richard III bolstered Parliament’s power and control over the raising of money at the expense of the Crown’s independence. It was an attitude diametrically opposed to this that led to the fall of Charles I and the Civil War. The fact that you know what tax you will pay and are not at the mercy of HMRC knocking on your door to tell you that the government would like you to give them a large cash gift, which is not optional and will not be repaid, is thanks to Richard III.
Other statutes curbed the corruption rife in the cloth trade and drove out fraud from land transfers. It was not illegal to fail to declare a fault in a title to land when selling it, meaning that buyers could be tricked and defrauded. Richard’s law codified a requirement to be honest and open and is considered a bedrock of English land law even today. If you have ever bought land or property, you have done so in safety and security in part because of Richard III’s legislation.
Anti-alien legislation featured in Richard’s Parliament and was immensely popular. It sought to place restrictions on imports and foreign merchants to protect English trade and jobs and to improve the nation’s finances. Supporting and safeguarding English industry against cheaper imports is still an issue today. Richard III took a positive step to defend jobs. An exception to these constraints was allowed for the printing industry. Books flowed into England from the Continent to the profound benefit of knowledge and learning and the spread of the printed word in England. It is the nature of tyranny and tyrants to control access to information, to prevent its free flow, not to actively encourage it.
The composition requirements of jury membership were re-defined by Richard III’s Parliament so that men had to be worth a specified amount of money to sit on a jury. We may not recognise this as a pillar of our legal system today, but there are still rules defining those disqualified from sitting on juries. In Richard’s time the issue was corrupt juries, often imported and appointed by one of the parties to the case, or easy to bribe because they could not afford not to take the inducement offered. Fair and equitable justice was of concern to Richard III, just as it is of concern to us now. On a different playing field than we enjoy today, the principles applied might be ones we would approve of.
Have you, or anyone you know ever benefitted from legal aid? If so, you can add another item to the list of things Richard III did for us. He established an early form of legal aid that allowed those without the means to employ lawyers to appeal directly to the royal council to have their case heard. Tyrannical repression of the masses hardly fits with improving access to the law, which this Parliament, for the first time in England’s history, published in English. Rates of literacy may not have been high but the emerging merchant classes could read as well as the nobility and clergy – they had to in order to go about their business – and a law in English must have felt like it belonged to an Englishman more than one in prosaic, restrictive and elitist Latin or French.
Then there is that whole bail issue. Richard III certainly did not invent bail. What he did do was to make vital and seismic changes to the law as it existed. The Parliament Rolls record that ‘various people are arrested and imprisoned daily on suspicion of felony, sometimes out of malice and sometimes on vague suspicion, and thus kept in prison without bail or mainprise to their great vexation and trouble’. A suspect could be deprived of their goods and property, even the tools of their trade, before a judge had even weighed the evidence against them. If they were found innocent, there was no requirement to return the confiscated goods and men could be left unable to pursue their profession and make a living. A malicious charge with no base could therefore see a man left destitute. What Richard’s Parliament did was correct this inequity. This is surely a right enjoyed by many today.
From his late teens, as Duke of Gloucester, Richard had displayed an interest in championing the cause of the common man and pursued equity unbounded by social class or wealth. Do these sound like the concerns of a tyrant? It bears more of the hallmarks of my proto-democrat. Those at risk of the greatest loss under Richard’s rule were those with the most to gain from the maintenance of the status quo – the nobility, the minority who ruled the majority. This view offers another explanation for the loss of noble support suffered by Richard III before the Battle of Bosworth. It was not his tyranny that drove them away, but the very opposite. Who knows what the political landscape of England might have looked like if Richard had longer to pursue his programme?
Statue of Richard III outside Leicester Cathedral
What of all of those evil crimes?
Usurper? No. It is simply a factually incorrect term for what happened in 1483. Richard was asked to take the throne by the leadership of the City of London and those members of Parliament who were in the capital. It is an important distinction to note that Parliament was not in session at the time, so Parliament didn’t make the request, but a committee of those assembled for the Parliament planned for later that month did. To usurp is to take the power of another illegally or by force. What Richard did was not illegal, nor did he use force. In legal terms, he didn’t steal the power of another either, since Edward V had been declared illegitimate and unable to succeed based on evidence that was presented to that Parliamentary committee and London’s elite. Many will scoff at this lost evidence, but why? Simply because it doesn’t fit with their view of the man and it is too difficult to question that belief.
Murderer? In the cases of Hastings, Rivers, Grey, Vaughan and Haute, probably, by today’s standards. Probably not by those of his own time. All five of those men were found guilty of treason based on evidence that was shared around London. It is true that they had no formal trial, but Richard was Constable of England and was entitled to act as judge and jury in cases of treason based on evidence that he had seen. He publicised this evidence and it was accepted by his contemporaries. Why is it, then, that some find it so hard to accept that evidence now? There doesn’t even appear to be room to discuss it for some.
The death of the seventeen year old Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales and only son of Henry VI is frequently attributed to Richard III whilst he was the eighteen year old Duke of Gloucester. Ignoring the fact that according to most contemporary sources Edward died during the battle and so murder is hardly an applicable label for his death, at least one eye witness account states that Richard’s vanguard were pursuing the Duke of Somerset while King Edward’s centre attacked the Lancastrian centre, where Prince Edward was stationed. It is most likely that Richard was nowhere near Edward when he died. It is also likely that Edward died during the fighting and was not ‘murdered’. It is possible he was executed after the battle, but given that the very point of the battle was to conclude matters between the Houses of Lancaster and York, and given the recent history of the Wars of the Roses, there could have been no other outcome. If Richard was involved, unlikely as it seems, it would have been in his role as Constable of England, dispenser of royal justice.
Shortly after the Battle of Tewkesbury, Henry VI died in the Tower of London. In spite of the story put out, exemplified by The Arrival of King Edward the Fourth’s assertion that Henry died of ‘pure displeasure and melancholy’, it seems certain that he was put to death. Contemporary chronicles, including Warkworth, state that Henry was put to death, ‘being then in the Tower the Duke of Gloucester, brother to King Edward, and many other’. Phillipe de Commyne, a Burgundian writer who never visited England, asserted that he heard that Richard ‘slew this poor King Henry with his own hand, or caused him to be carried into some private place, and stood by while he was killed’. This may well be true. As Constable, it was Richard’s function to see the king’s justice dispensed. Who else might Edward trust to see this unpleasant job done, especially considering that it almost certainly had to be done. If Richard did the deed, or oversaw its completion, it cannot have been done without Edward IV’s instruction.
Then, of course, there are The Princes in the Tower. It is one of history’s greatest and most enduring murder mysteries precisely because it is a mystery. I can freely admit that Richard might have had his nephews killed. He has to be the prime suspect if there was a murder. Could you convict him in a court of law? No. Not even a civil court using a balance of probabilities test. You might think you could, but you really couldn’t. There are other suspects, other outcomes, every bit as likely and fascinating to examine. Yet for some it’s easier just to deny any possibility but Richard’s wilful guilt, however unlikely, unnecessary and out of character it can be argued the murders would be.
All of the fuss about the re-interment of Richard III bemuses some, but Richard himself would have recognised the process his remains are undergoing and indeed might well have expected it sooner. In 1476, whilst Duke of Gloucester, he was chief mourner when the mortal remains of his father Richard, Duke of York and his brother Edmund, Earl of Rutland were transferred from their original burial place near Wakefield, where both had died in the Battle of Wakefield in 1460. Over a period of nine days a funeral procession made its way in pomp and reverence to the family mausoleum at St Mary and All Saints Church, Fotheringhay. In 1484, as king, Richard organised the re-interment of Henry VI’s remains, translating them from their humble resting place at Chertsey Abbey to the royal splendour of St George’s Chapel. He certainly wouldn’t have found anything, with the exception of Protestant ceremony, odd or disconcerting about the treatment he is receiving now.
Why do we care about Richard III? The British love an underdog, a wronged man, and for many Richard has been wronged by history. The myths obscuring his character don’t stand up well to scrutiny and it is this that interests Ricardians. In an age where labels are discouraged and we pride ourselves on tolerance, how is it that a person can be called a ‘Ricardian loon’ on live television simply for believing a man might not be the evil murderer he is accused of being? Ricardian baiting has become a national pastime, but it only works because some Ricardians will always take the bait. There are Ricardians who take their views to an extreme and are as unreasonable and sometimes as unpleasant as those who refuse to re-examine the evidence available about Richard III.
The interesting place is the quiet, reasonable space in the middle where there is a real story to be told and a debate to be had.
The shame is that this space is lost to the sensationalist, noisy extremes with more volume than knowledge.
Matthew Lewis is the author of a brief biography of Richard III, A Glimpse of King Richard III along with a brief overview of the Wars of the Roses, A Glimpse of the Wars of the Roses.
Matt has two novels available too; Loyalty, the story of King Richard III’s life, and Honour, which follows Francis, Lord Lovell in the aftermath of Bosworth. Both novels are just 99p or 99c each until Sunday 29th March 2015 to celebrate re-interment week.
The Richard III Podcast and the Wars of the Roses Podcast can be subscribed to via iTunes or on YouTube
Matt can also be found on Twitter @mattlewisauthor.
Kindle Countdown Offers for Re-Interment Week
Posted by mattlewisauthor in King Richard III, Writing
Honour, Kindle, King Richard III, Loyalty, Richard III
Loyalty, my novel of Richard III, and the sequel Honour, which follows the aftermath of the Battle of Bosworth, are both on a Kindle Countdown offer and are just 99p / 99c each on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
The offer is on now in the UK, will be live very soon in the US and lasts until next Sunday, 29th March to celebrate re-interment week.
Loyalty UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Loyalty-Matthew-Lewis-ebook/dp/B0088JHNCS/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Loyalty US: http://www.amazon.com/Loyalty-Matthew-Lewis-ebook/dp/B0088JHNCS/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1SBHYBAW5VQXJ76D8SGY
Honour UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Honour-Matthew-Lewis-ebook/dp/B00H8APXBG/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JM5RP244VR1CXEV9JN1
Honour US: http://www.amazon.com/Honour-Matthew-Lewis-ebook/dp/B00H8APXBG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
Richard III and The Catholic Herald
Richard III, The Catholic Herald, Wars of the Roses
This blog is written in response to an article that appeared on the Catholic Herald website and can be found here: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2015/03/04/richard-iii-fans-are-the-medieval-equivalent-of-911-truthers/
The article is entitled “Richard III fans are the medieval equivalent of 9/11 truthers” and displays a portrait with the caption ‘Richard III: a monster’. So we’re pretty clear where this is going. This type of article is hardly unusual but I thought this time I’d put the record straight, for a number of reasons.
Ed West, the author of the piece and deputy editor of the Catholic Herald, then launches into a savaging of Richard III that traditional historians would be proud of. It isn’t hard to work out where the ideas come from as Mr West announces that he has read Dan Jones’ recent Wars of the Roses tome The Hollow Crown. Interestingly, he mentions The Daughter of Time but doesn’t appear to have read it, nor does he reference any revisionist history to offset the known dislike Dan Jones maintains for Richard III.
It is asserted that attempts to review Richard III’s reputation began in the early 20th century with the foundation of The Fellowship of the White Boar. It is not such a new phenomenon. Sir George Buck published his revisionist The History of King Richard the Third in the early 17th century. Jane Austen famously wrote that she felt Richard III had been hard done to by history, musing;
“The Character of this Prince has been in general very severely treated by Historians, but as he was a York, I am rather inclined to suppose him a very respectable Man. It has indeed been confidently asserted that he killed his two Nephews & his Wife, but it has also been declared that he did not kill his two Nephews, which I am inclined to believe true; & if this is the case, it may also be affirmed that he did not kill his Wife, for if Perkin Warbeck was really the Duke of York, why might not Lambert Simnel be the Widow of Richard. Whether innocent or guilty, he did not reign long in peace, for Henry Tudor E. of Richmond as great a villain as ever lived, made a great fuss about getting the Crown & having killed the King at the battle of Bosworth, he succeeded to it.”
Mr West summarises the Wars of the Roses as told by Dan Jones as “mostly a good fun read about aristocratic psychopaths chopping each other’s heads off” before warning that “the story becomes very, very dark in April 1483”. Richard seizes the throne, kills Rivers, Grey, Vaughan and Lord Hastings and then, following Dan Jones’ conclusions, all but definitely murders his nephews. Richard’s coronation feast is meant to appear disgustingly opulent when it was, in fact, an integral part of a coronation until 1830 when William IV abandoned the idea as too expensive. Elizabeth Shore wasn’t paraded at the coronation, she was made to walk through London from St Paul’s as penance for harlotry and then put in prison, and all of this had more to do with being Edward IV’s mistress than Lord Hastings’ (and Edward IV’s stepson Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset too for good measure).
Let’s take a little look at how much darker things really got in 1483. Four men died to secure the throne for Richard III. Precisely four. Hastings, Rivers, Grey and Vaughan. None of these executions were illegal, whatever anyone may say. Richard was Constable of England and entitled to execute men for treason based on evidence that he had seen. Whether Richard was rightfully king or not, just four men. Thousands and thousands died to win the throne for Edward IV. Towton was a truly dark day. Thousands more perished to prise him off and see Henry VI restored only to have Edward IV back in place six months later. Who then was rightful king? We are seriously supposed to believe that four deaths are worse than many thousands. Four lives lost by men at the heart of the political turmoil threatening England are portrayed as being worth so much more than thousands of innocent men dragged from field to field around England to fight battles that had nothing to do with them for lords who didn’t care about them. I don’t buy that.
Even if we allow that he may have killed his nephews this is only so distasteful because of their ages and ignores a long history of murdering political rivals. If he did it, it is inexcusable, but it isn’t the only stand out crime of history, as it is painted by those convinced of Richard’s monstrous presence, haunting the annals of England’s history. Arthur, Duke of Brittany, a nephew of King John with a stronger claim than his uncle, mysteriously disappeared in 1203 after being imprisoned at Rouen by John. No one talks about this mystery. In 1470, just before he lost the throne, Edward IV had some of Warwick’s men executed. John Tiptoft, then Constable, oversaw the trials. The men were beheaded and then impaled on spikes, left on display with their severed heads atop the spikes driven through their backsides. When Charles II became king he had Oliver Cromwell and others exhumed, their rotten corpses beheaded, the bodies thrown into unmarked pits and the gory heads placed on spikes at the end of Westminster Hall where the men had sat in judgement on his father. This after promising no retribution. The murder of the Princes in the Tower, if it happened, has obtained such currency not only because it involved children, but because it is a morality tale that suited the Tudors and subsequent generations. Whenever the story rears its head there is an important context to consider.
Richard’s illegitimate children are given a mention to further smear his character. That Richard “fathered several illegitimate children” is a stretch. It was two (that are known of), both believed to have been born before he was married. John and Katherine were acknowledged as his natural children and provided for. Is that not to be applauded? No mention is given to Edward IV’s four or five illegitimate children, nor to the record of (approximately) 24 fathered by Henry I. Of course, mention of this would make Richard look positively chaste and that isn’t the aim of the article.
All of Richard’s well attested bravery and progressive legislation is given a cursory mention, but only to point out that it all counts for nothing because, at the end of the day, “he murdered his nephews”. Somewhere, we lost the ‘probably’ or ‘I would conclude from the evidence’. This is something that always frustrates me. I can’t tell you that Richard III didn’t kill his nephews. I don’t try to. I like to explore alternatives, but it is undeniable that if they died, Richard is the prime suspect. This does not make him guilty, but neither can he be proved innocent. When Dan Jones tells you Richard did it, he’s offering his opinion, nothing more. The same is true of Alison Weir. Educated though it may be, it remains an opinion rather than a fact. We are confidently informed that by late 1483 ‘everyone thought the princes dead’. Oh, apart from Henry VII who was worried by several pretenders until the end of the century. And apart from Sir William Stanley, executed in 1495 for saying that he would not fight against Perkin Warbeck if he really was the son of Edward IV. I could go on, but it was not a known fact then, and it isn’t now.
We are told that the “odd thing about Ricardians is how unlikely Richard’s innocence is”. It is this that makes us “late medieval equivalents of 9/11 truthers”. I’m sure that’s meant to be an insult, but if being accused of looking beyond someone else’s superficially presented opinion to explore an issue and reach a well-researched, well-reasoned conclusion of my own is an insult I’d suggest that this would say more about the article’s author than me. Fear of the truth and of investigation are hardly pinnacles of freedom and democracy. That conclusion, when reached, may well be that Richard did do it. Most Ricardians will freely concede that the possibility, perhaps even the probability, cannot be denied. Re-evaluation is what Ricardianism is about, not whitewashing. Some hold the view that Richard was innocent more passionately than others, just as some, including traditionalist historians, cannot see beyond his guilt to discuss the matter openly.
For me, the odd thing about traditionalists is their unwillingness to re-evaluate anything. For every Facebook group in which you will be rounded upon for accusing Richard of the murders there is another in which any mention of his innocence will be equally strongly opposed.
Mr West should perhaps read a few more books that might balance his views before peddling incorrect fact and second hand opinion. The same could be said for many people on both sides of the arguments. Catholics have been moved and upset by the lack of Catholic rites planned for Richard III’s re-interment but The Catholic Herald does not embrace the religious aspect of this debate but chooses instead to judge and condemn a man they demonstrably lack the knowledge to legitimately pillory. Ask questions, investigate possibilities, offer opinion. Don’t present poorly formulated conjecture as fact.
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