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Brembo Brake Facts for Czech MotoGP
By Press Release August 3, 2018 0
Now that MotoGP’s summer break is over and the Czech GP is almost underway, it’s time for some Brembo Brake Facts.
Valentino Rossi returns to the Brno track where he won his first GP in 1996, equipped with Brembo brakes
The summer break is finally over.
DETROIT, (August 2, 2018) – After the long summer break, the MotoGP bikes are revved up for the tenth race of the season at the Automotodrom Brno, in the Czech Republic, August 3-5.
The circuit was originally named after Tomas Masaryk, the founder and first President of Czechoslovakia, and the current layout was opened in 1987.
The track measures nearly 3.4-miles, making this the fourth longest track in the World Championship. The straightaways are fairly short: they range from 38 to 695 yards, the last one positioned at the finish line. Although there are 14 turn (eight right handers), the average per lap is almost identical to the number at Losail (Qatar), where the MotoGP bikes reach speeds of more than 217 mph.
Between the first and third miles, the track stands out for its undulation. The lowest point has an altitude of 1,233 feet above sea level while the highest point measures 1,476. This element influences braking because it is one thing to slow a bike down on flat stretches, but it is totally different to do so at the bottom of a downward slope.
Another variable that conditions the braking is the weather. In 2014 and 2015 the temperature of the tarmac stayed below 73° F, but in 2006 it got up to 102° while in 2016 and last year the rain drove it down to 64° and 75°. Depending on the situation, the riders have to avoid vitrification of the friction material and excessive overheating.
According to Brembo technicians, who assist 100 percent of the 2018 MotoGP riders, Automotodrom Brno is demanding on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a four on the difficulty index, exactly the same score given to the Spanish tracks, Jerez and Aragon.
The demand on the brakes during the GP
On one full lap, the MotoGP riders use their brakes 11 times for a total of 31 seconds. This may seem like a lot but on seven other tracks, including Jerez which is about 0.6 miles shorter, the time spent braking is greater. The reason why is because four of the braking sections at Brno last less than two-seconds each.
In spite of the six corners with a deceleration of at least 1.4 G, the average deceleration on the track is 1.15 G. That doesn’t even come close to the 1.30 G at nearby Spielberg circuit, which has just seven braking sections, each one very intense.
Summing up all of the force applied by a rider on the Brembo brake lever from the starting line to the checkered flag, the result comes in at more than 11.2 tons. Each lap the riders have to apply a force of 25 lbs., which is similar to that at Jerez.
The most demanding braking sections
Of the 11 braking sections at the Automotodrom Brno only one is classified as demanding on the brakes, six are of medium difficulty and the remaining four are light.
The most challenging by far is at the Kevin Schwantz corner (Turn 10), which is positioned almost at the end of a long descent. The MotoGP bikes arrive at it going 174 mph and then brake for 4.2 seconds to slow to 62 mph. To make this happen, the riders apply 13.6 lbs. of pressure on the brake lever and are subjected to a 1.5 G deceleration. During the 230 yards of braking, the pressure in the Brembo HTC 64T brake fluid reaches 10.7 bar, four times the pressure of a can of Pepsi Cola at room temperature.
There is more space to brake at the Frantisek Stastny corner (Turn 1) and at Turn 3, these measure 247 and 253 yards respectively. However, braking in the first section is more intense and tighter: 3.8 seconds with 12.6 lbs. on the brake lever. In the second section, the deceleration is less powerful because the track is going uphill, a deceleration of 1.4 G and a pressure of 10 bar on the Brembo brake fluid.
At Turn 9, right after the second split time, braking lasts a mere 1.2 seconds, just enough time to go from 80 mph to 65 mph.
Brembo performance
The Brno circuit is famous because it was here that Valentino Rossi won his first race. It was August 18, 1996 and he was riding an Aprilia RS125 equipped with a two-piece Brembo front caliper with a radial mount and four small pistons. The caliper operated in conjunction with a Brembo carbon disc measuring 273 mm in diameter and a standard braking band.
At Brno, Rossi has won seven races, every time with Brembo brakes, while Marc Marquez has been victorious only three times, most recently in 2017. Since 1993, the year the race was named the Czech Grand Prix, the bikes with Brembo brakes have won all 25 editions in the 500 cc – MotoGP classes.
MotoGP Bikes Brake Longer Than Superbikes At Misano
WSBK: 2012 Brno Results
Meanwhile in Finland: RMK E2 Electric
Valentino Rossi Unveils 2018 Misano Helmet Design
2018 Honda CRF250R Recalled for Clutch Failure
Technical Information Released For 2019 Suzuki RM-Z250
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Black British History: Mary Seacole
When asked to think about heroic women of the Crimean War, many people will first think about Florence Nightingale and her tireless work as a nurse. However, there was another woman also doing incredible work looking after the troops: Mary Seacole (c.1805-1881). Aside from her work in the Crimean War, the Jamaican nurse was also a writer, hotelier, and entrepreneur. The below is an extract taken from The Oxford Companion to Black British History, explaining more about her amazing life.
She was born Mary Grant, but no official records of her birth or parentage exist; in her autobiography, Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands (1857), she stated her father to be a soldier of Scottish descent (possibly James Grant of the 60th Regiment of Foot) and her Creole mother to be the keeper of a Kingston hotel, Blundell Hall, and a well respected ‘doctress’, skilled in the traditional African use of herbal remedies. Her mother’s guests and patients included British army officers garrisoned in Kingston, and Grant enjoyed a close relationship with the Army all her life. She had one sister, Louisa Grant (c.1815–1905), and a half-brother, Edward Ambleton, who died during the 1850s. Grant was educated by an elderly woman described in the autobiography as ‘my kind patroness’, and by her mother in cookery and medicine. During her teens, succumbing to what she called an irresistible and unladylike ‘inclination to rove’, she twice travelled to London, and in her twenties sailed to the Bahamas, Cuba, and Haiti, trading homecooked pickles and preserves for shells and fancy goods, for which she found a ready sale in Kingston. In 1836 Grant wed an Englishman, Edwin Horatio Hamilton Seacole (1803–44), in Kingston. She believed her husband to be a godson of Lord Nelson, but this cannot be confirmed. Together the Seacoles moved to the port of Black River, on Jamaica’s south-west coast, to open a general store. Like Edwin’s health, however, this venture failed to thrive and by 1843 both were back in Kingston.
Blundell Hall was consumed by the great fire of 29 August 1843; Edwin died in October 1844, and Seacole lost her mother around the same time. Temporarily cowed by this triple blow, she settled in Kingston to rebuild her livelihood. But by 1851 she was off again, choosing Panama—then the Republic of New Granada—for her next destination. Her brother Edward had already set up a hotel at Cruces, en route across the isthmus to the newly discovered California goldfields; Seacole opened her own hotel right opposite Edward’s.
Seacole struggled to make the hotel pay. American clients, she complained, preferred not to patronize any establishment fronted by a black woman, and there were not enough British visitors—whom she favoured—to go round. An alternative income came from an outbreak of cholera during her stay: using her experience of treating yellow fever in Jamaica, she nursed all comers, gladly accepting payment from those with the money. She carried out a pioneering autopsy one night on an infant, the better to understand the disease and help her patients. Seacole was back in Jamaica when she heard of the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1854. Her immediate response was to apply to British authorities as a nurse. She considered herself eminently qualified, being medically experienced, independent, strong, fiercely patriotic, and eager to do her duty. Expecting a grateful welcome, she sailed to London in the autumn of 1854. She applied to the War Office, the Quartermaster-General’s Department, the Crimean Fund, and to Florence Nightingale’s organization. Perhaps understandably, she was ubiquitously rejected. None had the courage to engage a stout ‘yellow’ woman (her word) dressed in vulgarly bright colours, at nearly 50 well past middle age, ‘unprotected’ (i.e. without male relations to take responsibility for her), loudly insistent, and obviously used to being in charge. Seacole was stunned: she had rarely met what she considered to be colour prejudice from the British before, and found it impossible to justify. But the setback only fuelled her desire to reach the Crimea for the sake of her ‘sons’, or British soldiers. Entering into a business partnership with Thomas Day, a relative of her late husband, she announced the imminent opening of a Crimean ‘British hotel’ and general stores, and sailed for Balaklava in February 1855.
The hotel, fondly known as Mother Seacole’s Hut, soon became a Crimean institution. It was built of scrap beside a stream on Spring Hill, between Balaklava and Sevastopol. Seacole is mentioned with affectionate admiration in first-hand accounts of the war, as famous for her fine roasted bustards or rice puddings as for tending the sick and wounded with warmth and good humour. But Florence Nightingale mistrusted her, and feared her nurses associating with this unorthodox exotic. Nightingale’s principal objection was that she served alcohol at her hotel, and prescribed it to her patients. Nightingale aimed to change the system; Seacole simply wanted to make her ‘sons’ feel better.
A hasty evacuation of troops followed the war’s end in April 1856, leaving Seacole with unsettled bills and unsaleable stock. On her return to London that summer she was declared bankrupt. But a philanthropic succession of benefit festivals and subscription funds, patronized by Queen Victoria and other members of the royal family, ensured relative comfort for the rest of her life. In 1857 her autobiography—the first by an African- Caribbean woman in Britain—was published to great acclaim. The next quarter-century was punctuated by visits to Kingston, where she owned two properties; she unsuccessfully volunteered to nurse victims of the Indian Mutiny in 1857 and the Franco-Prussian War in 1871; she enjoyed what appears to have been a remarkably close relationship with Princess Alexandra; and sometime between 1857 and 1860 she converted to Roman Catholicism.
Seacole died in London on 14 May 1881, and was buried at her own request in St Mary’s Catholic cemetery at Kensal Green. She was mourned as a British heroine, then promptly forgotten, surely in part because her colour and defiant self-possession forbade her from becoming a fashionable role model for Britain’s young ladies. Recently she has emerged again, thanks to a reprint of Wonderful Adventures edited by Ziggi Alexander and Audrey Dewjee in 1984, as a peerless model of self-belief, triumph over prejudice and preconception, and sheer strength of character.
Konshus 23rd February 2011
Portrait Of The 1985 Handsworth Riots – Pogus Caesar – BBC1 TV . Inside Out.
Broadcast 25 Oct 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey7ijaXv6UQ
Birmingham film maker and photographer Pogus Caesar knows Handsworth well. He found himself in the centre of the 1985 riots and spent two days capturing a series of startling images. Caesar kept them hidden for 20 years. Why? And how does he see Handsworth now?.
The stark black and white photographs featured in the film provide a rare, valuable and historical record of the raw emotion, heartbreak and violence that unfolded during those dark and fateful days in September 1985.
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The Changing Face of the AIDS Epidemic
HIV/AIDS: A Very Short Introduction
By Alan Whiteside
More than thirty years ago the first cases of AIDS were appearing in hospitals across United States, Europe and in Central Africa. The first published reports of this unusual disease appeared in 1981. It took a further two years before the cause, a retrovirus named the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, was identified.
The initial media responses to this sexually transmitted disease were hysterical with reports of police demanding protective clothing, funeral directors unwilling to bury the dead, and fears that AIDS would spread rapidly through entire populations laying waste to humankind.
It soon became apparent that HIV was difficult to transmit requiring direct contact with blood or body fluids. By 2000 the shape of the epidemic was clear. In most of the wealthy world it is primarily a disease of marginalized populations with specific patterns of behaviour that put them at risk. These include injecting drugs users and men who have sex with men without using protection. Across much of Latin America and Asia it is a limited disease affecting largely specific groups.
But there are areas where AIDS is a serious and growing problem. In Russia, Ukraine and some of the other former Soviet countries HIV transmission through injecting drug users is affecting significant proportions of young men and is spreading quickly. They in turn pass the disease on to their partners, who may then transmit it to their children. While the absolute numbers are not high, the proportionate impact will be significant.
In Africa AIDS is again different. There are some African countries, mainly in the west and north, with few infections. In other areas, HIV prevalence is in the order five to eight percent of adults and has consistently remained at this level. The real problem lies in the hyper-endemic countries of Southern Africa. Here prevalence levels among adults are above 15%. In Swaziland about 40% of ante-natal clinic attenders are infected and HIV prevalence among women aged between 25 and 29 has reached the astounding figure of 49 percent.
There are three major challenges. The first challenge is to prevent HIV from being transmitted; if we succeed in this then the second two challenges become largely irrelevant. Where we fail in prevention we have the challenge of treating people who have the misfortune to be infected and who fall ill. Antiretroviral therapy is available, can buy years of life, but it is not a cure and it is expensive. There are issues of sustainability and affordability in provision of drugs which need to be addressed. The third challenge is dealing with the consequences of the disease especially among orphaned children.
The key stakeholders in the AIDS community, from civil society through to researchers and governing bodies, continue to work to address these challenges. HIV/AIDS has become a highly politicized epidemic. Responses are constrained by the political agenda of the day, and we are seeing both fatigue and changing global priorities.
This epidemic was described in my Very Short Introduction to HIV/AIDS, published by Oxford University Press in 2008. In the conclusion I discussed the imperatives for prevention. At the time I thought we needed new ideas. I am now convinced of it. Medical male circumcision is being carried out and provides protection – but only for men. In the last few months there has been good news on microbicides – a gel that a woman can insert into the vagina prior to sexual intercourse. A trial has found one that is safe and that will reduce the chances of infection, but there are many more steps before it will be made available to the general female population.
Recently, with Justin Parkhurst from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine we developed and published just such a new idea. A month of “safe sex/no sex”. We postulated that such a programme, if carried out on a population basis, would have the effect of halting the epidemic in its tracks. The reasoning is based on our understandings of infectiousness and viral load. People living with HIV are most infectious—that is, they have the highest viral load—within the first few weeks of infection. A holiday from transmission would have the effect of reducing their viral load and potentially having a dramatic effect on incidence of new infections. This idea caused hot debate and was readily picked up by the media. It was hardly surprising that the caption was “scientists call for no sex month”, as this was the sensationalist headline-grabbing message that would sell papers. We accepted this sensationalized spin as sometimes necessary for opening spaces for dialogue and debate about innovate ways of addressing HIV/AIDS.
What is clear is we have to find innovative ways of addressing the epidemic now. Science will take time to deliver and structural responses are complicated and long term. We simply cannot continue with the appalling incidence rates we are seeing across Southern Africa. We need innovation. We need new ideas. This is one such idea. Would it work? I don’t know but I do know that it is worth modeling at the very least. As we watch the epidemic spread in my region we are willing to try almost anything.
Alan Whiteside is the Founder and Executive Director of HEARD and the author of HIV/AIDS: A Very Short Introduction. He started and edited the newsletter AIDS Analysis Africa, was appointed by Secretary General Kofi Annan as one of the Commissioners on the Commission for HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa, and is an elected Member of the Governing Council of the International AIDS Society. He lives in South Africa.
The Changing Face of the AIDS Epidemic « alanwhiteside 26th April 2012
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Home/podcast/Antone’s Night Club: Reviving an Iconic Brand in Austin, Texas | Will Bridges
Antone’s Night Club: Reviving an Iconic Brand in Austin, Texas | Will Bridges
0 1,006 16 minutes read
Iconic brands are instantly recognizable. Think the Volkswagen Beetle or the McDonald’s arches.
Brands like these are rooted in our culture. They have a status that goes beyond simply what they sell. They come to represent our desires, hopes and dreams.
However, sometimes an iconic brand may actually disappear. Juggernauts like Pan Am, Blockbuster, and Oldsmobile have been hurt by changes in technology or phased out for various reasons.
Having brand recognition can be hugely powerful, but when reviving a once iconic name, it can actually be a challenge and uphill battle to change built-in perception.
Antone’s, a once famous blues club in Austin, Texas has gone through six different business iterations and was even closed for two years after being open every day for 38 years.
However, Antone’s is once again becoming a destination location for visitors of Austin and a place many musicians desire to play.
In today’s episode of Small Business War Stories, we walk with Will Bridges of Antone’s about how they have been able to revive this amazing and iconic brand.
A summary of our interview with Will Bridges of Antone’s is below.
You can use the links below to jump to your interests.
What was it like to undertake reviving an iconic brand like Antone’s?
With an established iconic brand, how do you balance tradition and keeping things fresh for new audiences?
How did you balance that blues tradition with new acts?
What’s a potential pitfall? Can you share something that could have gone wrong?
What was the process with finding this location and why was it important to be here?
How did Gary Clark Jr get involved with the project and what’s it been like working with him?
Where do you see Austin and the Antone’s brand going in the next 10 years?
Antone’s is an iconic presence here in Austin. It’s a place that has hosted some of the greats in the history of music. People like Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, who basically got started here. You were the one that brought it back to Austin after it went away.
What was it like to undertake this project?
Will Bridges: It definitely has not been easy. From a marketing perspective, it is a lot harder to revive a brand than it is to start a new brand. I think, sometimes, entrepreneurs or business people might overestimate that just because something has a name, it’s going to be successful. This was a project that I certainly didn’t take on very lightly by any measure.
Clifford Antone founded the club. After Clifford passed in 2006, Susan, his sister who had been a part of the club for many years started running it full-time. The club changed hands, maybe, four or five years after that to the owner of Emo’s and had to move it out to East Riverside location. That was, really, the only major change. When you talk about reviving Antone’s, I think, there were probably smaller little mini revivals over the years just ramping business up and different people coming into roles and getting involved.
One thing about Antone’s that makes it special is that prior to it being closed before we took it over, which it was closed for about two years. Prior to that, it had been open for 38 years without ever really being closed for more than about a day.
Even when they would change locations, they would time it so that they’d have a farewell show at one location. Maybe a down day or two max, and then they’d jump right in to shows at the new location. The continuity of it was always really tight, but sadly, when the Riverside location closed, there was no plan to start a new one. It was about two years until we opened this one.
When you work on reviving an iconic brand, how do you balance keeping with tradition and the fact that so many musical legends went through the stage with engaging new audiences? Austin has a lot of live music. There’s a high standard to keep people engaged.
Will Bridges: Yeah. That is the key question. I think I am probably a little biased with my answer here because one, I’m from Austin and I take it for granted that I have an intuitive understanding of this brand to some degree and some of the brands that might be considered authentic old Austin brands.
A little back-story there, I grew up in Austin. My dad use to take me to the Guadalupe location. I remember meeting Clifford and seeing that scene as a young kid. I grew up playing music, recording music, promoting music. Antone’s was always one of the major outposts for our music community. Really, more than just a music venue. It was just a community hub. I never thought in a million years that I would be involved, but as this is often the case in a community especially when you stick around in your hometown, you get a little older and you start to realize that some of the things that you grew up enjoying and maybe taken for granted, now, are no longer running at full tilt for a lot of us.
Fortunately, that was a calling of responsibility to say, “It’s our turn to step up and take the reins of some of these things and steward those traditions and that culture forward.“
That was very much the case for this project. To summarize what, I think, is so key about translating any brand and that’s really the key word I like to use is, it’s all about context and relevance to recreate Antone’s in 2016 in a way that will position it for success for decades to come. It’s not just a literal copy paste of what it once was.
Austin has changed, the landscapes changed, the economy has changed and that model might not work. The balance you’re trying to find is, authenticity. It’s got to be authentic. It’s got to connect to the roots of its original origin and the intention of the original origin, but you’ve got to translate that relevance to fit the new context in the future context. In this case-
A key goal of bringing Antone’s back was to make it a blues club again. In it’s last iteration on Riverside, it had really just become more of a venue. They did the blue Mondays tradition, but other than that, there were not many blues shows at all.
Zach Ernst, our talent buyer, who books here at Antone’s and also at the Paramount Theater and the State Theater. He is, basically, Clifford’s protégé when it comes to talent buying. He met Clifford when taking Clifford’s History of Music class at University of Texas. He was just blown away and just became a sponge of everything that Clifford had to talk about.
When we brought Antone’s back, Zach and I had a lot of conversations about what that was going to mean musically. There are a lot of musicians that have been involved in the Antone’s community for a long time. It was very important that we got those musicians back into the mix because this was their home. A lot of musicians felt that ever since Antone’s closed, they felt like they didn’t really have a home base.
We wanted to make Antone’s a blues club again. We used the term, “club” as a real term of endearment here in Austin for rooms that are consistently presenting music with a consistent identity and voice. We’re a club town long before out of town shows would even come to Austin. We have to make our own stars and we have to make our own scenes.
Will Bridges: We knew that in 2017 and beyond, you can’t make the business work just having blues shows. There are not enough touring blues artists to really fill the calendar. If you just did all the local blues, you’re going to miss out on that segment of the demographic that wants to be seeing shows from out of town and bigger acts.
Step one was regaining our identity in Austin, and finding our soul again. Once we got Antone’s back on the right track in terms of its blues heritage, we could start experimenting with deviating from that and working with outside promoters, other talent buyers, friends that we all know in the community. We started experimenting and presenting other types of music as well.
This is all a metaphor for the relationship between blues and other genres. I consider blues to be one of the mother tongues of the music language, especially rock and roll, funk, rhythm and blues, hip-hop.
You have done a fantastic job over the last year. Antone’s is already a destination for people visiting Austin. It’s a stage that local musicians aspire to play on.
Will Bridges: Revitalizing any brand is tricky because you’re up against past expectations and the public’s perception and relationship with that brand. There are always going to be people that say, “Oh, that’s not how it was. It was like this. They shouldn’t have done that. They should’ve made it more like this. I liked it better when it was like that.“
That’s the trickiest part. It’s just that you’re recreating something and you’re trying to arm it with all the tools it needs to succeed, but also get the blessings of the folks that used to know that brand and its previous iteration.
What was really tricky in this case, this is the sixth iteration. A lot of people don’t realize there have been that many different versions of Antone’s.
I’ll give you the quick rundown. It started at the corner of Sixth and Brazos, 1975. That was the original.
The one that people forget about is Great Northern. After about a seven-year run on Sixth Street, which what is attributed to really starting Sixth Street, by the way. Sixth Street was not an entertainment district or a street that was known for musical bars or really, anything. Clifford and Antone’s was really what sparked that.
After a good run there, that building actually got torn down. They got displaced. They knew this was a temporary move, but they went up North on Great Northern. It was only a two-year stint, but ironically, it ended up playing important role in the overall trajectory of Antone’s because it was a really big room, bigger than they needed at the time. It allowed them to do some bigger road shows with Willie Nelson, James Brown, Bobby Blue Bland, B.B. King, and some of these relationships that Clifford cultivated there then carried forward to the other clubs. Those guys would come play smaller rooms because of the relationship that they had made with Clifford at Great Northern.
After about a two-year stint, Clifford was looking for a perfect space for the club to really have a long term life at or lease at and everything. They found a space on Guadalupe, at 29th and Guadalupe. That became the longest tenure. It was about 18 years. That one started in ’82, the year I was born, actually.
A lot of folks who we consider to be the Antone’s generation above myself, the old guard Antone’s were the folks who went to that location. A lot of them because they were going to UT (University of Texas) or ACC (Austin Community College) and that location was on the edge of campus. I’ve heard so many stories about people that were at UT, walking around, looking for something to do and walking and basically stumbling without knowing what they were walking into.
The Antone’s experience just blew them away. People remember meeting Clifford and seeing Sunnyland Slim play an amazing set that just changed their life forever. A lot of great memories were had there at the Guadalupe location. Clifford was always talking about moving back downtown at some point.
The next location went to 5th and Lavaca. I consider that my generation and our generation. That was a great venue. It was a great blues club. Based on where Austin was at, at that time, in terms of being a touring destination, that’s when they really first started experimenting with some different genres and open it up a little bit. Clifford was always very open to that. He believed in the same sentiment that I said earlier as blues being an origin for these different genres that had only made sense to expand the program and to cover some of those related genres.
Clifford passed away in 2006 and that’s the location they were at when he passed. He passed away unexpectedly and it totally just took everybody by surprise. That’s what set into motion, the efforts to maintain that location but they had a good run there and Clifford had apparently already been talking about, maybe, moving the club as well. There was a real scramble at that time to have bigger rooms because as we started to get more and more of this touring acts, people were rushing to have rooms big enough that could really accommodate the bigger acts. They could sell enough tickets to make that math work.
Another business owner, another club owner got involved, took it out to Riverside. That’s when it really became a venue. That was the largest version of Antone’s ever. It was great for the big shows, but it lost touch with the club feel and the blues stuff.
That brings us to today. What was the process with finding this location and why was it important to be here?
Will Bridges: When we realized that, “Man, we might have an opportunity to take this project on,” it was very intimidating. We thought, “We’re not worthy,” but we also felt a sense of responsibility.
We began looking at spaces downtown. There are not a lot of “big rectangles,” as I call them, left downtown. That’s really what you’re looking for when you’re looking for a music venue space. It’s a big open rectangle where you’re not going to have to rip out a bunch of infrastructure because then, you’re destroying value. If you have to rip out a kitchen, well, somebody put that kitchen in there and they’re probably trying to get rents that reflect that.
You hate to have to rip a bunch of stuff out. The more pristine and untouched it is, the better. Also, I just love that because of the aesthetic of it and everything, but there are not many places like that left downtown. We spent about a solid year just trying to find the perfect space, making inquiries about spaces, negotiating different potential leases before we found this space. This one, it was right under our nose because this little section of Sixth Street had a big empty lot across from it for a long time that would’ve, at the time, made this space seem like it was on a dead block.
But then The Westin Hotel started constructing their new hotel. Around that time when we thought, “This whole block is going to come back to life.” We felt like activity was already skewing south and east of downtown because of the hotel density, because of the proximity to the convention centers and all the events and business that go with that.
We felt like we got incredibly lucky. We found this space, hit it off with the landlords, one of the landlords who we were actually our point of contact at our first meeting actually told us a story about the first time that he went to Antone’s when he was going to UT.
When he told us that story and his eyes lit up, we thought, “Okay. Finally. Somebody that really gets this.” This space was basically a first generation warehouse space and had been so since it was built in the early 1900s.
The litmus test was bringing Susan (Clifford’s sister) to see the space. We brought her in and she said, “Oh man, the blues are already here.” It was important to us to bring Clifford’s sister back into the fold so that she could be one of the partners and be involved.
Once we had the space, we focused on what we felt like were the two most cherished venues: the original at Sixth and Brazos and the Guadalupe club. Those were the golden era. It was also when a lot of the great blues players from Chicago and other blues hubs around the country were still active, alive, and touring and Clifford was able to get, pretty much, all of them down to those clubs.
We studied those clubs and their heritage as best we could. We went through every picture we could find and every recording we could find. We used that to inform us as much as possible on the design and look and feel of the new club, all while trying to translate those elements to make sure that they’re also well positioned for 2017 and beyond.
You mentioned how important it was to bring Susan Antone into the fold. Let’s talk about Gary Clark Jr. who’s one of your partners in this venture. He’s a homegrown Austin talent and a tremendous blues guitarist.
How did he get involved with the project and what’s that been like?
Will Bridges: Gary and I have known each other for a long time. We went to Austin High together. We really got to know each other as people, as friends, and as music colleagues. Right after I graduated, I started getting more involved in the booking side of things.
Any time I had a budget for anything, any time I curated an event or show, Gary was always my first call. It didn’t matter what genre they were going for. I just always knew that if I could get him there, then the show would be amazing and the people would be impressed with me.
When I did our first project, Lambert’s BBQ in 2006, I got Gary involved as much as I could with the venue there. I would always think of Gary as, “Would he like this?” I’ve told him this, of course, over the years and we did the same thing when we were building this place up. He’s a tall guy. Things are like stage height and dressing room height. We always make sure that if somebody like Gary comes in, we’ve got to be able to make sure and accommodate him.
Gary and I had a sit-down about two-and-a-half, three years after his career had really started to explode. We had seen each other in passing. I had seen him backstage and we had gotten to chat for just a little bit, but we hadn’t had a chance to really sit down and catch in a while.
He and his team were doing a little video shoot over at Deep Eddy Cabaret, a bar that I also, now, run. It was for this documentary called, Two Trains Running, which was actually at the Austin Film Festival. An awesome film. You should check it out. It’s about the history of the blues and particularly country blues and how that genre and also, the revitalization of that genre played into some of the civil rights movement stuff at the time. Anyway, really interesting documentary.
After the shoot, we were all sitting on the patio, having some pitchers of cold beer, which is what you do at Deep Eddy Cabaret. I had a chance to tell Gary about this whole Antone’s situation. There were some people saying, “Hey, we’re willing to sell it.” There was interest from buyers, but everybody was waiting to line up the dots in terms of who would be involved, where it would go, and all that before anybody was really willing to pull the trigger.
We had this little window of an opportunity. I was really on the fence a little bit because of all the history and because of all the expectations and because the brand had gotten a little off its path, I knew, (1) it was going to be a real challenge and a lot of work to get Antone’s back to it’s glory and really do it justice, and (2) there was just so much pressure because as somebody born and raised in Austin, if you screwed that up, you’d never live it down. It was like, “Is it worth risking everything to jump in and try and save this?“
I gave Gary the whole rundown and we talked about it. We were talking about things like, all that nostalgia, honor and love we feel for Antone’s. Should we channel that into just a new music venue and call it something different? Because there were also other hurdles just to even get access to the name “Antone’s.” Obviously, it was going to be a lot more expensive than to just go out and start a brand new venue.
Gary really listened to me. He really thought about it before he spoke, but he told me his take on it which was basically that he thought, “Man, we owe it to Clifford. We owe it to the legacy of Antone’s to try and do everything we can to save it.” Like I was talking about earlier, he acknowledged that we also have to make it new. We need to find a way to translate it into the future and have it be, not just a continuation of Antone’s, but a rebirth.
Will Bridges: Well, I really hope, if you look at where Austin has come from in the last 10 years and just all the exponential growth we’ve experienced, 10 years is a long time. My goal and my hope for Austin is that, in the next 10 years, we really get our feet set and really find a balance amongst all this growth. There are going to be some really key challenges. Affordability and transportation are two major components of that. I really want to see an Austin where the arts flourish downtown. I think that’s key and I think we’re already starting to see indicators of that happening again.
I hope that the residential urbanism that’s happening downtown can really continue to mesh with the creative class in the arts sector. That’s always a tricky part of a growing city. I think it’s important that Austin gets that right. Also, I think, it’s incredibly important that we continue to preserve and safeguard our green spaces and our cultural outposts.
I often say that our brick and mortars, our bars and restaurants and music venues and parks, are our cultural infrastructure. They are the coral reef of the culture as we know it in Austin. Maintaining that is incredibly key. How that translates to Antone’s, in 10 years, we want to be celebrating our 50th anniversary that actually, in eight years, which will be a huge milestone for the club.
Antone’s is already an international name. Clifford made it so, but by reinvigorating this club, we hope to just reactivate all those relationships and channels around the state, around the country and around the globe so that people know that Antone’s is not only Austin’s home of the blues but one of the best blues clubs in the world and one of the best live music venues in the world, and a place that will continue to harbor and nurture talent and hold the blues torch for the City of Austin, Texas.
Reviving a well known brand can actually be more difficult than starting a completely new brand. You are battling a lot of people’s past experiences with the brand, which might be different than where you think you need to take it to be relevant today.
Will Bridges, and the other partners at Antone’s, have been successful with transforming the Antone’s brand by maintaining the club’s roots in blues music, but also mixing in other types of music to keep it relevant for 2017.
Their hope is to make Antone’s one of the best live music venues in the world.
If you have any question or comments about reviving an iconic brand or about this episode of Small Business War Stories, please leave a comment below.
Claire Flowers Shoes: Starting a Women’s Shoe Company from Scratch in Earth City, Missouri | Claire Flowers
Digital Marketer + Wizard Academy: Building Your Brand’s Character and Using Cutting Edge Small Business Digital Marketing Tactics | Ryan Deiss
FLASH! Linked Selling: Making Connections to Grow Your Business | Ben Kniffen
SBWS x SXSW: Finding Comfort in Communication | Eric Waisman
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Correll Family company wins top award
March 31, 2014 Alumni RelationsPosted in News
Frank Correll ’61 and his sons Frank ’86 and Jim ’88 own Correll Company, a retirement benefits service provider in the Chicago area. Correll Company won the silver level in the <$5M in Total Plan Assets category announced earlier this month at an awards dinner in New York, and was be featured in the March issue of PLANSPONSOR magazine. The annual award is presented by the editors of PLANSPONSOR, recognizing plan sponsors that demonstrate leadership in providing a more secure retirement for workers.
Congratulations, Correll Company and Family!
Jeff Grabill ‘91 talks TED
Jeff Grabill ‘91 is a Professor of Rhetoric and Professional Writing and Chair of the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures at Michigan State University. Jeff recently presented a TED Talk entitled “Texting is Good for Us.”
To find out if it really is good for us, click here to watch Jeff’s TED talk on YouTube.
Thanks to Hugh Vandivier ’91 for the news tip!
Photo courtesy of
Michigan State University.
Ryan Claxton '01, Mike Biberstine '00, Graham Bailey '03 – our men of the year
Three Wabash alumni in Indianapolis and Dayton, OH are in the running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) Man of the Year. The winner is determined by the number of votes ($1 per vote) he is able to raise by May 10. “The contest raises funds for blood cancer research in honor of local children who are blood cancer survivors, the Boy & Girl of the Year, because everyone wins when cancer loses.”
Ryan Claxton ‘01, whose daughter, Sophie Grace, was diagnosed with a type of leukemia just a few days after she was born — Ryan is in the process of raising $100,000 for LLS by May 10.
Mike Biberstine ’00 — raising money to honor the LLS Boy & Girl of the Year.
Graham Bailey ’03 — a candidate from the LLS Man of the Year from the Tri-State of Southern Ohio Chapter, which covers Cincinnati and Dayton.
Each candidate can use your votes to support their common goal. Directions on how to donate are on each of their LLS web pages, linked above.
Thanks to Bryan Roesler ’06 and Adam Van Zee ’07 for the information!
Dr. Dennis Dean '73 reappointed biotech professor
Dr. Dennis R. Dean PhD ’73 is Director of Life Sciences in the department of Biochemistry at Virginia Polytechnic & State University, where he was recently reappointed the J.B. Stroobants Professor of Biotechnology. Other honors at Virginia Tech have included the University Distinguished Professor, Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
After Wabash, Dennis earned a PhD in Molecular Biology at Purdue University. Congratulations, Dennis!
Todd Shellenbarger ’87, Asst. U.S. District Attorney
Todd Shellenbarger ’87 is Assistant U.S. Attorney, Evansville (IN) Office, Indiana – Southern District. On April 3 he will speak on campus with a lunchtime talk, “The No Body Murder Case and other Reflections on a Career as a Prosecuting Attorney,” focusing on a murder case that he won as a state prosecutor even though he had no body to use as evidence against the suspect. Conviction for murder is (as will be heard at the talk) possible, but difficult to prove, forcing prosecutors to rely on other types of evidence.
Todd will also speak about his career path, law school, and current duties as an Assistant United States Attorney. After Wabash, Todd earned his JD at Indiana University.
Dr. Zachary Dodd, MD ’01 joins OrthoIndy and Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital
Dr. Zachary Dodd, MD ’01 joins OrthoIndy and Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital as a surgeon with a focus on spine neurosurgery and trauma.
After Wabash, Zachary earned his MD from Indiana University School of Medicine and had his residency through Indiana University.
Indian Orthopaedic Hospital.
M. Josh Petruniw ’05 – partner at Tiede Metz & Downs
John Petruniw ’05 was named partner at the law firm of Tiede Metz & Downs in Wabash, IN, focusing his practice on commercial law, and employment law, family law, estate planning, and civil litigation. He joined Tiede Metz & Downs in 2011.
After Wabash, Josh received his Juris Doctor from the Robert H. McKinney School of Law at Indiana University. During law school, Josh also earned a Master of Business Administration from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.
In addition to his law career, Josh serves on the board of directors for Wabash Marketplace, Inc. and the Community Foundation of Wabash County, and he is an active member of the Wabash Rotary Club. Josh has also served as a public defender and Guardian Ad Litem in Wabash County.
Tiede Metz & Downs.
Tom Broecker ’84 – “Designing for the Stars”
Tom Broecker ’84 is costume designer for a variety of shows, from 300+ episodes for the comedic Saturday Night Live to the dramatic series House of Cards. Tom was featured in an Indianapolis Star interview this past Sunday, in which he described dressing stars such as Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Last month, Tom won his first Costume Designers Guild Award for his work on House of Cards. Click here to listen to an online interview with Tom: “’House of Cards’ Costume Designer Tom Broecker on ‘Helping the Actor Realize their Character Through Clothes’.”
Congratulations, Tom!
David K. Herzog ’77 heads business litigation at FBD
David K. Herzog ’77 was named leader of business litigation practice at Faegre Baker Daniels in Indianapolis.
David is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and leads FBD’s business litigation practice group, concentrating in complex business and commercial litigation. David was Managing Partner of Faegre Baker Daniels’ Indianapolis office from 1998 until September 2000 when he left the firm to become Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Conseco, Inc., where he served until February 2003. He then returned to Faegre Baker Daniels as a partner.
Faegre Baker Daniels.
Sgt. Ron Kelsey ’07 seeks healing for others through art
Sgt. Ron Kelsey ’07 will hold an art exhibit at the U. S. Army’s Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. The exhibit is Ron’s offering a way to help his fellow soldiers deal with the trauma of war through the traveling art exhibit. Click here to read a recent El Paso Times news story about Ron and the exhibit.
“The exhibit, called “Reflections of Generosity: Toward Restoration and Peace” will show at Fort Bliss . . . throughout the month of April.
It will consist of Kelsey’s own original artwork, art from his friends at the International Arts Movement in New York City where he once interned, and art from his fellow soldiers and the El Paso community. Kelsey is seeking art from soldiers and El Pasoans through March 28 for inclusion.
“The goal is to use art as a healing tool,” said Kelsey, who is a personnel specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
Good work, Ron!
Ron Kelsey ’07 with sample of art from the exhibit.
Photo courtesy of El Paso Times (Texas).
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South Asia @ LSE
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Demonetisation and information poverty: Insights from slum areas in Bangalore and Mumbai
Drawing on her ongoing fieldwork in slum areas of Bangalore and Mumbai, Silvia Masiero argues that information poverty increases hardship for the poor and vulnerable facing demonetisation. She observes, however, that the unbanked poor are those who hold the most valuable information about the real effects of the Government’s move towards a cashless economy.
Information, a highly valuable asset for the poor and vulnerable, becomes more so in situations of crisis. In the immediate aftermath of the announcement of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes on 8 November 2016, Kandukuri Vinoda, a woman from Telangana’s Mahabubabad district, took her own life believing all her cash savings, stored in denominations of 500 and 1000, would lose any value. This tragic circumstance reflects a crucial matter: sudden crises make information a primary necessity good, especially when change is sudden, touches core aspects of people’s lives, and implies the need for quick adaptation to new circumstances. All aspects that the aftermath of India’s demonetisation implies, especially for the millions of unbanked citizens who conduct most of their transactions in cash.
A previously scheduled research trip led me to arrive in India on 23 November, only fifteen days after Prime Minister Modi’s announcement. While not planned, being in the country in this tense moment led me to explore questions on the nature of information poverty, and its impact in the context of demonetisation. For how it has been conceived the Government’s measure affects, first and foremost, those who do not have an alternative to cash payments, meaning a sizeable part of the population largely coinciding with the unbanked poor. For this reason, it is to slum communities in Bangalore and Mumbai that I have turned, in order to understand how information has travelled and the ways in which information provision – or the lack of it – influences life after demonetisation.
In the street markets of the slum areas, I have had the chance to learn from the voices of street sellers, daily wage workers, and people simply gathering around as conversations unfolded. Street sellers, who traditionally conduct the entire volume of their transactions in cash, saw their businesses paralysed in a matter of hours, since the cash flow was drastically reduced. Unbanked communities have been hit suddenly and profoundly, and hold extremely valuable information on the effects of the move.
Images: Street sellers in Pattabhirama Nagar, Bangalore. Among the hardest hit by demonetisation.
Huge numbers of citizens have followed the live announcement by Prime Minister Modi, and those who did not (for example, as not in possession of a TV) have learned about it from their networks very quickly. The announcement stated that “ “the 500 rupee and 1000 rupee currency notes presently in use will no longer be legal tender from midnight tonight, that is 8 November 2016”, and continued on the point that “persons holding old notes of 500 or 1000 rupees can deposit these notes in their bank or post office accounts from 10 November till close of banking hours on 30th December 2016 without any limit”. It then specified, among other points, a set of special arrangements taken for humanitarian reasons, for example that the notes in point would be accepted by government hospitals and other primary-need facilities for the first 72 hours.
Field narratives however reveal that the announcement, made in English on all national TV channels, has often been transformed as it travelled to people, hence generating panic and confusion. The tragic suicide of Kandukuri Vinoda over the assumed loss of all her cash savings illustrates the point dramatically. Translated in the nation’s many languages, transposed into WhatsApp messages and community rumors, the announcement has reached many citizens in distorted ways and generated worried and frustrated reactions. English-speaking households in possession of a TV had direct exposure, but not many members of poor and vulnerable communities who have therefore received multiple interpretations of the original message.
Images: Stall holders in Dharvi, Mumbai feel the pinch as cash transactions paralysed for days, while moneylenders’ cash repayment requests have increased
Furthermore, the unbanked have been left without a crucial piece of operational information on how to open a bank account to cope with the new, pressing need to be able to do cashless transactions. A street seller in south Bangalore reported going to three different banks in the attempt to open an account, and being required proofs of identity and address that she does not have, and does not know how to obtain. Another woman reported receiving conflicting information from different officials, and being unable to figure out the operational steps to take. Confusion on how to obtain a bank account and card is pervasive, and faced in diverse ways: people rely on their extended networks or information brokers, and crucially, often find themselves without an “official” version of how to proceed. Being unbanked seems to have become an unsustainable cost, deep enough to prevent any form of normal participation in the country’s economic life.
Another problem emerging from field narratives lies in street sellers’ reliance on moneylenders, especially for those individuals which were denied a loan from a bank in the past. Moneylenders, known for charging high interest rates, are reportedly charging even more after demonetisation. Small vegetable shopkeepers, a category which relies heavily on moneylending, face a conundrum: for many days there has been little or no business activity, since the perishable nature of the goods they sell prevents big transactions, and the small 100 rupee note has become a rare commodity. At the same time, moneylenders began demanding greater repayments in cash, and information poverty makes it more difficult to think of turning to the local bank.
Demonetisation has been justified by Prime Minister Modi’s announcement with the importance of “breaking the grip of corruption and black money”, and in the immediate aftermath a survey revealed 90% support for the new economic measure. Many others, including recent pieces by Maitreesh Gaitak, Swathi Dhingra and Amartya Menon on this blog, criticised the move on the grounds that its design does not attack the heart of black money, which is instead to be found in real assets and existing businesses. Among many takes on the political value of the move, my days in the slums are leading me to see the extent to which the unbanked are hit, and the vulnerable strata of the population are made, at least in the short term, more vulnerable by a deadly combination of persisting cashlessness and information poverty.
Images: Shopkeepers in Someshwarpura, Bangalore. These small businesses are heavily reliant on moneylenders to set up and run their shops. Cash is slowly coming back into circulation but the impact on their livelihoods could persist for sometime.
A final note is that, when discussing demonetisation in academic circles these days, information comes, almost invariably, from people directly affected by the move to cashlessness. This is perhaps the deepest lesson from my days here: the poor, whose information poverty increases their hardship, are at the same time those that hold the most valuable information on the real effects of the Government’s move. It can be hoped that this information, lived and shared across the communities, will strengthen their position in the weeks to come, as knowledge on how to live in a cashless economy is becoming crucial for mere survival.
This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of the South Asia @ LSE blog, nor of the London School of Economics. Please read our comments policy before posting.
Silvia Masiero completed her PhD in Information Systems at LSE’s Department of Management in 2014. She is now a Lecturer in International Development at Loughborough University. Her current research is on the role of information and communication technologies in development policy and governance, with a focus on anti-poverty programmes in South Asia. She tweets @SilviaHedley.
December 5th, 2016|Corruption, Development, Economy, Featured, LSE, Photo Essays, Technology|Comments Off on Demonetisation and information poverty: Insights from slum areas in Bangalore and Mumbai
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What’s More Important: Liberty Or The Entity That Protects It?
Published: Thursday, October 28, 2010
Let me ask readers a question. What’s more important: freedom and its undergirding principles, or the entity meant to protect it? A word of caution: be careful how you answer that question, because the way you answer marks your understanding (or lack thereof) of both freedom and the purpose of government.
Thomas Jefferson–and the rest of America’s founders–believed that freedom was the principal possession, because liberty is a divine–not human–gift. Listen to Jefferson:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men.” (Declaration of Independence)
Jefferson could not be clearer: America’s founders desired a land in which men might live in liberty. By declaring independence from the government of Great Britain (and instituting new government), Jefferson, et al., did not intend to erect an idol (government) that men would worship. They created a mechanism designed to protect that which they considered to be their most precious possession: liberty. In other words, the government they created by the Constitution of 1787 was not the object; freedom’s protection was the object.
Again, listen to Jefferson: “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men.” In other words, government is not the end; it is the means. Government is not the goal; it is the vehicle used to reach the goal. Nowhere did Jefferson (and the rest of America’s founders) express the sentiment that government, itself, was the objective. Listen to Jefferson once more:
“That whenever ANY FORM OF GOVERNMENT becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” (Declaration) (Emphasis added.)
Jefferson is clear: people have a right to alter or abolish ANY FORM OF GOVERNMENT that becomes destructive to liberty. To America’s founders, there was no such thing as a sacred cow when it came to government. Government had but one purpose: “to secure these rights.” When ANY FORM of government stops protecting sacred, God-given liberties, it is the right and duty of people to do whatever they deem appropriate to secure their liberties–even to abolishing the government.
To America’s founders, patriotism had everything to do with the love of liberty, not the love of government!
Today’s brand of patriotism (at least as expressed by many) is totally foreign to the fundamental principles of liberty upon which America was built. I’m talking about the idea that government is an end and aim in itself; the idea that government must be protected from the people; the idea that bigger government equals better government; the idea that criticism of the government makes one unpatriotic; the idea that government is a panacea for all our ills; and the idea that loyalty to the nation equals loyalty to the government. All of this is a bunch of bull manure!
When government–ANY GOVERNMENT–stops protecting the liberties of its citizens, and especially when it begins trampling those liberties, it has become a “destructive” power, and needs to be altered or abolished. Period.
Can any honest, objective citizen not readily recognize that the current central government in Washington, D.C., long ago stopped protecting the God-given rights of free men, and has become a usurper of those rights? Is there the slightest doubt in the heart of any lover of liberty that the biggest threat to our liberties is not to be found in any foreign capital, but in that putrid province by the Potomac?
Therefore, we must cast off this phony idea that we owe some kind of devotion to the “system.” Away with the notion that vowing to protect and prolong the “powers that be” makes us “good” Americans. The truth is, there is very little in Washington, D.C., that is worthy of protecting or prolonging. The “system” is a ravenous BEAST that is gorging itself on our liberties!
Patriotism has nothing to do with supporting a President, or being loyal to a political party, or anything of the sort.
Is it patriotic to support our country (which almost always means our government), “right or wrong”? This is one of the most misquoted clichés in American history, by the way. Big Government zealots (on both the right and the left) use this phrase often to try to stifle opposition by making people who would fight for smaller government appear “unpatriotic.”
The cliché, “My country, right or wrong,” comes from a short address delivered on the floor of the US Senate by Missouri Senator Carl Schurz. Taking a strong anti-imperialist position and having his patriotism questioned because of it (what’s new, right?), Schurz, on February 29, 1872, said, “The senator from Wisconsin cannot frighten me by exclaiming, ‘My country, right or wrong.’ In one sense I say so, too. My country–and my country is the great American Republic. My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.” (Source: The Congressional Globe, vol. 45, p. 1287)
Schurz then later expanded on this short statement in a speech delivered at the Anti-Imperialistic Conference in Chicago, Illinois, on October 17, 1899. He said, “I confidently trust that the American people will prove themselves . . . too wise not to detect the false pride or the dangerous ambitions or the selfish schemes which so often hide themselves under that deceptive cry of mock patriotism: ‘Our country, right or wrong!’ They will not fail to recognize that our dignity, our free institutions and the peace and welfare of this and coming generations of Americans will be secure only as we cling to the watchword of TRUE patriotism: ‘Our country–when right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right.’” (Source: Speeches, Correspondence and Political Papers of Carl Schurz, vol. 6, 1913, p. 119) (Emphasis in original.)
Amen! In a free society, genuine patriotism demands that our country be RIGHT, as our nation’s policies and practices reflect the values and principles of its citizens. To feign some kind of robotic devotion to a nation without regard to sacred principle or constitutional fidelity is to become a mindless creature: at best, to be manipulated by any and every Machiavellian that comes along, or, at worst, to be a willing participant in tyranny.
As to loyalty to a President merely because he is President, Theodore Roosevelt may have said it best:
“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth–whether about the President or anyone else.”
Hence, freedom-loving Americans cannot afford to become infatuated with Washington, D.C. We cannot allow these propagandists on network television to distort the meaning of true patriotism in our hearts.
Patriotism means we love freedom. It means we understand that freedom is a gift of God. It means we understand that government has only one legitimate function: to protect freedom. It means that our love of liberty demands that we oppose, alter, or even abolish ANY FORM of government that becomes destructive to these ends. And it means that we will never allow government to steal liberty from our hearts.
As I asked at the beginning of this column, What’s more important: freedom and its undergirding principles, or the entity meant to protect it? The right answer is, freedom and its undergirding principles. If you understand that, then you rightly understand that the current government we find ourselves under is in desperate need of replacement. And whatever, however, and whenever that replacement reveals itself is not nearly as important as that liberty is preserved.
On the other hand, if you mistakenly believe that government (the entity meant to protect liberty) is more important than liberty, you are both tragically deceived and pathetically impotent to preserving freedom. You may also have identified yourself as an enemy of freedom.
As for me and my house, we will stand with Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence–in whatever form it may present itself in a modern world bent on dismantling our liberties. In other words, I pledge no loyalty to any government that seeks to destroy our freedom–including the current one!
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Kane Brown’s Got Sophomore Album Jitters: ‘It’s Intimidating’
Jason Kempin, Getty Images
Kane Brown may already have picked out a release date (Nov. 9) for his upcoming sophomore album, but, he says, the project is still very much in progress: "It's not finished yet. I'm still writing," he tells The Boot. The country star spoke to The Boot and other media outlets backstage at Nissan Stadium on Day 1 (June 7) of the 2018 CMA Music Festival, and then again at the 2018 Taste of Country Music Festival the next day (June 8), about the record.
Brown says he's working extra hard on the songs for his new album because he wants each one to be special: "I sang the songs on my debut album for over a year now," he explains. "If I'm going to be singing these next songs for [that long], I want them to be special to me, and I want them to be fun for the crowd. I'm working my tail off."
Brown's second album brings the added pressure of living up to his record-setting debut.
"It's definitely very scary, because my debut album did better than I expected, and so now for this second album, I have to top that," he goes on to say. "That's making me grow as an artist, which I love, but it's also very intimidating."
Brown's music walks a fine line between the traditional country covers that netted him his first fans and the more modern direction that his own original songs take. "When I first got into country, I was trying to do the traditional country thing, and I still have a heart for traditional country," he says. "But the songs I was writing just weren't falling into that category."
While Brown says that much of the music on his upcoming album won't fit into the mold of "traditional country," his newest single, "Lose It," includes some serious twang. Brown says he intentionally weaves back and forth between styles: "I put them [together] to kind of make my own lane," he explains.
"[The song's] got a little fiddle, which we didn't have on the debut album at all, or any of my music I've ever released," Brown points out. "We've got a different-sounding guitar. Every time I go into a country music club, I see people two-stepping to all these different kinds of music, and this song is a little different from [classic country], but I'm hoping it's something people can two-step to."
Before releasing "Lose It," Brown posted snippets of the song on his Instagram page, sometimes simply playing it in the background of the video without announcing the song as a forthcoming single. The singer explains that this social media tactic is something he often does, and that it helps give him a better sense of how fans react to new music.
"I've done it since I started," he notes. "I'll put stuff up, and before it's even out there, some fans that have listened to the songs on whatever platform I posted it on, [and] they're already singing along to the verses that they remember. It kinda shows me what'll work and what won't work."
There's no word on the title of Brown's upcoming album, and, in fact, only five of its songs have been written so far, but Brown says the final product will be different from anything he has released to date.
"It's kind of clashing old-school [country] and new-school [country] and doing something different with it," he explains. "So we'll see."
More New Albums Coming in 2018
NEXT: Kane Brown's Success Helps Him Give Back
Source: Kane Brown’s Got Sophomore Album Jitters: ‘It’s Intimidating’
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Easter 3C
John 21:1-19
Mark rings down the curtain on his Gospel before a single human being has as yet shared the news of the resurrection. That was sufficiently frustrating to some in church history that they tacked on a few more verses both to try to spice things up a bit and round the Gospel of Mark off a little better.
Luke gives us a memorable post-resurrection story on the Road to Emmaus that happened yet that first Easter day but then rather swiftly fast-forwards to an exceedingly brief account of the ascension 40 days later.
Matthew gives us just a handful of verses but you don’t really notice how little Matthew gives following the resurrection on account of his presenting the soaring words we now call “The Great Commission.” Still, that’s all Matthew has post-Easter.
Not to put too fine a point on it but the Synoptic Gospels are mighty thin on saying anything about Jesus once he showed up as a living presence again after Easter. I have always found that dearth of post-Easter narrative striking. Of course we ultimately have the Book of Acts to fill in a ton of blanks for us but still . . . the Gospels mostly end a little too soon in some ways.
Then again, the only thing that strikes me even more than the absence of post-Easter stories in the Synoptics is the presence of what John does include. After all, in terms of reporting words or events that took place after that first Easter Sunday, Matthew contains 5 verses, Mark contains 0 verses, and Luke contains 4 verses. John contains 33 verses, including one brief story that happened 1 week after the resurrection (“Doubting” Thomas’s encounter with Jesus) and then an entire chapter of something that happened at an unspecified post-Easter time (but that happened presumably some weeks later into the 40 days between Easter and Ascension).
John wins hands down in terms of the post-Easter Jesus. And yet look at what he gives us: Jesus tending a campfire on a beach!
Look, Jesus didn’t have to shake up the whole world and all its powers and authorities within the first 12-18 hours of his returning to life but all these weeks later the last place I’d expect to find the resurrected Lord of lords and King of kings hanging around is an isolated stretch of beach and the last thing I’d expect to find him doing in that remote place is frying fish and cooking biscuits.
Is this what life in this world looks like after Easter?! Is this how the resurrected Son of God behaves across 40 days while physically still on this earth?
You see, if we as preachers or if the members of the congregation as listeners to a sermon on John 21 isolate this text—make it one pearl on a long string of biblical narrative pearls nestled right next to the Sermon on the Mount, Joseph’s coat of many colors, and Elijah’s chariot of fire—then it becomes just another in a long series of nice, cozy Bible stories. But I suspect this story will never disclose its deepest meaning to us until or unless we allow its oddities to shine forth.
Hence we can ask: why are Jesus’ post-Easter words in some ways less startling than what came long before anyone thought to end his life by impaling him on a cross? Here we get no more parables, no more sermons (on a mount or anywhere else), no more walking on water or opening a blind person’s eyes. Instead across the first dozen or more verses of this story Jesus says just some very basic things:
“Catch anything?”
“Come and have breakfast.”
Nothing earth-shattering there.
What is Jesus doing here? Why isn’t he in Rome lecturing the Caesar? Why isn’t he in Jerusalem telling old Herod and Pilate the truth of what had happened to him as a result of their execution orders? Why wasn’t Jesus anywhere else but that beach, maybe curing cancer, healing the blind, releasing some prisoners, making some crooked ways straight?
Even the spectacular catch of fish pales in comparison to stuff he had done before. Ever think of that? Consider: Earlier in John—as in all the gospels—Jesus took a couple of fish and a piece or two of bread and managed to do the eye-popping miracle of feeding 5,000 or so folks out of that meager fare. That was impressive!
But now in John 21 Jesus goes to the opposite extreme: he feeds 7 people from a catch of 153 fish. Not much of a miracle to that feeding!! Why were the miracles before Easter so much more interesting than the ones after?
It’s really no wonder that scholars have for centuries sought ways to spice up this little story by looking for symbolism and hidden meanings behind every little detail. Depending on whose commentary you read, everything may be freighted with secret meanings: the boat, the net, the water, and most tantalizingly of all for those on the hunt for secret meanings: the 153 fish. (My favorite on that one comes from no less than Augustine. According to Dale Bruner, Augustine thought this was a symbolic number arrived at my remembering that there are 10 commandments and 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit. 10+7=17 and if you add the integers from 1 to 17 (1+2+3+4 . . .) you arrive at precisely 153. So there you have it: 153 fish = a symbol of both Law and Gospel!)
No, no, no. Attempts to complexify this story end up ruining the story. We are so desperate to imbue the resurrected Jesus with cosmic meaning that we do not remain content to let him show up in so ordinary a circumstance and performing so common a set of tasks. But when we think about it—and when we ponder how to preach this story 2 Sundays after Easter in the Year C Lectionary cycle—we probably need to see Jesus in exactly the everyday set of circumstances that John depicts.
Because isn’t that where we need to encounter the Savior, too? We don’t need only a stained-glass Jesus who is other-worldly and who speaks words only meant for the holiest and most obviously sacred of events and occasions. We need a Jesus in the kitchen, “amid the pots and pans” as Theresa of Avila put it. We need a Jesus on the beach and at the office, in the car with us and while shopping at the mall. We need a Savior who accompanies us on our everyday journeys, who sees us in those ordinary circumstances, and who speaks into those times and places, too.
So go ahead and heap lots of layered meanings and Dan Brown-like hidden symbols onto John 21 if you like. But I’m quite content with the Jesus on the beach, tending a fire, sizzling some perch, and saying to his friends, “Have some breakfast.”
By the way: Some may read the first part of this sermon starter and so will want to assert that if that little breakfast on the beach seemed a little on the trite side as post-Easter narratives go, at least things get more serious once the restoration of Peter takes place.
And true enough, Jesus’ extending his forgiving grace to the disciple who had so fiercely denied Jesus so as to save his own skin is a vital part of this story. But I’d argue that it, too, is part of the larger commonplace nature of this narrative—even Peter’s restoration emerges not from an incredibly spectacular context but, as it were, around the breakfast table.
I suppose those are the kinds of everyday settings where some of our best Gospel work of being gracious and forgiving need to happen, too.
Scholars assure us there’s nothing there. Twice Jesus asks Peter “Do you agape me?” and twice Peter replies, “Yes, Lord, you know I phile you.” Finally on Round 3 Jesus picks up Peter’s word of choice to inquire “Peter, do you phile me?” and we’re told that Peter was sad because on the third time Jesus asked “Do you phile me” but nevertheless Peter does reply a third time, affirming that yes, he does have phile for Jesus. Semantic fields of meaning, lexical studies of various kinds, and historical inquiries into other writings at the time goad scholars into telling us that agape and phile were sufficiently close to being synonyms at the time that we cannot make too much out of the alternation in this conversation. And anyway, who knows what the original Aramaic of the conversation was. Maybe. But I still think John was too careful of a writer to not know full well the words he was wielding in his report of this conversation. The import of this exchange does not change a lot whether you make a big deal out of those words or not. But if Peter’s phile was his own admission that he was loving Jesus as best he could—even if it did not rise to the sacrificial and hyper-confident level of a word like agape—how comforting to see Jesus accept Peter as he is, warts and foibles and feet-of-clay and all, but still love him and forgive him and restore him.
The ordinary nature of this scene reminds you of so many other scenes in the Bible and of so many other times when people bumped into God in the least likely of places. Jacob is in a bad place and has to use a stone for a pillow but wakes up to discover that he had bedded down in Bethel, the very “house of God.” Moses is tending his sheep on a mountainside when a bush bursts into flame and the next thing he knew, he was standing barefoot in the presence of the great “I Am.” The spies dispatched by Joshua to scout out Jericho duck into a brothel and though they didn’t exactly go there looking for God, they end up hearing an inspired sermon delivered to them by no less likely a candidate to preach a sermon than the establishment’s chief madam, Rahab. The travelers on that first Easter Sunday left Jerusalem quite literally “to get away from it all” and to escape the sadness they had come to associate with the big city. They end up at Emmaus only to discover Jesus after all.
And in John 21, the disciples are on a beach. Even having seen the resurrected Jesus twice already, they seem at loose ends. They seem bored and restless, uncertain what to do. They go fishing for lack of a better idea and only after they get skunked despite an entire night of trolling the waters for their prey do they suddenly find Jesus.
On the beach.
Of all places.
It happens again and again in the Bible. And it happens to us more often than not, too, if only we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)
The Lord is willing to do almost whatever it takes to get people’s attention. So we save both God and ourselves a lot of time and energy if we just pay attention to the Lord right away.
C.S. Lewis was among the most famous Christian authors of the twentieth century. He, however, initially paid virtually no attention to the Lord. Lewis was, in fact, a virulent opponent of Christianity until God graciously got his attention in 1931. He later called his conversion the result of “the steady, unrelenting approach of him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.”
Saul too “earnestly desired not to meet” the risen Jesus. He grew up in the city of Tarsus, which means that he grew up surrounded by Gentiles. Saul eventually became one of the Pharisees who believed that Israel needed more than anything to return to a strict observance of her religious laws and traditions. After finishing his schooling, he took a job with the religious authorities. Saul’s basic job was to ensure that nothing changed within Judaism. And in his day, the greatest threat to the status quo was a group that called itself “The Way.”
This offers Acts 9’s preachers and teachers opportunities to reflect on and explore with their hearers religious change. Why do we find insights on the Scriptures that differ from our own so hard to even explore? Is there any danger in simply assuming we can’t be wrong in our interpretations of the Scriptures?
After all, Saul interpreted what we call the Old Testament very literally. That interpretation left no room for Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah whom God had raised him from the dead. That Jesus’ followers claimed he was the Way to God for both Jews and Gentiles. Since thousands of good Jews had already begun following this Jesus, Saul was determined to stop that change by stopping the movement.
So when Saul hears that the Jesus movement has spread into Damascus, he heads for that great city. He’s so afraid of how Jewish followers of Jesus may change his faith that he rides there to hunt them down. Stephen had reminded the mob that called for his death that their ancestors had also persecuted God’s prophets. Now Saul’s murderous work puts him squarely into that company of Jesus’ persecutors. Stephen called his enemies “murderers.” Saul now “breathes out murderous threats against” Christians.
However, Stephen had prayed that God would not hold Saul’s approval of his murder against him. Now God shows Saul just how far God is willing to go to answer “yes!” to that prayer.
After all, en route to Damascus, on the way, which is where change always seems to happen, the risen Christ gets Saul’s attention. God knocks Saul off his high horse.
Into Saul’s obsession with saving the Jewish faith from change, the ascended Christ interjects the question, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” So the One whom Saul assumes is a dead religious fraud speaks to him by name.
Saul answers not with the reason for his persecution, but with a question about the heavenly speaker’s identity. Jesus, in turn, answers, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” So as it turns out, Saul isn’t just persecuting Jesus’ followers. He’s also persecuting Jesus himself. That suggests there’s far more to this Jesus than Saul ever imagined. The One whom the Roman soldiers had executed is now alive.
Conversion stories are often about people who come to recognize their sinfulness and ask for God’s forgiveness. Yet Saul’s conversion clearly isn’t his idea. He doesn’t figure out that he’s a sinner who needs God’s forgiveness. Saul doesn’t recognize that he’s made himself God’s enemy by persecuting those he assumes are God’s enemies. Saul’s conversion is strictly God’s idea that comes at God’s initiative. God shows him more about God than he’d ever imagined.
One biblical scholar notes that our understanding of God determines both our faith and life. So if our view of God changes, so does everything else. Inversely, if we want to change, we may need to let God change our view of God. After all, because God created us in God’s image, those who have a flawed view of God have a flawed view of ourselves. So until our understanding of God changes, you and I can’t really change.
Yet God never changes us just to make us different. God always transforms us so that we can participate more fully in God’s work. However, just as was the case with Philip, unbelieving Saul isn’t the only one whom God wants to change. God has left the one who was persecuting God’s only Son as helpless as a baby. Saul’s travelling companions must hold his hand like they’d clasp that of a toddler and lead him into town. There Saul spends three days in the dark, perhaps alone, unable to either eat or drink. He becomes, in other words, like the kind of young child whom Jesus insists alone is prepared for entrance into God’s kingdom.
In the meantime a man named Ananias has his own encounter with the ascended Lord. He’s one of Jesus’ new followers who may be hiding in his home from the very Saul whose attention God has just gotten by knocking him off his horse. When the Lord gets Ananias’ attention by calling his name, he literally responds not by, like Saul, asking whom he’s talking to, but with the biblical “Here I am.” God then tells him to get up and go to the house where Saul is staying, lay hands on him and heal him.
One scholar compares that mission to that of a Jewish rabbi making a house call on Adolf Hitler in 1930’s Germany. Ananias assumes he already knows everything he needs to know about “this man” Saul. So he basically tells God, “You can’t be serious!” Yet God doesn’t argue with Ananias. God just repeats God’s assignment: “Go!”
That’s, after all, always God’s basic commission to God’s church, perhaps especially when it’s fearfully hiding behind various locked doors: “Get up and go to those who scare you. Get up and go to your enemies. Get up and fearlessly go as a disciple to work, or school or wherever your routine usually takes you.”
Acts reports that Ananias gets up and goes to his former persecutor. There he lays his hands on the one whom he’d just referred to as “this man” but now calls, “Brother Saul.” That’s when Saul’s healing begins and he can see clearly. And when Saul can finally see again, who’s the first person he probably sees? It’s precisely the kind of person to whom he’d devoted his life to exterminating. Now, however, Ananias is not an enemy, but a Christian brother.
God continues God’s transformation of Saul as he’s baptized and receives food, perhaps even the Lord’s Supper. Prepared in that way by the Lord, he promptly begins to “carry” Jesus’ name “before the Jewish people” of Damascus. In their synagogues Paul insists that the Jesus whom he’d been persecuting is actually the Son of God. He may even admit that he was wrong in coming there to persecute Jesus’ followers and invite Jews to turn with him to Jesus and believe in him. That’s, after all, the kind of work the risen Jesus sends his disciples to do.
(During the Easter season, the Lectionary appoints texts from Acts as Old Testament lessons)
Charles Colson, who’d been known as Richard Nixon’s “hatchet man, was implicated in the 1974 Watergate scandal. After serving seven months in prison for his role in the scandal, he was released in early 1975. Two years earlier, he publicly proclaimed that he had “accepted Jesus Christ.” He describes that conversion in his book, Born Again.
Perhaps Saul and Colson’s stories parallel each other in at least two ways. First, prison and its attending humiliation rendered Colson child-like in some ways. In prison, he depended on guards to provide him with nearly everything. Perhaps God even used that dependence to deepen Colson’s sense of dependence on the Lord.
Second, God brought a man named Tom Philips, the president of the Raytheon Company, alongside Colson to help and encourage him. It was Philips who first shared his testimony of his Christian faith with Colson. It was also Philips who walked alongside Colson as the Holy Spirit deepened his relationship with Jesus Christ.
In this Easter season, the lectionary readings call the church to explore and live into and celebrate the impact of Easter. With its imagery of death and resurrection, Psalm 30 is a perfect post-Easter Psalm. Its purpose is to keep the memory of our deliverance from death alive by voicing the deliverance again and adding our profound thanksgiving for it. It is, as one scholar put it, a prayer that is wholly praise, but the praise comes out of answered prayer.
From beginning to end, Psalm 30 is a many splendored thing, filled with some of the best lines in the Bible. The fact that it has three introductory notes in the superscription suggests that it can be used in a wide variety of settings. It is simply “a Psalm, a song.” It was intended “for the dedication of the house (a better translation than temple).” And it is “of David.”
Some scholars insist that we can’t take the “of David” literally, but others see a close connection between this Psalm and David’s experience in I Chronicles 21:1-22:6. In a burst of regal hubris, David ordered a census of his army. “Let’s see just how great I am.” God was very displeased with David. After all, the Lord, not the army, was the true source of David’s prosperity and security. So God visited his wrath upon Israel for David’s sin. The results were deadly, because the angel of the Lord moved through Israel as he had once moved through Egypt. There was death everywhere. David repented and God relented and there was life again. That’s when David began to prepare for the construction of the temple, even though he knew that his son, Solomon, would be the actual builder. Perhaps those experiences of sin and judgment, of death and new beginnings, and of preparation for the building of the temple are behind the superscription, “For the dedication of the house. Of David.”
It is certain that Psalm 30 came to be applied to Israel’s exile. Was it sung at the dedication of the second Temple, after a presumably dead Israel was restored to life and favor with God? Perhaps. We know for sure that in Jewish liturgical practice, it was chanted at the Hanukkah feast that celebrates the re-dedication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus after the desecration of that temple by Antiochus Epiphanes. Indeed, the word “dedication” in the superscription is the Hebrew word hanukkah.
And what Christian can read Psalm 30 and not think of Jesus? We can we easily read this Psalm as a description of Jesus experience on Good Friday and Easter with all these references to “death/the pit/the grave” and to being “lifted/brought up/spared.” And that reference to the temple resonates with Jesus’ words in John 2:19. After he cleansed the temple, Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jewish leaders, of course, didn’t understand this saying. Indeed, they used it later as an accusation at his trial before the Sanhedrin. His disciples understood that “the temple he had spoken of was his body” only after “he was raised from the dead.” It is probably far too speculative to imagine Jesus singing this song of resurrection as he exited the grave. But it surely would have been suitable for that resurrection/rededication of the “temple of God,” where we now meet God in person.
Further, who can miss the applicability of this Psalm to our individual lives? The description of the trouble in the text seems to be almost intentionally general. We’re not told what the depths were, who the enemies were, what illness was healed, etc. It’s almost as though Psalm 30 was written in generic language so that any and all of God’s people could relate to the experience of having their lives radically changed by God.
That is the theme of the Psalm—change effected by the Sovereign Yahweh. That theme is repeated again and again through a pattern of alternation and reversal that is woven through the entire Psalm: “I called… you healed; “anger… favor,” “weeping…rejoicing,” “wailing… dancing,” divine displeasure… divine pleasure (verse 5), divine pleasure… divine displeasure (verse 7), silence of the grave (verse 9)… “my heart will not be silent (verse 12).” With these lovely literary turns of phrase, the Psalmist captures the changing shape of our lives. Through all the changes of life, God is the sovereign Lord who alone can save. Note how God is the mover in all of those radical turns in life. Again and again our God gives us a new lease on life through a gracious experience of resurrection. (See the reading from the Gospels and the Epistles for biblical examples—Peter in John 21 and Paul in Acts 9.)
Not only does the Psalmist burst forth in praise and commit himself to continue that praise all the days of his life, but he also calls on all the saints to join him in this song of thanksgiving. Indeed, it is possible to read the “I’s” of the Psalm as an expression of corporate identity. The “I” is Israel, the church, all the people of God. For the miracle of resurrection, all of God’s people must join in praise. This is something we can’t do alone. What God has done in the resurrection of Jesus and in our own resurrection is too big, too important to celebrate alone. So “sing to the Lord, you saints of his….”
As I said above, this Psalm contains some of the best lines in the Scripture. A careful exploration of them will help us appreciate the miracle of resurrection/salvation, so that we may give more profound thanks. Take verse 5, for example, which talks about God’s anger. “For his anger lasts only for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Many Christians today don’t want to hear anything about God’s anger, but the Psalmist echoes the rest of Scripture in unabashedly saying that our sin makes God angry. That is not the only or final reality, but it is a reality. Thankfully, God’s anger lasts only a moment, but that’s not how life feels all the time. When we know that we have sinned and God is angry, it can seem as though the sun will never shine again. But what we feel is not reality, not the greatest reality. In fact, weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Again, verses 6-7 can help us explore the sin that can sink us into the depths of despair, from which God can raise us to the heights of praise. The Psalmist’s sin was the quintessential sin of our age—pride, hubris, expressed as complete self-reliance. “When I felt secure, I said, ‘I will never be shaken.’” In David’s case, it was the size of his army that made him feel completely secure, rather than the size and love of his God. For us, it might be the size of our portfolio, the security of our job, the strength of our connections, or the number of our achievements. Anticipating the bloviating of our politicians, David took credit for the prosperity of his life and nation. But God showed him that it is God who raises up and God who brings low. That’s the point of verse 7; the sovereignty of God controls the ups and downs of life. Now, we can make bad use of that truth, but it is a truth that must be preached in our self-sufficient age. Pride goes before the fall. And only God can raise up the fallen, even from the grave.
Verses 8-10 might also be fruitful ground to cultivate sermonically. Here we have a humble sinner crying to the Lord for mercy. There’s a point to preach. We don’t deserve resurrection; when it comes, it is sheer mercy. But more interesting is the way the Psalmist reasons with God as he pleads for mercy. Almost like Abraham bargaining for Sodom or Moses pleading for Israel after the Golden Calf, David asks God what good it will do God to destroy him. “After all, if I’m dead, who will praise you? Will the dust?”
Of course, behind this kind of reasoning is a less than New Testament understanding of life after death. Revelation had not progressed that far yet. Apparently David believed that when he died, that was it. It remained for Jesus to declare, “I am the resurrection and life. Whoever believes in me shall live, even though he dies. And who lives and believes in me shall never die.” At this moment in the history of redemption and revelation, David’s best argument for mercy was that his continued existence would mean continued thanksgiving to God. His death would result in silence.
Strange as that reasoning may be, it does point us ahead to the end of the Psalm in verses 11-12 where the resurrected one commits himself to give thanks forever. God “has turned my wailing into dancing, [and] removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.” Having received his life back, David will spend the rest of his life giving thanks. There’s a simple, but profound truth in David’s commitment. Thanksgiving is the necessary response to God’s deliverance. To fail to give thanks after the miracle of resurrection is to make life unbalanced and distorted and diminished. After Jesus healed those ten lepers, only one returned to give thanks. With astonishment and sadness, Jesus asked, “Where are the others?” Indeed. Reality has been forever changed by the Resurrection of Jesus and our attendant mini-resurrections. How can we not respond with a lifetime of thanks?
Just when we thought Rocky Balboa had shuffled off this mortal coil, he’s back in a new movie called, “Creed.” In my less than sanctified state, I loved those bloody tributes to the underdog who rose up from apparent defeat to vanquish the invincible foe. It was thrilling to see Rocky dancing in victory on the stairway. There is something to admire in those who will not quit.
But those movies, and hundreds like them, are an expression of a kind of American can-do attitude that might make genuine salvation almost impossible to grasp. When our success, security, prosperity, and salvation are seen as the result of our own efforts, we are danger of a great fall. Indeed, sometimes it takes a fall to make us see the truth. “When I felt secure, I said, ‘I will never be shaken.’ O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.” It’s not about us; it’s about the God who raises up the fallen, and replaces weeping with rejoicing, sackcloth with clothes of joy
Revelation 5:11-14
Lucy pushes past the woolen and fur coats only to discover that the wardrobe’s back has disappeared and suddenly snow is crunching beneath her feet. Alice falls through the looking glass and lands in an enchanted realm where rabbits talk and mad hatters hold funny tea parties. The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another, his entire bedroom transformed into a jungle world that brought him to that place where the wild things are and where Max was king.
Over and again in literature, on television, and at the movies, the notion of parallel worlds has long intrigued us. What if, just beyond the veil of what our ordinary sight can perceive, what if there is another whole world waiting to be discovered? The possibility of parallel universes has long been a staple in science fiction. Something funny happens to the USS Enterprise and suddenly Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock find themselves on a different Starship Enterprise in a parallel world where everything looks familiar and yet where everything is the opposite from their usual world.
That’s the stuff of science fiction, but in the real world of science you can likewise hear a lot of talk about the specter of alternative realities, parallel universes, other dimensions in the space-time continuum to which we don’t have access. Maybe black holes are the portals to these different dimensions. Maybe cosmic string theory holds the clues to such things. Some atheistic scientists who find it difficult to explain the emergence of life in this universe (but who most assuredly do not want to give any room to the possibility of a Creator God being behind it all) claim that maybe right this very moment there are millions of alternative, parallel universes in existence. After all, if there are enough universes out there, even random statistics could suggest that somewhere in the midst of all those realities one would hit it lucky and lead to human life, and we are in the one universe that hit it right.
Of course, writer Greg Easterbrook once pointed out the irony in such theories. Because it is odd that the same scientists who belittle the “blind faith” of Christians somehow manage to spin out theories of whole universes for which there is not one shred of evidence. Tell the average scientist you believe in angels, and he will roll his eyes. “If you can’t see it, you shouldn’t believe in it,” she may claim. But then this same person may turn right around and deliver a one-hour scholarly lecture that suggests the existence of whole universes that eyes have not seen and ears have not heard. Talk about blind faith!
But the fact remains: whether it is Lucy tumbling into Narnia, Captain Kirk slipping into a mirror-opposite starship, or Max sailing off to where the wild things are, we remain curious about the idea of parallel dimensions and worlds. As Shakespeare had Hamlet say, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Indeed, and so now enter the apostle John. On a lonely island called Patmos one day, banished from the civilized world because of all his Jesus-talk, John suddenly slipped through a cosmic crack and fell into a whole new world every bit as strange and foreign as anything Alice saw in Wonderland and yet undeniably real as well.
One of the mistakes people often make about the Book of Revelation is thinking that this whole chronicle of what John saw and heard is about the future only. The Greek title of this book is Apocalypse, which also has a futuristic ring to it in popular speech. The “apocalypse” is about the end of all things somewhere down the road. When the apocalypse happens, it will be the end of the story, but until then, the story goes on and so the apocalypse is at least a little ways off yet. It is later, not now.
But the meaning of that original Greek word has to do with revealing something right now. It’s like that old TV game show Let’s Make a Deal. What is behind Door #1? What is inside the box that Carol Merrill is even now carrying down the aisle? You don’t know until someone reveals it to you. The door has to be opened, the box cover must be removed. That also counts as an apocalypse, as is someone whispering into your ear, “Psst, you’ve got a smudge of dirt on your nose” or “Pssst, your slip is showing, dear.”
The first three chapters of Revelation contain pointed messages for the churches that were in existence in John’s day. Those messages were every bit as relevant then as the announcements I made at the beginning of this service this very morning. There is no missing the contemporary nature of those first chapters, and yet somehow in our minds we shift gears once we get to chapter 4 and beyond. Suddenly we let our thinking about these words switch from something as up-to-date as the headline in today’s newspaper to something that extends deep into the mists of some indeterminate future time. But John himself doesn’t make any such break in reporting what he saw. It all flows together.
So do the people of God, world-wide and history-long. We are all one Church, one people, one holy gathering of God’s elect. We mostly think of “the church” as “my church,” the church on the corner. Maybe we get a bit broader in our thinking and ponder “my denomination.” But Revelation 5 wants you to think far more grandly and broadly. Certainly the vision John reports must have been inspiring to him. There he was, all alone on that remote island. For all he knew, he was the last Christian alive. Maybe the same Roman authorities who had already managed to murder Paul and Peter, James, Andrew, Stephen, and the other apostles had succeeded in wiping out everyone else, too. But then the Holy Spirit of God did the profoundly kind thing of pulling back the curtain so that John could peer into another dimension to reality, a parallel universe that we neither see ordinarily nor, alas, ponder very often, and yet it is every bit as real as the tile beneath your feet or the wood of the pew in front of you in this sanctuary this very moment.
John saw the communion of the saints, the one holy catholic and universal church that is never alone, is never without powerful forces guarding it. John saw the prayers of the saints as precious incense filling up golden bowls, reminding him and now all of us that no prayer is ever lost, no prayer is ever forgotten, no prayer is ever anything less than the most precious commodity in the cosmos, fully worthy of the opulent golden bowls that hold the prayers. But above all, John saw the Savior who is both Lion and Lamb, both that powerful Pantocrator we thought about some weeks ago and the humble creature who bears all over himself the marks of having been killed. In the deep magic of all reality, somehow the death of this being created a whole new reality that just is the one church of Christ, the communion of the saints, the ones now known as the kingdom of God who serve this God forever.
That is the vital fact we dare not forget. Because if that is what created us as a communion of saints, as a single and holy church, then that is also our charter. Since we owe our very existence as a community to that Lamb that was slain, we know that humble service and loving sacrifice need to be the hallmarks of us, too.
But in this harsh and brutal world, that can be difficult to remember. It doesn’t seem to make sense that the mild way of service and the meekness of sacrifice could accomplish anything. Ours is a world where might makes right, where it’s survival of the fittest, where nice guys finish last. The forces arrayed against the truth seem to be so powerful and so numerous. In this country we have in times past found it easy (maybe too easy) to presume that public policy and Christian doctrine would go hand in hand. But there are any number of issues of late that seem to go the other way. Popular opinion, and sometimes also the law of the land, are at variance with a few things we think the Bible teaches. Truth is, that has been the experience of most Christians throughout history, but we’re not accustomed to feeling like a minority voice and it frustrates us a little but maybe also frightens us a little.
Like John languishing on Patmos, we worry that we are outnumbered and outshouted. We fret that maybe ours could be a voice lost in the larger din of this noisy world. Those are the kinds of feelings that can lead to desperation, and desperation has a way of leading to violence, to unduly harsh rhetoric, to un-Christian acts of intimidation. But maybe it is precisely at a moment like that when we, too, need to have the curtain pulled back for us to give us a glimpse of what John saw. We are not alone. Our cause is not lost because, when you get right down to it, we cannot lose because the Lamb has already won!
Our faith shows us that what was revealed to John was not some future, hoped-for reality that may or may not come into existence somewhere down along the line. What John saw was real then and it is just as real right now, this very day as well. As the Catechism claims, we share in Christ and all his treasures and gifts and we do so in this present moment. The Holy Spirit is eager to pull back the curtain to show us yet again this fantastic vision of all those angels, of all those golden bowls filled with our prayers, of all those saints in glory. But the Spirit shows us this not to foster pie-in-the-sky optimism for the future but to shore us up to witness and work and serve today.
There is no cause for desperation, panic, or the kinds of clutching and clawing actions that can too easily result from the fear that we are on the losing side of history. Instead we have the calm confidence and the joyful repose that comes from having seen that the universe’s sovereign received all the power and honor and glory there is, and he did it by being the servant of all. For all the rest of us who are now called to be fellow servants in the communion of the saints, this provides more than a little encouragement to stick with our Lord’s program and with his way of running that program as well.
Revelation 5 ends with a most stirring image. We are told that in the end, it is not enough to have ten thousand times ten thousand angels singing out our Lord’s praises. The real capper comes when every last creature in the world, including those in the deepest oceans, likewise rise up to sing the doxology. You expect God’s holy angels to sing a song to Jesus the Christ, but perhaps nothing so vividly shows the scope of our God’s victory than the fact that eagles and dolphins, jaguars and hummingbirds, sandhill cranes and elephants will also give the Lamb honor and glory and praise forever and ever.
Have even these creatures gotten a glimpse of what is behind history’s curtain? If they have not yet, they will. That’s why they will sing. But by the Spirit of God, we have glimpsed this sacred apocalypse. We’ve seen it. We believe it. The only question that remains in the communion of the saints is whether or not this is making us sing with joyful confidence. Can you see it? Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! And with those four living creatures that John saw, all God’s people said, “Amen!”
Neal Plantinga once preached a sermon with the curious title “The Wrath of the Lamb.” We don’t usually expect lambs to roar any more than we could anticipate being frightened by a puppy or getting beat up by a baby who had just been baptized in a church service. Lambs, puppies, and babies inspire us to coo, to make exclamations of “Awww, how cute, how adorable, how cuddly!” Yet John gives us a Lamb that has been to hell and back, and if those scars are not enough to take us aback, there is also a fire burning now in that Lamb’s eyes–a fire that lets you know that an all-powerful Lion is in there, too.
And in fact, were you to read on into Revelation 6 and 7 as those seven seals of the scroll are undone, you would discover that just about every one of those seals unleashes terrible (and terrifying) forces of darkness, destruction, death, and judgment. It is not a pretty picture. But then, this world itself seldom presents what anyone would call a pretty picture. That’s why everything that is wrong with this world–its warfare and terrorism, its injustices and inequities, its love affair with murder and violence, its racism and discrimination of all kinds–all of it is going to be dealt with by the very Lamb of God who himself became a victim of this planet’s ugliness.
Just that is the key, however: the Lamb now receives accolades beyond the telling of it. Apparently you could not possibly exaggerate the honors due to Jesus. So we are told that all power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise get drawn toward Jesus like iron filings to a powerful magnet. But the reason is his bloody death, his awful sacrifice. Jesus rose to the top by sinking first to the bottom. For all the resplendent glory of Revelation 5, despite all the wonderful songs and choruses that have been composed based on these words, there can be no missing the prevalence of all that talk about death, about being slain, about being killed, and about the spilling of blood.
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Bicycle Sharing Launched in Pasig City
Pasig City now hosts a Tutubi bicycle-sharing station which was launched in partnership with the Asian Development Bank and Clean Air Asia.
30 September 2013, Pasig City — Residents of Pasig will soon be pedaling dragonflies around the city. Tutubi (or dragonfly) is a metaphor for the way people will fly around the city on the proposed future city-wide bicycle sharing network. Bicycle sharing is a network of stations where a person can pick up a bicycle at one station, use it and drop it off at any other station in the network. It is a system that allows the public short-term access to bicycles as a transportation option for practically free.
The Tutubi bike-sharing system is the first of its kind in the Philippines. It is a demonstration project launched by the Asian Development Bank, funded by the Japanese Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) and managed by Clean Air Asia. The demonstration project was introduced by Mayor Maribel Eusebio in Pasig City today during the flag-raising ceremony. “We are thankful to the ADB and the Japanese government for selecting our city as a pilot area because this project will complement our different non-motorized transport initiatives such as our Bike to Work Loan Program for city hall and barangay employees,” says Mayor Eusebio who is also an avid cyclist.
Mayor Maribel Eusebio of Pasig City and the Tutubi bicycle-sharing station in the Pasig City Hall.
The demonstration project in Pasig City will start with one station. The station has a terminal which resembles an ATM and 10 bicycles with docks that secures them when they are not in use. The station is located at the Pasig City Hall and the bikes are only accessed by a card system available initially to city hall employees.
Bike sharing systems have become an affordable, sustainable and fashionable means of mobility that has seen tremendous growth in cities throughout the world. The tipping point of bike-sharing systems happened in Paris (Vélib’) and Hangzhou, China (Hangzhou Public Bicycle), with 20,000 and 66,500 bikes respectively. Now there are over 500 systems in every region around the world.
The application of technology allows users to swipe a card to unlock a bicycle and to ride the bike from one station to another for free amount of time usually 30min to 1hr. The technology as well as a deposit mechanism ensures the system is secure against theft.
The Tutubi bikes may only be used via access cards that will be distributed initially to city employees only.
“Bicycle-sharing is recognized by cities as a means of travelling on short trips that are too long to walk, and a way to close the gaps between public transport and a commuter’s final destination – otherwise known as the last-mile issue,” says Chee-Anne Roño, Program Officer of Clean Air Asia.
The bike-sharing demonstration project in Pasig City, which is expected to last for three months, aims to make the Tutubi bikes a familiar and accessible means of mobility to the city’s employees. “There is no doubt that introducing a bike-sharing system in Metro Manila could be challenging,” added Roño. “The main obstacle to the success lies in the mindset of people, where certain stigma against cycling remain entrenched, ranging from perceived dangers in cycle commuting to belief that cycling is only for the poor. But we have seen steady growth of bike commuters around the metro in the past years and this is encouraging.”
Mayor Eusebio of Pasig City recognized the support of the Asian Development Bank and Clean Air Asia during the launching ceremony.
The Asian Development Bank promotes bicycle sharing through its Sustainable Transport Initiative. Both the Asian Development Bank and Clean Air Asia have worked in partnership with Pasig City to launch a number of sustainable transport initiatives including the car free sundays. The bicycle-sharing system demonstration project will be complemented by the Ortigas Greenways project in creating a more sustainable and walkable Pasig City.
Pasig City, the host city for this bike sharing program, has launched a Green City Program in 2007 and has since initiated various efforts to promote eco-mobility such as passing a city ordinance allowing bike plans (instead of car plans) as a benefit for city and barangay employees and closing off three public roads (F. Ortigas, Jr. Avenue in Ortigas Center, Caruncho Avenue near Pasig City Hall and MRR Road along the Pasig River) every Sunday to give space for children to play and cycle. “To succeed in promoting bicycles as an alternative mode of transportation, people’s participation must be secured through leadership by example and provision of incentives,” says Mayor Eusebio.
Clean Air Asia (www.cleanairasia.org) promotes better air quality and livable cities by translating knowledge to policies and actions that reduce air pollution and greenhouse emissions from transport, energy, and other sectors. To request additional information, please send an email to [email protected].
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Unsung Coast Guard hero’s daring Empire State Building rescue
Few people today know that on July 28, 1945, a large aircraft crashed into the Empire State Building. Fewer still know that the accident produced the world record for surviving an elevator fall and that the fall’s victim was rescued by a United States Coast Guardsman.
A patriotic run through NYC tunnels
Coast Guardsmen from Sector New York, Station Fire Island, Station Eaton’s Neck, and the Coast Guard Academy recently completed the Stephen Siller Foundation Tunnel to Tower 5K run in downtown New York City. The run is held annually to continue Siller’s legacy by supporting our nation’s first responders and servicemembers.
9/11 and beyond: A Coast Guard reservist’s story
Coast Guard reservist Master Chief Petty Officer Will Gillis gives a recollection of his duties as a coxswain deployed to New York City after the 9/11 attacks. Gillis recalls the impact on those in New York, himself and his family after being deployed.
Remembering 9/11
The harrowing events of Sept. 11, 2001, forever changed the United States as more than 3,000 Americans tragically lost their lives in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Despite those horrible events, many people acted heroically on that day and in the aftermath of the attacks. Today, we remember all those lost on 9/11, and thank all those who helped our nation become stronger and safer in the years since.
US servicewomen, veterans honored during New York Fashion Week
Fourteen retired, active and reserve servicewomen kicked off New York Fashion Week after walking the runway at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Sept. 3, 2014. Little Black Dress Wines and Fatigues to Fabulous (F2F), a campaign supporting women as they transition back to being a private citizen, sponsored the fashion show “Salute the Runway.”
Veterans Day reflections
When it comes down to it, honoring Veterans is all about remembrance. People need to understand that the worst thing in the world is to feel as though you have been forgotten by the people and country for which you’ve served. Something as simple as stopping to talk to a veteran in the park would mean the world to them.
Shipmate of the Week – Monsignor James Dorney
Like any soldier, sailor, airman, Marine or Coast Guardsman who takes a vow to serve, a military chaplain takes a different type of vow. A chaplain not only serves but ministers to military personnel and, in many cases, their families and civilians working with the military. Military chaplains are trained to serve any spiritual need, regardless of religious affiliation, and offer pastoral care and support their religious rights and needs.
Santos Valentin: A fallen police officer’s legacy lives on
More than 400 law enforcement officers and fire fighters were killed at the World Trade Center site on Sept. 11. While the memory of each of these lifesavers remains in our hearts and minds, there is one officer whose memory continues to live on within the Coast Guard – badge #21630, Santos Valentin.
Life of a service dog: The Big Apple
Veterans Moving Forward provides veterans with therapy and service dogs and amongst the puppies they are raising to help veterans cope with various injuries is an assistance dog in training that is near and dear to our hearts. His name […]
Remembering 9/11: ME1 Carlos Perez
Every American has a different memory of the Sept. 11 attacks. Ten years later, the events of that day remain burned into America’s psyche and remembrance often begins with the sobering question, “Where were you when the towers fell?” Some […]
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$22.47 Million | Amputation of Left Heel
$16.3 Million | Baby suffers Cerebral Palsy, Seizures and Blindness
$15.1 Million | Failure to Diagnose Leads to Stage IV Terminal Cancer
$11.4 Million | Cervical Fusion Revision – Defective Pin Tip Device
$11.1 Million | Van Collision Results in Spinal Injury
Chicago Accident and Injury Attorneys
Representing the Victims of Medical Malpractice and Catastrophic Accidents throughout Illinois
With almost 200 years of experience, Cogan & Power P.C.’s distinguished Chicago trial lawyers provide personalized service to victims and families faced with medical malpractice, wrongful death, trucking accidents, and personal injury. We pride ourselves on providing clients with exceptional legal advice and personalized client attention in an effort to get you the results that you deserve. As aggressive Chicago personal injury trial lawyers, we advocate for injured adults, children and newborns, as well as the family members of deceased victims, throughout Illinois. We are proud to have recovered more than $360 million in settlements and verdicts on behalf of people who have suffered injury or loss because of someone else’s negligence or misconduct.
Our goal is not only to protect the rights of accident and injury victims, but to help prevent medical malpractice and personal injury accidents from happening in the future.
Contact our office at
Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our knowledgeable Chicago accident and injury lawyers.
Understanding that our clients often are struggling with physical, financial, and emotional challenges, we are committed to providing the highest quality legal representation in an intimate and supportive environment. From the first phone call or visit, every client becomes a member of our professional family. Our partners take a personal interest in every case and every client, and communicate directly with their clients, keeping them well apprised of the progress of their case. Because we are a small firm that values collaboration, we draw on the unique skill and knowledge of each of our Chicago Personal injury attorneys in every case. Our tight legal team includes two former defense lawyers, a nationally recognized trucking attorney, former in-house counsel at a well-respected teaching hospital, and a former surgical nurse whose career spans the courtroom and the operating room. Accordingly, our clients benefit from the advice and counsel of not just one partner, but multiple attorneys with diverse and targeted experience. This collaboration also enables us to assemble a team of knowledgeable, highly qualified experts, physicians, and other consultants necessary to support claims involving medical malpractice, obstetrical negligence, trucking accidents, and personal injury. Clients appreciate our collaborative approach to legal representation, because it allows us to provide small-firm personal attention with big-firm legal experience.
Clients appreciate our collaborative approach to legal representation, because it allows us to provide small-firm personal attention with big-firm legal experience.
Areas of Legal Focus
We focus on representing clients in complex accident and injury cases, including the following:
We trust doctors and medical professionals with our lives. They, in turn, have an obligation to provide us, as patients, with a certain standard of care. When medical accidents occur, the results can be physically, emotionally, and financially devastating. Every day, we see the catastrophic, life-changing injuries that medical malpractice can inflict, be it from a missed…
Wrongful Death & Catastrophic Accidents
Wrongful death lawsuits are legal claims brought by the family of a deceased victim of negligence, whether personal injury, product liability, or medical malpractice. Wrongful death lawsuits involve complex legal issues of liability and damages. If you have lost a loved one in a catastrophic accident or as a result of medical malpractice, it is highly recommended that you consult with a knowledgeable and experienced wrongful death attorney.
Trucking accidents are among the most deadly, catastrophic accidents occurring on Illinois’s busy roadways. They also can result in the most complicated legal cases. At Cogan & Power, P.C., our unique legal team, which includes a nationally recognized member of the prestigious Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, is committed to obtaining just compensation for victims and their families.
Personal injury law covers a wide range of accidents and injuries, from auto accidents to construction accidents to slip and fall accidents. Many of these types of accidents are addressed in detail in the Practice Areas section of our website. As a rule, personal injury is covered by tort law, which provides that the party responsible for causing or contributing to an accident is liable for the damages, injuries, or deaths resulting from the accident.
Accidents at construction sites with heavy machines and equipment can involve serious injuries and even death. Accordingly, contractors and subcontractors working at construction sites are subject to strict requirements, including Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.
Dangerous & Defective Products
Dangerous and defective products make their way into the hands of consumers every day, causing countless injuries, illnesses, and deaths. If you have been injured as a result of a defective product, you may be able to recover damages for your injuries through a product liability lawsuit.
FELA- Injury to Railway Workers
The Federal Employers’ Liability Act, known as the FELA, provides compensation for work injuries to railroad workers. If you are a railroad employee, you are not entitled to state worker compensation benefits or coverage. If you work for the railroad, your only right to compensation for a work-related injury is through the FELA.
Free, No-Obligation Legal Consultation
At Cogan & Power, one of our skilled Chicago injury attorneys will provide you with a no-cost, no-obligation consultation to discuss your case. We will take the time to listen to your situation and learn more about what you hope to achieve. And we take all cases on a contingency basis, which means you will not pay any fees unless we get you compensation. If you have been injured or a loved one has died as a result of negligence, do not delay. Contact Cogan & Power at (312) 477-2500 today to schedule an appointment with one of our dedicated Chicago accident and injury attorneys. If you cannot come to our offices, we will come to you.
FAQs NEWS / EVENTS
Michael P. Cogan
John Power
Thomas K. Prindable
Thomas H. Murphy
Miguel A. Ruiz
George T. Brugess
Sara Davis
Michael C. Terranova
Michael J. Pullano
Curtis J. Tarver II
Hadas Benhamou
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Buffalo, UMass renew MAC rivalry with six-game series starting in 2022
By Bryan FischerMay 17, 2019, 4:26 PM EDT
UMass has signed up for some more MACtion.
The former member of the Mid-American Conference jointly announced on Thursday that they have agreed to a six-game football series with recent league powerhouse Buffalo.
Things will kick off on Oct. 15, 2022 when the Bulls travel to McGuirk Stadium and will alternate home venues every year from 2024 through 2028. UB Stadium plays host to the series starting on Sept. 14, 2024 and the remaining four contests will all take place in September from there on out.
The two schools played each other four times back when UMass was briefly a part of the MAC, with Buffalo holding a 3-1 edge in those games and a 7-6 mark against the Minutemen overall.
The Bulls are far from the only MAC team on UMass’ schedule either as the team tries to continue to make it as an FBS independent. The program has a home-and-home with Akron on the docket over the next two years and also has games scheduled down the road against Toledo, Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois.
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ORAM Publishes Report Amidst Debates on Uganda’s Possible Re-Introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill
November 5, 2014 November 5, 2014 uwcpsl
Disability Rights Washington Seeks Mental Health Advisory Council Members
Disability Rights Washington (DRW) is a private non-profit organization that protects the rights of people with disabilities statewide. Our mission is to advance the dignity, equality, and self-determination of people with disabilities. We work to pursue justice on matters related to human and legal rights.
Volunteers who serve on our Board and councils are critical to our work. We are reaching out to encourage people to serve on our Mental Health Advisory Council.
For more about the role of the MHAC, click here.
Missed the Careers in Public Policy Panel on October 29th? Podcast Link Available Now!
Did you miss the panel on October 29th about Careers in Public Policy? Here’s your chance to watch the podcast.
Click here to download the materials.
Maryland Poor Deserve Free Attorneys in Family Law Cases, Panel Finds
By: Madeleine List, Southern Maryland Online
“[A] state task force this month recommended assigning free lawyers in certain family-law cases, and spending nearly $8 million over four years to help the poorest Marylanders work through the complex court system.” “The Task Force to Study Implementing a Civil Right to Counsel in Maryland is a group of judges, attorneys, delegates and state senators that has been meeting since December to discuss the benefits of providing legal representation to low-income people involved in civil disputes.” “A bill, sponsored by Del. Sandy Rosenberg, D-Baltimore, outlining the task force’s recommendations, will be introduced to the legislature at the start of the next session, which begins on Jan. 14, said Dumais, who plans to co-sponsor the bill.”
As Uganda Debates the Re-Introduction of an Anti-Homosexuality Bill, ORAM Publishes a Comprehensive Country of Origin Report on the Conditions of LGBTI Individuals in the Country
By: ORAM International
ORAM has published an extensive report titled “Country of Origin Report: Sexual and Gender Minorities – Uganda.” The unique report includes an extensive case law section, analyzing key asylum decisions in Ugandan LGBTI asylum cases from six jurisdictions worldwide.
This report is particularly timely. Ugandan LGBTI individuals and activists recount growing hostility and fear as Uganda debates re-introducing an “Anti-Homosexuality Bill,” while homosexuality remains criminalized under existing law. The Anti-Homosexuality Act, initially dubbed the ” Kill the Gays Bill,” was annulled by Uganda’s Constitutional Court in August 2014 on a parliamentary technicality. The Act imposed up to life imprisonment for same-sex sexual acts, and punished those who advocate for sexual minority rights or provide services to LGBTI people. Violence toward LGBTI individuals in Uganda has escalated, and many are fleeing the country.
Country of Origin reports are a critical tool for adjudicators and protection experts assessing risk of persecution, credibility, and availability of state protection in asylum and refugee claims. Building on its expertise and its deep understanding of the refugee field, ORAM demonstrates through this report that a nuanced and culturally-informed approach to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in Country of Origin Information (COI) will lead to more accurate adjudication of LGBTI asylum and refugee claims.
Interested in Health and the Law? Position Openings in Reproductive Health & Public Health (HIV/AIDS)
September 8, 2014 September 2, 2014 uwcpsl
Worker’s Rights Attorney Position in Upstate New York Deadline Extended to 9/8, Due TODAY!
Empire Justice is a statewide, multi‐issue, multi‐strategy non‐profit law firm focused on improving the “systems” within which poor and low-income families live. With a focus on poverty law, Empire Justice Center undertakes research and training, acts as an informational clearinghouse, and provides direct representation and support to local legal services programs and community based organizations. As an advocacy organization, we engage in legislative and administrative advocacy on behalf of those harmed by poverty and discrimination. As a nonprofit law firm, we provide legal assistance to those in need and undertake impact litigation in order to protect and defend the rights of disenfranchised New Yorkers.
The Workers’ Rights Attorney will represent individuals and groups of low-wage and immigrant workers in the Genesee Valley region in wage theft and related claims. The Attorney will work with community organizations and worker centers to develop effective strategies to address wage theft and other forms of workplace exploitation.
United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) Seeking Assistant Information Officer for Six Months in Tehran, Iran, Due 9/9
Under direct supervision of the Head of Office and within the delegated authority, the incumbents will be responsible for the following duties: Provide general support to Tehran Liaison Office in all aspects of assistance (including office management, programming and coordination); Promote dialogue with representatives of the central authorities, institutions and civil society groups; Support international staff with regular updates; Ensure that related project monitoring and reporting activities are carried out; Prepare regular reports (daily, weekly, monthly and other reports as requested by the Head of Office); Liaise regularly with other UN Agencies and NGO partners to ensure greater interaction and cooperation; Participate in relevant UN working group meetings;
Support the translation of UN and other official documents; Arrange meetings; Participate in conferences and seminars; Assist Head of Office with briefing notes, background papers and talking points; Maintain up-to-date knowledge of diverse Afghan-related issues; Supervise national staff;
Under the direction of the HoO, represent UNAMA in official meetings with local authorities, communities and organizations; and Perform other duties as required.
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, LLP in Phoenix, AZ Seeking Students for Temporary Paid Law Clerk Position, Position Starts Immediately
We are currently seeking 10-20 or so preferred law students to put in a minimum of 15-20 hours a week at $12/hour for the next 2-3 weeks. We have compiled a team of approximately 90 law students from the Phoenix, Tempe, Tucson, Portland, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston areas. The position requires law clerks to conduct document coding and data entry into a main database used for class certification, export report comparisons, and class notice. Students may complete the work remotely. Candidates must be detail-oriented with the ability to learn and produce quickly. While there is potential for additional work after the completion of this project, there is no guarantee of any amount of work assigned to any contracted candidate.
Interested candidates should submit a resumé and availability immediately to David Pierce Uffens at David@dpierceassociates.com.
PATH Seeking Project Administer, Reproductive Health
Pilot Introduction and Evaluation of Sayana Press is a four-year project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Sayana Press (SP) is an innovative subcutaneous injectable contraceptive. The project will facilitate the introduction of Sayana Press in four countries: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger and Uganda. The project aims to make Sayana Press available through routine health service delivery channels and build the evidence base for global decision-making about whether and how to include Sayana Press in family planning programs in the future. Looking beyond the current introductions, the project also plans to work closely with ministries of health in Senegal and Uganda to build the evidence base on issues such as the operational feasibility and cost-effectiveness of Sayana Press self-injection among women.
PATH is currently recruiting a Program Administrator (PADM) for the Pilot Introduction and Evaluation of Sayana Press project.
USAID Seeking Public Health Specialist on HIV/AIDS in Zambia
USAID/Zambia has an immediate opening for a Public Health Specialist (HIV/AIDS Strategic
Information) in the HIV/AIDS Multisectoral Office.
The incumbent serves as the Public Health Specialist (HIV/AIDS Strategic Information). S/he is a senior program specialist and key public health advisor responsible for HIV/AIDS Strategic Information (SI) activities within USAID/Zambia. S/he works at a project management level with government ministries, implementing partners, non-governmental organizations, contractors and grantees to coordinate the design and ensure appropriate, high quality implementation and strengthening of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems and evaluation projects as defined in the Country Operational Plan (COP). S/he also has duties and responsibilities in health management and information systems program management.
Equal Justice Works 2014-2015 AmeriCorps Legal Fellowships Now Open!
Our AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship positions are filling up! This year, we have positions available for our Veterans Legal Corps, where Fellows will provide legal services in a variety of issue areas to veterans and military families, and Employment Opportunities Legal Corps, where Fellows will work to reduce legal barriers to employment for disadvantaged populations. Most fellows will have an option to renew for a second year, contingent upon continued funding.
Fellows begin their one-year term between August 1 and September 30. Host sites began posting positions in late June, and most available slots will be filled this month.
For a list of positions, click here and here.
For an updated list of sponsor preferences, click here.
Puget Sound Sage Seeking Executive Director, Due 10/2 at 5:00 PM PST
Puget Sound Sage is seeking an Executive Director who is a values-driven, visionary and strategic leader committed to furthering economic, racial and social justice. Sage holds a central role in forging ground breaking change in the Northwest, reflected in recent victories to increase the minimum wage, ensure paid sick and safe time, and advance affordable housing, equitable development, environmental justice and community benefits agreements. Our success is measured through winning campaigns, but also long-term movement building, including the length and depth of true alliances between labor, immigrant rights, housing, and environmental- and faith-based partners. Sage’s board and community partners represent tens of thousands of constituents in the Puget Sound region, creating a unique capacity to create large-scale synergy for social change. And our staff team possesses a potent combination of research, organizing and racial justice analysis skills, deep union roots, broad community networks, and environmental leadership.
Campion Advocacy Fund Seeking Homelessness Program Director
The Campion Advocacy Fund is seeking a politically savvy campaigner, with excellent communication skills and a well-honed understanding of Washington State’s progressive landscape, to serve as our Homelessness Program Director.
Ending homelessness and protecting wilderness—Campion Foundation’s keystone goals—require policy change and political action. We cannot buy enough housing to end homelessness, nor can we purchase the remaining public lands. Rather, we must use a variety of different vehicles to influence the public sector. By supporting a range of high-impact advocacy strategies, delivered through the creative collaborations among our experienced staff, risk-taking trustees and visionary nonprofit leaders, we can do far more than any of us can accomplish working alone.
New Public Defender Career Handbook, Networking Opportunities & Human Rights News
August 6, 2014 August 6, 2014 uwcpsl
Interested in Career in Public Defense? Check out the Newly Updated Public Defender Handbook
PSJD.org recently published NYU’s 2014 Public Defender Handbook. One of the most comprehensive career handbooks around this guide will walk you through all of the nuts and bolts of building a career in public defense. Don’t miss out!
Are you Looking for Any Easy Way to Network with UW Law Alumni? Regional Networking Groups are Now Available Online!
UW Law alumni extend across the country and internationally. Regional alumni groups allow alumni and students in these regions to stay connected with each other and the law school. Check out the regional networking groups here.
Friendly Networking Tips:
before you contact alumni be sure to research them to learn more about their practice area.
when you do email them, be sure to mention that you got their contact info from the UW regional networking group link.
if you don’t get a response right away don’t worry, it might be a busy time for them. Give it some time and a couple of tries. Persistence usually pays off. Otherwise, just contact another regional member!
Attention Law Grads! Announcing the 2015 Human Rights Essay Award
Uganda Court Annuls Anti-Homosexuality Law
August 1, 2014- BBC News, photo courtesy of Isaac Kasamani/ AFP/ Getty
Activists celebrated after the anti-gay law was thrown out, reports Andrew Harding. Uganda’s Constitutional Court has annulled tough anti-gay legislation signed into law in February. It ruled that the bill was passed by MPs in December without the requisite quorum and was therefore illegal. Homosexual acts were already illegal, but the new law allowed for life imprisonment for “aggravated homosexuality” and banned the “promotion of homosexuality”. Several donors have cut aid to Uganda since the law was adopted.
Ugandan government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo said the government was still waiting the attorney general’s advice about whether to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court. He added that the ruling showed to Western donors that Uganda’s democracy was functioning very well and that they should reinstate any aid they had cut. Continue reading here.
Advocates for Children, Families Oppose Cuts to Services to Fund McCleary
August 4, 2014 – Columbia Legal Services
Advocates for children and families have filed an Amicus Curiae brief with the state Supreme Court, opposing one of the Court’s proposed remedies in the McCleary v. Washington case.
The Children’s Alliance, Columbia Legal Services, and the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance filed the brief this morning. The brief requests that, as the state moves to comply with the Court’s ruling, it refrain from funding education in a way that jeopardizes housing and other basic services to children and families. The brief may be found here.
“If we cut social programs to pay for education, everyone’s worse off,” says Paola Maranan, executive director of the Children’s Alliance. “In addressing our failure to uphold kids’ right to a basic education, we don’t want the solution to exacerbate the problem.”
While education must be fully funded, the brief explains how students in low-income families face barriers outside the classroom that prevent them from obtaining a basic education. These barriers also expand the educational opportunity gap that exists between white students and students of color.
In the brief, the organizations explain how, even with the existing level of funding for social programs, students in low-income families and students of color often cannot achieve educational opportunity. Thus, the organizations argue, financing education by cutting or freezing basic services would exacerbate the barriers to education that students in low-income families and students of color already face.
Housing advocates assert the legislature has already cut to the bone funding for both housing and homelessness services. For instance, the State Housing Trust Fund has declined sharply since 2008. This important tool for creating affordable homes received zero dollars this most recent legislative session. Cutting programs could not have come at a worse time, as students in homeless households are at an all-time high. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction reported 30,609 homeless students in the 2012-13 school year.
“For children across Washington, the lack of a safe, stable home can be a huge barrier to learning,” says Housing Alliance executive director Rachael Myers. “We already have proven, innovative programs that create affordable homes and keep families and children stably housed. They just need to be adequately funded.”
“Every child deserves an opportunity to succeed,” adds Maranan. “Good nutrition, household economic stability, child care, health care: these help keep kids in school, body and mind.”
Another Amicus brief was filed today by the Washington State Budget & Policy Center and six co-signing organizations. Their brief argues that legislators cannot responsibly fund education without raising new revenue, and that failure to raise revenue will lead to budget cuts that will harm kids’ ability to succeed in the classroom.
The Amicus participants support the Court’s finding in McCleary that the state must provide adequate funding to ensure the right of all children to an education that prepares them for lifelong success.
Judge Mary Yu Joins the Washington Supreme Court
May 7, 2014 May 9, 2014 uwcpsl
Governor Jay Inslee Appoints Judge Mary Yu to Washington State Supreme Court
By Washington Courts
Gov. Jay Inslee today appointed King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu to the Washington State Supreme Court. Yu will fill the seat of Justice Jim Johnson who retired from the court earlier this week due to health issues.
“Judge Yu has distinguished herself throughout her career as someone of great intellect, dedication and compassion,” Inslee said in announcing the appointment at the Temple of Justice. “She has brought to her work, and to her life, a never-wavering commitment to ensuring justice for everyone.
“Her appointment today is a moment all Washingtonians can be proud of.”
Appearing with current members of the Supreme Court, Yu committed herself to working collaboratively with her new colleagues “so the integrity of this institution is only strengthened by our work.”
“Trial court judges, at every level of court, are the workhorses of our system of justice,” she said. “I am proud to come from their ranks and will do all that I can to remember that the trial court remains the place where the law is actually applied to everyday life.”
Big News! Department of Education Guidance Says Transgender Students Protected Under Federal Law
By Transgender Law Center
Transgender Law Center praised the U.S. Department of Education for releasing guidelines today that make it clear transgender and gender nonconforming students are protected from discrimination under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in schools.
“We hear from hundreds of students each year who simply want to be themselves and learn at school,” said Masen Davis, Executive Director of Transgender Law Center. ”Sadly, many schools continue to exclude transgender students from being able to fully participate. Now, every school in the nation should know they are required to give all students, including transgender students, a fair chance at success.”
Increasingly, courts and federal agencies are making clear that transgender and gender nonconforming people–people who do not conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity–are covered under laws that protect people from discrimination based on sex.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Releases Tools to Protect Foster Care Children From Credit Reporting Problems
By Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today took action to better protect children in the foster care system from credit reporting problems that could compromise their future credit. The Bureau published action letters for child welfare caseworkers to send to credit bureaus if they find errors on the credit reports of the children in their care.
“The Bureau is very concerned about foster care children’s vulnerability to credit reporting problems that can wreak financial havoc for them,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “We want to help ensure that youth leave foster care with clean credit so that they have a firm foundation for their financial future.”
Credit reporting touches the financial lives of nearly each and every American and can be of particular significance to youth in foster care as they are more susceptible to credit problems and identity theft. The nearly 400,000 children in the United States foster care system often lack a permanent address, and their personal information is frequently shared among numerous adults and agency databases.
Landesa Pilots Women First Model in Uganda
By Landesa, Rural Development Institute
The Landesa Center for Women’s Land Rights developed and piloted a model for working with women and their communities to strengthen women’s land tenure security in Northern Uganda. The project significantly improved women’s sense of security of their rights to land.
A total of 250 women participated in the pilot program. One year after the start of the pilot, those women reported an increase in the amount of land they could farm (on average a 3 acre increase) an increase in community recognition of their rights to land, an increased sense of long-term tenure security, and increased awareness of customary justice and dispute resolution mechanisms. This tenure security can help the women feed themselves and their families, earn income, and helps women achieve direct financial benefits by allowing them to invest in their land to improve their harvests, rent out their land without fear that it will be usurped, sell their land when it is no longer needed, or use the land as collateral.
Click here for a final project report and a step-by-step toolkit that provides practitioners with the resources needed to replicate this model.
ALERT! Traveling abroad this summer for your internship or externship?
The University of Washington has important resources for you and we urge you to take advantage of them. Resources include travel insurance and also emergency contact information. Please register your summer travel with the office of Global Affairs.
Equal Justice Works, Skadden, Echoing Green, AmeriCorps… Oh My! Navigating Public Interest Fellowships
March 28, 2014 March 28, 2014 uwcpsl
March 31: Global Mondays: Truth, Justice and Reparation in Northern Ireland
Monday, Mar. 31, 2014
12:30-1:20 PM, Gates Hall RM 117 (unless noted)
Hosted by UW Law Graduate Program in Sustainable International Development and the PhD Program, and the Comparative Law & Society Studies (CLASS) Center
“Dealing with the Past: Narrating Truth in Northern Ireland”
Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh, Irish Center for Human Rights, National University of Ireland
In truth telling processes in transitional societies, such as Northern Ireland, mechanisms established to find the truth, such as truth commissions, endeavour to find a common narrative emerging about the causes of conflict. At the same time, there is now evidence that such processes also create silences; some narratives are not fully represented. This lecture will provide some background on the conflict in Northern Ireland and how such a meta-conflict situation has given rise to conflicts over memories of state.
Image courtesy of Stockvault and Nicolas Raymond.
April 1: Social Justice Tuesday: Public Interest Post Graduate Fellowships
Tuesday, Apr. 1, 2014
12:30-1:20 PM, RM 133
Speaker: Aline Carton-Listfjeld, Center for Public Service Law
Equal Justice Works, Skadden, Echoing Green, AmeriCorps…Oh my!
Trying to make sense of the all the fellowships out there? Get vital resources and learn about the different types of fellowships for recent law grads with experience and passion for social justice and public interest law. 1Ls and 2Ls are strongly encouraged to attend.
If you would like lunch please RSVP via Symplicity or Email by 12:00 pm Monday, March 31.
April 2-3: Clinics Information Fair
April 7: Global Mondays, LGBT Rights Internationally: Russia, India, Uganda, Nigeria and Beyond
Monday, Apr. 7, 2014
12:30 – 1:20 PM, RM 127
Speakers from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission:
Jessica Stern is the Executive Director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. As the first researcher on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights at Human Rights Watch, she conducted fact-finding investigations and advocacy around sexual orientation and gender identity in countries including Iran, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. She holds a masters degree in human rights from the London School of Economics. She is frequently quoted in the Mail & Guardian, Al Jazeera English, the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Presse, Deutsche Welle, Voice of America, The Guardian and The BBC.
Grace Poore, from Malaysia, has been the Regional Program Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific Islands at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) since 2007. She develops the work in Asia, oversees multi-country projects on human rights documentation and advocacy in Asia, and conducts trainings. She co-wrote the video “Courage Unfolds” about LGBT activism in Asia and the Yogyakarta Principles. Ms. Poore holds a Masters degree from Syracuse University, Newhouse School of Communications. She is currently working on a report about violence against lesbians, bisexual women, and transgender people in five Asian countries.
May 5: Gates Public Service Law Speaker Series: Professor Thomas Buergenthal Speaking on “Becoming an International Judge via the Holocaust”
4:30 – 5:30 PM, RM 133
Reception to follow at the Burke Museum
Thomas Buergenthal is the Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence at George Washington University. He came to the United States at the age of 17. He spent the first 11 years of his life in various German camps and is one of the youngest survivors of the Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen concentration camps. Considered one of the world’s leading international human rights experts, Professor Buergenthal was a Judge and President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights as well as President of the Administrative Tribunal of the Inter-American Development. He was a member of the UN Human Rights Committee and UN Truth Commission for El Salvador. He is a member of the Ethics Commission of the International Olympic Committee and the honorary president of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights in San José.
Co-Sponsors: The Jackson School, the UW Center for Human Rights, Hillel, and the Jewish Studies Department.
Reception Sponsored by the Gates Public Service Law Program and the UW Center for Human Rights. (Sponsorship of this event by the University of Washington School of Law and the W.H. Gates Public Service law Program does not imply endorsement.)
RSVP via Symplicity or email.
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Alice: Madness Returns Review
Xbox 360 | PS3 | PC
System: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Dev: Spicy Horse
Pub: Electronic Arts
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
Back Down the Rabbit Hole
by Adam Dodd
Since it's been eleven years since American McGee's Alice was released, I wasn't sure what to expect when I booted up Madness Returns. Would it be a horrifying adventure filled with terrifying creatures and limited health? Or maybe it would be more of an action adventure game with clever puzzles and solid platforming? Well, it has elements of both, but in the end it's really none of the above.
Madness Returns is an interesting beast. It's obvious that a lot of effort, love, and dedication were invested into building an experience that is as beautiful as it is frightening. The team at Spicy Horse has made one of the most unique games I've had the pleasure of playing in a long time, but unfortunately there are a few issues that keep this game from being the follow-up many of us so desperately wanted it to be.
Let's start with one of the game's best features: the art style. This definitely won't stand up to the better-looking games out there, and there are a handful of graphical issues like slow-loading textures and noticeable seams. But it's evident that quite a bit of time was taken to make sure each of the game's six levels looks different than the next, and each new level brings with it a completely different aesthetic with new creatures, both good and bad—terms I'll use loosely—to inhabit it. The only issue is that while each environment looks different, they each play almost exactly the same. You have the geysers that lift you high into the air, pads on the ground for you to bounce on so you can get to those hard-to-reach places, and enemies that look different but require similar strategies to vanquish as their siblings in the other worlds.
Basically, you can break Madness Returns into three sections: combat, platforming, and puzzles. Sadly, the only section that requires any real effort is the combat, and that's only when you're forced to fight a large number of adversaries at once. The platforming, for the most part, is pretty basic. You jump and float from one area to the next, using the geysers and jump pads that have been strategically placed to help you. Occasionally you'll come across invisible platforms that require a little more effort to cross.
Early in the game, Alice gains the ability to shrink herself so she can walk through small keyholes near the ground that lead to hidden items like collectible bottles, memories, or teeth, the game's currency. This ability also comes in handy for revealing the invisible platforms that can only be seen when Alice is very small. These help to break up the otherwise monotonous platforming, but they're never really used to their full potential, and they're almost always easy to get past.
The puzzles, though few and far between, are also very simple. For example, there's one puzzle that has you gather cubes strewn about the environment that act as pieces of a sliding puzzle. There are also targets that must be shot to reveal hidden platforms and pressure plates. Alice can stand on these or place a timed bomb on them before quickly scurrying to the next area. If the bomb explodes before you finish, everything resets and you must start over. The puzzles are fun, but never require much time to figure out. Once you've successfully completed them, there's no real feeling of accomplishment.
The combat is one of the most important pieces of the game, since you'll be fighting enemies as often as you'll be traversing aerial platforms. There will be a variety of enemies thrown at you over the course of the game, but you'll soon come to realize that while an enemy might look unique, it can usually be dispelled using the same technique used on a similar enemy in a previous world. Essentially, there are only a handful of different foes that are just wearing different skins.
Videos / Game Trailers
Debut Teaser
TGS 10: Fiery Tentacles Teaser
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William Tolman
Associate Dean of Research
William Greenleaf Eliot Professor of Chemistry
PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Laboratory Website
Inorganic, biological, and polymer chemistry
Email: wbtolman@wustl.edu
William B. Tolman's work focuses on using inorganic, biological, and polymer chemistry to address important problems related to human health and the environment.
Current research in his group emphasizes the use of synthetic chemistry to unravel how copper-containing enzymes function and developing new ways to prepare biorenewable and sustainable polymers. His team has published more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and he is a fellow of both the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also editor-in-chief of the American Chemical Society journal Inorganic Chemistry.
Before coming to Washington University in January 2018, Tolman spent 27 years at the University of Minnesota, where he was the Distinguished McKnight University Professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry (2009-2017).
American Chemical Society Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry, 2017
Charles E. Bowers Teaching Award (College of Science & Engineering, University of Minnesota), 2012
Fellow of the American Chemical Society, 2010
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2006
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award (@Technical University of Munich), 2004
Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 2004
Buck-Whitney Medal (American Chemical Society, Eastern New York Section), 2001
Distinguished McKnight University Professorship (University of Minnesota), 2000
George W. Taylor Award for Excellence in Research (University of Minnesota), 1998
Camille & Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 1994-1999
National Young Investigator Award (National Science Foundation), 1993-1998
Bush Sabbatical Supplement Award (University of Minnesota), 9/96-6/97
Visiting Professorship, Miller Institute for Research (University of California, Berkeley), 1/97-5/97
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship, 1994-1996
Searle Scholar Award (Chicago Community Trust), 1992-1995
McKnight-Land Grant Professorship (University of Minnesota), 1992-1994
George W. Taylor Career Development Award (University of Minnesota), 1994
Postdoctoral Fellowship (American Cancer Society), 1988-1990
Postdoctoral Fellowship (National Institutes of Health), 1987-1988
W.R. Grace Fellowship (University of California, Berkeley), 1984-85
University Fellowship (University of California, Berkeley), 1983-84
University Honors (Wesleyan University), 1983
Phi Beta Kappa (Wesleyan University), 1983
Sigma Xi (Wesleyan University), 1983
Analytical Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society (Wesleyan University), 1982
Welcome to WashU: William B. Tolman
Prof. Bill Tolman joins senior leadership in Arts & Sciences
Prof. Bill Tolman joins the Chemistry Department
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September 26, 2012 · 01:34
What does it Cost to Write a Novel?
I have now been writing my novel for 580 days. How many hours would that make? I haven’t counted, but given that there are 13,920 hours in 580 days, a rough estimate must yield a number in the thousands. A sobering thought…
With my business background and Chinese heritage, I can’t help thinking about what people in business call ‘the opportunity cost’. In other words, what else I could have done in that time, and how much more income I might have generated.
In a year and a half, the total package garnered by a senior manager working full-time could come to a few hundred thousand pounds (if we included bonuses, healthcare and pension contributions). I chose to leave the corporate world, and I don’t for one nanosecond regret that decision. Not because I hated it, but because in my time, I survived two life-threatening illnesses. Writing was integral to my recovery (see blog-post The Miracle of Writing), and I believe I need to continue telling stories for my well-being.
While I would love to be commercially successful as a writer, I have to be realistic: I’m writing historical fiction, not Harry Potter. My aim is to be both accessible and literary at the same time. In the process, I hope to entertain many, and to touch a few. Although my novel is historical, it carries themes of contemporary interest, such as the invisible cost of cultural assimilation – what it means to lose a heritage, and the ongoing tension between modernity and tradition.
It took me twelve months to write the first draft of this epic drama. That is fast, I’m told, for 150,000 words. (In comparison, the average book now has 100,000 to 120,000 words). Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I worked like a fiend. It helped that I could work at my second job from home, which gave me plenty of flexibility to write. I also had a wonderfully supportive partner who agreed not to speak to me before 3 pm each day. Although this was the subject of constant jokes amongst our friends, I can happily say there is no substitute for discipline.
At that whirlwind speed, I expected to be finished in no time. But my editor shook her head after the second draft. Nope, not ready yet, she told me in no uncertain terms. It is only now, well into my third draft, that I fully appreciate how much work has to go into polishing each and every word. I sit thinking about tenses and grammar. I stare at commas and semi-colons, the presence or absence of which could subtly change a sentence.
When I gave the second draft to a book-loving friend for a lay-person’s opinion, the work had grown to 170,000 words. I’m very grateful to my friend for her patience and her many comments. But what is a writer to do with wildly opposing feedback?
The bone of contention: the fact that my characters talk like Malaysians. (By that, I mean the dialogue between characters, not the narrative flow itself). Here’s an example. Instead of saying “How can that be?”, a Malaysian in real life might say, “Like that, how can-ah?”
To me as a Malaysian, the words written in that way simply jump off the page. I can hear the sentence, “Like that, how can-ah?” in all three of Cantonese, Malay or Malaysian English (Manglish). While creating the dialogue between my characters, I realised that when Malaysians speak English, we often just translate from our own languages.
By changing the order of the words on the page, I hoped to convey some of the cadence and intonation of Malaysian speech. It would have been easy to stick to the tried and tested Malaysian favourites: ‘lah’ and ‘ah’ and even ‘ai-yahh’; I wanted, perhaps ambitiously, to capture more of Malaysia’s atmosphere in my novel. If you haven’t been to South-East Asia, this may be lost, and the speech could seem trying. This is why I’ve restricted ‘Malaysian-isation’ to only the dialogue between the characters in my book. A matter of style, but it has already proven controversial. My editor loved it, and my friend hated it. Their reactions told me that other readers were also likely to fall into those two camps. As the writer, I will have to make the final decision.
Writers are always encouraged to read as widely as possible. Yet, while writing my first draft, I found that if I read any work written in a style dissimilar to mine (a story-telling style à la Isabel Allende), my own writing became affected. The sentences would cease to flow. In that period, I was forced to read and re-read Isabel Allende. Not a hardship, since I love her writing. In contrast, reading widely has helped me with my second and third drafts. I’ve read a string of novels recently, including The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, a sad story set in Japan in the late 1700s, in which David Mitchell displays wonderful techniques with dialogue.
Latterly, I’ve discovered a trick I wish I had used earlier. Now that my work is nearly ready to be more widely exposed, I have a number of readings planned. While preparing for them, I began to read passages of my work aloud to myself. That was when I realised I could use reading aloud as a tool to weed out unwieldy sentences. If my tongue couldn’t get around a sentence first time, it was usually because the sentence didn’t work, and I had to change it. Reading aloud also helps when you’re trying to spot repetition. Gillian Slovo had mentioned this at a writing workshop at the Faber Academy, but once I arrived home, I promptly forgot her advice. She was spot-on though.
Soon, it will be time to think about how to get my work published. I’m not looking forward to the process; why that is the case deserves another blog-post. To return to the question I asked at the outset: what does it cost to write a novel? Answer: many years of a writer’s life. And what does it take to get to the finish line? Discipline, determination and an insane belief that you have a worthwhile story to share with the world.
Filed under Malaysia, Novel, Writing
Tagged as Cantonese, Cultural Assimilation, David Mitchell, Epic Drama, Faber Academy, Fiction, Gillian Slovo, Harry Potter, Historical Fiction, Isabel Allende, Malay, Malaysian English, Malaysian Speech, Manglish, Novel, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, Writing
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Tag Archives: Sea Level Rise
October 3, 2014 by craftymcclever
In Tuesday afternoon press conference, the Federal authorities and the Center for Disease Control confirmed the first diagnosed case of Ebola in the United States and the local station WFAA was the first to report the patent testing positive in Dallas, according to Ryan Gorman, First US case of deadly Ebola virus confirmed in Dallas. The male patient recently traveled to Liberia, leaving the country on September 19 and arriving in the U.S. the following day, according to the CDC’s Dr. Thomas Frieden. The person exhibited no symptoms until about five days later. He sought care on the 26th, was admitted to a hospital on the 28th and tested positive on the 30th, Frieden explained, adding the man is “critically ill.” The patient has been placed into isolation in Texas and will be treated in the state. A CDC team already on the ground in Texas will work to identify all individuals that have come into contact with the infected individual and monitor those people for the next 21 days, Frieden added. Frieden declined to say if the individual is an American citizen, but did disclose he is in the country to “visit family.” Dallas County Health and Human Services director Zachary Thompson told WFAA that the city is more than able to contain and treat the isolated patient. Health official have reported that more than 3,000 people have died during the recent outbreak in West Africa and three Americans were transported to Atlanta for treatment after contracting Ebola, but this is the first case outside that region. Frieden said, “Ebola is a scary disease. We’re really hoping for the recovery of this individual. We’re [also] stopping it in it’s tracks in the United States.” The Associated Press reports, Ebola case stokes concerns for Liberians in Texas, Stanley Gaye, president of the Liberian Community Association of Dallas-Fort Worth, said the 10,000-strong Liberian population in North Texas is skeptical of the CDC’s assurances because Ebola has ravaged their country. Gaye said at a community meeting Tuesday evening, “We’ve been telling people to try to stay away from social gatherings. We need to know who it is so that they (family members) can all go get tested. If they are aware, they should let us know.” Vice president Roseline Sayon said, “We don’t want to get a panic going.We embrace those people who are coming forward. Don’t let the stigma keep you from getting tested.” Blood tests by Texas health officials and the CDC separately confirmed his Ebola diagnosis Tuesday. State health officials described the patient as seriously ill. Goodman said he was able to communicate and was hungry. Passengers leaving Liberia pass through rigorous screening, but those checks are no guarantee that an infected person not showing symptoms will be stopped from boarding, according to Binyah Kesselly, chairman of the Liberia Airport Authority’s board of directors. Ebola is believed to have sickened more than 6,500 people in West Africa, and more than 3,000 deaths have been linked to the disease, according to the World Health Organization. But even those tolls are probably underestimates, partially because there are not enough labs to test people for Ebola. Two mobile Ebola labs staffed by American naval researchers arrived this weekend and will be operational this week, according to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia. The labs will reduce the amount of time it takes to learn if a patient has Ebola from several days to a few hours. The U.S. military also delivered equipment to build a 25-bed clinic that will be staffed by American health workers and will treat doctors and nurses who have become infected. The U.S. is planning to build 17 other clinics in Liberia and will help train more health workers to staff them.
While the man is now receiving treatment for Ebola, new details have emerged about the days before the he was admitted to the hospital. the Associated Press reports, Dallas ER sent Ebola-infected patient home, a Dallas emergency room sent home the man with Ebola last week knowing he had told a nurse he had been to West Africa specifically Liberia and officials at the hospital are considering if they would of acted differently if they entire staff knew. The decision by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital to release the patient, who had recently arrived from Liberia, could have put others at risk of exposure to Ebola before the man went back to the ER a couple of days later when his condition worsened. A nine-member team of federal health officials was tracking anyone who had close contact with the man after he fell ill on Sept. 24. The group of 12 to 18 people included three members of the ambulance crew that took him to the hospital, as well as a handful of schoolchildren. They will be checked every day for 21 days, the disease’s incubation period. “That’s how we’re going to break the chain of transmission, and that’s where our focus has to be,” Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press Wednesday. The patient explained to a nurse last Thursday that he was visiting the U.S. from Africa, but that information was not widely shared, said Dr. Mark Lester, who works for the hospital’s parent company. “Regretfully, that information was not fully communicated” throughout the medical team, Lester said. Instead, the man was diagnosed with a low-risk infection and sent home. He was prescribed antibiotics, according to his sister, Mai Wureh, who identified her brother, Thomas Eric Duncan, as the infected man in an interview with The Associated Press. Duncan has been kept in isolation at the hospital since Sunday. He was listed in serious but stable condition. But the diagnosis, and the hospital’s slip-up, highlighted the wider threat of Ebola, even far from Africa. Since the man had no symptoms on the plane, the CDC stressed there is no risk to his fellow passengers. Reuters reports, Dallas Ebola patient vomited outside apartment on way to hospital, two days after he was sent home from the hospital, the man was seen vomiting on the ground outside his apartment complex as he was taken into an ambulance. The New York Times said that Duncan, in his mid-40s, helped transport a pregnant woman suffering from Ebola to a hospital in Liberia, where she was turned away for lack of space. Duncan helped bring the woman back to her family’s home and carried her into the house, where she later died, the newspaper reported. Four days later Duncan left for the United States, the Times said, citing the woman’s parents and neighbors. Airline and hotel company shares dropped sharply on U.S. markets on Wednesday over concerns that Ebola’s spread outside Africa might curtail travel. Drugmakers with experimental Ebola treatments in the pipeline saw their shares rise. A Liberian official said the man traveled through Brussels to the United States. United Airlines said in a statement that the man took one of its flights from Brussels to Washington Dulles Airport, where he changed planes to travel to Dallas-Fort Worth. As of Thursday morning, Ryan Gorman reports, Texas officials now looking at 100 people possibly infected with deadly Ebola virus, Texas State Health Department spokesperson Carrie Williams said in a statement: “We are working from a list of about 100 potential or possible contacts. The number will drop as we focus in on those whose contact may represent a potential risk of infection.” Officials previously said they were looking at about 80 people while Duncan was being cared for in a Dallas hospital. Authorities explained they are casting a wide net in order to make sure no one goes untreated and any potential outbreak can be immediately contained. In the article, US Ebola patient’s family under quarantine as he faces criminal charges in Liberia, Gorman reports that Duncan’s family has been placed under quarantine and Thomas Duncan will face criminal charges in Liberia. Officials hand-delivered the order to Thomas Duncan’s relatives Wednesday night after they reportedly violated an official request to not leave home, WFAA reported. The Liberian citizen reportedly lied on his health form to gain entry to the U.S. Duncan’s family is now under a strict quarantine until October 19. They are legally prohibited from leaving their Dallas home for any reason. Duncan lying on his health form has prompted Liberian officials to announce they will file criminal charges against him for carrying the deadly virus through Europe and two U.S. cities, the Associated Press reported.
While the U.S. now may be dealing with the deadly virus, the outbreak in Western African countries continues to grow at an alarming rate and the local health facilities are ill-equipped to deal. Eline Gordts reports, 5 People Are Infected With Ebola Every Hour In Sierra Leone, according to new data released Wednesday by the International Charity Save the Children, five people in Sierra Leone are infected with Ebola every hour. According to Save the Children, an estimated 765 new cases of Ebola were reported in Sierra Leone just last week, while the country currently only has 327 beds for patients available. Without drastic efforts to curtail the spread of the disease, 10 people will be infected every hour in the country before the end of October, Save the Children said. In a press release about the numbers, Rob MacGillivray, the organization’s director in Sierra Leone, said: “We are facing the frightening prospect of an epidemic which is spreading like wildfire across Sierra Leone, with the number of new cases doubling every three weeks.” The spread of Ebola remains persistent in Sierra Leone, according to the WHO, and there’s strong evidence that the disease is reaching new districts. According to estimates by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the number of Ebola cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone could rise to 1.4 million by January if the disease is not effectively fought. Only 30 percent of patients survive Ebola.
Meanwhile, as protest rage in Hong Kong, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has refused to step down Thursday and offered to talk to defuse a week of massive demonstrations that are the biggest challenge to Beijing’s authority since China took over from Britain in 1997, according to the Associated Press, Hong Kong leader offers talks with protesters. Student leaders of the protest did not respond to Leung’s announcement, however, Occupy Central said in a statement: “[Occupy Central] hopes the talks can provide a turning point in the current political stalemate. However, we reiterate our view that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is the one responsible for the stalemate, and that he must step down.” The protesters want Beijing to reverse its decision that all candidates in an inaugural 2017 election for chief executive must be approved by a committee of mostly pro-Beijing elites. They say China is reneging on its promise that the city’s top leader will be chosen through “universal suffrage.” Earlier in the day, police brought in supplies of tear gas and other riot gear, and the protesters prepared face masks and goggles as tensions rose in the standoff outside the imposing government compound near the waterfront. Police warned of serious consequences if the protesters tried to surround or occupy government buildings, as they had threatened to do if Leung didn’t resign by the end of Thursday. Leung said shortly before midnight that the authorities would continue to tolerate the protests as long as participants did not charge police lines, but urged them to stop their occupation of much of the downtown area. He said, “I urge students not to charge into or occupy government buildings. … It’s not about my personal inconvenience. These few days the protesters’ occupation of key areas of the city has already seriously affected Hong Kong’s economy, people’s daily lives and government functioning.” Joanna Chiu reports, Hong Kong leader rejects protestors’ demands, Hong Kong’s free press and social media has allowed protestors a voice and exposure that may prevent China from cracking down in the same way it does on restive minorities and dissidents living in the mainland, where it is harshly punished. With dozens of bus routes canceled and subway entrances closed, Hong Kong’s police and fire department renew calls for protestors to clear the streets. Many of the protesters were born after an agreement with Britain in 1984 that pledged to give China control of the city of 7 million, and have grown up in an era of affluence and stability, with no experience of past political turmoil in mainland China. Their calls for a great say in their futures have widespread support among many in Hong Kong disillusioned by a widening gap between the city’s ultra-wealthy tycoons and the rest of the population. Didi Tang reports, No images of Hong Kong protests in China’s media, China’s government has cut off news about Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests to the rest of the country, a clampdown so thorough that no image of the rallies has appeared in state-controlled media, and at least one man has been detained for reposting accounts of the events. By contrast, media in semiautonomous Hong Kong have been broadcasting nonstop about the crowds, showing unarmed students fending off tear gas and pepper spray with umbrellas as they call for more representative democracy in the former British colony. Censorship of microblogs – including phrases such as “tear gas” – has kept online discussion muted. The image-sharing Instagram service was shut down in China over the weekend. Activist Wang Long in the southern city of Shenzhen, who reposted news about the protests on the instant messaging service WeChat, was detained Monday by police on suspicion of causing trouble, his lawyer friend Fan Biaowen said.
While the government of China unites against a Hong Kong democracy and face off against pro-democracy protestors, the U.S. led coalition to fight ISIS continues to struggle to gain ground against the militant group as Turkey decides whether to join the fight publicly or take a background role. CNN reports, Airstrikes pound ISIS targets; bomb blasts kill 30 schoolchildren in Syria, a day after Britain’s military launched its first campaign, Turkish soldiers and tanks along the border with Syria on Tuesday gear up for a possible fight. Meanwhile, Turkey’s government put a motion before parliament asking for the authorization to take military action against ISIS. Lawmakers are expected to debate the measure in a special session Thursday before voting, Anadolu, Turkey’s semiofficial new agency, reports. Tony Abbot told Parliament in Canberra that Australian aircraft started flying over Iraq in support of allied operations Wednesday. However, the government is awaiting an invitation from Iraq before a final decision to commit Australian forces to airstrikes. Retired U.S. Marine general coordinating the U.S. led coalition against ISIS, John R. Allen told CNN, “It’s actually an important moment where so many countries from so many different backgrounds share that view (that ISIS poses a threat to the region), that this is an opportunity to create partnership across those lines of effort that would achieve real effect.” According to a military think tank, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, the airstrikes have cost $1 billion. The U.S. military said Tuesday that it was the busiest day for airstrikes against ISIS since the military campaign began, with 28 total, including the two UK strikes. More strikes were carried out Wednesday by the United States and a partner nation, the U.S. military said, including around the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani in Syria, known in Arabic as Ayn al Arab. Other strikes hit ISIS targets in Iraq northwest of Mosul, near the Haditha Dam and northwest of Baghdad. Tuesday, British planes helped Kurdish troops who were fighting ISIS in northwestern Iraq, dropping a bomb on an ISIS heavy weapon position and shooting a missile at an armed pickup truck, the UK’s Defense Ministry said. Britain joins the United States and France as countries that have hit ISIS in Iraq with airstrikes, while Belgium and Denmark have also said they also will provide planes. Of those nations, only the United States along with some Arab countries have struck ISIS positions in neighboring Syria. In Syria, where a 3½ year old civil war rages on between government forces and rebel groups including ISIS, twin blasts struck Wednesday near a school in the nation’s third-largest city, Homs. The death toll has climbed to 39, with at least 30 children between the ages of 6 and 9 killed, according to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The toll was confirmed by the London-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collects information about civilian casualties in the country. Turkey’s debate over whether to step into the fray comes as the flood of refugees from Syria has escalated, with 150,000 people fleeing to Turkey in recent days. Meanwhile, ISIS fighters armed with tanks and heavy weapons advance on Kobani in northern Syria, destroying villages in their path. If ISIS takes Kobani, it will control a complete swath of land from its self-declared capital of Raqqa to the Turkish border, more than 60 miles away. On Wednesday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, according to the Associate Press report, Turkey considers Iraq, Syria incursions: “In the struggle against terrorism, we are open and ready for every kind of cooperation. However, Turkey is not a country that will allow itself to be used for temporary solutions. An effective struggle against ISIL or other terror organizations will be our priority. The immediate removal of the administration in Damascus, Syria’s territorial unity and the installation of an administration which embraces all will continue to be our priority.” The motion cites the continued threat to Turkey from Kurdish rebels who are fighting for autonomy from bases in northern Iraq; the threat from the Syrian regime; as well as the newly emerged threat from the Islamic State militants and other groups in Syria and Iraq. It also cites a potential threat to a mausoleum in Syria that is considered Turkish territory. The tiny plot of land that is a memorial to Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, is guarded by Turkish troops. The government enjoys a majority in parliament and the motion was expected to pass despite opposition from two parties.
As the human tragedy of war unfolds in the Middle East, several credible and widely known organizations this week have released reports on the human impact on climate change that has caused wildlife populations to plummet and bodies of water to recede or disappear and the record increase of Antarctic sea ice. John Heilprin reports, Humans To Blame For Major Decline In Wildlife Populations, WWF Report Finds, that a study Tuesday from the Swiss based WWF reports that 3,000 species of wildlife around the world have see their numbers plummet due to human threats to nature with a 52 percent decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2010. It says improved methods of measuring populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles explain the huge difference from the 28-percent decline between 1970 and 2008 that the group reported in 2012. Most of the new losses were found in tropical regions, particularly Latin America. WWF describes the study it has carried out every two years since 1998 as a barometer of the state of the planet. The latest “Living Planet” study analyzed data from about 10,000 populations of 3,038 vertebrate species from a database maintained by the Zoological Society of London. It is meant to provide a representative sampling of the overall wildlife population in the world, said WWF’s Richard McLellan, editor-in-chief of the study. It reflects populations since 1970, the first year the London-based society had comprehensive data. Each study is based on data from at least four years earlier. In the new WWF study, hunting and fishing along with continued losses and deterioration of natural habitats are identified as the chief threats to wildlife populations around the world. Other primary factors are global warming, invasive species, pollution and disease. Ken Norris, science director at the London society, said, “This damage is not inevitable but a consequence of the way we choose to live. There is still hope. Protecting nature needs focused conservation action, political will and support from industry.” Ryan Gorman reports, The world’s fourth-largest lake is almost completely dry, the vast Aral Sea has all but disappeared as seen in new satellite photos released by NASA. Officials in the Soviet Union began diverting water from the Aral Sea in the 1960s to irrigate desert land in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, according to the space agency. This effort has virtually drained it dry. The port cities Aralsk, Kazakhstan, and Moynaq, Uzbekistan, dependent on the lake’s 22 varieties of fish, began to crumble, officials claim. Less water led to higher concentrations of salt and other pollutants, it eventually became a public health hazard. Contaminated soil then blew off the dry lake bed onto neighboring farms and contaminated them, officials said. Less water also led to colder winters since the water’s moderating effect on the local climate was all but diminished. Kate Sheppard reports, Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Could Save 3,500 Lives Per Year: Report, a study released Tuesday says that reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants in order to curb global warming will save up to 3,500 American lives or nine lives per day and prevent 1,000 hospitalizations. The study, by researchers at Harvard, Syracuse and Boston universities, finds that the “co-benefits” of cutting carbon include reductions in sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, and mercury, which have been linked to respiratory illness, heart attacks and early deaths. The study looked at three scenarios for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One would only require changes at power plants. The second would set a state-based standard and allow reductions to come from throughout the electricity sector. The third would require power plants to make changes up to a certain cost. The researchers said the second scenario yielded the most co-benefits, reducing greenhouse gas emissions 35 percent from 2005 levels, while cutting sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions 27 percent, and nitrogen oxide emissions 22 percent. That scenario also was the most similar to the draft standard for reducing power plant emission that the Environmental Protection Agency released in June, which calls for a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The EPA’s own estimates of the benefits of its draft rules projected that they would prevent 2,700 to 6,600 premature deaths. The study found health benefits across the lower 48 states. Benefits were highest in places where more people are currently exposed to pollutants, and in the places with the worst air quality. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Georgia, Missouri, Virginia, Tennessee and Indiana would see the most avoided deaths, the researchers concluded. Climate Central reports, Antarctic Sea Ice Just Hit A New Maximum, But That Doesn’t Mean The Continent’s Not Warming, a boom in Antarctic sea ice will surpassed 7.7 million square miles for the first time ever and will set a new record and nearly every day has set a record for the day in the satellite record for 2014, according to Ted Scambos, a senior scientist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. The boom in ice around the southernmost continent in the past few years is in contract to the decades long decline of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean where the Arctic sea ice hit its sixth lowest extent at the end of this summer with the ice’s edge coming within 5 degrees latitude of the North Pole. That Arctic ice melt is robustly connected to the overall warming of the planet. The loss of reflective, white ice also amplifies the warming around the North Pole; as more dark, open ocean is exposed to incoming sunlight, the water absorbs those rays, heats even more and melts more ice. The growth of Antarctic sea ice may also, paradoxically, be connected to global warming, though the exact combination of causes is still a major area of study. And just what the causes turn out to be will affect how long the Antarctic growth will go on for. The Associated Press reports, 35,000 Walrus Come Ashore In Northwest Alaska, an estimated 35,000 walrus were photographed Saturday about 5 miles north of Point Lay, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Due to the fact these Pacific walrus cannot find sea ice to rest on in the Arctic waters, many have come ashore in record numbers to the beaches of northwest Alaska. The enormous gathering was spotted during NOAA’s annual arctic marine mammal aerial survey, spokeswoman Julie Speegle said by email. The survey is conducted with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the agency that oversees offshore lease sales. Andrea Medeiros, spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said walrus were first spotted Sept. 13 and have been moving on and off shore. Observers last week saw about 50 carcasses on the beach from animals that may have been killed in a stampede, and the agency was assembly a necropsy team to determine their cause of death. Pacific walrus spend their winters in the Bering Sea as females give birth on sea ice and use the ice to dive for food on the shallow shelf. When the temperatures warm in summer and the edge of the sea ice receded north, females and their young ride the edge of the ice into the Chukchi Sea, north of the Bering Sea. Unfortunately, in recent years, sea ice has receded beyond the shallow continental shelf and into the Arctic Ocean water with depths that exceed 2 miles preventing walrus from diving to the bottom. The World Wildlife Fund said walrus have also been gathering in large groups on the Russian side of the Chukchi Sea. Margaret Williams, managing director of the group’s Arctic program, said via phone from Washington, D.C.. “It’s another remarkable sign of the dramatic environmental conditions changing as the result of sea ice loss. The walruses are telling us what the polar bears have told us and what many indigenous people have told us in the high Arctic, and that is that the Arctic environment is changing extremely rapidly and it is time for the rest of the world to take notice and also to take action to address the root causes of climate change.”
Posted in 2014, activism, al-Qaida, animals, aquatic animals, bombing, budget, China, civil rights, conflict, congress, controversial, crime, death, democracy, disease, environment, FDA, goverment, health, hostage, human rights, insurgency, international, Iran, Iraq War, Islamic State, law, lawmakers, militants, military, news, peace, people, politics, protest, rally, terrorism, tragedy, United Nations, United States, US, violence, war, wellness, white house, world, world health
Tagged Air Pollution, Air Quality, Alaskan Walrus, Animal Populations, Antarctic Ice Antarctic Sea, Antarctica, Antarctica Ice, Antarctica Sea Ice, Bejiing, California Drought, CDC Ebola 2014, Clean Power Plan, Climate Central, Climate Change, Climate Change 35000 Walrus Come Ashore, Climate Change Attribution, Co Benefits, Decline in Wildlife, Democracy Hong Kong, Democracy in China, Ebola CDC, Ebola Crisis, Ebola Death Toll, Ebola Liberia, Ebola Texas, Ebola US, Ebola West Africa, Ebola WHO, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Extreme Weather, Extreme Weather Floods, Floods, Generation Change, Generation Change Climate Change, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Harvard, Harvard University School of Public Health, health, Hong Kong China democracy, Hong Kong democracy rally, Ice Antarctic Sea, Ice Extent Climate Change Ice Melting, Isil, ISIS Beheadings, Isis Beheads Women, Isis Women, Islamic State, Islamic State Beheadings, Islamic State Syria, Islamic State Women, Living Planet Report, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, nature, NOAA, Ozone Pollution, Poaching, Pollution, Power Plants, Reuters, Sea Level Rise, Sixth Extinction, Syria News, Thomas Karl, Turkey Iraq, Turkey ISIS, Turkey Syria, video, Walrus Alaska, Walrus Come Ashore, Wildlife Killing, Wildlife Population Decline, Wildlife Populations, Wwf Living Planet Report, Wwf Report, Wwf Wildlife Report
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Category: Volunteers
Many Utahns — from Boy Scout troops to family groups — contact the Utah Department of Corrections to inquire about service project opportunities. Thanks for your compassion and generosity!
Listed below are current needs for those looking for a service project to benefit inmates. You also may contact Volunteer Coordinator Lt. Tolai Pei for information and guidance about a project or donation idea at 801-576-7817 or kpei@utah.gov.
Current needs:
Sheet music for women's voices
Volunteer-led Programs
Bedtime Stories: Once a month on a Sunday evening, female inmates gather in the visiting room at the Timpanogos Women's Correctional Facility, where volunteers set them up with storybooks and recorders. Some women — who may be mothers, grandmothers or other relatives — choose to sing songs rather than read. The women also may write a message. The recordings and messages are reviewed and then mailed to the inmates' children. The children get to hear the voices of their loved ones, while inmates get a chance to focus on and connect with their children. Children are able to play the recordings as often as they want in the comfort of the home where they may be living with relatives or foster parents. That is especially helpful when children live far away or are uncomfortable visiting the prison. Brooke Plowthow, then a freshman at Brigham Young University, came up with the idea for the program about a dozen years ago as a service project for her LDS Young Women's group. She sought support from United Way of Utah County and the Ashton Family Foundation, which provided a $1,000 seed grant to cover costs. Today, the program is still going strong.
Crochet program: The crochet program, led by volunteers, allows inmates to engage in community service projects by creating hats, gloves, scarves and blankets that are donated to those in need locally and in refugee camps around the world. Every Christmas, inmates make several hundred stockings that are donated to local hospital maternity wards as a gift to mothers and their newborns.
Family History Centers (genealogical research): The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened the first Family History Center at the Utah State Prison in the 1980s to engage inmates in genealogical data input and personal family history research. Inmates, overseen by volunteers, use computers that connect to LDS Church’s family-history research databases or dedicated, stand-alone servers. Today, there are four centers in different facilities at the Utah State Prison and one at the Central Utah Correctional Facility. In 2013, state inmates indexed more than 2 million records.
Female Offender Transition Initiative: This pilot program, launched in November 2014, pairs female offenders with volunteer mentors and is aimed at ensuring the women's success when they are paroled from prison. Mentors are assigned to female offenders who are within six months of paroling to help set up housing, jobs, education, social services, transportation, medical and, if needed, mental health services. They may continue to work with the offenders for up to a year. The goal of the program is to provide support that allows the women to restart their lives and not revert to behaviors that landed them in prison. The mentors help the offenders develop short- and long-term goals and serve as a "lifeline" that women can call upon if they are struggling.
Wasatch Music Education Program: Music programs have operated at the Utah State Prison since the 1960s, when The Wayside Choir — now known as the Wasatch Chapel Men's Chorus — was first organized at the Wasatch Chapel. The music education program, which offers beginning piano, guitar, violin and vocals, has gone through starts and stalls but has flourished since the mid-2000s thanks to our volunteers. A similar program is offered in the Timpanogos Women's Correctional Facility and at the Central Utah Correctional Facility.
YPREP: Prior to their release, female inmates may attend the "YPREP" (Your Parole Requires Extensive Preparation) course taught by a team of volunteers that includes representatives of other state agencies and private organizations. The program prepares female offenders to successfully transition back into society by addressing housing, employment, transportation, child care and health care needs. Organizations involved in the program include the Utah Department of Child and Family Services, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Workforce Services, United Way of Utah County and Volunteers of America.
A variety of programs offered at the state's two prisons rely on volunteer help, including the following:
Internships (cultural diversity, cultural awareness)
Education (tutors)
Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous
YPREP (Your Parole Requires Extensive Preparation, class that prepare female offenders for release)
Transition mentoring
Dozens of groups volunteer at the prison, including the following:
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Utah Chapter
• Assembly of God
• True Vine Baptist
• Canines With A Cause
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Calvary Baptist Church
• Veteran Affairs Center
• United Way of Utah County
• Utah Valley University
Utahns interested in volunteering at the prisons must meet the following minimum requirements and submit this Volunteer Application:
Pass a background check
Possess a valid state-issued form of ID
Meet attendance/performance commitments
Abide by the Volunteer Service Agreement, including a code of ethics
Receive no compensation for services
Complete Department-provided training, renewed annually
Make a six-month to one-year commitment
For more information about volunteer opportunities with the Utah Department of Corrections, contact:
Programming/Volunteer Services
Lt. Tolai Pei: 801-576-7817
E-mail: udc_vrs@utah.gov
Dancers at Fall Powwow at Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, 2014.
Volunteers ensure the Department is able to meet the spiritual needs of inmates while maintaining a separation of church and state. There are more than two dozen religious affiliations claimed by inmates in state custody. To meet their spiritual needs, volunteers oversee a variety of activities, programs, scripture study and educational courses, prayer and worship services. Volunteers also provide religious-based addiction recovery groups, (LDS) Family Home Evening groups, (Native American) Sweat Lodge and Pipe ceremonies, and Sidda Yoga Meditation.
Chaplains, who are part-time employees of the Department, provide offenders with ecclesiastical counseling and non-denominational services. They assist both staff and offenders with crisis intervention and during personal and family trials. Chaplains are a resource for religious knowledge for staff, offenders and volunteers. They also maintain ongoing relationships with community religious leaders; have direct contact with offenders through consultations, programs and services; evaluate needs of offenders and decide the best sources available to meet those needs; answer questions regarding religious programs (services, symbols, reading material); and are a source for mediation (emergencies, deaths, fights, injuries) for staff and inmates.
Faiths and spiritual practices represented at the state prisons include:
Islam/Muslim
Jehovah's Witness
Latter-Day Saint/Mormon
Inmate Debra Samples records a story for her grandson with the
help of volunteer Kristin Kmetzsch, December 2014.
The Utah Department of Corrections and the taxpayers it serves benefit daily from the tireless — and often thankless — contribution of volunteers, who play a critical role in providing services to inmates.
At any time, there are as many as 1,300 volunteers registered to work with offenders, both those incarcerated and those on probation or parole. These volunteers aid offenders in their efforts to change their lives and successfully rejoin our communities.
Volunteers are engaged in a variety of activities at the Utah State Prison and the Central Utah Correctional Facility, from religious services to genealogical work and transition mentoring. The programs volunteers are engaged in give inmates more opportunities for learning, positive social interaction and personal development.
The services volunteers provide as mentors, educators and cheerleaders give the women and men in prison the ability to see who they can be when they transition back into our communities. Volunteers help to instill hope and provide examples of what it means to be a good neighbor and a good citizen. We hope our volunteers find joy, pleasure and a sense of service in knowing they are making a difference in the future of Utah!
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Dunster, Janzer Named to IWLCA All-Region Team
Photos by Matt O'Haren
(Carlisle, Pa.) – The Dickinson women's lacrosse team had two players named to the 2019 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Region Team, announced on Monday.
Senior Anne Dunster (Cos Cobb, Conn./Greenwich) was a First-team selection for the second straight season after making her third appearance on the All-Centennial Conference squad, earning First-team honors for the past two years and honorable mention as a sophomore. Dunster capped a brilliant career with an outstanding senior season, breaking the school record for points in a season and ranking fifth in the conference with 77 points.
Dunster cracked the program's top 10 with 44 goals and 33 assists to rank sixth and third, respectively, and moved into second all-time with 224 career points and 90 assists. She finished fifth in career goals, scoring 134 times in 68 games a Red Devil. Dunster set the conference playoff record, scoring eight goals in the opening round match-up with Haverford and holds the program record for assists by a first-year, handing out 21 in her rookie season in 2016.
Sophomore Clare Janzer (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) makes her first appearance on the All-Region Team, earning Second-team honors. She was a First-team All-Centennial Conference recognition on defense as well. Janzer continued to get better every game and has become a key component to the Red Devil defense.
Janzer has quickly developed into a true shutdown defender, keeping opponent's top scorers in check while drawing the toughest defensive assignments. She held the conference's leading scorer to just a pair of goals in their first meeting and scoreless in the first half of the conference playoff game. Janzer forced 15 turnovers and controlled 20 GBs on the year. In addition, she played a key role in transition as the Red Devils had a successful clear rate of 84 percent.
The Red Devils broke into the national rankings, moving up to #-22 in the weekly coaches' poll. They finished 11-6 overall and 6-3 in the Centennial, earning the #4-seed in the conference playoffs.
Complete 2019 IWLCA All-Region Teams
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Home » Hotels (x) » People (x)
Knoxville (Tenn.)--History (22) + -
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Photography of interiors (8) + -
Tourism -- Gatlinburg (4) + -
Tourism--Gatlinburg (4) + -
Mountain View Hotel (3) + -
Blount County (2) + -
Businesses -- Gatlinburg (2) + -
Chilhowee Range (2) + -
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Asheville Post Card Co. (15) + -
Genuine Curteich (10) + -
W. M. Cline Company (8) + -
Asheville Post Card Company (Asheville, N.C.) (4) + -
Cochran, William Cox 1848-1936 (4) + -
Standard Souvenirs & Novelties, Inc. (4) + -
unknown (3) + -
C. T. Art-Colortone (1) + -
Graphic Arts Agency (1) + -
Jim Thompson Co. (1) + -
Knoxville Engraving Company (Knoxville, Tenn.) (1) + -
Robert C. Manning Co. (1) + -
Standard News Agency (1) + -
MS 552; William Cox Cochran Great Smoky Mountains Photographic Collection, 1886; Special Collections Library, The University of Tennessee (4) + -
Knoxville (Tenn.) (22) + -
Elkmont (3) + -
Elkmont (Tenn.) (3) + -
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approximately between 1880 and 1900 (1) + -
albumen prints (1) + -
William Cox Cochran Photographic Collection (4) + -
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Asheville Post Card Company (Asheville, N.C.) (Creator) (4) + -
Cochran, William Cox 1848-1936 (creator) (4) + -
Mary Rudd Cochran (4) + -
Standard Souvenirs & Novelties, Inc. (Creator) (4) + -
Aiken, Gene (Photographer) (3) + -
Huff, Jack (Photographer) (3) + -
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unknown (Creator) (3) + -
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unknown (Photographer) (2) + -
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Davis, Harold (Photographer) (1) + -
Garner, William Orland, 1858-1940 (Photographer) (1) + -
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Jim Thompson Co. (Creator) (1) + -
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Moore, Paul A. (Photographer) (1) + -
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Thompson, James Edward, 1880-1976 (Photographer) (1) + -
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Fireplace in Arrowcraft Shop
Robin Thompson Art Tone Prints Correct Development Permanent Prints
Little Pigeon River Mountain View Hotel Owned by Mr. Huff
Riverside Hotel, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
another view of the Mountain View Hotel
Mountain View Hotel owned by Andy Huff. The photographer was facing east and slightly south.
Abandoned country school and hotel, this is the school we hope to get for a hospital, a beautiful site
The abandoned schoolhouse was used briefly by Pi Beta Phi in 1912. The photographer was facing east.
Hotel Greystone
McKenzie House
This building was originally known as McKenzie House and was built in 1842 by Major Will A. McTeer on Main Street (now Broadway), in Maryville, Tennessee. It became Verandah Hotel in 1852 when columns were added; fence and porch is for A. K. Harper House. It later became Jackson House, a hotel, in 1886. It's name changed to Blount Hotel in 1919. This photograph shows a deteriorating large wooden building with seven columns, a porch, steps, and a balcony which has balustrades. There is a wood shingle roof with two chimneys, one of which is missing bricks at the top. There are several sets of French doors, some with sidelights and fixed windows across the top. One end of the balcony is sagging and the other is supported with lumber. There is a paint shop sign by the lower right door. In front of the building there is a horse with a wagon that has a retractable covering; there are two people, one sitting and the other standing, by the wagon. Next to this building a three story brick building with a metal roof and a brick chimney is partially visible. Across the street on the left side the corner of a porch with ornamentation is visible. The yard around the porch has a metal decorative fence; there are eight young trees in the yard, some of which are supported with trellises. There are other fences and a gate visible.
Hotel Farragut
Named after Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, the Hotel Farragut opened on the corner of Gay and Clinch (the site of the old Imperial Hotel) on February 1, 1919. It flourished until 1929 when the Andrew Johnson Hotel opened nearby, after which time the two hotels provided each other with stiff competition. The Farragut closed in 1977 and was converted into office space in 1978.
The Imperial Hotel was built on the corner of Gay and Clinch Streets in about 1894. It replaced several older businesses, including the Hotel Hattie. The Imperial burned down in 1916 and was replaced by the "completely fireproof" Farragut Hotel in 1919.
Whittle Springs Hotel
The original Whittle Springs Hotel was built in about 1902 about three miles to the north of Knoxville. It advertised such conveniences as electric lights, baths, unexcelled cuisine, and both telephone and telegraph connections. This structure burned in 1919, and the second Whittle Springs Hotel (shown) was constructed on the same site. This building was razed in 1964.
Wonderland Hotel
The Wonderland Park resort community (including the Wonderland Hotel) was created in Elkmont in 1912 to rival the Appalachian Club's nearby resort area. The Wonderland Park Hotel and its associated buildings became the Wonderland Club in 1914 when they were sold to a group of private investors from Knoxville. Most of these private owners managed to obtain lifetime leases when the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created. The majority of these leases were eventually converted to 20-year leases that were later extended to expire in 1992. The Wonderland Hotel ceased operations when its lease expired and collapsed in 2005 while debate over what to do with the historic structures standing in Elkmont raged. Although salvage efforts were discussed, the hotel was demolished in late 2006.
The original Whittle Springs Hotel (shown) was built in about 1902 about three miles to the north of Knoxville. It advertised such conveniences as electric lights, baths, unexcelled cuisine, and both telephone and telegraph connections. This structure burned in 1919, and the second Whittle Springs Hotel was constructed on the same site. This building was razed in 1964.
Hotel Atkin and Economy Drug Co.
Clay Brown Atkin (1864-1931) built the Hotel Atkin in the late 1870s on Knoxville's Gay Street. Atkin also ran a business manufacturing furniture and mantels, developed a number of other Knoxville and Fountain City properties, and served as director of a number of local organizations.
Tate Springs Hotel
Captain Thomas Tomlinson built the Tate Springs Hotel in the late 1800s near one of the mineral springs flowing from Clinch Mountain in Grainger County. The resort, which featured cottages, stables, a golf course, and a park, was extremely prosperous until the Great Depression. The original structure was torn down in 1936 and the property was sold to Kingswood School in 1941. Today, the only remnant of the hotel is a gazebo standing near the mineral spring.
Interior of the Whittle Springs Hotel
The original Whittle Springs Hotel was built in about 1902 about three miles to the north of Knoxville. It advertised such conveniences as electric lights, baths, unexcelled cuisine, and both telephone and telegraph connections. This structure burned in 1919, and the second Whittle Springs Hotel was constructed on the same site. This building was razed in 1964.
Sitting room of the Imperial Hotel
Dining room of the Imperial Hotel
Lobby of the St. James Hotel
Originally known as the Van Deventer building, the St. James Hotel was built shortly after the "Million Dollar Fire" of 1897. During the 1920s, the hotel developed a reputation as a musical center: WNOX (earlier WNAV) was located at the St. James by 1923, and the Brunswick/Vocalion label set up temporary quarters in the building in 1929. A number of artists, many of whom went on to achieve national and international recognition, made recordings here during the "St. James Sessions" of 1929-1930. The hotel was demolished in 1973.
St. James Hotel
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Yugoslav Revolutionary Legacy: Female Soldiers and Activists in Nation-Building and Cultural Memory, 1941-1989
Maja Antonić, Western Kentucky UniversityFollow
Dr. Marko Dumančić (Director), Dr. Dorothea Browder, and Dr. Marla Zubel
While women are often excluded and/or portrayed as victims in the historical scholarship on war, this research builds on recent scholarship that shows women as active agents in warfare. I focus on Yugoslavia’s WWII Partizankas, female soldiers and activists, who held visible positions in the war effort, public consciousness and, later memory. Using gender as a category of analysis, my thesis explores Partizankas’ legacy and their contributions in the National Liberation Movement (NLM) in WWII (1941- 1945) and post-war nation building. I argue that the organizational framework of the Anti-Fascist Women’s Front (AWF) under the guidance of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY) emphasized women’s ethnic/religious identities along with distinct social standings and geographic locations to motivate them to fight for the common cause and subsequently forge a shared South Slavic identity. This emphasis on ethnic/regional/class differences paradoxically led to the creation of a common Yugoslav national identity. Women’s involvement, therefore, becomes central to the nationbuilding in the post-war period while establishing the legacy for future feminists. I characterize NLM as a Marxist guerrilla movement with the intent to contextualize the organizational tactics and ideological efforts of CPY and showcase the commonalities and differences the Yugoslav resistance movement had vis-à-vis other revolutionary movements that actively recruited women. Furthermore, the thesis focuses on the representations of Partizankas in popular culture and official rhetoric from WWII to the demise of Yugoslavia in 1991 in order explore the fluidity of gender roles and their perceptions. This research is meaningful because NLM, as an organized Marxist guerrilla movement, stands out in its size, success and legacy. The Yugoslav experience broadens the understanding of why women go to war, how gender norms shift during and after the conflict, and how female soldiers are remembered.
Ethnic Studies | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Film and Media Studies | Women's History
Antonić, Maja, "Yugoslav Revolutionary Legacy: Female Soldiers and Activists in Nation-Building and Cultural Memory, 1941-1989" (2019). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 3107.
Ethnic Studies Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Women's History Commons
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GE-14: Malaysia’s resurgent states stake a claim
April 25, 2018 by dinobeano
The era of dominant federal government may be over as leading states push for greater autonomy, resisting a centre compromised by scandal and policy drift.
by Tricia Yeoh*
http://www.newmandala.org/contest-power-malaysias-resurgent-states-stake-claim/
The dynamic Crown Prince of Johor Maj-Gen. Tunku Ismail Ibrahim: “Do not question the sovereignty of Johor.”
Ahead of Malaysia’s 14th General Election (GE14), Johor’s Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibrahim (popularly known as TMJ) issued a statement earlier this month essentially calling for the continuance of the incumbent UMNO government. It was also a thinly veiled criticism of former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed, who had curtailed the powers of the hereditary rulers during his 22 years in power, and who’s now leading the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) as its prime Minister-in-Waiting. The Royal Houses rarely intervene so publicly in national political affairs, and the Johor Royal Family has made the headlines in recent years. Most cutting was the TMJ’s reminder to political leaders: “Do not question the sovereignty of Johor.”
Despite government being in caretaker mode, both federal and state-level parties have been offering “goodies” to their voters in these final weeks before GE14’s polling day on 9th May. The Federal Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) made 67,000 free RM800 (A$269) fuel cards available to taxi drivers in Peninsular Malaysia, while in Selangor state, Chief Minister Azmin Ali handed out cash allocations, laptops and iPads in his constituency. In Penang, responding to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s promise to remove road tolls for motorcyclists at the two bridges linking island and mainland Penang, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said all tolls would be abolished if PH takes federal power. In Johor, Chief Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin announced that three entertainment parks worth almost RM8 billion (A$2.7 billion) would be built in the near future.
Selangor Chief Minister–Dato Seri Azmin Ali
In an environment so highly focused on national-level politics, what role do the states play? Are federal–state relations relevant, and do they impact electoral outcomes in any way, and how?
MALAYSIA IS A complex creature. While it was formed as a constitutional federation and has all the trappings of a formal federalism, in reality it practises only a weak or highly centralised form of federalism. Over the years, greater power and control have become increasingly concentrated in the hands of the federal government, starting with the abolishment of local council elections in 1965.
The Federal Government’s powers are far-reaching, and states have little say over their own state economies. Ever since the early 1970s, when then Prime Minister Tun Razak (Najib’s late father) initiated a policy of a kerajaan berparti or a government run on UMNO’s philosophy—at a time when the race-based affirmative action New Economic Policy (NEP) was being rolled out nationwide—states have been largely subservient to national-level ideology and direction. Up until 2008, UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) arguably considered states as natural extensions of the centre, operatives necessary to fulfill the national mandate of economic development—the more centralised, the more efficient.
Malaysia’s Most Unpopular Politician–Najib Razak
Today, the Prime Minister’s Department budget alone is more than five times larger than the state budget of Selangor and almost nine times larger than Penang’s, according to the 2018 budget. Although policy areas such as local government and land are supposed to be under state jurisdiction, according to the Federal Constitution, there exist entities like the National Council for Local Government and National Land Council, both chaired by a federal minister, both with strong influence over how such matters are managed within the states. There are also numerous provisions in the federal constitution that permit the federal government to actively intervene in a state’s affairs. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) can declare an emergency on the advice of the Prime Minister for the sake of maintaining “national security and public order”, which is extendable to any matter within the legislative authority of a state.
In the context of Malaysia’s single-party dominance, where UMNO-BN has never lost power, it’s no surprise that, with a few exceptions, BN-controled states are not as autonomous since their decisions are largely governed from the centre. Federal infrastructure projects would invariably receive the required state developmental order approval, for instance (states have the power to withhold this).
On the converse, whenever opposition parties have taken over state governments, they have been punished. For instance, oil-rich Kelantan and Terengganu have had their oil royalties withheld whenever opposition party Pas won power. The federal government banned log exports from Sabah which resulted in that state’s income falling drastically when it was under opposition rule in 1991. Budget cuts and delays in development project approvals have also been standard practice. Some states have resorted to depending on natural resources for their funding, since that is one of the few areas states manage. Sometimes this results in tragic outcomes: for instance, Kelantan was accused of excessive logging, which many argue resulted in the tragic floods of December 2014. Even BN-controlled states like Pahang (Najib’s home state) have also had to rely on natural resources to boost state income, through both logging and bauxite mining.
WHEN PAKATAN RAKYAT took over control of the states of Selangor, Penang, Perak, Kedah and Kelantan in the wake of 2008’s now-historic 12th General Elections, State Development Offices (SDOs) were physically removed from state premises, with funds directly channeled from the Federal Government and completely bypassing the new state governments. The Federal Government also set up Village Development and Safety Committees (JKKKP) that report directly to the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development. In the recent redrawing of election constituency boundaries, many individuals reportedly supporting the exercise and the new Selangor boundaries were in fact representatives of the JKKKP federal committees.
Malaysia’s richest states Selangor and Penang have had to contend with Federal Government interventions in multiple ways over the past decade, including federal instructions to civil servants that ran counter to the states’ agendas. Although civil servants are supposed to serve the government of the day, states’ senior civil servants (except in Johor) are appointed and promoted from the Federal Service and hence are put in the difficult position of serving two masters simultaneously.
For example, in 2010 when the Selangor state secretary was due to be replaced, the federal Public Service Commission announced the name of the new state secretary without the Selangor Chief minister’s consultation. The Chief Minister called for a special state assembly sitting to amend the state constitution, which would give the Chief Minister and the Sultan of Selangor the power to choose senior state officials. But this proposed amendment did not get the required two-thirds majority in the state parliament, and the Chief Minister had to accept the federal government’s choice of a new State Secretary against his will.
However, because these two states are highly industrialised and urbanised, they have had a different experience to previous opposition (non-BN) states, which were primarily rural in nature (Kelantan, Terengganu and Sabah). In the past, the BN Federal Government punished rural states by withholding funding and development, but it was no longer able to do the same in Selangor and Penang. These states have drawn from existing thriving industry, state-linked companies, and land development for their resources. Because these states also contribute disproportionately to the national economy, it was also foolhardy to threaten the economies of these states.
Over the past decade, both Selangor and Penang have sought to promote themselves as better-run states, demonstrating better budget outcomes and economic management, people-friendly services and policy delivery, and the ability to maintain investments and a strong economy. Such messages have been used by both states to position themselves as an alternative federal government model. In fact, some state policies have been imitated at federal level: Selangor’s Rumah Mampu Milik low-cost housing programme arguably inspired the federal-level PR1MA programme.
Selangor used its legislative assembly’s Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (SELCAT) to investigate corruption cases under the previous chief minister Khir Toyo of UMNO-BN. Selangor’s UMNO has not been able to recover from these negative perceptions, and lacking a strong leader, the state opposition has been weak. Previous state patronage systems have also been redirected, resulting in curtailed revenue streams that would have previously accrued back to central UMNO headquarters. Both Selangor and Penang state governments introduced Freedom of Information Enactments and implemented asset declaration systems for their Exco (state ministry) members. These two measures are unprecedented, and have not been replicated by other state governments nor the federal government.
THERE WERE MANY occasions in which overlapping jurisdictions have caused confusion in opposition-held states. The Selangor Government bore the brunt of dissatisfaction over several water shortage incidents in the state over the past decade. ‘Water supplies and services’ was transferred from the Federal Constitution’s state list to the concurrent list in 2005, where both Federal and state governments have joint control over how water is treated and distributed in states. The restructuring has been a long drawn out process because of disagreements between the Federal and state governments, made more complicated because there were four separate concessionaires to negotiate with. But voters cared little for the details, and demanded the issue be resolved quickly.
Such federal–state political competition has allowed other states to embolden themselves. For instance, the states of Sarawak and Sabah have become increasingly vocal in their demands for greater autonomy and to restore the terms of the Malaysia Agreement of 1963. The Sarawak state assembly passed a motion to demand a 20% royalty, instead of the 5% that the state currently receives in petroleum revenue sharing agreements with the federal government, Petronas and international oil companies. Sabah opposition politicians followed suit to demand the same. Negotiating with Putrajaya has resulted in Sarawak being able to set up its own oil and gas company, Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS), which is to work with Petronas and become an active player in the oil and gas industry by 2020. BN-led Johor has also fluffed its feathers, where Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibrahim declared in 2015 that the state had a right to secede from Malaysia if the terms of the federal agreement are violated, and the term “Bangsa Johor” (the Johor race) has been used repeatedly to mark out a specific state identity.
Penang’s Chief Minister–Lim Guan Eng
Having an opposition coalition leading at the state level offers voters a glimpse into how it will govern at the national level. The picture isn’t always rosy, where there have been complications, in part due to the intra-coalition conflicts on religion and race. More so in Selangor than in the more ethnically homogeneous states of Penang, Kelantan and Kedah. Selangor has had to deal with sensitive issues such as alcohol, entertainment centres, the relocation of a Hindu temple, and the confiscation of Malay version Bibles. In so doing, the state government has had to find a delicate balance where all parties—of various inclinations—will agree to compromise. Although the Islamist party PAS is no longer part of this coalition, its representatives were in the Selangor Exco right up to the recent dissolution of the state assembly. Selangor PAS was less vehement in its criticisms of other coalition partners like the DAP, compared to their national counterparts. Hence the state Pakatan Rakyat coalition outlasted its national coalition (which has now regrouped with different partners as Pakatan Harapan).
There have also been allegations of continued patronage within the states of Selangor and Penang, through well-oiled deals with private developers and contracts at local councils, demonstrating that opposition-led states are unable to break out of the BN model of patronage politics. Unless political party financing is reformed, all parties will depend on such patronage systems for survival. Politicians in Malaysia are expected to provide their constituents with money—gifts for funerals, weddings, mosques, associations and so on. And being in opposition is no exception. In fact, the political culture of clientelism is so deeply rooted that the constituents expect it of their elected representatives.
Selangor and Penang would have likely remained under opposition hands at this GE14, except for the federal Election Commission’s (EC) redelineation exercise which has significantly redrawn constituency boundaries in Selangor—the state the BN desperately wants to win back. BN holding federal power and influence over the EC has resulted in drastically malapportioned seats in the state. In short, states are helpless against federal interventions into its constituency boundaries, directly affecting electoral outcomes.
In some—but not all—cases, the successes of Selangor and Penang have been used as a narrative to convince voters of the economic possibilities these states can achieve in opposition PH hands. Whether such successes can be replicated is dependent on the nature of the state, and only Johor is similar to Selangor in urban and demographic makeup. Other states the opposition hopes to win over like Kedah are more rural. There are other indications that voters in Kelantan are likely to support BN over PAS, given the latter has been unable to contribute meaningful economic development to the state—thanks primarily to issues described above where rural opposition states are cut off from federal resources.
Healthy political competition between the Federal and State governments has expanded policy possibilities, as both levels observe, challenge, adapt, learn from, and imitate the other. Whatever the outcome, it’s clear that states—especially those led by the opposition—are becoming increasingly conscious of their distinctive state identities. Some have expressed their desires for greater autonomy and independence, and are challenging what was previously considered a de facto centralised federal government. This new federal–state dynamic is something any ruling federal government will have to get used to.
Ms Tricia Yeoh (pic above) is Chief Operating officer at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS). she is on PhD study leave at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, researching federal-state relations in Malaysia. She is the author of ‘States of Reform: Governing Selangor and Penang’, editor of ‘The Road to Reform: Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor’, and director of the award-winning documentary ‘The Rights of The Dead’, about the mysterious death of Teoh Beng Hock in 2009. Tricia was also an aide to the previous Selangor Chief Minister, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.
This entry was posted in Democracy, GE-14 Malaysian General Election, Governance, Malaysia, Najib Razak, New Mandala.org, Politics, Rule of Law, The Malaysian Constitution. Bookmark the permalink.
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April 12, 2017 by dandelionsalad
Historical Origins of the State: Barbarians at the Gate, Part 3 by Arthur D. Robbins
Image by mSeattle via Flickr
by Arthur D. Robbins
Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained
War has indeed become perpetual and peace no longer even a fleeting wish nor a distant memory. We have become habituated to the rumblings of war and the steady drum beat of propaganda about war’s necessity and the noble motives that inspire it. We will close hospitals. We will close schools. We will close libraries and museums. We will sell off our parklands and water supply. People will sleep on the streets and go hungry. The war machine will go on.
What are we to do? The following text is Part III of a broader analysis entitled War and the State: Business as Usual.
Link to Part 1
The State is a modern invention. It was conceived in violence and has been true to its origins ever since. Rome was in its decline. The barbarians were at the gates. Beginning in the 5th century, Germanic tribes descended from the North, via Scandinavia. Germanic tribes with names like Franks, Angles, Saxons, Lombards, Burgundians, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals plundered their way across Europe, destroying and killing at will, lending their names to the plots where they settled. “From these raw, belligerent kingdoms rose the first modern nation-states….”(Simons, 13) Their society was a simple one, “explicitly organized for one activity, the making of war.” (Simons, 16)
These are our ancestors, wantonly laying waste the land, giddy with rapine and the glory of conquest, whooping it up with yelps and war cries, the wandering herds tearing into each other with gusto, as do their modern counterparts. These are our ancestors and it is on their bones that our modern civilization (sic) has been erected. War is not incidental to modern society. It is at its core, inscribed in its DNA.
THE FRANKS
The Franks were one of the more civilized tribes, showing signs of Roman influence. However, they were persistent in asserting their power and establishing dominion. To them we owe the birth of the State. In 481, Clovis (of Merovingian lineage) became King of the Franks. “Brutal, ignorant and totally amoral, he stole treasure, split skulls and collected concubines with alarming gusto.” (Simons, 59) Shrewd, nonetheless, he took a Catholic bride and had himself baptized. Joining violence and faith, perhaps for the first time, Clovis succeeded in subduing the Visigoths, guilty of the Arian heresy, [1] driving them out of Gaul (latter day France) and thus endearing himself to the Catholic Church.
The Merovingians slipped into decline, “a dismal catalogue of treachery, murder and mutiliation” (Simons, 60) and were replaced by the Carolingians whose mighty leader, “big, bull-necked and pot-bellied,” (Simons, 101) inherited the throne in 768, expanded the Frankish realm to include much of Western Europe and ruled for forty-six years as Charlemagne (Charles the Great).
Next came the Vikings “who descended upon the continent in a wild orgy of plunder and mayhem” (Simons, 125). The Danes, Swedes and Norwegians were even scarier and more ferocious than the Germanic tribes whom they repeatedly crushed. With leaders like Eric Bloodax, Harald Bluetooth, Ivar the Boneless, the Norsemen terrorized the population who found no escape and no reprieve. Carolingian rulers proved unequal to the task. In 987, Hugh Capet ascended to the throne. The House of Capet held power until 1328, to be replaced by the House of Valois (1328-1589).
In September of 1494 the French barbarian known to history as Charles VIII got it into his head to invade Italy. Ostensibly this adventure had as its purpose Charles’ wish to lay claim to a throne that he believed was legitimately his. In simpler terms Charles had time on his hands and was looking for some excitement, which, as is often the case, entailed killing off anyone who got in his way. He decimated the countryside and destabilized governments as he went. This is personal whim. It is sport, like hunting fox.
Over the next six decades, under three different kings, France invaded Italy six times. “The violence wreaked on Italy devastated its countryside and destabilized its city-states, which became hapless pawns in a vast chess game beyond their playing abilities (Porter, 41), with major consequences for Italian political development over the following four hundred years.
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain were incensed about what was going on in Italy and so put their iron in the fire. Eventually England joined the fray. So, in essence, we had our first World War, which is why 1494 is considered to be the birth date of the modern era, the era of incessant warfare.
The modern era of warfare meant longer wars, wars waged at a distance, entailing the mobilization of men and equipment far from home and the killing of a lot of people in a short period of time. At Ravenna in 1512, a single cannon ball felled thirty-three men. In Novara in 1513, cannon fire killed seven hundred men in three minutes (Porter, 41).
The French extended their Statist reach via The House of Bourbon (1589-1792), which found its most thorough going Statist in the person of Louis XIV (1643-1715). Under Louis XIV power was consolidated and centralized in a way that had never been done before in the Western world. When Louis, “the Sun King” said “l’État, c’est moi,” [“I am the State”] he wasn’t kidding. He ruled for seventy-two years and 110 days, the longest of any major monarch in European history. Single handedly he created the modern State with its standing army, taxation and bureaucracy, its unrelenting quest for dominion and fealty.
THE ANGLES AND THE SAXONS
England —initially settled by Britons sometime in the Iron Age — has a similar barbaric ancestry. The Saxon tribe — renowned for their vicious cruelty —began their invasion in the 5th century. They met up with some stiff resistance, resulting in a piecemeal conquest and the formation of “a number of petty, contentious kingdoms rather than a single realm.” (Simons, 35)
The German tribes were followed by the Vikings — principally Danes — who at first confined themselves to pillaging and then fleeing with their booty. Around the middle of the 9th century they began to settle down in central and eastern England in a territory that came to be known as “Danelaw,” putting themselves in opposition to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to the south and west. The outcome was ongoing warfare that lasted for more than century.
“Edward the Confessor” ascended to the throne in 1043 and established “a political unity which could not be matched elsewhere in Europe.” (Barlow, 3) As in France there was a string of Houses — family lines — one replacing the other without substantially betraying their barbaric roots. Up to 1707, there were ten Houses in Britain, starting with the House of Wessex under Alfred the Great in 871, to be followed by Denmark, Normandy, Blois, Anjou, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor and Stuart. And there was a gaggle of Edwards, Henrys and Richards to occupy the throne, often one replacing the other by means of treachery and bloodshed. (See Wikipedia, “List of monarchs of the British Isles by cause of death.”)
In 1296, Edward I invaded Scotland, a civilization that predated England’s and exceeded it in intellectual distinction. When the town of Berwick resisted, the town was sacked and its 8000 inhabitants slaughtered.
In 1327 Edward II was supposedly murdered in Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire after a metal tube and a red-hot poker were inserted into his anus. Allegedly by Sir John Maltravers of Dorset.
On December 10, 1394 James I was assassinated by a group of Scots led by Sir Robert Graham.
Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower of London on December 6, 1421 and there was murdered.
In 1537, Jane was beheaded.
Mary I was executed on December 8, 1542.
Charles I followed a similar fate on November 19, 1600
Richard II died in captivity in 1400 at Pontefract Castle where he was either murdered or starved to death.
In November 1470, Edward V was imprisoned in the Tower of London and died from unknown causes.
June 3, 1865, George V was expedited by lethal injection administered by his doctor.
I don’t know about you but for me this all has a whiff of barbarism about it. But of course this is not even the tip of the proverbial iceberg if barbarism is what we are looking for.
The mentality of entitlement and empire building that characterize the British ruling class can be traced to their barbarian ancestors, of whom they are so proud, competing with each other for whose roots go deeper.
It was the barbarians who began the practice of invading other lands at will, ravaging the countryside and villages, making their own what belonged to someone else. The only justification for such actions was the wish to so behave, the blood lust of the barbaric nomad.
The blood lust of the barbaric nomad became the founding ethos of the British ruling class. After all, the British Empire was not a natural occurrence. Scotland, Ireland, India had to be occupied, resistance crushed, economies transformed to satisfy the wishes of the invading host. “What is yours is mine” is the barbarian mantra as it is of the British ruling class.
THE UNITED STATES IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Not to be outdone by its European ancestors, the United States of America has donned its barbaric mantel with great pride and has become the apotheosis of Statism. The sack of Rome by the Vandals in 410 was civilized when compared with the sack of Baghdad in 2003. (See GPF below) Americans oversaw the destruction and looting of libraries, museums and archaeological sites. About a quarter of the total book collection of the National Library of Baghdad was looted or burned, including rare books and newspapers. The Central Library of the University of Basra went up in flames, with a loss of at least 70% of its collections.
Thieves looted the National Museum and took 14-15,000 objects altogether, including coins, sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, architectural fragments, cuneiform tablets and most of the Museum’s collection of valuable Sumerian cylindrical seals. Outside Baghdad, looters and thieves attacked the Mosul Museum. They stole hundreds of objects, including sixteen bronze Assyrian door panels from the city gates of Balawat dating back to the 9th century BC. Archaeological sites were destroyed and their contents sold to international dealers who were waiting, prepared for the organized looting that occurred. Some of the greatest Sumerian archaeological sites have disappeared.
The invasion and occupation of Iraq have resulted in the deaths of close to a million and the displacement of as many as four million. Most certainly this would have made Alaric, King of the Vandals quite proud. It is barbarism pure and simple, gratuitous killing, gratuitous destruction of a civilization.
As Patrick Martin observes, “Bush, Rumsfeld and company personify the new barbarians: a ‘leader’ who is himself only semi-literate and wallows in religious backwardness; an administration populated by former corporate CEOs for whom an artifact of ancient Sumer is of more interest as a tax shelter than as a key to the historical and cultural development of mankind.”
Here is another, more recent example of barbarism. In 2011, Presidential aspirant and then Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton unleashed the savage bombing of Libya destroying the country and leading to the ethnic cleansing of a million and a half of Sub-Sahara workers and Black Libyans of sub-Saharan descent.
Libya, once boasting one of the highest standards of living among Middle East and North African countries, has been reduced to a state of lawlessness and violence where terrorists and warlords compete with each other for local power. Ms. Clinton celebrated the death by anal impalement of popularly elected Libyan President, Muammar Gaddafi and the assassination of five of his grandchildren. (Petras, May 17) Now that is barbarism for ya, the good old fashioned kind.
We have progressed not one micron in the intervening centuries since our barbarian ancestors roamed the planet at will. We are as gratuitously violent and as greedy for booty. And as proud of our weapons as were the barbarians. And yet we are worse, much worse. We lack the courage and daring of our barbarian ancestors. In our pinstriped suits, we strategize from the comfort of our wooden paneled, air conditioned offices. We are armchair warriors. Self-righteous armchair warriors. And so proud of the lives we have taken by the millions and the civilizations we have laid low.
War is about power, personal power. It is made by men with little self-respect and even less in intellectual integrity, with no sense of the meaning or value of a human life. All the rest is propaganda, the most harmful non-mortal effect of war on society. “We have been kneaded so successfully,” says Bourne, “that we approve of what our society approves, desire what our society desires, and add to the group our own passional inertia against change, against the effort of reason, and the adventure of beauty.” (Bourne, 90)
Speaking of WWI, Bourne observes, “The kind of war we are conducting is an enterprise which the American government does not have to carry on with the hearty cooperation of the American people but only with their acquiescence. And that acquiescence seems sufficient to float an indefinitely protracted war for vague or even largely uncomprehended and unaccepted purposes.” (Bourne, 36)
Personal lust for power has taken the lives of hundreds of millions, has decimated the countryside and obliterated civilizations. In the 20th century alone over 100 million have been lost to war and state genocide. [2]
Of course, this does not account for the wounded and maimed, whose number is easily twice as large, nor the destructive impact on the economy, civic life, and psychic existence of those who survive “intact.”
In the United States today, we are ruled by power addicts. They will not be sated. They lie relentlessly. They are criminally inclined. They promote war without end. These warriors have been and will be defeated on the battlefield. It changes nothing.
Bertolt Brecht wrote a play entitled, Mother Courage and her Children (1939). It is the story of a woman who tries to support herself and three children by selling sundries and sweets to soldiers in time of war. She moves from one battle scene to the next with her traveling canteen. She befriends a chaplain who has this to say about war:
Well, there’ve always been people going around saying some day the war will end. I say, you can’t be sure the war will ever end. Of course it may have to pause occasionally — for breath, as it were — it can even meet with an accident — nothing on this earth is perfect — a year of which we could say it left nothing to be desired will probably never exist. A war can come to a sudden halt — from unforeseen causes — you can’t think of everything — a little oversight, and the war’s in the hole and someone’s got to pull it out again! The someone is the Emperor or the King or the Pope. They’re such in need, the war has really nothing to worry about, it can look forward to a prosperous future.
One could argue that history is nothing but a vast battlefield after the battle is over—a mountain of the corpses of men, women, and children from around the world and across time who have been slaughtered to satisfy the warriors in their quest for blood and glory.
Finding the true meaning of war beneath the rubble is a difficult challenge, because that meaning is too often obscured by those who write about it. Instead, we are offered endless volumes extolling the “heroes” who did the killing. We are taught to look up to these “great men” and to embrace a history drenched in blood. Very little is written about the dead or about the connection between the “glory” of conquest and its consequences for those who did survive—about its effects on civil society. That is, very little is written about the battlefield after the battle is over.
5TH CENTURY B.C.: THE GREEKS
We are indebted to the playwright Aeschylus, who, in The Persians, described the aftermath of the battle of Salamis in 480 B.C.:
The hulls of our ships rolled over, and it was no longer possible to glimpse the sea, strewn as it was with the wrecks of warships and the debris of what had been men. The shores and the reefs were full of our dead, and every ship that had once been part of the fleet now tried to row its way to safety through flight. But just as if our men were tunny-fish or some sort of netted catch, the enemy kept pounding them and hacking them with broken oars and the flotsam from the wrecked ships. And so shrieks together with sobbing echoed over the open sea until the face of black night ended the scene. (Hanson, 30-31)
Here is another example, in which Thucydides, writing in the fifth century B.C., portrays the physical suffering and the pathos of war. He is describing the decimation of the Athenians during the course of their invasion of Sicily:
The dead lay unburied, and each man as he recognized a friend among them shuddered with grief and horror; while the living whom they were leaving behind, wounded or sick, were to the living far more shocking than the dead, and more to be pitied than those who had perished. These fell to entreating and bewailing until their friends knew not what to do, begging them to take them and loudly calling to each individual comrade or relative whom they could see, hanging upon the neck of their tent-fellows in the act of departure, and following as far as they could, and when their bodily strength failed them, calling again and again upon heaven and shrieking aloud as they were left behind. (Finley, 371)
The living have been taken prisoner by the enemy. Here is Thucydides’ description of their fate:
Crowded in a narrow hole, without any roof to cover them, the heat of the sun and the stifling closeness of the air tormented them during the day, and then the nights, which came on autumnal and chilly, made them ill by the violence of the change; besides, as they had to do everything in the same place for want of room, and the bodies of those who died of their wounds or from the variation in the temperature, or from similar causes, were left heaped together one upon the other, intolerable stenches arose; while hunger and thirst never cease to afflict them, each man during eight months having only half a pint of water and a pint of grain given him daily. In short, no single suffering to be apprehended by men thrust into such a place was spared them. (Finley, 379)
16TH CENTURY: THE SPANISH
Early in the sixteenth century, Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernán Cortés, decided they wanted gold that wasn’t theirs. To get it, they proceeded to destroy the Aztec culture and annihilate the native population. The capital of Mexico at that time was Tenochtitlan, and therein lay the Aztec treasure and Montezuma, the emperor of the Aztecs. Pedro de Alvarado, second in command, in Cortés’ absence massacred 8,000 unarmed Aztec nobility and was about to get to work on the women and children when Cortés appeared. Here is how a witness described the event:
They attacked all the celebrants, stabbing them, spearing them from behind, and these fell instantly to the ground with their entrails hanging out. Others they beheaded: they cut off their heads, or split their head to pieces. They struck others in the shoulders, and their arms were torn from the bodies. They wounded some in the thigh and some in the calf. They slashed others in the abdomen, and their entrails all spilled to the ground. Some attempted to run away, but their intestines dragged as they ran; they seemed to tangle their feet in their own entrails. [Ref]
Tenochtitlan was under siege from May through August 1521. Cortés described the carnage in a letter to his king, Charles V:
The people of the city had to walk upon their dead while others swam or drowned in the waters of that wide lake where they had their canoes; indeed, so great was their suffering that it was beyond our understanding how they could endure it. Countless numbers of men, women and children came toward us, and in their eagerness to escape many were pushed into the water where they drowned amid the multitude of corpses; and it seemed that more than fifty thousand had perished from the salt water they had drunk, their hunger and the vile stench. (Hanson, 192)
About 100,000 Aztecs perished in the fighting. The tally from the two-year struggle for Tenochtitlan was close to a million. Fifty years later, as a consequence of war and disease—the Europeans had brought with them measles, bubonic plague, flu, whooping cough, and mumps— the population of central Mexico had been reduced from 8 million to less than 1 million. The riches seized by the Spaniards were considerable. Between 1500 and 1650, 150 tons of gold and 16,000 tons of silver were shipped from Mexico and Peru to Spain.
19TH CENTURY: THE FRENCH
As the centuries pass, the carnage continues unabated. In 1809, Napoleon bombarded the city of Vienna. On May 21, he entered the city. A vicious battle with the Austrians ensued, just across the Danube. Napoleon got away with 19,000 in casualties, the Austrians with 24,000. In a subsequent battle on July 6, the Austrians lost 40,000, against 34,000 for the French. Thus, within a period of just six weeks, well over 100,000 men had been killed or wounded. Napoleon’s disastrous Russian adventure of 1812 resulted in almost a million casualties. The battle of Borodino, alone, cost some 30,000 Frenchmen killed or wounded, some 45,000 Russians killed or wounded.
Inspecting the battlefield at Eylau, after what Napoleon counted as a victory, he wrote:
To visualize the scene one must imagine, within the space of three square miles, nine or ten thousand corpses; four of five thousand dead horses; rows upon rows of Russian field packs; the remnants of muskets and swords; the ground covered with cannon balls, shells, and other ammunition; and twenty-four artillery pieces, near which could be seen the corpses of the drivers who were killed while trying to move them—all this sharply outlined against a background of snow. (Herold, 182)
And here is the battlefield at Borodino, six weeks after the battle, as described by Count Phillipe-Paul de Ségur:
We all stared around us and saw a field, trampled, devastated, with every tree shorn off a few feet above the earth.… Everywhere the earth was littered with battered helmets and breastplates, broken drums, fragments of weapons, shreds of uniforms, and blood-stained flags. Lying amid this desolation were thirty thousand half-devoured corpses. The scene was dominated by a number of skeletons lying on the crumbled slope of one of the hills; death seemed to have established its throne up there. (Herold, 352)
The same Ségur described the French troops in retreat across a frozen Russian landscape, during the first heavy snowfall:
Everything in sight became vague, unrecognizable. Objects changed their shape; we walked without knowing where we were or what lay ahead, and anything became an obstacle.… Yet the poor wretches [the soldiers] dragged themselves along, shivering, with chattering teeth, until the snow packed under the soles of their boots, a bit of debris, a branch, or the body of a fallen comrade tripped them and threw them down. Then their moans for help went unheeded. The snow soon covered them up and only low white mounds showed where they lay. Our road was strewn with these hummocks, like a cemetery. (Herold, 352-352)
To warm themselves, the troops would set a whole house afire. Ségur’s description continues:
The light of these conflagrations attracted some poor wretches whom the intensity of the cold and suffering had made delirious. They dashed forward in a fury, and with gnashing teeth and demoniacal laughter threw themselves into those raging furnaces, where they perished in dreadful convulsions. Their starving companions watched them die without apparent horror. There were even some who laid hold of the bodies disfigured and roasted by the flames, and—incredible as it may seem—ventured to carry this loathsome food to their mouths. (Herold, 356)
19TH CENTURY: THE AMERICANS
The American War of Secession in 1860, in which Northerners — under the command of the much revered Abraham Lincoln — invaded the South and obliterated its culture, destroying farms, lives and homesteads, creating mass migration and starvation, is as a good measure of what the warrior State is capable doing to its own people.
Here is a description by poet William Gilmore Simms of how things came to pass in Columbia, South Carolina.
Daily did long trains of fugitives line the roads, with wives and children, and horses and stock and cattle, seeking refuge from the pursuers . . . Half naked people cowered from the winter under bush-tents in the thickets, under the eaves of houses, under the railroad sheds, and in old cars left them along the route. . . . Habitation after habitation, village after village—one sending up its signal flames to the other, presaging for it the same fate—lighted the winter and midnight sky with crimson horrors. (Masters, 458)
20TH CENTURY: THE GERMANS
Thanks to modern technology, its advanced weaponry and the advent of two world wars, the 20th century has committed unrivaled barbarie on a grand scale. Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) has written a most compelling novel entitled, All Quiet on the Western Front (1928). Remarque takes the reader behind German lines during the First World War. We live out the terror of war and its gruesome horrors. We come to understand how men can be reduced to bestial savagery. Here are some excerpts from Chapter 6.
The waiting:
Night again. We are deadened by the strain–a deadly tension that scrapes along one’s spine like a gapped knife. Our legs refuse to move, our hands tremble, our bodies are a thin skin stretched painfully over repressed madness, over an almost irresistible, bursting roar. We have neither flesh nor muscles any longer, we dare not look at one another for fear of some incalculable thing. So we shut our teeth–it will end–it will end–perhaps we will come through.
The enemy:
We recognize the smooth distorted faces, the helmets: they are French. They have already suffered heavily when they reach the remnants of the barbed wire entanglements. A whole line has gone down before our machine-guns; then we have a lot of stoppages and they come nearer.
I see one of them, his face upturned, fall into a wire cradle. His body collapses, his hands remain suspended as though he were praying. Then his body drops clean away and only his hands with the stumps of his arms, shot off, now hang in the wire.
The moment we are about to retreat three faces rise up from the ground in front of us. Under one of the helmets a dark pointed beard and two eyes that are fastened on me. I raise my hand, but I cannot throw into those strange eyes; for one moment the whole slaughter whirls like a circus round me, and these two eyes alone are motionless; then the head rises up, a hand, a movement, and my hand-grenade flies through the air and into him.
The savagery:
We have become wild beasts. We do not fight, we defend ourselves against annihilation. It is not against men that we fling our bombs, what do we know of men in this moment when Death is hunting us down–now, for the first time in three days we can see his face, now for the first time in three days we can oppose him; we feel a mad anger. No longer do we lie helpless, waiting on the scaffold, we can destroy and kill, to save ourselves, to save ourselves and to be revenged.
We crouch behind every corner, behind every barrier of barbed wire, and hurl heaps of explosives at the feet of the advancing enemy before we run. The blast of the hand-grenades impinges powerfully on our arms and legs; crouching like cats we run on, overwhelmed by this wave that bears us along, that fills us with ferocity, turns us into thugs, into murderers, into God only knows what devils; this wave that multiplies our strength with fear and madness and greed of life, seeking and fighting for nothing but our deliverance. If your own father came over with them you would not hesitate to fling a bomb at him.
The lines behind us stop. They can advance no farther. The attack is crushed by our artillery. We watch. The fire lifts a hundred yards and we break forward. Beside me a lance-corporal has his head torn off. He runs a few steps more while the blood spouts from his neck like a fountain.
We have lost all feeling for one another. We can hardly control ourselves when our glance lights on the form of some other man. We are insensible, dead men, who through some trick, some dreadful magic, are still able to run and to kill.
A young Frenchman lags behind, he is overtaken, he puts up his hands, in one hand he still holds his revolver–does he mean to shoot or to give himself up!–a blow from a spade cleaves through his face. A second sees it and tries to run farther; a bayonet jabs into his back. He leaps in the air, his arms thrown wide, his mouth wide open, yelling; he staggers, in his back the bayonet quivers.
This is the reality of war, not the headlines, or news blurbs, or the propaganda pitches. This is what war is about. Bestiality and slaughter. Men gone mad and insensate. Death and survival reign. There is no purpose or meaning behind the mutilation. We can changes the names and places and the dates, war remains what it always been, senseless killing, i.e. barbarism.
VISIT WITH A FRIEND
While we are down here — i.e. in Hell — I thought I might pay visit to a friend of mine, Madeleine Albright. As Secretary of State, Maddy presided over the siege of Baghdad that began shortly after the United States invaded Iraq in August of 1990. The trade embargo denied foodstuffs and medicine to the people of Iraq, men, women and children. The conservative estimate is that 500,000 children under the age of five died of starvation and disease, as a consequence of the embargo.
For a moment, visualize, if you will, just one small child dying of starvation. Iraqi children — like children everywhere — are sweet, adorable creatures filled with a joy for living. Now imagine what it is like for an Iraqi mother — who has a soul and suffers, just like mothers everywhere — to watch her child wither before her eyes and then die. Now multiply this by 500,000, and this not an accident of nature, but the result of deliberate policy by American policy makers. When asked in an interview whether the death of half a million Iraqi children was worth it, Ms. Albright replied, “We think the price is worth it.”
Dante Alighieri is responsible for the design of Hell as we know it. There are nine circles. If I had my way I would add a tenth circle and give Madeleine the privacy she deserves. But Dante gets the last word. It is the seventh circle that is home to Maddy, where she will remain into eternity, immersed in a river of boiling blood and fire.
It is reasonable to ask just what kind of person is Madeleine Albright and her cohorts in the warrior class. We can say with confidence that they are different from us, i.e., those with empathy for human suffering. The word psychopath comes to mind. The psychopath lacks empathy, loves to lie, and is skillful in impersonating what we consider to be a normal human being.
Psychopaths and politicians both have a tendency to be selfish, callous, remorseless users of others, irresponsible, pathological liars, glib, con artists, lacking in remorse and shallow.
Charismatic politicians, like criminal psychopaths, exhibit a failure to accept responsibility for their actions, have a high sense of self-worth, are chronically unstable, have socially deviant lifestyle, need constant stimulation, have parasitic lifestyles and possess unrealistic goals….
Political psychopaths are all largely cut from the same pathological cloth, brimming with seemingly easy charm and boasting, calculating minds. Such leaders eventually create pathocracies—totalitarian societies bent on power, control, and destruction of both freedom in general and those who exercise their freedoms. (Whitehead)
In 1835, the English physician, James Pritchard, wrote a treatise on mental illness in which he used the term “moral insanity,” which he defined as, “madness consisting in a morbid perversion of the natural feelings, affections, inclinations, temper, habits, moral dispositions, and natural impulses, without any remarkable disorder or defect of the interest or knowing and reasoning faculties, and particularly without any insane illusion or hallucinations.”(McPherson,300)
In other words those who suffer from moral insanity appear to be exactly like us. They are charming, likeable and coherent, which is what makes them so dangerous. What is rarely discussed, though obvious, is that those who suffer from moral insanity are filled with rage. And it is the rage that drives them to kill wherever and whenever they are given the opportunity.
“Well,” you say, “this can’t go on forever. There has to be an end in sight.” In Part 4, we consider what the end game possibilities might be.
The above essay is part 3 of a six part analysis:
1. War and the health of the State: What causes war
2. Federated governments: The Nation vs. the State
3. Origin of the State: Barbarians at the gate
4. End Game: War goes on
5. Critical Thinking: A bridge to the future
6. Deconstructing the State: Getting small
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Sheldon Wolin, Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism.
1. Arianism asserts that Jesus Christ is the Son of God distinct from the Father and therefore subordinate to the Father, but God nonetheless. Arian teachings were first attributed to the Egyptian priest Arius (256–336).
2. See “Selected Death Tolls for Wars, Massacres and Atrocities before the 20th Century” Twentieth Century Atlas – Historical Body Count – Necrometrics for some of the details.
Arthur D. Robbins is the author of Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained: The True Meaning of Democracy, referred to by Ralph Nader as, “An eye-opening, earth-shaking book . . . a fresh, torrential shower of revealing insights and vibrant lessons . . .” and the recently released e-book based on Part II of Paradise Lost entitled, Democracy Denied: The Untold Story. To learn more visit acropolis-newyork.com.
Federated Governments: The Nation Versus The State, Part 2 by Arthur D. Robbins
War And The Health Of The State: What Causes War, Part 1 by Arthur D. Robbins
The Great American Perpetual Motion War Machine by Greg Maybury
This entry was posted in All Posts News Politics and-or Videos, Empire, Europe, History, Imperialism, Iraq, Massacres, Military, Politics, War and tagged Arthur D. Robbins, Greece, Libya, Roman Empire. Bookmark the permalink.
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HomeCulture6 Best Southern Shows & Films on Netflix Right Now
6 Best Southern Shows & Films on Netflix Right Now
By Erik Winther
It doesn’t matter if you are a Southerner who just wants to see how the South’s atmosphere is rendered on the small screen or simply an outsider looking for more information on this special region which, over the years, has been the setting of numerous critically acclaimed movies and shows, Southern-set movies or TV shows have a certain magic to them. The most important thing is that the South continues to be a great source of inspiration for artists including directors, screenwriters and actors. So, if you are a Netflix fan and feel like diving into the Southern atmosphere, keep on reading because here are some of the best movies or TV shows you can find on the popular streaming platform right now.
When a young and beautiful doctor from New York City moves to a small town in Alabama, things change drastically for her. With the initial goal of taking over a private practice, Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson) will soon find out that life in the South is not as carefree as she thought. “Hart of Dixie” is fun, full of twists and turns, drama and energy. Fans have binge-watched this series simply because of how authentic it felt. It was actually filmed entirely in Wilmington, North Carolina. The series ran for four full seasons before being canceled this spring. However, taking into account that its creator, Leila Gerstein, said that if it hadn’t been for the cancellation, the show would have been on for 17 years, we think it is worth a shot, especially if you love medical dramas and the beautiful South.
This drama TV series ran from 2003 up until 2012, for nine full seasons, and was centered on the daily life of a close group of young friends that struggle to get through their problems and romances together in the fictional town of Tree Hill, North Carolina. In fact, the entire series used various locations from Wilmington as filming locations. “One Tree Hill” is the perfect show to watch on Netflix if you want something light and relaxing, as the story revolves around the romantic relationships of a group of people. Even if the town is purely fictional, the atmosphere of the South is as authentic as it can be with such a young group of people as your main characters.
This very popular post-apocalyptic horror TV show debuted in 2010 and is still going strong after its ninth season. Having been based on a comic book series, it’s centered around sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) who, one day, wakes up from a coma only to discover that the area around Georgia has been taken over by zombies, or “walkers” as they are called in “The Walking Dead.” The show was filmed in multiple locations, but they were all centered around Georgia. The episodes depict the daily struggles of a small group of survivors trying to survive another day under the horrifying threat of their own peers that have lost all their humanity and are trying to kill them. You can watch it on Netflix, but be prepared. This show is not for the faint of heart as it contains lots of graphic scenes, ugly surprises and scares.
This Netflix original political thriller series made a huge splash when it was first released in 2013 to much critical acclaim. “House of Cards” is centered around South Carolina Democrat Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and his elaborate plan to obtain more power after he is denied the position of Secretary of State. The series is bold and dark, dealing with themes like manipulation, sex, power and pragmatism. The main filming location was, interestingly enough, the town of Baltimore, not the actual capital. The production team also visited South Carolina and Maryland. However, the series was overshadowed by the sexual misconduct allegations against its Oscar-winning star Spacey, and Netflix decided to make the sixth season the final one. Spacey was fired and will not be part of the final season. Still, this is an incredibly good series to watch if you are a fan of the South and politics, too.
You simply cannot make a list of the best Southern-set shows and movies on Netflix and not include the 1962 classic “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the story takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s. It is one of the most critically acclaimed movies in history, with Gregory Peck winning the Academy Award for Best Actor and the movie getting eight other nods. It’s very interesting that the filming location should have been the town of Monroeville in Alabama, but the team decided that it was too modern at the time and recreated it completely at Universal Studios Hollywood to have that old vibe. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is certainly one of the very best when it comes to Southern culture, atmosphere and the social situation back in the early 1930s.
This 1994 romantic comedy-drama set in Georgia won six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, which went to Tom Hanks, who portrayed the slow but kind-hearted Forrest Gump. The movie follows his life through various periods as he witnesses many important historical events in the United States. Even the soundtrack was one of the most successful of all time. Most of the movie was filmed around Beaufort, South Carolina. Other locations included Savannah, Georgia, and Washington, DC. As Forrest tells his life story to various strangers sitting next to him on a bench at a bus stop, viewers are taught important life lessons about acceptance and, most importantly, love. This is truly one of the best Southern movies on Netflix right now.
Another similar drama set in the South is “Sharp Objects,” currently not on Netflix but, according to the rumor mill, it may become available soon. It is currently one of the most popular shows on HBO, and viewers are now asking for it to be included on Netflix too. Netflix’s newest series, “The Haunting of Hill House,” based on author Shirley Jackson’s cult classic novel, is now available and was filmed around Atlanta, Georgia. Thankfully, websites like NetflixGuides can keep you up to date with what is and what isn’t on the streaming platform at the moment.
Erik Winther is the editor of Netflixguides.com, the go-to source for all Netflix-related news, latest releases and best shows.
Forrest GumpNetflixsharp objectsTo Kill A Mockingbirdtv and film
The Secret Charlesto
Dream Daughter Reada
Monroeville Unveils
Trailer for ‘T
Planning Your Summer
Calling Out the Moon
Best Southern Towns for a Long Weekend Getaway
Listmaking With Andrea Bobotis
Vika Mujumdar
Christmas in July With Karen White
The Paddleboard Break-up
American Horror Story: Coven Location Guide
American Horror Story: Freak Show Location & Viewing Guide
How to Drink with a Southern Accent
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ART MIAMI 2015
CONTEXT Art Miami, along with the 26th edition of Art Miami, commences on December 1, 2015, with the sister fair's highly anticipated Opening Night VIP Preview to benefit the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and Miami Light Project. The 2014 preview attracted 14,000 collectors, curators, artists, connoisseurs and designers, and the fair hosted a total of 82,500 attendees over a six-day period. This immediately reinforced the CONTEXT Art Miami fair as a proven destination and serious marketplace for top collectors to acquire important works from the leading international galleries representing emerging and mid-career cutting-edge works of art.
The combined exhibition space of CONTEXT Art Miami and Art Miami will increase the overall roster of galleries to 200 participants and cover 250,000 square feet. Convenient parking is available for both fairs through the use of a four-story parking garage with 2,000 spots, located directly across the street from the CONTEXT Art Miami and Art Miami Pavilions. A network of complimentary shuttle buses will run round-trip service between Art Miami, CONTEXT Art Miami, Aqua Art Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach.
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Australian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.
Touring car racing
Inaugural season
Tyre suppliers
Drivers' champion
supercars.com
The first Australian Touring Car Championship was held in 1960 as a single race for Appendix J Touring Cars. This was an acknowledgement of the rising popularity of races held for passenger sedans as opposed to those for purpose built open wheel racing cars, or sports cars. The race was held at the Gnoo Blas Motor Racing Circuit in Orange in rural New South Wales, west of Sydney. It was won by journalist racer, David McKay driving a Jaguar 3.4 Litre prepared by his own racing team, which to this point had been better known for its preparation of open-wheel and sports racing cars.
The early years of the ATCC saw the once a year event visit mostly rural circuits, before finally visiting a major city circuit, Lakeside Raceway on the outskirts of Brisbane in 1964. This race was also the first not won by a Jaguar with Ian Geoghegan driving a Ford Cortina GT winning the first of his five titles. From 1965 the title would largely be won by an American V8 powered muscle car, most notably the Ford Mustang which would be used to win five consecutive titles in 1965 (Norm Beechey) and 1966–69 (Geoghegan). The first championship victory by the driver of an Australian car was that of Beechey in 1970 driving a Holden HT Monaro GTS350. As of 4 December, 2011 Jamie Whincup & Norm Beechey are the only two people to have won the championship in both a Ford and a Holden. The 1971 and 1972 championships were won by 1962 and 1963 champion Bob Jane who drove a 7.0 litre Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 in 1971 before CAMS rule changes forced Jane to use the smaller 5.7 litres 350 Chevrolet in the Camaro in 1972.
1979 Champion Bob Morris (Holden Torana)
A major shift occurred in 1973. The championship had grown from a single race into a multi-event series in 1969, but the competition had not changed markedly. The 'Supercar scare' that had rocked the buildup to 1972 Bathurst 500 forced sweeping changes through touring car regulations. The Improved Touring Car regulations which governed the ATCC, known at the time as Group C were amalgamated with the more basic Group E Series Production Touring Cars regulations which governed the Bathurst touring car endurance race in a compromise between the two, creating a single class for touring car racing that would hold sway of Australian Touring Car racing until the introduction of Group A in 1985.
This period saw a rise in the tribal style conflicts between Holden and Ford and in particular the two marques leading drivers, respectively Peter Brock and Allan Moffat who between them would claim seven of the eras 12 championships (and nine of the associated Bathurst victories). By the mid-1980s Group C had become wracked with infighting and almost random parity adjustments between competing marques.
Attention focussed purely on Holden and Ford had blurred as European and Japanese manufacturers joined the Australian agents of the two big American companies, the trend starting in 1981 with BMW, Mazda and Nissan. The international Group A regulations that already utilised by European and Japanese touring car series came into full effect in Australia from 1985 and allowed the international manufacturers to compete on equal terms. Holden was forced briefly into catchup phase and all but backed out of the sport in 1992 after Group A had been dominated by more track-focused production cars such as the turbocharged Ford Sierra RS500 and various Nissan Skylines, as well as the BMW M3.
By the mid-1980s, a number of the leading teams including the Holden Dealer Team, Dick Johnson Racing, JPS Team BMW and the Peter Jackson Nissan team had begun to make a lot of noise about the very little amount of prize money on offer for their efforts in crisscrossing the country in pursuit of the title. In 1984, the final year of the Group C rules, it was estimated that the Brisbane based Johnson team had covered some 20,000 km in travelling to and from championship meetings, often for as little as AU$1,500 for a win. When CAMS increased the title to 10 rounds in 1986, with little change to the prize money, the teams were threatening that the ATCC would see smaller and smaller grids unless CAMS found a series sponsor. The sponsor that was found was oil giant Shell who put up some $275,000 worth of prize money from the 1987 ATCC, ensuring the long term future of the series.
1992 saw the unhappy demise of Group A and with the international touring car scene fragmenting in several directions (moving towards DTM, Super Touring and Super GT) Australia forged its own path evolving the Group A specification Holden Commodores and re-introducing the Ford Falcon into the new Group 3A regulations that would later be renamed as V8 Supercar.
The ATCC continued to be used until the end of the 1998 season, after which V8 Supercar organisers altered the name of the series, eventually adopting its present identity, the V8 Supercars Championship.
ATCC champions and recordsEdit
See also: List of Australian Touring Car and V8 Supercar champions
Accurate to the 2015 Coates Hire Sydney 500. Current full-time drivers are highlighted in bold text.
Event starts by driverEdit
The Ford Mustang with which Ian Geoghegan won the 1967, 1968 and 1969 Australian Touring Car Championships, pictured in 2013.
The Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 in which Bob Jane won the 1971 Australian Touring Car Championship.
Russell Ingall 1996–2015 250
Craig Lowndes 1996, 1998–2015
Garth Tander 1998–2015 237
Jason Bright 1997–2015 229
John Bowe 1986, 1988–2007 225
Mark Skaife 1987–2011 220
Todd Kelly 1999–2015 215
Peter Brock 1972–1997, 2002, 2004 212
Glenn Seton 1984, 1986–2008, 2010 209
Dick Johnson 1970–2000 202
Race wins by driverEdit
Jamie Whincup 109
Craig Lowndes 105
Mark Skaife 90
Garth Tander 54
Peter Brock 48
Glenn Seton 40
Mark Winterbottom 38
Allan Moffat 36
John Bowe 31
Pole positions by driverEdit
Jamie Whincup 73
Scott McLaughlin 54
Craig Lowndes 42
Dick Johnson 28
Championship wins by driverEdit
Jamie Whincup 7 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017
Ian Geoghegan 5 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969
Dick Johnson 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1989
Mark Skaife 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002
Bob Jane 4 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972
Allan Moffat 1973, 1976, 1977, 1983
Jim Richards 1985, 1987, 1990, 1991
Peter Brock 3 1974, 1978, 1980
Craig Lowndes 1996, 1998, 1999
Norm Beechey 2 1965, 1970
Glenn Seton 1993, 1997
Marcos Ambrose 2003, 2004
Championship wins by manufacturerEdit
Ford 25 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018
Holden 21 1970, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
Jaguar 4 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963
Nissan 3 1990, 1991, 1992
Chevrolet 2 1971, 1972
BMW 1985, 1987
Mazda 1 1983
Volvo 1986
List of Australian Touring Car and V8 Supercar champions
List of Australian Touring Car Championship races
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australian_Touring_Car_Championship&oldid=899339263"
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Kent McDaniel's music & fiction, & things he likes (fiction, music, art, & general weirdness)
Dumbfounding Stories
The Legacy of World War II
The week of December 7 is a week in which every Japanese-American has to face the legacy of history. I will admit, with much shame, that as a knucklehead adolescent I tended to make fun of Pearl Harbor Day, oftentimes threatening to go down to Cricket Hill and bomb the Eskimo totem pole. As I got older I started to realize that this was no joking matter, especially when I became a professional musician. One December 7 found me playing a cocktail reception at the military installation at O’Hare, in a room decorated with photos of the U.S.S. Arizona, and another December 7 found me playing a community theater performance out in Elgin; I was in the washroom, in a stall, and overheard two old guys at the urinals asking each other where they were “on that day”; one of them had been at Pearl. I stayed in the stall until they left. And I once dated a woman, a Southern belle, who warned me that her father was never to know about our relationship, because he had survived Pearl Harbor. People died, and people remember.
Of course, that cuts both ways. One of my best friends’ family has roots in Hiroshima, and I can only imagine what his feelings are every August 6.
Throughout most of my life I’ve been aware that there’s a disconnect between what we were taught in history classes at school and what my family related to me. Ever since I was little I knew that my whole family had spent most of World War II “in the camps,” and that the adult men in the family had also served in the United States Army overseas. It wasn’t until I became a hippie that the inherent weirdness of that started to sink in. And even at this late date in history I continue to run into friends who have no idea what “the camps” were, or about the history of the Nisei in World War II was.
I’ll try to be brief; in 1942 president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which commanded all United States residents of Japanese ancestry to report to “relocation centers,” which were in essence concentration camps. The camps were located in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. By all accounts life in the camps was no picnic; I remember my mom and aunts talking about the sand blowing in through cracks in the walls and covering everything while they slept (snow, in the winter). You were only allowed to bring what you could physically carry, or lash to your vehicles, so almost everyone lost their homes, their farms, their businesses, their land, and most of their possessions unless they were lucky enough to have neighbors who’d watch over their interests (most did not; this resulted in what was essentially a land-grab by the Anglo Californians). And although many of the Japanese-Americans were understandably bitter and dispirited, the majority of them remained determined to prove that they were good American citizens. In this spirit thousands of young men volunteered to serve in the Army.
Go For Broke
Most of them were placed in two special units, the 442nd Combat Regiment and the 100th Battalion. Eventually the two units were consolidated, and included a Field Artillery battalion. The 442nd/100th served in the European theater; very few Japanese soldiers fought in the Pacific, although some served in intelligence positions, as interpreters. The 442nd/100th were the most-decorated units in the war, with
amongst the highest casualty rates as
Uncle Mark
well. My Uncle Mark was in the 442nd; my dad was not, although he did serve in Italy. I never got the story of why he didn’t go with the 442nd; he was younger than Mark, which might explain it (he was a company bugler). The 442nd’s motto was “Go For Broke,” which was also the title of a movie starring Van Johnson, about the unit. That movie is part of every Japanese-American of my age’s upbringing; I’ve probably seen it dozens of times, and most of my friends own copies of it, as do I.
The most famous legend of the 442nd’s history is the story of the Lost Battalion. Units of the 141st Regiment were cut off and surrounded by Germans in the Vosges mountains; suffering great casualties, the 442nd rescued them. The 442nd’s K Company suffered 386 casualties out of their 400 men.
So, I realize that I’m not responsible for Pearl Harbor, just as I realize you’re not responsible for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But I feel justifiable pride in what the guys in the 442nd/100th accomplished, and I do wish that it was a better-known aspect of World War II history, as I also wish the Relocation Centers were too. And ever year on December 7 I’ll dwell on these thoughts.
Steve Hashimoto
This post appeared a couple years back in News From The Trenches, a weekly newsletter of commentary from the viewpoint of a working musician published by Chicago bassist Steve Hashimoto. If you’d like to start receiving it, just let him know by emailing him at steven.hashimoto@sbcglobal.net
Tags: 100th Battalion, 442nd Combat Regiment, Executive Order 9066, Japanese Internment during World War Two, Japanese service in the U. S. Military during World War Two, Pearl Harbor Day, Steve Hashimoto
Categories Hash's Faves, Uncategorized
On DBX
Here’s a vide of Dorothy McDaniel, Stick Gilbert, and me (Kent McDaniel) jamming live on WDBX 91.1. Carbondale. Rolling with some Jimmy Reed.
Tags: Dorothy McDaniel, Kent McDaniel, Stick Gilbert, The McDaniels, WDBX
Categories Making Music, Music, Uncategorized
Hash’s Faves: Jefferson Airplane
I just happened to stumble upon a couple of videos on YouTube of the Airplane’s performance at Woodstock in 1969 which blew me away, and got me to thinking in a more critical way about the whole band, not just Casady, who I’ve said before is one of my all-time favorite bassists.
Signe Toly Anderson
The band’s history is pretty convoluted; formed in 1965 by singer Marty Balin and guitarist/vocalist Paul Kantner. Balin ran a seminal music club in San Francisco, the Matrix, and envisioned a house band for the club that would follow the lead of bands like the Byrds, melding folk music with rock and roll. Other members of what would become the Matrix’s house band included singer Signe Toly Anderson, acoustic bassist Bob Harvey, drummer Jerry Peloquin and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, a friend of Kantner’s who had just moved to the Bay area from Washington D.C. It was Jorma who suggested the band’s name. Peloquin quit over his disapproval of the band’s drug use, to be replaced by drummer Skip Spence, who would later form the band Moby Grape. Harvey’s bass playing wasn’t fitting the band’s vision, so Kaukonen summoned his Washington friend Casady to move out west.
The band started to gain popularity, playing some significant gigs and attracting attention from record companies; they cut their first album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, in 1966. Anderson became pregnant and quit the band, to be replaced by Grace Slick,who was in a band called The Great Society who had opened for the Airplane at a gig, Spence also quit, to be replaced by Spencer Dryden; this, in my opinion, was the classic band lineup. The band would go through several different metamorphoses, eventually becoming the Jefferson Starship, and later simply the Starship, and many of those bands were very good, but in my opinion none of them had the magic of the classic band.
Spencer Dryden
Watching the Woodstock performances clarified some things for me, but I’ve always loved the band, and have often thought about what made them so special. The first thing that struck me about the Woodstock performances was Dryden’s short drum solo that introduces the song “3/5ths Of A Mile In 10 Seconds“; I thought, “He’s really an r&b player!” I’d previously thought of him as being part of the band’s jazzy contingent; the band always seemed to contain several separate and distinct (and oftentimes overlapping) stylistic “cliques” – Casady and Dryden were the jazzers, Kaukonen and Casady the blues guys, Kantner and Slick the folkies, and Balin was the r&b guy. Now I think that Dryden belonged in both the jazz and r&b camp. Analogous with the Beatles, whose greatness (in my opinion, of course) resulted from the combination of personalities and musical tastes, the Airplane stumbled upon a magical combination whose whole was greater than its parts. Another thing that struck me about the Woodstock videos was the entire band’s willingness to improvise; even though they were obliged to play their greatest hits, they tried to stretch them (the performance of “Somebody To Love“ is especially adventurous). Casady is ferocious here; listen to what he does with the relatively simple 3-chord song “Volunteers”.
Paul Kantner
Kantner always seemed to be kind of the odd man out, musically, but I’m coming around to thinking that he was the glue that held the various factions and styles together. While his voice is an acquired taste, his vocal timbre and the harmonies that he sang were the perfect bridge between Balin’s soulful style and Slick’s near-operatic acrobatics. The Airplane’s 3-part harmonies were unique; most pop bands sing in more-or-less traditional “barbershop” harmony, but the Airplane’s harmonies tended to owe more to Gregorian chant and medieval music, and much of that came from Kantner; Balin sang harmonies that owed more to soul music by way of gospel, while Slick’s came out of folk music, which in turn sometimes originated in Irish and Scottish drone harmonies, enabling Kantner’s ideas to mesh better with Balin. As a rhythm guitar player, Kantner somehow manages to stay out of the way of Kaukonen and Casady, in much the same way the Bob Weir managed to stay out of Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh’sway in the Grateful Dead. I wish Balin hadn’t played that damned tambourine so much; in the Woodstock videos pianist Nicky Hopkinsis an almost invisible special guest (the camera only shows him briefly), contributing beautiful little lines here and there, as he was wont to do as a star sideman of that era.
I might mention here that the Airplane were also among the first rock musicians who I was aware of who loved to jam, and who didn’t consider their band a sacrosanct entity. Much like jazz players, they often welcomed other Bay area musicians onto the stage and into the recording studio, and I always eagerly scanned the liner notes of their albums to see who was guesting. The San Francisco musical community, which included the Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Crosby Stills and Nash, Janis Joplin, Santanaand other groups, as well as Los Angelenos the Byrds, was an incestuous one, in a mostly good way. One of my favorite albums is David Crosby’s _If I Could Only Remember My Name, which features a staggering number of players from all of those bands, and the first iteration of the Starship, a solo album by Kantner called Blows Against The Empire,_ also is a star-studded affair. Frank Zappa was also a sometime partner-in-crime.
Grace Slick
One cannot ignore or fail to mention the effect that Slick’s sex appeal had; after all, even in these PC times you have to acknowledge that rock and roll is largely about sex, and Slick was the fantasy of countless hippies. The legend is that the band, who were supposed to close out the Saturday night show, didn’t go on until early Sunday morning; in the delay, evidently, many drugs were consumed, and Slick looks especially tripped out, but somehow still gorgeous. I was also impressed by how into the music she was (perhaps a byproduct of the chemicals), but in a non-show-bizzy way. They were hippies, and I love that she (as well as Joplin and Joni Mitchell and Mama Cass) didn’t seem to have a stage “show,” didn’t seem to have little bits that they’d do at preordained parts of songs every time they performed that song. Every time I see video of the band performing, at some point the camera lingers lovingly on Slick, and I can never help but think, “Good God, she’s beautiful!” Sorry, mea culpa.
The Doors performing at The Matrix
By the time of the Woodstock performance, though, the wheels were already starting to come off. The internal personal dynamics of the band were always a bit fraught, complicated, it must be said, by sex. Again, they were hippies, and they were supposed to believe in freedom in all things, but human nature will have its way, and Slick was involved in relationships with not only Casady and Kantner but also (allegedly) with Jim Morrison,as well as many others, no doubt. Balin had withdrawn from much of the group’s business and musical decisions, and Kaukonen and Casady had started their side project, Hot Tuna, in part because the Airplane was working less, and they simply wanted to play. Jorma’s charmingly forlorn song “Third Week In Chelsea“, on the album Bark,chronicles his frustration with the band situation and forecasts its eventual demise; to her eternal credit, Slick agreed to sing harmony on it. Kantner would actually quit the band at one point, and Balin started playing rhythm guitar. By the time of Bark, Dryden had been replaced by Joey Covington, who had been playing with Hot Tuna. Violinist Papa John Creach became an official member of the band. Balin was not on the album, having quit the band, so although there are parts of the record that I like, this was no longer, for me, the Airplane.
Kantner and Slick were now parents; I do like that they still had enough of a sense of humor to name their 1973 non-Airplane/Starship record Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun; Kantner’s Teutonic temperament had always been one of the sources of contention within the band. The band officially ended in 1972, to eventually evolve into the various Starship iterations. They did some reunion gigs in 1989, and (I didn’t know this strange fact) both Kantner and Signe Anderson died on January 28, 2016. Dryden died in 2005.
The Starship continues, with Chicago-area singer Cathy Richardsonably filling Slick’s sandals. Hot Tuna continues to perform.
You can watch the Woodstock performances here:
Once you’re there, I think you’ll find several more videos from their Woodstock set.
This post is reprinted from News From The Trenches, a weekly newsletter of commentary from the viewpoint of a working musician published by Chicago bassist Steve Hashimoto. If you’d like to start receiving it, just let him know by emailing him at steven.hashimoto@sbcglobal.net.
Tags: Hash's Faves, Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane, Steve Hashimoto
Categories Hash's Faves, Music, pop culture, Uncategorized
Write-up from C’dale Times
Here’s an article Carbondale Times ran about Dorothy and me back in June. We appreciate it, and like the new merging of Carbondale Nightlife with Carbondale Times.
The McDaniels make downtown Carbondale debut at PK’s
By Dakota Holden
updated: 6/22/2018 5:44 PM
The McDaniels will make their debut at PK’s in Carbondale June 23. The blues and rock will start at 9 p.m.
The McDaniels are Kent (guitar, vocals) and Dorothy McDaniel (bass).
Kent McDaniel originally performed in Carbondale in the 1970s with The McDaniels Brothers Band, splitting shows with Shawn Colvin, opening for Earl Scruggs, and often sharing the stage with Tawl Paul. The McDaniel Brothers were a PK’s regular, playing every Thursday night until Kent moved out the region.
Kent moved to Chicago in 1980. He tells Nightlife he bumped into Dorothy riding the train into the loop. She was going to her oboe recital, and he was on his way to see Koko Taylor. They decided to attend both events with each other. They later married and started a family of their own. They have been playing music together ever since as The McDaniels. In the past year, they both moved to Carbondale.
“No matter where I lived, I have always searched for a place that felt like home,” Kent says. “When I moved back to Carbondale, it finally felt like home.”
Since their return, they have hosted and performed on WDBX, played small shows at Tres Hombres and Celebrate 618, and now PK’s for their first full-length show.
The McDaniels have an interesting combination of influences. Dorothy grew up playing with a strong classical background, teaching Kent theory and how to read sheet music. In return, he taught her the art of improvisation and memorization of music.
The McDaniels have been working with Jim Foerster at Mole Hole Studios on new music and are excited to release their recordings. Their song “When the Blues Come Knocking” features B.B. King-style rhythms and tasteful leads as well as beautiful background vocals.
The McDaniels’ debut will feature guests including Stick Gilbert (percussion), Lew Hendrix (banjo) and Tawl Paul. It also happens to be Kent McDaniel’s birthday that night, so make sure to give a proper Carbondale welcome.
Music is available through kentmcdaniel.bandcamp.com.
Who: The McDaniels
When: June 23
Where: PK’s
Tags: Carbondale Times, Dorothy McDaniel, Kent McDaniel, PKs
Categories Making Music, Music, Southern Illinois, Uncategorized
Ghost Riders in the Sky
I recorded a version of “Ghost Riders in the Sky” (see icon below). I always thought the song was interesting but never bothered to learn it. Then my friend Tony Weisskopf wrote a parody of it called “Ghost SFPAans in the Sky,” and once at a party during ContraFlow I told her I’d record it. Which I eventually did. When we finished it, I thought the music sounded interesting, like a spectral stampede across the sky. I decided to record the actual lyrics to the music as well as Toni’s parody. The result is below.
https://dumbfoundingstories.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/02-ghost-riders-in-the-sky.mp3
An old cowboy went riding out one dark and windy day
Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way
When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw
Plowing through the ragged sky and up a cloudy draw
Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel
Their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel
A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered cross the sky
For he saw the riders coming hard and he heard their mournful cry
Yippie I A Yippie I O, ghost riders in the sky
Their faces gaunt, their eyes were blurred, their shirts all soaked with sweat
They’re riding hard to catch that herd but they ain’t caught em yet
For they got to ride forever on that range up in the sky,
on horses snorting fire. As they ride on hear them cry.
As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name
If you want to save your soul from hell ariding on our range
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
Trying to catch The Devil’s herd across these endless skies
Credits: Dorothy McDaniel, bass; Chris Butler, percussion; Bob Swenson, vocal harmony; Dan Marsh, harmonica; Me, guitars and vocal.
Categories Making Music, Music, Science-fiction fandom, Uncategorized
The McDaniel Bros. Band @ Carries (Spring, ’78)
The playlist below is four songs by The McDaniel Brothers Band, recorded Spring of 1978, at Carries, a late night roadhouse located out in the county between Carbondale and Murphysboro. Carries closed at 4 AM and the bands played from something like 11:30 PM to 3:30 AM. The songs were recorded live on a two track reel to reel. Considering, the tape’s sound quality was okay. Only, starting with the fourth song, the vocal level got drastically lower. So I’m including the first three songs, and one of the later songs. The vocals on it are pretty low, but we liked to jam out on a song sometimes, and I wanted an example included.
I got the tape from Tawl Paul a little after my wife Dorothy and I moved back to Carbondale from Chicago. We saw him at PKs, and he said, “Hey, man, I been meaning to tell you. I got this old tape. I don’t how I ended up with it, but I think it’s The McDaniel Brothers Band.”
I was pretty sure which tape he meant, cause I only I remember us taping one gig. Turned out it was the tape I was thinking of. Tawl Paul only had one tape, but two reel to reel tapes were recorded that night. I’d sure like to get my hands on the other one.
The guys in the band were John Zurek on drums, Rick Stoncious on bass, Doug McDaniel on rhythm guitar and vocals, Kent Mcdaniel (me) on lead guitar, and Gary Victorene on pedal steel. Here’s the songs.
The End is not in Sight
Swinging Doors
Good Hearted Woman
Can't You See?
Much thanks to Jim Foerster of The Mole Hole Studio, for getting the most out of those two track tapes in digital form.
L-R John Zurek, Rick Stoncious, Doug McDaniel, Kent McDaniel, Gary Victorene
Tags: Doug McDaniel, Gary Victorene, John Zurek, Kent McDaniel, Rick Stoncious, The McDaniel Brothers Band
Categories Making Music, Southern Illinois, Uncategorized
Good Rockin: The McDaniels on DBX
Dorothy and I returned to our favorite radio station WDBX for an hour set back in December. It was just the two of us, playinga mix of blues, country, jazz, and folk, but I’m gonna tell you, we were rocking pretty nice. There’s a recording of the set, below. I hope you give it a listen and use some headphones when you do. It’ll be worth it.
https://dumbfoundingstories.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/06-mcds-dbx-12_17.mp3
Loy Addington
We want to thank WDBX for having us on. And especially Loy Addington, host of Lonesome Roy’s Country Hoedown. Every time we get together with him, it feels like a
party to us.
WDBX in Carbondale, IL
Tags: Dorothy McDaniel, Kent McDzniel, Loy Addington, The McDaniels, WDBX. "Lonesome Roy's Country Hoedown
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Will ex-CIA boss Petraeus be prosecuted?
Posted on January 13, 2015 by petrel41
This video from the USA says about itself:
Petraeus Affair – Classified Information Leak?
“Paula Broadwell, whose reported relationship with former CIA director David Petraeus hastened the end of his career last week, has come under scrutiny for the unusual level of access she appears to have had in the process of writing a biography of the general.
In a speech this summer at the Aspen Institute, Broadwell noted that she regularly had access to classified information in the course of her work in Afghanistan, when she was embedded for about a year in 2010 and 2011.
“I was entrusted with this opportunity to sit in on high level meetings with General Petraeus. Sitting in on SCIF [sensitive compartmented information facility] meetings in the morning, listen to classified chatter of terrorist talk and so forth. And I had that background anyhow, so I knew a lot of that information for my writing, but I knew there was a clear line that I couldn’t cross when I was writing it out,” Broadwell said, according to remarks recounted by Politico.”*
Cenk Uygur breaks down the story. Is it possible Broadwell was privy to information she should have never had access to under normal circumstances? The alleged timing for the beginning and end to the affair seem a little too convenient.
*Read more from Joshua Hersh/ Huffington Post: here.
By Patrick Martin in the USA:
Justice Department considering felony charges against Petraeus
US Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed Sunday that the Justice Department was considering bringing charges against retired General David Petraeus for sharing classified information with his girlfriend and biographer while he was director of the CIA.
Holder refused to answer any substantive questions about the investigation, which was made public Friday night in an article posted on the web site of the New York Times. The newspaper cited FBI and Justice Department prosecutors as the source of its report, noting that the investigation has dragged on since Petraeus resigned from the CIA three days after the November 2012 presidential election.
“The delay has frustrated some Justice Department and FBI officials and investigators who have questioned whether Mr. Petraeus has received special treatment at a time Mr. Holder has led a crackdown on government officials who reveal secrets to journalists,” the newspaper wrote.
One of those journalists is a New York Times reporter, James Risen, who last week was permitted to testify at the trial of former State Department official Jeffrey Sterling without revealing the source of his reporting on US cyberwarfare efforts against Iran.
The Times report is itself a shot fired in a murky struggle between factions within the military-intelligence apparatus, where there are deep divisions provoked by the long-term failure of US efforts to conquer and dominate the oil-rich territories of the Middle East and Central Asia.
Petraeus played a leading role in both areas, commanding all US military forces in Iraq in 2006-2007 during the Bush administration “surge” which temporarily consolidated the US-backed puppet regime in Baghdad, under Premier Nouri al-Maliki. That regime collapsed last summer after the offensive by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which overran Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, and took control of nearly all the Sunni-populated areas of the country. Maliki was forced out under US pressure, replaced by Haider al-Abadi.
In 2010, Petraeus was brought in to replace General Stanley McChrystal as US commander in Afghanistan, who had openly criticized White House policy in that country in an interview with the magazine Rolling Stone. A year later, Petraeus retired from the military upon his appointment as director of the CIA, a position he retained for barely a year.
According to the Times account, the FBI investigation into Petraeus for leaking classified information began when FBI agents found classified documents on the computer of Paula Broadwell, who was writing a biography of the general and had become his lover. The Times said that Petraeus had denied ever providing classified information to Broadwell and had rejected a plea deal.
The investigation has long been known in high-level political, military and media circles in official Washington. However, it went unreported while a subterranean struggle went on over whether to bring felony charges against the most highly publicized military officer of recent decades. Petraeus was hailed by Bush as the savior in Iraq and played a similar role for Obama in Afghanistan.
There was widespread discussion of Petraeus as a possible Republican challenger to Obama in 2012, and his appointment as CIA director in 2011 was at least in part an effort by the Obama White House to forestall such a possibility.
According to a report on Politico.com after the Times article, “Petraeus has retained his security clearance and even has served as an unofficial adviser to the White House on Iraq and Syria while the FBI’s investigation remained open.” The publication also noted that it was an everyday practice to share classified documents with authors selected for their willingness to write favorably of those in power.
“This arrangement is common in Washington for established authors,” Politico wrote. “Sources for Bob Woodward, whose books often disclose classified information that is provided to him through semi-official leaks, are not investigated for betraying state secrets.”
The Times report was followed by bitter ripostes from congressional leaders close to Petraeus. Senator John McCain, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and his frequent ally Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, issued a joint statement denouncing the leaking of information about the inquiry into Petraeus. They stopped short of defending him against any charges, claiming they did not know what case might be brought against him.
“At this critical moment in our nation’s security,” they wrote, “Congress and the American people cannot afford to have his voice silenced or curtailed by the shadow of a long-running, unresolved investigation marked by leaks from anonymous sources.”
Senator Dianne Feinstein, former head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, opposed bringing any charges against Petraeus during an appearance on the CNN Sunday interview program “State of the Union.” She described Petraeus as “a very brilliant man” who was “the four-star general of our generation,” adding that after losing his position as CIA director “the man has suffered enough.”
Republican Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, who has replaced Feinstein as chairman of the Intelligence Committee, told ABC News that there was no basis for prosecuting Petraeus, citing President Obama’s statement when Petraeus resigned in 2012 that the matter was purely personal and that no damage had been done to US national security.
“The statute of the law says it has to reach that for there to be a prosecution,” Burr claimed. Actually, the Obama administration has brought more prosecutions under the Espionage Act than all previous US administrations combined, without ever seeking to prove damage to national security.
On the contrary, individuals like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning are barred from raising that issue—as, for instance, by arguing that they exposed crimes by the US government, and therefore did a service to the American people. Prosecutions under the Espionage Act are narrowly focused on whether classified information was disclosed without authorization, regardless of the motive.
There are ample reasons to bring criminal charges against Petraeus, who is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as overseeing the CIA, America’s specialist in murder and provocation, for more than a year. But the current case hardly qualifies as a genuine investigation into his actions—especially as it is being conducted by the administration that commissioned many of his bloodiest crimes.
At the time of Petraeus’s abrupt departure from the CIA in an alleged sex scandal, the WSWS commented, “Petraeus is a deeply reactionary figure, but he has not been brought down because of war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere. Rather, he has been declared unfit because of perhaps the first reported act that indicates he is human.”
Subsequent commentaries took note of the deep-going conflicts within the security apparatus and the political establishment that had led to his purge, including a reported dispute between Petraeus and White House counterterrorism director John Brennan over control of the drone-missile assassination program. Soon after Petraeus left the CIA, Obama named Brennan to replace him.
The latest stirring of the pot in the Petraeus affair comes only one month after the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture, an investigation that Petraeus apparently cooperated with during his tenure at the agency (2011-2012), but which was vehemently opposed by Brennan.
READ SOME OF THE EMAILS THAT BROUGHT DOWN DAVID PETRAEUS “In late 2012, Jill Kelley’s talent as a Tampa hostess and her knack for charming men in uniform indirectly triggered one of the most embarrassing national security scandals of the past decade. Among other casualties, the fallout led to the forced resignation of CIA Director David H. Petraeus — a former four-star Army general — and the early retirement of Marine Gen. John Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.” The Pentagon released a trove of heavily redacted emails between Kelly and top military brass. [WaPo]
A LIFE ON HOLD AS GENERAL PETRAEUS AWAITS TRIAL The former head of American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan has his own shop at KKR these days, but the impending decision of whether or not the General should be indicted for sharing classified information with his lover continues to hang over his day-to-day actions. [NYT]
Former top general and CIA chief David Petraeus passed classified secret information to his lover, including details of ongoing covert operations and names of undercover agents, and subsequently lied about these actions to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday: here.
DAVID PETRAEUS SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS PROBATION, $100,000 FINE The Washington Post details how the former head of the CIA went from “hero to zero.” [Paige Lavender, HuffPost]
Former CIA director and four-star general David Petraeus was given a wrist-slap sentence in federal court Thursday for giving binders of highly-classified information to his biographer and mistress, Paula Broadwell, in 2011: here.
The revenge of the CIA: Scapegoating whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. ‘The CIA hierarchy continues to have no interest in accepting responsibility for its deceptions, no matter how horrific the results’: here.
FBI and Justice Department recommend felony charges against Petraeus
Report: Prosecutors Want David Petraeus Charged
David Petraeus facing possible criminal charges – reports
Glenn Greenwald: With Calls to Spare Petraeus, Feinstein Plea Shows that Not All Leaks are Equal
Media Knives Come Out Over the Downfall of Petraeus: The Facts You Need to Know
Michael Hastings’ Widow Hits ‘New York Times’ on Obit
“Missing” Verdict: U.S. Guilty in Chile
The Petraeus Scandal: Updates and Commentary
NYPD Disbands Muslim-Spying Unit
This entry was posted in Human rights, Peace and war and tagged Afghanistan, CIA, Iraq by petrel41. Bookmark the permalink.
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IELTS Exam
Things you need to know about the IELTS.
There are several standardized English Proficiency tests that measure the English proficiency level of test takers. The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is one of the world’s popular English language proficiency assessment instruments that measure all of your English skills – reading, listening, writing, and speaking. But before we tackle the proven strategies in acquiring a high band score, let us clear some cobwebs which blur out how we look at this standardized test and answer the WH questions which face our future test takers.
Question: Who takes the IELTS test?
Answer: Whether the test examinees are aiming for higher education, for work, or for migration, one thing is for sure. They come from a variety of countries, ages and background. Since there are two versions of IELTS namely Academic and General Training, the examinee should consider their goals and needs to determine which version to take. The IELTS Academic is taken by those who are vying for higher education such as in university or college. The results of the IELTS Academic will determine if the candidate passed for admission to an undergraduate or postgraduate course. Those who are aiming to work in the professional fields of engineering or accounting may also take the IELTS Academic. The second version which is the General Training is usually taken by those who would like to work, study, or get training for their jobs in an English speaking country. Those who would like to migrate to countries like United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand are also required to take this version of the IELTS.
Why do people take the IELTS?
People take IELTS for varied reasons. As I have mentioned earlier, this test is a pre-requisite for universities, colleges, professional companies, and English speaking countries. This test is widely accepted worldwide by over 140 countries and thousands of universities and companies since it shows the English proficiency level of a candidate wanting to study, work, or migrate.
How do you prepare and ace the IELTS?
Millions of people take the IELTS test but not all are successful. Learning how to ace the IELTS test is neither fast nor easy. A competent review center can help you get started and see you through until you have attained the necessary competency and confidence to achieve success. We at Eureka Tutorials Learning Center have prepared an individualized program for each skill to ensure a high band score. We assure the candidate that he or she is adequately prepared for each section.
What is the test format?
The test taker has to acquaint himself/herself with the structure format of the actual test to make him sufficiently prepared for each section. Here are the different areas of competencies.
4 audio recordings
4 passages (academic)
3 passages (general)
Task 1: 150 words (20 minutes)
Letter (general) – Describe chart/graph (academic)
Essay (general and academic)
Speaking:
Part 1: Interview (personal information)
Part 2: Short presentation (2 minutes)
Part 3: Discussion
How do you hone your answering competency for each skill?
Eureka has a program that will help familiarize the student to the types of questions that he or she encounters. Our individualize teaching will focus on each student’s strength and weakness and through practice will eliminate those things that will hamper her progress. The different types of questions are specific to the IELTS that is why practice is necessary.
What is the best way to get a high band score for reading and writing?
Doing timed practice for reading will help the student improve on her answering accuracy. Our program has been organized to give timed practice exercises in which the student is given time to read three articles and allotted 50 minutes to answer 40 questions. We offer a battery of reading exercises which will help enhance one’s reading comprehension skills. Next, for the writing, the student is taught specific writing templates for writing a letter or chart description in 20 minutes and an opinion essay in 40 minutes. The student will be provided with an immediate feedback by the Eurekan English instructor and a series of writing exercises will be given covering a broad range of topics.
What is the best way to get a high band score for listening and speaking?
The student will be provided several English video clips and listening audio recordings to enhance the much needed listening skills. For the speaking part, the student will be engaged in a role playing activity with the IELTS instructor and will be given questions that will encourage him to articulate his thoughts, and speak spontaneously about a variety of topics. Eureka’s comprehensive IELTS program for reading, listening, speaking, and writing is designed to improve the student’s paraphrasing skills, vocabulary development, and ability to read and listen critically which are all integral factors in acing the IELTS test.
Like the TOEFL, the International English Language Testing System or the IELTS* is another type of international standardized test that measure the English Language proficiency of individuals. It was established in 1989 and is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education. The IELTS has two (2) versions: The Academic Version and the General Training Version.
Eureka offers review for both versions of the IELTS. The academic version is required for students who want to take their undergraduate studies while the IELTS General Training Version is a common requirement for professionals such as nurses who want to practice their professions in English-speaking countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. The center offers computer-based exercises and complete practice exams to provide familiarity to those who need to achieve a certain band score either for the purpose of admission to university or for employment purposes. The listening part of the IELTS exposes the students to audio exercises complete with transcripts that are similar to those found in the actual tests.
Eureka is the only IELTS center offering one-on-one instruction to students. It also offers the most number of simulation exams to provide students with ample practice and training.
AS PER THE NUMBER OF TEST TAKERS, THE IELTS IS WORLD’S MOST POPULAR ENGLISH PROFICIENCY TEST FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND GLOBAL MIGRATION.
To know more about our IELTS program, feel free to leave us a message
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Pan's Labyrinth (Spanish: El laberinto del fauno, lit. 'The Labyrinth of the Faun') is a 2006 Spanish dark fantasy drama film[4][5] written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, and starring Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, and Ariadna Gil.
Theatrical release poster
Bertha Navarro
Frida Torresblanco
Alvaro Augustin
Sergi López
Maribel Verdú
Ariadna Gil
Álex Angulo
Pablo Adán
Guillermo Navarro
Bernat Vilaplana
Tequila Gang
Esperanto Filmoj
Sententia Entertainment
27 May 2006 (2006-05-27) (Cannes)
11 October 2006 (2006-10-11) (Spain)
20 October 2006 (2006-10-20) (Mexico)
119 minutes[1]
Spain[2]
$19 million[3]
$83.3 million[3]
The story takes place in Spain during the summer of 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War, during the early Francoist period. The narrative intertwines this real world with a mythical world centered on an overgrown, abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with whom the main character, Ofelia, interacts. Ofelia's stepfather, the Falangist Captain Vidal, hunts the Spanish Maquis who fight against the Francoist regime in the region, while Ofelia's pregnant mother Carmen grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become central to her story, leading her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden. The film employs make-up, animatronics, and CGI effects to bring life to its creatures.
Del Toro stated that he considers the story to be a parable, influenced by fairy tales, and that it addresses and continues themes related to his earlier film The Devil's Backbone (2001),[5] to which Pan's Labyrinth is a spiritual successor, according to del Toro in his director's DVD commentary. The original Spanish title refers to the fauns of Roman mythology, while the English, German and French titles refer specifically to the faun-like Greek deity Pan. However, del Toro has stated that the faun in the film is not Pan.[5]
Pan's Labyrinth premiered on 27 May 2006 at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures in Spain on 11 October and in Mexico on 20 October. It was produced and distributed internationally by Esperanto Filmoj and Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Telecinco Cinema. Pan's Labyrinth opened to widespread critical acclaim, with many praising the visual effects, direction, cinematography and performances. It won numerous international awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards including Best Film Not in the English Language, the Ariel Award for Best Picture, the Saturn Awards for Best International Film and Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Ivana Baquero and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form.
PlotEdit
In a fairy tale, Princess Moanna, whose father is the king of the underworld, visits the human world, where the sunlight blinds her and erases her memory. She becomes mortal and dies. The king believes that eventually, her spirit will return to the underworld, so he builds labyrinths (which act as portals) around the world in preparation for her return.
In 1944 Francoist Spain, Ofelia travels with her pregnant but sickly mother Carmen to meet Captain Vidal, her new stepfather. Vidal, the son of a famed commander who died in Morocco, believes strongly in Falangism and has been assigned to hunt down republican rebels. A large stick insect, which Ofelia believes to be a fairy, leads Ofelia into an ancient stone labyrinth, but she is stopped by Vidal's housekeeper Mercedes, who is secretly supporting her brother Pedro and other rebels. That night, the insect appears in Ofelia's bedroom, where it transforms into a fairy and leads her through the labyrinth. There, she meets the faun, who believes she is the reincarnation of Princess Moanna. He gives her a book and tells her she will find in it three tasks to complete in order for her to acquire immortality and return to her kingdom.
Ofelia completes the first task — retrieving a key from the belly of a giant toad — but becomes worried about her mother, whose condition is worsening. The faun gives Ofelia a mandrake root, which seems to ease Carmen's illness. Accompanied by three fairy guides, Ofelia then completes the second task — retrieving a dagger from the lair of the Pale Man, a child-eating monster. Although she was warned not to consume anything there, she eats two grapes, awakening the Pale Man. He eats two of the fairies and chases Ofelia, but she manages to escape. Infuriated at her disobedience, the faun refuses to give Ofelia the third task. During this time, Ofelia quickly becomes aware of Vidal's ruthlessness in the course of hunting down the rebels. After he erroneously murders two local farmers detained on suspicion of aiding the rebels, Vidal interrogates and tortures a captive rebel. He asks Doctor Ferreiro to tend to the captive, whom Ferreiro then proceeds to surreptitiously euthanize at the rebel's own urging. Vidal realises that Ferreiro is a rebel collaborator and kills him. Vidal later catches Ofelia tending to the mandrake root, which he considers delusional. Carmen agrees and throws the root into the fire. She immediately develops painful contractions and dies giving birth to Vidal's son.
Mercedes, having been discovered to be a spy, tries to escape with Ofelia, but they are caught. Ofelia, mistaken as a traitor, is locked in her bedroom, while Mercedes is taken to be interrogated and tortured. Mercedes frees herself, stabs Vidal, and rejoins the rebels. The faun, having changed his mind about giving Ofelia a chance to perform the third task, returns and tells her to bring her baby brother into the labyrinth to complete it. Ofelia complies and Vidal pursues her as the rebels launch an attack on the outpost. Ofelia meets the faun at the centre of the labyrinth. The faun suggests drawing a few drops of the baby's blood, as completing the third task and opening the portal to the underworld requires the blood of an innocent. As Ofelia refuses to harm her brother, Vidal finds her talking to the faun, whom he cannot see. The faun leaves, and Vidal takes the baby from Ofelia's arms before shooting her.
Vidal returns to the labyrinth's entrance, where he runs into Mercedes and Pedro along with the other rebels. Knowing that he will be killed, he hands the baby to Mercedes and asks that she tell his son the exact time of his father's death. However, Mercedes refuses, telling him "He won't even know your name", and Vidal is then shot to death by Pedro. Mercedes enters the labyrinth and comforts a motionless but breathing Ofelia. Drops of Ofelia's blood fall down the centre of the spiral stone staircase onto an altar. Ofelia, well dressed and uninjured, then appears in a golden throne room. The King of the underworld says that she passed the final test, which was to choose to spill her own blood rather than that of an innocent. The faun praises Ofelia for her choice, addressing her once more as "Your Highness". The Queen of the underworld, her mother, invites Ofelia to sit next to her father and rule at his side. Back in the stone labyrinth, Ofelia smiles as she dies in Mercedes' arms.
The epilogue completes the tale of Princess Moanna, stating that she ruled wisely and left quiet traces of her time in the human realm "visible only to those who know where to look."
CastEdit
Ivana Baquero as Ofelia / Princess Moanna, a child who comes to believe she is the reincarnation of a princess from the underworld. Del Toro said he was nervous about casting the lead role, and that finding the 10-year-old Spanish actress was purely accidental. (The film was shot from June–October 2005, when she was 11.) "The character I wrote was initially younger, about 8 or 9, and Ivana came in and she was a little older than the character, with this curly hair which I never imagined the girl having. But I loved her first reading, my wife was crying and the camera woman was crying after her reading and I knew hands down Ivana was the best actress that had shown up, yet I knew that I needed to change the screenplay to accommodate her age."[6] Baquero says that Del Toro sent her lots of comics and fairy tales to help her "get more into the atmosphere of Ofelia and more into what she felt". She says she thought the film was "marvelous", and that "at the same time it can bring you pain, and sadness, and scariness, and happiness".[5]
Sergi López as Captain Vidal, Ofelia's new stepfather and a Falange officer. Del Toro met with López in Barcelona, a year and a half before filming began, to ask him to play Vidal. In parts of Spain, López was considered a melodramatic or comedic actor, and the Madrid-based producers told Del Toro, "You should be very careful because you don't know about these things because you're Mexican, but this guy is not going to be able to deliver the performance"; del Toro replied "Well, it's not that I don't know, it's that I don't care".[7] Of his character, López said: "He is the most evil character I've ever played in my career. It is impossible to improve upon it; the character is so solid and so well written. Vidal is deranged, a psychopath who is impossible to defend. Even though his father's personality marked his existence—and is certainly one of the reasons for his mental disorder—that cannot be an excuse. It would seem to be very cynical to use that to justify or explain his cruel and cowardly acts. I think it is great that the film does not consider any justification of fascism."
Maribel Verdú as Mercedes, Vidal's housekeeper. Del Toro selected Verdú to play the compassionate revolutionary because he "saw a sadness in her which he thought would be perfect for the part".[7]
Doug Jones as the Faun and the Pale Man. As the Faun, Jones guides Ofelia to the fantasy world. As the Pale Man, he plays a grotesque monster with an appetite for children. Jones had previously worked with del Toro on Mimic and Hellboy, and said the director sent him an email saying, "You must be in this film. No one else can play this part but you." Jones responded enthusiastically to an English translation of the script, but then found out the film was in Spanish, which he did not speak. Jones says he was "terrified" and del Toro suggested learning the script phonetically, but Jones rejected this, preferring to learn the words himself. He said, "I really, really buckled down and committed myself to learning that word for word and I got the pronunciation semi-right before I even went in," using the five hours a day he spent getting the costume and make-up on to practice the words.[8] Del Toro later decided to dub Jones with the voice of Pablo Adán, "an authoritative theatre actor", but Jones's efforts remained valuable because the voice actor was able to match his delivery with Jones's mouth movements.[9] Jones's dual casting is intended to suggest that the Pale Man (along with the toad) is either a creation of the Faun,[10] or the Faun himself in another form.[11]
Ariadna Gil as Carmen / Queen of the Underworld, Ofelia's mother and Vidal's wife.
Álex Angulo as Doctor Ferreiro, a doctor in the service of Vidal, but an anti-Francoist.
Manolo Solo as Garcés, one of Vidal's lieutenants.
César Vea as Serrano, one of Vidal's lieutenants.
Roger Casamajor as Pedro, Mercedes' brother and one of the rebels.
Federico Luppi as King of the Underworld, Ofelia's father
Pablo Adán as Narrator / Voice of Faun
ProductionEdit
InfluencesEdit
The idea for Pan's Labyrinth came from Guillermo del Toro's notebooks, which he says are filled with "doodles, ideas, drawings and plot bits". He had been keeping these notebooks for twenty years. At one point during production, he left the notebook in a taxi in London and was distraught, but the cabbie returned it to him two days later. Though he originally wrote a story about a pregnant woman who falls in love with a faun,[12] Sergi López said that del Toro described the final version of the plot a year and a half before filming. Lopez said that "for two hours and a half he explained to me all the movie, but with all the details, it was incredible, and when he finished I said, 'You have a script?' He said, 'No, nothing is written'". López agreed to act in the movie and received the script one year later; he said that "it was exactly the same, it was incredible. In his little head he had all the history with a lot of little detail, a lot of characters, like now when you look at the movie, it was exactly what he had in his head".[13]
Del Toro got the idea of the faun from childhood experiences with "lucid dreaming". He stated on The Charlie Rose Show that every midnight, he would wake up, and a faun would gradually step out from behind the grandfather's clock.[14] Originally, the faun was supposed to be a classic half-man, half-goat faun fraught with beauty. But in the end, the faun was altered into a goat-faced creature almost completely made out of earth, moss, vines, and tree bark. He became a mysterious, semi-suspicious relic who gave both the impression of trustworthiness and many signs that warn someone to never confide in him at all.
Del Toro has said the film has strong connections in theme to The Devil's Backbone and should be seen as an informal sequel dealing with some of the issues raised there. Fernando Tielve and Íñigo Garcés, who played the protagonists of The Devil's Backbone, make cameo appearances as unnamed guerrilla soldiers in Pan's Labyrinth. Some of the other works he drew on for inspiration include Lewis Carroll's Alice books, Jorge Luis Borges' Ficciones, Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan and The White People, Lord Dunsany's The Blessing of Pan, Algernon Blackwood's Pan's Garden and Francisco Goya's works. In 2004, del Toro said: "Pan is an original story. Some of my favourite writers (Borges, Blackwood, Machen, Dunsany) have explored the figure of the god Pan and the symbol of the labyrinth. These are things that I find very compelling and I am trying to mix them and play with them."[15] It was also influenced by the illustrations of Arthur Rackham.[16]
Del Toro wanted to include a fairy tale about a dragon for Ofelia to narrate to her unborn brother. The tale involved the dragon, named Varanium Silex, who guarded a mountain surrounded by thorns, but at its peak is a blue rose that can grant immortality. The dragon and the thorns ward off many men though, who decide it is better to avoid pain than to be given immortality. Although the scene was thematically important, it was cut short for budget reasons.[17]
There are differing ideas about the film's religious influences. Del Toro himself has said that he considers Pan's Labyrinth "a truly profane film, a layman's riff on Catholic dogma", but that his friend Alejandro González Iñárritu described it as "a truly Catholic film". Del Toro's explanation is "once a Catholic, always a Catholic," however he also admits that the Pale Man's preference for children rather than the feast in front of him is intended as a criticism of the Catholic Church.[16][18] Additionally, the priest's words during the torture scene were taken as a direct quote from a priest who offered communion to political prisoners during the Spanish Civil War: "Remember my sons, you should confess what you know because God doesn't care what happens to your bodies; He already saved your souls."[19][20]
In regards to whether or not the fantasy underworld was real or a product of Ofelia's imagination, del Toro stated in an interview that, while he believes it is real, the movie "should tell something different to everyone. It should be a matter of personal discussion". He then mentioned there were several clues in the movie indicating the underworld was indeed real.[11]
The film was shot in a Scots Pine forest situated in the Guadarrama mountain range, Central Spain. Guillermo Navarro, the director of photography, said that "after doing work in Hollywood on other movies and with other directors, working in our original language in different scenery brings me back to the original reasons I wanted to make movies, which is basically to tell stories with complete freedom and to let the visuals really contribute to the telling of the story".[21]
The pale man's eyes on his hands is a feature shared by the Japanese mythological monster the Tenome (a name which means "hand eyes").
EffectsEdit
Pan's Labyrinth employs some computer-generated imagery in its effects, but mostly uses complex make-up and animatronics. The giant toad was inspired by The Maze. Del Toro himself performed the noises. The mandrake root is a combination of animatronics and CGI. Del Toro wanted the fairies "to look like little monkeys, like dirty fairies", but the animation company had the idea to give them wings made of leaves.[22]
Jones spent an average of five hours sitting in the makeup chair as his team of David Martí, Montse Ribé and Xavi Bastida applied the makeup for the Faun, which was mostly latex foam. The last piece to be applied was the pair of horns, which weighed ten pounds and were extremely tiring to wear. The legs were a unique design, with Jones standing on 20-cm-high lifts (8 in), and the legs of the Faun attached to his own. His lower leg was eventually digitally erased in post production. The Faun's flapping ears and blinking eyes were remotely operated by David Martí and Xavi Bastida from DDT Efectos Especiales while on set. Del Toro told Jones to "go rock star ... like a glam rocker. But less David Bowie, more Mick Jagger".[22]
The Captain's room, as shown in the scene where Captain Vidal is shaving, is supposed to resemble his father's watch, which del Toro says represents his troubled mind.
A bout of weight loss on Del Toro's part inspired the physical appearance of the saggy-skinned Pale Man.[23] In order to see while performing the part, Doug Jones had to look out of the character's nostrils, and its legs were attached to Jones over the green leotard which he wore.[24]
SubtitlesEdit
The film uses subtitles for its translation into other languages, including English. Del Toro wrote them himself, because he was disappointed with the subtitles of his previous Spanish film, The Devil's Backbone. In an interview, he said that they were "for the thinking impaired" and "incredibly bad". He spent a month working with two other people, and said that he did not want it to "feel like... watching a subtitled film".[25]
DistributionEdit
Pan's Labyrinth was premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival on 27 May 2006. Its first premiere in an English-speaking country was at the London FrightFest Film Festival on 25 August 2006. Its first general release was in Spain on 11 October 2006, followed by a release in Mexico nine days later. On 24 November 2006 it had its first general English release in the United Kingdom; that month it was also released in France, Serbia, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Singapore and South Korea. It had a limited release in Canada and the United States on 29 December 2006, in Australia on 18 January 2007, in Taiwan on 27 April 2007, in Slovenia on 17 May 2007 and in Japan on 29 September 2007. Its widest release in the United States was in 1,143 cinemas.[26]
The film was released on DVD on 12 March 2007 in the UK by Optimum Releasing in a two-disc special edition. The film was released in the United States on 15 May 2007 from New Line Home Entertainment in both single-disc and double-disc special edition versions, featuring an additional DTS-ES audio track not present on the UK version. Additionally, the film received a special limited edition release in South Korea and Germany. Only 20,000 copies of this edition were manufactured. It is presented in a digipak designed to look like the Book of Crossroads. The Korean first edition contains two DVDs along with an art book and replica of Ofelia's key. The German special limited edition contains three DVDs and a book containing the movie's storyboard. Pan's Labyrinth was released for download on 22 June 2007 from Channel 4's on-demand service, 4oD.
High definition versions of Pan's Labyrinth were released in December 2007 on both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats. New Line stated that due to their announcement of supporting Blu-ray exclusively, thus dropping HD DVD support with immediate effect, Pan's Labyrinth would be the only HD DVD release for the studio, and would be discontinued after current stock was depleted.[27] Both versions had a PiP commentary while web extras were exclusive to the HD DVD version.[28][29] In October 2016, The Criterion Collection re-released the movie on Blu-ray in the US, based on a newly graded 2K digital master supervised by Del Toro. An Ultra HD Blu-ray edition of the film is scheduled for release in 2019 from New Line Cinema remastered for 4K. [30]
ReceptionEdit
Ivana Baquero and Guillermo del Toro at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 95% based on 229 reviews with an average rating of 8.6/10. The site's consensus reads: "Pan's Labyrinth is Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended together into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable."[31] Based on reviews from 37 critics, it received a 98/100 score at Metacritic,[32] making it Metacritic's highest-rated film of the 2000s decade.[33] At its Cannes Film Festival release, it received a 22-minute standing ovation, one of the longest in the festival's history.[34] It also received a standing ovation at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival,[35] its first release in the Americas.
Mark Kermode, in The Observer, labeled Pan's Labyrinth as the best film of 2006, describing it as "an epic, poetic vision in which the grim realities of war are matched and mirrored by a descent into an underworld populated by fearsomely beautiful monsters".[36] Stephanie Zacharek wrote that the film "works on so many levels that it seems to change shape even as you watch it",[37] and Jim Emerson called the film "a fairy tale of such potency and awesome beauty that it reconnects the adult imagination to the primal thrill and horror of the stories that held us spellbound as children".[38] Roger Ebert reviewed the film after his surgery and put it on his Great Movies list on 27 August 2007;[39] when he compiled his belated top ten films of 2006, Pan's Labyrinth was #1, with him stating "But even in a good year I'm unable to see everything. And I'm still not finished with my 2006 discoveries. I'm still looking at more 2007 movies, too, and that list will run as usual in late December. Nothing I am likely to see, however, is likely to change my conviction that the year's best film was Pan's Labyrinth."[40] The New Yorker's Anthony Lane took special note of the film's sound design, saying it "discards any hint of the ethereal by turning up the volume on small, supercharged noises: the creak of the Captain's leather gloves... the nighttime complaints of floorboard and rafter...."[41]
Some reviewers had criticisms. For The San Diego Union-Tribune, David Elliott said "the excitement is tangible", but added that "what it lacks is successful unity ... Del Toro has the art of many parts, but only makes them cohere as a sort of fevered extravaganza".[42] '
During its limited first three weeks at the United States box office, the film made $5.4 million. As of 1 March 2007, it has grossed over $37 million in North America, and grossed $80 million worldwide.[26] In Spain, it grossed almost $12 million, and it is the fifth highest domestically grossing foreign film in the United States.[26] In the United States, it has generated $55 million from its DVD sales and rentals.[26][43]
Best Foreign Language Film Guillermo Del Toro Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Best Cinematography Guillermo Navarro Won
Best Art Direction Art Direction: Eugenio Caballero; Set Decoration: Pilar Revuelta Won
Best Makeup David Martí and Montse Ribé Won
Best Original Score Javier Navarrete Nominated
British Academy Film Awards[44]
Best Film Not in the English Language Guillermo Del Toro Won
Best Cinematography Guillermo Navarro Nominated
Best Production Design Eugenio Caballero and Pilar Revuelta Nominated
Best Costume Design Lala Huete Won
Best Sound Martin Hernández, Jaime Baksht, and Miguel Ángel Polo Nominated
Best Makeup and Hair David Martí and Montse Ribé Won
Best Special Visual Effects Edward Irastorza, Everett Burrell, David Martí, and Montse Ribé Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[45]
Goya Awards
Best Film Nominated
Best Director Guillermo Del Toro Nominated
Best Actor Sergi López Nominated
Best Actress Maribel Verdú Nominated
Best New Actress Ivana Baquero Won
Best Original Screenplay Guillermo Del Toro Nominated
Best Production Design Eugenio Caballero Nominated
Best Makeup and Hairstyles José Quetglas and Blanca Sánchez Won
Best Editing Bernat Villaplana Won
Best Sound Miguel Polo Won
Best Music Javier Navarrete Nominated
Best Special Effects David Martí, Montse Ribé, Reyes Abades, Everett Burrell,
Edward Irastorza and Emilio Ruiz Won
Ariel Awards
Best Director Guillermo Del Toro Won
Best Actress Maribel Verdú Won
Best Supporting Actor Álex Angulo Nominated
Best Production Design Eugenio Caballero Won
Best Makeup José Quetglas and Blanca Sánchez Won
Best Editing Bernat Villaplana Nominated
Best Sound Miguel Polo Nominated
Fantasporto
Best Film Won
Spacey Awards[46]
Space Choice Awards for Best Movie Won
Constellation Awards[47]
Best Science Fiction Film, TV Movie,
or Mini-Series of 2006 Won
Belgian Film Critics Association
Grand Prix Nominated
Hugo Award[48]
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form Won
BBC Four World Cinema Awards
BBC Four World Cinema Award Won
Best Script Guillermo Del Toro Won
National Society of Film Critics
Saturn Awards[49]
Best International Film Won
Best Writing Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Sergi López Nominated
Best Performance by a Younger Actor Ivana Baquero Won
Best Make-up David Martí and Montse Ribé Nominated
Metacritic named it the best reviewed film of the decade" in 2010.[50] It is #17 on the BBC list of best 100 films of the 21st century.[51]
Top 10 listsEdit
The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006.[52]
1st – Mark Kermode, The Observer
1st – Andrew O'Hehir, Salon
1st – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
1st – Lou Lumenick, New York Post
1st – Marjorie Baumgarten, The Austin Chronicle
1st – Richard Corliss, TIME magazine
1st – Shawn Levy, The Oregonian
1st – Staff, Film Threat
2nd – Empire
2nd – A. O. Scott, The New York Times
2nd – Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
2nd – Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
2nd – Marc Savlov, The Austin Chronicle
2nd – Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
2nd – Stephen Holden, The New York Times
3rd – Keith Phipps, The A.V. Club
3rd – Lawrence Toppman, The Charlotte Observer
3rd – Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
3rd – Ray Bennett, The Hollywood Reporter
3rd – Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald
3rd – Richard James Havis, The Hollywood Reporter
4th – Stephanie Zacharek, Salon
5th – Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
6th – Glenn Kenny, Premiere
6th – Noel Murray, The A.V. Club
7th – Claudia Puig, USA Today
8th – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times (tied with Children of Men)
9th – Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times (tied with Babel)
9th – Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
Unranked Top 10
Ty Burr, The Boston Globe
Dana Stevens, Slate
Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
Liam Lacey and Rick Groen, The Globe and Mail
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Steven Rea, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Ranked No. 5 in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.[53]
Comparisons to other filmsEdit
Spanish filmsEdit
Del Toro himself has indicated similarities with The Spirit of the Beehive, filmed in Francoist Spain, which juxtaposes issues related to the Civil War with horror film.[54][55] At least one critic has made a connection to a second Spanish film, Cría Cuervos (1975, Saura), again made while Franco was still in power. Doug Cummings (Film Journey 2007) identifies the connection between Cria Cuervos, Spirit of the Beehive and Pan's Labyrinth: "Critics have been summarily referencing Spirit of the Beehive (1973) in reviews of Pan's Labyrinth, but Saura's film–at once a sister work to Erice's classic in theme, tone, even shared actress (Ana Torrent)–is no less rich a reference point."[56]
Non-Spanish filmsEdit
In a 2007 interview, del Toro noted the striking similarities between his film and Walt Disney Pictures' The Chronicles of Narnia: both films are set around the same time, have similar child-age principal characters, mythic creatures (particularly the fauns), and themes of "disobedience and choice". Says del Toro: "This is my version of that universe, not only 'Narnia', but that universe of children's literature."[57] In fact, del Toro was asked to direct The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but turned it down for Pan's Labyrinth.[57] In addition to Narnia, Pan's Labyrinth has also been compared to films such as Labyrinth, MirrorMask, Spirited Away and Bridge to Terabithia.[54][58]
SoundtrackEdit
Soundtrack album by
Milan Entertainment
Emmanuel Chamboredon,
Ian P. Hierons
The score for Pan's Labyrinth, created by Spanish composer Javier Navarrete, was released on 19 December 2006.[59] Navarrete and the score were nominated for an Academy Award.[60] It was entirely structured around a lullaby, and del Toro had the entire score included on the soundtrack, even though much of it had been cut during production.[59] The art used for the soundtrack cover was the un-utilized Drew Struzan promotional poster for the film.
"Long, Long Time Ago (Hace mucho, mucho tiempo)" – 2:14
"The Labyrinth (El laberinto)" – 4:07
"Rose, Dragon (La rosa y el dragón)" – 3:36
"The Fairy and the Labyrinth (El hada y el laberinto)" – 3:36
"Three Trials (Las tres pruebas)" – 2:06
"The Moribund Tree and the Toad (El árbol que muere y el sapo)" – 7:12
"Guerrilleros (Guerrilleros)" – 2:06
"A Book of Blood (El libro de sangre)" – 3:47
"Mercedes Lullaby (Nana de Mercedes)" – 1:39
"The Refuge (El refugio)" – 1:32
"Not Human (El que no es humano)" – 5:55
"The River (El río)" – 2:50
"A Tale (Un cuento)" – 1:55
"Deep Forest (Bosque profundo)" – 5:48
"Waltz of the Mandrake (Vals de la mandrágora)" – 3:42
"The Funeral (El funeral)" – 2:45
"Mercedes (Mercedes)" – 5:37
"Pan and the Full Moon (La luna llena y el fauno)" – 5:08
"Ofelia (Ofelia)" – 2:19
"A Princess (Una princesa)" – 4:03
"Pan's Labyrinth Lullaby (Nana del laberinto del fauno)" – 1:47
Cancelled sequelEdit
In November 2007, del Toro confirmed that a sequel, entitled 3993, was in production.[61] However, del Toro scrapped the project after deciding to direct Hellboy II: The Golden Army.[62]
List of films considered the best
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Pan's Labyrinth article exploring escapism in the film in 'The Internet Review of Science Fiction
Guillermo Del Toro interview talking about Pan's Labyrinth, by Michael Mann for ion magazine
Weavers of Dreams – The Magical World of Pan's Labyrinth at The Doug Jones Experience
Pan’s Labyrinth: The Heart of the Maze an essay by Michael Atkinson at the Criterion Collection
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Richard Bernard Eheart (July 18, 1913 – September 17, 1997) professionally known as Red Skelton was an American comedy entertainer. He was best known for his national radio and television acts between 1937 and 1971, and as host of the television program The Red Skelton Show. He has stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio and television, and also appeared in burlesque, vaudeville, films, nightclubs, and casinos, all while he pursued an entirely separate career as an artist.
Skelton in 1960
Richard Bernard Eheart[1]
(1913-07-18)July 18, 1913
Vincennes, Indiana, U.S.
Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
Edna Marie Stillwell
Georgia Davis
Lothian Toland
Skelton began developing his comedic and pantomime skills from the age of 10, when he became part of a traveling medicine show. He then spent time on a showboat, worked the burlesque circuit, and then entered into vaudeville in 1934. The "Doughnut Dunkers" pantomime sketch, which he wrote together with his wife, launched a career for him in vaudeville, radio, and films. His radio career began in 1937 with a guest appearance on The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour, which led to his becoming the host of Avalon Time in 1938. He became the host of The Raleigh Cigarette Program in 1941, on which many of his comedy characters were created, and he had a regularly scheduled radio program until 1957. Skelton made his film debut in 1938 alongside Ginger Rogers and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in Alfred Santell's Having Wonderful Time, and would appear in numerous musical and comedy films throughout the 1940s and 1950s, with starring roles in 19 films, including Ship Ahoy (1941), I Dood It (1943), Ziegfeld Follies (1946), and The Clown (1953).
Skelton was eager to work in television, even when the medium was in its infancy. The Red Skelton Show made its television premiere on September 30, 1951, on NBC. By 1954, Skelton's program moved to CBS, where it was expanded to one hour and renamed The Red Skelton Hour in 1962. Despite high ratings, the show was cancelled by CBS in 1970, as the network believed that more youth-oriented programs were needed to attract younger viewers and their spending power. Skelton moved his program to NBC, where he completed his last year with a regularly scheduled television show in 1971. He spent his time after that making as many as 125 personal appearances a year and working on his paintings.
Skelton's artwork of clowns remained a hobby until 1964, when his wife Georgia persuaded him to have show it at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas while he was performing there. Sales of his originals were successful, and he also sold prints and lithographs, earning $2.5 million yearly on lithograph sales. At the time of his death, his art dealersaid he thought that Skelton had earned more money through his paintings than from his television performances.
Skelton believed that his life's work was to make people laugh; he wanted to be known as a clown because he defined it as being able to do everything. He had a 70-year-long career as a performer and entertained three generations of Americans. His widow donated many of his personal and professional effects to Vincennes University, including prints of his artwork. They are part of the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy at Vincennes.
Early years, the medicine show and the circus (1913–1929)Edit
According to some sources, Skelton was born Richard Bernard Skelton [1] on July 18, 1913, in Vincennes, Indiana. In a 1983 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Skelton claimed his middle name was really "Red" and that he had made up the middle name Bernard, from the name of a local store, Bernard Clothiers, to satisfy a schoolteacher who would not believe his middle name was "Red".[2] He repeated the story on the The Dini Petty Show in 1992.[3]
Skelton was the fourth and youngest son of Joseph Elmer and Ida Mae (Fields) Skelton (who later used second husband's surname, Eheart).[4] Joseph Skelton, a grocer, died two months before Richard was born; he had once been a clown with the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus.[5][6] His birth certificate surname was that of his father's stepfather. During Skelton's lifetime there was some dispute about the year of his birth. Author Wesley Hyatt suggests that since he began working at such an early age, Skelton may have claimed he was older than he actually was in order to gain employment.[1][a][b] Vincennes neighbors described the Skelton family as being extremely poor; a childhood friend remembered that her parents broke up a youthful romance between her sister and Skelton because they thought he had no future.[9]
Because of the loss of his father, Skelton went to work as early as the age of seven, selling newspapers and doing other odd jobs to help his family, who had lost the family store and their home.[9][10] He quickly learned the newsboy's patter and would keep it up until a prospective buyer bought a copy of the paper just to quiet him.[5] According to later accounts, Skelton's early interest in becoming an entertainer stemmed from an incident that took place in Vincennes around 1923, when a stranger, supposedly the comedian Ed Wynn, approached Skelton, who was the newsboy selling papers outside a Vincennes theater. When the man asked Skelton what events were going on in town, Skelton suggested he see the new show in town. The man purchased every paper Skelton had, providing enough money for the boy to purchase a ticket for himself. The stranger turned out to be one of the show's stars, who later took the boy backstage to introduce him to the other performers. The experience prompted Skelton, who had already shown comedic tendencies, to pursue a career as a performer.[11][6][9][c]
Skelton discovered at an early age that he could make people laugh. Skelton dropped out of school around 1926 or 1927, when he was 13 or 14 years old, but he already had some experience performing in minstrel shows in Vincennes, and on a showboat, The Cotton Blossom, that plied the Ohio and Missouri rivers.[5][13] He enjoyed his work on the riverboat, moving on only after he realized that showboat entertainment was coming to an end.[7] Skelton, who was interested in all forms of acting, took a dramatic role with the John Lawrence stock theater company, but was unable to deliver his lines in a serious manner; the audience laughed instead. In another incident, while performing in Uncle Tom's Cabin, Skelton was on an unseen treadmill; when it malfunctioned and began working in reverse, the frightened young actor called out, "Help! I'm backing into heaven!" He was fired before completing a week's work in the role.[5][7][14] At the age of 15, Skelton did some early work on the burlesque circuit,[15] and reportedly spent four months with the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus in 1929, when he was 16 years old.[16]
Ida Skelton, who held multiple jobs to support her family after the death of her husband, did not suggest that her youngest son had run away from home to become an entertainer, but "his destiny had caught up with him at an early age". She let him go with her blessing. Times were tough during the Great Depression, and it may have meant one less child for her to feed.[6][17] Around 1929, while Skelton was still a teen, he joined "Doc" R.E. Lewis's traveling medicine show as an errand boy who sold bottles of medicine to the audience. During one show, when Skelton accidentally fell from the stage, breaking several bottles of medicine as he fell, people laughed. Both Lewis and Skelton realized one could earn a living with this ability and the fall was worked into the show. He also told jokes and sang in the medicine show during his four years there.[18] Skelton earned ten dollars a week, and sent all of it home to his mother. When she worried that he was keeping nothing for his own needs, Skelton reassured her: "We get plenty to eat, and we sleep in the wagon."[19]
Burlesque to vaudeville (1929–1937)Edit
Red and Edna Skelton at home, 1942
As burlesque comedy material became progressively more ribald, Skelton moved on. He insisted that he was no prude; "I just didn't think the lines were funny". He became a sought-after master of ceremonies for dance marathons (known as "walkathons" at the time), a popular fad in the 1930s.[7][20] The winner of one of the marathons was Edna Stillwell, an usher at the old Pantages Theater.[21][22][d] She approached Skelton after winning the contest and told him that she did not like his jokes; he asked if she could do better.[26] They married in 1931 in Kansas City, and Edna began writing his material. At the time of their marriage Skelton was one month away from his 18th birthday; Edna was 16.[7][27] When they learned that Skelton's salary was to be cut, Edna went to see the boss; he resented the interference, until she came away with not only a raise, but additional considerations as well. Since he had left school at an early age, his wife bought textbooks and taught him what he had missed. With Edna's help, Skelton received a high school equivalency degree.[26][e]
The couple put together an act and began booking it at small midwestern theaters.[29] When an offer came for an engagement in Harwich Port, Massachusetts, some 2,000 miles from Kansas City, they were pleased to get it because of its proximity to their ultimate goal, the vaudeville houses of New York City. To get to Massachusetts they bought a used car and borrowed five dollars from Edna's mother, but by the time they arrived in St. Louis they had only fifty cents. Skelton asked Edna to collect empty cigarette packs; she thought he was joking, but did as he asked. He then spent their fifty cents on bars of soap, which they cut into small cubes and wrapped with the tinfoil from the cigarette packs. By selling their products for fifty cents each as fog remover for eyeglasses, the Skeltons were able to afford a hotel room every night as they worked their way to Harwich Port.[19]
"Doughnut Dunkers"Edit
Skelton with John Garfield at the 1944 FDR Birthday Ball
Skelton and Edna worked for a year in Camden, New Jersey, and were able to get an engagement at Montreal's Lido Club in 1934 through a friend who managed the chorus lines at New York's Roxy Theatre.[19] Despite an initial rocky start, the act was a success, and brought them more theater dates throughout Canada.[7][f]
Skelton's performances in Canada led to new opportunities and the inspiration for a new, innovative routine that brought him recognition in the years to come. While performing in Montreal, the Skeltons met Harry Anger, a vaudeville producer for New York City's Loew's State Theatre. Anger promised the pair a booking as a headlining act at Loew's, but they would need to come up with new material for the engagement. While the Skeltons were having breakfast in a Montreal diner, Edna had an idea for a new routine as she and Skelton observed the other patrons eating doughnuts and drinking coffee. They devised the "Doughnut Dunkers" routine, with Skelton's visual impressions of how different people ate doughnuts.[g] The skit won them the Loew's State engagement and a handsome fee.[29][32]
The couple viewed the Loew's State engagement in 1937 as Skelton's big chance. They hired New York comedy writers to prepare material for the engagement, believing they needed more sophisticated jokes and skits than the routines Skelton normally performed. However, his New York audience did not laugh or applaud until Skelton abandoned the newly written material and began performing the "Doughnut Dunkers" and his older routines.[7][h] The doughnut-dunking routine also helped Skelton rise to celebrity status. In 1937, while he was entertaining at the Capitol Theater in Washington, D.C., President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited Skelton to perform at a White House luncheon. During one of the official toasts, Skelton grabbed Roosevelt's glass, saying, "Careful what you drink, Mr. President. I got rolled in a place like this once." His humor appealed to FDR and Skelton became the master of ceremonies for Roosevelt's official birthday celebration for many years afterward.[33]
Film workEdit
Skelton with Ann Rutherford and Virginia Grey as radio detective "The Fox" in Whistling in the Dark (1941)
Skelton's first contact with Hollywood came in the form of a failed 1932 screen test. In 1938 he made his film debut for RKO Pictures in the supporting role of a camp counselor in Having Wonderful Time.[34] He appeared in two short subjects for Vitaphone in 1939: Seeing Red and The Broadway Buckaroo.[5][35] Actor Mickey Rooney contacted Skelton, urging him to try for work in films after seeing him perform his "Doughnut Dunkers" act at President Roosevelt's 1940 birthday party.[36][37] For his Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer screen test, Skelton performed many of his more popular skits, such as "Guzzler's Gin", but added some impromptu pantomimes as the cameras were rolling. "Imitation of Movie Heroes Dying" were Skelton's impressions of the cinema deaths of stars like George Raft, Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney.[33][38]
Skelton appeared in numerous films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer throughout the 1940s. In 1940 he provided comic relief as a lieutenant in Frank Borzage's war drama Flight Command, opposite Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey and Walter Pidgeon.[39] In 1941 he also provided comic relief in Harold S. Bucquet's Dr. Kildare medical dramas, Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day and The People vs. Dr. Kildare. Skelton was soon starring in comedy features as inept radio detective "The Fox", the first of which was Whistling in the Dark (1941) in which he began working with director S. Sylvan Simon, who would become his favorite director.[40] He reprised the same role opposite Ann Rutherford in Simon's other pictures, including Whistling in Dixie (1942) and Whistling in Brooklyn (1943).[41][42][43] In 1941, Skelton began appearing in musical comedies, starring opposite Eleanor Powell, Ann Sothern and Robert Young in Norman Z. McLeod's Lady Be Good.[44] In 1942 Skelton again starred opposite Eleanor Powell in Edward Buzzell's Ship Ahoy, and alongside Ann Sothern in McLeod's Panama Hattie.[45]
Skelton (center left) in Panama Hattie (1942)
In 1943, after a memorable role as a nightclub hatcheck attendant who becomes King Louis XV of France in a dream opposite Lucille Ball and Gene Kelly in Roy Del Ruth's Du Barry Was a Lady,[46][47] Skelton starred as Joseph Rivington Reynolds, a hotel valet besotted with Broadway starlet Constance Shaw (Powell) in Vincente Minnelli's romantic musical comedy, I Dood It. The film was largely a remake of Buster Keaton's Spite Marriage; Keaton, who had become a comedy consultant to MGM after his film career had diminished, began coaching Skelton on set during the filming. Keaton worked in this capacity on several of Skelton's films, and his 1926 film The General was also later rewritten to become Skelton's A Southern Yankee (1948), under directors S. Sylvan Simon and Edward Sedgwick.[48][49][50] Keaton was convinced enough of Skelton's comedic talent that he approached MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer with a request to create a small company within MGM for himself and Skelton, where the two could work on film projects. Keaton offered to forgo his salary if the films made by the company were not box office hits; Mayer chose to decline the request.[51] In 1944, Skelton starred opposite Esther Williams in George Sidney's musical comedy Bathing Beauty, playing a songwriter with romantic difficulties. He next had a relatively minor role as a "TV announcer who, in the course of demonstrating a brand of gin, progresses from mild inebriation through messy drunkenness to full-blown stupor" in the "When Television Comes" segment of Ziegfeld Follies, which featured William Powell and Judy Garland in the main roles.[52] In 1946, Skelton played boastful clerk J. Aubrey Piper opposite Marilyn Maxwell and Marjorie Main in Harry Beaumont's comedy picture The Show-Off.[53]
Skelton's imprint ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, June 18, 1942.[54] His wife, Edna, is on his left. Skelton also imprinted "Junior's" shoes along with the message, "We Dood It!". Theater owner Sid Grauman is in foreground of photo.
Skelton's contract called for MGM's approval prior to his radio shows and other appearances.[55] When he renegotiated his long-term contract with MGM, he wanted a clause that permitted him to remain working in radio and to be able to work on television, which was then largely experimental. At the time, the major work in the medium was centered in New York; Skelton had worked there for some time and was able to determine that he would find success with his physical comedy through the medium.[39][i] By 1947, Skelton's work interests were focused not on films, but on radio and television. His MGM contract was rigid enough to require the studio's written consent for his weekly radio shows, as well as any benefit or similar appearances he made; radio offered fewer restrictions, more creative control and a higher salary.[55][57] Skelton asked for a release from MGM after learning he could not raise the $750,000 needed to buy out the remainder of his contract.[55] He also voiced frustration with the film scripts he was offered while on the set of The Fuller Brush Man, saying, "Movies are not my field. Radio and television are."[58][j] He did not receive the desired television clause nor a release from his MGM contract.[61] In 1948, columnist Sheilah Graham printed that Skelton's wishes were to make only one film a year, spending the rest of the time traveling the U.S. with his radio show.[40]
Skelton's ability to successfully ad-lib often meant that the way the script was written was not always the way it was recorded on film. Some directors were delighted with the creativity, but others were often frustrated by it.[k] S. Sylvan Simon, who became a close friend, allowed Skelton free rein when directing him.[63][64] MGM became annoyed with Simon during the filming of The Fuller Brush Man, as the studio contended that Skelton should have been playing romantic leads instead of performing slapstick. Simon and MGM parted company when he was not asked to direct retakes of Skelton's A Southern Yankee; Simon asked that his name be removed from the film's credits.[50][65]
Skelton was willing to negotiate with MGM to extend the agreement provided he would receive the right to pursue television. This time the studio was willing to grant it, making Skelton the only major MGM personality with the privilege. The 1950 negotiations allowed him to begin working in television beginning September 30, 1951.[66][67] During the last portion of his contract with the studio, Skelton was working in radio and on television in addition to films. He would go on to appear in films such as Jack Donohue's The Yellow Cab Man (1950),[68] Roy Rowland and Buster Keaton's Excuse My Dust (1951),[69] Charles Walters' Texas Carnival (1951),[70] Mervyn LeRoy's Lovely to Look At (1952),[39] Robert Z. Leonard's The Clown (1953) and The Great Diamond Robbery (1954),[71] and Norman Z. McLeod's poorly received Public Pigeon No. 1 (1957),[72] his last major film role, which originated incidentally from an episode of the television anthology series Climax!.[73] In a 1956 interview, he said he would never work simultaneously in all three media again.[74] As a result, Skelton would make only a couple of minor appearances in films after this, including playing a saloon drunk in Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), a gambler in Ocean's 11 (1960), and a Neanderthal man in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965).[75]
Radio, divorce and remarriage (1937–1951)Edit
Performing the "Doughnut Dunkers" routine led to Skelton's first appearance on Rudy Vallée's The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour on August 12, 1937. Vallée's program had a talent show segment and those who were searching for stardom were eager to be heard on it. Vallée also booked veteran comic and fellow Indiana native Joe Cook to appear as a guest with Skelton. The two Hoosiers proceeded to trade jokes about their home towns, with Skelton contending to Cook, an Evansville native, that the city was a suburb of Vincennes. The show received enough fan mail after the performance to invite both comedians back two weeks after Skelton's initial appearance and again in November of that year.[76]
On October 1, 1938, Skelton replaced Red Foley as the host of Avalon Time on NBC; Edna also joined the show's cast, under her maiden name.[77][l] She developed a system for working with the show's writers: selecting material from them, adding her own and filing the unused bits and lines for future use; the Skeltons worked on Avalon Time until late 1939.[79][80] Skelton's work in films led to a new regular radio show offer; between films, he promoted himself and MGM by appearing without charge at Los Angeles area banquets. A radio advertising agent was a guest at one of his banquet performances and recommended Skelton to one of his clients.[37]
Skelton went on the air with his own radio show, The Raleigh Cigarette Program, on October 7, 1941. The bandleader for the show was Ozzie Nelson; his wife, Harriet, who worked under her maiden name of Hilliard, was the show's vocalist and also worked with Skelton in skits.[81]
"I dood it!"Edit
Skelton with "Doolittle Dood It" newspaper headline, 1942[82]
Skelton introduced the first two of his many characters during The Raleigh Cigarette Program's first season. The character of Clem Kadiddlehopper was based on a Vincennes neighbor named Carl Hopper, who was hard of hearing.[m] Skelton's voice pattern for Clem was similar to the later cartoon character, Bullwinkle; there was enough similarity to cause Skelton to contemplate filing a lawsuit against Bill Scott, who voiced the cartoon moose.[83] The second character, The Mean Widdle Kid, or "Junior", was a young boy full of mischief, who typically did things he was told not to do. "Junior" would say things like, "If I dood it, I gets a whipping.", followed moments later by the statement, "I dood it!"[83] Skelton performed the character at home with Edna, giving him the nickname "Junior" long before it was heard by a radio audience.[84] While the phrase was Skelton's, the idea of using the character on the radio show was Edna's.[85] Skelton starred in a 1943 movie of the same name, but did not play "Junior" in the film.[86]
The phrase was such a part of national culture at the time that, when General Doolittle conducted the bombing of Tokyo in 1942, many newspapers used the phrase "Doolittle Dood It" as a headline.[37][87][88] After a talk with President Roosevelt in 1943, Skelton used his radio show to collect funds for a Douglas A-20 Havoc to be given to the Soviet Army to help fight World War II. Asking children to send in their spare change, he raised enough money for the aircraft in two weeks; he named the bomber "We Dood It!"[89] In 1986 the Soviet newspaper Pravda offered praise to Skelton for his 1943 gift, and in 1993, the pilot of the plane was able to meet Skelton and thank him for the bomber.[90][91][n]
Skelton also added a routine he had been performing since 1928. Originally called "Mellow Cigars", the skit entailed an announcer who became ill as he smoked his sponsor's product. Brown and Williamson, the makers of cigarettes, asked Skelton to change some aspects of the skit; he renamed the routine "Guzzler's Gin", where the announcer became inebriated while sampling and touting the imaginary sponsor's wares.[92] While the traditional radio program called for its cast to do an audience warm-up in preparation for the broadcast, Skelton did just the opposite. After the regular radio program had ended, the show's guests were treated to a post-program performance. He would then perform his "Guzzler's Gin" or any of more than 350 routines for those who had come to the radio show. He updated and revised his post-show routines as diligently as those for his radio program. As a result, studio audience tickets for Skelton's radio show were in high demand; there were times where up to 300 people needed to be turned away for lack of seats.[33][93]
Divorce from Edna, marriage to GeorgiaEdit
In 1942, Edna announced that she was leaving Skelton but would continue to manage his career and write material for him. He did not realize she was serious until Edna issued a statement about the impending divorce through NBC.[94] They were divorced in 1943, leaving the courtroom arm in arm.[95][96] The couple did not discuss the reasons for their divorce and Edna initially prepared to work as a script writer for other radio programs. When the divorce was finalized, she went to New York, leaving her former husband three fully prepared show scripts. Skelton and those associated with him sent telegrams and called her, asking her to come back to him in a professional capacity.[97][98][o] Edna remained the manager of the couple's funds because Skelton spent money too easily. An attempt at managing his own checking account that began with a $5,000 balance, ended five days later after a call to Edna saying the account was overdrawn. Skelton had a weekly allowance of $75, with Edna making investments for him, choosing real estate and other relatively stable assets.[33] She remained an advisor on his career until 1952, receiving a generous weekly salary for life for her efforts.[100]
The Skeltons, circa 1957. Back from left: Red, wife Georgia, sister in law Maxine Davis. Front: Son Richard and daughter Valentina
The divorce meant that Skelton had lost his married man's deferment; he was once again classified as 1-A for service. He was drafted into the army in early 1944; both MGM and his radio sponsor tried to obtain a deferment for the comedian, but to no avail.[101] His last Raleigh radio show was on June 6, 1944, the day before he was formally inducted as a private; he was not assigned to Special Services at that time. Without its star, the program was discontinued, and the opportunity presented itself for the Nelsons to begin a radio show of their own, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.[41][102]
By 1944, Skelton was engaged to actress Muriel Morris, who was also known as Muriel Chase; the couple had obtained a marriage license and told the press they intended to marry within a few days. At the last minute, the actress decided not to marry him, initially saying she intended to marry a wealthy businessman in Mexico City. She later recanted the story about marrying the businessman, but continued to say that her relationship with Skelton was over. The actress further denied that the reason for the breakup was Edna's continuing to manage her ex-husband's career; Edna stated that she had no intention of either getting in the middle of the relationship or reconciling with her former husband.[103][104] He was on army furlough for throat discomfort when he married actress Georgia Maureen Davis in Beverly Hills, California, on March 9, 1945; the couple met on the MGM lot.[95][105][p] Skelton traveled to Los Angeles from the eastern army base where he was assigned for the wedding. He knew he would possibly be assigned overseas soon and wanted the marriage to take place first.[108] After the wedding, he entered the hospital to have his tonsils removed.[109][110] The couple had two children; Valentina, a daughter, was born May 5, 1947, and a son, Richard, was born May 20, 1948.[111][106][112]
A cast of charactersEdit
Photo of 1948 Raleigh Cigarette Program cast: Standing: Pat McGeehan, The Four Knights, David Rose (orchestra leader). Seated: Verna Felton ("Grandma" to Skelton's "Junior" character), Rod O'Connor (announcer), Lurene Tuttle ("Mother" to Skelton's "Junior" character).[113] Front: Skelton
Skelton served in the United States Army during World War II. After being assigned to the Special Services, Skelton performed as many as ten to twelve shows per day before troops in both the United States and in Europe. The pressure of his workload caused him to suffer exhaustion and a nervous breakdown.[5][41] His nervous collapse while in the army left him with a serious stuttering problem. While recovering at an army hospital at Camp Pickett, Virginia, he met a soldier who had been severely wounded and was not expected to survive. Skelton devoted a lot of time and effort to trying to make the man laugh. As a result of this effort, his stuttering problem was cured; his army friend's condition also improved and he was no longer on the critical list.[114] He was released from his army duties in September 1945.[41][115] "I've been told I'm the only celebrity who entered the Army as a private and came out a private," he told reporters.[116] His sponsor was eager to have him back on the air, and Skelton's program began anew on NBC on December 4, 1945.[102][117]
Upon returning to radio, Skelton brought with him many new characters that were added to his repertoire: Bolivar Shagnasty, described as a "loudmouthed braggart"; Cauliflower McPugg, a boxer; Deadeye, a cowboy; Willie Lump-Lump, a fellow who drank too much; and San Fernando Red, a conman with political aspirations.[118] By 1947, Skelton's musical conductor was David Rose, who would go on to television with him; he had worked with Rose during his time in the army and wanted Rose to join him on the radio show when it went back on the air.[119]
On April 22, 1947, Skelton was censored by NBC two minutes into his radio show. When he and his announcer Rod O'Connor began talking about Fred Allen being censored the previous week, they were silenced for 15 seconds; comedian Bob Hope was given the same treatment once he began referring to the censoring of Allen.[q] Skelton forged on with his lines for his studio audience's benefit; the material he insisted on using had been edited from the script by the network before the broadcast. He had been briefly censored the previous month for the use of the word "diaper". After the April incidents, NBC indicated it would no longer pull the plug for similar reasons.[121][122]
Skelton changed sponsors in 1948; Brown & Williamson, owners of Raleigh cigarettes, withdrew due to program production costs. His new sponsor was Procter & Gamble's Tide laundry detergent. The next year he changed networks, going from NBC to CBS, where his radio show aired until May 1953.[123][124] After his network radio contract was over, he signed a three-year contract with Ziv Radio for a syndicated radio program in 1954.[125] His syndicated radio program was offered as a daily show; it included segments of his older network radio programs as well as new material done for the syndication. He was able to use portions of his older radio shows because he owned the rights for rebroadcasting them.[74][126]
Television (1951–1970)Edit
Skelton was unable to work in television until the end of his 1951 MGM movie contract; a renegotiation to extend the pact provided permission after that point.[61][66] He signed a contract for television on NBC with Procter and Gamble as his sponsor on May 4, 1951, and said he would be performing the same characters on television as he had been doing on radio.[127][128] The MGM agreement with Skelton for television performances did not allow him to go on the air before September 30, 1951.[129] His television debut, The Red Skelton Show, premiered on that date: at the end of his opening monologue, two men backstage grabbed his ankles from behind the set curtain, hauling him offstage face down.[130][r] A 1943 instrumental hit by David Rose, called "Holiday for Strings", became Skelton's TV theme song.[131] The move to television allowed him to create two non-human characters, seagulls Gertrude and Heathcliffe, which he performed while the pair were flying by tucking his thumbs under his arms to represent wings and shaping his hat to look like a bird's bill.[132][133][134] He patterned his meek, henpecked television character of George Appleby after his radio character, J. Newton Numbskull, who had similar characteristics.[s] His "Freddie the Freeloader" clown was introduced on the program in 1952, with Skelton copying his father's makeup for the character. He learned how to duplicate his father's makeup and perform his routines through his mother's recollections.[16][136][137] A ritual became established at the end of every program, with Skelton's shy boyish wave and words of, "Good night and may God bless."[5][138][t]
Skelton as Willie Lump-Lump and Shirley Mitchell as his wife, who appears to be walking on the wall in a 1952 Skelton show sketch.
During the 1951–1952 season, the program was broadcast from a converted NBC radio studio.[141] The first year of the television show was done live; this led to problems as there was not enough time for costume changes; Skelton was on camera for most of the half-hour, including the delivery of a commercial which was written into one of the show's skits.[142][143] In early 1952, Skelton had an idea for a television sketch about someone who had been drinking not being able to know which way is up. The script was completed and he had the show's production crew build a set that was perpendicular to the stage, so it would give the illusion that someone was walking on walls. The skit, starring his character Willie Lump-Lump, called for the character's wife to hire a carpenter to re-do the living room in an effort to teach her husband a lesson about his drinking. When Willie wakes up there after a night of drinking, he realizes he is not lying on the floor but on the living room wall. Willie's wife goes about the house normally, but to Willie, she appears to be walking on a wall. Within an hour after the broadcast, the NBC switchboard had received 350 calls regarding the show, and Skelton had received more than 2,500 letters about the skit within a week of its airing.[144]
Skelton was delivering an intense performance live each week, and the strain showed in physical illness. In 1952, he was drinking heavily from the constant pain of a diaphragmatic hernia and marital problems; he thought about divorcing Georgia.[145][146][u] NBC agreed to film his shows in the 1952–1953 season at Eagle Lion Studios, next to the Sam Goldwyn Studio, on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood.[149] Later the show was moved to the new NBC television studios in Burbank. Procter & Gamble was unhappy with the filming of the television show, and insisted that Skelton return to live broadcasts. The situation caused him to think about leaving television at that point.[150][151] Declining ratings prompted sponsor Procter & Gamble to cancel his show in the spring of 1953, with Skelton announcing that any future television shows of his would be variety shows, where he would not have the almost constant burden of performing.[152] Beginning with the 1953–1954 season, he switched to CBS, where he remained until 1970.[153] For the initial move to CBS, he had no sponsor. The network gambled by covering all expenses for the program on a sustaining basis; his first CBS sponsor was Geritol.[154][155] He curtailed his drinking and his ratings at CBS began to improve, especially after he began appearing on Tuesday nights for co-sponsors Johnson's Wax and Pet Milk Company.[156]
By 1955, Skelton was broadcasting some of his weekly programs in color, which was the case approximately 100 times between 1955 and 1960.[157] He tried to encourage CBS to do other shows in color at the facility, but CBS mostly avoided color broadcasting after the network's television set manufacturing division was discontinued in 1951.[158][v] By 1959, Skelton was the only comedian with a weekly variety television show; others who remained on the air, such as Danny Thomas, were performing their routines as part of situation comedy programs.[159][160] He performed a preview show for a studio audience on Mondays, using their reactions to determine which skits needed to be edited for the Tuesday program. For the Tuesday afternoon run-through prior to the actual show, he ignored the script for the most part, ad-libbing through it at will. The run-through was well attended by CBS Television City employees[135] Sometimes during sketches, both live telecasts and taped programs, Skelton would break up or cause his guest stars to laugh.[5][161][w]
Richard's illness and deathEdit
Skelton and Mickey Rooney at dress rehearsal for The Red Skelton Show of January 15, 1957. Skelton as a sailor and Rooney as his wife play contestants on a parody of Do You Trust Your Wife?. This was Skelton's return to television after his son Richard's leukemia diagnosis.
At the height of Skelton's popularity, his nine-year-old son Richard was diagnosed with leukemia and was given a year to live.[164][165] While the network told him to take as much time off as necessary, Skelton felt that until he went back to his television show, he would be unable to be at ease and make his son's life a happy one.[166] He returned to his television show on January 15, 1957, with guest star Mickey Rooney helping to lift his spirits.[167] In happier times, he frequently mentioned his children on his program, but found it extremely difficult to do so after Richard became ill. Skelton resumed this practice only after his son had asked him to do so.[168][169] After his son's diagnosis, Skelton took his family on an extended trip, so Richard could see as much of the world as possible. When they arrived in London, there were press accusations that the trip was more about publicity than his seriously ill son. There were also newspaper reports about Richard's illness being fatal, which were seen by the boy.[170] The family returned to the United States after the British press stories.[171][172]
The Skelton family received support from CBS management and from the public following the announcement of Richard's illness.[166] Skelton himself was beset by a serious illness and by a household accident which kept him off the air.[173] He suffered a life-threatening asthma attack on December 30, 1957, and was taken to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, where his doctors said that "if there were ten steps to death, Red Skelton had taken nine of them by the time he had arrived".[x] Initially hospitalized for an indeterminate length of time, Skelton later said he was working on some notes for television and the next thing he remembered, he was in a hospital bed; he did not know how serious his illness was until he read about it himself in the newspapers.[175][176] His illness and recovery kept him off the air for a full month; Skelton returned to his television show on January 28, 1958.[177][178]
Richard died on May 10, 1958; it was ten days before the child's tenth birthday.[179][180] Skelton was scheduled to do his weekly television show on the day his son was buried. Though there were recordings of some older programs available which the network could have run, he asked that guest performers be used instead.[181] Calling themselves The Friends of Red Skelton, his friends in the television, film and music industries organized The Friends Of Red Skelton Variety Show, which they performed to replace The Red Skelton Show for that week; by May 27, 1958, Skelton had returned to his program.[182][183][184] The death of Richard profoundly affected the family; by 1961 Richard's model trains had been moved to a storeroom in the Bel Air mansion, but Skelton refused to have them dismantled.[185] In 1962, the Skelton family moved to Palm Springs, and Skelton used the Bel Air home only on the two days a week when he was in Los Angeles for his television show taping.[186][187][188]
The Red Skelton HourEdit
In early 1960, Skelton purchased the old Charlie Chaplin Studios and updated it for videotape recording.[189][190] With a recently purchased three-truck mobile color television unit, he recorded a number of his series episodes and specials in color. Even with his color facilities, CBS discontinued color broadcasts on a regular basis and Skelton shortly thereafter sold the studio to CBS and the mobile unit to local station, KTLA.[191][y] Prior to this, he had been filming at Desilu Productions.[193] Skelton then moved back to the network's Television City facilities, where he resumed taping his programs until he left the network. In the fall of 1962, CBS expanded his program to a full hour, retitling it The Red Skelton Hour.[194] While a staple of his radio programs, he did not perform his "Junior" character on television until 1962, after extending the length of his program.[195]
Skelton as Freddie the Freeloader (right) and Terry-Thomas
Skelton frequently employed the art of pantomime for his characters: a segment of his weekly program was called the "Silent Spot" and the sketch was performed in pantomime.[196] He attributed his use of pantomime and few props to his early days when he did not want to have a lot of luggage, so he crafted routines that used few of them.[197] He explained that the right hat was the key to his being able to get into character.[143][198]
Skelton's season premiere for the 1960–1961 television season was a tribute to the United Nations. Six hundred people from the organization, including diplomats, were invited to be part of the audience for the show. The program was entirely done in pantomime, as UN representatives from 39 nations were in the studio audience.[199] One of the sketches he performed for the UN was that of the old man watching the parade. The sketch had its origins in a question Skelton's son, Richard, asked his father about what happens when people die. He told his son, "They join a parade and start marching."[185][200] In 1965, Skelton did another show in complete pantomime. This time he was joined by Marcel Marceau; the two artists alternated performances for the hour-long program, sharing the stage to perform Pinocchio. The only person who spoke during the hour was Maurice Chevalier, who served as the show's narrator.[201][202]
In 1969, Skelton performed a self-written monologue about the Pledge of Allegiance. In the speech, he commented on the meaning of each phrase of the pledge. He credited one of his Vincennes grammar school teachers, Mr. Laswell, with the original speech.[203][z] The teacher had grown tired of hearing his students monotonously recite the pledge each morning; he then demonstrated to them how it should be recited, along with comments about the meaning behind each phrase.[10][205] CBS received 200,000 requests for copies; the company subsequently released the monologue as a single on Columbia Records.[206] A year later, he performed the monologue for President Richard Nixon at the first "Evening at the White House", a series of entertainment events honoring the recently inaugurated president.[207]
Off the air and bitterness (1970–1983)Edit
As the 1970s began, the networks began a major campaign to discontinue long-running shows that they considered stale or lacking youth appeal. Despite Skelton's continued strong ratings, CBS saw his show as fitting into this category and cancelled the program along with other comedy and variety shows hosted by veterans such as Jackie Gleason and Ed Sullivan.[208][209] Performing in Las Vegas when he got the news of his CBS cancellation, Skelton said, "My heart has been broken."[5] His program had been one of the top ten highest rated shows for 17 of the 20 years he was on television.[210] Skelton moved to NBC in 1970 in a half-hour Monday night version of his former show.[61] Its cancellation after one season ended his television career, and he returned to live performances.[211] In an effort to prove the networks wrong, he gave many of these at colleges and proved popular with the audience.[5][92] Skelton was bitter about CBS's cancellation for many years afterwards.[208] Believing the demographic and salary issues to be irrelevant, he accused CBS of bowing to the anti-establishment, anti-war faction at the height of the Vietnam War, saying his conservative political and social views caused the network to turn against him.[10][aa] He had invited prominent Republicans, including Vice President Spiro Agnew and Senate Republican Leader Everett Dirksen, to appear on his program.[ab][ac]
There were personal as well as professional changes taking place in Skelton's life at this time. He divorced Georgia in 1971 and married Lothian Toland, daughter of cinematographer Gregg Toland, on October 7, 1973.[218][219][220] While he disassociated himself from television soon after his show was cancelled, his bitterness had subsided enough for him to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on July 11, 1975; it was his first television appearance since he no longer had a television program. Johnny Carson, one of his former writers, began his rise to network television prominence by substituting for Skelton after his dress rehearsal injury in 1954.[221][ad] Skelton was also a guest on The Merv Griffin Show in October of the same year.[221] Any hopes he may have had to ease back into television through the talk show circuit came to an abrupt halt on May 10, 1976, when Georgia Skelton committed suicide by gunshot on the 18th anniversary of Richard Skelton's death.[221][224][ae] Georgia was 54 and had been in poor health for some time.[228][229] He put all professional activities on hold for some months as he mourned his former wife's death.[221]
Skelton made plans in 1977 to sell the rights to his old television programs as part of a package which would bring him back to regular television appearances. The package called for him to produce one new television show for every three older episodes; this appears to not have materialized.[213] In 1980, he was taken to court by 13 of his former writers over a story that his will called for the destruction of recordings of all his old television shows upon his death.[8][230][af] Skelton contended his remarks were made at a time when he was very unhappy with the television industry and were taken out of context. He said at the time, "Would you burn the only monument you've built in over 20 years?"[208][231] As the owner of the television shows, Skelton initially refused to allow them to be syndicated as reruns during his lifetime.[31][208][ag] In 1983, Group W announced that it had come to terms with him for the rights to rebroadcast some of his original television programs from 1966 through 1970; some of his earlier shows were made available after Skelton's death.[161][232]
Skelton onstageEdit
Skelton's 70-year career as an entertainer began as a stage performer. He retained a fondness for theaters, and referred to them as "palaces"; he also likened them to his "living room", where he would privately entertain guests.[233][234] At the end of a performance, he would look at the empty stage where there was now no laughter or applause and tell himself, "Tomorrow I must start again. One hour ago, I was a big man. I was important out there. Now it's empty. It's all gone."[235]
Skelton was invited to play a four-week date at the London Palladium in July 1951.[236] While flying to the engagement, Skelton, Georgia and Father Edward J. Carney, were on a plane from Rome with passengers from an assortment of countries that included 11 children. The plane lost the use of two of its four engines and seemed destined to lose the rest,[237] meaning that the plane would crash over Mont Blanc. The priest readied himself to administer last rites. As he did so, he told Skelton, "You take care of your department, Red, and I'll take care of mine." Skelton diverted the attention of the passengers with pantomimes while Father Carney prayed. They ultimately landed at a small airstrip in Lyon, France.[238][239] He received both an enthusiastic reception and an invitation to return for the Palladium's Christmas show of that year.[240]
Though Skelton had always done live engagements at Nevada hotels and appearances such as state fairs during his television show's hiatus, he focused his time and energy on live performances after he was no longer on the air, performing up to 125 dates a year.[235] He often arrived days early for his engagement and would serve as his own promotion staff, making the rounds of the local shopping malls.[210] Before the show, his audiences received a ballot listing about 100 of his many routines and were asked to tick off their favorites. The venue's ushers would collect the ballots and tally the votes. Skelton's performance on that given day was based on the skits his audience selected.[14] After he learned that his performances were popular with the hearing-impaired because of his heavy use of pantomimes, Skelton hired a sign language interpreter to translate the non-pantomime portions of his act for all his shows.[241] He continued performing live until 1993, when he celebrated his 80th birthday.[242]
Later years and deathEdit
In 1974, Skelton's interest in film work was rekindled with the news that Neil Simon's comedy The Sunshine Boys would become a movie; his last significant film appearance had been in Public Pigeon No. 1 in 1956. He screen tested for the role of Willy Clark with Jack Benny, who had been cast as Al Lewis.[243] Although Simon had planned to cast Jack Albertson, who played Willy on Broadway, in the same role for the film, Skelton's screen test impressed him enough to change his mind.[244] Skelton declined the part, however, reportedly due to an inadequate financial offer,[243][245] and Benny's final illness forced him to withdraw as well. George Burns and Walter Matthau ultimately starred in the film.[246][247][ah]
In 1981, Skelton made several specials for HBO including Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner (1981) and the Funny Faces series of specials.[249][250][251] He gave a Royal Command Performance for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in 1984, which was later shown in the U.S. on HBO.[252][253] A portion of one of his last interviews, conducted by Steven F. Zambo, was broadcast as part of the 2005 PBS special The Pioneers of Primetime.[254]
Skelton died on September 17, 1997, at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, at the age of 84, after what was described as "a long, undisclosed illness".[255][ai] He is interred in the Skelton Family Tomb, the family's private room, alongside his son, Richard Freeman Skelton, Jr. and his second wife, Georgia Maureen Davis Skelton, in The Great Mausoleum's Sanctuary of Benediction at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.[242][258][259] Skelton was survived by his widow, Lothian Toland Skelton; his daughter, Valentina Marie Skelton Alonso; and granddaughter Sabrina Maureen Alonso.[5][218]
Art and other interestsEdit
ArtworkEdit
Skelton at home with one of his clown paintings in 1948
Skelton began producing artwork in 1943, but kept his works private for many years. He said he was inspired to try his hand at painting after visiting a large Chicago department store that had various paintings on display. Inquiring as to the price of one which Skelton described as "a bunch of blotches", he was told, "Ten thousand wouldn't buy that one." He told the clerk he was one of the ten thousand who would not buy the painting, instead buying his own art materials. His wife Georgia, a former art student, persuaded him to have his first public showing of his work in 1964 at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas where he was performing at the time.[260][261] Skelton believed painting was an asset to his comedy work, as it helped him to better visualize the imaginary props used in his pantomime routines.[188]
In addition to his originals, Skelton also sold reproductions and prints through his own mail order business.[197] He made his work available to art galleries by selling them franchises to display and sell his paintings.[31] He once estimated the sale of his lithographs earned him $2.5 million per year.[5][aj] Shortly after his death, his art dealer said he believed that Skelton made more money on his paintings than from his television work.[262] At the time of his death, Skelton had produced over 1,000 oil paintings of clowns. When asked why his artwork focused on clowns, he said at first, "I don't know why it's always clowns." He continued after thinking a moment by saying "No, that's not true—I do know why. I just don't feel like thinking about it ..."[7][ak] At the time of Skelton's death, his originals were priced at $80,000 and upward.[264]
Other interestsEdit
Skelton was a prolific writer of both short stories and music. After sleeping only four or five hours a night, he would wake up at 5 a.m. and begin writing stories, composing music, and painting pictures. He wrote at least one short story a week and had composed over 8,000 songs and symphonies by the time of his death.[265] He wrote commercials for Skoal tobacco and sold many of his compositions to Muzak, a company that specialized in providing background music to stores and other businesses.[8] Skelton was also interested in photography; when attending Hollywood parties, he would take photos and give the film to newspaper reporters waiting outside.[266] He was never without a miniature camera and kept a photographic record of all his paintings.[188] Skelton was also an avid gardener who created his own Japanese and Italian gardens and cultivated bonsai trees at his home in Palm Springs, California.[267][268]
Fraternity and honorsEdit
Skelton was a Freemason, a member of Vincennes Lodge No. 1, in Indiana. He also was a member of both the Scottish and the York Rite.[269] He was a recipient of the Gold Medal of the General Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, for Distinguished Service in the Arts and Sciences. On September 24, 1969, he received the honorary 33rd degree in the Scottish Rite and was a Gourgas Medal recipient in 1995.[269][270] Skelton became interested in Masonry as a small boy selling newspapers in Vincennes, when a man bought a paper from him with a five dollar bill and told him to keep the change. The young Skelton asked his benefactor why he had given him so much money; the man explained that he was a Mason and Masons are taught to give. Skelton decided to become one also when he was grown.[271] He was also member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,[272] as well as a Shriner in Los Angeles.[269]
Skelton was made an honorary brother of Phi Sigma Kappa at Truman State University.[273] In 1961 he became an honorary brother of the Phi Alpha Tau Fraternity of Emerson College when he was awarded the Joseph E. Connor Award for excellence in the field of communications. He also received an honorary degree from the college at the same ceremony.[274] Skelton received an honorary high school diploma from Vincennes High School.[275] He was also an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity; Skelton had composed many marches which were used by more than 10,000 high school and college bands.[28][276] In 1986, Skelton received an honorary degree from Ball State University.[277]
The Red Skelton Memorial Bridge spans the Wabash River and provides the highway link between Illinois and Indiana on U.S. Route 50, near Skelton's home town of Vincennes. He attended the dedication ceremonies in 1963.[278]
Awards and recognitionEdit
Skelton's star for his work in television on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
In 1952, Skelton received Emmy Awards for Best Comedy Program and Best Comedian.[279][280] He also received an Emmy nomination in 1957 for his non-comedic performance in Playhouse 90's presentation of "The Big Slide".[281] Skelton and his writers won another Emmy in 1961 for Outstanding Writing Achievement In Comedy.[279][280] He was named an honorary faculty member of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1968 and 1969.[282]
Skelton's first major post-television recognition came in 1978, when the Golden Globe Awards named him as the recipient for their Cecil B. DeMille Award, which is given to honor outstanding contributions in entertainment. His excitement was so great upon receiving the award and a standing ovation, that he clutched it tightly enough to break the statuette.[283] When he was presented with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Governor's Award in 1986, Skelton received a standing ovation. "I want to thank you for sitting down", he said when the ovation subsided. "I thought you were pulling a CBS and walking out on me."[5][284] The honor came 16 years after his television program left the airwaves.[210]
Skelton received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 1987, and in 1988, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Television Hall of Fame.[285][286][287] He was one of the International Clown Hall of Fame's first inductees in 1989.[288][289][290] Skelton and Katharine Hepburn were honored with lifetime achievement awards by the American Comedy Awards in the same year.[291] He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1994.[123] Skelton also has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his radio and television work.[292]
Legacy and tributesEdit
Skelton preferred to be described as a clown rather than a comic: "A comedian goes out and hits people right on. A clown uses pathos. He can be funny, then turn right around and reach people and touch them with what life is like."[212] "I just want to be known as a clown", he said, "because to me that's the height of my profession. It means you can do everything—sing, dance and above all, make people laugh."[5][292] His purpose in life, he believed, was to make people laugh.[185]
In Groucho and Me, Groucho Marx called Skelton "the most unacclaimed clown in show business", and "the logical successor to [Charlie] Chaplin", largely because of his ability to play a multitude of characters with minimal use of dialogue and props. "With one prop, a soft battered hat", Groucho wrote, describing a performance he had witnessed, "he successfully converted himself into an idiot boy, a peevish old lady, a teetering-tottering drunk, an overstuffed clubwoman, a tramp, and any other character that seemed to suit his fancy. No grotesque make-up, no funny clothes, just Red." He added that Skelton also "plays a dramatic scene about as effectively as any of the dramatic actors."[208][293] In late 1965 ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, reminiscing about the entertainment business, singled out Skelton for high praise. "It's all so very different today. The whole business of comedy has changed — from 15 minutes of quality to quantity. We had a lot of very funny people around, from Charley Chase to Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. The last one of that breed is Red Skelton."[294] Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures also praised Skelton, saying, "He's a clown in the old tradition. He doesn't need punch lines. He's got heart."[210]
Skelton performing with Marcel Marceau, 1965; the two were friends for many years.
Skelton and Marcel Marceau shared a long friendship and admiration of each other's work. Marceau appeared on Skelton's CBS television show three times, including one turn as the host in 1961 as Skelton recovered from surgery.[251] He was also a guest on the three Funny Faces specials that Skelton produced for HBO.[295] In a TV Guide interview after Skelton's death, Marceau said, "Red, you are eternal for me and the millions of people you made laugh and cry. May God bless you forever, my great and precious companion. I will never forget that silent world we created together."[296] CBS issued the following statement upon his death: "Red's audience had no age limits. He was the consummate family entertainer—a winsome clown, a storyteller without peer, a superb mime, a singer and a dancer."[255]
The Red Skelton Performing Arts Center was dedicated in February 2006 on the campus of Vincennes University, one block from the home in Vincennes where Skelton was born.[297][298] The building includes an 850-seat theater, classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and dressing rooms. Its grand foyer is a gallery for Skelton's paintings, statues, and film posters.[299] The theater hosts theatrical and musical productions by Vincennes University, as well as special events, convocations and conventions.[297] The adjacent Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy opened on July 18, 2013, on what would have been Skelton's 100th birthday.[300][301] It houses his personal and professional materials, which he had collected since the age of ten, in accordance with his wishes that they be made available in his hometown for the public's enjoyment. Skelton's widow, Lothian, noted that he expressed no interest in any sort of Hollywood memorial.[299][al] The museum is funded jointly by the Red Skelton Museum Foundation and the Indiana Historical Society.[303][304][305] Other Foundation projects include a fund that provides new clothes to Vincennes children from low-income families.[299] The Foundation also purchased Skelton's birthplace.[299][306] On July 15, 2017, the state of Indiana unveiled a state historic marker at the home in Vincennes where Skelton was born.[307][308]
The town of Vincennes has held an annual Red Skelton Festival since 2005. A "Parade of a Thousand Clowns", billed as the largest clown parade in the Midwest, is followed by family-oriented activities and live music performances.[309][310]
In 2006, Travis Tarrants purchased the historic Vincennes Pantheon Theatre, where Skelton performed during his youth. He established a non-profit organization with the hope of restoring the theatre to its 1921 state.[311] Tarrants was able to raise close to $300,000 for the restoration. Two years later, donations for the project plummeted. Tarrants lost the theatre to unpaid back taxes in 2012 and the new owner was realtor Heath Klein. In late 2014, Klein sold the theatre property to a Vincennes non-profit group, INVin. The organization works to bring arts and arts-related businesses into downtown Vincennes.[312] In March 2016, the group proposed to turn the theatre into shared workspace.[313]
Having Wonderful Time (1938)[35] as Itchy
Flight Command (1940) as Lieut. 'Mugger' Martin
The People vs. Dr. Kildare (1941) as Vernon Briggs
Whistling in the Dark (1941) as Wally Benton
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day (1941) as Vernon Briggs
Lady Be Good (1941) as Joe 'Red' Willet
Ship Ahoy (1942) as Merton K. Kibble
Maisie Gets Her Man (1942) as 'Hap' Hixby
Panama Hattie (1942) as Red
Whistling in Dixie (1942) as Wally 'The Fox' Benton
DuBarry Was a Lady (1943) as Louis Blore / King Louis XV
I Dood It (1943) as Joseph Rivington Renolds
Thousands Cheer (1943) as Red Skelton
Whistling in Brooklyn (1943) as Wally 'The Fox' Benton
Bathing Beauty (1944) as Steve Elliot
Ziegfeld Follies (1946) as J. Newton Numbskull ('When Television Comes')
The Show-Off (1946) as J. Aubrey Piper
Merton of the Movies (1947) as Merton Gill aka Clifford Armytage
The Fuller Brush Man (1948) as Red Jones
A Southern Yankee (1948) as Aubrey Filmore
Neptune's Daughter (1949) as Jack Spratt
The Yellow Cab Man (1950) as Augustus 'Red' Pirdy
Three Little Words (1950) as Harry Ruby
Duchess of Idaho (1950) as Himself (uncredited)
The Fuller Brush Girl (1950, cameo) as Himself - Fuller Brush Man (uncredited)
Watch the Birdie (1950) as Rusty Cammeron / Pop Cammeron / Grandpop Cammeron
Excuse My Dust (1951) as Joe Belden
Texas Carnival (1951) as Cornie Quinell
Lovely to Look At (1952) as Al Marsh
The Clown (1953) as Dodo Delwyn
Half a Hero (1953) as Ben Dobson
The Great Diamond Robbery (1954) as Ambrose C. Park
Susan Slept Here (1954, cameo) as Oswald from North Dakota (uncredited)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956, cameo) as Drunk in Barbary Coast Saloon
Public Pigeon No. 1 (1957) as Rusty Morgan
Ocean's 11 (1960, cameo) as Gambler
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines (1965) as The Neanderthal Man / Passenger on Airport
Short subjectsEdit
The Broadway Buckaroo (1939)[35] as Red
Seeing Red (1939) as Red / Doorman / Coatroom Attendant / Waiter / Emcee
Radio Bugs (1944) as Red Skelton (voice, uncredited)
Weekend in Hollywood (1947)
The Luckiest Guy in the World (1947, voice)
Some of the Best (1949)
Box office rankingEdit
Based on rankings of the amount of money earned in box-office receipts for film showings, for a number of years Skelton was among the most popular stars in the country:
1944 – 16th largest box office draw[314]
1949 – 13th[315]
1951 – 14th
1952 – 21st[316]
Published worksEdit
Red Skelton's Favorite Ghost Stories. 1965. OCLC 3695410.
A Red Skeleton in Your Closet; Ghost Stories Gay and Grim. 1965. OCLC 1744491.
Gertrude & Heathcliffe. 1974. OCLC 1129973.
The Ventriloquist. 1984. OCLC 144598647.
Old Whitey. 1984. OCLC 144598636.
The Great Lazarus. 1986. [317]
^ Skelton's birth certificate lists him as Richard Bernard Eheart. The Eheart surname comes from Joseph's stepfather, and it appears that Joseph also used his stepfather's surname at times.[1] There is also an account of Skelton's using the birth certificate of one of his older brothers as proof that he was legally of age.[7]
^ Hyatt also refers to a People magazine story published in 1980, where Skelton said he was in his seventies.[8]
^ Skelton also told another version of this actor and young newsboy story, with Raymond Hitchcock as the actor.[12]
^ Edna Stillwell had two marriages following her divorce from Skelton, first to director Frank Borzage and then to Leon George Pound.[23][24][25]
^ Skelton became a well-read man with a fine memory which he began training in his youth.[28]
^ Since much of Skelton's success had been in Canada at this point, many reviewers believed he was Canadian, calling him "a Canadian lad".[30]
^ Skelton copyrighted the original "Doughnut Dunkers" routine and every possible variation of it.[31]
^ The problem with doing the "Doughnut Dunkers" skit was that Skelton had to eat nine doughnuts at every performance. He was performing five times a day and eating 45 doughnuts. He gained nearly 35 pounds, and had to shelve the routine until he lost some weight.[29][32]
^ Examples of pre-World War II television programming from WNBT, New York; the station is known as WNBC today.[56]
^ Keaton became frustrated because of Skelton's focus on his radio program, while Skelton wanted better film scripts.[40][59] Gehring quotes Skelton's movies vs radio and television statement while on the set of The Fuller Brush Man as, "Movies are not my friend. Radio and television are."[40] In a 1948 interview, Skelton explained that his MGM salary was $2,000 weekly and that his radio salary was $8,000 per week. The cost of answering his MGM fan mail was billed to Skelton. When Skelton agreed to make appearances approved by MGM, he did not receive the fee for his work; it went to MGM, who continued to pay him the contracted $2,000 per week. Since Skelton's radio program participation was noted in his MGM contract, his radio show salary went to him and not to MGM.[60]
^ Director Jack Donahue, who directed Watch the Birdie, commented about Skelton's tendency to ad-lib, "God help us all. If he manages to say it in English, write it down and we'll use it."[62]
^ Avalon Time was broadcast from WLW in Cincinnati; during the time Skelton was part of the program, he and Edna traveled from Chicago to do the weekly show.[78]
^ Carl Hopper was a contemporary and a boyhood friend of Skelton. Hopper, who was hearing-impaired, was often ridiculed or shunned because of his hearing problem. As a boy, Skelton made it a point to include Hopper in the activities of his childhood in Vincennes.[9]
^ At their 1993 meeting, the former Soviet bomber pilot told Skelton he would have thanked him for the bomber some time ago, but a U.S. diplomat told him that Skelton was dead.[91]
^ The couple cared deeply for each other, but for reasons known best to them both, could have a successful professional relationship, but not a marriage. Skelton can be seen in the film Whistling in the Dark dancing with one of his female co-stars with his fingers crossed. In a 1942 interview, he explained the reason for this, saying he only loved Edna and when he did romantic film scenes, he always crossed his fingers to indicate that the screen emotion was not real.[99] After his engagement to actress Muriel Morris ended, Skelton tried to persuade Edna to remarry him; he was not successful.[97]
^ Skelton later referred to Georgia as "Little Red".[106]There is evidence that Skelton also referred to Edna Skelton by this nickname. A sketch by Skelton has a plaque reading "Red Skelton sketch of Wife Edna Skelton". The original is at the Red Skelton Museum Foundation in Vincennes, Indiana.[107]
^ Fred Allen was censored when he referred to an imaginary NBC vice-president who was "in charge of program ends". He went on to explain to his audience that this vice-president saved these hours, minutes and seconds that radio programs ran over their allotted time until he had two weeks' worth of them and then used the time for a two-week vacation.[120]
^ The comedic hard knocks took their toll; before Skelton had reached the age of 40, he needed leg braces and a cane for the cartilage that was destroyed in both of his knees.[5]
^ After the death of Richard, Skelton performed the George Appleby character wearing his son's eyeglasses.[135]
^ Skelton's original sign-off phrase was "God bless". When he came to believe it appeared he was commanding something of God, he added the word "may" to the sign-off.[139] In a 1978 interview, Skelton was asked about his frequent use of the phrase. His answer was, "I say "may God bless" to people because I want them to find the same happiness I've found. After all, God is good.".[140] In 1982, he was being interviewed in Wilmington, North Carolina, and declined a cameraman's request for a posed shot of him waving and saying the phrase. Skelton's explanation was that he felt doing it in this way would make it not genuine. "I don't use it as a gimmick. I mean it from the bottom of my heart."[138]
^ Skelton had to be given oxygen to complete one of his live television programs in June 1952; his doctors ordered him to take a rest from all performing after his television show schedule ended later in the month.[147][148]
^ See Color television for a more complete treatment of the CBS color issue.
^ One of his former writers called the laughter a "survival technique"; the script was on the floor out of camera range and this was where one looked when a line was forgotten.[162] Skelton also appeared to enjoy his material as much as his audience did. While breaking into laughter during a story in a live performance, Skelton tried to apologize by saying "I know what's coming!"[163]
^ Earlier in the day, the Skeltons received some discouraging news about Richard's medical condition.[174]
^ Photo of Skelton's color television mobile unit[192]
^ Columnist Hy Gardner requested a copy of Skelton's "Pledge of Allegiance" speech. Skelton sent him a copy of the monologue and granted permission for Gardner to print it in its entirety in his column.[204]
^ Skelton also offered another reason for his CBS show's cancellation: that the network had asked him and Jackie Gleason to shift their family-oriented comedy toward racier scripts, and that both he and Gleason turned them down.[212][213]
^ Dirksen, who had a narrative hit record, Gallant Men, appeared on Skelton's CBS show on April 18, 1967.[214][215] His Gallant Men had won the 1967 Grammy for Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording.[216]
^ Agnew was a special guest and introduced Skelton on the premiere of his NBC Television show on September 14, 1970.[217]
^ When Skelton was injured during a rehearsal and admitted to a hospital, the live television program had lost its star two hours before its scheduled air time. Carson was selected to fill in for Skelton and earned the praise of television writers for his impromptu work. This was the beginning of Carson's career as a network television performer.[222][223]
^ In 1966, Georgia Skelton was wounded in a shooting at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas while her husband was performing in the main showroom. Valentina Skelton and her boyfriend heard the gunshot; Georgia was found in the bedroom, surprised and confused about what had happened. Georgia did not feel safe without a gun and the couple brought it to Las Vegas with them. The Clark County Sheriff declared the shooting to be accidental.[225][226] Gehring refers to Georgia's shooting in Las Vegas as a suicide attempt in an interview with Valentina Skelton.[227]
^ The People magazine story goes on to say that Skelton was willing to reconsider his call for the destruction of all recordings of his television show, if an arrangement could be made to distribute them to home video only.[8]
^ Skelton used a pseudonym of Victor van Bernard for his television performances and named his television production company Van Bernard Productions.[1]
^ Skelton offered another explanation for refusing the Willy Clark role: "I turned down the movie The Sunshine Boys because I refused to call Jack Benny a son of a bitch and to look up under a nurse's dress."[248]
^ Skelton had been ill for some time but the nature of this illness was not disclosed.[256] Some sources have attributed his death to pneumonia.[257]
^ Though aware of the value of his artwork, Skelton did not view his works from a strictly monetary standpoint. He would often do an impromptu sketch on whatever was at hand—often a restaurant's linen napkin—and present it to a fan he was visiting with.[31]
^ Skelton also painted ducks and had completed over 3,000 paintings of them in 1973. When he was not pleased with a painting, he threw it into the trash; Skelton's garbage collector rescued these discarded works and sold them.[263]
^ Skelton gave an interview in 1984 where he said he had kept all his personal effects since the age of ten; he also indicated that he would "let someone else go through it".[302]
^ a b c d e Hyatt 2004, p. 6.
^ Skelton, Red (Guest) (6 December 1983). "Interview". The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Episode 3012. Event occurs at 2:22. National Broadcasting Company (NBC). Retrieved 26 January 2019.
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^ a b c Miller, Russ (July 19, 2007). "Red Skelton: An American Legend". The Goldendale Sentinel. p. 2. Retrieved April 6, 2007.
^ Gehring 2008, p. 22.
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^ Gehring 2008, p. 8.
^ Gehring 2008, pp. 44–45.
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^ "Rites For Skelton Son:Leukemia Victim's Funeral Will Be Held Today". The New York Times. May 12, 1958. p. 50. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014. (pay-per view)
^ "Skelton Family Finds Solace In Son's Battle With Leukemia". Ocala Star-Banner. May 12, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
^ "Skelton off air tonight for son's rites". Ellensburg Daily Record. May 13, 1958. p. 3. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
^ "The Red Skelton Show/Friends of Red Skelton Variety Show". CTVA-Classic TV Archive. May 13, 1958. Archived from the original on April 13, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
^ Lockhart, Lloyd (December 11, 1960). "Red Skelton, A Complicated Clown, Works Hard To Make People Laugh". Toledo Blade. p. 1. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
^ a b c "The Invincible Red". Life: 109–115. April 21, 1961. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ "Red Skelton's official work week lasts just two days". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. October 26, 1965. p. 13. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
^ a b c Hopper, Hedda (March 1, 1964). "Old Readhead's Come a Long, Long Way". The Detroit Free Press. p. 19. Retrieved January 14, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Chaplin Studios Sold To Skelton". The Victoria Advocate. April 20, 1960. p. 6. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
^ Humphrey, Hal (July 14, 1962). "Red Will Outlast Amateur Analysts". Toledo Blade. p. 1. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
^ RCA Color TV goes on location. Sponsor. March 13, 1961. p. 28. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
^ "Trade ad for Desilu Productions". Billboard: 15. October 6, 1956. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ Marx 1979, pp. 243-252.
^ "Truly Enjoyable". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. November 19, 1962. p. 23. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
^ "Red Skelton". Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
^ a b Huisking, Charlie (January 8, 1978). "Red Skelton Gets Warm Welcome During Visit". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 2B. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
^ Agnew, Bruce (September 28, 1960). "Red Skelton Laughs Way Thru Iron Curtain at Opening Show". Prescott Evening Courier. p. 4. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ "Red Skelton Uses Pantomime To Entertain U.N. Delegates". Beaver County Times. September 28, 1960. p. 3. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
^ Lowry, Cynthia (February 3, 1965). "Red Skelton in Special TV Treat". The Evening News. p. 6b. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
^ "'Concert in Pantomime' Tonight". The Evening Independent. February 2, 1965. p. 3B. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
^ Gardner, Hy (August 13, 1969). "Glad You Asked That!". Tucson Daily Citizen. p. 21. Archived from the original on April 20, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Hyatt 2004, p. 133.
^ Hyatt 2004, pp. 112-113.
^ a b c d e Gehring 2008, p. xv.
^ DuBrow, Rick (February 20, 1970). "TV in Review". The News-Dispatch. p. 6. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ a b c d Christon, Lawrence (September 22, 1986). "TV Academy Honors The Genius Of Red Skelton". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
^ a b "Red Skelton Kicked Off His Career With Circus". Beaver County Times. July 30, 1974. p. B5. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
^ a b O'Brien, Jim (April 14, 1977). "Red Skelton Returns To Regular Television". The Evening Independent. p. 10B. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
^ "The Red Skelton Hour". CTVA-Classic TV Archive. April 18, 1967. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
^ Bronson, Fred (March 4, 2000). "Trivia". Billboard: 16. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
^ "Grammy Award Winners". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. 1967. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
^ "The Red Skelton Show". CVTA-Classic TV Archive. September 14, 1970. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
^ a b "Red Skelton Files For Divorce". The Press-Courier. November 12, 1971. p. 8. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ "Red Skelton Is Married In 'Double-Ring' Rite". Toledo Blade. October 9, 1972. p. 2. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ "Red Skelton Married To Photographer". Schenectady Gazette. October 8, 1973. p. 13. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
^ a b c d Hyatt 2004, p. 144.
^ "Skelton Butts Scenery, Sprains Neck". Rome News-Tribune. August 18, 1954. p. 12. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
^ "Johnny Carson-Professional Cutup". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. July 4, 1965. p. 23. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
^ "Red Skelton's ex-wife dead". The Telegraph-Herald. May 12, 1976. p. 24. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ "Red Skelton's Wife Hurt". St. Petersburg Times. July 20, 1966. p. 13A. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ "Red Skelton's Wife Seriously Wounded". Sarasota Journal. July 20, 1966. p. 20. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ "Georgia Skelton obituary". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. May 12, 1976. p. 7B. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ "Skelton's ex-wife is suicide". The Daily Sentinel. May 11, 1976. p. 2. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ "Writers Suing Red Skelton Over Tapes". Ocala Star-Banner. July 11, 1980. p. 6A. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
^ "Red Skelton to Preserve Old TV Shows". Eugene Register-Guard. September 5, 1980. p. 6A. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ Gardner, Marilyn and Hy (March 13, 1983). "Red Skelton To Return via Reruns". The Victoria Advocate. p. 16. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
^ "Clowns Turn Out For Red Skelton Museum". The Victoria Advocate. June 11, 2006. p. C. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
^ Macy, Robert (July 18, 1987). "Red Skelton Will Keep His Comedy Routine Clean". Gainesville Sun. p. 11A. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
^ a b Bark, Ed (January 31, 1984). "Red Skelton Doesn't Care For Blue". The Spokesman-Review. p. A1. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
^ Hopper, Hedda (January 21, 1951). "Dane Clark Heading For England Again For Another Picture". Toledo Blade. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
^ "Skelton Performs As Plane Engines Quit Over Alps". Lodi News-Sentinel. June 29, 1961. p. 5. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
^ Arnold, Maxine (May 1957). Command Performance (PDF). TV-Radio Mirror. pp. 10–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2012. (PDF)
^ Graham, Sheilah (September 4, 1951). "Skelton Going Abroad Again". The Spokesman-Review. p. 5. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
^ Reeher, Ellen Holt (September 4, 1987). "Owensboro interpreter for hearing impaired working with Red Skelton". Daily News. p. 5A. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
^ a b Hyatt 2004, p. 156.
^ a b "Skelton Rejects Role He Craved". The Miami News. June 12, 1974. p. 5B.
^ Haber, Joyce (May 22, 1974). "Skelton, Benny Set For Film "Sunshine Boys"". Sarasota Journal. p. 6B. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
^ Haber, Joyce (August 23, 1974). "Skelton Says 'Sunshine Boys' Pay Insufficient". Sarasota Journal. p. 5B. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
^ Thomas, Bob (April 13, 1984). "Red Skelton keeps 'em laughing". The Telegraph. p. 26. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
^ Beck, Marilyn (January 7, 1975). "Hollywood Closeup". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 5.
^ "Seven Rolls Royces Remain in Driveway and Skelton's Happy". Eugene Register-Guard. March 1, 1977. p. 9C. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
^ "Make 'Em Laugh". Schenectady Gazette. December 12, 1981. p. 12. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
^ "Looking At Pay TV". The Milwaukee Journal. August 16, 1981. p. 9.
^ a b "Red Skelton Back On TV Next Month". Ottawa Citizen. January 25, 1961. p. 40. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
^ "Red Skelton Is Honored". Schenectady Gazette. March 24, 1984. p. 2. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ Thomas, Bob (April 15, 1984). "Skelton replays old comedy skits for royal crowd". Lakeland ledger. p. 46. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ Pierce, Scott D. (July 16, 2005). "PBS will showcase 'Pioneers of Primetime'". The Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ a b Horn, John (September 18, 1997). "Comedian, actor Red Skelton dies at age 84". Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. p. 6B. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
^ "Good Night and God Bless". Cedar Rapids Gazette. September 18, 1997. p. 79. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
^ Castro, Peter (October 6, 1997). "Good Night and God Bless". People. Time Inc. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
^ Seff, Marsha Kay (April 30, 1978). "Cemeteries Provide Recollections From Past". Toledo Blade. p. 4. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
^ Bacon, James (May 14, 1958). "Torrents Of Tears Well In Red's Twinkling Eyes". St. Petersburg Times. p. 15A. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ Gavin, Mike (June 21, 1964). "Red Skelton's Paintings Exhibited At Las Vegas". Park City Daily News. p. 14. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ Castro, Peter. "Good Night and God Bless". People. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
^ Wilson, Earl (July 1, 1973). "Skelton an eccentric painter". Independent Press-Telegram. p. 27. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Red Skelton, Beloved Clown, Dies At 84". Eugene Register-Guard. September 18, 1997. p. 4A. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
^ "Red Skelton complex but happy". The Leader-Post. April 27, 1967. p. 6. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ "Red Skelton Debunks Impression All Clowns Just Like a Pagliacci". Reading Eagle. November 11, 1962. p. 57. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ £Hopper, Hedda (March 19, 1964). "Stars In Exodus From Hollywood". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 2B. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ Thomas, Bob (March 9, 1965). "Red Skelton Insulates Self Against Misfortune". The Free Lance-Star. p. 2. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ a b c "Red Skelton". Ararat Shrine Temple. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
^ "Red Skelton wins top Scottish Rite honor". The Northern Light. 1995. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
^ Sawyer, Tommy E. (Fall 1998). "An Afternoon With Red Skelton". The Texas Mason. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ "Famous Phi Sigs". Phi Sigma Kappa at Purdue University. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
^ "College Honors Comic With Honorary Degree". The Windsor Star. November 6, 1961. p. 20. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
^ "Triple Honors for Red Skelton". Warsaw Times. November 8, 1961. p. 5. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ "Prominent Members of Kappa Kappa Psi Fraternity". Kappa Kappa Psi fraternity. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
^ "Red is honored". The Nevada Daily Mail. September 19, 1986. p. 15. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ Wilson, Earl (September 12, 1963). "Earl Wilson". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 11. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ a b "Skelton Honored at Emmys, Recalls Pain of Cancellation". The Dispatch. September 22, 1986. p. 18. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ a b "Emmy Awards Database-Red Skelton". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
^ "Red Skelton for 'The Big Slide', Playhouse 90". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 1957. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
^ "Clown College Again Honors Red Skelton". St. Petersburg Times. October 24, 1969. p. 4B. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
^ "Director Herbert Ross Sweeps Movie Categories". Times Daily. January 27, 1978. p. 8. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
^ "Skelton will receive highest academy honor". The Deseret News. July 25, 1986. p. A3. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
^ "Eight inducted into TV Academy Hall of Fame". Palo Verde Valley Times. January 20, 1989. p. 2. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
^ "People-Red Skelton". Gettysburg Times. December 3, 1987. p. 7A. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
^ "Television Hall of Fame Archives". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
^ Danilov 1997, p. 169.
^ Heim 2007, p. 200.
^ "Performance by Red Skelton to aid Circus World Museum". The Milwaukee Journal. May 2, 1989. p. 5B.
^ "Hepburn, Skelton among comedy honorees". The Pittsburgh Press. May 24, 1989. p. C11. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
^ a b "Red Skelton-Hollywood Walk of Fame". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
^ "You Can Go Back to Allen's Alley Sunday Night" (PDF). Utica Observer-Dispatch. November 12, 1965. p. 11. Retrieved October 30, 2013. (PDF)
^ Benbow, Charles (March 16, 1982). "Red Skelton, America's consummate clown, is always in character". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1D. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
^ a b "Red Skelton Performing Arts Center". Vincennes University. Archived from the original on June 24, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
^ "Town Honors Red Skelton With Theater". Los Angeles Times. June 11, 2006. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
^ a b c d "Red Skelton Foundation". Red Skelton Foundation. Archived from the original on June 23, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
^ "Grand Opening of the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy". official Red Skelton website. July 18, 2013. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
^ "Red Skelton Performing Arts Center". Vincennes University. Archived from the original on June 3, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
^ "Zany comedy of a classic clown still brings laughter". Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. April 12, 1984. p. 15C. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
^ "Red Skelton Museum Foundation, Indiana Historical Society Form Partnership". Indiana Historical Society. September 9, 2010. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
^ Shane, Katie (November 22, 2010). "Red Skelton Museum Gets One Million Dollar Donation". My Wabash Valley. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
^ Hitchcock, Allie (July 16, 2012). "Lilly Endowment will aid Vincennes University in completing Red Skelton museum". Evansville Courier and Press. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
^ "Red Skelton Birthplace". Historic Vincennes-Knox County. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
^ McNeece, Jenny (July 15, 2017). "Skelton's birthplace takes place in state history". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
^ Brown, Alex (July 13, 2017). "State to Dedicate Red Skelton Historical Marker". Inside Indiana Business. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
^ "Red Skelton Tribute Festival". Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
^ "Red Skelton Tribute Artist Brian Hoffman Attending Fifth Annual Red Skelton Festival, Vincennes Ind". release-news.com. 2010. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
^ Twitty, Tiffany (18 May 2006). "1921 Pantheon Theatre will be part of downtown Vincennes' future". Indiana Economic Digest. IBRC and IAR. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
^ McNeese, Jenny (December 24, 2014). "Another chance for Vincennes' Pantheon Theatre where Red Skelton first performed". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
^ McNeese, Jenny (March 10, 2016). "Group sees 1919 Vincennes theater becoming shared work space". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
^ "Bing Crosby America's Screen Favourite". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 24 March 1945. p. 8 Supplement: The Argus Week-end Magazine. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ "Filmdom Ranks Its Money-Spinning Stars Best At Box-Office". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 30 March 1950. p. 12. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
^ "Box Office Draw". The Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, NSW: National Library of Australia. 29 December 1952. p. 3. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
^ Skelton, Red (1986). "The Great Lazarus". Skelton Publications. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
Sources citedEdit
Adir, Karin (2001). The Great Clowns of American Television. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1303-4.
Affron, Charles and Mirella (2009). Best Years: Going to the Movies, 1945–1946. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-4845-6.
The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. University of California Press. 1997. ISBN 978-0-520-20970-1.
Balducci, Anthony (2011). The Funny Parts: A History of Film Comedy Routines and Gags. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-8893-3.
Danilov, Victor J. (1997). Hall of Fame Museums: A Reference Guide. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-30000-4.
Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507678-8.
Foster, Charles (2003). Once Upon a Time in Paradise: Canadians in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1-55002-464-7.
Gehring, Wes (2008). Red Skelton: The Mask Behind the Mask. Indiana Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-87195-275-2.
Heim, Michael (2007). Exploring Indiana Highways: Trip Trivia. Exploring America's Highway. ISBN 978-0-9744358-3-1.
Hyatt, Wesley (2004). A Critical History of Television's The Red Skelton Show, 1951–1971. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1732-2.
Knopf, Robert (1999). The Theater and Cinema of Buster Keaton. Princeton University. ISBN 978-0-691-00442-6.
Langman, Larry; Gold, Paul (2001). Comedy Quotes from the Movies: Over 4,000 Bits of Humorous Dialogue from All Film Genres, Topically Arranged and Indexed. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1110-8.
Maltin, Leonard; Green, Spencer (2010). Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965. Plume. ISBN 978-0-452-29577-3.
Marx, Arthur (1979). Red Skelton: An Unauthorized Biography. E. P. Dutton. ISBN 978-0-525-18953-4.
Marx, Groucho (1959). Groucho And Me. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80666-7.
Mott, Robert L. (2003). Radio Live! Television Live!: Those Golden Days When Horses Were Coconuts. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1812-1.
Nachman, Gerald (2000). Raised on Radio. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22303-5.
Pendergast, Sara and Tom (1999). St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. St. James Press. ISBN 978-1-55862-400-9.
Reid, John Howard (2006). Hollywood Movie Musicals. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-4116-9762-1.
Sterling, Christopher H. (2013). Biographical Dictionary of Radio. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-99376-3.
Vogel, Michelle (2006). Marjorie Main: The Life and Films of Hollywood's "Ma Kettle". McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-6443-2.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Red Skelton.
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Red Skelton
Red Skelton on IMDb
Red Skelton Biography
Red Skelton Foundation
Red Skelton Museum and Education Center
Red Skelton Performing Arts Center at Vincennes University
Edna and Red Skelton Collection at the Indiana Historical Society
RED-EO Video Production Company, article and photo, The Broadcast Archive
List of Red Skelton TV Episodes 1951–1971, The Classic TV Archive
Literature on Red Skelton
Red Skelton at the Internet Archive
"Edna Stillwell and the 'Real Making of Red'”, Indiana Historical Bureau
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Roman citizenship
(Redirected from Roman citizen)
Find sources: "Roman citizenship" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Citizenship in ancient Rome (Latin: civitas) was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance.
A male Roman citizen enjoyed a wide range of privileges and protections defined in detail by the Roman state. A citizen could, under certain exceptional circumstances, be deprived of his citizenship.
Roman women had a limited form of citizenship. Though held in high regard they were not allowed to vote or stand for civil or public office. The rich might participate in public life by funding building projects or sponsoring religious ceremonies and other events. Women had the right to own property, to engage in business, and to obtain a divorce, but their legal rights varied over time. Marriages were an important form of political alliance during the Republic.
Client state citizens and allies (socii) of Rome could receive a limited form of Roman citizenship such as the Latin Right. Such citizens could not vote or be elected in Roman elections.[1]
Slaves were considered property and lacked legal personhood. Over time, they acquired a few protections under Roman law. Some slaves were freed by manumission for services rendered, or through a testamentary provision when their master died. Once free, they faced few barriers, beyond normal social snobbery, to participating in Roman society. The principle that a person could become a citizen by law rather than birth was enshrined in Roman mythology; when Romulus defeated the Sabines in battle, he promised the war captives that were in Rome they could become citizens.[2]
Freedmen were former slaves who had gained their freedom. They were not automatically given citizenship and lacked some privileges such as running for executive magistracies. The children of freedmen and women were born as free citizens; for example, the father of the poet Horace was a freedman.
Possible rightsEdit
Ius suffragii: The right to vote in the Roman assemblies.
Ius honorum: The right to stand for civil or public office.
Ius commercii: The right to make legal contracts and to hold property as a Roman citizen.
Ius gentium: The legal recognition, developed in the 3rd century BC, of the growing international scope of Roman affairs, and the need for Roman law to deal with situations between Roman citizens and foreign persons. The ius gentium was therefore a Roman legal codification of the widely accepted international law of the time, and was based on the highly developed commercial law of the Greek city-states and of other maritime powers.[3] The rights afforded by the ius gentium were considered to be held by all persons; it is thus a concept of human rights rather than rights attached to citizenship.
Ius conubii: The right to have a lawful marriage with a Roman citizen according to Roman principles,[4] to have the legal rights of the paterfamilias over the family, and for the children of any such marriage to be counted as Roman citizens.
Ius migrationis: The right to preserve one's level of citizenship upon relocation to a polis of comparable status. For example, members of the cives Romani (see below) maintained their full civitas when they migrated to a Roman colony with full rights under the law: a colonia civium Romanorum. Latins also had this right, and maintained their ius Latii if they relocated to a different Latin state or Latin colony (Latina colonia). This right did not preserve one's level of citizenship should one relocate to a colony of lesser legal status; full Roman citizens relocating to a Latina colonia were reduced to the level of the ius Latii, and such a migration and reduction in status had to be a voluntary act.
The right of immunity from some taxes and other legal obligations, especially local rules and regulations.[5]
The right to sue in the courts and the right to be sued.
The right to have a legal trial (to appear before a proper court and to defend oneself).
The right to appeal from the decisions of magistrates and to appeal the lower court decisions.
Following the early 2nd-century BC Porcian Laws, a Roman citizen could not be tortured or whipped and could commute sentences of death to voluntary exile, unless he was found guilty of treason.
If accused of treason, a Roman citizen had the right to be tried in Rome, and even if sentenced to death, no Roman citizen could be sentenced to die on the cross.
Roman citizenship was required in order to enlist in the Roman legions, but this was sometimes ignored. Citizen soldiers could be beaten by the centurions and senior officers for reasons related to discipline. Non-citizens joined the Auxilia and gained citizenship through service.
Classes of citizenshipEdit
The legal classes varied over time, however the following classes of legal status existed at various times within the Roman state:
The Orator, c. 100 BC, an Etrusco-Roman bronze sculpture depicting Aule Metele (Latin: Aulus Metellus), an Etruscan man wearing a Roman toga while engaged in rhetoric; the statue features an inscription in the Etruscan alphabet
Cives RomaniEdit
The cives Romani were full Roman citizens, who enjoyed full legal protection under Roman law. Cives Romani were sub-divided into two classes:
The non optimo iure who held the ius commercii and ius conubii (rights of property and marriage)
The optimo iure, who also held these rights as well as the ius suffragii and ius honorum (the additional rights to vote and to hold office).
LatiniEdit
Further information: Latin League and Latin Right
The Latini were a class of citizens who held the Latin Right (ius Latii), or the rights of ius commercii and ius migrationis, but not the ius conubii. The term Latini originally referred to the Latins, citizens of the Latin League who came under Roman control at the close of the Latin War, but eventually became a legal description rather than a national or ethnic one. Freedmen slaves, those of the cives Romani convicted of crimes, or citizens settling Latin colonies could be given this status under the law.
SociiEdit
Further information: Socii, Foederati, Social War (91–88 BC), and Lex Julia
Socii or foederati were citizens of states which had treaty obligations with Rome, under which typically certain legal rights of the state's citizens under Roman law were exchanged for agreed levels of military service, i.e. the Roman magistrates had the right to levy soldiers for the Roman legions from those states. However, foederati states that had at one time been conquered by Rome were exempt from payment of tribute to Rome due to their treaty status.
Growing dissatisfaction with the rights afforded to the socii, and with the growing manpower demands of the legions (due to the protracted Jugurthine War and the Cimbrian War) led eventually to the Social War of 91–88 BC in which the Italian allies revolted against Rome.
The Lex Julia (in full the Lex Iulia de Civitate Latinis Danda), passed in 90 BC, granted the rights of the cives Romani to all Latini and socii states that had not participated in the Social War, or who were willing to cease hostilities immediately. This was extended to all the Italian socii states when the war ended (except for Gallia Cisalpina), effectively eliminating socii and Latini as legal and citizenship definitions.
ProvincialesEdit
Provinciales were those people who fell under Roman influence, or control, but who lacked even the rights of the Foederati, essentially having only the rights of the ius gentium.
PeregriniEdit
A peregrinus (plural peregrini) was originally any person who was not a full Roman citizen, that is someone who was not a member of the cives Romani. With the expansion of Roman law to include more gradations of legal status, this term became less used, but the term peregrini included those of the Latini, socii, and provinciales, as well as those subjects of foreign states.
Citizenship as a tool of RomanizationEdit
A young woman sits while a servant fixes her hair with the help of a cupid, who holds up a mirror to offer a reflection, detail of a fresco from the Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii, c. 50 BC
Roman citizenship was also used as a tool of foreign policy and control. Colonies and political allies would be granted a "minor" form of Roman citizenship, there being several graduated levels of citizenship and legal rights (the Latin Right was one of them). The promise of improved status within the Roman "sphere of influence", and the rivalry with one's neighbours for status, kept the focus of many of Rome's neighbours and allies centered on the status quo of Roman culture, rather than trying to subvert or overthrow Rome's influence.
The granting of citizenship to allies and the conquered was a vital step in the process of Romanization. This step was one of the most effective political tools and (at that point in history) original political ideas (perhaps one of the most important reasons for the success of Rome).
Previously Alexander the Great had tried to "mingle" his Greeks with the Persians, Egyptians, Syrians, etc. in order to assimilate the people of the conquered Persian Empire, but after his death this policy was largely ignored by his successors. The idea was not to assimilate, but to turn a defeated and potentially rebellious enemy (or their sons) into Roman citizens. Instead of having to wait for the unavoidable revolt of a conquered people (a tribe or a city-state) like Sparta and the conquered Helots, Rome tried to make those under its rule feel that they had a stake in the system.
The Edict of CaracallaEdit
The Edict of Caracalla (officially the Constitutio Antoniniana in Latin: "Constitution [or Edict] of Antoninus") was an edict issued in AD 212 by the Roman Emperor Caracalla, which declared that all free men in the Roman Empire were to be given full Roman citizenship and all free women in the Empire were given the same rights as Roman women. Before 212, for the most part only inhabitants of Italia held full Roman citizenship. Colonies of Romans established in other provinces, Romans (or their descendants) living in provinces, the inhabitants of various cities throughout the Empire, and a few local nobles (such as kings of client countries) also held full citizenship. Provincials, on the other hand, were usually non-citizens, although some held the Latin Right. However, by the previous century Roman citizenship had already lost much of its exclusiveness and become more available.[6]
Ancient Rome portal
Civis romanus sum
Constitution of the Roman Republic
Rights of Englishmen
^ Hans Volkmann: Municipium. In: Der Kleine Pauly. vol. 3, Stuttgart 1969, col. 1464–1469.
^ Plutarch, Life of Romulus 16.4.
^ "Roman Law". The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. New York: Columbia University Press. Archived from the original on 2007-06-22. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
^ conubium. Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short. A Latin Dictionary on Perseus Project.
^ Catholic Resources
^ Geoffrey W. Bromiley (1979). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 965–. ISBN 978-0-8028-3781-3.
Gardner, Jane F. 1993. Being a Roman Citizen. Routledge
Goldsworthy, Adrian (2003-10-27). The Complete Roman Army. Thames & Hudson. p. 224. ISBN 0-500-05124-0.
Jahnige, Joan (May 2002). "Roman Citizenship". Kentucky Educational Television Distance Learning. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
Lassard, Yves; Alexandr Koptev. "The Roman Law Library" (Library). Retrieved 2008-09-06.
Just, Felix. "Social Aspects of Pauline World". Catholic Resources for Bible, Liturgy, Art, and Theology. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
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Israeli Tourist Gems
In the Coverage of a Minor Scandal, British Media Exhibit Major Anti-Semitism
Daniel Seaman | 20/11/2017 03/12/2017
Always ready to find fault in even the most altruistic of Israel’s actions, British media last week dangerously crossed over into demonization, in the age-old tradition of Jew hatred.
Former British Minister Priti Patel. Forced to resign after a visit to Israel (Russell Watkins/Dept for Int'l Development)
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A minor political scandal in Britain last week ended with the resignation of Priti Patel, the UK’s Secretary of State for International Development.
The scandal erupted when media discovered that, while on a private vacation in Israel during the summer, Patel had met with Israeli officials and reportedly, made visits to several organisations where official departmental business was discussed. All this without informing the British Foreign Office, which is proper procedure. She quit her post last week, admitting the meetings had “lacked transparency” and that she had failed to uphold the standards expected of her office.
What the British media found of particular interest was that Patel, while in Israel, had also visited the Golan Heights to witness first hand Israel’s humanitarian medical efforts on behalf of Syrian’s suffering from the civil war. As a result of what she saw, Patel recommended that the Department for International Development give international aid money to the field hospitals run by the Israeli army.
These are the simple facts of the incident.
It was Ms. Patel’s visit to the IDF relief station and the suggestion of providing financial aid to the Israeli effort that became the focus of reports on the controversy by the British media. Not Patel’s breach of protocol. The facts also didn’t seem to matter at that point. After all, far be it for British journalists to miss an opportunity to paint Israel in a negative light. What is concerning though, is how they chose this particular humanitarian effort of Israel to portray in a negative light.
For several years now it was a known secret that Israel was treating Syrians injured in the horrific civil war in the country. It started out as a local initiative of an IDF commander in the field, then became, out necessity, a full blown operation. After the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel was assisting Syrian rebels, the IDF issued a formal statement in July announcing Israel’s “Operation Good Neighbor”, which also described what Israel was actually doing regarding the Syrian civil war. Since then, the extent of Israel’s medical assistance and treatment of Syrian civilians and refugees has been widely revealed.
Positive actions by Israel seldom make the news, especially in Britain. Respected documentary film maker David Cohen produced a film about the Israeli humanitarian aid to the Syrians called “Love Your Enemies”. He spoke earlier this month about his efforts to interest British media in his film in an interview with the “Jewish Chronicle” and said that discussions over purchase of the film with both the BBC and Channel 4 had so far proved fruitless. “The feedback seems to be that the film is being very well received – but that this subject matter is not their priority. I have heard it suggested from one channel that the film is deemed to be too easy on Israel.”
One would think that by now officials in Israel would understand that no matter how much we emphasize the positive aspects of the country or the wonderful things we do, there are those who will always find ways to discredit us.
Point in hand is last week’s scandal. The British media would not let the facts get in the way and found, in the Priti Patel affair, an opportunity to smear Israel. Worse still, their reporting would leave the British public with the impression that Israel was up to no good.
Simon Plosker of Honest Reporting did a excellent job in analyzing the failures of the British press in the scandal, in a column published in the “Algemeiner”. In his article, Plosker gives numerous examples of the deliberate misrepresentations in the British media.
Among these examples are “The Independent” columnist Matthew Norman, who never bothers to mention what the foreign aid to Israel Patel had suggested was actually for; “The Times of London” which stated: “Priti Patel wanted to send British aid money to support an Israeli army programme treating wounded Syrian jihadists, including al-Qaeda fighters, in the occupied Golan Heights.”; and “The Telegraph” headline – “Priti Patel suggested UK should give aid to Israeli army after secret meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu”, which, as Plosker writes, is “click-bait, specifically designed to reel in a readership brought up on sensationalism when it comes to anything to do with Israel.”
This whole episode is not just another example of extremely poor journalism on the part of British journalists and media outlets regarding Israel, which we have become so accustomed to over the years. This is much worse.
The disdain for everything Israel that they are inflicted with has them ignoring facts and realities. Instead, the reports and headlines were rife with insinuation and innuendo, the tools of hatred that were too often in history the means to demonize Jews.
It is mind-staggering to see how the mainstream, liberal British media crosses the line in its reporting on Israel and engages in anti-Semitic canard. No matter how you twist it, there is no other way to describe the spreading of an unfounded rumor or a false allegation or the creating of the impression of some kind of dubious behavior on the part of Israel.
If you think this is an exaggeration, all one has to do is look at the history of the anti-Semitic canard and make the comparison. The demonization of Jews was always the most obvious of the canards. Others were accusations of usury and profiteering, and the well known accusation of causing wars, revolutions and calamities. All were popular ways of defaming the Jews for generations and have now become the means to vilify Israel.
When reading the articles and the headlines in the British media last week, every one of these age-old traditions is sadly evident. One would expect more of liberal media. In an era of heightened sensitivity to racism and hate, they repeatedly fail the test when it comes to Israel.
The vilification and demonization of the State of Israel is to such an extent that it borders on the delegitimization of the nation itself. This has always been a direct cause of incitement, and the British media are unwitting accomplices in creating an atmosphere that reinforces acts of anti-Semitism and violence against Israelis and Jews worldwide.
[Find this article interesting? You can find more in depth articles on Israel and the Middle East @en.mida.org.il]
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4 comments on the article
D I Ossin says:
Do not for one minute believe that the British press are “unwitting accomplices”. They know full well what they are doing.
The Brits are still bitter over the fact that Israel forced them out, after the British turned their back on the Palestinian Jews (and on their own words) and allowed the Palestinian Arab pogroms against the Jews. Need more proof? The British Family has never officially visited Israel.
Marjorie Stamm Rosenfeld says:
The British government needs to apologize, not to the Palestinian Arabs for the Balfour Declaration but to the Jews for their two White Papers: the one in 1922 which denied that the British ever meant to give the Jews all of Western Palestine and the one in 1939 which limited Jewish immigration into Palestine to 15,000 a year during all the years of the Holocaust.
During the Mandate period, the Brits took arms away from the Palestinian Jews so that they couldn’t defend themselves and armed the Arabs, also allowing unlimited Arab immigration into Western Palestine.
British behavior, when they were supposed to be encouraging Jewish immigration into Palestine and also encouraging close settlement on the land as per Article 6 of the 1922 Mandate for Palestine, is a shameful stain on Britain. If the Government apologizes to the Jews for all this, perhaps the British media will stop their campaign against Israel.
Daniel Seaman says:
Excellent points
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Military War files
May 09, 2019 | 21:00 (GMT+7)
Dien Bien Phu victory celebrated in Laos
The Lao Ministry of National Defense and the Vietnamese Defense Attache Office in Laos on May 9 held a ceremony to mark the 65th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory (May 7) which ended the French rule in Vietnam.
Activities marking the Dien Bien Phu victory
Dien Bien Phu campaign in French veteran’s memory
Ceremony honours Dien Bien Phu campaign veterans
In his opening remarks, Lao Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Phuvong Vongphom recalled the victory of the Vietnamese military and people 65 years ago, saying it is also the victory of Lao and Cambodian peoples who shared the same energy and the goal of national liberation with Vietnam.
Under the sound leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Vietnam People’s Army and people have gained successes in reform, revolutionary achievement protection and socialism building, significantly contributing to peace and stability in Asia-Pacific and the world at large, he said.
Vietnamese Defense Attache to Laos Colonel Tao Van Thai speaks at the event.
This has created great momentum for the Lao military and people in national defense and development, the official stressed.
Officers and soldiers of the Lao People’s Army will learn from the traditions and spirit of their Vietnamese counterparts, and join efforts in nurturing and promoting the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries and armies, he said.
Sharing Phuvong Vongphom’s views, Vietnamese Defense Attache to Laos Colonel Tao Van Thai said the Dien Bien Phu victory is a joint one among the three Indochinese nations, the triumph of solidarity and combatant alliance between Vietnam and Laos.
He took the occasion to thank the Lao Party, State, military and people for their valuable support to Vietnam during the past struggle for national liberation as well as the present national construction and defense.
The Dien Bien Phu Campaign lasted from March to May 1954 under the command of General Vo Nguyen Giap. Vietnam’s victory on May 7, 1954 led to the signing of the 1954 Geneva Accords in which France agreed to withdraw its forces from its colonies in Indochina.
Tag(s): Vietnam - LaosDien Bien Phu victory
Campaign to collect wartime mementos launched - (13/07/2019 19:16)
Photograph exhibition features lives of former revolutionary prisoners - (13/07/2019 18:27)
Vietnamese advisers in Cambodia honored with noble order - (13/07/2019 18:27)
Insignia presented to American peace activists - (12/07/2019 19:45)
Former President Sang offers incense to martyrs in Ha Giang - (12/07/2019 19:43)
Remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Cambodia repatriated - (11/07/2019 17:25)
Over 900,000 sets of remains of martyrs reburied - (09/07/2019 20:23)
Requiem held for fallen soldiers in Ha Giang - (07/07/2019 19:04)
Vietnam, Laos further cooperate search for Vietnamese soldiers’ remains - (03/07/2019 20:09)
Suspected remains of missing US soldier repatriated - (23/06/2019 20:30)
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Southern blue-ringed octopus
Hapalochlaena maculosa in Blairgowrie, Victoria
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Octopodidae
Genus: Hapalochlaena
Robson, 1929
H. maculosa
Hapalochlaena maculosa
(Hoyle, 1883)
The southern blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena maculosa) is one of three (or perhaps four) highly venomous species of blue-ringed octopuses. It is most commonly found in tidal rock pools along the south coast of Australia. As an adult, it can grow up to 20 centimetres (8 in) long (top of the mantle to the tip of the arms) and on average weighs 26 grams (0.9 oz). They are normally a docile species, but they are highly venomous possessing venom capable of killing humans. Their blue rings appear with greater intensity when they become aggravated or threatened.[citation needed]
3 Range and habitat
5 Diet
6 Life span and reproduction
7 Mate and paternity choice
8 Venom
9 Conservation
The blue-ringed species are known for their small size, yet the southern variety is hailed as the largest of the genus. As a result, they have been classified as their own species. From arm to arm, most of these octopuses are no larger than 20 centimeters. This is larger by roughly 5 centimeters on average with other varieties of the blue-ringed octopus. When at peace, their coloring is often a drab, mucus like color. However, once it feels sufficiently threatened, the eponymous blue-rings suddenly appear.These octopuses have an average of about 60 rings that have multilayer reflectors that allow them to flash a blue green color. These rings typically appear about 6 weeks after hatching (Mäthger et al.).[1] For the rings to illuminate and glow, the muscles around the rings must contract while the muscles above them must relax (Mäthger et al.).[1] This method of muscle contraction and relaxation has not been seen in other illuminating animals (Mäthger et al.)[1]
Nomenclature[edit]
Like other species of the blue-ringed octopus, this variety is named for the virulent blue rings that it displays when agitated.
Range and habitat[edit]
Found along the southern coasts of Australia, H. maculosa inhabits crevasses and cracks in the rocky reefs signature to this section of the Australian coast. In addition, the octopus enjoys a proximity to the plentiful forests of seagrass.[2]
Despite their highly toxic venom, southern blue-ringed octopuses tend to be passive and relatively harmless unless provoked. They generally only use their toxins when hunting or when provoked. These creatures are nocturnal, primarily active at night.[3] They can jet out water to move more efficiently as well. In addition, it was found that southern blue-ringed octopuses have at least slightly more acute olfaction (smell) sense which may affect choice in mate (see Breeding, below).[4] Burrowing is also normal of this species.
Diet[edit]
The prey of H. maculosa consists mostly of lobsters, crabs, shrimp, and shellfish, as well as the occasional small fish.[2] H. maculosa makes use of its venom for feeding purposes. It pins down and injects it through its beak. This totally paralyzes its prey, often killing it outright. This readies it for feeding. Another tactic it uses to hunt is releasing its venom as a mist into a location where its prey is commonly found (Oceana). Their prey swim into the venom and become paralyzed, allowing for an attack.[5]
Life span and reproduction[edit]
H. maculosa have a very short life span with a large importance placed on reproduction. The average life span of a southern blue ringed octopus is around seven months. The octopus reaches sexual maturity at around four months old, at which it focuses its last few months of life focusing on copulation and breeding. Both genders of this species are promiscuous, as they only have a limited set of gametes. The mating ritual of H. maculosa usually begins with the female initiating reproduction by changing color and posture. The male then mounts the female, inserts the hectocotylus under the mantle of the female, and releases the sperm into the female’s oviduct. For this type of octopus, there is approximately a two-month window in which a female acquires and stores sperm from multiple males.[3] She then carries the eggs with her, as opposed to depositing them somewhere stationary. During this time period, the mother rarely moves unless disturbed. When she is forced to move, she uses only two arms for locomotion. The female also does not eat during this time period. Because of this, the mother dies shortly after the eggs have hatched. It is highly unlikely that the male or female would live beyond one year. This unusual octopus maternal care system seems to be an advanced evolutionary development of the species. While this may seem strange, females only reproduce once in their lifetime,[6] so it is vital to them that their egg clutch survives.Once hatched, the H. maculosa grow very rapidly. The southern blue-ringed octopus also differs from other marine invertebrates in that there is no planktonic stage. The young begin hunting around one month of age- they are said to be venomous from birth, while their blue rings don’t appear until six weeks after hatching. It was found in a study by Morse and Zenger that as size of the octopus increased, so too did willingness to mate.[3] Same-sex attempts at mating were frequently noted, which implies distinguishing between male and female is difficult even for the octopus. It is also possible females use some form of refined sense of smell to single out attractive mates.[4]
Mate and paternity choice[edit]
Many studies have been done on how southern blue-ringed octopuses choose their mates and if females can choose the sperm used to fertilize her eggs (Morse et al., 2018).[7] Researchers have been interested in this topic specifically because the female can only reproduce once in her lifetime and because she can store the sperm of her many mates (Oceana). Researchers have hypothesized that there may be cryptic female choice or sperm competition (Morse et al., 2018).[7] In the paper, Mating Behavior and Postcopulatory Fertilization Patterns in the Southern Blue-Ringed Octopus Hapalochlaena Maculosa, the authors study did not find that females choose the male sperm that will fertilize their eggs, though the "male that obtained less paternity than expected was in fact the female's full-sibling brother (Morse et al.)." [7] Although this study did not find female selection of sperm, a separate study did find that females are picky about who they mate with. In the paper, Nocturnal Mating Behaviour and Dynamic Male Investment of Copulation Time in the Southern Blue-Ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena Maculosa (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae), Morse et al., found that females were more willing to mate with males that were larger and males that were larger attempted to mate more than smaller males. The same study also found that males would spend less time mating with females that they had already mated with.[8]
Venom[edit]
What makes this octopus famous is its venom. Saliva glands of the southern blue-ringed octopus produce the deadly neurotoxin, maculotoxin.[9] The Neurotoxin, TTX, is secreted in the posterior salivary gland, which is located in the intestinal blood system of the octopus. This may provide the toxin into its bloodstream. The toxin has also been found in the eggs of this octopus. The method of poisoning is still not fully understood, but it is assumed that H. maculosa either inject the toxin into the water surrounding their prey through their saliva mixed with the toxin, or they directly bite their prey or predator with the beak-like mouth. It is fatal to humans. Various references in popular culture depict the southern blue-ringed octopus as a nefarious seadevil lying in wait to attack humans with its deadly toxins. In actuality, the venom is primarily used in hunting or for defense. There are no reported cases of unprovoked aggression towards humans. No antivenom exists.
Conservation[edit]
There are currently no known conservation efforts for the southern blue-ringed octopus. This being said, it is likely that H. maculosa play an important role in their ecosystem, perhaps by controlling crustacean populations, so any efforts to conserve this species would be expected to benefit other species in the same habitat. It is also suggested that because the dispersal ability of H. maculosa is limited, connectivity between different populations of the species is especially vulnerable to habitat fragmentation or geographic barriers.
^ a b c Mäthger, Lydia M; et al. (2012). "How Does the Blue-Ringed Octopus (Hapalochlaena Lunulata) Flash Its Blue Rings?". The Journal of Experimental Biology. 215 (Pt 21): 3752–7. doi:10.1242/jeb.076869. PMID 23053367.
^ a b Norman, Mark; Reid, Amanda (2000-05-23). Guide to Squid, Cuttlefish and Octopuses of Australasia. Csiro Publishing. ISBN 9780643102613.
^ a b c Peter, Morse; R., Zenger, Kyall; I., McCormick, Mark; G., Meekan, Mark; L., Huffard, Christine (2015). "Nocturnal mating behaviour and dynamic male investment of copulatory time in the Southern Blue-Ringed Octopus, Hapalochlaena maculosa (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae)".
^ a b Morse, Peter; Zenger, Kyall R.; McCormick, Mark I.; Meekan, Mark G.; Huffard, Christine L. (2017-02-01). "Chemical cues correlate with agonistic behaviour and female mate choice in the southern blue-ringed octopus,Hapalochlaena maculosa(Hoyle, 1883) (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae)". Journal of Molluscan Studies. 83 (1): 79–87. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyw045. ISSN 0260-1230.
^ "Southern Blue-Ringed Octopus". Oceana.
^ "Southern Blue-Ringed Octopus". Oceana.org. Oceana. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
^ a b c Morse; et al. (2018). "Mating Behavior and Postcopulatory Fertilization Patterns in the Southern Blue-Ringed Octopus, Hapalochlaena Maculosa". Animal Behaviour. 136: 41–51. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.12.004.
^ Morse; et al. (2015). "Nocturnal Mating Behaviour and Dynamic Male Investment of Copulation Time in the Southern Blue-Ringed Octopus, Hapalochlaena Maculos (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae)" (PDF). Behaviour. 152 (14): 1883–1910. doi:10.1163/1568539X-00003321.
^ Sheumack, D. D.; Howden, M. E.; Spence, I.; Quinn, R. J. (1978-01-13). "Maculotoxin: a neurotoxin from the venom glands of the octopus Hapalochlaena maculosa identified as tetrodotoxin". Science. 199 (4325): 188–189. doi:10.1126/science.619451. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 619451.
"CephBase: Southern blue-ringed octopus". Archived from the original on 2005.
Wikispecies: Hapalochlaena maculosa
ADW: Hapalochlaena_maculosa
ARKive: hapalochlaena-maculosa
SeaLifeBase: 57269
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southern_blue-ringed_octopus&oldid=905358709"
Octopodidae
Molluscs described in 1883
Cephalopods of Australia
Venomous molluscs
Marine fauna of Southern Australia
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A physicist solves the city
Geoffrey West doesn’t eat lunch. His doctor says he has a mild allergy to food; meals make him sleepy and nauseated. When West is working – when he’s staring at some scribbled equations on scratch paper or gazing out his office window at the high desert in New Mexico – he subsists on black tea and nuts. His gray hair is tousled, and his beard has the longish look of neglect. It’s clear that West regards the mundane needs of everyday life – trimming the whiskers, say – as little more than a set of annoying distractions, drawing him away from a much more interesting set of problems. Sometimes West can seem jealous of his computer, this silent machine with no hungers or moods. All it needs is a power cord.
For West, the world is always most compelling at its most abstract. As a theoretical physicist in search of fundamental laws, he likes to compare his work to that of Kepler, Galileo and Newton. “I’ve always wanted to find the
rules that govern everything,” he says. “It’s amazing that such rules exist. It’s even more amazing that we can find them.”
But the 70-year-old West, who grew up in Somerset, England, is no longer trying to solve the physical universe; he’s not interested in deep space or string theory. Although West worked for decades as a physicist at Stanford University and Los Alamos National Laboratory, he started thinking about leaving the field after the financing for the Texas superconducting supercollider was canceled by Congress in 1993. West, however, wasn’t ready to retire, and so he began searching for subjects that needed his skill set.
Eventually he settled on cities: the urban jungle looked chaotic – all those taxi horns and traffic jams – but perhaps it might be found to obey a short list of universal rules. “We spend all this time thinking about cities in terms of their local details, their restaurants and museums and weather,” West says. “I had this hunch that there was something more, that every city was also shaped by a set of hidden laws.”
And so West set out to solve the City. As he points out, this is an intellectual problem with immense practical implications. Urban population growth is the great theme of modern life, one that’s unfolding all across the world, from the factory boomtowns of Southern China to the sprawling favelas of Rio de Janeiro. As a result, for the first time in history, the majority of human beings live in urban areas. (The numbers of city dwellers are far higher in developed countries – the United States, for instance, is 82 percent urbanized.) Furthermore, the pace of urbanization is accelerating as people all over the world flee the countryside and flock to the crowded street.
This relentless urban growth has led to a renewed interest in cities in academia and in government. In February 2009, President Obama established the first White House Office of Urban Affairs, which has been told to develop a “policy agenda for urban America.” Meanwhile, new perspectives have come to the field of urban studies. Macroeconomists, for instance, have focused on the role of cities in driving gross domestic product and improving living standards, while psychologists have investigated the impact of city life on self-control and short-term memory. Even architects are moving into the area: Rem Koolhaas, for one, has argued that architects have become so obsessed with pretty buildings that they’ve neglected the vital spaces between them.
But West wasn’t satisfied with any of these approaches.
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CNN/Money recounts the story behind how a team of engineers and designers defied Motorola's own rules to create the cellphone that revived their company.
The RAZR - a play on a code name the engineering geeks dreamed up - was hatched in colorless cubicles in exurban Libertyville, an hour's drive north of Chicago. It was a skunkworks project whose tight-knit team repeatedly flouted Motorola's own rules for developing new products.
They kept the project top-secret, even from their colleagues. They used materials and techniques Motorola had never tried before. After contentious internal battles, they threw out accepted models of what a mobile telephone should look and feel like.
The "thin clam" project became a rebel outpost and a talent magnet within the company, and the team grew to as many as 20 engineers who met daily at 4 P.M. in a conference room in Libertyville to hash over the previous day's progress.
"Anytime you've got something radically different, there will be people who feel that we should be putting our resources on other stuff," says Roger Jellicoe, team leader on the project. "It was a kind of lock-the-door-and-put-the-key-beneath-it approach to product development." Digital pictures of the project were prohibited, so nothing could be inadvertently disseminated by e-mail. Models of the phone could leave the premises only when physically accompanied by a team member.
With an ambitious deadline of completion within the year, Jellicoe relied on non-standard methods to drive morale and speed ideation. For example, he set up a competition among five of his engineers to see who could come up with the best design. And engineering and design teams began combining their work, a back-and-forth process that became known as the "dance."
Lessons from MOTO RAZR:
1. Secrecy limits distractions.
By insulating its RAZR development team from the influence of corporate groupthink, Motorola got an innovative product that wowed the industry and consumers.
2. Research isn't everything.
Motorola's "human factors" unit dictated that phones more than 49 millimeters wide would be deemed uncomfortable by consumers. The RAZR team concluded otherwise. Their only data points: their own instincts.
3. Niche products can have mass appeal.
The RAZR wasn't designed to be a blockbuster. It was supposed to be a high-priced, high-end jewel to regain luster for Motorola. Yet with high demand, unit costs plunged along with the price for consumers - to as low as $99.
4. Missing deadlines doesn't mean failure.
The RAZR team was supposed to be done by February 2004; they weren't until summer. But getting it right meant a whole lot more than getting it done on time.
Labels: Innov8 (or Die), Innovation
Jason Striegel said...
I never hear people discuss it, but I'd like to add another possible reason to the mix: the Razr had a memorable name and brand.
The mobile phone and pocket pc market has been a cesspool of product naming. t509, N70, 6030, etc. Even look at Motorolla's own high end MPx200/MPx220 line that was released around the same period as the original Razrs.
Every few months, the latest device comes out with some cryptic code name. These new devices get distributed from OEM to several carriers who each name the same product with a different cryptic name. Finally, the consumer is asked to get excited about an incredible new $300 phone that apparantly wasn't worth anyone's time to name appropriately. :)
If you look at how people resonate with the Razr and Slvr lines or even Blackberry devices, I think this is a major reason. There are a lot of better phones and PDAs out there (especially in the MS Smartphone camp), but they either have bizarre code-names, or each release has a different name from the previous.
Anyway, I'm looking at Verizon's plan deals right now and I can choose between an LG Chocolate, A Moto RAZR, and Samsung's mobile TV capable SCH-u620. Hmm... choices...
Thursday, March 22, 2007 12:05:00 AM
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overthinking entertainment
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Life Support Rewatch
November 11, 2015 7:47 AM - Season 3, Episode 13 - Subscribe
A fatally-injured Vedek Bareil struggles to stay alive long enough to complete the most important act of his career. Jake goes on a disastrous double date with Nog.
Trivia Cribbed from here.
* The Bajoran-Cardassian Treaty is signed during this episode.
* First DS9 episode aired since Star Trek: Voyager premiered.
* The original pitch was based on the 1818 Mary Shelley novel "Frankenstein," with Bashir in the role of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The story concerned a Federation ambassador involved in peace negotiations with the Romulans whose shuttle is damaged and who dies in the sickbay on Deep Space 9. However, the treaty negotiations are at a pivotal moment, so Bashir is able to figure out a way to "re-animate" the ambassador's brain, essentially bringing him back to life. However, over the course of the episode, he begins to go mad, and in the last scene, Bashir is forced to allow him to die once again. The reason this idea was scrapped was that the producers felt that the audience wouldn't have much empathy with a character who they'd only just been introduced to. According to Ronald D. Moore, "we were trying to make it a Bashir show, but in reality, everything focused on the ambassador, and nobody cared about him."
* The solution to the problem of audience apathy was to make the ambassador a character whom the audience knew and cared about. The producers considered changing the role to O'Brien, who was rumored to want to leave the show to concentrate on film work, but actor Colm Meaney assured them he had no intentions of leaving. As such, they changed it to Vedek Bareil, mainly because they weren't happy with how the Bareil-Kira relationship was going, and because they weren't sure where the Bareil character was heading.
* Although the producers were happy with both the A-story and the B-story as individual stories, they were not happy with their combination in this episode. According to Ira Steven Behr, after viewing the first set of dailies which included scenes from both stories, the producers were beyond shocked, and a feeling swept through the room like, "What the hell have we done?" The decision to have a grim A-story and a humorous B-story was Ronald D. Moore's, who explains, "I said to everyone, 'This is such a grim episode, we should have a light B-story, maybe let Jake and Nog do some fun stuff.' It sounded great in concept, and I enjoyed writing the scenes, but, man, such a mistake!"
* After this episode aired, the producers received an extremely angry email from a group calling themselves 'The Friends of Vedek Bareil. which protested the death. The email included pictures of a memorial service the group had held for him.
* "The date scene is treated as if the audience should find it hilarious – “ha! look at those wacky Ferengi!” However, it doesn’t work that way. Nog’s conduct here – belittling his companion and demanding she serve his needs in a humiliating way – feels like a scene from an abusive relationship."
* "Maybe if the hour hadn’t spent a quarter of its time teaching Jake a valuable lesson about tolerating bigotry, it might have been more successful."
posted by zarq (17 comments total)
Bareil thinks the office has changed Kai Opaka. In this episode, Opaka promises Kira, as Bareil is dying, that Opaka will make sure that Bajor never forgets Bareil. Within three months, Opaka is taking credit for Bareil's work on the treaty. Bareil, in addition to being boring as hell, is a terrible judge of character. (Also Opaka breaking her promise is not the objectively worst thing she's ever done, but pisses me off as much as some of the more horrible things. There's something sacrosanct to me about deathbed promises.)
Nog: the commentary lays out just how misogynistic his behavior is, and how problematic the framing is, so I won't rehash the details of it. But I will say that I think the show is being disingenous by framing this kind of awful behavior as part of Nog's culture and then having Nog join Starfleet with absolutely no culture shock whatsover.
Nog behaves abominably here, and in a later episode, ON THE TRIP TO STARFLEET ACADEMY, he tricks a human woman (in the 1940's, so she doesn't know from Ferengi and what gets them off) into giving him oomax. But no one from Starfleet ever tells him he has to treat women with dignity. He never fucks up and does anything sexist at the Academy, or later as a cadet or officer.
The show can't have it both ways. Either Nog CAN turn off the sexism like a switch (in which case the "tolerance" advice to Jake was woefully off the mark), or Nog can't (and the show failed miserably to show the problems he'd run into.)
Of all of the show's faults, the thoughtless treatment of sexism (played for lulz more often than not) is the one that rankles the most, and the one that makes the show seem the most dated to me. It also makes it hard for me to relate to some of the characters. Nog's shitty treatment of women meant that I didn't care about him in the slightest until about Season 6, when he'd dialed back the aggressiveness and only dealt with women on a professional basis.
I've said this in the Buffy rewatch threads, that watching them simultaneously is interesting, because Buffy tried to address sexism in an intelligent fashion, but was clueless when it came to race. DS9 has some really insightful stuff to say about race, but often failed badly when it came to sexism. I kind of wish Armin Shimerman could have carried suggestions for improvement back and forth between the two writers' groups during the time when DS9 and Buffy overlapped.
posted by creepygirl at 11:48 AM on November 11, 2015 [5 favorites]
creepygirl -- I think you mean Kai Winn, not Kai Opaka. (The prophets forgive your trespass, child.)
posted by nathan_teske at 3:05 PM on November 11, 2015 [9 favorites]
Gah, yes. I meant Winn, thanks.
posted by creepygirl at 3:30 PM on November 11, 2015
Yeah, this is not a strong episode, even though it is pretty foundational in establishing Winn's character. It is rather surprising that she actually acknowledges as much uncertainty she does in front of Sisko. Certainly, the Winn we know from later in the series would never admit to such a degree of weakness.
The less said about the Jake/Nog plot, the better.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:13 PM on November 11, 2015
Poor Nerys, though.
Whatever we may think of the execution, I get what they were going for in the Jake/Nog plot. Other cultures have ideas that may be abhorrent to us, and it can be hard to know where to draw the line between accepting differences and tolerating intolerable stuff. I don't think Sisko is telling Jake that Nog's behavior is right, just that it's how Ferengis see things and the bond Jake has with Nog is strong enough to survive Nog being a jerk sometimes. I think it's meant to bookend the episode in the first season where Sisko is ready to forbid Jake from being friends with Nog. Sisko's come to see that Nog and Jake are good for each other, no matter how much they scrap.
Nog is still a kid at this point, and (like his father) he grew much more nuanced and admirable as the show went on. (And a lot of Nog's growth probably comes from being best friends with a hu-mon who called him on his BS.) I suspect that they wouldn't let him into Starfleet Academy if he had attitudes like this about women, he had to prove to them that he was Starfleet material. So along with the emotional growth we do see from him in the series, I think it's safe to assume that this super-sexist stuff didn't last either. Nog is being a creep here, but his sexism is supposed to be objectionable.
It's kind of odd that they almost killed O'Brien because they'd heard rumors Meaney was ready to leave. It seems like a backwards way to do it. Why not ask him if the rumors are true, THEN if you find out he's leaving, base an episode around that? (And Jesus, how grim would that episode have been? Keiko trying to keep it together while Bashir is stuck turning his friend into a cyborg-zombie.)
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:22 PM on November 11, 2015
I'd chalk up a lot of Nog's behavior to a young man trying on different personas as he matures and figures out what sort of person he wants to be as an adult. Deliberately obnoxious behavior that's different from that of his primary role models (Rom is respectful of women, if more than a bit shy, and Quark tends to treat non-Ferengi women well, or at least respectfully) and bound to provoke even his best friend? Welcome to adolescent males everywhere. This isn't the last time Nog and Jake will come into conflict as a result of their growing up and becoming adults, especially after Nog joins Starfleet.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:14 PM on November 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
I just remembered that in The Visitor we see an adult Nog who notes that he was a lot more popular with women once he asked them to stop chewing his food, his wry tone suggesting that he was rather embarrassed about the whole thing. That was an alternate timeline, but I think it fits with the idea that the Nog we see here is a far cry from the Nog at the end of the show.
I think Nog got these sexist attitudes from his dad and Quark, but while they said it I don't think Rom and Quark truly believed this stuff. Quark is kind of a hypocrite, in the sense that when pressed he will fall back on Ferengi tradition and say that women should go naked and they can't do business and all that stuff, but in his daily life he seems to respect women. I never got the impression he thought of Dax or Kira as inferior, he clearly found Dax's strength attractive and he was (understandably) intimidated by Kira. He's very progressive for a Ferengi, but he likes to think of himself as a traditionalist. He pays lip service to the old ways and when (for instance) his mother challenges gender norms, he reverts to the old, sexist ideas of his culture. But Nog has grown up without women in his life and he's probably heard his dad and Quark parroting the old ways with nothing to challenge it. So the dopey kid thinks that's how it really works, that women should be treated as lesser beings. He has to go out and mix it up with other cultures to figure things out.
In hindsight, it's too bad we never saw Nog have a serious girlfriend when he was older. It would have been interesting to see how he treated women when he was grown up. I strongly suspect he would have been much more respectful, but we never got to see that.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 6:51 PM on November 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
I think I spaced on some of the treaty negotiation points. Did Winn agree to the concession that all Cardassian property left on Bajor belonged to Cardassia? Wouldn't that include DS9?
posted by oh yeah! at 5:22 AM on November 12, 2015
The question of Cardassian property on Bajor was already settled during the earlier armistice negotiations. It was a trap that Bareil identified and advised Winn to ignore.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:10 AM on November 12, 2015
Also, since zarq linked to the AV Club review (which is a really good series in and of itself), allow me to highlight one of the hidden gems of AVC, Rappin_Jake_Sisko with his take on the episode.
I'd missed that Nog's oo-mox thing happened on the way to Starfleet Academy. So... I dunno. That kind of voids what I said before about how they wouldn't let him with attitudes like that. But presumably they taught him that stuff had no place in Starfleet.
But presumably they taught him that stuff had no place in Starfleet.
The same Starfleet Academy that Jim "screw anything that moves" Kirk graduated from?
posted by zarq at 2:22 PM on November 13, 2015
Well, this was a century or so later.
The dude-bro-ification of Kirk is more of a Nu-Trek issue though, really. TOS Kirk wasn't contemptuous of women, 1960's base misogyny level aside - halfway through S3 of the TOS re-watch, most of his flings have been either 1) genuine love affairs with tragic endings 2) affairs caused by alien mind control 3) Kirk seducing someone as a tactic to defeat the alien threat. I think the idea of Kirk being a playboy is something that we've built up from nostalgia/shared pop culture than from canon.
Anyway, not a fan of the running joke of Ferengi misogyny.
posted by oh yeah! at 8:43 AM on November 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
I always felt like the joke, such as it was, was very much on the Ferengi. The sexism fit with their many other flaws. They were like a whole planet of Herb Tarleks.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:13 AM on November 15, 2015
I think it's the 'pot calling the kettle black' element of it all that skeeves me out. It was the TNG writers who started the joke, and considering how terribly they treated Marina Sirtis, how they fired Gates McFadden at the end of S1 for speaking out about the sexist treatment of her character, etc., it was pretty hypocritical for them to make overt sexism one of the major traits of their new alien baddies. It doesn't bother me as much on DS9, since the Ferengi characters became fully developed characters rather than walk-on plot devices, and Armin Shimerman can make nearly anything work. But, you know, fruit of the poisoned tree and all.
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The Veolia Foundation in the World Water Forum
The Veolia Foundation participated in the 6th World Water Forum held in Marseille from March 12th to March 17th 2012. The Foundation organised a side event to present the Global Alliance Against Cholera (GAAC), its approach and strategy. The GAAC is an International Advisory Group of water, health and cholera experts that aims at developing an integrated approach that combines epidemiology, water, sanitation and hygiene.
The Veolia Foundation also co-organised with the WHO (World Health Organization) a thematic session (core group 1.3 target 1.3.7) focused on the fight against cholera. This was the occasion to present various examples of operational projects implemented worldwide.
More than 200 persons attended to these two events. The Forum was an opportunity for the Foundation to publish a booklet and a film presenting the program to fight against cholera.
THE GLOBAL ALLIANCE AGAINST CHOLERA
Download the booklet presenting the GAAC
Visit www.choleraalliance.org
PROJECT SUPPORTED
Humanitarian and Development | Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | 2010/03/15
Battling cholera epidemics in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Fighting cholera epidemics in eight towns of the Democratic Republic of Congo
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‘Timeless,’ ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ a bunch of look backs at 2018 and everything else you don’t want to miss on TV this week
December 17, 2018 December 18, 2018 by Therese Odell, posted in set your dvrs
TIMELESS — “The Miracle of Christmas Part II” Episode 212 — Pictured: (l-r) Matt Lanter as Wyatt Logan, Abigail Spencer as Lucy Preston — (Photo by: Darren Michaels/Sony/NBC)
America’s Got Talent: “A Holiday of Champions” — basically a clip show designed to refresh our memories before the midseason spinoff, America’s Got Talent: The Champions. 9 p.m., NBC
The Year in Memoriam 2018: A celebration of the people we lost this year, including the Bushes, John McCain, and Aretha Franklin. 9 p.m., ABC
Fail State: A look into the predatory businesses associated with higher learning, including for-profit colleges and student loans. 8 p.m., Starz
Bleed Out: And if that’s not cheerful enough for you, how about this documentary about medical errors? 7 p.m., HBO
The Voice: A winner is chosen. Season finale. 8 p.m., NBC
Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable: Ellen returns to her stand-up roots. Netflix
Take Back the Harbor: This special looks at a remarkable New York City high school who is helping replenish the oyster beds in the New York Harbor. I do recognize that this might only interest me because I used to live practically on the harbor, love oysters and have two kids in unique high schools, so, you know, feel free to ignore this. 7 p.m., Discovery
Survivor: The tribal council meets to choose a winner. Season finale. 7 p.m., CBS
Schitt’s Creek: The family struggles to get into the Christmas spirit in this Christmas special. 9 p.m., Pop
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: Oh, Clark. 6 p.m., AMC
No Country for Old Men: Because sometimes the holidays call for a bolt gun. 7 p.m., El Rey
Timeless: The two-hour series finale is here and the plan is to save Rufus in time for Christmas. Series finale. 7 p.m., NBC
Watch What Happens Live!: Brace yourselves, the Real Housewives OGs are in the clubhouse: Teresa Giudice, Kyle Richards, Bethenny Frankel, Ramona Singer, Vicki Gunvalson, Nene Leakes. 10 p.m., Bravo
Aggretsuko: We Wish You a Metal Christmas: The metal singing red panda is back with a Christmas special. Netflix
Murphy Brown: Murphy spends New Year’s Eve at Phil’s bar in the probable series finale. 8:30 p.m., CBS
Christmas for the Books: 8 p.m., HMC
Bird Box: Sandra Bernhart Bullock stars in this horror/thriller film about a woman trying to raise a set of toddlers during an apocalyptic event. Netflix
Marvel’s Runaways: Second season. Hulu
Life Itself: Hey, it’s that widely panned movie from the guy who made This is Us. Amazon
7 Days Out: This documentary series looks at what goes into the week ahead of some of the biggest events in the world, like a gaming championship or Westminster dog show. Netflix
Derry Girls: A Northern Irish comedy about a group of teens in the 1990s. I could show you a trailer, but it’s super boring. Instead, this clip is what you need. Netflix
Perfume: A serial killer is making perfume out of people in this German series because of course this is a German series. Netflix
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski: A documentary about an artistic genius living right under everyone’s nose. Netflix
Vanity Fair: Olivia Cooke stars in the most recent version of William Thackeray’s tale of social climbing. Amazon
A Home for the Holidays: CBS’s annual celebration of adoption and foster care will feature performances by Gwen Stefani, Train, and Lukas Graham. 7 p.m., CBS
A Christmas Kiss: 7 p.m., Lifetime
Christmas at Grand Valley: 8 p.m., HMC
Isle of Dogs: DOGS! 7 p.m., HBO
The Alec Baldwin Show: Baldwin’s guests are — and I am not making this up — RuPaul and Norway’s prime minister, Erna Solberg. 9 p.m., ABC
The Wizard of Oz: Because. 7 p.m., TNT
Harry Potter marathon: 8 a.m., USA
Jingle Around the Clock: 7 p.m., Hallmark
Christmas Bells Are Ringing: 8 p.m., HMC
Watership Down: The darkest story about bunnies ever. Netflix
The Year 2018: It was a mixed bag, honestly. 8 p.m., ABC
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby: Because “I’m gonna come at you like a spider monkey” will never not be hilarious 6:25 p.m., Comedy Central
Hometown Holiday: 6 p.m., Up
2 Holiday Tales: 7 p.m., Lifetime
Christmas Made to Order: 7 p.m., Hallmark
Tagged 2 holiday tales, 7 days out, a christmas kiss, a home for the holidays, aggretsuko, america's got talent, birdbox, bleed out, christmas at grand valley, christmas bells are ringing, christmas for the books, christmas made to order, derry girls, ellen degeneres: relatable, fail state, harry potter, hometown holiday, isle of dogs, jingle around the clock, life itself, marvel's runaways, murphy brown, national lampoon's christmas vacation, no country for old men, perfume, rhod, rhonj, schitt's creek, struggle: the life and lost art of szukalski, survivor, take back the harbor, talladega nights: the ballad of ricky bobby, the alec baldwin show, the real housewives of dallas, the real housewives of new jersey, the voice, the wizard of oz, the year 2018, the year in memoriam 2018, timeless, vanity fair, watch what happened live, watership down
Previous postHow about we all agree that our 2019 New Year’s resolution will be: “I won’t defend sex creeps.”
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3 thoughts on “‘Timeless,’ ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ a bunch of look backs at 2018 and everything else you don’t want to miss on TV this week”
Bill Peebles says:
Bird Box? Sandra Bernhart?
Therese Odell says:
Guh. No — Sandra Bullock. Dumb distracted brain.
arbiter76 says:
“Birdbox: Sandra Bernhart stars in this horror/thriller film about a woman trying to raise a set of toddlers during an apocalyptic event.” So, current events?
I’m glad Timeless is getting a chance at a proper ending, but it will be hard to tie up all the loose ends in two hours (less commercials).
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Tag: The Totally Football Show
James Richardson: “As much as podcasts have grown I think we are still very much at the tip of the iceberg in terms of their potential”
The charismatic host of The Totally Football Show and Truth & Movies talks about his podcasts and their potential to shape how we listen to audio content
James Richardson is a football broadcaster and journalist known for hosting the iconic Football Italia in the 90’s as well as the Champions League Goals Show more recently. To read an interview where he talks in length about these and football in general click here. When his face isn’t on your screen his voice is in your ears as the host of several podcasts, from The Totally Football Show to Truth and Movies.
Richardson began his journey into podcasting as the host of The Guardian’s The World Cup Show, covering all the highs and lows of the 2006 World Cup. Following its huge success the show evolved into The Guardian Football Weekly, a twice-weekly show featuring Richardson as host and a selection of journalists discussing the week’s football news.
It was during his 11 years there that he cemented his reputation as a broadcaster who can seamlessly integrate puns and humour into his work. This ability was a major factor in building the large following the show amassed, allowing the team to play several sellout venues across the UK. In 2017 he decided to call time on his time at The Guardian to start his own production company, Muddy Knees Media, with long time producer Ben Green and former guest Iain Macintosh. Their first podcast? Football, obviously, entitled The Totally Football Show.
“It was a little bit of a leap in the dark although we weren’t reinventing ourselves particularly. I guess we felt that people would still be listening but we have been really happy with the response and the number of listeners we get. The world cup made a big difference, we threw a lot at it and our listenership seems to have grown. I’m really happy with how things are going. Not just with listenership but also after a year of doing this we have met and been able to bring in lots of different kinds of people and some fresh ideas.”
There were few surprised when Richardson announced in December 2017 a Italian football podcast, Golazzo. “The thing about Golazzo is, because of Italian football in the 90’s on Channel 4, there is a sentiment for that period and Serie A in general. I’m aware of the wealth of stories there are to tell about Italian football.”
Would he expand his empire to cover the top 5 European leagues? Perhaps not. “I’m not sure you would have the same kind of built in audience for say a La Liga show or a Bundesliga show. We get about 60,000 an episode for Golazzo which is a very healthy listenership. As much as podcasts have grown I think we are still very much at the tip of the iceberg in terms of their potential and the way that people can use them as a forum and a way of covering different sports and leagues.”
“In the same way that we have shifted across from watching linear tv to basically sitting on things like Netflix, Apple tv, and streaming boxsets, I think increasingly people won’t be tied down to radio schedules but instead just pick up audio on demand. It is much easier if you are commuting or making a car journey rather than listening to whatever happens to be playing on the radio, so you can follow things that you are interested in. Or even things that you have no interest in at the start but in half an hour or an hour will give you an understanding of a subject you’ve never previously known about.”
“The potential of podcasts is huge. They’re so cheap to make and they tend to be free to download. The percentage of the population that is even aware of them or let alone used them is still relatively small. It isa huge area of growth that we are going to see.”
There is the crux of the problem. Podcasts have the potential to change the way people listen to audio shows, but how to advertise them in a way that would attract new listeners? “For our podcast we don’t particularly advertise it, it’s more of a word of mouth thing.”
“I think for podcasts in general it’s something that more and more people are becoming aware of like ‘what is that icon on my home screen saying podcasts?’. I guess it’s a generational thing as well as more young people are into them. Generally though people are becoming more and more aware of the potential that they have. The new ways of enjoying content.”
“In the same way that years ago nobody knew what an Apple tv was or downloadable tv content was and now it’s become completely normal. Even my mother will watch boxsets. It takes time. There was such a traditional way of consuming television and radio content that it takes time for people to switch across.”
“In terms of how we advertise that’s a tricky one. I don’t know how you do it. We don’t particularly have an advertising budget we rely as I say very much on word of mouth. At a guess I would think that you’ll start to see a lot more podcasts advertising on other podcasts. This happens already I know we have had adverts for another show on our podcast. I think there will be a lot more cross-pollination that way.”
“The thing about podcasts at the moment is that they are two different kinds: the ones attracted to the fact that podcasts are a very democratic kind of thing and they don’t need to be tied in with a production company or have a big budget, you can put something out with very little expense; then you do have increasingly companies such as Apple or Spotify who are getting involved and they will start, if they aren’t already, doing major pushes to get people aware of what they are doing.”
“Stuff like that, while advertising one podcast in particular, will be advertising the whole idea of podcasting in general. For example Serial’s huge success woke a huge section of the population up to what podcasts are, what their potential is, and the sort of stories you can tell. Maybe people thought it was just a sports thing or like a blog, but the fact that you can get drama which is almost unputdownable really pushed the whole field forward.”
“I think that people like Apple as they get involved in this will want to expand the market as fast as possible which will hopefully bring many people with them.”
Author James GillPosted on October 3, 2018 Categories In ConversationTags featured, In Conversation, James Richardson, Podcasts, The Guardian, The Totally Football Show, Truth and MoviesLeave a comment on James Richardson: “As much as podcasts have grown I think we are still very much at the tip of the iceberg in terms of their potential”
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Serena Williams says she learned sister's killer was paroled before lopsided loss
Reuters August 17, 2018
Aug 14, 2018; Mason, OH, USA; Serena Williams (USA) serves against Petra Kvitova (CZE) in the Western and Southern tennis open at Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Serena Williams had the most painful loss of her life on her mind when she suffered the worst loss of her career on July 31.
Williams told Time that she learned the man who killed her sister, Yetunde Price, in September 2003 had been released on parole just before a 53-minute lopsided loss to Johanna Konta at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic on July 31.
Williams lost to Konta 6-1, 6-0, and said afterward in a brief press conference she was fighting more than her opponent in the loss.
"It was hard because all I think about is her kids," Williams told Time, "and what they meant to me. And how much I love them."
Price had three children, who were ages 11, 9 and 5 at the time of her death.
Robert Edward Maxfield shot Price in the back of the head while she sat in a car with her boyfriend in Compton, California. Price was a half-sister of Serena and Venus Williams.
Maxfield was sentenced to only 15 years in prison. He was released three years early for good behavior.
"No matter what, my sister is not coming back for good behavior. It's unfair that she'll never have an opportunity to hug me," Williams told Time. "But also ... the Bible talks about forgiveness. I'm not there yet. I would like to practice what I preach, and teach Olympia that as well. I want to forgive. I have to get there. I'll be there."
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Serena among 13 Grand Slam champs in US Open women's field
This year’s US Open prize money is a record $57 million — the winner will make $3.85 million
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« Philly Clips: Ordering In | Main | Wednesday morning papers »
It's when, not if for Phillies
Last season the Colorado Rockies finished the season by winning 14 of their final 15 games. Carrying that hot streak into the playoffs, the Rockies won seven more in a row to land in the World Series. The crazy part about that was the Rockies were in fourth place with 12 games remaining in the season and third place at game No. 161. Had they gone 13 for 15, it would not have worked out.
Certainly the Rockies’ hot streak through the last two weeks of the season and into the playoffs was one of the greatest closing runs ever. Six times they won by two runs or less, including a pair of extra-inning affairs.
In the understatement of all time, things just clicked for Colorado.
Meanwhile, things certainly are clicking for the Phillies these days, too. With five games remaining in the season, the Phillies can one-up the Rockies great closing run by winning 15 of their final 16 games. But unlike the Rockies, it doesn’t seem as if the Phillies are going to need the all-or-nothing surge. Instead, the Phillies fans aren’t thinking about “if,” the big question is, “when.”
As in, “When are they going to clinch?”
Yes, going 10 for 11 during the season’s final fortnight has a crazy way of putting things into better focus. After all, it wasn’t even three weeks ago when the Phillies left Washington, D.C. after a crippling 9-7 loss to the hapless Nationals that put their playoff hopes teetering on the balance. The slightest slip up at Shea Stadium against the Mets could have sent things spiraling out of control. A week later, after dropping a three-game series to the Marlins at the Bank, the margin for error got even tighter. Trailing the Mets by 3½ games with 16 to go seemed like too big of a mountain to scale.
Instead, 11 games later we’re sitting here wondering “when,” not “if.”
“Things happen. Sometimes you get the breaks, sometimes you don’t,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “You’d be surprised. When you're going good, somebody will hit a screaming foul ball. It goes foul by about six inches. What happens if he hits it on the line or something?”
Certainly Manuel isn’t losing much sleep over things like balls that land centimeters on one side of the line these days. Everything is working out for his club these days – every move is the right one, like when September call up Greg Golson entered Monday’s game as a pinch runner only to go from first to third before a pitch had been thrown.
In the ninth, with lights out closer Brad Lidge unavailable after a full weekend of closing out games in Miami, Brian McCann’s long fly ball to left field off Ryan Madson just missed being a two-run home run by inches. Rather than cutting deep into the Phillies’ lead, McCann’s hit was a simple double – nothing more than a chance for the Braves to pad their left-on-base totals.
So with five games to go in the regular season, the Phillies can seal things up before the weekend. Another victory over the Braves on Tuesday coupled with a loss by the Brewers ensures a Game 163 playoff game even if the Phillies lose their final four games. Better yet, two more victories ought to be enough to sew up the NL East and most likely send the Dodgers to Philly next week for the NLDS.
But if the Mets fold up again and the Brewers slip past them for the wild card (the Mets lead is one game with six to go), then the Phillies get to host Milwaukee again.
No matter the scenario, the Phillies are sitting pretty. Two more does the trick…
It not a matter of if, but when.
Speaking of which, it seems as if the Mets' pitching is in full self-destruct mode as the games become more important. On Monday night, the fans at Shea were masquerading as empty, orange seats after an early battle against the Cubs turned into a laugher when pitcher Jason Marquis slugged a grand slam to break open the game as if it were a 10-pound bass.
So that's the way it is, huh? Are the Mets nothing more than a dead fish waiting to be carved up?
Maybe so.
Either way, the Mets are not getting too far ahead of themselves like they did last year when it appeared it was simply a matter of "when," not "if." Because of that, the team installed extra seats near the dugouts to handle the overflow crowd and high-rollers in need of tickets for the playoffs -- a plan that became foolhardy when the Phillies caught them on the last day of the season.
This year the Mets aren't acting so quickly on the extra seats. With six more games to go and a wild-card berth looking more like the best post-season possibility, the club will wait to install those seats.
In the meantime, manager Jerry Manuel is looking to infuse his with the proverbial shot in the arm(s). Though it seems tenuous at best, starting pitcher John Maine could come off the disabled list in time to work out of the bullpen.
The best bet for the Mets, however, looks to be the notion that the Brewers are an even bigger dead fish with no more fits and flops left in them for one last push.
In the meantime, the Phillies could have the luxury of resting a few arms before learning who their first-round opponent will be.
The Philly scribes now have all angles of the J.A. Happ-as-Marty Bystrom bit covered. At least we do after Rich Hofmann chatted up the always loquacious Dallas Green for the latest update on the premise.
Big D's big quote in Rich's story?
"Marty did one hell of a job,'' he said. "We don't win without him - that's for sure. We'd probably still win without Happ but we wouldn't have won without Marty. He was 5-0, he started two games for us in the playoffs and the World Series. He was a hell of a pitcher, he really was, for a kid. He just got himself all messed up afterward. He got a sore arm.
"He never really got, I mean, that was Marty's shining light, that September,'' Green said. "Hopefully J.A. will get a little more than that.''
My favorite part of the other Bystrom story by that other guy was when it retired pitcher revealed that he did not know he was going to pitch in the decisive Game 5 of the NLCS until after the Phillies won Game 4. That meant all Bystrom could do was go home and take a nap before attempting to pitch the Phillies into the World Series.
“I hadn’t pitched in nine or 10 days and Dallas came up to after Game 4 and said, ‘You got the ball tomorrow, kid,’” Bystrom said. “I said, ‘I’m ready.’”
I guess Rich's story is better... at least it's shorter.
Posted at 12:00 AM in Brad Lidge, Braves, Brewers, Brian McCann, Charlie, Colorado Rockies, Greg Golson, New York Mets, Phillies, playoffs, Ryan Madson, winning streaks | Permalink
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Police search for gunman who shot and killed Sacramento cop
Police say Officer Tara O’Sullivan was gunned down during domestic dispute.
FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, whilea a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.
The Five: http://video.foxnews.com/playlist/lon…
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Fox News @ Night: http://video.foxnews.com/playlist/lon…
Ex-Dem aide leaked GOP senators’ personal data, gets 4 years in jail
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The Language Movement
The multilingual Muslims in undivided India during British rule had Urdu as their lingua franca, while Hindi was the lingua franca of the Hindus. These two languages are quite similar in terms of sound and structure. However, there are two clear differences: firstly, Urdu is written in Arabic script although Urdu has more letters than Arabic, while Hindi is written in Devanagri script. The second difference is in vocabulary, with Urdu having many Arabic and Persian words while Hindi is full of Sanskrit words. However, there are quite a few Sanskrit words in Urdu and a significant number of Arabic and Persian words in Hindi. In fact these two languages are not original languages, but lingua francas. In other words, they are combinations of various languages. Bangla also has many Sanskrit words, but due to pronunciation differences it is not always easy to understand Hindi.
Urdu is the mother tongue of many people in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The capital of Urdu is there. The Nizam (ruler) of the Southern Indian state of Hyderabad had declared Urdu as the state language and paved the way for the language to develop by making it the medium of instruction at Osmania University. Most of the Islamic literature published in India since colonisation have been in Urdu, which contributed to a huge collection of Urdu literature. With many books in English translated into Urdu, the language is now considered very rich.
National Language Debate in Pakistan
Pakistan was created with four provinces in the west and one province in the east. The people in these provinces spoke different languages. The main languages of the four western provinces are Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, and Baluchi, although the common language of the educated people in all those provinces is Urdu. Although these four languages have developed significantly since then, they hadn’t developed much literature at that time. Urdu was the medium of education in madrasahs and the scholars practised the language widely. As Urdu was compulsory in schools, modern educated people were able to learn the language. Considering all this, it can be said that Urdu was the most common language of West Pakistan at that time.
However, apart from those who studied in madrasahs, modern educated and common people in East Pakistan knew nothing about Urdu. Making Urdu the only national language would certainly make people in this region, even those who completed university, completely illiterate in different affairs of the state. I found it difficult to understand why those who were in favour of Urdu as the only state language did not realise this matter. They were probably in the wrong illusion that a nation state should have only one state language. That probably led them to declare that Urdu would be the only state language of Pakistan. However, one has to condemn the effort to persist on this despite Tamaddun Majlish starting a movement demanding the declaration of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan.
The movement to declare Bangla as one of the state languages began during the first visit to Dhaka by Pakistan’s Founding Father, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, in March 1948. The Prime Minister of East Pakistan at that time was Khwaja Nazimuddin. Realising the intensity of the movement of 11th March, he decided to come to a compromise with the leaders of the ‘Rashtra Bhasha Shongram Committee’ (Committee for the State Language Movement). An eight-point treaty was agreed between the Prime Minister and the committee on 15th March. The second point of the treaty said: “A proposal comprising the recommendation for making Bangla a state language have to be sent to the central government.”
However, on 21 March Mohammad Ali Jinnah declared at a civic reception at the Racecourse Ground, “Urdu will be the only state language.” I became so agitated that I left the ground immediately with some of my friends. When he made the same announcement at the convocation ceremony at Curzon Hall in Dhaka University on 24 March, the audience shouted “No, No!” When the movement committee met with Jinnah the same evening, he said, “Let us differ respectfully.” He further said, “You can make demands of the government in a systematic manner, but if you try through any other means then you will be dealt with very strictly.”
The huge personality of Mohammad Ali Jinnah was able to temporarily tame the movement for the state language, but the publicity campaign for the demand continued.
Memorandum to the Prime Minister
The Dhaka University Students’ Union organised a huge student rally at the University Gymnasium Ground on 27 November 1948, where students from all educational institutions were invited to attend. The occasion was very important; it was to submit a Memorandum to the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan, on behalf of students.
As my classes for the MA ended in June 1948, I didn’t go back to stay in the hostel after the summer holidays, instead staying at my uncle Shafiqul Islam’s house in Tikatuli, Dhaka. I had to continue the duties as General Secretary of the Students’ Union although as there was no election for the 1948-49 session. However, due to not staying at the hall, an Acting General Secretary was nominated from the elected representatives.
The responsibility for writing the memorandum to be read to the Prime Minister was given to the then Vice President of Salimullah Muslim Hall, Abdur Rahman Chowdhury, (who later became a renowned justice of the Supreme Court) with a committee approving the draft. The problem arose as to who would read it out at the event in front of the Prime Minister. The natural choice would be the Vice President of the Students’ Union, but as the VP was a Hindu, it was decided that considering the demand for Bangla as a state language was the most important aspect of the memorandum, it wouldn’t be wise to ask Arvind Bose to read the memorandum. The main reason for this decision was that the Muslim League government had already started to confuse the public saying that the demand for Bangla was mainly the demand of the Hindus. Hence, it was decided that Ghulam Azam would read the memorandum as the General Secretary of the Students’ Union.
As students from all educational institutions attended the event, the huge ground was packed with people, including on the adjacent roads as well. The Prime Minister, Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan, was seated on the right of the Chair of the programme with his wife Begum Rana Liaqat Ali Khan sat next to him. When I stood to read the memorandum, I noticed that Mrs Khan was just a couple of yards behind the microphone stand. The introduction of the memorandum was to warmly welcome the Prime Minister and to reiterate our commitment to the development of peace and prosperity of Pakistan, to underscore the need to bring unity between East and West Pakistan, and to condemn the narrow mentality of those who only work for regional and provincial interests. The Prime minister became very happy with this introduction and clapped while I kept on reading the memorandum, written in eloquent English, in a loud and clear voice.
When I read the section demanding Bangla be declared a state language, the whole audience gave a huge round of applause supporting the demand. I paused to allow for the clapping to continue.
At that time, I heard the Prime Minister’s wife telling him, “language ke bare me saf saf keh dena (tell them clearly about the language issue).”
I started reading again. This time I repeated the paragraph about the language issue even more firmly. Again the clapping started and some stood up clapping. After the audience became calm, I read out the remainder of the long memorandum and handed it over to the Prime minister on behalf of the students. He shook my hand and accepted it without saying a word.
Then he stood up to give his speech. I was worried that he would reiterate the same words that Mohammad Ali Jinnah had uttered. He began his speech in an angry voice saying, “If this is not regionalism then what is?” He then said in a manner as if to rebuke the audience, “We will not tolerate any regionalism, for the sake of the nation and its unity.”
I became even more worried and wondered how the audience would react if, taking the suggestion of his wife, he used the same language as Jinnah and clearly spoke against the language demand. What would I do if he did that? Would it be possible for me to sit quietly on the stage when the whole audience wanted Bangla to be a state language? I decided that I would instantly protest saying, “No, No” if he said anything against our demand.
As I was getting increasingly tense what the Prime Minister would say, I found him change his tone completely. He talked positively about our other demands; asked students to concentrate on their studies; and asked them to grow up as worthy citizens of the nation. However, he said absolutely nothing about the language issue. He could have said that he was not able to make a decision about this without talking to the Parliament. He probably decided not to say anything against it considering the sentiments among the audience. Despite not being happy with his speech, I had no opportunity to protest as the clever politician managed the situation very deftly.
The first Prime Minister of Pakistan was assassinated at a public meeting in Rawalpindi on 16 October 1951, and the then Governor, General Khwaja Nazimuddin, became the Prime Minister. Although he was from the Nawab Bari of Dhaka, his mother tongue was Urdu. On 27 January 1951, Khwaja Nazimuddin declared at a public meeting at the Paltan Ground that Urdu will be the only state language of Pakistan. He wouldn’t have made this declaration if he had been as clever as Liaqat Ali Khan. I was astonished at this, as he was the person who had signed a treaty to consider Bangla as a state language when he was the Prime Minister of East Pakistan.
The language movement attained a new momentum after Khwaja Nazimuddin’s announcement. On 21st February, students defied Section 1441 and demonstrated in favour of their demand. The procession started from Dhaka University campus. When it reached the front of Dhaka Medical College Hostel, police fired upon it killing four people and injuring another 17. This killing triggered a mass movement in East Pakistan demanding Bangla to be declared a state language, culminating in the movement’s success the following year.
I was working at Rangpur Carmichael College at that time. Like other parts of East Pakistan, students brought out processions in Rangpur as well. I and my colleague Professor Jamiruddin were among those who led that demonstration. As a result, both of us and some leading students were arrested on 6 March.
First Experience of Jail
The jailor of Rangpur was a friend of Professor Jamiruddin. I and Jamiruddin were flat mates at that time when he came to visit his friend. I had been curious about life in a prison since boyhood, when I used to live in a tutored lodging adjacent to the walls of Dhaka Central Jail in 1939. Prior to my arrest, I asked the jailor if he could take me around the jail, and he said he could do so after getting permission from the authorities. Incidentally, a month later, the same jailor put me and his friend into jail and didn’t have to bother asking permission to show me around.
The Jailor felt very embarrassed, particularly because he couldn’t arrange division2 for us in jail on the first day and we had to sleep on the floor like common criminals resident there. He fast tracked the process the following day and arranged our division swiftly. This was my first experience of jail, and I actually liked it. A prison cell is very effective if one wants to come closer to Allah. When one is away from the family and confined within high walls, then Allah becomes their only resort to get comfort, and He becomes ever closer. No prison wall can stop this. He is the only person to talk to. The taste of pure submission I felt during Tahajjud during those days was unprecedented.
However, I was very sad for one reason. That was the spring time of my married life, as I was newly married just three months earlier on 28 December 1951. We had just began our life together as a family in mid-January, when I brought my wife to my college accommodation. I had to stay in jail for 25 days and it could have been longer if my uncle, Advocate Shafiqul Islam (former leader of Muslim League), had not arranged my release through the then provincial Prime Minister, Nurul Amin.
By sdcuk in autobiography on May 17, 2015 .
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St. Louis Expansion with Cardinal Orthodontics
Fry Orthodontic Specialists is excited to announce their expansion with Dr. James Galea in the St. Louis area. Effective September 1st, 2017, Dr. James Galea will be leading Fry Orthodontics’ sister practice, Cardinal Orthodontics.
The first Cardinal Orthodontics office will be in Webster Groves and is emerging via a partnership with Webster Groves Orthodontics at 24 South Gore Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri.
“I am excited for the continued growth of Fry Orthodontics and our ability to provide the community of St. Louis and surrounding cities with the same valued orthodontic care and services,” says Dr. Jeremy Fry.
Born in Malta, Dr. James Galea graduated from dental school with distinction and earned the degree of Bachelor of Dental Surgery. After working as a dentist for two years, Dr. James was selected for matriculation at the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco.
Dr. James graduated as Valedictorian of his class and received his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree in addition to numerous honors and awards for his scholastic achievements. He was inducted into the honor societies of Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Kappa Upsilon, and Tau Kappa Omega.
Following dental school, Dr. James was selected as a resident in the Graduate Orthodontics Program at University of the Pacific. After graduation, as an Orthodontic Specialist with a Master of Science Degree, Dr. James Galea joined the Fry Orthodontic Specialists team where for 5 years he treated patients at their Shawnee, Platte City, Atchison, Overland Park, and Prairie Village locations.
“I look forward to this new journey. I am excited to meet and work with the St. Louis community and continuing the Fry tradition of helping create beautiful, healthy smiles for teens and adults,” says Dr. James Galea.
Your Smile is Just the Start! Fry Orthodontic Specialists and Cardinal Orthodontics are pleased to offer state-of-the-art orthodontic treatment for teens and adults, including metal and clear braces and Invisalign. Fry and Cardinal Orthodontics are Diamond+ Invisalign Providers.
Download the full Press Release
Tags: Cardinal Orthodontics, News
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2017 Was Rough, But Movement Leaders Have High Hopes for 2018
Nine movement leaders from all over the world share their hopes for the year to come.
By Beverly Bell, January 17, 2018 . Originally published in Yes! Magazine.
(“From optimism to Hope” by artist Andrew Rogers. Photo: Niels Linneberg)
Across the globe, 2017 brought us to new lows. Yet, even as crisis after crisis shook us to the ground, they also inspired many to rise up and take to the streets and other venues of popular power. Donald Trump as president awakened millions, sparked new cross-sectoral coalitions, and galvanized people to creative and effective action.
Across the world, those who never had the luxury of complacency continued their struggles for participatory democracy; economic justice; an end to wars and violence; protection of the global commons; the rights and security of women, LGBTQ folk, and other excluded populations; and an end to theft and plunder of indigenous and small-farmer lands.
Here, nine movement leaders share their hopes for the new year. From the head of Greenpeace USA to an opponent of patriarchal capitalism in Zimbabwe, these thinkers, strategists, and organizers have made significant contributions to different sectors and continents. And cutting across all their aspirations is a common theme: that solutions to some of the most intractable challenges on the planet will come from people uniting and organizing into powerful movements.
Alicia Garza
Oakland, Calif.-based organizer and co-founder of Black Lives Matter
Alicia Garza (Photo: KK Ottesen)
My hope for 2018 is that Black people are joined by the rest of the nation in solidly rejecting the new regime that has taken power. From suffrage to voting rights, from anti-Apartheid, emancipation, and #BlackLivesMatter to UndocuBlack and #MeToo, Black people have kept our eyes on freedom.
Though we are not mules on whose backs freedom depends, the innovation and vision of Black people is critical, along with the activation of millions who understand that our futures are tied to one another. Let this be the year that sexual harassment and violence is seen through the eyes of Black women, the year that Congress is reorganized, and the year that progressive movements nurture and support Black communities by decisively taking on the fight against anti-Black racism as a fight for all of us.
I hope that not another mother loses her child to police violence or the violence of government neglect. I hope a new movement emerges, committed to the fight against anti-Black racism in all its forms and united in pursuit of a future for all of us. I hope this is the year that the current administration is soundly rejected in favor of an interdependent, mutually beneficial global community.
Executive director of Greenpeace USA
Annie Leonard (Photo: Marcus Donner)
I have high hopes for the new year, hopes based on the very real momentum building across the country. In 2017, millions of people who have long felt concern about climate change, increasing inequity, the deterioration of our democracy, and more went from being isolated and angry to united and active. That gives me hope since an inclusive peoples’ movement is the best line of defense against those who want to plunder the planet and its people. And that movement is growing more powerful by the day.
Closer to home, I hope that Greenpeace and allies win the lawsuit attempting to shut us up or shut us down. In 2017, Energy Transfer Partners, the company that built the Dakota Access pipeline (the focus of the Standing Rock protest), filed a $900 million SLAPP suit against Greenpeace. This is an attempt to silence and intimidate critics of pipelines and defenders of indigenous rights. I hope 2018 brings a resounding dismissal of this lawsuit, sending a strong message to corporations everywhere that they can’t silence constitutionally protected advocacy. Dissent, nonviolent protest, and activism are crucial parts of our democracy, and are needed now more than ever.
Gustavo Castro
Co-coordinator of Friends of the Earth Mexico/Otros Mundos; co-coordinator, Mesoamerican Movement against the Mining Extractive Model (M4)
Gustavo Castro (Photo: Beverly Bell)
Responding to advanced capitalism with its savage extractivism in Latin America, organized peoples are resisting with more force, giving hope to the planet and me for the coming year.
Electoral, military, and corporate coups d’état have encountered stronger fight-back from the Left, regardless of the cost to life and liberty; so too have free trade and investment agreements, the vehicles for making gigantic corporate investments in the territories of indigenous people and rural farmers (for everything from drilling and fracking of oil and gas; mining; monocultural production of African palm and other crops; and shrimp and factory cattle farming). Left movements are also fighting the theft and pillage of lands, waters, and other commons of nature, as well as the infrastructure needed to make huge profits from them, like oil pipelines and dry canals.
If the criminalization of social movements has grown, it is because the resistance continues to grow too, more than ever. In Latin America, people organized into organizations, and movements are defending their human rights, territories, and life.
Samia Shoman
Palestinian American educator in the San Francisco Bay Area
On Dec. 21, when 128 member countries of the United Nations voted with Palestine against the U.S. president’s declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, my hope for Palestine was renewed.
This hope grew when popular singer Lorde cancelled, on moral grounds, her upcoming concert in Tel Aviv on Christmas Day. Her announcement revalidated that the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, which seeks to end international support for Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine, is growing and working. The action and resilience of Ahed Tamimi, the Palestinian teen activist who stood up to Israeli soldiers’ aggression, has filled Palestinians with hope that there is a new generation leading the resistance.
My hope is that one day soon the American populace will catch up to the international community, which seems more aware of the growing violence and oppression against Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli government and military forces, and more willing to speak out about it. And when the streets of America are filled with people supporting Palestinians’ right to self-determination and liberation, this hope will be fulfilled.
Michelle L. Cook
Diné (Navajo) human rights lawyer focused on protecting indigenous rights and territories
The indigenous human rights movement was infused with new energy by the mass mobilization on the ancestral territories of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation in North Dakota, against the Dakota Access pipeline.
There is no tidy ending to that tale. The safety and future of indigenous people, lands, and waters still hang in the balance, and still need the world’s full support.
At the same time, Standing Rock sparked a movement to stop international capital from flowing to the Dakota Access pipeline via banks, cities, and pension funds. In 2018 and beyond, indigenous people wielding the divestment tool—with women in the forefront—will be working to stop more financing of harmful projects and corporations.
This promises to be another year of indigenous mobilization to protect ancestral lands from plunder, such as Bears Ears in Utah from uranium mining and Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin from the Bayou Bridge oil pipeline.
We are hopefully at a turning point in human rights in America, for indigenous self-determination and treaty rights, and for remedy by state and non-state actors. Moving forward from Standing Rock, as after the 1965 civil rights activity in Selma, Alabama, we are in a societal shift that will continue to inspire more just alternatives.
Melania Chiponda
Feminist activist and climate justice campaigner who was part of the Zimbabwean uprising that toppled Robert Mugabe
Anti-Mugabe protesters in Zimbabwe. (Photo: Melania Chiponda)
Photo from Melania Chiponda
The march of millions across Zimbabwe on Nov. 18 for our democracy, peace, and economic salvation succeeded in bringing down Mugabe. It was a revolution.
As an African feminist, I marched for something deeper, as well: for the liberation of women, for equality for people from all races, religions, genders, ethnic groups, and classes.
But from a feminist perspective, the real revolution has not yet happened. My dream for 2018 and beyond is for true change, not just for a changing of the guard, from Mugabe to his former henchman, the vicious Emmerson Mnangagwa. If we want to correct the political and economic system, then we should get rid of patriarchal capitalism. I feel trapped where every avenue to power is overwhelmingly male-dominated. A more cooperative and egalitarian economic system cannot be based on male supremacy.
In a world where women are viewed as mothers and caregivers before anything else, and have to overcome strong ideological and political resistance from men to participate in political and economic systems, my hope is that we start a real revolution against patriarchal capitalism.
Greg Asbed
Cofounder of the farmworker-driven human rights and economic justice group the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
There were real glimmers of hope in 2017 that, when seen together, just might be the light at the end of one of the darkest years in this country’s history.
No glimmer shone brighter here in Immokalee, Florida, where some of this country’s poorest, least powerful, most exploited workers found a way by building common cause with consumers, to turn what had been called “ground zero for modern-day slavery” into what is today known as “the best working environment in U.S. agriculture.” Through the Fair Food Program, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers is eliminating longstanding abuses from sexual assault to forced labor and, in the process, giving farmworkers a real voice in the decisions that shape their lives.
If transformational, worker-led change can happen in Southern agriculture, it can happen anywhere. And that is my hope: that we come together in 2018 and start building the new day in the new year.
Erika Guevara Rosas
Americas director at Amnesty International
Across the Americas throughout 2017, a growing social discontent inspired people to take to the streets and raise their voices for an end to repression, marginalization, and injustice. My inspiration to continue fighting for a better world in 2018 comes from countless small, brave acts by individuals and campaigns and resistance from movements that have and can make a real difference as we stand up to defend human rights.
Inspiration in 2017 came from the massive social movement of Ni Una Menos, or Not One Fewer, denouncing femicide and other violence against women and girls across Latin America. The long struggle of Peruvian activist Maxima Acuña had stopped a mining company that wanted to take over her land; recently, the Peruvian Supreme Court ruled in her favor. The decriminalization of abortion in Chile was a testament to the work of millions of women across the continent. And these are just a few of last year’s stories of courage that have profoundly impacted people’s lives.
In spite of the repressive response from governments, massive mobilizations in every corner in the region demanding state accountability and respect for human dignity will continue this year to transform the paradigms of power.
Emem Okon
Director of Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre, a Nigerian eco-feminist organization battling oil companies
As women in the Niger Delta, we hope for this for 2018: Nothing about us without us!
Throughout this new year, we will be aiming for greater power for the eco-feminist movement as we battle the oil companies who have stolen our lands, degraded the environment and biodiversity, and increased violence. I expect more visibility of women as we take action for the protection, remediation, and restoration of our environment. I anticipate ever-larger women’s mobilizations and look forward to deep consultations with women pushing oil companies to conduct Environmental Impact Assessments before commencing activities on their communities’ land. I envision the aspirations of community people being recognized and respected by oil corporations.
Finally, I take hope from knowing we will push for a women’s rights perspective as we engage with and monitor the Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure that no one is left behind and to ensure that government and the oil companies do the right thing.
Beverly Bell is associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. She has worked for almost four decades as an advocate, organizer, and writer in collaboration with social movements in many parts of the globe.
Issues: Democracy & Governance, Energy, Environment, Food & Farm, Health, Human Rights, Labor, Trade, & Finance, War & Peace
Regions: Africa, Asia & Pacific, Europe & Central Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, North America
Tags: Black Lives Matter, boycott divestment and sanctions, Capitalism, Greenpeace, Indigenous Rights, Niger Delta, pipeline, racism, robert mugabe, Social Movements, Women's Rights
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Stephen Hawking: America Must Take Action Against Climate Change
Hawking appealed to Trump to make better choices regarding the environment and climate change.
Dom GaleonMarch 20th 2017
/ Earth Energy
/ Climate Change
/ Environment
/ Stephen Hawking
/Climate Change
/Environment
/Stephen Hawking
In recent years, British physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking has expressed many fears about the world. He’s known to have misgivings about artificial intelligence (AI), saying that it could be the biggest achievement in humanity’s history, but also its last. He’s worried about AI decimating jobs, and he has a plan to counter an AI apocalypse. He’s cautioned against making first contact with extraterrestrial life, and he’s afraid that mankind may go extinct in 1,000 years.
While all of those predictions are for a time in the relatively distant future, Hawking’s latest fear is more grounded in the present. He’s afraid that he may no longer be welcome in the United States. “I would like to visit again and to talk to other scientists, but I fear that I may not be welcome,” Hawking said during an interview today with Piers Morgan for Good Morning Britain.
Hawking isn’t necessarily expressing a fear for his life. His concern is in reference to the current federal administration’s climate policies. In particular, Hawking has taken issue with the appointment of Scott Pruitt as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as he is possibly the first known anti-EPA and climate change skeptic to head the agency.
The British thinker is known to be critical of President Donald Trump’s administration, previously calling the Trump a “demagogue.” “Trump was elected by people who felt disenfranchised by the governing elite in a revolt against globalization,” he said during his morning TV show appearance today. “His priority will be to satisfy his electorate, who are neither liberal nor that well informed.”
Hawking, Trump, and the Environment
It’s difficult to fault Hawking for his fears and concerns regarding how the new administration has been handling environmental issues. Indeed, it has seemingly placed a low priority on the environment several times already, such as when it removed documents pertaining to climate change from government websites. The administration also seems to favor energy policies that lean toward increased fossil fuel use, despite the growth of the renewable energy sector.
Indeed, the latest administration seems to be at odds with not just the environment, but science in general. President Trump has proposed a budget that would make enormous cuts to various science and health agencies, including the EPA and NASA. In a more literal and equally alarming move, the word “science” has even been deleted from the EPA’s mission statement.
Though Hawking’s fears may be well-founded, that hasn’t stopped him from offering a word of advice to President Trump. “He should replace Scott Pruitt at the [EPA],” Hawking said emphatically, The Guardian reports. “Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and it’s one we can prevent. It affects America badly, so tackling it should win votes for his second term. God forbid.”
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A Century After Communist Revolution, Tajiks Still Yearn To Visit Homeland
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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Writers — The Biography of Tobias Wolff
The Biography of Tobias Wolff
Category: Literature
Subcategory: Writers
Tobias Wolff was born on June 19th, 1945 in Birmingham, Alabama. He is the second son of Arthur Samuels Wolff and Rosemary Loftus Wolff. At age five, Tobias faced a family breakup where he and his mother separated from his father and older brother, Geoffrey, due to the instability his father kept in his family life. Wolff and his mother constantly moved. They lived first in Florida, then moved to Utah in 1955, and finally settled in the Pacific Northwest, where his mother remarried a troublesome man, Dwight Hansen. They lived in Newhalem, Washington with Hansen and his three children.
Wolff attended Concrete High School until he left for Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where he faked his references to be accepted. He attended Hill School for a year but did not graduate and instead ended up joining the military for four years. Wolff’s family also did not reunite until 1961 when he saw his older brother and father after eleven years. From 1964 to 1968, Wolff served in the U.S. Army Special Forces, where he was assigned his post in Vietnam.
After serving those years, Wolff traveled to England and enrolled at Oxford University. In 1972, he received his bachelor’s degree at Oxford and in 1975, received a master’s degree at Oxford. Returning to America, he worked first as a reporter for The Washington Post, then at various restaurant jobs in California. In 1975, he married Catherine Dolores Spohn, a teacher and social worker. They later had two sons and a daughter; Michael, Patrick, and Mary Elizabeth. Wolff enrolled at Stanford University the same year and soon received a master’s degree from Stanford in 1978. While at Stanford, he met and became friends with other writers, including Raymond Carver. During this time, he supported himself by teaching.
Besides short stories, Tobias Wolff has published a novella, The Barracks Thief (1984), and a memoir, This Boy’s Life (1989). He also edited short-story anthologies, including The Best American Short Stories (1994). While pursuing his own writing, Wolff has taught creative writing at Goddard College and Arizona State University. Currently, he lives with his family in upstate New York and teaches at Syracuse University. Wolff has also influenced countless people, including the famous David Sedaris, an American comedian and author. Sedaris claims he is Wolff’s “biggest fan” as he has read every word Wolff has ever written.
Wolff’s work has won numerous literary prizes. He received a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in 1975 to study creative writing at Stanford University and won creative writing grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Wolff has been awarded the 1985 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for The Barracks Thief and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. His This Boy’s Life: A Memoir won The Los Angeles Times book prize for biography. He has also received a Whiting Foundation Award (1990), a Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Award (1994), and a Lyndhurst Foundation Award (1994).
GradesFixer. (2018, October, 08) The Biography of Tobias Wolff. Retrived July 18, 2019, from https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-biography-of-tobias-wolff/
"The Biography of Tobias Wolff." GradesFixer, 08 Oct. 2018, https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-biography-of-tobias-wolff/. Accessed 18 July 2019.
GradesFixer. 2018. The Biography of Tobias Wolff., viewed 18 July 2019, <https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-biography-of-tobias-wolff/>
GradesFixer. The Biography of Tobias Wolff. [Internet]. October 2018. [Accessed July 18, 2019]. Available from: https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-biography-of-tobias-wolff/
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Prime Israel and Egypt Grow Closer
Israel and Egypt Grow Closer
By A. Pe'er, Hamodia Military Correspondent
Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 7:00 am | י"ד שבט תשע"ט
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) meets with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (R) in New York last September. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)
Egyptian President el-Sissi recently made a declaration that the Israeli-Egyptian relationship has never been closer.
What is really the nature of the relations between the two nations? And what is the status of President el-Sissi? And the question of all questions: If relations are so good, then who are the Egyptians amassing so much weaponry to fight against?
Egypt is going out of its way to praise its current relationship with the State of Israel. In two interviews that he gave last week, the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah el-Sissi, told The New York Times and 60 Minutes that cooperation is closer between Egypt and Israel than it has ever been since the peace agreement was signed. Non-Israeli media outlets allowed themselves to share what is not publicly disclosed in Israel: During the last year, Israeli fighter planes attacked more than 100 IS outposts and targets in the Sinai at the request of the Egyptians.
(L-R) Anwar Sadat, Jimmy Carter, and Menachem Begin on the White House grounds. (United States Library of Congress)
The World-Famous Peace Treaty
Forty-two years have passed since the first peace agreement was signed between Israel and any Arab nation. The agreement was seen by many, and rightfully so, as one of the most important strategic accomplishments of the state of Israel since its founding. The agreement calmed the Egyptian front for many years and opened up many options for Israel.
But the treaty did not thrive; it remained a “cold” peace. Meanwhile, the nightmare of Israeli strategists since the day it was signed is that the agreement will collapse and Israel will suddenly find itself facing the worst enemy of all. Despite the fact that this is hardly discussed in an open manner, it is worthwhile to remind ourselves that it can potentially happen.
Many in Israel call the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement a disappointment. But the peace largely stabilized the Arab-Israeli conflict and significantly reduced the chances of a major war like the Yom Kippur War. Peace with Egypt has become a first-degree strategic asset whose importance is evident even now in the violent conflict between Israel and Hamas. Egypt is the chief mediator between the sides in the Gaza Strip and it is the liaison to Arab nations.
Egypt is entering its fourth year under el-Sissi’s rule, and it is still in a tumultuous and unstable state. The tourists have fled, the markets lack basic products, explosive devices detonate every day. Internal political turmoil undermines the government, the criticism of the corruption is rising, the Nile water crisis is severe, and President el-Sissi’s reforms are very painful. But the president promises that very soon, it will be good. In the meantime, the Egyptians are having a very hard, bitter time of it.
Land of the Nile
Egypt used to be called “the Land of the Nile.” Indeed, the largest Arab state relies almost entirely on this seemingly endless source of water in its territory. Ninety-eight percent of Egypt’s residents live on the banks of the Nile and are sustained by its waters. The waters of the huge river are directed through massive irrigation ducts to the farmers’ fields, and Egyptians are also meant to use it for drinking water.
But the once pure and clear water that enabled Egyptians to live in comfort and abundance is no more. Today the river’s flow is at its lowest level in 114 years, and the salinity is so high that in the not-so-distant future the water will not be drinkable. Already today, microbes and parasites contaminate the water, and jeopardize the health of those who drink it. The primary result of the illnesses caused by the dirty water is blindness. Millions of Egyptians are blind from drinking this water. And who in Egypt has money to buy bottled mineral water?
The plan of Ethiopia, where the river begins its flow, to build the Al Nahdah dam in its part of the Nile will give Ethiopians control over the flow of the water and will deeply affect the quantity that will reach the Egyptian part of the Nile.
Islamist Mohammed Morsi, the former president of Egypt, threatened Ethiopia that his nation would not hesitate to go to war over the water use. The current president, el-Sissi, is using diplomacy to try to resolve the issue.
Egypt’s Economy Is in Tatters
The water problem is crucial for Egypt because their economy relies on agriculture; more than eighty percent of Egyptians work the land. Once, Egypt had generous revenues from tourism, but the tourists aren’t coming anymore. Egypt once had factories and industry, but thousands of them have closed down since the coup against President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Wealthy Egyptians have left for America, Europe or South America, and they no longer invest their money in their homeland.
Egyptians live primarily on bread, pitot. But they lack grain, and are now the number-one importer of grain in the world. Meanwhile, the population is growing each year, and will soon cross the 100 million mark, and the Egyptian treasury no longer has enough money to pay for the grain. It’s not uncommon to see signs stating, “We miss Mubarak, with him it was cheaper.”
Despite all this, many in Egypt trust el-Sissi to succeed in dealing with two central issues: terror that has been striking all over the country, and the economy. “We have patience,” they say.
Allow me a personal note here: I have been following the Israeli-Egyptian relationship for more than 50 years, since before the Six-Day War. I was part of the first delegation of Israeli military correspondents who came to Cairo a week after the visit of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Yerushalayim. Since then, I have visited Egypt about 20 times. I have met senior government officials, including President Hosni Mubarak.
From the first second, I was not enthralled by the peace agreement signed with Cairo. It was a default deal. There was no other choice; the hope was that it would bring about real peace. Not only did the peace not come, it is further away today than ever before.
But at the same time, there is a paradox. The peace agreement should make everyone happy with the fact that it has prevented war between the sides for more than 40 years. The lives of many Israelis, and even more Egyptians, were spared. But it’s a very cold peace, and all the governments in Cairo from that day to this have taken everything the peace treaty could possibly give them. Israel, however, gained almost nothing from it.
A patrol of the Egyptian army on the border with Gaza, in 2017. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
Israel Gives, Egypt Takes
Now that Egypt is under fire from Islamic State, or IS, Israel is helping generously. It shares intelligence with Egypt about locations of terrorists bearing black flags, and when Egypt cannot attack them, the Israeli Air Force sends planes to do the job for the Egyptians, despite the clear and present danger for the Israeli soldiers. In short, Israel is helping Egypt fight a battle that it cannot win itself.
Just last week, President el-Sissi declared during an interview that Egypt is very grateful to Israel for the attacks that it is carrying out on IS in Sinai. A short time after he made these remarks, his spokespeople requested that his words be erased. But the president’s words had already been aired.
Israel accedes to almost every Egyptian request. Egypt hardly answers a single significant Israeli request. After the peace treaty was signed, certain agreements were reached. These included Israel’s withdrawal from Sinai, which it carried out to the last inch. The sides established that there would be diplomatic relations between the two nations, with embassies and flags, there would be mutual visits by citizens who would come as tourists, there would be trade deals and more. But none of these were actually implemented. The Israeli ambassador to Egypt works in his office in … the Foreign Ministry in Yerushalayim. Not a single Egyptian tourist visits Israel, because Egypt issued a regulation that anyone seeking to visit Israel needs special permission from Egypt’s security services, which does not issue such permits. There are no trade ties.
Israel’s biggest problem in this matter relates to the most important part of the peace treaty. Beyond the agreement itself, there was an appendix relating to military issues. It stated that the entire Sinai Desert would be demilitarized; there would be no Egyptian fighters there, from the Israeli border to the Suez Canal, a distance of 400 kilometers. The exception is a corner in the Sinai where Egypt was granted the right to maintain one relatively weak division, with limited weapons. Israel firmly insisted that it be small and distant from Israel’s borders so that if, chalilah, Egypt made a surprise attack one day, it would begin hundreds of miles from the border with Israel and would be possible to thwart in time.
But what happened to this clause? Something terrible that is hardly spoken of in the open, certainly not in Israel. In the years since the treaty was signed, Egypt began to secretly dig dozens of tunnels beneath the Suez Canal, through which they could transfer tanks and armored vehicles into the Sinai within minutes. All these routes connect to main roads leading to Israel. At the same time, the Egyptians have built huge underground bunkers in the Sinai.
But the primary violation of the peace agreement came after IS fighters began taking hold throughout Sinai, targeting Egyptian soldiers. Cairo secretly appealed to Israel for permission to allow a small military force, equipped with armored vehicles, in order to be able to fight against IS. Israel vacillated whether to allow this, and after extensive discussions it was decided that they would be allowed to bring a small number of military vehicles and soldiers into the Sinai, on condition that as soon as the operation ended, they would get back to the other side of the Suez Canal.
Egypt brought its forces into Sinai and launched an operation against IS. During a few battles that lasted less than a week, IS killed dozens of Egyptian soldiers and damaged almost all the vehicles that Egypt had sent. Cairo went back to Israel and asked permission to let in an entire brigade, with its weapons, as well as a few fighter helicopters to provide air cover. They pledged to remove the entire force as soon as the operation would be over. Israel deliberated once again and in the end, in order to maintain good ties with Egypt, gave permission.
That was two years ago.
Since then, the Egyptians continue to fight IS’s 1500 fighters in the Sinai, who kill an average of 30-40 Egyptians each month, and yet they fail to prevail. Time and again, the Egyptians ask permission to bring in more forces and weapons.
Egypt has already sent 150 army brigades to the Sinai, along with hundreds of tanks and APCs. It has two military airports with combat aircraft and choppers. In all, it has between 75,000 and 80,000 soldiers in the Sinai, more than three entire divisions, with all their equipment.
The Egyptians don’t seem to have any intention of taking their forces out at any point. They are building permanent bases, paving roads and digging outposts. Israel, whether it wants to or not, is facing a difficult dilemma. The primary clause in the peace treaty is being dissolved before their eyes. Egypt has returned to the Sinai in full force and its armored divisions are very close to the Israeli border.
While it is true that today Egypt needs Israel in its war on IS, and it is playing friendly and highlighting the close ties, the hearts of Israeli senior military brass are trembling. El-Sissi’s rule in Egypt is highly unstable. Beneath the surface, the Muslim Brotherhood is reorganizing. Citizens unhappy with the economy are participating in mass demonstrations.
A coup is very possible at some point in the future. And any other government that comes to power will not see itself as obligated to whatever el-Sissi’s government promised with regards to removing the forces from Sinai. At that point, the entire peace treaty will breathe its final breath.
PM Binyamin Netanyahu and el-Sissi speak often. IDF officers are in daily contact with their Egyptian counterparts over the border and that is all well and good. But there is no guarantee that a coup in Egypt would not work against Israel, which agreed to allow a massive Egyptian armada into Sinai.
It is also important to note: Egypt’s army is the Arab army that purchases the most advanced weaponry and is preparing for the next war. It is arming itself with helicopter carriers purchased from the Russians, anti-aircraft batteries, all kinds of missiles, huge numbers of tanks.
Egypt does not have neighboring nations that pose as a threat. Libya on one side is falling apart; likewise Sudan on the south. It is training its division for all kinds of combat scenarios — Egypt is clearly preparing for war against … Israel.
The ‘Cold War’
Egypt is investing almost one-third of its national budget to arm itself. Those huge sums being invested in the military could be used to stabilize Egypt’s economy, where unemployment is rampant, investors are fleeing and development is stagnant.
The military echelons in Israel long ago revised the old statement that there is a “cold peace” between Cairo and Yerushalayim; instead they call it a “cold war.” This greatly disturbs Israeli citizens who know the situation yet have no idea how to deal with it.
For many years already, not a single senior Israeli personality has been invited to Cairo. But even in the past when Israeli representatives were invited to Egypt, they met Egypt’s leaders in remote locations, such as Sharm al-Sheikh, the summer palace on the shores of Alexandria, in a remote house in Ismailia and the like. That’s how it was in the days of Hosni Mubarak, but even less during el-Sissi’s time. In the five years of his presidency, he has not invited Mr. Netanyahu to Cairo; he has met him at the U.N. when they both came for the General Assembly or elsewhere, as long as not in Cairo. At the few meetings that they had, there was only one flag behind the two leaders, the Egyptian flag.
Since the peace treaty was signed in 1979, and to this day, there have been only two visits by an Egyptian president to Israel and they were both during 1979. One visit took place in Be’er Sheva and the other was in Haifa. Aside from these official visits, and from one private visit by Hosni Mubarak for Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin’s funeral, Egyptian presidents have never visited Israel.
Since Israel returned all its Sinai territory in 1982, Egypt from time to time plays the role of the “insulted nation,” continually recalling its ambassador, for long periods of time, using a different excuse every time. To date, the ambassador has been recalled three times for a total of twelve years.
Egypt’s policies have remained identical to what they were before the 1979 peace treaty was signed. Egypt leads the Arab world’s battle against Israel. It is the first to vote against Israel at every U.N. session, and has never stopped demanding that Israel withdraw from all the territories, including the Golan Heights. It demands the right of return for masses of Palestinian Arabs and even voted in the U.N. on a resolution declaring that Zionism is racism. And if all that is not enough, Egypt is the one leading the global battle to get Israel to give up its nuclear weapons.
Egypt’s True Motive?
One gets the impression that Egypt only went for the peace treaty because of American pressure and out of a desire to get their land back. Beyond that, they do not want relations with Israel, unless it means garnering dividends for themselves from any of the clauses in the treaty, such as including Israel in the fight against IS, which they are not able to manage themselves.
The truth needs to be told. Israel has a real fear that at one point, Egypt might upend the existing situation and replace it with significant military procedures. Two of the clear proofs of this are the construction of tremendous military infrastructures by the Egyptian army, and training that seems to simulate a battle against Israel.
An Expert Concurs
Over the past few decades that I have been observing and analyzing the Egyptian issue, I have often encountered Lt.-Col. Eli Dekel, who was one of the senior members of the IDF Intelligence Department’s research division. Today he is undoubtedly one of the most prominent experts in Israel on Egypt, and he isn’t sleeping well at night.
Dekel is knocking at the doors of senior Israeli government officials to warn about Egypt’s vigorous arms buildup. “If we would only address the issue of Egypt on the ideological plane,” he says, “then we could say, ‘who cares?’ But the problem is that concurrent to a seriously flailing economy, Egypt is on a trajectory of a serious military buildup.”
The facts that Dekel has gathered over the years, and which he presents to anyone he can, can be interpreted in several ways, but they paint a clear picture of a future threat.
The political echelons in Israel affirm all the facts that he is presenting, but they are not ready to say anything about the dangers, claiming that “these are sensitive issues.” Dekel rejects all this out of hand, and cites, for example, Egyptian weapons purchases whose scope is unmatched by any other army in the Middle East. “There are fuel storage facilities in the Sinai with the capacity for 500 million liters,” he reveals. Three hundred million of those liters were amassed in just the last three years, which was already part of el-Sissi’s term. The airports in Refidim and Al Arish are being built with military style runways. Egypt has purchased two helicopter carriers. “Why do they need all this?” he asks.
The Israeli brass is not unanimously accepting of Dekel’s approach. In the opinion of those who dissent, Egypt has serious strategic concerns on its border with Sudan, with Libya, and of course, with the endless fight against IS in Sinai and the terror attacks from within. Israel is the only stable border that Egypt has, and they have no interest in changing that. Moreover, the diplomatic-strategic communication, including military coordination between the two nations, has never been stronger.”
But Dekel, who has been involved in military analysis for more than 50 years, and is considered very reliable, reveals that he is not the only one concerned by Egypt’s behavior with regard to the peace treaty; so are many senior officers in Israel’s general command. I think that most of Israel’s citizens feel that this is not quite what we were hoping for. A survey recently conducted by the Begin Sadat Center for strategic research at Bar Ilan, reveals that the majority of the Israeli public, 51 percent, thinks today that the price paid for the peace treaty with Egypt was too high. Egypt has remained, in many ways, anti-Israel.
“I have been researching Egypt for many years and I see the Egyptian army. The question needs to be asked: ‘What is this all about?’ Why is a poor nation that is having trouble sustaining its citizens allocating billions of dollars (beyond the $1.3 billion military aid that the United States provides) for arming and building military infrastructure?”
Dekel rejects the answer that building a dam on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia ostensibly endangers the source of life for Egypt, and thus it is building up military capabilities to be able to prevent this. He also rejects the claim that Egypt’s poverty will prevent it from initiating war. This premise holds that Egypt does not have the ability to fund such a war, and also that a war can jeopardize its revenues from the Suez Canal and from tourism, the two central industries on which the Egyptian economy is based.
In Dekel’s opinion, the peace treaty with Israel and the military appendix, which limits Egypt, is a burden for Egypt and harms its Islamic culture and dignity. Egypt wants to alter the basis of the relationships between the states, and is preparing militarily for the event that Israel will not agree. “Even a poor country can go out to war of its own initiative, if it feels that it will become wealthy from its wealthy neighbor, and if it has money for this concrete war,” he says. “The IS attacks in Sinai do not serve as a reasonable excuse for the military buildup,” he says. “The augmented construction of military infrastructure in the Sinai by Egypt began in 2004, long before IS came to the region. Between 2007 and 2010, there was a 170 percent increase in the weapons’ storehouses in Sinai and an increase of 130 percent in fuel reserves, all before the first shot was fired by Islamic rebels against the Egyptian army. This fact of increased buildup four years before the IS attacks refutes any assumption that links the military buildup and the Islamic attackers. In any case, in order to fight terrorists, Egypt does not need weapons in Sinai that can suffice for two armies and military fuel reserves of 180 million liters.
“When you map out all the attacks against the Egyptian army, it emerges that they all take place in a small area in Sinai. From all the information that we have about the Islamic rebels, we know that they number between 1500 and 2000 men armed with light weapons, rockets and anti-tank missiles and shoulder-launched missiles. So the question is, how is it that Egypt’s army needs more and more forces, including tanks and aircraft, in order to overcome such a tiny force in such a tiny area?
“Before the uprising against it, the Egyptian army was a large army which already then comprised 13 armed divisions, hundreds of planes and sea vessels. All these were enough to deal with the tiny number of terrorists in Sinai. Since Abdel Fatah el-Sissi came to power, massive weapons acquisitions are being made, and most of them are not suitable for guerilla fighting. To fight IS, the Egyptian army needs two helicopter carriers? More and more submarines? Missile ships? Hundreds of combat and bombing aircraft? 500 T-72 tanks that bring Egypt’s total tank numbers to many thousands?
“All the attacks in the Sinai are not enough to explain the construction of the military infrastructure in Sinai, including significant expansion of the airports in the Cairo-Suez Canal region, new runways and protected hangars for aircraft, and fuel depots with a capacity for hundreds of millions of liters, as well as massive underground warehouses. These claims listed here,” he says, “are enough to refute the groundless claims that Egypt’s armament is intended to fight Islamic organizations in Sinai.”
Says Dekel: “Egypt has a top interest in eroding the military appendix with Israel and toward that end it is ready to sacrifice some soldiers. The Egyptian army is making sure, quite successfully, that the flames of terror activity against it do not cross the boundaries of the ‘bloody square’ area in the Sinai. We cannot accept it as fact that the Egyptian army is worth nothing, and we cannot be afraid of it. An army whose ability in fighting terror is limited is not necessarily a bad army. Look at the Egyptian army’s abilities in the Yom Kippur War, both with regards to planning the war against us and in its execution.”
He then concludes: “Satellite images taken three months ago show that west of the ‘old’ tunnels that Egypt built from the canal inside Sinai before 2004, construction is underway on 28 new tunnels.
“From the actual construction work of the new tunnels, we can conclude that the tunnels built before 2004 are filled with weapons that were designated for them. Then there’s the question of what happened in the Middle East after 2011 that required Egypt to build 28 expensive tunnels in addition to the 18 that already existed – an increase of 150 percent?
“Digging tunnels is a very expensive proposition and it is unreasonable that these tunnels are being dug to store blankets or pistols. It is known with certainty that in the past, ground-to-ground Scud missiles were stored in Egyptian tunnels, along with tanks and even planes. I believe that anyone who is working today to expand their tunnel network to 46 storage tunnels has a very clear goal: Strategic weapons storage that can work quickly against Israel. These weapons can be missiles and missile batteries of various kinds, and chemical warheads should not be ruled out. Egypt has well-known abilities to produce chemical weapons already since the 1960s. It also exported chemical weapons to Syria after the Six-Day War. Whatever the purpose of these tunnels, the irrefutable fact is that they are being built as a front to Israel. In his opinion, this totally refutes the other assessments that Egypt’s army is building up arms to prepare to fight against Turkey or Iran or just to show the world the power of the Egyptian army.”
Tzvi Mazel, who was Israel’s ambassador to Egypt, says that “the peace with Egypt is extant, but the Arab extremism and the hatred that it exudes constantly are a threat to our continued existence. The anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic incitement in Egypt is well-known, and the source is the intellectuals in Egypt. They grew up in the age of Nasser, and they are not able to come to terms with the peace with Israel. The other source is the Muslim Brotherhood, whose hatred for the Jews and Israel is fed by the Koran. The representatives of both of these streams, which seem opposed to one another, are at the top of the professional associations of the Egyptian elite, who already by 1980 had imposed a full boycott on ties with Israel.
“The regime in Egypt preferred not to deal with these forces, and even made things worse by restricting Egyptians seeking to visit Israel. Peace with Egypt, if so, is not an example of rapprochement with the Arab world, but rather an example of the way the expression ‘normalization with Israel’ has become profane.”
Gen. (res) Amos Gilad, who was head of the IDF intelligence department and then became the central point man between Israel and Egypt, is convinced that there is no chance of war with Egypt in this age, but at the same time, he adds that “Israel must not be complacent.”
Forty-two years that have passed teach us that sometimes even a cold peace can serve as a good basis for stability. If today there is something serving as a firm basis for legitimate recognition of the state of Israel in this region, it is this agreement. The treaty normalized relations with Cairo and made overall war more distant. It’s the “best of the worst” type of deal that did not bring any good progress, but made it possible for the IDF to cut back its budget by billions of dollars. It is a rather colorless treaty that carries tremendous strategic achievements. The Egyptian Israeli peace treaty is a positive, yet unstable peace. It is unique in that it has held for so many years. Its drawback is that it did not bring about true conciliation between the sides. That is the paradox of peace.
Alexandria’s Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue. (Asiatologist)
Handful of Jews Left in Egypt, But Government to Restore Shuls
The Jewish community is disappearing. Within a few years, not a single Jew will remain out of the largest Jewish community in the Arab world. In its heyday, it numbered more than 120,000 people; today just 15 Jews remain, two men and 13 women, most of them in Alexandria. For some years already, the community has been led by a woman. Now the leader is Magda Aharon, who is very active, trying to preserve what still exists.
Recently she attained the agreement of President el-Sissi to invest $71 million in restoring the old shul and community centers of Egyptian Jewry, which are in very poor condition. Most of them are located in Cairo and Alexandria.
Twelve shuls remain in Egypt, and they all need renovation. Of those, only a few remain open to the public. The only active shul in Alexandria had part of its roof collapse several months ago. The central shul in Cairo, Sha’ar HaShamayim, which was established in 1900, also needs a lot of repairs to be able to continue to accommodate visitors and the few Jews who still daven there, mostly during Yamim Nora’im and Yamim Tovim.
Magda Aharon made up with the representatives of the Egyptian government that a museum of Jewish history in Egypt will also be built, which will exhibit ancient sifrei Torah and holy articles that are scattered among the shuls and the homes of the elderly Jews, who are ready to donate them to the future museum.
The government of Egypt is officially declaring that it wants to preserve the heritage of the Egyptian Jewish community, but there is opposition among Egypt’s citizens to anything relating to Jews or Israel. The battle against the Jews and the continued ties with Israel are being led by academic groups and workers’ unions.
There is not a lot of anti-Semitism in Egypt; still, from time to time, there are those who vandalize shuls and Jewish cemeteries. A few years ago, a small explosive device was tossed into the Sha’ar HaShamayim shul in Cairo; it did not cause any damage.
The one dealing with preserving Jewish history is the Egyptian archaeology minister Khaled Alnani, who said recently that “there is an importance in renovating the Jewish synagogues, just like there is in renovating the… Islamic and Coptic heritage. We have to remember that the Jewish items and synagogues belong to Egypt.” The minister hastened in his announcement to emphasize that the renovation would be carried out by the government of Egypt alone, with no intervention by foreign governments or Jewish groups from abroad…
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Detained Without Due Process: Is Indefinite Immigration Detention Unconstitutional?
by | Nov 21, 2015 | Amicus, Courts & Judicial Interpretation, Human Rights | 0 comments
Every year, the United States holds hundreds of thousands of immigrants in detention centers across the country. These individuals are subjected to prolonged periods of incarceration in a complex network of prisons and jails, where there is little oversight to ensure that conditions are humane and detention is not arbitrary. Over the past several years, the use of detention as an immigration enforcement strategy has increased, causing massive backlogs in the system and longer periods of detention. In many cases, immigrants are held for months or years before their first appearance before a court.
One of the most fundamental rights of criminal defendants, the right to a bond hearing within a reasonable length of time after being arrested, is not currently afforded to detained immigrants in Massachusetts. Instead, immigrants can languish in detention facilities for years without a finding that they are a danger to society or a flight risk. Until recently this practice was the national norm, but it is now being scrutinized by various Federal Circuit Courts who have ruled that indefinite detention without a bond hearing violates the due process rights of detained individuals.[1] The First Circuit might be the next to follow suit; on November 3rd, it heard oral arguments on a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of immigrants held in Massachusetts detention facilities for longer than six months without bond hearings. A favorable decision could alter the lives of thousands of immigrants in the circuit, and could prompt action on a national scale to end this practice.
What is immigration detention?
Violating immigration law is not a crime. It is a civil violation for which immigrants go through a process, overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, to determine whether they can remain in the United States. Some immigrants are picked up after crossing the border illegally and are held in detention until an immigration judge hears their case. Others are arrested on criminal charges after having lived in the United States for months or years, and are detained while they await a decision on whether they will be deported. The use of detention is often based on deeply flawed justifications such as deterring future migration, a reason that not only lacks empirical support, but also violates international and domestic law.[2] However, the most commonly offered rationale for prolonged detention is to ensure that immigrants show up for their court dates before an Immigration Judge, instead of disappearing into American society after arrest.
Despite the explosive increased in detention in recent years, there are very few standards regulating conditions in immigration detention facilities. This is partly because these centers were originally designed as short-term holding facilities, where individuals waited for a matter of days before a judge heard their cases. However, now that there is a substantial backlog of cases, immigrants endure these substandard conditions for much longer. They are frequently not provided adequate medical or mental health treatment, access to telephones, or legal services. Few detention centers have law libraries and the vast majority of detainees never receive legal representation, making it almost impossible not only to prepare a compelling immigration case, but also to complain about substandard treatment in detention. Immigrant detainees are routinely denied the opportunity to appear before a court to have a bond set; instead, they are forced to endure harsh conditions of confinement until their case is eventually heard, even though they may pose no risk to society and would not be considered a flight risk in the meantime.
Recent challenges to indefinite detention
Recently, the practice of detaining immigrants indefinitely without a bond hearing has been challenged in the Federal Ninth and Second Circuits on due process grounds. On October 28th of this year, both circuits published opinions that rejected this policy, giving many detainees in these circuits and across the country a lot to be hopeful about:
In Lora v. Shanahan, No. 14-2343 (found in the context of an appeal of a habeas petition), the Second Circuit held that non-citizens cannot be subjected to prolonged periods of detention under a mandatory detention statute while their deportation cases are pending, and therefore must be given a bond hearing within six months of their detention. The decision also explicitly acknowledges that noncitizens with prior criminal records should not be presumed “dangerous,” especially if the crimes in question are low-level, if the individuals have shown proven rehabilitation, and if they have significant family and community ties. Particularly notable is the heightened standard that must be used for new bond hearings under Lora; in ordinary bond hearings under the detention statute, the noncitizen has the burden to show that he would not pose a danger to society and that he does not pose a flight risk.[3] However, the Lora court held that in the case of an individual who has been detained for six months under the statute, the government must establish “by clear and convincing evidence that the immigrant poses a risk of flight or a risk of danger to the community.”[4]
On the same day, the Federal Ninth Circuit decided Rodriguez v. Robbins, No. 13-56706, a class-action lawsuit on behalf of immigrant detainees subject to prolonged detention without individual bond hearings in Southern California. The Ninth Circuit held that immigrant detainees subject to mandatory detention due to certain prior convictions, as well as asylum seekers, are entitled to bond hearings after six months of immigration detention. Furthermore, the Ninth Circuit found that the government must continue to provide periodic bond hearings every six months in cases involving prolonged detention, and that immigration judges should consider the length of detention in determining whether continued detention is permissible.[5]
The First Circuit Challenge: Reid v. Donelan
The most recent challenge to the practice of no-bond detention is a case before the First Circuit called Reid v. Donelan. The plaintiff in Reid is a legal permanent resident and veteran living in Connecticut who was placed in removal proceedings as a result of minor criminal convictions including drug possession. While in removal proceedings, Mr. Reid sought relief against deportation to Jamaica under the Convention against Torture, and simultaneously filed a federal habeas petition in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts contending that his prolonged detention without a bond hearing violated immigration statutes and the due process clause of the Constitution. The U.S. District Court agreed, granted Mr. Reid’s petition, and ordered a bond hearing. Mr. Reid was subsequently released on bond.
However, because the DHS routinely holds detainees like Mr. Reid for months or years without a bond hearing, Mr. Reid moved to represent a class of ICE detainees in Massachusetts who have been held for more than six months. The District Court granted the motion for class certification and appointed the Yale Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic as counsel. The clinic argued the case before the first circuit on November 3rd.[6]
What a favorable ruling could mean
A ruling in favor of the petitioners could have significant effects not only for those held in detention facilities in the First Circuit, but also detainees across the country. The practice of no-bond detention has been the subject of increased scrutiny and media attention in the past few years, and national momentum toward ending this practice could prompt executive action to eliminate it for good. The Obama administration should use this moment as an opportunity to reconsider its arbitrary detention regime that perpetuates human rights abuses. Without a change in the national policy, immigrants will continue to be held across the country under inhumane conditions, isolated from family and legal counsel. A bond hearing within six months is certainly an improvement from the status quo, but immigrant detainees—especially those with minimal or no contact with the criminal justice system—should not be in detention in the first place.
There has been an intensifying national conversation in the past few years around many criminal justice policies such as mass incarceration, harsh drug enforcement policies, and mandatory minimum sentences. These policies have resulted in an arbitrary system that systematically destroys poor communities of color. The draconian policies of mass detention and deportation of immigrants grew out of the same tough-on-crime mania of the 1990s, yet have not been addressed to nearly the same extent. Both systems are due for massive and wide-reaching reforms; just as our racist and classist criminal justice system must be overhauled, so must our system of mass detention and deportation of immigrants.
[1] As far back as 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution is not confined to the protection of citizens. Wong Wing v. United States, 163 U.S. 228 (1896)
[2] “[G]overnment detention violates [the Due Process] clause unless the detention is ordered in a criminal proceeding with adequate procedural protections…or, in certain special and ‘narrow’ non-punitive ‘circumstances.’” Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678 (2001) at 690-91.
[3] See 8 C.F.R. 1236.1(c)(8)
[4] Read the full opinion here:
http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/ab137e05-ab92-474c-947c-f554d33293e4/1/doc/14-2343_opn.pdf
[5] Read the full opinion here: http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2015/10/28/13-56706.pdf
[6] https://www.law.yale.edu/studying-law-yale/clinical-and-experiential-learning/our-clinics/worker-and-immigrant-rights-advocacy-clinic/reid-v-donelanin-re-reid
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Policy Processes
International Normative Framework
Theme 1: Improving evidence base on migration and development
Theme 2: Enhancing governance of labour and return migration
Theme 3: Addressing vulnerabilities associated with migration
Human rights of migrants
Migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons
Theme 4: Protecting refugees and forcibly displaced persons
Theme 5: Improving outcomes at origin
Remittances, savings and investment schemes
Diaspora relations and contributions
Women/Children/Families left behind
Theme 6: Improving outcomes at destination
Integration of migrants
Migrants’ access to services
Theme 7: Mainstreaming migration into development planning
GMG List of National Consultations on the Global Compact on Migration (2017)
GMG Compendium of Outputs and Resources for the Global Compact on Migration (2017)
GMG Paper on Migration, Remittances and Financial Inclusion: Challenges and Opportunities for Women's Economic Empowerment (2017)
GMG Meetings around the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants (2016)
GMG Stocktaking Report on Crisis-Related Migration (2015)
GMG Stocktaking Report on Protection at Sea (2015)
GMG International Conference on Harnessing Migration, Remittances and Diaspora Contributions for Financing Sustainable Development (2015)
Improving outcomes at origin
Of the estimated 214 million migrants in the world in 2010, over two-thirds came from developing countries.[1] These migrants sent an estimated 325.5 billion USD to their countries of origin in the same year.[2] Beyond the money they send, migrants transmit “social remittances”: transfers of knowledge, ideas and skills acquired in countries of destination, and contacts that facilitate trade and political linkages. Through such transfers, migrants can contribute to reducing poverty, strengthening health and education systems, stimulating entrepreneurship, or supporting recovery from natural disasters in their countries of origin. Migrating women can become breadwinners, improving their status in their households, and transmitting new ideas about gender roles.
However, this process is not automatic, and sometimes migration can have negative impacts on their countries of origin. Where a high proportion of highly-skilled people emigrate, there can be a “brain drain,” especially if emigration is concentrated in particular sectors of the economy. Financial institutions may not recognize the importance or potential of recipients of remittances; the reintegration of returning migrants can be a challenges, particularly in a context of global recession and high unemployment; and the families of migrants left behind might find themselves in a vulnerable situation.
United Nations agencies and international organizations around the world have recognized the need for action in all of these areas. The following sections aim to give United Nations Country Teams some practical tools and guidance that can be of use when assisting governments in their efforts to harness the positive and mitigate the negative effects of migration for human development. The fruits of the experience of agencies around the world, they are intended to stimulate ideas on what UN Country Teams can do in some of the most important areas.
[1] UN-DESA, 2011,
http://www.un.org/esa/population/migration/MigrationSectionBriefing-16Dec2011.pdf
[2] World Bank, Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011
Thank you for your interest in the Global Migration Group.
Please be advised that following extensive system-wide consultations and the proposal by the UN Deputy Secretary-General and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for International Migration, the UN Secretary-General decided, at a meeting of the Executive Committee on 23 May 2018, to establish a UN Network on Migration, as a successor to the Global Migration Group, to ensure effective, coordinated system-wide support to the implementation of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
The UN Network on Migration can be contacted via its Secretariat at unmignet@iom.int
Data and research: Data sources
Data and research: Overview
Mainstreaming migration into development planning
Improving evidence base on migration and development
UNCT Corner
Guidance and Tools Package for UN Country Teams
2030 Sustainable Development Agenda
GMG Joint Discussion Paper (2015)
GMG Joint Communiqué (2014)
GMG Joint Position Paper (2013)
TOGETHER RESPECT, SAFETY AND DIGNITY FOR ALL
GMG Members
Copyright © 2016 Global Migration Group (GMG). All rights reserved.
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Mining Camp (General Discussions)
How Russians saved the world...TWICE...
Thread starter Strawboss
Strawboss
Home Improvement Sales Trainee...
Two different times courageous Russians literally saved humanity from almost certain nuclear annihilation...the 1st was during the Cuban Missile Crisis when a Russian nuclear sub commander refused to authorize a nuclear missile launch and the 2nd was when a Russian officer refused to alert the chain of command that an incoming US nuclear strike was on the way. In both of these cases - these men refused to succomb to the "group think" mentality and instead held fast to their own conclusions.
These men are heroes and it is not hyperbole that each of us owes our very lives...and the lives of all of our loved ones to these brave men...
Vasily Alexandrovich Arkhipov was a Soviet Navy officer credited with casting the single vote that prevented a Soviet nuclear strike (and, presumably, all-out nuclear war) during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Such an attack likely would have caused a major global thermonuclear response which, as Noam Chomsky described, could have destroyed much of the world.[1] As flotilla commander and second-in-command of the diesel powered submarine B-59, only Arkhipov refused to authorize the captain's use of nuclear torpedoes against the United States Navy, a decision requiring the agreement of all three senior officers aboard. In 2002 Thomas Blanton, who was then director of the US National Security Archive, said that Arkhipov "saved the world".
More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Arkhipov_(vice_admiral)
Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov was a lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces who became known as "the man who single-handedly saved the world from nuclear war" for his role in the 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident.
On 26 September 1983, three weeks after the Soviet military had shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, Petrov was the duty officer at the command center for the Oko nuclear early-warning system when the system reported that a missile had been launched from the United States, followed by up to five more. Petrov judged the reports to be a false alarm,[1] and his decision to disobey orders, against Soviet military protocol,[2] is credited with having prevented an erroneous retaliatory nuclear attack on the United States and its NATO allies that could have resulted in large-scale nuclear war. Investigation later confirmed that the Soviet satellite warning system had indeed malfunctioned.[3]
More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov
For God so Loved the World that He gave His ONLY Son - so that whosoever would believe in Him He would give them eternal life.
Likes: nowon, oldgaranddad, Glasgow and 2 others
GOLDBRIX
God,Donald Trump,most in GIM2 I Trust. OTHERS-meh
Platinum Bling
I lived North of Dayton, in Vandalia, Ohio in the 60s. The Dayton Airport (at the time) was directly across Route 40, The National Road, from where I grew up.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis I remember seeing that Wright-Patterson Air Force base had moved several mobile, big, rocket launchers onto the airport property. WPB was 10+ miles away on the Northeast side of Dayton, Ohio proper.
These missile launchers were far enough away from WPB if there had been an attack launched from Cuba and had hit WPB those missiles could still launch a counter attack.
We were very close to the action.
"The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it". Geo. Orwell
"Only Best Buddies Execute Pedophiles Together". Deadpool to Cable in fight scene at orphanage.
"DONALD J. TRUMP a President without a Party but a Nation Has His Back". - Gb
Likes: Glasgow
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What have you to lose? For decades, illustration and comics were the outsiders of the art world. Snubbed by critics and avoided by galleries, it left artists in the West West – free from expectation or convention. But with their gradual acceptance over the last decade, has the spirit of risk taking and otherness been whitewashed by safety nets, copycats and autobiographical tales of mild woe? Jack Teagle, the creator behind Nobrow-published comics Fight! and
Jeff Job Hunter, explains why it’s important to always push for new ground. These days I see a lot of artists and creators borrowing similar symbols, styles and work methods – even themes in their work – and it can feel like an over saturation. Being aware of similar work is one thing, but feeling a need to fit into that world of design, comics and illustration is another. People should have as much fun as possible with what they create. Though things can feel hopeless when living in an economic downturn, where opportunities for artists can be scarce, it’s really the best time to experiment, explore and go wild with your work. After all… what have you got to lose? It’s important to push boundaries and see how far you can go. When artists are conservative with their work, it can stagnate. Often artists will try to aim for the easy money or what they think people would like to read or admire. But for self-preservation as an artist, you can’t think like that all the time. You have to adapt and evolve, and by taking chances you can open up new doors of what works. I don’t blame anyone for trying to make money, but while it’s important to stay connected and relevant to trends, it’s equally important to introduce an audience to new ideas and new ways of working… to set yourself apart from
your peers. Creators can unconsciously pick up on similar techniques and styles from other artists, and you can start to get very similar work in some cases. Branching out can help you to differentiate yourself from others. It can be frightening to venture into the unknown, but when you’re breaking new ground, people aren’t really going to know what to make of it. You have to persevere, have fun and play with what you’re doing. Words and pictures do not need to adhere to any preconceptions you may have of them as an art form. You do what feels right. A story can be non-linear and paced in non-conventional ways. Imagery doesn’t have to be photo-realistic, you can play with perspective, warp proportions, draw in a way that feels natural. There is a fear that budding artists and writers must conform to working in ways that have come before them. It’s important to understand that this isn’t the case. You can learn from what came before you, but you don’t have to perfectly replicate it. There are no rules. The road less travelled is rockier, but also ultimately much more rewarding. Always push yourself to try new things and never be content to settle for the status quo.
+BDL5FBHMF 7
OFF LIFE Comic
OFF LIFE 11
Our brand new March/April ’15 issue is dripping in new blood! We’ve got comics from Box Brown – author of Andre the Giant: Life and Legend...
offlife
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Nine Reasons to Save Public Libraries
by Emmily Bristol, published Aug 8, 2012
While the War on Women and Chick-fil-A might be getting all the juicy headlines lately, there's another issue quietly smoldering in the background noise of this election season. It's buried under all the campaign rhetoric and doom-and-gloom forecasts about the economy.
Our public libraries are not just threatened this election season. They're fighting for their lives -- and with them, the livelihoods and well-being of hard-hit communities all over the country.
Library districts in California, Illinois, Ohio, Nevada, Texas, Washington, and more have measures or proposals to slash budgets in 2012. California alone is looking at 50% budget cuts. Where I live, the library district is facing a 30% budget cut, which will close at least two branches. According to the American Library Association, 23 states are looking to cut library budgets in the most recent fiscal year.
But I have yet to see a demonstration to save the libraries. Or read national news coverage about the potential collapse of one society's most valuable resources. Indeed, it wasn't by accident that our nation's founding fathers established the first American lending library.
But the truth is that the state of our public libraries is a kind of litmus test of not only our economic health but that of our democracy, too. After all, libraries are the free, democratization of education, unbiased research, and uncensored enlightenment.
It was President John F. Kennedy who made this plea for the sanctity of our libraries:
If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.
Here are some reasons why our libraries are still the place where we as a nation will achieve our destiny:
The house of the 99%: The foundation of democracy is an educated electorate. When the economy is down, it is all the more vital that we the people have access to information, education, news... and now in modern times the internet, computers, and other sources of media tools as well. Libraries do that. For everyone.
Libraries build equity: Research shows that depressed neighborhoods and declining communities are not just culturally enriched by libraries. The institutions serve as a community focal point, like a town square, and communities that have that resource rebound.
Community hope chest: Libraries don't just curate the Harry Potter series and lend copies of the latest blockbusters on DVD, they also house special collections based on the needs and unique identities of the communities they serve. The library district where I live houses a special collection on a World War II magnesium plant that helped turned the tide of the war (as well as establishing the second largest city in Nevada). That's living history that gets lost without a public space to keep it alive.
Renewable resource: How much do you save by being able to borrow materials from the library? How helpful is it to have this resource — especially now that even retail bookstores, movie rental shops, and record stores are closing? There’s a calculator for that.
Literacy: Studies show (PDF) that children’s literacy is greatly improved by access to summer reading programs and preschool reading programs at public libraries. And children’s literacy is a building-block of adult literacy. When I was in college I interned at a non-profit that worked on illiteracy, targeting at-risk youth. I worked in their summer reading program at an elementary school with one of the lowest rates of economic depression in the state (Oregon). This meant that most of the kids who went to that school were enrolled in summer school — even if they were good students — simply because it was a cheaper alternative to child care. At the end of the program each child got to pick out one brand-new book to keep. For all but just a few of the children, it was the first book they ever owned. Maybe you don’t “own” the books at the library (although, as a tax-payer I would argue we do), but the libraries are a place where the socio-economic realities that push the starting line so far back for so many can be equalized. And that’s like a small miracle in the life of a child who has already had to learn how to be hard in the face of a world that cuts them no breaks. There are very few individuals who could buy every child a book and start them on the road to literacy. (And it’s been shown that access to books in childhood is one of the biggest predictors of literacy.) But all of us together can buy a kid a building full of books. That is a miracle.
Leveling the playing field: Libraries offer vital resources for communities that might not otherwise be served or feel integrated. People learning English (or other languages), the elderly, deaf people, the homeless... the list goes on.
Safe space: In some communities, the public library may be the only free space available that is also a safe space. Young victims of bullying, kids who live with domestic violence, LGBT youth, and many more can find a safe place (and often a caring librarian) at the library. I know from personal experience -- having spent time camped at my local library when I had no other safe place to go as a teenager.
Cultural touchstone: Many libraries showcase art -- often by local artists. Likewise, the buildings themselves are often architecturally significant and enhance the beauty and character of the communities they serve.
Drop in or drop out: Libraries can also be a place that means the difference between a child's success or failure in school. Many libraries offer tutoring programs, free classes, as well as access to volumes of information and technology that a kid might not have anywhere else. Believe it or not, even in these modern times there are kids who don't have computers at home who need to type their papers for school. There are kids who can't afford the expensive private tutor to get through Algebra. Libraries can make the difference to a kid teetering on the edge. And high school dropout rates have a direct correlation to the health of a community.
These days, there are a lot of people talking about how nobody reads anymore. But that’s just wrong. People are reading ALL THE TIME. People are on Facebook, on Wikipedia, on blogs... They are using e-readers to read virtual copies of books. They are downloading newspapers to their tablet devices. People still read. And people read books — with pages and paper and bindings — too. But the fact is, there’s all kinds of other stuff besides books that libraries do for people in our community every day. Book programs for shut-ins. After-school and summer programs for youth. Did I mention toddler story time?
But more than that, it may just be the last free space that is truly free and there for everyone — homeless, young, old, rich, poor, and any race under the sun. We are all welcome there. We are all equal there.
Doesn’t that seem like a space too valuable to lose?
Emmily Bristol
Emmily is an award-winning journalist, having received the Nevada Press Association’s Outstanding Journalist of the Year award in 2005, as well as recognition for news and feature stories. She has been praised for her work as a community organizer and was nominated for a Margaret Sanger award in 2012. A survivor of sexual abuse, Emmily has worked to be a voice for other survivors through her blogs, The Sin City Siren and The Tired Feminist, as well as through lobbying and activist work. She is a fierce advocate for women’s rights, including serving as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against a personhood initiative in Nevada in 2009/10. Her activism began when she was a student at the University of Oregon, where she graduated with a degree in English and minors in journalism and women’s studies. Her blog The Sin City Siren was nationally syndicated in 2011, which is the same year she joined the feminist blogging consortium Fem2pt0, based in Washington, DC. Emmily lives in Las Vegas with her husband and daughter. She tweets from @TheSinCitySiren.
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Tag Archives: makeup artist
makeup artist, Television
June 30, 2019 pressva Leave a comment
As an industry leading hair and makeup artist in Australia, Zuleikha Stevens does not simply apply some makeup and style hair, she transforms people. Every day, she makes people feel like the best version of themselves, enhancing one’s natural beauty and allowing them to feel good on the inside as well as out.
“You can really change someone’s day or moment in their life. As a makeup artist, there is a beautiful trust that your client enlists in you to transform their face,” she said.
From sporting events like Big Bash and Supercars to renowned channels including MTV and Network 7, Stevens has conquered the beauty world in Australian television. She loves the versatility of her chosen career, with something different to look forward to on every new project.
“You can be a part of so many different and exciting things from red carpet, to live music, sports, advertising, editorial, news, TV drama, breakfast shows, etc. You can take your makeup skills anywhere in the world,” said Stevens.
Stevens mentioned breakfast shows because of her work with Sunrise, Australia’s number one morning show. As one of the main makeup artists for the breakfast show, she is a pivotal part of the team to make sure the looks are current, appropriate and on trend and that everyone gets to air on time and ready for a three and a half hour long live show.
“I love working on Sunrise and have for years; the challenge of live TV is exciting. It’s the number one rated breakfast show on Australian TV. The show covers everything from news, sports, the days hot topics, entertainment and current affairs to everyone right across the country,” said Stevens.
Stevens personally takes care of Entertainment Main Host Edwina Bartholomew, Sport Host Mark Beretta and Co-Host David Koch every day, as well as a variety of guests. The guests vary every day, and can be famous musicians, celebrities, doctors, journalists, specialists, politicians and more.
“It’s people telling their story. I love the variety of people we meet and get to do hair and makeup on. I learn a lot from everyone that sits in my chair and knowing everyone’s story brings so much more to my life. It is so nice to have someone in my chair and watch them transform with makeup. This is vital for them to feel confident and good when going on screen,” said Stevens.
Stevens thoroughly enjoys working on Sunrise as she gets to use her hair and makeup skills, and get the talent looking and feeling good. She makes decisions with the hair and makeup depending on what the hosts are wearing, what their look may be, what they are talking about and basically the overall feeling of the day. She even sometimes utilizes her fashion stylist/wardrobe skills if anything needs to be steamed, changed, or mended. To do all of this, Stevens always has to stay on top of trends and work quickly. Working with the talent and wardrobe department in regard to looks and trends is extremely important for a live morning show. All of the hosts need to look good together. On top of this, Stevens and her team start work very early every morning and are often some of the first people the hosts see, so they need to be energetic and ready for anything live TV can throw at them.
“It is so nice to be part of such an ongoing successful show, seeing your makeup work up on the screen day after day and showcased all over the country. Seeing something that I do that I am passionate about every day is so great, it makes getting up in the middle of the night worth it, especially when the hosts are happy, and you meet so many amazing and talented guests and make them feel good. Being part of a team that brings so many stories and news to everyone’s lives is a great feeling,” she said.
Sunrise is on Network 7 every day at 5:30 a.m. Be sure to give it a watch to see the touching stories and Stevens’ beautiful work.
By John Michaels
Australian TalentAustralian TVEntertainmentHair and Makeup ArtistMakeupmakeup artistNetwork 7SunriseTelevisionTV
Canadian Talent, Fashion, Interviews & Features!
Using makeup to embrace womanhood with Allison Giroday
Allison Giroday, photo by Liz Rosa
There is a common understanding in the fashion industry that clothing, and makeup are products that you buy, but style is what you do with them. Style is eternal. It doesn’t fade when new trends emerge, or when old trends divulge. For makeup artist, Allison Giroday, style is inherent, running deep through her veins. She credits her love for fashion and makeup to the fact that she grew up in one of fashion’s most acclaimed decades: the 1990s. She recalls herself as a young girl, inspired by the token 90s bombshells she’d see on billboard signs and magazine covers. She even remembers her 13-year-old self, locking herself in her school bathroom, trying all sorts of tips and tricks to achieve Pamela Anderson’s signature smudged-eye and baby pink lip look.
“I thought those women were just the most beautiful women in the world and I would stare at their pictures, studying their makeup. I collected fashion magazines and watched Fashion File. I never anticipated that I’d be in the position I am, looking back on those days. Now, the greatest feeling in the whole entire world is when a client gets excited over the reflection she sees in my mirror. It doesn’t matter whether she gasps, smiles, tears up, or sits up taller, it brings me a pride like no other. Every woman deserves to feel beautiful, powerful, and confident. I love the fact that I get to be a part of that,” raved Giroday.
Fortunately for Giroday, she has been able to be a part of that journey for a number of different people, projects, and publications over the duration of her career. For instance, Giroday was referred to hit Canadian artist, Lights, in order to do her makeup for Canada’s largest, most prestigious music event, The Juno Awards. She has also worked for several other celebrities such as professional basketball player, Steve Nash, and successful rap artist, Lil John. Her work has even found its way into publications such as Glassbook Magazine, British GQ, Life & Style, Reader’s Digest, and several others. When founder and editor-in-chief of Mother Muse Magazine saw Giroday’s work, she knew she had to bring her on board for her publication.
Mother Muse is a fashion and lifestyle printed coffee table book, available worldwide, that focuses on the quality of slow living and modern motherhood. It is rich with artwork, articles, interviews, and editorials intended to inspire everyday women and everyday mothers to follow their passions and to live life to the fullest. Due to its heavy emphasis on style, Mother Muse is often full of unique images of models, beautiful color schemes, and several other style inspirations. It is important, therefore, that Mother Muse work with exceptionally talented artists to shoot images that will captivate their readers’attention at first glance.
They begin every shoot with a mood board selected and prepared by the editor with a description of the woman or women that will be featured. This is when Giroday begins to determine how best to match her model’s facial makeup with her other style and hair elements. In a constant determination to outdo her former self, Giroday places great emphasis on keeping her makeup looks current and ensuring that she doesn’t fall behind on the latest trends. With that, she conducts research in her own time to ascertain that she is providing her clients with the latest and greatest that the cosmetics industry have to offer.
“Success has the ability to breed complacency and that’s an easy trap for an artist to fall into because at that point, you stop continuing to grow. It’s important to want to stay inspired so that you never fall out of love with what you are doing. To me, the term makeup artist really is about the art. I don’t just apply makeup, I paint the canvas. My goal is to make my client feel like it’s the best makeup they’ve ever had and I’m so passionate about that,” noted Giroday.
In addition to her passion for makeup itself, Giroday loves working for Mother Muse, as it allows her to explore femininity with every shoot and to embrace the qualities of a goddess. She has crafted her talents so much over the years that she manages to evoke emotions of power and wisdom through the makeup looks she presents and with that, her work tends to flow seamlessly alongside the rest of the magazine’s team. She loves being able to work with other organized, motivated individuals to promote and celebrate the nuances of motherhood, and womanhood in general. What’s more, is that Giroday gets to see the final outcome of her work in print form, a dying art. She loves the fact that she can pick her work up, hold it beneath her fingers and touch it. The amount of dedication and love she puts into her work makes it all the more exciting when she gets to hold it in her hands.
Overall, Giroday considers herself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Mother Muse in the past. Every time she is brought on board for a project with them, she remembers exactly why she fell in love with their publication in the first place. She also takes great pride in knowing that Mother Muse has been covered internationally by Yahoo Australia, as well as the Daily Mail. It has also showcased the faces of popular celebrities like Selma Blair and Brie Bella. Next time you’re walking by a copy, pick one up and witness Giroday’s greatness with your own eyes.
Written by Sean Desouza
Canadian TalentFashionMakeupmakeup artist
Canadian Talent, Music Videos, Reviews, Interviews & Features!
Makeup artist Jen Tioseco works with singer Dani LeRose on new music video
July 1, 2017 pressva Leave a comment
Jen Tioseco is a strong and passionate individual, and this has always translated into her work. From the time she was just eleven years old, growing up in North Vancouver, British Columbia, she always had a job. She started with a paper route, then became a cashier, and then a retail associate. She then decided life wasn’t about simply working, it was about doing what you love. That is when she became a makeup artist. It is her drive and determination that has gotten her to where she is today, as an internationally successful makeup artist, and nothing will ever stop her from continuing to live her dream. For Tioseco, anything is possible, and if you can dream it, you can do it.
Tioseco is truly extraordinary at what she does. She enhances natural beauty, and takes her clients favorite features and brightens them in a way where they still feel done up, but also like themselves. That is no easy task. In a world full of young girls making makeup tutorials on YouTube and Instagram, Tioseco aims to show the world that it doesn’t have to be that challenging to feel beautiful
“I would say my style is ‘Glam Chic’. With the social media makeup artist being so trendy right now, girls have forgotten that we don’t need to wear ten layers of makeup,” she said.
Tioseco manages to do just that when working on two recent music videos for alternative-pop singer Dani LeRose. She worked with LeRose’s ideas and then looped in with the stylist to ensure everything tied together in the end. Tioseco’s input was vital to the videos’ success. Given her background in fashion, she was actually able to make suggestions to the stylist that she ended up incorporating into the videos. These little additions, whether it was a scarf or a jacket, really helped the makeup pop.
“Dani has such trust in me as an artist. She was able to convey what she wanted for each look, knowing I could execute each one with ease. She was also very open to color on the lips and eyes, so I had a blast playing with her face,” said Tioseco.
Tioseco had worked on LeRose previously for a concert. The singer absolutely loved her makeup and asked Tioseco to come on board for her videos from that point forward, refusing to work with anyone else. LeRose recognized Tioseco was the best instantly, and since that time, the two have worked on two music videos, the first of which, Love U More premiered in November of last year.
“There were scenes in Love U More where Dani needed to appear as though she was crying or ‘worn out’. As Dani was not able to cry on que, I was able to use makeup to create the illusion she had. It really set the mood for the different scenes,” Tioseco described.
The Love U More video was featured on Much Music’s emerging new artist category after its release. After Tioseco met LeRose and Director Chad Rook, she fell in love with their concept for the shoot. The video is shot in the middle of a sand dune with a drone filming from above, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the makeup artist.
“It was amazing, not only is Dani beautiful and talented, Chad Rook the director was incredible. Chad is actually an actor as well, he can be seen as one of the top billed cast members in the upcoming Planet of the Apes. His experience as an actor made the attention to detail in each video phenomenal. From a simple shot beside a radiator to an explosively emotional fight in a hotel room, you are hooked from beginning to end of each video,” said Tioseco.
The second video, I’ve Told Lies, has been an instant success since its premiere earlier this month, with lots of media attention and tens of thousands of views. It was shot in a historic motel, one of Tioseco’s favorite locations to date. LeRose’s look, and therefore Tioseco’s work, was pivotal to the video’s success.
“Jen is a true professional. Her positivity makes her a great addition to any set I’ve had her on. Jens Attention to detail made working with her so easy. I didn’t have to do any cosmetic adjustments post-production, saving me so much time on the back end,” said Chad Rook.
Working on music videos with singers is a slice of what Tioseco looks to continue doing with her esteemed career. She enjoys working with celebrities, creating a natural but enhanced look.
“I love to travel on press events, glam for the red carpet, and do magazine editorials,” said Tioseco.
Another exciting step for the makeup artist? She is in the process of designing a makeup tool that will eventually expand into her own entire makeup line. We can definitely continue to expect exciting things from her.
Canadian ArtistsCanadian TalentMakeupmakeup artistMusic Video
China Film Industry, Chinese Films, Film
Shu Zhang brings authentic historical makeup to film Death in a Day
April 14, 2017 pressva Leave a comment
Born and raised in Hangzhou, China, Shu Zhang brings her heritage into her work as a makeup designer. She has worked and volunteered around the world, lending her skills to completely different projects time and time again, showing both her clients and those that see her work just how innately talented she truly is.
While working on the short film Death in a Day, Shu had a pivotal role as lead makeup artist and hair stylist. She aimed to give the actors authentic, historically accurate makeup, as the film takes place in the early 90s. Shu’s background in art history and period makeup made her integral to the authenticity of the production.
“The hero is the early 90s American immigrant. The look is totally different with the America born Chinese nowadays. I wanted to focus on her 90s traditional Chinese style, but also to show her makeup under the influence of 90s American style. So, I put her major look into the decade which is more nature in tone, a sculpted look with a more idealized face shape,” said Shu.
Death in a Day tells the story of Evan, a young Chinese boy who, after visiting his comatose father in the hospital, witnesses his mother’s struggle and must come to grips with the impending death falling upon their family. Death in a Day, which premiered in June last year, was announced as the Best Narrative Short at San Diego Asian Film Festival in 2016, and was officially selected for a number of film festivals, it received a huge response from there.
“It’s fun to get involved in this original concept movie. I always came with idea of my own, so I know how this is important to a director to make a film,” said Shu.
It took three months of pre-production and many meetings to work out the perfect makeup design. Shu then had to test the makeup on a couple of actors to make final decision.
The mother’s makeup throughout the entire film is very key to its success, and there are many close-up on her face. Her makeup had to look beautiful but also desperate to highlight the soul of story, and Shu was more than up to the task.
“Shu is good at researching and widely knowing the cosmetic market. She always finds the most suitable products based on actors’ situations. She is always the one to meet my requirement accurately and without fault. Shu can really create with makeup. Everyone knows how to put on lots of makeup on, but looking simple is even harder, and she can do that,” said Yuin Zhang, an investor and advisor of the film.
Yuin Zhang was extremely happy Shu’s work on the film, and invited her to join the feature film she is investing in, Venus by Water. She works for the largest film studio in China, Hengdian World Studio, which is often called the Hollywood of China.
The writer and director of the film, Lin Wang, was also extremely impressed with Shu’s work. The two had previously worked together for a photoshoot for the NBA, where Shu was the first ever Chinese makeup artist to do the makeup for NBA players. The two formed a friendship and business relationship from there.
“Lin Wang is creative, young, and talented director. I knew Lin would make an award-winning film. The script was originally written by just herself. I feel we focused on every detail to perfection: makeup, wardrobe, props and the set needed to be completely historically accurate, which led us achieve a higher artistic level. All our efforts have paid off,” said Shu.
Wang will also be directing Venus by Water, which will begin production later this year. Shu is constantly looking for opportunities to keep doing what she loves, because she is a true artist, and all those that view her work know this to be true.
“Makeup is art to me. Faces are perfect canvases. My inspirations come from art history and from fresh makeup products that come out. I love looking at people’s faces from different worlds, and transforming them. It’s always been the biggest part of my life,” she concluded.
EntertainmentFilmmakeup artist
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Home Tags Posts tagged with "Thein Sein"
Thein Sein
Tourism arrivals in Myanmar expected to decline this year
Significantly fewer visitor arrivals from Western countries will cause an overall decline in tourism numbers in Myanmar this year, according to local tour operators....
Myanmar economy loosing steam, reforms urgently needed
Myanmar, until recently perceived as the new tiger cub success story of Southeast Asia after the country's "soft opening" in 2011 under then-president Thein...
After 100 days of a new Myanmar: Can Suu Kyi live up to her promises?
This July 7 marked the 100-day anniversary of the new civilian government in Myanmar, with the National League for Democracy (NLD) of democracy icon...
Embezzlement case shakes Myanmar, former gov’t in focus
An embezzlement probe has been launched by Myanmar's Department of Mines after almost $100 million vanished from a joint fund set up by Myanmar's gem...
Myanmar’s new president chosen in historic vote
Myanmar's parliament on March 15 elected Htin Kyaw, a close aide and longtime friend of democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi, to become...
Suu Kyi names presidential candidates
As expected, Myanmar's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on March 10 named her close aide and former driver, charity leader Htin Kyaw, as...
Historic day for Myanmar as new parliament convenes
The first session of Myanmar’s newly elected parliament kicked off on February 1. For the first time in more than 50 years of democratic...
Myanmar’s new parliament to start sessions on February 1
Myanmar’s newly-elect parliament will convene on February 1, Shwe Mann, speaker of the House of Representatives, or lower house, said, ushering in a new...
Myanmar drafts new five-year plan to boost economy
Myanmar is drafting its second five-year plan (2016-17 to 2020-2021) aiming to boost economic growth by encouraging investment in the public and private sectors...
Suu Kyi can choose new Myanmar president
Leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Aung San Suu Kyi has won an outright majority in Myanmar's parliament in the November 8...
Now Suu Kyi must live up to her promises
The landslide victory of the National League for Democracy of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi brought the party 163 out of 182...
Myanmar’s ruling party: “We have to find out why we lost”
Vote counting in Myanmar is still ongoing and complete results are not expected until tonight, but one thing is clear: Aung San Suu Kyi's...
New path ahead as Myanmar goes to the polls in 80%-turnout
Polls are open in Myanmar today in elections that will test the military's longstanding grip on power. It's the first election contested by the...
Aung San Suu Kyi works towards alliance with Shwe Mann
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi announced that she wants to form an alliance with Shwe Mann, the recently ousted chairman of the...
Tensions mount ahead of Myanmar elections after dismissal of ruling party chief
Myanmar's powerful ruling party chief and reformist Shwe Mann, who just a few weeks ago registered as candidate for the November 8 elections, has...
Tough race expected in Myanmar elections
After Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's registration to run for Myanmar's general election on November 8, the ruling Union Solidarity and Development...
Singapore names flower in honour of Thai junta leader
Thailand's junta leader General Prayut Chan-ocha's two-day official visit to Singapore ended on June 12 on a flowery note as the National Orchid Garden...
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Indonesia, Malaysia to create OPEC-like palm oil price cartel
Malaysian prime minister’s popularity shrinks
$71 billion for Thailand’s infrastructure
Vietnam’s party chief warns against growing wealth gap
Brunei: Adjusting to new economic requirements
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Past Resident
2014: Arts Council Korea
Yongseok Oh
Yongseok Oh is a Korean-born artist who emphasizes the crossing of the past and the present, and of the real and the imagined, by creating a visual collage of stills, moving images and cinemas. He explores the structure of the cinema and daily life and collapses a certain cinematic narrative through collage techniques.
He has been recognized widely and his works have been shown at various international biennales including Seoul Media City Biennale, 2006; Shanghai Biennale, 2006; Seville Biennale, 2008; Biennale of Cuvee, Lintz, 2008 and Moscow Biennale, 2011. Selected group exhibitions include: Thermocline of Art, ZKM, Karlsruhe, 2007; Metamorphosis, Espace Louis Vuitton, Paris, 2008; CINEMA SIM, Itau Culture, San Paulo, 2008; Trance POP, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, 2008; The Imaginary Line, Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, 2009; Textual Landscapes, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York, 2009; Sporadic positioning, Arario gallery, Cheonan, 2012 and Plateau, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, 2012. Recently, he collaborated on a project with L`OCCITANE, Paris.
Yongseok Oh, Drama No. 6, 2011, Two channel video. Courtesy of the artist.
Yongseok Oh, Classic No. 1978, 2009, Single channel video. Courtesy of the artist.
Yongseok Oh, In Absentia, 2013, Mixed media, real-time closed-circuit video, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
Yongseok Oh, Memory of the Future, 2009, Single channel video. Courtesy of the artist.
Yongseok Oh, Siamese montage-lover letter, 2008, Two channel video, Siamese scope, player, 1:54 min. Courtesy of the artist.
Residents from South Korea
Jesse Chun
United States, South Korea, China/Hong Kong, Canada
National Endowment for the Arts, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
Entang Wiharso
United States, Indonesia
The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc.
Kim Dokyun (KDK)
LIG Art Space
2013: Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
Claire Moeder
Claire Moeder is interested in the history of exhibitions. Her articles, exhibition reviews and research are all means of examining that which goes into making a uniquely rich exhibition. Her fascination for words along with an inclination toward long perambulations through museums have led her to write about the complexity of the museum space. She has preserved a particular interest for those artists who appropriate the exhibition and turn it into their own field of play. Her recent curatorial work is guided by a spirit of close collaboration with artists and by a curiosity for works that enable her to preserve and sustain a child’s gaze.
Claire Moeder is a Montreal-based curator, author and critic. She earned a master’s degree from the Art History and Curatorial program at University of Rennes, France. She has covered art exhibitions for the online magazine Ratsdeville since 2010 and has also published several articles for journals in Quebec (Zone Occupée) and France (Marges). She contributed to the catalogue for the 2009 Mois de la Photo à Montréal and to the first monograph dedicated to the work of Christian Marclay. Since 2008, Moeder has taken part in numerous exhibition projects with artists in the Quebec. In 2014, she will curate an extensive exhibition of the work of Iranian-Canadian artist Sayeh Sarfaraz and will publish the first monograph devoted to the artist.
Christian Marclay, Christian Marclay: SNAP!, 2009, Monography. Courtesy of the curator and Presses du réel editions.
Christian Marclay, Christian Marclay: SNAP!, 2008, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the curator.
Sayeh Sarfaraz, Mémoire d’éléphant, 2013, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the curator.
Residents from Canada
Matilda Aslizadeh
Christina Cuthbertson
Alberta Foundation for the Arts
2013: KdFS Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen
Anja Kempe
In her site-specific installations, videos and video installations, Anja Kempe deals with the unknown of physical space and the potential of movement. She develops architectural extensions that augment space. Her dynamic images of space act as expansive choreographies for the viewer. Her latest works deal with the body itself. She brings together the individual memory of the body and the collective memory of individual movements.
Anja Kempe (born 1973) was educated at the Karlsruhe University of Art and Design and at the Academy of Media Arts, Cologne. She has exhibited internationally in group shows and solo exhibitions including at z33, Hasselt; Ars Electronica Campus, Linz; Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart; Museum Schloss Moyland; Kunstverein Leipzig; NGBK Berlin; Interfood Vitrine, Aachen; Kunstraum Kreuzberg, Berlin; Art Cologne and Young Artist Project, Daegu. Kempe lives and works in Leipzig where she teaches at the Academy of Visual Arts.
Anja Kempe, Stairway, 2006, Paper, cardboard, wood, acrylic paint. Courtesy of the artist.
Anja Kempe, Dissociation, 2002, Four weighing cells, four wide-angle projectors, balance software. Courtesy of the artist.
Anja Kempe, Inscription, 2007, Aluminum bar, coaly gum, infrared lamps, nightshot camera, monitor, overlay software. Courtesy of the artist.
Anja Kempe.
Anja Kempe, Diagonal, 2008, Tape. Courtesy of the artist.
Residents from Germany
Charlotte Eifler
KdFS Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen
Andrea Flemming
Kunststiftung des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt
Fritjof Mangerich
Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur and Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung
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#EAPM - Istraživanje zdravstvene skrbi: nastavak rasprave ...
Zdravlje dopisnik | Siječanj 11, 2019
Research in health care is an ongoing discussion and the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) has always been vocal in this important field,writes EAPM Executive Director Denis Horgan.
The broad topic and its many elements is the subject of continuous engagement by the Alliance, and will be highlighted during its upcoming 7th annual Presidency Conference in Brussels on 8-9 April.
This event, during the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the EU, comes on the back of a hugely successful Congress held in Milan at the end of 2018, which covered many of the issues.
EAPM notes that Manfred Weber, the European People’s Party’s lead candidate for the upcoming European elections, this week urged the EU to work together on what he called “an ambitious approach on medicine research”.
This was a part of his unveiling of a masterplan to fight cancer, which included him saying that “Nobody thinks that one single country can win the fight” against the disease.
The EPP’s Weber added that experts and researchers have told him that “if we combine our money and resources, we actually can cure cancer”.
EAPM recently published an article on the lead candidate, or ‘Spitzenkandidaten’. Možete ga pronaći ovdje.
As Weber suggests, when it comes to research in Europe, there is a clear need for more collaboration. As a case in point, the Alliance played a key role in the creation of the MEGA initiative, which was a topic of discussion at a forum on research innovation this week (more of the workshop below).
The Million European Genomes Alliance (MEGA) has so-far been signed by 19 member states and its foundation was based on the need to bring together a coalition of EU countries in order to cooperate in bringing innovation into health care systems.
Up until now, there has been something of a piecemeal approach across Europe in various slices of legislation, such as those covering clinical trials, IVDs and more.
Europe needs to be more proactive when looking at how best to bring innovation into health-care systems, not least when it comes to interoperability, but there are many other areas.
In fact questions have been asked, also this week, about the effectiveness of the general data protection regulation (GDPR), with EMA chief Guido Rasi surprising many by saying that he is not sure that the digital revolution and the regulatory environment are compatible.
There is a need for clarity “immediately” on two points, he said, citing secondary data use for health research and asking who is responsible if someone manages to identify data anonymized in good faith.
These are valid points and EAPM is also concerned that member states may implement GDPR’s provisions in different ways, which above and beyond the goal of a cohort of a million EU genomes, means that the ‘MEGA-style’ of a truly cooperative approach is key going forward.
STOA Workshop on health-care research
As mentioned, Thursday 10 January saw a workshop run by the European Parliament’s Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Panel on the topic of innovative solutions for research in healthcare.
The discussion was based around a manifesto supported by the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine.
The high-level forum on Thursday (10 January) discussed ideas around developing a novel approach to deliver better precision medicine in Europe and, among others, was attended by Belgian Health Minister Maggie De Block and head of EORTC, Denis Lacombe.
EORTC was a key driver behind the gathering and takes the lead role in EAPM’s Working Group on Regulatory Affairs.
At the meeting, Paul Rübig MEP, who is STOA Vice Chair, set the ball rolling by saying that data plays an important role in healthcare, especially in cross-border healthcare situations. The use of data offers an opportunity to save lives and to know which kind of medicines work together.
Rübig’s view is that the establishment of a new framework between industry, patients, governments and other stakeholders could mitigate the somewhat problematic current situation.
Belgium’s health minister, who has previously taken part in EAPM events, said that she wants to offer access to medicines to all patients as soon as possible – pointing to an agreement signed in 2014 with the pharmaceutical industry to make clinically relevant therapies available to patients in a sustainable way.
The workshop also heard that gene therapies are able to improve the lives of patients significantly.
On the topic of modern concepts in health care in the 21st century, participants heard that there are very effective innovative new drugs which have been approved on the basis of a very limited number of patients, but they are used in a large number of patients for long periods of time afterwards.
More real-world data and evidence is needed.
Some challenges ahead…
The workshop heard that, in terms of challenges of new technologies in the research and societal environment, for researchers these lie mainly in the area of bio informatics solutions, benchmarking technologies and data interpretation. The situation is complex for researchers as well as for those bringing medicines to market, with the latter being challenged by new treatment approvals and off-label use. These issues go on to create challenges for pricing, health technology assessment and new therapeutic guidelines.
Regulatory trials which aim to document new drugs are certainly needed, but as downsides their primary end-points are frequently purely drug centred, and are based on heavily selected populations.
The control arm may not, in fact, represent real practice, leading to the possibility of poor external validity, which doesn’t adequately serve day-to-day patients and doctors. Today’s clinical research looks at optimal patient populations, drug combinations and sequences, and duration of treatment, but a way needs to be found to re-engineer how to work together.
The workshop heard about an EMA study which showed that, out of 48 cancer medicines approved between 2009 and 2013, only just over one-third showed a prolongation of survival.
Attendees were told that the critical gap to be addressed, at the European level, is to understand how to move from drug-centred research to patient- and society-centred research, while also ensuring the interests of all stakeholders.
The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) was represented at the workshop, and said that they were inspired by the manifesto, especially the ideas on how to create a collaborative research space to make a quality change.
To make a step change, attendees were told, there is a need to bring together stakeholders that are not used to working together. The health arena is unique, and there are conflicts of interest that may arise plus the need to maintain a balance between access and innovation.
A neutral broker is extremely important, and resulted in the creation of the Innovative Medicines Initiative.
The workshop heard about the need to break down silos in developmental phases and between research and care, with the latter two needing to be brought closer together.
Also, in the development and registration process there are uncertainties. It is necessary to have spaces in which patients and researchers can come together to understand how to deal with these.
IMI has a project called ‘Big Data for Better Outcomes’, which seeks to define outcomes that are patient-centred, but also relevant for HTA bodies, doctors and researchers. This relies on data from all areas.
Genomics, imaging and patient stratification
The workshop heard that genome sequencing used to cost €10 million, as much as the most expensive house in London at the time, but now it would cost less than an Arsenal season ticket. Many people can now have their genomes sequenced, should they wish to.
Big changes he also occurred in imaging. Applying these technologies can be done in research and in practicing medicine, although the two areas are quite different. But they are both relevant in terms of patient stratification.
In clinical practice, stratification can help with better diagnosis and prognosis, better use of medicines, such as in respect of personalised medicine, and with specific care pathways optimised for individual cases.
In medicine discovery, stratification can bring more clarity regarding therapeutic goals in early development and make clinical trials less costly and more likely to succeed in phases II and III.
The workshop heard that for the best stratification, four pillars are required. These are at-scale genomic assays, a clear legal basis to access appropriate data and approach patients, a very large virtual cohort, ideally with population scale ascertainment, and harmonised representation of key aspects of electronic health records (EHRs).
Attendees learned that Europe has the largest cohort of EHR records in the world, with some of the most advanced clinical and population genomics programmes globally. Europe’s formative one-million genomes project, known as MEGA, was highlighted and the workshop heard that the target will easily be surpassed.
Disruptive medicines and HTA
The workshop heard that highly innovative, potentially curative medicines require a re-definition of value. Emerging business models are also driving the need to improve cooperation between competent authorities at national and regional level on key elements of drug-pricing decisions.
There is a paradigm change on the way as healthcare moves from treatment to potential cure and prevention, from anatomical to molecular, from drug prescription to therapy delivery, from risk/benefit to clinical added value, and from approval to access.
This shift will all require changes on the part of researchers, developers, patients and doctors.
Meanwhile, on health technology assessment, the workshop heard that it is important for HTA bodies to assess what happens to patients after treatment and, as such, real world data is vital.
Traditionally there has been the initial HTA to assess market authorization, but there should also be a comparative or full HTA later, not only for reimbursement purposes but also to support appropriate use.
New HTA methods are needed to support internationalization, and for adapting to a new era of personalised medicine.
Attendees heard that if health care works to address the real needs of patients in the development of medicines, it decreases the risk for all parties.
The development of and access to medicine is a sequential process, with the sequence meant to bring efficient products to the market. It is not optimal and could be better, but it works. However, there is a conundrum between access versus evidence and the fundamental question is “What is enough evidence?”
Oznake: eu, oglašen, full-image
Kategorija: Naslovna stranica, EU, Europski savez za Personalizirana medicina, Zdravlje, Personalizirana medicina
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Home / News & Speeches / Economists predict soft landing for world economy
Economists predict soft landing for world economy
Expectations for the global economy deteriorated for the fifth time in succession, but remained above the long-term average, a world poll of 1,118 corporate and academic economists in 91 countries disclosed today.
The quarterly poll by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Munich-based Ifo Economic Research Institute indicates a “soft landing” for the world economy rather than any sharp decline in economic activity. Ifo President Dr Werner Sinn said the poll showed very little decrease in expectations for the next six months. The expectation is that the present cooling of the world economy is unlikely to last.
The biggest deterioration in the economic climate indicator was in Western Europe, below the long-term average. In North America there was a drop in expectations for the next six months, but an improvement in the assessment of the current economic situation.
The economic climate indicator for Asia improved for the first time in almost a year, largely due to improved assessments for the next six months.
The poll showed that economic growth is expected to slow further in the next six months.
The ICC/Ifo survey said:
“For the world economy as a whole, growth is expected to continue in the coming six months, but at a slower pace.”
However, the expansion may be endangered by serious imbalances in the world economy, such as the huge US current account deficit, weak growth in the euro zone and Japan and inflexible currency regimes in Asia, e.g. in China.
On the economic situation of the euro zone, the economic experts forecast only weak growth in 2005.
Only in Finland and Ireland was the current economic situation judged to be above the satisfactory level. Unemployment was deemed to be the euro zone’s biggest economic problem, followed by insufficient demand.
The survey estimated that consumer price inflation would be 2.9% in 2005, exactly the rate recorded in 2004. This was slightly more than estimated in the previous survey. The worst inflation in the euro zone was expected to be in Greece, estimated at 3.4%. The lowest inflation rate in th e euro zone in 2005 was expected to be 1.4% in Finland.
The US dollar was seen as undervalued compared with the euro and the British pound, both seen as overvalued.
The US dollar was expected to remain more or less stable or to decline slightly over the next six months.
The trend of rising short-term interest rates was expected to accelerate moderately over the next six months in the euro area, Latin America and the United States.
Discussing economic growth prospects, the survey said that on average in the 91 countries covered in the survey, real gross domestic product (GDP) in constant prices in 2005 was expected to be 3.1% higher than in 2004.
Views on climate change and the Doha round of trade negotiations
A special section of the survey asked respondents about the role of the private sector in providing economically sound solutions to environmental sustainability and the importance of the World Trade Organization’s Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations.
As many as 88% of the economists polled believed that it would be the private sector that would provide the environmentally friendly technologies that would play a major role in providing environmentally sound solutions to climate change.
A total of 69% of the panel of economists agreed that G8 leaders at the Gleneagles Summit in July should give priority to ensuring that the Doha round of trade negotiations makes considerable progress towards a successful conclusion in 2006.
A massive 82% of the economists polled agreed or strongly agreed that the improved market access for developing countries resulting from a successful
Doha round would make a significant contribution to economic and social development and the alleviation of poverty.
ICC is the world business organization, the only representative body that speaks with authority on behalf of enterprises from all sectors in every part of the world. ICC promotes an open international trade and investment system and the market economy. Business leaders and experts drawn from the ICC membership establish the business stance on broad issues of trade and investment, e-business, IT and telecoms policy, as well as on vital technical and sectoral subjects. ICC was founded in 1919 and today it groups thousands of member companies and associations from over 130 countries.
Since 1981 the Ifo Institute has conducted a quarterly survey in numerous countries on business cycle developments and other economic factors in the experts’ home countries. The survey is conducted in co-operation with ICC in Paris and with financial support from the European Commission.
A detailed regional analysis appears in the quarterly journal, CESifo World Economic Survey. This press release contains advance information on the most important results.
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March 28, 2016 FieldsColumn
GLENDALE, AZ — Even though he was in spring training in Arizona, 1,800 miles from Rupp Arena, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher (and former Paul Laurence Dunbar basketball player) A.J. Ellis followed Dunbar’s march to the Sweet Sixteen championship.
“I had friends on Facebook who kept me up on how Dunbar was doing,” Ellis said. “I was following them closely. I had a game (the Sunday of the state finals), and when I came off the field I had a barrage of text messages from some of my high school teammates letting me know Dunbar had pulled it out.
“I was so excited for them, for the school and all the alums. I know I was excited.”
Ellis was a sophomore reserve on Dunbar’s 1997 Sweet Sixteen team that lost to Paintsville in the first round.
“I was the last man on the bench and didn’t get to play in Rupp,” he said. “But man, what an atmosphere that was. Running out of that tunnel and having all the fans there — it felt like 100,000. I remember that, and I remember little Paintsville High School and the studs they had — (J.R.) VanHoose and (Todd) Tackett , and some other guys — who put it on us.”
Ellis said he knew Dunbar was rated No. 1 in the state during the season, and that once they got to Rupp, former coach Frank Watson returned to cheer them on.
“All of it brought back great memories,” Ellis said.
Follow these topics: FieldsColumn
ABOUT MIKE FIELDS
After working as a sports writer for 41 years, I needed a break from the daily demands and deadlines of the newspaper business. So last June I retired from the Lexington Herald-Leader after covering approximately 4,000 high school sports events in my career. Now, eight months later, I’m rested and ready for a part-time return to the game. To reintroduce myself: I was born in Pikeville, grew up in Bardstown, graduated from the University of Kentucky, worked at newspapers in Eustis, Fla., Lake City, Fla., Henderson, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before coming to Lexington in 1980. Email me at mfields@khsaa.org
Recent Fields Column Posts
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Premier facts for kids
Premier is sometimes used instead of Prime Minister. But it is also the title of the leader of the government in some territories.
When a colony is first allowed to elect its own government the head of the government is called the Chief Minister. As the colony gets more able to rule itself it is given more powers and the title of the Chief Minister is changed to Premier. When the colony becomes independent the Premier becomes a Prime Minister, and British government ministers lose any authority to rule the new country.
Australia and Canada
The leader of the federal governments in Australia and Canada is called the prime minister, but the leader of the governments in Australian States and Canadian Provinces is called the Premier. This is because the states and provinces are not independent.
Premier Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
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South Park: The Stick of Truth Gets Nintendo Switch Release Date
South Park: The Stick of Truth / Sept. 17, 2018
Experience the epic tale of The Stick of Truth on Switch next week!
By Adam Bankhurst
South Park: The Stick of Truth is headed to the Nintendo Switch next Tuesday, September 25.
Originally released in 2014 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, South Park: The Stick of Truth was written and directed by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, and published by Ubisoft.
Earlier this year, it became available for the first time as a standalone purchase for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as previously it had only been available on the new consoles as a bonus for those who pre-ordered The Stick of Truth's sequel, South Park: The Fractured But Whole.
South Park: The Stick of Truth is an RPG that puts you in the shoes of the New Kid who has recently moved into South Park and joins Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny and many other South Park characters as they partake in fantasy live-action-role-playing (LARP) game that quickly escalates to much more than an imaginary battle.
In our review of South Park: The Stick of Truth, we praised the game and stated that "Trey Parker and Matt Stone lead the way on the South Park video game we've always wanted."
South Park: The Fractured But Whole released on October 17, 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC and April 24, 2018 for the Nintendo Swtich.
In our review, we said "navigation and repetition of some of its simple puzzle mechanics drag a little, but it’s otherwise an excellent South Park game that’s also a strong RPG."
South Park: The Stick of Truth will be released on the Nintendo Switch eShop on September 25, 2018, for $29.99 USD.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who has always meant to play this game and may have to right that wrong next week. You can let him know if that's a good idea or not on Twitter @AdamBankhurst.
South Park: The Stick of Truth Will Be Available Standalone on PS4, Xbox One
E3 2016: South Park: The Stick of Truth coming to PS4, Xbox One
Ubisoft has sold over 1.6 million copies of South Park: The Stick of Truth
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South Asia News
May 27, 2008 / 10:02 AM / 11 years ago
The decline and fall of Nepal's last king
Gopal Sharma
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Not long ago he was revered as a Hindu god, waited upon by thousands of royal palace retainers. His face crowned banknotes and the national anthem hailed him.
Nepal's King Gyanendra is seen in Kathmandu in this May 12, 2008 file photo. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar/Files
Now Nepal’s King Gyanendra is vilified, set to lose his crown and even pay his own tax and electricity bills.
A special assembly will convene on Wednesday with the abolition of Nepal’s monarchy top of its agenda, bringing to an end the 239-year-old Shah dynasty and leaving Gyanendra to go down in history as the last king of Nepal.
The 60-year-old businessman-turned-monarch has only himself to blame, many Nepalis say, after an ill-judged power grab in 2005 when he dismissed the government, jailed politicians and declared a state of emergency.
Gyanendra was apparently fed up with Nepal’s corrupt and squabbling politicians and decided only he could rescue the country from a deadly Maoist insurgency.
The attempt backfired, and he was forced to back down the following year after weeks of street protests that ultimately sealed his and the monarchy’s fate.
“He believed that he had the best intention,” said Kunda Dixit, editor of the Nepali Times weekly. “But it was his autocratic streak that did him in.”
As a three-year-old boy Gyanendra was thrust on the throne in 1950 when his grandfather briefly fled to India, in the midst of a power struggle with the country’s hereditary prime ministers, the Ranas.
When King Tribhuvan returned a few months later, Gyanendra retreated once more into the background, building a fortune in tea, tobacco and hotels and getting involved in environmental conservation.
Then, nearly seven years ago, his popular brother King Birendra and eight other members of the royal family were shot and killed by the crown prince, who then turned his gun on himself.
Gyanendra was back on the throne, and like many of his predecessors, he was brought up to believe he knew better than his subjects what was best for Nepal.
The massacre had broken the mystique of a monarchy once revered as incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu, while Gyanendra’s seizure of power unleashed the wrath of the people.
“I think he is getting what he deserved,” said 48-year-old labourer Suntali Khatri, breast-feeding her two-year-old daughter next to a building site. “He could not ask for more.”
Maoist rebels, whose main demand had been the abolition of the “feudal monarchy”, have gone on to become Nepal’s largest party after a 2006 peace deal and elections in April.
They say Gyanendra can stay in the country as a commoner and businessman, provided he respects the assembly’s decision.
The king himself has been reported as saying he had no intention of leaving Nepal.
Instead he is likely to drive from the pink pagoda-roofed Narayanhity Palace to his own, luxurious and well-guarded private residence in Kathmandu.
OVER-AMBITIOUS?
Gyanendra went to school in Darjeeling, a hill station in eastern India, and graduated from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu.
Mohan Prasad Lohani, who taught him English in university, said he was an irregular student — more interested in politics than studies. “He had his own notion of how things should change. He was very ambitious,” he said.
That ambition could have been his downfall, analysts say. And it has been a dramatic fall from grace.
In the last two years, the government has seized thousands of acres of royal lands, nationalised more than a dozen of his palaces and sacked his priest in a purge of palace employees.
Virtually confined to his palace, the king has had his annual allowance cut, been hit with tax demands and requests for unpaid electricity bills. He has seen his face replaced by an image of Mount Everest on the country’s banknotes and praise of him purged from the national anthem.
Yet royalists who have met him say he has taken it all calmly.
They argue that a hasty abolition of the monarchy could backfire and leave the country without the anchor that it needs in times of change. But royalist parties won just four seats in the 601-member assembly.
While many Nepalis like the idea of a constitutional monarchy, few like the idea of being ruled by Gyanendra or his unpopular son Paras, who has a reputation as a playboy and a reckless driver.
“I think this is the end of the road for the monarchy,” Dixit said. “Most Nepalis think it just not worth the trouble to keep any more.”
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Guam Senator visits Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) Executive Minister
Senator Rory J. Respicio, the majority leader of Guam’s 33nd legislature, made a courtesy call to Iglesia Ni Cristo Executive Minister Brother Eduardo recently, to present the legislative resolution of Guam that recognized and congratulated the INC on its 102nd anniversary this past July 27.
“The Iglesia Ni Cristo is a very resilient Church, and the Church is here to stay,” said the US senator who flew to the Philippines specifically to present to Brother Eduardo Guam’s legislative resolution no. 419-33, which he had introduced and which was supported by 14 other legislators of Guam.
“The reason for this visit is to present the legislative resolution which recognizes the 102nd anniversary of the INC, and also to recognize the INC for all its contributions to the island of Guam,” he said in an interview.
“I am always indebted to the Filipino people for its continued contributions (to Guam), and I’m here today to recognize the Iglesia Ni Cristo and say that the people of Guam are indebted to the positive act the Church has made to our island,” Senator Respicio explained.
The senator from Guam said the courtesy call to Brother Eduardo was “a very special visit.”
“It’s a very nice blessing as you know the Iglesia Ni Cristo has a huge contingent on our island of Guam and we share a very special relationship between the Filipino community and the people of Guam,” he said of his very first visit to Brother Eduardo.
According to the resolution presented to the INC leader this week, the Committee on Rules of Guam’s Legislature, and on behalf of Guam’s Legislature and the people of Guam, “recognize and congratulate (the) Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) on the celebration of its 102nd anniversary of faithfully serving Christ.”
The resolution also commended the INC members “for the positive impact their Church has achieved in the advancement and well-being of the people of Guam, the Philippines, and numerous other nations around the globe.”
Guam’s legislators also extended their congratulations to the INC’s “leaders, congregation and brethren for their contributions and services that have helped to bring strength, solace, and progress” to Guam.
Guam’s 33rd legislature recognized that “for many decades, the Iglesia Ni Cristo has sustained a proud tradition of helping those in need, and it continues to celebrate God’s blessings through spiritual development and maturity for our community of Guam and abroad.”
It said that the INC has also “greatly contributed to the spiritual life of (Guam’s) community and to the progress” of the whole island of Guam.
The resolution noted that the people of Guam were also “honored to join the celebration” of the INC’s 102nd anniversary, and are also “grateful for the countless contributions its members have made throughout its history, both here and abroad.”
“The membership of the Iglesia Ni Cristo comprises at least 110 nationalities, and maintains about 104 ecclesiastical districts in the Philippines and in 100 other countries and territories, spanning six continents,” the resolution noted.
Donna Ybanez
donna.ybanez@eaglenews.ph
(650) 581-5463source: http://religionnews.com/2016/09/23/guam-senator-visits-iglesia-ni-cristo-church-of-christ-executive-minister/
Guam Senator Visits Inc Executive Minister, Thanks…
From Latin America to Pacific Islands —International…
50 YEARS IN THE WEST
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in architecture, culture, heritage, history, NSW state governmet, st george heritage, suburban, sydney, Uncategorized, Victorian architecture
HOSPITAL EXPANSION TO SWALLOW UP 1896 GRIFFITH HOUSE
It has come to our attention recently by local historian Anne Field and our friend Leesha Payor from the Kogarah Residents Association that Griffith House (formerly called Weruna) on the grounds of Kogarah Public Hospital is to be bulldozed as part of the expansion redevelopment of the emergency department. The Victorian Italianate Villa has a proud heritage, being built in 1896 by former mayor and German immigrant Peter Herrmann, who served four terms with council and played a leading role in Kogarah civic affairs. He worked towards incorporation of Kogarah as a Municipality, and was a founder of Kogarah Fire Brigade, of which a stunning heritage listed fire house remains adjacent to the villa. The Hermann family were one of the early European settlers of Kogarah, and maintained the house until 1920. The area’s early development can be largely attributed to the enterprise of market gardeners including the Hermanns.
The villa was incorporated into the hospital in 1961 and was named Griffith House in honour of Mr Thomas Arthur Clark Griffith, the Chief Executive Officer of St George Hospital from 1946 to 1981. It later became the St George Area Health Services Promotion Unit, opened by the Honourable Barry Unsworth on 9 November 1987, and the Orthopaedic Early Discharge Unit from 1989 to 1993. But its heritage goes way back to the late 19th C, representing the southern expansion of Sydney as part of the Bowns park Estate, after the opening of the Illawarra Railway Line in 1885. Under the proposed $34 million expansion of the Emergency Ward, this proud locally significant building is to be lost. While most would agree the hospital needs expanding, it shouldn’t be at the cost of such an important Kogarah landmark.
Historic Griffith House, image from Heritage Impact Statement
In a statement of significance within the Heritage Impact Statement of June 2012:
‘Griffith House (formerly called Weruna) is a late Victorian building c1890’s of local cultural significance.
The building has been strongly associated with the development of Kogarah. It was first owned and occupied by Peter Herrmann, a local identity who was associated with local government and the development of community services including the fire brigade and the St George Hospital.
In 1961 the building‟s relationship with community services changed from one of proximity and association to one of usage when it was acquired by the St George Hospital and utilised first as a residence for senior hospital medical officers and their families and then for accommodation of Health Promotion and Orthopaedic Early Discharge Units.
The building plays a role in demonstrating the standard of living of local civic leaders around the turn of the century however has been subject to alterations and is in a poor physical condition.’
In addition, the villa has been assessed to fit several criteria for heritage significance according to the Heritage Council of NSW, which can be used to make decisions about the heritage value of a place or item. Namely,
is associated with a significant activity or historical phase
is associated with a significant event, person, or group of persons
exemplifies a particular taste, style or technology
is important to a community‟s sense of place
has the principal characteristics of an important class or group of items
These characteristics as outlined in the Heritage Impact Statement should be enough to save the house from demolition and be retained as a significant item of local history.
Barry O’Farrell, all smiles announcing the expansion, with no regard for local heritage. Image aapnewswire.
The proposed demolition of this building has been kept under the radar by NSW Department of Health, and has yet to generate much interest publicly. After the story was published in the Leader today there may be some residents quite shocked to hear of it. Strangely, there is some debate on whether Griffith House is heritage listed or not. Cath Whitehurst, Director of Operations for St George and Sutherland Hospitals claims it isn’t. Yet Kogarah history librarian John Johnson says he knows it is on the heritage list, but when he looked recently found that it had been mysteriously pulled from the Heritage Office’s register.
If you are concerned about the fate of this significant and historic building, and you believe it can be part of the future of the St George Hospital expansion in one shape or form, then here is the forum to make your opinion heard. This building should be saved, it is part of our history and should become part of the future of the hospital, and the landscape of Kogarah. The DA is currently being assessed. Only with great support and many voices of the public can this be saved. Feel free to leave a comment…
Tags: architecture, Barry O'Farrell, bulldozing heritage, councils, culture, Griffith House, heritage, history, kogarah council, NSW Australia, NSW planning laws, NSW state government, Peter Herrmann, planning, St George emergency expansion, st george heritage, St George hospital redevelopment, sydney, Victorian Italianate villa
4 responses to “HOSPITAL EXPANSION TO SWALLOW UP 1896 GRIFFITH HOUSE”
Barry Melville says : October 25, 2012 at 4:10 pm
The people have spoken and now StGeoorge Hospital Board needs to take notice it is a public Hospital for the people and this House belongs to us all it must be saved.
June M Bullivant OAM says : November 21, 2012 at 8:18 pm
This is a heirtage house and has a history, can someone in St George area create a petition on change.org and everyone asked to sign it.
Dorothy Warwick says : November 23, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Again, we have to wonder why there is a State Heritage List – all it seems to do is flag items to demolish! This house is a significant item in the area’s history and should be kept. If the house has been de-registered, then we obviously need to be more vigilant at keeping a careful watch on our heritage items, as it seems that this is becoming common practice when a heritage item stands in the way of ‘progress’. Feels like we are heading back to the good old Jack Mundy days of trying to preserve our history.
inheritanceorg says : November 24, 2012 at 8:03 am
The house is definitely on the register, it has since been discovered it was registered under a false address. The travesty here is that the building is proposed for demolition to make way for, of all things, a carpark and entrance. Only a small portion of the building is ‘in the way'(a matter of metres) yet NSW Health is adamant they need the building removed rather than work around it. A campaign is ongoing to save this building, particularly by the Kogarah Bay Progress Association, including architectural heritage reports; the public is outraged but more publicity is needed. Stay tuned.
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Diabetes Care. 18(4):483-489, APR 1995
Diabetes in Urban African-Americans. I. Cessation of Insulin Therapy is the Major Precipitating Cause of Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Victoria C. Musey;Jenny K. Lee;Rochanda Crawford;Morel Ann Klatka;McAdams Debra;Lawrence S. Phillips;
From the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism (V.C.M., J.K.L., L.S.P), Emory University School of Medicine, and Grady Memorial Hospital (R.C., M.A.K., D.M.), Atlanta, Georgia.Address correspondence and reprint requests to Victoria C. Musey, MD, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 69 Butler Street, SE, Atlanta, GA 30303.Received for publication 19 September 1994 and accepted in revised form 22 December 1994.
OBJECTIVETo identify the causes of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in a large urban hospital.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSConsecutive patients admitted during a 3-month period with a primary diagnosis of DKA and who had moderate-to-severe illness as shown by serum glucose >13.9 mmol/l (>250 mg/dl), bicarbonate <15 mmol/l, and pH <7.35 were studied. Diabetes nurse educators interviewed patients and reviewed their medical records for the following: precipitating causes of DKA; content of previous diabetes education; frequency of blood glucose monitoring; recognition of symptoms of metabolic decompensation; and types of medical assistance obtained once patients were ill.RESULTSThere were 56 episodes of DKA, and 75% of the episodes were in patients with known diabetes. In the known diabetic patients, the most common cause of DKA was stopping insulin therapy, which occurred in 67% of episodes. Half of the patients (50%) stopped insulin because of reported lack of money to buy insulin from an outside pharmacy or get transportation to the hospital; 21% stopped insulin because of lack of appetite; 14% stopped insulin because of behavioral or psychological reasons; and 14% did so because they did not know how to manage diabetes on sick days. Of the known diabetic patients, >80% recalled having been instructed as to blood glucose testing and acute and chronic complications, but fewer patients recalled having been instructed as to insulin dose adjustment (28%) or sick day management (35%). Symptoms of decompensated diabetes were recognized in 55% of the 42 episodes of DKA in patients with known diabetes. However, only 5% of patients contacted the Diabetes Unit when they became ill; the majority (95%) went directly to the emergency room.CONCLUSIONSDKA occurred most often in patients with known diabetes who stopped insulin therapy because of reported lack of money for purchasing insulin or for transportation to the hospital and limited self-care skills in diabetes management. In urban African-American populations, up to two-thirds of the episodes of DKA may be preventable by improving patient education and access to care.
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If a bucket list is about doing extreme things, hydro Zorbing is a perfect fit. The activity, which was developed in New Zealand, involves rolling down a hill inside a transparent, water-filled orb. “From everything I’ve read, it’s an enormous amount of fun. You’re sort of in a controlled bounce down a hillside when you’re half tumbling and half flying,” Zackham says. newzealand.com
Some libraries already have enough travel shots, but the big online stock libraries are always looking for fresh images, and want to offer as much as variety as possible. So, if you want to submit to a particular library, check you have a good range of high-quality images that are different from the library’s current selection (and as good as, or better!). Libraries will also take a cut of the money you make from selling your images, typically 50%.
Deep in the Actun Tunichil Muknal, or ATM, cave in Central America, visitors can see where humans were sacrificed. The cave is reached by river, and requires wading upstream for about an hour. Over the centuries, the victims’ bones have calcified in place, making them appear to be made of crystal. “You’re meeting history first hand,” Zackham says. travelbelize.org
Travel photography as a genre is one of the most open in terms of the subjects it covers. Many travel photographers specialise in a particular aspect of photography such as travel portraits, landscape or documentary photography as well as shooting all aspects of travel. Much of today's Travel Photography style is derived from early work in Magazines such as National Geographic magazine from photographers such as Steve McCurry. This genre of photography entails shooting a wide variety of subjects under varied available conditions, e.g. low light photography indoors, available ambient light photography for exteriors of buildings and monuments, shooting on the streets where sometimes conditions may be hostile, capturing moments which rarely recur, capturing the magic of light while shooting landscapes, etc.
Mixing the Hanxiang Water Garden photo shoot and another in the water town of Xinchang, I produced "The Legend of Hua"; a complex photo film meshing the topic of ghosts, opium, Shanghai in its 1930's heyday, traditional Chinese cultural and supernatural elements; all revolving around a plot of betrayal. Its plot is influenced by a 1988 movie by Stanley Kwan (in turn based on a novel by Li Pi-Hua (also known as Lillian Lee), one of the most influential Chinese TV writers, film writers and reporters.
As with all types of photography, smart business sense is key. There are many ways to make a living with travel photography, and much of it extends well beyond your photo gear into social media marketing, content development, negotiation and sales. But the first step is to get out into the world and shoot. Start with anyplace you've been dreaming of traveling, and go! Plan ahead, do some research, and don't shoot like a tourist. Can't afford to travel? Search for opportunities in your nearest city to begin building your portfolio.
Flight Abbotsford - Las Vegas (YXX - LAS) C$ 256+ Flight Vancouver - Las Vegas (YVR - LAS) C$ 256+ Flight Edmonton - Las Vegas (YEG - LAS) C$ 278+ Flight Toronto - Las Vegas (YHM - LAS) C$ 280+ Flight Victoria - Las Vegas (YYJ - LAS) C$ 288+ Flight Calgary - Las Vegas (YYC - LAS) C$ 302+ Flight Toronto - Las Vegas (YYZ - LAS) C$ 328+ Flight Kelowna - Las Vegas (YLW - LAS) C$ 330+ Flight Winnipeg - Las Vegas (YWG - LAS) C$ 358+ Flight Halifax - Las Vegas (YHZ - LAS) C$ 364+ Flight Ottawa - Las Vegas (YOW - LAS) C$ 365+ Flight Saskatoon - Las Vegas (YXE - LAS) C$ 377+
You have provided a great deal of information on a subject I am really interested in. I will be researching the websites on this list. I have started my own website at http://www.davidhintzphotography.com, I have sold some of my photos on microstock websites and now looking to sell directly from my own website. Thanks for all your work on this topic. I would be interested in your comments on my site if you had the time to look at it.
Lyn's last tip is to have your own website. "Show off your work on Instagram and Facebook, but do ensure you have a good, easy to use website too. It should have some of your best work (with lots of keywords!), any specialities, and awards/competitions you have won, and your contact details. It's too easy to get carried away, add thousands of images, and forget the basics. Keep it simple."
Another place to capture expressions are the subways; either on the platforms or in the cars themselves. My favorite images are the one of a young woman avidly watching a movie on her smartphone, while wearing a single hair roller to tame her fringe....and of the young girl who appears to be viewing a smart phone screen on an ad on a subway platform while her mother is busy texting on her real phone.
In contrast with most of my peers, I seldom use Photoshop and have never used Lightroom. However, I rely on three post-processing/editing apps as my tools of choice...these are Color Efex Pro (originally of Google and now part of DxO Software, Iridient Developer (the raw image format processing software for macOS, and well known for its ability to process Fujifilm X-Trans raw files), and lastly ON1 Photo Raw ( a raw processor, photo editor and plug-in collection all in one).
The winners of the competition get a photo commission to an exotic destination – great experience and priceless exposure, as the images are printed in Wanderlust. Many of the past winners of this competition have gone on to become professional or semi-professional photographers. "We are often been approached for the contact details of certain photographers," says Lyn. "Organisations, such as travel companies or tourist boards, sometimes want to buy an image for their own use, or to see what else the photographer has in a similar vein. It can be a fantastic showcase."
If you’re interested in a professional mentoring program, I offer monthly subscriptions that include creative challenges, assignments and feedback in order to improve your photography. Mentoring also includes direct access to ask as many questions as you want about anything related to being a travel photographer. Email me at [email protected] for further details.
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Gary Rossington Remembers When Ronnie Van Zant Wrote ‘Sweet Home Alabama’
Lynyrd Skynyrd's Gary Rossington remembered how his late bandmate Ronnie Van Zant wrote "Sweet Home Alabama" as an answer to Neil Young.
As the guitarist recalled on the Ultimate Classic Rock Nights radio show, Van Zant was offended by a pair of Young songs that he didn't feel properly reflected the South.
"We loved him," Rossington told Uncle Joe Benson. "We loved his lyrics and his music, and Ronnie was a real big fan of his. He just put that verse in there about him because we had just recorded at Muscle Shoals and were doing clubs all around small towns in Alabama. And it was beautiful. We loved it and the people were great."
At the time, there was a negative perception of the South due to highly publicized incidents of racism. Young wrote a pair of songs, "Southern Man" on 1970's After the Gold Rush and "Alabama" on 1972's Harvest, in protest.
"And Ronnie just took offense at that, that he was cutting him down," Rossington recalled. "So he just said that as kind of a fun little thing. But we loved him -- always have and still do. A lot."
"Sweet Home Alabama" was released as the second single from Lynyrd Skynyrd's sophomore effort, Second Helping. It became their highest-charting single, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Lynyrd Skynyrd are continuing their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour into 2019, with dates around the world between early March and late September. You can see their entire calendar here.
Be sure to listen to Ultimate Classic Rock Nights on more than 50 stations across the U.S. from 7PM until midnight, Monday through Friday. You can see the list of radio stations where it airs here.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Albums Ranked
Next: Top 10 Lynyrd Skynyrd Songs
Source: Gary Rossington Remembers When Ronnie Van Zant Wrote ‘Sweet Home Alabama’
Filed Under: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Categories: National News
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LATAMilitary (https://latamilitary.com/2018/11/15/frankenpampa-the-story-of-the-argentine-ia-63-pampa-iii/)
FrankenPampa, the story of the argentine IA-63 Pampa III
By LATAMilitary | November 15, 2018
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(Mario Sar)
In recent publications, the Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) and the Defense Ministry have pushed the media agenda towards establishing an official history for the “brand new” IA-63 Pampa III. The IA-63 Pampa is a single engine, supercritical wing, advanced trainer developed in late 1970s and early 1980s for the Argentine Air Force by then Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) in partnership with Dornier.
The Argentine Air Forces had its hopes high on replacing their aging MS-760 Morane Saulnier with these in prospects of 100+ aircraft, but that was not the case. A developing economic crisis right after the last military dictatorship, almost killed both the project and the FMA. Years later, after numerous attempts of saving it while partnering with Aeritalia and possible Pilatus, the FMA was almost shut down, absorbed by the Air Force and then leased to a local branch of Lockheed.
Only almost two dozen of these IA-63 Pampa were built, considered a cost effective and capable advanced trainer, some of its flight capabilities were not for everyone. An example for that is that a pair of these crashed during flight displays, one in Farnborough and later one in Punta Indio base while presented to a Chinese delegation.
In midst of turning 20 years old, Lockheed Martin Argentina presented an upgrade for the Argentine Air Force, including a full glass cockpit with HOTAS, new navigation and attack computer as other subsystems necessary to bring the aircraft to the 21st century. This was called Pampa Serie II, even if had to be only partially including the multi-function displays (MFD) due to budget constraints. In 2009, the Defense Ministry decided to revoke the Lockheed Martin Argentina concession and took over the facilities as well as the upgrade program for the IA-63 Pampa. Years later, when logistic sundown came for the Allison TFE-731 powerplant, a new modification was to be proposed to refit these aircraft to the new TFE-731-40N version, an improved version of this proven jet engine. This became the Serie II-40 variant, now the standard for legacy Argentine Air Force Pampas.
With more than a decade of service, this advanced trainer upgrade has proved its worth within the Argentine Air Force, but yet is to overcome industrial, political and commercial obstacles. Upon considering the aging of these aircraft and the plant’s future. A new development was made in order to rebuild the production line. These newly built airframes were to be completed as Serie III variants but now actually with a full glass cockpit and scalable components for new combat training capabilities.
This massive and incomplete task was first undertaken by the Fernandez de Kirchner administration, but considering budget constraints, macroeconomic issues and difficulties to obtain hard currency developed a long standing delay. Many of the 1980’s original suppliers now were unavailable and the lack of proper commitment, for both this production and support of current fleet, from the argentine Defense Ministry consequently escalated costs in quotes and proposals from qualified companies, none the less, this was positive to the indigenous aerospace industry which took the ownership to replacing many components and suppliers.
Several memorandums of understanding were signed with foreign companies, some of them to provide advanced training systems and a replacement for the original Stencel ejection seat, but none of them came to terms. Backed by state to state agreements between Argentina and South Africa, Paramount Group developed Smart Weapons Integration on Fast-Jet Trainers (SWIFT), a sensor and weapons kit, to be marketed with brand new IA-63 Pampas, a COTS, cost effective kit compared to the high cost/high maintenance suite provided currently by Israel Aircraft Industry. But this was not exclusive since Paramount signed equivalent agreements with Leonardo. This states the concrete market competition for these aircraft within four contenders, Aero/IAI L-39NG, FAdeA’s IA-63 Serie III, Hongdu K-8 Karakorum and Leonardo’s M-345HET.
Since its inception, many proposals have been generated and offered to convert the IA-63 into a light attack platform. This, while being possible, has not been considered as cost effective due to the ratio between the hardpoints, thrust to weight ratio and fuel capacity. A global trend is focusing on cheaper aircraft to adquire and operate but with lots of new equipment both for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconaissance (ISR) and light attack. Very few of them with jet engines, such as the Textron Scorpion and many turboprops such as Embraer’s Super Tucano, KAI KT-1,Textron’s Texan II/Wolverine and even Paramount’s MWARI.
Almost half of the proposed new airframes for the Argentine Air Force and prospected customers have been already built but there are difficulties to assemble and complete the aircraft. As for today, five Serie III are in existence, two refitted from Serie II-40 aircraft and three new constructions but these five will never take flight at the same time. Parts for these three aircraft have been salvaged from the prototypes in order to fulfill the political objective as the agreement with the Argentine Air Force to deliver these three before the end of the year. Even so, has come to the attention of mass media that the supplier for the canopy’s explosive charge has changed its expiring date from 8 to 4 years. With logical precaution and taking the necessary measures, the Air Force is conducting their own trials for this component for their critical flight safety implications but this is yet another reason for low availability of aircraft.
The lack of local commitment, access to exports funding and other conflicts have impacted on the credibility of this proven aircraft, not by itself but of the current situation of both FAdeA and the Defense Ministry as the main stockholder. Therefore, the plant has not been able yet to secure any exports yet.
Guatemala becomes the first export customer of the IA-63 Pampa
Within the next 48 hours, the Defense ministers of Argentina and Guatemala will be signing the purchase of two IA-63 Pampa Serie III jet trainers. This two seat, single engine, advanced jet trainer provides a NVG compliant MIL SPEC full glass cockpit with a nav/attack suite.
3 thoughts on “FrankenPampa, the story of the argentine IA-63 Pampa III”
Bobby Bell on January 16, 2019 at 22:30 said:
I wonder how much of the new cockpit design was based on Bought Aircraft’s using the Pampa for their JPATS proposal in early 1990’s?
Bobby Bell, Jr. on March 31, 2019 at 23:54 said:
That is Vought Aircraft. Auto correct strikes again.
LATAMilitary on June 24, 2019 at 11:37 said:
The cockpit design is already determined on MIL-STD, perhaps on Serie II the case is as you express but on Serie III is brand new.
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College of Law > Faculty & Staff > Faculty A-Z > Allison Brownell Tirres
Allison Brownell Tirres
atirres@depaul.edu
Associate Professor of Law
733 Lewis Center
Tirres CV copy.pdf
Professor Tirres joined the College of Law faculty in 2007. She received a bachelor's degree magna cum laude from Princeton University in 1996 and then studied for a year in Mexico City at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. In 2004, Professor Tirres received her JD from Harvard Law School, where she was an editor and treasurer of the Harvard Law Review. In 2008, she received a PhD in history from Harvard University. She was the first Cleary, Gottlieb, Hamilton & Steen fellow at the Harvard Immigration & Refugee Clinic of Greater Boston Legal Services. Professor Tirres also worked for the Immigration Project of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law of Texas and for the law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell in Memphis, Tennessee. Professor Tirres' research and publications focus on immigration, citizenship and property law in both historical and contemporary perspectives. Her work has appeared in the American Journal of Legal History, the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal and the Michigan Journal of Race & Law, among others. In 2011, she was invited by the U.S. State Department to travel to Greece to serve as an expert speaker on issues of immigration law, policy and history. She is a contributing editor of the online legal scholarship journal Jotwell and has served as a peer reviewer for numerous journals and publishers, including Law & Social Inquiry and Oxford University Press. She is an Affiliated Scholar of the History Department at DePaul University. She served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the College of Law from 2014 to 2017 and received the DePaul College of Law Award for Excellence in Faculty Achievement in 2016.
B.A., Princeton University; M.A. (History), J.D. and Ph.D. (History), Harvard University
Immigration Law & Policy
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Get Up On This With Jensen Karp: Hobo Johnson
Every Thursday morning Jensen Karp gets us up on something new
Every Thursday morning Jensen Karp brings our attention to something that we may not know about yet or something we may have overlooked in the past.
Now it's time to "Get Up On This."
This week Jensen got us up on 24-year-old Frank Lopes Jr. from Sacramento, California, also known as Hobo Johnson - the frontman for Hobo Johnson & The Love Makers. He’s of Mexican and Portuguese descent and at 19 years old, he was kicked out of his father’s home. He was temporarily homeless and living out of his car, which is how he picked the name, Hobo Johnson. While homeless, he worked at a pizzeria but decided to quit and follow his passion. He’s been making music since and steadily climbing the buzzworthy ladder all year.
In 2016, he released his debut album, The Rise of Hobo Johnson, which was sparsely heard until he taped a music video for a NPR Tiny Desk contest. Though he didn’t win the contest, the video went viral for a song called Peach Scone.
Jensen finds when Hobo utilizes his Alternative influences, it feels a lot more natural than when he employs a hip-hop focus. His latest single, which is a perfect fit for KROQ, sounds like something you may hear from Suicidal Tendencies and is called Typical Story.
Another amazing, and somewhat heartbreaking, fact about Hobo Johnson is that he’s also a Sacramento Kings fan. Here's another one of his songs called DeMarcus Cousins & Ashley.
Hobo Johnson is unlike any artist, riding the line between Alternative Rock, Hip-Hop and even spoken word, sounding at times like a drunk Barney Gumble from The Simpsons. He is the perfect hybrid fit for the new generation of alternative music and he should be getting tons of attention on KROQ.
Jensen’s excited to hear what his new album, The Fall of Hobo Johnson, will sound like when it’s released on September 7, 2019. He has a large scale tour throughout October and November and is playing Lollapalooza, Reading and the Leeds festivals. And On October 14th you can see Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers at The Wiltern and October 16th at the House of Blues in Anaheim. These two shows may easily sell out so get your tickets as soon as possible.
Get Up On This
Jensen Karp
Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers
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Screen » Screen News
TIFF 2015: The Glorious Maggie Smith is The Lady in the Van
New fans of Maggie Smith probably love her most for her scene-stealing performances as matriarch Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey. Others may know Smith as Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise. Some may remember her Oscar-winning comic performance as an Oscar-loser in 1978's California Suite.
My own love affair with Maggie Smith began with 1969's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. I've also been blessed to have seen Dame Maggie (she was granted the title by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990) in multiple stage performances in New York or London.
One of my absolute favorites was 1999's The Lady in the Van in London's West End, so I'm pleased as punch to report Dame Maggie has brought the play's titular lady to the big screen, in what playwright Alan Bennett says is a "mostly true" story. It will most certainly punch Smith's return ticket to next year's Academy Awards.
The "lady" is Mary Shepherd, a cantankerous old coot who planted herself (and her van) in the driveway of Bennett's London home. She stayed there for 15 years. The "how" and the "why" of Mary's motivation is the centerpiece of the film, and I'm not inclined to give any of that away.
"Mary could be be subject of one of your plays," a neighbor told Bennett. The celebrated playwright took that advice and brought the "mostly true" story of Mary and her van to the London stage in 1999. Of course, Bennett was certain Maggie Smith was the only actress on the planet who could portray Mary.
The Lady In the Van is as uproariously funny as it is occasionally heartbreaking; and the story is a poignant reminder that growing old is, more often than not, a rather messy business: "Going downhill is an uphill job," says one of Bennett's neighbors.
The Lady in the Van will be a big art house hit when it opens in the U.S. this coming holiday season. You can bet your boots that Smith will be a prime contender for the Best Actress Oscar (if she wins, it would be her third).
Screen News Film Toronto International Film Festival TIFF TIFF 2015 Video
TIFF 2015: Charlie Kaufman Redefines Animation in Anomalisa
by George Prentice | Sep 17, 2015
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Consanguinity and its socio-biological parameters in Rahim Yar Khan District, Southern Punjab, Pakistan
Hafiza Fizzah Riaz1,
Shaheen Mannan1 and
Sajid Malik1Email author
© Riaz et al. 2016
Received: 4 June 2015
Accepted: 12 April 2016
Rahim Yar Khan (RYK) District is a multi-ethnic assemblage of both ancient and migrated communities in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. There is a paucity of knowledge on the bio-demographic structure of this endogamous population.
We have carried out a cross-sectional epidemiological study in RYK District and recruited 2174 random Muslim married females. Detailed account of marital union types, level of consanguinity, and subject’s fertility, was taken.
The analyses of these data revealed that consanguineous unions (CU) were 58.46 %, rendering an inbreeding coefficient (IC-F) = 0.0355. The CU were observed to be significantly higher in subjects originating from rural areas, speaking Saraiki language, illiterate or having a religious/Madarsa education only, and belonging to nuclear family type. The rate of consanguinity was also higher in subjects whose husbands were engaged in unskilled manual or skilled manual jobs, and had consanguinity in the parental generation. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that variables like Saraiki language, illiteracy, reciprocal marriages, and parental consanguinity, were the significant predictors of CU in the subject. Among the first cousin unions (which constituted 52 % of all marriages), parallel-cousin and patrilineal unions were in the majority (54 and 57 %, respectively), and father’s brother’s daughter type had the highest representation (31 %). The analyses further demonstrated that fertility and mean live-births were significantly higher in women who had CU compared to the non-consanguineous (NCU) group (p < 0.006); and significantly higher number of sons per women were born to the mothers who had CU compared with the NCU sample (p = 0.0002). However, there were no differences in the CU and NCU samples with respect to pre- or post-natal mortalities and child morbidities.
The scientific findings in RYK District are distinct from the observations in other Pakistani populations and clue to a unique nature of this population. This study presents a comprehensive account of consanguinity and IC-F in RYK District and would be helpful in getting an insight into the structure of this population.
Consanguinity
Inbreeding coefficient
Child morbidity
Southern Punjab
The study of consanguinity is a subject of interest for both social scientists and human biologists. Understanding the pattern of consanguinity is not only helpful in getting an insight into the socio-biological structure of populations, but is also pertinent to the health and disease variables of the populations [1] Lately, the applications of autozygosity mapping in the identification of genes for rare recessive disorders has drawn attention towards the detailed understanding of consanguinity, its impact on genome homozygosity, and its implications in the isolated and inbred populations [2, 3].
Consanguineous unions (CU) are generally common in the developing world and especially in the Islamic countries. High rate of consanguinity has been observed to be associated with low socioeconomic status, illiteracy, and rural residence [4, 5]. The pattern of specific types of CU and their associated variables, however, differ in different populations across the globe. Further, the epidemiological studies have shown that there was a significant excess of congenital anomalies in the offspring of the consanguineous couples. The CU resulted in significantly increased incidences of abortion and stillbirth. Further, reproductive losses (i.e., neonatal, post-neonatal, infant, less than 5 years, and pre-reproductive mortalities) have been observed to be remarkably higher in the consanguineous communities compared to the non-consanguineous counterparts [1, 3, 6].
With few exceptions, CU are widely practiced in Pakistan. Studies have shown that over the time, the popularity of such marriages is not declining in many sub-populations of the country [4]. There are several studies reporting the incidence of consanguineous marriages in various regions of Pakistan like northern Punjab [7, 8], Balochistan [9], southern Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa [10], and Kashmir [11]. The overall prevalence of consanguineous marriages ranged from 31.1 to 62 %. There is no study, however, available for Southern Punjab, which is a less developed region of the country. Hence, the main aim of the present study was to establish consanguinity and its socio-demographic variables in a representative population of Southern Punjab, i.e., Rahim Yar Khan (RYK) District. This study further investigated the differences in consanguineous and non-consanguineous samples with respect to parameters like subject’s fertility, live births, prenatal/postnatal mortality, and child morbidity.
Study population
RYK District lies at the southern extremes of Punjab province and borders with the Sindh province. It has an area of 11,880 km2 with an estimated population of 4.7 million [12, 13]. The District comprises four administrative divisions called tehsils, i.e., Sadiqabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Khanpur, and Liaquatpur. The major caste systems are Arain, Jutt, Rajput, and Gujjar, which migrated here during and after the creation of Pakistan in 1947. The old settlers of the region are the Joya, Wattoo, Daudpota, Balouch, Syed, and Pathan [12, 13]. The population of the district is predominantly Muslim (96.7 %), and the largest minority is Hindu (1.8 %). Siraiki is the major language (62.6 %), followed by Punjabi (27.3 %), and Urdu (2.9 %). The District has mainly an agro-based economy, and a majority of the population resides in rural areas. The literacy rate is 33.1 %, which is the lowest in Punjab province [12]. There are relatively better facilities of health care in RYK, but the impact of preventive care services like “maternal and child health services” and “immunization programs” are severely marred due to illiteracy, lack of awareness, and poor socio-economic conditions [12, 13].
Subject recruitment
A random sample was collected through a descriptive epidemiological study carried out during 2010–2011. There were a total of 35 different sampling sites encompassing the major towns/villages across the four tehsils of RYK District. Subjects were approached at their places of residences/work or by visiting public places like community centers and hospitals. Usually, a local resource person and lady-health-visitor accompanied the survey team. Only the married females who were permanent resident of the District and consented to provide complete information were included. All the data were acquired through face-to-face contact with the respondent. A formal consent was obtained from each respondent or her husband/in-laws prior to questionnaire filling. General queries from the respondents about the survey and the outcomes of the present study were adequately addressed before data collection. A structured questionnaire was developed to acquire the data. Only a single woman was recruited from a particular household. There were an estimated >416,000 housing units in the district [12, 13]. Hence, the proportion of the sampled households in RYK population was at least 0.005. Information was gathered on socio-demographic variables, marital types, and fertility variables. The Hindu community of the District exclusively practices non-consanguineous unions; hence, the data of Hindu subjects were not included in the analyses.
All the marital union types were coalesced into two broad categories of consanguineous unions (CU) and non-consanguineous unions (NCU). The CU comprised marriages between double first cousins (DFC), first cousins (FC), first cousin once removed (FCOR), and second cousins (SC); while the NCU were marriages between second cousin once removed (SCOR), distantly related/biradari (DR), and non-related (NR) [1, 10].
The geographic origin of the subject was identified as rural or urban, which was based on the union council records. Data were also collected with respect to the “marriage arrangements”, i.e., arranged, reciprocal, and self-arranged/arranged-love marriages. “Arranged marriages” were those in which the parents/elders of the subject played a key role in identifying marriage partner; “reciprocal marriages” involved two exchange marriages in two families (called watta-satta in local language); and “self-arranged/arranged-love marriages” were those in which the subject herself identified the marriage partner and marriage was subsequently contracted with the consent of both families. “Family/household” types were defined as either “nuclear”, “grandparent-and-one-couple” or “extended”. Nuclear families comprised one couple and their children living in the same house. Grandparent-and-one-couple were nuclear families with grandparents living together. Extended families comprised two or more couples living in three or more overlapping generations in the same household. Self-explained professions of the husband were resolved according to the standard occupational categories established in the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey [14]. Accordingly, the literacy was evaluated as formal schooling and in number of years of attending the school.
Data were analyzed through MS-Excel and GraphPad Prism (ver.5). Inbreeding coefficient-F (IC-F) was estimated from the weighted proportion of individual CU types [1, 10]. The χ 2 test was employed for the comparison between categorical variables and 95 % confidence intervals were calculated for total frequencies. The T test and ANOVA were used to compare continuous variable means, because all had a normal distributions and comparable variances. For multivariate analysis, a stepwise likelihood ratio logistic regression was performed. Consanguinity was taken as dependent variables and the studied socio-demographic factors as independent variables. For bivariate regression analysis (odd ratios (OR)), the category with lowest rate of CU was taken as reference in each socio-demographic variable.
Sample characteristics
A total of 2662 subjects were randomly approached during the fieldwork. However, 2174 individuals (82 %) gave their consent for the participation in this study. The recruited subjects ranged from 15 to 90 years in age (mean ± SD 35.2 ± 13.5). Among the four tehsils, 941 subjects belonged to Sadiqabad and there were 57 individuals from Liaquatpur (Table 1).
Distribution of major types of marital unions in four tehsils of RYK District
Consanguineous unions: no.(%)
Non-consanguineous unions: no.(%)
Tehsils
Double first cousin
First cousin
First cousin once removed
Second cousin
Second cousin once removed
Distantly related/Biradari
Non-related
All marriages
477 (50.7)
Liaquatpur
1129 (51.9)
Consanguinity and inbreeding coefficient
In the total marriages, CU were observed to be 58.5 % (n = 1,271) while NCU were 41.5 % (n = 903) (Table 1). FC unions were the most prevalent type among the CU as well as in the total marriages (51.9 %; n = 1129). In the sample of subjects with NCU, the most common marriage type was DR (37.9 %; n = 824). The overall IC-F was established to be 0.0355 (Table 2).
Distribution of consanguineous unions, total marriages, and IC-F across geographic location, mother tongue, and caste systems
Consanguineous unions
Total marriages
Bivariate logistic regression OR
IC-F
Tehsils*
Rural/urban origin*
Mother tongue*
Caste system** (n = 1501)*
Araina
Malikb
Arainb
Balouchb
Bhattib
Khokharb
Larrb
Mughala
Rajputa
Sheikhb
aPredominantly Punjabi speaking
bPredominantly Saraiki speaking
^Pushto speaking
*Distribution was statistically significant; **caste systems with sample size ≥42 are shown
Among the four tehsils, the proportion of CU was highest in the Liaquatpur tehsil (68.42 %). However, IC-F was highest in the RYK tehsil (0.0386) which was due to high proportion of FC unions; on the other hand, IC-F was observed to be 0.0367 in Liaquatpur (Table 2; Fig. 1). Furthermore, the differences in the distributions of CU and NCU among the tehsils were statistically significant.
Bar graph depicting CU and NCU (at the left Y-axis) and IC-F (in black diamonds; at the right Y-axis) in four tehsils of Rahim Yar Khan District
Consanguinity in socio-demographic variables
The CU were observed to be common in subjects belonging to rural areas compared to the urban counterparts (60.7 vs. 54.5 %, respectively), and their differences were statistically significant. With respect to the mother tongue of the respondent, the ratio of CU was most conspicuous in Saraiki speaking individuals (75.4 %; IC-F = 0.0454). Among the Punjabi and Urdu speaking individuals, CU were observed to be 45.2 and 46.0 %, respectively (Table 2).
There was considerable ethnic diversity in the sample and at least 150 minor caste systems were observed which were resolved into major caste systems. Among the prominent caste systems (n > 42), there was substantial heterogeneity in the rate of consanguinity. The frequency of CU was as high as >80 % in Saraiki speaking Khokhar, Arain, Larr, and Sheikh castes, and as low as >54 % in Punjabi speaking Arain, Jut, Mughal, and Rajput castes (p < 0.0001) (Table 2). Bivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that in most of the caste systems, the rate of CU was significantly higher than the reference group.
With respect to literacy, CU were more prevalent in the illiterate group (and in subjects having religious education only) compared to the literate sample (p < 0.0001). Among the literate subjects, a declining trend in the rate of CU and IC-F was evident with increasing literacy levels (Chi-square for trend; p = 0.1211) (Table 3). Further, the subjects were divided into three categories with respect to their ages. The CU were common in participants in the older age group. Further, there was a declining trend in the rate of consanguinity and IC-F with decreasing age ranges of the subjects (Chi-square for trend; p = 0.0124) (Table 3).
Distribution of consanguineous unions, total marriages, and IC-F in various socio-demographic variables of subjects
Religious education/Madarsa
Literate (all)
Literacy level (years of schooling)
>12 years
Subjects’ age group (years)
Marriage arrangement (n = 2117)*
Self-arranged
Reciprocal (Watta-Satta)
Family/household type (n = 2108)
Grandparent-and-one-couple
Occupation of husband*
Unskilled manual
Agriculture/farming
Office job/services
Business/sales
Late/deceased
Parental marriage type (n = 1998)*
Consanguineous
Non-consanguineous
*Distribution was statistically significant
Regarding the marriage arrangements, the CU were higher in subjects having self-arranged and reciprocal marriages (Table 3). In the present sample, the most common household type was observed to be nuclear family. The rate of CU was observed to be higher in the subjects belonging to the nuclear family type. The rate of CU and IC-F was declining in grandparent-and-one-couple and extended family types.
With respect to husbands’ profession, the rate of CU was observed to be highest in subjects whose husbands were either engaged in ‘unskilled manual’ or ‘skilled manual’ jobs (IC-F = 0.0406 and 0.0378, respectively). The CU were also higher in subjects involved in ‘agriculture/farming’ (IC-F = 0.0362). On the other hand, consanguinity was lowest in husbands working in offices/services or engaged in businesses/sales (IC-F = 0.0313 and 0.0315, respectively).
Effect of parental marriage type on subject’s marriage type
The data on parental marriage type was available for 1998 subjects. Among the parental generation, CU were observed to be 48.5 % (n = 970), and there were 51.5 % (n = 1028) NCU (Table 3). Inbreeding coefficient-F in the parental generation was 0.0351. The CU in parental generation led to a significantly higher rate of CU among the subjects; likewise NCU in the parental generation led to a significantly higher ratio of NCU among the subjects (p < 0.0001) (Table 3).
Bivariate logistic regression (odd ratios (OR)) iterated most of the results obtained through the contingency tests (Tables 2 and 3). The factors significantly associated with consanguinity were retained in the model of multivariate analysis (without caste systems): Saraiki language (OR = 2.01), illiteracy (OR = 1.31), religious education only (OR = 1.42), reciprocal marriage (OR = 1.82), and parental consanguinity (OR = 3.06) (Table 4). Interestingly, the variables like tehsil, rural/urban origin, age category, family type, and occupation of husband, became insignificant in the multivariate analyses. In another model (with caste systems), the significant variables were Khokhar caste (OR = 3.20), Saraiki language (OR = 1.93), illiteracy (OR = 1.41), reciprocal marriage (OR = 1.64), and parental consanguinity (OR = 2.87) (Table 4).
Multivariate analysis of socio-demographic variables associated with CU
Socio-demographic variable
Std.Err.
Model 1 (without caste system)
<0.0001
Marriage arrangement
Reciprocal marriage
Parental marriage type
Consanguineous union
Model 2 (with Caste-system)
Caste-system
Khokhar
Pattern of first cousin unions
Data on specific type of FC union was available for 1112 subjects (of the total 1129 marriages). Collectively, parallel-cousin unions were in the majority (n = 600; 54 %), as compared with the cross-cousin types (n = 512; 46 %) (Table 5). Further, patrilineal marriages were more common (n = 635; 57 %), compared with the matrilineal marriages (n = 477; 43 %).
Types and distribution of first cousin unions in RYK population
First cousin marriage type
% in total marriages
FSD
Rural/urban origin
Among the four FC union types, father’s brother’s daughter (FBD) marriages were the most prevalent (n = 350; 31 %), whereas mother’s brother’s daughter (MBD) marriages were the least common (n = 227; 20 %). The detailed distribution of FC unions by key demographic variables is presented in Table 5.
Fertility and live births
There were a total of 1958 (90.90 %) ever pregnant women in the sample. The mean pregnancies per women were calculated to be 3.94 ± 2.91 (Table 4). The subjects having CU has a significantly higher fertility than the subjects having NCU (p = 0.007). The ever pregnant women delivered a total of 7503 live births, and the mean live births per women were calculated to be 3.48 ± 2.61. The number of live births per women were significantly higher in women who had CU compared with the subjects having NCU, and their differences were statistically highly significant (p = 0.0064). Further, significantly higher number of sons per women were born to the mothers who had CU compared with the NCU sample (p = 0.0002); however, there were no differences in the number of live-born daughters between the mothers with CU and the mothers with NCU (Table 6; Fig. 2).
Subject’s fertility and live births in consanguineous and non-consanguineous unions
Non-consanguineous union
Average age of subjects
34.99 ± 13.36
Ever pregnant women (no.)
Ever pregnant women (%)
Total pregnancies (no.)
Fertility: pregnancy/women (mean ± SD)
4.08 ± 2.98
t: 0.007*
Currently pregnant (no.)
Currently pregnant (%)
Live births
Total live births (no.)
Live births/women (mean ± SD)
t 0.006*
Live birth: sons (no.)
Live birth: sons (mean ± SD)
t 0.0002**
Live birth: daughters (no.)
Live birth: daughters (mean ± SD)
*Differences were highly significant; **differences were more highly significant (the statistical findings/significance did not differ when analyses were repeated through Mann-Whitney test and unpaired t test with Welch’s correction were performed)
Flow chart showing the analyses scheme and the differentials in various parameters between consanguineous and non-consanguineous samples. Arrows in upward direction depict higher estimates in the respective sample and downward the lower estimates. Black arrows show that the differences in the distribution between the consanguineous and non-consanguineous samples were significant, while white arrows demonstrate non-significant distribution
Prenatal mortality, postnatal mortality, and child morbidity
Among the ever pregnant women, there were a total of 978 mortalities/pregnancy losses. There were no differences in the average mortalities (i.e., prenatal, postnatal—within first year, and total) between the mothers with CU and with NCU. Similarly, the distribution of live-born child with certain type of congenital anomaly was statistically not significant between the mothers having CU and NCU (Table 7; Fig. 2).
Prenatal and postnatal mortality and child morbidity in the consanguineous and non-consanguineous unions
Mortalities
Data available on mothers (no.)
Total mortalities (no.)
Mortality/women (mean ± SD)
Prenatal mortality (no.)
Prenatal mortality (mean ± SD)
Postnatal mortality (no.)
Postnatal mortality (mean ± SD)
Child morbidity (no.)
Mortality in sons
χ 2 0.295; OR 0.699 (CI 0.357–1.37)
Mortality in daughters
Total mortality
We report consanguinity and its associated variables in the population of RYK which is a remote District in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. The analyses revealed that among the four tehsils of the District, the rate of CU was highest in the Liaquatpur tehsil (68.42 %). However, the estimate of IC-F was most conspicuous in the RYK tehsil (0.0386), which had relatively low estimate of CU than Liaquatpur (i.e., 63 %). This discrepancy between the CU and IC-F could be explained by the observation that FC marriages were the most common type in the sample obtained from the RYK tehsil (57.4 %), whereas in the subjects from the Liaquatpur tehsil, there was a very high proportion of FCOR marriages and low representation of FC unions (Table 1). Furthermore, significantly higher rate of consanguinity in the RYK tehsil was also iterated when the data were analyzed through logistic regression (OR 1.34; p = 0.006). This study further witnessed a higher estimate of CU in subjects belonging to rural areas compared to the urban communities (OR 1.29; p = 0.005). This finding is in agreement with few of the previous studies including the 1990 to 1991 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) [14].
In previous studies in Pakistan, high consanguinity was observed among the illiterate subjects compared with the literates [15, 16]. Our data also gave evidence that CU were higher among the illiterate subjects (OR 2.33; p < 0.0001). Surprisingly, however, this study also showed that the rate of CU in subjects receiving only the religious education was similar to the illiterate sample (OR 2.12; p < 0.0001). The record of census reports shows that the female literacy rate in RYK District is about 30 % which is the lowest in Punjab province [13, 14]. Concordant with the census data, in the present sample, there were 31.5 % women who were literate. An additional 28.9 % subjects had received only religious education. In Pakistan generally and in rural areas particularly, the girls acquire only religious education in Madarsa (mosque) or by a neighborhood tutor which offer very little or no formal teaching. For instance, studies have highlighted multiple causes of low literacy in Pakistan, i.e., social taboos, cultural inhibitions, societal behavior, tribal mindset, abject poverty, cultural divides, illiteracy of the parents/families, and institutional weaknesses. Furthermore, overpopulation, scarce resources and facilities, socio-economic factors, and very slowly changing attitudes, are also adding to the gravity of the situation [17]. Hence, low literacy may influence the rate of consanguinity through a number of interacting factors.
Consanguinity has been shown to be associated with the economic status of individuals [7]. In the present study, the economic status of subjects was not accessed at first hand. However, occupational status of husbands could be an indirect indicator of economic status of the subjects. With respect to the husband’s occupational category, consanguinity was observed to be highest in individuals engaged in unskilled manual, skilled manual jobs, and agriculture/farming. The individuals with such professions are usually low paid, have illiteracy or low educational levels, and belong to rural areas. On the other hand, the rate of consanguinity was the lowest in individuals working in ‘offices/services’ or engaged in ‘businesses/sales’. These categories generally comprised the subjects who were literate and economically better off than the former categories. However, in the multivariate regression model, profession of the husband was not a significant predictor of CU.
More than 98 % of all marriages recorded in the current study were ‘traditionally arranged’, in which the marriage decisions are primarily made by the couple’s parents/guardians who feel the obligation to facilitate marital contracts for their children. Reciprocal marriages are two exchanged marital unions which are also arranged by parents, and are preferentially between close relatives. In a traditional rural setup, reciprocal marriages have several potential advantages like the maintenance of family structure, wealth and property, financial benefits related to the dowry, and the ease of marital arrangements [5, 6]. Such unions may also allow wide differences between the ages of spouses. There were 34 (1.6 %) subjects who had self-arranged or arranged-love marriages; such marriages are also convened by the parents/guardians and are usually within close relatives; in these marriages bride/bridegroom or the couple has influenced the decision of parents or have engineered the situation almost entirely themselves. Such marriages had been relatively infrequent but are increasing with time [18]. Consanguinity and IC-F were observed to be highest in subjects having reciprocal (IC-F = 0.0466) and self-arranged marriages (0.0455).
In many of the rural areas of Pakistan, the common household type is extended family where CU are expected to be customary. The current study, however, showed that high consanguinity was associated with nuclear family structure. Nuclear family was also the most prominent household type in our sample. It is quite likely that in RYK, the married couple is expected to start a new household and the parents tend to stay separate. On the other hand, in upper Punjab of Pakistan, due to economic and traditional reasons, the married couple continues to stay with the parents (of husband) in the same dwelling and it leads to extended family. The extended family structure is declining primarily due to economic transition and urbanization [4]. Multivariate analyses revealed that household type was not significantly associated with CU.
One of the most significant factors observed to be associated with subjects’ consanguinity was the ‘parental marriage type’ (and this factor remained significant in all levels of statistical analyses). The IC-F in the parental generation was observed to be 0.0351 compared to the subjects 0.0355. The distribution of parental marriage types with respect to the subjects’ marriage witnessed that the parental marriage types were the predictor of subjects’ marital unions; i.e., CU in parental generation lead to a significantly higher ratio of CU among the subjects, and NCU in the parental generation lead to a significantly higher ratio of NCU among the subjects. This phenomenon depicted a traditional and cultural influence of previous marriage type on the commencement of subject marriage.
A number of studies have shown a positive association between consanguinity and live births. The results of a meta-analysis of 30 studies conducted in Asian and African countries demonstrated a higher mean number of children born in all categories of CU when compared with non-consanguineous couples [1]. The current study also reiterates this phenomenon and finds a significantly higher number of live births in the CU sample. Besides small sample size for fertility estimations, there are several explanations for this trend; for example, owing to the early age marriages in CU, the first birth occurs at an earlier age and the reproductive and fertile period remains significantly longer [1]. Likewise, a number of direct and indirect fertility determinants are potentially confounding with consanguinity, and these include but not limited to low socio-economics, religious convictions, lower contraceptive use, duration of marriage, and rural residence [19, 20].
Interestingly, the differences between the subjects having CU and the subjects with NCU were pronounced for male live births, but not for female live births. Ansari and Sinha [21] observed that consanguinity affected sex ratio, i.e., as inbreeding coefficient increases the sex ratio decreases. On the other hand, Rao [22] did not observe any significant effect of parental consanguinity on sex ratio. Studies on 1.67 million births in the USA and 0.82 million births in Denmark showed that paternal age (but not the maternal age) was associated with secondary sex ratio and significantly more male babies were born per 1000 female babies to younger fathers than to older fathers [23, 24]. Studies have suggested that social factors such as early marriage and quickly fertile couples may play a role in raising birth sex ratios in certain societies [25]. It is worthwhile to mention that Trivers and Willard [26] proposed a theory which holds that female mammals are able to adjust sex ratio in offspring, i.e., natural selection of parental ability to vary the sex ratio of their offspring. This is an interesting question to follow for prospective research in RYK and neighboring populations. Nonetheless, no difference was observed in the present study in the distribution of congenital anomalies in the offspring born to consanguineous and non-consanguineous couples. These findings are contrary to, for instance, Zlotogora [27] and many others, but are in agreement with Al-Awadi et al. [28] and El-Mouzan et al. [29]. In conclusion, these findings need to be scrutinized more critically and independently in other populations of adjoining regions.
Further, it is worthwhile to mention that for the assessment of prenatal losses, we relied on the self-reported information could be an underestimate of the actual figures. Self-reported data which is mainly based upon recall information, and may be biased towards the women’s perception of the seriousness of the health problems which in turn is influenced by the subject’s education, economic status, and accessibility to health facilities. Finally, the impact of consanguinity remains to be explored on the adult morbidity/mortality in the RYK population. A recent study in Kashmir, Pakistan has shown that consanguinity was not associated with morbidity in the adult women [30].
This study has several limitations like small sample size for fertility estimations and self-reported data on pre-natal/post-natal mortalities and hereditary malformations. This study, however, is the first report on consanguinity in one of the remote populations of Southern Punjab, Pakistan, and reveals several interesting aspects of consanguinity prevalent in this population. The presented data would be helpful in getting an insight into the socio-biological structure and health differentials of the RYK population.
In conclusion, this study showed that CU were highly prevalent in Rahim Yar Khan, which is a remote district in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. The rate of consanguinity was significantly associated with certain socio-demographic variables like Saraiki language, illiteracy, reciprocal marriages, and parental consanguinity. The subjects with CU had a significantly higher rate of fertility, mean live births, and higher number of sons per women, as compared to the non-consanguineous group. As a prospective study, it would be worthwhile to observe the nature of congenital and hereditary malformations in younger population of RYK, and morbidities in the adult strata and their association with consanguinity.
We are highly indebted to the subjects and their families for their voluntaryparticipation in this study. The helpful comments of Prof. Drs. Afsar Mian andJahangir Arshad are highly acknowledged. We also appreciate the inputfrom the anonymous reviewers in the improvement of manuscript.
This work was supported by research grants from HEC-Pakistan and PSFIslamabad.
SjMk conceived the study. HFR carried out field work and collected data. HFR and ShMn were involved in data entries, quality control and maintenance. HFR and SjMk performed statistical analyses and drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
Department of Animal Sciences, Human Genetics Program, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
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Lear Birds of Europe Pl. 353, Egyptian Goose
https://joel-oppenheimer-inc.odoo.com/shop/product/gbe-0353-lear-birds-of-europe-pl-353-egyptian-goose-14350
$ 4,200.00 $ 4,200.00 4200.0 USD
Hand-colored lithograph, 1832-1837
21 3/8" x 14 3/8" (approximate)
Original Antique Print
Hand-colored lithograph
John Gould (1804—1881) was the most prolific publisher of ornithological subjects of all time. In 19th-century Europe, his name was as well known as John James Audubon’s was in North America. John Gould's love of natural history was fostered in the gardens of King George III where his father was chief gardener at Windsor Castle. Although trained as a gardener, John Gould’s interests soon evolved. He moved to London where he worked as a taxidermist, and at the age of 27, he was appointed taxidermist to the Zoological Society of London. After three years, he progressed to the position of curator of birds and chief taxidermist. In 1830, newly married, John Gould and his artist wife, Elizabeth, began their publishing career.
Unlike John James Audubon, whose life’s work focused on one region, John Gould traveled widely and employed other artists to help create his lavish, hand-colored lithographic folios. Among John Gould's renowned works is the monumental Birds of Europe, originally published in 22 parts from 1832 to 1837 and A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds (1849-87), considered Gould’s masterpiece in both breath and beauty.
Every antique work of art that you purchase at our gallery or on our website is guaranteed to be authentic and of the finest quality. All of our prints include any conservation work required to assure that your acquisition is archivally stable and will last for generations when cared for properly.
Click here for more Gould prints from the Birds of Europe
Specifications for Lear Birds of Europe Pl. 353, Egyptian Goose
Type of Artwork Antique Original
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North Dublin
8 images Created 21 Sep 2016
Georgian doors, Georgian houses and Georgian squares grace Dublin, laid out during the Hanoverian period in the 1700s as the city attracted new wealth and rejuvenation.
Before then, Dublin was a provincial town in the British Empire, but from about 1715, anti-catholic penal laws were relaxed, which allowed many middle-class Catholics to establish themselves in trade.
At the time, Dublin was ruled by members of a Protestant upper class, descendants of English invaders from Norman, Elizabethan and Cromwellian times. Known as the Protestant Ascendancy, these settlers began to push for reforms, better conditions and rights for Catholics, and for greater autonomy for the Irish Parliament.
Economically Dublin rose to become the largest city in the British Empire after London.
Sinn Féin is an Irish republican political party active throughout Ireland. The phrase "Sinn Féin" is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone".
The Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith. It took its current form in 1970 after a split within the party (with the other party becoming the Workers' Party of Ireland), and has historically been associated with the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). Gerry Adams has been party president since 1983. The party supports separatist movements in Scotland, the Basque Country and Catalonia.
Sinn Féin is the second-largest party behind the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the Northern Ireland Assembly, where it has four ministerial posts in the power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive.
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« JPMorgan, FDIC Clash Over Washington Mutual Liabilities | Main | Lawyers Recommended to Fill D.C. Appeals Court Vacancy »
Roles at Brookings and MIT for Ex-Commerce Dept. GC
Cameron Kerry has taken visiting scholar jobs at the Brookings Institution and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after stepping down as the U.S. Commerce Department's general counsel in September, the two institutions announced Tuesday.
Kerry, who became the Commerce Department's GC in 2009 and spent about a month as the agency's acting secretary this year, has joined Brookings in Washington, D.C., as the Ann R. and Andrew H. Tisch Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Governance Studies. At MIT in Cambridge, Mass., Kerry is a visiting scholar at the university's Media Lab, a research center focused on cutting-edge technological developments.
The former Commerce GC said in written statements released by Brookings and MIT that he is looking forward to working with the researchers at the institutions.
Affiliate publication Corporate Counsel has more.
Posted by Andrew Ramonas on December 18, 2013 at 03:00 PM in Politics and Government , Web/Tech | Permalink
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LennyCo — July 4, 2019 in Blogging
Live updates: Trump’s July 4th celebration
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Members of the US military guide a Bradley Fighting Vehicle on July 3, 2019 as preparations are made for the “Salute to America” event at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images
A small number of M1 Abrams tanks and other armored vehicles will participate in President Trump’s Fourth of July celebration in Washington, US defense officials have confirmed to CNN.
However, they will not parade down Pennsylvania Avenue due to the need to protect roads and bridges. Trump later confirmed tanks would be present during remarks in the Oval Office.
While the US continues to operate the M1 Abrams tank, the US military has not used World War II-era M4 Sherman tanks since the 1950s.
About the military display: A US defense official said that the current plan is to have a very small number of armored vehicles participate as part of a “static display” at the event on the National Mall. The vehicles will not be moving thereby reducing the chance of damaging local infrastructure. The number of vehicles will be very small with the current plan to have two M1 Abrams tanks, two Bradley fighting vehicles and an armored M88 Recovery Vehicle, along with an “appropriate” number of accompanying personnel.
Multiple US military aircraft will participate in the celebrations as well, according to two defense officials, including the B-2 stealth bomber and F-22 fighter jets.
CNN had also previously reported that the Blue Angels demonstration team, which typically flies F/A-18s, would be present along with F-35 stealth jets and that the VC-25, the aircraft that serves as Air Force One when the President is on board, also will participate.
Trump says US ‘destroyed’ an Iranian drone
Donald Trump’s ‘send her back’ speech complicity cannot be spun
Trump claims he disavows ‘send her back’ chant despite remaining silent and starting racist attacks
Jeffrey Esptein: A judge has decided the multimillionaire will remain in jail
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Tag Archives: Peter Tatchell
London colleges encourage violent, anti-gay, anti-black, anti-Jewish Muslim ‘cleric’ Hakim Quick to spread murderous agenda
London’s Hakim Quick is a punk — all talk and no action. He’ll gladly tell others that they should follow his lies about religious laws, and kill Jewish people, blacks and gays, but he has no courage to do it himself.
He’ll incite other empty-headed jackasses to murder for his barbaric version of “religion”, but he is too frightened to do it himself.
These English universities won’t stop giving murderous religious supremacist thugs like him a platform to infect more people with his violence, and the so-called “Islamic Societies” keep inviting and encouraging him, and giving him money.
Somebody needs to kill his ass and shut him up. Then re-load for the next ones.
Muslim extremist hosted by Kings College London
Jews, gays and blacks are “filth” says fanatical cleric
Universities fail to block “gateways” to fundamentalism and terrorism
Peter Tatchell
London – In defiance of its own equal opportunities policy, King’s College London (KCL) hosted the Muslim fundamentalist fanatic, Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick, Feb 25 at 6:00 p.m. in the Raked Lecture Theatre, The Strand, London.
He is anti-Semitic and anti-gay. He denounces the “filth” of Jews (“Yahood”) and blacks (“kaffirs”).
See here (about 3:50 minutes into the video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlOrJu9Oqyo&feature=player_embedded
He says homosexuals should be executed.
Quick was featured on “Voice of Islam”, broadcast in New Zealand on Sep 29 2003 on Triangle Television. During the programme, Quick addressed viewers about “Challenges Facing Muslims in the New Millennium”. Toward the conclusion of the lecture, Quick expressed fanatical, violent, anti-gay views.
In summary, he said:
• AIDS is caused by the “filthy practices” of homosexuals
• Homosexuals are dropping dead from AIDS and “they want to take us all down with them”
• The Islamic position on homosexuality is “death”
• Homosexuals are “sick” and “not natural”
• “Muslims are going to have to take a stand and it’s not enough to call names” (this last point comes close to an implied threat of violence).
Complaints about the programme were upheld by the Broadcasting Standards Authority of New Zealand.
See here: http://www.bsa.govt.nz/decisions/2004/2004-001.htm
“King’s College would not host a white supremacist who advocated racism or death to black people. Why the double standards?” queried human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell of the lesbian and gay rights group OutRage!
“The Islamic Society should not be promoting this fanatic. By giving him a platform it is complicit with homophobic and anti-Jewish hatred. It is colluding with intolerance.
“The complacent, hands-off attitude of the Vice Chancellor is appalling.
“King’s College has an equal opportunities policy that prohibits the promotion of hatred against minorities but it is not enforcing it. The university is not a safe place for Jewish and gay students when it facilitates a vicious homophobe and anti-Semite like Quick.
“Quick was hosted last week by City University and is being given a platform by the University of East London this coming weekend.
King’s College on Thursday: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=2324952901
University of East London this weekend: http://forums.almaghrib.org/announcement.php?f=281
“Several London universities are hosting other fundamentalist clerics, such as Abu Usamah, who advocates the killing of gay people and of Muslims who abandon their faith. He also endorses the beating of young Muslim girls who refuse to wear the hijab.”
http://www.petertatchell.net/religion/kill-gays-preacher-hosted-by-london-universities.html
“Too many student Islamic Societies are promoting hate-mongering clerics. These clerics are much more extreme than the BNP. They are religious fascists.
“University authorities are complicit with the propagation of Islamist fundamentalism. They are allowing their campuses to be used for the promotion of extremist interpretations of Islam.
“Many Vice-Chancellors are too weak and cowardly to take a stand. They fear being branded racist and Islamophobic. Instead of challenging these false slurs, they cave in to the hate-preaching fundamentalists.
“The encouragement of homophobia and anti-Semitism is one of pathways to Muslim radicalisation. It helps create a fanatical, anti-human rights mindset that can later develop into support for jihadism and terrorism.
“Even though many Muslims who are homophobic and anti-Semitic do not sympathise with terrorism, all terrorist-supporting Muslims are strongly anti-gay and anti-Jewish. Many begin their radicalisation with hatred of women, gays and Jews. They then progress to hatred of kaffirs and apostates. These hatreds can be stepping stones to the eventual justification of holy war, terrorism and suicide bombing.
“The failure of many university authorities to take a stand against homophobic and anti-Semitic clerics is complicity with fundamentalism and radicalisation. It is collusion with the gateways to terrorism.
“Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick has been also promoted by the so-called Islamic Human Rights Commission. The IHRC recently advertised one of his lectures,” added Mr Tatchell.
Here are details of Quick’s Thursday lecture, hosted by the KCL Islamic Society:
***Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick at King’s on his UK tour!!!!***
Time: 6:00PM Thursday, February 25th
Location: K6.29 Raked Lecture Theatre, Strand
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=2324952901
Posted by ballanross on Sun Mar 07 2010 in "Strange, True & Religious", ST&R
Tags: abdullah hakim quick, abu usamah, AIDS, anti-black racist, anti-semite, Broadcasting Standards Authority of New Zealand, death penalty for gays, Death to All Gays!, execution, het supremacists, incitement to anti-gay violence, Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), islamic society, islamic supremacists, King's College London, London, minority islamic supremacists, murder gays, muslim supremacists, New Zealand, out-dated, Outrage!, Peter Tatchell, religious cowards, religious hypocrites, religious supremacists, ruin lives, ruin our quality of life, University of East London
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Literary Punk
Reading the weird beauty, the radical influence, the punkness of great literary texts.
Left Hand of Darkness
Before Sweden made their gender-neutral pronoun, there was Le Guin.
Posted by literarypunk
In season 2 episode 3 of Literary Punk we’re discussing Ursula K. Le Guin’s SF Fantasy experiment in post-gender politics, The Left Hand of Darkness, first published in 1969. I’m joined in the podcast studio by the much admired previous Literary Punk guest: outstanding Melbourne writer and SF scholar, Chris Palmer. True to form, Palmer’s luminous reading of this text will delight both fans of Le Guin’s work, as well as those of you who’ve never encountered either feminist Science Fiction or Fantasy literature.
In the 1987 Modern Critical Interpretations collection of essays featuring The Left Hand of Darkness, literary critic Harold Bloom argues, “Le Guin, more than Tolkien, has raised fantasy into high literature, for our time.”
Le Guin’s novel is much awarded, and also controversial for its use of language concerning the gendered honorific and pronoun. The colonising ‘module’, Genly Ai, refers to all Gethenians as ‘Mr’, and this despite their gender-neutral orientation. It’s a stylistic device that the author has revisited in the introductions to successive reprints of the text.
Chris Palmer and I discuss how this apparent gendering conflict within the novel, along with other ambiguities and fallibilities, enact Genly Ai’s Terranly discomfort at letting go of ideological structures surrounding his own dominant sexual power; as Palmer puts it in his brilliant reading: “The narrative is insatiable. Nothing is irrelevant. It wants to include and imagine everything.”
In tension with Genly Ai’s more obvious project to modernise Winter by friendship-as-stealth, we consider how his unconscious resistance to non-gendered intersubjectivity displays the darker side of his goal: the default othering that comes embedded in the violence of his (and our own) phallocentric-sexed (“Pervert”) language system.
“The novelist says in words what cannot be said in words.” Le Guin, Introduction to the 1976 edition
This is a work of fiction that gives you philosophy as story: “Truth is a matter of the imagination” (1994, p9). In the novel the outlawed hero of the tale, Lord Estraven, says of the compelling need for all Gethenians to get with the times and incorporate difference: “What does it matter what country wakens first? So long as we waken.” Chris and I discuss what Le Guin’s truth as story has woken in us; the way her narrative has changed the way we think about gender and sexual politics, life and death, and storytelling, possibly in ways that are difficult to articulate.
“Finally, when we’re done with it, we may find – if it’s a good novel – that we’re a bit different…But it’s very hard to say just what we learned, how we were changed.” Ursula K. Le Guin, Introduction to the 1976 edition.
[Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Great Britain: Orbit, 1969.]
Image: Winter, © H. Milte, Olinda, Australia, 2008.
Posted in Podcast epsisode
Tagged Chris Palmer, Fantasy, Feminism, gender-neutral pronoun, Harold Bloom, Helen Milte, Left Hand of Darkness, literature, phallocentrism, Science Fiction, Sexual Politics, Sweden, Tolkien, Ursula LeGuin
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When Families Collide
By Barbarella Fokos, Jan. 25, 2007
People talk about "dysfunctional" families; I've never seen any other kind.
-- Sue Grafton
I don't know why I was so surprised. I mean, I've been with him for four years -- it was bound to happen sometime. But like getting your period for the first time, it's impossible to know how it will feel until it happens to you. Just as I accepted the fact that a week of discomfort each month would make me a woman, I have embraced the idea that David's parents are going to leave their little island and come to San Diego to meet my family, a prospect that (like my first cramps) both excites and terrifies me. When David's mother, Ency, first mentioned her desire to meet my family, I took it as one of those things someone says to be nice but doesn't expect to be taken up on, like when the event planner David and I met at the Friar's Club in New York said, "Look me up if you're ever in New Orleans, and I'll take care of you!" But the subject came up again and again, and when she started throwing out calendar dates, it finally became clear that Ency meant business.
"I have only one request," said David's younger sister, Michelle, who makes her living as a glass artist in Seattle. "Please schedule the meeting so that I can be there. This is something I don't want to miss." Over the Thanksgiving holiday at David's parents' house, the ladies (Ency, Michelle, Katie, and I) were sipping wine and picking at leftover desserts in the kitchen when Ency made a passing comment about how she was looking forward to meeting my mother.
"If you really want to do this," I told her, "you should be prepared."
"I know, I know," she said, in a rare post-entertaining and alcohol-induced state of extreme relaxation. "I am de boont ."
Once, in an attempt to illustrate to his parents the differences between his family and mine, David referred to the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding . "You see," he began, "Barb's family is like the Greeks, partying and roasting a lamb on the front lawn, and you're like the reserved, extra polite family that brings the bundt cake." Ever since that explanation, whenever Ency wants to apologize for her "bundty-ness" (like when she freaks out over a ring of water on her cherry wood cabinet or obsesses over what to make for dinner), she'll say in her aristocratic Hungarian accent, "I know, I know. I am de boont. "
With wine and sugar fueling my tendency to exaggerate, I tried to paint a picture of a typical family gathering at my mother's house. "Imagine six people all speaking really fast and really loud all at the same time, okay? That's the ongoing din. When someone really wants to be heard, they'll just speak louder than everyone else. You're smiling, but I'm serious here." Ency refilled her glass. "Yeah, you're gonna need a lot of that when you come over," I said with a laugh.
I continued, explaining that my mother's method of making people feel at home is to treat them like one of the family. The "welcome" a first-time guest receives is often delivered upon the doorstep as my mother, before saying hello, admonishes the new arrival for not having shown up sooner (whether or not the guest is actually late). If the house is not tidy, she will say in her thick Brooklyn brogue, "What's ah mattah wid you, comin' heah and makin' such a mess?" Warm greetings like these are meant to put guests at ease -- to let them know that short of dropping their trousers to shit on the dining table, nothing they say or do is likely to offend my mother, and even a repulsive act such as that would most assuredly be forgiven.
Ency's husband, Robert, followed the laughter into the kitchen and asked what was so funny. I said I'd just been telling the girls about my family and then suggested that perhaps Ency might summarize for him. In her polite and euphemistic way, Ency said, "Barbarella says her family is...upfront." Robert watched for a moment as we broke into hysterics over Ency's polite synopsis and then, realizing he wasn't going to be let in on the joke, he dismissed us by pushing the air with his hands in an "okay, forget it" gesture and returned to the other room.
Whereas the information my mother dishes out is raw, save for a liberal seasoning of salty expletives, Ency prefers to clean, cook, and garnish the facts until she deems them suitable for company. I have never heard anyone in David's bundt-cake family burp. In my Brooklyn-bred Irish/Italian, lamb-on-the-lawn clan, gaseous emissions win awards.
My family is more comfortable with playful, antagonistic teasing than with polite conversation. My mother is direct, demanding, and controlling, but in a palatably humorous way. For example, if someone places a foot on Mom's table and she decides in a rare moment of furniture awareness that she'd rather not have it there, she'll say, "What da Hell, were you born in a barn? Take your Goddamn foot offa my table!" This usually achieves the desired effect, which is a laugh, followed by the swift relocation of the suspect foot.
David's mother, who is perpetually mindful of her furniture, takes a more indirect approach. If a be-shoed foot verges too close to one of her clean white cushions, Ency will simply focus her gaze upon the trespassing appendage until its owner takes the hint.
As I imagine our parents' impending meeting, I see our fathers disappear into the TV room, where they loudly agree with a Fox News anchorperson. Robert regales my father with tales of life in Hungary under communism and Dad returns the favor by explaining to Robert the current state of the world in military terms. Meanwhile, over in the kitchen, my mother jokes to Ency that she should "make her own damn coffee." Realizing the miscommunication as Ency rushes to find a cup, Mom backtracks and says, "What da Hell are you doin'? Sit down, you're a guest, let me get it." They then retire to the living room, where they have a clear view of my nephews and niece running around the dining table and dragging a magic marker across the white carpet or the freshly painted wall.
Beneath their very different exteriors, however, Mom and Ency have a lot in common. They both strive, in their ways, to ensure the comfort of others; they love their children dearly and would do anything to see us happy; they are nervous and curious about meeting each other.
After I explained to my mother that Ency is a proper lady, one of good upbringing and acute attention to manners, she said, "So how do you want me to be? Phony-nice? Funny-entertaining?" It struck me that no matter how they behave, our mothers' intentions are all good -- they only want to make a positive impression for the sake of the family, because through David and me, they are family. Perhaps my worry is for nothing. After all, our parents are who they are, and we love them.
"You know what, Mom?" I said. "Don't be anything other than yourself, and we'll all have a great time."
R & R — July 12, 2007
Rocket Fuel — April 26, 2007
When Clans Converge — April 19, 2007
Life's Surprises — Dec. 7, 2006
Neurotic Battle — July 7, 2005
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© Tillmann Franzen
Wood under water
TEXT TIEMO RINK
PHOTOS TILLMANN FRANZEN
Friday morning on the lake: Ironildo Gomes da Silva and his three workmates chug across the water in a steel boat that has clearly seen better days. The boat stops beside one of the branches protruding from the water, and da Silva, 29, pulls on his goggles and jumps in. He vanishes briefly, surfaces again and signals to a workmate, who picks up a motor saw and throws it into the water, close enough for da Silva to grab it. The tree is securely attached to the boat with a steel cable before da Silva, an underwater lumberjack for the past ten years, dives to the lake bed.
In the early 1960s, the Brokopondo Reservoir in eastern Suriname was still a broad valley at the heart of the jungle through which the Suriname River flowed toward the Atlantic Ocean. Not any waterway, no, it was the most important waterway in the country, and so it was fitting that the country should share the river’s name. Located in the northeast of South America, between Guyana, French Guiana and Brazil, Suriname is the smallest country on the continent. The Suriname river is used to transport the country’s natural commodities – bauxite, timber and aluminum – in the direction of the capital, Paramaribo. There, by now brown and brackish, the river flows sluggishly into the ocean, past the Goslar, a freighter that was scuppered by its German crew in 1940 to prevent the Dutch colonial power from seizing it.
Floating workman’s quarters: Lumberjacks’ houseboats on the Brokopondo Reservoir
The lumberjack’s most important tool ready on deck
The saw is driven by compressed air supplied by a black hose
Short breather: Lumberjack Ironildo Gomes da Silva between two dives
The ship still lies at the bottom of Paramaribo harbor today, a heap of rust in the Suriname River and a sign that things do not disappear, that they remain even when water engulfs them. And that’s how it is with the lake, which is actually not a lake at all, but an area of flooded jungle cut off by a dam.
At some point, the water level stopped rising, far later than expected, and the reservoir had ultimately become one of the largest reservoirs in South America and three times larger than Europe’s Lake Constance. A much smaller reservoir was the original plan, when they first dammed up the river in the jungle and started up a hydroelectric power station to supply a couple of aluminum plants with energy. Aluminum is one of Suriname’s most important exports, besides other natural resources, such as gold and oil.
Suriname is a former Dutch colony, which only gained independence in 1975. The descendants of slaves account for a good 35 percent of the population, while those of Indian and Indonesian contract workers who came into the country after slavery ended make up 40 percent. The rest are Europeans, indigenous people, Chinese and Arabs. Suriname’s good 500 000 inhabitants live chiefly on the coast, most of them in Paramaribo. Rainforest covers some 80 percent of the country. From the coastal strip, there are really only two ways into the country’s interior: You can either take a plane or a boat. Inroads are also being made into nature in Suriname, of course, and that includes the reservoir. But compared with the destruction caused by slash-and-burn cultivation and clearcutting in other South American countries, the jungle in Suriname is intact.
When the water came to Brokopondo, the forest and the villages in the valley were inundated. Ten thousand people lost their homes, and were resettled on the banks of the lake. And because the water moved in faster than expected, it also opened up fresh graves, the waters washing caskets out of the ground to float on the lake, and that could be the end of the story of the stronger destroys the weaker until nothing is left.
Timber ahoy
In the past 100 years, almost 50 000 reservoirs have come into being – and with them, any number of underwater forests. The submerged trees die, but instead of rotting, many trunks remain intact, preserved by the water.
The massive tree trunks are taken by truck from the reservoir to the port
A saw blade at the sawmill
The sawn planks
Timber dealer Marco Schulze
But that’s not the way it is. The trees at least remain, hundreds of thousands of them, their branches reaching out of the water to this day. So the story can go on because the wood brings money and work. The teams processing the timber from the lake are as mixed as the population of Suriname itself. There’s a Chinese manager in charge of a sawmill, an ethnic Indian steering a motor dugout across the lake. A man with Indonesian roots is standing by a band saw, where the descendants of the people who used to live here when the lake was still a valley are turning the logs into planks.
And there’s da Silva, the Brazilian underwater forestry worker. The timber in the sea has amazing qualities, he says. Even after around 50 years in the water, this tropical wood is still serviceable. Hardwood, top quality, naturally impregnated to withstand all manner of damage, it’s the ideal material for European terraces. Seven of the couple of hundred varieties of timber found here are interesting to the industry, including robust Guyana teak, walaba and the wood of the fava tree.
A German ships these treasures to Europe. Every six weeks or so, 42-year-old Marco Schulze travels to Suriname for Barth & Co., an import company headquartered in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He estimates that the lake still contains a good 14 million cubic meters of roundwood with a market value of approximately four billion euros. Schulze sends the timber all over Europe, but especially to his own country. The total value of all of the timber he procured from Suriname for Barth & Co. in 2015 amounted to some four million euros. That figure is set to rise, the company indicates.
Tropical wood’s reputation is not so good because it’s seen as being the product of over-exploitation, clearcutting, the destruction of nature. But there’s a great advantage to this wood from the reservoir: When it is felled, it leaves no gaps in the jungle, either from harvesting, as the forestry industry calls the felling of valuable individual specimens, or from the great swaths cut through the forest to make them accessible. Importer Schulze takes the argument one step further: If the trees were left in the lake, hardwood or no, they would eventually rot. Their decomposition, Schulze explains, releases methane into the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas that is at least as harmful as carbon dioxide. In other words, by building a terrace in our back yard with timber from the reservoir, we actually protect the climate twice over, he says.
Tired, but content: da Silva earns around 1500 dollars a month – in Suriname, that’s a good wage
Alternatively, it can be seen from a profit perspective: There are no restrictions on trade with timber from reservoirs. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), bans, or at least greatly restricts, the export of many varieties of tropical wood. However, its provisions do not apply to underwater timber.
That’s why da Silva keeps on diving there. He feels his way down the trunk to a depth of around 30 meters. As he moves down, he can tell whether the tree is worth logging, he says, because he can feel the differences. If he notices unnatural dents in the surface, or if the trunk does not grow continuously thicker on the way down, it’s a sign that the wood is rotten. He “sees” all of this with his hands; eyes can make out very little here. The water is cloudy, even if it is doesn’t look like it on the surface. And plus, the lake is inhabited, even if you wouldn’t think so at first glance. Dangle a piece of bloody meat into the water, though, and before long, there would be piranhas on the scene. Those hungry river dwellers were always here, and as the river grew wider, so, too, their habitat expanded.
Jungle is when life simply takes over – now there are piranhas and anacondas swimming through the forest
Now fish swim through the forest alongside anacondas and caiman alligators. Jungle is when life takes over, whatever niche it fills. Luckily for da Silva, piranhas don’t like the noise the logging team sends reverberating through the water. Nevertheless, they would soon overcome their aversion if the thing that must never happen ever did happen, namely that a worker was injured underwater. Not a scratch can the divers afford, and certainly no accidental clash with a chainsaw, that pneumatically driven tool driven by two hoses connected to a compressor on board the boat. One hose pumps oil into the saw to power the chain, and the other pumps the oil back up again. So it’s vital not to risk being injured underwater – or being knocked out by a tree. Saturated with water, the tree trunks weigh tons. Once sawn through, the wood does not rise to the surface. In fact, it would sink if it were not held fast by the steel cable. A winch is used to haul the logs to the surface.
These are the conditions in which the loggers labor, and while this kind of work may seem strange to some, for da Silva, the job he does is more than anything a good one, and one he enjoys because it makes him proud and brings in the equivalent of around 1500 dollars a month that he can send home to his family in Brazil.
Twenty trees felled; enough for one day. The workers’ boat pulls a pontoon along behind trailing the day’s harvest. We tie up at the houseboat. There’s a small island beside it in the reservoir, where the logs are stored, presorted, until at some point they are taken to the sawmill at the other end of the lake. Rifles are retrieved from the houseboat, the crew crosses to the mainland and heads into the jungle to shoot dinner. The leftovers will go to the piranhas.
From the frequent traveller magazine Lufthansa Exclusive. For more information about Lufthansa Miles & More offers, please click here.
Just go ahead and do it!
We know what you really should do this summer: dream high, climb low, go for a fast sled ride … The following “bucket list” is meant as inspiration only. Nobody’s forcing you to do a thing!
“Loving isn’t weak”
Known for playing tough woman, action star Michelle Rodríguez talks about strong mothers, inner calm and discovering her earnest side.
Wind, water and wine
Cranciacorta
A glass of bubbles effervescing in your hand, water lapping at your feet – these are just some of the delights awaiting visitors to the Franciacorta region of northern Italy. We tour the area around Lake Iseo
What’s in your bag, Felix Jaehn?
He’s just 21 and already DJ Felix Jaehn has the whole world dancing. We took a peek inside his bag
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© Robby Klein/Contour by Getty Images
„I'm still scared of getting fired"
„I’m still scared of getting fired”
INTERVIEW PATRICK HEIDMANN
Charlize Theron, who was born in 1975, worked as a model and a dancer before going to filmmaking. She won an Oscar for Monster (2003). Other films include The Italian Job (2003), North Country (2005) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
For the first time, Charlize Theron is appearing in a romantic comedy. She talks about going into politics and her love of storytelling.
Ms. Theron, You’re well known for the film Monster and for playing an action hero in Atomic Blonde, but Long Shot, your latest movie, is your first real romantic comedy, right?
I never thought I’d make a film like Long Shot. Everything I had ever been offered in this genre just never felt right – bizarre comedies like Young Adult and Gringo are much more my thing. But when Seth Rogen came knocking, I couldn’t say no.
In Long Shot you play a politician, a woman who wants to be president of the United States. Might we be seeing this happening in the real world soon?
A woman as president? We’re a bit late with that in the U.S. The rest of the world has already seen many female heads of state, which makes the situation here all the more depressing, of course. I hope we will catch up soon.
Can you imagine running for office yourself?
Certainly not! I’m very much in favor of women taking on responsibilities and bringing about change, but feel no inclination to be one of them. Nor do I have the talent for it, probably, either.
Odd couple: Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen in "Long Shot" (2019)
But when it comes to your foundation, the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, you are quite politically active .
Sure, there is some political overlap there. I want to help and want my work to be effective. But combating AIDS among young people in Africa is very different from running a country.
Speaking of visions: When you look at the state of our environment and our climate, are you afraid of the future?
I wouldn’t say that I’m afraid. I’m naturally concerned about the future of our planet, but I’m an optimistic person. We cannot afford to just lean back and let things happen, we have to take a stand. Its quite normal for my seven-year-old son, for example, to separate the trash and know all about what to recycle.
You’re seen as someone who does an excellent job of managing both a family and a career.
Seriously, I do things just as well or as badly as any other mother. What makes things more difficult perhaps is that I have to do so much traveling for my job, although many other mothers have to travel as well. I find it very encouraging that I’m obviously not the only person who has succeeded in finding a good balance.
Theron won an Oscar in 2004 for her role as a murderer in "Monster"
© ddp images
You don’t give the impression that anything could faze you .
You couldn’t be more mistaken! Even after over 20 years, I’m still scared stiff that I could get fired. It’s not a bad feeling, actually; it’s comforting to know that there are still challenges ahead in my career. The feeling of being able to do everything in my sleep and being on automatic pilot is something I want to avoid.
You formed your production company Denver & Delilah Productions early in the millennium. What are you like as a boss?
It’s important to me that everyone who works for me likes what they’re doing. Most of my people have been with me for almost 20 years. Hierarchies aren’t so important if everyone loves their job. I don’t care if a person works from the office, from home or from the other end of the world as long as they are dedicated and morale is good. In this regard, I’ve been very lucky with my staff.
Is it easier to work behind the camera than in front of it?
I’m not a producer out of necessity, but because it’s something I’m interested in. Nine out of ten roles that I play are in films that I developed myself. I really enjoy working closely with exciting directors and writers, developing stories with them from the very beginning. It’s much more satisfying than being sent a finished script. Will producing become more and more important to me the older I get? I have no idea. All I know right now is that I enjoy telling stories – in front of the camera, behind the camera and best of all, in a combination of both!
Icelandic genius
Ólafur Arnalds is hard to pin down musically.
Back to the beats
On Trinidad, a new generation of artists is reviving calypso – the comeback of folk music there is also earning new fame for old heroes
What’s in your bags, Parcels?
Are these guys time travelers from the 1970s? Judging by their hair, yes ...
Culture Clash: World-famous favorites
Paella, sushi and pizza are world-famous favorites. But just how much do they still have in common with the originals?
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Texasand across the nation. And you can search for free.
Matagorda County ,
Search for free or advertise your land for sale in Texas
Matagorda County is in Texas. Whether you are a potential homeowner looking for a lot for sale or a builder or developer seeking land for sale for your next project, the perfect property for you may be found in Texas. The Lone Star State is the second most populous, the largest of the 48 contiguous United States, and often lives up to the saying, “Everything is bigger in Texas.” Texas is home to 25.7 million residents and three of the top ten most populous cities in the country: Houston, San Antonio and Dallas. Other major cities include Austin, the state capital, El Paso and Fort Worth. Texas is located in the South Central United States, but its history and vast geographic, economic, and cultural diversity allows Texas to be considered both a Southern and Southwestern state. Many people associate Texas with deserts, but most of the population can be found among areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests and the coastline. Texas’s terrain is as varied as its people, ranging from coastal swamps and pine-filled woods, to sloping plains and craggy hills, then the desert and mountains of the Big Bend in the west. Texas is home to the Rio Grande River, and the Pecos, the Brazos, Colorado, and Red Rivers, as well as 3,700 streams and 15 major rivers. Texas has few natural lakes, but the state has built over 100 artificial reservoirs. Texas has long been the center of the cattle industry, home of the cowboy, and currently has the most farms and the highest acreage in the United States. The discovery of oil in the early 20th century dramatically changed the economics of the state. Texas subsequently made heavy investments in its university systems and developed a diversified economy, including a high tech industry. By 2010, Texas tied with California for the most Fortune 500 companies: 57. Texas leads the way in many other industries, including agriculture, energy, petrochemicals, computers and aerospace, and has the second-highest gross state product in the nation. It is also known as a “low taxes” state. Arts and music fans will be right at home in Texas. Houston is one of the few American cities with permanent professional resident companies in each of the major performing arts disciplines. Texas’s oldest art museum, founded in 1892, is the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Fort Worth and Dallas are both home to many museums and arts venues. Austin is known as The Live Music Capital of the World, hosting South by Southwest and Austin City Limits. San Antonio has become “The Tejano Music Capital of the World.” If you are seeking property in Texas, you will find a wide variety of choices from waterfront property for sale, riverfront property for sale, lake property for sale, desert property for sale, golf course lots for sale, mountain lots for sale, vacant land for sale and even cheap land for sale.
***** Seller Motivated and ready to sell****
Fort Pierce, FL
Rare land in well established East Sandy neighborhood next to Pepperwood gated community
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Trouble with a capital “T” that rhymes with “D” …
Just today I ran across this article my dad (Deane Gunderson) had saved from 2000 until when he passed away in 2010. While I know what his general views on politics were, I am curious as to what specifically triggered him to clip and save this.
Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas! Smile, Smile. Chuckle, Chuckle. Smile, Smile!!!!!
Today I saw this holly, jolly Santa in the middle of nowhere. I was on my way from Lohrville, Iowa, to Rolfe when I just couldn’t help but smile when I saw this Santa…and the car and other decor. My, my … unusual. And, entertaining!
Clicking on the image will enlarge it.
Clarence Pfundheller — Freedom Rock — Pearl Harbor
To see the Freedom Rock painted by Ray “Bubba” Sorensen, about a mile south of I-80 in Iowa, take the Greenfield/Guthrie Center exit.
Ray paints the rock every year with new images, except (according to a WHO TV report) the painting of the Huey helicopter (seen in some of the photos in this post) stays the same. Ray said, “It always stays because it has the ashes of 30 different Vietnam veterans mixed into the paint and I add more ashes every year.”
Bill and I stopped to see the Freedom Rock one Sunday last summer. Bill had seen the Freedom Rock before; I never had. What we both experienced for the first time was the treat of having Pearl Harbor survivor Clarence Pfundheller there to tell us of his Pearl Harbor experience. What a classy, friendly gentleman.
I’m posting on the fly. For more information I’ll let you peruse the photos I took in July and the web sites to which I’ve linked in this post. There you’ll find more information about Clarence, the Freedom Rock and Ray.
The Freedom Rock web site: http://thefreedomrock.com
Information about Clarence (same as linked to above): http://wobmam.com/pearl-harbor-survivors-share-stories-of-attack/
Information about Ray Sorensen and the Freedom Rock: http://whotv.com/2012/05/20/freedom-rock-painter-finishes-mural/
To view the photos below in larger sizes, first click on any of the thumbnail images. Then, at the lower right, click on “View full size.” From there, because when the mouse hovers over the image it shows as “+” sign, if you click on the image again, it will enlarge even further.
Clarence Pfundheller sharing his story with Bill. Notice the POW MIA flag.
Clarence Pfundheller and Bill
Clarence Pfundheller, a Pearl Harbor survivor
Information about Ray “Bubba” Sorensen
Clarence Pfundheller sharing his story with Bill
Pictures of Clarence are posted with his permission.
Prints of Mother’s Watercolors for sale in Perry: Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 10-11
Tomorrow (which by the time you read this, will probably already be Saturday) and Sunday (November 10 and 11, 2012) prints of Mother’s (Marion Gunderson) watercolors will be on display and for sale at Perry, Iowa’s Art on the Prairie.
The location for her prints is the lower level of the Carnegie building. This building is across the street from the Hotel Pattee.
The hours for tomorrow (Saturday) are from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM.
Sunday’s hours are 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
Profits from all the print sales go to the Rolfe Public Library where Mother worked for thirty-vive years. To date, approximately $4,400 has been given the library. I get so excited when people want to purchase Mother’s artwork, and when I can deliver their checks and cash to the librarian in my home town. It’s like Christmas for the library!
Iowa State 37 — Western Illinois 3: The Intro at Jack Trice Stadium
Paul Rhoads and the ISU Cyclone football team enter Jack Trice Stadium … Enjoy!
Corn Harvest (Pocahontas County, Iowa, 9-14-12)
The following video is of corn harvest in Section 13, Roosevelt Township, Pocahontas County, Iowa. This field is about three miles southwest of Rolfe, Iowa. The video starts with a view to the west. At two or three points in the video my hometown of Rolfe is seen on the horizon to the northeast. To the east is the farmstead where I lived all my life until heading off to college at Iowa State.
The footage isn’t great, but for my family (and anyone else who wants) to watch, it’ll do the job to help us visualize this year’s harvest.
In a previous post I wrote about how fortunate Pocahontas County is to have, so far, mostly avoided this year’s severe drought or other yield-reducing effects from the weather. Of course, there won’t be a collective sigh of relief from farmers until all the crop is harvested. But, as of now, the yields in several counties in northwest Iowa are looking much higher than in many other parts of the state and Midwest.
Tags:corn harvest, pocahontas county iowa, roosevelt township
Go Get ‘Em, Iowa State! (But, please, no one get hurt.)
July 4, 2012. West Lake Okoboji, Iowa. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
I’m rooting for Iowa State today. But, as a mom of a Division I First Team Academic All-American athlete, I remember the agony associated with any injury during her athletic career. So, for both Iowa State and Iowa, I hope none of the athletes become injured today. (And, I hope everyone associated with both teams is on best behavior!)
The Quest to Become a Delegate to the 1968 G.O.P. Convention — Part II
This is Page 1 from a speech my dad gave in April of 1968 in favor of Nelson Rockefeller. More explanation about this is in the previous two posts. The other five pages are also below. (Click on image to enlarge.)
Happy and Nelson Rockefeller. (From a page in my dad’s scrapbook. Otherwise…source unknown.)
As promised in Part 1, here is my dad’s (Deane Gunderson) speech given to his “Fellow Republicans” at Iowa’s state Republican convention in April 1968. The purposes of the speech: 1) to be selected as a delegate to the national convention held later that year and 2) to promote Nelson Rockefeller, the G.O.P.’s candidate in the 1968 presidential election. (For those of you perhaps too young to recall, Richard Nixon won the nomination and the election, and later, under duress, resigned from the presidency.)
In the spring of 1968 when my dad gave this speech, I was in 7th grade. I remember nothing from that time pertaining to this speech or to my dad attending the convention (as an alternate delegate) in Florida. I do, however, remember in later years (late ’70s? early ’80s?) sitting with my mom at the round oak kitchen table as my dad (on the school board at the time) presented to us, his “school board” audience, at least one persuasive speech. To some of you readers, the topic might ring a bell. It had to do with the then Rolfe school’s superintendent named John Harrington. Remembering my dad’s passion to get that speech perfected in order to convince the school board, I can only imagine the drive and passion he put into his G.O.P. “delegate” speech.
To see a photo of Iowa’s 1968 delegation, including my dad as an alternate delegate, click here. In that same post is an audio clip of my dad briefly telling about his involvement in politics.
To enlarge the thumbnails below and/or to view them in slideshow view, click on any one of them. After clicking on any thumbnail, to enlarge it even further, click on the “View Full Size” link.
I think what my dad says about the press on Page 5 and continued into Page 6 is particularly interesting.
The Quest to Become a Delegate to the 1968 G.O.P. Convention — Part I
In April of 1968 my dad, Deane Gunderson, gave a speech to his “fellow Republicans” at Iowa’s state Republican convention. He gave the speech in hopes of being selected to be a delegate to the G.O.P.’s national convention held in August of 1968.
Prior to giving his April ’68 speech, he sent a letter to those “fellow Republicans” letting them know of his interest in becoming a delegate to the national convention. That letter is included below. It is from a page of a scrapbook my mom made for my dad’s 80th birthday.
I’ll post my dad’s speech later this week.
In the most recent post I included a newspaper clipping giving the names of the Iowa delegates and alternate delegates to the 1968 G.O.P. National Convention.
This is the letter my dad sent in 1968 to his “fellow Republicans” prior to Iowa’s state Republican convention. (Click on image to enlarge.)
1968 G.O.P. Convention: The Iowa Delegation
My dad, Deane Gunderson, was an alternate delegate to the 1968 Republican National Convention held in Miami Beach, Florida.
Prior to the national convention held in August of 1968, Iowa’s state convention was held in Des Moines in April of that same year. At that state convention, my dad gave a speech in his quest to be selected as a delegate to the national convention. Instead of being selected to be a delegate, he was an alternate delegate. He is included in the delegation photo shown below. National Committeewoman Mary Louise Smith is also included in the photo.
My mom’s, Marion Gunderson, handwriting is across the top of the newspaper clipping. Her writing indicates my dad was “strongly for Rockefeller” and that the clipping is from an August 1968 issue of the Des Moines Tribune.
Later this week I’ll post my dad’s 1968 speech.
In case you missed the earlier posting of my dad briefly telling of his involvement in politics, that audio clip is here: D.C.G. Republican Experiences
My dad, Deane Gunderson, is included in this group of Iowa delegates, including alternates, to the 1968 G.O.P. convention. He is seated in the fourth row to the (photograph viewer’s) right of the lady wearing glasses. (Click on image to enlarge. Click twice to magnify further.)
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Media | Pallas-Athena-Brunnen Fountain in Vienna, Austria
Pallas-Athena-Brunnen Fountain in Vienna, Austria
The Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena is also known as Minerva to the Romans. She was sculpted by Carl Kundmann on the beautifully designed fountain with a golden helmet holding a golden spear and a golden goddess Nike in each hand.
Pallas Athena Fountain in Vienna, Austria
Karl Kundmann (Carl Kundmann) designed this beautiful Athena Pallas Statue on the Greek revival style design fountain in front of the Austrian Parliament Building.
Pallas-Athena-Brunnen in front of the portico of the Austrian Parliament in Vienna, Austria
The Pallas Athena Fountain located in front of the Austrian Parliament Building was constructed in the late 19th century based on the architect, Baron von Hansen’s creative designs.
Close Up Statue of Athena and Nike on the Athena Pallas Fountain in Vienna, Austria
Karl Kundmann (Carl Kundmann) sculpted this beautiful statue of Athena, goddess of wisdom, holding goddess of Nike in one hand and a spear in the other.
The Divine Pallas Athena Fountain in front of the Austrian Parliament in Vienna, Austria
The neoclassical architecture style of the Austrian Parliament Building designed by the architect, Baron von Hansen.
The Pallas Athena Fountain at Night in front of Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna, Austria
Hansen was the artist who built the beautiful fountain in front of the Austrian Parliament building in Vienna.
Gold Statue of Statue of Pallas Athena in Vienna, Austria
Feb 03, 2015 at 10:22 PM
Pallas-Athena-Brunnen statue can be admired in front of the entrance of the Austrian Parliament in the city of Vienna.
Picturesque Fountain in a Building in Vienna, Austria
The Naschmarkt on Saturday is a fun sight to see when you are visiting Vienna. In this market, farmers come to the city and sell their produce and food to the public until 5 pm.
Grand Marble Fountain in a Mall in Vienna, Austria
Austria is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world attracting thousands of tourists every year to its popular cities.
Beautiful Fountain in front of Huge Villa in Vienna, Austria
Friedrich Schmidt was the architect who built Vienna's top landmark, the gothic St. Stephen's Cathedral in the center of the city. He also was responsible for the construction of the Vienna Royal Orchestra building, the Imperial Hall, which is on Beethovenplatz.
Amazing Fountain inside a Shopping Mall in Vienna, Austria
Although Austria is a small country, it has some of the world’s most beautiful sights and landmarks that are appreciated and admired by all who visit.
Water Fountain on University of Vienna Campus in Austria
All of the tourist attractions in Vienna are easy to reach and beautiful sites to see for those who are visiting the city. You do not need a car to get around the city and it is extremely affordable.
Rechter Graben
by Martina Sanders
The Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena is also known as Minerva to the Romans.
She was sculpted by Carl Kundmann on the beautifully designed fountain with a golden helmet holding a golden spear and a golden goddess Nike in each hand.
category: Landmarks
Flights and hotels. Popular international flights.
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With a single tweet, Neil deGrasse Tyson exposes how inequality plays into the U.N. Climate Summit
People visit the "Solutions COP21" exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris on December 4, 2015 on the sidelines of the COP21 United Nations Climate Summit.
Image: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images
By Andrew Freedman 2015-12-04 21:05:31 UTC
At the U.N. Climate Summit in Paris, the negotiating positions of various countries can be difficult to follow, particularly when it comes to the interests that lurk behind those positions. The talks are full of acronyms, and concepts like "loss and damage," "climate finance" and "deep decarbonization" are opaque for most people.
Fortunately, astrophysicist and ace science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson summarized in one tweet the difference between what is at stake at these talks for poor nations, such as the Marshall Islands, Bangladesh and the Philippines, compared to industrialized nations like the United States and European Union.
As climate change reshapes the World’s coastlines, rich people lose their second homes. Poor people lose their only homes.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) December 4, 2015
His tweet speaks to why developing countries have been so adamant about including a reference to a lower temperature target — 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — rather than the 2-degree target countries agreed to a few years ago. The 0.5-degree difference is a matter of life or death for some low-lying nations that are already losing ground to the sea.
So far, India and Saudi Arabia have blocked attempts to include findings of a U.N. report regarding a 1.5-degree target that was commissioned at a previous round of climate talks, which was released earlier this year. The report shows the lower risk of dangerous amounts of global warming if the temperature increase were limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
"Limiting global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius would come with several advantages in terms of coming closer to a safer ‘guardrail,'" the report said. "It would avoid or reduce risks, for example, to food production or unique and threatened systems such as coral reefs or many parts of the cryosphere, including the risk of sea level rise."
Saleemul Huq, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development who is working with countries to push for a 1.5-degree goal, said a temperature target of below 2 degrees Celsius is needed to protect everyone around the world, including the poorest people living in mid-continental drought-prone regions and low-lying states.
Lyndon Pishagua Chinchuga, a representative of the indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon and an un-named co-representative walk past a stand at the United Nations Climate Summit, at Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris on December 3, 2015.
"If we were to accept the 2 degrees as a global goal, then we will have to accept at the same time that we are writing these people off," said Saleemul Huq in a video briefing from France. "We are telling them that we will not protect you. We will protect us, but we will not protect you."
"It's very difficult, we understand that and we accept that. On the other hand, difficult is not impossible," Huq said. "We believe there is enough money, there is enough technology to do it, there simply isn't enough political will to do it. And Paris is about generating political will."
Temperature targets are about survival through long-term decarbonization
The temperature targets can be thought of in a different way, too. Each target would require a particular pace of reducing emissions of global warming pollutants such as carbon dioxide. So far, the world is on track to exceed the 2-degree target despite the emissions pledges made for the Paris talks. This makes the 1.5-degree target appear to be unachievable, barring the creation of technology that can efficiently and effectively suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
Christiana Figueres, who chairs the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change that is overseeing COP21, said the entire Paris agreement will lead to a whole-scale shift away from fossil fuel-powered economies.
“Everyone here agrees that we do need to head for the deepest decarbonization pathways and in an urgent fashion," Figueres said at a press conference on Friday.
“I do think that there is a lot of space to be able to find, not just a language, but also a very important conceptual agreement of the fact that decarbonization needs to happen, that it needs to happen quickly and that it needs to happen across the economy. That is what we’re talking about when we talk about 1.5 to 2 [degrees], it is not a discussion about the temperatures, it’s just a proxy. The discussion is about the decarbonization of the economy.”
Carbon dioxide emissions of wealthy people versus the poor.
Image: Oxfam International
Precisely how to decarbonize, though, and what allowances developing countries will have to burn more fossil fuels as they develop compared to industrialized country obligations, remains to be worked out. One proposal in Paris, for example, would allocate the remaining portion of the global carbon budget based on which countries caused most of modern-day global warming in the first place, and which countries are trying first and foremost to address poverty concerns.
Global warming is an issue of inequality
Climate change is often seen as a pollution problem, yet to many, evidently including Tyson, inequality plays a central role.
The advocacy organization Oxfam International released a report this week that found that the poorest 50% of the global population, which amounts to about 3.5 billion people, are responsible for just 10% of total global emissions. Yet the richest 10% of people contribute about 50% of global emissions, the organization found. The richest 10% of people have carbon footprints 11 times as high as the poorest half of the population, the report found.
"The average footprint of the richest 1% of people globally could be 175 times that of the poorest 10%," the report, which was endorsed by economist and best-selling author Thomas Picketty, found.
“At its heart, climate change is an issue of global justice," Oxfam's Tim Gore told Mashable in an interview. "When countries are negotiating here you should keep that in mind."
"What should be expected of India, bearing in mind the poverty challenges its population is facing?”
Topics: Climate, Paris Climate Summit, Politics, U.S., World
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Kanthaswamy (2009)
The film’s plot revolves around Kanthasamy (played by Vikram), who is a Income Tax officer in the CBI, and his friends, granting the wishes of the needy who write letters to a local Lord Muruga temple by disguising himself as an anthropomorphic chicken. During a CBI income tax raid, he discovers a stash of black money owned by Ponnusamy (played by Ashish Vidyarthi), a rich and corrupted entrepreneur. Ponnusamy pretends to be paralysed to escape the questioning. Angered by the news that her father is paralysed, Ponnusamy’s daughter, Subbulakshmi (played by Shriya Saran) goes after Kanthasamy to seek revenge by pretending to be in love with him. Kanthasamy, knowing Subbulakshmi’s real intentions plays along in the game. This forms a cat and mouse chase between the two.
Director: Susi Ganesan
Actors: Ashish Vidhyarthi, Mansoor Ali Khan, Mumaith Khan, Prabhu Ganesan, Shriya Saran, Vadivelu, Vikram
Bad Grandmas (2017)
Four grandmothers accidentally kill a conman and, to cover it up, they get rid of the body. When the conman’s partner shows up, things go south.
A bootlegger sets out to improve his community as a promising leader but falls in a political trap.
Oldboy (2003)
After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in five days.
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Jarhead 3: The Siege (2016) Full Movie Online
A group of Marines must protect a US Embassy in the Middle East when it suddenly comes under attack from enemy forces.
Genre: Action, Drama, War
The Crow: Salvation (2000) Full Movie Online
Alex Corvis returns to the world of the living to solve the murder of a young woman that he was wrongly accused of.
Genre: Action, Crime, Fantasy
Who is Bogan? That is the question that drives this movie about things not being as they seem.
Genre: Action, Crime, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
The Hurricane Heist (2018)
Thieves attempt a massive heist against the U.S. Treasury as a Category 5 hurricane approaches one of its Mint facilities.
ImaginationLand (2018)
Barney the Owl meets Scout and Axle. Barney goes on a journey with the pair to Imagination Land, which is a place where anything is possible. The characters tell their…
The Hammer (2016) Full Movie Online
Champion adventure racer, Jason “The Hammer” Lane, had both knees reconstructed in 2010. After being told that the best therapy was to ride a bike, Jason entered The Race Across…
Luck Unnodu (2017)
The ironically-named Lucky gets embroiled in a heist when a friend hands him a bag of cash, which was stolen from a don, who stole it from the bank, and…
No Holds Barred (1989)
Rip is the World Wrestling Federation champion who is faithful to his fans and the network he wrestles for. Brell, the new head of the World Television Network, wants Rip…
Khakee (2004)
A team of police force escorts an alleged terrorist from Chandangarh to Mumbai. However their trip turns into a deadly survival when an ex-cop tries to stop them to reach…
Trailer: Kanthaswamy (2009)
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Last Remaining Seats: Orpheum Theater — Los Angeles
I went to a Last Remaining Seats that was held at the oldest surviving Orpheum Theater in the United States. It’s the one in Los Angeles.
Here it is on a postcard that I bought.
The movie being show for this event was La Muerte de un Burocrata. It’s a Cuban film from 1965.
Here’s the program for the event.
Some background information on the Orpheum.
I really liked the host Betto Arcos. He was very cool and LATINO! He had a manly style about him that made me envious. Linda Dishman, who did the welcome, is hugely responsible for saving St. Vibiana’s (along with Kathryn Welch Howe) so she’s high up on my list of people to admire. Philip Graulty was a nice performer.
Here are some pictures I took that night.
I’m amazed this stenciling wasn’t whitewashed over years ago.
If you look at the archival photos (way down below) this is where the boxes were. This theater was originally a vaudeville house.
Roundels on the ceiling.
The newel post on the north staircase. She needs to be re-bronzed.
If you look at the archival photos you’ll see that this is where the ladies parlor was. The area was being used to sell beverages at the event.
I went back a couple of days later and took these pictures.
The word Orpheum has been cemented over. Why? What was the point?
The Los Angeles Times announced that a new Orpheum building would be erected on Broadway, between 6th street and 7th, on January 2, 1910. The article contained three headlines. The first said: One of the Finest. The second headline, which was the biggest, said: To Begin New Orpheum Soon and the third said: Circuit to Build Handsome Theater on Broadway. The article mentions that work would commence immediately and the building would be finished and occupied within the year.
That didn’t happen because the grand opening of the Orpheum didn’t occur until June 26, 1911, which translates into approximately eighteen months. The article also states that the building would employ all the latest techniques in theater building.
The Orpheum management took out a fifty year lease on the property. The owners of the building were: N. Bonfilio, L. J. Christopher, John R. Hayes and Harry Chandler. The original cost was estimated to be $250,000 but that amount would increase to $350,000 by the time the building opened. In this article it states the building, “has been designed by and will be put up under the supervision of R. B. Young & Sons, architects.” That’s a mistake because G. Albert Lansburgh is the architect of record on the building. Either Lansburgh replaced Young & Sons after the article was published or Young & Sons were the supervising “day to day” architects on the job. Lansburgh was based in San Francisco so it’s possible.
The theater would have 1,956 seats and the article stressed there would be an “unusual number of safe and comfortable exits…” This Orpheum Theater was built seven years after the Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago, which claimed hundreds of lives, so being able to quickly exit a theater was an important feature to mention and herald to the public. When this theater was completed it would be the thirty-sixth theater the Orpheum organization owned. It sounds like the Orpheum organization owned the theater but leased the space from the owners of the building that surrounded the theater.
My question regarding R. B. Young & Sons was answered in a Times article from August 6, 1910. The first paragraph of that article which was titled, Orpheum Contracts said, “Contracts were signed yesterday for the interior design and decoration of the new Orpheum Theater building on South Broadway, now under construction. G. Albert Lansburgh, San Francisco architect of the structure was here, and made the arrangements, together with R. B. Young, the local supervising architect.” The firm that received the contract for interior design and decoration of the auditorium was Mitchell & Halback of Chicago. They beat out a local bid from a company called McKay & Co.
At this point two-thirds of the steel frame had been erected and riveting was to begin the following week. Once again it was noted that the Orpheum would have features not found in any other theater. Three in particular were mentioned: 1) “showers for performers” 2) “a special animal room with tub and showers” and 3) “a thermostaic heating plant” which would cool “as well as maintain the air – which will be washed and filtered at an even temperature all the time though constantly changing it.” It sounds like a thermostat connected to a furnace with a ventilation system.
In February of 1911, an article appeared in the Times with the headline, How About the Old Orpheum? Speculation regarding the fate of the Orpheum on Spring Street was being bandied about by various individuals around the city. No one was sure what would happen to the old Orpheum but a New York paper “which has some inside ways of obtaining considerable theatrical information” reported that Oliver Morosco was going to take over the building and use it for Shubert “dollar shows.” When confronted with the scenario Morosco feigned surprise and wouldn’t confirm or deny the report.
Three months later, in May of 1911, a Music and Stage column detailed the progress of the new Orpheum. The scaffolding that was being used to apply gold leaf to the decorative domes would be removed within the week. Work on the proscenium arch was almost complete. The fronts of the boxes had their stucco applied but still needed to be painted. The chairs hadn’t been brought into the theater yet but they could be set up and secured to the floor very quickly. Miles of electrical wiring had been installed along with interior phone lines. The last sentence in the article stated due to the excitement the theater was generating, “It is expected that almost every high official of every Orpheum on the circuit will be here for the ceremony on opening day.”
On June 11, 1911, it was announced that the Orpheum’s opening would occur on a Monday evening, on June 26th. The date was decided upon by resident manager Clarence Drown and Lansburgh. They made their decision so, “that every detail of the fine building shall have been completed. There will be no smell of wet paint or varnish, no unfasted seats or incomplete stage.” According to the article the seats and drapery would be installed the next day.
At the Orpheum on Spring Street an auction was held for the Associated Charities on June 14, 1911. What was being auctioned were the parquet, box and loge seats for the opening night of the new Orpheum Theater. Admission to the auction was by invitation only and began at 10 am. The proceedings had to be finished by noon so the venue could be readied for an afternoon performance.
The way the auction would work is if an individual paid $4 for a seat that would normally cost $1 the Orpheum Theater would receive the $1 fee that they normally charge for the seat and the Associated Charites would receive the other $3. A large diagram of the theater was placed on the stage so everyone would know what was being bid upon. Once a seat or box was sold it was crossed off the diagram. The seats had to be paid for at the time the bidder won. Eddie Nagel and R. M. Kemp were the auctioneers and “young society debutantes and matrons” were the ushers and they collected bids (money) from patrons sitting in the auditorium.
According to reports the following day approximately 300 attended the event. “The sale was a great success,” related the Times, “and fancy prices were eagerly paid. There were many among the elegantly dressed ladies and smiling business men who felt a pang of regret at the passing of the time honored old Orpheum.” Some of the notable prices paid were by L. J. Christopher who paid $120 for the choicest box in the theater. R. B. Young & Sons bought a box for $105. I.F. Ihmsen bought a box for $150, paid for it, and then immediately turned it back to the auctioneer so it could be resold.
At the end of the auction the Times and Examiner newspapers oversaw a luncheon at the Alexandria Hotel for the matrons and debutantes who served as ushers.
Twelve days before the theater opened the Times ran an article titled, Some Wonders at New Orpheum. The paper claimed the theater was an architect’s dream and that Lansburgh had created a building that could best be described as being in the modern renaissance style. The lower stories which were composed of marble and granite were “severely plain to set off the more lace-like upper portion.” Polychrome terra cotta was being used for the first time on a building in the west along with “mat glazed tile and (a) tapestry brick in cream.” Each arch in the front of the building was outlined in polychrome and while color was used liberally on the façade it wasn’t overpowering. The structure was a “combination of beauty, modernity and practical utility” and “is a representative twentieth century American edifice.”
The Orpheum finally opened on June 26, 1911, and regarding the opening bill I was mistaken. For some reason I thought there would be a film presentation but it was all vaudeville. No opening night speeches were given on behalf of the new house instead the show simply began at 8:40 p.m. when English comedian Hal Forde stumbled out of the wings and sang a song called “Mr. Henpeck.” Forde not only sang songs but he also did stunts and impersonations. He was followed by “The Little Stranger” sketch which starred Joseph Hart and revolved around two race track men and how one takes a little stranger into his destitute home.
Up next was Henry Clive, the “droll josher,” a magician accompanied by his assistant Mai Sturgis Walker who was “petite and exquisitely shaped.” Evidently, Clive was a favorite and well known to regular Orpheum patrons. An all-girl singing group called The Boston Fadettes followed Clive. They sang and played instruments “sometimes noisy, sometimes tuneful.”
At this point there was an intermission which clocked in at thirty minutes and allowed everyone the opportunity to poke around the building and discover where everything was. Most of the men eventually found their way to the smoking room which was club-like in size. On hand in this room was “a slave” who “dispersed cigarettes which disappeared with a rapidity which was positively alarming.”
When the Orpheum orchestra’s conductor, Frankenstein (yes, that was his name — see below), called the audience back with the Jubel overture the second half of the evening began. Up first was Isabell d’Armond, a soubrette, who was described as tiny and talented, and she performed with George Moore. Her routine consisted of dancing and “patter talk.” According to Wikipedia a soubrette is a “type of operatic soprano voice often cast as a female stock character in opera or theater.” Patter talk according to Wikipedia is “any rapid manner of talking, and of a patter-song, in which a very large number of words have to be sung at high speed to fit the music.”
She was followed by a William H. Macart & Ethlynne Bradford sketch called “A Legitimate Hold-up” that was part comedy and part drama. Ed Wynn and P. O’Mally Jennings did some sort of act surrounding the word “daffydils.” It wasn’t clear to me what they did exactly. The review said they “exploited a line of daffydils of their own manufacture or cunning.” The final act was Bowers, Walters and Crooker who did a rural comedy sketch. The man who reviewed the opening night, Julian Johnson, stated that Bowers, Walters and Crooker “concluded the program which was followed, as usual, by the “daylight pictures.” I wasn’t sure what daylight pictures were. The publication Montography refers to “daylight pictures” occasionally in its text so, maybe, short films were shown at the end of the program?
Those in attendance that night were included in a long list at the end of the review. Most were unknown to me but some stood out including: L. J. Christopher, Harry Chandler, R. B. Young, Mr. & Mrs. Oliver Morosco, Mr. & Mrs. Walter P. Story and Mr. & Mrs. Marco Hellman.
See, his name really was Frankenstein.
While Variety said he was let go. In a Times article dated October 11, 1928, it states that Frankenstein tendered his resignation several days ago. He worked for the Orpheum orchestra for “thirty years, six months and twenty-two days.” The first violinist, Edward Sullivan, would be promoted to conductor. “A long rest” was the only activity Frankenstein had planned for the immediate future.
I like the curtains on the railings.
I like his mustache.
Note: I have a book coming out in the latter half of 2018 from The History Press titled: The Architects Who Built Southern California. It will be 10 chapters with each chapter devoted to a different architect (or architectural firm) including: Harrison Albright, John Austin, Claud Beelman, Elmer Grey, Hudson & Munsell, A. C. Martin, Meyer & Holler, Julia Morgan, Morgan Walls & Clements and Alfred F. Rosenheim.
Cline, W. H. (1911, September). The new Orpheum theater building, Los Angeles. Architect and Engineer, 26(2), 34-50.
Daylight pictures. (1911, October). Montography, 6(4), p. 198.
Events in local society. (1911, June 15). Los Angeles Times, p. II6.
Frankenstein, after 30 years let out by L.A. Orpheum. (1928, October 10). Variety, p. 29.
How about the old Orpheum? (1911, February 2). Los Angeles Times, p. II5.
Johnson, J. (1911, June 27). New Orpheum’s bright birth in sudden blaze of tungsten glory. Los Angeles Times, p. I2.
Music and stage. (1911, May 20). Los Angeles Times, p. II5.
New Orpheum opening date. (1911, June 11). Los Angeles Times, p. II8.
Nineteen bid, who’s twenty? (1911, June 14). Los Angeles Times, p. I7.
Orpheum contracts. (1910, August 6). Los Angeles Times, p. II5.
Some wonders at new Orpheum. (1911, June 14). Los Angeles Times, p. II3.
To begin new Orpheum soon. (1910, January 2). Los Angeles Times, p. V1.
Veteran of orchestra pit to quit. (1928, October 11). Los Angeles Times, p. A10.
on June 15, 2017 at 7:18 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: A Legitimate Hold-up, A. F. Frankenstein, Alexandria Hotel, Associated Charities, Betto Arcos, Bowers Walters and Crooker, Clarence Drown, daylight pictures, Ed Wynn, Eddie Nagel, Edward Sullivan, Ethlynne Bradford, G. Albert Lansburgh, George Moore, Hal Forde, Harry Chandler, Henry Clive, I. F. Ihmsen, Iroquois Theater, Isabell d'Armond, John R. Hayes, Joseph Hart, Julian Johnson, L. J. Christopher, Linda Dishman, Mai Sturgis Walker, Marco Hellman, Montography, N. Bonfilio, Oliver Morosco, Orpheum Theater, P. O'Mally Jennings, Palace Theater, patter talk, R. B. Young & Sons, R. M. Kemp, soubrette, The Boston Fadettes, The Little Stranger, Walter P. Story, William H. Macart
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#Top News
Tue Oct 10, 2017 / 9:44 AM EDT
UPDATE 1-Ethiopia devalues currency by 15 percent to boost exports
(Adds quotes, details)
By Aaron Maasho
ADDIS ABABA Oct 10 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's central bank devalued the Ethiopian birr by 15 percent on Tuesday, its first such move in seven years to boost lagging exports.
The birr was quoted by the National Bank of Ethiopia at a weighted average of 23.4177 against the dollar on Monday, compared to what will be 26.9215.
"The devaluation was made to prop up exports, which have stagnated the last five years owing to the birr's strong value against major currencies," Yohannes Ayalew, the bank's vice governor, told a news conference in the capital Addis Ababa.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, have both repeatedly urged Ethiopia to consider devaluing its currency to boost exports as they are mostly unprocessed products and need to stay competitive on price.
Ethiopia has operated a managed floating exchange rate regime since 1992.
The Horn of Africa country is the continent's biggest coffee exporter but its total export revenue has been falling short of targets for the last few years owing to weaker commodity prices.
Addis Ababa earned $2.9 billion in the 2017-2018 fiscal year, versus a target of $4 billion.
On Tuesday, the central bank also announced that it has raised the main interest rate to 7 percent from 5 percent to stimulate savings as well as to counter inflation.
"The rate was pushed to mitigate the inflationary pressure that could arise from the devaluation," Yohannes said.
Ethiopia's inflation rose slightly to 10.8 percent year-on-year in September from 10.4 percent a month earlier, according to figures released by the statistics office on Friday.
Ethiopia’s economy is one of the fastest growing in Africa, with the IMF expecting a growth rate of 9 percent for the 2016/17 fiscal year.
The expansion, however, has mainly been fuelled by huge public expenditure. The government has invested heavily in dams for hydroelectric power, new highways and an electrified railway linking the landlocked nation to a port in neighbouring Djibouti.
The IMF has said Ethiopia needs to attract more private sector investment to maintain growth. But Addis Ababa has in the past tended to brush off such advice and said it would keep charge of key sectors. (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by John Stonestreet and Andrew Heavens)
Trump says U.S. Navy 'destroyed' Iranian drone in Gulf
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Leishmaniasis is the parasitic disease caused by the protozoal organism, Leishmania. The disease affects the skin, spleen and the liver, and it is usually characterized by extensive lesions on the skin (in the mouth, throat and nose region) that sometimes leads to deformity of the affected body part. Leishmaniasis can be old world or new world disease depending on the Leishmania species responsible for the disease and the part of the world where the disease occurred. Old world leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania species including L. donovani, L. infantum, L. major, L. tropica, and L. aethiopica; and these parasites occur mainly in Asia, Europe and Africa (which are referred to as old world). New world leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania species including L. braziliensis, L. mexicana, L. guyanensis, L. amazonensis, L. panamensis and L. peruviana; and they occur only in the Americas (south and central), which are referred to as the new world. New world leishmaniasis is transmitted by species of sand flies in the genus Lutzomyia while old world leishmaniasis is transmitted by sand fly species in the genus Phlebotomus. Leishmania species are parasitic organisms that reside within the phagocytes of humans or animals as intracellular amastigotes. But in the insect vector (sand fly) that transmits the parasite, the organism lives as extracellular promastigotes in the midgut or stomach of the sand fly. Leishmaniasis is usually presented clinical in any of the following three (3) forms:
Visceral Leishmaniasis (kala-azar):- It is caused by Leishmania donovani and other related Leishmania Kala-azar (which is a systemic type of leishmaniasis) is a more severe type of leismaniasis which mainly affects the reticulo-endothelial system (RES) of the body resulting in massive splenomegaly and hepatomegaly.
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (oriental sore):- Cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania species including tropica and L. guyanensis. It can also be called Baghdad sore, dry cutaneous ulcer, wet cutaneous sore and so on depending on the place and type of lesion produced. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is usually characterized by ulceration and necrosis on the overlying skin, and it is a localized type of leishmaniasis.
Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis:- This type of leishmaniasis usually involves the oral and nasopharyngeal mucosa of the body. Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, a localized type of infection can occur following a primary skin infection leishmaniasis. The Leishmania species implicated include braziliensis. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that is caused by parasites in the genus: Leishmania. The different species of Leishmania that cause leishmaniasis include:
Leishmania donovani
braziliensis
guyanensis
Type and morphology of Leishmania
Leishmania species are hemoflagellated protozoal parasites. The term hemoflagellate is used to describe blood-borne parasites i.e. protozoal organisms that invade and live in the blood of their hosts. Such parasites can also be found in the tissues (e.g. tissues of bone marrow, liver and spleen) of their hosts. Leishmania species also have a whip-like structure called flagella which they use for locomotion. Morphologically, Leishmania species have two distinct morphological forms: the amastigotes and the promastigotes. The amastigotes are nonmotile (nonflagellated) forms of Leishmania species that occurs only in humans and other mammals. Amastigotes (which are normally intracellular in the host) are 3-6 µm long and 1.5-3 µm in diameter, and they are the only forms of Leishmania species that infect man and other animals. The promastigotes are the infective forms of Leishmania species that are transmitted or introduced into the skin of humans by the insect vector of the parasites. Promastigotes are flagellated forms of Leishmania species, and they are motile and occur only in the insect vector (sand fly) that transmits the parasite to humans and other mammals.
Vector, reservoir and habitat of Leishmania
The natural agent that helps in transmitting Leishmania species from animals to humans or between humans is called sand fly. Sand flies are the natural insect vectors of Leishmania parasites. This class of insects is relatively weak insects, and they only fly by making short jumps. Leishmania parasites are transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected sand fly. The insect vector (sand fly) lives in excreta, burrows of rodents, rotting leaves of trees and in termite hills. Sand flies feed on plant nectars but the female sand flies require blood meal for their egg development, and thus suck the blood of humans and other mammals to meet this developmental demand. Their feeding time is usually in the night or in the beginning of the day. During blood meal, the Leishmania parasite is introduced and inoculated into the skin of humans, from which they go on to affect other tissues of the body including the skin.
Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia are the two genera of sand flies which Leishmania parasites use as their intermediate hosts. Rodents (rat) and canines (dog) are the primary reservoirs of Leishmania species. Sand flies in the genera Phlebotomus transmit Leishmania parasites in only Asia, Europe and Africa while those in the Lutzomyia genera (L. longipalpis) only transmit Leishmania parasites in the Americas (central and south). Upon blood meal, the sand fly picks up Leishmania parasites (amastigotes) from an infected person or animal. The ingested amastigotes are transformed into promastigotes in the stomach or midgut of the insect vector where they multiply actively until further transmission to a susceptible human or animal host. Some Leishmania infections are zoonotic in nature (those caused by L. panamensis and so on). They use animals such as dogs, foxes and forest rodents as their reservoirs and these can serve as route via which the disease can be transmitted to humans. Humans can also serve as reservoirs for Leishmania parasites, and they usually become infected by the parasite after visiting an area that is known to be endemic with the disease.
Clinical signs and symptoms of Leishmania
The clinical expression of leishmania is usually dependent on the immune system response of the affected patient and the virulence and pathogenicity of the Leishmania parasite. Clinically, the signs and symptoms of leishmaniasis may include irregular and chaotic fever, growing weakness, continuous emaciation, spontaneous and progressive skin and mucosa lesions, splenomegaly (swelling of the spleen), hepatomegaly (swelling of the liver), diarrhea in some cases, anaemia, epistaxis (nose bleeding), kidney damage and gum bleeding. The signs and symptoms of the disease though similar across the different clinical forms of leishmaniasis (kala-azar, cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis) to some extent; the different clinical forms of leishmaniasis as elaborated above usually have their unique signs and symptoms that are peculiar to them.
Figure 1: Life cycle of Leishmania. 1. Infective forms of Leishmania parasites (promastigotes) are transmitted to humans during a blood meal via an infected insect vector. 2. Promastigotes that reach the puncture wound are phagocytosed by macrophages and other types of mononuclear phagocytic cells 3. Promastigotes transform in these cells into amastigotes (tissue stage of the parasite). 4. Amastigotes multiply by simple division and proceed to infect other mononuclear phagocytic cells. 5. Sand flies become infected by ingesting infected cells during blood meal. 6 &7. Amastigotes transform into promastigotes and develop in the gut of the insect vector. 8. Promastigotes migrates to the proboscis and wait until the next blood meal. CDC
Pathogenesis of Leishmania infection
The clinical episode of leishmaniasis begins following the transmission or inoculation of the Leishmania parasite into an individual’s body after the bite of a female sand fly (insect vector for Leishmania parasites). The infected female sand fly transmits the infective promastigotes into the host’s body through a bite usually during a blood meal (Figure 1). The motile promastigote becomes phagocytosed by macrophages, and then changes into nonmotile forms known as amastigotes. The amastigotes (which are intracellular forms of the parasite) multiply within the macrophages, ruptures and releases Leishmania parasites that go on to infect new macrophages. They are again phagocytosed and the life cycle of the Leishmania parasite continues in this manner. Leishmaniasis usually has three clinical forms viz: visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar), cutaneous leishmaniasis (oriental sores) and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (espundia).
In kala-azar, the amastigotes multiply in the macrophages of the liver, bone marrow, spleen, the lymph nodes and other tissues of the reticulo-endothelial system (RES). Kala-azar is a systemic type of leishmaniasis i.e. the parasite spreads from its site or point of inoculation to other vital tissues of the body including the blood; and it affects mainly the RES tissues. It is also worth mentioning that kala-azar is an Indian local name which actually means black sickness, and which was used as a suggestion or reference name that was given to the disease following the discovery that patients suffering from leishmaniasis do produce grayish colour secretions from their skin. Kala-azar is caused by specific Leishmania species including L. donovani and L. infantum (that is also called L. chagasi). Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) infections are usually fatal and can result to death if left untreated. But some forms of the disease known as post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) occurs in patients after some months or years of treatment and recovery from the disease (kala-azar).
In PKDL, there is obvious reappearance of raised erythematous lesions (containing abundant Leishmania parasites) on the skin of the affected patient. PKDL is region specific, and occurs in only parts of East Africa and Asia (India). Cutaneous leishmaniasis unlike kala-azar is a localized type of leishmaniasis. The disease is specifically limited to a small area of the skin in the affected patient’s body, and this result to several lesions on different parts of the body. Cutaneous leishmaniasis which is usually chronic and self-limiting occurs in about 2 weeks following the bite of an infected female sand fly. A small cutaneous lesion (known as papule) which later progress into an ulcerative lesion appears on the skin. The clinical presentations of cutaneous leishmaniasis are usually dependent and characterized by the species of parasite response of the patient and the region of the world where it occurs. For example, L. mexicana occur in Mexico and it causes chicleros ulcer, L. tropica occur in the dry region of the Eastern Hemisphere and it causes dry urban oriental sore, L. major and L. aethiopica causes oriental sores and so on. Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis which can also be called espundia or nasopharyngeal leishmaniasis affects mainly the mucosal parts of the body (e.g. the nose and the nasopharynx). The disease usually results in sow but progressive and far-reaching lesions along the mucosal area of the affected body part. L. braziliensis, L. guyanensis and L. panamensis are amongst the Leishmania species that cause espundia.
Espundia is usually initiated after the healing of cutaneous leishmaniasis, and the spreading of it to other parts of the body (especially the facial region of the body). Following the curing of cutaneous leishmaniasis, there appears some mucosal lesions (in some cases) years later on the nose and other mucosal parts of the affected patient. This can lead to the disfigurement of the nose and other affected nasopharyngeal organs (the larynx and pharynx) if not treated, and death can occur in some cases. It is noteworthy that recovery from some Leishmania infections (kala-azar) usually develops a permanent immunity in the individual.
Laboratory diagnosis of Leishmania infection
The laboratory and clinical recognition of leishmaniasis is usually deciphered by some specific signs and symptoms of the disease coupled with a history of the affected individual in areas where the infection is widespread. Leishmaniasis is diagnosed in the laboratory by microscopical investigations, culture techniques, identification of the parasite’s amastigotes (Figure 2) in tissue samples, and by serological investigations. The promastigotes of Leishmania spp. can also be identified from cultures under the microscope (Figure 3). The specimens used for the laboratory diagnosis of leishmaniasis include skin scrapings, tissue biopsies, lymph node aspirates, blond and puncture of the liver, bone marrow or spleen. In microscopical investigations, the amastigotes of the parasites are sought after using Giemsa staining technique. Culture techniques can also be used when the parasite cannot be seen in smears. Special type of culture media (e.g. Novy, Nicolle MacNeal’s, NNN medium) in which are incorporated living cells or special nutritional supplements for the growth of the parasite. Serological techniques including ELISA and even PCR are combined in some cases to detect Leishmania parasites.
Figure 2: Amastigotes of Leishmania spp. (arrowheads) in a Giemsa-stained tissue scrapping. CDC
Figure 3: Promastigotes (arrowheads) of Leishmania spp. from culture. CDC
Treatment of Leishmania infection
The clinical symptoms of the disease and the species of Leishmania implicated are vital to recommendation of appropriate treatment measure for the leishmaniasis. Most drugs used for the treatment of leishmaniasis are drugs that contain pentavalent antimony, but most recently, liposomal-encapsulated drugs have been used in the treatment of some cases of leishmaniasis. Liposome-encapsulated drugs are effective in the treatment of leishmaniasis because the drug targets the macrophages, which are the site of the parasites amastigotes. The use of recombinant interferon-gamma (IFNλ) for the treatment of leishmaniasis is also applicable in some parts of the world. In such treatments, IFNλ is not used alone but in combination with pentavalent antimony (pentamidine). The IFNs helps in recruiting and activating macrophages that destroys the intracellular forms of the parasite (amastigotes) in the affected patients. Amphotericin B (an antifungal agent) is also employed in the treatment of leishmaniasis. The reason for incorporating amphotericin B in leishmaniasis therapy is because the antifungal agent helps to destroy fungal organisms following any secondary infection in leishmaniasis. In addition, amphotericin B is believed to target and destroy the outer-membrane of the parasite (which is very rich in sterols). Ketoconazole and imidazole are other antifungal agents employed in leishmaniasis therapy. Topical antimicrobial agents are also used to treat some cutaneous and mucocutaneous forms of leishmaniasis.
Control and prevention of Leishmania infection
Leishmaniasis cannot thrive and spread in any population without the availability of the insect vector (infected sand flies of the Lutzomyia and Phlebotomus species), a reservoir of the parasite and most importantly a susceptible human host which usually provides the blood required for egg development in the insect vector. For the successful control and prevention of leishmaniasis and its possible eradication, it is very important that the life cycle of the parasite is well understood. In addition, the response of susceptible humans to the parasite and the mechanism of spread and distribution of the disease, the insect vector and its reservoirs must also be considered for the proper containment of the disease. Since the parasite is primarily transmitted via the bite of an infected sand fly, controlling and reducing the number of the insect vector will help to contain the disease especially in endemic populations. Breeding sites of the insect vectors should be destroyed spraying insecticides and other chemicals that are capable of limiting their proliferation. People travelling to endemic areas should endeavour to wear proper clothing’s to cover their body in order to avoid bites from the insect vector of the parasite. Though there have been several attempts in the past to develop a vaccine for the disease, effective vaccine for the control and prevention of leishmaniasis is yet to be discovered.
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Palatnik-de-Sousa CB, Day MJ (2011). One health: the global challenge of epidemic and endemic leishmaniasis. Parasit Vectors, 4:197.
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Unleash and epxlore the amazing power of 3D -at mike-vom-mars.com!
Worth Reading: DJI Phantom 3D Animation: Space Drift
Aerial: Oberammergau / Garmisch-Partenkirchen
The Bavarian Alps are awesome. This time we’re heading to Oberammergau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, two scenic hotspots that do not only provide beautyful trekking paths, but also nice places to lift off and take a round-trip in the sky.
Oberammergau (Bavarian: Obaammagau) is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The town is famous for its production of a Passion Play, its woodcarvers, and the NATO School.
The village is also known as the home of a long tradition of woodcarving; the Bavarian State Woodcarving School is located there. Among the celebrated former students is the German artist Wolfram Aichele. His processional church staff depicting Christ on a donkey can be seen in the church of St Peter and St Paul. The streets of central Oberammergau are home to dozens of woodcarver shops, with pieces ranging from religious subjects, to toys, to humorous portraits.
Oberammergau is also famous for its “Lüftlmalerei (de),” or frescoes, of traditional Bavarian themes, fairy tales, religious scenes or architectural trompe-l’œil found on many homes and buildings. Lüftlmalerei is common in Upper Bavaria and its name may be derived from an Oberammergau house called Zum Lüftl, which was the home of facade painter Franz Seraph Zwinck (1748–1792).
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria. Nearby is Germany’s highest mountain, Zugspitze, at 2,962 m (9,718 ft.). The town was the site of the 1936 Winter Olympic Games.
Garmisch (in the west) and Partenkirchen (in the east) were separate towns for many centuries, and still maintain quite separate identities.
Partenkirchen originated as the Roman town of Partanum on the trade route from Venice to Augsburg and is first mentioned in the year A.D. 15. Its main street, Ludwigsstrasse, follows the original Roman road. Garmisch is first mentioned some 800 years later as Germaneskau (“German District”), suggesting that at some point a Teutonic tribe took up settlement in the western end of the valley.
During the late 13th century, the valley, as part of the County of Werdenfels, came under the rule of the prince-bishops of Freising and was to remain so until the mediatization of 1803. The area was governed by a prince-bishop’s representative known as a Pfleger (caretaker or warden) from Werdenfels Castle situated on a crag north of Garmisch.
My Drone Shots
Most of my aerial shots and videos are done from first-person view using Fatshark goggles and the DJI Phantom 2 V2 with the Zenmuse H3-3D gimbal. I am not a fan of the latest "once click" drones with all the built-in smartphone stuff. Digital video submission does not provide the same, smooth experience than analog 5.8GHz submission and suffers from a low framerate and a high latency - which is absolutely deadly for a pleasant FPV experience.
View all articlesArticles in this category
FPV Flying over Ammersee Lake, Bavaria
DJI Phantom over the Lech River, Augsburg
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Flying at Rotwand Mountain and Spitzingsee Lake
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How We Can Empower Ourselves in a Divided Country
By Kim Dolce · July 25, 2017
“I am Chinese. I am a stone. I go where I am kicked.” –France Nuyen, actress and psychologist
This line of dialogue was uttered by Vietnamese-French actress France Nuyen in an episode of the 1960s series “I Spy.” In that story’s context, her character spoke as an abused woman who reduced herself to a lifeless lump devoid of self-worth and free will. Nuyen herself was an abuse victim who left acting to become a therapist for battered women. By switching out some words, we could take ownership of this statement:
I have multiple sclerosis. I am a stone. I go where I am kicked.
Did you read these lines as a declaration of defeat? It would be easy to do considering how often we feel at the mercy of an employer, a healthcare professional, or a limited array of drug treatments each with a set of side effects. So many narratives we live by have been proven false. A big one is that we live in a meritocracy where hard work, discipline and ambition will pay huge dividends. Sometimes it’s true, but only as long as the people in charge don’t push an agenda that overrides it. How many of you have been given a pet project that you can run with, only to have it blitzed one day and told to wait for further orders? Then comes the news that you are out of a job. It doesn’t matter why.
You are a stone. You go where you are kicked.
But defeat doesn’t sit well in the gut. You begin to swell with self-righteous pride, imagining those lines going viral on social media health pages, maybe getting printed on tee shirts worn for a fundraiser. They could become the battle cry of a grass roots social movement. In these polarized times, the recent political election showed that “normal” folk judge mouthy activists as being cringe-worthy whiners proclaiming their victimhood. A protester in a wheelchair with attitude is likely to get mocked, dismissed, or pushed into traffic at rush hour. There’s safety in numbers, you might tell yourself. You should be able to put on a tee shirt/uniform and gather in a large group, but somebody’s bound to get nervous when they see a chorus line of mobility aids and cardboard signs with slogans scrawled in magic marker. Is there a safer path towards solidarity? There is, but it’s safer because we’d be preaching to the choir.
Much like underground newspapers serve civilian resistance fighters in occupied countries, online MS communities provide a safer platform for those who feel decimated by the skirmishes fought in our brains and spinal cords. It is the worst kind of civil war, not of citizen against citizen, but self against self, as our immune cells turn on our own tissues without warning. Our myelin is napalmed, our assets are appropriated, and loved ones are torn from our embrace. Though we live in a country governed by a constitutional republic, we are trapped from within by a fascist dictatorship that aims to keep us in perpetual war with ourselves. We either live under a red alert when T-cells strike or a yellow alert when all is quiet again.
I am a stone. I go where I am kicked.
There is another way to read these lines. It can be a resignation without being a defeat. I am resilient, flexible. No matter what you do to diminish me, I am still whole. Or think of the serenity prayer of Alcoholics Anonymous: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change/Courage to change the things I can/And wisdom to know the difference.
But maybe you can’t settle for Zen-like peace-love-and-understanding. Maybe you feel up to fighting, or even if you don’t feel up to it, you still can’t quiet the strident voice inside you that wants to get in people’s faces. If this is a recent change, you’re certainly not alone. Every disenfranchised group in this country seems to be rising up in protest after a bitterly hard year of political campaigns.
As disabled people, many of us rely on Medicare and SSDI for our treatment and income. These programs are in danger of major dismantling. We can blame somebody for it and sit on our hands, or we can become activists and reach out to our state’s legislators and give them an earful about how we depend on these programs the way they are.
We tend to think that government institutions are stone monoliths that cannot be moved. But even a big stone can crumble if it’s kicked hard and often. We little stones can be easily kicked, but we can be the kickers, too. Imagine what we could do if we glued ourselves together and made one massive boulder and launched it like a bowling ball down the National Mall from the Capitol Steps, glancing off the Washington Monument, rolling through the reflecting pool before the Lincoln Memorial, and coming to rest in Abe’s big lap.
We’d probably get arrested for destruction of property, but you can’t say we didn’t do it for a good cause.
We are stones. We go where we can kick bigger stones. That’s how we roll, man.
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The MY HERO Project
Theodor Geisel
by Sarah from Glenbrook
"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cell’s. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope." Dr. Seuss
My hero is Theodore Geisel. I chose Geisel as my hero because his books helped me and many other toddlers learn how to read. One characteristic that describes Theodor Geisel is open minded. He has written so many creative books that not many people would be able to write because their mind is not as open as Geisel’s.
Theodore Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. His dad inherited the family brewery. Later he supervised the Springfield zoo and park systems. Geisel was raised in the Lutheran faith.
My hero was inspired to write when he was returning from a voyage to Europe in 1937. The rhythm of the boat engines inspired him to write his first book, “And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street.” Dr. Seuss became very successful. When World War 1 started, Geisel faced many financial and social challenges. He persevered like a hero and got through the problems.
Geisel made a difference in my life and many toddlers lives around the world. He helped them learn how to read with his books. When I was little my mom and I read many Dr. Seuss books. Now, when I am not reading chapter books, I still find it fun to read his books.
My hero, Theodor Geisel loved to write children books, even though he never had a child of his own. He has, and still does help kids around the world learn how to read. Geisel died on September 24, 1991, but his spirits still live on through his books.
“Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden at the Springfield National Musem”. Tortus Technologies, Inc.. © 2002-2004 October 13, 2010 http://www.catinthehat.org/history.htm.
“Dr. Seuss.” Wikimedia Foundation Inc.. Reference Database. 19 October 2010. 19 October 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr.seuss.
www.brainyquotes.com
http://answersto.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/dr-seuss.jpg
Page created on 2/13/2011 12:00:00 AM
Last edited 2/13/2011 12:00:00 AM
The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.
MY HERO is a non-profit global educational resource.
Add your work at myhero.com!
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Amazon seeking second headquarters outside of Seattle
Washington Rep. Jayapal on racism at Trump rally: 'We have to call it out'
(Nick Ansell/PA Wire via AP Images)
Amazon is setting its sights beyond Seattle and looking for another North American city to set up a second headquarters.
GeekWire reports that the retail giant aims to construct a second headquarters that is a “full equal” to its Seattle operation in South Lake Union. Amazon has been constructing a new facilities there for years and has plans for further expansion.
RELATED: Facebook increases footprint in Seattle
The second headquarters — referred to as Amazon HQ2 — is slated for $5 billion and will host up to 50,000 high-paying jobs, according to the company’s press release. The company is now shopping around for cities throughout North America to plant HQ2. GeekWire calls the move “unprecedented” and says it “suggests the company has outgrown Seattle.”
The announcement comes after the Seattle headquarters — as well as globally — has swelled with employees. In fact, Amazon had more than 341,000 employees company-wide by the end of 2016, adding 110,000 over the previous year — its fastest growth in employment ever. Currently, Amazon has a stated goal of adding 100,000 more employees between 2017-18. The latest numbers indicate that Amazon now has a total of 382,000 workers.
As it looks to expand beyond South Lake Union, the company says it seeks a new city with “strong local and regional talent — particularly in software development and related fields …”
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JIS: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has lauded this year’s recipients of the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education for collectively giving more than 200 years of invaluable service to Jamaica.
Speaking at Wednesday’s (June 27) awards ceremony at Jamaica House, Mr. Holness said the 40 awardees are “most worthy” of the recognition bestowed on them.
“Your passion and ability to stir the intellectual curiosity of our students have seen them performing at the highest levels of excellence in national exams and in educational institutions across the globe. No matter what subject you teach, you are key to nurturing that ‘can do’ spirit that challenges and encourages our students to take risks, so that they can carve out their own pathway in the journey of lifelong learning,” he said.
Noting that no amount of medals or awards can adequately express the nation’s debt of gratitude for their sacrifice and dedication, Mr. Holness said the awards represent a “public thank you” for their extraordinary commitment to “shaping the lives and sharpening the minds of our children over these many decades”.
“I would like to congratulate (and) express my deep and sincere gratitude to you all for your contribution to nation-building. Our students’ lives and, indeed, my own have been enriched by your dedication and commitment. Education has a special place in my heart, and I’m very happy to share with you on this special occasion,” the Prime Minister added.
Mr. Holness also expressed the hope that teachers already retired will avail their collective experience and wisdom to the education system “as we work together to advance the welfare of our country”.
“As educators, be role models in demonstrating this love for lifelong learning for our students. Your examples of hard work and commitment to lifelong learning will continue to be an inspiration for years to come,” he added.
In his remarks, Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said the awards are an acknowledgement of the teachers’ contribution to national development through education.
“Whether in the classroom or working in administration, you have helped to shape the character of students through the values imparted and in helping them to awaken dormant dreams and aspirations. The great joy we get as educators in seeing when they make good use of the opportunities that education presents is indescribable,” the Minister stated.
He noted that the teachers’ tremendous effort in training Jamaica’s future manpower is invaluable, adding that “your work and sacrifices have enabled many students, who might have otherwise given up on themselves to catch a vision of what they could have achieved, to apply themselves to accomplishing those goals”.
“Jamaica cannot honour you enough. But we are grateful that through this special ceremony, you are getting more public recognition for your dedication and service above self,” Senator Reid said.
For her part, Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President, Georgia Waugh Richards, said the awardees are practitioners who “pride themselves in excellent delivery and commendable student outcomes”.
“This evening’s function is testament to the fact that your work and worth have not gone unnoticed. The JTA is very proud of all that you represent (and) I challenge you to continue to be the role models and beacons of hope in this great nation,” Mrs. Waugh Richards said.
The 40 honourees were chosen from 70 nominees who have served from the early childhood to tertiary levels of the education system, by virtue of gaining the highest points from the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation Nomination Committee.
CAPTION: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, presents Principal of St. Aloysius Primary School in Kingston, Althea Palmer, with the 2018 Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education. Ms. Palmer is one of 40 educators who were recognised this year. The presentations were made during Wednesday’s (June 27) awards ceremony at Jamaica House.
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JIS: The Rock River Primary School in Clarendon now has a fully equipped learning centre, which will serve the needs of students as well as the wider community.
The $10-million facility houses a library and computer room outfitted with laptop and desktop computers, multimedia projector, teaching equipment and learning aids.
It was built through funding from the Japanese Government under its Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security initiative, with support from the Rock River Foundation.
A broad objective of the project is to provide a safe and conducive teaching and learning environment that caters to all levels of learners, from the gifted to the academically challenged. It will offer training programmes and Internet access to residents.
The National Education Trust (NET), which acts as the implementing authority for education infrastructure projects funded by the international donor community, provided oversight, coordination and technical support for the construction of the learning centre.
Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, in his remarks at the recent opening, urged the school administrators and community to protect the investment.
“Make sure that our children have the benefit of these facilities to maximise their learning,” he said.
Principal of the school, Nadine Raymond-Sharpe, told JIS News that the centre currently offers courses in numeracy and literacy in conjunction with the HEART Trust/NTA, with more training offerings to come on stream in short order.
She said that the facility, which is open to residents in and around Rock River, will play a key role in “equipping persons with the 21st Century skills that will enable them to compete locally and internationally”.
“We will cherish it because we want this to be a lifelong opportunity for the community,” she added.
Deputy Head Girl at the school, Nasheema Rhoden, said that the students welcome the new facility.
“We can use the Internet and learn about more things, and it can also widen our knowledge, and we can learn more about the world,” she tells JIS News.
Fellow student, André Lewis, agreed, pledging that “we will be using it for things that are good”.
Parent, Marcia Williams- Burrell, for her part, said that the learning centre is “vital to the community, because it will enable children to become more advanced where computer literacy is concerned”.
She urged residents to come out and utilise the facility. “Make use of it and help us to keep it in good condition, so it can go on from generation to generation”.
Head of the Rock River Foundation, Dr. Paul McLeod, noted that the development of the centre has provided an opportunity “to change lives”, while Director for Donor and Partnership Management at NET, Latoya Harris, encouraged the school community to take ownership of the investment.
“Maintain it and keep it, and improve upon it for the future,” Ms. Harris added.
Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency, Hiromasa Yamazaki, said that his Government welcomes the opportunity to support an education programme that will benefit an entire community.
Ten schools in Jamaica have benefited from the Japan Grassroots Project, which provides financial assistance to small-scale development initiatives in developing countries.
The programme “focuses on the protection and empowerment of the most vulnerable citizens,” the Ambassador noted.
CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (centre); State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. (left), and Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency, Hiromasa Yamazaki, observe the performance of students of the Rock River Primary School, at the recent official opening of a learning centre at the Clarendon-based institution.
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Books: Breaking the silence on zionist terror
Noam Chayut’s book on his experiences in the Israeli Defence Forces is a chronicle of shame and regret, says Sue Turner
The Girl Who Stole My Holocaust
by Noam Chayut
(Verso, £14.99)
In 2002 Noam Chayut took part in Operation Defensive Shield as a young officer in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). On the pretext of hunting down Palestinian “terrorists” the Occupied Territories suffered bombardments, curfews and the deaths of 500 Palestinians.
At this time Chayut felt immense pride in the existence of an Israeli state and was totally committed to its policies against the Palestinians. Having lost an extended family at Auschwitz, and growing up in the shadow of this absolute evil, he wanted to be a loyal son to his people.
His book charts his growing political awareness to the point where he leaves the IDF and becomes a leading campaigner against the Israeli occupation.
Despite a tendency to leap backwards and forwards through the chronology of his life the writing flows freely, with extended descriptions of military operations he was involved in.
During one such mission, a village girl is so frozen by fear of him that she cannot run away but stares in horror before eventually escaping. This is the girl who stole his Holocaust. He realised that this girl saw him as the embodiment of absolute evil, which helped him to shed his belief in the absolute evil that had shaped his family.
His attachment to zionism weakened as his shame and regret grew.
Leaving the IDF in 2003 Chayut embarked on a cross-Israel trek which helped him see his country from another perspective. Arabs described to him their expulsion from their lands and he became increasingly ashamed of his country’s reputation for brute force.
Not only is Chayut one of an increasing number of Israeli soldiers who have rejected their country’s standpoint on the Palestinians, but he has also become an activist and eloquent author.
This book is a unique account of the occupation from the occupiers’ viewpoint and one of its major features is the link it makes between the actions of the nazi state against Jews and the actions of Israel against the Palestinians.
Chayut eventually joined the organisation Breaking The Silence which interviews veterans and broadcasts and publishes their testimonies, hoping to force Israel to face the truth about abuse towards Palestinians.
One ex-soldier told him that they were “accomplices to executions performed under immoral and even illegal orders.” As Chayut says, “I was among the brainwashed who committed crimes in the Occupied Territories and the struggle Breaking The Silence is conducting is a penance for me.”
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