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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with All Things Irish at Mayo Performing Arts Center
From the Mayo Performing Arts Center: Mayo Performing Arts Center will get into the Saint Patrick's Day spirit with two events in March that celebrate all things Irish. The National Dance Company of Ireland will present "Rhythm of the Dance" on Sunday, March 10 at 3 pm and 7 pm; and on March 16, MPAC presents Songs of Ireland - A Celtic Celebration at 7:30 pm. Rhythm of the Dance takes the audiences on an exhilarating and exciting, energy-packed time trip through the ages. This incredible live show creates a new era in Irish entertainment, containing a wealth of Irish talent, featuring World and Irish champion dancers, some of the finest traditional musicians and singers. Combining traditional dance and music with the most up to date stage technology, this two-hour dance and music extravaganza is internationally rated as one of the most popular Irish step dance shows in the world. Tickets are $29-$49 Songs of Ireland - A Celtic Celebration is an exhilarating and unique musical approach to universally loved songs and arias with all original arrangements drawing from Irish Traditional folk song; opera arias, duets, trios, quartets and ensembles; songs from the great American songbook; Broadway hits; and "modern"…
Festivals & Events Theater & Dance
post-title Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with All Things Irish at Mayo Performing Arts Center
Mayo PACMayo Performing Arts CenterNational Dance Company of IrelandRhythm of the DanceSongs of IrelandSt. Patrick's Day
From the Mayo Performing Arts Center:
Mayo Performing Arts Center will get into the Saint Patrick’s Day spirit with two events in March that celebrate all things Irish. The National Dance Company of Ireland will present “Rhythm of the Dance” on Sunday, March 10 at 3 pm and 7 pm; and on March 16, MPAC presents Songs of Ireland – A Celtic Celebration at 7:30 pm.
Rhythm of the Dance takes the audiences on an exhilarating and exciting, energy-packed time trip through the ages. This incredible live show creates a new era in Irish entertainment, containing a wealth of Irish talent, featuring World and Irish champion dancers, some of the finest traditional musicians and singers. Combining traditional dance and music with the most up to date stage technology, this two-hour dance and music extravaganza is internationally rated as one of the most popular Irish step dance shows in the world. Tickets are $29-$49
Songs of Ireland – A Celtic Celebration is an exhilarating and unique musical approach to universally loved songs and arias with all original arrangements drawing from Irish Traditional folk song; opera arias, duets, trios, quartets and ensembles; songs from the great American songbook; Broadway hits; and “modern” contemporary popular repertoire. The company features four tenors, four sopranos, one pianist, and three traditional Irish instrumentalists (Uilleann Pipes, Whistles, Fiddle, and Concertina) as well as some familiar faces from the popular Columbia Artists’ presentation of the Five Irish Tenors. Tickets are $29-$59.
Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2018-2019 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.
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Positive results were registered in the Gold Coast, during the Commonwealth Games, in Lawn Bowls when the Women’s Four Team won the two games they played against England and India. The Women’s Four Team is made up of Sharon Callus and the family Rixon – Rosemary and daughters Connie and Rebecca.
In the Men’s Pairs, Shaun Parnis and Brendan Aquilina, had to battle against the strong home team of Australia, who defeated them with a score of 22 -11. In their second match against Brunei Darussalam, the duo made up for the initial disappointment, going on to win with a score of 28 -11.
Women’s Fours Section B Rd 1
Malta 14 – England 10
Malta 20 – India 15
Men’s Pairs Section A Rd 1
Australia 22 – Malta 11
Malta 28 – Brunei 11
Malta started well with a win from Colette Sultana who had the better of Suzanne Hennings (Cayman Islands). Despite a challenging first set Sultana went on to win her first game 3 – 0. Sultana’s second match was against Malaysia’s Nicol David who won in three straight sets. David is a former eight times, world champion and is considered to be a legend in the Squash community. Dianne Kellas, had a tough start playing against Australian Christine Nunn, who won the game in three straight sets.
Daniel Zammit-Lewis started off with a good win against Kale Wilson (Trinidad & Tobago) winning with a final score of 3-0. A hard fought first set, saw the score of 13-11 being registered, however Wilson, did not show the same determination as that of the first one, enabling Zammit-Lewis to win both sets with a score of 11 – 8. In the second round, Zammit-Lewis had to battle it out against Jamaican Lewis Walters who won in three straight sets.
The Squash team will next be on court on Tuesday 10th April in the doubles competition.
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Home » Videos » Steve Harvey’s Viral Clip When He Didn’t Know He’s Been Recorded
Steve Harvey’s Viral Clip When He Didn’t Know He’s Been Recorded
Steve Harvey is the most famous comedians in the U.S. since hosting the game show “Family Feud” in 2010. But recently, his popularity rocketed drastically after his controversial hosting error in the recent Ms Universe pageant. NOW, he had become the talk of the town, not because of another error, but due to his inspirational speech which has gone viral.
Apparently, Steve actually interacts with his audience at the end of every “Family Feud” episode. However, there’s one particular event when he started talking to the viewers, he didn’t know that the cameras were rolling.
The unaired clip has gone viral. Steve was giving an inspirational speech on “how to become successful.” He explains that you need to “jump” in order to be successful in life, which is something that all successful people have done.
He also talks about the role of God behind every human success. He explains that everyone of us has a God-given gift and all we need to do is take the risk and jump.
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St. John’s makes another big splash with ‘explosive’ 2018 guard
By Zach Braziller
November 15, 2017 | 3:58pm
Greg Williams Jon Lopez/Nike
Mike Anderson's first impression of his St. John's team
Time is now for Shamorie Ponds to show what he's got
The changes keep coming for St. John's
UConn returning to Big East comes with major question
St. John’s closed the early signing period with a bang — by landing a coveted prospect that boosts its 2018 class.
Greg Williams, a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com from Lafayette Christian Academy in Louisiana, announced his commitment to St. John’s at a press conference Wednesday afternoon, and later signed his National Letter of Intent. The slashing 6-foot-3 guard picked the Johnnies over Tulane and Nevada, and a host of high-major scholarship offers from the likes of LSU, Florida, West Virginia, and Texas, among others.
“They made me feel comfortable with everything going on,” he said during the press conference. “I’ve seen them play and I know I can thrive in their system.”
Williams led his high school to its first state championship last year and was the Louisiana Division IV Player of the Year. He joins Alabama forward Josh Roberts in coach Chris Mullin’s 2018 recruiting class, along with sit-out transfers Sedee Keita (South Carolina) and Mikey Dixon (Quinnipiac). It leaves St. John’s with one scholarship for next year.
Andrew Slater, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports.com, said Williams’ recruitment wasn’t as strong as it should’ve been in part because of an AAU season in which he was overshadowed by Houston Hoops teammate and top-30 prospect Ja’Vonte Smart, an LSU signee. Williams is the No. 109 player in Rivals’ rankings and No. 141 in the 247Sports composite.
“If he kept his recruitment open until the late signing period, more teams would’ve come in,” Slater said.
But that didn’t appeal to the family. St. John’s was diligent, making it clear Williams was a priority. While New Jersey four-star guard Luther Muhammad was a St. John’s focus for most of the summer, so was Williams. Assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih remained in close contact with him and his father, Greg Williams Sr. And when Muhammad picked Ohio State in September, St. John’s turned the heat up on Williams, who came to Queens for an official visit in late October.
“I always told [my son]: The people that come first are the people who really want you. I never want to be someone’s second choice,” Greg Williams Sr. said in a phone interview. “I think he may have thought about that.”
One college coach familiar with Williams believes he’s a solid pickup for St. John’s, a quality scorer and strong defender. He’s unlike the Johnnies’ current guards, Shamorie Ponds and Marcus LoVett, the coach sad, more of a physical guard who isn’t as much a creator but more of a finisher. Williams will fortify an already strong backcourt next year, and will provide insurance if LoVett or Ponds opt to go pro.
“He has a knack for scoring,” the coach said. “He’s explosive for 6-foot-3 and should become a better shooter under the instruction of Chris Mullin and his staff.”
Williams isn’t concerned about the possible logjam in the backcourt. Mullin likes to play three guards, and the Louisiana native believes the Hall of Fame player can get the best out of him. Coming from southern Louisiana, he liked the idea of expanding his horizons and moving to New York City but living in Queens, and joining a program he believes is on the rise.
“There are plenty of opportunities,” Williams said. “Going there, if I do what I’m supposed to do, I can turn a lot of heads.”
Filed under greg williams , st. john's red storm
UCLA players thank Trump, get suspended indefinitely
Howie Hoops
Texas Tech-Virginia prediction: Destiny for Cavs in NCAA championship game
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Dog The Bounty Hunter Reveals How Wife Beth Prepared Him For Her Death
posted by Hayden Brooks - Jul 11, 2019
As you probably guessed, Duane "Dog" Chapman is still processing the death of his wife Beth Chapman and the reality star sat down with ET to talk about life without his partner in crime.
"[With any] new experience that you have, you don't know how you're doing because you've never experienced it," the Dog's Most Wanted star said during the intimate interview. "I have a lot of people who depend on me. All my supervisors said, 'Dog, it's time to man up.' So I'm trying to man up." Elsewhere in the discussion, Chapman revealed that the two discussed what would happen after she passed away. "For two to three years, she knew this might happen. So she would say, 'Who is going to sit next to you?' And I said, 'No one,'" he recalled. "'Big Daddy, you better not let another girl take my place.' I said, 'I won't.'"
He also told ET that as Beth's health took a dip, both stars had to partake in therapy to deal with the ongoing issues. "I needed therapy and the therapy she used when she was sick was to hunt. Her therapy, you know, was hunting, bounty hunting, catching the bad guy," he explained.
Chapman died on June 26 after fighting for her life in a Hawaii hospital. She was 51. Dog took to Twitter to share his farewell to his wife. "It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain. Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side," he wrote. During the weekend prior, Chapman was admitted to Hawaii's Queen's Medical Center and placed in a medically-induced coma amid her battle with Stage 2 throat cancer since 2017. She was laid to rest with a memorial service in Hawaii and cremated, as per her final wishes.
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Washburn University's Mulvane Art Museum acquires "The Face of Lincoln" mask
"We are thankful for their thoughtful dedication to honoring the history of Gage’s work."
On what would have been Abraham Lincoln’s 210th birthday, Washburn University's Mulvane Art Museum is excited to announce it has acquired a bronze face mask of Abraham Lincoln. The mask was originally created in terra-cotta by renowned American artist and former Washburn University (then Washburn College) instructor Robert Merrell Gage. The opportunity emerged through the North Carolina Gallery of Fine Art, who purchased the original terra-cotta in 1992 and cast the bronze in 2018.
The bronze sculpture, “The Face of Lincoln,” will be unveiled at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, in the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center in conjunction with Washburn’s annual Harman Lincoln Lecture.
“With Washburn University’s start as Lincoln College and Robert Merrell Gage’s representation in the Mulvane collection, the acquisition of the bronze mask of Abraham Lincoln by Gage presents a unique opportunity,” said Connie Gibbons, director, Mulvane Art Museum. “It will remain forever as an important part of our permanent collection and as a tribute to the history and values of Washburn University.”
Gage was born in Topeka, Kansas. He studied at Washburn College under Frances Davis Whittemore, who encouraged him to become a sculptor. In 1911, he traveled to New York where he studied at the Art Students League and the Robert Henri School of Art. Upon completing his studies in 1914, Gage became an assistant to the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, best known for sculpting the monumental visages of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. Gage taught art at the then Washburn College from 1915-17. In 1918, a bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln, his first significant commission, was installed at the southeast corner of the grounds of the state capitol in Topeka and still sits there today. In 1955, Gage’s film, “The Face of Lincoln,” won an Academy Award in the two-reel short subject category.
This cast of “The Face of Lincoln” was made possible by donors to the Mulvane Art Museum.
“When the opportunity to acquire this artwork developed, friends and generous donors to the Mulvane moved quickly to make it happen,” said Marshall Meek, president, Washburn University Alumni Association and Foundation. “We are thankful for their thoughtful dedication to honoring the history of Gage’s work.”
Patrick Early, (785) 670-1711
Director, Public Relations
patrick.early@washburn.edu
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Mortgage Loan Processor Admits to $3.5 Million Fraud Scheme
A Rhode Island mortgage loan processor with National City Mortgage Co. has pleaded guilty to participating in a straw-borrowing scheme that brought in more than $3.5 million in fraudulently obtained mortgages.
Miguel Valerio admitted in U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I. that he recruited and paid straw purchasers to buy 13 properties in five Rhode Island communities that they could not afford. The lenders eventually foreclosed all of these properties.
To operate this fraudulent scam, Valerio said he and Juan Hernandez, a loan officer at National City Mortgage, formed a company called Latin American Investments. Valerio said in the court hearing that the purpose of this company was to oversee rental properties. However, he said, the properties secured by the conspirators were acquired through straw buyers who applied for mortgages or bought the homes under Valerio’s or his former wife’s name.
Valerio admitted that the intent of the scheme was to take control of the properties, collect rent, and then sell or “flip” them within a short period of time. The profits from the sale were then going to be divided among the conspirators as well as James Levitt, a former real estate attorney who also allegedly participated in this scheme.
Valerio has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for March 6 where Valerio faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
Hernandez pleaded guilty in October to seven counts of bank fraud, four counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy relating to this crime.
Levitt is awaiting trial on the thirteen-count indictment that was filed in May on this case.
Daily Briefing | Thursday, December 29, 2011
Extension of MI Tax Deduction Uncertain
Numerous tax provisions including the mortgage insurance tax deduction will expire Jan. 1 because Congress did not pass its annual tax extension bill before the lawmakers left town Dec. 23.
GSE Guarantee Fee Hike Coming April 1
The Federal Housing Finance Agency has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to implement a congressionally mandated increase in their loan guarantee fees on April 1.
Realtors Report Signals Higher Sales in Coming Months
A leading indicator of future home sales jumped 7.3% in the November to its highest level in over 19 months, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Fitch Estimates Store Closure Exposures in CMBS
Fitch said Thursday it sees little risk of a negative rating impact on CMBS from the closure of 100 to 120 unspecified Sears and Kmart stores across the U.S., but noted there is some exposure in the commercial mortgage-backed securities universe to the concern.
Rates Ending Year Near Historic Lows
Average weekly fixed rates for mortgages inched up a bit but still are ending the year near their all-time historic lows, according to Freddie Mac.
Hawaii Homeowners Obtaining the Highest Loans
The highest average residential home loan amount is given to homeowners who live in Hawaii, according to data from LendingTree.
Another High-Rise Starts in South Florida
The fourth of 20 high-rise condominiums planned for the tri-county South Florida market is now in the ground.
FDIC Focus Evolves From Failures to Dodd-Frank
The FDIC, which has seen nearly 100 banks fail during 2011, is projecting that figure may rise again in 2012.
Will Honeymoon Period for CFPB End in 2012?
Despite the hand-wringing and nail-biting, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made it through 2011 without any major confrontation with the banking industry.
Article source: http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/dailybriefing/2010_506/mortgage-loan-processor-fraud-scheme-1028075-1.html
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Malaysian #police identify suspected #hackers behind #breach that #exposed #data of millions on dark web
November 20, 2017 Category: Breaking News
In October, a massive breach hit Malaysians that saw over 46 million records put up on sale on the dark web. Authorities said on Thursday (16 November) that they have identified several suspects that perpetrated the historic data breach.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun told local reporters at a press conference that investigators were close to arresting the suspects, believed to be employees of an unspecified company, New Straits Times reported. According to local media reports, authorities believe the company may also be involved with moving the stolen data.
It still remains unclear as to how the breach occurred. Mohamad Fuzi reportedly refrained from disclosing what kind of data transfer took place. He also did not mention the source of the leak, telling reporters that authorities were still investigating.
“I cannot confirm the source of the leak, but we have leads on how it happened. (It was) not (the work of a) syndicate,” he reportedly said.
Earlier reports suggested the data leaked included users’ names, prepaid and postpaid phone number, addresses, customer details and SIM card data.
The dark web also reportedly contained databases of over 80,000 compromised records from the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and the Malaysian Dental Association (MDA).
Authorities are yet to specify how many people they suspect may be involved in perpetrating the breach.
“We have some leads pertaining to the case and we have identified those involved,” Mohamad Fuzi said. “Further action will be taken (against the alleged culprits).”
Meanwhile, The Star reported that some Malaysians affected by the breach have discovered that they are the victims of a “breach within a breach”. Some of them reportedly found that they were registered for new mobile phone numbers without their knowledge.
The Malaysian breach is not the first of its kind. Over the past few years, similar breaches have also affected the Philippines and Turkey.
In April 2016, hackers leaked around 55 million voters’ passports and fingerprints online. In July 2016, hacked records of nearly 50 million Turkish citizens were leaked by political hackers.
Posted in Breaking News, Encryption and Data protection, Hackers In The News, Hacking
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29 posts tagged "Barbara Sullivan"
Northwestern beats Notre Dame in Irish season opener
Daniel O'Boyle | Monday, February 6, 2017
Comeback attempts at the end of each half for No. 8 Notre Dame fell short in a close encounter with rival No. 9 Northwestern, as the Wildcats defeated the Irish 14-13 at Loftus Sports Center in Notre Dame’s season-opener. In a rematch of last year’s NCAA second round game, the Irish (0-1) scored the opening goal when
Irish struggle down stretch against top teams
Daniel O'Boyle | Friday, May 13, 2016
When the 2016 season started, Notre Dame was no stranger to top-level competition: 11 of 12 starters returned from 2015’s team as the Irish set to take on another loaded schedule. The experienced Irish team played their way to a 13-6 record, third place in the ACC and a conference semi-final appearance. Notre Dame began the
Notre Dame bounces back, overpowers Ohio State
Alex Carson | Monday, April 25, 2016
One of the nation’s top offenses returned to form Saturday, as No. 10 Notre Dame notched a big win in the race for NCAA tournament seeding, defeating No. 9 Ohio State, 17-9, at Ohio Stadium. Just five days after being held to four goals in a loss to No. 4 USC, things were different —
Irish to play Duke on Senior Day
Alex Carson | Friday, April 15, 2016
Needless to say, No. 10 Notre Dame has plenty of reasons to be motivated heading into Saturday’s home showdown with No. 13 Duke. It’s a return to conference play for the Irish (10-4, 3-3 ACC), where the squad can pick up its best-ever ACC finish; a return to Arlotta Stadium for the first time since March 26;
Irish look to rebound at Northwestern
Observer Sports Staff | Friday, April 8, 2016
No. 7 Notre Dame has bounced back from defeat with a comfortable win on the road twice this season. After last week’s 14-8 defeat at the hands of North Carolina, the Irish (10-3, 3-3 ACC) have a chance to rebound again when they travel to Evanston, Illinois, to meet No. 19 Northwestern on Sunday. The
Carson: Irish have tools to win a title, need to capitalize on their depth
Alex Carson | Wednesday, April 6, 2016
At this point, I think we know what No. 7 Notre Dame is. The Irish (10-3, 3-3 ACC) have lost to No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Syracuse and No. 5 Louisville. They’ve beaten No. 10 Stanford, No. 11 Princeton, No. 15 Virginia and No. 17 Boston College. To this point, Notre Dame has been
Notre Dame falls to North Carolina in top-10 showdown
Brett O'Connell | Monday, April 4, 2016
No. 5 Notre Dame rallied early in the second half in their top-ten matchup with No. 3 North Carolina this past Sunday, but ultimately fell to the Tar Heels by a final score of 14-8. After falling into a 10-3 hole with 29:11 remaining in the contest, the Irish (10-3, 3-3 ACC) scored four straight goals in 12 minutes
Notre Dame recovers from close home loss
Daniel O'Boyle | Thursday, March 31, 2016
No. 6 Notre Dame suffered a 12-11 defeat in a thrilling encounter with No. 4 Syracuse on Saturday before bouncing back with a comfortable victory over Marquette on Monday following a strong second half. The first top-five matchup involving Notre Dame in over a decade swung back and forth repeatedly. The Irish (10-2, 3-2 ACC) drew
Irish fight for more than a victory in UVA game
Alex Carson | Thursday, March 17, 2016
A contrast of styles between No. 5 Notre Dame’s fast-paced approach and No. 12 Virginia’s methodical one will be on display Saturday when the two clash in an ACC game at Arlotta Stadium. “They present that disciplined and patient game plan, especially against our team that likes to play fast,” Irish head coach Christine Halfpenny said.
Notre Dame suffers first loss in double overtime against Louisville
Daniel O'Boyle | Wednesday, March 16, 2016
No. 5 Notre Dame suffered its first loss of the season over the break but was able to bounce back with three straight wins. The Irish (8-1, 2-1 ACC) opened the break ranked fourth in the nation and traveled to No. 6 Louisville. The Irish struck first with two early goals. Although the Cardinals (7-1, 2-1) quickly tied up the
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March 17, 2017 John 'Spartan' Nguyen
FX’s Legion will get a second season
FX has announced that it has ordered a second season for Legion, the series about a schizophrenic mutant named David in the X-Men universe. The show is getting rave reviews from critics and fans, and I think it’s one of the best superhero shows out now.
Legion is a great idea since it involves an unstable individual, and the writers are having a wonderful time messing around with the viewers’ minds.
Synopsis: Legion, based on the Marvel Comics by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz, is the story of David Haller (Dan Stevens), a troubled young man who may be more than human. Diagnosed as schizophrenic as a child, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. Now in his early 30s and institutionalized once again, David loses himself in the rhythm of the structured regimen of life in the hospital: breakfast, lunch, dinner, therapy, medications, sleep. David spends the rest of his time in companionable silence alongside his chatterbox friend Lenny (Aubrey Plaza), a fellow patient whose life-long drug and alcohol addiction has done nothing to quell her boundless optimism that her luck is about to change. The pleasant numbness of David’s routine is completely upended with the arrival of a beautiful and troublepd new patient named Syd (Rachel Keller). Inexplicably drawn to one another, David and Syd share a startling encounter, after which David must confront the shocking possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees may actually be real.
A haunted man, David escapes from the hospital and seeks shelter with his sister Amy (Katie Aselton). But Amy’s concern for her brother is trumped by her desire to protect the picture perfect suburban life she’s built for herself. Eventually, Syd guides David to Melanie Bird (Jean Smart), a nurturing but demanding therapist with a sharp mind and unconventional methods. She and her team of specialists – Ptonomy (Jeremie Harris), Kerry (Amber Midthunder) and Cary (Bill Irwin) – open David’s eyes to an extraordinary new world of possibilities.
Noah Hawley (FX’s Fargo) is the showrunner and executive producer, and he is joined by executive producers Lauren Shuler Donner, Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg, Jeph Loeb, Jim Chory and John Cameron.
Chapter 6 of Legion aired this week, with two more episodes left until the first season is over. Legion airs Wednesday evenings at 10pm PT/ET on FX.
Source: Marvel
Tags Legion
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Pac-12 News
Four Standout Gymnasts To Join NCAA Champion Bruins in 2006
By Pac-12 Conference
The two-time defending NCAA champion UCLA Women's Gymnastics team has signed four standout gymnasts to national letters of intent. Joining UCLA for the 2006 season will be U.S. National Team member Kristina Comforte (Burr Ridge, IL/Illinois Gymnastics Institute/Lyons Township HS), 2004 Level 10 National champion Melissa Chan (Los Gatos, CA/Airborne Gymnastics/Los Gatos HS), and former international elites Jalynne and Janelle Dantzscher (San Dimas, CA/SCEGA/San Dimas HS).
Comforte, a U.S. National Team member the last two years, placed fifth on vault and 20th in the all-around at the 2004 USA Championships. In 2003, she was the Region 5 Elite Athlete of the Year after placing 11th in the all-around, second on vault and eighth on bars at the USA Championships and winning the vault at the Trophee Massilia. Competing in the junior division in 2002, she won the vault title and placed 11th in the all-around at the USA Championships and also claimed the vault crown at the U.S. Classic. She was the Level 10 National all-around champion in 2001 and also placed third on bars and beam.
Chan, a former international elite, was the 2000 U.S. Junior National Champion on vault and a U.S. National Team member after placing eighth in the all-around at the USA Championships. Competing at Level 10 in 2004, she won the national all-around, vault and beam titles (Senior C Division) and nearly swept the Region 1 Championship meet, placing first in the all-around, vault, beam and floor. In 2003, she won the all-around and placed second on vault and bars at Level 10 Nationals (Senior A Division) and won the all-around, vault and beam at Regionals. She was also the Level 10 Junior National all-around, vault and beam champion.
Identical twins Jalynne and Janelle Dantzscher are the younger sisters of former Bruin superstar and 2000 U.S. Olympian Jamie Dantzscher. The Dantzscher twins are both former junior international elites. Jalynne is the 2004 Level 10 national all-around and floor exercise champion (Senior A Division). She placed second in the all-around and first on bars and floor at the Region 1 Championships. In 2002, she earned a Top 20 finish at the USA National Championships as a junior and placed fourth on floor. She also placed seventh in the all-around at the 2002 American Classic. Janelle placed 11th in the all-around, third on vault and fifth on beam at the 2004 Level 10 Region 1 Championships (Senior A Division), just missing out on the National Championships. In 2003, she was seventh in the all-around and second on vault at Level 10 Nationals (Junior C Division). Janelle won the all-around, beam and floor and placed second on bars and third on vault at the 2003 Regionals.
Jalynne and Janelle Dantzscher
'Once again we are excited to sign an incredible class,' said UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos Field. 'This class reminds me a lot of our Fab Five freshman class of 1999. With Kristina Comforte, Melissa Chan and Janelle and Jalynne Dantzscher, we have signed student-athletes of tremendous ability and character. They will not only bring a lot of depth to our program, but will be key competitors for us in every event in their first season here.'
'There is a lot of excitement surrounding this class,' Kondos Field continued. 'Their talents, personalities and character will undoubtedly secure their place among the all-time great freshman classes of UCLA Gymnastics.'
Women's Gymnastics
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Jordan Schwikert To Join NCAA Champion Bruins in 2005
Defending NCAA Champion Bruins Open 2004 Season Jan. 10
Prep Standout Jessica Veris Set To Join UW Volleyball In 2002
More Pac-12 Women's Gymnastics
Weekly Honors
2020 Pac-12 Championship
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A statement of reaffirmation for this policy was published at
125(2):e444
February 2006, VOLUME 117 / ISSUE 2
The Pediatrician and Disaster Preparedness
David Markenson, Sally Reynolds Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Task Force on Terrorism
For decades, emergency planning for natural disasters, public health emergencies, workplace accidents, and other calamities has been the responsibility of government agencies on all levels and certain nongovernment organizations such as the American Red Cross. In the case of terrorism, however, entirely new approaches to emergency planning are under development for a variety of reasons. Terrorism preparedness is a highly specific component of general emergency preparedness. In addition to the unique pediatric issues involved in general emergency preparedness, terrorism preparedness must consider several additional issues, including the unique vulnerabilities of children to various agents as well as the limited availability of age- and weight-appropriate antidotes and treatments. Although children may respond more rapidly to therapeutic intervention, they are at the same time more susceptible to various agents and conditions and more likely to deteriorate if they are not monitored carefully.
This article is designed to provide an overview of key issues for the pediatrician with respect to disaster, terrorism, and public health emergency preparedness. It is not intended to be a complete compendium of didactic content but rather offers an approach to what pediatricians need to know and how pediatricians must lend their expertise to enhance preparedness in every community. To become fully and optimally prepared, pediatricians need to become familiar with these key areas of emergency preparedness: unique aspects of children related to terrorism and other disasters; terrorism preparedness; mental health vulnerabilities and development of resiliency; managing family concerns about terrorism and disaster preparedness; office-based preparedness; hospital preparedness; community, government, and public health preparedness; and advocating for children and families in preparedness planning.
You are going to email the following The Pediatrician and Disaster Preparedness
David Markenson, Sally Reynolds
Pediatrics Feb 2006, 117 (2) e340-e362; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-2752
Task Force on Terrorism
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Peter J. Dixon
Conflict | Justice | Peace
CV & Publications
Everyday Justice (2018 – 2021)
Senior Co-Investigator
School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
US National Science Foundation: Law and Social Sciences Program
In this project, based out of the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, I am working with Pamina Firchow to implement innovative, mixed-methods research to understand processes and outcomes of transformative justice efforts in Colombia and the DRC. Scholars largely agree on the importance of reparations for transitions from conflict, but remain divided on how best to conceive of their relationship to justice. This debate, however, lacks a solid empirical base and, with few programs in existence, has remained largely normative. Taking inspiration from the Everyday Peace Indicators project, we are working with communities to derive meaningful – and measurable – indicators of transformative justice through in-depth discussions. These indicators will then be tracked and compared over time and across communities, helping to close the gap in empirical research on reparative outcomes with critical, bottom-up data.
Reparations, Responsibility & Victimhood in Transitional Societies (2017-2020)
International Co-Investigator (Colombia)
School of Law, Queens University Belfast
UK Arts and Humanities Research Council
In this project, based out of the School of Law at Queens University Belfast, I am working with Luke Moffett and others to compare the legal design and implementation of national reparations programs in six countries: Northern Ireland, Uganda, Nepal, Guatemala, Peru, and Colombia. Through document review and semi-structured interviews, the team of interdisciplinary transitional justice scholars is investigating issues related eligibility and complex victimhood; acknowledgement and truth recovery; victim ownership, mobilisation and participation; accountability of state and non-state actors; and finance and development. The project will produce scholarly papers as well as policy guidelines and handbooks to guide decision-makers and practitioners in the design and implementation of reparations programs.
Evaluation of Integral Reparations Measures in Colombia (2014-2015)
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
Harvard Kennedy School Carr Center for Human Rights
This project brought together an interdisciplinary team of researchers to conduct a multidimensional evaluation of Colombia’s national Victims’ Unit, established through the historic Law 1448 of 2011. Law 1448 set in place the world’s largest national reparations programs to date, with almost 20% of Colombia’s population registered as victims of the armed conflict. The evaluation assessed the work and impact of the Victims’ Unit on three levels: (1) cross-nationally, in comparison with other national, administrative reparations programs (focusing on Indonesia, Peru, and Guatemala), (2) institutionally, through an in-depth analysis of the Unit’s internal organizational structures and external relationships, and (3) on the ground, through nationally representative surveys of victims of the armed conflict and the national population. Findings from the evaluation are available in an executive summary and co-authored paper.
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Phnom Penh Post - Thurman seeking to ‘destroy’ Pacquiao
Thurman seeking to ‘destroy’ Pacquiao
AFP | Publication date 11 July 2019 | 11:47 ICT
Manny Pacquiao faces off with Keith Thurman during a press conference before their WBA Welterweight Championship fight at The Beverly Hills Hotel on May 22, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. AFP
Keith Thurman warned on Tuesday he is targeting the destruction of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao when the two welterweights face off in Las Vegas later this month.
The undefeated Thurman puts his World Boxing Association welterweight crown on the line against the 40-year-old Pacquiao on July 20 at the MGM Grand.
Thurman, 30, has relentlessly fanned the flames for the contest by stating he plans to send Pacquiao into retirement.
On Tuesday, Thurman took a more respectful tone against Pacquaio, the eight-division world champion who remains one of boxing’s biggest draws as he prepares for the 71st fight of a two-decade professional career.
Thurman said he plans to take an aggressive approach into the fight as he chases an emphatic victory.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to destroy a legend and create my own legacy,” Thurman said on a conference call.
“How can I not Babe Ruth it and step up to the plate, point and start swinging. How can I not go for it? I’ve got an ‘0’ and I’m not afraid to let it go.
“If Manny Pacquiao is the man that beats me, he’s the man that beats me. I’m going to shake his hand after the fight and congratulate him.
“It is what it is. But when Keith Thurman steps into the ring, you’re dealing with Keith Thurman. And he’s a bad man.”
Thurman sees the fight as his chance to claim victory over one of the greats of boxing in Pacquiao (61-7 with two drawn and 39 knockouts).
“Manny Pacquiao towards the end of his career, all those fights, and his record – it’s as if I’m fighting Sugar Ray Robinson himself. It’s as if I’m fighting Roberto Duran,” he said.
Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs), who last fought in January when he was made to work hard for a majority decision win over Josesito Lopez, said Pacquiao’s victory over Adrien Broner, also in January, had inspired him.
“He wants to prove his greatness. He’s still reaching for greatness at the age of 40 and it’s admirable,” Thurman said.
“I was impressed by his performance against Adrien Broner. It was inspiring. After watching him, I got out into the streets and ran at one in the morning. Because I just watched a 40-year-old man beat a much younger man. Manny has done so much, but he wants to do more,” he added.
“I want to do more too, and on the 20th I want to show you more.”
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Avril Lavigne Makes First Red Carpet Appearance in Two Years, Says New Album Will Be Done in ‘Two Weeks’
Avril Lavigne stepped out at the 25th Annual Race to Erase MS Gala at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Friday (April 20), marking her first red carpet appearance in nearly two years.
The Canadian pop-rock star, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2014—something which has affected her ability to attend events like the gala over the past few years—opened up to Entertainment Tonight about her highly anticipated sixth studio album, sharing that the record will finally be finished by mid-May.
"I've written a really powerful record, really emotional album sort of reflecting where I am today," Lavigne shared. "I'm going to release that this year. I'm actually going to be done in two weeks ... These songs are different. I'm just sort of writing about what I'm going through now."
"It's been a long time," she added. "For me to be able to be here and I'm making a record right now... I have my life back, which is amazing. It's something I continue to work at every day. And just, like, grateful to be making music."
See photos of the singer looking bright and glowing in an elegant, vintage-style black gown, below:
Avril Lavigne Attends 25th Annual Race to Erase MS in Los Angeles
Filed Under: Avril Lavigne
Categories: Celebrity News, News, Photo Galleries
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October 20, 2017 (Norman, OK) PIABA Announces 2017 Outstanding Service Award Recipients
At its 2017 Annual Meeting, Deanna Besbekos-LaPage and Darlene Pasieczny were named recipients of the 2017 PIABA Outstanding Service Award for their service and contributions to Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA).
A member of the PIABA since 2013, Ms. Besbekos-LaPage currently serves on the Amicus and State Legislation Committees. She served as the co-Chair of the Amicus Committee in 2016 and 2017.
Deanna Besbekos-LaPage graduated cum laude in May 2009 from the University of Illinois-Chicago with a B.A. in Psychology, and cum laude in May 2012 from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Ms. Besbekos-LaPage earned a Dean’s Scholarship while attending The John Marshall Law School and was on the Dean’s List. She won the Hellenic Bar Association Scholarship in October 2010 and served as the President of the Hellenic Law Students Association. Ms. Besbekos-LaPages also won CALI Awards in Payment Systems and Illinois Civil Procedure. While attending college and law school, Ms. Besbekos-LaPage worked as a law clerk for Stoltmann Law Offices.
Ms. Besbekos-LaPage was admitted to practice law in Illinois in November 2012. Additionally, she is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She is a member of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association, Justinian Society of Lawyers, Hellenic Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, Illinois Bar Association, and Chicago Bar Association.
A member of the PIABA since 2012, Darlene Pasieczny currently serves as the co-Chair of the Securities Law Seminar Committee, sits on the Arbitration Committee, SRO Committee, and the California Mid-Year Meeting Committee. Ms. Pasieczny was elected by the PIABA membership to serve on the PIABA Board of Directors during the its Business Meeting in October.
As part of the securities and fiduciary litigation team at Samuels Yoelin Kantor, Ms. Pasieczny’s focus is on investor protection and investment loss recovery for individuals, fiduciaries, groups, retirement funds, pension plans, municipalities, and institutional investors in court and FINRA arbitration. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), is the self-regulatory organization that regulates and licenses securities brokerage firms and individual brokers across the country. FINRA arbitration is the main forum in the securities industry for resolution of legal disputes between investors and these industry professionals.
Darlene is a member of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA), where she is active on the group’s SRO Committee which researches and prepares comment letters on proposed FINRA and SEC rule changes. She also speaks on rule changes and recent developments at FINRA, including at the 33rd Annual Northwest Securities Institute seminar.
In her law practice, Darlene brings a particular sensitivity to working with the all-too often targets of securities fraud — retirees and women investors from every level of investment experience. Pasieczny (pronounced “Pah-shetch-nee”) is a Polish surname. Darlene’s mother and paternal grandparents immigrated to the U.S.. They instilled in her a strong emphasis on education, hard work, and justice for the underrepresented.
Awarded to one or more PIABA Members annually, the PIABA Outstanding Service Award honors the very best in the PIABA Membership," said Robin Ringo, PIABA Executive Director. "An incredible amount of personal time is dedicated by members to serving PIABA through its committees and investor protection initiatives. It is with a deep sense of gratitude that we thank Ms. Besbekos-LaPage and Ms. Pasieczny for their dedication to PIABA and the rights of public investors."
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An Abundantly Bad Ty Cobb Typo Proves Even Stars Not Immune to Mistakes
Posted on June 8, 2018 by Pre-War Cards
So, Ty Cobb. Pretty important player, right? Yep. Cobb was not only one of the best players of his generation but one of the best players in baseball history.
Even more than 100 years after his career began, Cobb is still held in high esteem as a player. But as the E120 American Caramel set proved, not even Hall of Famers were immune to the horrendously bad proofreading of early baseball cards.
Pre-war baseball cards, if you haven’t noticed, have their fair share of typos. Baseball cards weren’t seen as much more than a novelty back then and simply weren’t taken too seriously. Sure, highly detailed artwork was used on some big sets like T206. But plenty of shortcuts were taken in other sets and, more to the point, grammar was not something highly checked back in the day.
Oh Noes
One of the worst error cards I’ve seen is actually on a Ty Cobb card. I’ve always found the error to be particularly amusing because, who can’t spell ‘Cobb?’
Apparently someone unfamiliar with the game of baseball in the 1920s had a hard time with the name.
The 1922 E120 American Caramel set is where this unmistakably bad card is found. The front features a nice fielding pose of Cobb. That was refreshing because many Cobb cards are either portraits or him wielding his menacing bat. Even the T206 set, which featured four cards of Cobb, couldn’t be bothered to include a fielding card of the Hall of Famer (he has two portraits and two batting cards).
To get a fielding card of Cobb was a nice change of pace. It would be an otherwise perfect card, had Cobb’s name not been spelled ‘Cob.’
That’s right. One of the game’s all time greats has his famous last name spelled sans a single but oh so important ‘b.’
From Bad to Worse
So the card had a typo. That’s a big enough deal as it was for as important as this set became, right? Unfortunately, the embarrassment didn’t end there.
As I mentioned, Cobb was one of the most important players at the time. Whenever baseball was featured, there was a half decent chance Cobb’s name would be included. At the time, Cobb’s only real rival for the spotlight was probably Babe Ruth.
In the early 1920s, Ruth was just hitting his stride. He clubbed a then record 54 home runs in 1920 and followed that up with another record (59) in 1921. Ruth and Cobb were often featured together and that was true in the advertising of this E120 set.
The pair were featured in this advertisement of the set (more specifically, a blank-backed version) in the rare 1922 Olsen Game set. It was included with the game and advertised how collectors could get their hands on a set. There, front and center, is the Ruth card as well as the Cobb card with the typo.
Now, while the advertisement here is for the version of the set that came with the 1922 Olsen Game, my guess is that similar ones were certainly circulated in all sorts of places. There would have likely been ads for the American Caramel set and other ads for other companies advertising the likely blank-backed cards for this specific promotion. As a brief aside, the E120 cards are found with blank backs and it is believed that they were distributed by many different companies, similar to what occurred with the M101-4 and M101-5 Sporting News/Mendelsohn cards. Many blank-backed cards of this set (classified as W573) are known as are a few rarer types with specific company names printed or stamped on the back.
These almost certainly would have been advertised a great many places and there’s a really good chance the Cobb card would have been featured as it was in this ad. None of this, of course, even speaks to other types of advertising, such as posters or signs promoting the set.
Worst Ever?
So, is the worst pre-war typo of all time? I’m not sure but it’s got to be up there. This isn’t merely a typo on a name in an era where many of those were made. The error is particularly bad for numerous reasons.
First, it’s Ty freaking Cobb. Not only was Cobb one of the best players of his day, but his name just isn’t that hard to spell. Red Schoendienst this is not. There should be no screwing up this card, even by the interniest of interns.
Second, it’s on the front of the card. Sure, sometimes you can get away with spelling errors or statistical mistakes being made if they’re on the back of a card. But on the front? That’s extra bad.
Finally, the error was made in one of the most high-profile pre-war sets around. The E120 American Caramel set sort of helped to usher in a new trading card. Instead of smaller, colorful lithographic cards, these were larger cards that featured pictures of real players. The E120 set, in particular, is one of the most popular caramel sets of all time. If this was some obscure set, it’d be one thing. On the landmark E120 issue? Quite another.
‘Worst ever’ is always a subjective term, of course. But in terms of bad error cards, this has to rank among the worst.
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tagged with 1922 E120 American Caramel, Articles, Baseball, Candy and Caramel Cards, Error Cards, Ty Cobb
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Project Idea Evolution
Who’s in Charge, Anyway?
by projectideaevolution October 1, 2018 October 1, 2018
I am sure just about everyone has heard the term “too many chiefs” and may have even experienced this phenomenon at school or on the job. While this is almost always an unpleasant situation, it can be very detrimental to a new startup. Choosing who gets the title of CEO in a company can be a daunting task. One idea person would not dream of letting anyone else hold the coveted title, while another could avoid it all together. Deciding who will take over the top positions is not something that should be taken lightly. There are may factors that goes into making the final decision. Sometimes the end result yields success and, sometimes, it produces disastrous results.
Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan of Blogger, the blogging website that was created for the novice blogger, found themselves in a very sticky situation once the company began to take off. According to Noam Wasserman, author of “The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup,” there was “ambiguity about who was really in charge,” which “caused disagreements” and led to Meg’s untimely exit from the business (Wasserman, 2012.) Shortly after, all of the employees in the company were laid off. Cleary, the blurred lines of imprecision did not pay off for Blogger in the early days. Both Williams and Hourihan wanted to be chief, or CEO. As we can see, that model simply did not work. Although the blogging platform went on to be successful, it’s hard not to sit back a reflect on what could have been achieved if they had only thought more about how their roles impacted the company, their employees, and themselves. Desire alone does not make for a great leader.
One can only imagine the issues that arose when Williams and Hourihan got to the point where they needed to hire employees. Under the circumstances, it seems it would have also been very trying for them to choose their staff. For the sake of argument, let’s assume their creative differences carried over into the hiring process. Maybe one wanted team members who were familiar with the industry, while the other wanted people with more life experience as opposed to skills that were acquired in corporate America. Inevitably, “it only makes since to find a pool of people who already possess the hard-to-teach skills that are vital to your company” (Herrenkohl, 2013.) That’s probably a feat best conquered by founders who do not “adopt overlapping day-to-day tasks” as did the founders of Blogger.
Deciding who is in charge and defining roles may not cause a rush of excitement for even the most seasoned entrepreneur, but it is a necessity, nonetheless. I think it is fair to say no one wants to find themselves in the middle of such a heated conflict as did Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan. The impending implosion of what was once a thriving venture is a scary thought. It makes me want to ask: “Can’t we all just get along?”
Herrenkohl, E. (2013). How to Hire A-players: Finding the Top People for Your Team- Even if You Don’t Have a Recruiting Department. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
Wasserman, Noam. The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2012. Print
← Why Birds of a Feather Shouldn’t Always Flock Together… In Business
Rolling with the Go-Getters →
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Episode Number 104 is posted under Ask Derek, Miscellaneous
Derek Gehl’s Digital Business Predictions For 2019
Project Ignite Podcast by Derek Gehl 104 – Derek Gehl's Digital Business Predictions For 2019
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In this episode, Derek reveals where he sees some of the hottest opportunities, traffic sources, conversion strategies if you want maximum success with your digital business in 2019.
Transcription Episode 104: #AskDerek: Derek Gehl’s Digital Business Predictions For 2019
Hi. My name is Derek Gehl. I want to welcome you to my Annual Internet Marketing Update where I’m going to reveal where I see some of the hottest opportunities, traffic sources and conversion strategies if you want maximum success in 2019.
I’ve been very fortunate over my past, and last year officially broke 20 years in this whole internet business thing. I’m fortunate that I’m still actively involved running numerous different digital businesses from information marketing to physical products and everything in between.
I’m also involved in numerous different businesses that reach into different countries all over the world. What this gives me I think is pretty neat perspective and exposure on the big picture of what I see is happening.
In addition to my own businesses, I belong to numerous different mastermind groups like the War Room Mastermind through Digital Marketer and a multitude of Facebook groups. I’m always attending events and conferences.
Just last week, I was down at the Affiliate Summit which was related to one of my affiliate network businesses. As a result, I get a really wide view of all the stuff that’s going on in the world of digital marketing.
What I like to do at the beginning of the year is look back on what happened in 2018, and where I see trends starting to develop things that we need to be aware of. I like to do this because when somebody is just starting out you’re focus is on your business and doing your thing. On top of that there are all these other things and it can be hard to keep up with.
That’s what this webinar, if you will, is all about. It’s just to give you the big picture and more specifically, I’m going to answer a couple different questions.
Number one is, as I said, where are the bigger opportunities? Where do I see growth, opportunities to start, grow in scale, and make money on the internet in 2019 and beyond?
Number two is, where is the best traffic sources? Traffic is always evolving, websites are evolving. I want to take a few minutes and talk about where I see the big sources of traffic going in 2019.
Number three, how do we convert that traffic into sales? There’s always predictions of this is dead, that’s dead, this is working, and that’s not working. I want to give you some clarity into what I’m seeing working and what I believe is going to be the most effective path forward. As well as, how are sales processes evolving along with technology, buying habits, markets, et cetera.
The last thing I’m going to reveal is what I consider to be the number one biggest mistake sabotaging success. Over the past 20 years and even today, I’m actively involved coaching, teaching, helping regular average ordinary people start extraordinary businesses on the internet. There’s one mistake that I see sabotaging success on the internet. I’m going to talk about that at the end because when you leave this webinar, I just want to make sure you’re set up for success as you move through into 2019.
Let’s dig into this.
First of all, opportunities. Where are they?
What are the big opportunities? Where are the growing markets in 2019?
Well, first of all, I want to talk about some of the big distractions that I saw in 2018 and 2017. Really, the last couple of years, these were what I would call distractions from the real opportunities to build real businesses.
One of the biggest distractions I saw was all of the drop shipping FBA, (FBA stands for Fulfilled by Amazon) type of businesses. They’re still out there and I still see people chasing them. The whole premise of this business model if you were not familiar with it is to go out and source cheap products from China and then find a drop shipper that holds the inventory. Then you can just go and sell them on platforms like Amazon and have Amazon fulfill it.
You get a cut of the profit there, and they ship it directly to the customer. That’s drop shipping. This took off like a rocket over the last couple of years. Amazon, in particular, obviously is a massive, massive ecosystem, an incredible ecosystem for selling. It can be a powerful marketplace to sell products.
I sell a lot of products on Amazon, although I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Amazon because they’re really about driving prices down. Which, if you have a brand, isn’t necessarily a good thing. They can however be a massively powerful platform for launching new product ideas, new brands, et cetera.
Unfortunately, people are always looking for the shortcut. In the early days of Amazon, people figured out, hey, we can go and get these products drop shipped from China and all these dropshippers popped up.
Then people started launching courses and how to make a fortune on Amazon saying all you have to do is drop ship. You don’t have to buy inventory. You don’t have to buy products. Somebody else does all that for you. You just start your store, connect the drop shipping and… Boom! You’re going to make money. It sounded really good. Some people even made money initially.
With anything like that, all of a sudden, and you have probably seen it; Amazon platforms popped up everywhere. When I travel the world, I see this on platforms in Asia, Lazada, Shopee, all of those are inundated with cheap products coming out of China, many of them being drop shipped.
Now, we’re in marketplaces where there’s a million people selling the same products and they’re all going out there competing for the same traffic. Where we saw a real hit to this business model in 2018 was when Facebook really started to crack down hard on what has been coined “low quality commerce”.
Drop shipping, cheap products using the Facebook advertising platform to spam them all over the place was happening more and more. Facebook basically said, that’s enough, we’re cracking down on low quality commerce. We don’t want this on our platform, which immediately just squeezed pretty much the biggest traffic source for all of these FBA stores and their drop shipping business models.
It was a big distraction. I’ll be honest, I never saw a business model there. It was a way maybe to make a bit of cash, but how is that a business? You don’t own a product, you don’t have a brand. You’re using someone else’s platform selling someone else’s product. Sure, you can make a little bit of cash flow, but that’s not building a business.
A real business is building your own products, your own intellectual property, your own brands, having your own customers. Yes, you can use platforms like Amazon. You can use platforms like eBay, and Lazadas, and Shopees, and all of that stuff but you own something there. It is yours, it cannot be taken away and people aren’t directly competing with you.
Bottom line is this is a huge distraction. I see more and more people going, “Holy cow, this whole E-commerce, drop shipping, FBA thing, lot harder than we thought it was.
A lot of people have now abandoned that. It was inevitable. It was going to happen. That brings us to the next one which was low quality commerce. Selling cheap products.
Here’s the big kicker. I think a lot of people realized, even ones that were sourcing goods out of China and stuff like that and doing E-commerce, low ticket items, cheap product, stuff like that. They figured out very quickly that:
A), it’s very low margin. You don’t make a lot of money.
B)There’s tons of headaches. When you’re sourcing these products out of China and you have no control over manufacturing quality, stuff is broken, customer complaint, stuff like that, it’s a pain in the butt.
Add to that advertising platforms like Facebook cutting that source of traffic off and the sales really take a dive.
The other big distraction of 2017, 2018 that has to be mentioned is good old cryptocurrency. When I was at the Affiliate World Summit in Bangkok at end of 2017, and another one at the beginning of 2018, Bitcoin was through the roof, gaining like crazy. The stories of overnight billionaires had everybody distracted, watching this and trying to participate to make money on it.
It was funny because I was at affiliate conferences but all anybody wanted to talk about was crypto stuff. Now, I’m not saying crypto is dead. I think crypto is eventually going to have a place somewhere, but it was a huge distraction.
I call it shiny object syndrome. “Oh, what’s this?” Fear of missing out, FOMO. “Oh my goodness! I got to be over there.” There’s a lot of distraction there. That being said, I still believe there are opportunities there, although I’m not the expert on that.
With all those distractions as we come into 2019, where will we see the most viable opportunities?
Well, let’s start off with the information industry. Information marketing is still viable. It’s still growing and evolving. You look back to when I started back in the 1990s, I remember giving out CDs. We even had audio cassettes. It was our way of sharing information.
What has not changed in 2019 is people’s desire for information. People are looking for information. We are in an information revolution. When people need information, where do they go? They go to the internet.
The way we deliver information to people is the only thing that has changed. We live in this incredible time and place where we can sit down with our smart phones and our computers any time, anywhere.
We can create these amazing videos. I’m sitting at my desk in my office here. I’ve got cameras. I’ve got mics. I’ve got all these things that just plug into a computer and I can create these amazing videos to teach you guys stuff.
In just about every niche imaginable, there is a need for information. The need for information is never going away. What is evolving is what kind of information people need and how we deliver that information.
We live in this time and place where now creating membership websites, creating communities online can be done on platforms with a click of a button using programs or platforms, like; WordPress with different themes and plugins. There are other platforms like the Thinkifics and Kajabis which allow you to build incredible membership websites where you can interact, and engage with other people.
One of my businesses, Ignited Academy, is a massive membership website where I teach entrepreneurs how to do this kind of stuff. Information is never going away. What changes is how we deliver it, the technology we deliver through.
We live in this time now where video is commonplace. When I started online, you couldn’t stream video over the web. You couldn’t even download big videos. It would take forever on our 336 modems. Now, we can stream stuff live. We can jump on our phone and we can broadcast our messages out globally.
I look at information as the gateway to creating just about any kind of business. Because when you go into a market and you build a relationship with the market, by sharing and delivering information that helps those people change their lives, and improve on something. By bettering themselves in some kind of way, you are now building a relationship with that person. You’re transitioning yourself to becoming what we call the good old trusted adviser.
Once you’ve built that relationship and become a trusted adviser in a market, you can now leverage that relationship to sell just about anything that market needs related to what that niche is. It could be physical goods, affiliate goods, or even simply more information. Information is still huge and it’s always evolving.
Now, commerce. I talked about low quality commerce. The cheap crap that everybody is sourcing out to China, pilfering it on all the platforms hoping people will buy. That kind of commerce, people are getting sick of it.
Low quality commerce, I think it’s dead. There’s always going to be a need for low cost cheap stuff. People want low cost cheap stuff for sure. The fact of the matter is, you need economies of scale to actually become profitable in that kind of a market because you have to sell so much to so many to make that kind of profit.
In particular, when you’re a drop shipper, you’re just a middle man which means there’s always going to be somebody making the product that can sell it at a lower price than you and still make money while you’re losing money. If you want to make money in 2019, you need to start focusing on high quality commerce.
What’s high quality commerce? High quality commerce is delivering legitimate good products that have a real band name behind them. A brand that people like, and use. One that adds value to their life. We’re not competing necessarily on price, we’re competing on quality.
If you want to build a successful and profitable business without having to worry about the economies of scales of the Walmarts of the world, focus on selling premium high quality products that people are looking for that have good profit margins. That’s the kind of commerce that Facebook will always like, the big advertising channels will always like.
When somebody is buying a quality product at a reasonable price point where everybody makes money, you can also afford to spend more on advertising. In turn making the whole process a heck of a lot easier. High quality commerce and emerging markets go together.
The U.S. is still the biggest buying and consumer market in the world. China is on its way up, for sure. When you look at the sheer spending power of the U.S. versus any other country which is a combination of population as well as wealth, it’s enormous. That being said, that is why that market is also where every business is competing and targeting.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to talk you out of targeting the U.S. What I’m saying is rather keep an open mind because there’s a lot of emerging markets, emerging economies that are opening up and buying more and more stuff on the internet.
What I’m seeing in these other economies is it’s kind of the good old days of where we used to be. We have lower cost ads because there is less competition. It’s an easier place to compete. Emerging markets I think represent an incredible opportunity.
In my programs I do a lot of events in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, China, and Australia. I always talk to these people over there and they’re all trying to target the U.S. market. Meanwhile, I’m visiting their countries and saying, “Wow, there is so much opportunity within your own country to start building out businesses that may have already been done over in other more advanced or more progressed markets.”
These are emerging markets that are coming online where the countries are now having more and more buying power that represents what I believe to be an incredible opportunity for a lot of entrepreneurs.
Now, the one market that is probably the hardest one I think to penetrate for somebody outside is China. I’m speaking from experience because over the last couple of years, I’ve taken one of my businesses into China and we’re growing that there successfully. We’ve gone from $0 to just about $2 million a year in the last couple of years. It’s going to grow exponentially I believe. Having said that it’s very, very difficult to get into that market. You need people that are there, that understand the market, that speak the language, and understand all the different platforms that are available because it’s a very different yet fascinating ecosystem of different platforms they have.
China is a bit of an exception to the rule. When I look around at India, India has a huge emerging middle class, they’re buying online. It’s an incredible market. Population wise, they’re set to overtake China, to become the highest population in the world.
If you can get in there and start figuring that out, bring in the products they want while targeting that market, that can represent incredible opportunities. Again, look at these emerging markets. If you happen to live in these countries, don’t just be focused over here in a lot of the western markets that everybody assumes have the biggest buying power.
I’m not saying don’t go after them. Just don’t discount these emerging markets because that’s where I see a lot of unmined gold that is waiting for entrepreneurs to jump on.
When I first started doing one of my conferences in the Philippines two years ago, a lot of people said to me, “No, no, the buying power is not there. They won’t be interested in this.” I was blown away by the reception I had there, the number of people that showed up. I’m fortunate that I didn’t listen to all the naysayers because it represented an incredible opportunity.
Those markets exist all over the world. It’s funny, when you look at the stats of how many people are connected to the internet, there’s just over seven billion people in the world. I believe we’re sitting around three billion online. Half the planet is still not connected to the internet yet.
For us, we probably think, “Wow, how’s that even possible?” We can’t imagine our life without connection to the internet now. There is still massive growth. Watch these emerging markets all over the world, South America, Eastern European countries, Middle East, and all over Asia. There’s amazing opportunities. You just have to look for them. Not only that, the buying power and the platforms that are there for us to be able to do business.
Emerging markets is probably one of the biggest shifts I’ve seen. The real challenge is being able to build, being able to fulfill. What’s happening in countries like, let’s say India, for example, there’s a lot of different local payment systems and options that you can utilize as a business. When you go into these markets, you need to take some time and educate yourself on how these markets work.
For example, in North America and most western countries, we’re used to going to a website, we enter our visa, our mastercard or whatever our credit card is. We pay right then and there and it’s shipped to us. Where in India, a lot of the commerce is all done via cash on delivery. You sell it, but then a company takes it, delivers to the person. As they’re handing it to the person, that person pays them. Again, very different models that you need to understand.
When you go those markets, you got to say, “Okay, what is different here and how do I adapt my business model to work for that?” Incredible amounts of opportunity exists.
The bottom line is this is; as we move forward, opportunities evolve, they come, they go, different things evolve as technology changes. But the foundation of the entire system of starting an online business from zero doesn’t change. That is step one, find a niche market, find a group of people that have some common need, want or problem. Then, when you find that market, if you have a product, great, you could start marketing that product.
The most important thing that I want to do, before I start selling to a market is I want to build a list in that market, give them a reason to give me their email address so I can start then building a relationship, sharing information, communicating with that person to become that, as I mentioned before, trusted adviser.
Then once you become that trusted adviser, that’s when you start recommending solutions, physical, digital, affiliate, whatever that happens to be. Look, if you take a look around at so many of these six, seven, eight, nine-figure gurus, experts, entrepreneurs and you look at what they’re doing, it is this exact model.
They’re not out there just arbitraging cheap products out of China drop shipping, stuff like that. They’re taking the time to build a database of people, and then build a relationship with that database, and then leveraging that relationship to sell.
If you look around at the different big marketers and big celebrity entrepreneurs that exist out there, in many cases, this is the exact model they’re following with maybe a few specific variations here and there.
Find the niche, build the list, become an authority in that, share information. Then, as you build that relationship, you don’t have to sell, you recommend. Recommend solutions, guys, the foundation has not changed. The platforms are evolving for us to get in front of the people, the technology is evolving but the fundamentals have not changed since I started back in the very, very early days of this whole internet game.
Now, let’s shift gears. Let’s talk about traffic sources. All right, traffic, always a hot topic, people are always asking me, “Where do I get traffic? Where I should I do this?”. I could talk about traffic for days. Here are some of the big things that I’m seeing going on, things we need to be paying attention to in 2019.
Let’s start with good old Facebook. Facebook still reigns supreme in the world of social media outside of China. They are the biggest. Not only the biggest, they have such a massive lead on everybody else that they don’t already own.
It’s going to take a long time before anybody catches up or somehow disrupts them. Couple things to point out is Instagram is on a tear. Now, Facebook owns Instagram. Instagram is going to become more tightly integrated I believe into Facebook. Instagram is going to continue to be the dominant force over Snapchat.
Now, Snapchat is awesome. Snapchat right now is an amazing ad platform. There’s a lot of traffic you can get from it. A lot of people are doing good commerce stuff on it. I’m running test on it right now for a few different products.
Instagram is really becoming that Snapchat competitor. I believe it’s going to continue to dominate that. Why? Because they’ve got the marketing muscle of Facebook behind them.
Video is going to continue to gain dominance. There’s always going to be a place for the written word and there is always going to be a place for photos. Although video is becoming more and more prevalent, and dominant. If you’re in a business and you’re not doing anything with video on Facebook, you need to start now as people engage better with video. The fact of the matter is, video is not difficult.
The only reason video is difficult is because we make it difficult. Right now, I am using my webcam, I’m using a mic. That is it. That is all I’m using in a screen recording tool called Camtasia that is recording all of this. We don’t need anything fancy.
It’s funny, I say, “We don’t need anything fancy,” but if we look at the cameras that exist in our phones today, they are fancy. This little phone, I can do 4K high quality, high definition video and I can then take, grab a little mic, put it on here, I can record into a cheap little audio recorder, put high quality audio over that.
Video is the communication medium of the future.
Now, that being said, 2018 was an interesting year in video on Facebook. The reason why is, well, Facebook was busted for misreporting some of their video sharing stats. Basically, what was happening is Facebook was saying, “Hey, here’s a video, super popular, look how many shares it got.” Then, what they found was underneath there was a little bit of a flaw in the algorithm counting shares was quite highly inflated.
The bottom line is, photos and stuff like that, imagery still get shared big time. Video, I still believe is going to be the most dominant. Now, the other reason video is going to play such an important role in the future is because the race for video supremacy is on right now.
What I’m talking about here though is Netflix, YouTube, Apple, Amazon Prime, and Facebook. All of these companies that are investing in original content to keep you on their platforms. Facebook is continuing to develop this, obviously YouTube is as well.
Here’s the trick. If you want to be able to leverage the video they’re creating and put your ads in, you’ve got to be creating video because you can’t slap a text ad into a live video. As they evolve these videos platforms and ad platforms over the course of 2019 so should you. You’ve got to be using video to engage with video and to utilize the advertising with those videos.
Videos can continue to grow in 2019. That said, Facebook is going to continue its crackdown on low quality commerce. If you are going to run ads for low quality crap, they are going to crack down on it. Through the tests we’ve been running, I’ve been seeing that Facebook is definitely tweaking their algorithm to increase ad cost with certain types of businesses versus other types of businesses.
If you’re running events and seminars, I can see that they are definitely inflating the ad cost for webinars and lead capture and stuff like that versus if you’re doing a high quality commerce only product.
Again, you need to be paying attention to the seasonality of your ad buys. One of the things that we notice through Christmas is the ad cost went up massively on Facebook . They know it’s a buying season and although they don’t tell us, it looks like they tweaked the algorithm to artificially inflate those ad cost, kind of making some assumptions here. Maybe they don’t, but it really felt that way.
Bottom line is this, they’re going to continue to crack down on low quality commerce.
You’re going to see the platforms continuing to evolve and get smarter and smarter. Over the last two years, Facebook has been under an absolute ton of scrutiny with their targeting and tracking and as well as from regulatory bodies, government, stuff like that. Particularly after the big scandals around the Trump election and the Cambridge analytic scandal and stuff like that. They are actually starting to pull back on some of the targeting options that they are giving to us.
They’re starting to peel back some of the targeting options we did have. It may have been a little bit too invasive. I think we’re just weathering a storm. I think that’s going to continue to evolve and it is going to continue to get better.
We are going to start to see over the coming years far more regulatory control over advertising, fake news, misleading stuff in the world of commerce. Frankly, that makes me happy because particularly in my businesses that are in the health space, one of the biggest challenges we have as a legitimate company selling high quality products is when you’re in a space competing against people that are making false claims and using hype advertising and effectively breaking advertising laws, it drives up our ad cost and it makes it very difficult to compete.
There is a silver lining to all those regulatory stuff. This going to push out all the BS nonsense and crap from the advertising platforms which will actually I think start to bring down ad cost. In 2018, through into 2020 the ad platforms are going to continue to mature..
More competitions landing on board. That’s going to lead to increase click cost and also tighter control on ads. To that point as well, as this continues to evolve over the coming years, what will eventually happen is the bigger advertisers who are spending more will get preferential treatment over the smaller guys.
That sucks, I get it. It’s just the reality of what it is. Here’s the reason why. I know this because we saw it with Google AdWords. When Google AdWords launched, its success was driven initially by all the small businesses that jumped on board and started using it.
Over time, it’s more profitable for a Google or a Facebook to be able to deal with less advertisers spending more money than more advertisers that spend less money. That’s why over time, it’ll get more and more difficult for the small guys to get started.
Now, has that window closed? Absolutely not. Facebook is still amazing particularly in the emerging markets. The longer you wait to get on the Facebook bandwagon, the more it is going to cost you and the more difficult it is going to be.
Now, something else that I think is going to happen much sooner than later and probably in 2019 is far more regulation over the Messenger chatbot. 2018 was the year of chatbots.
Chatbots took off like a rocket. We’ve all seen them. If you use Facebook, you get those automated messages where you can engage with them. You can actually do commerce through a Facebook Messenger. Honestly, after going to China and spending time there and seeing how they use WeChat.
WeChat started off as almost like a Facebook Messenger. Now, people live through this platform. They buy, they sell, they transfer money. When they’re walking down the street, if they want to buy a hotdog from the hotdog vendor, they open up their WeChat account. They pay through that. I even heard the story of a homeless lady in China. Somebody was walking down the street. A homeless lady begging for money and she had her phone like, “Give me money through WeChat.”
I believe Messenger and Facebook has an intention to eventually get there with their Messenger where commerce is happening right through that. It’s in its infancy right now. What I’ve seen happen is I believe Facebook Messenger, Facebook said, hey, let’s throw this out there and let’s let companies like ManyChat and different chatbot companies access it and let’s see how people use it. Let’s see how businesses and marketers begin to use it. They don’t put a lot of regulations in.
They put some regulations in so it doesn’t get abused, but they’re pretty open to how they let people use this. They’ll watch and they will learn and they will adapt. Once they figure out how is it being abused, they’re going to start to put more regulatory systems in place to prevent abuses and to shut people down that are abusing it.
I think the Messenger marketing, when we look at WeChat in China and where that’s gone, I think it’s bloody amazing. I think Messenger could go that way if Facebook does it right, but it’s going to take some time to get there. I think 2019, we’re going to continue to see that evolution. There’s the big picture of where I see Facebook going. In 2019, again, it’s going to reign supreme.
Now, let’s shift from Facebook, the dominant social media to good old Google, the by far biggest search engine and it’s going to continue. Nobody is about to knock Google off their throne. Bing is still a tiny fraction of that. In most countries around the world other than China which really Baidu is the winner there and I believe Russia uses Yandex.. Google is still the biggest in most countries. Now, there’s a few exceptions to that rule but Google is going to continue to dominate. That’s not going to change.
Now, let’s talk for a minute about the Google algorithm and what’s going to happen with organic search engine like getting ranked in Google. Now, if we go back a couple of years and then prior to that, Google had a pretty consistent algorithm update schedule.
There’s always little tweaks and stuff. One would be an algorithm update that was targeting onsite and site optimization, the other one was more focused on backlinks. That being said, gone are the days I believe of those monster updates. Why?
Because I think they’ve got the general algorithm relatively dialed. Now, they’ve switched from what I’ve seen a model of monster algorithm, big, big updates to more smaller high frequency algorithm updates that are happening.
I notice this really, really heavily over the latter half of 2018 and now coming into 2019. I watched some different tools, one in particular I watched is the SEMrush SERP Sensor which is literally monitoring different categories, different markets, health, sports, all these different things and monitoring the volatility of the SERP. Volatility, is how fast the ranking is changing, and the site switching in and out in the search engine result pages.
In August, there was a big update which was named the Google Medic update and it hit a ton of health sites, but a ton of finance and lifestyle site as well. It was a pretty big update. It was focused more on trust and authority than onsite or backlinks. There was this big shift.
Again, a lot of this comes back to Facebook who took a lot of flack for fake news and conspiracy crap, polluting its pages. I think Google started asking, hey, how we do get a lot of this crap out of our algorithm or at least push it down?
They’re focusing more on higher authority stuff, high trust websites. That said, over the last six months, the frequency of algorithm updates have been massive. Just last week, I was watching in the health space and the frequency of updates was almost daily! I think we’re going to continue to see these higher frequency updates rather than a few big ones and then relative stability in the SERP. That sucks in many cases because it gets really hard to predict and scale especially for smaller websites.
That being said, as you move forward, if you want to play well with Google, it’s about authority. It’s about trust. It’s about high quality content. It’s about giving the user what they’re searching for, keeping them on your website. I’ll talk more about that in a second though.
I think we’re going to start to see more algorithm updates that are targeting very specific niches. Rather than saying, “Hey, here’s our overarching algorithm update to penalize crappy backlinks across all websites,” they’re saying, “Okay, so let’s now focus and update on health related searches. Let’s focus and update on news related searches.”
They’re going to start to tweak individual categories to fine-tune those. There is going to be updates where like an August health sites, lifestyle sites may have been hit but standard commerce sites, nothing. That’s a bit of a shift in how they’ve gone forward.
I think we’re going to see an increase frequency of manual site reviews. Now, Google has a team, but all they’re doing is manually reviewing sites. Now, Lord knows, they could never get through all of them. There’s hundreds of millions of websites out there. Adding that element of human reviews in there I think is going to increase the quality of search because as good as an algorithm could ever be, it’s never going to be as good as a human looking at a website.
Now, here’s the downside of humans looking at websites. Every single human, I don’t care who you are and I don’t care what checklist you have, brings a bias to the table. That bias could be they got cut off in traffic this morning and they’re having a bad day. There are going to be biases that exists.
It’s a love-hate thing for me. I think it’s good because a human can always do better than an algorithm. At this point in time, I’m sure in the future, AI will get there. A human still wins, but I don’t like having that human bias in there because it’s too unpredictable. Again, a heavy push towards authority and trusted content. That’s where they want to be.
When you’re building websites, the more things that you can include that are going to elevate your trust. That comes down to the basics, having a phone number, having a address, having terms and conditions, having all of those things that makes your site trustworthy. In 2019, your site needs to have a secure certification. It can be HTTP: it needs to be HTTPS: It needs to be secured. Anything that you can show them that, “hey, I’m a real business with a website that gets updated”. That shows authority, and is going to help your rankings.
As we move forward, you’re going to see I believe even more weight given to the engagement metrics on that website. At the end of the day, the best test of whether a website is good or bad is if Google send them 1000, 2000, 3000 visitors and watches what they do, do they stay? Do they engage? Do they click around? How long do they stay? Or do they hit the back button and leave?
They’re going to look for more and more ways to leverage engagement metrics to continue to judge quality of site because I truly believe that is one of the best ways to judge how good a website is in their algorithm is how people use said website.
Despite all of that, despite all of these changes, backlinks are still going to be the number one ranking factor, they still have. Out of the hundreds of different ranking factors that Google looks at in their algorithm. High quality backlinks are going to have the biggest influence on your rankings.
I know people in the SEO space, I know guys that are doing this and they set up websites and they’re still using, and I’m not saying to use black hat but they’re still using black hat link building. PBNs, blasting links at websites, and boom! They shoot up in the rankings. You cannot deny the power of backlinks.
As much as Google is going to stand up and say, “It’s all about the content, it’s all about the authority, all these stuff.” Realistically, it’s about backlinks, quality and quantity and relevancy of those links. It’s going to go up. Still the number one ranking factor.
Now, let’s shift gears and let’s talk about AdWords. AdWords, is obviously still Google. In 2019, and I started to see this in 2018, there’s going to be bigger shift back to AdWords from Facebook. Initially, it went the other way. Google AdWords for years was the biggest source of paid traffic until the Facebook ad platform came along. Then Google, they were draconian, horrible, mean AdWords to deal with.
They shut your account down. They wouldn’t tell you why. Getting your account back up was an impossible task at times. It was brutal. Facebook came along and everybody went, “Screw you, Google. I’m going over here to Facebook and I’m going to go buy traffic there.” Now, Facebook is getting bigger and a little bit more difficult. Everybody’s now shifting back to Google, because Google realized, I believe, this is my theory, that everybody was mass exiting to Facebook. To bring them back, well, maybe we can’t be assholes anymore. We need to be nicer to our clients, and so they were. They did a lot to make their platform more lenient, and easier to work with.
The next thing that we’re starting to see as well is Google, as everybody has been over here focused on Facebook, they’ve really put a lot of working time into their targeting platforms. More specifically, one of the big shifts that has been happening over the last year and I think it’s going to be really prevalent this year is a tighter integration of YouTube into their ad platform.
This is going to represent some really interesting opportunities for marketers. Because historically on YouTube, their ad platform was crappy. You could throw ads out on different videos and stuff like that, but it was really hard to target.
Now, they’ve tied the YouTube ad platform tighter into the AdWords. Now, if somebody searches a keyword in Google, and typed in PowerPoint remote into the search engine and then later on they were watching YouTube, I know that they searched PowerPoint remote and I can target people that searched that keyword who are now watching YouTube videos.
Now, we can advertise on YouTube to people that we know have a really high interest, the intent is there because they were searching for it. The biggest thing with search has always been its very clear intent.
It’s a high converting lead because you knew exactly what they were searching for and you can put that exact offer in front of them. Now though, we can say they searched over here, but we can advertise to them over there whether that’s still relevant offer on YouTube. I think that’s going to make a really interesting targeting in 2019.
YouTube is a behemoth. It is a powerhouse. It’s the second biggest search engine in the world. It’s funny because I don’t look at YouTube as much as a video website. From a marketing standpoint, I look at it as a search engine. Because as a business, that’s what we want. We want to know what people are searching for.
If their search is relevant to what we have, we want to put that ad in front of them. YouTube, is an incredible opportunity in 2019. It falls under that Google AdWords umbrella. There’s my Google update and predictions for 2019, which now brings us to one of the big shifts that I’m seeing.
In 2019, we are going to see the rise of the influencer. What do I mean by the rise of the influencer? Well, look, influencers have been around since … I mean, I don’t know when the term was coined, but they’ve been around for years. Influencers are anybody that has cultivated the following on a social media platform and that following is listening to them. They can influence their followers. They can make recommendations.
Influencers have existed for years upon years. I think probably one of the first terms of influencers that I remembering hearing was mommy bloggers. Back in the day, mommy bloggers was a term and that was moms that were blogging and they had followers of moms reading their blogs. Those were effectively influencers.
Now, with the dawn of social, it’s become much easier for people to cultivate mass of followings on YouTube, on Instagram, on Facebook, on Snapchat, on all these different platforms. Over the past few years, I’ve really seen a lot of bigger brands leveraging influencers.
When I say influencers as well, I mean we’ve got the Cardi Bs, we have the Kardashians. Yes, they’re monstrous celebrity influencers. What I’m actually talking about though isn’t celebrity, it is what I would call the micro influencer. In fact, we should say 2019 equals the rise of the micro influencer, not the influencer, the micro influencer.
These are regular people that have cultivated incredible followings online. Ones that you can now reach out to and have them endorse your product. Pre-2019 influencers though, were really used more in a branding activity. Companies that have advertising budgets would go out, get endorsements.
It was more for a branding activity to build brand awareness. Big companies like the Procters & Gambles of the world were leveraging influencers to get their messages out there. Now, that being said, where I’m seeing the big shift now though is advertisers are now trying to measure direct ROI from their influencer marketing spend.
Historically, big companies are going to say, okay, we have a budget of $10,000. We’ll give some to this guy, some to this guy, some to this guy, some to this guy, and they’ll blast it out. Voila! They have spent their budget and they got their message out in front of X amount of people.
Now, what I’m starting to see is the convergence of direct response marketers, that’s us. When we spend $1 on advertising as a direct response marketer, we want to make a measurable, predictable return in the shortest time possible. We’re not interested in branding.
We’re seeing a convergence of us, the direct response marketers, working with influencers but finding ways now to directly measure the ROI from our influencer spends so that we’re making those profitable. It’s a shift. It’s no longer branding. Branding becomes a byproduct of it. It’s about getting active real leads to come and buy our product really quickly. Again, we’re not talking about celebrities.
We’re talking about micro influencers. Micro influencers are the new celebrities. Why I think it’s really going to start to take off in 2019 is because it’s becoming far easier to reach out to the influencers. There’s numerous different platforms and tools in marketplaces where you can now take your product, your offer, and you can drop it in and start reaching out to influencers that are looking for these offers.
It’s no longer about having to sit down on Instagram and figure out where to go and how to find. That still works, but we’re looking at more tools, more agencies, more systems of connecting with mass influencers on scale without having to have teams of people out there doing it for you.
Here’s the neat part about influencers is influencers really don’t understand how to value themselves. Frankly, it’s really difficult for us to value themselves. Now, I always look at influencers and now I think to myself, why would you with 80,000 followers let me pay you $400 to endorse and recommend my product? Why wouldn’t you just sign up, become an affiliate of mine and take the affiliate commissions because you probably make way more money in the long run?
I don’t understand that. I’m always been someone who I would rather be paid for the performance because I typically make more money that way. That’s not how influencers think.
Influencers are like, “Pay me, I’ll post it.” We live in this time now where we have all these influencers but there’s no standard metric to determine how much they should charge. Frankly, I’ve been blown away by how cost effective we’ve been able to leverage influencers.
The example I gave of somebody with over 80,000 followers a few hundred dollars to endorse. These are people that have huge engagement. There are still tons of great deals to be had in 2019. It’s in its infancy. Like any ad channel mechanism platform, the more people that jump on board, the higher the cost becomes as we move forward.
Lots of good deals to be found in influencers which now shifts us to our other traffic sources to watch. Look, there’s tons of traffic sources that exist out there. Here’s a few that I’m keeping my eye on. Reddit. Reddit.com is massive. I believe in the U.S., last year, they overtook Facebook for unique visits daily. Reddit is enormous.
This enormous community where you can post, create subreddits, engage. They’re also now offering an ad platform where we can advertise. Here’s the beauty of Reddit, is it’s very intent-based advertising. What I mean by that is whenever I can drop my ad into a place where I know people were either searching or talking about something totally related to what I’m selling, we have super clear intent.
I love that. That’s my beef with ad platforms, the native ad platforms that we’ll talk about in a second or advertising general traffic on the CNNs of the world, is it’s not targeted. The intent is not there. When I can advertise in a platform where there’s clear intent and what they are interested and I drop my messages there, I love it.
Snapchat, still a ton of great deals. I don’t know where Snapchat is going to go but right now, lots of great advertising deals there. Quora.com. Quora is a fascinating one. They recently went public. They’re growing like crazy. If you use Google, I’d be shocked if you haven’t seen Quora. It’s a monstrous Q&A website.
They too have launched an ad platform. Again, like Reddit, it’s very intent-based. You can say, “Hey, people who have asked these questions or asked questions about blah, I want them to see my ad.” If they’re asking a specific question that relates to your product, boom! You want to have your product in front of them on that.
What I like about Quora is not only people asking questions, but when somebody ask a question and a thread grows, the amount of traffic that then can come out of Google because Google seems to love Quora. As a result Quora has a lot of potential there as well.
Retargeting, remarketing, whatever you want to call it is going to continue to grow and evolve. It’s a fascinating time for retargeting. Just refresher, retargeting is when somebody come and visits your website doesn’t buy or take action and then you display ads to them following them around another website. That’s remarketing.
You can do that on Facebook. You can do that across tons of different websites, native network, stuff like that. Retargeting is amazing because you’re showing your ads to people that were obviously interested because they came to your website.
What we’re going to start to see in 2019 is the evolution of more sophisticated retargeting a cross-device, cross-channel, cross-browser retargeting, all these different things. Retargeting is going to continue to evolve as will native ads. Native ads have got a heck of a job ahead of them.
The native ad networks are definitely very effective. They’ve been massively abused by deceitful advertisers. We’ve all seen those scummy ads on the major new sites, stuff like that. That’s people abusing the native networks. Native ads are going to continue to evolve as they look for ways to be effective. If you’re in a more general market, always worth a shot.
That being said, one of the biggest challenges with native ads or any type of nontraditional ad, native ads that are a simple ad embedded in a website, no problem. One of the biggest problems with display ads that we’re going to see over the coming years is anything that is less intrusive will be fine, but anything that’s more intrusive is going to be blocked.
All of the browsers are rolling out more advanced ad blocking. Autoplay videos, won’t be any more of those. Dropdowns that take over your screen, and things like that are blocked, going to be gone.
Last other great traffic source, guys, podcasts. Podcasts are an amazing sources. There are so many great opportunities out there to start building podcasts in so many different niches. Where they don’t even currently exist or there’s very few.
Look, podcasting is not hard. Anybody can create a podcast. I believe there are still a ton of untapped niche opportunities there. Podcast is becoming the new radio. I don’t listen to radio anymore. I listen to podcasts, full stop. I can’t count how many people I know that are exactly the same and it’s going to continue to evolve.
Little summary of traffic here. Of all the things I’ve just said to you and all these different traffic sources, the most important message that you need to take away is this.
Focus where your audience is listening, where they are actively interested and talking about what you have. The bottom line is, is I talk about these platforms and I say, “Oh, there’s Reddit, there’s Quora, there’s Facebook, there’s all these things.”
People get excited and they rush over there, but they never stop to ask the question of, “Well, is my market actually there?” Because if your market is not there, you shouldn’t be there. Focus where your market is. Master those traffic sources. Build your audiences while it is still cheap. We live in this amazing time right now where social media platforms are still figuring themselves out.
We can go and set up Instagram channels and YouTube channels and Facebook pages and groups. We can start cultivating and building audiences for pennies. It’s incredible how cheap it is to build audiences of people. As things evolve, they get more expensive. Today should be about building those audiences, investing your time in building content, getting it out there, building those audiences, and then engaging those audiences.
In order to do that though, that brings us to number three, if you want to be successful in building your audiences, you have to have a voice. You have to take a stand. You have to stand for something.
You can’t be afraid of offending a few people along the way. In fact, if you don’t offend a few people, you probably aren’t trying hard enough in your niche. You need to have some kind of a voice and to polarize your market and take a stand.
That’s why you see some of these massive influencers, the guys like the Gary Vs of the world or the big YouTubers that have huge followings. They take stands. They have opinions. They’re on one side of an issue. They’re not trying to bridge both sides of an issue. You know what? They’re going to piss some people off and that’s okay. Because the people they don’t piss off are the people that agree with them.
When they agree with them, they love them. Have a voice. If you’re on social, don’t be vanilla. Also remember, content doesn’t have to be perfect, just has to be. One of the examples I love to give here is Gary V, Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary is a content behemoth.
Now, Gary has built up Vayner Media, huge company offices all over the world. He has a team of people that all they do now is produce content of him, getting his content everywhere, building it. He does a fantastic job of that. Now, we don’t need teams of people, we all have a device just sitting, recording, talk about something, build your channels. You can do this. You don’t have to have a big team.
The reason I’m pointing out Gary V. though is because if you ever listen to his content, you see his content, it’s not polished, it’s not super professional. It’s candid. It’s him. His podcast, if you’ve ever listened to his podcast which is one of the top podcast out there, tons of listeners, half the time, he’ll be in a meeting talking to somebody, he records it because he’s coaching somebody. Then he throws it up as a podcast. He takes past talks he’s done. He throws them up as podcasts.
It’s not polished, doesn’t have fancy editing or anything. It’s just him authentically talking about stuff, and people love that. Doesn’t have to be perfect, just has to be, get it out there.
Now, as we shift away from traffic, let’s talk about conversion. How do we take that traffic and how do we turn it into sales? The reason I brought this up in this webinar is it’s real simple, because I get these questions all the time.
There’s actually three questions I get it every year is, number one, is email marketing dead? Email marketing is dead. It’s dead, right? It’s gone. It’s dead. Nobody uses email anymore. Email marketing is dead? That’s the questions I get. Are websites dead? Do we need websites anymore? Are they dead? Then, the latest one that’s been coming up are, are sales funnels dead?
Let me address these questions, because it’s freaking nonsense. Let’s talk about email marketing. Is email marketing dead? I just pulled some recent stats on email, which actually compared it directly to Facebook. Let’s have a little look here. We have total users, email, 2.6 billion, like everybody on the internet. Then, Facebook, 1.7 billion. Okay, so we’re winning on email.
First online check of the day, 58% of people, email, 11% Facebook. People that use the channel daily, 91% of people use their email daily, 57% use Facebook. People which prefer it for permission based promotions, most people prefer it. 77% of people say they prefer getting promotions by email. 4%, via Facebook.
Where do people check for deals from companies they know? 44% email, 4% Facebook. People that have made up purchase as a result of marketing through a channel, 66% have made a purchase from email, 20% from Facebook.
Your email list, you own it, Facebook can be terminated. Is email marketing dead? Absolutely not. It’s funny, when people ask me, “Well, is email dead? I mean, Facebook. Everybody uses Facebook.” I always look at them and go … There’s a questions I always ask, “Look, if Facebook has a really important announcement to send to you, how do they send it to you?” The person says to me, “Well, via email.”
I’m like, “Yeah, right? Do they send it via Messenger?” “No. They send it via email.” Even when Facebook has an important message to send, they send it via email. Email is still the number one communication platform for marketers.
The only exception to that is in China where WeChat is gaining dominance for sure. Even there, everybody has email. Email is still king. It’s the highest response of all my channels for direct response marketing. Email wins every single time. If you think about every big company that you’ve subscribed to, market that you subscribed to, email is one of their biggest channels. Email is not dead. It’s never going to be … I don’t want to say never.
I don’t see it ever going away in the foreseeable future. Remember, an old saying, “The money is still in the list.” One of the biggest flaws I saw with this whole low quality commerce drop shipping stuff like that is people were just selling products, but they were never worried about building a database. They were just looking for the next sale. That’s a very short term business model.
If you want to succeed, it’s about building a targeted list of people, building a relationship with them and then being able to communicate with them and make offers to those people. That is the magic, becoming the trusted advisor to that list.
The most valuable asset you’re ever going to build is an email list. Once you have a response of email list that is listening to you, it’s like a license to print money because if you launch a new product, you don’t have to go up there and find new sources of traffic. You simply sit down and you write an email, and boom! You immediately start making sales.
The money is in the list.
Now, let’s move to the next question which was, are websites dead? Most people say, “Well, why do I need a website when I could just have a Facebook page?” The fact of the matter is, you do not own Facebook. You do not own your Facebook page.
I have seen numerous businesses, people over the year who one day logged on and their Facebook page was shut down for some bizarre obscure policy reason. Does it happen often? No, it doesn’t. However you do not own it. You cannot customize it. Facebook can advertise other stuff on your page. They can recommend competitors on your page.
Facebook is not a replacement for your website.
Your website is the property you do own. Facebook is a channel, one of many channels that should be driving traffic and leads to your website, to your business. Your website is your property. It is your real estate that you can do what you want with.
The bottom line is websites aren’t dead. Websites are never going to be dead. Now, is technology evolving? For sure. WordPress is still the dominant platform. I don’t see that disappearing any time soon for building websites. WordPress is amazing. All of my websites are now run on WordPress. I have hundreds of websites, commerce websites, information websites that are running off WordPress.
That being said, some platforms are evolving getting better. Now, I’m not a big fan of the Wix’s, and the Weeblys, and the Foursquares. The reason why is any time I’ve had students that have been using that, eventually they run into a wall.
They’re too restricted by those platforms. The beauty of WordPress is you can make it whatever you want. You can customize it however you want. Now, the only exception as far as a third-party platform that I do see potential in and I do like is Shopify.
If you’re doing straight commerce, you’re selling physical goods, I love Shopify. Shopify is a great platform for that. That said, pairing it with a WordPress website can be useful also. Bottom line is, is you need a website. Websites are not dead.
That brings me to, are sales funnels dead? I love this one. This actually just started popping up. I saw some marketers leveraging this. Sales funnels are dead in 2019.
I’m like, “What are you talking about?” Sales funnels are never going to die, because the sales funnel is just the process that you take people through to get them from just first hearing about you through to becoming your customer and then continuing to buy from you. It’s a process. That’s what a sales funnel is. That’s never going to disappear.
What is happening and what has changed is the good old short click and buy sales funnels are dying. They are fewer and far between. What I mean by that is back in the day, somebody would search something, they click your website and they would buy. That was pretty common.
We’re now in a time and a place where there’s a lot more competition, there’s a lot more options. What I’ve seen is the buying process takes longer. It’s not that the sales funnels are dead. Sales funnels are evolving to support a longer sales sequence, a longer sales process. We got to wine and dine the customer a little longer. We have to build more of a relationship. We have to stand out from the competition.
Realistically, it’s not just click to go to website to buy, it might be click to opt in, to the warm up email sequence, to the webinar and then buy. There’s different processes. Or it could be click to website, they shop around, and then it’s retargeting, and then a follow up, and then they buy.
We’re now in the time of multistep sales funnels. It’s never just two steps anymore. That’s where sales funnels are. They’re evolving as the markets evolve. Sales funnels are not dead.
How do we maximize conversion in 2019? Look, guys, everybody is always looking for the shortcut, the secret. Derek, what’s the secret? There’s no secret. You need a great product, create a great product, take that great product and put it in front of the right customer at the right time when they want it. Then, make sure when you put it in front of them, there’s a well-crafted offer. Great product in front of the right customer at the right time with a well-crafted compelling offer.
That is how you maximize conversion, whether you use Clickfunnels or you use WordPress or you use blue on your landing page or pink on your landing page. All that stuff doesn’t matter if you don’t have a good product, if it’s not in front of the right customer at the right time with a well-crafted offer. Full stop, that’s it, bottom line. People are always looking for the secret, but that’s it guys. That is it.
The number one skill to maximize conversion is understanding the psychology of selling. It’s funny, I see how many people jump on board. I’ll use Clickfunnels as an example. I’m not beating on Clickfunnels. I like Clickfunnels, great product.
So many people, they see Clickfunnels as the Holy Grail. It’s going to solve all their conversion issues. I look and go, “No, it’s not.” That’s just a tool. You still have to have a great offer. You have to have a great product. You have to have a compelling sales copy, and then you use Clickfunnels to deliver that.
Clickfunnels is not going to help you understand the psychology of selling. Sure, they have some templates and stuff like that. They’re not going to be perfect for your business. You need to come up with your own offer, your own product, your own ad copy, your own messaging. If you want to succeed in any business at any time, you need to learn the psychology of selling.
You need to learn the sequence of a good sales process. If there was one skill that you could take away that I would say would be the absolute most important skill to at least start to study so you have a basic understanding, even if you’re not going to master it, is you have to have an understanding of sales copy, sales letters, how to write them well.
Because when you go out and start studying how to write sales copy, how a good sales letter or sales sequence works and you learn from the big copywriters, the Dan Kennedys of the world , it changes the way you think.
It changes how you think about authors. Once you understand that psychology, and that’s what ad copy is, really comes down to. It’s using words to convince people to take an action. The words on their own don’t really mean anything unless you understand the psychology behind said words, the sequence, all of the things that convince people to buy. If there’s one book you haven’t read, I put on your list for this year’s; “Influence” by Robert Cialdini.
Because, again, that is the psychology of selling distilled down into I believe six different traits. Look, if there’s one thing you’re going to master, if you’ve been struggling, you’re not getting good results and you know SEO, you know how to drive traffic, you know all the stuff, take some time this year and start learning how to craft ad copy.
If you’re not a great writer, that’s fine. By studying this, you can either hire people or you can rough it out and hire somebody to polish it for you. You’re going to have a much better understanding of how to sell your product. All the tools, Clickfunnels, all that crap, not going to do it for you. You need to understand how to sell. Then, layer that on top of all these tools and you’re going to be successful.
That now brings me to the final section of this 2019 update. The number one mistake in 2019 is, mindset. It’s never learning to think and act like a successful entrepreneur. If you want to succeed at this whole entrepreneur thing, maybe you already are.
If you are, pat yourself on the back. This might be a great reminder for you. If you’re struggling and your trying to build something and you’re just not quite getting there, one of the biggest reasons I see people fail at starting online businesses or succeeding at this whole online entrepreneur thing typically has nothing to do with their training, their skills, their product, stuff like that.
It’s the wrong mindset, full stop.
What is the right mindset? I started to break it down. I think it really comes down to these things. First of all, entrepreneurs are people that have a vision. They have a plan and they set goals. They set goals and then they work towards achieving those goals. So many people have said, “Oh, I want to have an online business. I’m going to have a website,” but they never sit down and build a plan and then set goals along the way that they have to hit to achieve that plan.
I love this saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” You need a plan. There’s a million different goal setting strategies and systems out there. I use one from Verne Harnish.
I got one of his books out there on setting goals, setting our BHAGs, our annual goals, our quarterly goals, our weekly goals. In fact, I just spent the last week meeting with my different team members and setting goals and mapping out the year. If you just let life happen to you, your chances of succeeding are slim to none.
You need a plan. You need to set those goals. Then once you set those goals, you need to find ways to hold yourself accountable for hitting those goals and also for the results. One of the biggest mistakes I see and I hear is people say, “Oh, I couldn’t do it because of this or that.” They’re blaming all of these different things.
The only reason you don’t hit your goals, that you’re not achieving what you want in your life is because you have not made a plan and held yourself accountable to hitting that plan. When things go wrong, you do, “Oh, it was this, it was that, it was this.” You don’t look inwards and go, “Hey, what can I do to avoid that?” You need to hold yourself accountable.
I’ll be honest. I’m sick and tired of hearing people say, “Oh yeah, I wanted to start a business online. I started my website, but I got really busy.” Well, to put it bluntly, everybody is busy. You got to find a way to make the time, to set that time aside.
I hear it all the time, people say, “Oh, I was really busy. I didn’t have the time. This gotten in the way.” I say, “Hey, did you watch Game of Thrones this year?” They go, “Yeah, I watched the Game of Thrones.” I said, “Yeah, great. Well, there was 10 hours. Did you watch this?” “Yeah, I watched that series.”
Cancel your Netflix account. Cancel your cable. We all have time. You have to make the time and then find ways to be accountable to hitting those goals. Then, stay focused. The other big mistake that I see people make is they’re not focused. They’re trying to do a dozen different things. They’re always chasing the next shiny object.
I always call it shiny object syndrome. I see it so rampant with entrepreneurs where I watch entrepreneurs that are the next … Cryptocurrency was the perfect example. People that were working on all these viable businesses were making the money and growing, and then they’re like, whoop! Bitcoin is the next greatest thing, and that’s where their focus was.
Meanwhile, over everything over here was suffering. Stay focused. A good business does not happen overnight. It takes time. It takes focus. It takes perseverance. It takes patience. Patience is key.
I can’t tell you how often I hear from somebody that says, “I put up a landing page. I put up a squeeze page. I put up an offer. I run a Facebook ad and I didn’t make any money. This doesn’t work.” I’m like, are you kidding me? Do you know how many Facebook ads I have to run sometimes before it actually does make money? That’s all part of the process.
You need to be patient. You need to understand that this is going to take some time. Now, you see on my slide here, I said be patient and I said sometimes. Because there’s other times where you don’t want to be patient. When you’re waiting for somebody to deliver something, when you’re trying to get something done, patience is not a virtue. I’m not a patient person. I want stuff done and I want it done now. That’s cool.
There’s other times where I have to say, “Okay, this is going to take some time.” If I’m not patient, I’ll walk away from a great opportunity because I wasn’t willing to put the time in to see it through the fruition. As entrepreneurs, we need to be willing to embrace failure.
I can’t count the number of times somebody says to me, “Oh, I tried that internet thing, I put up a website, drew some traffic, that didn’t work. I gave up.” I shake my head because if I gave up every time a website I put up didn’t work, I would have never started. Every entrepreneur I know has more stories of failures than they do successes.
It’s all those little failures that led to the big success finally. Every time you try something and it doesn’t work, you’ve now learned something and you’re one step closer to succeeding but you got to get off your ass and be willing to fail, to take those risks, to try those things.
I look at people who are like, “Whoa, I don’t want to spend $100 on this Facebook ad.” Meanwhile, they go out and they spend $200 buying the new pair of Nikes that they don’t really need. What’s going on with that? You got to think this through. Be willing to invest, to try some things.
The next time you’re looking at, oh, maybe spending $50 or $100 or $200 on your business and you’re feeling uncomfortable about it, think about the last stupid thing you bought for $200.
You might be like, “Yeah, okay, good point.” Invest in learning. I constantly invest in learning. Find mentors. Find people that have already solved the problem and learn how they solved it. Quit reinventing the wheel.
The best investment you can make that you will never lose on is training, learning the skills, learning from different people. That is going to get you a long, long ways.
Guys, go out there. Be bold. Don’t be shy. Don’t be afraid to make people mad, to piss off people in your market. You got to be okay with that. This goes back to what I was talking about a few slides back about having a voice, polarizing your audience, taking a stand.
Every single successful entrepreneur I know in a niche has taken a stand. There’s people that love them and there’s people that dislike them and some cases hate them. That is okay, because the people that love you will really love you.
At the end of the day, and I’m not going to get political here, but if we look at the U.S. elections. I’m Canadian, just pointing on a record here, I’m not American. If we look at the U.S. elections, that’s exactly what Trump did. Trump went in and he polarized the entire population of the U.S. The people that loved him were raving fans during the election, absolute raving fans.
The people that didn’t like him had a visceral reaction, but worked for him. He won that election.
In a market, be bold. Take a stand. You’re going to upset some people, but you’re going to resonate with the people that are going to become your customers. Finally, guys, learn to sell. Learn the psychology of selling. Study how to sell. No business can succeed if they don’t understand how to sell.
When I say sell, I mean it’s a combination of marketing, selling. Taking people that don’t know you through a process where they’re willing to now pull out their wallet and invest in whatever it is you have to offer. Selling has been studied for the last century.
There are amazing books out there, Influence. Read the different copywriting books. Understand the psychology of selling. Once you do, you’re going to be able to craft and position offers and make money anywhere, full stop. Learn to sell.
On that note, guys, I hope you guys have taken something out of this webinar. I put you on a track for 2019. Just to wrap up, I want to leave you with what would be my hands down favorite entrepreneurship quote because I truly believe this is so true. That is this, “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”
It’s funny, we don’t become entrepreneurs because it’s the easy decision today. That’s not why we do it. We become entrepreneurs, we build these online businesses or any businesses for that matter because they give us a pathway forward so we can live incredible lives much sooner than everybody else.
When everybody else is still working at their job, trudging along towards retirement, you’ve made it well before them and you’re living a life they could never dream about. That is why we do it. The reality is, guys, is you got to have the mindset aligned. You have to be thinking in the right direction.
Once that mindset is there, you have the right products, the right training, and the right skills. The sky’s the limit as long as you persevere. There you go, guys. There’s my update for 2019. Go forth, make 2019 an extraordinary year for you.
I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment over on our Facebook page. If you’re not already engaged here, come see us there. My YouTube channel, projectignite.com, you know all the places you can find me.
There you go, guys. Have a great, great year.
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« Matt Duffy Is Doing Everything He Can to Take Casey McGehee’s Job
San Francisco Giants 2015 Minor League Update, Part 2: AA Richmond Flying Squirrels »
San Francisco Giants Minor League Update, Part 1: AAA Sacramento River Cats
We are now more than 40 games into the the full-season minor league seasons, so it’s a good time for an update on what is going on down on the Giants’ farm. I will start with the AAA Sacramento River Cats, who are 21-24 and in second place in the Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division (that’s a mouth full).
The best hitter on the 2015 River Cats so far is clearly Adam Duvall, who is hitting .322 with a .970 OPS. He has the 6th best OPS in the PCL, he’s 4th in RBIs with 37 and 2nd with 12 dingers.
The problem for Duvall is that he is a man without a position. He doesn’t play major league defense at 3B, the position he plays mostly at Sacramento. He can play first base, but he isn’t going to take playing time away from Brandon Belt and Buster Posey in San Francisco. If he could play left field, he could possibly help the Giants as a right-handed bat off the bench. However, with only two games in left field in his professional career, it seems doubtful he can play the outfield except in an absolute emergency.
Duvall turns 27 in September, and, as a result, it’s looking an awful lot like Duvall”s best professional future is in South Korea or Japan, where he could play 1B as an everyday player.
Ehire Adrianze leads the River Cats with a .417 on-base percentage, and his .875 OPS in 22 games is terrific for a middle infielder. I was amazed when the Giants passed Ehire through waivers in order to send him back to the minors (he’s out of options) and nobody claimed him. Good fielding middle infielders who get on base have a lot of value, and he had to better than at least one back-up middle infielder who started the season on a major league club.
Adrianze has only played in about half of the River Cats games, but I’m not sure if he was hurt earlier this spring. He may have just been stuck in designated for assignment (“DFA”) limbo when the Giants had to pass him through waivers. It’s a tough and unfair situation for many marginal major leaguers who have to sit and wait instead of immediately going to the minor leagues to play so they can earn a shot back to the majors. According to something I read on mlbtraderumors.com earlier this year, the length that DFA’ed players have to sit is a subject that will be raised when the players and owners negotiate the next collective bargaining agreement.
Jarrett Parker is also playing well this spring. He has an .867 OPS in 40 games. However, he’s now 26 years old, and he still strikes out too much.
26 year old CF/RF Brett Jackson currently has a a .374 OBP and an .831 OPS. I don’t know whether he can play center field at the major league level — if he can, he may yet have a major league future.
The River Cats’ starting rotation is largely filled with veteran minor league players, and no one has been particularly impressive. Ty Blach and Robert Cuello have been the most impressive so far.
Blach is still only 24 years old, but he’s a control pitcher who probably doesn’t have major league stuff, per a pitching line of 55.1 IP, 65 hits and six BBs allowed and 31 Ks. Cuello has a 3.44 ERA and 40 Ks in 52.1 IP, so he would probably be the guy to be called up if the Giants need a spot starter in the near future. However, he is 30 this year, so he’s pushing it age-wise.
On the other hand, the River Cats’ bullpen is terrific. All of Mike Broadway, Hunter Strickland, Erik Cordier, Cody Hall, Steven Okert and Curtis Patch have pitched extremely well with low ERAs and high strikeout rates.
Strickland was called up during the Memorial Day Weekend to be the 26th man on the roster for a doubleheader in Colorado. He pitched so well in a two inning stint, the Giants decided to keep him and designate Casey McGehee for assignment instead.
The Giants are currently carrying 13 pitchers, so you have to figure that Jean Machi‘s and Jeremy Affeldt’s roster spots are none too secure. My guess is that Machi will be the one sent down when the Giants decide they need a 13th position player on the roster.
Meanwhile, Erik Cordier is another guy caught in DFA limbo because he’s got a major league contract but the Giants don’t have a roster spot for him.
Explore posts in the same categories: Minor Leagues, San Francisco Giants
This entry was posted on May 26, 2015 at 8:28 pm and is filed under Minor Leagues, San Francisco Giants. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
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‘Cocaine Mitch’ McConnell Shifts His Focus to Hemp During Lame-Duck
Non-intoxicating hemp, a close cousin of marijuana, is an industry ripe for growth in Kentucky, and the Senate majority leader is looking to remove it from a “controlled substances” list.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is hoping to remove hemp, a non-intoxicating cousin to marijuana, from the federal government’s list of controlled substances during the lame-duck session of Congress next month.
The move will likely be part of the long-negotiated farm bill, a proposal expected to cost $900 billion over 10 years, that Republicans and Democrats have been working on for months. It also has strong backers in McConnell’s home state of Kentucky.
Kentucky has emerged as a leader in developing a hemp industry and as a place where legalizing the crop went from a fringe issue to a mainstream cause. Fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Republican U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie and James Comer are strong supporters, too.
But it’s McConnell’s backing that has put the long-banned crop on the verge of winning a full pardon.
Growing hemp without a permit was banned decades ago, according to the Associated Press. That was due to its classification as a controlled substance closely related to marijuana. But hemp has “negligible amount of THC, the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users a high.” And that’s the reason advocates believe it should no longer be classified as a controlled substance.
The crop was historically used for rope but has many other uses, including clothing and mulch from the fiber; hemp milk and cooking oil from the seeds; and soap and lotions. Other uses include building materials, animal bedding and biofuels. Hemp-derived cannabidiol, or CBD oil, as a health product has become an increasingly large market.
Hemp advocates are optimistic that McConnell, who earned the nickname “Cocaine Mitch” earlier this year from ex-convict and failed West Virginia Senate candidate Don Blankenship, will be able to get the hemp provision across the finish line.
“We are very fortunate to have Sen. McConnell as our top advocate in Congress,” said the president of hemp advocacy group Vote Hemp.
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Far-Left Dems Are Revolting Against Pelosi’s Impeachment Position
The effort is being led by Rep. Al Green, who is working to bring another impeachment vote to the House floor.
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told the Washington Post Magazine earlier this week that President Trump’s “just not worth” impeaching, she perhaps inadvertently set off a firestorm among the far-left liberals in Congress.
A vocal minority of Pelosi’s caucus routinely focus on impeachment during media appearances and on social media, and it is those individuals who are crying out in response to her latest claim that she will not pursue impeachment.
The group is being led by Rep. Al Green (D-TX), who brought an impeachment vote to the House floor in 2017. It was soundly defeated, 364-58. But the new Congress sworn in this past January gave Democrats the majority and a bit more leverage.
Green claimed he would not address Pelosi’s statement directly, but he took not-so-veiled shots at the speaker in the hours after her interview broke:
“This is a sad set of circumstances when we conclude ‘it’s not worth it’ to impeach a bigoted president who is causing harm to a society,” Green said on C-SPAN Tuesday morning.
Green cited bigotry and a slew of offensive comments and controversial policy choices Trump has made over his first two years in office as the primary reasons to impeach the president. But he also pointed to potential obstruction of justice, including referencing Trump’s firing of now-former FBI Director James Comey.
“I won’t address Speaker Pelosi, but here’s what I will address: There are opinion-makers and opinion-shapers who want to maintain the status quo,” Green said in the interview. “For them, bigotry is a talking point, not an action item. It’s an action item for me.”
If Green is successful in bringing an impeachment vote to the House floor yet again, it could cause more headaches for House Democratic leadership, most of whom do not want to act on impeachment until Special Counsel Robert Mueller concludes his investigation into the Trump organization’s alleged collusion with Russia.
But Green is not alone. Liberal billionaire environmentalist and megadonor Tom Steyer, who has spent millions on a public relations campaign to raise support for impeachment, penned an op-ed in USA Today Wednesday arguing that the country “need[s] patriots to step up to protect our nation and laws.” He believes Pelosi is in the wrong when she says Trump isn’t worth impeaching. Here’s an excerpt from his op-ed:
We have never before had a president who so plainly deserves to be impeached. But beyond that, if Congress neglects its duty to do so, it will have catastrophic consequences for our nation — setting a terrible precedent, undermining our constitutional system, and leaving it vulnerable to deeper damage.
Liberal firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also told CNN’s Manu Raju that she does not agree with Pelosi’s assessment on impeachment.
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TX Big Star
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi
Our Board of Trustees is comprised of dedicated, ambitious, and community-minded volunteers. The Foundation Board oversees the operations and management of the organization. The diverse group of community leaders brings valuable expertise and passion to The North Texas Community Giving Foundation.
Mike Barber
Chair and Founding Trustee
Mike is a Frisco resident since 2001 and a proud graduate of Leadership Frisco Class XVII. Licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Mike is a founding partner of BKM Sowan Horan, a successful public accounting firm based in Addison, TX. He has over 17 years of experience in public accounting and provides exceptional client service in the assurance and tax service areas for companies in a variety of industries, including healthcare, financial services, oil and gas, and real estate. Mike received a Master in Professional Accounting and Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Texas in Austin. He enjoys golf and anything active, along with spending time with his wife (Melissa) and kids (Sophie and Zander).
Shannon Swarbrick
Vice Chair and Trustee
Shannon is a professional volunteer, soccer mom and business owner of Dallas Closet Design. She has significant experience in the Non-profit sector, including fundraising, marketing and volunteer management. She has worked for the American Cancer Society for the bulk of her career raising millions of dollars through sponsorship and events to help find a cure cancer. Most recently Shannon was a founding board member of Hope Park Frisco, a 15,000 square foot park built to suit the needs of all children, with a focused consideration for children with special needs. These opportunities introduced her to new people, unique concepts and the amazing power of teamwork. Shannon will be assisting NTXCF in strengthening their financial base and coordinating events.
Dustin Paschal
Secretary & Trustee
Although Dustin is not a Frisco resident, he has a love for all things suburban. He was born and raised in a Dallas suburb and his father is a longtime Allen firefighter. After graduating from Baylor University and Baylor Law School, Dallas returned to Dallas and began practicing employment law. Dustin now practices employment and business law at Simon | Paschal PLLC, a North Dallas-based law firm he co-founded. Dustin spends a great deal of time in Collin County and Frisco as a result of his law practice and various organizations of which he is a part. Dustin has experience with various boards, including non-profits, and also currently serves on the DallasHR Board of Directors. Dustin enjoys traveling with his wife, eating good food and hopes to get back to the 'burbs soon!
Erin Minett Hutto
Treasurer and Founding Trustee
Erin is a lifelong resident of Frisco and is a graduate of Leadership Frisco Class XVII. She is an attorney at Gay, McCall, Isaacks, Gordon & Roberts in downtown Plano where she represents Collin County and many Collin County taxing entities in the collection of delinquent ad valorem taxes. Erin received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas and her JD from Baylor Law School. She enjoys spending time with family, dabbling in photography and collecting stamps in her passport.
Brandon Burden
Founding Trustee
Brandon is a 17 year veteran of the insurance world and currently enjoys helping his clients protect the most important things in life, their families and their property. He owns a Farmers Insurance Agency and primarily focuses on home, auto, commercial and life insurance. Brandon has achieved his Eagle Scout Rank and he is also a graduate of Leadership Frisco Class XVII. He also enjoys spending time with his family, the great outdoors, golf, snow skiing and attending football games at the University of Oklahoma during the fall.
Ann Harris
Ann, wife of former NBA Coach Del Harris, has played an active role in her community. Besides philanthropic giving through their foundation, Ann volunteers her time to various local charities. She has been involved in City, County and FISD School Board elections and serves as a neighborhood representative on her HOA. She and Del served as the Development Chairs for the Frisco expansion of City House, a Transitional Living Program serving homeless teens 18-21 years old. In 2013, Ann was selected as one of the Top Ten Women in Collin County representing City House. Ann is a cofounder of The Frisco Giving Tree. Since its inception in 2012, this group has given over $150,000 to families and others in Frisco who are in crisis. In 2016, Ann received the Spirit of Frisco Award from the Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Spirit of Collaboration Award by the Junior League of Collin County. As a breast cancer survivor, Ann is honored to be on the host committee for Ladies Night Out for A Purpose to bring awareness, and raise funds so that one hundred uninsured women can get a free mammogram. In 2018, she was honored to receive the first Women of Hope 2018 Founders Award from the National Breast Cancer Foundation. When she is not volunteering Ann enjoys spending time with her husband, Del, son Dominic, and two adopted dogs, Dino and Amore.
Randy Nichols
Randy is Co-Founder of Accredited Fiduciary Advisors, LLC., and Mossakowski & Nichols Wealth Management, LLC. He is a graduate of the University of North Texas and has advanced industry designations from the American College and has earned his Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation. Randy specializes in working with the owners and families of privately held businesses and plan sponsors of company qualified plans, holds many securities licenses and is a licensed life and health professional. He is a board member of the Frisco Chamber of Commerce and is an Advisory Board Member of City House. Randy was one of the founding members of the El Paso Sunturian’s PasoPort Education Program for financially disadvantaged, intellectually gifted, minority students.
Jules Simon
Marketing Chair and Founding Trustee
Jules is a founding member and Trustee of the North Texas Community Giving Foundation (NTXCF) and holds the role of Marketing Chair in the organization and for the Texas Big Star Half & 5K -- the foundation’s primary fundraising event. She’s a marketing professional with over 15-years experience in advertising, branding, events and project management working in start-ups to large enterprise segments. Currently, she serves as Marketing Director at Mavenir in Richardson, Texas.
Jules graduated from Hope College in Holland, Michigan with a Business Management degree. She a sustainer in the Junior League of Collin County and active in the Frisco Triathlon Club, Frisco Running Club, and a graduate of Frisco Leadership Class XVII.
General Counsel and Founding Trustee
Paul is a Founding Trustee of the North Texas Community Giving Foundation (NTXCF). As a practicing attorney, Paul is responsible for much of the legal work for NTXCF. Paul is a founding member of Simon | Paschal PLLC, a business and employment law firm located in Dallas, Texas. He is also very involved in the legal community. Paul has served as the Chairman of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers’ Foundation, a 501(c)(3), and President of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers.
Paul graduated from Michigan State University College of Law. Paul actively supports his wife’s love for running and he has watched six full marathons and multiple Ironmen races. Paul serves as the race director of the Texas Big Star Half Marathon & 5K.
Heather Bowers
Heather grew up in Carrollton, TX but has lived in Frisco with her husband and two children since 2005. She loves having her group insurance agency, Lone Star Benefits, Inc., headquartered in a 100 year old house in the heart of Downtown Frisco. Heather first joined Lone Star Benefits in 2000 and her days are full of guiding her clients through the complexities of the ever-changing Affordable Care Act while providing them with a white-glove service on their day to day benefits administration. During her time in Frisco, Heather has served on the Board of various non-profits as she has a huge heart for the mission of non-profits and their desire to make a difference in the community. When she’s not at work or volunteering, you can find Heather spending time with her family, lifting weights or sitting on a beach in the Caribbean listening to Reggae music.
Christi Malvezzi
Christi relocated to Dallas after graduate school and is a proud Texan, having served on several nonprofit boards in both Dallas and Austin. Her 20+ years of experience in marketing, branding and international project management began at PepsiCo / YUM Brands. She received a BSJ in Advertising from the University of Kansas and Master of Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University, and has been fortunate to apply her business experience in the nonprofit sector.
A current board member of the Dallas Texans Soccer Club, Christi was named 2018 National Club Administrator of the Year by US Soccer. She was also a founding board member and Executive Director of Chefs for Humanity, and has served on the North Texas Community Giving Foundation board for the past two years. In her spare time, Christi enjoys traveling, spending time with her kids and cheering for the Boston University Terriers soccer team.
© 2019 North Texas Community Giving Foundation | Website Donated by Grassfed Digital
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How corruption can distort your state's budget and economy
By David Sirota , written on June 19, 2014
As regular Pando readers know, I’ve spent the last few months digging through financial documents and political disclosures from some of the most notoriously corrupt political arenas in America. From Kentucky to New Jersey to Chicago, these are places known in the political world as the lowest of the low.
It's hard to find a state that isn't affected by the blight of political corruption. My journey to Southland last week, for example, took prompted me to take a look at the state of Tennessee. Surprisingly, a 2010 Daily Beast analysis compiling data about convictions on charges of public corruption, racketeering, extortion, forgery, counterfeiting, fraud, and embezzlement, ranked the Volunteer State as America’s most corrupt. And while it is true that other studies have shown different rankings for Tennessee, there’s little debate that the state has had its share of serious corruption troubles.
The questions is this: does political corruption affect a region’s ability to realize that potential? A new study suggests the answer is yes, assuming you believe in the “brain hub” theory about a connection between a community’s commitment to education and its likelihood of becoming a center of innovation.
The analysis (first flagged by Governing) comes from researchers at Indiana University and University of Hong Kong. They compared data from 25,000 convictions in public corruption cases with state spending data. The conclusion: in the most "corrupt" states, more money is directed into potentially "bribe-generating" stuff like construction and highway projects, and less money is spent on human-capital investments such as education and health care.
Of course, an earlier study found one other major way a corruption can shape a local economy: through its subsidies. According to that 2011 analysis from researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank and the University of Michigan, “Cities and counties in states with troubled political cultures demonstrate the greatest willingness to offer business development incentives.”
According to the watchdog group Good Jobs First, Tennessee is at the top of the list of states offering so-called “megadeal” subsidies to corporations. Likewise, the Nashville City Paper reports that in the name of economic development, the capital city has been dramatically increasing its subsidies to corporations, including most recently a $65 million outlay for a minor league baseball stadium.
Do those subsidies tend to create technology and innovation hubs? While many locales ramping up their subsidies certainly hope so, the jury is still out. Indeed, there’s plenty of evidence that subsidies do not create the economic development their boosters promise, and that they merely cannibalize already-existing economies. Meanwhile, as we’ve previously documented, a lot of those subsidies end up being awarded to politically connected firms, calling into question whether they are really designed with any kind of coherent economic development plan - technology focused or otherwise.
None of this is black and white, including in Tennessee. The state is, after all, the home of Chattanooga. That city developed a publicly-owned fiber optic system that delivers some of the world’s fastest Internet speeds - and does so at relatively affordable rates for businesses and consumers. As a result, Fortune calls Chattanooga “a center for innovation” and Wired says it may be the next Silicon Valley.
Any state with that potential in its midst can have a bright economic future, and the encouraging news is that what corruption there might be in Tennessee didn't stop Chattanooga's efforts. But the important point is this: while corruption may seem like a purely political problem, it's actually a force that can make or break an entire local economy.
[Editor's note: A previous version of this piece was published early, before completing our full editorial process.]
[Photo by Rob Shenk]
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Problems in research (Optional)
Падение и подъем Иерусалима
Тель-Авивский университет
The destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile were a great catastrophe in the history of the Jewish Nation. What really happened during that dark, fateful age, and how did new opportunities arise from the ashes?
The course is a very welcome addition to some of the others dealing with the ancient near east especially those dealing with the bible, historical jerusalem and so on
Facinating study of a period that was relatively unknown. The information and insight gained makes the reading of the Biblical books more understandable.
Archaeology of the sixth century BCE
After learning of the days of the destruction and the historical role of Gedaliah son of Ahikam, you are invited to watch the lessons of the fifth module, which deals with the archaeology of the Babylonian Period. We will explore the magnificent finds from Ramat Rahel, the stamp impressions and what they can teach us about continuity or discontinuity in this period and the fate of Jerusalem and Judah following the destruction. I also recommend watching the optional videos which deal with additional interesting research topics.
Summary of Week 53:09
Problems in research (Optional)16:50
The rural hinterland of Jerusalem (Dr. Yuval Gadot) (Optional)19:14
Professor Oded Lipschits, Ph.D.
Director, Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology
Выбор языкаАнглийскийАрабскийИвритИспанский
Unlike biblical scholars, historians and archaeologists generally have not focused
their attention on the period of the Babylonian rule in the Land of Israel.
In some of the works, they tend to deal with the Babylonian period in brief,
either as a concluding chapter of the Iron Age, the first temple period,
or as the opening chapter to the Persian Period, which is the second temple period.
Many archaeologists perceive these 65 years as the period when
there was a gap in the material culture in the land of Israel in general, and
in Judah in particular.
This claim is partly true.
The sharp drop in the level of economic activity and the quality of the imperial
government in the Land of Israel during the Babylonian period, seems to be effect.
Which can be understood as the consequence of two fundamental changes
in the nature of the imperial rule administered by Assyria and Babylon.
The duration of existence of each empire, and
the imperialistic approach that was the basis of each empire's rule in Hattu-Land.
Assyria had begun to develop patterns of imperialistic administration in the 9th
century BCE, and continued to refine them until they achieved
their high point in the era of the Pax-Assyriaca in the 7th century BCE.
All in all, these developments lasted about 200 years.
In contrast, the Babylonian Empire grew within a few years from
a disjointed band of cities and tribes fighting for their existence,
and united against the Assyrian conquest, to the status of a colossal empire.
This Empire lasted for a total of approximately 70 years,
from the great victory over Egypt and Assyria in 609 BCE,
until the fall of Babylon at the hands of the Achaemenids in 539 BCE.
A most significant difference between Assyria and Babylon was in
the imperialistic approach that shaped the patterns of government and
establishment of the empire in the lands they each controlled.
Massive destruction and two-way deportation of populations
characterized the Assyrian conquest of the region in the second half of the 8th
century BCE and the establishment of its rule there.
The goal of the Assyrians was to assimilate the nations
under their control, to discard the national and
administrative frameworks that had existed there for centuries,
to crush their national and religious spirit and to create a population
uniform in its characteristics with an Assyrian orientation.
In the first half of the 7th century BCE, the Assyrian kings,
as rulers of the world, used their imperial,
military, and economic interests, along with the same imperialistic approach
to put great effort into the rehabilitation of the provinces and
protectorate kingdoms, the building of a well-ordered governing and
military system, and the establishment of an extensive network of trade.
The Babylonians, by comparison, conquered vast territories whose inhabitants
had just lost their national and cultural identity, and only in the periphery
there remained kingdoms with distinctive national characteristics.
These kingdoms were relatively small, with well-defined political and
religious centers, where the elite resided.
Consequently, the Babylonians were able to establish their rule over those centers or
alternately to destroy them, and to deport only the elite of that nation.
In doing so, they left in place large sectors of the population,
particularly the rural sector, without making any effort to
rehabilitate the economy and the administration.
No evidence has been found of the imperial Babylonian construction
projects throughout the empire or
even the building of a network of border fortresses and way stations.
This may be explained by the short time that
had elapsed from the time Babylon had become an empire.
However, it is more reasonable to assume that in contrast to the Assyrian kings,
Nabopolassar and
Nebuchadrezzar didn't consider themselves rulers of the world, and
didn't develop any imperialistic ideology similar to that of the Assyrian kings.
The consequence was that they didn't invest great resources in establishing
their rule in the areas they conquered.
They didn't formulate an imperialistic system of government and
administration, and they were content with periodic campaigns designed
to guarantee stability of rule and the orderly payment of taxes.
This policy led to a drastic decline throughout the Levant in the economy and
trade, as well as in urban life.
At the same time, one may assume that the Babylonians
allowed the local population in the various regions to live their lives and
even develop, if they had the capability to do so.
It's not hard to understand the sharp drop in the level of economic activity and
the quality of the government in the Land of Israel after the Babylonian conquest.
However, it is doubtful that there was at any time
a sharp encompassing decline in the material-culture throughout the country.
The premise regarding the demographic and material culture gap that
existed throughout the 6th century BCE is too sweeping a generalization.
The archeological studies in Judah have usually been based on destruction layers,
especially in Jerusalem, but also in other cities like Lachish,
military fortresses like Arad, industrial centers like En-Gedi, and
other large and medium sized town and agricultural settlements.
The results of these excavations and surveys have usually been interpreted as
clearly affirming that Judah was almost entirely destroyed and
that its population disappeared from most of the kingdom's territory.
The fact that no administrative documents of any kind have been uncovered from
the days of the Babylonian rule coupled with the sparsity of accounts of
international trade was interpreted as evidence of wretched existence
by a limited population that remained in the Land of Israel during that time.
A direct line can be drawn from Albright's 1949 statement,
I'm quoting, there is not a single known case where a town of Judah
was continuously occupied throughout the exilic period,
end of quote, to the 1991 assessment of Jameson-Drake of,
and I'm quoting, complete societal collapse, end of quote.
And to the title of Ephraim Stern's 2004 paper quoting,
The Babylonian Gap: The Archaeological Reality, end of quoting.
Archaeologists have claimed that, and I'm quoting,
this view is based upon purely archaeological considerations and
is not motivated by hidden ideological considerations, end of quote.
And usually, they use these archaeological facts as a base for
historic reconstruction of the Babylonian gap and
the empty land during the 6th century BCE, until the time
of the return from the exile and the beginning of the Persian period.
Are these, however, purely archaeological considerations?
Can archeology really differentiate
between the material culture from the end of the First Temple period and
the material culture that was used by the people who remained in Judah in the years
afterwards, especially at sites that were not destroyed by the Babylonians?
It seems to me that this archaeological fact
of a total destruction at the beginning of the 6th century BCE is merely
an outcome of historical preconceptions about this period
based on a traditional interpretation of the biblical description.
Professor Bustenai Oded from the University of Haifa was right to claim
that scholars supporting the Myth of the Empty Land as a by-product of
the thesis about mythical ancient Israel have common presumptions, especially
regarding the reliability of the biblical description concerning the destruction and
deportation, which is part of a late myth invented as a political claim.
He's right in his attempt to demonstrate how much the thesis
on the creation of the myth is unacceptable and
not well founded on archaeological ground, and even not on biblical grounds.
However, it seems to me that just as in the case of the different emphasis,
in 2 Kings 25 verses 12 and 22, the school
of scholars supporting the Babylonian gap and
reconstructing a real empty land in Judah during the Exilic period,
are going in the same direction of studying the archaeological finds and
interpreting the text with common presumptions.
These scholars are focusing on the General Impressions from the statements made
by the exiles and returnees in order to base their right on the land,
not using the more delicate research on the different
voices embedded in the biblical descriptions, and
the different and contradicted biblical descriptions of this period.
The fundamental problem with archeological reconstruction of the empty land
is that until now, there has been no archaeological way to differentiate
between the material culture of the early or middle 6th century BCE in Judah, and
the material culture of the last generations before the destruction.
In many respects, since archaeologists have not expected to find the material
culture from the 6th century BCE, this material culture was never discovered,
was not located, and was not identified.
Indeed, it would appear historical considerations are what
stand behind the generalized dating of the destruction layers
in all sites in Judah at approximately 587, 586 BCE.
And these considerations have caused a lack of appropriate attention to
the possibility that part of the population continued to exist in Judah
even after the destruction of Jerusalem.
Even in the analysis of the finds from the survey in the land of Benjamin,
where there is a general consensus among scholars that during the 6th century BCE,
many settlements continued to exist.
The pottery dated to the late First Temple period was considered as
representing only the period before 586 BCE, and the decline
in the setttlement was considered as, and I'm quoting, undoubtedly related
to the destruction of Judah in the early 6th century BCE, end of quote.
Paradoxically, these archaeological assertions have provided material for
historical studies which are based on dating the strata of destruction to create
a historical profile of the Babylonian destruction throughout the Land of Israel.
Furthermore, no archeologists could, or have even tried,
to demonstrate from the archeological perspective,
any kind of Mass Return at the beginning of the Persian period
as described in the introductory section in the book of Ezra-Nehemiah.
The Mass Return had to be well attested in any case of Mass Deportation and
Empty Land, as indicated in Ezra 1-6, according to which
some 50,000 immigrants returned to Judah at the very
beginning of the Persian period with the support of the imperial authorities.
The current indication for the continuity of material culture, economy and
administration, not only from the late Iron Age to the Exilic period, but
also to the Persian period as presented in this part of the course,
force us to see the 6th century BCE as a period when,
despite the destructions and deportations,
despite the gap in the history of Jerusalem and the Temple, despite the move
of the social and religious center of gravity from Judah to Babylon,
Judahite life continued in Judah, and in many aspects continued in a way very
similar to what we know about Judah before the 586 BCE destruction.
It seems to me that while studying the Babylonian Period,
a very detailed and careful examination of different regions
is essential from the methodological point of view.
By studying archaeological material in this way,
even the most enthusiastic supporters of the Empty Land and
the Babylonian Gap theses could not assume that Judah was a truly vacant area.
Putting aside unacceptable theories that deny the destruction of Jerusalem and
its consequences, what then is the essential difference between scholars who
belong to this Empty Land and Babylonian Gap school, and the way I have presented
the situation in Judah under Babylonian rule in this part of the course?
I believe that like the two voices that can be found in the biblical
description of this period, on the one hand,
agreeing that Judah was not entirely voided of its population, but
on the other, at odds about where the true Judah actually was.
So too the problem with the interpretation of the archaeological finds
is the question of focus and scope.
Is the cup half full or half empty?
Scholars concur that the Babylonians caused major destruction in Judah,
deported part of the population, turned the vassal kingdom into a province, and
moved its capital from Jerusalem to Mizpah.
The problem is the scope of the destruction caused by the Babylonians.
The scope of the deportation and the scope of the population that was left behind.
I hope that the middle path I've suggested here, backed up with additional
archaeological data discovered in recent years, especially in my site,
Ramat Rahel, and with some further studies that shed new light on the history,
administration, economy and material culture of Judah in the 6th century BCE,
will open the way for further refined observations, both in biblical and
archeological research, and will give this important period in
the history of Judah and its land the place it rightly deserves.
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Ablating
Ultrafast Cutting
Shape Setting
Thin Wall Tubing
Lightspeed development
3-D Ablating
Small Diameter Welding
Wire Stripping
prime laser cut
Cut to Length
Interrupted Spiral Cut
Puzzle Cut
medelec swiss precision tubing
Marker Bands
Thin Wall Precision Tubes
custom laser systems
Resonetics is a leader in laser micro manufacturing for the life sciences. Core capabilities include laser ablating, cutting, drilling, and welding; nitinol laser cutting, shape setting, and electropolishing; and thin-wall tube fabrication. Our team makes millions of life-changing device components a year. Our passion for innovating compliments our customers’ mission for improving and saving lives. Together, we collaborate to solve complex challenges and develop the next generation of life science devices.
For over 30 years, Resonetics has been a pioneer in laser micro manufacturing. Founded in 1987, Resonetics has a passion for using lasers to solve complex manufacturing challenges. Since starting, we have invested heavily in leading edge technology and developing laser experts. We have deployed over 500 laser workstations that cover a wide spectrum of laser types and wavelengths, including femtosecond, picosecond, excimer, diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS), and CO2. Combining state-of-the-art laser systems with a top technical team allows Resonetics to partner with customers and provide winning solutions that meet technical and economic requirements.
Since 2015, Resonetics has been growing rapidly. Through the acquisition of Mound Laser (Dayton, Ohio), Aduro Laser (Sacramento, California), Medelec (Switzerland), STI Laser (Israel), and Caribou Technologies (Minneapolis)- with greenfield investment in San Diego, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Costa Rica, the company has 8 locations. We have expanded capabilities to include laser manufacturing of polymers and metals, nitinol component manufacturing, metals fabrication, and Thin wall precision tube fabrication.
The expansion of capabilities and locations enables Resonetics to better serve the life sciences industry.
Resonetics will be the leader in laser micro manufacturing for the life sciences by providing innovative solutions and unrivaled customer service.
Innovation | Urgency | Quality | Integrity | Respect
Dedicated to the care of our customers, partners, and people; committed to improve, innovate, and inspire.
We commit to meeting customer requirements (taking care of the customer), meeting regulatory and statutory requirements and maintaining the effectiveness of the quality management system (taking care of the company), and fostering continual improvement (improve).
Resonetics Terms & Conditions
Thomas Burns
Kevin Hartke
Brett Reynolds
Senior Vice President, Operations and Quality Assurance
Jim Reed
Tovy Sivan
President, Resonetics Israel and Emerging Markets
Laurent Bataillard
Senior Vice President, Resonetics Switzerland
Eric Veit
Vice President, Nitinol Development
Jessica Carreiro
Vice President, Human Resources
Thomas (Tom) Burns joined Resonetics in 2012 as CEO, bringing 25 years of experience in the medical device and contract manufacturing industries. Prior to joining Resonetics, he was Vice President, Business Development, at Tegra Medical, a diversified contract manufacturer providing precision metal machining services. Before Tegra, Tom was Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Web Industries, a contract converter serving the in vitro diagnostics, aerospace, and consumer products industries. Tom spent nine years in sales and marketing leadership roles at both Accellent and two of the companies it acquired. For the first 11 years of his career, he worked in various sales and marketing roles at Genzyme, Edwards LifeSciences and Johnson & Johnson. Tom graduated from Northeastern University with a BS (with honors) in Business Administration.
Kevin Hartke came to Resonetics through its acquisition of Mound Laser. As Resonetics' Chief Technical Officer, Kevin drives the technical roadmap of the company, overseeing all research and development activities. He leads the Advanced Technology Group, Lightspeed ADL™, and Systems Engineering teams. At Mound Laser, Kevin played a key role in providing technical leadership and growing Mound Laser to become a leader in laser micro manufacturing of metal components for the medical device industry. Kevin has 20 years of laser experience and expertise in technology development and commercialization. He started his career at the Edison Welding Institute (EWI) as a project engineer in the Laser Processing Department. After four years at EWI, he accepted a position with Spectra-Physics Inc. (Mountain View, California) as a product manager. He has a BS in Welding Engineering from The Ohio State University and an MBA from the University of Dayton.
Brett Reynolds joined Resonetics in 2019 as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Resonetics, Brett was CFO at Air T, a $250M public company with 10 subsidiaries serving the aviation industry, and before that he was CFO for five years at Cogentix Medical, an emerging public company in the urology device market that was acquired by Laborie Medical in early 2018. Brett also spent ten years at Synovis Life Technologies, advancing from Director of Finance to CFO and ultimately to site leader following the sale of Synovis to Baxter Healthcare in 2012. Brett is a Certified Public Accountant and earlier in his career spent 8 years with Deloitte & Touche in their audit and consulting businesses. Brett holds a BS in Business and Accounting and an MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota.
Don Jones joined Resonetics in 2018, bringing more than 35 years of operations and engineering experience to the company. As Senior Vice President of Operations, Don drives enterprise excellence across all sites, focusing on continuous improvement, business systems, and quality - all to create value for our customers. Prior to Resonetics Don held operations roles in many industries, including medical devices at Accellent, aerospace at Albany International, and automotive with Freudenberg-NOK. While at Accellent, he lead the Laconia, New Hampshire, contract medical device factory and the design and development team in Wilmington, Massachusetts, spending a year in the Juarez, Mexico, site. He held both engineering and engineering management roles at Axsys Technologies, GTE Osram and General Electric. Don is a passionate practitioner and mentor of continuous Improvement, working with factories throughout the United States, Mexico, and France. He is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and has experience with factories deploying the Shingo model.
Don graduated from Wentworth Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, with an AS in Mechanical Design Engineering followed by a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. In 2008, he earned an MBA from Plymouth State University.
Jim Reed joined Resonetics in January 2017 as Senior Vice President, Sales. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the medical device industry as well as a breadth of product experience and a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. As Vice President, Sales, Jim leads sales in North America and oversees the customer service team for all Resonetics’ facilities. Prior to joining Resonetics, Jim had been Vice President, Global Accounts, for the Advanced Surgical and Orthopedics Division of Integer and Vice President, Sales, for divisions of Lake Region Medical and Accellent.
Eric Veit comes to Resonetics with more than 28 years in medical devices and a successful track record across different companies and functions. As Vice President of San Diego, California, operations, he is responsible for Resonetics' Nitinol strategy and production as well as integration of Resonetics' acquired Nitinol businesses. Prior to joining Resonetics, he spent nearly 12 years at ADMEDES, a leading supplier of nitinol components to the medical technology industry. He was responsible for establishing that companies US manufacturing site in California and was involved in developing new business, with strategic accounts in the structural heart and interventional markets. Prior to ADMEDES, Eric worked for 15 years at two divisions of Johnson & Johnson: Lifescan, in the diabetes market, and Vistakon, Johnson & Johnson's vision care business and a market leader in optometry. Eric began his career as a statistician in the semiconductor industry for Texas Instruments. He holds a BS in Statistics from the University of Central Florida and a MS in statistics (with a minor in Manufacturing Engineering) from University of Texas at Austin.
Jessica Carreiro joined Resonetics in 2015. For the nine years before that, Jessica had worked at Insulet Corporation, a high-growth startup company in the diabetes care market, most recently as senior manager, Human Resources. During her time at Insulet, the company experienced dramatic growth, and Jessica was involved in pre-acquisition due diligence, helped establish subsidiaries in Singapore and China, implemented several business process automation initiatives, and managed a team of generalists. Jessica also implemented the company’s first learning management system and led the development of a new performance appraisal process. Before that, she worked at the Walker School, supporting children with behavioral, emotional, and psychological disabilities; as an administrative assistant; an as an assistant teacher and child behavior specialist. Jessica graduated from Fitchburg State College with a BS in Developmental Psychology and has a graduate certificate in Human Resource Management from Northeastern University.
Tovy Sivan came to Resonetics in 2018 through the acquisition of STI Laser Industries, taking on the role of President, Resonetics Israel and Emerging Markets. In 1998 Tovy founded STI Laser Industries Ltd. and the company pioneered cutting-edge laser processing for the manufacturing of innovative medical implants and components. The company played an integral role in the development of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) products and neurovascular clots retrievers.
Prior to founding STI, Tovy was Vice President, Business Development at Hamavlet Metal Works. Tovy also enjoyed a 23-year career as a pilot in the Israeli Air Force. Tovy has co-founded seven startup companies and holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MBA, both from New York Institute of Technology.
Laurent Bataillard joined Resonetics in 2018 as the Senior Vice President of Resonetics Switzerland, following 21 years of experience in the manufacturing industry. Prior to joining Resonetics, Laurent served as CEO at Micro-Mega, a manufacturer of medical products for the dental industry. Before Micro-Mega, Laurent was the operations manager at Zimmer Surgical SA, developing and manufacturing power tools for surgery. He spent 11 years working multiple positions for Heraeus Medical, including operations manager for the Swiss location as well as Vice President of the Wire Processing business unit. Laurent graduated from the Swiss Technology School of Lausanne with a Master's Degree in Physics Engineering, later earning a PhD in Physical Metallurgy, studying the influence of heat treatment on the properties of Nitinol.
Resonetics’ ISO certifications give customers confidence in our contract manufacturing quality systems. These certifications are a critical part of our infrastructure that supports our focus on manufacturing components, sub-assemblies, and devices for the medical device and diagnostics industries, leveraging our core capability of laser micromachining polymers.
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Bombay high court
Assocham
Supreme Court junks FSSAI plea against Bombay High Court order on 2013 advisory
The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had appealed to the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order against its May 11, 2013, advisory. Samanwaya Rautray&Shambhavi Anand | ET Bureau | Updated: August 20, 2015, 09:02 IST
The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had appealed to the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order against its May 11, 2013, advisory.
NEW DELHI: India’s food regulator suffered a second judicial setback in less than a week with the Supreme Court upholding the striking down of an advisory that asked manufacturers to get recipe-by-recipe clearance for products even if the ingredients were already approved or deemed safe. The apex court ruling came less than two weeks ahead of the regulator’s August 31 deadline for final product approval and licensing, bringing relief to the sector. The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had appealed to the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order against its May 11, 2013, advisory.
The bench of Justices JS Khehar and NV Ramana agreed with the high court and asked FSSAI to get the government to change the regulations instead of fighting the issue in court. “The food authority cannot say this is a bad product and list it as a bad product because it doesn’t like a product. There have to be reasons for it. Where is the authority (in law) for you to do this?
We can’t leave it to one person or authority. We have seen it can be misused,” Justice Khehar said in response to arguments by FSSAI that the regulator was well within its powers to issue such an advisory. “Regulations take time. What happens in the interregnum?” the FSSAI lawyer said. The bench rejected this argument as well as the contention that the regulator could not be expected to ignore hundreds of new products entering the market everyday. “Just as we have to ensure that you act, we also have to ensure that no improper action is taken,” Justice Khehar said.
PRODUCT APPROVAL PROCESS
Under the earlier regime, product approval was required only if there was a new ingredient or additive being introduced. But the May 2013 notice broadened this to cover all products even if they were using approved ingredients or additives within permissible limits.The advisory was challenged by Maharashtra-based Vital Nutraceuticals and the Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association.
They argued that some products were already being sold and hence don’t require pre-market or product approvals. FSSAI said nutraceuticals, widely used in dietary supplements, were steroids and harmful. But the high court declared on June 30, 2014, that the advisory exceeded the existing regulations. The SC decision could impinge on instances such as that of Maggi oats noodles, which the company withdrew after the regulator said approval hadn’t been sought before the launch.
This was part of the June 5 order in which FSSAI banned Maggi noodles for containing excessive lead. That ban was subsequently overturned by the Bombay High Court for violating the principles of natural justice.
The product can only return to shop shelves, however, if it’s cleared in tests conducted over six weeks.
‘ENFORCEMENT OF SAFETY RULES WEAK’
FSSAI argued in the Supreme Court that India was one of the few countries where enforcement of food safety rules was weak. Standards pertain to just 372 items as opposed to thousands in other countries, the regulator said. It also said that tort law was weak in India.
Amit Dhanuka, president of the All India Food Processors’ Association welcomed the SC ruling. “The entire process of product approval was unscientific and retrograde in nature. The association has always been against it and now the courts have upheld the view. This process was preventing companies from investing in product development.
The consumer was deprived of innovation which will now come through,” he said. In June, before the Maggi recall order, FSSAI had released a list of 500 products for which approval had been denied. The list had at least 32 products from Tata Starbucks, a cereal from Kellogg’s, poultry products from Venky’s and a multivitamin from Ranbaxy.
Tags : Industry, Supreme Court, FSSAI, Food Safety, Clearance, Bombay high court, Assocham
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Four Years After Devastating Japan Tsunami, Hope is Being Revived
March 11, 2015 /0 Comments/in Disaster Response, Emergency, Emergency Disaster Services, National News, Natural Disaster /by SalArmySouth
Posted by Jackie on Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Reflecting back upon his life in the months following 3/11, Mr. Kato, a business owner in the fishing village of Onagawa, Japan, can sum up his situation in one, all-encompassing word: “hopeless”.
3/11 marks the date – March 11, 2011 – that a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami, the largest recorded disaster in Japan’s history, struck the country’s coastline, wiping out entire towns, destroying livelihoods, and taking nearly 16,000 lives in its path, including those of Mr. Kato’s beloved wife and child.
Kato also lost his livelihood, a thriving Korean barbeque restaurant in the heart of Onagawa’s commercial district, one of thousands of businesses that suffered the economic impact of what is now considered the costliest disaster in the history of the world. Within a few minutes of the tsunami’s impact, nearly 128,000 buildings collapsed and approximately 748,000 buildings were damaged.
Unable to work, for months, Kato wept over his losses in a state of emotional shock. But with the relentless encouragement of a friend and key partner of The Salvation Army, Mr. Aoyama, Kato eventually found the strength and determination to start a new restaurant at the temporary shopping mall constructed by The Salvation Army.
This shopping center, the first to be constructed in the badly damaged town, was funded by caring, generous donors who gave through The Salvation Army World Service Office. In addition to providing shop owners like Mr. Kato with employment and boosting the local economy, the shopping center has also been a source of community, fellowship and comfort for citizens and survivors.
Mr. Kato’s outlook has since changed stating recently, “This project gives me hope”.
Reviving hope in the hearts of the downtrodden is one of the goals of The Salvation Army, and Mr. Kato’s story is one of many heard from individuals who have been restored and strengthened thanks to supporters of The Salvation Army’s global disaster relief services.
Known in Japan as Kyuu-Sei-Gun (Save-World-Army), The Salvation Army’s unique 120-year history in Japan allows local knowledge and insight. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the local Salvation Army Corps opened their doors to provide food and shelter to survivors while mobile kitchens traveled from shelter to shelter to share hot meals and words of comfort with those who were suffering. The Salvation Army also provided heaters and other essential items to help elderly citizens and families prepare for a harsh winter in their temporary homes.
In addition to the shopping center, The Salvation Army World Service Office supported Onagawa’s local fisherman’s union – the lifeblood of the community – by providing vehicles, equipment and boats to be prepared for the upcoming fishing season, as well as helping local schools and neighborhoods with equipment and supplies to better prepare for future disasters. Similar efforts were established in other hard-hit coastal towns, such as Ofunato and Mininamisanriku.
Four years later, The Salvation Army World Service Office and The Salvation Army in Japan continue to work hand-in-hand with these communities to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, are being cared for during the long and difficult transition from relief to rebuilding lives and restoring communities.
All of this work is made possible by donors and supporters, for whom we give thanks, enabling The Salvation Army to be an ever-present flame of hope and relief during times of disaster and beyond.
For more information on our disaster relief services around the world, or to show your support, visit www.SAWSO.org.
This post was contributed by The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO)
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“Daddy’s Home” comic strip raises awareness for Hurricane Sandy relief
July 23, 2013 /0 Comments/in Disaster Response, Emergency, Emergency Disaster Services, National News, Natural Disaster, Salvation Army, The Salvation Army /by SalArmySouth
Check out the comics section in today’s paper and you might see the latest from the acclaimed comic strip, “Daddy’s Home,” which highlights the still very present need in New York and New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
The comic portrays the iconic Star Jet roller coaster sitting in the ocean in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, perhaps one of the most famous and enduring images from Hurricane Sandy’s devastating sweep along the East Coast last November.
“I want people to be aware that there’s still work to do,” said Tony Rubino, creative director of the syndicated comic alongside illustrator, Gary Markstein, who directs readers to The Salvation Army’s website (www.SalvationArmyUSA.org).
Eight months later, there is indeed a lot to be done for impacted residents. The Salvation Army continues to provide long-term assistance and disaster case management to help survivors find resources for rebuilding their damaged homes, while also providing financial assistance and referral services to residents in the hardest hit areas of Staten Island, Queens and Long Island.
If you would like to make a donation or commitment to volunteer with The Salvation Army, please visit www.SalvationArmyNY.org.
A huge thank you to Tony Rubino and Gary Markstein for supporting our Emergency Disaster Services!
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Salvation Army unveils new canteen in Joplin
March 20, 2013 /0 Comments/in Disaster Response, Donate, Emergency, Emergency Disaster Services, Give, Hunger, National News, Natural Disaster /by SalArmySouth
By Ryan Richardson Joplin Globe Staff Writer
JOPLIN, Mo. — Members of the Salvation Army of Joplin rolled out a new $100,000 mobile canteen Tuesday that will help provide disaster relief to area residents and could be used for future relief efforts across the country.
The mobile canteen is equipped to serve 1,500 meals per day and will be stationed in Joplin. In the past, the Joplin Salvation Army shared a canteen with Springfield and Branson.
During the dedication for the vehicle, Salvation Army Lt. James Curry said that the vehicle will help increase the reach of the Joplin Salvation Army.
“When the May 22 tornado hit Joplin, Pittsburg’s unit showed up quickly without being called in that night,” Curry said. “That’s the kind of reach that we want to have in other communities. We want a unit to be able to help not only in disasters, but to be able to feed and help those who are hungry. This vehicle gives us that opportunity.”
Joplin’s canteen will join a fleet of 14 other mobile canteens stationed in Missouri. Each canteen is equipped with two microwaves that can be converted in to full-size ranges, a refrigerator, a three-sink cleaning area and several stacks of warming trays for hot meals. There is also a powered generator, propane access and water on the truck.
“We can load a hot meal in here and six hours later and they can still be ready to roll out,” Curry said. “Those can be ready to be rolled out while we are cooking other meals here. We’re equipped to be full service here to get those meals out to people in their time of need.”
During the May 22, 2011 tornado, the Salvation Army served more than 10,000 meals in a two-week period following the storm. City officials celebrated the efforts of the Salvation Army since the tornado and commemorated the dedication of the canteen with a ribbon cutting ceremony by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Pro Tem Bill Scearce spoke on behalf of the city.
“Anything that helps the Salvation Army do more is something that can benefit every community they are in,” Scearce said. “I’m still amazed by what they have done and what they will do.”
The mobile unit was donated by Beacon Roofing Supply — which operates in Joplin as RSM Supply — as a continued partnership with the Salvation Army over the past six years. Peter Lippert, who represented Beacon, said it was the third mobile canteen that the company has donated.
“Our company has similar values as the Salvation Army and that is why we have continued to work with them in communities across the country,” Lippert said. “We value our employees and their families and it is our goal to take keep their values and needs taken care of. That is how the Salvation Army treats their communities. They are always there for them during times of need.”
Salvation Army Advisory Board member Dave Evans said that the van will be an asset to the surrounding area because of the shorter response time to Jasper County residents.
“It is a tremendous asset to us to have this here because Jasper County has the highest annual average of tornadoes,” Evans said. “We can be on the ground and responding as quickly as possible to people in our own backyard. This is possible because of donations and we’re happy to be here to celebrate what Beacon Roofing could with us today.”
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Salvation Army serves Carnival Triumph Passengers and Families
February 15, 2013 /0 Comments/in Emergency Disaster Services, National News, Southern Territory News /by SalArmySouth
The Carnival Triumph cruise ship and its 4,229 passeners have finally made it to port in Mobile, AL after an engine room fire caught four days ago. Reports indicate the crew and passengers suffered through horrific conditions during what was intended to be a luxurious four day getaway.
The Salvation Army joined passengers’ friends and family at port as they waited for their loved ones. Salvation Army staff provided food, beverages, and comfort to the crowd.
Major Mark Brown of The Salvation Army’s Coastal Alabama Area Command described the event stating “Each of these families are awaiting the assurance that their loved ones are safe and secure. We can only imagine the anxiety each must be experiencing. We pray that our presence can be a source of hope and calm amidst their concern.”
For updates on The Salvation Army’s disaster services, visit http://www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org/.
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Deaf West’s Spring Awakening Will Launch National Tour in 2017
December 9th, 2015 | By Imogen Lloyd Webber
Don't do sadness! Deaf West’s revival of Spring Awakening will head on a national tour in 2017. The Broadway production is currently playing a limited engagement at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre through January 24, 2016.
Starring Oscar winner Marlee Matlin, along with Broadway.com Audience Choice Award winners Krysta Rodriguez and Andy Mientus and more, Michael Arden’s production previously played two different engagements in Los Angeles. The staging incorporates American Sign Language with the dialogue, as select characters are portrayed as deaf, with additional performers providing their voices.
Spring Awakening, featuring music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater, is based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play by the same name. It follows a group of teenagers as they navigate through their sexual and intellectual blossoming, with varying degrees of support from adult figures in their lives. The original production won eight Tony Awards in 2007 including Best Musical.
The cast also includes Camryn Manheim, Patrick Page, Russell Harvard as well as over a dozen newcomers, including Austin McKenzie as Melchior, Sandra Mae Frank as Wendla, Katie Boeck as the voice of Wendla, Daniel Durant as Moritz and Alex Boniello as the voice of Moritz.
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Lake Mac Smart City, Smart Council Digital Economy Strategy
Hunter 'City Deal' would deliver $4.2 billion a year in economic benefits
Lake Macquarie City Council is proposing a partnership with the Australian and NSW governments, and other key stakeholders, to pilot a Hunter City Deal.
General Manager, Brian Bell said the proposed submission to the Australian Government’s Smart Cities Plan was adopted by the elected Council on Monday night.
“The proposed submission, which is now publicly available on Council’s website, outlines how Lake Macquarie City Council can work with the Australian and NSW governments to create liveable cities through improved planning, investment and technology,” Mr Bell said.
The required infrastructure investment, from both the private and public sectors, to deliver a pilot Hunter City Deal is about $1.2 billion over 10 years. This infrastructure, targeting the geographic and demographic centre of the lower Hunter, is expected to generate around 10,700 new jobs, 7650 new dwellings and total economic output of $4.2 billion per annum.
“Local government is critical to the delivery of any Smart Cities Plan. Lake Macquarie City Council is willing and able to work with all levels of government and key stakeholders in the Hunter to investigate the opportunities identified in the Smart Cities Plan.”
Key benefits of a Hunter-based City Deal pilot
significant economic and employment gains in a location ideally situated to become an international gateway;
reduced growth pressures in Sydney and other areas where relevant per capita costs are higher; and
a test bed to refine ideas that may later be applied in more complex situations, such as parts of Australia’s capital cities.
Find out more about the Hunter City Deal pilot
Consultation has concluded. Please see lakemac.com.au/smart-city for the latest updates.
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Plan 9 Remake: You Can't Make This Stuff Up...
It looks like history is about to repeat itself.
This story is so rich that I don't mind giving these guys some free publicity. I think it's hysterical and I swear I couldn't have made it funnier if I tried to make this up myself.
Someone is finally going to do a remake of the infamous Plan 9 from Outer Space.
I found this via the cool site i09.com but it originated at JoBlo.com. According to them a production company called Darkstone Entertainment is behind the planned remake of the notorious "so bad, it's good" classic by director Ed Wood.
Now way back in March 2006 I actually wrote a short piece saying that I would actually support a remake of Plan 9 from Outer Space if one was ever attempted. So why am I finding this story so funny?
Because although these guys don't seem to know it, it looks like they're going to follow the exact same path as Ed Wood, albeit unintentionally. When director Ed Wood set about making the original Plan 9, he fully intended it to be a serious sci-fi/horror movie. I'll elaborate in a minute on the parallels.
Of course any fan of the film knows that it turned out to be anything but - an alien invasion film where the visitors resurrect the dead, and used paper plate flying saucers, cardboard sets, the worst acting imaginable and featured a poor, destitute Bela Lugosi hopped up on drugs leaving the film as his final legacy.
It recently reached it's 50 year anniversary so is now in the public domain. You can actually watch the original right here if you have 78 minutes to kill. :-) (Trust me, it's worth it if you haven't seen it.)
What I find funny is that according to the official site for the film:
"...the remake will be a serious-minded retelling of the original story, paying homage to the spirit of Wood's film without resorting to camp or parody. The film will focus on the horror and science fiction aspects of the original, but will also be largely character-driven. [the] goal for 'Plan 9' is to make a film that honors not only the original source material, but also Ed Wood's intentions when he made 'Plan 9 From Outer Space'."
Sounds noble, right? Of course I don't know how you can "pay homage to the spirit of the original without resorting to camp." Even ignoring that, here's the thing: This particular studio has produced nothing but B-grade schlock films up to this point. The highest budget they've had for a movie? According to what I could find: $8,000.
Yes, you read that right, there are no missing zeros in that number. :-) Are you starting to see the pieces of irony falling into place yet?
Hints about the coming quality of the film abound:
- A movie site that instead of using Flash animation, has an animated GIF file hosted at Photobucket.
- A studio home page that speaks volumes: Darkstone Entertainment.
- A director (John Johnson) whose resume includes Skeleton Key, Dark Side of the Light and Shadowhunters (they've received a combined 87 votes at IMDB.com).
I cannot imagine that this movie will get a theatrical release, but even if it just goes straight to DVD I guarantee I'll be buying copy. :-) I cannot imagine a more appropriate scenario for a remake of Plan 9 from outer Space.
Plan 9 (or perhaps just P9) is scheduled to be released somehow on 9/9/09, to coincide with the 50th anniversay special edition DVD release of the original film (which I find funny in and of itself as well).
Official site: Plan9Movie.com
Tags: plan 9
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Home / Other Blogs / Executive Perspectives / I am an AI Neophyte
I am an AI Neophyte
By Candace Worley on May 13, 2019
I am an Artificial Intelligence (AI) neophyte. I’m not a data scientist or a computer scientist or even a mathematician. But I am fascinated by AI’s possibilities, enamored with its promise and at times terrified of its potential consequences.
I have the good fortune to work in the company of amazing data scientists that seek to harness AI’s possibilities. I wonder at their ability to make artificial intelligence systems “almost” human. And I use that term very intentionally.
I mean “almost” human, for to date, AI systems lack the fundamentals of humanness. They possess the mechanics of humanness, qualities like logic, rationale, and analytics, but that is far from what makes us human. Their most human trait is one we prefer they not inherit – a propensity to perpetuate bias. To be human is to have consciousness. To be sentient. To have common sense. And to be able to use these qualities and the life experience that informs them to interpret successfully not just the black and white of our world but the millions of shades of grey.
While data scientists are grappling with many technical challenges associated with AI there are a couple I find particularly interesting. The first is bias and the second is lack of common sense.
AI’s propensity to bias is a monster of our own making. Since AI is largely a slave to the data it is given to learn from, its outputs will reflect all aspects of that data, bias included. We have already seen situations where applications leveraging AI have perpetuated human bias unintentionally but with disturbing consequences.
For example, many states have started to use risk assessment tools that leverage AI to predict probable rates of recidivism for criminal defendants. These tools produce a score that is then used by a judge for determining a defendant’s sentencing. The problem is not the tool itself but the data that is used to train it. There is evidence that there has historically been significant racial bias in our judicial systems, so when that data is used to train AI, the resulting output is equally biased.
A report by ProPublica in 2016 found that algorithmic assessment tools are likely to falsely flag African American defendants as future criminals at nearly twice the rate as white defendants*. For any of you who saw the Tom Cruise movie, Minority Report, it is disturbing to consider the similarities between the fictional technology used in the movie to predict future criminal behavior and this real life application of AI.
The second challenge is how to train artificial intelligence to be as good at interpreting nuance as humans are. It is straight forward to train AI how to do something like identifying an image as a Hippopotamus. You provide it with hundreds or thousands of images or descriptions of a hippo and eventually it gets it right most if not all the time.
The accuracy percentage is likely to go down for things that are perhaps more difficult to distinguish—such as a picture of a field of sheep versus a picture of popcorn on a green blanket—but with enough training even this is a challenge that can be overcome.
The interesting thing is that the challenge is not limited to things that lack distinguishing characteristics. In fact, the things that are so obvious that they never get stated or documented, can be equally difficult for AI to process.
For example, we humans know that a hippopotamus cannot ride a bicycle. We inherently know that if someone says “Jimmy played with his boat in the swimming pool” that, except in very rare instances likely involving eccentric billionaires, the boat was a toy boat and not a full-size catamaran.
No one told us these things – it’s just common sense. The common sense aspects of interpreting these situations could be lost on AI. The technology also lacks the ability to infer emotion or intent from data. If we see someone buying flowers we can mentally infer why – a romantic dinner or somebody’s in the doghouse. We can not only guess why they are buying flowers, but when I say somebody’s in the dog house you know exactly what I mean. It’s not that they are literally in the dog house, but someone did something stupid and the flowers are an attempt at atonement.
That leap is too big for AI today. When you add to the mix cultural differences it exponentially increases the complexity. If a British person says put something in the boot it is likely going to be groceries. If it is an American it will likely be a foot. Teaching AI common sense is a difficult task and one that will take significant research and effort on the part of experts in the field.
But the leap from logic, rationale and analytics to common sense is a leap we need AI to make for it to truly become the tool we need it to be, in cybersecurity and in every other field of human endeavor.
In my next blog, I’ll discuss the importance of ensuring that this profoundly impactful technology reflects our human values in its infancy, before it starts influencing and shaping them itself.
*ProPublica, Machine Bias, May 23, 2016
About the author: Candace Worley
Candace Worley is Vice President and Chief Technical Strategist for McAfee. She manages a worldwide team of Technical Strategists responsible for driving thought leadership and advancing technical innovation in McAfee security solutions.
Prior to this role, Candace served as Vice President for Enterprise Solutions for the Intel Security Group at Intel Corporation. She had worldwide responsibility for all facets of product and vertical marketing for the complete corporate products solutions set.
Worley joined McAfee in 2000 and has held a number of technology leadership positions in her McAfee career including, five and a half years as the SVP and General Manager of the Enterprise Endpoint Security business. Prior to joining McAfee in 2000, she spent seven years with Mentor Graphics, where she led a team of product managers responsible for electronic design automation and electronic component software.
Worley holds a bachelor's degree in management from Oregon State University and an MBA degree from Marylhurst University.
Read more posts from Candace Worley
Categories: Executive Perspectives
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Security in healthcare is a complex undertaking. Learn about data privacy and security risks in the healthcare sect… https://t.co/DqX0M8PBzq
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5 oz 2012 Lunar Year of the Dragon Silver Coin
We're looking for more stock!
When product becomes available
In 2012, The Perth Mint's internationally renowned Australian Lunar Silver Proof Coin Series II celebrated the Year of the Dragon, the fifth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. These superb proof quality releases are perfect for people born in "dragon" years - 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 and 2012 - who are regarded as confident, enterprising, independent, self-assured, brave and passionate.
The reverse of each coin depicts a traditional Chinese dragon, a long, scaled, serpentine creature with four legs, and a "pearl of wisdom". The Chinese character for 'dragon' and the inscription "Year of the Dragon" also appear in the design with The Perth Mint's traditional "P" mintmark.
As well as appealing to silver proof coin collectors, these outstanding releases also make great gifts for people born in any year "ruled" by the Chinese lunar dragon.
Manufacturer Perth Mint
Condition Lightly Used
Purity 999
Obverse Queen Elizabeth II
Reverse The reverse features a dragon with the Chinese "pinyin" character
Legal Tender AUD 8
Designer The reverse features a dragon with the Chinese "pinyin" character
Lightly Used
The reverse features a dragon with the Chinese "pinyin" character
AUD 8
5 oz 2012 Lunar Year of the Dragon Silver Coin In 2012, The Perth Mint's internationally renowned Australian Lunar Silver Proof Coin Series II celebrated the Year of the Dragon, the fifth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. These superb proof quality releases are perfect for people born in "dragon" years - 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 and 2012 - who are regarded as confident, enterprising, independent, self-assured, brave and passionate. The reverse of each coin depicts a traditional Chinese dragon, a long, scaled, serpentine creature with four legs, and a "pearl of wisdom". The Chinese character for 'dragon' and the inscription "Year of the Dragon" also appear in the design with The Perth Mint's traditional "P" mintmark. As well as appealing to silver proof coin collectors, these outstanding releases also make great gifts for people born in any year "ruled" by the Chinese lunar dragon.
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Movie 43 is an American comedy movie in which Emma Stone, Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Uma Thurman, Elizabeth Banks, Chris Pratt, Naomi Watts, Seth MacFarlane, Josh Duhamel, Anna Faris, Greg Kinnear, Dennis Quaid, Kate Winslet,[1] Gerard Butler, Richard Gere, Johnny Knoxville, Justin Long, and many other actors star. Its release date was January 25, 2013.
↑ Stillman, Josh (October 3, 2012). "Movie 43 trailer: Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, and Emma Stone get their NSFW on". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Movie_43&oldid=6356498"
2010s black comedy movies
2010s sex comedy movies
American black comedy movies
American sex comedy movies
English-language movies
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Nicaraguan Sign Language
Idioma de Señas de Nicaragua, ISN
Native to
The Managua region and spreading throughout the country
Deaf-community sign language: developed as a creole language from a home and idioglossic sign, with the addition of an ASL-influenced manual alphabet
nica1238[2]
Idioma de Signos Nicaragüense, or Nicaraguan Sign Language, is a sign language that was spontaneously invented by deaf schoolchildren in Nicaragua in the 1970s and 1980s. The language developed when the Sandinist government of Nicaragua created the first (elementary) school for deaf people, in the 1970s. The language is of special interest to linguists, because it allows them to study how languages develop.
In the 1970s, the deaf people of Nicaragua rarely met. They lived isolated lives and used simple gestures to communicate with their friends and family. In 1977, a special programme for the deaf was started in a suburb of Managua. At first, fifty children took part. When the Sandinist came to power, the number of pupils rose to hundred. In 1980, a vocational school for deaf people was opened in another part of Managua. In 1983, both schools together had about 400 pupils.
The teaching was centered on lip reading and the use of a hand alphabet. This was mostly unsuccessful, because most pupils had trouble spelling words in this way. The children were cut off from their teachers, and used recreational breaks, and free time spent together to create a system that allowed them to communicate with each other. Gestures and signs used at home were used to create a pidgin. Later the pidgin developed into a Creole language. The first step, that is to say the pidgin is called Lenguaje de Signos Nicaragüense (LSN) today. Pupils who left the school before the creole language was created, continue to use the pidgin.
The staff of the school missed the fact that a language was developing before their eyes. All they saw were some mimics, and the failure to learn Spanish. As they did not know what the pupils were saying, they asked for help. In 1986, Judi Kegl, an expert on the topic of American Sign Language was asked to help. When she analysed the language, she found out that the pidgin NSL had been made more complex by the younger pupils — it now included a fixed grammar, and the arrangement of verbs. Today, this extended form is known as ISN.
5 minute PBS documentary video showing examples of Nicaraguan Sign Language (QuickTime and RealPlayer formats).
http://www.unet.maine.edu/courses/NSLP/
http://cf.linguistlist.org/cfdocs/new-website/LL-WorkingDirs/forms/langs/LLDescription.cfm?code=NCS
https://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/19991024mag-sign-language.html
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/041014.coppola-ct.html
↑ Nicaraguan Sign Language at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Nicaraguan Sign Language". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nicaraguan_Sign_Language&oldid=6226461"
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Yoshiaki Ota
Team Apps (Gls)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
Yoshiaki Ota (born 11 June 1983) is a Japanese football player. He plays for Vegalta Sendai.
Club career statistics[change | change source]
J. League Cup
2002 Júbilo Iwata J. League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0
2003 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 1 0
2004 7 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 10 0
2006 32 9 3 0 8 1 - 43 10
2007 32 4 2 1 6 1 - 40 6
2010 Vegalta Sendai J. League 1
This short article about a Japanese sports person can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yoshiaki_Ota&oldid=4642615"
Footballers from Shizuoka Prefecture
Japanese sportspeople stubs
This page was last changed on 29 November 2013, at 01:22.
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The Incontrovertible Conundrum Of Dr. Ron Paul
Note to readers… Many will turn away from the following facts before finishing this research project simply because it creates in oneself a sense of cognitive dissonance – the emotional feeling and knowing that ones beliefs are misguided, and yet believing in them anyway, no matter how undeniably overwhelming the opposing facts are to ones set of beliefs. This tool (the theory of cognitive dissonance) is paramount in the struggle to keep the people under control through advertising, entertainment, media, corporate religions, and political happenstance so that the average and even above-average person is continuously and hopelessly bound… not by facts but by belief in anti-fact. I would only ask that, as in any good scientific experiment, you consider the following well-documented evidence even if it goes against your beliefs, as one must consider all positive and negative variables in any equation before the truth can ever become clear. I promise that by the end of this article, you will have indisputable proof of corruption and subterfuge proving the Audit The Fed bill to be a fraud, and will better understand the Federal Reserve System and its actual power and authority. Consider this a challenge! And please do not do me the disservice of leaving a negative comment unless you inversely do me the service of reading this entire presentation with a truly open heart. Thank you… –Clint-
I want to re-visit the so-called Audit The Fed bill sponsored by Ron Paul, with versions in both the house and the senate this year, as well as the indelible Ron Paul phenomenon itself. To do this, we must delve deep into the language of both the house bill and the US CODE for which that bill will effect, as well as attempting to dispel some fallacies about the Federal Reserve System and its perceived power structure. If you support Ron Paul, you owe it to yourself and your fellow well-intentioned compatriots to read this entire presentation – no matter how badly it stings – and to make sure that others like yourself receive this information. Misinformation abounds, and faith alone in our perceptions is a poisonous and even deadly weakness. For blind faith is destroying our people. Consider the following collection of information a public service designed to break our collective spell of inaction due to our misguided faith in party-politics and false-change/hope. Hope is the great in-activator; powerful enough to stop millions of gun owners from acting upon the very reason of treason that they claim for this right to bear arms.
Study materials for this adventure can be found at the following links:
US CODE> TITLE 31> SECTION 14 – http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/714
Full text of HR459 – http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr459/text
Dear Patriots
Firstly, in a recent letter/email to his constituents, Ron Paul had the following to say:
After nearly 30 years of fighting for liberty in Washington, my time in Congress is rapidly coming to an end. But what a way to go out! I am so pleased to tell you about what could be the crowning achievement of my legislative efforts – passing our Audit the Fed bill!
I know a lot has been asked of you this year, but I’m writing today to make sure you understand that in the coming days, my biggest priority will be passing my Audit the Fed bill through Congress.
The good news is, the House leadership has promised a vote on Audit the Fed this July, so I must ask EVERY SINGLE PATRIOT to help Campaign for Liberty in this vital effort today.
You can help me make history – and help change the course of the country – by passing Audit the Fed through Congress.
Let’s break this down, so that we can better understand this typical “Campaign For Liberty” hope-propaganda as it pertains to these Federal Reserve Transparency bills being promoted here.
Dr. Paul states that he has been “fighting for liberty in Washington” for nearly 30 years, and that the “crowning achievement” to his political career will be the passing of the “Audit The Fed bill”.
It is important to note that for the 12 terms that Ron Paul has been in Congress, this man has achieved the almost unheard of feat of passing not one national bill/law as a sponsor in these 24 years of “fighting for liberty in Washington“. In other words, for the last 24 years, Ron Paul has been nothing but talk! He has placated the very people who would otherwise be carrying pitchforks and guns to their legislator’s offices by giving them exactly what they needed: hope. Ron Paul has served as the great white hope of patriots everywhere. And this ability to control the heartbeat of the resistance with nothing but broken promises along side complete inaction with empty words and catch-phrases has created a whole generation of deer in headlights – while the most dire of tyranny and injustice is taking place in full sight of Paul’s hopeful and faithful supporters.
Well… To be fair, one of Paul’s congressional bills did pass. It was entitled:
A Bill:
“To authorize the Administrator of General Services to convey a parcel of real property in Galveston, Texas, to the Galveston Historical Foundation.”
(Source: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr2121)
The Washington Post described the passing of this bill like this:
The passage of H.R. 2121 (above), in fall 2009, unfolded without drama. It allowed for the sale of a customhouse in Galveston, Tex. The House debate took two minutes, and the vote took eight seconds. The ayes had it.
But something historic was happening. On his 482nd try, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) had authored a bill that would become law.
Paul has become a surprising force in the Republican presidential race, promising to use “the bully pulpit of the presidency” to demand deep cutbacks across government. But Paul has had only limited success using his current pulpit — a seat in Congress — to rally lawmakers behind his ideas.
Of the 620 measures that Paul has sponsored, just four have made it to a vote on the House floor. Only that one has been signed into law.
(Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ron-pauls-house-record-stands-out-for-its-futility-and-tenacity/2011/12/23/gIQA5ioVJP_story.html)
So Ron Paul’s ONE success story as a Congressman is that he got some federal land conveyed to a historical society in his home district of Galvesten, Texas, at fair market value. Holy hand grenade Batman… that’s liberty in Washington alright!
In other words, besides subduing the masses of otherwise hopeless people with inspirational and patriotic speaches, Ron Paul’s “crowning achievement” will literally be his only tangible or physical achievement with regards to his national congressional political career in Washington. To break it down even further… if actions do indeed speak louder than words, then Ron Paul is the deaf-mute of congress!
The Old Bait And Switch:
Ron Paul’s Addiction To Earmarks
But it is not enough to stop there… For Congressman Paul has a wonderfully deceitful and unethical trick that he uses to benefit his congressional district in Texas – from within the very bills that he publicly admonishes and votes against:
“U.S. Rep. Ron was one of only four House Republicans to break rank from the party and request earmarks despite a Republican Conference earmark moratorium. Paul sent 41 earmark requests totaling $157,093,544 for the 2011 Fiscal Year. His largest single request was $19,500,000 for a naval training ship at the Texas Maritime Academy in Galveston, followed by $18,126,000 to provide maintenance on the Matagorda Ship Channel.”
“For Fiscal Year 2010, Paul requested 54 total earmarks, adding up to $398,460,640 in pork that the former presidential candidate sought to bring home to his district. These requests were made prior to the House Republican Conference’s voluntary ban on filing earmarks.
“Paul’s largest request in 2010 was $51.5 million in federal money to be spent on “Reconstruction of Bluewater Highway Hurricane Evacuation Route Between Brazoria and Galveston Counties in Texas.” He requested another $50 million to be directed to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and $46 million for deepening the Texas City channel. The majority of Paul’s requests were for projects related to various ports and channels, though other sectors of his district also received attention, such as $20 million for a hospital in Chambers County. Even smaller projects received attention from the libertarian representative, such as $2.5 million requested “to redevelop historic downtown area and to purchase trash cans, bike racks and decorative street lighting” in Baytown.
“While Paul requested these earmarks, he can still claim to have voted against the spending. Here’s how he defended his earmarking habit when he was challenged during a Fox News interview in 2009:
‘I think you’re missing the whole point. I have never voted for an earmark. I voted against all appropriation bills. So, this whole thing about earmarks is totally misunderstood.’
‘Earmarks is the responsibility of the Congress. We should earmark even more. We should earmark every penny. So, that’s the principle that we have to follow and the — and the responsibility of the Congress. The whole idea that you vote against an earmark, you don’t save a penny. That just goes to the administration and they get to allocate the funds.’
(Author’s note: That’s national [Federal] taxpayer money we are talking about here. This earmark appropriation comes out of your pocket eventually. That means you in California, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. You too, Guam! You all pay for improvements and funding for Galveston, Texas. And in general, earmarks have absolutely nothing to do with the bills being passed.)
Of the five U.S. House members who brought home more total earmarked money than Paul, three were defeated in the November elections — Democratic U.S. Reps. Chet Edwards, Solomon Ortiz and Ciro Rodriguez (who all have large military installations in or near their districts.)
(Source: http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/did-you-know-that-ron-paul-unethically-loads-up-bills-with-earmarks-for-his-own-district-then-votes/question-2087147/)
“Mother Jones” also reported the following:
“Even as the 12-term congressman has become the Cassandra of governmental overreach, he has enabled a deepening dependence on the federal government at home. Paul, who last week announced that he will retire at the end of 2012, will on one hand be remembered as “Dr. No,” the politician who always voted “nay” on new spending, and on the other, as “a politician like all the rest,” as Galveston GOP precinct chair Josh Daniels described him to me last week, noting that Paul’s Janus-faced approach to federal spending “just doesn’t sit well with me”.
For better or worse, Paul has always cauterized his anti-government views with old-fashioned cronyism. Knowing that most appropriations bills will pass despite his nay vote, he often loads them with earmarks. In this way, he has managed to please both small-government conservatives and pork-loving constituents.”
(Source: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/07/ron-paul-texas-federal-spending-pork)
I can virtually hear the various excuses and attempts at justification for Dr. Paul’s actions mixed with the familiar ring of cognitive dissonance even as I write this. But the simple truth is that this habitual addiction to voting no on the majority of congressional bills in order to attain and maintain a good voting record that will appease your supporters, while adding and benefiting from your own earmarks placed into those very same bills, while keeping up the appearance that your public voting record against bad legislation is pure…
In this author’s opinion, this is the ultimate in deceit and manipulation.
Liberty In Washington
It is also important to say here that “fighting for liberty in Washington” is not the same as fighting for liberty in Texas (or America). In fact it is quite safe to say that Ron Paul has made his Texas district more dependent on Federal Government handouts and earmarks than most other congressmen – and that in the end equates to anti-liberty.
Remember, Washington D.C. is a district; not a state. It is a corporation acting as a government. It is not part of the land of America – not one of the 50 states united – and it can not and will not ever have liberty. A corporation is by definition not free and will never be liberated – unless it is unincorporated.
Ron Paul is nothing more than one of millions of employees of that corporation, keeping the Holy Grail secret of the audited Federal Reserve Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) safe from the people’s collective knowledge, right in line with the rest.
The men and women of congress (Senate and the House) are not free and independent, altruistic representatives of the people as we are continuously led to believe, but are actually TITLE 2 & TITLE 5 “employees” of the Federal Government. They get hired as employees after being voted in by voting machines (Diebold is just another government stock investment held corporation).
Let’s look at what the Federal law itself states about this:
USC – TITLE 5 – GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION AND EMPLOYEES
TITLE 5 > PART III > Subpart F > CHAPTER 73 > SUBCHAPTER IV > § 7342
§ 7342. Receipt and disposition of foreign gifts and decorations
(a) For the purpose of this section—
(1) “employee” means—
(E) the President and the Vice President;
(F) a Member of Congress as defined by section 2106 of this title (except the Vice President) and any Delegate to the Congress; and
(G) the spouse of an individual described in subparagraphs (A) through (F) -or a dependent
(2) “foreign government” means—
(A) any unit of foreign governmental authority, including any foreign national, State, local, and municipal government;
(that’s you, America! The United States is a foreign corporation!!!)
(6) “employing agency” (employer) means—
(A) the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives, for Members and employees of the House of Representatives, except that those responsibilities specified in subsections (note that a “Member” is a “congressman”, including Ron Paul!)
(B) the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate, for Senators and employees of the Senate, except that those responsibilities
(C) the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, for judges and judicial branch employees; (all judges) and
(D) the department, agency, office, or other entity in which an employee is employed, for other legislative branch employees and for all executive branch employees (and that includes the President, who is an “employee”).
TITLE 5 § 2105 – Employee
(a) For the purpose of this title, “employee”, except as otherwise provided by this section or when specifically modified, means an officer and an individual who is—
(1) appointed in the civil service by one of the following acting in an official capacity—
(A) the President;
(B) a Member or Members of Congress, or the Congress;
(C) a member of a uniformed service;
(D) an individual who is an employee under this section;
(E) the head of a Government controlled corporation…
TITLE 5 › Part III › Subpart A › Chapter 21 › § 2106
§ 2106 – MEMBER OF CONGRESS
For the purpose of this title, “Member of Congress” means the Vice President, a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives, a Delegate to the House of Representatives, and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.
Also read – TITLE 2: THE CONGRESS (Link: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2)
So how is Congress listed when we search for it as a corporation?
From Manta.com:
Congress, United States
H 232 Capitol Building
Washington, DC20515-0001
About Congress, United States
Business Categories:
Executive Offices, National in Washington, DC
Congress, United States in Washington, DC is a private company categorized under Executive Offices, National. Our records show it was established in and incorporated in District of Columbia.
Products or Services: Federal Government Services, Government Relocation.
Congress, United States also does business as Congress .
What about Ron Paul himself. Surely he is a real person, right?
Manta.com states:
Representative Ron Paul
122 W Way Street # 301
Lake Jackson, TX77566-5245
About Representative Ron Paul
Federal Government-Executive Offices in Lake Jackson, TX
Legislative Bodies
Representative Ron Paul in Lake Jackson, TX is a private company categorized under Federal Government-Executive Offices. Our records show it was established in and incorporated in Texas.
Representative Ron Paul also does business as Congress, United States.
Congressional Districts?
What is a congressional district?
It is a Federal District, of course. Congress is part of the main headquartered-in-Washington D.C. United States corporation, and congressmen are employees of the US Federal Government.
Where do Washington D.C’s federal “Capital Police” have jurisdiction and authority?
Only on “US corporation” land: i.e. Washington D.C. – but not anywhere in the individual 50 states united:
Protect the corporation, it’s land, and its “employees”.
(Link: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/1967)
Has The Federal Reserve Ever Been Audited?
Perhaps the greatest deceit- be it purposeful or accidental- that Ron Paul and his Campaign For Liberty have imposed upon their followers is the promotion of the Federal Reserve as a separate and out of control independent entity that is somehow outside of the U.S. Government’s legal jurisdiction, and that it is not required to audit it’s financial statements…
Let’s dispel this propaganda right here and now!
Please, please read the following history of the audits of the Federal Reserve, reprinted here:
A Brief History of Federal Reserve Audits
Since its inception in 1913 the Federal Reserve System has been subjected to a variety of financial and performance audits by Congress, the executive branch, and private accounting firms, although responsibility for this task has shifted from time to time. From 1913 to 1921 the Board of Governors, then known as the Federal Reserve Board which sets monetary policy and regulates the activities of the Federal Reserve Banks, was audited annually by the U.S. Treasury Department. In 1921 Congress created the Government Accounting Office (GAO) and assigned it to audit the Board until 1933. In the Banking Act of 1933, Congress voted specifically to remove the Board from the GAO’s jurisdiction. From 1933 to 1952 audit teams from the twelve Federal Reserve Banks performed the annual examination of the BOG’s books. From 1952 to 1978, the Board, under authorization from Congress, decided to employ nationally recognized accounting firms to conduct the audits of itself to insure independent oversight. This provided an external evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of the examination procedures.
In 1978 Congress passed the Federal Banking Agency Audit Act (31 USCA §714). It placed the Federal Reserve System back under the auditing authority of the GAO. The Act significantly increased the access of the GAO to the Federal Reserve Banks, the Board, and the Federal Open Market Committee (the FOMC). Since then, the GAO has conducted over 100 financial audits and performance audits of the three Federal Reserve bodies.
Scope of GAO Audits
Some of the more important GAO performance audits of the Fed have been in the areas of bank supervision, payment systems activities, and government securities activities. In the first area, the GAO examined how well the Fed was enforcing its regulatory powers over its member banks. In 1992 it drew attention to the Fed’s sluggish compliance with regulatory reforms mandated by the Foreign Bank Supervision Act of 1991. In examining the Fed’s payment system activities, the GAO made the Fed aware of how its pricing policies for such services as check-clearing affected private suppliers of check-clearing services, and also suggested ways to speed up the process of check collections. Security markets for government debt is a crucial market, and GAO performance audits of the Fed have lead to more openness in the primary dealer system, particularly concerning the disclosure of price information. The GAO is also involved in several ongoing performance audits of the Fed such as analysis of risks and benefits of interstate banking, regulation of derivatives, and the budget of the Federal Reserve system.
Audits By Private Accounting Firms
Financial audits of the Fed are also conducted regularly. Each Reserve Bank is audited every year by independent General Auditors who report directly to the Board of Governors. These examinations involve financial statement audits and reviews on the effectiveness of financial controls. Each Reserve Bank also has its own internal audit mechanisms. The Board contracts each year with an outside accounting firm to evaluate the audit program’s effectiveness. Price Waterhouse conducted an audit of the Board’s 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998 financial statements…
The Board has also contracted with Coopers & Lybrand to conduct annual financial audits of the Board and the individual Federal Reserve Banks.
Exemptions to the Scope of GAO Audits
The Government Accounting Office does not have complete access to all aspects of the Federal Reserve System. The law excludes the following areas from GAO inspections (31 USCA §714):
(1) transactions for or with a foreign central bank, government of a foreign country, or nonprivate international financing organization;
(2) deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy matters, including discount window operations, reserves of member banks, securities credit, interest on deposits, open market operations;
(3) transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee; or
(4) a part of a discussion or communication among or between members of the Board of Governors and officers and employees of the Federal Reserve System related to items.
(Author’s note to readers: Please understand that Congress passed this restrictive act in the first place [Title 31, Section 714 – the subject of the entirety of the “Audit The Fed” bill], which limited the audit ability of the Comptroller General as it is reported to Congress. But the average person reading this most likely thinks that the Federal Reserve is a rogue agency that refuses to allow its transactions listed above to be audited. The Ron Paul campaign and Audit The Fed bill only serves to change a rule that Congress – not the Federal Reserve or the Comptroller General – already voted into law in 1978 – called the Federal Banking Agency Audit Act (TITLE 31, Section 714). The Fed has nothing to do with this fact and has no authority whatsoever to change or deny this law. In other words, it is Congress itself [the government corporation] that is currently keeping this information off of the Comptroller General’s audit to the Congress, and thus out of the realm of public or legislative disclosure. Understand this, and you understand controlled opposition politics.)
In 1993 Wayne D. Angell, then a member of the Board of Governors, submitted testimony before a House subcommittee on the reasons for the restrictions on GAO access. He commented,
By excluding these areas, the (congressional) Act (TITLE 31, Section 714) attempts to balance the need for public accountability of the Federal Reserve through GAO audits against the need to insulate the central bank’s monetary policy functions from short-term political pressures and to ensure that foreign central banks and governmental entities can transact business in the U.S. financial markets through the Federal Reserve on a confidential basis.
In reference to a bill that would lift the constraints placed on the GAO’s audit authority over the Federal Reserve, Angell stated:
The benefits, if any, of broadening the GAO’s authority into the areas of monetary policy and transactions with foreign official entities would be small. With regard to purely financial audits, the Federal Reserve Act already requires that the Board conduct an annual financial examination of each Reserve Bank (CAFR)… The process of conducting financial audits is reviewed by a public accounting firm to confirm that the methods and techniques being employed are effective and that the program follows generally accepted auditing standards… Further, a private accounting firm audits the Board’s balance sheet… Finally, and more broadly, the Congress has, in effect, mandated its own review of monetary policy by requiring semiannual reports to Congress on monetary policy under the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978… In addition, there is a vast and continuously updated body of literature and expert evaluation of U.S. monetary policy. In this environment, the contribution that a GAO audit would make to the active public discussion of the conduct of monetary policy is not likely to outweigh the disadvantages of expanding GAO audit authority in this area.
For more on GAO restrictions, you can search the Government Printing Office website for GAO report T-GGD-94-44, entitled “Federal Reserve System Audits: Restrictions on GAO’s Access.”
The Budget of the Federal Reserve and Other Oversight
The budget of the Federal Reserve system is determined by each Bank and the Board of Governors. Stephen L. Neal, the Chair of the House Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy in 1991, stated that “Congress plays no direct role in setting or authorizing the Fed’s budget.
“Control of its own budget is an essential component of the independence the Fed must enjoy.” Additional oversight of the Federal Reserve System derives from the ability of Congress to expand or to contract the Fed’s powers. On numerous occasions Congress has seen fit to change the Fed’s structure, alter its mission, and grant it new or different powers. In 1935 Congress changed the composition of the Board of Governors to give it more independence, and it allowed the Board to determine the discount rate for all Federal Reserve Banks rather than allow each Bank to set its own rate. In 1978 Congress mandated the Fed’s new goal to be full employment and price stability. In 1980 Congress granted the Fed new regulatory powers over non-member banks. Many other government reports on the audits of the Federal Reserve system are available on-line through the Government Printing Office website…
(Source: http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/flaherty/flaherty6.html) Reprinted above.
–End Excerpt–
Do you still believe that the Federal Reserve operates completely outside of government control?
Do you actually think that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and all who work for it are not employees of Federal government?
Will Ron Paul’s Audit The Fed Bill
“Change The Course Of The Country”
As Ron Paul Insists?
The short answer is a resounding NO!
Is it a start; a push in the right direction?
NO!!!
Will Ron Paul’s “Federal Reserve Transparency” bill accomplish anything new with regards to the House and Senate’s ability to utilize the already existing audits (CAFR) of the Federal Reserve for their employment purposes and use in their budgetary requirements and planning as a collective group of employees of the United States Government in the legislative process?
NO, NO, NO!!!
Will this bill make the Fed in any way more transparent to the Congress?
NO! QUITE THE OPPOSITE, ACTUALLY.
Will Congress use any new information (which there will be none) to End The Fed?
NOPE. THEY CREATED THE FED AND ITS SECRECY IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! THOUGH THEY MIGHT REPLACE OR MERGE IT INTO THE WORLD BANK STRUCTURE SOON.
At any time they see fit, the House and the Senate may go to the Federal Reserve’s public website, just as you yourself can, and pull up the audit of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and of the individual banks themselves. This full audit, which follows the government’s own generally accepted accounting standards and practices and of which is absolutely required of all government entities by Federal Law, is called the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), listed here as the “Annual Report” of the Fed…
LINK TO FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD AUDIT REPORTS SINCE 1995:
http://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/annual-report/default.htm
LINK TO INDIVIDUAL FEDERAL RESERVE BANK AUDIT REPORTS FOR 2011: http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_fedfinancials.htm
So here it is – the over 500 page report of audited information in one comprehensive report that hardly anyone actually reads, including Congress. Most people don’t even know it exists – even for their own local and state governments. Instead, most people choose to read a published for-profit/non-fiction book full of loosely truthful and often plagiarized and rehashed historical information about the inception of the Federal Reserve Banks, and then continue to publicly vilify a bunch of incestuous bankers… who are no longer even in the realm of the living. Most are familiar with the fact that this central bank was created by the Federal Reserve Act (by Congress itself), but most have never bothered to actually read that Act! And so, most do not know that this central banking law has been ammended and changed every year by Congress to the point that this bank is a completely different animal than it was at its creation. This Act is not permenent in any way, and can be changed (for good or bad) or abolished at any time Congress sees fit. This fact may be a shock to many people.
The Federal Reserve Act can be found here, on the Federal Reserve Website, as well as in the U.S. CODE…
Link: http://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/fract.htm
Note that the updated/amended Section 2B of the Federal Reserve Act states the following:
Section 2B. Appearances Before and Reports to the Congress…
(c) Public access to information. The Board shall place on its home Internet website, a link entitled `Audit’, which shall link to a webpage that shall serve as a repository of information made available to the public for a reasonable period of time, not less than 6 months following the date of release of the relevant information, including–
1. the reports prepared by the Comptroller General under section 714 of title 31, United States Code;
2. the annual financial statements (CAFR) prepared by an independent auditor for the Board in accordance with section 11B;
3. the reports to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate required under section 13(3) (relating to emergency lending authority); and
4. such other information as the Board reasonably believes is necessary or helpful to the public in understanding the accounting, financial reporting, and internal controls of the Board and the Federal reserve banks.
[12 USC 225b. As added by act of July 21, 2010 (124 Stat. 2118).]
And Section 11B of the amended Federal Reserve Act in U.S. CODE states the following:
Section 11B. Annual Independent Audits of Federal Reserve Banks and Board
The Board shall order an annual independent audit of the financial statements of each Federal reserve bank and the Board.
[12 USC 248b. As added by act of Nov. 12, 1999 (113 Stat. 1475).]
Now, for those of you who support without reservation or in depth examination the notion that Ron Paul’s Audit The Fed Bill will actually “help me (Ron Paul) make history – and help change the course of the country – by passing Audit the Fed through Congress”, well then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you!
Notice that the above “independent audits” and “annual financial statements” clauses were recently changed by Acts of Congress which amended the portion of U.S. CODE called the “Federal Reserve Act”. This of course means that the Congress has the power to require anything it wishes with regards to its requirements of an audit of any governmental department, via the utilization of its legislative powers and creation of law (bills and acts) – the ones that control the operations of the Federal Reserve Board and banks. Congress created the Federal Reserve Act. Congress amended this section which calls for an audit. And so at any time, the congress can require an unrestricted audit with the simple pushing of a few vote buttons and the signing of a pen, without any obfuscation or problem from or by the Federal Reserve system or its Board – or even the president of the United States. And this includes the so-called Audit the Fed bill that has pulled most of us into its all but worthless verbiage – a bill that would do absolutely nothing to create a new audit of the Federal Reserve, and which does not do one thing to acknowledge or change the reporting structure of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) – the actual “independently audited” financial statements of the Federal Reserve system available to the public (and to the congress).
This complete yet hidden power of Congress over the Fed through legislation is yet another aspect of the legend of the Federal Reserve Bank: the Fed has become a virtually impenetrable wall of fallacious conspiracy rhetoric that is almost impossible to overcome without study of the actual laws and information that bind the Federal Reserve System. And so the attention of the people has been drawn to the tool of government (the Fed) instead of to the controlling body of that tool (the Congress).
In fact, the subject of these Audit The Fed bills is TITLE 31, Section 714 of U.S. CODE. Ironically, congress created this section in 1978.
The perceived concept that the Federal Reserve is somehow completely separate from and totally outside of the authority or binding laws of its creator (congress) is perhaps the most egregious yet seemingly purposeful error that Ron Paul and his supporters parrot as the absolute truth.
Now, let’s examine this fallacy with some cold hard facts…
The Federal Reserve is what is called an “Independent Agency Of The United States Federal Government“.
LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_agencies_of_the_United_States_government
(Note: Yes, this is a Wikipedia site – but is very well sourced. Please utilize these sources!)
I must admit here that I believed at one time that this meant exactly what it sounds like – that the Federal Reserve is separate from and not under control of the government itself and of its congress (employees). But let’s examine what this title of “independent agency” actually means…
An Independent Agency of the government is a government agency that exists outside of the operational authorities of the Federal Executive Departments, which are those departments that are headed by the President’s Cabinet Secretaries or by the Presidential post itself via Executive Orders and Presidential Directives. These independent agencies are absolutely “constitutional”, as they are created by the “elected” officials of congress to be a part of your government. They are referred to as independent agencies strictly in the sense that, because they are created by congress, they are agencies under control of the legislative branch of government, not the executive branch. Therefore, the president has none to little power over these agencies except that which is granted by congress to the president. In this way, as a check and balance, the executive branch cannot control an agency created by the legislative branch. Thus, the agency’s operation is independent of total presidential control – but not of congressional control (via amendments to legislation or the un-incorporation (dissembling) of one of these “agencies” via congressional legislative statute). It is traditional for congress to appoint in its enabling acts for these independent agencies (as a courtesy between branches) the power of appointment of the heads of these agencies to the president of the United States (executive branch), and these appointments must generally be approved by congress after presidential appointment. But the president does not generally have the sole authority or power to un-appoint (fire) the head of that agency (employee), as this is not a power that is delegated by congress to the president. But just because the president’s power to dismiss an agency’s head or one of its members is limited by Congress, this does not give complete autonomous authority to that head or member of that independent agency. Such authority is delegated via a statutory grant as written in U.S. CODE (in other words, the president can request from congress that the agency head be fired and replaced, but cannot do it himself – which again does not mean that the head or chairman cannot be fired by government or is somehow above the law).
As well, the delegated authority of rule-making is also delegated by the congress. This privilege has been confused as the “independent” ability to make law. This is not the case. Again, the power to create independent rules from within the bounds of an independent agency does not equal complete autonomy from government or from the U.S. CODE (laws/statutes) that bind them.
To put this into perspective, my father certainly made his own seemingly (at the time) tyrannical rules for his house, and we the family (dependents/employees) had to obey those rules or face his personal wrath. But this in no way gave my father or the rest of my family the right to act in any way outside of the actual law. We the people of the family still were bound by the law, despite my fathers ability to make independent rules. Rules and laws are not the same thing, and the independent creation of rules within the Federal Reserve System is not the same as the creation of laws by congress that regulate the Federal Reserve. Laws will always trump rules without exception. The real problem is when the laws created by congress allow these independent agencies to create rules that allow what would otherwise be considered crime or treason!
Even the Senate and the House create their own set of independent rules within their halls. They call these the “Rules of Ethics”, and these rules are decided and overseen through a committee of House and Senate members for which they call the individual “Ethics Committees” (i.e. “The Senate Select Committee On Ethics”). But these rules and the rule making authority are separate from and beneath the US CODE “law” that Congress as a whole creates. And these ethics rules, similar to any other private corporation, are the rules of conduct while the members (employees) are at the workplace (halls of congress). Again, this does not in any way represent a separation of authority or an independence or exemption with regards to being a government agency controlled by acts of congress. Independent agency rules, however, do have the power of federal law, and they are overseen by these so-called ethics committees and referred to judicial review if these rules have been broken. The inherent problem here is that the Senate and House create ethics and decide what is ethical, and then oversee the committee that decides whether their own ethics rules have been violated. This could be compared to honor among thieves, where a group of thieves go underground and create a guild (committee) to decide upon what is honorable and punishable among their fellow crooks. Of course, thieves work together, and so exposing one thief for breaking the guild’s ethics and turning him over to the law through judicial review would likely expose the entire den of thieves for the same or similar crimes! And so the case of ethics or rules violations almost never gets out of these ethics committees – which are held by the fellow thieves (congressmen) and no outside, public, or unbiased juries. Therefore, laws that are broken can be covered up by ethics committee’s, since no internal rules were broken, and because the case never leaves committee (of fellow thieves) and enters the judicial review process. (More on these inadequate and corrupt “ethics committee’s” in a future video presentation.)
To hit this home even further to those whose faith in the independence fallacy just won’t be shaken or shattered, I’d like to compare the Federal Reserve agency to some other independent agencies of government.
1a) The Federal Reserve System is an independent agency of government.
1b) The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of government.
1c) The Social Security System is an independent agency of government.
2a) The Federal Reserve System is a government corporation created by an Act of Congress.
2b) The U.S. Postal Service is a government corporation created by an Act of Congress. (The Postal Clause in Article 1 of the United States Constitution empowered congress “To establish post offices and post roads” and in 1791, the executive department called the Post Office Department was created by congress. Finally, taking effect July 1, 1971, the “Postal Reorganization Act” was created by congress and signed by President Richard Nixon on August 12, 1970, replacing the cabinet-level (providentially controlled) Post Office Department with the new independent “United States Postal Service” corporation.)
2c) The Social Security System is a government corporation created by an Act of Congress. (The Social Security Act was established in congress and signed by the president on August 14, 1935. This Act created a Social Security Board (SSB) to oversee the administration of the new program. After several revisions, President Clinton signed {42 U.S.C. Section 901} 42 U.S.C. § 901 making the Social Security Administration (SSA) an independent agency of the executive branch of government. Its commissioner, Michael J. Astrue, was appointed by the president and sworn in on February 12, 2007 for a six-year term. As of that year, about 62,000 people were employed by the SSA corporation.)
3a) The U.S. Federal Reserve System has an independent board appointed by the president.
3b) The U.S. Postal Service has an independent board of governors appointed by the president. (As the governing body of the Postal Service, the 11-member Board of Governors [of the U.S. Postal Service] has responsibilities comparable to the board of directors of a publicly held corporation. The Board is made up of nine Governors appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate. No more than five Governors can be members of the same political party. The Board currently has two seats vacant. The other two members of the Board are the Postmaster General and the Deputy Postmaster General. The Governors appoint the Postmaster General, who serves at their pleasure without a specific term of office. The Governors, together with the Postmaster General, appoint the Deputy Postmaster General.) (Link: http://about.usps.com/publications/annual-report-comprehensive-statement-2011/html/ar2011_report_8.htm)
3c) The U.S. Social Security System has an independent board appointed by the president. (The Social Security Act created a Social Security Board (SSB). The Board consisted of three presidentially appointed executives. In 1939, the Social Security Board merged into the Executive Cabinet-level Federal Security Agency, which included the SSB, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and other agencies. In 1946, the SSB was renamed the Social Security Administration under President Truman’s “Reorganization Plan”. In 1953, the Federal Security Agency was abolished and the SSA was placed under the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), which became the Department of Health and Human Services in 1980. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law 42 U.S.C. § 901returning the SSA to the status of an independent agency in the executive branch of government. “The Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) is an independent, bipartisan board created by Congress and appointed by the President and the Congress to advise the President, the Congress, and the Commissioner of Social Security on matters related to the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs.” (Link: http://www.ssab.gov/)
4a) The U.S. Federal Reserve System is bound by U.S. CODE (TITLE 12).
4b) The U.S. Postal Service is bound by U.S. CODE (TITLE 18, 39).
4c) The U.S. Social Security System is bound by U.S. CODE (TITLE 42).
5a) The U.S. Federal Reserve System can be abolished (uncreated) by congress at any time.
5b) The U.S. Postal Service can be abolished (uncreated) by congress at any time.
5c) The U.S. Social Security System can be abolished (uncreated) by congress at any time.
6a) The U.S. Federal Reserve System is audited and publishes a CAFR every year.
(Link–> http://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/annual-report/default.htm)
6b) The U.S. Postal Service is audited and publishes a CAFR every year.
(Link–> http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/financials/annual-reports/fy2010/welcome.htm)
6c) The U.S. Social Security System is audited and publishes a CAFR every year.
(LINK–> http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/2011/)
Other examples of independent agencies of government include:
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal Maritime Commission (FMC)
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
United States International Trade Commission (USITC)
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, formally part of the Federal Reserve Board
Surface Transportation Board, within the Department of Transportation.
United States Maritime Administration, within the Department of Transportation.
So why isn’t everyone in the Campaign For Liberty and the End The Fed movement trying to audit the already audited U.S. Postal Service? Why isn’t there an End The Post Office campaign? Why aren’t they concerned that an “independent agency of government” is handling everyone in the United States’ mail? Why isn’t the Post Office considered a grand conspiracy by a bunch of post-masters and men with a mail-fetish who make their own rules (not laws) and operate somewhat outside of executive (but not congressional) government control with a board of governors who cannot be fired by the president of the United States alone? And with the known corruption within the U.S. Postal Service, why the blatant lack of interest in this equally independent agency of government?
Why indeed… Probably because when put into this context, an Audit the U.S. Postal Service/Campaign For Liberty/End the Postal Service campaign sounds absolutely absurd, and it certainly wouldn’t win any elections or deliver millions into the campaign coffers.
But the evil banker angle… placing the blame on dead bankers and on everything but the actual laws that make everything the Federal Reserve does absolutely legal while completely diverting everyone’s attention away from these laws and the published yearly CAFR audits while stating that this already audited institution needs to be audited, and never correcting the people who state emphatically that the evil Fed has indeed never been audited… now that wins votes – and donations. It even wins your completely unqualified son a place on the U.S. Senate, complete with a mufti-million dollar tax-exempt expense account and a too good to be true life-long pension – nepotism at its finest. It might even get him a vice-presidential appointment… as long as he publicly supports his fellow Republican, Mitt Romney.
Folks, the problem here isn’t these independent agencies of government. The problem is GOVERNMENT itself! The central core incorporation of government is the controlling entity responsible for the laws that regulate these “independent” agencies. To blame the Fed for all of our problems is like blaming one individual thorn of a rose bush with multiple-dozens of thorns for the actions of, the growing of, the aroma of, and even the beauty of the entire rosebush. The thorn cannot exist without the entire Rose bush supporting its very prickliness.
But I digress… for we haven’t even taken a look at what the now infamous “Audit The Fed” bill will actually accomplish…
What Will The Audit The Fed Bill Accomplish?
You’ve already read above what Wayne D. Angell stated in front of the congressional sub-committee on this subject in 1993. But perhaps you want to hear it from someone a bit more impartial than a former Federal Reserve Board member… someone like myself. So let’s examine this bill together, and break down exactly what this Federal Reserve Transparency bill will accomplish if it is passed – by actually reading the bill and which part of the U.S. CODE it will effect.
The following is the full text as taken from H.R. 459. I will comment after each short section in (red) below.
To require a full audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks by the Comptroller General of the United States before the end of 2012, and for other purposes.
(Already we see a very misleading statement. The Board of Governors is already required to submit a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report [CAFR] which is audited independently from the board and is required by federal law to be available to the public [and therefore congress]. This bill says nothing about the CAFR, as you will see. And unfortunately, Ron Paul will not talk about or disclose the CAFR audit in his inspirational speeches, within the halls of congress, or within this bill. I can’t stress this enough… the already existing audit will not be changed, as it is considered the full financial audit of the Fed Board and the individual banks. The problem that stands out the most here is that the word “full” is not defined for the purposes of this bill and the audit it requires. The word full though, is certainly defined as the “audited financial statements” of government – the CAFR. Without a specific explanation of what this word “full” means in legalese, already this bill is absolutely worthless. The “full” audit already exists as pertaining to the definitions given by the Government Accounting Standards Board [GASB] the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board [FASAB] and Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures [GAAP]. Again, nothing in this bill defines the word full, or refers to the rules and regulations set forth for general accounting standards with regards to the generally accepted auditing procedures that all government entities and corporations follow. In short, nothing new will be created or presented because of this bill. You can read about these associations at the FASAB here: http://fasab.gov/accounting-standards/authoritative-source-of-gaap/)
H.R. 459 continued…
This Act may be cited as the ‘Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011’.
SEC. 2. AUDIT REFORM AND TRANSPARENCY FOR THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM.
(a) In General- Notwithstanding section 714 of title 31, United States Code, or any other provision of law, an audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks under subsection (b) of such section 714 shall be completed before the end of 2012.
(Transparent, as defined by the World English Dictionary, means “easy to see through, understand or recognize; obvious, candid, open, or frank“. Thus, one would think that this “transparency bill” would not be specificaly written with regards to just one individual code or law, leaving so many other aspect of the law untouched. And one would think that such an Act would state quite clearly that: this act, when signed into law, would require a full and comprehensive one-time audit of the Federal Reserve System and all of its activities since its inception, without any limitations whatsoever [notwithstanding] that are already in place within the legal system and US CODE. But this is not the case. As we read further, we find that this bill does not create a new audit in any way, but instead only technically modifies slightly the already existing Comptroller General’s personal audit of the Federal Reserve Board Of Governors under TITLE 31 as it is reported to Congress – which is limited to this TITLE and section, stated above as “an audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks under subsection (b) of such section 714“. Since no other law affects this section [714], the misleading “notwithstanding” portion of this paragraph means absolutely nothing to the rest of U.S. CODE or to these generally accepted auditing standards, practices, and rules. Again, no new audit is created, only a slightly expanded version of the already existing Comptroller General’s audit as already required by the Federal Reserve Act (congress), Section 2b. In other words, a full audit per the definition of “full” via government standards by the Comptroller General will already be completed before the end of 2012 and for every year to follow, with or without this bills passage, because it is already the law!!!)
(b) Report-
(1) IN GENERAL- A report on the audit (already) required under subsection (a) shall be submitted by the Comptroller General to the Congress before the end of the 90-day period beginning on the date on which such audit is completed and made available to the Speaker of the House, the majority and minority leaders of the House of Representatives, the majority and minority leaders of the Senate, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the committee and each subcommittee of jurisdiction in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and any other Member of Congress who requests it.
(Here it states that a “report” on the already existing and required audit of the Comptroller General must be submitted to Congress. A report? So Ron Paul only wants a report on the audit of the Federal Reserve System, and not the audit itself? Again, this full financial audit already exists – it’s called the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report [CAFR]. But this audit will do nothing to benefit the people or congress, for the information found within these audits is not only legal, but will show absolutely nothing with regards to money or assets that can be used by Congress in its legislation. Their own law does not allow them to utilize the vast amounts of wealth shown within the audit [CAFR] for taxpayer benefits and services. This Act will do nothing towards the utilization of this Federal Reserve wealth for the benefit of national debt or for the benefit of the people, and it is not supposed to.)
(2) CONTENTS- The report under paragraph (1) shall include a detailed description of the findings and conclusion of the Comptroller General with respect to the audit that is the subject of the report, together with such recommendations for legislative or administrative action as the Comptroller General may determine to be appropriate.
(Yet again we see that this “report”, which is based upon the already existing audit of the Comptroller General, will be nothing more than the biased opinion [findings and conclusion] of the Comptroller General with respect to the actual audit (which Congress still wont see), followed by the Comptroller General’s recommendations for legal action against the Federal Reserve. But the Comptroller General of the United States is complicit in and oversees the actions of the Federal Reserve on behalf of the Treasury of the United States Federal Government!!! So this would be like asking the Pope or the head financial officer of the Catholic Church to incriminate one of the many for-profit entities of the Catholic Corporation called the Vatican, revealing a complete audit of the vaults underneath Vatican City in a one-time report. Good luck with that. Remember, the Comptroller General is an employee of the United States government, and is not there for the benefit of the people, no more than the auditor general of Target or Walmart is there for the benefit of the people over the corporation. Make no mistake… the Comptroller General can come out at any time he wishes, without a law that tells him he must, and spill the entire can of beans on the Federal Reserve. But he’d be dead, his family would be dead, or he’d in jail tomorrow for his betrayal. The Comptroller General is the head of the Government Accounting Office (a delegated authority), where the Federal Reserve is required to hand over its audited financial statements. So the Comptroller General is literally the gate-keeper of this information. And Ron Paul wants a “report” on the audit from this guy??? Really? And this act of futility has inspired a whole generation…)
(c) Repeal of Certain Limitations- Subsection (b) of section 714 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking all after ‘in writing.’.
(d) Technical and Conforming Amendment- Section 714 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (f).
END OF BILL
Here, at the end of this Act, we get to the good stuff. Re-enforcing the fact that this bill does not do one thing except to change one small portion of one small section within US CODE with regards to just one of the two already existing audits that are already conducted on the Federal Reserve System, this last part is perhaps the most deceiving rhetoric I have ever witnessed in a proposed legislation. Keeping in mind that this “Transparency” bill is supposed to create transparency for Congress… let’s see what section 714 of title 31 actually says in US CODE:
Paragraph (c) above refers to the following, under subsection (b) of TITLE 31, Section 714:
(b) Under regulations of the Comptroller General, the Comptroller General shall audit an agency, but may carry out an onsite examination of an open insured bank or bank holding company only if the appropriate agency has consented in writing. Audits of the Board and Federal reserve banks may not include—
(2) deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy matters, including discount window operations, reserves of member banks, securities credit, interest on deposits, and open market operations;
(4) a part of a discussion or communication among or between members of the Board and officers and employees of the Federal Reserve System related to clauses (1)–(3) of this subsection.
-End Code-
Firstly, this section of US CODE only refers to the audit conducted by the Comptroller General, and not to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). Thus, the CAFR is entirely unaffected by this bill. So right away we must ask why this is the case?
Second, this section states that the Comptroller General, when conducting his audit, may not include within that audit the above enumerated items. Now I will be the first to call foul on any verbiage in the law that allows secrecy or has clauses promoting secrecy in government. But this is not the issue, and in fact I would say that on the surface this is the only section in this entire bill that would actually accomplish something good, by removing these secrecy clauses from the US CODE. But we must look closely at the wording of this bill as it pertains to this intended alteration of this section of US CODE. For legal language is very deceiving to the average person. It is a secret language, and each legal term has a deeper and more binding meaning than that of our everyday rhetoric. Legalese is binding, whereas everyday language is not – unless spoken in a legal or contractual setting.
Paragraph (c) from the “Federal Reserve Transparency Bill” states:
This paragraph will do exactly what it says it will do. It will strike all of subsection (b) in section 714 of Title 31 after the words “in writing”. This will change subsection (b) so that it will read in it’s entirety as the following:
(b) Under regulations of the Comptroller General, the Comptroller General shall audit an agency, but may carry out an onsite examination of an open insured bank or bank holding company only if the appropriate agency has consented in writing.
What will this accomplish?
Absolutely nothing.
In fact, it makes things worse!
This states quite succinctly that the Comptroller General may ask permission from the Federal Reserve Board or any open insured bank or bank holding company to conduct an audit, but that the specific “agency” must give its consent before such an audit or examination can be conducted. Remember, the president (executive branch) is limited in its authority over the Fed because of Congressional law, and the Comptroller General is a member (employee) of the Executive Branch of government. The Comptroller General’s power is nothing more than a delegation of authority by the president of the executive branch, and this Comptroller position carries no more authority than that of the president himself.
When we take this into consideration, we must then ask: why would Ron Paul, being in the legislative branch (the branch that created and ultimately controls the Fed), sponsor a bill that would only effect the law as it applies to the executive branch (Comptroller), of which the congress has no absolute power over?
Why would congressman Ron Paul create this law to be outside of the realm of congressional control, retaining the discretion and control of the audit within the executive office of the Comptroller General, all the while retaining the requirement of consent by the very entity being audited – the Federal Reserve System?
By not removing this consent clause of Title 31, Section 714, the Federal Reserve as an independent agency of the United States government may simply refuse to be audited (publicly) on the very things that would be stricken from this code by Ron Paul’s bill. And this will serve to fuel the fire of patriot rhetoric and controlled opposition alternative radio hosts as, once again, Ben Bernanke states to Congress that the Fed does not have to testify or present the audited facts that the congressional hearing is requesting… BECAUSE CONGRESS (GOVERNMENT) DOESN’T WANT IT STATED IN PUBLIC HEARINGS AND CREATED THE LAW THAT ALLOWS THE FED CHAIRMAN TO STATE THIS IN THE HEARING!!!
This revised law would state that the Fed must consent in writing to be audited by the Comptroller General, and can in fact deny the auditing process!
Does that sound like it would make the Federal Reserve in any way more “transparent” ???
In fact, if the Act was written so that it took away this consent clause, then and only then would this Act actually do anything to change the auditing process. But I would submit that this Act and this subsection would actually make the transparency of the auditing process less apparent and applicable in Congress (at least in public forums). Whereas before this bill would be passed, the limitations of this audit were specifically enumerated to the four (4) listed items that could not be and would not be written into the audit per US CODE, now this subsection technically states that all aspects of the Federal Reserve’s transactions can be refused without its written consent, not just the enumerated ones.
This, in turn, would technically give the Federal Reserve even greater delegated independence from Congress!!!
But only from Congress…
Because finally, the last subsection in HR 459 states:
What does this refer to? Section 714 of Title 31, subsection (f) as is currently written states the following:
(f) Audits of Credit Facilities of the Federal Reserve System.—
(1) Definitions.— In this subsection, the following definitions shall apply:
(A) Credit facility.— The term “credit facility” means a program or facility, including any special purpose vehicle or other entity established by or on behalf of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or a Federal reserve bank, authorized by the Board of Governors under section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 343), that is not subject to audit under subsection (e).
(B) Covered transaction.— The term “covered transaction” means any open market transaction or discount window advance that meets the definition of “covered transaction” in section 11(s) of the Federal Reserve Act.
(2) Authority for audits and examinations.— Subject to paragraph (3), and notwithstanding any limitation in subsection (b) on the auditing and oversight of certain functions of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any Federal reserve bank, the Comptroller General of the United States may conduct audits, including onsite examinations, of the Board of Governors, a Federal reserve bank, or a credit facility, if the Comptroller General determines that such audits are appropriate, solely for the purposes of assessing, with respect to a credit facility or a covered transaction—
(A) the operational integrity, accounting, financial reporting, and internal controls governing the credit facility or covered transaction;
(B) the effectiveness of the security and collateral policies established for the facility or covered transaction in mitigating risk to the relevant Federal reserve bank and taxpayers;
(C) whether the credit facility or the conduct of a covered transaction inappropriately favors one or more specific participants over other institutions eligible to utilize the facility; and
(D) the policies governing the use, selection, or payment of third-party contractors by or for any credit facility or to conduct any covered transaction.
(Please note here that the word “notwithstanding” is defined by the Random House Dictionary as: “in spite of; without being opposed or prevented by”. Therefore, this verbiage states that the Comptroller General is in fact NOT limited by paragraph (b) of this Title with regards to his office conducting an audit of the Federal Reserve at his or her discretion. In other words, the Comptroller General per this part of US CODE has authority over the Federal Reserve if he chooses to enforce it, and can at any time require a complete audit of any and all Federal reserve transactions, despite and without the consent of the Fed or its board, including these enumerated items in paragraph (b). By taking away this entire subsection of US CODE, this makes the Audit the Fed bill complicit in removing the verbiage of the already existing US CODE that gives the Comptroller General total discretionary auditing power over the consent of the Federal Reserve System!)
(So you must ask yourself: Why would Ron Paul wish to remove such an important distinction and allow the Federal Reserve to refuse an audit by the Comptroller General? And for what possible reason would Congressman Paul leave in the law the privilege of non-consent that is currently afforded to the Federal Reserve System?)
(I believe that these questions are impossible to answer without conceding to the fact that Ron Paul is controlled opposition and is playing the people, his constituents, and his” fans” like a fiddle.)
TITLE 31, Section 714 continued…
(3) Reports and delayed disclosure.—
(A) Reports required.— A report on each audit conducted under paragraph (2) shall be submitted by the Comptroller General to the Congress before the end of the 90-day period beginning on the date on which such audit is completed.
(B) Contents.— The report under subparagraph (A) shall include a detailed description of the findings and conclusions of the Comptroller General with respect to the matters described in paragraph (2) that were audited and are the subject of the report, together with such recommendations for legislative or administrative action relating to such matters as the Comptroller General may determine to be appropriate.
(Once again, there is no reason to remove these two sections. In fact, this is what the new HR 459 states as its purpose – a report on the audit.)
(C) Delayed release of certain information.—
(i) In general.— The Comptroller General shall not disclose to any person or entity, including to Congress, the names or identifying details of specific participants in any credit facility or covered transaction, the amounts borrowed by or transferred by or to specific participants in any credit facility or covered transaction, or identifying details regarding assets or collateral held or transferred by, under, or in connection with any credit facility or covered transaction, and any report provided under subparagraph (A) shall be redacted to ensure that such names and details are not disclosed.
(ii) Delayed release.— The nondisclosure obligation under clause (i) shall expire with respect to any participant on the date on which the Board of Governors, directly or through a Federal reserve bank, publicly discloses the identity of the subject participant or the identifying details of the subject assets, collateral, or transaction.
(Note here that subparagraph (i) is nullified by subparagraph (ii), stating that (i) will “expire” whenever (ii) happens. This in no way limits the release of information, but only delays that full release of information for the benefit of the Fed’s clients.)
(iii) General release.— The Comptroller General shall release a nonredacted version of any report on a credit facility 1 year after the effective date of the termination by the Board of Governors of the authorization for the credit facility. For purposes of this clause, a credit facility shall be deemed to have terminated 24 months after the date on which the credit facility ceases to make extensions of credit and loans, unless the credit facility is otherwise terminated by the Board of Governors.
(Princeton University defines the word redact – to prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting; formulate in a particular style or language. Therefore, Congressman Ron Paul’s bill will halt the Comptroller General from releasing a nonredacted [unaltered] report.)
(iv) Exceptions.— The nondisclosure obligation under clause (i) shall not apply to the credit facilities Maiden Lane, Maiden Lane II, and Maiden Lane III.
(The Maiden Lane corporations will now be less transparent to Congress under HR 459.)
(v) Release of covered transaction information.— The Comptroller General shall release a nonredacted version of any report regarding covered transactions upon the release of the information regarding such covered transactions by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, as provided in section 11(s) of the Federal Reserve Act.
-End current CODE-
(The Federal Reserve Board will no longer be required (by Congress) to release a nonredacted (unedited) version of reports of “covered transactions”. How is this a good thing?)
Or… You Could Just Ask For It!
It is interesting to note that the Code Of Federal Regulations (CFR) states that if you just simply create a subpoena requesting the audited financial reports, anyone can freely obtain the audit.
4 CFR 82 – FURNISHING RECORDS OF THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE IN JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS
(4 CFR 82.1) – Court subpoenas or requests.
(a) A subpoena or request from a court for records of the Government Accountability Office should be directed to the Comptroller General of the United States and served upon the Records Management and Services Officer, Office of Information Systems and Services.
(b) In honoring a court subpoena or request original records may be presented for examination but must not be presented as evidence or otherwise used in any manner by reason of which they may lose their identity as official records of the Government Accountability Office. They must not be marked or altered, or their value as evidence impaired, destroyed, or otherwise affected. In lieu of the original records, certified copies will be presented for evidence purposes since they are admitted in evidence equally with the originals (31 U.S.C. 704).
Are we to believe that the Congress does not have the authority of requiring judicial review? I assure you, the Senate and House Ethics Committees have this authority – though they seldom use it, as this would expose their collective and very well organized crime within this den of honorable thieves.
TITLE 31 Section 704 (referenced above) states:
(a) To the extent applicable, all laws generally related to administering an agency apply to the Comptroller General.
(b) A copy of a record and a transcript from a record or proceeding of the Comptroller General, that the Comptroller General or Deputy Comptroller General certifies under seal, shall be admitted as evidence with the same effect as a copy or transcript referred to in section 1733 of title 28.
An Unfortunate Conclusion
Without apologies, this research and writing should in no way be misinterpreted as any form of support for the Federal Reserve System or the usury that supports its organized crime by myself, or that this is just some personal attack on Ron Paul. You’ve missed the whole point of my unbiased, not-for-profit efforts here if that is your conclusion. Again, this is simply information, important information, that you should consider before placing such fervent and un-withering faith in any man. A member of a corporation or in the allegiance of a political party is not acting as a man, but as a corporate person representing only special interests.
In the end, as we have read, this whole thing is a fraud. It is deception of the most intricately clever kind. It represents the epitome of the downfall of the American people and the destruction of our country; which relies on the good intentions and hope and faith of its voting public. In short, this bill represents the ultimate power of misinformation and the controlled opposition that is beholden of it. We are a defeated people in all respects of our lives – from education to incarceration – from corporate politics to corporate religion – from financial usury to medical malfeasance… all of which is made possible by the actions and inaction of Congress.
And yet we are all supposed to believe the old cry of the oppressors… Poor Congress. They’ve got their hands tied. They aren’t allowed to see certain things. They are powerless. On and on and on…
And yet it is their own hands for which they themselves tie in red tape created by themselves, and they are laughing all the way to the international World Bank while switching back and forth between the public and private sectors, becoming board members, CEO’s, and special issue stock-holders of the very corporations they are supposed to be regulating.
Silly sheep, tricks are for us.
And for all of us, I end this rant with my favorite quote:
“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
by realitybloger on June 23, 2012 • Permalink
Posted in Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, End The Fed, Uncategorized
Tagged audit fed bill, audit the fed co-sponsors, audit the federal reserve, bernanke, cafr, campaign for liberty, clint for president, clint richardson reality blog, congress bill, corporationnation, End The Fed, fed video, federal reserve act, gold in fed, hb 459, how does the fed, ron paul, s.202, senate bill, the corporation nation, us code, vote 2012, Walter Burien, what is the fed, who is Ron Paul
Posted by realitybloger on June 23, 2012
https://realitybloger.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/the-incontrovertible-conundrum-of-dr-ron-paul/
Ron Paul Is Not A Sell Out?
Why The Supreme Court Claims Obamacare is Constitutional
Sickofthesycophants
Well while I hate to admit it to myself you are 100% right. I think a few months back I went after you for your anti paul rhetoric. However after this last betrayal by him I am done. He did it in 88, 08 and now 2012…I am done with him and I watch his sycophants keep plugging away. The guy is a pressure release valve and nothing more.
The truth is never anti-anything. No worries… And I wish I were incorrect, believe me!
Olde Reb
Clint, I take you at your word; the truth is the objective.
You have evidenced extensive research. Is there something you might have overlooked?
Specifically, the FRBNY has exclusive handling of the accounting and handling of approximately $8.4 trillion from the auctions of Treasury securities. No public records of the disbursements of those funds are available nor have they ever been audited. If all of those funds were paid to the government of the United States, there would be no increase in the amount of money in circulation nor would there be any increase in the National debt. The flow of money would be the same as money from the public (a taxpayer) to the government. Specifically, the Fed is accused of concealing more than a trillion dollars annually (the value of the National debt) that appears to legally belong to the government. Ref. FEDERAL RESERVE HEIST, http://www.scribd.com/doc/101937790.
The structure of the Fed has been analyzed to be a Ponzi scheme that will inherently consume the entire wealth of the Nation for the benefit of the (unknown) owners of the BOG. Ref. RIP OFF BY THE FEDERAL RESERVE, http://www.scribd.com/doc/48194264.
Your reflections are invited.
Will get back to you on this, when i get a moment.
Dick Fojut
Clint, I was also a Ron Paul believer earlier. No longer. (Never could get an email to him about ANYTHING for 2 decades. Because of his Staff handlers?) Thanks for all your efforts detailing the CAFRs. Patriot Walter Burien started the revelations. Ret. AF Lt. Colonel Klatt (here in Pima County, AZ) took up the effort, detailed the CAFRs of Arizona and many other States through 2003 (when he died suspiciously). You’ve nobly “replaced” Klatt with your details about 2 States recently. Thanks! Give us MORE States when you have time! – Dick Fojut in Tucson
dickfojut@cox.net
Terry Moore
Thanks for all the hard work putting this together for us. I poured the rest of my kool-aid down the drain. Im so tired of the puppet show. We are in deep trouble. thanks again.
Ron Paul blew it with me finally with his CPAC and Virginia cop-outs. See my article about it at http://www.dcdave.com/article5/120314.htm . What in the world has he ever done with all that money that people have sent him?
I’ve sent sever emails with no response requesting the breakdown or financial statements of the Campaign. I have spoken with regional campaign managers who are asking the same questions about the $40 million from 2008. They have no idea where it went, but they suspect that Paul’s campaign manager got the bulk of it in his pocket.
Thanks… -Clint-
elwad (@elwadmasri)
This is damn painful. I had to accept this after the Rand Romney debacle,e but I got worried after that article in the Washington Post about Ron and Romney a few months ago.
Your article, most excellent, just blew it all out of the water!
Ron Paul is another gate keeper for Jewish Power. He is their last level boss to keep all of us patriots in check and strung out on false babylonian hope.
Anyone who does not name the Jews for 911 and everything else is working for them, We must stop making excuses and begun using the word JEW at every opportunity, or else nothing will ever happen.
here is one of my favorite quotes about THEM.
CHRISTEA, PATRIARCH. 20th century Romanian prelate. “The Jews have caused an epidemic of corruption and social unrest. They monopolize the press, which, with foreign help, flays all the spiritual treasures of the Romanians. To defend ourselves is a national and patriotic duty — not anti-Semitism. Lack of measures to get rid of the plague would indicate that we are lazy cowards who let ourselves be carried alive to our graves. Why should we not get rid of these parasites who suck Romanian and Christian blood? It is logical and holy to react against them.” (New York Herald Tribune, August 17, 1937) – http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/repute.htm
Clint – great work.
“THEY CREATED THE FED AND ITS SECRECY IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! THOUGH THEY MIGHT REPLACE OR MERGE IT INTO THE WORLD BANK STRUCTURE SOON”
If you have 30 minutes free check out the Sound Dollar Act, HR 4180, sponsored by Kevin Brady (notorious free trade globalist). Specifically Section 4, as it would change the US Treasury Exchange Stabilization Fund to the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) Fund, as in the IMF currency known as the SDR. I am no expert at interpreting these things but it appears to me as if it would eliminate the Treasury’s sovereignty.
Put into the context of the rest of the Sound Dollar Act and you can see an outline for regionalization of the FOMC with the FED acting as FX monitor for the IMF’s basket of currency, i.e. the dollar with respect to the price of gold.
Amusingly one WSJ article on it claims “Congress finally takes on the Fed”. Even though you have thoroughly decimated Ron Paul’s audit the fed bill, the Sound Dollar Act is already sitting in committee. It is interesting reading for sure and with your ability to interpret US Code and the outstanding information you’ve put together on the Federal Reserve and Congress I think you might come up with a better interpretation on the globalist banking implications than I can at this point.
FYI to all Ron Paul supporters – I’m no legal expert but perhaps there is a class-action lawsuit for fraud to be reimbursed campaign donations? Wishful thinking I’m sure. After all we are talking about a corporation here, and the whole point of their existence is to shield those who work for it from liability for the actions of the corporation. Probably some immunity loophole somewhere in the campaign finance code, but just an idea to stick it to the Paul campaign with some negative PR.
Thanks again Clint. This blog is outstanding and is getting better with each new post.
Thanks for the link, Steve. I am all too familiar with the ESF. I’ll certainly check out the “sound dollar act”. I suppose it would be a safe bet for me to say that there is no such thing as a sound dollar when it is centrally controlled by a central bank, be it a state bank, a national bank, or an international bank, the “central” part is still a plank of the Communist Manifesto.
I advocate reputation-based curency. The dollar is backed by the force of the military. Without that, it would be worthless per its reputation. The more local and other alternative currencies the better in check the national curency will be.
Was working from memory, it’s actually Section V of the Act that alters the Exchange Stablization Fund. And this info has been around for a while but if you or anyone else hasn’t seen it here is the research on the ESF/NYFED:
jmackdog
That is the most riveting and damning thesis ever. I can not wait to send this extraordinary piece of work to my Ron Paul zombie friend. Hopefully, and that is a big hope, it will enlighten him to the disturbing truth and hard core facts so brilliantly put forth herein.
I never really examined the Jew angle, but it is certainly true that RP doesn’t go nearly far enough about the 9/11 lie, and he cleverly treads very lightly around the chosen people. The Jew has so many tentacles wrapped around America, it wouldn’t surprise me none if his handlers were Jews or under Jew influence.
The entire Paul family is an indelible stain to fabric of this once fine country.
The truth has a certain aroma that could penetrate even the most clogged of noses !
I will do my part and get this gem to every one I know and I suggest everyone do the same.
Your work is an inspiration and thank you very much.
Thank you Jimbo. People like you are my only outlet for spreading this. Good on you…
Your Welcome !
I know RP stands firm on the “Audit The Fed” moniker which to your credit has been denounced as a colossal fraud by your fine work. Furthermore, could not this be considered treason ?
Treason: the offense of acting to overthrow one’s government or to harm or kill its sovereign. 2. a violation of allegiance to one’s sovereign or to one’s state. 3.betrayal
If RP knowingly eludes the truth which he has, and he has mislead the people of this country to believe an erroneous rabid lie not based on fact just to placate his toothless revolution, that is a betrayal of a sovereign nation.
I always had my suspicions about RP, especially his “Controlled Opposition” aspirations in these auctions we have in this country every four years.
What material gain has he and his supporters ever accomplished ?
I fervently and profoundly believe when a true revolution is near, the leader of that revolution will blast through lies with reckless abandonment in all facets, and that includes the Jew problem here in America.
1.5 % of the US population should not control 95% of the media message our children listen to. We can officially start here.
Tell the raw truth about “Audit The Fed” which Clint has done
Tell the truth about 9/11 and do not be persuaded otherwise by talking heads, examine the FACTS not the FICTION.
Tell the truth about all the Wars and do not tread lightly, tell the people why and who benefits from this slaughter of mankind.
Tell the truth about the toxic poison that is dumped into our kids water every single day.
Tell the truth about the corporate nation.
Tell the truth about the CAFR and stop stop stop telling America we are broke and bankrupt, which RP does all the fk’ing time !
Then, and only then, we will be able to dispel the usurpers that have a death grip on this land and deliver to the people a true inherent revolution.
Vote For Clint !
James Glover
You guys are f’ing crazy.
Well presented retort, as usual.
Eloquence, makes for pretty lies. The man quit congress before because no-one gets to lobby him, and therefore he was blackballed on anything outside of his District. If he spruces up his district with an ear-mark…No more, or No less money is spent, but it is all openly accountable once earmarked. Thats his point, which you seem to miss. It guarantees the money gets spent, and when it does it’s at the price agreed.
Nice site, you must do well on the private/public payroll.
Perhaps you could do me the service of actually reading the whole article, before you say such things.
jaymz
agreed Matthew, I smell deception. hey author, do you happen to work for a bank or have a government job in any way?
Seriously? Please, please disprove anything here, now.
I’m so tired of people blaming every thing and every institution but themselves. Grow up!
nice try, if you can refute anything Clint writes please enlighten us. Shill comes to mind with this one Clint !
I have been saying that same thing to friends and others about R Paul.YUP I AM CRAZY JUST TO THINK HE IS THE MARKER IN THE ROAD THAT SAYS —IP IN THE ROAD. and the picture on the board is R Paul. —When i 1st started to read i thot yup just another writer but then i read it and thot yup I like this guy. How things change when truth ABOUNDS. —FOOLISH THINKS THEY DONT GET CAUGHT. GOD ,s Law is the only way. I believe that when you follow HIS Truth and Law we would be in this mess. But we as we are follow . Yes we are sheep or cattle and i dont like being this way but we have been put here because we have believed a lie. Yes as others here have stated we have put ourselves in this hole and im trying to figure out the problem and i got gators at my butt. But then again if i hadnt believed one of the greatest deceptions i wouldnt be here haveing my butt ripped out. Our FUTURE is unclear now. I have said this R Paul deal was a sham for years. Now i am saying the NWO is OWN backwards–SO when are going to wake up. Yes the want to take it all away. But my Hope is in the Lord .I know people dont want to here this but fact is these words are spoken in chambers across this great land. So what not mention it. What gets me is the you dont here about Rand and then you see he in in and then on the way of looking into a VP position. Yup dady Big Bucks helped. I have never gave to this org but i have kept my eye on it and became a watchman on this issue. You are so right for writing this. I Thankyou for what you have done and you can REST assure that i will send this all over and over and over again so it will get thru SOME THICK HEADED PEOPLE i know and just maybe we wont have to be cattle with a number anymore. I have always like this quote—-IF YOU TELL THE TRUTH –YOU DONT HAVE TO HAVE A GOOD MEMORY…. I Thankyou Sir for haveing the guts to be a Watchman—Geo
Great work. I am going to read this again a couple times because it’s a lot to digest, but I’ll need this locked in to my brain so I can tear Paulbots to shreds. The only honest congressman in recent history is James Traficant, and look what the PTB did to him.
The Pauls are phonies, and they’ve done a mighty fine job of distracting so called patriots for a while now, while the Communitarians, La Raza, Zionists, Israelis and globalists turn this country in to a third world broken toilet. The Pauls have added their share of turds to the bowl, and the pile is growing, and smelling even worse with the heat of summer.
G. Michael
I read most of this. My thoughts: The info makes it clear that the GAO Audits of the Fed are incomplete, not even covering loans to foreign central banks or the Fed itself, so these audits are next to worthless. Second, if Congress has the kind of control over the Fed that is implied here, why did the fake jew bankers who own the Fed feel the need to assassinate Pres. Kennedy for attempting to replace borrowed Federal Reserve Notes with non-borrowed U.S. Bank Notes? Also, what good to us is a dead conservative congressmen? The last congressman that I am aware of who told the ugly truth about the Fed was Louis T. McFadden, Chairman of the House Banking Committee. The Fed killed him a few days later, just like Kennedy. They also locked up James Trafficant for the same reason. Doubtless they have threatened Dr. Paul and his family, so why should Dr. Paul get himself or a member of his family killed for being too bold, too truthful about the Fed? How much good could he do then? My gosh, he has called for the elimination of the IRS and all foreign aid, even to Israel, as well as the elimination of our military adventurism overseas, all of which are heavily supported by the owners of the Fed. He would also eliminate all unconstitutional government agencies, like the Dept. of Education, DEA, FCC, etc. But regardless of whether his intentions are pure, or deceptive as this article implies, one thing his candidacy proves is that the fires of freedom are still burning brightly in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of our countryman. If Ron Paul is a fraud, a “relief valve”, he has inadvertently acted against his and his handlers best interests, in that he has created more interest in and opposition to the sources of tyranny, bloodshed, and fiscal insanity than anyone else has in my lifetime. So, if he is the devil, we’d best give the devil his due.
What can I say? That’s exactly what you are supposed to say.
Your mistake is to assume that the Fed and Congress are against each other. That is the wall that you must over come. This is one well-oiled machine, and the illusion of the adversarial and political ideological battlefield that is put on for your benifit will always fool you into doing nothing to stop it from slowly killing everything that you think is “American”.
You may believe, or you may realise that belief is the death of logic and reason.
Nice try Clint but your wrong about Ron Paul. Your reply to michael shows your actually the one set in stone on your ideas and you really hate ron paul dont you? Firstly it doesnt matter if michael thinks congress and fed are seperate and you failed to rebut his other points which you ignored. Clint go and pick on ANY other Politician because you will find all of them are corrupt and liars bigtime compared to Paul so its obvious this attack on ron paul from you is just because you dont like him and only you know why OR your working on behalf of someone to bring Pauls reputation down but you failed to convince me and i did read the whole thing and what a waste of time lol hope you get arthritus soon, Instant Karma gonna get you 🙂
Opinion noted. Thanks for reading the instructions!
Walter Burien
Here is the bottom line: If you were riding a 1000 HP bulldozer that you created (the Ron Paul movement) giving the constant impression you were going to move mountains with it and only pushed a few pebbles, to me that establishes intent.
Millions of people organized; tens of millions of dollars raised; and the end result is: The mountains grow higher unscathed, and the pebbles turned the masses are left to play with.
Two days before I read this article, I had Ron Paul promotions on my CAFR1.com Front page. I took them off then for my own reasons. It appears Clint and myself are moving along the same time-line of action – reaction.
Walter Burien – CAFR1.com
Yeah, I started to have my suspicions awhile back but kept “hoping” I was wrong. I feel abused. What a perfect con-fidence game.
Mr. Clint: have you done work on the Vatican?
No. Definately one of those subjects I’ll be covering soon in a future video.
Looking forward to that–include please if you can, anything on SSPX vs. the new church
Thank you so much for writing this incredibly informative and well researched blog and expose on Ron Paul’s legislation to say this is an eye opener is a massive understatement.
Absolutely. Please help me spread it around. And thank you!
SM Stanford
Thanks so much for your amazing work! I don’t know what to say besides the fact that I, too, am one who drank the kook-aid!
I am the Alternative News Editor with Beforeitsnews.com. We would be absolutely honored to have the opportunity to syndicate your blog to Beforeitsnews via your RSS feed.
If you are interested, all I’d need is an email in return and I can set it up so that your posts will also come to our audience. I’m sure that our audience would be delighted to have the opportunity to learn from you as I have just done; put through a good schooling, for sure!
Thanks again for your hard work in ‘educating’ the masses! I hope to hear back from you soon!
Stefan Mark Stanford
Alternative News Editor
Beforeitsnews.com
Thanks Stefan. Feel free to reprint. All my work is public domain immediately after release.
I’m unfamiliar with most internet protocal things. So if I have an RSS feed I simply don’t know about it. I rely on people like you to get this out there!
Yes, Ron Paul is a sham. How convenient for the corporate establishment to have someone to bleed off all the frustration good people have with the way things are going. My son-in-law went to the republican caucus in northwest Washington state. I was surprised to hear that Ron Paul’s organizers were the best dressed and most professional people there. So much for grass roots.
Isn’t that funny, because in my experience the “Libertarians” are always the most unorganized and least best-dressed in the room – and are for some reason proud of that badge. Perhaps this lets you know he and his staff are REPUBLICANS, not Libertarians.
Clint are you steriotyping? Its funny to think how many comments you have had to delete because its so obvious you only let the comments you like to be posted as mist of the comments glorify you but you are polluting the internet with your junk
Ok. Another worthless comment kept up…
What can I say? A truly magnificent article.
It is not true that the Fed board is appointed by the President. Even in the final year of a President’s second term, he will have appointed only four of the 14 board members. Four more were appointed in the prior two terms, an 6 ARE APPOINTED BY THE NATIONAL BANKS! It only takes one presidential appointee out of 8 to block anything that is against the bankers’ interests, and only two to pass whatever the bankers want passed.
This is fundamentally wrong, and comparing the Fed to the Postal Service or the Social Security Administration is just plain dishonest.
Your confusion stems from your belief that the United States and the bankers (by this I assume you meant the Crown Temple/City of London) are somehow seperate and not of the same corporation. You believe the bankers have taken over, instead of realizing that they never left. The Fed and the United States are the sub-corporations of the same company! The operators of the Fed are also bankers… after all it’s a bank! Thier temporary employment on the Fed Board does not make them any less or more of bankers. Tim Geitner, if I’m not mistaken, was a Goldman Sacks man before being appointed to the Fed. So stop pretending that there is a seperation of powers here, because there isn’t.
Secondly, the authority for the nomination of these 6 board members you speak of that are “bankers” of national banks is granted to the Federal Reserve Board by congressional legislation. Where do you think that privilage comes from? All rule-making authority comes from the mother corporation, via the Congress. National Banks have no chioce in the matter – they are required to purchase stock in the Fed to become a member. It is not a right, but a privilage. This “stock” implies no ownership or special rights. The privilage of membership is where the advantages come in to play. Members get to utilize the law (positive statutory legal code) to use usury on the rest of us. As members, they get a permit (permission) to do what would otherwise be illegal for the rest of us.
Thirdly, “The President” is not a man, it is an office – a job. Whomever occupies that office is a mute point. His “choices” for appointment of the board members must be approved by the board of directors (the Senate) who sit for sometimes over 40 years. Again, this was decreed by law, by Congress.
The Post Office is just as devious and horrific as the Federal Reserve, and it is no different in its corporate structure accept in its particular function. Zip Codes are federal districts. They are not just there for your convenience! Your bills and contracts come to you as a citizen of the Federal corporation, under “Capitis Diminutio Maxima” as a “PERSON”. The Post Office is one of the most important and corrupt institutions in government! How would the IRS notify you (contract with you) without the post office and without your consent? How would government tax you without the mail system? It is in fact fundamentally crucial to realize not only the importance of the Postal Service, but also its intrical part in the whole organized crime syndicate we call the United States of America. Just another tool (independant agency of government) used to enslave you without you even knowing it…
Of all the insults and cuss-words hurled at me, “dishonest” is the most offensive. If I’m honestly mistaken, I can accept that. But the burden of proof of your claim of my dishonesty is on you. You have insulted me, without merit or education, and I demand that you provide your causal evidence for such low-handed trickery and character assasination.
After seeing the rant at Ron Paul, I expected a rant at my reply. I was not disappointed. I stand by my statement, although I might be willing to strike “dishonest” and insert “delusional.”
Read the Buck Act to understand why Clint through in the USPO!
threw … Ooops
ponerology
Clint, I hadn’t thought about the post office. I think it’s time is running short though. I mean it’s usefulness is coming to an end. We are after all, going paperless, right? I mean, just we folks, not the City/Temple crowd. Their libraries won’t go Fahrenheit 451, will they?
In your research, does this corporate/banking enslavement go back to the 1780s or is it something that has always been and we were just given the illusion of “our own money”?
I mean really! Why would private bankers give us our own money in reality? I think the illusion of our own money however, worked well for a couple of centuries in order that the USA could be the main military subjugator of most of the world’s population. The USA was allowed to be “rich” long enough to put the NWO on very firm ground.
It goes back through the writing of the bible and beyond – usury.
Wealth, of course, is completely misunderstood. You make thousands while they make billions. They provide you limited goods and services while they have unlimited access. You have certificates of residency and tenancy while they own everything you live in or on.
And still people think the dollar represents real wealth.
Devil's Mind
I didn’t read the full text of the post, but I read until the audit the fed bill, then just skim read the rest. I think this is just false propaganda that you are making. I am not a US citizen, so I can give my opinion without bias or emotional baggage.
You are trying to discredit Ron Paul without any perspective. I don’t see any hint of manipulation or deception, and all your critique is unfounded. Is there any other congressman who did a better job?! Passing laws is not a one-man job, and it seems that RP has very little support from the other congressmen, which means that it is not his fault that he couldn’t achieve much.
Earmarkings make sense given the rules of the game. I don’t see why you would find fault in his strategy. All I see is a man trying to make the best of a bad situation. He is REALISTIC, something not many people can claim to even comprehend. Judging RP without seeing the bigger picture and context is a mistake.
If you claim any level unbias, I suggest that you try to investigate other congressmen, and report his contributions in comparative light with others. Passing zero (or one bill) is better than passing many bad bills. So, the number of bills does not count, because passing no bills is better than passing harmful ones.
So you read where I stated not to leave ignorant comments unless you read all of the facts?
Refute the evidence or shut your face!
Your arrogance is unbecoming. It’s unbecoming in your replies to those who challenge you, unbecoming in the ranting post that was challenged, and even unbecoming in the name you gave yourself, which implies a dubious notion that you have a greater grasp of reality than others have.
At least this Dunderhead appears to have actually read the entire article (maybe not) but we are still waiting for some factual rebuttal of Clint’s very poignant article. What is unbecoming is your obstinate way you have critiqued Clint’s work without providing one bit of FACT to combat the truth. Unless you can muster a credible defense to this very accurate, yet disturbing article, you are either a drive by Jew like the other poster commented on, or you are a Ron Paul Zombie like the rest who love their American Made LIE.
The “Audit The Fed” or “End The Fed” is one big giant misnomer that you and millions of others have sucked on for a long time. READ READ READ the article and follow the links. The truth is sometimes very hard to accept, I was a RP Zombie in 2008 as well. good luck to you.
On to Dunderhead #2 Devil mind, you are a fool and may I tell you why ? thanks I will.
Other than the obvious, your inability to actual finish an article (lazy foreigner) this is why you suck.
What did Nancy Pelosi say when she was asked the Health Care Bill ? She said and I quote “When we pass it we will get to see what’s in it!”
You and her are very similar, you both do not have a clue, you both do not read things from start to finish, you both criticize people who pursue the truth in the face of ignorant fools like yourself.
READ READ READ the entire article and stop being ignorant.
Read the article ignorant foreigner and get back to us. thanks
First, just to give background information about myself. I am a libertarian. Not a libertarian “convert” like most RP supporters. I believed in libertarian principles, laissez-faire capitalism, and the principles of Austrian economics before it became fashionable with RP. Roughly since 1998. It is refreshing to me to see someone reaching out with those principles, but what he is saying isn’t “news” to me. Although I know very little about Gary Johnson, but I actually find Gary more appealing than RP, except that RP has more momentum. And just to put it out there, I am not a Jewish person.
On the real issues. I will read further and make a more informed comment later, but as far as I read I did not read any facts that need refutation!! My view is that the facts are being misinterpreted. You state some facts, as if they were undermining RP’s position – when they really don’t. I see this article as red herring! And quite honestly this is the main reason I did not read it all…
Dan Sullivan just checkmated the shit out of Crazy Clint. Wow man he cut you to pieces buddy, im off now never to return here so no need to post this as this ones just for you 😉
Thanks again… Good night.
This is a great breakdown, thanks for contributing your research. Rand voting for economic sanctions of Iran, endorsing Romney, and the rest of it made me quickly distance myself from Ron but I was still naively giving him the benefit of the doubt. I see now that he was a willing actor and not just making a series of poor judgement calls.
The way I see things is a bit different, Ron Paul has never claimed to be a lawmaker, nor do I think he will ever claim to be one. Yes he has introduced some legislation that in and of itself accomplishes nothing to offer any significant change to the ways things are currently being done. If you measure the man based on the legislation he puts forth, then I say hoorah for Ron Paul, as he has never introduced any legislation that adversely affects individuals rights in this once great country. We have a man here that has done what he was supposed to do, represent his constituents in his district. He put forth earmarks requesting monies that his constituents asked him to get for them from the federal government by way of earmarks, which is the way things are set up. He voted against the bills that had those very same earmarks in them because he knows that voting for them is not in the interest of the people of the nation. People admonish him for doing the right thing in standing for everyones liberties and freedoms by calling into question the manner in which he does it. He is not a fan of big government intruding into our daily lives and has proved as much, at least to me, in his actions and lack thereof. I dont say end the fed, or end one small part of the problem, its like a weed, remove the whole thing from the root, not just a leaf or branch.
I forgot to mention how I appreciate the time and effort you put in on behalf of liberty and freedom. Keep up the good work
So if my county Sheriff never claims to be a Sheriff, does that make him a non-Sheriff? How about my garbage collector? Is he not a trash-man if he never claims to be one? Oh… and what about my senators? If they never actuallly say that they are lawmakers or senators, does that mmake them non-senators?
So you must also think that because Ron Paul continuously SAYS that he is fighting for liberty in Washington, being a patriot, he must be doing just that, because he says he is?
I also did not mention that if he did not support the establishment and the government corporation he would not be supporting the oath of his office to defend the constitution. According to the constitution he cannot rebel against or engage in insurrection against the corporate UNITED STATES.
The American Monetary Institute, whose leaders are not particularly Ron Paul fans, strongly support this Audit the Fed bill. Yes, there were various audits of the Fed, but there was never a comprehensive top-to-bottom independent audit of the Fed.
Yes, the Fed board is partly appointed by presidents over a span of four terms, but 6 of the 14 members are appointed by the member banks, whose interest is not the public interest, and who tend to vote as a bloc while different presidenial appointees tend to disagree with each other more, and tend to be banker-friendly anyhow.
Monetary policy is vastly more important than realitychallengedblogger acknowledges when he compares it to the post office and social security administration. That, besides the fact that FedEx and UPS don’t appoint people to the postal service board, makes his comparisons dishonest. Referring to people who disagree with him as “Ron Paul zombies” illustrates how adolescent and ad hominem his analysis is from the outset.
Yeah, of course it does. And if you would have read this article you’d know why. Because the Audit the Fed bill actually limits the power of the comptroller’s authority to audit. Read man!
Don’t you think RP is “Dishonest” when he perpetuates his Audit The Fed lie ? The FED is audited every single year by law. Why doesn’t the great RP mention the CAFR, like ever ? Can’t you see that the publicized confrontations with RP are staged ? Do you notice Bernanke sometimes laugh or smirk at RP’s cumbersome rhetoric ?
You appear to be an antagonist who is stridently unable to introduce anything that will lead to the exoneration of the claim that RP is simply controlled opposition.
If he was indeed a revolutionist who wanted to truly lead the country on the right path, why is he still in the controlled Republican party ? Why doesn’t he educate the masses about the facts of the CAFR report ? Why does he always claim America is broke and bankrupt, when in fact there are trillions in surplus ? I can go on, but hopefully you are getting the point. Besides bleeding millions and millions of dollars from Americans through his endless stream of contribution requests, and the never ending speeches on the floor of congress (controlled opposition) that has never brought fruit to his so called revolution, what has he actually done of value ?
Open your eyes, I hope you do and i wish you well, but not seeing what is clearly in front of you renders you useless and a shill for RP. It was torture for me to admit this myself, but facts are facts.
Like I said, there are minimalist audits and there are comprehensive audits. Name-calling doesn’t alter that; it just shows that you cannot have a civil discussion.
Is RP being dishonest when he doesn’t tell the American people who have financed his long and exhausting sham revolution that the FED is audited every year ? It is a reasonable question with an obvious answer.
Do not for one minute think I am a proponent of the FED in any way, actually, we are most likely both very critical of what they do and how they do it, but if RP wanted to be that leader that you obvious think he is, he should be held to account to be HONEST about the FED.
He is not yet officially out of the race for the presidency and his own flesh and blood has anointed Romney has his choice. Think about that for a minute…. That is the proverbial middle finger to all the millions of supporters of RP.
He has confiscated the revolution concept with millions of dollars from unsuspecting donors, and turned it into yet another failed endeavor by a member of a corrupt political party.
If you can not or will not accept that RP has mislead America about the FED, and that America is far from being broke or bankrupt which is clear from the CAFR, our banter has come to an end.
best wishes to u
So why do you ignore the “COMPREHENSIVE” Annual Financial Report (CAFR), which is the real audit, very much like Paul does??
Visf
Enron was audited too. Ron Paul is calling for a full audit so the decisions that result in currency-swaps and loan to private institutions can have at least some oversight.
The FED has never been audited. For instance we have no idea what is on their balance sheet (okay, that’s a lie, we know it’s all junk cause of who they bought it from, when and at what price).
Controlled opposition? Against what? He mentions the CAFR report in his Audit the Fed book.
The US is in fact bankrupt, the country is in negative equity.
People give him money voluntarily, because they want his message spread. That is what he has done of value. Most politicans have done a lot, and in so done a lot of damage. Why is that better?
What facts? I fail to see the smoking gun, all there is is a wall of text regarding minimalist audits of the FED. Then some points about how it wont have much of an effect. Yeah, most of us know that. It’s just a start, with the audit at least there will be public awareness of what happens and a way to examine if it was good/bad.
The other stuff about the federal government being a corporation was jut fucking weird. Ron Paul’s congressional district demanding money was old news that I fully support, if somebody steals from you, you have the right to try to get it back.
Ok. Now read the entire article. Read about the audit of the Fed. And read about the what Paul’s bill will actually do – which is not to create any form of audit.
visf, you are in luck my RP lover, go to this link and shut the door and send the kids to the movies. The national media, as well as all local media markets work sadly the same, they all routinely glorify the debts they have, but never broadcast the investments, assets, real estates holdings, mutual funds, currencies, etc.. in the CAFR. That fact alone is paramount to what the elites want the sheep to think/ believe is true. I would hypothetically say that America is financially in better shape then ever before, IF IF IF you add the CAFR to the alleged debts.
http://itsrainmakingtime.com/2012/walterburien/
BTW clint, nice job on Spingola today. I am looking forward to your work on how to de-citizenize yourself.
much thanks friend !
House Oversight Committee Moves Legislation to Audit the Fed
Kucinich Thanks Ron Paul For Leadership
http://kucinich.house.gov/news/email/show.aspx?ID=YC7XOCBDATDQJ4XXYKU6LIRI4Y
Key passage from Kucinich’s endorsement of Paul’s efforts:
“The bill would remove restrictions on what the GAO can audit, while retaining some necessary and logical restrictions on the release of confidential information.”
That’s what realityblogger’s diatribe seems to have missed.
Actually, no. I covered this in great detail. It is a lie.
And if it is a full audit, why is there restrictions? This is illogical.
Get the Fed out of our business and our labor
Ron Paul called the most important role of the Federal Reserve and the IRS in pushing military wars globe wide. RP did this making the people aware of Constitutional assault by corp. govt.
It RP did nothing else, this alone was worth his campaigns. Above author ignores anything except a typical media discredit the messenger approach.
RP called out NDAA, nothing less than the elimination of Constitutional Rights – the contractual quid pro quo – for respecting the US government. The legitimacy and large scale transfer of real assets by the government to the Fed from Fannie and Freddie for the Fed engineering the real estate bubble – among many bubbles. RP is a breath of fresh air in a world of deceipt, murder for hire, and one government scam after another in the mission to strip you of your rights.
And while you did much research here, I don’t see you saying let’s strip the Bar Association for denying you free speech in a court room where only an attorney can speak ( translate: in state court practice law ) for another. This denies ones right to be articulate where no attorney will take a case despite it having merit for lack of funds or lack of time or lack of availability. Freedom of speech is stripped by the legislature to uphold a for pay group of cookie cutter legal menu formula driven trained individuals who learned under the Harvard method of law – the case method. Even now the So called Supreme Court – rapidly losing its legitimacy – with a political system calculated to destroy small business by regulation, exclusion, and not paying campaign contributions.
Congress is famous, typical, for having populist rhetoric “for the people” but acts for itself and large scale business. Barkley, Goldman Sacks, and the too broke but too big to fail crowd get to have billions – see JPM as part of the tax welfare to themselves and the nerve to call that profit to pay for yachts while transferring the middle class jobs outside of the US. RP calls this out and directs public attention to the tremendous success of giving tax money to the 0.001 percent and transfer wealth wholesale while bringing the US down the road to Serfdom imprisoned by the currency of debt, intellectual, physical only to lose legitimacy and respect of most people.
Go Ron Paul for you fought the fight and it isn’t over til we say its over.
Your use of the word public is incorrect. For the most part, the vast majority of the public sees Ron Paul as a kook, because that is how he is portrayed in the media. Therefore, most of these exposures fall on deaf ears.
I’ve certainly never been referred to as typical before. That’s new.
I can relate to your attachment to RP for several reasons, and I use to believe him to be vehemently pro liberty and all that wave flagging jazz, but facts are facts.
Clint’s description of his ‘controlled opposition’ status is valid and very much accurate, especially when you take a few hours to delve into this article and following all the links.
If you suddenly and unsuspectingly found out that your favorite Uncle was an Ax murdering child rapist, would you continue to have the same love, respect and admiration for that person ? It is alarming that even knowing the facts about RP, people such as yourself continue to knowingly, and blindly, follow a Republican Party hack that has deceived millions of sheep.
RP is vitally important to both corrupt parties in many ways. His rhetoric resonates with many of us, including myself, but when you measure his mysterious accomplishments it is lamentable.
The RP revolution can be calculated as one epic failure, however, if you want to measure his worth by educating the public about the colossal problems of this country I can accept that. If only he was more honest about ‘Audit the Fed’ mantra and the CAFR which he cowardly ignores.
This country needs honest unconditional action, not speeches or hollywood hope !
peace be with u
When you’ve been conned, it’s very, very difficult to admit to it. In fact, con men (women) COUNT on those they’ve conned to continue to play along with the con, even when it’s becoming obvious that a con is afoot; because those who’ve been conned are too alarmed at the idea of having been conned and cannot/will not admit it, even to themselves. It’s a spinning wheel; it’s got to go round.
I thought RP threw in the towel weeks ago?? To which end of the Earth are you willing to follow RP? You may not have said it’s over but I think RP has said it. Lets all try to understand this: the systems that are in place (political, financial, monetary, judicial, “scientific”, educational, non-governmental organizations, medical, military,_____enter any I’ve not mentioned___) have not existed and do not exist for any reason other than to keep you occupied, distracted and enslaved. You are a widget. They are the widget counters. When they need more widgets they give you more food and better wages, or they import widgets from other geographic locations. When they need fewer widgets they tell you children are a burden and pass “abortion rights” “laws” and give you contraceptives for cheap and give you lots and lots of cheap entertainment and gadgets that are “yours” (like a “personal computer”) to keep you in a trance. You are an energy unit. Nothing more. All energy units have a projected life span and projected productivity. You are an energy unit. You can go into the “voting” booth and pull any lever you think will make you happy – just like mice in a box/maze will push a lever when they believe they’ll get a piece of cheese.
Cory Tyler Gould
I’m sorry but you are just wrong. You did a lot of research and you have some legitimate arguments about the audit the fed bill, but here is the thing that you seem to have missed… Ron Paul has been saying for 30 years on and off national television that the federal reserve system is corrupt. I would not even be aware of the feds independence (yes it is independent, appointed bank board members are all corrupt…) from the government and its corruptness if it was not for Ron Paul. He doesn’t even care to audit the fed, have you not heard him talk about his competing currency bill that he has put forward? that bill if passed would eliminate the federal reserve by competition. Who cares about an audit then? He wants to get rid of the fed, and in fact has made the term “end the fed” popular among many libertarian/conservatives. You clearly either are paid by someone to write this or you are biased against paul so much that you researched everything negative about him and looked at nothing positive.
If Paul was part of the established elite trying to enslave us through banking he wouldn’t be speaking austrian economics, rallying against wars, and pushing to slash big government all over the country. Every single state he has gone to and spoken about these very issues, issues that are destroying this country and you even admit that the federal reserve is destroying this country. Who in the united states besides ron paul has brought these issues about the fed onto a national platform on national television? He has gotten a lot of media coverage especially through debates where he talks all the time about how we should get rid of the federal reserve and here you are saying he supports it… He lives in a 400k dollar house in texas and you think he is corrupt and working against us? He is almost dead and you think he wants more money?
You are a scary guy, someone who goes out of his way to trash the only guy on capital hill who has told the truth about the banking system. Do you know how many people understand the federal reserve system better now because of RP? How about how he is the only guy running for president that says end wars, end the fed, and end regulations/taxes.
So the letter I got from Ron Paul stating that the passing of this Audit The Fed bill would be his “crowning achievement” should be translated as “I don’t care about the Audit The Fed bill”??? Really? How… Orwellian.
You are already enslaved, sir. You are a constitutor – a debtor. States don’t have rights but what are granted to them, they are territories of the federal government, and a state is a corporate government (body politic).
Now you say he gets a lot of media coverage, but the age old cry by Pualites it that he is ignored by the media! You can’t have it both ways…
If you think that this is simply trash-talk about a person, then you need to go back to campaign for liberty and fall back on your knees for liberty. My blog is not for you. And trust me, I don’t get paid for this. I get mostly nothing but grief from folks like you.
And one last thing. PAUL IS NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!!! He is running to be a representative of a private association called the Republican Party. Big difference. He may run eventually, but for now, he is trying to run as head of the private association that elects the president. Why would Ron Paul not explain this before asking people to “vote” for him? People don’t vote for president, the electoral college does. Millions wasted…
Cory: When someone argues with words he puts in your mouth instead of arguing with what you actually wrote, it’s time to move on. This guy twists everything to fit his delusions.
I disagree with Ron Paul on a lot of things, including the idea that money must be gold or silver, but I have also been involved in monetary reform for a long time, and I know that the so-called “comprehensive” audits of the Fed barely scratched the surface. But, they have the word “comprehensive” in the title, and that’s good enough for people who want to believe in the Fed.
There are lots of people like this, but there are lots more who actually want to get to the truth instead of clinging to being legends in their own minds.
Sorry Sully, I know that this antagonist post is not directed at me, but I have to comment on “There are lots of people like this” statement you made.
Please let me know who these many people are and more importantly, where we can find them who have the courage and knowledge of the facts like Clint does ?
Actually, the FED reports do not have the word “Comprehensive” in the title. You are in fact full of shit. CAFR is the general term placed on the “Annual Report” of government agencies. The Fed issues an Annual Report – annual financial statements.
And there are not a lot of people like me. I’m one of three or four who expose the CAFR structure publicly. So again, the raw sewage coming out of your mouth is ill-informed.
Perhaps you’d like to explain your extensive knowledge of CAFR’s to us to justify your dismissal of them? Have you been published writing about them? Perhaps you have lectured about them in your vast monitory reform attempts and fails? Do you have credentials that show your expertise on the CAFR system? Do you know what a CAFR is? Perhaps prove your words instead of just spitting them like venom?
I don’t come to your house and crap on your forehead, so don’t be upset if I defend my home here. I’d shoot and ask questions later if I could.
Yea i can see that jmack or w/e, his arguments are bad and almost have no real evidence. However the OP does have some legitimate arguments and evidence however not enough to say RP is corrupt not even close.
And that is the argument we should be having, whether a gold and silver standard is better than a fed that is actually overseen by the congress or done with a computer.
Also i know the audits they do are worth nothing i don’t even consider them audits, thats like asking the establishment to audit themselves and then put themselves in prison haha.
I really don’t care about some letter you got that says the audit the fed bill is a crowning achievement, i also know that the audits they do on the fed are trash and is never a full audit, RP has talked about this extensively before try doing more research on what he says.
I am enslaved and so are you if you live in the united states we are all enslaved unfortunately. However the ideas that RP talks about are correct, look how you reply you reply talking about non-issues thats how i know you don’t have a clue. You don’t talk about all the things RP has said you merely look at things you think are flaws in his record. Cool i don’t care about his record i care about his IDEAS. Ideas are what makes changes not people, again he is merely a messenger.
He got media coverage during the nomination process and from the JUDGE nap. (who then lost his job) but only because you have to give everyone media coverage during a nomination process with multiple debates, he still got less than everyone else running. He is still a national figure and gets massive independent media coverage, realize there is a difference between mainstream media and other independent media outlets, like the internet.
Also he needs money to run a campaign or have you not seen the 30 million dollars romney gets from goldman sachs? kind of hard to run against that without some dollars obviously… he asked people to vote for him so he could maximize his delegate count at the convention, when people give him money it would be rude if he just up and quit the race. I want him to have a voice at the convention and maybe he won’t, but i guarantee you there will a shit ton of pissed off paul supporters at that convention who won’t be happy if Paul gets nothing, but what else do you expect of him? do you expect him to change things by blogging and ranting about others who are trying to make changes in our political system like you? He has done everything he can to try and make changes but he is obviously opposed by billions of dollars of corporate money.
the only way you can become president is to run for a private association either republican or democrat, your entire argument about that is invalid. I don’t like the process and neither does RP, but its the only way to become president a third party has never even come close to winning.
Cory, I am sure Clint will respond to your disingenuous post. Your obtuse backing of RP in light of this article shows his delusional command over you.
Please, Please, Please answer me this one question…
If RP was a potent revolutionary who actually had the structure to bring his ideas to fruition, do you really think the media would ever allow him to be on TV around the clock which he is ? Furthermore, his ideas do not resonate with AIPAC, Halliburton, WAR, IMMIGRATION, FOX, MSNBC, THE FED, BANKS, EDUCATION, WALL ST, INSURANCE, DRUG COMPANIES, ETC…
If he was a sustainable threat, do you think these companies, industries and institutions, which would be adversely compromised with a RP a the helm, be allowed by the controlled US media to preach his rhetoric ?
Fact is, he and his own family know he will never win. He does not have the stones to do what is needed. Good speeches and a few million folks will not achieve the change necessary my friend.
Also, RP is a multi-millionaire..
cheers to you and your family
The people don’t vote for Ron Paul – the 538 Electors of the electoral college do, overruling the popular citizen vote.
So why ask the people to support him and vote for him?
Clint, this proves just how misguided and brain washed most people sadly have become. The popular vote is just another way for the sleazy media whores to get the sheep ginned up, nothing more.
YOUR VOTE DOES NOT, HAS NOT, AND WILL NOT EVER COUNT.
Thanks again Clint and keep the facts coming !
cheers to your efforts !
You clearly didn’t follow the media and ron paul for the last 8 years, they have been trying to ignore him, have you not heard Paul supporters crying about the media blackout of ron paul? have you never heard of RP’s money bombs being called “the black this out money bomb”??? the media hates ron paul they try and kill his ideas as much as they can but it isn’t working because he has so much support. He didn’t have the support in 2008 because he didn’t get any media attention. When 2012 rolled around he had gained a lot of support but still was shunned by the media, do you recall the 89 seconds of time he got in the ABC debate? Have you ever seen a Ron Paul interview during election time? they try and make him look like a fool every time, the ask him questions like “are you going to run third party” or “are you going to endorse romney” instead of the real issues. FYI most RP’s support comes from the internet not the mainstream media, if you did 5 minutes of research you would know that.
ever seen this video where RP sits there and just trashes Bernanke and what the fed is doing? He then goes on to talk about how SILVER AND GOLD should be our commodity standard, totally anti-fed talk.
Have you never seen any congressional hearings on monetary policy? Do you know he is the chairman on the committee for monetary policy? Did you know he has submitted a bill to end the federal reserve? He has also had multiple hearings on how to audit and maybe even bring the fed under complete control of the congress? not his ideas but they have been talking about it because of his ideas in the first place. Clearly not because that negates your entire argument. Whether it passes or not is up to the rest of the senators and congressman that DID NOT VOTE FOR IT.
No response to competing currency or factual evidence that shows Paul has rallied against the federal reserve both to the media and in practice as a congressman?
If you think Ron Paul did this to win the election your stupid, Ron Paul knows he isn’t going to win, he has even said on national television, “it looks like romney has the delegates”. He still has 400-500 delegates that are RP supporters at the convention, he wants to influence the platform if he can… He did this to make people aware of what is going in the world, if you didn’t realize NO ONE was talking about the federal reserve, i see you did a good job of responding to none of the factual evidence that shows RP isn’t corrupt and doesn’t work for the government. In fact i can tell just from both responses that you don’t have any evidence what so ever just pure speculation, that you think RP is some controlled opposition. If he was controlled opposition he wouldn’t be spouting every good anti-establishment idea like ending all the wars (drug war included), ending the federal reserve, and ending big government spending.
RP actually does and has lived in a single story 385 thousand dollar house with a lot of his family, i have seen a picture of it and its an average american single story family home, shit my house is nicer than his. You think he is a millionaire and maybe, IN GOLD, because he started buying it when it as 31 an ounce because he saw this all coming 40 years ago. He even stated he bought gold and silver to protect his family.
In conclusion maybe RP isn’t as amazing as everyone thinks he is, but i know one thing for sure and that is he is better than every other senator and congressman out there, hell every politician out there. by making the public more aware of wars, spending, and the fed he has really accomplished more than any other politician without even passing legislation. So trashing him just seems really low to me, how about trashing obama or mittens since they are the ones who will most likely get the presidency and plunge us into more wars, debt, and loss of civil liberties you know all the stuff RP has been campaigning against for 30+ years.
You are a loyal supporter of RP, that is evident, but why do I or anyone else need RP to tell them we are in too many wars, or our monetary policy is the pits ? Just pull out a twenty dollar bill and see what you can buy !
You are fascinatingly missing the point, but that is what happens when you are blinded by rhetoric and stump speeches.
Keep drinking his Kook-Aid sonny boy because his paper machete Revolution will thankfully come to a long overdue end.
Stop depending on these slick talking heads and clean up your own back yard, they will always disappoint…
peace and love 2 u
Eric Kutche
Dude you didn’t answer any of the guys questions. All you did was say he was crazy, when your the only saying there is a conspiracy in a conspiracy going on. Just brushing off facts as “thoughts of the deranged” isn’t living in reality, which I believe is your name.
Washinton
This is just a shadow operation to hide the true sources of corruption…with more dis-information, clearly….They don’t want Americans to retain their respect for the US Constitution, because they imply it was designed to capture their freedom from the start as part of some long standing conspiracy predating the American revolution..This is bullshit …and flies in the face of the history and the America struggle to gain freedom from the global financial oppressors. They include a lot of the milestones of a history changed and hidden, but their analysis, is far off base and bias. The US Constitution is the only way Americans will ever gain their freedom again….because it is the law of the land and people will use it use to throw out the trash politicians, with the law on their side. It may not be perfect or even useable right away but the American people can fix this …they did it in the American revolution and can do it again. This propagandist had muddied the waters, and is not worth listening to because he offers no solutions, other than individuals, regaining their sovereignty, while America remains enslaved. The solution is the will of the American people to over come evil, to oppose tyranny and restore freedom. Live Free.
No factual evidence? Did you even read this article?
How can he be “better” if he has never done anything in congress? No bills passed… and as for monetary reform – for a guy who is chairman of that, there sure hasn’t been any reform.
I said in my first post you have a lot of evidence showing that the audit the fed bill isn’t really a huge step in reform, the research on earmarks is laughable if you know how earmarking actually works all he is doing is getting money for his constituents. He doesn’t accept lobbying money which is the real culprit in political corruption. Everything else doesn’t point to RP being corrupt it just points to him not getting very far legislatively.
He just recently got the chairman position and now the audit the fed bill is being looked at… but you are right about one thing, he didn’t pass much if any legislation, but how could he? do you realize how much opposition there is to fixing this country? I think you should since you did all this research, you would know that it is impossible for one man to get LANDMARK legislation passed with next to no support. Right now congress is just a joke and RP is one of the guys in congress who actually takes his oath seriously, he has proposed bills for reform if they do not pass its not his fault… you are blaming the messenger and the guy who is putting forth ideas that will fix the current problems. why? if all RP did was get say 100,000 people to know what the federal reserve does that alone is doing more than any politician in congress. Who cares about legislation none of it passes ever anyways, there is to much lobbying money on capitol hill to make sure that bills such competing currency, end the fed, audit the fed do not pass. So he took a smarter route, a route that our founding fathers would appreciate, he is spreading his ideas to real people because ideas with enough support is how you change things in the real world.
Also committees have no real pull or say they are just oversight bound by the rules
A congressional committee is a legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty (rather than the general duties of Congress). Committee membership enables members to develop specialized knowledge of the matters under their jurisdiction. As “little legislatures,” committees monitor on-going governmental operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information, and recommend courses of action to their parent body.
All a committee member can do is meet with others, talk about the issues, and recommend what to do about them. They can’t make real legislative reform or change how the committee overseas something. He is doing everything he can in my opinion but with enormous opposition from corporate owned senators and congressman what do you expect?
I expect the truth. He doesn’t give that. Sorry.
None of us knows Ron Paul personally, right? Do we really know that RP “takes his oath seriously” or do we just assume that he does since his voting record is pleasing to the “patriots”? Each constituency needs “leaders” who’ll do and say the right things at the right time (even if that time spans several decades–which isn’t so long in the scheme of things for the elites, right?) So, just because RP has said and done all the right things over several decades (none of which have come to any real change/consequence) doesn’t mean we know his true motiviations. Hell, I don’t know the true motivations of people in my own family, let alone RP whom I’ve never met or with whom I’ve not shared eye-to-eye conversation or a meal or a walk in the park. And even if I would’ve had that opportunity, it doesn’t mean I’d know his mind. Any decent actor (or sociopath) can fool me (or you). No, in reality, actions speak louder than words. And in the end, RP is a lot of words and then some votes in Congress that add up to zilch. The agenda moves inexorably forward.
You’re taking this all too personally. There are thousands of layers to this onion. Attacking RP doesn’t mean anyone is attacking you. The RP wagon train is coming to a grinding halt. It’s purpose has been served. It couldn’t hurt you to unhitch your wagon for a while.
Rev 2:9
No one gets featured billing on the mainstream media marquis unless they are of use to the Illuminati Elite. No one who is allowed wide exposure escapes the vetting. NO ONE. Paul is certainly no exception. He is their archetypal doddering grandpa who expresses the outer limits of naive [even senile] “dissent”. Yes, a good-intentioned, if ineffective kook.
But I too agree, he’s not so innocent.
Ron’s dismissal of 911 Truth and circumventing a confrontation with the ZIonists, told me all I needed to know. Never was a believer in him. His bill, if honest, would have called for the total abolition of the Fed, not just an audit. His appearances should have been spent educating US on the 1913 scam and as much of the details of the ugly swindle as he could squeeze in. Congressmen McFadden and Lindbergh were real. And they were quickly vettted out.
The “candidate that will save us” found its liberal corollary in Al Gore who quickly showed his true establishment colors. In Ron’s case, his son Rand is the one who outs the establishment agenda. You forgot to include the ugly little scene where Rand tried to evict a capital hill freelancer who politely, but pointedly asked him a question he didnt like. Funny how fast that vid dropped out of sight.
We’ve had a slough of Assanges, Snowjobs, Amy Goodmans, Alex Jones etc ad nauseum carefully pushed and pruned to sedate anger, convince us free speech/democracy/opposition still exists and divert the masses’ energy from real action.
But the fault is not all on the Deceivers’ end. the American people prefer to be deceived as it allows them to stay comfortable and blame others, without having to organize, fight back, research, question- fight back. Even if Paul or the others were genuine, ONE individual cant do it alone. Where are the US citizens sense of civic duty? Glutted on NFL. porn and TV while the house burns down around them. Even Paul is not responsible for that.
Great Article- long time needed!
April Reigne
Clint, another fully detailed explanation backed by Truth (facts backed by evidence).
What is the difference between the CAFR-Mandated audit of the FedRes & the “full audit” that RPSupporters continue to spew? When I ask them they can’t even tell me what the difference is other than, “it’s a FULL audit”.
Speaking of the Postal audit comparison to FedRes audit … does their audit include a detailed report of where every stamp went? Yeah, didn’t think so… Ironic cuz Stamps are DEEMED as Lawful Tender…hmmm.
The “Audit” bill does not create anything new. It does not alter the CAFR in any way. And the only thing it does do is remove a congressional act that limits the Comptroller General in his personal auditing process for the GAO. It does nothing to change the Fed’s behavior at all, nor to create transparency in any way to congress. And finally, it does not cange the auditing rules of the Fed itself in any way, only what the Comptroller reports. But the legal independent audit is the audit of the CAFR, not the comptrollers report.
It’s all a game.
Larry Tiredofital
While the distinction between a federal agency’s rulemaking and laws passed by Congress is meaningful in itself, in practice there is often no meaningful difference. For example, the FDA makes rules about foods and drugs and the health claims that can be made about vitamins and supplements. These are not laws technically speaking, but if you or I violate these “rules”, you will find the same police with the same guns ready to arrest you for violating them.
The delegation of the power to make rules that become extensions to existing law is an abdication of responsibility on the part of Congress. Congress is supposed to vote on any proposed change in the law, not delegate this authority to any other party. In fact, it could be argued that Congress lacks the authority under the Constitution to delegate this authority.
No where in the constitution does it say authority cannot be delegated, nor does it say anything to prevent the Fed (central bank). Sorry, but this argument is mute.
Please provide link if I am mistaken here. Thanks.
The power to print money is specifically allotted to the US Treasury right? With a broad enough reading, there is not one item in the Constitution that is undelegatable. Which we see in practice now with escalating intensity, esp subcontracting anything that can be- to private corps who’ve paid off the respective Representatives. Sen Feinstein’s husband acting as broker to liquidate all USPs realty around the country. With full broker’s fees into the millions
Teresa Nolivo
I can’t even read half of this right now. This is where you lost me. “Holy hand grenade Batman… that’s liberty in Washington alright!” That was so childish and rude. I give you my word I will come back and read every word but I already know from your spiteful tone that you are completely wrong and missing the whole picture. I know you said please read all of it with and open mind and then comment. But you aren’t here just listing facts. You have a very angry evil tone about you in your writing. Are you angry cuz we are losing our country? You must have never read the bible! Sweetheart this is a sinking ship. We lose this battle but in the end we win the war… At the very best Ron Paul can only stall the inevitable. You talk about education and informing yourself but you left out the most important piece, the bible. Everything you speak of came from the bible. Our constitution was written from the scriptures of the bible. Here educate yourself.
http://www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/the-bible-and-government
I”m 40 years old. I have been listing to people warn and preach about the NWO since I was in diapers. Lets say at least 37 years I have been hearing about that. Not from TV but from my church. Our bible tells us there will be a one world government. Do you honestly believe God is going to allow us to rewrite the bible and change the outcome it has? Really now? For real? I don’t think so. Ron Paul isn’t Ron Paul for success how you see success. Ron Paul is what every man should strive to be. Its not about winning its how you play the game. If I have to cheat to win then I don’t want to win.. Its how I’m playing. Id rather lose then cheat. How can an honest man win in a pool of scammers, cheaters, and cons? How is that going to be possible? The one way to win is to stoop down to their level and play it that way and Ron is to good for that. You don’t have to sell your soul because nothing is worth that. You have this all wrong. Its not about what we achieve politically cuz if we want it we got it you know this. CFR is 5,000 in size. We are 300 million in size. Who’s really got the upper hand? Ron Paul is not the opposing team to make it look like we have choice and just lost and so now we must except defeat. Thats bullcrap. What can a Lobbyist offer you if their money is no good to you? Huh? Have you seen how Ron Paul lives? He’s not the one making the cash here in this game. They are much smarter then this. They would have a opposing person like the one they have now Romney verse Obama.. They know it only take brainwashing one generation and the game is over. The word constitution gets drop and freedom never gets talked about and Liberty is just the name of a statue and no child left behind time crunches them so hard civics and history gets removed. Mission accomplished. Ron Paul keeps it alive when it would of been lost with my generation where the onset of video games and cable tv hit our worlds. The constitution, Liberty, Freedom, Justice, and Rights all would of easily been lost in my generation. They could of easily been on their way. What is one man who’s the only honest one not taking bribes suppose to be able to accomplish? Its bullcrap about him stopping us from being push in a corner so we would be forced to violently fight. Sweetheart there can not and will not be a revolution with violence. That is impossible. This isn’t 1776. We have biological war fair, Nuke bomb and crap that was never thought of back then. We try with forces and we become extinct. It has to be non violent. Ron Paul isn’t the soldier we are. He’s there to keep it alive and to plant the seed and in us it will grow and we will start to take over government ourselves and beat them with in and we fight them from outside as well through educating others about freedom. If we had 100 more years we would win this thing. But that’s not in God plan. We won’t be here that long. We are in the last days. None the less we still don’t give up. We keep pushing forward until Jesus comes.
Why the meek shall inherit the earth and those who are last shall be first. “Nice guys finish last,” says the world. “The last will be first,” replies Jesus.
I’m sorry but you have completely missed it here. When you believe something with all your heart you never have to worry about tripping over a rock. The truth eventually always comes out. No one is that good of an actor to have acted like Ron Paul has all these years and not stumbled. Even preachers fall more and harder then Ron Paul and they are suppose to be the strongest. Ron did his Job and he did it perfectly. He showed through example that you can find love and through dedication and loyalty you can last a life time with that person. If you want it bad enough to you make it work. He raised 5 kids and none are in prison or addicted to drugs. Holy crap that alone is nuts. He had a family and yet he was still brave enough to honor his country and go to war for 5 years. He had a family and he still went while the rest coward out and ran. I wouldn’t even so much as waste my spit on them. He worked hard and finished school and started his own practice many time giving his services away for free. He even help a black man when that was the uncool thing to do. Whats having money if you can’t enjoy it. He lives modest so I don’t think hes really got it. So no selling out. Thats what you don’t get. Thats why we are so mad at Rand cuz we don’t want to win that way. We’d rather lose. Rand might be president. Because of that he may save freedom and our constitution. Even I get pissed and say lets give it back to them the way they play cuz its hard sometimes. So Rand can have his presidency. Save America but we know how you got there and its because of that he lost our respect. We already won cuz they weren’t able to brake us and take our soul. We are still here fighting with honor. They will never have our soul. The humble are free to forget themselves because they are secure. They accept the fact that, as creatures, they are small, vulnerable, and not ultimately in control. But they know there is a Creator who is great, omnipotent, and totally in control. And they know that they’ve been made in the image and likeness of that Creator. That makes gives them a dignity that they don’t have to earn and can never be taken away. Though they’ve tarnished the divine likeness through sin, they know that the Creator came down from the heights of heaven to become human and fix what they couldn’t fix.
So when they mess up, the humble don’t have to cover up. They just say “please forgive me,” give thanks for God’s mercy, and move on. And when their creaturely limitations cause them to fail, they are not surprised. They realize that they are not God.
All this is simply a way of saying that the humble are in touch with reality.
If the definition of insanity is being out of touch with reality, then our proud world with its “nice guys finish last” illusion is clearly insane.
Since the humble are secure, they are strong. And since they have nothing to prove, they don’t have to flaunt their strength or use it to dominate others. Humility leads to meekness. And meekness is not weakness. Rather, it is strength under control, power used to build up rather than tear down. “An attentive ear is a wise man’s joy” (Sirach 3:28). The humble are able to truly listen to another with genuine interest and delight in the other’s goodness. The humble are the people who give you their undivided attention and make you feel special and appreciated. You love to have them around. You love to work hard for them. You cheer when they are honored.
Even if your facts after I read them all prove to be correct you’re still missing the point. Its not what he achieved through his works its how he played the game. If you take Ron Paul and you have him stand on the side of the road and you take the president and put him on the other side of the road and open the gates and let the people go who will have the bigger crowd? My money is on Ron. Hes not young, hes not cool in the hip cool kinda way, hes not charming in a flattery kinda a way, hes not funny, hes quite boring in that sense I mean I can’t even explain what I’m trying to explain. Everything points to the president cuz of all those things and his title but that’s not where the crowd is going to go. They are going to go to the person who sees the value in who they are. You can spend the next 500 years dissecting people and our government and its still not going to mean a damn thing cuz in the end “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
We don’t win these battles anyway but the war we got that one in bag. Ron Paul is the meaning of humble and Meek and its them who inherit the earth.
If you wish I will come back and comment my thoughts on your report but I will pick it to piece worse then what you did. That boat can float both directions. Its all in how you see it.
As I don’t censer comments (except vulgarity), it pains me to have to post this giant ball of fallacies. But this is a perfect example of why I asked people to read the whole article before commenting.
For you, my dear, I ask if you do post another comment to keep it factual and focused on evidence and fact. Your beliefs are your own, and I don’t begrudge you them. Disprove anything you can, but do it succinctly and in short answers.
My recomendation is for you to learn the Trivium/Quadrivium at gnosticmedia.com and triviumeducation.com. Pay special attention to the “logical fallacies” section, and learn to recognize your own.
One of the most important advice in the bible is to never put your faith in men. You have certainly done this.
God helps those who help themselves. The apostles thought they were living in the “last days” too. There won’t be any last days the way you’re thinking of them. We are already in a chastisement as far as I can see. That doesn’t mean the end is near. It does mean you’ve got to understand the kind of mind control you’re under if you believe that the powers that really run this world would permit anyone who is really “on the side of the people” to gain the notoriety Ron Paul has gained in the last 10 years unless it wasn’t part of their agenda. If Ron Paul had said “no” to these people, he’d been out of office a long time ago (or worse). Sorry, I’m not being “mean” to Ron Paul; I’m being a realist. Stop looking for the knight in shining armor or the good guy to ride into town and clean it all up for you. Ain’t never going to happen.
I could not agree with you more ! His campaign has been spamming my inbox for months, where exactly is all this cash going ?
Cayman Islands, Switzerland, Bahamas, Tel Aviv…it’s a shell game. Locations for digital mammon are fungible.
St Teresa,
Your predictable, trite rant based on faith which claims to be fact is so tired. Sorry, it wont fly. Neither will your ignorance. And yes, I am a ‘believer’. You’ve heard NWO since 1975? Funny, the phrase was first publically used in 1991 by Pres Bush at the UN.
And your ignorant tirade on the Bible? Wake up and wise up. This country was founded by Zionist MASONS. Jefferson called himself a deist. Do you even know what that means??
EVERY Pres was a MASON (including Reagan who belonged to the World Federalists and named Manly P Hall his idol). That makes the USA a nation under LUCIFER.
Some humility would save you from the embarrassing inaccuracy and insufferable self-righteous indignation you have shown in your post. Use some discernment and read Hosea 4:6 because it hugely applies to you.
There is plenty to learn from this article if you have eyes to see and ears to hear.
You all need to stop being mean to Ron. Hes is only just a man and hes dong the best he can. Go after people are real scum. Leave him alone.
I have a lot to say, but no time at the moment. The first point I’ll make is this: you’re reading his statement wrong, willfully so, I believe.
A) “Fighting for liberty in Washington” does not mean he is fighting for liberty FOR Washington, it means he is in DC fighting for liberty. That’s his round-about way of saying “I’m a US representative and I’ve been fighting for ‘liberty’ in this capacity for 30 years.” You take it so literally that it’s out of context.
Anyway, good research effort. I’ll read the rest and respond more at a later time, perhaps. Why? I guess I have time to kill. Meh.
We respectfully agree to disagree.
Thank you for the exhaustive effort and source information. I did read your entire article with vested interest for I have indeed read both the Federal Reserve Act but the Aldridge Act which was going to be proposed if the other party had gained the majority. The interest in dead bankers though, and a study of money is not a wasted effort in the understanding of what has and is transpiring today. I respectfully disagree with some of your conclusions in regard to the audits. These are stillea meaningless when you control those whom are doing the audits. The “outside” agencies have no reasons to divulge anything that the Fed does not want out. I’m addition, the history of the steady deterioration of the protections in the original act of 1913 had begun almost immediately. You mentioned briefly the 1935 change but not the most significant change of that alteration. (since I am responding with phone I am limited to putting my studies and links but will try to follow up later). The real quality I believe though of your work is the statement of controlled opposition and rang a loud bell with me. It is an old tool of the trade and as I stated and a study of how the original act was debated and passed shows the same tactics. Thank you again for your in depth study. I would have only toned down the personal sounding attacks on Ron Paul. For the simple fact remains that through his public voice there are many more who are waking up and will be able to digest information as you have presented. Please look me up on FB. Peace and may God bless and protect those exposing the truth.
Gary Oak
I’m more convinced Bigfoot is real than that Ron Paul himself is somehow a bad person. A cog used by the powerful and evil without his knowledge? Maybe, big stretch though. If you watch the man speak and look at his record it’s obvious he genuinely cares about people and freedom.
You’ve put a lot of interesting points together, but like I said, so have people trying to prove Bigfoot, it’s easy to make people believe things they read on the internet, you gotta research and listen yourself. It’s hard enough convincing people their is one big conspiracy against Ron Paul, but trying to claim their is a conspiracy in the conspiracy that Ron Paul is apart of? At the very least if he did become president our troops would come home, and that’s better than any alternative Romney/Obmama is offering.
Actually, that is exactly what Obama offered before he was elected – to bring home the troops. Faith in men will always disappoint.
Offering a red herring such as big foot is a classic tactic used by people who cannot offer facts to counter other obviously provable facts.
The sad thing about people who are “awake” like yourself is that you actually think that you elect the president. You don’t. The electoral college does. Paul is running to represent the Republican Party. This is not going to happen. And if he runs as a third party candidate, you will have to vote for who you wish to be the electors of the state, besides voting for Paul. In other words, you can only vote for other people to elect the president. The popular vote does not count!!!
To be so lost in worshiping the men who run for office so as to not see how the actual office they run for is elected is the crowning achievement of controlled opposition. Why don’t you ask Dr. Paul about how the president is elected. He talks about that about as much as he talks about the CAFR.
You are in too deep. I recommend www cutting through the matrix dot com to begin the process of extrication.
My only question for this whole article is why. Only recently thanks in large part to Dr. Paul’s action have people even started becoming aware of our sheep-like lives. A decade ago no one was loudly questioning government and no one had even heard of the Federal Reserve. Until Ron Paul it seemed most people had forgotten about individual liberties. So why, when they had everything, would they risk it with this Ron Paul fellow?
You need to study your political history and science. Many an outspoken politician rears their heads. The only difference is, Ron Paul hasn’t been killed, caught with a hooker, or replaced. That, in and of itself, is suspicious to me.
Placing so much responsibility on Paul as a “patriot” and in waking people up is ridiculous. Alex Jones, maybe, since he is the largest supporter with the largest fan base. But my expose on him isn’t much better. The real problem is people who claim to be awake, and then stop learning. Awake = 1/100 awake.
I don’t believe alex jones is a “patriot” whatever that word means at this point since it’s all a ruse to keep people in “check” (mate). I don’t believe he “stole into” Bohemian Grove. (IF he had done so, you and I would never had heard about it; that is for sure.) Anyone who is “real” isn’t going to be permitted to grow from a young’in on access tv to the nationally known “patriot” he’s become. I don’t believe he’s real, just like I no longer believe RP is real. Not that I ever truly believed he was; I was just holding out some (dumb) hope–up until he threw in the towel and his sniveling son came forward to say how we’ve all got to stick with the Republican party. Why should we? They’ve done nothing but lie in bed with every other gangster/hoodlum/street thug that’s ever pretended to want the “good of the people”. At least with guys like Capone there was no pretense but that he was anything other than a low-life, money hungry, killer. No, sorry. I no longer will cry on cue when the national anthem is played and the flag is flown. In fact, I’ve become just like the elite; no “loyalty” to any particular country since there have never been any particular countries. That’s all part of the game. Those at the top have been fornicating with one another for centuries while the rest of us, down below, (you know, the “base” of the pyramid) thought we had countries of our own. The elites can stuff the pyramid right where the sun don’t shine.
Jonestown was the dumbed down controlled clown manufactured by Stratfor and the zionists to replace Bill Cooper who was assassinated. To this day- Jones’s career was made by stealing Cooper’s prediction of 911 back in july 2001.
The fakes almost follow a formula.
That’s the whole point; there IS NO RISK to them –that’s why they’re permitting it. The elite LOVE to rub your nose in it when they know they can do so with very little risk (if any) to themselves. THEY OWN IT ALL and have the MEANS TO KEEP IT ALL. The devil loves to obtain the consent of those he sends to hell. If we’re too dazzled by the devil to recognize him, that’s our fault.
i couldn’t help but notice… people are saying the senate has already implied that they would deny this bill… if what i read here is true… why would they deny it? wouldn’t they want to see it pass? so does that mean the people saying the senate will deny it are lying?
obviously this whole situation is part of the very trickery that is politics… your arguement as well as the opposing arguements…
the fact that ron paul has had ANYTIME on national TV… and the fact that the information in this article hasnt made national TV (that would quickly debunk him)… makes me question the true goal of all of this in its entirety…
everyone knows we are all sheep here… the expected “ron paul zombies”… and the expected anti ‘ron paul zombies’ alike…
What better way to end the fed and bring in a world central bank and money than to allow the people to think they accomplished something great by ending it. Sheep doesn’t even begin to describe what we are.
It was Lenin who noted that the best way to control the opposition is to become the opposition.
I am not anti anyone. This isn’t about a person, though putting faith in one is foolish. This is a presentation of facts, nothing more. Read it as such. Thanks.
I hate to dampen the good intentioned drones that blindly follow RP, because in a sorted kind of way I am with them for most of his message resonates with so called patriots, but be that as it may, this is my synopsis of him.
The only way you can run and become president of the US is to be a controlled candidate, whether it be by the big oil, AIPAC, big pharma, etc… JFK ring a bell ?
RP doesn’t appear to fall under this dubious category at all, which is refreshing in itself, but if he can not be controlled by the elites/lobby/corporations who indeed run this country, he couldn’t and will never be allowed to be President.
So what is his message ? audit the fed/end the fed/stop wars/gut government/do not intervene in foreign affairs/ etc…
It is all rubbish and it is the quintessential “Controlled Oppostion” theory at play.
Would big business vote for RP ? NO
Would Big Pharma vote for RP ? NO
Would Militarily Industrial Complex vote for RP ? NO
Would Big Government Programs vote for RP ? NO
Would AIPAC vote for RP ? NO
Would Fox New Zombies vote for RP ? NO
Would CNN Zombies vote for RP ? NO
Would Illegal aliens vote for RP ? NO
WOULD THE SO CALLED ‘PATRIOT’ VOTE FOR HIM ? YES
WOULD SOLDIERS VOTE FOR HIM ? YES
Follow me here, who runs this country ? certainly not the people or the soldiers who fight these senseless wars. That means RP would have to rely on the people who would never vote for him…ever.. to get him elected.
see the hoax now ?
Now, if RP would expose the CAFR as the giant fraud that it is, and run in his own party i.e. (citizens against corruption party), and tell the people that the FED is audited every year already, and that his bill includes many restrictions in it that would render this endeavor useless, and tell the people that by ending the fed we all might just get a world bank to run things as clint eluded to, then we should all take notice..
Until then… we suffer
i understand what he (claims he) fights for… i also understand why he wont be elected… but why, after fighting ‘the elites’ for all these years (unsuccessfully even), would he still try to push us towards world banking anyways? is his message simply a guise to gain support? as with many other figureheads? (YES WE CAN!) and if so, why wouldnt they choose a candidate that has less opposition in the ‘big house’?
im hoping your not refering to me as a ‘drone’ there jmackdog… if so, you need to open your mind… im neither for or against him… im partial to his speeches… but just as any politician… well… i think that word speaks for itself >.<'
btw: thanks for the article… just trying to decipher what im to make of all this…
I use to be a RP drone years ago before I had to unflaggingly look at the facts and then I was forced to call it how it actually is, instead of how RP is perceived in certain circles.
I can assure you my good man, these eyes are not wide shut any longer.
How exactly has he been fighting the elites ? If you consider his career fighting the so called “elites” one would be lead to the very honest conclusion that he has been one colossal failure. Speeches on the house floor is interesting theater at best, possibly grandstanding at worst. I base that primarily on his record of NON-ACCOMPLISHMENTS as a REPUBLICAN law maker.
He gives a certain sector of mostly sincere people a person to identify with and cheer for, but certainly not to win a presidential election.
I urge you to browse all of Clint’s work, he is a diamond in a sea of troubles.
The truth is out there, you just have to look for it.
peace to u
Just wanted to remind you guys again that you don’t vote for president! The President is president of the States, not the people. Thus, the electoral college (political parties) elect the president with the 538 electors (one for each congressman).
So the whole aspect of Ron Paul becoming president is a fallacy. He will not be president unless 220 electoral votes elect him. The Electors will only elect the Republican or Democrat who is appointed by the political party.
It has nothing to do with patriots or soldiers. The system of electing president is literally rigged.
Sorry to burst your bubble…
Why doesn’t Ron Paul tell you this as he collects millions in his PAC and ask for your vote? That’s the real question.
Your facts withstanding I think your views are short sighted and fatalistic. It is more of the same. Hopeless, or the lesser of two evils. What is your advice? I believe that for better or for worse Ron Paul has ignited a flame that should spread interest in the political process and truly change things. Why do you have a problem with people pursuing that aim?
You set forth the “facts” claiming an unbiased position, and then you proceed to “inform” all of us “sheep” why your particular stream of rhetoric is the only objective truth. I have never donated a dollar to Ron Paul, but I agree with the ideas he presents on most every issue. I am done voting for Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. That is where my head is at, and it has little to do with cognitive dissonance or a blind faith in RP.
A principled statesman will make very little progress when working with a large # of corrupt officials. He is responsible (earmarks aside) to his constituents in the 14th District of Texas. He is a significant individual for his message of common sense and liberty in an era of established insanity. You don’t change the system by becoming a supporter of those who oppose your views. As for his supporters and donations, you would be well served to review the nature of donor support. His campaign is still rallying.
Dude, if you don’t know that the 538 electoral college members (political party members) elect the president and BELIEVE that you or the over 100 million popular voters elect the president, how can I possibly present any other facts to you and expect to shake any of your other BELEIFS?
And please provide me with the financial statements of the campaigns so that I may review them per your request. Oh. Nevermind. They aren’t available. And emails to the campaign aren’t returned.
I’m sure you have good intentions… just no facts.
Here is a link detailing the “shadowy” financial situation of Ron Paul’s campaign.
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?CID=N00005906
Maestoso (@Maestoso)
After examining the text of the bill found at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr459/text I realized you didn’t include an analysis of section 3 (SEC. 3. AUDIT OF LOAN FILE REVIEWS REQUIRED BY ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS). Why did you leave this part out? Do you think this part is insignificant?
Interesting… actually, that section was not part of the original bill for 2011 or 2012, and this section must have been added as amendment to pass the House this year.
For instance, here is the 2011 bill, which does not have Section 3: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr1207/text
Remember, this is just the house, not the final bill. It will be amended further and if passed will likely have earmarks or be part of another bill.
And if you are suggesting that I purposefully omitted this section in my post here, I’ve got a whole swell of insults to hurl at you for not researching your accusation further to see the original proposal before the 2012 vote in the house and that this is an amendment. I assume this is not the case, and that you are just pointing this out to me and others without accusing me of anything. Please let me know…
No, I wasn’t suggesting anything. I know you’ve done a heck-of-a-lot more research on this issue than I have. It seemed odd that you hadn’t commented on it, but I hadn’t realized the section was added later on. I assumed you were going to show me how this section was basically null and void because of some obfuscated loophole I hadn’t noticed (which wouldn’t surprise me at all). Thanks for all the great info! I used to sip on that Ron Paul kool-aid until I found this article!
Whew! I thought I had yet another detractor on my hands. Glad you were helped by my efforts. -Clint-
I find no other way to offer correspondence with you. Is the following open letter of interest ?
Open letter to my senators
RE: THE FEDERAL RESERVE HEIST
Dear Senator,
Mr. Ben Bernanke told the Senate Banking committee that the government must take action (deficit spending) to prevent an economic collapse. Did he tell Congress that every dollar of such spending would be profit for the Fed that would be hidden by the FRBNY in apparent violation of the law ??
A popular concept is that the government will “borrow” from the Federal Reserve. This involves giving a Treasury security (bill, bond, or note) to the Fed as collateral and the Fed will credit an account of the government in the amount of the security. The government then spends the (book-entry) funds while the Fed (theoretically) holds the collateral; i.e. deficit spending. Voila !! Additional (fiat) money has been injected into the economy of the Nation which, in the opinion of Mr. Bernanke, may stabilize the economy.
Observe that the Fed holds the collateral. When the collateral matures, government must pay the Fed to redeem the security. The fiat money spent by government must be re-acquired and paid to the Fed. But the government has already spent the money and the bank account is zero.
So the Fed can sell the collateral at the Treasury auctions (if it has not already been auctioned). If the funds went to the government, the Fed would essentially give up the security. Bankers are not known to generously give up money.
Also, if the funds went to the government, they would be used to pay off the debt of the security that had been issued and that would negate the existence of the debt and further it eliminates any inflation from the currency in circulation being increased. Since this does not happen, the funds from deficit spending cannot go to the government.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has the responsibility of handling all accounting and funds for Treasury auctions. The funds from deficit spending go into the FRBNY but they are not recorded as coming out. These items are not included in the ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS nor are they dispensed in any government record
Receipts from the 2010 Treasury auctions totaled $8.4 trillion. $7 trillion was used to roll-over preexisting securities (without increasing the national debt) and $1.4 trillion was received from deficit spending as detailed above. That $1.4 trillion ($4 billion every day–7/52) disappeared in the catacombs of the FRBNY.
Profit of the Fed legally belongs to the government. Concealment of funds belonging to the government is identified as embezzlement and subject to one year incarceration per count. Ref. 18 USC section 641. Nonpayment of monies belonging to the government is a separate crime and subject to five years incarceration. Ref. 18 USC section 1001. Anyone knowing of such an offense who “relieves, comforts or assists the offender…to prevent his apprehension, trial or punishment, is an accessory after the fact.” Ref. 18 USC section 3.
Perhaps members of Congress would want to reflect on their involvement.
yourconstituent @home.us
PS Conclusion: The Federal Reserve wants more money to (temporarily) bail out the NY banks from their fraudulent derivatives gambles while your constituents get ripped off from inflation and an increasing inescapable, unpayable national debt that will bankrupt the Nation and transfer ALL wealth to the (unknown) owners of the FRBOG by their Ponzi scheme.
[NOTE: This letter is excerpted from RIP OFF BY THE FEDERAL RESERVE, http://www.scribd.com/doc/48194264/rip-off-by-the-Federal-Reserve-revised ]
The Fed is the Government is the Fed is the Government…
An agency delegated authority to act is still government. So absolutely, what the Fed does belongs to government, just as all other crime that is legal.
Also, those derivatives bets and bailouts were done by government investment (stock) held corporations. What amuses me is that people are asking government to end the fed and to stop gambling in its own investment held banks and to stop bailing out those banks (of which the “loses” go into the players pockets).
Perhaps when this myth that the Fed is separate from government will the people actually act.
But for right now, government is running quite the way it is supposed to, like a well-oiled machine… just not the way you want it to run.
As I understand your statement, once a government entity is created it is forever a government body and all acts are the practices of the government. [NOTE: The derivatives bets you mention were by commercial banks–not the Fed].
I cannot agree with that. Any act by a government employee that exceeds the statutory authority is NOT an act of government. Ref. Butz v Economou, 438 US 478, 506 (1978). This includes federal officials in the executive branch. Barr v. Matteo, 360 US 564 (1959).
The legislation that created the Federal Reserve system in 1913 included a provision that all profit from the operation of the Fed would belong to the government. The provision has been restated, but not rescinded, by Title 12 sections 289 and 290. It would appear that if that provision has been consistently violated since the creation of the Fed by the concealment of profit (hidden by the FRBNY handling of auction funds) that belongs to the government, the system has no governmental status.
Further, the acts of the (12) Federal Reserve banks created by federal legislation and operating under individual corporate status has been, at the insistence of the FRBKC, held to be the acts of a non-government body for the issues before the court. “The (Federal Reserve) Bank also contends, inter alia, that the plain language of 28 U.S.C. § 451 and relevant case law state that Federal Reserve Banks are not federal agencies.” Scott v Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, 406 F3d 532, 534 (8th Cir. 2005). In addition, the Ninth Circuit declared the FR banks are “independent, privately owned, and locally controlled corporations.” Lewis v United States, 680 F2d 1239, 1241 (9th Cir. 1982).
The status of the BOG is distinct from the 12 banks. The status of an agency has been repeatedly assumed by the courts but there is no known case that has adjudicated and held such a conclusion after challenge. The Supreme Court has however repeatedly distinguished an agency from a government contractor. “A critical element in distinguishing an agency from a contractor is the power of the Federal Government (does not) control the detailed physical performance of the contractor.” United States v Orleans, 425 US 807, 814 (1976). The BOG has obstinately resisted any control by Congress. A government contractor has no government immunity.
Thank you for your well-presented retort.
I don’t disagree with what you have wrote here, I am only trying to change your perspective on what this information actually means.
Yes, in a tort claim, you must sue the Federal Reserve, not the Federal Government, as the Federal Reserve is an independent agency of the Federal Government.
But if we research tort claims, we find that the same is true with any independent agency of government. If I sue the postal service, I must sue that agency, not the government. In other words, government has been smart in setting up limited liability corporations and then delegating (but not giving up) authority to those corporations, with the power to sue and be sued. This is not at all uncommon.
In fact,
“Filing an Administrative Claim”
“In a normal lawsuit claiming negligence, you proceed more or less straight to court. But if you wish to sue under the FTCA, you must first file a claim with the federal agency responsible for the alleged misconduct. For example, if your claim is based on an accident at the post office, you would file your claim with the U.S. Postal Service. During this phase of the process, while your claim is being reviewed by the federal agency, it is referred to as an ‘administrative claim.'”
So all I am trying to make people understand is that the act of providing these court decisions as proof of independence is simply a misunderstanding of what an independent agency of government actually is. And yet, nobody goes around vehemently pushing the fact that the Postal Service is a separate private corporation acting outside of government with its own rules, which it is. Because this is not where the legend lies…
The fact is that any agency must follow the law of government. And the point here was to show that the Fed not only follows the congressional law (US CODE) but is also granted the power by congress to make its own rules, just as every other agency does. But this does not make an agency above the law. The problem is not the lawbreakers, it is the lawmakers who don’t enforce the law or exempt themselves from their own law. Until this fact changes, there will be no change.
I believe that people, for the most part, simply have a need to demonize everything or anything else but the actual cause of the problem – themselves.
Thanks again for your intelligent response.
And thanks to JMackDog for your insight as well.
You are very welcome Clint, your injection of truth and reality is necessary and I feel blessed to have found your thought provoking blog.
To my RP drones out there….. WHAT HAPPENED ?
If it looks like controlled opposition, smells like controlled opposition and acts like controlled opposition, It must be controlled opposition.
Ron Paul for all intensive purposes whether anyone likes it or not has done nothing to dethrone the corrupt presidential election process of this country. He had a chance to create a new line in the sand, but he failed to strike when he was in the spotlight.
IMHO, Ron Paul was threatened to stand down so his son can have safe passage for his ambitions. Let’s be honest here, his campaign found multiple accounts of fraud during the primaries in several states, yet he wouldn’t move on it ?? If you were really looking to be President of the US one would think evidence of fraud would be the galvanizing event to catapult RP and his campaign.
Ron Paul has stated that he can not fully endorse Romney for President, so does that infer he partly endorses him ? If he fully endorsed the head Mormon in charge, the head Mormon would allow him to speak at convention…. disgraceful to the core
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/would-fully-endorsing-romney-undo-much-of-what-ron-paul-has-accomplished-he-thinks-so/
question everything ! thanks clint
John William Cornett
RP is/was controlled opposition, nothing more, nothing less, as I’ve been saying for years. He has been 100% unresponsive to me and his FANS are mostly rabid narcissists whom only talk and do not seem to have hearing abilities. PEACE & LOVE
elfmom55
Hi Clint, I heard you a couple weeks ago with Deanna Spingola on RBN re: prions. WOW!
I kept feeling I could not trust RP due to the fact I was (am) still reeling from being a Bush voter (both) and finally got “awake” about 4 years ago to what those 2 creatures are really all about. There are pics of RP doing the horned hand signal (says it’s a love sign) and also the Masonic hand shake. Didn’t his delegate get pounded at the convention and he said NOTHING? Didn’t his mailing list end up in Romney’s filthy, grubby hands? Thanks for all your info on so many subjects. New Fan!
I’m pleased my efforts are well-received.
I think a good rule of thumb is to never put your faith or trust in men, especially ones you don’t know but see on TV. They wouldn’t be on TV, no matter how they are portrayed, unless they are playing a part in the grand chess game of mis-dis-information and controlled opposition.
Otherwise, Walter Burien, the many cures for cancer, the few proven alternative energies to replace oil and electric and hell maybe even some of the things I’ve pulled out of the ether would be top stories.
Thanks for the note… and take care.
Eldon Warman
RE: (Quote) From Manta.com:
Congress, United States in Washington, DC is a private company categorized under Executive Offices, National. Our records show it was established in and incorporated in District of Columbia.(Unquote)
Up until about 2 years ago the ‘private’ ownership of ‘UNITED STATES’, AKA: ‘Congress’ was named as Archbishop Deric McLeod of the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC.
When this was disclosed by some sleuth, the reference to whom the ‘private company’ owner is was promptly deleted.
conundrum indeed
Conundrum indeed! Don’t you love the disguise failure (fake eyebrow slipping) in one of the photos on this page?
http://www.wellaware1.com/ron_paul.htm
Not a fan of this, but the genealogical similarities should certainly be noted, as with the look-alike with George W. Bush. No doubt all are blood-cousins.
You stated you would respond to the September 5, 2012 comment. I missed the reply.
The law requires a “full report” to be made to congress. The “net profit” is statutorily required to be paid to the government.
THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM is presented to Congress. It is signed by recognized accounting firms that vary annually. The audit is conducted according to guidelines established by the BOG. The accounts of $8.5 trillion of Treasury securities that the FRBNY auction to roll over prior debt and fund the defiicit spending are not included in that Report.
The earlier links may be defective. The analysis of how the FRBNY hides $4 billion daily is detailed at
http://www.scribd.com/doc/101937790/Federal-Reserve-Heist . A more extensive description of the Fed operation is given at http://www.scribd.com/doc/48194264/rip-off-by-the-Federal-Reserve-revised . The theorized use of the embezzled funds is at
http://www.scribd.com/doc/115919607/FUNDING-THE-NEW-WORLD-ORDER . The Amended Complaint filed in the whistleblower suit can be located with the above links. Ron Paul and numerous members of congress have declined to comment on the writings. Perhaps you may have time to make a comment ????
Will check it out and comment when i get time…
his is just a shadow operation to hide the true sources of corruption…with more dis-information, clearly….They don’t want Americans to retain their respect for the US Constitution, because they imply it was designed to capture their freedom from the start as part of some long standing conspiracy predating the American revolution..This is bullshit …and flies in the face of the history and the America struggle to gain freedom from the global financial oppressors. They include a lot of the milestones of a history changed and hidden, but their analysis, is far off base and bias. The US Constitution is the only way Americans will ever gain their freedom again….because it is the law of the land and people will use it use to throw out the trash politicians, with the law on their side. It may not be perfect or even useable right away but the American people can fix this …they did it in the American revolution and can do it again. This propagandist had muddied the waters, and is not worth listening to because he offers no solutions, other than individuals, regaining their sovereignty, while America remains enslaved. The solution is the will of the American people to over come evil, to oppose tyranny and restore freedom. Live Free.
While I respect your opinion, and might have at one point had the same one, I must disagree. New evidence has shown that the words you use here like freedom are created from tyranny in the first place. Future posts will make this clear.
I now realize that anyone who says “The U.S. Constitution is the only way Americans will be gain their freedom (be saved)” is trying to fix a temporal problem that can only be fixed spiritually. The constitution is not natural, thus it offers nothing of nature. To be free is a spiritual concept, not a political one. And the constitution is govern-ment (mind-control) without God (natural law).
You’ll find no remedy for mankind in the constitution, only remedy for artificial persons that still bind men.
terry alan
A lot of writing/details. What is your solution for the simple minded, concertedly distracted masses Clint? Nothing will ever change without most.
I’ve come to realize that there is only one solution, and also that it is impossible to expect it to happen. I say again there is only one “solution”, which is the legal definition of that word. A solution is an end of contract and satisfaction of debt/obligation. This means no more citizenship, no more political parties, no more “benefits”, just living souls who, as the Bible says, do not respect “persons” (corporate fictions). I realize this is akin to unplugging every living man, woman, and child from the Matrix (womb) of government and making them responsible for their own actions (self-government). And such a reality is unlikely, so, irony will keep us under the foot of government as we all accept ever more binding person-hood to the point where we wont be able to work or spend without it. I can see the grand scheme, and I am helpless to change it. Yet some will detach and know true freedom, which exists simultaneously within and without government. The story is already written.
very interesting article, i didnt read every single word, as that would be quite a slog for me, but i caught the gist. im English, and mainly through youtube, got sucked into Ron Paul mania. Every single video i watched of him put a smile to my face, everything he said i agreed with, he spoke with integrity, he made all the other candidates look like neo-con parrots. but your damning article and research (if factual, i say that as i havent checked sources), is damning, especially the audit the fed bill he is ‘championing’. all an intricate facade to get his son ‘the ticket’. in a way reminds me of ‘yes minister’ when Sir Humphrey got Hacker to champion the ‘British Sausage’ knowing this would be the launchpad for his subsequent elevation to Prime Minister. i believe the episode was called ‘Party Games’, seems quite apt.
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The National Narrative on Reconciliation Report surveyed Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians on attitudes towards reconciliation and revealed a strong alignment about the contributions that Indigenous Peoples make to Canadian society. The survey, the first of its kind, also points to significant barriers to overcome to truly achieve reconciliation.
Download the National Narrative on Reconciliation Report.
Over the past decade, we have witnessed growing momentum in the reconciliation movement in Canada. In its final report, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission noted that meaningful engagement among Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians will be key in advancing reconciliation. To support this, Reconciliation Canada commissioned a national public opinion survey to measure Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians’ perspectives, beliefs and attitudes on reconciliation and the journey ahead.
Do Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians share a similar or distinct view on reconciliation? Is there a basis for common ground upon which to build a path forward? Where do their perspectives diverge? What barriers to reconciliation exist?
Explore these questions in the report and interactive below.
By developing an accurate understanding of the perspectives of both populations at this point in time, we can begin to identify areas of opportunity as well as current obstacles to progress.
The survey was conducted online with representative samples of Indigenous Peoples (N=521) and non-Indigenous Canadians (n=1,529) in September 2016.
The findings of the survey are among the topics discussed at The National Thought Table on Reconciliation on May 10, 2017. Learn more about this livestream event here.
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Movie Review Colette
Colette is a sexy, smart and informative story about a real life figure who deserves a proper remembrance. Sidonie Gabrielle Colette was incredible, a writer, an actress, a pure iconoclast in a time when iconoclasts were some of the most brave people on the planet. Those willing to stand up and be different faced jail, poverty, even death in Colette’s day, even in the supposedly freewheeling Paris of the 19th and early 20th century.
Keira Knightley portrays Colette as a young woman who had the luck of actually falling in love with the man she was promised to. At the time, most people in Paris loved Henry ‘Willy’ Gauthier Villars (Dominic West). He was a massive personality. Willy was a cultural gadfly, a charming, thoroughly gregarious man of means who never failed to pick up a check and make eyes at every woman in the room, all part of endless cycle of marketing himself as a brand name writer.
Willy wasn’t really a man of means however. He was actually mostly broke due to his dedication to drinking, gambling and his many attempts to impress women, including his beautiful, much younger wife. Desperately in need of more writing product in the pipeline, Willy finally turns to Colette, the one writer he doesn’t have to pay and won’t hold him up for a payday. When Colette delivers an immediate smash called “Claudette,” their problems should be solved.
Colette however, isn’t interested in writing, especially in writing something that Willy would eventually take credit for. She wants to have her own life and as their two lives chafe against each other’s needs and desires, the story picks up into a whirlwind of sex and recriminations. When Colette falls for an American woman, Willy encourages it as a way to justify his own infidelity and as a cudgel to get Colette to continue writing. When he decides that he to must sleep with this woman, things begin to get nasty.
Colette is an exceptionally well told story about young country girl, slowly becoming the woman she was meant to be. Keira Knightley is wonderful with her huge, expressive eyes and effortless wit, she brings forth a Colette that you could never doubt was meant to be a star. If there is one issue with Knightley’s performance it is that she is so much better than co-star Dominic West, an actor inferior in every way to Knightley.
West’s performance works only in particular context. Willy is intended to be portrayed as a spineless shell and West definitely portrays that aspect. Unfortunately, he’s so lacking in every other aspect that I found it hard to believe that he was this beloved society gadfly. I especially found it hard to believe a woman as incredible Colette could stand this guy for more than a minute. We’d be talking about one of the best movies of 2018 if an actor half as talented as Keira Knightley were playing opposite her.
Colette was directed by Wash Westmoreland whose previous film was also a showcase for an incredible leading lady. Westmoreland directed Julianne Moore in her remarkable Alzheimer’s drama, Still Alice in 2014. That film could not be any more different from Colette but, what they share is a dedication to showcasing a leading lady in a remarkable performance. Westmoreland has a tremendous eye for moments and both Still Alice and Colette have moments of remarkable power.
Colette features a moment in which Keira dresses down West’s Willy so much you feel like the actor might not survive. Knightley’s fury is righteous and the emotion is a wallop. Knightley has been accused of being slight as an actress, a shot at her body type more than her acting in my opinion, but here, wow, she is ferocious. Her acting power is devastating and even though West is giving her little to work with, Knightley’s power still resonates.
Colette is a brilliant showcase for an actress too often underestimated. I can’t claim to have always valued her but in looking back, I can’t think of a single film where she hasn’t impressed me. Even in her best known role, the Oscar nominated Atonement, I didn’t like the movie, but Knightley, I absolutely adored her. She makes movies less than her better and great movies like Begin Again or the criminally under-seen Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, she makes transcendent.
The real life Colette was a remarkable woman, a brilliant bestselling writer and openly gay at a time when such things weren’t safe. In England she could have been prosecuted for living openly with the woman she eventually came to fall in love with and the two struggled in France, though less than they would have in other parts of the world at that time. Colette persisted and her talent won the day and the movie based on her remarkable life is a loving tribute.
See Colette for Keira Knightley and appreciate Wash Westmoreland, a director who doesn’t work all that often but when he does, he knows to work with the right leading lady.
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« Eureka's Kavan Smith - Robo Cop | Main | Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Paul McGillion (Stargate Atlantis) »
Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Brandy Ledford (The Invisible Man)
Actress Brandy Ledford.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Brandy Ledford talks about booking her role as the kick-ass government agent Alex Monroe in The Invisible Man.
She went mad on Poltergeist: The Legacy, died on The Outer Limits and played a sexy alien temptress who seduced unsuspecting human males on First Wave. Nowadays, Brandy Ledford is busy fighting the bad guys as Alex Monroe on The Invisible Man. If you were to look in the dictionary under “super agent” Alex’s name would most likely be there. A U.S. government agent with a five-star-A rating, she is an expert in everything from weapons to surveillance, sabotage, seduction and infiltration. Last seen as Dawn Masterson on Baywatch Hawaii, Ledford was hoping her next TV series role would be one in which she could make use of both her brains and beauty. Her wish came true in the form of Alex Monroe.
“As soon as I read the breakdown for Alex Monroe I fell in love with the character. I even liked her name,” laughs Ledford. “I’m so thrilled to be playing this role. Some casting directors and producers have a tough time believing that an actress that had been on Baywatch would be capable of taking on a part like Alex Monroe. Usually it’s, ‘Oh, she’s from that program. Can she act?’ Well, yes, I can, and people knew that I could before I did Baywatch, you know? I mean, someone like Yasmine Bleeth was so lucky to be cast on Nash Bridges. The produces of that show realized that she was talented as well as good looking. Please believe me, I’m not trying to knock Baywatch. I learnt a lot while I was on the series. It’s just that afterwards I had to work that much harder in order to prove myself.
“I really wanted the part of Alex on The Invisible Manbecause I knew I could do it. She’s a tough cookie and can kick major butt. I have a green belt in kickboxing, so that worked in my favour. Without sounding politically incorrect, I can shoot a gun. Not that I love guns, just that I’m comfortable working with them. So Alex gets to do all these things plus she’s intelligent. I have to say, though, I became even more interested in the role after I met Vincent Ventresca [Darian Fawkes a.k.a. The Invisible Man]. He gave 150% of himself when he read with me during my audition. I thought, “I’d have so much fun working with this man.” Then when I got the job and came down to San Diego and met Paul Ben-Victor [Agent Bobby Hobbes] and the rest of the cast I knew that things were going to be great.”
Trained as a dancer from the age of five, Ledford was a member of her high school’s championship dance team. She and her classmates travelled the States and performed at such places as the 1984 Olympics, The Rose Bowl and even Dodger’s Stadium. Although the actress loved the craft she did not think it was financially wise to pursue dancing as a long-term career. After graduating high school, Ledford modelled for a while but soon became bored, so she began to study acting. She made her debut in the 1993 feature film Demolition Man starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes.
“I was so nervous and excited when I got to the Warner Bros. lot,” says the actress. “All I had were two lines to deliver and I wanted to make sure I did it right. I think I ended up doing thirteen takes for my one scene. I was very green back then and not that confidant an actress. However, I remember sitting in my trailer waiting to go before the camera and knowing this [acting] was what I truly wanted to do. When I walked onto the set and saw the lights, cables, grip gear, and, of course, all the people, it just felt like home, and I still get that same feeling whenever I start work on a new film or TV project.”
On TV, Ledford has guest-starred on such series as The Drew Carey Show, Walker, Texas Ranger, High Tide and Silk Stalkings. She also had a recurring role on The George Carlin Show and was a regular on the Canadian drama Fast Track (along with First Wave star Sebastian Spence). The actress first appears on The Invisible Man in the second-season episode The Camp. It is obvious from the beginning that Alex Monroe is anything but a shrinking violet.
“She walks right into The Official’s [Eddie Jones] office and says, ‘I’m here. I’m working for The Agency now. My office is one floor up and on the side of the building with a view if you want to come on by.’ Alex isn’t welcome,” notes Ledford. “My character is there without The Official’s approval but he can’t do a thing about it. She has friends in high places and they’ve arranged for her transfer to this department. In this story, we learn that the most important person in Alex’s life has been taken from her. She needs The Agency’s resources, in particular Darien Fawkes, to find him.
“Of all The Invisible Man episodes I’ve done so far, The Campis still my favourite. Not only is it a solid story but it also helps viewers as well as Darien and Hobbes to understand why Alex is here. It unfolds in a beautiful and emotional way and the ending is quite moving because my character doesn’t find who she’s looking for. Greg Yaitanes directed this episode as well as the second one I’m in, Johnny Apocalypse. He’s a great director and does a terrific job of drawing you into the story by using interesting camera angles and moves.”
Having worked only with each other in the field for over a year, it takes Fawkes and Hobbes time to get used to having a third wheel along for the ride. “I think Hobbes is initially rather intrigued with Alex,” says the actress. “He tries to come on to her and she doesn’t want anything to do with him in that way. As for Darien, he’s extremely skeptical of Alex until later on in The Campwhen he discovers she’s much more than just a pretty face. It’s only then that he and Hobbes begin to garner respect for her, and visa versa. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the three of them won’t continue to butt heads,” laughs Ledford.
“I find Alex’s relationships with The Official and The Keeper [Shannon Kenny] just as interesting,” she adds. “The Official doesn’t take crap from people and here’s Alex giving it to him. I think that’s hard for her because she respects the man, but because of circumstances is forced to go over his head. When it comes to The Keeper, Alex needs her as an ally. Personally, Shannon and I get on very well, and we want both our characters to do the same. They’re two professionals that are learning to work together. We don’t want any cat fights or other Melrose Place-type dramatics on this show.”
Besides The Invisible Man, Ledford can be seen this summer on the big screen in Rat Race, and also in the HBO erotic thriller Zebra Lounge. Like Alex Monroe, the actress knows what she likes, especially when to comes to performing in front of the cameras. “I’m my own worst critic,” she says. “Usually when I watch myself I’m disappointed. I enjoy being in the moment far more. For me, one of the most rewarding parts of this job is going home at the end of the day and knowing that I gave my all to the work.”
Tags: Agent Bobby Hobbes, Alex Monroe, Baywatch, Brandy Ledford, Darian Fawkes, Dawn Masterson, Eddie Jones, Entertainment, Greg Yaitanes, Paul Ben-Victor, Science Fiction, Shannon Kenny, The Invisible Man, TV, Vincent Ventresca
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Adrian Hodges
Survivors Comes To BBC America
Is it the end of the world that they have come to know in Survivors? Photo copyright of the BBC.
IMAGINE what would happen if a virulent disease scoured the planet, wiping out 99% of the human race. It kills every member of your family, your lovers, friends, neighbors and probably everyone you have ever known. Imagine the world stripped of all the conveniences of the 21st century - no law, no shops, no communications, no transport, no electricity, no clean water. This is the apocalyptic scenario facing the heroes at the center of this chilling new drama series, brought to you by the co-creator and writer of Primeval. Set in the present day, Survivors focuses on the world in the aftermath of a virus where only a lonely few are left to start over in a devastated world where everything that was once safe and familiar is now strange and dangerous. The 12-episode season of Survivors premieres Saturday, February 13th @ 8:00 p.m. EST/PST on BBC America, with subsequent episodes premiering at 9:00 p.m. EST/PST.
In the middle of the story is a bewildered but resilient group of survivors led by Abby Grant, a woman whose strength comes from a burning need to find out if her young son is still alive. Other members of the group include Greg (a good man who hides the pain of his past), Anya (a doctor who has seen too many people die), and Al, a former playboy who becomes the surrogate father to streetwise urchin Najid. Then there is Tom, outwardly handsome and charming, but actually a dangerous and ruthless man who, unbeknownst to the others, was in a high-security prisoner before the virus hit.
This brave new world brings an opportunity for new beginnings, but also terrible dangers - not just the daily struggle for food and water, but also a deadly threat from other survivors. The cast of Survivors includes Julia Graham as Abby Grant, Paterson Joseph as Greg, Freema Agyeman as Jenny, Max Beesley as Tom Price, Phillip Rhys as Al, Zoe Tapper as Anya, Nikki Amuka-Bird as Samantha Wills, Shaun Dingwall as David and newcomer Chahak Patel as 11-year-old Najid.
"Survivors is about what is means to be human," says award-winning writer and executive producer Adrian Hodges (co-creator and writer of Primeval). "It asks questions about our nature and confronts us with our deepest fears. When everything else is stripped away, would we band together and find the best in ourselves, or would we fall apart and retreat into barbarism and savagery?"
Hodges' Survivors is a re-imagining of the classic 70s BBC drama series, and is based on the novel by Terry Nation. Hodges adds, "Survivors is about adventure, fear, love, loyalty and friendship. But above all, it's about new hope."
Abby Grant (Julie Graham). Photo copyright of the BBC.
Julie Graham as Abby Grant - Abby is a mother and homemaker to her son Peter (11) and husband David (Shaun Dingwall). Before the virus struck, Peter successfully defied a near-terminal illness and Abby had reluctantly agreed to let him go on an adventure holiday. She had also planned to resume her career and re-ignite her faltering relationship with her loving but exhausted husband. Fate, however, has decreed otherwise, and in the wake of the virus, Abby finds a strength within herself she never knew she had. Refusing to give way to grief and despair, she channels her energy into trying to find her son, who may or may not have survived. Joining forces with a few other survivors, she becomes the leader of the group and a living symbol of the resilience of the human spirit.
Greg Preston (Paterson Joseph). Photo copyright of the BBC.
Paterson Joseph as Greg Preston - A former systems analyst for a big multi-national, Greg felt trapped and dreamed of a new life. But his wife, who had grown used to a wealthy and comfortable lifestyle, was appalled by his Utopian vision of a new, hardscrabble future. Nursing bitter personal wounds, Greg is now a man who believes he can live without love, friendship or family, but human nature is not so easily denied.
Jenny Collins (Freema Agyeman). Photo copyright of the BBC.
Freema Agyeman as Jenny Collins - Jenny is a bright and lively young teacher in a primary school. Overwhelmed bu the chaos she sees all around her, she is determined to save the life of her dying flatmate Patricia. Nothing will stop her taking her friend to the hospital and saving her life. But fate intervenes to confront Jenny with choices beyond anything she could have imagined.
Tom Price (Max Beesley). Photo copyright of the BBC.
Max Beesley as Tom Price - In prison when the story starts, Tom Price is handsome, charming and capable, but also very dangerous. A man who will stop at nothing to achieve his own ends, Price finds himself locked in his cell while all around him people are dying. As the long night of the virus wears on, survival and freedom become the only issues that matter.
Al Sadiq (Phillip Rhys). Photo copyright of the BBC.
Phillip Rhys as Al Sadiq - A rich, good-looking playboy, Al has lived a life of priviledge. In the aftermath of the virus, he finds himself responsible for Najid. Al has never seen himself as the paternal type and he initially proves to be a disaster as a father figure. But strangely, this frightening new environment ultimately makes him a better man than he would ever have been if he had continued his old life.
Dr. Anya Raczynski (Zoe Tapper). Photo copyright of the BBC.
Zoe Tapper as Dr. Anya Raczynski - Anya is a young doctor who does her best to save as many people as she can when the virus hits. But with no cure and no vaccine, all her skill ultimately proves futile. While she struggles with the enormity of events, she is forced to stand by helplessly as her friend Patricia is among those brought to the hospital in the grip of the illness. In this new world, Anya knows that her skills make her a valuable commodity, the kind of commodity people might kill for.
Samantha Willis (Nikki Amuka-Bird). Photo copyright of the BBC.
Nikki Amuka-Bird as Samantha Willis - Samantha is a junior minister delegated to handle the press in the midst of the crisis. Dealing as best she can with an anxious media and her own stunned colleagues, at first Samantha has no idea how serious the crisis is becoming. Forced to put aside her love and concern for her own family, Samantha becomes the last contact between the Government and the people whom it can no longer protect. Her journey from innocence to full knowledge of the truth is laced with bravery and horror.
David Grant (Shaun Dingwall). Photo copyright of the BBC.
Shaun Dingwall as David Grant - David is a self-employed builder and a loving family man who is competent, brave and determined. Abby and David's marriage is a solid and loving one, although they have been worn down by the illness of their beloved son Peter. But nothing in David's life has prepared him for the crisis which is about to sweep away everything he ever knew and loved.
Najid (Chahak Patel). Photo copyright of the BBC.
Chahak Patel as Najid - Eleven-year-old Najid is a lively little boy with all the normal interests of kids his age - football, his Gameboy, school. He is also a devout Muslim. On the night of the crisis he and his family go to the local mosque, but in the morning, Najid is forced to grow up very fast when the virus causes a violent change in his circumstances and his life is transformed in ways he could never have anticipated. His relationship with Al is at times funny and poignant, but in the end Al and Najid need each other, no matter how much they try to deny it.
As noted above, all photos copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
Posted at 03:00 AM in Abby Grant, Adrian Hodges, Al Sadiq, BBC, Chahak Patel, David Grant, Dr. Anya Raczynski, Entertainment, Freema Agyeman, Greg Preston, Jenny Collins, Julie Graham, Max Beesley, Najid, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Paterson Joseph, Phillip Rhys, Samantha Willis, Science Fiction, Shaun Dingwall, Survivors, Terry Nation, Tom Price, TV, Uncategorized, Zoe Tapper | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Abby Grant, Adrian Hodges, Al Sadiq, BBC, Chahak Patel, David Grant, Dr. Anya Raczynski, Entertainment, Freema Agyeman, Greg Preston, Jenny Collins, Julie Graham, Max Beesley, Najid, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Paterson Joseph, Phillip Rhys, Samantha Willis, Science Fiction, Shaun Dingwall, Survivors, Terry Nation, Tom Price, TV, Zoe Tapper
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Alan Blumfeld
Heroes' Greg Grunberg - Man On A Trapeze
Greg Grunberg as Matt Parkman in Heroes. Photo copyright of NBC.
Do you know the old saying, "No good deed goes unpunished?" It is one that Matt Parkman perhaps should have heeded at the end of Heroes' third year. The good-natured and often put-upon law enforcement officer, who also happens to possess telepathic powers, thought he finally had the chance to start a normal life with his wife Janice and baby son, Matt Jr. Then, however, Noah Bennet and Angela Petrelli talked Matt into using his ability to help them get rid of Sylar. As a result, Matt not only wound up with a guilty conscience, but, at the start of season four, Sylar's psychotic consciousness stuck inside his head as well. Yes, it was yet more angst for our reluctant hero to contend with, but Greg Grunberg, who plays Matt, readily embraced the new acting challenge.
"Well, first of all, the end of season three was exciting for me because suddenly Matt was the one who they turned to in order to level Sylar, which was awesome," enthuses Grunberg. "I love how we play things on this show, in that most of the time they're character-driven and we try to keep it that way. So going into this particular story arc, I knew it would be good. However, Matt wasn't happy about doing this. It was something he had never done before and he knew there would be repercussions. Although he was thrown into this, it was also something he chose to do. And, of course, when we're burning the body [in the third season finale An Invisible Thread], Matt knows it's not really Sylar, and he's carrying that secret with him.
"Then at the beginning of season four, when Angela [Christine Rose] calls Matt and says, 'Things didn't go as planned; we need your help again,' it's like, crap! He's not happy about it and doesn't want to go back. Once again, all Matt wants to do is try to lead a normal life, which is exactly what inspired Tim Kring [Heroes executive producer] to create this show after he saw [the feature film] The Incredibles. The thing is, no matter what you try to do, when you're 'special' and have these powers, you're going to get called upon, and when push comes to shove, you're going to have to step up to the plate. As much as Matt tries to go back to that normal life, he can't. He always gets pulled back into this one.
"There are themes in Heroes that are very consistent and, as this season has gone on, the focus for my character is that he will do whatever necessary to protect his family. This goes back to season two and what happened with Matt's father [Maury Parkman, played by Alan Blumfeld], which was a powerful moment for my character. Matt realized that his father had all this power and did whatever it took in order to save their family. But then Matt had to take him down. This year, it's another powerful moment for Matt when he realizes, 'By killing myself, I'll kill Sylar [Zachary Quinto], because if I don't, he's going to go on killing people, maybe even my own family.' So towards the end of this season you're going to see Matt do some really dark things that you wouldn't expect from him."
With Matt's (Greg Grunberg) help, Noah (Jack Coleman) and Angela (Christine Rose) prepare to carry out their plan to deal with Sylar in "An Invisible Thread." Photo by Trae Patton and copyright of NBC.
Turning down Angela Petrelli's request for additional help in the season four Heroes opener Orientation, Matt is shocked when Sylar appears, but only he can see him. In the following episode, Jump, Push, Fall, Sylar tells Matt that he is part of his mind and has no intentions of leaving until he is reunited with his body. Matt tries to ignore Sylar, but the psychopath's relentless taunting starts to adversely affect him. Sylar's hold on Matt strengthens when, in Ink, he uses Matt's powers against him, causing the detective to almost beat a suspected drug dealer to death.
"What I love about this story is that Sylar consciously or subconsciously tapped into Matt's darkest and biggest fear, which goes back to my character discovering Molly," explains Grunberg. "It really mirrored what happened back in season one when he found the little girl under the stairs, but this time when Matt found her, she was dead. That was something Sylar tricked him into seeing. For a second, Matt let his guard down when he and Sylar are in the bathroom and Sylar says to him, 'Look at this house. I mean, you're a cop. I don't know any kid who you would raise in a house like this.' Then he shows Matt the doll and he's like, 'Put it all together.'
"There are so many moments of huge suspension of disbelief in our show, but this is not one of them. Here's a cop trying to do his job and being nagged by an image and a person only he can see and hear and who's giving him clues he can't ignore. Matt has to deal with this, which was really great for me acting-wise, and it was hard, too. The stuff I do on the show is difficult because I always try to play it as real as possible. However, if you were talking to someone and suddenly they tilted their head and looked at you funny, you couldn't help but comment on it and ask, 'What's the matter?' So there's that fine line of Matt talking to Sylar and at the same time trying to keep other people from noticing he's doing so. Those sorts of complex scenes are always so interesting as well as fun to do."
Matt contemplates his next move in "Ink." Photo by Chris Haston and copyright of NBC.
Matt is about to lose his cool with Jimmy Keppler (Daniel Newman) as Sylar (Zachary Quinto) looks on in "Ink." Photo by Chris Haston and copyright of NBC.
Was it hard for the actor to shoot the scenes in which Matt physically abuses his suspect, Jimmy Keppler (Daniel Newman)? "Yes and no," says the actor. "I mean, we all have our rage, and if I want I can get to a dark place pretty quickly. Years ago I did an episode of NYPD Blue and I learned something from Dennis Franz [Detective Andy Sipowicz]. He drowned my character in a bar sink, and when we did the scene, he was getting super-physical with it. I remember saying, 'Dennis, I've got it. I'll go down and you can just put your hand on my head.' He said to me, 'Look, man, when they roll the cameras, I bring the evil.' I thought, 'Wow, what a great line.' Obviously, Dennis did it in a way that he wasn't hurting me, but he was just saying that he really embodied his character.
"So in Heroes it ended up not being too tough for me to take everything I had out on this guy. For Matt to come in, realize, oh, my God, she's dead, and then just ramp it up as he's walking towards this guy and yelling, 'What did you do to her!' was terrific to play. From the camera angles, what's interesting is that the slaps and punches were a foot-and-a-half away from the other actor's [Daniel Newman] head, but it still really looked violent. In-between scenes, they [the make-up artists] came in, added [fake] blood and then we carried on, so it turned out great."
Along with Ink, another favorite episode for the actor to have worked on this season is Strange Attractors in which Matt thinks he has found a way to suppress Sylar's influence on him. "There's one scene, in particular, where Matt is packing to leave and Sylar is in the room with him, but Matt's wife Janice [Lisa Lackey] doesn't know Sylar is there," says Grunberg. "She asks Matt, 'Where are you going?' He tells her, 'I've got to get out of here.' Matt then explains to Janice what he did [with regard to Sylar]. Janice offers, instead, to leave and take the baby somewhere safe, and Matt says, 'Sssh, he'll hear you. Don't tell me where you're going so he [Sylar] won't know.' Here's a guy who is about to go crazy and his wife who loves him seeing that craziness building inside him. I love that scene.
Fighting to be your typical, average family - Matt, Matt Jr. and Janice (Lisa Lackey). Photo by Chris Haston and copyright of NBC.
"Also in this episode is Matt out-drinking Sylar, which is kind of cool. Some people made the comment, 'It's that easy. You just go and get drunk,' but if you stop and think about it, no, it wasn't that easy. Matt got inside Sylar's head and found a weakness. He discovered what really meant something to him and took advantage of it. So it had layers to it, but on the surface it was like, oh, that's all it takes to get Sylar to disappear from your head. Just drink until you pass out.
"So I thought that was interesting, but the scene with Matt and Janice, going into it, I didn't see it being as deep as it turned out to be. When, however, she looked at me, and it was her looking into her husband's eyes and [reassuringly] going, 'Ok, ok,' but meanwhile thinking, 'Dear God, I'm losing him,' that was wonderful to play.
"With this show I feel like I'm working on a trapeze with the strongest, safest, softest and most comfortable net below me because Tim Kring, Dennis Hammer [executive producer] and all the writers and editors are just so good. I can do something and know, OK, it's on film and, yes, perhaps the network will see a take that I'm not thrilled about, but you've got to be willing to take chances to come up with some great stuff. You can't second-guess yourself and think, 'Maybe I should try this, but if I do it might not work.' Who cares? Just do it. It's only film, and with film they're only going to use what works. But you've got to trust the people making those decisions, and I do."
Matt and Sylar are confronted by the police outside the Burnt Toast Diner in "Shadowboxing." Photo by Trae Patton and copyright of NBC.
Unfortunately, Matt's drinking is only a temporary solution to his problem. At the end of Strange Attractors, Sylar retaliates by taking over Matt's body, and in the following episode, Shadowboxing, Sylar goes off in search of his own body. He ends up at the Burnt Toast Diner, where Matt reveals to Sylar that he, Noah (Jack Coleman) and Angela "transformed" him into Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar). While at the diner, Matt uses his power to make Sylar unwittingly write down on a napkin that he has a gun and he's going to use it to kill everyone. Sylar then hands the napkin to a waitress, and when he eventually walks outside, the police are waiting. Matt tricks Sylar into pretending that he is taking a gun out of his jacket, forcing the police to shoot him.
Matt uses his powers to "persuade" Sylar to act in a threatening manner towards the police in "Shadowboxing." Photo by Trae Patton and copyright of NBC.
"For that scene, Zach and I each had 12 squibs on us," recalls Grunberg. "I'd never had that many squibs on me before. I've been shot on Alias as well as in movies and the most I've ever had is four squibs, which is a lot of explosive charges to have on your chest. So we did the scene and Zach gets shot, then I step in and get shot, but they never showed Matt getting hit. They only showed my character lying on the ground with blood around him. Sylar was the only one who you actually see taking the bullets. In my mind I thought they were going to do a fade-across dissolve [shot] where it would show Sylar getting shot and then, as it fades, it's Matt being shot, but they didn't do that.
Matt intends to sacrifice his own life by goading the police into shooting Sylar in "Shadowboxing." Photo by Trae Patton and copyright of NBC.
"I remember watching the scene when I was doing [audio] looping for the episode, and I called Tim and asked him, 'What happened? I'm not getting shot.' And he said, 'What are you talking about? Sure you are.' In fact, they had made a decision in the editing room, which Tim had forgotten about, and that was they wanted to make it seem like Sylar was really gone. Had they shown me being shot, there might have been a question in some peoples' minds that, oh, maybe it was just Matt who got shot and Sylar didn't die. I thought, 'I went through all those squibs and they didn't even show it,'" chuckles the actor. "Stuff like that, though, is like playing cowboys and Indians. It's a dream for anybody, let alone an actor, to do something like that, and I had a ball."
Poor Matt is down for the count in "Shadowboxing," but only temporarily. Photo by Trae Patton and copyright of NBC.
Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), Matt, Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) and Sylar have an unexpected reunion in "Brother's Keeper." Photo by Chris Haston and copyright of NBC.
Lucky for Matt, Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) comes to the hospital in Brother's Keeper and uses his replicated power to heal Matt. However, his "brother" Nathan (a.k.a. the transformed Sylar) is with him and, during a fight between him and Peter, Nathan brushes Matt's hand. Matt suddenly finds himself back in his body and, apparently, Sylar has returned to his own body as well. Despite his character's life and death struggle, Grunberg did not mind having Matt share his mind with Sylar.
"Knowing I was going to be working with Zach as much as I did was a treat," he says. "He's the greatest. Zach and I have known each other for a long time and we're very close, so right away I knew that this was going to be fantastic. And we have a shorthand with each other where we step on each other's lines. I do the same thing with Adrian and a bunch of other actors on the show because we're so familiar with one another.
"At the same time, Zach has a really specific quality to his character and I wanted to try to embody that in certain things I did. In the airport scene [in Shadowboxing] where Sylar takes over Matt's body, I suddenly kind of bring my brow down. There's this look that Zach has about him and a very intense quality that he brings to his character that I wanted to try to copy, even in little moments like that, but in doing so I didn't want to go over the top."
Matt's journey could have ended in "Shadowboxing," but he lives to fight another day, beginning in "Close to You." Photo by Trae Patton and copyright of NBC.
With Sylar finally out of his mind, Matt is reunited with his wife and son, but in Close to You, Noah comes to Matt's house and asks him for help to find Samuel (Robert Knepper), who is bringing together heroes for his own private agenda. At first, Matt refuses, but when Noah plants the seed that Samuel could one day come for Parkman's son, Matt realizes that, once again, he has no choice but to lend a hand. Having worked with Zachary Quinto for much of the season, Grunberg looked forward to sharing some screen time now with Jack Coleman.
"Jack is an amazing actor and it's always great working with him. On the flip side, though, his character is someone who I strapped to a chair in a motel room, and now Matt is trusting him again, just like he trusted Peter, just like he trusted whoever," says the actor. "These alliances keep getting to toxic levels and then suddenly we're like, well, OK, it's all fine with these guys. So it's been a little crazy, but at the same time we're all fighting for ourselves. It's dog-eat-dog, and after a while a pack of dogs is more powerful than any single dog, so you've kind of got to go with it.
"So at the beginning of the episode, Noah is pulling Matt out of his house, and then at the end, my character tells him, 'Look, that's it. Go home. I'm done with this.' But like I said before, it gets very dark from here on in, not only with Matt, and I think people are going to like what's coming up."
Having been a series regular before on Alias and Felicity, the actor has once again enjoyed the opportunity to walk for an extended period of time in Matt Parkman's shoes and seeing his character grow and develop on Heroes. "When we first met Matt, he was quite lonely," notes Grunberg. "His relationship at home was falling apart; he sort of had a clue as to why, but not really. Then, however, he found out that his wife was cheating on him, so he couldn't have been more alone at that moment.
Father and son - Matt and Matt Jr. Photo by Chris Haston and copyright of NBC.
"From there, Matt just wanted to figure out who did this to him [gave him his telepathic abilities], and in doing so, he discovered these other people who are very much like him. All of a sudden my character realized what it was he truly wanted, but then it was a case of be careful what you wish for. Matt became a John McClane [referring to Bruce Wills' Die Hard character] and has been thrust into something he's really not prepared for. He's learning how to control his abilities, while at the same time discovering just how huge a deal this superhero stuff is.
"So my character has basically gone from being alone, to going on this journey of discovery, and then finding his dad and realizing that all this is part of his destiny and there's no turning back. Matt is now at the point where he can't trust anyone, and the way I've tended to play it - and the writers haven't really written to it in a while - is that this is a vicious cycle and he sees it happening all over again. Matt has powers and look what's happened to his life, and now his son has powers, so what's going to happen to him? Matt just wants to break this cycle and live that normal life, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen."
Besides his heroic endeavors as Matt Parkman in Heroes, Grunberg has also been busy with various other projects, including two films, one of which is called Group Sex.
"Group Sex is something I co-wrote and co-produced with Laurence Trilling, who is working on [the TV series] Parenthood at the moment and who I worked with on Alias as well as Felicity," says the actor. "He's a good friend of mine and a really talented guy and we made this movie independently. I'm starring in it along with Henry Winkler, Tom Arnold, Josh Cooke, Odette Yustman, Kym Whitley, Robbie Benedict and James Denton. Hayden Panettiere [Clare Bennet in Heroes] has a part in it, too, and so does Dania Ramirez [Maya Herrera in Heroes].
A rockin' Greg Grunberg! Photo courtesy of and copyright of The Lippin Group.
"It's a romantic comedy that takes place in a sexaholic recovery group, and I play this guy who belongs in this group, but is the best friend of a guy who wanders into the group. My character's friend follows a girl who he finds attractive into the back room of a church and, all of a sudden, he's in the middle of this group being led by Henry Winkler, who's standing there saying, 'I'm addicted to sex.' The film really turned out well and we're currently working out a distribution deal. I cannot wait for it to get out there because the title alone should intrigue people enough to want to see it, but the movie really does deliver.
"I also did Kill Speed, which is another independent movie but it was financed by a group of fighter pilots, so we got to use all their jets as well as received cooperation from the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] and airports. We also got military cooperation, which you normally can't get. It's the first film since Top Gun that actually has practical filming of air-to-air combat. The shots in the movie are unbelievable and they're all real, like planes screaming between buildings in downtown Los Angeles, and a jet fighter following one of the these fiberglass planes that are used to transport drugs.
"I play a government agent who's calling the shots from underground and trying to get these drug runners. So for me it was coming in for two or three intense days of shooting where I was looking at monitors and yelling, 'Come on, get 'em! Get 'em!' It was more like a callback to my Alias days than anything else, but I had a really fun time doing the movie and I think people are going to enjoy it.
"I've also got this iPhone application out there that's been exploding and doing really well. It's called Yowza!! and the website for it is getyowza.com. It's a free application, and you just press Yowza!! on your iPhone, iPod Touch, Palm Pre, Android, Blackberry, etc., and it knows your location and brings up all the stores, restaurants and businesses around you along with all their coupons and deals. So you never have to clip coupons again or look for the best deal by walking the mall. When you're in a mall, press Yowza!! and it'll show you, closest to farthest away, where the best deals are."
Husband, dad, talented actor and all-around nice guy, Greg Grunberg. Photo courtesy of and copyright of The Lippin Group.
While there has been no official announcement yet whether or not Heroes will return for a fifth year, Grunberg remains optimistic. "I definitely think we're going to get the opportunity to properly end the series in one year, two years, whatever it may be," he says. "A show like this is successful all over the world and on DVD, and in today's TV business you've got to have that. If a program isn't a hit around the world or if it doesn't take advantage of ancillary markets out there, then it's not going to survive.
"When the time does come, I hope the characters can all band together - those who are still standing - and have some satisfaction that they're doing the right thing. Ultimately, that's what everyone wants to do, even the characters who do something bad. I mean, Ali Larter's character [Niki/Jessica Sanders/Tracy Strauss] feels terrible when she does something bad, but she can't help herself. So I hope we can all see that ultimate redemption - no pun intended. It's a tall order to wrap it all up, but we'll see how they [the producers/writers] do it. Like I said, though, hopefully it'll be a couple of seasons from now."
As noted above, photos by Chris Haston or Trae Patton and copyright of NBC or The Lippin Group, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
Posted at 03:00 AM in Adrian Pasdar, Alan Blumfeld, Ali Larter, Alias, Angela Petrelli, Christine Rose, Claire Bennet, Dania Ramirez, Daniel Newman, Dennis Hammer, Entertainment, Fantasy, Felicity, Greg Grunberg, Hayden Panettiere, Heroes, Jack Coleman, Jimmy Keppler, Lisa Lackey, Matt Parkman, Maury Parkman, Maya Herrera, Milo Ventimiglia, Nathan Petrelli, NBC, Noah Bennet, Peter Petrelli, Robert Knepper, Science Fiction, Sylar, Tim Kring, TV, Uncategorized, Yowza!!, Zachary Quinto | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Adrian Pasdar, Alan Blumfeld, Ali Larter, Alias, Angela Petrelli, Christine Rose, Claire Bennet, Dania Ramirez, Daniel Newman, Dennis Hammer, Entertainment, Fantasy, Felicity, Greg Grunberg, Hayden Panettiere, Heroes, Jack Coleman, Jimmy Keppler, Lisa Lackey, Matt Parkman, Maury Parkman, Maya Herrera, Milo Ventimiglia, Nathan Petrelli, NBC, Noah Bennet, Peter Petrelli, Robert Knepper, Science Fiction, Sylar, Tim Kring, TV, Yowza!!, Zachary Quinto
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United Kingdom: The Legend & The Cool.
Posted: March 2, 2012 | Author: TK | Filed under: United Kingdom | Tags: Engelbert Humperdinck, Eurovision Song Contest 2012, Martin Terefe, Sacha Skarbek | Leave a comment
Imagine this: A Grammy-nominated veteran crooner with a career spanning 45 years, paired with the most commercially successful songwriting team of the year behind the likes of Adele, Jason Mraz and Lana Del Rey. No where in my wildest imaginings did I ever think that could happen but it was just that when the BBC, after exacting every ounce of suspense and hype, unveiled the British representative for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. The announcement was met with slackened jaws, bemusement and a good deal of excitement. No one was expecting this and I mean no one.
But think about it. Engelbert Humperdinck is an incredibly talented artist selling more than a 150 million records worldwide with a golden voice that resonates through the decades. Then have him perform a song written by Grammy award-winner Martin Terefe (Mary J Blige, Jason Mraz, James Morrison) and Ivor Novello-winner Sacha Skarbek (Adele, Lana Del Rey, James Blunt). There is no doubt that this will be a special, credible entry that will raise much interest and acclaim as it did eyebrows. I believe that it is the stark contrast between the timeless crooner and the contemporary cool of the songwriters that will create an interesting song for the United Kingdom this year.
There is no denying that Engelbert Humperdinck has still got it and when I think that the Eurovision stage is going to be graced with this level of artistry:
Deep down, I believe that this is going to be several shades of brilliant.
The song is currently being recorded in London, Los Angeles and Nashville (swag!) and there’s no word on when it will be released but no doubt it is eagerly anticipated.
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Equipment We Use
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HMP Shepton Mallet Ghost Hunt
Shepton Mallet, Somerset
Built in 1610, this grade II listed prison offers over 400 years of dark history making Cornhill the oldest jail in the country. In the 1600, the former house of correction would have offered very little in the way of sanitation which would have led to the spread of Smallpox as well as other deadly diseases. Once these diseases took hold, many would have died a painful death and due to the infections and the worry of further spread, many would have been buried around the prison yard in unmarked graves.
Moving forward in history, your jail time would have not got any easier in fact conditions were said to be at its most brutal. In 1823, inmates would have been subject to hard labour in the form of a Treadwheel. Time at the Treadwell was gruelling as men would be made to tread the wheel for countless hours taking them to breaking point.
Cornhill was used as the main site for executions in the county of Somerset between the years of 1889 and 1926 and although the exact number of deaths by this method is unknown, it is thought that countless men and women lost their lives.
In the Second World War, the prison was taken over by British and Americans troops and by the end of 1944, it is said that 16 Americans were hanged and 2 were executed by firing squads for crimes that included rape and murder. The British military used the prison, specifically cell 10 to house and protect many important historical documents. It has been said that in its time the room was home to Lord Nelsons logbook from the HMS Victory, the Doomsday Book, a copy of the Magna Carter and even a signed agreement by Neville Chamberlain and Hitler himself.
Reported Paranormal Activity
A white woman apparition has been report wandering the now empty labyrinth of hallways and cells. In recent times staff of the prison have reported seeing Ghostly American Servicemen wandering aimlessly as they would have done when they were stationed here.
Executions, death, torture, pain and suffering………With all this history it is not a surprise that countless storries of paranormal activity have been reported through the years.
View our ghost hunting events
Bursledon Brickworks
COPYRIGHT SOUTHERN GHOST SOCIETY 2010 - 2019
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It's now harder to get a ticket for a London NFL game than a Beyoncé concert - so where next for American football in the UK?
Alex Finnis
The Telegraph October 11, 2018, 9:30 AM UTC
Wembley Stadium ahead of the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills in 2015 - Getty Images
You're sat hunched over your computer, five different tabs open in three different browsers. One more open on your phone. The group chat is overflowing with anxiety and everyone is just waiting. Poised, with their trigger fingers hovering over the refresh button, counting down the seconds until it's time to pounce.
What does this make you think of? Glastonbury, right? Maybe Arctic Monkeys at the O2, or Jay-Z and Beyoncé at the London Stadium.
But for fans of American football, this is also now the reality of getting tickets for the few games a year played in London.
A decade ago it seemed unthinkable that the British public would be scrambling to watch the Tennessee Titans in the same way they do Justin Timberlake. America's Game was always a very niche interest to us, our knowledge of the sport limited to the odd game of Madden played round a friend's house (quickly ditched because neither of you knew the rules).
No longer. Sky Sports now airs as many NFL games per week as it does Premier League. You regularly see American football stories take up prime positions on the BBC Sport website, and I challenge you to spend more than 20 minutes walking around a big city without seeing someone in a Cowboys jacket, a Giants cap, or a Patriots beanie.
The Seattle Seahawks take on the Oakland Raiders at Wembley on Sunday afternoon Credit: (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
On Sunday around 90,000 fans will flock to Wembley - dressed in jerseys from all around the league - to watch the Seattle Seahawks take on the Oakland Raiders. According to StubHub, demand for the London games is up an incredible 333 per cent in five years, and 40 per cent on last season - despite there being one fewer fixture. The NFL is no longer arriving in the UK, it's already here - and it continues to grow exponentially.
Want to have a guess at the most in-demand tickets across the entire league going into this season? It's not the Cowboys' opener, or the world champion Eagles playing in front of their home crowd for the first time - though that is the right team. It's the 28 Oct clash between Philadelphia and our adopted Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley. StubHub says this is the first time a London game has landed on its most in-demand list, but it won't be the last.
The question now is how much longer fans will be scrabbling their way into three or four games per season, instead of being treated to a full eight-game schedule - a permanent NFL team based out of the English capital.
This already feels more like a matter of when, not if. Jaguars owner Shahid Khan announced his intentions to build a training facility near Wembley last year. This year he's gone one further, and is intending to purchase the entire stadium. Tottenham Hotspur's new ground is being purpose built for the NFL, with a permanent, retractable field. It's now very possible we will see a London franchise within five years, and it would be foolish to bet against it happening in ten.
Jacksonville Jaguars players enter the Wembley field for their 2016 game against the Indianapolis Colts Credit: Ben Hoskins/Getty Images
Speaking on this, NFL executive vice president of international and events Mark Waller told Forbes: "We feel very confident now from a fanbase perspective, from the size of the audience that we're reaching, from the sort of business we're generating and the support we're getting politically.
"We've proven all the logistical variables now. This year we'll play three games on consecutive weekends. That's an important test for us because in the event we ever did have a franchise here it's likely our schedule would be blocks of three or four games here, then three or four games over in the States so the team wasn’t traveling every other week.
"The one thing we can't ever test for unfortunately is, if you have a team based here, could it be competitively successful over time when it's traveling significantly more than any other team?"
That's the one slight stumbling block - having one franchise thousands of miles across the sea isn't exactly what you'd call convenient, but it's certainly not impossible. Our very own rugby Super League was a mere three points away from having a team from Toronto in it next season, and the issue of travel is one the NFL has already made obvious is one it's very willing to overcome through its vast investment on our shores.
For years the life of a devoted British NFL fan has meant reclusive Sunday evenings and inexplicably turning up to work on a Friday on one hour's sleep. For the recently converted and the next generation, a day out to see the London Jaguars will be as easy and normal as a trip to Old Trafford.
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Predators' Watson on long-term injury loan to AHL club
Reuters March 25, 2019, 7:22 PM UTC
FILE PHOTO: Nashville Predators Watson tries to shoot on goal as he falls to the ice as Vancouver Canucks Pinizzotto and Edler defend during the first period of their NHL hockey game in Nashville
FILE PHOTO: Nashville Predators Austin Watson (52) tries to shoot on goal as he falls to the ice as Vancouver Canucks Steve Pinizzotto (13) and Alexander Edler(23) defend during the first period of their NHL hockey game in Nashville, Tennessee April 15, 2013. REUTERS/Harrison McClary
Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson has been assigned to the club's AHL affiliate in Milwaukee on a long-term injury loan.
Watson was reinstated last week after being suspended indefinitely in January due to ongoing issues with alcohol abuse.
Watson finished Stage 2 of the NHL's substance abuse and behavioral health program and had entered the follow-up phase.
Watson, 27, was not paid during the suspension.
It was Watson's second suspension of the season. He missed the first 18 games after pleading no contest to a domestic assault charge in July. Watson was initially suspended for 27 games by the NHL, but an arbitrator reduced it to 18.
Watson has seven goals and six assists (13 points) in 34 games for the Predators this season.
Forward Miikka Salomaki was also assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals under the same designation.
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Wearing My Jesus Goggles to the Boston Tea Party
By Steve Holt
The Tea Party Express -- the traveling band of conservative speakers, entertainers, and organizers -- stops in Washington, D.C., today on its nationwide effort to "vote them out of office" in the 2010 mid-term elections. Sarah Palin, one of the most galvanizing conservatives in years, has joined the Express in an attempt to bring more mainstream conservatives into its ranks. The Alaskan drew several thousand fans, opponents, and gawkers to the Tea Party rally on Boston Common Wednesday, and I decided to head down to experience it for myself.
I did this for a couple of reasons. A big reason I went was to hear Mrs. Palin -- to see what all the fuss is about and to bask in her aura. I was not disappointed. She gave the crowd what it came to hear: hard-nosed political rhetoric softened by her trademark small-town colloquial wit. She even worked a "drill, baby, drill!" into the speech, though strangely, she made no mention of President Obama's move last month to expand off-shore drilling for oil.
My main reason for attending, though, was to be among the people. I have found myself characterizing the Tea Party in conversation without having ever attended a rally, and I wanted to get a clearer picture of who makes up this group comprising roughly 18 percent of Americans. Specifically, I wanted to come at the event with my Jesus goggles on, asking whether this is a group for folks who call themselves Christians.
I knew Tea Party supporters were a patriotic bunch, so the red, white, and blue didn't come as much of a shock. What surprised me a bit was the support of militarism and American exceptionalism. Last summer, the Tea Parties formed around a largely economic platform: Washington is spending too much money and needs to stop. A good chunk of these folks, including many supporters of then-presidential candidate Ron Paul, were against excessive spending on defense and interventionism around the world. So I was surprised when nearly half the program was spent praising our troops and America's interventionist campaigns overseas. Palin walked right into the debate over American exceptionalism, stating that as the greatest nation on the planet, America is, in fact, exceptional. (Implying that we can do what we please, thank you.)
This is a curious stance for Palin, a devout Christian. When Paul tells the Galatians (3:28) that they are "neither slave nor free, Jew nor Greek," he is telling them to remember that in Christ, they are one -- regardless of nationality. Do we erase all national affiliation when we follow Jesus? No, but we affiliate ourselves first with the kingdom of God, which changes everything. Militarism -- even in the name of "freedom" -- is wrong for the Christian, in all cases, at all times.
Which brings me to the concept of "freedom." This really is the operative concept within the Tea Party movement: freedom from excessive taxes and government intrusion of all kinds. This freedom, signs and speakers proudly announce, came at a price -- the price of brave American soldiers in 250 years' worth of foreign and domestic wars. But they opportunistically omit that our freedom also came at the cost of Native Americans, foreign and domestic soldiers and civilians, and our natural resources. I would argue that a Christian cannot blindly accept freedom that sacrifices lives and our Earth, not when the very core principles of our faith were violated to achieve it.
Finally, here's a reflection I had Wednesday night upon reading the results from the first scientific poll of Tea Party supporters, released yesterday by The New York Times and CBS News. Before Wednesday, information about the group was largely anecdotal, so this poll gave the first clear picture of the demographics and beliefs of a typical Tea Party supporter. This person is likely supportive of the movement on ideological grounds rather than economic grounds, which, as I mentioned earlier, was the platform for the group's beginnings. Most likely to be rich, white, and older than 45, Tea Party supporters largely oppose what they perceive to be policies that disproportionately favor the poor over the rich. In other words, most point to differences in class as the reason why they support the Tea Party. Some even go further, citing fear that Obama will favor blacks in his political agenda.
As a Christian, this is troubling. That the fear of someone's money being taken and given to the poor would drive them to organize in this fashion -- and with so much anger, which I did observe Wednesday -- should make us pause and rethink our collective moral compass. Capitalism set forth by Adam Smith exists for the common good of all people. Many in this country are being left out of that equation, African Americans being a notable example. We must, as a country, ask ourselves why this is. Surely it's not because all of them are not trying hard enough to succeed. This might be my biggest issue with the Tea Party movement: at its core, it is selfish.
Are there good people who are involved in the Tea Party protests? Of course. Do they have legitimate concerns about waste and spending in Washington? You bet. Are militaristic, homogeneous, often angry protests the best method for airing their concerns, especially for Christians?
Steve Holt seeks joy and justice in East Boston, Massachusetts. Steve enjoys gardening, being a husband, community life, and writing. He blogs about spirituality and his garden at harvestboston.wordpress.com.
Steve Holt
Steve Holt (@thebostonwriter) is a journalist based in Boston.
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The Facebook Brand
Posted on Monday, March 19, 2018 Friday, June 15, 2018 Author by Ben Thompson
Last week Reuters reported on the Harris Brand Survey:
Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google corporate brands dropped in an annual survey while Amazon.com Inc maintained the top spot for the third consecutive year, and electric carmaker Telsa Inc rocketed higher after sending a red Roadster into space.
The headline of the piece was “Apple, Google, see reputation of corporate brands tumble in survey”; one would note that the editors at Reuters apparently disagree with the poll survey respondents about what brands move the needle. But I digress.
So why are Apple and Google lower?
John Gerzema, CEO of the Harris Poll, told Reuters in an interview that the likely reason Apple and Google fell was that they have not introduced as many attention-grabbing products as they did in past years, such as when Google rolled out free offerings like its Google Docs word processor or Google Maps and Apple’s then-CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
Ah, no Google Docs updates. Got it!
I’m obviously snarking a bit, and it is worth noting that notoriety clearly plays a role in these survey results (look no further than spot 99, where the Harvey Weinstein company makes its debut in the list). What is indisputable, though, is that brand matters — and that includes the regulatory future for Google and Facebook.
YouTube and Wikipedia
Start with Google, specifically YouTube. From The Verge:
YouTube will add information from Wikipedia to videos about popular conspiracy theories to provide alternative viewpoints on controversial subjects, its CEO said today. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said that these text boxes, which the company is calling “information cues,” would begin appearing on conspiracy-related videos within the next couple of weeks…
The information cues that Wojcicki demonstrated appeared directly below the video as a short block of text, with a link to Wikipedia for more information. Wikipedia — a crowdsourced encyclopedia written by volunteers — is an imperfect source of information, one which most college students are still forbidden from citing in their papers. But it generally provides a more neutral, empirical approach to understanding conspiracies than the more sensationalist videos that appear on YouTube.
Your average college student surely knows that the real trick is to use Wikipedia to find the sources that are actually allowed by college professors: they are helpfully linked at the bottom of every article. Indeed, Wikipedia’s citation policy arguably makes it one of the more reliable sources of information out there, at least in terms of conventional wisdom. Moreover, crowd-sourcing facts, at least in theory, seems like a more scalable solution to the sheer amount of video YouTube has to deal with.
It’s also a very Google-y solution: it makes sense that a company with the motto “Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” would, confronted with questionable information, seek to remedy it with more information. Not bothering to tell Wikipedia fits as well; Google treats the web as its fiefdom, and for good reason. Search is built on links, the fabric of the web, and is the entry-point for nearly everyone, leading websites everywhere to do Google’s bidding; excluding oneself from search is like going on a hunger strike while fed by robots — one whithers away and no one even notices. Google probably thinks Wikipedia should say “thank-you”!
That noted, it’s hard to see this having any meaningful impact: conspiracy theories and fake news generally tend to appeal primarily to people who already want them to be true; it’s hard to see a Wikipedia link making a big difference. And, of course, there are the conspiracy theories that turn out to be true, or, perhaps more commonly, the conventional wisdom that proves to be wrong.
Facebook and Cambridge Analytica
So which is Cambridge Analytica and Facebook? A year ago the New York Times reported that Cambridge Analytica’s impact on the election of Donald Trump as president was overrated:
Cambridge Analytica’s rise has rattled some of President Trump’s critics and privacy advocates, who warn of a blizzard of high-tech, Facebook-optimized propaganda aimed at the American public, controlled by the people behind the alt-right hub Breitbart News. Cambridge is principally owned by the billionaire Robert Mercer, a Trump backer and investor in Breitbart. Stephen K. Bannon, the former Breitbart chairman who is Mr. Trump’s senior White House counselor, served until last summer as vice president of Cambridge’s board.
But a dozen Republican consultants and former Trump campaign aides, along with current and former Cambridge employees, say the company’s ability to exploit personality profiles — “our secret sauce,” Mr. Nix once called it — is exaggerated. Cambridge executives now concede that the company never used psychographics in the Trump campaign. The technology — prominently featured in the firm’s sales materials and in media reports that cast Cambridge as a master of the dark campaign arts — remains unproved, according to former employees and Republicans familiar with the firm’s work.
Over the weekend the New York Times was out with a new story, entitled How Trump Consultants Exploited the Facebook Data of Millions:
[Cambridge Analytica] harvested private information from the Facebook profiles of more than 50 million users without their permission, according to former Cambridge employees, associates and documents, making it one of the largest data leaks in the social network’s history. The breach allowed the company to exploit the private social media activity of a huge swath of the American electorate, developing techniques that underpinned its work on President Trump’s campaign in 2016.
Facebook executives — on Twitter, naturally — took exception to the use of the word “breach”:
This was unequivocally not a data breach. People chose to share their data with third party apps and if those third party apps did not follow the data agreements with us/users it is a violation. no systems were infiltrated, no passwords or information were stolen or hacked.
— Boz (@boztank) March 17, 2018
Everything was working as intended, thanks to the Graph API.
Facebook versus Google and the Graph API
Facebook introduced what it called the “Open Graph” back in 2010; CEO Mark Zuckerberg led off Facebook’s f8 developer conference thusly:
We think that what we have to show you today will be the most transformative thing we’ve ever done for the web. There are a few key themes that we are going to be talking about today. The first is the Open Graph that we’re all building together. Today, the web exists mostly as a series of unstructured links between pages, and this has been a powerful model, but it’s really just the start. The Open Graph puts people at the center of the web. It means the web can become a set of personally and semantically meaningful connections between people and things. I am FRIENDS with you. I am ATTENDING this event. I LIKE this band. These connections aren’t just happening on Facebook, they’re happening all over the web, and today, with the Open Graph, we’re going to bring all of these together.
The reference to “unstructured links” was clearly about Google, and while it’s easy to think of the two companies as a duopoly astride the web, Facebook was at the time a much smaller entity than it is today: 400 million users, still private, and a tiny advertising business relative to Google.
The challenge from Facebook’s perspective is the one I outlined above: Google got data from everywhere on the web because sites and applications were heavily incentivized to give it to Google so as to have a better chance of reaching end users aggregated by Google:
Facebook, meanwhile, was a closed garden. This was an advantage in that users generated Facebook’s content for them, and that said content wasn’t available to Google, but there was no obvious way for Facebook to gather data on the greater web, which is where the Open Graph came in; Facebook would give away slices of its data in exchange for data from sites and apps around the web:
Zuckerberg said as much in his keynote:
At our first F8, I introduced the concept of the Social Graph. The idea that if you mapped out all of the connections between people and things in the world it would form this massive interconnected graph that just shows how everyone is connected together. Now Facebook is actually only mapping out a part of this graph, mostly the part around people and the relationships that they have. You guys [developers] are mapping out other really important of the graph. For example, I know Yelp is here today. Yelp is mapping out the part of the graph that relates to small businesses. Pandora is mapping out the part of the graph that relates to music. And a lot of news sites are mapping out the part of the graph that relates to current events and news content. If we can take these separate maps of the graph and pull them all together, then we can create a web that is more social, personalized, smarter, and semantically aware. That’s what we’re going to focus on today.
What followed was the introduction of the Graph API, which was the means by which Facebook would facilitate the data exchange, and as you can see on an old Facebook developer page, Facebook was willing to give away just about everything:
Moreover, note that users could give away everything about their friends as well; this is exactly how the researcher implicated in the Cambridge Analytica story leveraged 270,000 survey respondents to gain access to the data of 50 million Facebook users.
Facebook finally shut down the friend-sharing functionality five years later, after it was clearly ensconced with Google atop the digital advertising world, of course.
Facebook’s Brand
That Facebook pursued such a strategy is even less of a surprise than Google’s imperious adoption of Wikipedia as conspiracy theory debunker: Facebook’s motto was “Making the world more open and connected”, and the company has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to do just that, whether users like it or not. That’s the thing with branding: what people think about your company is not so much what you say but what you do, and that many people immediately assume the worst about Facebook and privacy is Facebook’s own fault.
To be sure, there seems to be a partisan angle as well — one didn’t see many complaints about the Obama campaign. From the Washington Post:
Early in 2011, some Obama operatives visited Facebook, where executives were encouraging them to spend some of the campaign’s advertising money with the company. “We started saying, ‘Okay, that’s nice if we just advertise,’ ” Messina said. “But what if we could build a piece of software that tracked all this and allowed you to match your friends on Facebook with our lists, and we said to you, ‘Okay, so-and-so is a friend of yours, we think he’s unregistered, why don’t you go get him to register?’ Or ‘So-and-so is a friend of yours, we think he’s undecided. Why don’t you get him to be decided?’ And we only gave you a discrete number of friends. That turned out to be millions of dollars and a year of our lives. It was incredibly complex to do.”
But this third piece of the puzzle provided the campaign with another treasure trove of information and an organizing tool unlike anything available in the past. It took months and months to solve, but it was a huge breakthrough. If a person signed on to Dashboard through his or her Facebook account, the campaign could, with permission, gain access to that person’s Facebook friends. The Obama team called this “targeted sharing.” It knew from other research that people who pay less attention to politics are more likely to listen to a message from a friend than from someone in the campaign. The team could supply people with information about their friends based on data it had independently gathered. The campaign knew who was and who wasn’t registered to vote. It knew who had a low propensity to vote. It knew who was solid for Obama and who needed more persuasion — and a gentle or not-so-gentle nudge to vote. Instead of asking someone to send a message to all of his or her Facebook friends, the campaign could present a handpicked list of the three or four or five people it believed would most benefit from personal encouragement.
This, though, is hardly a defense for Facebook: what is the company going to say, that it was exporting friend data for everyone, not just Trump? To be sure, buying the data from an academic and allegedly holding onto it violated Facebook’s Terms of Service, but “We have terms of service!” isn’t exactly a powerful branding campaign, especially given that at that same 2010 f8 Facebook had dramatically loosened those terms of service:
We’ve had this policy where you can’t store or cache data for any longer than 24 hours, and we’re going to go ahead and get rid of that policy.
(Cheering)
So now, if a person comes to your site, and a person gives you permission to access their information, you can store it. No more having to make the same API calls day-after-day. No more needing to build different code paths just to handle information that Facebook users are sharing with you. We think that this step is going to make building with Facebook platform a lot simpler.
Indeed it was.
Google, Facebook, and Regulation
Ultimately, the difference in Google and Facebook’s approaches to the web — and in the case of the latter, to user data — suggest how the duopolists will ultimately be regulated. Google is already facing significant antitrust challenges in the E.U., which is exactly what you would expect from a company in a dominant position in a value chain able to dictate terms to its suppliers. Facebook, meanwhile, has always seemed more immune to antitrust enforcement: its users are its suppliers, so what is there to regulate?
That, though, is the answer: user data. It seems far more likely that Facebook will be directly regulated than Google; arguably this is already the case in Europe with the GDPR. What is worth noting, though, is that regulations like the GDPR entrench incumbents: protecting users from Facebook will, in all likelihood, lock in Facebook’s competitive position.
This episode is a perfect example: an unintended casualty of this weekend’s firestorm is the idea of data portability: I have argued that social networks like Facebook should make it trivial to export your network; it seems far more likely that most social networks will respond to this Cambridge Analytica scandal by locking down data even further. That may be good for privacy, but it’s not so good for competition. Everything is a trade-off.
I wrote a follow-up to this article in this Daily Update.
Previous post: Exponent Podcast: Qualcomm, Patents, and Innovation
Next post: Exponent Podcast: Facebook’s Real Mistake
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Joe Biden, former vice president for Barack Obama, announced in late April that he is running for president in 2020. (Illustration by Julianna Renk, University of California, Berkel)
Thoughts x May 10, 2019
An Open Letter to Joe Biden
Please drop out of the presidential race.
By Anna Sutherland, American University
Dear Joe Biden, please do yourself a favor and drop out of the presidential race.
I have nothing against you. I mean, do I think you could’ve handled the Anita Hill situation better? Yes. Have you made some women uncomfortable by invading their personal space? Also yes. (And I would still love to hear a real apology from you regarding that.)
But at the end of the day, I don’t think you’re a bad guy. You were a decent vice president and the internet absolutely adored your bromance with Barack Obama. If you had retired after President Trump was elected, you would have ended your political career in a graceful way, with the majority of the public still loving you.
The thing is, it honestly doesn’t seem like you even want to be president. I wonder if, in some ways, you felt pressured into running. The polls had you in the lead before you even announced your candidacy. Twitter users were begging you to save America. It probably felt like everywhere you looked, people were asking you to run for president and assuring you that you would win.
Perhaps you felt some sort of moral obligation to help bring this country out of the dark age that it’s in. That’s understandable, but there are plenty of other things you could do to help the United States. Do you actually want to be subjected to the same stress and scrutiny that the commander in chief is? In that case, because your immediate reaction was apparently “yes,” let’s review the evidence.
If Not Michelle Obama, Then Who?
Mr. Biden, your campaign video was a mess. Not everybody agrees with me on this, but hear me out. The whole thing felt like anti-Trump propaganda. Now, I have nothing against that (honestly, I support it), but you need to offer the public more than just “Well, I’m better than Trump.”
Your video was sorely lacking in policy, ideology and personal background. If you believe you’re established enough that people are already familiar with that information, I’m here to say that you’re overestimating the general public’s knowledge of politicians. Most people know your name, your former position and little else. But we’ll touch more on that later.
In one part of the campaign video, you said “… if we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation — who we are — and I cannot stand by and watch that happen.” This sentence further supports my belief that you don’t actually want to be the president, but you’d rather do that than allow Donald Trump to continue living in the White House.
I know you think you’re the Democrat with the best chance at beating Trump. You’re a straight white male, something that a lot of Americans seem to value in a leader, with a long history of political experience. But that doesn’t obligate you to run.
Furthermore, plenty of people are arguing that your chance of winning actually isn’t that great. The polls may show you leading the pack of Democratic candidates, but a large part of that is likely a result of the name recognition that you hold.
There are a lot of other people in this race, so many that it’s hard to keep track of. Many people only recognize you and Bernie Sanders, which is why the two of you are leading the polls rather than some of the lesser-known candidates. Name recognition only gets you so far, though. Just ask Hillary Clinton.
Why Liberals Shouldn’t Vote for a Celebrity in the 2020 Election
The second reason I’m not convinced that you actually want to be the president is your odd timing. You weren’t the last person to announce your campaign, but you were close to it. Speculation about whether or not you would run was just starting to die down when your video was released. You once said that you’d “want to be the last person to announce 2020 run.”
But … why? Other candidates have already raised millions of dollars during your period of indecision. What have you been doing in the meantime? If you’ve actually been planning your campaign this entire time, then someone on your staff needs to be fired because it hasn’t gone incredibly well so far.
You’ve already run for president twice. Why waste time, money and resources doing it a third time? You’ve had a long and successful career, and you’re one of the few politicians that a decent number of people actually seem to like. Leaving politics as the former vice president to the first African American president seems like a great way to end things. There’s no need to tarnish that halo with a messy campaign.
Realistically, I understand that dropping out right now would be worse for your image than seeing it through, but I sincerely hope your reputation makes it out of this in one piece. I like you too much to be happy about seeing your name dragged through the mud.
I will always remember your time in office with a sense of nostalgia, and I think you would’ve made a great president if the timing were different. However, there are a lot of fresh faces in politics, and I like to believe that, under their leadership, this country will start to straighten itself out.
At 76 years old, you deserve an amazing retirement. I thank you for your service to this country, and I hope that service reaches an end very soon.
A Breakdown of the 4 Female Nominees for the 2020 Presidential Election
News & Politics /// Thoughts
Beto O’Rourke Is Inexperienced. Here Are 3 Reasons That Doesn’t Matter
Democrats Need Newer, Younger Female Leadership to Win in 2020
Is Beto2020 Actually a Reality?
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Meteoroid collisions
Give an overview of meteoroid collisions. Start with basic beliefs and history of what it is, what it may cause, and then give a brief look at what we have learned recently.
Sample Solution
ccording to research conducted by Stockinger, secretaries, for instance, are expected to be able to hold telephone conversations in English while technicians have to be able to read technical literature in English (Stockinger 1995). The Significance of Learning English: English may not be spoken language in the worlds, but it is an official language in a large number of countries. It also very important for whom works in global workforce because English is the language of business in world, so it had become necessary for people to speak English. Another reason for learning English is that many of the world’s top films, music and books are published and produced in English. Therefore by learning English, you will be able to have a great understanding. And also most of the content produced on the internet is in English. So knowing English will allow you access amount of information which may not be otherwise available. Chinese The Chinese language is the oldest language in the world with six thousand years of history. Chinese character inscribing has been found in turtle shells dating back to the Shang dynasty(Reid, Thomas, 1890). Chinese phonetics is very complex, making the learning of the language a far more difficult role than learning English (Simon-Vandenbergen, Anne-Marie, 1937). The written language is a common form of communication. Even though people are not able to orally communicate in different district, they are able to understand each other in writing (Saltman, Michael, 1903). Chinese is already the most widely spoken language in the world, but that is because of the large population of China (Aleksandr, 2001). Chinese is not suspended to pass English as a global language. The Chinese economy is strong enough to raise the cause and popularity of its language, just like the English did. But, it is possible that China economy is a result of its ability to conform to others’ languages and way of work rather than the task of the Chinese language on other countries (Spevack, Marvin 1985). In business, Chinese is the most useful language like English. Transacting business matters using a common language is essential for camaraderie building but also for the speed and effectiveness of your negotiations (Thompson, 1998). France French represents different cultures around the world. It is used on five continents, in more than fifty countries. French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations and the official language of the Olympic Games (Vera. 2004). It provides the base for more than 50% of the modern English vocabulary, which improves presentation on standardized tests. French is supported by over 35 years of research and has been proven to be successful with students of all races, economic status and levels of English expertise (Quinn, Naomi. 2002). The importance of French has economic importance for major economies in the world, For example, French is the official global language of Canada, which performs major trade deals with the US. The knowledge of French for traders to such countries becomes all the more important (Jeremy. 1999). Being the second most taught language after English and having a readership and with the number of its students, French is absolutely the language to know these days. With English, French is the only other international language; being spoken in 5 continents (Steven. 2002).France has not lost its level of development in language. France is still a highly respected country, and still one of the top romantic languages in western civilization. The United Nations communicates have only two>
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A day in the life1826
ProfileJohn Macarthur
ProfileThomas Brisbane
ProfileWilliam Redfern
Side noteBrisbane’s legacy
Side noteHealth of the workforce
Ambitious, volatile, self-confident
Arrived free in 1790
John Macarthur, c 1850s Artist Unknown
At the centre of the early colony’s political and economic life was John Macarthur. Ambitious, volatile and supremely self-confident, Macarthur arrived in the colony in 1790, a young lieutenant in the newly formed NSW Corps. With his wife, Elizabeth, and son Edward, he had barely survived the journey on the famously brutal Second Fleet due to illness, but not so their second child, an unnamed daughter born and buried at sea.
John, the son of a Plymouth textile merchant, and Elizabeth, the daughter of modest Devon farmers, initially viewed the colony as a short-term ticket to wealth. Instead it became their permanent home. At the time of his death 44 years later, Macarthur was among its wealthiest landowners, owning over 24,000 acres (9500 hectares) of land with stock valued at £30,000. In 1793 Macarthur received his first grant of land, near present-day Parramatta, and named it Elizabeth Farm after his wife. By the end of the year a farmhouse was built – a simple brick and shingle-roofed cottage of a style the family had known in southern England. In coming years, following a series of alterations and extensions, their homestead would be hailed as an iconic example of colonial domestic architecture. The late 1820s in particular saw the greatest activity, with the addition of elegant formal rooms, French doors, and the lowering of floors to provide extra ceiling height. Outside, deep verandahs with delicate latticework were built.
At the same time, his attention shifted between his land at Pyrmont in Sydney and even bolder plans at Camden, south-west of Sydney. Employing a succession of architects and builders, and consulting a variety of pattern books, he considered designs for villas and grand houses, starting construction on some before abandoning them as his psychological state wavered and his attention went elsewhere. Macarthur’s ‘steam engine power’, as Elizabeth described his bursts of manic energy, inspired these schemes, but was symptomatic of his deteriorating mental state.
While the name John Macarthur will always be associated with the Australian wool industry, it was his conflict with a series of colonial governors that would determine the path of his and his family’s lives. A duel with his commanding officer, William Paterson, led to his first return to England, in 1801. But far from being court-martialled, he returned to the colony in 1805 triumphant, bearing a grant for a colossal 5000 acres (2025 hectares) – the land that would become Camden Park. Only a few years later, in January 1808, the immovable object of his implacable nature collided with the proverbial force of the new governor, William Bligh. Macarthur’s pivotal role in the military overthrow of Bligh led to his second return to England, this time for eight years.
While Macarthur’s public life was tumultuous, his private life was every bit as eventful. Fiercely devoted to his wife and family, he could be ruthless if crossed. Family friend Robert Scott described him as a ‘man of the most violent passions, his friendship strong and his hatred invincible’. Governor Darling commented, ‘[he] is a man of strong passions, and observes no medium in anything. He is equally ardent in his desire to serve as he is to injure’. He was, unfortunately, also plagued by depression, which at times left him unable to leave his bed, and eventually cost him both his sanity and his liberty. In early 1833 John was confined to the family’s property at Camden Park, where, separated from Elizabeth and away from public gossip, he died in April 1834.
After John’s death Elizabeth Farm was inherited by his eldest son, Edward, while younger sons James and William inherited Camden Park and the new mansion that was finally completed there. Ignoring family concerns, Elizabeth remained at her beloved Elizabeth Farm until her death in 1850, aged 83. She was buried with John at Camden in the family mausoleum.
Read more about John Macarthur.
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Tag Archives: Danny DeVito
Dumbo (2019) Review
Directed by Tim Burton
Based on Disney’s Dumbo by Otto Englander, Joe Grant & Dick Huemer and on Dumbo by Helen Aberson & Harold Pearl
Starring: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan Arkin, Nico Parker, Finley Hobbins
Music by Danny Elfman
A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.
First of all, I’m really sick of these Disney live-action remakes of animated classics. I don’t see the point. From recent trailers, The Lion King looks like a soulless copy and Aladdin looks absolutely dreadful. Beauty And The Beast pretty much sucked (but I can’t stand Emma Watson so that didn’t help). I didn’t mind Cinderella but I wonder if it would just annoy me if I watched it again now that I’m sick of all these live-action remakes. I’ve kind of vowed to no longer waste my money going to see this shit.
But I knew I’d go to Dumbo because it’s Tim Burton. I’m a hypocrite. I know his best films are far in the past but I still haven’t given up on him and I wanted to see what he’d do with this film. Plus Dumbo himself was so adorable in the trailers. I’ve always loved that baby elephant! Well, I enjoyed this film. It’s a good one to end on. I’ll happily watch no more live-action remakes after this one.
I feel like I have to justify liking a live-action remake. What can I say? I still love that baby elephant. Of course this comes nowhere near the original film and it breaks my heart that some kids may be watching these remakes before the animated films. Or not watching the animated films at all. For some reason, I prefer when these remakes aren’t an exact copy (which The Lion King looks like). I don’t mind having extra bits of story added on, making it feel like an entirely separate film and therefore not messing with the original film’s legacy in my mind. This movie isn’t Dumbo to me. It never will be. But I think they did well with the character of Dumbo himself and he was by far the best thing about this film (as he should be). Dumbo is the true star of this movie.
The reviews I’ve read have all said that it’s the human characters that let this film down. This is true, although they aren’t terrible. They’re bland but not hateful. The only truly weak one is Michael Keaton’s completely generic baddie but the rest are good enough to support the overall story about a flying elephant. Colin Farrell and his two children (Nico Parker & Finley Hobbins), who are the main human characters, are fine but these roles could’ve been played by anyone. However, Danny DeVito & Eva Green are fun to watch and perfect for Tim Burton’s films – you can understand why he sticks with his favorite actors in so many of his films. The human stories were good enough to keep the film interesting while not overlooking the fact that the one story that really matters is Dumbo’s. And I liked the ending. I’m fine with all the changes in the second half as it’s so different from the original that it hasn’t destroyed my love for the animated film. I also liked how they incorporated the Pink Elephants On Parade bit into this film.
Is it weird that I feel bad for liking the new Dumbo?? I do seriously wish they’d stop with these live-action remakes but, in this case, I was happy seeing this character in a new way. He’s always been a favorite Disney character of mine and I think they did a good job with the look him. They got a good balance between making him look like a real elephant but also sort of “cartoony”, and his adorable blue eyes are very expressive. They did a better job with him than with the other CGI animals in these Disney remakes. I also enjoyed the overall production design of this film, but that’s usually the case with Burton’s movies. None of these Disney remakes will ever top the animated classics but at least the 2019 Dumbo hasn’t destroyed the original film’s legacy for me.
I’ve added Dumbo to my full ranked list of all the Tim Burton movies I’ve seen HERE. I guess I better finally watch Dark Shadows as it’s the only full-length film he’s directed that I’ve not seen.
Tagged 7/10, Alan Arkin, Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Danny Elfman, Dick Huemer, Disney, Dumbo, Eva Green, Film, Harold Pearl, Helen Aberson, Joe Grant, Live Action, Michael Keaton, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, Movies, Otto Englander, Remake, Review, Reviews, Tim Burton, Walt Disney
Big Fish (2003) IMDB Top 250 Guest Review
Today’s IMDB Top 250 Guest Review comes from Zoe of The Sporadic Chronicles Of A Beginner Blogger. Zoe has already reviewed The Departed (HERE) and The Green Mile (HERE). Thanks for all the reviews, Zoe! 🙂 Now let’s hear her thoughts on Big Fish, IMDB rank 242 out of 250.
There are still some movies up for grabs if anyone wants to do a guest IMDB Top 250 review. You can find the list of remaining films HERE. See the full list & links to all the reviews that have already been done HERE.
Here is another film I undertook to see for Table9Mutant and her IMDB Top 250 challenge. I have been having a blast with this as I have been given the opportunity to go back and revisit some great movies again, and there were quite a few that I had been meaning to get to again and look into. Without further ado, let me commence with sharing my feelings on Big Fish.
“A man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories. They live on after him, and in that way he becomes immortal.” – Will Bloom
The story revolves around a dying father and his son, who is trying to learn more about his dad by piecing together the stories he has gathered over the years. The son winds up re-creating his father’s elusive life in a series of legends and myths inspired by the few facts he knows. Through these tales, the son begins to understand his father’s great feats and his failings. (IMDB)
“They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops, and that’s true.” – Edward Bloom
An 8/10 for Big Fish. This is a Tim Burton film, and certainly one of his finest films. While you can see it is a Burton flick due to the fantastical presentation of things, the story reels you in more effectively than many he has told recently, resonating with you when all is said and done. Big Fish boasts a phenomenal cast and they all bring the goods to the table effortlessly. Helena Bonham Carter was, as always, incredibly impressive. There was plenty of humour to go around in this movie without it getting old or too extremely cheesy or feeling too forced, but not enough for it to take front and centre stage either. Jessica Lange was perfectly cast to play Sandra K Bloom, she was beautiful, sweet, caring and a wonderful mother and loyal wife. Alison Lohman could conceivably have been her when she was younger, and I liked that you could see that Lange had grown from the woman that Lohman was. Ewan McGregor was fantastic to watch as the young Edward Bloom, and wove an impressive story, undertaking to show you something whimsical if only you would accompany him on his journey. Billy Crudup played the embittered and frustrated son that still loves his father though he does not like him very much. He played that well and was convincing. At times I could understand his frustration, and then at other times I thought it was excessive. The costume design was just amazing in here, telling a story completely on its own. I like how the movie explored reconciliation (without it being some serious overkill crap) and how people identify things differently, and the truth is simply how something is perceived.
“I don’t think I’ll ever dry out.” – Sandra Templeton
There were so many scenes that were just put together so well and were just beautiful. I loved the scene where the young Edward Bloom finally sets eyes on a young Sandra Templeton and instantly falls in love. Time stops and it just lingers there, and he walks through it. Everything is frozen around him, the popcorn hangs in the air and gets brushed aside, he steps through hoops to get to her, the whole time completely enthralled, and the next thing you know time catches up, double time. It was just such an arrestingly beautiful scene and demands your attention, that you watch it and see how it all comes together. There are a few of these. This is also a beautiful story of true love and how it can last, how sometimes things just are perfect in life, and that is just that. The score worked for this movie, too, but I must say is rather forgettable when all is said and done at the end of the day. Typical Danny Elfman/Tim Burton collaboration, and that is by no which means said in a demeaning manner. Big Fish is inspiring, though at times it gets annoying to watch father and son arguing all the time. Albert Finney was great to play the old man that Edward Bloom became. It was a lovely journey to follow through, to see what the son thought of his father and his stories, to see how he desperately just wanted the truth and was willing to dig for it, and how his father was just a passionate storyteller who loved his son, no matter what his son thought of him.
“Everybody’s there, and I mean everybody. And the strange thing is, there’s not a sad face to be found, everyone’s just so happy to see you.” – Will Bloom
I must say that the present day storytelling was nice in the movie, but I was much more excited for and taken by the wonderful past experiences that Edward had to tell, the outline of his youth, the things that he had done, the places he had gone, the people he had met. They were insanely interesting and even though the tales are tall and a little ludicrous, when they are told the way they were laid out here, one is almost willing to forget that the movie is supposed to be deeply steeped in realism, and go out on a whim that Edward had the magical experiences that he proclaimed to. However, when the present rolls around again and you see it all as it is, that is when you know that he cannot seriously be telling the truth, everything is so plain and boring outside of his mind. Big Fish is a beautiful and stunning story, with an enchanting fairy tale element to it that works on many levels; this movie is definitely worth checking out if you have not done so already!
Posted in IMDB Top 250, Movies, Reviews
Tagged Albert Finney, Alison Lohman, Big Fish, Billy Crudup, Daniel Wallace, Danny DeVito, Danny Elfman, Ewan McGregor, Film, Guest Reviews, Helena Bonham Carter, IMDB Top 250, Jessica Lange, Marion Cotillard, Movies, Robert Guillaume, Steve Buscemi, Tim Burton
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Thank you for stopping by everyone,
Tai Brown is an American actress. Born in the Bronx to Jamaican parents, her mother a cosmetologist, raised her in a Caribbean New York City home. She is a conversational Italian speaker after living in Florence, Italy for a year. Former member of the professional dance company Jr. K (same company J. Lo was a part of before ‘In Living Color’) performing at 3 consecutive Puerto Rican Day parades. Since a young age she has performed in both community theaters and off-Broadway productions, including writing, starring and producing ‘Borderline Bitter’. This work lead to the New York State Governor’s Committee of Scholastic Achievement for Character, Citizenship, Scholarship and Service award. Graduate of the fame school Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and a Bachelor of Science with a Health minor and Drama degree from Syracuse University. After moving to Los Angeles she booked a national Coca-Cola and Chipotle commercial. Tai began her television and movie career through the independent film circuit, starring in Semblance (2017) and My Name Here (2018) along with TV roles on forums like Freeform Network. Tai Brown made her network television debut as Addie, a recurring role on ABC’s new drama Grand Hotel (2019).
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Tag Archives: freakishly small door
Sad(der) Lisa and the Case of the Missing Books
I’ll preface this by saying I know everyone is sick to death of hearing about the Bartender. And I know I need to figure out a way to finally, officially let go and move on with my life. And — other than the fact that his bar is right around the corner from where I live and I have to walk by it/him virtually every day — I don’t know why it’s over two months later and I’m still struggling. I guess part of it is that it was the first time I really thought I was on to something good in a long, long time…and he’s somebody I care about. A lot. It’s hard for me to just turn that off and pretend it never happened.
But…I bring him up again — for what I will (try to) promise will be the last time — for two reasons: (1) It always makes me feel better to write things out; and (2) I have found no one really gives a hoot when I blog about food anyway.
My oldest childhood friend will be here tomorrow…and we have several days to pal around in New York before Costa Rica on Thursday…and I am hopeful I will return from this adventure with a new lease on life. Maybe we can perform some sort of ritualistic exorcism that will make me forget he exists. And/or maybe the guy who cut my hair was right and in another week, my life will change forever — even on the man-front.
Until then, I will write, I guess.
There were MANY things the Bartender and I did not have in common. Politics was one of them. He claimed to be a Republican…but I think he was much more moderate than he let on. Let’s face it — I have pretty strong opinions about woman-y things and I really couldn’t stand to be around somebody who told me I should be seen and not heard and the like. Granted, he had a McCain/Palin poster in his apartment, but I think part of his conservative fervor was also that he wanted to set himself up as a counterpoint to the young, urban, liberal hipster archetype.
The Bartender was also very opinionated and liked to talk a lot. In fact, once he told me on my little red couch that he liked our conversations because we didn’t argue — we had friendly debates that made him think about things in new ways. (But I will have to watch myself when it comes to making comments like that or I’m going to get nostalgic.)
And…one of my J-school professors is really into social justice-y topics and wrote a book called, “Denison, Iowa,” on — you guessed it — a year in the life of this Midwestern town. I’m not Amazon, so this may not be an entirely accurate recollection, but, basically…my memory of it is that Denison‘s claim to fame is that it’s the birthplace of Donna Reed and so for many, many years it was this wholesome, traditional Midwestern town with wholesome, traditional Midwestern people and wholesome, traditional Midwestern values…and then a bunch of meatpacking plants popped up and immigrants started moving there for jobs and the social dynamics of the town changed considerably. So…my professor spent a year living there during this period of flux and sort of sat back and watched all these changes and the related drama. He illustrated it all with a number of characters in town like the young Latino guy who wanted to start his own business — and so there was all this intrigue about whether he would qualify for the loan in the end…and there was, like, a retired schoolteacher who had lived in Denison her entire life and who started teaching English classes at night…and there was also, like, the crooked cop who hated everyone who wasn’t white. That’s basically the gist.
And so — because the Bartender and I were allegedly on opposite sides of the political spectrum, I was curious what he’d think about this book. So…I let him borrow it. But…when I gave it to him, I said, “My professor wrote this, so I’d really like it back…” and then, half-jokingly, I added, “So, you know, if anything happens while you’re reading this and you decide you hate me and never want to see me again, will you please just, like, leave it in my mailbox or something? I really want it back.” And, of course, he looked at me with a big frowny face and said, “Nooo! That’s not going to happen! You worry too much!”
But sometimes the worrier is right and — sure enough — something happened and he decided that he hates me and never wants to see me again. But not before I let him borrow yet another book…which I’ve been saying is one of my favorites, but I’m not positive that’s entirely true. I just like it a lot and would like it back, too. And you’d better believe that even in the middle of our hours-long, tear-filled, “I don’t understand why you ‘can’t'”-goodbye, I let him know that I wanted those books back. He promised he’d get them to me. That was August 20.
I sent a reminder or two. Nothing.
Then…there was the whole end-of-birthday debacle in September.
So. I decided I would give him a good month-long cushion of no Lisa and then I would make one final plea for those books.
And — this is how crazy I am — both our final fight and my birthday are even-numbered days, so I thought, “Maybe if I wait until an odd day, I’ll have better luck!” Plus, November 5 is Javier Lopez‘s birthday and I figured I could, like, channel Javy for strength.
But before I actually had a chance to send him anything that day, lo and behold, I was on my way to meet the Greeting Card Emergency guy and I saw a man walking towards me with a Yankees hat and a cigarette and I thought, “Ohmygod, is that the Bartender?” and then he adjusted his backpack and I realized that, yes, it *was* him and so I got out my phone, but I had no new messages and then we passed by each other and had an eight-word conversation — “How are you?” “Fine. You?” “Fine.” “Books?” “Okay.” — and I turned the corner and my legs turned to jelly and I hyperventilated a little.
I got a new phone post-Bartender and his number is not in it. I had all these messages from him on the old one that I couldn’t bear to delete, but…my memory was full and so every time I’d get a new message it would say, “Memory Low! Delete messages now!” and I would say, “I don’t want to delete any messages!” and so my solution was to just get a new phone. No messages from him in there. No reminders of him.
But I still have that old phone. So…I figured there was no harm in retrieving his number and using the “use once” feature to send a message to that 347-number that I cannot save again. It was perfectly friendly — just to acknowledge that we’d seen each other and it was fine and — I know this is beating a dead horse, but — I’d really appreciate getting those books back.
So, later that very same day, I wrote him something along the lines of…”Hey — I hate to be a pain, but my professor wrote one of those books and the other is one of my favorites and it would mean a lot if I could get them back.” And that’s probably all a normal person would write, but I went on to say that besides making me really happy, I would imagine getting rid of the books would be cathartic and then he’d be free of it all and wouldn’t have any reminders of anything unhappy…and I said that I hoped all was well and that I seriously meant it because I never wanted anything but the best for him…and to prove that very point, I told him how happy I was that Pettitte pitched such a good game and that Matsui hit so well and the Yankees won, in part because I knew how happy it must have made him.
No response. No books.
So…I waited for another odd-numbered day (I hope I do not get, like, institutionalized for admitting that) and sent another message: “Please, T, please? Those books? I’m leaving the country on Thursday. Can I have them back before then?” (If I have to go pick them up at his bar, it would be great to have my oldest childhood friend there with me to figuratively hold my hand…)
But, again, nothing. Radio silence.
And, okay, I guess I have a reputation for being a clingy girl and understand that maybe he’s worried that responding will only fuel the fire and it’s easier to just press “delete” and pretend it never happened. But…it seems to me that the nice thing to do would be to say, “Okay,” or “Sure,” or SOMETHING — even leaving the books in my mailbox in the dark of night. After all, he gets off work at 4:00 AM on the weekends…
And I know I threw a lot of crazy his way, but I was also really good to him — I dropped off pie on National Pie Day because he had to work and couldn’t come to my celebration and I made him cheesecake and planned an elaborate dinner (with meat!) when he was hurt and out of work and poor and sick of eating rice and beans…and I sent him postcards from all of my travels this summer and I spent a small fortune on Yankees tickets for his birthday because he turned 30 and I wanted to do something big and because he hadn’t been to the new stadium and I wanted him to see it. And, you know, I did those things because I care about him and wanted to make him happy, not for future leverage in case I didn’t get my books back…and I was really happy to have somebody to care about and to be able to do those things for, you know? But I don’t understand how it could have devolved into this. My worst nightmare is someone saying, “I can’t love you,” and walking out the door and disappearing forever…and that’s exactly what happened.
I’m not holding out hope he’s going to knock on my freakishly small door and say, “I made a huge mistake!” But it seems pretty rotten to me to just ignore me. I could understand if I was texting him with, “I miss you! Please take me back!” or “Screw you, you manwhore! And give me back my goddamn books!”
But I’m not. I’m trying to be civil…and since I was the one who was so horribly hurt in this escapade, I thought being friendly and nice now would be kind of olive-branch-y, you know? Like, saying, “Yes, I know I was a huge mess the last time you saw me, but I’m basically okay now!”
So…last night, I was debating what to do…and then I got a call from an old coworker saying, “Hey! I just had dinner in your neighborhood — are you around?” So…I met him around the corner from my apartment and he said, “Where should we go?” and I said, “Anywhere but here!” and nodded toward the Bartender’s place. So…we walked up the street to another place…and we talked and caught up and drank…and he really likes my stories, so he always laughs and tells me how funny I am (last time he praised my comic timing — how about that??)…and I hadn’t seen him in awhile, so it was really nice. And…I don’t know how many beers later, I was telling him about trying to get my books back and we had already been out for a good, long time, so we were getting ready to leave…and as I was pointing him to the Subway, the neon lights at the Bartender’s bar shone brightly in the distance and I got all nostalgic and my old coworker said, “We should go in and have one last drink there!” and I said, “Oh, I don’t know…bad things happen when I go into that place…” and he said, “Come on — it’ll be good for you. And I’ll talk to him! I’ll help you get your books back!” And whenever I’m willing to go there, I should always remember that it means I am in no shape to be making decisions like that. But I agreed to go.
It wasn’t particularly crowded…so we were able to get two seats at the bar. The Bartender was behind the bar, but he wouldn’t have anything to do with me. He’s a pretty jealous guy…and, in hindsight, I realized I’ve always gone in there with girlfriends…and so I guess it could have looked like I was on a date or something and that I was rubbing it in his face.
He was wearing a Yankees World Series sweatshirt…so — see? I was right. He *was* really excited. And his stupid boss came out at one point and saw me there and was LOVING the fact that I was there with some guy and that the Bartender wouldn’t acknowledge me.
And, really, I’ve made a complete fool of myself at that place SO MANY times because of him. So they’ve probably come to expect it of me. And, really, comparatively speaking, this time wasn’t that bad. I didn’t talk to the Bartender. But my old coworker did. And he came back to me and said, “You’ll get your books on Monday. But we should probably go now.”
And then I wanted to know what my old coworker had said and what the Bartender had said…and my old coworker was saying that, you know, he’s no good and I need to move on…blah, blah…and somehow I ended up crying on the sidewalk outside again and blathering on about how I don’t understand how you can just throw somebody away…and that he was always so good with my cat and that even when the little monster bit him, he’d be so patient and kind and call them “love bites,” and I feel like I’m depriving my cat of a father figure now…(see how much sense I was making?)
I’m very stubborn. I need to just accept that I’m never going to understand this and that I’ve already wasted too much energy trying to figure it out. And, I mean, some good came out of the Bartender situation — I was finally able to look at my life and what I actually have control over and realized how important it is to me to finish my book…and I’m so close! I’m almost there! And I know my poor little heart can’t go through something like this again…so next time I have to be really, really careful and — like my friend says — protect it.
I just feel a little more sad than usual today about the whole situation. And it won’t be the end of the world if I don’t get these books back. But I don’t understand why things are the way that they are…and how caring about him became this horrible, unforgivable thing…for which I have now been banned from his life.
So…even after that makeover, I’m not sure if I really am New Lisa after all. I am hoping that Costa Rica and my oldest childhood friend will change that. (And, if nothing else, I will try to find solace in knowing that my hair looked damn good last night.)
Filed under Alaska, baseball, birthdays, books, Brooklyn, cheesecake, feminism, Iowa, Javy, Palin, pie
Tagged as 347, Amazon, Andy Pettitte, bar, bartender, birthdays, cat, catharsis, change your life, cheesecake, comic timing, conservative fervor, Costa Rica, delete messages now, Denison, dinner, Donna Reed, food blogging, freakishly small door, Greeting Card Emergency guy, hair, Hideki Matsui, Iowa, J-school, Javier Lopez, little red couch, makeover, McCain/Palin, meatpacking plant, memory low, Midwestern town, moving on, National Pie Day, new lease on life, New Lisa, new stadium, New York, oldest childhood friend, olive branch-y, pie, politics, protect the heart, Republican, rice and beans, social dynamics, strong opinions, stubborn, texting, traditional, wholesome, World Series, worrying, writing, Yankees, young urban liberal hipster archetype
The Halloween Postmortem
I had kind of a hard time deciding what to do for Halloween this year. One friend was going to see Paranormal Activity…but I knew that was out. (Heath Ledger‘s turn as The Joker scared me more than I care to admit…so something that legitimately bills itself as a film that will scare the pants off of you is simply not something I can handle.)
And, you know, I wouldn’t be completely averse to staying at home and handing out candy to adorable trick-or-treaters…except that this is my fourth Halloween in this apartment and I’ve haven’t had any little ones knock on my door on any of the previous Halloweens. (Although I think there were some trick-or-treaters in the early afternoon yesterday…but I wasn’t expecting them and didn’t have any candy [I mean, really — me in a house with a bag of mini Snickers? I wouldn’t be able to fit back through my freakishly small door…] and so I had to pretend I wasn’t home…which makes me very much a Grinch, doesn’t it?)
One of my classmates had told me about a party on the Upper West Side…but that’s SO FAR AWAY and I hate the Subway on Halloween pretty much more than anything else…and there was another party in Midtown, but I wasn’t actually sure if it was the best idea to show my face there. So, like I said, I didn’t know what to do.
Then, on Friday morning, I was walking to the train and knew the Bartender wouldn’t be at his bar because it was so early…and so I allowed myself to glance over at it…which is sort of a rare treat as I don’t normally give myself this luxury when there’s any chance he *could* be there…as seeing him — even from afar — still makes me sad. But, when I looked over, instead of just seeing the bar stools where I spent so many hours when we were first getting to know each other, I *also* saw a stupid sign in the window announcing their big Halloween bash that was going to include a — wait for it — “Sexy Costume Contest.” With prizes. And this just bugged me to no end. I mean, come on — a HUGE proportion of ladyhood already uses Halloween as an excuse to get tarted up…so it’s sort of one of those things that goes without saying, right? (And, okay, okay — fine. If it had said, “Sexy Costume Contest…with All Male Revue!” perhaps I wouldn’t have found it quite as objectionable…and maybe would have even been intrigued…and so perhaps this makes me a huge hypocrite. But, at the same time, women have been objectified since the dawn of time, so I really don’t see anything wrong with evening the score a bit now.)
And his boss is quite possibly the worst person ever — seriously. If I gave you the name of this place and you Googled it and saw the reviews on Yelp, you would know that lots and lots of people complain about him. I’m not just harboring a grudge…and so I am absolutely certain that this stupid contest was *his* idea and I am sure that every woman who works there was specifically told to dress slutty that night and might very well have a good lawsuit on her hands…and I am also sure that my sweet, funny Bartender was very excited about the whole thing…and I just had visions of him in a sea of boobs…and it, too, made me sad. (Although my friend K pointed out that it would be “a sea of trashy boobs,” to which I replied, “That’s right! Mine are waaay classy…” and I guess I can begrudgingly admit it’s a pretty good way to look at it.) It also conjured up a pretty funny cartoon visual with his face in the middle of a bunch of boobs…like diagrams of cells in a biology class, just less detailed. (I was tempted to actually draw it for you guys but felt maybe that would be taking things a *little* too far.)
And, I mean, whatever. Any chick who goes out on October 31 dressed as a French maid or a slutty nurse or a police officer in hot pants named “Sergeant Sexy” is basically the Anti-Lisa and if that is what the Bartender wants, then, well, he and I never ever had a chance. (I don’t actually think that Sergeant Sexy *is* what he wants…as, despite his best efforts to convince the world otherwise, he really has a lot of substance to him…but I also don’t understand why he “can’t.” So. Questions for the ages, I suppose.)
But the whole reason I am beating this (very dead) horse is to explain that I had some options and I knew I should do *something* as it would be infinitely better than staying at home and watching TBS in my pajamas with an ever-present visual of the Bartender’s cartoon face being squished by an avalanche of cartoon boobs. But I also, as noted, could not think of a fate worse than riding the Subway on Halloween…especially all the way to the Upper West Side.
But…when I vacillated, my friend convinced me I was being stupid and I agreed to go.
My friend was dressing as Balloon Boy (I provided the box! Thanks, Zappos!) and said I could join her group and dress as a news reporter or something, but…I didn’t want to jump on that bandwagon, so I spent some time thinking about what I could come up with that I already had around the house…and I decided on a pregnant Pam from The Office.
I actually had a lot of fun putting my costume together — getting one of the books from The Finer Things Club and making those post-its with smiley faces on them and printing out a brochure for Niagara Falls…– and, in the end, I’m glad I went to the party. One of the hosts was dressed as Julia Child and there was a lot of good Halloween-themed food. (Although most of the guys there didn’t really know who Julia Child was, which I thought was weird…but then my friend’s husband said he didn’t really know who she was either…just that she was some sort of cook. So. I guess Julia is a girl thing.)
And I found I actually really like being pretend pregnant. And I got a little self-righteous about it — like, there was a woman on the train who had her stuff spread out EVERYWHERE and we rode that way for a few stops and then I sort of gave her a dirty look and she finally asked me if I wanted to sit down and I (sort of) haughtily told her I was getting off at the next stop. And a man at the party with an actual pregnant wife asked me when I was due…so I feel like I was convincing. (One friend said later that she was disappointed I did not pretend to go into labor.)
There was a man there dressed as “Super Drunk,” as in, like, a superhero but drunkenness was his superpower…and I said he looked like one of our professors and my friend said it was the meanest thing I have ever said. Later, Super Drunk asked if I was really pregnant and when I said, “No,” he said we could go into another room and change that.
And…this guy dressed as Cookie Monster was giving me the hairy eyeball all night, so I finally — with some help from my friend — positioned myself in the living room with the guys watching the Yankees game so he had to talk to me. Totally nice guy — name’s Doug; works as a copywriter; was in a writers’ group with one of the actual pregnant ladies; dressed as Cookie Monster because his nephew really likes him…and there was a guy there who looked a lot like *another* classmate and *his* wife told Cookie Monster that it looked like he was playing with his balls when he took off his head and was holding it by the eyeballs at waist-level.
And so Cookie Monster and I eventually left together, but only walked half a block and he said, “Okay — bye!” and that was it. Didn’t even walk a pretend pregnant lady to the train OR ask for her number…although I guess that’s for the best as there won’t be any waiting by the phone now. A few people on the train back asked if I was really pregnant…I guess maybe because I’d be the worst mom-to-be ever if I was coming back at 2:00 in the morning after a night of partying with my unborn child. And then a group of guys boarded around 14th Street and said, “YOU LOOK LIKE PAM!” and I said, “I am!” and we bonded for a few stops.
And, you know, when I was getting ready last night, I had all these fantasies in my head about walking by the Bartender’s bar…and, you know, sometimes his boss is out front and sees me and sometimes we acknowledge each other and sometimes we don’t…and so I was dreaming up this scenario in which he saw me walk by pregnant and ran in and said to the Bartender, “Squeaks got knocked up!” and then the Bartender wouldn’t really be able to appreciate the sea of boobs as he’d spend the whole night wondering if it was his. But, no. That didn’t happen. I didn’t even make it past the bar. Instead, I thought I saw him smoking out front and freaked out and ran across the street. Like, RAN. So much for emotional maturity. And it didn’t even turn out to be him after all.
I didn’t really care when I was walking *home* though. That’s another thing…I wasn’t really pregnant, but…I felt weird about drinking. Part of it was that I was sort of in character — like with that lady who made me mad on the train because she didn’t get up to give me her seat — but part of it was also because I was afraid people would judge me. And all of these worries lasted 5 or 10 minutes, tops…so I’m sure it was liquid courage that helped me walk by, stomach out and head held high. So maybe he saw me then. Although, then again, I was REALLY pregnant. And he’s a smart guy. And he probably knows there’s no way I got *that* pregnant in eight weeks. So…so much for my revenge plot, I guess.
Filed under books, Brooklyn, clothes, cookies, feminism, Halloween, holidays, parties
Tagged as Anti-Lisa, Balloon Boy, beating a dead horse, box, Brooklyn, candy, cartoon visual, cell diagram, classy, Cookie Monster, costume contest, freakishly small door, French maid costume, grinch, Halloween, Heath Ledger, Hiya Buddy, Joker, Julia Child, lawsuits, Midtown, mom-to-be, Niagara Falls, objectification, Pam Beesly, Pam Halpert, Paranormal Activity, post-its, pregnancy, pretend pregnant, questions for the ages, scary movies, sea of boobs, sea of trashy boobs, Sergeant Sexy, slutty nurse costume, Snickers, Squeaks, Subway, Super Drunk, TBS, The Finer Things Club, The Office, trick-or-treaters, Upper West Side, Yankees, Yelp, Zappos
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Simon Howell
Posted by: Simon Howell
Posted in: Health, Lifestyle
A little known history of cocaine (Part 1)
The use of drugs, such as cocaine, continue to feature regularly in the news. Drug users, moreover, continue to be condemned by the general media, being regarded as dirty, defiled, and criminal. However, very few people realise that for over 20 years cocaine was completely legal. Indeed, it was at one point described as a “medical miracle” and changed the course of medical science in a very dramatic way. In the same way, heroin was produced by Bayer (the people that make Doom bug spray) and was first marketed as a cough syrup. That is, until they realised that a lot of people were buying a lot of heroin with very few coughs punctuating the sales. What we consider illegal or illicit drugs, in other words, have very particular histories, histories that are contradictory, convoluted, and intensely political.
With this in mind, I do not think it possible to really critique the current status of various drugs, and the laws that define them as illicit or illegal, without being aware of these histories. Being aware of the history of a particular drug often complicates contemporary views of the substance, and calls into doubt such politico-economic projects as the failed “war on drugs”. These histories are however often ignored or glossed over. For this reason I have decided to run a six-part series detailing the little-known history of cocaine. The point here is not only to provide an implicit critique of current “anti” drug policies, but also to reveal the way in which drugs such as cocaine have served as political tools, powerful symbols with which people have manipulated various political, legal, social, and economic systems. Moreover, the history of cocaine is just really interesting, and makes for entertaining reading. This week I would like to speak to cocaine’s “prehistory” and emergence as a legitimate drug of medical science.
To begin right at the beginning, coca leaves have been chewed by various South American cultures for many, many centuries. By mixing a little lye with a bundle of leaves, the active alkaloid, cocaine, is leached from the leaves. The chewing of leaves was (and still is) used both recreationally and medically, being used to help with stomach complaints, altitude sickness, and a whole host of other ailments. Chewing coca leaves and mainlining a gram of cocaine is not however the same thing. So little cocaine is leached from the leaves that one can hardly even compare the two. Chewers are not, in other words, what we would consider “addicts” or “addictive behaviour”.
The practice went largely unnoticed until the Spanish conquistadors invaded the continent, causing mass destruction. The Spanish church noted and outlawed the practice of chewing coca leaves for a few years; that is until they realised how much money could be made by taxing the production and sale of the leaves. With this they reversed their decision, and began extracting (typically) a tithe from all economic interactions to do with coca leaves. This made the church rich, kept the locals subdued, and even allowed the Spanish employers to “pay” their enslaved employees in coca leaves, as was done indiscriminately at the silver mines at Potosi in Bolivia, and was similar to the “tot” system that was in place on some Western Cape wine farms until relatively recently.
Cocaine was however first synthesised in 1860 by a man called Albert Niemann. Niemann won his PhD for the work, but never invented any use for the substance. Thereafter occurred what some scholars have termed a “lag” for 24 years in which no one really knew what to do with cocaine. That is until two young scientists, Karl Koller and Sigmund Freud (who would later become the “father” of psychoanalysis) discovered cocaine’s anaesthetic properties in 1884. Indeed, Freud has been widely quoted as saying “my, how it numbs the tongue” when he first ingested the substance. Freud, not realising what he had stumbled on, went off to visit his new girlfriend (who, coincidently, he also used to send packages of cocaine to accompanied by rather kinky letters) and Koller went to the Heidelberg Ophthalmology Conference where he presented his findings to a standing ovation. Koller and Freud had discovered, in other words, the first really effective local anaesthetic.
Merck (the people that are now heavily invested in making various ophthalmology cures) saw the demand for cocaine explode, increasing their production of cocaine exponentially from 1884 to just before 1900. Cocaine became described, as I will explore in the next article, a “medical miracle”, finding use in everything from toothache drops to dandruff cures. However, at the same time reports started coming in of certain “medical men” being addicted to the substance. Freud was again central to the foray, being accredited with both reporting and causing the first ever cocaine addict. This will be detailed in the next article.
Tags: cocaine, drug, Freud, history
The resurgence of anti-Semitism
‘Dark technology’ and human ‘nature’ or ‘nurture’?
Pandora’s box has opened…again!
Kingsolver’s narrative indictment of colonisation: The Poisonwood Bible
Simon is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre of Criminology, UCT. He has a few interests, most of which seem to revolve around drugs, gangs, and violence in South Africa. He was awarded a PhD in 2012, and since then has published on a number of topics, ranging from gay bashing to the izikhothane phenomenon. At present his research is focussed on policing in South Africa, and how it might be made more effective (especially in regulating illegal drug use). He writes in his own capacity.
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Sting and Trudie Styler’s Wines Earn Them Wine Spectator Cover...
World-renowned musician Sting and his actress-director wife Trudie Styler have become respected members of Tuscany’s deeply-rooted wine community. The powerful pair - featured on the cover of Wine Spectator’s April issue, which hits stands March 15 - discuss their journey to transform an idyllic home into a thriving winemaking business.
The couple’s long search for real estate in Tuscany ended in 1997 at Il Palagio. Over the years, the couple has restored the house, replanted its vineyards and launched a boutique winery based on biodynamic and organic principles. Though Sting and Styler make no pretense of being winemakers, their stewardship has given new life and prestige to an estate that formerly produced bulk wines. Their team has produced outstanding wines, and Sting and Styler have become part of the local community.
“Through passion and commitment, Sting and Trudie have been able to produce truly excellent wine,” said Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Wine Spectator. “Many of their bottlings have earned outstanding reviews in our official blind tastings. We are delighted to share their story with our readers.”
“When we first became stewards of this historic property, the vines were in total disrepair. We knew we wanted to maintain the tradition and agriculture of the estate and so we began renovation of the vineyards,” said Styler. “The vineyards have been expanded and this magnificent endeavor has been more rewarding than Sting and I could ever have imagined.”
Il Palagio - which continues to grow, both as an estate and a brand—has become a gathering place. The estate often hosts the couple’s families and friends, along with musicians, actors, film and theater producers, philanthropists and intellectuals. It’s also a place for Sting to think, get inspired, bring people together and play music, as he has recorded five albums in its attic studio.
On April 9, Il Palagio will be one of 100 producers selected by Wine Spectator to participate in OperaWine: Finest Italian Wines, the marquee event of Vinitaly, Italy’s largest wine fair.
About Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator is the world’s leading authority on wine. Anchored by Wine Spectator magazine, a print publication that reaches more than 3 million readers worldwide, the brand also encompasses the Web’s most comprehensive wine site (WineSpectator.com), mobile platforms and a series of signature events. Wine Spectator examines the world of wine from the vineyard to the table, exploring wine’s role in contemporary culture and delivering expert reviews of more than 18,000 wines each year. Parent company M. Shanken Comm., Inc., also publishes Cigar Aficionado, Whisky Advocate, Market Watch, Shanken News Daily and Shanken’s Impact Newsletter.
March 17, 2016 posted by Riviera
Lucia hotchkiss
Is the wine available in stores? Where can I purchase it? I live in Laguna Niguel, CA. 92677. Please let me know, I'd love to try some! Thank you so much! Sincerely, Lucia Hotchkiss
Java Jazz wraps up on nostalgic note...
The 12th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival concluded on Sunday night with a special performance by trumpeter Chris Botti and former Police frontman Gordon “Sting” Sumner. The duo delivered a top-notch performance to a packed concert hall. Botti, one of the world’s best-selling instrumentalists, and Sting were the last performers of the three-day festival, playing another show together after a gig on Saturday when the two legendary artists entertained the packed BNI Hall
‘Message in a Botti’ - Euphoric musical experience at Marriott...
If Madonna in MOA Arena was a spectacle, Chris Botti and Sting in concert on March 3 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom was an exceptionally euphoric musical experience. This was one special gig that featured one of the most brilliant contemporary jazz trumpet artists back-to-back with one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most distinctive voices who happened to have dabbled in jazz early in his career and went on to explore it after the breakup of his band, The Police...
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Here Are the 2018 Golden Globes Nominees
By Kate Samuelson
Updated: December 11, 2017 9:15 AM ET
The nominations for the 75th Golden Globe Awards have been announced. The Shape of Water is leading the movie nominations with seven nods, followed by The Post and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri with six each. Lady Bird has four and I, Tonya, The Greatest Showman and Dunkirk have three.
On the TV side, Big Little Lies picked up six nominations and Feud: Bette and Joan received four. NBC’s This Is Us received three nominations, as did FX’s Fargo and Hulu’s Emmy-winning The Handmaid’s Tale. The shortlisted movies, actors, television shows and more were revealed early Monday morning by actors Alfre Woodard, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Bell and Sharon Stone.
Seth Meyers is set to host the Golden Globes, which will air live on NBC from the Beverly Hilton Hotel on the evening of Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018. The Late Night star, who hosted the Emmys in 2014 and the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2011, follows the lead of The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon, who presented the 74th Golden Globe awards. Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Ricky Gervais have also previously hosted the star-studded ceremony.
The main winners of last year’s Golden Globe Awards included La La Land, which scooped up seven awards, breaking Golden Globe records, as well as Moonlight, which won the Golden Globe for best motion picture in the drama category. Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross, The People v. O.J. Simpson‘s Sarah Paulson and The Night Manager‘s Huge Laurie also took home awards.
Next year marks the diamond anniversary of the Golden Globes, and much is being made of the special occasion, including a two-hour anniversary special premiering on NBC on Dec. 13. The special is led by Will & Grace stars Eric McCormack and Debra Messing, and features interviews with stars including Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts.
Below are the nominations for the 75th Golden Globes. The full list of winners will be chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and announced at the ceremony on Jan. 7.
Best Motion Picture (Drama)
Best Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Best Motion Picture (Animated)
Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Tom Hanks, The Post
Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game
Michelle Williams, All the Money in the World
Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Steve Carell, Battle of the Sexes
Ansel Elgort, Baby Driver
James Franco, The Disaster Artist
Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman
Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Judi Dench, Victoria & Abdul
Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes
Helen Mirren, The Leisure Seeker
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Hong Chau, Downsizing
Best Director (Motion Picture)
Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Ridley Scott, All The Money in the World
Steven Spielberg, The Post
Best Screenplay (Motion Picture)
Best Original Score (Motion Picture)
Best Original Song (Motion Picture)
Ferdinand – ‘Home’
Mudbound – ‘Mighty River’
Coco – ‘Remember Me’
The Star – ‘The Star’
The Greatest Showman – ‘This Is Me’
Best Television Series (Drama)
Best Television Series (Comedy)
Best Television Performance by an Actor (Musical/Comedy)
Anthony Anderson – Black-ish
Aziz Ansari – Master of None
Kevin Bacon – I Love Dick
William H. Macy – Shameless
Eric McCormack – Will & Grace
Best Television Performance by an Actress (Musical/Comedy)
Pamela Adlon – Better Things
Alison Brie – Glow
Issa Rae – Insecure
Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Frankie Shaw – SMILF
Best Television Performance by an Actor (Drama)
Sterling K. Brown, This is Us
Freddie Highmore, The Good Doctor
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Best Actress Television Performance by an Actress (Drama)
Caitriona Balfe, Outlander
Claire Foy, The Crown
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Deuce
Katherine Langford, 13 Reasons Why
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Best Television Performance by an Actor (Limited Series)
Robert De Niro – The Wizard of Lies
Jude Law – The Young Pope
Kyle MacLachlan – Twin Peaks
Ewan McGregor – Fargo
Geoffrey Rush – Genius
Best Television Performance by an Actress (Limited Series)
Jessica Biel – The Sinner
Nicole Kidman – Big Little Lies
Jessica Lange – Feud: Bette and Joan
Susan Sarandon – Feud: Bette and Joan
Reese Witherspoon – Big Little Lies
Best Supporting Actor (Television)
Alfred Molina – Feud: Bette and Joan
Alexander Skarsgard – Big Little Lies
David Thewlis – Fargo
David Harbour – Stranger Things
Christian Slater – Mr. Robot
Best Supporting Actress (Television)
Laura Dern – Big Little Lies
Ann Dowd – The Handmaid’s Tale
Chrissy Metz – This is Us
Michelle Pfeiffer – The Wizard of Lies
Shailene Woodley – Big Little Lies
Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Top of the Lake: China Girl
Write to Kate Samuelson at kate.samuelson@time.com.
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Benjamin Eidelson, constitutional law and legal theory scholar, joins HLS faculty
Benjamin Eidelson, a scholar of constitutional law and legal theory, has joined the Harvard Law School faculty as an assistant professor, effective July 1. Trained in both law and philosophy, Eidelson specializes in questions at the intersection of the two disciplines. His work explores the interplay of legal doctrines and moral principles, with a particular focus on contending conceptions of equality and respect.
“Ben Eidelson is a thoughtful and creative scholar who has already produced an important book examining the nature of discrimination through the lens of philosophy,” said Harvard Law School Dean John F. Manning ’85. “We are excited to welcome Ben to our community and are grateful for the superb teaching, insightful research, and warm collegiality we know he will bring to HLS.”
Eidelson’s first book, “Discrimination and Disrespect” (Oxford University Press), develops a philosophical account of discrimination rooted in the moral demands of respect for persons. Reviews describe Eidelson’s book as “a ‘must read’” that “develops an unusually rich and sophisticated account of discrimination,” noting that the book blends “sophisticated analyses of British, American and European law” with “crisp, thorough and careful philosophical analysis.”
In one current project, Eidelson is drawing on his philosophical work to critique the U.S. Supreme Court’s understanding of what it means to “treat people as individuals” in equal protection law. In another line of work, he is exploring how courts manage or avoid the uncomfortable task of drawing arbitrary lines when confronted with matters of degree.
Eidelson’s research and teaching will also be informed by first-rate practice experience. After clerking for Justice Elena Kagan ’86 of the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge Merrick Garland ’77 of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Eidelson joined the Appellate and Supreme Court Practice at Jenner & Block. While there, he has played a leading role in several cases of national significance—including challenges to the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the State Department’s interpretation of President Trump’s “travel ban,” and the ban on military service by transgender individuals.
“I’m honored to be joining this extraordinary institution,” Eidelson said. “I’m thrilled to get to engage with such thoughtful colleagues and teach such talented students.”
Eidelson received his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as the editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal and as a student director of the Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic. He received his D.Phil. in Philosophy from Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar and was awarded the Gilbert Ryle Prize for outstanding achievement. He received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Yale College.
Topics: Constitutional
People: John F. Manning, Benjamin Eidelson
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Best Resorts in Mount Pleasant
U.S. News ranks the best resorts by taking into account reputation among professional travel... READ MORE
U.S. News ranks the best resorts by taking into account reputation among professional travel experts, guest reviews and hotel class ratings. Use the filters and settings below to help find the best resort for you.
The Beach Club at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina
#1 in Best Resorts in Mount Pleasant
The Beach Club at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, which is located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is separated from the hustle and bustle of downtown Charleston by the Cooper River. The property’s unique setting gives guests access to everything South Carolina has to offer. Visitors have direct access to a private beach, while The Beach Club also provides quick transportation to all the shopping and dining available in downtown Charleston. If you'd rather lounge by the pool, the resort has a 30,000-square-foot pool deck where a variety of games can be found. For those seeking more serious rest and relaxation, a tranquility pool is available for extra peace and quiet. Plus, while kids participate in organized activities at the Mini Mariners Camp, parents can indulge in a treatment at the on-site Estuary Spa. When it's time to dine, guests can enjoy harbor views and seasonal fare at the Charleston Harbor Fish house. The property also includes four bars and lounges for travelers to take advantage of. Recent guests gave mixed reviews of the on-site cuisine and some recommended venturing into the city for more delectable options. Travelers were most pleased with the accommodations, though, which offer either waterfront or harbor views and have standard amenities such as flat-screen TVs, coffee makers and minifridges. If you opt for a suite, you'll also receive additional perks like fireplaces, balconies and multiple bathrooms. And while some guests reported minor snafus with the staff, most commended the resort for providing personalized customer service.
Harborside at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina
Situated on Charleston Harbor in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the Harborside at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina is convenient to many Charleston attractions. Located just over the bridge from the city’s downtown, it’s easy to access the historic district via the Charleston Water Taxi or by using the hotel’s shuttle. The property has its own private beach with bocce ball, volleyball and fire pits, as well as an outdoor pool, large deck, beach yoga, a fitness center and a spa. Recent guests also raved about the views and hotel offerings. There is a daily resort fee to access the amenities, which includes Wi-Fi, shuttle service, access to the fitness center and more. There is an additional fee for on-site parking. The nautical-themed rooms have 42-inch flat-screen TVs, coffee makers and minifridges, and some boast harbor views and balconies. However, several recent guests reported that the rooms were not clean. The resort has a variety of restaurants, including the Charleston Harbor Fish House, the Bridge rooftop bar, the Reel Bar and the Beach Club Tiki Bar.
More Mount Pleasant Hotel Rankings
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Ep. 22: The Quiet Dismantling of Obama's Environmental Legacy
President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands following their meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Back in February, Steve Bannon, then a high-ranking advisor to Donald Trump, said the administration is in a battle for the deconstruction of the administrative state. Since then, Trump's Cabinet members have, by all accounts, gotten down to this task with laser-like focus. Since President Trump’s inauguration, the EPA has rolled back or delayed at least 30 rules and regulations. The common theme? Anything that Obama touched.
In this episode of Trump on Earth, we talk with The Hill’s Timothy Cama, who bushwhacks his way through the unruly thicket of legislation on Capitol Hill and tracks the steady stream executive orders coming out of the White House.
“You know, it seems that if it has President Obama's name on it, then President Trump wants to undo it, almost no matter what the substance of the policy is,” says Cama. “We saw that for example, a few weeks ago with President Trump signing or rolling back the flood protection standards that President Obama had written. These were widely seen as commonsense standards to sort of require that future infrastructure, future federally-funded projects would be built to withstand future floods...that wasn't safe from President Trump's big deregulatory push. That shows the extent to which the administration is going to undo Obama.”
So what has the reaction been from Congress to this administration's moves on the environment?
“You have to see it in the context of all the other things that the lawmakers are worrying about with the Trump administration," says Cama. "There are a lot of very controversial things that the president is doing on defense, on international relations, on multiple fronts. And so it feels, sometimes, like lawmakers are distracted. But at the same time, the lawmakers who do have to worry about this on a daily basis -- for example Senator Tom Carper, the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee in the Senate, or Representative Raul Grijalva, the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee in the House -- are very, very alarmed."
With all the regulatory rollbacks, there’s no shortage of work for Cama. With the amount of stories Cama has written over the summer, his e-mail inbox might be the hottest part of the universe right now. So what's it been like covering this pivotal moment in U.S. environmental policies?
“It's definitely a big shift," he says. "It’s surreal sometimes to see the speed and efficiency with which all of this is happening...it's definitely busy, but it helps to sort of keep in mind the big picture of what the Trump administration's goals here are, and how this fits in with the overall ideas of increasing the use of the development, the use of fossil fuels and of domestic energy.”
Clean Power Plan & Clean Water Rule
Methane regulations
Flood protection standards
Timothy Cama’s reporting for The Hill
Follow Timothy Cama on twitter.
This episode was hosted by Reid Frazier. Follow him on twitter. Trump on Earth is produced by The Allegheny Front, a Pittsburgh-based environmental reporting project, and Point Park University's Environmental Journalism program.
Our podcast is free to download, follow and listen, so if you find these episodes informative in a chaotic political environment, please consider donating or leaving a review on iTunes. We are actively listening to our reviewers, and each review helps our podcast reach more ears. Questions? Tweet at us on Twitter or send us a message via trumponearth@gmail.com or Facebook.
Trump on Earth September 20, 2017
Ep. 23: Scientists Need Not Apply?
Ep. 21: Can We Talk About Climate Change Now?
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In high school, Nate Webster (class of ’07) was an active and engaged Trinity student, known for his community service and environmental concerns. A natural leader on campus, it was fitting that Nate received and accepted an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point his senior year.
As a current member of the military, Nate is no stranger to a life of service. Once again, he wants to give back. Grateful for his educational opportunities, Nate has set up a Least of These Scholarship to be awarded to a 2013-14 senior of Trinity Christian School. This $500 award will be given to a student who demonstrates “a dedication to selfless service, leadership, bettering oneself, improving the community both locally and globally, and pursuing a life of Christ-like service to the ‘least of these’ in our world.”
We look forward to announcing the recipient of this scholarship during Trinity’s Senior White Day on May 20, 2014. Thank you Nate for giving back to the Trinity Christian School community!
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100 Killer Ideas For Your Social Media Content
June 26, 2014 /in Articles, Search & Social, Social Media Campaigns /by Stevens and Tate
Drew Hendricks | October 23rd, 2014 | Forbes
There’s marketing, and then there’s content marketing, a niche that’s becoming more and more relevant in a digital era. Startupsespecially need to make the most of content marketing as a means to draw in customers, clients and visitors on a variety of platforms. “Content marketing” can be found just about anywhere from startup company websites to Facebook pages, email newsletters and tweets. However, there’s a right and wrong way to approach content marketing, especially as a startup.
Established companies can afford to take a few more risks because if one content marketing strategy doesn’t pan out, they still have solid footing. For those just getting started, you’re not just marketing, but also building a brand and reputation. As such, it’s crucial to follow eight musts for startup content marketing. This will put your business on the path to garner the right attention from the right markets.
1. Write to your audience
The tone and style of the content should be directed towards your key demographics. For example, you’d adopt a very different approach marketing to teens as opposed to baby boomers. When your audience is diverse, it’s a good idea to lean towards the conservative side. Ideally, you have different platforms (such as LinkedIn LNKD +2.74% vs. Tumblr) so that you can adapt your content.
2. There’s no such thing as too much proofreading
Get as many eyes on the content before it’s published as possible. In an ideal world, you’ll have a marketing editor on the team or secured as a contractor.
3. Cover topics that will perform
It takes a skilled content writer to make the most of your efforts, so don’t depend on the college intern who’s majoring in writing. Writing for businesses is a key area that gets overlooked or delegated because it seems easy. It’s anything but, and not just anyone (or any writer) has what it takes.
James Parsons, founder of Blogpros, a content marketing and blog management company, agrees. “We really have to put ourselves in the shoes of our client’s potential customers; know what they’re searching, and write great content that caters to those searches. Without that key element, you aren’t going to get the powerful exposure that most businesses are looking for”.
4. Embrace white space
People will be reading online content on a number of devices such as smartphones and tablets. They need white space to breathe, so don’t be afraid to put content in short, digestible chunks. Big blocks of text will turn readers off.
5. Season text with images
“Content marketing” often refers to text, but it can also be infographics, videos or images. A good mix of all these elements can engage readers and draw them in. More and more, marketers are leading towards images instead of text.
Read More at Forbes.
Want to learn more about effectively using social for your business? Download our Social Media Workbook for a guide to a successful social media strategy!
https://stevens-tate.com/wp-content/uploads/STLogo-websml-biggerAM.png 0 0 Stevens and Tate https://stevens-tate.com/wp-content/uploads/STLogo-websml-biggerAM.png Stevens and Tate2014-06-26 08:19:412017-10-31 01:14:05100 Killer Ideas For Your Social Media Content
4 Solid Tips For Marketing To Millennials Tips To Make Your Email Marketing Program Most Effective
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HUTCHINGS, JOHN HENRY
Carolyn Hyman
HUTCHINGS, JOHN HENRY (1822–1906). John Henry Hutchings, Galveston merchant and banker, was born in North Carolina on February 2, 1822. At thirteen he became a clerk in a dry-goods store at Raleigh and at twenty-one started a business in New Orleans. He moved to Galveston, Texas, in 1845. In 1847 he went to Sabine, where he formed a partnership with John Sealy, but in 1854 the partners returned to Galveston to establish, with George Ball, the banking and commission firm of Ball, Hutchings, and Company. When the bank of McKinney and Williams closed, the firm's good will passed to Ball, Hutchings, and Company, later Hutchings-Sealy National Bank. In 1859–60 Hutchings, as alderman of Galveston, negotiated the bonds for the first bridge across the bay and was also instrumental in improving the harbor and in bringing the Mallory Steamship Line to Galveston. During the Civil War the firm moved to Houston, where the partners were active in importing arms and other war matériel, exporting cotton, and running the blockade on a large scale. Hutchings also served as state judge and commissioner of the Confederate States court. At the close of the war the firm returned to Galveston, where Hutchings was president of the Galveston Wharf Company (see GALVESTON WHARVES). He also held important offices in the Galveston Gas Company, Galveston Insurance Company, Land and Loan Company, Southern Press Manufacturing Company, Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railway Company, Galveston Cotton Oil Company, Galveston City Company, and Texas Land and Loan Company. Hutchings married Minnie Knox, a niece of Robert Mills, on June 18, 1856; they were the parents of nine children, eight of whom were still living at the time of Hutchings's death, on March 31, 1906.
John Henry Brown, Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas (Austin: Daniell, 1880; reprod., Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1978). Earl Wesley Fornell, The Galveston Era: The Texas Crescent on the Eve of Secession (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1961). S. C. Griffin, History of Galveston, Texas (Galveston: Cawston, 1931). History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of the Cities of Houston and Galveston (Chicago: Lewis, 1895). National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol 9.
See related articles by:
Confederate Military
Naval Officers and Blockade Runners
Handbook of Texas Online, Carolyn Hyman, "HUTCHINGS, JOHN HENRY," accessed July 18, 2019, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhu50.
Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Modified on March 4, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Tag Archives: memorable moment
What makes a STAR moment shine?
Your audience should always leave your presentation with something they’ll always remember. But, what does it actually take to create a memorable STAR moment?
In her landmark text on developing persuasive and engaging content, Resonate, Nancy Duarte devotes an entire chapter to what she calls STAR moments, those moments in a presentation when an audience truly achieves shared meaning with a presenter. According to Duarte, a STAR moment should “dramatically drive the big idea home” (Source), and it should be a “significant, sincere, and enlightening” (Source) moment that imprints the audience so much so that they spread and share the big idea long after the presentation ends. In teaching this particular presentation strategy, I’ve found that one can codify and define the types of actions that serve as STAR moments: memorable dramatizations, like Bill Gates releasing mosquitos on a TED conference audience; emotive storytelling, like Jill Bolte Taylor’s dynamic recreation of her massive brain stroke; evocative visuals, like Lisa Kristine’s hauntingly beautiful images of a few of the 28 million people enslaved throughout the world; repeatable sound bites like Martin Luther King, Jr.s “I have a dream…”; and shocking statistics, like Michael Pollan’s revelation that 28 oz of crude oil go into making each and every one of those quarter pounders with cheese sold at McDonalds every day. But, I’ve also learned that one can define a set of qualities that all of these strategies embody.
So, these are excellent examples of types of STAR moments, but what makes a STAR moment actually memorable? What is it about what these and other great speakers do that leads to that mental hook in the audience? A former student, Elianna Bentz, led a class discussion several months ago that really helped put the qualities of a strong STAR moment into an easily digestible format. A STAR Moment should be Simple, Transferable, Audience-centered, Repeatable, and Meaningful.
The job of the STAR moment is often to take a very complicated problem and break it down to its simplest, most human, most transparent form. Chip and Dan Heath believe simplicity starts by removing superfluous elements and getting to the core of an idea. They compare it to the way a journalist writes an article–the lead comes first, and is not buried by complexities (Source). In the same way, a STAR moment has to be straightforward and evocative. Take for example Benjamin Zander’s STAR moment in the TED talk below. To help the audience understand the technicality of music, he demoes what piano playing is like at different ages and breaks down a prelude by Chopin note by note. But, to help the audience understand just how impacting classical music can be, before he plays the piece a second time, he asks the audience to imagine a lost loved one. The first time I did this, I was in tears. I’ve watched the speech now each month for four years and its impact is never the same unless I succumb to Zander’s request.
Transferable
A STAR moment cannot exist in the vacuum of the speaker’s own mind and heart; it’s emotional impact has to be transferred to the audience so that they can internalize it. According to Duarte, a STAR moment is “rehearsed and planned to have just the right amount of analytical and emotional appeal to engage both the minds and hearts of an audience” (Source). Bill Gates’ 2009 TED talk contains such a moment. After establishing the problem–malaria is a worldwide problem (200 million are affected), but because the people affected do not have the wealth and resources to stop the problem, not enough is being done. To transfer the impact of this problem to a room full of TEDsters, wealthy folks who cannot necessarily relate to or understand the problem, he releases mosquitos into the audience, stating “there’s no reason only poor people should have the experience” (Source). Brilliant transference!
Audience-centered
A great STAR moment requires audience-analysis and audience adaptation.Why? Because without audience analysis and adaptation, how can a speaker truly know what will impact his or her target audience, what will push through the wall of bias and resistance present in each audience member, what will be easily understood by the audience? The last day of Professional Communication and Presentation is Ignite presentation day. Two days ago, I witnessed one of the strongest STAR moments. Shayna wanted to communicate to her classmates that while they are all a product of the environments they came from, such a truth does not necessarily mean one has to be a slave to that idea or to what one learned as a result of one’s upbringing. She began her presentation by describing what it means to be a slave; she wore chains around her arms while she described this concept. For the next two minutes of her presentation she established her big idea, used storytelling, statistics, facts, and examples to support her big idea. She then told the story of having lost friends and family to drug abuse and how these experiences led her to act, to break her chains. She then threw the chains wrapped around her arms down. The reaction from her classmates was audible–the air literally went out of the room. By the end of her presentation, she had her audience in tears, fired up and ready to take control of their destinies.
Repeatable and Meaningful
Finally, a STAR moment (if it embodies the first three qualities) must be easily repeatable/describable and also meaningful enough that the audience must repeat it. According to Duarte, “a carefully crafted sound bite can work as a STAR moment–not only for those who attend your presentation, but also for those who encounter it second hand” (Source). One of the most beautiful, repeatable, and meaningful STAR moments of our time is the repetition in Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream.” Dr. King, who spoke this portion of the speech extemporaneously and without a pre-written set of points (Clarence Jones describes the moment when King pushed his speech aside and spoke from the heart in this NPR interview). What made it repeatable was the simplicity of the phrase; what made it meaningful is that he was vocalizing America’s collective dream of the future. In order to help the audience visualize a positive future, motivate them to action, inspire their waning spirits, and tie the dream of desegregation to the long line of America’s dream, King repeats the phrase and follows it with what Nancy Duarte calls “new bliss,” a visualization of the world with his idea in place. This phrase has become part of our cultural consciousness in the United States and it helped reinvigorate the hearts and minds of King’s followers.
So, by choosing a type of STAR moment and then ensuring it meets the qualities above, you too can create a moment that shines on long after you say “Thank you for your time. Any questions?”
Tagged content development, delivery, Duarte, Jill Bolte Taylor, martin luther king, Martin Luther King Jr., memorable moment, Nancy Duarte, presentation, something they'll always remember, speech development, speech preparation, speech writing, STAR Moment, TED, TED conference audience
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RU/BEL
Updated at 17:06,18-07-2019
Belarus raises gas, heating and electricity tariffs for households
Euroradio
The Cabinet of Ministers of Belarus on December 30 passed a resolution to charge Belarusians more for gas, heating and electrical energy.
Earlier reports suggested the government would consider the proposal by the Ministry of Economy in the beginning of 2014. However, the resolution was officially published today at the National Legal Internet Portal of the Republic of Belarus.
The rates applying to the electricity consumed within the established quota increased from 518.9 to 622.7 rubels per kWh for households using electric cookers and from 610.6 to 732.7 rubels for other households.
The electricity rates differentiated by time of day were raised from 427.4 to 512.9 rubels for the period between 10 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 1,221.2 to 1,465.4 rubels for the period between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. For households using electric cookers, the rates increased from 363.2 to 435.9 rubels and from 1,037.8 to 1,245.4 rubels, respectively.
The price of electricity used for heating purposes was raised from 610.6 to 732.7 rubels per kWh for the period between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and from 1,831.8 to 2,198.1 rubels for any other time of the day.
The heating and hot water supply rate increased from 75,719.6 to 80,570 rubels for one gigacalorie of heat.
Natural gas supplied to households that have a gas cooker and live in houses connected to a centralized hot water supply system increased in price from 1,466.6 to 1,906.6 rubels per cubic meter.
The gas supply rate for households that do not have a gas meter was raised from 11,750 to 15,250 rubels per tenant a month.
The price of liquefied petroleum gas used as a fuel in heating appliances was raised to 8,070.6 rubels per cubic meter.
The previous increase in the electricity, heating and natural gas supply rates for households occurred on November 1, 2013.
The government raised the electricity rates for households five times in 2013, increasing them by 18 percent on February 1, 15.7 percent on June 1, 14 percent on August 1, 11.8 percent on September 1, and 8.3 percent on November 1, reports BelaPAN.
It is worth reminding that effective from January 1 enterprises in Belarus will pay less for gas and electricity, under the recent resolution of the Belarusian government which sets out lower prices for the real sector of economy.
Utility Services Going up in Price in Belarus
© 2011. UDF.BY. All rights reserved.
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UNG Magazine
Oconee, Gainesville and Dahlonega campuses to host art exhibits
(Aug. 18, 2014) Starting in August, the University of North Georgia (UNG) is hosting art exhibits in galleries on the Oconee, Gainesville and Dahlonega campuses that will feature various accomplished artists and diverse forms of art. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
The Oconee Campus Gallery will feature a pair of exhibits as part of a citywide series of art exhibitions and events known as Athens Celebrates Elephant Six – a tribute to the record company that influenced the eclectic music and arts scene of nearby Athens, Georgia.
Carnival Part I runs Aug. 25 through Sept. 24 and Carnival Part II runs Sept. 30 through Oct. 30; both feature work by Lucy Calhoun, Jill Carnes, John d’Azzo, Amy Hairston, Will Hart, Charlie Johnson and others.
The Elephant Six Recording Co. was formed in the early 1990s by Robert Schneider, Will Hart, Bill Doss and Jeff Mangum. Originally from Louisiana, Hart, Doss and Magnum later moved to Athens, Georgia, after their first 7-inch extended play (EP) recording release.
“Together, they formed an artistic scene that would come to characterize much of the Athens aesthetic, with such bands as the Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel, many of them sharing members,” said Georgia Museum of Art Curator Lynn Boland. “Although Elephant Six is best known for its music, the visual arts have always played a defining role in the collective’s activities, from album covers and show posters to theatrical stage presences.”
The Oconee Campus Gallery is located in the lobby area of the Faculty Center/700 Building and is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.
Beginning Aug. 18, the Roy C. Moore Art Gallery on UNG Gainesville Campus is hosting Ring Road, an exhibit that showcases work inspired by Georgia artists Rachel and Trevor Reese’s trip to Iceland during the summer solstice.
Video and photographs by Rachel Reese captured during their circumnavigation of the island are included along with new sculptures by Trevor Reese that were inspired by Iceland’s dynamic plant life.
The exhibit will be in the Continuing Education/Performing Arts Building and the artists talk and reception will be held Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. The gallery is open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays and 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.
The Bob Owens Art Gallery on UNG’s Dahlonega Campus is also holding an exhibit called Outdoor Life: Works by Didi Dunphy, which will run Aug. 21 through Sept. 18. The reception will take place Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. The gallery is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 3 to 7 p.m. on Sundays.
Dunphy uses a variety of media to explore the intersection of art, performance and design. She incorporates her audience by turning the public into the performer and the sculpture into the plaything.
Dunphy received a Master of Fine Arts from San Francisco Art Institute in the contemporary arts and moved to Athens with her family in 2000. Her work has been featured in several major venues and she has been featured in Southern Living and Athens Magazine.
For more information about UNG's art galleries or to learn more about other upcoming exhibits, visit the website at http://ung.edu/art-galleries/index.php, email gallery@ung.edu or call 678-717-3438.
Edie Rogers
Edie.Rogers@ung.edu
UNG Social Media Hub Subscribe to UNG Newsletter UNG News Archive
Tweets by @UNG_News
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The History of Brampton’s Largest Union Local
The Canadian section of our Union emerged in the late 1930s when we joined the Americans. We became part of an International Union which over the next number of years grew to a membership in excess of one million. We were known at that time as United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW). Our relationship with the Americans would terminate some 45 years later when we formed our own Canadian Union. “We do, however, maintain a mutual respect for another as trade unionists.” – Terry Gorman, Past President.
Since the emergence of our Local, the face of our union has changed quite rapidly. In addition to gaining strength, we have grown rapidly, adding several units and building solidarity among our members. As our late past president, Terry Gorman, once said, “It took many years to reach where we are today. As one who spent many years in a leadership role, and continues to actively participate in union activity, despite my retirement, I would urge our younger membership to become more involved. You will then better appreciate the accomplishments that were achieved by your predecessors.”
In 1949, our members worked for Nash Motors – a division of the Nash Kelvinator Corporation. The plant was located on Danforth Avenue in Toronto and produced the "Nash Rambler". At that time, our members belonged to UAW Local 1115. Nash Kelvinator was later bought by the American Motors Corporation (AMC). The first contract between the UAW and AMC occurred in 1956. The line speed was 22 cars per day.
AMC built a plant in Brampton at the corner of Steeles Avenue East and Kennedy Road and in 1961 began building the Rambler. The line speed was 32 cars per shift. Local 1285 received a separate UAW charter on May 12, 1961. Charlie Carr was elected as our first President.
Several other workplaces have joined Local 1285 since 1961. Terry Gorman was the longest serving President of any CAW Local—he was elected in 1975 and served 6 terms. Buzz Hargrove was our National Representative in 1975.
In 1977, AMC hired its first union sister, Cecilia Palmer. Today, The Brampton Assembly Plant has one of the highest, if not the highest, percentages of female workers of all major automotive assembly plants in North America.
In 1985, the CAW separated from the UAW. We received our CAW Charter that year. What is now known as the Brampton Assembly Plant was built in 1986 by AMC Renault. Chrysler bought out AMC and acquired both plants in August 1987. The plant built the "Premier", and the "Monaco". The line speed was about 250 cars per shift, but there was only one shift, and not a lot of work. Layoffs were rampant. The Kennedy Road Plant worked steady producing jeeps.
The LH vehicles, "Intrepid", "Eagle Vision", and "Concorde" were introduced at the "Bramalea" plant.
The Kennedy Road plant was closed on April 4, 1992.
President, Terry Gorman retired in 1993 and Vince Bailey was elected as President.
In 2013, The Canadian Auto Workers union and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada merged to form a new Union called Unifor, Canada's newest — and largest — private sector union to turn the tide for Canada's labour movement.
Charlie Carr (1961 to ?)
Gord Aldham (? to June 1963)
Jim Peters (June 1963 to October 1973)
Floyd Gill (October 1973 to May 1975)
Terry Gorman (June 1975 to September 1993)
Vince Bailey (September 1993 to May 2008)
Leon Rideout (May 2008 to May 2017)
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"I'm pleased to support non-partisan investigative journalism; it's crucial to building a better New Orleans." --Mike M., River Ridge
Mike Matthews
The Lens (https://thelensnola.org/2019/04/19/behind-the-lens-episode-28-conversations-that-must-be-had/)
Behind The Lens episode 28: ‘Conversations that must be had’
By Tom Wright | April 19, 2019
More on Behind The Lens
Subscribe to Behind The Lens
This week on Behind The Lens, New Orleans parents submitted their applications for the school enrollment lottery between late February and the middle of this month. Now, they’re waiting for the algorithm that controls every child’s school placement to output the results. Marta Jewson reports on OneApp, the latest in her “Class Dismissed” series on education in New Orleans.
The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority heard presentations Wednesday from two firms competing for a contract to run the operations and maintenance of the public transit system. Michael Isaac Stein was there.
And, New Orleans author Nathaniel Rich is promoting his latest book, “Losing Earth: A Recent History”. It’s an expansion on his earlier report last August in The New York Times Magazine, in which he focuses on the political machinations and the people involved in early efforts to battle climate change. He spoke with us by phone from Houston earlier this week.
Behind The Lens is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and Stitcher.
About Tom Wright
Tom Wright is a staff writer and producer covering the environmental beat for The Lens. He also hosts and produces The Lens' podcast Behind The Lens. His previous work includes investigative producing with local broadcaster Lee Zurik, legislative affairs reporting for Mississippi Public Broadcasting and global affairs coverage for CNN. Wright is a winner of the DuPont, Peabody and Murrow awards for his investigative production work.
More by Tom
Behind The Lens episode 40: ‘You don’t know exactly what you’re gonna get until it gets here’
By Jessica Rosgaard | July 12, 2019
A conversation on emergency preparedness as New Orleans waits for Tropical Storm Barry, Entergy’s efforts to lower carbon emissions, and a new approach to give expelled students the tools to return to their regular classroom
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Senator Lager Begins His Quest to Cap Tax Credits
February 1, 2013 June 2, 2013
by Collin Reischman
Jefferson City, MO — While the Missouri legislature may be eager to reform some of the 63 state tax credit programs, it won’t be an easy process. Two of the largest credits, Low Income Housing and Historic Preservation, are set to be lowered, capped, or otherwise reduced.
The Senate Committee for Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government heard augments and testimony on Wednesday, Jan 30, on two pieces of legislation aimed at reducing the Low Income and Historic Preservation programs.
Senate Bill 5, filed by Senator Brad Lager, would place a $50 million dollar cap on the low income tax credit and the historic preservation credit. Historic preservation currently cost about $150 million annually. Lager’s bill would use the revenue from the LI and HP tax credit programs to slowly phase-out the state corporate income tax.
“Our world is changing immensely,” Lager testified before the committee. “We saw that in Kansas last year. The competitive environment is different than it was a decade ago.”
Lager, referencing the state of Kansas’s move last year to significantly reduce or eliminate their individual and corporate state income tax, said the government shouldn’t create winners and losers, and that freeing up revenue to lower corporate income taxes would bring new revenue, and ultimately new services, to the state.
Testimony on Lager’s bill was unanimously opposed. The Builders Association of Kansas City, The Missouri Association of Realtors and The National Alliance on Mental Illness were among those opposed to the legislation.
Mike Williams the Director of Business Operations for Midwest United States for Altura Housing, said that drastically scaling back or capping the credits for low-income housing would have an adverse effect on rural Missouri.
“There would be no way for rural Missouri to build low-income housing,” Williams said. “And there are three ways out of poverty: affordable housing, affordable transportation and affordable child care. There will be very little development for rural Missouri without these credits.”
Williams said he had conducted business in Arkansas and Kansas, where low-income housing credits are not a priority, and said it was “much harder” to build affordable housing for low-income families in those states.
“Outside of large metro areas, you don’t see any construction for those kinds of homes,” Williams said. “And that’s a result of not having these kinds of programs.”
Senator John Lamping, whose legislation was also heard in the committee hearing and is similar to Lager’s in it’s effort to reduce tax credits, didn’t agree with Williams assessment of the impact of lowering the credit.
“There are states without this credit, or with no credit like this,” Lamping said to Williams. “The idea that this kind of development wouldn’t take place without this credit, I just don’t see that as being accurate. Don’t other states like Arkansas or Kansas have low-income housing?”
Lamping clarified that he was not in support of abolishing the LI credit, but rather capping it and using the revenue for another purpose. In his own bill, which calls for caps on LI and HP credits that are not as low as Lager’s, revenue saved from capping these programs would be placed back into general revenue for the state.
“The perfect bill, for me, is a bill dealing strictly with Low-Income Housing and Historic Preservation Tax Credits, and that bill, the perfect bill, would allow us to cap these programs in some way and send that money back into the GR [general revenue] of our state to be put into other services like mental health or education.”
Lamping said the market would eventually self-correct to accommodate historic preservation or low-income housing projects, and that as long as neither program was completely eliminated, there would not be negative effects.
“As long as there is some form of historic preservation credit, then there is still a chance for some developers to take advantage of that, and I’ll take it,” Lamping said. “The fact that other states don’t have these credits, or don’t have them nearly to the same degree as Missouri, speaks volumes to the fact that this kind of development does happen on it’s own.”
Lamping said property values might fall initially in a city without renovation on its historic buildings, but that eventually the value of the property would fall to a place that it would attract a developer, and that the market would ultimately “clear.”
“Some cities might not like that property value goes down for a while,” Lamping said. “But that’s the market, and ultimately the development will take place.”
Both bills to reduce tax credits are preliminary, as the Ways and Means Committee will more substantially handle tax policy. Lamping told those on the committee on Wednesday that his bill had been pre-filed before a committee on Ways and Means for tax policy had been announced.
Collin Reischman is the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. To contact Collin, email collin@themissouritimes.com or via Twitter at @CMReischman
Senate headed to long, contentious final week
Kansas City Council joins call to uphold veto of the bag bill
Could Republicans move right-to-work vote to favor the party in November election?
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March to Disney: What Bolt and Dumbo Share
Posted on March 12, 2013 by bernardovillela
This is a series of posts this month wherein I will focus on Disney films. For more on my background with Disney films and about the timing of this focus please read the introductory post here.
What’s been great is that I have through sheer luck managed to come across titles I had previously not seen as soon as this theme started. Just recently while browsing Netflix these two titles came up, then randomly on a Sunday morning on Disney Channel Bolt came on.
Now, again, this film came out when I wasn’t as ardently following Disney films. Since it happened to be starting I stuck with it, even with the commercial interruptions. What I hadn’t realized before it came out was that the tale, in which a dog who has been raised to believe the TV show he’s the star of is reality, is not just the set-up to The Truman Show, but in a way Disney refashioning Dumbo with a modern twist.
I saw that because the goals and the protagonists are similar inasmuch as they are unwitting stars. Dumbo is young and knows only the circus, his large ears are hidden, when they come out he’s mocked by the public he’d tried to win. When he learns to fly his unique trait is not a stigma but a mark of pride. The naïveté in the story is more about how he perceives the world.
Bolt’s reality, more modern, stylized, with action sequences, is no different. He’s presented everything as if it’s happening and has to defend his master. Granted the means of production, the stuntmen, the pyro rigs, any essentials needed to produce a TV show, are hidden so it’s easier for him to accept the reality. By chance he gets marooned out in the real world and he wants to and feels he needs to return home to the studio. He faces a lot of hard truths he has to come to terms with, the reversals of fortune are strong and quickly dealt with and the film is very funny.
While there are twists to it, like Dumbo being a more knowing participant in the circus, not that he ever “agrees,” it breaks down to the same path. You substitute a mother for an owner and both seek reunion with that figure. Both struggle against the odds and ultimately win out, gain that reunion and freedom from the life of performance that kept them trapped.
A recent New York Times article had one of the most telling quotes I ever saw, it was a discussion of both films and criticism where the statement “They don’t make them like they used to and they never did” was made. It may seem obvious that film is an ever-evolving artform, but sometimes it’s hard to accept that. There are technical and narrative trends that are the norm and en vogue in one decade and seem passé and almost wrong in another.
Dumbo is a masterpiece because of how perfectly all the elements of the story are rendered from the animation, to the emotional engagement, to the story, music and songs. Everything fits and works perfectly. I wouldn’t say Bolt is a masterpiece but it is very good, in part, because it borrows and adapts so well from a great source. Everyone borrows, self-plagiarism is style and any other quote you can think of can apply to this notion. Disney has done it before, but while it has fallen flat on other occasions like in Hercules, here it’s an infusion of technique, action film editing, humor and an updated sensibility that doesn’t seem forced that really makes it work.
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Bohemian Rhapsody: An Escape From Reality
Ali Cody, School News Editor
Filed under Reviews
Freddie Mercury, a flamboyant performer but a private person and also the voice of the iconic band Queen. Mercury’s life was brought to the silver screen on November 2, 2018 in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody.
Before the opening credits, there are quick 30-second flashes of the most renowned performances from Mercury’s musical career. The movie itself focuses on Mercury (Rami Malek), and the rest of Queen’s music, songwriting process, and recording process, while also showing the obstacles and triumphs that they experienced within their closed meetings with record labels and other staff members that helped them. But some scenes in the movie changed the perspective from Mercury’s career to his private life, revealing moments with his longtime girlfriend Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton), his troublesome time with his alcoholic tendencies, and of his later years with last partner, Jim Hutton (Aaron McCusker).
As of November 25, Bohemian Rhapsody had a total of $152,158,106 in sales from the US alone. Worldwide, the film has made $472,502,996 according to the box office. The movie earned a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes and 49% on Metacritic. According to Bob Mondello from NPR, “As for Freddie Mercury, is this his real life? Is this just fantasy – not sure that really matters either. When Malek’s strutting like a peacock, this movie is a decently amusing escape from reality.” Along with the many critic reviews of the film, there is also an abundance of audience reviews saying that they “absolutely loved this film.”
As all movies do, Bohemian Rhapsody has its ups and downs along with misconceptions and nonfactual moments, but the majority of viewers and I can agree that the movie was pleasurable and exciting to watch. The film is anything but hated when it comes to enjoyment, but, the fact that the surviving members of Queen helped with the film, as a viewer,
you would expect the film to be more detailed when it comes to facts, such as clothing choices and timing of events. But no matter what the misconceptions of the film, fans of all ages continually talk about Bohemian Rhapsody and the epic adventure through Mercury’s life.
Ali is a Junior at Jonathan Alder. This is her second year at the Pioneer Press, she also enjoys playing softball and reading in her spare time.
One Response to “Bohemian Rhapsody: An Escape From Reality”
Shannon Cody on November 30th, 2018 1:48 PM
Ali, you hit the nail on the head with your review of the movie! Just like Mercury himself, it was full of entertainment and it felt like you were in the moment, bringing the Queen concert to life!!!
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Jul 8 Uffie Shares New Single, "Mine"
Electro-pop darling Uffie continues her return to music with the release of a sparkly new single titled "Mine." Co-written with Imad Royal (Panic! At The Disco, Bea Miller) and Rogét Chahayed (Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Halsey), "Mine" is melodic electronic perfection that calls back to Uffie’s signature “party-ready” sound while still maintaining the more nuanced pop aptitude that the French-American artist has demonstrated in her recent work.
In conversation with V Magazine, Uffie explains that "Mine" was inspired by "all the possibilities and promises of adventure and mystery" that warm weather brings. The song is sexy and spontaneous, just like the summer season.
Since releasing her Tokyo Love Hotel EP earlier this year, Uffie has been welcomed back, arms wide open, to the music industry. Her new music has been praised by key tastemakers such as V Magazine, PAPER, i-D, FLAUNT, and DAZED, and has led to headlining gigs at Elsewhere (NYC) and Moroccan Lounge (LA). In addition to sharing her own music, Uffie also recently co-wrote P!NK's new single “Hurts 2B Human (ft. Khalid)." 2019 is proving that Uffie is 'ufficially' back.
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Jul 8 Lacuna Coil Announces New Album "Black Anima" out October 11th
Jul 8 Adam French Releases Video for "Slow Dancing"
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Magic Johnson wants to raise $2.5 million to S.C. State
Scholarship in his name will go to students in the business school
Former NBA basketball player Earvin Magic Johnson is shown at a White House youth leadership and mentoring efforts at Wayne State University in Detroit, Wednesday, May 26, 2010. AP Photo/Paul Sancya
By Maya A. Jones @mjay615
Earvin “Magic” Johnson has never shied away from philanthropic opportunities, so it was no surprise when the NBA Hall of Famer and entrepreneur partnered with South Carolina State University to raise money for a scholarship in his name, the first in the university’s history.
The $2.5 million endowed scholarship will go toward the financial expenses of students in the S.C. State University School of Business in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
“I am overjoyed by the opportunity to continue my commitment to higher education through my partnership with S.C. State University,” Johnson said in a statement. “Since visiting the university over a year ago, we have worked to develop meaningful ways to contribute to its success. This endowment will help continue the legacy of our nation’s historically black colleges and universities [HBCUs]. I encourage all corporate and socially responsible citizens to support HBCUs.”
Johnson’s philanthropy is well-known. The Magic Johnson Foundation, begun in 1991, was created to fight HIV/AIDS through grant-making. Its mission has broadened since then to empower urban communities, address the lack of educational opportunity, digital literacy and college access.
According to the university, Johnson’s partnership comes at a time where people are contributing more than they have in recent years. Private donations to the university have increased more than 361 percent over the last year, leaping from $915,959 to $4.2 million. Alumni contributions have also seen an 81 percent increase from $437,275 to $972,304.
Why do so many white people deny the existence of white privilege? Read now
More than one year ago, Johnson spoke on campus as part of the business school’s Executive Speaker Series. It was then that he committed to helping the university.
“We are certainly honored that Earvin is teaming up with S.C. State to assist in achieving what will be the university’s largest single philanthropic investment to date,” said interim president Dr. W. Franklin Evans. “His partnership not only marks a milestone in the university’s history, but this partnership will produce an indelible impact in the university’s legacy.”
The partnership will be formally announced at a fundraising event in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
Maya Jones is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a native New Orleanian who enjoys long walks down Frenchmen Street and romantic dates to Saints games.
This Story Tagged: HBCU Magic Johnson South Carolina State Bulldogs
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Hermanus protest marches postponed
The protest marches planned for this week by Zwelihle Renewal (ZR) were postponed late on Monday evening after intense negotiations during the weekend and Monday evening.
The decision by ZR to postpone the march was taken after a Hermanus Stakeholders Group meeting earlier in the evening. The stakeholders’ meeting was also attended by representatives of the provincial departments of Labour and Home Affairs.
Members of Zwelihle Renewal were set to march to various businesses in town to hand over memoranda addressing the issue of more foreign nationals reportedly being employed than South Africans.
At the stakeholders’ meeting, it was decided that a task team would be set up to facilitate compliance with the labour laws in the Overstrand. This task team would be required to report back to the Stakeholder’s Group within the next month.
A representative from the Department of Labour said that the official legislative guideline provides for a ratio of 60% locals to 40% foreigners. “No company may employ more than 40% foreign employees and those who do so are breaking the law and will be arrested alongside the worker,” he said.
It was stated that the onus rests on the employer to ensure that the guidelines are followed and that the working permits of all employed foreign nationals are in order. Asylum seekers, on the other hand, do not need work permits as they are allowed to work in the country and have the same access to government services as locals.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, there are regular inspections at businesses in the Overstrand and a total of nine businesses in the area have been charged since March 2019 for not complying with the law.
In anticipation of the marches that were set to take place from Tuesday to Friday, the Whale Coast Business and Community Forum (WCBCF) on Monday applied to the Cape High Court for an interdict to stop protesters from visiting their premises. The interdict was granted by Judge Monde Samela and stipulated that no protester would be allowed to come closer than 50 metres to the premises of any of the 18 applicants.
According to the WCBCF, they will do everything within the confines of the law to protect their businesses, staff and reputations. “The threats of mass protest action from a self-appointed group in town against legitimate businesses will not be taken lightly. This group’s assumption that labour issues, unfair business practices and other related matters are in existence here is based on false information,” WCBCF said in a statement.
The Hermanus Business Chamber said it welcomed the postponement of the protest marches and is committed to working with the authorities and stakeholders on the newly formed task team to facilitate an appropriate outcome that will be conducive to the protection of existing employment opportunities and the creation of new ones.
Hermanus Stakeholders Group
Whale Coast Business and Community Forum
Zwelihle Renewal
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There is something about Mondo
by thefintechtimes May 25, 2016 May 24, 2016
Tom leads me into his office. It’s a cupboard with a plastic table, and a chair patched with green ducting tape. The contents of the office, in terms of desks, furniture, fittings, is worth less than nothing. This is not a typical bank. In fact, Mondo is not yet a bank, but it soon will be. If there is a real challenger, I am sitting on a plastic chair in its office.
Why did you decide to create a bank?
“Because I hate my bank.” I ask which one, he says that’s not the point, they’re all as bad as each other. This helps explain why people don’t change banks. It’s not because they’re all super satisfied, it’s because there’s no real difference between them.
“In a World where you can pull out your mobile phone and order a taxi in a click, or buy something from Amazon and have it on your desk an hour later, banking is so far behind. We started Mondo in an attempt to bring that kind of consumer experience.” Tom anecdotes about travelling abroad and having his card blocked every time, even telling his bank in advance won’t prevent this. Another anecdote, going overdrawn, not being told for two weeks, accumulating charges, then being sent a letter in the post, pre notifying charges. “Why doesn’t a bank see you’re going overdrawn, and send you a text message or a push notification? It would reduce their profits, that’s why.” Everyone knows this.
There’s something about Mondo. There’s something about Tom. A contagious enthusiasm, a drive. I’m trying not to use the word “passion”, especially as they are backed by Passion Capital, but it’s like he’s seen the light, he’s seen how shit banking is, and how to do it brilliantly is obvious. The pre-paid card version of their account is, already, for some reason, awesome. It’s hard to write about Mondo without sounding like a fan boy. I first heard of them when I went to one of their alpha group presentations, and signed up for a card, salmon pink. As soon as I started using it, I loved it. It’s just so… Satisfying. Like Uber with the little cars driving round the screen. It’s just… Right.
There’s something about Mondo. An X factor, a charisma, I show people the app, look at this, isn’t it cool. Maybe it’s the ‘Kerching’ noise when you buy something. Maybe it’s the seamless app / card dynamic, maybe it’s just the attitude of the company, somehow coming through.
Personally I bank with co-op. I have done for decades, even though they don’t have a contactless card, and the fact that if I forget my pin it’ll take a week, a couple of phone calls, and a letter in the post to get a new one. But when Mondo are a fully licensed bank, I’ll switch.
When they launched the pre-paid card, back in November 2015, it was, according to Tom, ‘buggy as hell’.
“We put the app out, and it really was a case of launching before you’re comfortable with it”, as they say in YCombinator, birthplace of AirBnB and Dropbox, ‘If you’re not embarrassed by your first iteration then you’ve launched it too late.’ “And we were embarrassed, but now we have over ten thousand people using the product, and the product is great.”
Can you even imagine a ‘conventional’ bank being so human as to be open about its flaws? To say: “Hey, look, we’re launching something, we want you to point out all our bugs and things that don’t work, so you can be part of fixing them with us.” Tom talks freely and openly and says what he knows to be true. Accessible, real, just no bullshit. I love it. And here I am. Back in fanboy mode.
Mondo has commercial charisma. Tom tells me of a guy who travelled from Edinburgh to London to get a card. And in March, when they went on Crowdcube to raise an extra million, the demand surge took Crowdcube offline for half a day. Mondo arranged an alternative system, and did nought to a million pounds in 96 seconds. We The People seem to Love This Company.
“We keep hitting these milestones very quickly”, say Tom. “Although the measure of success really is that your customer support volume scales at a lower rate than your customer volume, ie, the service is constantly improving.”
Mondo does have a serious advantage. A traditional bank needs branches, postal services, websites, an app, multiple channels of engagement, and hundreds of products. The challengers need only an app. One channel, one product. I’m pretty certain the services these new banks provide will be modular. A loan from Mondo will be provided through a partner. A mortgage from Mondo via a partner, a credit card from a partner, a payday loan through a partner, invest in a peer-to-peer platform, through a partner, buy insurance, though a partner. Perhaps multiple partners will bid in real time for the opportunity to service each customer requirement. Goodbye loan comparison sites. Mondo has it built in. I’m speculating here, but I suspect this is what the future looks like. A current account as gateway to every other financial service. Like Google to the Internet.
Mondo has 100,000 customers on the waiting list and has the potential to utterly reshape personal banking. Taxis worked fine until Uber came along.
Will they attract millions of customers out of the traditional banks, all the young people, all the digital natives, all the future? They really might. All it takes is to get it right. And if they do, a billion customer bank is achieveable, and Tom knows it.
Name: Tom Blomfield
Occupation: Banker to be
Born: Hong Kong, August 1985
Education: Grammar School, Oxford Law
Four Startups, three as founder:
Boso, GoCardless, Groupa, Mondo
Books: Elon Musk’s Biography, The Hard thing About Hard Things, Zero to One
Films: I really like romantic comedies, Notting Hill, Four Weddings, and historical costume dramas. I loved War and Peace.
Restaurant: Squash, cycle, skiing, learning to kite board, secret StarCraft player
Hobbies: I am really into modern art
Business philosophy: It’s the YCombinator bible, the YCombinator mantras, write code and talk to users, launch early, make something people want.
Time for the Banks to choose their strategic partners or get left behind?
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Spike Lee Rips Donald Trump: ‘That Motherfucker Did Not Denounce the Motherfucking Klan’
Filed to: spike leeFiled to: spike lee
Spike Lee BlacKkKlansman
spike lee donald trump
Spike Lee is not a man to mince words, and during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival to promote his upcoming film BlacKkKlansman, the prolific director ripped President Donald Trump a new one because of his refusal to denounce the Ku Klux Klan after the Unite the Right white supremacy rally in August in Charlottesville, Va.
During the rally, held near the campus of the University of Virginia, white supremacists marched with their heavily starched khakis and their tiki torches, proclaiming their whiteness. In the end, several people were left injured after a car drove into a crowd, and counterprotester Heather Heyer was killed.
It was during this time that Lee was filming his movie, and he decided to contact Heyer’s mother to ask for permission to use footage of her death in the movie. At his press conference in France, Lee said this:
I was given Susan Bro’s phone number. She is the mother of Heather Heyer, who got murdered when that car came crashing down the street. I was not gonna put that murder scene in the film without her blessing. Mrs. Bro said, “Spike, I give you permission to put that in.” Once I got permission, I said, “Fuck everybody else, that motherfucking scene is staying in the motherfucking movie.” Cuz that was a murder.
And we have a guy in the White House—I’m not gonna say his fucking name—who defined that moment not just for Americans but the world, and that motherfucker was given the chance to say we are about love, not hate. And that motherfucker did not denounce the motherfucking Klan, the “alt-right,” and those Nazis motherfuckers. It was a defining moment, and he could have said to the world, not just the United States, that we were better than that.
The so-called American cradle of democracy, that’s bullshit. The United States of America was built on the genocide of Native people and slavery. That is the fabric of the United States of America. As my Brooklyn brother Jay-Z would say, facts. That scene had to go in.
Lee’s movie, which tells the story of Ron Stallworth, a black Colorado Springs, Colo., police officer who infiltrated the KKK, received rave reviews from Cannes and will be released on the one-year anniversary of the Charlottesville rally. Lee hopes it has a lasting effect on moviegoers.
“The purpose of this film was to spark discussion. ... We know the difference between right and wrong, and when you see wrong staring you dead in the face and you’re like, ‘Mum’s the word,’ you’re helping the other people, in my opinion.”
Bye, Kinja! It's been fun (occasionally).
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In Birkenau, which was built anew on the site of a displaced village, only a small number of historic buildings have survived. Due to the method used in constructing those buildings, planned as temporary structures and erected in a hurry using demolition materials, the natural degradation processes have been accelerating. All efforts are nevertheless being taken to preserve them, strengthen their original fabric and protect them from decay.
Lunch was three quarters of a liter of watery soup at midday, reportedly foul-tasting, with meat in the soup four times a week and vegetables (mostly potatoes and rutabaga) three times. The evening meal was 300 grams of bread, often moldy, part of which the inmates were expected to keep for breakfast the next day, with a tablespoon of cheese or marmalade, or 25 grams of margarine or sausage. Prisoners engaged in hard labor were given extra rations.[114]
In less than 24 hours I shall be departing with my wife and two friends for a holiday in Krakow. As a minority of one I have been outvoted on whether we should visit Auschwitz Berkenau. Very reluctantly I will go. As an ex soldier, I am hardly a shrinking violet and perhaps more aware than some of the horrors of war or even lesser conflicts. I don't need to pore over such things. But many seem to cherish a ghoulish and prurient interest in such places. They are right to remember what happened there. From such knowledge mankind just might avoid or prevent anything similar happening again...but I doubt it. Look around the world. Horrors have existed, still exist and almost certainly will happen again. The scale is not the most significant factor. One child or adult butchered with machettes, bombs or bullets or bombs or tortured to death is just as horrific. Somehow I already feel guilty for allowing myself to go. For me it is almost on a par with digging up a coffin just to observe the putrefying remains of some departed soul. Why do some feel compelled to do that...does it awake in some a compassion that they did not previously have? No number of visits to such places can possibly make anyone feel and suffer as the inmates undoubtedly did. It takes some considerable effort to understand how a post-Auschwitz society can promote and run profiteering bus tours to one of the closest places humanity has to Hell. History cannot be changed by tears. Perhaps it is a forlorn hope but we would all do well to remember such places and events and then move forwards, using our best efforts to stop the slaughters that are occurring right now. That is where our consciences and efforts are most needed.
This aggressive technique is best used nowadays by visionary companies that accept the task to reshape certain industries. Being first confers the advantages of superior size that comes with being ahead of rivals and allows the business to set industry standards, influence customer preferences, develop a superior cost position, and determine the direction for an entire market.
Camp commandant Rudolf Höss was arrested by the British at a farm near Flensburg, Germany, on 11 March 1946, where he had been working under the pseudonym Franz Lang.[262] He was imprisoned in Heide, then transferred to Minden for interrogation, part of the British occupation zone. From there he was taken to Nuremberg to testify for the defense in the trial of SS-Obergruppenführer Ernst Kaltenbrunner. Höss was straightforward about his own role in the mass murder and said he had followed the orders of Heinrich Himmler.[263][g] Extradited to Poland on 25 May 1946,[264] he wrote his memoirs in custody, first published in Polish in 1951 then in German in 1958 as Kommandant in Auschwitz.[265] His trial before the Supreme National Tribunal in Warsaw opened on 11 March 1947; he was sentenced to death on 2 April and hanged in Auschwitz I, near crematorium I, on 16 April.[266]
“I suddenly see Steinlauf, my friend aged almost fifty, with nude chest, scrub his neck and shoulders with little success (he has no soap) [He] sees me and asks me severely why I do not wash. Why should I wash? Would I be better off than I am? Would I please someone more? Would I live a day longer?…. Does Steinlauf not know that after half an hour with the coal sacks every difference between him and me will have disappeared?….
While Schindler operated two other factories in Krakow, only at Emalia did he employ Jewish workers who resided in the nearby Krakow ghetto. At its peak strength in 1944, Emalia employed 1,700 workers; at least 1,000 were Jewish forced laborers, whom the Germans had relocated from the Krakow ghetto after its liquidation in March 1943 to the forced labor camp and later concentration camp Krakau-Plaszow.
The gate house was built in 1943, long after the Birkenau camp was first opened. The first inmates, who were Soviet Prisoners of War, arrived at Birkenau on October 7, 1941. At first, the gate shown in the photo above was for trucks and pedestrians. Railroad tracks were not laid through the gate until the Spring of 1944, just before transports of Hungarian Jews began to arrive. According to the Auschwitz Museum, 434,351 of these Hungarian Jews were not registered at Birkenau; instead, they were gassed immediately upon arrival. At the height of the deportation of the Hungarian Jews, during a 10 week period, up to 12,000 Jews were gassed and burned each day.
The wooden barracks had once been stables. The walls were thin and had gaps at the bottom and top, which let in the bitterly cold wind in the winter. Near the entrance door were two rooms to house the ‘functionaries’ or kapos. The barracks had no windows, but instead had a row of skylights at the top of the roof. Each block had wooden three-tiered bunks. Prisoners slept under thin blankets or rags on their straw mattresses.
Not long after acquiring his “Emalia” factory - which produced enamel goods and munitions to supply the German front - the removal of Jews to death camps began in earnest. Schindler's Jewish accountant put him in touch with the few Jews with any remaining wealth. They invested in his factory, and in return they would be able to work there and perhaps be spared. He was persuaded to hire more Jewish workers, designating their skills as “essential,” paying off the Nazis so they would allow them to stay in Kraków. Schindler was making money, but everyone in his factory was fed, no-one was beaten, no-one was killed. It became an oasis of humanity in a desert of moral torpor.
But, in May 1944, a railroad spur line was built right into the camp to accelerate and simplify the handling of the tens of thousands of Hungarian and other Jews deported in the spring and summer of 1944. From then to November 1944, when all the other death camps had been abandoned, Birkenau surpassed all previous records for mass killing. The Hungarian deportations and the liquidation of the remaining Polish ghettos, such as Lodz, resulted in the gassing of 585,000 Jews. This period made Auschwitz-Birkenau into the most notorious killing site of all time.
Criterion (vi): Auschwitz Birkenau, monument to the deliberate genocide of the Jews by the German Nazi regime and to the deaths of countless others, bears irrefutable evidence to one of the greatest crimes ever perpetrated against humanity. It is also a monument to the strength of the human spirit which in appalling conditions of adversity resisted the efforts of the German Nazi regime to suppress freedom and free thought and to wipe out whole races. The site is a key place of memory for the whole of humankind for the Holocaust, racist policies and barbarism; it is a place of our collective memory of this dark chapter in the history of humanity, of transmission to younger generations and a sign of warning of the many threats and tragic consequences of extreme ideologies and denial of human dignity.
Shortly after the outbreak of war in September 1939, thirty-one-year-old Schindler showed up in occupied Krakow. The ancient city, home to some 60,000 Jews and seat of the German occupation administration, the Generalgouvernement, proved highly attractive to German entrepreneurs, hoping to capitalize on the misfortunes of the subjugated country and make a fortune. Naturally cunning and none too scrupulous, Schindler appeared at first to thrive in these surroundings. In October 1939, he took over a run-down enamelware factory that had previously belonged to a Jew. He cleverly maneuvered his steps- acting upon the shrewd commercial advice of a Polish-Jewish accountant, Isaak Stern - and began to build himself a fortune. The small concern in Zablocie outside Krakow, which started producing kitchenware for the German army, began to grow by leaps and bounds. After only three months it already had a task-force of some 250 Polish workers, among them seven Jews. By the end of 1942, it had expanded into a mammoth enamel and ammunitions production plant, occupying some 45,000 square meters and employing almost 800 men and women. Of these, 370 were Jews from the Krakow ghetto, which the Germans had established after they entered the city.
2 Main Building. The entrance to Auschwitz I has a museum with a cinema where a 15-minute film is shown, shot by Ukrainian troops the day after the camp was liberated. It's too graphic for children (if indeed you bring them to Auschwitz-Birkenau at all), and costs 3.5 zł, included in the price of a guided tour. Showings between 11AM and 5PM, in English on the hour and Polish on the half hour. Informative and disturbing. The bookstores and public conveniences are here. Consider buying a 5 zł guidebook or 5 zł map. edit
Auschwitz Birkenau was the largest of the concentration camp complexes created by the Nazi German regime and was the one which combined extermination with forced labour. At the centre of a huge landscape of human exploitation and suffering, the remains of the two camps of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau were inscribed on the World Heritage List as evidence of this inhumane, cruel and methodical effort to deny human dignity to groups considered inferior, leading to their systematic murder. The camps are a vivid testimony to the murderous nature of the anti-Semitic and racist Nazi policy that brought about the annihilation of over one million people in the crematoria, 90% of whom were Jews.
Whilst carrying out this final evacuation the SS had set about removing evidence of their crimes. Many thousands of documents were set alight. Between 21 and 26 January 1945, the Germans blew up and partially dismantled the gas chambers and crematoria in Birkenau. Kanada II, the warehouse in which property plundered from victims of the gas chambers was stored and sorted, was also looted and set alight. Members of the Wehrmacht joined in the looting.
At the end of the war, in an effort to remove the traces of the crimes they had committed, the SS began dismantling and razing the gas chambers, crematoria, and other buildings, as well as burning documents. Prisoners capable of marching were evacuated into the depths of the German Reich, and thousands of marchers died of hunger, exhaustion and exposure. Those who remained behind in the camp and survived long enough were liberated by Red Army soldiers on 27 January 1945.
Auschwitz was the Nazis' largest concentration and extermination camp. It was founded on Himmler's orders on the 27th of April 1940, close to the small Polish town of Oświęcim. The first inmates - mostly Polish political prisoners - were brought there in June 1940 and were used for slave labour. By March 1941, more than 10 000 prisoners were registered here. The Auschwitz camp was renowned for its harshness, with the most infamous being Block 11 (known as the bunker), where prisoners received the cruellest punishments. In front of it stood the „black wall“, the site of frequent executions. The inscription „Arbeit macht frei!“ above the main gate of the original camp at Auschwitz was merely a cynical mockery.
Eventually the studio bought the rights to the book, and when Page met with Spielberg to discuss the story, the director promised the Holocaust survivor that he would make the film adaptation within 10 years. The project languished for over a decade because Spielberg was reluctant to take on such serious subject matter. Spielberg’s hesitation actually stopped Hollywood veteran Billy Wilder from making Schindler’s List his final film. Wilder tried to buy the rights to Keneally’s book, but Spielberg and MCA/Universal scooped them up before he could.
These techniques were used to great effect in 1939, when the Polish Army was destroyed in a series of encirclement battles. In May 1940 Hitler attacked France, his panzer divisions smashing through slow-moving French formations and cutting off the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk. Spectacular success was also achieved during the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 and large numbers of Soviet troops were captured.
Schindler founded the first foreign subsidiary in Berlin (Germany) in 1906. Thereafter, the company expanded continuously and mainly throughout Europe. The company established a branch in London in 1960, operating under the name Platt-Schindler and in France after acquiring Roux Combaluzier in 1969, which it was later known as Roux Combaluzier Schindler or RCS. In the 1970s, Schindler moves to its current headquarter in Ebikon, Switzerland.
Despite the continuing war with Great Britain, German forces invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. At first, the German Blitzkrieg seemed to succeed. Soviet forces were driven back more than 600 miles to the gates of Moscow, with staggering losses. In December 1941, Hitler unilaterally declared war on the United States, which consequently added its tremendous economic and military power to the coalition arrayed against him. A second German offensive against the Soviet Union in 1942 brought German forces in the east to the shores of the Volga River and the city of Stalingrad. However, the Soviet Union launched a counteroffensive in November 1942, trapping and destroying an entire German army at Stalingrad.
While there were only 23 main camps between 1933 to 1945, the Nazi regime established some 20,000 other camps used for forced labor, transit or temporary internment. During the Holocaust it is estimated that 6 million Jews were slaughtered along with, 3 million Soviet prisoners of war, 3 million Polish Catholics, 700,000 Serbians, 250,000 Gypsies, Sinti, and Lalleri, 80,000 Germans (for political reasons), 70,000 German handicapped, 12,000 homosexuals, and 2,500 Jehovah’s Witnesses.
By the end of September, the SS had started to develop plans to deport Jews to newly invaded Poland: the first steps towards the systematic murder that would follow. In Poland itself, thousands of Poles and Jews were rounded up and shot, early indications of the systematic murder that would follow. Alongside this, Hitler approved a new programme of euthanasia to exterminate the handicapped and mentally ill.
Initially the new facilities were "underutilized". From April 1943 to March 1944, "only" 160,000 Jews were killed at Birkenau, but from March 1944 to November 1944, when all the other death camps had been abandoned, Birkenau surpassed all previous records for mass killing. The Hungarian deportations and the liquidation of the remaining Polish ghettos, such as Lodz, resulted in the gassing of 585,000 Jews. This period made Auschwitz-Birkenau into the most notorious killing site of all time.
Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941.[236] German propaganda portrayed the war against the Soviet Union as both an ideological war between German National Socialism and Jewish Bolshevism and a racial war between the Germans and the Jewish, Romani and Slavic Untermenschen ("sub-humans").[237] Local populations in some occupied Soviet territories actively participated in the killing of Jews and others, and helped identify and round up Jews.[238] German involvement ranged from active instigation and involvement to general guidance.[239] In Lithuania, Latvia, and western Ukraine, locals were deeply involved in the murder of Jews from the beginning of the German occupation. Some of these Latvian and Lithuanian units also participated in the murder of Jews in Belarus. In the south, Ukrainians killed about 24,000 Jews and some went to Poland to serve as concentration and death-camp guards.[238] Military units from some countries allied to Germany also killed Jews. Romanian units were given orders to exterminate and wipe out Jews in areas they controlled.[240] Ustaše militia in Croatia persecuted and murdered Jews, among others.[168] Many of the killings were carried out in public, a change from previous practice.[241]
Revisionism must not be taken to extremes. German operational successes in the early years of World War II were by no means the product of sheer good fortune. But neither did they reflect a coherent, planned approach to the diplomatic, economic, and military challenges that after 1918 confronted a state unwilling to accept the consequences of its defeat in World War I. What are commonly called blitzkrieg operations developed out of experiences gained on the field between 1939 to 1941. In that sense blitzkrieg is best understood as a post facto construction for explaining a complex structure of events and ideas.
On September 21, 1939, Reinhard Heydrich ordered the establishment of the Judenräte (“Jewish Councils”), comprising up to 24 men—rabbis and Jewish leaders. Heydrich’s order made these councils personally responsible in “the literal sense of the term” for carrying out German orders. When the Nazis sealed the Warsaw Ghetto, the largest of German-occupied Poland’s 400 ghettos, in the fall of 1940, the Jews—then 30 percent of Warsaw’s population—were forced into 2.4 percent of the city’s area. The ghetto’s population reached a density of more than 200,000 persons per square mile (77,000 per square km) and 9.2 per room. Disease, malnutrition, hunger, and poverty took their toll even before the first bullet was fired.
Before World War II, Germany considered mass deportation from Europe of German, and later European, Jewry.[130] Among the areas considered for possible resettlement were British Palestine[131] and French Madagascar.[132] After the war began, German leaders considered deporting Europe's Jews to Siberia.[133][134] Palestine was the only location to which any German relocation plan produced results, via the Haavara Agreement between the Zionist Federation of Germany and the German government.[135] This resulted in the transfer of about 60,000 German Jews and $100 million from Germany to Palestine, but it ended with the outbreak of World War II.[136] In May 1940 Madagascar became the focus of new deportation efforts[132] because it had unfavorable living conditions that would hasten deaths.[137] Several German leaders had discussed the idea in 1938, and Adolf Eichmann's office was ordered to carry out resettlement planning, but no evidence of planning exists until after the fall of France in June 1940.[138] But the inability to defeat Britain prevented the movement of Jews across the seas,[139] and the end of the Madagascar Plan was announced on 10 February 1942.[140]
Modular Schindler machine room less elevators for low to mid-rise buildings. Introduced in 2001 as a replacement of the SchindlerMobile, EuroLift was available in either a machine room less or mini machine room. It features a permanent magnet gearless motor and can serve up to 30 floors. Schindler EuroLift is the successor of SchindlerMobile and Smart MRL.
Also in 1993, the United States Holocaust Memorial Council posthumously presented the Museum's Medal of Remembrance to Schindler. Rarely presented, this medal honors deserving recipients for extraordinary deeds during the Holocaust and in the cause of Remembrance. Emilie Schindler accepted the medal on behalf of her ex-husband at a ceremony in the Museum's Hall of Remembrance.
When the war was over, a penniless Schindler moved to West Germany where he received financial assistance from Jewish relief organizations. However, he soon felt unsafe there after receiving threats from former Nazi officers. He tried to move to the United States, but because he had been part of the Nazi Party, he was denied entry. After obtaining partial reimbursement for his expenses he incurred during the war, Schindler was able to emigrate to Buenos Aires, Argentina, taking his wife, mistress and a dozen of his Jewish workers (aka "Schindler Jews"). There, he set up a new life, where he took up farming for a time.
^ The escapees included 396 Polish men and 10 Polish women; 164 men from the Soviet Union (including 50 prisoners of war), and 15 women; 112 Jewish men and three Jewish women; 36 Romani/Sinti men and two women; 22 German men and nine women; 19 Czech men and four women; two Austrians; one Yugoslav woman and one man; and 15 other men and one woman.[216]
On 25 November 1947, the Auschwitz trial began in Kraków, when Poland's Supreme National Tribunal brought to court 40 former Auschwitz staff. The trial's defendants included commandant Arthur Liebehenschel, women's camp leader Maria Mandel, and camp leader Hans Aumeier. The trials ended on 22 December 1947, with 23 death sentences, 7 life sentences, and 9 prison sentences ranging from three to fifteen years. Hans Münch, an SS doctor who had several former prisoners testify on his behalf, was the only person to be acquitted.[267]
Moreover, one of the key successes of the Blitzkrieg was its use of FM radios – these enabled the forces that had broken through the lines to inform support units as to their progress and relay information on what was behind enemy lines. This superior intelligence was a crucial tool at the German’s disposal and allowed them to perform far more organised assaults on the enemy. The communication technology promoted quick, decentralised decision-making that was key to this speed focused approach.
On 15 September 1935, the Reichstag passed the Nuremberg Laws, prohibiting marriages between Jews and people of Germanic extraction, extramarital relations between Jews and Germans, and the employment of German women under the age of 45 as domestic servants in Jewish households.[12] The Reich Citizenship Law defined as citizens those of "German or kindred blood". Thus Jews and other minorities were stripped of their citizenship.[13] By the start of World War II in 1939, around 250,000 of Germany's 437,000 Jews had emigrated to the United States, Palestine, the United Kingdom, and other countries.[14][15]
There was "practically no resistance" in the ghettos in Poland by the end of 1942, according to Peter Longerich.[305] Raul Hilberg accounted for this by evoking the history of Jewish persecution: as had been the case before, appealing to their oppressors and complying with orders might avoid inflaming the situation until the onslaught abated.[306] Henri Michel argued that resistance consisted not only of physical opposition but of any activity that gave the Jews humanity in inhumane conditions, while Yehuda Bauer defined resistance as actions that in any way opposed the German directives, laws, or conduct.[307] Hilberg cautioned against overstating the extent of Jewish resistance, arguing that turning isolated incidents into resistance elevates the slaughter of innocent people into some kind of battle, diminishes the heroism of those who took active measures to resist, and deflects questions about the survival strategies and leadership of the Jewish community.[308] Timothy Snyder noted that it was only during the three months after the deportations of July–September 1942 that agreement on the need for armed resistance was reached.[309]
Historians increasingly view the Holocaust as a pan-European phenomenon, or a series of holocausts impossible to conduct without the help of local collaborators.[47] Over 200,000 people are estimated to have been Holocaust perpetrators;[48] without them, the Germans would not have been able to extend the Holocaust across most of Europe.[49] Some Christian churches tried to defend the Jews by declaring that converted Jews were "part of the flock," according to Saul Friedländer, "but even then only up to a point". Otherwise, Friedländer writes, "[n]ot one social group, not one religious community, not one scholarly institution or professional association in Germany and throughout Europe declared its solidarity with the Jews."[50]
The origins of blitzkrieg are in some doubt: if it existed, who contributed to it, whether it was part of German war strategy from 1933–1939. There has been a great deal of debate about whether it existed as a coherent military strategy. Many historians[who?] now think that blitzkrieg was not a military theory and the campaigns conducted by the Germans from 1939 to circa 1942 (with the exception of Operation Barbarossa) were improvised, rather than being based on a particular military strategy. Blitzkrieg had been called a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) but many writers and historians have concluded that the Germans did not invent a new form of warfare but applied new technologies to traditional ideas of Bewegungskrieg (manoeuvre warfare) to achieve decisive victory.[109]
In July 1938, representatives of 32 countries met in the French town of Evian to discuss the refugee and immigration problems created by the Nazis in Germany. Nothing substantial was done or decided at the Evian Conference, and it became apparent to Hitler that no one wanted the Jews and that he would not meet resistance in instituting his Jewish policies. By the autumn of 1941, Europe was in effect sealed to most legal emigration. The Jews were trapped.
When we think of the crimes of Nazi doctors, what comes to mind are their cruel and sometimes fatal experiments… Yet when we turn to the Nazi doctors’ role in Auschwitz, it was not the experiments that were most significant. Rather, it was his participation in the killing process—indeed his supervision of Auschwitz mass murder from beginning to end. 1
Defined by the religion of their grandparents rather than by their own beliefs, Jews were viewed as having impure blood lines. The new laws were taught in schools, cementing anti-Semitism in German culture. Most Germans kept quiet, often benefiting when Jews lost jobs and businesses. Persecution of other minorities also escalated: the police were given new powers to arrest homosexuals and compulsory abortions were administered to women considered to be ‘hereditarily ill’.
Historian Victor Davis Hanson states that Blitzkrieg "played on the myth of German technological superiority and industrial dominance," adding that German successes, particularly that of its Panzer divisions were "instead predicated on the poor preparation and morale of Germany's enemies."[119] Hanson also reports that at a Munich public address in November 1941, Hitler had "disowned" the concept of Blitzkrieg by calling it an "idiotic word."[120] Further, successful Blitzkrieg operations were predicated on superior numbers, air-support, and were only possible for short periods of time without sufficient supply lines.[121] For all intents and purposes, Blitzkrieg ended at the Eastern Front once the German forces gave up Stalingrad, after they faced hundreds of new T-34 tanks, when the Luftwaffe became unable to assure air dominance, and following the stalemate at Kursk—to this end, Hanson concludes that German military success was not accompanied by the adequate provisioning of its troops with food and materiel far from the source of supply, which contributed to its ultimate failures.[122] Despite its later disappointments as German troops extended their lines at too great a distance, the very specter or armored Blitzkrieg forces initially proved victorious against Polish, Dutch, Belgian, and French armies early in the war.[123]
Schwerpunktprinzip was a heuristic device (conceptual tool or thinking formula) used in the German army since the nineteenth century, to make decisions from tactics to strategy about priority. Schwerpunkt has been translated as centre of gravity, crucial, focal point and point of main effort. None of these forms is sufficient to describe the universal importance of the term and the concept of Schwerpunktprinzip. Every unit in the army, from the company to the supreme command, decided on a Schwerpunkt through schwerpunktbildung, as did the support services, which meant that commanders always knew what was most important and why. The German army was trained to support the Schwerpunkt, even when risks had to be taken elsewhere to support the point of main effort.[61] Through Schwerpunktbildung, the German army could achieve superiority at the Schwerpunkt, whether attacking or defending, to turn local success at the Schwerpunkt into the progressive disorganisation of the opposing force, creating more opportunities to exploit this advantage, even if numerically and strategically inferior in general. In the 1930s, Guderian summarised this as "Klotzen, nicht kleckern!" ("Kick, don't spatter them!").[62][63]
Of the 430,000 sent to the first death camp at Bełżec in Poland, there were only two survivors. 700,000 were killed at Treblinka in just five months. In July, Himmler ordered that all Jews in key areas of Poland, except for those needed for essential labour, were to be killed by the end of the year. Most were. Despite Allied intelligence receiving detailed reports of the mass murders in Europe, the public reaction in Britain was largely a mixture of apathy and disbelief.
The French armies were much reduced in strength and the confidence of their commanders shaken. With much of their own armour and heavy equipment lost in Northern France, they lacked the means to fight a mobile war. The Germans followed their initial success with Operation Red, a triple-pronged offensive. The XV Panzer Corps attacked towards Brest, XIV Panzer Corps attacked east of Paris, towards Lyon and the XIX Panzer Corps encircled the Maginot Line. The French were hard pressed to organise any sort of counter-attack and were continually ordered to form new defensive lines and found that German forces had already by-passed them and moved on. An armoured counter-attack organised by Colonel de Gaulle could not be sustained and he had to retreat.
Aware that as witnesses to the killings they would eventually be killed themselves, the Sonderkommandos of Birkenau Kommando III staged an uprising on 7 October 1944, following an announcement that some of them would be selected to be "transferred to another camp"—a common Nazi ruse for the murder of prisoners.[228][229] They attacked the SS guards with stones, axes, and makeshift hand grenades, which they also used to damage Crematorium IV and set it on fire. As the SS set up machine guns to attack the prisoners in Crematorium IV, the Sonderkommandos in Crematorium II also revolted, some of them managing to escape the compound.[229][230] The rebellion was suppressed by nightfall.[231]
In general, subcamps that produced or processed agricultural goods were administratively subordinate to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Subcamps whose prisoners were deployed at industrial and armaments production or in extractive industries (e.g., coal mining, quarry work) were administratively subordinate to Auschwitz-Monowitz. This division of administrative responsibility was formalized after November 1943.
German volunteers first used armour in live field conditions during the Spanish Civil War of 1936. Armour commitment consisted of Panzer Battalion 88, a force built around three companies of Panzer I tanks that functioned as a training cadre for Nationalists. The Luftwaffe deployed squadrons of fighters, dive bombers and transport aircraft as the Condor Legion.[77] Guderian said that the tank deployment was "on too small a scale to allow accurate assessments to be made."[78] The true test of his "armoured idea" would have to wait for the Second World War. However, the Luftwaffe also provided volunteers to Spain to test both tactics and aircraft in combat, including the first combat use of the Stuka.[79]
Buses leave Auschwitz I for Birkenau at a half past the hour, every hour. It costs two zloty and takes no more than five minutes. The experience of the camp is very different from Auschwitz I. For one thing it is much larger, covering over four hundred acres. It also retains the air of the place as it was when abandoned to a greater degree than the former camp. Some sixty seven buildings have survived virtually intact, and the interiors, with their stark wooden furnishings, take you right back to the war era. The other buildings remain as they were - some burnt to the ground and others massed up in heaps of rubble.
After attending a series of trade schools in Brno and marrying Emilie Pelzl in 1928, Schindler held a variety of jobs, including working in his father's farm machinery business in Svitavy, opening a driving school in Sumperk, and selling government property in Brno. He also served in the Czechoslovak army and in 1938 attained the rank of lance corporal in the reserves. Schindler began working with the Amt Auslands/Abwehr (Office of the Military Foreign Intelligence) of the German Armed Forces in 1936. In February 1939, five months after the German annexation of the Sudetenland, he joined the Nazi Party. An opportunist businessman with a taste for the finer things in life, he seemed an unlikely candidate to become a wartime rescuer. During World War II, Schindler would rescue more than 1,000 Jews from deportation to Auschwitz, Nazi Germany's largest camp complex.
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In 2018 the Polish government passed an amendment to its Act on the Institute of National Remembrance, making it a criminal offence to make false suggestions of Polish complicity in the Holocaust, which would include referring to Auschwitz and other camps as "Polish death camps".[303] After discussions with Israel's prime minister, amid international concern that the law would stifle research, the Polish government adjusted the amendment so that anyone falsely accusing Poland of complicity would be guilty only of a civil offence.[304]
Entering conquered Soviet territories alongside the Wehrmacht (the German armed forces) were 3,000 men of the Einsatzgruppen (“Deployment Groups”), special mobile killing units. Their task was to murder Jews, Soviet commissars, and Roma in the areas conquered by the army. Alone or with the help of local police, native anti-Semitic populations, and accompanying Axis troops, the Einsatzgruppen would enter a town, round up their victims, herd them to the outskirts of the town, and shoot them. They killed Jews in family units. Just outside Kiev, Ukraine, in the ravine of Babi Yar, an Einsatzgruppe killed 33,771 Jews on September 28–29, 1941. In the Rumbula Forest outside the ghetto in Riga, Latvia, 25,000–28,000 Jews were shot on November 30 and December 8–9. Beginning in the summer of 1941, Einsatzgruppen murdered more than 70,000 Jews at Ponary, outside Vilna (now Vilnius) in Lithuania. They slaughtered 9,000 Jews, half of them children, at the Ninth Fort, adjacent to Kovno (now Kaunas), Lithuania, on October 28.
By the spring of 1945, German leadership was dissolving amid internal dissent, with Goering and Himmler both seeking to distance themselves from Hitler and take power. In his last will and political testament, dictated in a German bunker that April 29, Hitler blamed the war on “International Jewry and its helpers” and urged the German leaders and people to follow “the strict observance of the racial laws and with merciless resistance against the universal poisoners of all peoples”–the Jews. The following day, he committed suicide. Germany’s formal surrender in World War II came barely a week later, on May 8, 1945.
By 1943 it was evident to the armed forces leadership that Germany was losing the war.[358] The mass murder continued nevertheless, reaching a "frenetic" pace in 1944.[359] Auschwitz was gassing up to 6,000 Jews a day by spring that year.[360] On 19 March 1944, Hitler ordered the military occupation of Hungary and dispatched Eichmann to Budapest to supervise the deportation of the country's Jews.[361] From 22 March, Jews were required to wear the yellow star; forbidden from owning cars, bicycles, radios or telephones; then forced into ghettos.[362] From 15 May to 9 July, 440,000 Jews were deported from Hungary to Auschwitz-Birkenau, almost all to the gas chambers.[v] A month before the deportations began, Eichmann offered to exchange one million Jews for 10,000 trucks and other goods from the Allies, the so-called "blood for goods" proposal.[365] The Times called it "a new level of fantasy and self-deception".[366]
This was so awful! How can ANYONE disregard this as DUMB?!? Who the hell ARE you ppl to think of this that way? You weren't there...don't judge it...this is a place of evil and murder. Millions of innocent ppl killed everyday for YEARS!! Anyone who thinks this camp is not worth hearing about..seriously has no LIFE! No HEART! Nothing...you would be considered lowlife..heartless ppl..how could you... To all who actually CARE about what happened...thank you. We will never forget.....
The next blow came a month later. In the early morning darkness of May 10, the Germans unleashed their Blitzkrieg against the Netherlands and Belgium. The attack sent the defending troops reeling. The roads overflowed with refugees fleeing the front. French and British troops rushing to the rescue were caught in the headlong retreat and pushed back. German dive-bombers - the Stukas - filled the sky, strafing the retreating mix of civilians and soldiers with machine gun and bomb. The Allies fought valiantly but in vain - the German war machine advanced unperturbed. In England, the invasion forced Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to resign, to be replaced by Winston Churchill.
When Hitler came to power legally on January 30, 1933, as the head of a coalition government, his first objective was to consolidate power and to eliminate political opposition. The assault against the Jews began on April 1 with a boycott of Jewish businesses. A week later the Nazis dismissed Jews from the civil service, and by the end of the month the participation of Jews in German schools was restricted by a quota. On May 10 thousands of Nazi students, together with many professors, stormed university libraries and bookstores in 30 cities throughout Germany to remove tens of thousands of books written by non-Aryans and those opposed to Nazi ideology. The books were tossed into bonfires in an effort to cleanse German culture of “un-Germanic” writings. A century earlier Heinrich Heine—a German poet of Jewish origin—had said, “Where one burns books, one will, in the end, burn people.” In Nazi Germany the time between the burning of Jewish books and the burning of Jews was eight years.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was also a killing center and played a central role in the German effort to kill the Jews of Europe. Around the beginning of September, 1941, the SS at Auschwitz I conducted the first tests of Zyklon B as a mass murder agent, using Soviet POWs and debilitated Polish prisoners as victims. The “success” of these experiments led to the construction of a chamber in the crematorium of Auschwitz I that, like the subsequent gas chambers at Auschwitz, used Zyklon B to murder victims. The first transports of Jewish men, women, and children sent to Auschwitz as part of the “final solution” were murdered in this gas chamber (Crematorium I) in February and March 1942.
After the arrival of a transport at the ramp in Birkenau, the process known as selection took place. SS officers decided who would be taken to work, and who would be sent directly to the gas chambers. Often it was mere chance or the mood of the SS officer that decided whether someone died immediately or had a hope of survival. The prisoners selected for slave labour were sent to one of the many auxiliary camps at Auschwitz or elsewhere in the Nazi concentration camp system. Their aim was „Vernichtung durch Arbeit“ - extermination through labour.
After this night, the German government supported dozens of laws and decrees that took away Jews property and livelihood. By the end of the year, Jews were prohibited from attending school. One billion reichsmarks of Jewish property was seized as collective punishment against the nation’s Jews for the murder of von Rath. Those able to flee the country did. In the year after Kristallnact, more than 100,000 Jews left Germany as the situation deteriorated.
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The Holocaust was a 20th Century atrocity caused by men and women who were driven by hatred, ignorance and greed, Auschwitz is a reminder of what can happen if we let for one moment the fanatics/extremists and some elected politicians tell us that our way of life is threatened, we have a duty to our children and theirs to show them what really happens when hatred and discrimination is used as a weapon against your fellow man, It is a crime in itself to even deny the holocaust, there are no words to describe the pity I feel for those who lack any emotion or lack the intelligent to absorb the truth,
Eight hundred to a thousand people were crammed into the superimposed compartments of each barracks. Unable to stretch out completely, they slept there both lengthwise and crosswise, with one man's feet on another's head, neck, or chest. Stripped of all human dignity, they pushed and shoved and bit and kicked each other in an effort to get a few more inches' space on which to sleep a little more comfortably. For they did not have long to sleep.[122]
Reality is at once more limited and more complex. On one level, mobile warfare was a faute de mieux improvisation that arose from the restrictions on conventional forces stipulated by the Treaty of Versailles. The German high command in the 1920s and 1930s also sought inspiration for the future in its own past–specifically in the ideas of Helmuth Karl von Moltke and Alfred von Schlieffen. Tanks, aircraft, and motor trucks were regarded as force multipliers facilitating traditional operational approaches. The aim of German military planners in both the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich was to achieve victory by enveloping enemy armies, threatening their lines of supply and communications, and forcing them to fight in an unexpected direction. The anticipated result would be quick, decisive victories for a state that since the days of Frederick the Great had been convinced of its inability to win a drawn-out war of attrition.
You can visit the site on your own (highly recommended because you can go at your own pace, see what you want to see and have a much more meaningful experience) if you arrive before the guided tours start. Another option is to visit the Auschwitz II-Birkenau site first and then return after the guided tours finish to the first camp to avoid having to use the tour. The Auschwitz II-Birkenau site is open for visitors without the guide during the opening hours of the Memorial.
The train station of Oświęcim is about 2 km from the museum and there are public town buses connecting them (2.70 zł). There are several local trains each day, both from Kraków and from Katowice, about each 1.5-2 hours. The trip to or from Kraków central station takes a leisurely 2 hours, as the train goes slowly and stops frequently. It costs 9.50 zł.
[Steinlauf says] ‘…even in this place one can survive, and therefore one must want to survive, to tell the story, to bear witness; and that to survive we must force ourselves to save at least the skeleton, the scaffolding, the form of civilisation. We are slaves, deprived of every right, exposed to every insult, condemned to certain death, but… … we must certainly wash our faces without soap in dirty water and dry ourselves on our jackets…. …for dignity… We must walk erect, without dragging our feet… …to remain alive, not to begin to die.’”
In 1944, Plaszow transitioned from a labor camp to a concentration camp and all Jews were to be sent to the death camp at Auschwitz. Schindler requested Göth allow him to relocate his factory to Brnĕnec, in the Sudetenland, and produce war goods. He was told to draw up a list of workers he wanted to take with him. With Stern’s help, Schindler created a list of 1,100 Jewish names he deemed “essential” for the new factory. Permission was granted and the factory was moved. Not wanting to contribute to the German war effort, Schindler ordered his workers to purposefully make defective products that would fail inspection. The employees spent the remaining months of the war in the factory.
The roots of Hitler’s particularly virulent brand of anti-Semitism are unclear. Born in Austria in 1889, he served in the German army during World War I. Like many anti-Semites in Germany, he blamed the Jews for the country’s defeat in 1918. Soon after the war ended, Hitler joined the National German Workers’ Party, which became the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), known to English speakers as the Nazis. While imprisoned for treason for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, Hitler wrote the memoir and propaganda tract “Mein Kampf”(My Struggle), in which he predicted a general European war that would result in “the extermination of the Jewish race in Germany.”
After Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Oskar Schindler set up an enamelware factory in Krakow that used a combination of Jewish workers interred by the Germans and free Polish workers. His initial interest, of course, was to make money. But as time went on, he grew to care about his Jewish workers, particularly those with whom he came into contact on a daily basis. In addition, helping Jews became a way to fight against what he viewed as disastrous and brutal policies emanating from Adolf Hitler and the SS.
I am visiting both Auschwitz and Birkenau in two weeks time. I am dreading it, as I find myself choked and horrified everytime I look at websites on here, or when watching films and documentaries about the Nazis and the holocaust. but I know I have to go to feel for myself the true true horror. Its a shame that the likes of Waldo didnt experience the concentration camps themselves....but then he is probably just a little kid doing his best to shock...he doesnt even have any idea of how many people were killed...laughable idiot.
As was the case in other camps, the primary form of voluntary music-making in Birkenau was singing. Due to its size and international composition, there were inmates from all over Europe whose voices survivors remembered. Prisoners sang to comfort one another, to build solidarity and to express resistance. The former inmate Kitty Hart remembered that
After examining several sites for a new plant to manufacture Buna-N, a type of synthetic rubber essential to the war effort, the German chemical cartel IG Farben chose a site near the towns of Dwory and Monowice (Monowitz in German), about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) east of Auschwitz I.[50] Tax exemptions were available to corporations prepared to develop industries in the frontier regions under the Eastern Fiscal Assistance Law, passed in December 1940. The site had good railway connections and access to raw materials.[51] In February 1941, Himmler ordered that the Jewish population of Oświęcim be expelled to make way for skilled laborers; that all Poles able to work remain in the town and work on building the factory; and that Auschwitz prisoners be used in the construction work.[52]
After the liquidation of the Polish state and its institutions, the fundamental goal of German policy in occupied Poland was the exploitation of material and labor resources, and the removal of the local Polish population and ethnic minorities. This was done through expulsion and systematic extermination. The Polish lands were to be completely germanized, through German settlement in the depopulated area.
After Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, sparking World War II, the Germans converted Auschwitz I from an army barracks to hold Polish political prisoners.[3] The first prisoners, German criminals brought to the camp as functionaries, arrived in May 1940,[4] and the first gassing of prisoners took place in block 11 of Auschwitz I in September 1941. Auschwitz II–Birkenau went on to become a major site of the Nazis' Final Solution to the Jewish Question. From early 1942 until late 1944, transport trains delivered Jews from all over German-occupied Europe to the camp's gas chambers. Of the estimated 1.3 million people sent to Auschwitz, at least 1.1 million died,[5] around 90 percent of them Jews.[6] Approximately one in six Jews killed in the Holocaust died at the camp.[7] Others deported to Auschwitz included 150,000 non-Jewish Poles, 23,000 Roma, 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war, 400 Jehovah's Witnesses, tens of thousands of others of diverse nationalities, and an unknown number of gay men. Many of those not killed in the gas chambers died because of starvation, forced labor, infectious diseases, individual executions, and medical experiments.
"Blitzkrieg" has since expanded into multiple meanings in more popular usage. From its original military definition, "blitzkrieg" may be applied to any military operation emphasizing the surprise, speed, or concentration stressed in accounts of the Invasion of Poland. During the war, the Luftwaffe terror bombings of London came to be known as The Blitz. Similarly, blitz has come to describe the " blitz" (rush) tactic of American football, and the blitz form of chess in which players are allotted very little time. Blitz or blitzkrieg is used in many other non-military contexts.
Auschwitz, also known as Auschwitz-Birkenau, opened in 1940 and was the largest of the Nazi concentration and death camps. Located in southern Poland, Auschwitz initially served as a detention center for political prisoners. However, it evolved into a network of camps where Jewish people and other perceived enemies of the Nazi state were exterminated, often in gas chambers, or used as slave labor. Some prisoners were also subjected to barbaric medical experiments led by Josef Mengele (1911-79). During World War II (1939-45), more than 1 million people, by some accounts, lost their lives at Auschwitz. In January 1945, with the Soviet army approaching, Nazi officials ordered the camp abandoned and sent an estimated 60,000 prisoners on a forced march to other locations. When the Soviets entered Auschwitz, they found thousands of emaciated detainees and piles of corpses left behind.
There was one latrine for thirty to thirty-two thousand women and we were permitted to use it only at certain hours of the day. We stood in line to get in to this tiny building, knee-deep in human excrement. As we all suffered from dysentry, we could barely wait until our turn came, and soiled our ragged clothes, which never came off our bodies, thus adding to the horror of our existence by the terrible smell that surrounded us like a cloud. The latrine consisted of a deep ditch with planks thrown across it at certain intervals. We squatted on those planks like birds perched on a telegraph wire, so close together that we could not help soiling one another.[124]
The number of Afro-Germans in Germany when the Nazis came to power is variously estimated at 5,000–25,000.[454] It is not clear whether these figures included Asians. Although blacks, including prisoners of war, in Germany and German-occupied Europe were subjected to incarceration, sterilization, murder, and other abuse, there was no programme to kill them all as there was for the Jews.[455]
The process of selection and murder was carefully planned and organized. When a train stopped at the platform, veteran prisoners received the victims and gathered their belongings in several barracks in an area known as “Kanada.” The arrivals were lined up in two columns – men and boys in one, women and girls in the other – and SS physicians performed a selection. The criterion was the appearance of the prisoners, whose fate, for labor or for death, was determined at will. Before they entered the chamber, they were told that they were about to be disinfected and ordered to undress. The doors of the chamber were locked and the gas was introduced. After the victims were murdered, their gold teeth were extracted and women’s hair was shorn by the Sonderkommando – groups of Jews forced to work in the crematoria. The bodies were hauled to the crematorium furnaces for incineration, the bones were pulverized and the ashes were scattered in the fields.
Hitler quickly moved to cement his power by suspending many civil liberties and allowing imprisonment without trial. By March, the first Nazi concentration camp was established at Dachau, not to imprison Jews but to hold political dissidents. Further laws targeted Jews, restricting the jobs they could hold and revoking their German citizenship. Anti-Semitic sentiment increased as the Jewish population was blamed for many of Germany's recent and historical problems.
One element that was lacking from the German army in 1914 was the ability to move long distances quickly. Had the German army been mechanised at the outbreak of World War One, it is likely that the outcome of the war would have been very different. As things were then, the German army was unable to defeat its enemies decisively in the war's early battles, and reluctantly settled into trench warfare in late 1914.
He went on to say that the use of tanks "left much to be desired...Fear of enemy action against the flanks of the advance, fear which was to prove so disastrous to German prospects in the west in 1940 and in the Soviet Union in 1941, was present from the beginning of the war." John Ellis further asserted that "...there is considerable justice in Matthew Cooper's assertion that the panzer divisions were not given the kind of strategic mission that was to characterize authentic armored blitzkrieg, and were almost always closely subordinated to the various mass infantry armies."
The concept of blitzkrieg was formed by Prussian military tactics of the early 19th century, which recognized that victory could come only through forceful and swift action because of Prussia’s relatively limited economic resources. It had its origins with the Schwerpunktprinzip (“concentration principle”) proposed by Carl von Clausewitz in his seminal work On War (1832). Having studied generals who predated Napoleon, Clausewitz found that commanders of various armies had dispersed their forces without focused reasoning, which resulted in those forces’ being used inefficiently. So as to eliminate that wasteful use of manpower, he advocated for a concentration of force against an enemy. All employment of force should have an effective concentration in a single moment, with a single action, Clausewitz argued. Clausewitz called that concentration the Schwerpunkt (“centre of gravity”) where it was most dense, identifying it as the effective target for attack.
Anti-Jewish measures were introduced in Slovakia, which would later deport its Jews to German concentration and extermination camps.[175] Bulgaria introduced anti-Jewish measures in 1940 and 1941, including the requirement to wear a yellow star, the banning of mixed marriages, and the loss of property. Bulgaria annexed Thrace and Macedonia, and in February 1943 agreed to deport 20,000 Jews to Treblinka; all 11,000 Jews from the annexed territories were sent to their deaths, and plans were made to deport an additional 6,000–8,000 Bulgarian Jews from Sofia to meet the quota.[176] When the plans became public, the Orthodox Church and many Bulgarians protested, and King Boris III canceled the deportation of Jews native to Bulgaria.[177] Instead, they were expelled to the interior pending further decision.[176] Although Hungary expelled Jews who were not citizens from its newly annexed lands in 1941, it did not deport most of its Jews[178] until the German invasion of Hungary in March 1944. Between 15 May and 9 July 1944, 440,000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz.[179] In late 1944 in Budapest, nearly 80,000 Jews were killed by the Hungarian Arrow Cross battalions.[180]
On 6 January 1942, the Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vyacheslav Molotov, sent out diplomatic notes about German atrocities. The notes were based on reports about bodies surfacing from poorly covered graves in pits and quarries, as well as mass graves found in areas the Red Army had liberated, and on witness reports from German-occupied areas.[335] The following month, Szlama Ber Winer escaped from the Chełmno concentration camp in Poland, and passed detailed information about it to the Oneg Shabbat group in the Warsaw Ghetto. His report, known by his pseudonym as the Grojanowski Report, had reached London by June 1942.[288][336] Also in 1942, Jan Karski sent information to the Allies after being smuggled into the Warsaw Ghetto twice.[337][s] On 27 April 1942, Vyacheslav Molotov sent out another note about atrocities.[335] In late July or early August 1942, Polish leaders learned about the mass killings taking place inside Auschwitz. The Polish Interior Ministry prepared a report, Sprawozdanie 6/42,[340] which said at the end:
^ "War nicht der 'Archipel Gulag' ursprünglicher als 'Auschwitz'? War nicht der 'Klassenmord' der Bolschewiki das logische und faktische Prius des 'Rassenmords' der Nationalsozialisten? Sind Hitlers geheimste Handlungen nicht gerade auch dadurch zu erklären, daß er den 'Rattenkäfig' nicht vergessen hatte? Rührte Auschwitz vielleicht in seinen Ursprüngen aus einer Vergangenheit her, die nicht vergehen wollte?"[477]
December 11, 1941 - Hitler declares war on the United States. President Roosevelt then asks Congress for a declaration of war on Germany saying, "Never before has there been a greater challenge to life, liberty and civilization." The U.S.A. then enters the war in Europe and will concentrate nearly 90 percent of its military resources to defeat Hitler.
In October 1944, the 'Sonderkommando' crew crematoria IV revolted and destroyed the crematories. In November Himmler ordered gassings to stop, and a 'cleanup' operation was inaugurated to conceal traces of the mass murder. In January 1945, the Germans evacuated 58,000 prisoners who could walk. They left behind in the main camp, Birkenau and in Monowitz about 7,000 sick or incapacitated who they did not expect would live for long.
The gas chambers worked to their fullest capacity from April to July 1944, during the massacre of Hungary's Jews. Hungary was an ally of Germany during the war, but it had resisted turning over its Jews until Germany invaded that March.[177] A rail spur leading to crematoria II and III in Auschwitz II was completed that May, and a new ramp was built between sectors BI and BII to deliver the victims closer to the gas chambers.[178] On 29 April the first 1,800 Hungarian Jews arrived at the camp;[178] from 14 May until early July 1944, 437,000 Hungarian Jews, half the pre-war population, were deported to Auschwitz, at a rate of 12,000 a day for a considerable part of that period.[105] The crematoria had to be overhauled. Crematoria II and III were given new elevators leading from the stoves to the gas chambers, new grates were fitted, and several of the dressing rooms and gas chambers were painted. Cremation pits were dug behind crematorium V.[178] The last mass transports to arrive in Auschwitz were 60,000–70,000 Jews from the Łódź Ghetto, some 2,000 from Theresienstadt, and 8,000 from Slovakia.[166][179] The last selection took place on 30 October 1944.[162] Crematorium IV was demolished after the Sonderkommando revolt on 7 October 1944. The SS blew up crematorium V on 14 January 1945, and crematoria II and III on 20 January.[180]
Our perception of land operations in the Second World War has...been distorted by an excessive emphasis upon the hardware employed. The main focus of attention has been the tank and the formations that employed it, most notably the (German) panzer divisions. Despite the fact that only 40 of the 520 German divisions that saw combat were panzer divisions (there were also an extra 24 motorised/panzergrenadier divisions), the history of German operations has consistently almost exclusively been written largely in terms of blitzkrieg and has concentrated almost exclusively upon the exploits of the mechanized formations. Even more misleadingly, this presentation of ground combat as a largely armored confrontation has been extended to cover Allied operations, so that in the popular imagination the exploits of the British and Commonwealth Armies, with only 11 armored divisions out of 73 (that saw combat), and of the Americans in Europe, with only 16 out of 59, are typified by tanks sweeping around the Western Desert or trying to keep up with Patton in the race through Sicily and across northern France. Of course, these armored forces did play a somewhat more important role in operations than the simple proportions might indicate, but it still has to be stressed that they in no way dominated the battlefield or precipitated the evolution of completely new modes of warfare.
In 1993, Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List brought to the screen a story that had gone untold since the tragic events of the Holocaust. Oskar Schindler, a Nazi party member, used his pull within the party to save the lives of more than 1000 Jewish individuals by recruiting them to work in his Polish factory. Here are some facts about Spielberg’s groundbreaking film on its 25th anniversary.
Known as block 13 until 1941, block 11 of Auschwitz I was the prison within the prison, where violators of the numerous rules were punished. To extract information from them, guards would hold inmates' heads held against the stove, burning their faces and eyes. Some prisoners were made to spend the nights in standing cells. Measuring 1.5 m2 (16 sq ft), the cells held four men who could do nothing but stand, and who were forced the following day to work as usual.[136] In other cells, inmates were subjected to hanging with their hands behind their backs, thus dislocating their shoulder joints. In the basement were the "dark cells", which had only a 5 x 5 cm opening and a solid door. Prisoners placed in these cells gradually suffocated as they ran out of oxygen; sometimes the SS lit a candle in the cell to use up the oxygen more quickly.[137]
The Auschwitz complex was divided in three major camps: Auschwitz I main camp or Stammlager; Auschwitz II, or Birkenau, established on October 8th, 1941 as a 'Vernichtungslager' (extermination camp); Auschwitz III or Monowitz, established on May 31th, 1942 as an 'Arbeitslager' or work camp; also several sub-camps. There were up to seven gas chambers using Zyklon-B poison gas and three crematoria. Auschwitz II included a camp for new arrivals and those to be sent on to labor elsewhere; a Gypsy camp; a family camp; a camp for holding and sorting plundered goods and a women's camp. Auschwitz III provided slave labor for a major industrial plant run by I G Farben for producing synthetic rubber (see Blechhammer). Highest number of inmates, including sub-camps: 155,000. The estimated number of deaths: 2.1 to 2.5 million killed in gas chambers, of whom about 2 million were Jews, and Poles, Gypsies and Soviet POWs. About 330,000 deaths from other causes.
The Polish government-in-exile in London learned about the extermination camps from the Polish leadership in Warsaw, who from 1940 "received a continual flow of information about Auschwitz", according to historian Michael Fleming.[333] This was in large measure thanks to Captain Witold Pilecki of the Polish Home Army, who allowed himself to be arrested in Warsaw and spent 945 days in Auschwitz from September 1940 until April 1943, organizing the resistance movement inside the camp.[334]
Policies differed widely among Germany’s Balkan allies. In Romania it was primarily the Romanians themselves who slaughtered the country’s Jews. Toward the end of the war, however, when the defeat of Germany was all but certain, the Romanian government found more value in living Jews who could be held for ransom or used as leverage with the West. Bulgaria deported Jews from neighbouring Thrace and Macedonia, which it occupied, but government leaders faced stiff opposition to the deportation of native Bulgarian Jews, who were regarded as fellow citizens.
A second roll call took place at seven in the evening after the long day's work.[118] Prisoners might be hanged or flogged in the course of it. If a prisoner was missing, the others had to remain standing until he or she was found or the reason for the absence discovered, even if it took hours. On 6 July 1940, roll call lasted 19 or 20 hours because of the escape of a Polish prisoner, Tadeusz Wiejowski; following another escape in 1941, a group of prisoners was sent to block 11 to be starved to death.[119] After roll call, prisoners were allowed to retire to their blocks for the night and receive their bread rations and water. Curfew was at nine o'clock. Inmates slept in long rows of brick or wooden bunks, lying in and on their clothes and shoes to prevent them from being stolen.[120] The wooden bunks had blankets and paper mattresses filled with wood shavings; in the brick barracks, inmates lay on straw.[121] According to Nyiszli:
The word “Holocaust,” from the Greek words “holos” (whole) and “kaustos” (burned), was historically used to describe a sacrificial offering burned on an altar. Since 1945, the word has taken on a new and horrible meaning: the mass murder of some 6 million European Jews (as well as millions of others, including Gypsies and homosexuals) by the German Nazi regime during the Second World War. To the anti-Semitic Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, Jews were an inferior race, an alien threat to German racial purity and community. After years of Nazi rule in Germany, during which Jews were consistently persecuted, Hitler’s “final solution”–now known as the Holocaust–came to fruition under the cover of world war, with mass killing centers constructed in the concentration camps of occupied Poland.
As Nazi tyranny spread across Europe, the Germans and their collaborators persecuted and murdered millions of other people. Between two and three million Soviet prisoners of war were murdered or died of starvation, disease, neglect, or brutal treatment. The Germans targeted the non-Jewish Polish intelligentsia for killing, and deported millions of Polish and Soviet civilians for forced labor in Germany or in occupied Poland, where these individuals worked and often died under deplorable conditions.
Soon after he became chancellor, Hitler called for new elections in an effort to get full control of the Reichstag, the German parliament, for the Nazis. The Nazis used the government apparatus to terrorize the other parties. They arrested their leaders and banned their political meetings. Then, in the midst of the election campaign, on February 27, 1933, the Reichstag building burned. A Dutchman named Marinus van der Lubbe was arrested for the crime, and he swore he had acted alone. Although many suspected the Nazis were ultimately responsible for the act, the Nazis managed to blame the Communists, thus turning more votes their way.
"The persecution of Jews in occupied Poland meant that we could see horror emerging gradually in many ways. In 1939, they were forced to wear Jewish stars, and people were herded and shut up into ghettos. Then, in the years '41 and '42 there was plenty of public evidence of pure sadism. With people behaving like pigs, I felt the Jews were being destroyed. I had to help them. There was no choice."
According to Polish historian Andrzej Strzelecki, the evacuation of the prisoners by the SS in January 1945 was one of the camp's "most tragic chapters".[234] In mid-1944, about 130,000 prisoners were in Auschwitz when the SS moved around half of them to other concentration camps.[235] In November 1944, with the Soviet Red Army approaching through Poland, Himmler ordered gassing operations to cease. The crematorium IV building was dismantled,[236] and the Sonderkommando was ordered to remove evidence of the killings, including the mass graves.[237] The SS destroyed written records, and in the final week before the camp's liberation, burned or demolished many of its buildings.[238] The plundered goods from the "Canada" barracks at Birkenau, together with building supplies, were transported to the German interior. On 20 January, the overflowing warehouses were set ablaze. Crematoria II and III at Birkenau were blown up on 20 January and crematorium V six days later, just one day ahead of the Soviet attack.[236]
The passengers had landing certificates and transit visas by the Cuban Director-General of Immigration, Manuel Benitez Gonzalez. But, a week before the ship left, Cuban President Federico Laredo Bru published a decree that overturned all recent landing certificates. For them to land in Cuba, they needed written authorization from the Cuban Secretaries of State and Labor and a $500 bond. Most of the passengers were not prepared for the bureaucratic mess they were about to face in Cuba.
The Nazis regarded the Slavs as subhuman, or Untermenschen.[426] In a secret memorandum dated 25 May 1940, Himmler stated that it was in German interests to foster divisions between the ethnic groups in the East. He wanted to restrict non-Germans in the conquered territories to schools that would only teach them how to write their own name, count up to 500, and obey Germans.[427][y] In November 1939 German planners called for "the complete destruction" of all Poles[430] and resettlement of the land by German colonists.[431] The Polish political leadership was the target of a campaign of murder (Intelligenzaktion and AB-Aktion).[432] Between 1.8 and 1.9 million non-Jewish Polish citizens perished at German hands during the course of the war; about four-fifths were ethnic Poles and the rest Ukrainians and Belarusians.[410] At least 200,000 died in concentration camps, around 146,000 in Auschwitz. Others died in massacres or in uprisings such as the Warsaw Uprising, where 120,000–200,000 were killed.[433] During the occupation, the Germans adopted a policy of restricting food and medical services, as well as degrading sanitation and public hygiene.[434] The death rate rose from 13 per 1000 before the war to 18 per 1000 during the war.[435] Around 6 million of World War II victims were Polish citizens; half the death toll were Jews.[436] Over the course of the war Poland lost 20 percent of its pre-war population.[436] Over 90 percent of the death toll came through non-military losses, through various deliberate actions by Germany and the Soviet Union.[433] Polish children were also kidnapped by Germans to be "Germanized", with perhaps as many as 200,000 children stolen from their families.[437]
Prior to the German offensive in May, Winston Churchill had said "Thank God for the French Army".[89] That same French army collapsed after barely two months of fighting. This was in shocking contrast to the four years of trench warfare they had engaged in during the First World War. The French president of the Ministerial Council, Reynaud, attributed the collapse in a speech on 21 May 1940:
Blitzkrieg tactics often affected civilians in a way perceived by some to be negative — sometimes intentionally, and sometimes not. Whereas more traditional conflict resulted in a well-defined, slow moving front line, giving civilians time to be evacuated to safety, the new approach did not provide for this luxury. As a result, civilian casualties, as a percentage of the total, increased substantially. Furthermore, in the total war doctrine, civilians were explicitly targeted (as in the Allied bombing of Dresden), in an effort to break the morale of the citizenry of a country in order to frustrate attempts at production, and ultimately support for the cause over which the war was fought.
Lt.-Col. Anatoly Shapiro, Ukrainian Jew, commanded the Red Army’s 1085th ‘Tarnopol’ Rifle Regiment that liberated Auschwitz on January 27, 1945. The soldiers found about 650 corpses inside the barracks and near them — mostly women who died of exhaustion or were shot by the SS the night before. Altogether, the Soviet troops found at least 1,200 emaciated survivors in Auschwitz and another 5,800 at Birkenau. They fed them but most could not eat because they were too malnourished. Ultimately, another soldier said the Red Army managed to save 2,819 inmates in Red Army Military Hospital 2962.
The PORT Technology personal transit management was invented in 2009 to remove many of the existing constraints on interior layouts, thereby allowing architects greater creative freedom when designing the next generation of buildings. The technology consists of a standalone terminal (installed on the wall or on a standalone pillar) with an LCD monitor that used to choose a floor destination, similar to the Miconic 10. PORT is the successor of Miconic 10 and Schindler ID.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi extermination and concentration camp, located in the Polish town of Oswiecim, 37 miles west of Cracow. One sixth of all Jews murdered by the Nazis were gassed at Auschwitz. In April 1940 SS chief Heinrich Himmler ordered the establishment of a new concentration camp in Oswiecim, a town located within the portion of Poland that was annexed to Germany at the beginning of World War II. The first Polish political prisoners arrived in Auschwitz in June 1940, and by March 1941 there were 10,900 prisoners, the majority of whom were Polish. Auschwitz soon became known as the most brutal of the Nazi concentration camps.
Introduced in 2002, the Schindler 700 elevators are for high rise buildings with heights up to 500 meters and speeds of up to 10 meters per second. It contains a large number of technical innovations like the Active Ride Control system ARC, the Ceramic Safety Breaks and the Modular Shaft Information System MoSIS. Nowadays the product line is replaced to the Schindler 7000 (Single-deck & Multi-deck).
In March 1951, the government of Israel requested $1.5 billion from the Federal Republic of Germany to finance the rehabilitation of 500,000 Jewish survivors, arguing that Germany had stolen $6 billion from the European Jews. Israelis were divided about the idea of taking money from Germany. The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (known as the Claims Conference) was opened in New York, and after negotiations, the claim was reduced to $845 million.[463][464]
On the evening of November 9, 1938, carefully orchestrated anti-Jewish violence “erupted” throughout the Reich, which since March had included Austria. Over the next 48 hours rioters burned or damaged more than 1,000 synagogues and ransacked and broke the windows of more than 7,500 businesses. Some 30,000 Jewish men between the ages of 16 and 60 were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Police stood by as the violence—often the action of neighbours, not strangers—occurred. Firemen were present not to protect the synagogues but to ensure that the flames did not spread to adjacent “Aryan” property. The pogrom was given a quaint name: Kristallnacht (“Crystal Night,” or “Night of Broken Glass”). In its aftermath, Jews lost the illusion that they had a future in Germany.
Most academic historians regard the notion of blitzkrieg as military doctrine to be a myth. Shimon Naveh wrote "The striking feature of the blitzkrieg concept is the complete absence of a coherent theory which should have served as the general cognitive basis for the actual conduct of operations". Naveh described it as an "ad hoc solution" to operational dangers, thrown together at the last moment.[112] Overy disagreed with the idea that Hitler and the Nazi regime ever intended a blitzkrieg war, because the once popular belief that the Nazi state organised their economy to carry out its grand strategy in short campaigns was false. Hitler had intended for a rapid unlimited war to occur much later than 1939, but the Third Reich's aggressive foreign policy forced the Nazi state into war before it was ready. Hitler and the Wehrmacht's planning in the 1930s did not reflect a blitzkrieg method but the opposite.[113] John Harris wrote that the Wehrmacht never used the word, and it did not appear in German army or air force field manuals; the word was coined in September 1939, by a Times newspaper reporter. Harris also found no evidence that German military thinking developed a blitzkrieg mentality.[114] Karl-Heinz Frieser and Adam Tooze reached similar conclusions to Overy and Naveh, that the notions of blitzkrieg-economy and strategy were myths.[115][116] Frieser wrote that surviving German economists and General Staff officers denied that Germany went to war with a blitzkrieg strategy.[117] Robert M. Citino argues:
Tactically speaking, once the weakest area of defence is identified, tactical bombers would strike at logistical, communication, and supply targets while field and self-propelled artillery units struck at defence installations. These bombardments were then pre-ceded by probing attacks and smoke screens to conceal the main armoured spearhead, and once the main armoured force broke through the designated strike area, motorized infantry would then fan out behind the armoured spearhead to capture or destroy any enemy forces encircled by panzer and mechanized infantry units or tactically important objectives like bridges, airfields, supply depots, rail yards, naval ports, anti-aircraft batteries, and radar installations.
The Auschwitz Birkenau camp complex comprises 155 brick and wooden structures (57 in Auschwitz and 98 in Birkenau) and about 300 ruins. There are also ruins of gas chambers and crematoria in Birkenau, which were dynamited in January 1945. The overall length of fencing supported by concrete poles is more than 13 km. Individual structures of high historical significance, such as railway sidings and ramps, food stores and industrial buildings, are dispersed in the immediate setting of the property. These structures, along with traces in the landscape, remain poignant testimonies to this tragic history.
Schindler joined the separatist Sudeten German Party in 1935.[6] Although he was a citizen of Czechoslovakia, Schindler became a spy for the Abwehr, the military intelligence service of Nazi Germany, in 1936. He was assigned to Abwehrstelle II Commando VIII, based in Breslau.[7] He later told Czech police that he did it because he needed the money; by this time Schindler had a drinking problem and was chronically in debt.[8]
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The process of losing any kind of hope was a very gradual one. We were transported in cattle wagons in which many babies and children suffocated, in what it turned out was the last transport of Hungarians. We had no water, no food, there was no hygiene. That diminished our hope and increased the feeling of being trapped. But despite that, you always retained a glimmer of hope. Always.
The trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961 and the broadcast of the television miniseries Holocaust in 1979 brought the process of Vergangenheitsbewältigung (coping with the past) to the forefront for many Germans.[492][496] Once study of Nazi Germany was introduced into the school curriculum starting in the 1970s, people began researching the experiences of their family members. Study of the era and a willingness to critically examine its mistakes has led to the development of a strong democracy in Germany, but with lingering undercurrents of antisemitism and neo-Nazi thought.[496]
But the effort to preserve the site is not without its critics. One is Robert Jan van Pelt, a cultural historian in the school of architecture at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and the leading expert on the construction of Auschwitz. He supports the preservation of the Auschwitz main camp, although he acknowledges it is a “kind of theme park, cleaned up for tourists.” In any event, it’s a fully equipped museum, complete with exhibits and conservation facilities, where most of the original buildings still stand. But van Pelt views the Birkenau site in a different light. For one thing, 80 to 90 percent of the original structures are gone or in a state of ruin. Most important, it’s where most of the killings took place, so it is a core site of the Holocaust itself. He says letting Birkenau disintegrate completely would be a more fitting memorial than constantly repairing the scant remains. Birkenau is “the ultimate nihilistic place. A million people literally disappeared. Shouldn’t we confront people with the nothingness of the place? Seal it up. Don’t give people a sense that they can imitate the experience and walk in the steps of the people who were there.”
Levin also claimed that his play was rejected because he himself was Jewish, Zionist and socialist, and because his family originally came from Eastern Europe, while Otto Frank and his lawyer were from Germany, meaning that they were assimilated Jews, void of Jewish national feeling, who saw Nazism as an accident that had befallen their Germany. Thus, indirectly, he claimed that Frank was not loyal to Anne’s spiritual legacy, which was rooted in Jewish and anti-German sentiment. In the Hollywood version, not a single German soldier or SS man appears, not even at the end, when they are supposed to raid the hideout. Sections from the diary that express deep Jewish feeling, such as the one from April 11, 1944, were also omitted: “Who has set us apart from all the rest? … It’s God who has made us the way we are, but it’s also God who will lift us up again. In the eyes of the world, we’re doomed, but if, after all this suffering, there are still Jews left, the Jewish people will be held as an example to the world. Who knows, maybe our religion will teach the world and all the people in it about goodness, and that’s the reason, the only reason, we have to suffer. We can never be just Dutch or just English or whatever, we will always be Jews as well. And we’ll have to keep on being Jews, but then, we’ll want to be.”
In June 1999, Time magazine published a special edition titled "Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century". Anne Frank was selected as one of the "Heroes & Icons", and the writer, Roger Rosenblatt, described her legacy with the comment, "The passions the book ignites suggest that everyone owns Anne Frank, that she has risen above the Holocaust, Judaism, girlhood and even goodness and become a totemic figure of the modern world—the moral individual mind beset by the machinery of destruction, insisting on the right to live and question and hope for the future of human beings." He notes that while her courage and pragmatism are admired, her ability to analyse herself and the quality of her writing are the key components of her appeal. He writes, "The reason for her immortality was basically literary. She was an extraordinarily good writer, for any age, and the quality of her work seemed a direct result of a ruthlessly honest disposition."[91]
With its sections separated by barbed-wire fences, Auschwitz II had the largest prisoner population of any of the three main camps. In January 1942, the first chamber using lethal Zyklon B gas was built on the camp. This building was judged inadequate for killing on the scale the Nazis wanted, and four further chambers were built. These were used for systematic genocide right up until November 1944, two months before the camp was liberated.
The food was probably sufficient as far as quantity goes, although our younger companions, who had to work very hard, could not satisfy their appetites. Besides the so-called Komissbrot (a dark bread baked for use in the army), which was difficult to digest for the city dweller not accustomed to hard physical labor, we usually had thick soups of leguminous plants or potatoes, with lumps of whale meat which, as far as I could find out, came in cans and tasted something like pork. However, it had nothing of the oily taste that might have been expected. Occasionally we had sweet milk soups with tapioca for breakfast, and for noon evening meal we had sandwiches with usage, cheese, margarine, and jam. It is an open question whether the decided loss in weight of many prisoners was due to the unusual food or to the mental depression. Food so poor in vitamins, however, must cause harm if taken for a long space of time.
Tens of thousands of prisoners, mostly Jews, were forced to march either northwest for 55 kilometers (approximately 30 miles) to Gliwice (Gleiwitz) or due west for 63 kilometers (approximately 35 miles) to Wodzislaw (Loslau) in the western part of Upper Silesia. Those forced to march northwest were joined by prisoners from subcamps in East Upper Silesia, such as Bismarckhuette, Althammer, and Hindenburg. Those forced to march due west were joined by inmates from the subcamps to the south of Auschwitz, such as Jawischowitz, Tschechowitz, and Golleschau.
Was there 20 years ago so was great to see how much they have developed the museum. Spent 1.5 hours ...there and had to leave to get back to coach. Well worth the visit. Would highly recommend. So informative but sad and poignant. A memorial to Anne and he family and to the atrocities of the 2nd World War. May we never visit that dark place again.! See More
Though most Nazi concentration and extermination camps were destroyed after the war, some of them were turned into permanent memorials, and museums. In Communist Poland, some camps such as Majdanek, Jaworzno, Potulice and Zgoda were used by the Soviet NKVD to hold German prisoners of war, suspected or confirmed Nazis and Nazi collaborators, anti-Communists and other political prisoners, as well as civilian members of the German-speaking, Silesian and Ukrainian ethnic minorities. Currently, there are memorials to the victims of both Nazi and communist camps at Potulice; they have helped to enable a German-Polish discussion on historical perceptions of World War II.[55] In East Germany, the concentration camps at Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen were used for similar purposes. Dachau concentration camp was used as a detention centre for the arrested Nazis.[56]
Up to this point, Auschwitz accounted for only 11 percent of the victims of the 'Final Solution'. However, in August 1942, planning began for the construction of four large-scale gassing facilities. It appears from the plans that the first two gas chambers were adapted from mortuaries which, with the huge crematoria attached to them, were initially intended to cope with mortalities amongst the slave labor force in the camp, now approaching 100,000 and subject to a horrifying death rate. But from the autumn of 1942, it seems clear that the SS planners and civilian contractors were intending to build a mass-murder plant.
In 1938, Otto Frank started a second company, Pectacon, which was a wholesaler of herbs, pickling salts, and mixed spices, used in the production of sausages.[11][12] Hermann van Pels was employed by Pectacon as an advisor about spices. A Jewish butcher, he had fled Osnabrück with his family.[12] In 1939, Edith Frank's mother came to live with the Franks, and remained with them until her death in January 1942.[13]
Pankoke started working for the FBI in the 1980s, spending his first four years as an agent in a small field office in Wisconsin. In 1992, he was transferred to Miami, where he helped build cases against Colombian cartels. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he was involved in FBI undercover operations, including cases that took him out of the country, he said.
The Nazi Party was banned on 9 November 1923; however, with the support of the nationalist Völkisch-Social Bloc (Völkisch-Sozialer Block), it continued to operate under the name "German Party" (Deutsche Partei or DP) from 1924 to 1925.[66] The Nazis failed to remain unified in the DP, as in the north, the right-wing Volkish nationalist supporters of the Nazis moved to the new German Völkisch Freedom Party, leaving the north's left-wing Nazi members, such as Joseph Goebbels retaining support for the party.[67]
Germany regained control of the Saarland through a referendum held in 1935 and annexed Austria in the Anschluss of 1938.[164] The Munich Agreement of 1938 gave Germany control of the Sudetenland, and they seized the remainder of Czechoslovakia six months later.[70] Under threat of invasion by sea, Lithuania surrendered the Memel district in March 1939.[165]
Most of the teenage boys and girls in the photo are hamming it up for the camera, celebrating as nearly all raise as their right hand to deliver what looks like the Nazi salute. A few can be seen holding their phones and at least one girl appears to be taking a picture of the swastika made up of about 100 red plastic cups that look as though they've been set up to play a white supremacist version of the popular drinking game, beer pong.
As Anne Frank's stature as both a writer and humanist has grown, she has been discussed specifically as a symbol of the Holocaust and more broadly as a representative of persecution.[85] Hillary Clinton, in her acceptance speech for an Elie Wiesel Humanitarian Award in 1994, read from Anne Frank's diary and spoke of her "awakening us to the folly of indifference and the terrible toll it takes on our young," which Clinton related to contemporary events in Sarajevo, Somalia and Rwanda.[86] After receiving a humanitarian award from the Anne Frank Foundation in 1994, Nelson Mandela addressed a crowd in Johannesburg, saying he had read Anne Frank's diary while in prison and "derived much encouragement from it." He likened her struggle against Nazism to his struggle against apartheid, drawing a parallel between the two philosophies: "Because these beliefs are patently false, and because they were, and will always be, challenged by the likes of Anne Frank, they are bound to fail."[87] Also in 1994, Václav Havel said "Anne Frank's legacy is very much alive and it can address us fully" in relation to the political and social changes occurring at the time in former Eastern Bloc countries.[82]
Hitler told a party leader in 1934: "The economic system of our day is the creation of the Jews".[262] Hitler said to Benito Mussolini that capitalism had "run its course".[262] Hitler also said that the business bourgeoisie "know nothing except their profit. 'Fatherland' is only a word for them."[263] Hitler was personally disgusted with the ruling bourgeois elites of Germany during the period of the Weimar Republic, who he referred to as "cowardly shits".[264]
Groups like Patriot Front, a spin-off of Vanguard America that was founded by Thomas Rousseau when he was 19 years old, and Identity Europa, aggressively try to recruit teens on high school and college campuses, Hankes said. He noted that the Internet and social media outlets have proved invaluable to recruitment efforts by these groups and hastened the spread of their racist ideologies.
During the 1920s, Hitler urged disparate Nazi factions to unite in opposition to Jewish Bolshevism.[251] Hitler asserted that the "three vices" of "Jewish Marxism" were democracy, pacifism and internationalism.[252] The Communist movement, the trade unions, the Social Democratic Party and the left-wing press were all considered to be Jewish-controlled and part of the "international Jewish conspiracy" to weaken the German nation by promoting internal disunity through class struggle.[53] The Nazis also believed that the Jews had instigated the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and that Communists had stabbed Germany in the back and caused it to lose the First World War.[253] They further argued that modern cultural trends of the 1920s (such as jazz music and cubist art) represented "cultural Bolshevism" and were part of a political assault aimed at the spiritual degeneration of the German Volk.[253] Joseph Goebbels published a pamphlet titled The Nazi-Sozi which gave brief points of how National Socialism differed from Marxism.[254] In 1930, Hitler said: "Our adopted term 'Socialist' has nothing to do with Marxist Socialism. Marxism is anti-property; true Socialism is not".[255]
With the other women and girls not selected for immediate death, Frank was forced to strip naked to be disinfected, had her head shaved, and was tattooed with an identifying number on her arm. By day, the women were used as slave labour and Frank was forced to haul rocks and dig rolls of sod; by night, they were crammed into overcrowded barracks. Some witnesses later testified Frank became withdrawn and tearful when she saw children being led to the gas chambers; others reported that more often she displayed strength and courage. Her gregarious and confident nature allowed her to obtain extra bread rations for her mother, sister, and herself. Disease was rampant; before long, Frank's skin became badly infected by scabies. The Frank sisters were moved into an infirmary, which was in a state of constant darkness and infested with rats and mice. Edith Frank stopped eating, saving every morsel of food for her daughters and passing her rations to them through a hole she made at the bottom of the infirmary wall.[53]
Although all SS units wore the Death's-Head symbol (skull and crossbones) on their caps, only the SS Death's-Head Units were authorized to wear the Death's Head Symbol on their lapels. The “SS Death's-Head Division” of the Waffen SS was created in 1940. Its officers were recruited from concentration camp service. They also wore the Death's-Head symbol on their lapel.
Most of the book is about the privations and hardship of living hidden away in the "annex". There is very little coverage of the violence of the times or much that is going on in the outside world because they had little knowledge of it since they were hidden. I think this is partly why some schoolchildren report the diary is boring. It does get repetitive at times, which reflects the feelings of those living in hiding. They had to wait and wait in fear, not knowing what the next day would bring.
First, I want to say that I absolutely believe that this book should still be included in school curriculum. The only thing 'new' about it is that pages and passages were added. Nothing was taken out and the translation was not changed. Reports that the book is so different that it's nothing like the original are false. Reports that the story is different are false.
The rise of Nazism in Germany during the 1930s—and the conviction that Hitler could be defeated only by military force—prompted Einstein rethink his strict pacifist views. Increasing numbers of Jewish refugees were fleeing Germany, bringing with them horrific tales of Nazi persecution; Einstein, who was also Jewish, left for the United States in 1932.
Otto Frank mounted a lawsuit in 1976 against Ernst Römer, who distributed a pamphlet titled "The Diary of Anne Frank, Bestseller, A Lie". When a man named Edgar Geiss distributed the same pamphlet in the courtroom, he too was prosecuted. Römer was fined 1,500 Deutschmarks,[94] and Geiss was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. The sentence of Geiss was reduced on appeal, and the case was eventually dropped following a subsequent appeal because the time limit for filing a libel case had expired.[96]
The first party that attempted to combine nationalism and socialism was the (Austria-Hungary) German Workers' Party, which predominantly aimed to solve the conflict between the Austrian Germans and the Czechs in the multi-ethnic Austrian Empire, then part of Austria-Hungary.[70] In 1896 the German politician Friedrich Naumann formed the National-Social Association which aimed to combine German nationalism and a non-Marxist form of socialism together; the attempt turned out to be futile and the idea of linking nationalism with socialism quickly became equated with antisemites, extreme German nationalists and the Völkisch movement in general.[27]
Primary and secondary education focused on racial biology, population policy, culture, geography, and physical fitness.[357] The curriculum in most subjects, including biology, geography, and even arithmetic, was altered to change the focus to race.[358] Military education became the central component of physical education, and education in physics was oriented toward subjects with military applications, such as ballistics and aerodynamics.[359][360] Students were required to watch all films prepared by the school division of the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.[355]
Agrarian policies were also important to the Nazis since they corresponded not just to the economy but to their geopolitical conception of Lebensraum as well. For Hitler, the acquisition of land and soil was requisite in moulding the German economy.[233] To tie farmers to their land, selling agricultural land was prohibited.[234] Farm ownership remained private, but business monopoly rights were granted to marketing boards to control production and prices with a quota system.[235] The "Hereditary Farm Law of 1933" established a cartel structure under a government body known as the Reichsnährstand (RNST) which determined "everything from what seeds and fertilizers were used to how land was inherited".[236]
Most Germans were relieved that the conflicts and street fighting of the Weimar era had ended. They were deluged with propaganda orchestrated by Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, who promised peace and plenty for all in a united, Marxist-free country without the constraints of the Versailles Treaty.[44] The NSDAP obtained and legitimised power through its initial revolutionary activities, then through manipulation of legal mechanisms, the use of police powers, and by taking control of the state and federal institutions.[45][46] The first major Nazi concentration camp, initially for political prisoners, was opened at Dachau in 1933.[47] Hundreds of camps of varying size and function were created by the end of the war.[48]
Schneidermann doesn’t offer a neat solution to the contradictions that he unearths, but he does give a few other examples of work that has aged well. The American columnist Dorothy Thompson, Schneidermann says, saw Hitler immediately for what he was, describing him, in 1932, as a man “without form, without expression, his face a caricature . . . his movements without dignity, anything but martial.” Thompson offered a lucid assessment of Nazism as a “repudiation of the history of western man, of Reason, Humanism, and the Christian ethic.” She was kicked out of Germany in 1934, but remained a tireless advocate against Nazi Germany. This strategy may not be available to every journalist, but Schneidermann also admires Georges Duhamel, a correspondent for Le Figaro, who faced certain pressures from his conservative bourgeois editors and readers in Paris not to moralize. On June 23, 1938, Le Figaro ran as a front-page headline a question that Duhamel, given the chance to interview Nazi leaders, would have asked: “What do you intend to do with the Jews?” In its simplicity, its directness, its willingness to seem naïve, Schneidermann finds it hauntingly unimpeachable.
The commander of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Rudolf Höss, stated in his autobiography that in 1941 (no exact date is given) he was summoned to Berlin, where Himmler informed him that Hitler had issued an order to solve the “Jewish Question” for good, and that the order was to be implemented by the SS. “The existing extermination places in the east are unsuited to a large scale, long-term action. I have designated Auschwitz for this purpose,” Himmler said.
For the first 5 years of her life, Anne lived with her parents and older sister, Margot, in an apartment on the outskirts of Frankfurt. After the Nazis seized power in 1933, Otto Frank fled to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where he had business connections. The rest of the Frank family soon followed, with Anne being the last of the family to arrive in February 1934 after staying with her grandparents in Aachen.
As Soviet troops closed in on Auschwitz in late January 1945, the SS hurriedly evacuated some 56,000 prisoners on death marches to the west, then blew up the Birkenau gas chambers and crematoria to erase evidence of the mass murders. The Red Army liberated Auschwitz on January 27, 1945. Some 6,000 people were still alive at Birkenau. Another 1,000 were found at the main camp.
Auschwitz Birkenau was the principal and most notorious of the six concentration and extermination camps established by Nazi Germany to implement its Final Solution policy which had as its aim the mass murder of the Jewish people in Europe. Built in Poland under Nazi German occupation initially as a concentration camp for Poles and later for Soviet prisoners of war, it soon became a prison for a number of other nationalities. Between the years 1942-1944 it became the main mass extermination camp where Jews were tortured and killed for their so-called racial origins. In addition to the mass murder of well over a million Jewish men, women and children, and tens of thousands of Polish victims, Auschwitz also served as a camp for the racial murder of thousands of Roma and Sinti and prisoners of several European nationalities.
The first German concentration camps were established in 1933 for the confinement of opponents of the Nazi Party—Communists and Social Democrats. Political opposition soon was enlarged to include minority groups, chiefly Jews, but by the end of World War II many Roma, homosexuals, and anti-Nazi civilians from the occupied territories had also been liquidated. After the outbreak of World War II the camp inmates were used as a supplementary labour supply, and such camps mushroomed throughout Europe. Inmates were required to work for their wages in food; those unable to work usually died of starvation, and those who did not starve often died of overwork. The most shocking extension of this system was the establishment after 1940 of extermination centres, or “death camps.” They were located primarily in Poland, which Adolf Hitler had selected as the setting for his “final solution” to the “Jewish problem.” The most notorious were Auschwitz, Majdanek, and Treblinka. (See extermination camp.) At some camps, notably Buchenwald, medical experimentation was conducted. New toxins and antitoxins were tried out, new surgical techniques devised, and studies made of the effects of artificially induced diseases, all by experimenting on living human beings.
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Tag Archives: County Longford
Scattered Remains
Lough Ree has been mentioned here on a couple of occasions (see With Advantageous Views, September 19th 2018 and Well Lodged, October 15th 2018). The second-largest lake over the course of the river Shannon (and the third-largest lake in Ireland) Lough Ree is some 28 kilometres long and borders on three counties: Westmeath, Longford and Roscommon. Across its length can be found many islands of differing sizes: until the 1950s many of these were inhabited by farmers: the last man to live on a Lough Ree island only died in February 2018. Lough Ree appears on the map derived from Ptolomy’s second century Geographia where it is called Rheba, indicating awareness of its existence beyond the shores of Ireland. Most likely Rheda is a corruption of Rí, the Irish word for King, whence derives Lough Ree. However, while this might be designated the Lake of Kings, for a long time it was better known for the monastic settlements that were once widespread on the islands here.
Inchcleraun derives its name from Clothru, according to ancient legend the sister of Queen Mebh of Connacht: the latter is said to have retired to the island where while bathing she was killed, seemingly by her nephew (the story is exceedingly complicated). A monastery was founded here around the year 530 by St Diarmaid: a little church, the oldest on the site, is known as Templedermot. By the eighth century Inchcleraun was home to a number of religious settlements, but over the course of the next 500-odd years these were subject to repeated attack and plunder. Today there are the remains of some seven churches, the largest of which is called Templemurry: according to old lore, any woman entering this building would die within a year.
Running to just over 132 acres, Inchmore is the largest of the islands on Lough Ree and lies inside the borders of County Westmeath. The first religious settlement here is said to have been made in the fifth century by one St Liberius. However, in the second half of the 12th century, a priory of the Canons Regular of St Augustin was established here: it is the remains of this establishment – perhaps with later embellishments – which can be found on the island today. Like all such houses, the Augustinian priory was closed down in the 16th century, in 1567 Inchmore being granted by the crown authorities to Christopher Nugent, Baron Delvin.
Like Inchcleraun, Saints Island lies inside the boundaries of County Longford but is not strictly an island since a narrow causeway connects it to the mainland. A monastery was established here in the mid-sixth century by St Ciarán who would later go on to found a more famous house at Clonmacnoise. In 1089 Saints Island was attacked and plundered by Murkertach O’Brien and a large number of Danes. However around 1244 Sir Henry Dillon caused the settlement of Augustinian canons in a Priory of All Saints to be settled on the site of St Ciarán’s earlier foundation. As with all other such establishments, it was closed down in the 16th century but the main part of the church with its fine east window, clearly subject to alterations 100-odd years earlier, survives as do a few portions of the priory buildings.
6 Comments Posted in Architectural History, Graveyard, Historic Ruins, Irish Church, Longford, Roscommon, Ruins, Westmeath Tagged Architectural History, County Longford, County Roscommon, County Westmeath, Inchcleraun, Inchmore, Lough Ree, Old Church, Ruins, Saints Island
The Old Church on the Hill
St Catherine’s, Killoe, County Longford, one of the many C of I churches built in the first decades of the 19th century thanks to assistance from the Board of First Fruits: here, as elsewhere, the present building may have replaced an earlier one on the site. On occasion in use for services (although the graveyard remains active, so to speak) St Catherine’s dates from 1824 and benefitted from a board grant of £900 together with an additional £200 from Willoughby Bond of nearby Farragh. That house had been greatly enlarged for Bond ten years earlier, the architect being Cork-born Abraham Hargrave. Accordingly his son John Hargrave was given the job of designing St Catherine’s. Alas, Farragh is no more (demolished c.1960) and nine years after working in the area poor John Hargrave drowned, along with his entire family, while sailing off the Welsh coast.
5 Comments Posted in Architectural History, Irish Church, Longford Tagged Architectural History, County Longford, Killoe, Old Church
A Most Happy – and Narrow – Escape
‘We have had a most happy – and narrow escape [from] having the whole house burned – Most fortunately the fire broke out by day – if it had been in the night, nothing could have saved us – and nothing would have saved us either by day or night but the extraordinary courage, zeal, activity, steadiness & obedience of the people who came to our assistance – 30 men & boys who went on unremittingly for above 3 hours from 7 o’clock in the morning till half after 10 carrying water up, up, up ladders & staircase & pouring continually, continually down the chimney till at last the fire was got under and extinguished – the total extinction & complete safety was not effected till half after seven in the evening…
Lovell & I first met in the study, he carrying the tin box with the title deeds – I undertook the carrying out of all the papers with 2 men he left me – Mrs Smith’s son and Dargan – most steady they were – in less than an hour’s time they had carried out all the presses of leases, etc, boxes of surveys & every rent book – The top of Mr Hind’s [the land agent] in which were his accounts & I know not what & it was impossible to open the locks –
First I tried to get the things out of the study window – impossible opening from top – too high up – weight of presses – breadth of table – imposs – The men actually carried the who alcove mentioned through the hall – down the stairs – while every instant bucket men were ascending – how it was done Heaven knows – Honora and I carried out all my papers & Lovell’s – and my mother’s – letters – (pigeon holes) money accounts, books all laid on the grass before library window –my father’s picture on the veranda – all the library side of the hall pictures, Mr Dat etc.
The quiet at front of house seemed most extraordinary! – as if it knew nothing & nature knew nothing of what was going on – But what is still more extraordinary, my dear Fanny, believe me if you can – I whom you have seen such an egregious coward in small or no danger in a carriage felt all the this time without fear – absolutely as if the magnitude of the danger swallowed up fear – I was absolutely bereft of feeling & could think & did think as coolly as I do now – and more clearly – I cannot understand it but it is a fact…’
Extract from a letter of May 14th 1828 written by Maria Edgeworth to her half-sister Fanny and describing a fire that damaged but did not destroy the family home at Edgeworthstown, County Longford. Dating from 1791 and painted by Mrs Mary Powys the upper picture shows the house as it was after improvements carried out by Richard Lovell Edgeworth. The lower picture shows the same building in the late 1850s, some ten years after Maria Edgeworth’s death. The little bow window to the left gave light to her equally modest bedroom – but it fell off the wall some years later. Thankfully the greater part of the house still stands, although altered to serve as a nursing home. Both images and the letter are included in Maria Edgeworth’s Letters from Ireland most skilfully selected and edited by Valerie Pakenham, and just published by Lilliput Press.
1 Comment Posted in Architectural History, Book, Country House, Irish Person of Note, Longford Tagged County Longford, Edgeworthstown, Georgian Architecture, Irish Country House, Maria Edgeworth
The main entrance gates to Carrigglas Manor, County Longford. These were designed c.1795 for the estate’s then-owner Sir William Newcomen whose family owned one of Ireland’s most successful private banks. The gateway was part of a large scheme for Carriglas commissioned from James Gandon, of which only this and the interlinked stable and farmyards were actually built. Sir William’s son, Sir Thomas Gleadowe-Newcomen lacked his father’s acumen and when the bank collapsed in 1825 he shot himself. Carrigglas then passed into the ownership of a clever lawyer, Thomas Lefroy, today best-remembered as the possible object of Jane Austen’s amorous intentions. His descendants remained at Carrigglas until 2005 when the estate was sold to a property company called Thomas Kearns Developments which proceded to wreak havoc on the place, cutting down large swathes of ancient woodland and throwing up cheap housing before – like Sir Thomas Gleadowe-Newcomen – going bust. Three years ago Carrigglas was bought by a local company, Glennon Brothers, but since then little seems to have happened other than that the existing buildings around the estate have deteriorated further. Such is the case with the entrance, a triumphal arch flanked by low walls that conclude in a pair of lodges: stylistically it has many similarities with the entrances to the Four Courts in Dublin, also designed by Gandon. Unfortunately neglect in recent years means the ashlar blocks are beginning to shift, thereby putting the entire ensemble at risk. The structure is, of course, listed for protection.
5 Comments Posted in Architectural History, Country House, Gate Lodge, Heritage at Risk, Longford Tagged Architectural History, Carrigglas, County Longford, Georgian Architecture, Heritage at Risk, Irish Country House, The Big House
Commemorated but Forgotten
On a wall of the now-roofless 17th century church at Kilcommock, County Longford can be seen this elaborately carved limestone funerary monument which would appear to date from the early 1700s. Unfortunately the central plaque is missing and it is therefore now impossible to know in whose memory it was originally erected. Might some reader have the answer?
1 Comment Posted in Architectural History, Irish Church, Longford Tagged County Longford, Kilcommock, Old Church, Ruins
In Grateful Memory
In the small village of Kenagh, County Longford rises this limestone gothic revival clock tower dated 1878. Designed by the English architect Sir Robert William Edis, it features a number of marble plaques including one showing the man in whose memory the monument was erected, the Hon Laurence Harman King-Harman who had died three years earlier. A younger son of General Robert Edward King, first Viscount Lorton, and a younger brother of Robert King, sixth Earl of Kingston, the Hon Laurence lived not far away at Newcastle, Ballymahon. A panel below the portrait declares that the clock tower was erected by his tenants and friends ‘in grateful memory of a good landlord and an upright man.’ Within a decade the expression of such sentiments would have begun to fall out of favour following the rise of the Land League. The cost of over £1,000 was seemingly covered by local subscription. There is another clock tower likewise erected to honour the Hon Laurence in the centre of Boyle, County Roscommon where his family had their main estates. Has there been any other person similarly commemorated in this country?
Leave a comment Posted in Architectural History, Irish Monument, Longford Tagged Architectural History, County Longford, Irish Monument, Kenagh, King-Harman
Perfection in Miniature
‘The townland, and chief part of the demesne of Ledwithstown, are in this parish (Shruel), though the dwelling house and offices are in the parish of Kilcommack. It has been long the residence of a respectable family of the name of Ledwith, who possess a considerable property in this neighbourhood.’ A Statistical Account, or Parochial Survey, of Ireland, 1819.
In 1976 Maurice Craig wrote of Ledwithstown, County Longford, ‘there can be few houses of its size in Ireland more thoroughly designed, and with internal decoration so well integrated.’ The house has long been attributed to Richard Castle and is one of three such properties considered to have been designed by the architect, the other two being Gaulstown, County Westmeath (see Gallia Urba est Omnis Divisa in Partes Tres, February 24th 2014) and Whitewood Lodge, County Meath (see An Appalling Vista, February 9th last). In their form and composition this triumvirate demonstrates a steadily growing assurance, with Ledwithstown displaying by far the greatest sophistication and thus inclining to the idea that it was the latest, probably dating from the second half of the 1740s (Castle died in 1751). Relatively little is known of the building’s history, other than that until 1911 it was owned, although not always occupied, by the Ledwith family who settled in the area around 1650. Members of that now-vanished class, the gentry, the Ledwiths played their part in local society as Grand Jurors and High Sheriffs but otherwise came little to public notice. The same is true of their former home, which despite its considerable charm, can be passed unnoticed on the public highway: again like Gaulstown and Whitewood, Ledwithstown lies at the end of an exceptionally long, straight drive.
As with Gaulstown and Whitewood, Ledwithstown is a three-bay house of two storeys over a semi-raised basement. With all three the main entrance is approached by a flight of stone steps; in this instance, the supporting walls splay out to create the impression of a ceremonial approach to the door. In the case of the other two properties, the doorcase is relatively plain, of cut limestone with a fanlight (that at Gaulstown also has side lights). Ledwithstown’s south-facing doorcase is altogether more elaborate, a cut-stone tripartite Tuscan design incorporating tetrastyle pilasters resting on rusticated base and surmounted by carved pediment. Such an entrance immediately indicates this is a building with greater aspirations than those of its siblings. In other respects, however, the facade of Ledwithstown is closer in spirit to Whitewood than to Gaulstown, sharing the same heavy parapet wall concealing the greater part of a slated roof with a pair of substantial chimneystacks (those at Gaulstown are at either gable end). Likewise Ledwithstown and Whitewood have raised corner quoins which add further gravitas to the building, the most striking differences between the two being that Whitewood’s facade is of cut stone (as opposed to roughcast render over rubble stone) and Ledwithstown’s first floor fifteen-pane sash windows share the same proportions as those one storey below (their equivalents at Whitewood are smaller).
The interior design and decoration of Ledwithstown is much more elaborate than either of the two houses with which it bears comparison. Although measuring just forty-eight by forty-seven feet, it can be considered a country house in miniature, the layout being identical to that found in many larger properties. There are, for example, two staircases, that to the west, of carved wood, serving only the ground and first floors while secondary service stairs of stone to the east also descend to the basement area. Immediately inside the entrance hall are doors to left and right providing access to the former morning room and study; a matching pair to the rear open to the staircases while one in the centre of the back wall leads to the drawing room. Here and in the adjacent dining room, the walls retain their mid-18th century plaster panelling, that in the drawing room being especially fine with a combination of lugged and round topped panels topped by swags or baskets of fruit and shells. Similarly the main staircase, lit by a round-topped window, has timber wainscoting and leads to a panelled first floor landing with egg-and-dart and dentil cornicing; one of the rooms on this level is entirely panelled in wood and others still contain their shallow limestone chimney pieces. The basement likewise keeps much of its original character with a sequence of rooms opening off a central stone-flagged and vaulted central passage.
In 1911 Ledwithstown was bought from the original family by Laurence Feeney. However, following his premature death just six years later, the house was let to a variety of tenants none of whom took care of the property; seemingly a brother and sister who lived there for a while removed all the door and shutter knobs, while another family allowed the chimneys to become blocked and then knocked holes in the walls to permit smoke escape. In 1976 Maurice Craig described Ledwithstown as being ‘unhappily in an advanced state of dilapidation, perhaps not beyond recovery’ and two years later Mark Bence-Jones wrote that the place was ‘now derelict.’ However, around this time the original Laurence Feeney’s grandson, likewise called Laurence, married and he and his wife Mary began to consider the possibility of restoring Ledwithstown.
The couple, together with their children, initiated work on the house and in 1982 they were visited by Desmond Guinness. Soon afterwards the Irish Georgian Society offered its first grant to Ledwithstown, the money being put towards replacing the roof. Further financial aid from the IGS followed, along with voluntary work parties to help the Feeneys in their enterprise. By 1987 Ledwithstown had a new roof and parapet and was once more watertight. Inevitably sections of the reception rooms’ plaster panelling and other decoration had been lost to damp, but enough remained for it to be copied and replaced. The same was true of the main stair hall and sections of the first floor wood panelling, all of which was gradually replaced: when new floors were installed on this level in 1990 surviving panelled walls had to be suspended in mid-air to facilitate the removal of decayed boards. Ledwithstown demonstrates that even the most rundown building can be saved provided the task is approached with enough commitment. Today, more than thirty years after they embarked on their mission, the Feeneys remain happily living in what is, above all else, a family home. So too are both Gaulstown and Whitewood Lodge, making this another trait all three houses share.
1 Comment Posted in Architectural History, Country House, Historic Interior, Longford Tagged Architectural History, County Longford, Georgian Architecture, Historic Interiors, Irish Country House, Irish Georgian Society, Ledwithstown, The Big House
On this day in 1849 the wondrous Maria Edgeworth died at the age of 81. She is rightly best remembered for her 1800 novel Castle Rackrent, a remarkable work that had no precedent but many successors, both in Ireland and elsewhere. While nothing else in her output matched its originality, at the same time Edgeworth’s other Irish novels in particular The Absentee (1812) are worth reading for insights into the state of the country in the aftermath of the Act of Union. Her family home, and the place where she produced many of her books, was Edgeworthstown House, County Longford. From around 1770 onwards it was much enlarged and altered by her father Richard Lovell Edgeworth, the result notable for the distinctive interiors which he designed in an idiosyncratic fashion. The house still stands and has long been a nursing home run by a religious order: the last time I visited the nuns in charge seemed to have little knowledge of or interest in its most famous resident. Sadly the building today bears little resemblance to its appearance during Maria Edgeworth’s lifetime having been ruthlessly stripped of decoration and character. Below is an engraving showing the house’s library as it looked a few years after her death.
6 Comments Posted in Architectural History, Country House, Irish Person of Note, Longford, Lost Heritage Tagged Architectural History, County Longford, Georgian Architecture, Historic Interiors, Irish Character, Irish Country House, Maria Edgeworth, The Big House
A Royal Progress
This is an engraving of Broadstone on the north side of Dublin dating from 1821 and based on a picture by George Petrie. The most prominent building is the King’s Inns, designed by James Gandon in 1800 and by that date nearing completion. It looks little different today but the surprise is to find a harbour immediately in front since this has long gone. As the picture’s caption reveals, the harbour was constructed to serve the Royal Canal, its site chosen because of proximity to many key resources such as the city markets as well as the Linen Hall and various penitentiaries and workhouses.
Although Broadstone Harbour is no more the Royal Canal survives, despite sundry attempts over the past 150-plus years to damage it irreparably. Linking Dublin to the river Shannon and intended to encourage greater trade between the west and east of the country, the enterprise was plagued with problems from the very start. Not the least of these was the presence of the rival Grand Canal which follows a similar route further south and on which work had started in 1757. Construction of the Royal Canal on the other hand only began in 1790 by which time the senior waterway was almost finished and already taking large quantities of commercial and passenger traffic. So when a group of investors established the Royal Canal Company, they had to petition the Irish Parliament for financial support, receiving £66,000 to add to the £134,000 already raised from subscribers.
Among the key shareholders of the Royal Canal scheme was the second Duke of Leinster, who insisted that the waterway pass by Maynooth, the County Kildare town beside his estate at Carton. This necessitated cutting through extensive rock at Clonsilla and creating an aqueduct to cross the river Ryewater at Leixlip, both of which added greatly to costs. By 1796 the canal had reached Kilcock and the first passengers were able to travel between this town and Dublin at a cost of one shilling and one penny, cheaper than a seat on the traditional stagecoach. However progress on moving the route further west was slow and more expensive than had been anticipated.
By 1811, despite being given almost £144,000 in government grants, the Royal Canal Company’s debts stood at £862,000. A parliamentary investigation into the business was undertaken and two years later the company was dissolved with responsibility for the project handed over to the Directors General of Inland Navigation who were instructed to complete work on the canal at public expense and with all due speed. In 1817 the Royal Canal finally joined the Shannon at a total cost of £1,421,954, seven times more than the original estimate. The following year a new Royal Canal Company assumed responsibility for the concern and built a branch line to Longford town which opened in 1830.
Now as then the Royal Canal runs for 90 miles (146 kilometres) through Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Westmeath and Longford. The main water supply comes from Lough Owel near Mullingar which feeds the canal’s highest level. Its creation involved the building of 46 locks, four aqueducts and 86 bridges.
By the mid-1830s, goods traffic on the canal had grown to 134,000 tons annually, and passenger numbers stood at 46,000 in 1837 by which time the journey between Dublin and Mullingar took an average eight hours. But even at its peak, the Royal Canal was never as successful as the Grand Canal. And the arrival of railways the following decade had an immediate and devastating effect. In 1845 the Midland Great Western Railway Company bought the canal in its entirety for £289,059 with the intention of laying railway tracks on top of the route. The government did not allow this plan to proceed, but it explains why trains heading west from Dublin do so directly alongside the canal for many miles. In 1877 the old Broadstone canal harbour was filled in and the site used as a forecourt for the railway company’s new termimus; a branch line of the canal had already connected it to the Liffey at what is now known as Spencer Dock.
Meanwhile, the Royal Canal went into steady decline, with the annual quantity of goods being carried on its route falling to 30,000 tons and passenger traffic gone. In 1938 ownership was transferred to the Great Southern Railway and six years later to the national rail company Coras Iompair Eireann. In 1955 the last boat officially to pass the length of the canal made its journey and the waterway was closed to navigation in 1961 after which it fell into serious disrepair. In the mid-1970s a group of enthusiasts started a Save the Royal Canal campaign and thanks to their sterling efforts, the route, which passed into the care of the Office of Public Works in 1978, was gradually restored. It took longer to refurbish than it had to construct: work on the last part of the Royal Canal was only completed in 2010.
There are many reasons to celebrate the Royal Canal the most frequently cited being that it is an amenity beneficial to the tourist industry. That is certainly true and boats navigating its length bring visitors and income to towns and villages along the route. But let us leave matters economic to one side, not least because for over two centuries the Royal Canal has failed as a viable commercial proposition, inevitably costing more money than it generates. Though it might seem perverse to do so, this aspect of the waterway should be judged a cause for celebration, especially in the present era when the merit of everything and everyone seems to be based solely on the grounds of cost-effectiveness. Applying that criterion to the Royal Canal makes no sense, but instead demonstrates the fatuity of assessing value on economic grounds alone.
What’s more important in this instance is that the Royal Canal provides an example of successful intervention in the natural landscape. We are inclined to believe all man-made intrusions damage the environment, but the Royal Canal offers conclusive evidence this need not be the case: far from impairing its surroundings, the waterway often enhances them. And that is what matters most: the Royal Canal as an object of beauty. The original scheme may have been ill-conceived and sometimes ill-executed, over-time and over-budget in its completion, but we are all now the grateful beneficiaries. That gives it a value beyond price.
2 Comments Posted in Architectural History, Dublin, Irish Canal, Irish Landscape, Kildare, Longford, Meath, Westmeath Tagged Architectural History, Architectural Restoration, County Kildare, County Longford, County Meath, County Westmeath, Dublin, Georgian Architecture, Heritage at Risk, Irish Landscape, Royal Canal
Sense and Insensibility
Almost big enough to serve as a punchbowl, this exquisitely simple piece of Irish silver dates from 1778 and was made in Dublin by Matthew West, a member of the family which continued operating as the country’s oldest jewellers until its Grafton Street premises closed two years ago. Due to be auctioned by Adam’s on Tuesday, the bowl is one of a number of lots coming from Carrigglas Manor, County Longford.
Like a great many Irish houses, the Carrigglas estate has had what can best be described as a chequered history. Originally part of the estates of the Bishop of Ardagh, the lands were acquired by Trinity College, Dublin before passing into the hands of the Newcomen family who operated one of 18th century Ireland’s most successful banks; designed in 1781 by Thomas Ivory, its former premises still stands on Lord Edward Street, Dublin, albeit enlarged in size. Clearly the Newcomens appreciated fine architecture since they commissioned a range of new buildings on their Carrigglas estate from the greatest architect of the period, James Gandon, responsible for both the Custom House and the Four Courts in Dublin. Unfortunately, of Gandon’s designs only the main entrance gates and the double stable yard were completed before the Newcomen Bank went into decline; on its ignominious collapse in 1825, the institution’s head, Sir Thomas Gleadowe-Newcomen, 2nd Viscount Newcomen, shot himself in his office.
Following this catastrophe, Carrigglas was acquired by a successful Irish barrister called Thomas Lefroy. Today Lefroy is best remembered as the possible object of Jane Austen’s amorous attentions and, arising from this, as inspiration for the character of Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice; in the rather fanciful 2007 film Becoming Jane, Lefroy was played by James McAvoy. He certainly knew and saw a great deal of Austen in 1796, being mentioned several times in her letters and on one occasion was described by her as ‘a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man’ with whom she admitted to having flirted. However, the following year he became engaged to Mary Paul, sister of a college friend, marrying her on completion of his legal studies in 1799. Ultimately becoming Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1852, some fifteen years earlier Lefroy had requested architect Daniel Robertson to design a new house for him at Carrigglas in the Tudoresque idiom. This remained in the hands of successive generations of the family, finally being inherited in the mid-1970s by Jeffry and Tessa Lefroy. Like many other people in their position, they struggled with managing the place and trying to make it generate sufficient income. To this end, they opened the house to day visitors and paying guests. But by the start of the present millennium it was clear the battle for survival was never going to be won and in 2005 the Lefroys sold Carrigglas to a property company which trumpeted its intentions to preserve the estate. Writing in The Times in March that year, Tessa noted that many old Irish houses had been lost over the previous decades but ‘thankfully, Carrigglas’ future is secure: it is going to be turned into a country house hotel development with new homes in the grounds. The planning laws are now so strict that the house and yards must be restored to their former glory.’
Would that this had been the case. Far from taking care of the main house, stable yards and so forth, the only thing Carrigglas’ new owners, Thomas Kearns Developments, did was to strip large stretches of the parkland of trees and start throwing up rows of houses notable for their lack of sympathy with the surroundings. And before this work could be completed, the company ran into financial trouble; by autumn 2007 sub-contractors on the site had withdrawn their labour. The following spring the Bank of Ireland, which had advanced €35 million, called in accountants to assess the project’s viability. It was glaringly obvious this scheme had no future, especially after Thomas Kearns Developments went into liquidation and Carrigglas went into a limbo from which it may never emerge. Over the intervening four years, as these photographs make plain, the place has been allowed to suffer neglect, almost the only attention it receives coming from vandals.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage classifies the complex of inter-related structures at Carrigglas as representing ‘one of the most important demesnes in north Leinster.’ This designation did not stop the authorities of Longford County Council from granting permission for the estate’s irrevocable despoilment with that addition of over 300 residential units, a hotel, spa and inevitable golf course. Nor, it would appear, have the same authorities shown much concern for the preservation of what remains, not least the important group of Gandon buildings which are without peer anywhere else in the country. The silver bowl being auctioned on Tuesday will no doubt find a new owner and be much cherished. Regrettably the same good fortune cannot be hoped for Carrigglas. To paraphrase Jane Austen, It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an estate in the possession of a receiver, must be in want of a saviour.
With thanks to Brendan Harte and Mary Morrissey for their photographs.
*Insufficiently dispirited by what you have read and seen here? Watch John O’Neill’s short film showing the present wretched condition of Carrigglas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYDKZ33pWX8&feature=plcp
Addendum: the bowl sold for €4,200.00 at Tuesday’s sale. What price Carrigglas?
10 Comments Posted in Heritage at Risk, Longford Tagged Architectural History, Bad Architecture, Carrigglas, County Longford, Heritage at Risk, Historic Interiors, Irish Country House, Stately Home, The Big House, Ugly Building
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Essays The effects of Islam on African religion, society, political structures, trade, and culture
The effects of Islam on African religion, society, political structures, trade, and culture
Islam in the sub-Sahara of Africa has been in the existence for very many years cohabiting well with traditional religion and making them adapt it and extent of both living in good intermixture. In many areas, there has been the substitution of the African tradition to Islamic religion without a lot of clashes and raptures. However, in recent days, there has been a significant rejection of African Muslims who in recent past has turned conscious to the way of living of the Arab model through Islamic religion. This is the firm believe that Islamic religion has been instituted by the prophet Mohamed and therefore lived by the founding community in medina. In Africa more than in any other region globally, Islamic religion tend to present itself in the form it is today through several changes that occurred in the transition time.
Islam, in fact, was a very new way of life to the African. It presented itself in many different ways. There are many aspects that Islamic religion represented in the social capacity. This was contrary to what the African religion believed. This ranged from how one treated their fellow people, children, the poor, how to pray, political aspects, science and many other things. Islamic religion brought a lot of change in the African religion making them leave their paganism and liberate them from their tribal leadership.
Tradition African religion has been in different diversity and expressed itself in many ways in term of religion this, therefore, exhibited itself in its global framework of life that encompassed the whole society. They were closely linked with their ancestral soil and this made all the African members in close fellowship with their other creatures contrary to what the Islamic religion believed. In African tradition, everything was religious. Therefore, the relation of the African religious society, they related directly to God what to them was the sole creator and giver of life. Therefore, he intervened with them in their daily affairs. This was through invisible forces that were either good or evil. Therefore, it is was possible to win God's favor through making rituals through the ancestors, the African tradition ensured that they observe strict rites and taboos ad they lived in total solidarity within the group and the survival of this was transferred to many descendants.
However, many of the African religion were completely changed by the Islamic religion. The Islam gradually substituted itself for the tradition religion. In many cases, it was favored by different external factors majority of them being cases without violence. There many factors that lead to the assimilation of the African religion to Islamic religion which in most cases was to a greater degree sociological proximity. However, there were so many other factors which the two religions seemed to be more irreconcilable. For example, ancestral worship was an aspect that the African religion was so much attached to it while I was foreign to the Islamic religion. However, the Islamic religion tries to conquer this through uprooting the difficulties of life that were mostly brought by the disillusionment that was brought about by the religious universe of the African religion through offering a new framework as well as making them embrace secure and reassuring religion.
The new solidarity that was brought about by the Islamic religion completely replaced the solidarity that was there in the beginning in the villages and through the tribal lines without necessary changing completely the laws and the habit of the group. The new prescription that was traditionally there excluded other ritual practices without trying to dig deeper to understand what they meant. Provided they did not comply with Islamic religion, they were all eliminated. This was done through teachings that were made through the koranic text although it took some time as many of the people never understood Arabic. However, the Islamisation was put as a religion that one would like to be part of in the community rather being forced to be part of it. This has made it possible for the Muslim community to convert much African religious community to the Islamic religion in Africa.
The role of lineage groups, women, and slavery in African society
There was a lot of effects that was brought about by the slave trade. However, the most significant one and the most detrimental are the long-term economic growth and development. Slavery undermined the whole aspect of the village in the African culture and the local economies as most of the people were ferried to other places as slaves. There was a rise of a large slave trade in the continent and civil war became a common thing in the continent. Therefore, through the slave trade, the African society was lead to constant war. It impedes of large ethnic groups causing ethnic functionality weakening the formation of the stable political structures. It also reduced mental health and development of the African people.
The lineage groups in African society were very important as it propagated the traditions of the society. It was used to ensure that the supplications that were o be done in shrines in the case of any befallen misery were all cleared. They prayed for the rain and they carried the African tradition to the coming generation.
Women in the African society were equally important. The reason being, they acted as the source of hope for the propagation of the generation. They were a show of wealth to the people as they were the one who held the position of propagating generation. Therefore, they were a source of pride to the people and the reputation of men was judged with the number of women one had.
The chief destinations along the Silk Road, and the kinds of products and ideas that traveled along the route.
Silk Road which is mostly known as silk routes are networks of trades routes that are used to interconnect east, south and western Asia with Mediterranean and European world as well as east and north of Africa through afro-Eurasian land mass. This land route is supplemented by sea routes which have extended from the red sea to the east Africa, India, china, and southeast of Asia. Through this route, different countries traded different materials. For example, china traded silk, spices, tea and porcelain (Duiker, & Spielvogel, 2004). India also contributed in this trade where they traded ivory, textiles, precious stones and pepper. However, the Roman Empire exported gold, silver, wine, jewels, glasswares, and carpets.
This route got its name from Chinese lucrative silk trade which contributed to the connection of this route to the transcontinental network. Therefore, the German Ferdinand von Richthhofen who made about seven expeditions in china from 1868 to 1872 coined this term silk road. Most of the people used the name silk route as it was used to connect most of the parts making it more extensive. However, most of this route was a rough caravan.
Silk routes were very important trade routes as it made possible of exchange for goods of all kinds between the merchants, missionaries, pilgrims, soldiers, nomads and the urban dwellers from ancient India china, Tibet Persian Empire and the Mediterranean countries in around three hundred years. Through therefore the Chinese silk trade, this name was gotten during the reign of the Han dynasty that was there between 206 to 220 BCE.
This route extended about 6500 kilometers. Therefore it made it possible for the traders t transport of goods, slaves and luxuries that included silk, satin, jewels, glass wares hemps, perfumes, spices, medicines among other many goods. The rotes also enabled transfer of a lot of knowledge from one area to another. It also made transfer of culture ideas, cultures, zoological specimens and nonindigenous disease conditions from ancient china, India, Mediterranean as well as minor Asia (Duiker, & Spielvogel, 2004). The Silk Road trade brings about a significant factor in the development of these areas and civilization in places like china, India, Egypt, Rome, Persia and Arabia. Therefore, it contributed to laying down the emergence of the modern world. Though the Silk Road brought the notion that the route is straight, however very few trades transverse across this route to the end. In most parts of this route, the goods were transported through agents on different routes which traded in the busy markets along these routes which mostly were located around the oasis.
Through this route, the central Asia section of the trade section was expanded in 114 BC by the Han dynasty that through a great contribution from the missionary and by the explorations of Zhan Qian. However, the former routes still existed despite this expansion. However, in the middle age, the trade across the Silk Road declined due to the emergency of sea trade. Though, the silk route contributed significantly in this duration making the major trade from china to be gotten to other places. This includes various technologies, religions, and philosophies as well as bubonic plague that are well known as Black Death that emerged due to the trade that happened through this route.
India was a major player in this trade as it was used as the center of this route. The country had also a unique product that was not gotten in many places. These included spices, hand crafted goods as wells precious stones. However with the falloff Han dynasty in the third century, east and west trading declined significantly. Byzantine historian called Procopius said that two Christian knew how silk was made. Therefore, through this revelation, spies were sent to china to steel silk worm eggs, therefore, making it possible for silk to be produced silk in Mediterranean. However, the Silk Road was affected by different problems including war and it alters closed in 1400.
However, the route ensured that there was cultural exchange during the period of trade. This included religious culture and ideas. The notable religion that took to the area was among them Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism an Manichaeism spread across Eurasian through this trade network that was tied to specific religious communities and other institutions.
The transition of Buddhism from china started in the first century through this trade route. This was uplifted through the sending of an embassy to the west of the Chinese emperor. Therefore, during the second century, there was increased contact increasing cultural values. This also increased the expansion of Kushan Empire to the territory of Chinese in the Tarim basin. There increased the efforts of the Buddhist missionary to get to the central Asia and to the Chinese lands.
From the fourth century, Chinese pilgrims started on the Silk Road to India. This was the origin of Buddhism's in these places as they involved themselves to improve the original scriptures with a fahsiens pilgrimage to India between 395 to 414 BC. This continued until its end in the seventh century due to the rise of the Islam in central Asia.
The route also made increased transition of the artistic values along the silk roads. This was mostly in central Asia where there was a lot of intermixing of Iranian, Hellenistic, India and Chinese culture. Particularly, Greco-Buddhist art represented one of the most vivid examples of this interaction.
The Silk Road route brought about the image of Buddha as a religious image that originated in the first century from a small country in the northern idea that is now known as Nepal. This was transmitted throughout central Asia, china to Korea in the fourth century and getting to Japan in the sixth century. However, there are many iconographical details that emerged from the western countries that also papered vividly in the region covered by the trade route. Some of them are Hercules that inspired the guardian deities in front of the Budd
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David R. Arterburn
David R. Arterburn, Director, Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center, University of Alabama in Huntsville
With 18 full-time researchers plus adjunct faculty mentoring students in the University of Alabama in Huntsville Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center (RSESC), David Arterburn oversees a range of rotorcraft and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) technology investigations. “It’s a multi-disciplinary team and a multi-disciplinary group of students,” he observes. “We have computer science, electrical, aero and mechanical engineers. That melting pot is really great for us. We meld students and move them across various platforms. They get that blend of academics and real-world applications that is very hard to get in other places.” The real-world applications come from the US Army and elsewhere in government and industry. “We’ve been awarded contracts from DARPA, DoD, NASA, NOAA, and from the VLC [Vertical Lift Consortium],” explains Mr. Arterburn. “We’re very diverse. We also have a customer base that knows us and knows what our skill set is and takes advantage of the value we provide.”
The RSESC’s skill set today bridges rotorcraft, unmanned systems, space and science payloads, and systems engineering. David Arterburn joined the Center in 2013 to refocus a rapid prototyping shop originally rooted in space payloads and space applications. “Our mission statement is really to support the vertical lift community in systems engineering applications and rotorcraft technology,” he explains. “We still have a build-and-demonstrate pedigree for what we do.” UAH engineers and technicians built the Surrogate Apache Block III National Airspace Trainer that put UAS capabilities into a piloted Bell 206 to train AH-64E test pilots on UAS interoperability. Their Hurricane Imaging Radiometer flies on NASA’s fixed-wing Global Hawk UAS. Ongoing RSESC research considers airworthiness criteria for the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) initiative and the safety of unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace System. “See-and-avoid is the hot topic right now,” acknowledges Mr. Arterburn. “But also, how do you communicate with these vehicles? How do other airspace users know they’re there so we can have safe and effective beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations?”
Try and Fly
Growing up on the outskirts of Aurora, Colorado, David Arterburn found his passion for aviation early. “It always fascinated me to watch the A-7 Corsairs and P-3 Orions that flew in and out of Buckley Air National Guard Base,” he recalls. A family friend and pilot made a lasting impression. “He took me up in his Cessna, flew me around, and I was hooked. I just loved being up in the air. That flight really cemented me at the age of 11 to say that’s what I wanted to make my career.”
Accepted by the Air Force Academy and West Point, the would-be aviator chose an Army career, drawn by US Military Academy graduates from his high school. “It was just something about the guys who came back from West Point,” Mr. Arterburn recalls. “They just seemed to be more in command of themselves and more fit, and that inspired me. I had never been to West Point. I couldn’t even point to it on a map, but there was something about those guys that made me say, ‘I want to be like them.’”
West Point offered an aeronautical engineering curriculum, but a physics major promised more options. David Arterburn notes, “I had no idea that the electrical engineering and physical principles that came from my physics academic track would help make me better test pilot and engineer working with electronics and flight controls later in my career.” A West Point visit by NASA astronauts who had graduated from test pilot school also provided more career focus. “I don’t know that I completely knew what an experimental test pilot did. I knew I liked the idea of applying engineering to my passion for flying. I liked the idea of constantly pushing technology.”
A flight school conversation at Fort Rucker with future Army astronaut then-Major Bill McArthur gave the test pilot hopeful some professional guidance. “He gave me some good advice — being a maintenance test pilot and gaining an extra understanding of how an aircraft works is very important for you moving down that track.” David Arterburn logged an operational tour on Black Hawks at Fort Bragg and subsequent duty as a maintenance test pilot before the Army sent him to the Navy Test Pilot School (TPS) at Patuxent River, Maryland. “What I loved about Pax was the connection between engineering and flying, that relationship between aerodynamics and control of various systems.” He adds, “It’s more than the ones and zeros — a good test pilot has to translate that engineering and flight test experience in some meaningful way to others outside the test community.”
The 1996 TPS graduate returned to Fort Rucker as a Test Director and Project Pilot for the Aviation Technical Test Center and travelled extensively on a range of UH-60 test programs. At the Sikorsky Development Flight Center near West Palm Beach, Florida, David Arterburn flew tests of the Black Hawk growth rotor blade with Sikorsky pilots John Dixon and Kevin Bredenbeck. “That was my first experience flying jointly with an industry partner. . . . It really taught me I had to work hard to up my game to be among those very experienced test pilots.” The growth rotor blades became the wide-chord blades that fly today on the UH-60M.
As Chief of the Flight Projects Office at the US Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate at NASA Ames, Moffett Field, California, David Arterburn flew the Rotorcraft Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL) with fly-by-wire flight controls. The enduring Black Hawk test aircraft has since demonstrated Degraded Visual Environment and autonomous flight control technologies. “All those investigations would not have been nearly as successful without the RASCAL aircraft being an asset to the Army and to NASA,” notes Mr. Arterburn. “Being part of the team that developed and matured the RASCAL aircraft is certainly one of the highlights of my career.”
When he retired from the Army in 2004, David Arterburn joined the Utility Helicopter program office in Huntsville to help integrate fly-by-wire controls into the UH-60M Upgrade. The assignment led to an appointment as Science and Technology manager at the Program Executive Office for Aviation and positioned him to become Chief Engineer for the OH-58F Cockpit and Sensor Upgrade (CASUP). “I came from one of the highest-technology aviation programs with fly-by-wire, active inceptors, and a modern-technology cockpit, and walked into the OH-58F. Its base was a 1965 aircraft modified multiple times in multiple configurations, so it was a real challenge trying to integrate modern technology into a platform that had been modified in so many different ways.
“The most rewarding thing about being in the Armed Scout Helicopter Project Office was I got to work with a really good team of engineers. I also got to work with pilots who were flying the Kiowa Warrior aircraft in combat. I never met a more innovative, creative and courageous group of operators, logisticians and engineers that were totally vested to put the best product in the field despite all the challenges.”
Test and Teach
A follow-on assignment as the Chief of Technical Management Division in the Armed Scout Helicopter office at the Program Executive Office for Aviation was interrupted by a call from UAH Vice President for Research, Dr. Ray Vaughn, who wanted a new director to take RSESC in new directions. The Army endowed RSESC in 2003 to develop new systems engineering methods based upon lessons learned from the integration challenges of the Comanche program.
RSESC gets work under continuing Army and NASA contracts, and the Center routinely competes for study and demonstration contracts. “We’re definitely focused on Future Vertical Lift and JMR [Joint Multi-Role],” explains Mr. Arterburn. “We’ve supported their education and training in Architecture Analysis Design Language — AADL — which is a new model-based systems engineering tool to model software and electronic hardware. We’ve also been supporting FVL with research to learn how these tools might help them and how to use them effectively over the life cycle.”
RSESC is also considering the future of the Army’s legacy aircraft: “What do program managers need do to keep their platforms relevant while we’re waiting for FVL to come aboard? If FVL were going to replace them in 10 years, that wouldn’t be an issue. If it’s going to be 25 or 30 years, some of these platforms are going to need upgrades.” One piece of the puzzle has RSESC working with the Utility Helicopter Program Manager trying to figure out how to keep the Black Hawk fleet relevant and moving forward to 2050. “We’re helping them understand how to do that from a handling qualities perspective,” says Mr. Arterburn. “Do they make improvements with partial-authority control laws, or do they make another run at a fly-by-wire capability in order to achieve improvements in Degraded Visual Environments? ‘Owning the weather’ really requires good handling in addition to sensors and displays.”
A study of airworthiness criteria for complex systems done in 2014 for the Army’s Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) continues to drive research. “The idea was to study how we do airworthiness now and where there are potential shortfalls in that process to meet safety requirements and make platforms more affordable in the long term for all the technologies we think will be part of an FVL application. We’re going to have to change our thinking and processes if we’re going to have an aircraft as capable and complex as FVL while keeping the platform safe and affordable. My job was to bring academia, industry and the Government together to have that conversation, gather data, and feed back a report to the Aviation S&T Leadership where the Army should focus their time and resources to support a new airworthiness paradigm.”
UAH is also one of 14 universities partnered in the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE). “The ASSURE team is integrated into the FAA so they can make better decisions integrating UASs into the National Airspace [System],” says Mr. Arterburn. “In 20 years, I think the NAS is going to be open to UAS. In the next 20 years, the autonomy question may not be completely settled for operations throughout the NAS, but I think we’re learning how to harden these platforms as a function of design so that they’re very difficult to get into. That will open the door to more autonomous operations beyond visual line sight, especially with larger aircraft.”
In addition to Arterburn’s 25 years of membership in AHS International, RSESC also has a continuing relationship with AHS International. UAH hosts the AHS Redstone Chapter’s annual technical specialists’ meetings every February, as well as one this past September on systems engineering tools. This coming February is dedicated to the “Development, Affordability and Qualification of Complex Systems” (www.vtol.org/complex).
Just how complex FVL systems will evolve is to be determined. “I certainly think they're going to be faster,” offers David Arterburn. “They’re certainly going to be easier to fly. I think you’re going to see fly-by-wire being the linchpin to optionally-piloted aircraft while also providing tremendous improvements in handling qualities for piloted aircraft. I think we’re just starting to get all of the tools in place to integrate all of these technologies in an airworthy and affordable design. At the same time, we’re getting a more creative, younger workforce that is born into this technology. They’re changing the way we think about how we integrate and use these systems.”
Vertiflite Leadership Profile: Vertiflite January/February 2016
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Centre Street in JP won't get second hole in the ground next to the first one, at least not for awhile
By adamg on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 11:37am
The house that would go away. Hole in the ground starts beyond the Jersey barriers to its right.
The Zoning Board of Appeals yesterday rejected plans by a Centre Street landlord to replace a three-unit house at 628-630A Centre Street with a new building with two commercial spaces and eight tiny two-bedroom apartments.
The house is next to a hole in the ground where a similar structure is supposed to go up, next to the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center.
Board member Anthony Pisani, an architect, led the opposition to Kenneth Zou's three-story proposal after board Chairwoman Christine Araujo expressed surprise that Kenneth Zou was proposing two-bedroom units of between 666 and 777 square feet - which is more commonly a size for large studios. "Does that make sense, Mr. Pisani?" she asked.
"No, it doesn't," Pisani said. "It's ridiculous. This has a feeling of inappropriateness."
After representatives from the mayor's office and City Councilor Matt O'Malley (Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury) voiced support for the proposal, Pisani moved to deny permission. He said he was also concerned the proposal was "completely out of context" with the surrounding neighborhood, even though the hole next door could eventually become a similar building - designed by the same architect - with more residential units, all, however, larger than in Zou's proposal.
Araujo expressed context concern as well, pointing to a similar structure now going up a couple blocks away on Burroughs Street - although she said in that case, the city was able to resolve issues through a BPDA review of the building's design.
"That is just completely out of context, too, so that is like a warning to us," she told Zou.
The board then voted to reject his proposal, but without prejudice, which means he can come back with another proposal for the site.
Nobody rose to speak against the proposal.
Centre Street
ZBA
were it only so easy to reject the landlord
By DCinJP on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 11:41am.
Some ideas ought to require you to relocate to Rhode Island to expunge your influence on the marketplace.
What the heck is going on
By Kinopio on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 11:51am.
What the heck is going on with that aforementioned hole in the ground(632-638 Centre Steet owned by GCB Realty)? The construction crew stole half the width of the sidewalk and has not done construction in months. Good luck getting a wheelchair or stroller through there on the busiest street in JP. There are plants growing in the lot because it hasn't been touched in so long. When I've complained to 311 about them stealing the sidewalk it has fallen on deaf ears.
usually these 'holes' show up
By bike nerd on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 11:56am.
usually these 'holes' show up in a bad economy...perhaps this is a harbinger? Remember Filene's and Joslin?
there's another on Centre near John Eliot Sq that is like a cliff !
The developer is holding the
By SH on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 12:31pm.
The developer is holding the site hostage, refusing to continue building until they are given the green light for an additional story (3 instead of their approved 2). It is negatively impacting the residents and businesses on the two side streets it straddles.
That the city won't make them build, sell the plot, or at the very absolute least free up the sidewalk is criminal.
Can developers be fined for leaving a gaping chasm in a neighborhood for an unreasonable amount of time?
By Jay Pee on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 1:08pm.
Public Works is supposed to be fining them $200 per day for occupying the sidewalk without a permit. They wrote one $50 ticket and haven't been back. Call Matt O'Malley's office and Marty's neighborhood liaison.
What about the old gas
By Alan Wright on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 11:58am.
What about the old gas station on the north side. How long do we have to put up with that eyesore when there is an urgent need for more housing?
We used to smoke crack in
We used to smoke crack in that garage back in the 1980s when we worked there. The old payphone (you can still see the frame of it) was used to make the calls. Oh those wild days of 1980s JP !!
VIA SALVAJE
By Roberto Rodriguez on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 3:15pm.
THAAANK YOU BRO
I bet you were in my house
I bet you were in my house smoking crack as well. Funny now....not so funny then.
Mike? Is that you? It's
By anon on Thu, 12/20/2018 - 8:14am.
Mike? Is that you? It's Greg! Can't believe we're still alive.
We're going to have to wait
By Hugo on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 3:49pm.
We're going to have to wait until someone wants to cough up all the cash needed to clean the contaminants out of the ground before they can consider building something.
By BadMan on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 11:59am.
This city is absolutely screwed from a housing perspective if the Zoning Board is going to start making NIMBY arguments about alleged “neighborhood character” against dense housing on main streets that don’t even face abutter opposition.
Well, they did approve the larger building next door
By adamg on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 12:04pm.
And the thing on Burroughs Street (which is actually going up).
"Thing?"
By Tom on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 8:04pm.
Th "thing" on Burroughs Street is a beautifully designed building with two small retail outlets that will house local small businesses and six relatively affordable, modest, two-bedroom condos (it is 2018-2019 folks); it's replacing a garage and a demolition business long an incompatible eyesore in JP center. A welcome addition IMHO (and I've lived in JP since 1992).
Adam showing his NIMBY
By The Guy on Thu, 12/20/2018 - 10:44am.
Adam showing his NIMBY sympathies by calling this proposal another hole in the ground instead of the housing it'd actually be and then calling the new housing nearby a "thing"
By adamg on Thu, 12/20/2018 - 8:03pm.
I don't live anywhere near the site, so it makes me no never mind what gets built there.
I do, however, occasionally patronize some of the businesses on the street (I really should get a JP Licks cow card) and drive down the street on my way somewhere else, and so I've noticed that there's been this funsize Filene's Hole for months and months. And it's right next to the site of this proposed new building. THAT's why a made a reference to a second hole.
That building (at 7 Burroughs
By eherot on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 9:37pm.
That building (at 7 Burroughs) is being built "as of right" (if you can believe it) and so it didn't require any ZBA approval.
"neighborhood character"
By SharpWave on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 12:22pm.
This is simply code for "please freeze the demographics of our urban neighborhood".
From a "follow the money" perspective, it makes little sense. I can see seniors living in run-down homes with paid-off mortgages not wanting their property taxes to go up, but is that special interest really dictating building policy in JP?
Hold on a sec ...
By adamg on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 2:55pm.
Nobody from the neighborhood attended the meeting to oppose this. In fact, the mayor's neighborhood liaison said the guy met with both abutters and the JP Neighborhood Council and she didn't hear of any complaints (and the liaisons usually will mention those, and if there are a ton of them, at least on small projects like this, the mayor's office will oppose the project). So your ire needs to be focused on the zoning board, not JP NIMBYs.
Have these boneheads looked at apartments recently?
650-800 Square Feet is a studio on what planet?
This is PLENTY big for 2br units. What nonsense.
This isn't even TINY.
I lived in a 677 square foot
I lived in a 677 square foot 2 bedroom in Somerville for several years. Owing at least in part to the small amount of furniture that my roommate, girlfriend (now wife), and I owned at the time, it felt downright spacious. Yes, it is small by the standards of what is often being proposed these days, and certainly small by the standards of many JP homes, but it's certainly not unheard of in the western world.
I just don't understand why the ZBA is even weighing in on this. If people don't want these units because they are too small, how is that anyone's problem but the developer? This actually seems like the perfect thing for a modest-income family with a kid, or a couple that wants an extra bedroom/office. Not everyone needs 1,000 square feet to live comfortably.
750 sq ft 2 beds all over
By money bags on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 11:22pm.
750 sq ft 2 beds all over Boston, they sell for 275K-350k nice for starters. Somebody needs to look at the zba members " interests". Some people might call it extortion.
"Tiny"
By NorthEnd3r on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 1:17pm.
"eight tiny two-bedroom apartments."
Calling them tiny is a bit of a stretch. The one-bedroom apartment I rent is 700 sq. ft., has two floors, and 1.5 bathrooms. It's more than enough space for two people, and is still comfortable with guests on our pullout couch.
Sure it's nowhere near the size of an average single-family home (2,600+ sq. ft.!?), but not all people need (or want) that space. I for one don't envy their heating bills.
By hux on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 1:53pm.
Sorry but I also work in architecture, and for new units that are not specifically approved and marketed as "micro-units" then 700 sq. ft. really is tiny for a 2-bed unit.
Micro-units going up around the city are generally 350 sq. ft, so yes these are absolutely tiny, and for reference the code minimum dwelling unit size used to be 450 sq. ft before the restrictions were loosened for micro-units.
This is also an area with larger single and multi-family homes, not the North End, which is much more dense, and an area in which units of this size would make more sense.
I grew up in a 3br mobile home with less than 700 square feet.
My husband grew up in the first floor of a two family home which had about 750 square feet if you included the glassed in porch where his parents slept. He and his brother had the bedroom and his sister slept on the couch.
I'm sorry - 700 square foot 2 br apartments sound just fine by me. In fact, these used to be considered normal for a family of 4 or five, and there are a lot of them in the Boston area.
Just like our 1344 square foot bungalow is actually quite comfy and large for 4 people.
(swirlygrrl, not logged in)
whataboutism?
By hux on Thu, 12/20/2018 - 9:07am.
That's great you and your husband grew up where you did, but it doesn't actually matter. People grow up in all kinds of conditions, including some pretty horrendous slums. That doesn't mean it's okay, or that you should encourage others to do the same.
Post was on topic
You simply have no justification for your Texas Sized Apartment fixation.
I don't think that word means
By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 12/20/2018 - 9:12pm.
What you think it does.
It is not "whataboutism" to directly rebut your argument.
Your not wanting to be challenged is not the same as somebody making an off-topic distraction.
What hux said, in a Boston context
Boston has a trailer park. This is nowhere near it.
Based on what gets approved by the BPDA and the zoning board these days, yes, 700 square feet for a two-bedroom is small. Yes, people in Hong Kong survive in even smaller units and maybe it's time Boston come into the 21st century or whatever, but until City Hall (i.e., Marty Walsh and the BPDA and maybe the Zoning Commission, which is different from the ZBA) make more of a push for micro units than a few feints towards them in the Seaport (where, surprise, they're not really that much cheaper than "regular" units), this is what the zoning board has to work with - especially in, oh, a part of JP where the units tend to be larger.
Speaking of the zoning board, it's kind of interesting that the size of the units was NOT one of the violations the property owner had to seek a variance for (apologies for not putting that in the original post, it just hit me that the violations had to do with the front-yard dimensions and visibility for drivers at the corner there). Araujo asked Pisani if "design review" (in which BPDA planners meet with the developer's architect) could fix the violations. Pisani said no and the rest of the board (with one exception) agreed.
This to me is one of the more
This to me is one of the more backwards things about the ZBA process. One would think that the purpose of a variance-triggered review would be to discuss THE VARIANCES and whether or not they were contextually appropriate. As such I think it would be a completely reasonable requirement that rejection criteria be limited to things directly related to the variances in question. This business where the ZBA can essentially invent new regulations from scratch on the spot because you're asking for a slightly smaller side-yard is absolutely begging for abuse (by which of course I mean corruption).
In a Boston context?
There are several 6-8 person extended families in my neighborhood living in 900 sq ft. 3 brs and 700 sq ft 2 brs. that are standard for the area.
Upstairs from me is a 900 sf flat that has an extra br expanded onto the porch and a family with 6 kids.
This is Boston. This is TRADITIONAL Boston.
You have some kind of sickness
By Will LaTulippe on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 5:09pm.
To want to tell other people what size their home has to be.
I'm not trying to tell people
I'm not trying to tell people how big their homes need to be because we have zoning laws and building codes that already do that.
If you want to dive into one of your absurdist libertarian rants about "the rule of law" and how bad zoning laws and buildings codes are, and how dare we tell people how big their homes should be, you should probably do a little research into why we have them to begin with.
"I'm not trying to tell people how big their homes need to be because we have zoning laws and building codes that already do that."
Except there are ABSOLUTELY NO ZONING LAWS OR BUILDING CODES that say that these units are too small.
Only YOUR WALLET says they are too small, even if your obsession with excessive space is one more thing ruining the planet.
Stop using public health as a strawman. 550 square foot 1br or a 700 square foot 2br is pretty standard in the world and isn't squalid unless you have sixteen dogs. A small unit is not slum living.
Didn't your architecture program make you go to Europe? Actually see thing? Or Did U of Okla teach you that everything needed to be a wallmart or a giant boxes?
It's ordinary for zoning
By anon on Mon, 12/24/2018 - 12:31pm.
It's ordinary for zoning rules to have restrictions on the size of housing units.
"tiny" cont.
By Ari O on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 2:31pm.
I like how the BZA gets to define what the market will bear. No one spoke against it, but they think it's too small, so it's too small.
700 SF would be, say, one 10*12 bedroom, one 10*10 bedroom, a 10*20 living/dining room, a 10*8 bathroom, a 10*15 kitchen and a 10*5 foyer.
Sorry, that's too tiny. We'll build a 1200 SF unit with a master bathroom with his and hers sinks and it will cost $3000/mo in rent.
Top 4 reasons why Anthony
By dvg on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 6:46pm.
Top 4 reasons why Anthony “let them eat cake” Pisani needs to be thanked for his service on the ZBA board. I am sure there are more, and you are welcome to help by adding to this list. I am seriously considering starting a petition for his removal.
1 -He is too old (75) and clearly doesn’t understand the 21St century. I don’t’ think that he’s aware that Boston has a housing shortage and acute affordability crisis for instance. He doesn't understand the challenge of finding a place to live for those of us who were born well after the Franklin Roosevelt administration.
2 -For someone who holds so much influence, his architect credentials are -well, just try to look up his website at www.pisani.com and decide for yourself.
3 -He is unable to conceive that plenty of people are, or would be perfectly content to live in something much smaller and less fossil fuel guzzling than his 3065 sqft/$2-million single family house in JP.
4 -In spite of the serious deficiencies mentioned above, he is by far the most influential ZBA board member. In most cases most board members won’t say a word, but more often than not, Pisani, a man with a lot of antiquated notions, is the one with the last word.
You beat me to it
He owns a house? No wonder he opposes this: It's a threat to his shelter profiteering investment. Pig. His generation is the absolute worst.
What happened to the Herald's payroll database? What do we all pay this guy at gunpoint to play God?
By ABBQ on Thu, 12/20/2018 - 9:24am.
You don't need the Herald, you can look things up yourself:
https://www.macomptroller.org/cthru
On another note, the ZBA does not have a stipend, which I assume to mean it's a volunteer position.
https://www.boston.gov/departments/inspectional-services/zoning-board-ap...
It appears there are openings, perhaps you want to apply?
The ZBA memebers do get a
By money bags on Thu, 12/20/2018 - 12:30pm.
The ZBA memebers do get a stipend if the go to " meetings'.
Can you show where/how you know this?
By ABBQ on Fri, 12/21/2018 - 10:57am.
I can't find it. On the page I linked it says Stipend: $0.00. And I did try other links but I see nothing about an above $0 stipend.
By Parkwayne on Wed, 12/19/2018 - 5:12pm.
Per city of Boston assessing his single family house in JP is only worth $1.1M.
And what's Zillow's estimate?
City of Boston assessments
City of Boston assessments are notoriously under current market conditions (which, granted, are way out of whack with any kind of fundamental valuation, but still).
For anyone who would like to
By eherot on Thu, 12/20/2018 - 1:17am.
For anyone who would like to hear this ridiculousness play out in all of its absurdity, here's a link to the hearing starting at the beginning of this project's testimony.
It's interesting to note how throughout the rest of the hearing Araujo is very adamant that public comments be limited to strictly technical terms, a standard that she does not hold herself or her fellow board members to at all when she explains why she doesn't like this project.
It's also quite clear that the original framers of the "neighborhood shopping" subdistrict had something very different in mind than what this ZBA seems to be able to envision.
eherot, you nailed it. Rules
By dvg on Thu, 12/20/2018 - 9:58am.
eherot, you nailed it. Rules only apply to the ZBA board when it suits its members. And thank you for providing a link to the starting of the case.
Two months ago, with BPDA blessing. the City approved a Compact Housing Pilot program that conditionally allows for housing units with much smaller square footage in any part of the city. Details are available here:
https://www.boston.gov/departments/new-urban-mechanics/housing-innovatio...
There are actually a lot of smart, progressive, dedicated and open minded folks in this administration. But this is all wasted effort if at the end of a long and expensive process a developer gets suddenly stopped by a capricious ZBA member. How often do you find a project like this with no neighborhood opposition? At watching this video, it is quite clear to me that this case would have passed if Pisani had not gone on a tangent and swayed the rest of the board with him with his comment that doesn't even deal with a zoning issue.
Adam, in case you are reading this far, for future cases, could you please indicate the case's starting time as commenter eherot just did? -so one doesn't have to look thru 4 or 5 hours of video? This is a very interesting piece and thank you for reporting on it.
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Women’s History Month: From the Desk of Susie S. Porter
Susie S. Porter is an Associate Professor of History and Gender Studies at University of Utah and a co-editor of a document reader in Mexican history and of two collections of essays. Her current research is on telephone operators, who were one of the most combative groups of workers in 1920s Mexico City. Porter teaches community organizing through the Westside Leadership Institute (Spanish-language class); and, she serves as a country conditions expert in asylum cases. She is the author of From Angel to Office Worker: Middle-Class Identity and Female Consciousness in Mexico, 1890–1950. For more information on her work, please visit her faculty page.
When I was young, my mother worked at home and worked part-time in a medical office typing dictation. Before I turned thirteen she was a single mother and worked as a secretary to the president of a newspaper agency. I was in awe of the little notes written in shorthand that she tucked away in her purse along with train tickets, lipstick, and cinnamon gum. I never learned to type as fast as she does, and my spelling and grammar skills do not compare. Over the course of my life, my class status and identity have changed, in part affected by when my mother was married, and how she, as a woman, moved through school and the work force. While I knew that my mother struggled to make ends meet for us, her closeness to power and prestige within the office where she worked gave me a sense of access to a class status beyond the circumstances of my day-to-day life. That my mother’s, and my, class status and identity were contingent on such circumstances made me think about how women relate to class differently than men.
I think a lot about work. I have worked as a bartender, waitress, house cleaner, cashier, baby sitter, secretary, and stuffing jelly doughnuts at a bakery. While there was much to love in all of these jobs, as one coworker told me, these are difficult jobs “to grow old in.” Of course, many people do grow old in such jobs. Based on that advice, I kept getting more education until I obtained a PhD and a faculty position at a university. I have now worked as a professor and an administrator, in various combinations, for some twenty-three years. The majority of us spend most of our life at work. Surely that experience shapes how we see the world and how we decide to act in it.
Two questions drive my research: 1) how do experiences of work sit at the heart of individual and societal change; and 2) how and when do people claim class identities and to what end?
From Angel to Office Worker: Middle-Class Identity and Female Consciousness in Mexico, 1890–1950 (Nebraska, 2018) celebrates the ways women who worked as secretaries organized to effect change at work and in society at large. Drawing on their experiences at work, these women wrote beautiful literature and biting feminist critiques; attended boring organizational meetings and thrilling street protests; and, they proclaimed the dignity of working mothers. While the Mexican feminist movement has been depicted as a middle-class concern with limited reach, the book urges us to see the overlapping solidarities of working and middle-class women. Indeed, at the heart of the Mexican women’s movement was a labor movement led by secretaries and office workers whose demands included respect for seniority, equal pay for equal work, and resources to support working mothers, both married and unmarried. Office workers also developed a critique of gender inequality and sexual exploitation both within and outside the workplace.
March 4, 2019 March 1, 2019 univnebpressGender Studies, Mexican history, Mexico City, women's history, Women's History Month, Women's Studies
Previous Previous post: News and Reviews
Next Next post: Women’s History Month: From the Desk of Mary Elizabeth Ailes
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Dan Savage Trusts Hillary Clinton Over Donald Trump For A Not-So-Obvious Reason
Andrew Husband
News & Culture Writer
Savage Love podcast host and syndicated columnist Dan Savage isn’t afraid to bring out the best and worst in people — be it Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera or former Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert. And with the ongoing public and political battles faced by the LGBT community‘s many facets, the famously outspoken Savage probably won’t be keeping mum anytime soon. However, as evidenced by his Monday night appearance on Colbert’s Late Show, that doesn’t mean he’s always down for a fight. Sometimes forgiveness is the best policy.
Such was the turn Savage and Colbert’s conversation took when the latter brought up the presidential election. Specifically, the comedian wanted to know his guest’s thoughts on Donald Trump. Unsurprisingly, Savage isn’t a fan:
“It’s complicated because I think Trump is a dangerous demagogue and a racist, and will be bad for queer people if he gets elected. He’ll be bad for all Americans if he gets elected… He has not really emphasized marriage equality or discriminating against LGBT people. He actually said that he opposed laws criminalizing trans people using the bathrooms that are appropriate for them to use. It’s kind of a mixed bag, though he’s surrounded himself with homophobes… He’s promised to put people on the Supreme Court who will overturn marriage equality.”
For anyone keeping score, Trump’s constant back-and-forth on marriage equality and similar issues shouldn’t come as a surprise. Hence Savage’s reluctance to “trust” the New York real estate mogul and his presidential campaign. However, when Colbert brought up whether or not he (and the LGBT community at large) could trust Hillary Clinton, Savage was far more open. This might be surprising to some because the former Secretary of State hasn’t always had the best track record on all things gay marriage.
TOPICS#Hillary Clinton#Election 2016#Donald Trump#Stephen Colbert
TAGSdan savagedonald trumpelection 2016hillary clintonLGBTSTEPHEN COLBERT
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Essay Writing Service Sample: Observing The Sky
Posted by: Write My Essay on: April 24, 2019
Observing the sky
What is an ellipse? Define it and discuss its properties.
Ellipse refers to the curve part on a plane that surrounds the two focal points which are equidistant in such a way that the summation of the distance to the focal point is equal from the origin. An ellipse is symmetrical about two perpendicular axes (Solberg 1998). The length of the minor axis of an ellipse is found by propping perpendicular to the axis from the focal points.
What causes the phases of the moon? Consider the model of the solar system while writing your answer?
The phases of the moon are triggered by the motions of the earth and moon in relation to the sun. Often, the phases occur while the earth’s surface is facing the sides of the moon and it changes over the period of 29.5days as the moon revolves around the planet earth (Cowen 2008). The figure below shows these phases (Cowen 2008).
Describe (you do not need to use numbers, the most common orbital eccentricities for planets? What about other objects in the solar system?
Eccentricity is the deviation of the revolving orbits away from the perfect circle. As described by Thales (2016), orbital eccentricity refers to the parameter by which a body that is in rotation about another has deviated from the perfect circle. Regarding the same, the value of zero is assigned to the perfect circle observed while the body makes rotation about another while the value of one is an elliptical orbit. The orbiting body with only one is described as parabolic escape orbit while the body that has a figure greater than one is then said to be hyperbola. The orbital eccentricity parameters derive the term from the conic sections since all the Kepler orbits forms the conic sections (Thales 2016). Further, the orbital eccentricity is mostly used for the two body problems but the provision is extended to the objects that follow the rosette orbit that is described in the galaxy. [“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]
In the same context, the radical trajectories are therefore described as orbital eccentricities which are hyperbolic, parabolic or elliptic, depending on the energy involved. To elucidate, it is worth noting that radial orbits have zero angular momentum. When the elliptical arcsine results to projections of significant angles it makes a perfect ellipse eccentricity characterized by the hyperbolic or parabolic.
Write an essay discussing satellites. What is a satellite, in the sense of Kepler’s laws? Define them, and discuss their motion. Describe several different kinds of satellites in the solar system. What do they consist of? Name several specific satellites. How can natural satellites be detected?
From Kepler’s principles for satellite circular motion, a satellite can be described as an object that is in orbit, rotating about the other. For instance, the moon is a satellite that orbits around the earth. However, there are two different types of satellites, the natural and the terrestrial or the human-made satellites. One of the natural satellites is the moon, but there are other artificial satellites above the earth launched by human beings. Taking into account the Kepler’s first law, planets are said to be moving around the sun in an ellipse, and thus they are satellites (Stevens 2013). On the other hand, the moon is ever in motions about the earth and thus the moon is a satellite, too. Below is the description of the moon.
The moon is a sphere that is in constant motion around the earth, the ration that takes 29.5 days while doing so; the moon gives different illations at varied angles assumed by the sun. An implication the side facing the earth receives no light from the sun, but the brightness of the moon is merely but a reflection of light from the sun. , starting from the first shape of the moon, the new moon, it happens when the moon is in a direct line between the sun and the earth. That means completely the side facing Earth receives no light but only a dim reflection at the side of the moon. Gradually is it keeps in the rotation, the more reflection from the sun begins reaching the earth. In one week’s time, the moon has drifted 90 degrees from the sun, and thus the first quarter of the moon appears. A week later, the moon is 180 degrees away from the sun making the half of the reflection on the surface of the earth? Thus a complete sphere what is called the full moon, a week later the moon has taken another quarter way from the earth to the third quarter position Hence only a quarter reflect on the earth. One week later, the moon is back to the original position and passes directly under the sun and what is experienced is the lunar eclipse.[Need an essay writing service? Find help here.]
The solar system contains 240 known moons; where tens of them orbit small heavenly bodies; four orbits dwarf planets and 163 orbits planets. Also, there are moons that orbit other moons known as moon of moons. These are typically satellites orbiting other satellites which in turn orbit a natural heavenly body. However, it is doubtful if such objects are sustainable in the long run. We also have Trojan satellites. These are satellites which occur in pairs and tend to have companion moons at their Lagragian points; about 60 degrees behind and ahead of the orbited body. Examples of these satellites include Calypso and Telesto which are the leading and following companions of Tethys. Finally, we have the asteroid moons which typically orbit around asteroids. For instance, asteroid 87 Sylvia is orbited by two moons. Majorly, all these satellites are composed of rocks. On the other hand, humans, in the quest to keep watch of all the happenings on earth, they have sent their man-made satellites in space to keep watch of the phenomena on earth. Taking Kepler’s law of gravity famously known to relate to the newton’s law of motion, it explains about the gravity and why the earth is centrally revolving about the sun.
In particular, there are several individual satellites within the solar system; around 240 as explored above. These can be categorized into 3; satellites of planets, satellites of dwarf planets and others. Satellites of satellites include the moon that orbits the earth, Ganymede, Callisto, lo and Europa that orbits planet Jupiter. The planet also has other satellites which include; Almathea, Himalia, Thebe, Elara, Pasiphae, Carme, Metis, among others. It has at least 47 moons. Mars has two moons; Deimos and Phobos. Saturn has at least 21 moons among them being Siarnaq, Albiorix, Helene, Pan, Atlas, Telesto, Calypso, Paaliaq, Kiviuq, Ymir, Tarvos, Erriapo and Ijiraq. Dwarf planet satellites include; Charon, Dysnomia, Hydra and Nix.
The disturbance that moons usually create in the surrounding ring materials is what is usually and commonly used to detect them. Some, like the moon, can be detected by the light they reflect from their surface.
Describe the difficulties to human life in space caused by resource usage. What methods can be used to overcome these issues?
Human life in space has been made harder because of the influx of the greenhouse gasses that are lighter than oxygen hence rises to space. The gasses, apart from being poisonous, hold the infrared rays from the sun instead of allowing it to be deflected back as done by the earth. This increases global warming. [“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]
Describe comets and asteroids. What are their features? What do their orbits look like?
Asteroids are icy snowballs that are in constant motion in the solar system and burn up when they reach the sun to display what looks like snow (Easterbrook, 2008). Comets are large bodies that look like a burning mass towards the earth’s surface and have heads and tail (Easterbrook, 2008). Both the comets and the asteroids orbit the sun.
When a very massive star dies, what types of objects can it leave behind? What are the properties of these objects?
Stars after burning up all their hydrogen fuel, they expand and then become what is famously called ‘red giants.’ After that, they degenerate and get extinct.
What is the importance of learning about celestial bodies?
Learning about the celestial bodies helps understand and explain the natural phenomena in the solar system like the lunar and solar eclipse and the moon shapes. It also helps explain the truth about the existence of the solar system and the events that led to that to eliminate the myths and theories surrounding it.
The extra-solar planets we have discovered are mostly what type of planets. Why?
Extrasolar planets are those planets that orbit other stars apart from the sun and are considered habitable planets as seen through the Kepler’s microscope. Others that do not orbit the earth are called rogue planets.
Describe some (at least two) of the laboratory facilities available on the International Space Station.
Columbus laboratory and the Skylab are some of the international laboratories found in the international space. They are far high in space although can be seen by naked eyes. The laboratories have all the facilities including the cooling facilities and telephone like booths that can be used for communication.
Describe the partnership that resulted in the International Space Station. What countries participate in running the station?
International space laboratory is owned by over fifteen nations that amalgamate together on basis of the political, economic and financial agreements. The United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Germany and France are some of the countries in the corporation.[Click Essay Writer to order your essay]
What is a planetarium? What would a planetarium show consist of?
A planetary is a theater constructed majorly to avail astronomy information, give training regarding celestial navigation and offers entertainment shows with regard to celestial (NASA selects global best in class winners for the international space apps challenge 2013).
NASA selects global best in class winners for the international space apps challenge. (2013). Professional Services Close – Up,
Patents; researchers submit patent application, “texture analysis of a coated surface using kepler’S planetary motion laws”, for approval. (2015). Politics & Government Week, , 11401.
Cowen, R. (2008, Jul 05). ExtraSolar. Science News, 174, 16-21. Retrieved from Easterbrook, G. (2008, 06). The sky is falling. The Atlantic Monthly, 301, 74-78,80,82-84.
Solberg, D., & Lekkas, V. P. (1998). Drawing an ellipse around risks. Secondary Mortgage Markets, 15(1), 39-42. Retrieved from
Stevenson, B. C., & Millar, R. B. (2013). Promising the moon? evaluation of indigenous and lunar fishing calendars using semiparametric generalized mixed models of recreational catch data. Environmental and Ecological Statistics, 20(4), 591-608.
Thales; patent issued for propulsion system with four modules for satellite orbit control and attitude control (USPTO 9387942). (2016). Telecommunications Weekly, Retrieved from
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Home / News / CHRISTOPHER THE CONQUERED¹S DEBUT ALBUM I¹M GIVING UP ON ROCK & ROLL NOW AVAILABLE
CHRISTOPHER THE CONQUERED¹S DEBUT ALBUM I¹M GIVING UP ON ROCK & ROLL NOW AVAILABLE
RJ Frometa May 13, 2016 News Leave a comment 51 Views
Multi-instrumentalist Christopher the Conquered has released his latest album I’m Giving Up on Rock & Roll via Maximum Ames Records. The nine-track record has already caught the eye of Ryan Adams who called Christopher ‘crazy and incredible.’ Christopher teamed up with Patrick Tape Fleming to create a sound that Alternative Press has compared to Ben Folds, Elton John, and Tori Amos. The album is available in stores as well as online via all digital retailers including iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/im-giving-up-on-rock-roll/id1085748219.
“I’ve put everything I have into this record. Every last bit of emotional, creative, and financial capital to make it right. I couldn’t be more proud of the album, and the team that helped make it, and I’m just incredibly happy to see it out in the world, into people’s ears and, hopefully, their hearts,” explains Christopher.
I’m Giving Up on Rock & Roll was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis and comes on the heels of a successful EP, which has accumulated over 300K plays across all digital platforms. Having already developed a skeleton of the record in his Iowa basement, Christopher only took nine days to record this special release.
Christopher will be heading out on a US tour in support of the new release. His live shows have been garnering him attention around the globe. He wrapped a 10-week European tour that took him throughout Germany and Italy at the beginning of the year. The US tour will be making stops in Omaha, Des Moines, Indianapolis and New York to name a few. Full tour information can be found at: http://www.christophertheconquered.com/upcoming-shows/.
Christopher’s passion for music began when he was growing up in an Iowa town of just 1,300. He got his first taste of music listening to Motown and classic rock & roll with his parents and repeatedly watching Disney classics like The Lion King and The Jungle Book on repeat. A self-taught musician, Christopher plays drums, trumpet, piano, guitar, and even audited a college Jazz History class at just 12-years-old alongside his dad. The Iowa singer, songwriter, and performer has crafted a declaratory musical statement that’s impossible to ignore.
www.christophertheconquered.com
CHRISTOPHER THE CONQUERED ON TOUR
Wooly’s
OLeavers
Des Moines Arts Festival (with Gin Blossoms)
Englert Theatre
July 23rd
Company Brewing
Daytrotter Moeller Monday
Champaign, IL
Library House
August 2nd
Montreal, CAN
Mercury Lounge
Amityville Music Hall
Bedlam Theatre
Previous INTERVIEW: Hearts of Oak
Next SKYLAB 3 PREMIERES CINEMATIC MUSIC VIDEO FOR “A VIEW FROM ABOVE”
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Home / News / Tom Freund and Ben Harper Release New Music Video
Tom Freund and Ben Harper Release New Music Video
Tom Freund enlisted Ben Harper for this cover of Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open The Door,” which is particularly poignant at this moment. Freund notes, “Ben and I go way back to 1991 when I first came to Pitzer College in Claremont where Ben’s family owned a legendary music store in town called Folk Music Center. A mutual friend introduced us and we immediately started jamming and playing long nights together, in front of collegiate crowds and even with Taj Mahal, when he visited my school. We made a duo record called Pleasure and Pain on Cardas Records in 1992. We continue to be in each other’s lives as best friends, through the ages, and with our families. He did a wonderful job producing my album Collapsible Plans in 2008, where we also invited Jackson Browne to participate on a few songs. This video is a culmination of our adventures on the road, from a show in a 12th century Italian castle to a basement club in New York, to me and my daughter on a ferry boat and playing handball on Long Island. Ben and I love this Pete Towshend song and have been doing it for several years on the road, duet style with me on ukulele and him on lap steel guitar. It seems to really hit home, the lyrics and groove, resonating with the fans, so we felt It was time to take it into the studio.”
Harper adds, “Tom and I are lifelong collaborators. As much brothers as friends. We have known one another longer than we haven’t. I hold him and his artistry dear. Anytime Tom calls for a session it’s an honor. Even considering our camaraderie, he has his pick of ‘first call’ players who all love playing with him, so I jump at the chance. Tom had been doing ‘Let My Love Open The Door’ in his live show. When we’d tour together, he would invite me to sit in on the song during his set, and we’d do it as a duo: ukulele and lap steel, and of course those two instruments of Hawaiian origin were born to be played together. Each time we’d play it live was more fun than the last, and that carried over into the studio recording. I feel the recorded version captures the essence of those live versions we did. And to get to play with one of the greatest living drummers: Matt Johnson, that’s the crowning jewel.”
Previous NVDES Announces Better Places Tour w/ Pierce Fulton, Summer Dates w/ RAC + EP Out Now
Next ALL TIED UP DROP NEW VIDEO
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VotewinnerUK
In Search of Common Sense
BREXIT – OUR INDEPENDENT FUTURE
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people…” Abraham Lincoln, President of the USA.
Government of the British people, by the unelected Brussels people, for the Washington people – Barack Hussein Obama, President of the USA
“We will create more wealth and more jobs by being outside the EU. We will be in control of our destiny. And control, I think is the most important thing in life and business” James Dyson, entrepreneur and inventor (Dyson is the No 1 brand leader in the German vacuum cleaner market)
As EU referendum day approaches, many voters are still undecided and feel there is little impartial information available to help them decide whether to vote Leave or Remain. With less than one week to go, the debate has come down to a few key issues and the Remain campaign sees our future as either keeping the status quo or “a leap in the dark”. The overview below provides an at-a-glance summary of the issues and factual commentary on them.
IMMIGRATION – The Remain camp is silent on immigration although 250,000 EU immigrants arrive here every year. David Cameron cannot explain how he reconciles his promise to cut immigration with his support of the EU’s freedom of movement zone. Mr.Cameron has committed himself to the acceleration of Turkey’s membership of the EU as well as visa-free access to the EU for all Turkish nationals from the end of June. Based on previous experience following the accession of new EU members, Britain can expect an influx of millions arriving in this country, the impact of which seems unimportant to Remain supporters
DEMOCRACY – Again, the Remain camp is silent on this fundamental issue. The stated objective of the EU (as per the Five Presidents Report) is ever closer union. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government” but the government of the EU as a whole has never been submitted to the will of the people. For the euro to survive, its users must become one country with a single economic, fiscal and legal framework determined by its government in Brussels. The minority non-euro countries such as Britain will either have to abandon their currencies or be completely sidelined. “There can be no democratic choice against the European treaties” Jean-Claude Junker, EU Commission President.
TRADE & JOBS – Remain states that EU membership means a stronger economy with 3 million jobs linked to our trade with the EU and this would be put at risk if we vote Leave. But why should it? The free market, cosmopolitan, pro-globalisation economic case for leaving is stronger than ever. Research shows that nearly 70% of small and medium sized businesses feel that the EU is a hindrance rather than a help. The Adam Smith institute says “leaving would be a journey, not a big bang. In the short term a Brexit would almost certainly mean the UK remaining in the European Economic Area (EEA), like Norway.” Over a subsequent period, the UK would negotiate a more appropriate British free trade agreement. Britain imports nearly £300 billion of goods and services from Europe each year therefore it is imperative for Europe to reach a satisfactory trade deal with the UK to safeguard millions of mainland Europe jobs. It can be argued that in fact, the EU as a free trade entity is passed its sell-by date as global traders can operate under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation, the ILO (labour regs),the UN (standards) and the WHO (health).
SAFER – Remain claims that the UK is safer by being a member of the EU, essentially because of the existence of the European Arrest Warrant (which can be used to deport people) and because there’s strength in numbers. The evidence on the ground confirms the opposite is the case. “The greatest threat to our social stability at the moment is the fact that we have weakened our border controls at a time when they should have been strengthened. As a result, much more serious organised crime, controlled from abroad, is operating in the UK. And as the EU increases its membership, the situation can only worsen.” Anthony Stansfield, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner. The EU is also intent on forming its own army and foreign policy (as declared in Article 42 of the Lisbon Treaty). Nato is the most successful military alliance in history because of the deterrent effect of US membership but the EU is planning to revert to the uncertainties of the pre-Nato era; look no further than the Ukraine situation. “If the Euro-oligarchs get their way, sooner or later we shall find we no longer have the freedom to deploy our Armed Forces as we choose” Major General Julian Thompson, Royal Marines.
As 23rd June Referendum Day approaches, it becomes increasingly clear that the status quo is not an option. The EU is facing an ongoing economic and social crisis and is desperate to accelerate it total political integration agenda. The disastrous misgovernment of the eurozone has resulted in a huge economic downturn which shows no signs of ending. Southern Europe and Italy in particular are on the verge of social and financial meltdown which will necessitate further gigantic bailout contributions from all the northern EU membership. No-one can predict the future, so how best to deal with the inevitable uncertainties of our ongoing relationship with the EU and protect the interests of the British people? Is it to remain in the EU and let Brussels carry on with its United States of Europe mission, its political experiment aimed at creating an empire whilst ignoring the destructive consequences of its actions? Or is it to vote Leave and return self government to Britain thereby saving the British people billions of pounds which can be used to to focus on what’s best for the future of Britain? Brexit is not a leap in the dark, it’s a logical and necessary step for Britain to realise its full potential in the global economy – VOTE LEAVE for a bright future.
This entry was posted in European Union, Government Policy, UK Economy, Uncategorized and tagged border control, British Economy, EU, European Commission, Free Trade Associations, government, immigration on June 10, 2016 by silentmaj.
← EU Referendum – Remain in because… BREXIT – THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE →
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Home | Resources | Ecumenical Books: Archive Bibliography | 2016 Books
New Books of Note in Ecumenism in 2016
Slipper, Callan. Enriched by the Other: A Spiritual Guide to Receptive Ecumenism. Cambridge: Grove Books, 2016.
This 28-page booklet, written by an Anglican priest living in a Focolare community, is a study in Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17, informed by the teachings of Chiare Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement. This introductory piece, in six chapters with questions at the end of each chapter, could be made into a parish study on ecumenism.
Denaux, Adelbert, Nicholas Sagovsky & Charles Sherlock, eds. Looking towards a Church Full Reconciled: The Final Report of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission 1983-2005 (ARCIC II). London: SPCK, 2016.
Three ARCIC II members compiled this anthology. Part A presents the text of the five Agreed Statements of ARCIC II (Salvation and the Church, Church as Communion, Life in Christ, The Gift of Authority, and Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ). Part B analyzes the theological themes in the ARCIC II documents: use of Scripture, doctrinal methods, theological themes, and the koinonia ecclesiology in ARCIC I and II. Part C seeks to tell the story of the meetings of the ARCIC II Commission, the topics that were addressed, and how they functioned. An appendix provides the text of the Common Declarations by the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Kasper, Walter. Martin Luther: An Ecumenical Perspective. New York: Paulist Press, 2016.
The author, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, summarizes his purpose in writing this brief, 41-page book: “Before we speak of Luther’s relevance today, we must engage with his person and work to locate him in the changed situation of both churches and ecumenism. We have to be aware of the strangeness of the world in which Luther lived, as well as the strangeness of his message. I will argue that it is precisely the strangeness of Luther and his message that makes him so relevant to ecumenical relations today” (p. 2).
Wood, Susan K. and Timothy J. Wengert. A Shared Spiritual Journey: Lutherans and Catholics Traveling toward Unity. New York: Paulist Press, 2016.
As background for the Reformation 500th anniversary, this book seeks to summarize the history of the shared Roman Catholic and the Lutheran ecumenical journey from Martin Luther to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. It then addresses convergences and differences in Scripture and tradition, sacraments, ministry, and church. The Lutheran and Catholic co-authors then offer their vision for an ecumenical future based on a relationship of full communion that would maintain the distinctive identities of each tradition.
Flett, John G. Apostolicity: The Ecumenical Question in World Christian Perspective. Missiological Engagements Series. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic Press, 2016.
This published Habilitationsschrift argues that the language of schism and restoration/recognition in ecumenical understandings of apostolicity are inadequate to address “the polycentrism and pluriformity of world Christianity” (p. 329) and that they reflect a colonialist perspective. The author asserts that “A solution to the ecumenical problem [of apostolicity] requires a better parsing and incorporation of the lived cultural appropriations of the gospel” (p. 332).
Kim, Grace Ji-Sun, ed. Making Peace with the Earth: Action and Advocacy for Climate Justice. Geneva: World Council of Churches Publications, 2016.
Arising from the World Council of Churches’ 2014 Climate Change Working Group, this rich anthology “gathers the stories and expertise of activists, theologians, and faith-based organizations to inspire, guide, and encourage churches and church people everywhere in grassroots work and advocacy for climate justice…and related issues of health, human rights, land and deforestation, food security, migration, divestment, as well as creation spirituality and theology” (back cover). There are eighteen essays in three sections: 1) Churches Respond to Climate Change; 2) Eco-Theology and Climate Justice, and 3) Interfaith Initiatives and Care for the Earth; an epilogue by Ernst Conradie offers “Theological Reflections on Ecumenical Action and Advocacy on Climate Change.”
Maxson, Natalie. Journey for Justice: The Story of Women in the WCC. Geneva: World Council of Churches Publications, 2016.
The first half of the book is a narrative history of the involvement of women in the World Council of Churches from 1930 to the 2000s; the second half provides compelling “biographies and testimonies from sisters and brothers in the struggle,” and concludes with an ecumenical timeline of events, leaders and publications that highlight the contributions and accomplishments of women in the ecumenical movement, from 1895-2015.
New books of Note in Ecumenism, March 30, 2016
Chapman, Mark D. & Miriam Haar. Pathways for Ecclesial Dialogue in the Twenty-First Century: Revisiting Ecumenical Method. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.
“This collection is the second volume of essays that began life as short presentations at the conference of the Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network, ‘Where We Dwell in Common,’ which took place in Assisi, Italy, from April 17 to 20, 2012, which was explicitly intended to reignite the flame of ecumenical dialogue (p.1)…The overall aim of the gathering at Assisi was to discern new ways, means, and methods for advancing the dialogical cause” (p. 5).
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Intramuros (Manila Cathedral - Palacio del Gobernador)
Roy Alvarez
Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the Pasig River, was built by the Spaniards in the 16th century and is the oldest district of the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Its name, in Latin, intramuros, literally "within the walls", meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress, also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish colonial period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intramuros
The Manila Cathedral
The Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica (also known as the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and informally as Manila Cathedral) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. It is located in the Intramuros district of Manila in the Philippines. The cathedral has been damaged and destroyed several times since the original cathedral was built in 1581; the sixth and current incarnation of the cathedral was completed in 1958 and was consecrated as a minor basilica in 1981. It is dedicated to Saint Mary under the title Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Philippines.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Cathedral
Residence and office of the governor general. Although the site for the governor’s palace facing the Plaza Mayor had been determined early on, no structure was built on it until the late 17th century. In the beginning, the governor’s residence was apparently built nearer Fort Santiago, facing Plaza Militar.
The palace was rebuilt at its present site by Gov. Gen. Fausto Cruzat y Góngora (1690-1701) following an atrial plan, divided by a wing that bisected the open atrium. The southern half housed the governor’s residence on the superior floor and the Secretaría de Gobierno on the lower floor, while the northern half housed the Real Audiencia or Supreme Court. The Audiencia occupied the northern wing until it acquired a building of its own in 1788.
In 1850, Gov. Gen. Narciso Claveria gave the palace a new façade in the Neoclassical idiom. The earthquake of 1863 damaged the palace. Plans to restore it were abandoned when another earthquake in 1880 struck Manila. By then the governor had transferred residence to Malacañang in the San Miguel district, upstream of the Pasig.
The building was in ruins until its remaining walls were integrated into 14-story building, called Palacio del Gobernador. The structure houses government offices and the Intramuros Administration.
- http://intramuros2007.wordpress.com/2007/02/18/palacio-del-gobernador
Copyright: Roy Alvarez
Tags: manila cathedral; palacio; palacio del gobernador; intramuros; manila; royalvarez
More About Philippines
The World : Asia : Philippines
The Philippines are an archipelago of more than seven thousand islands off the southeast coast of Asia. Only half of these islands have been named and roughly one thousand are inhabited. Look at how beautiful they are! People first arrived here from the mainland around 25,000 B.C. by crossing a land bridge which existed at the time.The name comes from Ferdinand Magellan of Portugal, who explored the Philippines in 1521. He claimed them in service of Spain, naming them after Prince Philip. Spain controlled the Philippines for the next 350 years until the Philippine Revolution of 1896.Here's a picture of Fort Santiago, where the national hero Jose Rizal was imprisoned prior to his execution. He was a poet and novelist who supported peaceful reform, rather than violent revolution, against the Spanish government.This is one of poems in which he describes the creation of the world, as a gift to his mother:"Say they that tell of the world, the first dawn of the sun, the first kiss that his bosom inflamed, when thousands of beings surged out of nothing, and peopled the depths, and to the heights mounted, to wherever his fecund kiss was implanted"Violent revolution broke out anyway and the Philippines changed hands from Spanish, to American, to Japanese control over the next fifty years. Following World War Two they finally became an independent republic.Back to the beautiful ocean! You can dream about the Cafe Del Mar resort next time you find your screen saver kicking in when you're still sitting at the desk staring blankly. There's a series of DJ mixes with this title but I don't know if it refers to the same place. I would not be surprised.Annnnd to really get you buying your plane tickets...the sunset over Borocay White Beach!Text by Steve Smith.
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Ojos de mi Hija – Eyes of My Daughter from Wendy’s new album “Metamorphosis”
with Peter Walters, Clint Allen, Paul Henderson and Mark Henman.
https://wendymurray.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/08-Ojos-de-mi-Hija.m4a
Wendy’s songwriting is unique. Her songs are lyrical poems inspired by life. They speak directly to people’s hearts.
“My music just does whatever it likes, goes wherever it likes, says anything it wants, whenever it likes … as I can only dream of doing. I may live vicariously through my compositions and there is pure freedom for me in that unconditional, unrestricted place”
“Unexpected melodies juxtapose beautifully with brooding lyrics”
“Wendy’s songs are beautiful, mad, hopeful, despairing and dark … like life”
Wendy’s latest CD Metamorphosis showcases depth of emotion and the beauty of her voice. It pays tribute to the musicianship, arranging and recording skills of Peter Walters – bass. Poet and artist Colin Robertson wrote the lyric to the title track Metamorphosis.
https://wendymurray.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/09-Metamorphosis.m4a
Recorded live and in collaboration with Brisbane’s fine guitarist Jamie Clark in 2004 at the Brisbane Powerhouse. Eyes of My Daughter and Desire, Desiring, Desired.
https://wendymurray.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/07-Ojos-de-mi-Hija-eyes-of-my-daughter.mp3 https://wendymurray.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/12-Desire-Desiring-Desired.m4a
Finalist in the 2006 Q-Song Awards for Angel Wings written in 1993.
Angel Wings was also included on the AIR Jazz Sampler in 2006
https://wendymurray.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/02-Angel-Wings-.m4a
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Brainerd Day Trip: Safari North Wildlife Park
Camels and camel rides are just one of many things to see and do at Safari North. Photo courtesy of Safari North.
Want to take a walk on the wild side? Safari North Wildlife Park lets you do just that as you observe and encounter a wide variety of animals at the area's newest zoo, now open for the season. Just a little over a half hour from the Whitefish Chain, Safari North is a great attraction for the whole family. You'll be amazed at all the fun to be had!
Safari North, located just south of Brainerd/Baxter on Highway 371, has animals from all over the world, including North America, Asia, Africa, South America and Australia. You'll be able to see everything from fierce tigers and lions to friendly giraffes and parakeets.
Safari North's exhibits are grouped by the animals' typical geographic home. The South America exhibit has animals never seen in the wilds of Minnesota, including macaws and kinkajous, as well as llamas, rhea (large birds similar to emus or ostriches), and porcupines with prehensile tails.
The Australia exhibit has marsupial favorites like kangaroos and wallabies, as well as the "laughing" kookaburra bird, parakeets and emus. On the Africa trail, you'll find flamingos, camels, hyenas, warthogs, tortoises, zebras and many kinds of African birds.
The North America exhibit includes some animals more commonly seen even in the Whitefish Area, including foxes, raccoons and porcupines, but also includes more exotic North American animals, like grizzlies, alligators, cougars, wolves and more. And don't forget about the Asia trail, with water buffalo, antelope, two kinds of leopards and tigers!
This year, Safari North has some new exhibits, including a new waterfowl exhibit with a covered bridge, more monkeys to enjoy and gemstone mining!
At Safari North, you get to do more than just look at the animals. You can feed carrots to Puzzles the giraffe from an elevated platform. Or, hang out with hundreds of parakeets in the parakeet landing exhibit, where the birds will fly around you and perhaps even perch on your shoulder. Take a camel or pony ride, or pet farm animals at the Barnyard Petting Zoo. You can even feed a white tail deer, getting up close with one of Minnesota's favorite native animals.
Feed Puzzles the giraffe carrots at Safari North. Photo courtesy of Safari North.
Then, stop off at the Snack Shack for pizza, slushies, candy bars, pop, nachos and a wide variety of ice cream treats.
If your family is still full of energy, the fun's not over yet. At the new gemstone mining activity, purchase a bag of mining rough that's enriched with gemstones from around the world, then use a screen-bottom box at the mining sluice to wash away the soil, and the gemstones will magically appear! There are also several photo opportunities with large animal statues, a playground for the kids and a dino dig.
Safari North began its season May 15 and will be open until Oct. 1. Their hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Adult tickets are$14.99 and children 2-12 years old are $9.99. Parking is free and wagon rentals area available. If you are a resident or frequent visitor to the area, season passes are also available- including family passes. Safari North's Facebook page has regular updates.
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NWC championships may soon involve final tournament
Pamela London
Changes may be in the works for the Northwest Conference.
In the past two years, the NWC has turned its attention towards re-assessing the structure of each athletic season, specifically the potential addition of a conference championship tournament for soccer and baseball after changes were made to tennis.
Prior to the 2010-11 athletic season, six teams made the NWC championship tennis tournament, which was held every year at a neutral site in Yakima, Wash. In contrast, this season only four teams played in the conference championships, and the top-ranked team at the end of the regular season served as the host for the two-day tournament. This meant that on the men’s side, Whitman hosted the tournament as the number one seed; this change greatly enriched the experience for the team.
“[Hosting the conference tournament] was huge,” said men’s tennis coach Jeff Northam. “We had incredible support from the Whitman community and it helped fuel us to play our best. Honestly I think the visiting teams were a bit intimidated by having such a big crowd … Besides being an impact for the team, it was just plain old fun for us to play in front of a large rowdy crowd.”
Desire for a conference tournament has been expressed by soccer coaches on both the men’s and the women’s side. Currently, the conference champion is determined by the team with the best record at the end of the regular season; this team gets the NWC’s automatic bid to the NCAAs. The possibility of switching to having a conference tournament for soccer has emerged on and off over the last few years according to Athletics Director Dean Snider. The champion of that tournament would then get the automatic bid.
After every season, the coaches from each sport come together to discuss potential changes for the next season, and can submit proposals for approval from the NWC and the athletic directors. In order to make any conference-wide changes, a proposal must be approved by the NWC championships committee and the athletic directors from all nine schools.
“Our coaches’ groups and our various levels of governance in the conference are always looking at how to better our athletics in the conference,” said Snider. “What I’m in favor of is providing student athletes the best possible experience. I like the conference format in general because it keeps teams more engaged for longer.”
An end-of-season tournament allows the top four teams in the standings to play for the NWC’s qualifying bid to the NCAA national tournament. Having a championship tournament may also improve the NWC’s chances of sending multiple teams to the NCAAs.
“I believe that the positive side of the conference tournament is that is keeps the players committed to the season for longer because you have a chance to win the automatic bid without having to win the conference outright,” said women’s soccer coach Heather Cato. “A tournament allows for the possibility of more than one team from the conference going to the NCAA tournament.”
The NWC soccer coaches are currently in the process of performing a financial evaluation, per the request of the conference championships committee, to analyze what the conference would gain or lose financially with the addition of a conference championship tournament. One speed bump that men’s and women’s soccer faces is the fact that the NWC fall sports season is only 10 weeks long, so the addition of a conference tournament would cut a week of regular season games out of the schedule. Moving the conference season up a week is not possible because the NCAA has an official start date for Division III competition.
“There are geographical issues, there are cost issues,” said Snider. “If you lose a week of competition and only have four teams that make a [conference championship] tournament, there are five teams filled with student athletes who are losing the opportunity to compete.”
“The downside of a tournament for the NWC is location of the ‘Whits’ and minimal DIII schools in the northwest area,” said Cato. “The tournament designed is to play less conference games in order to allow for the tournament within the regular season. This would mean that we would have to fly for non-conference games or play non-DIII programs, which doesn’t help our national rankings. In order to make it worth it, we would have to attempt to play DIII schools from all over the country, and these additional non-conference game would put a huge strain on the overall budget. Therefore, I would have to vote no for a tournament until it is formatted in a way that we would not lose four to six DIII games in the area or add further budget issues.”
There are several potential changes in the coming years for the NWC, and, no matter what happens, the goal of the conference and all its schools is to maintain a high level of competition and to provide a positive athletic experience for its student athletes.
“I’m in favor of great experiences for student athletes,” said Snider. “Anyway we can best serve that end is what we want to do.”
Change may or may not happen. The bottom line is that the NWC, along with its coaches and student athletes, are all looking for the best experience possible.
Tags: Cato, issue 14, Northam, northwest conference, Snider, SPORTS, Whitman College Varsity Athletics
Varsity Sports Uniforms
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Jacob F. Schoellkopf
Jacob Friedrich Schoellkopf
Jakob Friedrich Schöllkopf
Kirchheim unter Teck, Kingdom of Württemberg
Forest Lawn Cemetery
Christiana T. Duerr
Henry, Louis, Arthur, Jacob, Alfred, C. P. Hugo and Helena
Parent(s)
Gottlieb Schoellkopf
Christina Maier
Jacob Friedrich Schoellkopf (November 15, 1819 – September 15, 1899) was a pioneer in harnessing the hydroelectric power of Niagara Falls.
2.1 Tannery
2.2 Hydroelectric Power
2.3 Other business ventures
3.1 Legacy
Jacob F. Schoellkopf was born on November 15, 1819 in Kirchheim Unter Teck,[1] a small town in the Kingdom of Württemberg. He was the son of Gottlieb Schoellkopf and Christina Maier. He was educated in the town schools and at the age of 14 began learning about tanneries with his father, a large leather manufacturer, who had learned the trade from his father.[2]
After completing five years of apprenticeship, he became clerk at a mercantile house in Strassberg where he worked for two years. In 1841, he decided to try leave Germany and try his fortune in the United States. He landed in New York City at 22 years old in December 1841,[1] and was "totally unacquainted with the English language."[2]
Tannery[edit]
He started working in New York City and after two years, headed West to earn more. In 1844, with $800 (equivalent to $22,000 in 2018) of capital loaned to him by his father,[3] he moved to Buffalo, New York to begin his own business in a small leather store which he established in Mohawk Street.[2]
In 1844, he purchased a small tannery at Whites Corners (Hamburg), Erie County. In 1846, he started a sheep skin tannery in Buffalo. In 1848, he built a tannery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in association with his cousin Frederick Vogel and the firm, "G. Pfister & Co."[4]
In 1850, he became interested in the Chicago firm of "C. T. Gray & Company," operating a tannery there which continued until 1856. From 1853-54, he established tanneries at Fort Wayne, Indiana, and North Evans, New York, operating the latter for 20 years, and in 1857, he made his first large investment outside the tanning business, erecting the "North Buffalo Flouring Mills," which proved so profitable that he continued his investments with flour mills, ultimately becoming one of the largest operators of flouring mills in the Empire State.
In 1870, he bought the "Frontier Mills of Buffalo," and later erected extensive mills in Niagara Falls, New York. He did not retain many of these interests long after setting them up. His approach was to ensure they were successful and sell them at a profit to enable him to seek out new outlets for his increasing capital. However, he owed the later milling and tanning interests until his death, some being held in his own name and others as senior of the milling firm of "Schoellkopf & Matthews."[2]
Hydroelectric Power[edit]
Schoellkopf Power Station No. 3 Site in 2008
In 1877, when the Niagara Falls Canal Company went bankrupt, Schoellkopf purchased the hydraulic canal at Niagara Falls at auction for $71,000,[1] (equivalent to $1,670,000 in 2018) in order to develop a plan for utilizing the power of the Niagara river. The canal was later conveyed to a corporation known as The Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Company, which by 1882 was the first company to generate electricity from Niagara Falls.[2]
He improved the canal and put the powerhouse to commercial use. In 1881, the company completed Schoellkopf Power Station No. 1 (which would operate until 1904).[5] By 1882, Schoellkopf had seven mills along the high bank (the top edge of the Niagara Gorge north of the American Falls) all producing power from the hydraulic canal[1] which made Schoellkopf incredibly wealthy.[2] In 1891, Schoellkopf Power Station No. 2 opened directly in front of the original, in the gorge below Niagara Falls, with a higher 210-foot (64 m) drop. In 1904, the company built Schoellkopf Stations No. 3A and 3B.[5] Schoellkopf was president of the company at the time of his death,[2] after which each son found a place in Schoellkopf’s various business ventures.[4]
The Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Company was later shortened to "The Hydraulic Power Company," and during World War I, the company was consolidated with the Niagara Falls Power Company, owned by Edward Dean Adams,[1] under the latter name, but with the Schoellkopf interests predominating, an enterprise involving some $62,000,000 (equivalent to $1,032,739,000 in 2018).[2]
Schoellkopf, Hartford & Hanna Co. works in Buffalo, New York, formerly the Schoellkopf Aniline and Chemical Works, ca. 1908.
Following the formation of the Niagara Falls Power Company in 1918, Schoellkopf Jr. was elected chairman of the board for the corporation, a position that he held for eighteen years. Jacob Frederick III, Paul Arthur (the son of Arthur Schoellkopf), and other third-generation members of the family also continued to be involved as directors and stockholders of the company. In 1929, they organized the Niagara Share Corporation as a trust for all the stock owned by family members. The company continued to hold stock in the power utility until 1956.[4]
Other business ventures[edit]
In 1867, he was on the Board of Directors for "Buffalo German Insurance Company" along with Henry Persch and William Hellriegel. He served as the vice president of the "Third National Bank of Buffalo",[4] and was on the boards of "Merchant Bank of Buffalo", "The German Bank of Buffalo" and "Farmer and Merchant's National Bank." In 1879, Schoellkopf started the "Schoellkopf Chemical and Dye Company" for his two sons.[1] In 1882, he was president of Buffalo's Board of Trade.[1] In the 1880s and 1890s, he served as a trustee for the Bank of Niagara and the Power City Bank, both in Niagara Falls, New York. He also held the presidency and served as a director for the Citizens’ Gas Company of Buffalo along with serving as vice president of the Buffalo, New York & Philadelphia Railroad. Lastly, he served as a trustee for the Buffalo General Hospital.[4]
The Schoellkopf Family
In 1848, Schoellkopf married Christiana T. Duerr, who was also born in Germany and came to the United States in 1842. Four of his children died in infancy and two suffered health problems and died within two years of their father.[4] Their children who lived to adulthood were:
Henry Schoellkopf (1848–1880), who married Emily Vogel in 1875[4]
Louis Schoellkopf (1855–1901)
Arthur Schoellkopf (1856–1913), who served as the 5th mayor of Niagara Falls[6]
Jacob F. Schoellkopf Jr. (1858–1942), who married Wilma Spring
Alfred Schoellkopf (1860–1901)
C. P. Hugo Schoellkopf (1862–1928)
Helen Schoellkopf (1870–1962), who married Hans Schmidt (president of "J.F. Schoellkopf Co.")[3]
Schoellkopf died "one of Buffalo's wealthiest and best known citizens"[7] in Buffalo, New York on September 15, 1899.[2] Christiana died four years later on October 13, 1903.[3]
The Schoellkopf Mansion, built in 1882, at Delaware Avenue and Allen Street in Buffalo, New York
The Schoellkopf's lived in a large mansion at 553 Delaware Avenue at Allen Street on the southeast corner. Their daughter, Helena, who married Hans Schmidt, and their three children lived in the mansion until they moved to a new mansion in Derby, New York in 1914. The house was sold to Harlow C. Curtiss, who transformed the home into a boarding house.[3]
In September 1906, the bridge last built over the hydraulic canal at Third street was named the "Schoellkopf Bridge" and at a public ceremonial on December 9, 1908, during the administration of Mayor Anthony C. Douglass, the "Schoellkopf Memorial Tablets" on that bridge were unveiled in his honor.[2]
Schoellkopf Field, a 25,000-seat stadium in Ithaca, New York on the campus of Cornell University, bears Schoellkopf's name; his grandson Henry had played and coached at Cornell.
In 1930, Jacob F. Schoellkopf Jr. endowed[4] the "Jacob F. Schoellkopf Medal", the oldest award given by any local section, that recognizes a person who has fostered the objectives or activities of the American Chemical Society. The medalist’s contribution may be a discovery pertaining to chemistry, or an invention of a plan, process, or device, useful, valuable, or significant in the theory or practice of chemistry, or distinguished service to the Western New York Section.[8]
Arthur Schoellkopf
Jacob F. Schoellkopf Jr.
Henry Schoellkopf Reuss
Frederick Vogel
Schoellkopf Power Station
Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Company
^ a b c d e f g LaChiusa, Chuck. "Jacob F. Schoellkopf". buffaloah.com. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
^ a b c d e f g h i j Williams, Edward T. (1923). Official Record of the Niagara Falls Memorial Commission. Niagara Falls, NY. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
^ a b c d Dunn, Edward T. "The Family Mansion of Jacob F. Schoellkopf". wnyheritagepress.org. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
^ a b c d e f g h Schwantes, Benjamin; Hornung, Juliane. "Jacob Frederick Schoellkopf (1819-1899)". immigrantentrepreneurship.org. German Historical Institute. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
^ a b "History - 25-Hz At Niagara Falls - End of an era on the Niagara Frontier, Part I". IEEE Power Engineering Society. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
^ Pool, William (1897). Landmarks of Niagara County, New York. Niagara County: D. Mason & Company. p. 423. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
^ "Jacob F. Schoellkopf". The New York Times. September 17, 1899. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
^ O’Sullivan, Dr. Mary. "Jacob F. Schoellkopf Medal". acs.org. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
Retrieved from "https:/w/index.php?title=Jacob_F._Schoellkopf&oldid=902481717"
American business executives
Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo
Schoellkopf family
Businesspeople from Buffalo, New York
People from the Kingdom of Württemberg
Württemberger emigrants to the United States
Related to Jacob F. Schoellkopf
Niagara River
The Niagara River is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the river's name. According to Iroquoian scholar Bruce Trigger, Niagara is derived from the name given to a branch of the locally residing native Neutral Confederacy, who are described as being called the Niagagarega people on several late-17th-century French maps of the area. According to George R. Stewart, it comes from the name of an Iroquois town called Ongniaahra, meaning "point of land cut in two".
Thorold is a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Niagara Escarpment. It is also the seat of the Regional Municipality of Niagara.
Francis R. Delano
Francis Ralph Delano was an American banker and a member of the prominent Delano family.
Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant
The Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station is a hydroelectric power station in Lewiston, New York, near Niagara Falls. Owned and operated by the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the plant diverts water from the Niagara River above Niagara Falls and returns the water into the lower portion of the river near Lake Ontario. It uses 13 generators at an installed capacity of 2,675 MW (3,587,000 hp).
Peter A. Porter
Peter Augustus Porter was a U.S. Representative from New York, and grandson of Peter Buell Porter. Porter was the son of Colonel Peter A. Porter, the Civil War hero who bravely died in the bloody Battle of Cold Harbor. Porter was one of Niagara's first native poets.
Adams Power Plant Transformer House
Adams Power Plant Transformer House in Niagara Falls, New York is a National Historic Landmarked building constructed in 1895. It is the only remaining structure that was part of the historic Edward Dean Adams Power Plant, the first large-scale, alternating current electric generating plant in the world, built in 1895. The building's eponym was Edward Dean Adams, a businessman and entrepreneur in the electrical field.
Henry Schoellkopf
Henry Schoellkopf was an American football player and coach. He was selected as an All-American fullback while attending Harvard Law School in 1903. He was the head coach of the Cornell Big Red football team from 1907 to 1908, compiling a record of 15–3–1.
Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company
Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Company was an American company, based in Niagara Falls, New York that was the first company to generate hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls in 1882. The company built upon several predecessor companies efforts to construct a canal used for hydraulic mill power. In 1918, the company merged with Niagara Falls Power Company, which later became Niagara Mohawk and in 2002 was acquired by National Grid plc.
The Schoellkopf Power Station was built on land owned by Jacob F. Schoellkopf above the Niagara Gorge near the American Falls, 1,600 feet (490 m) downriver from Rainbow Bridge. Understanding the growing need for electricity and the role of harnessing the Falls, Schoellkopf purchased the land for the hydraulic canal on May 1, 1877 for $71,000. After Schoellkopf Sr.'s death in 1903, his sons took over the operation of the power business. In 1918, Schoellkopf's Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company merged with the Niagara Falls Power Company, which was owned by Edward Dean Adams. The Plant was considered by some to be the greatest hydroelectric plant at the time. Much of the site is, as of 2014, occupied by the Maid of the Mist tour boat company as a maintenance area and off-season boat storage yard. The power station remains form a part of a fully accessible tourist attraction associated with Niagara Falls State Park and is connected with its Niagara Gorge hiking trail system.
William Caryl Ely
William Caryl Ely was an American lawyer and politician from New York.
John J. Albright
John Joseph Albright was a businessman, philanthropist, and one of Buffalo's leading socialites at the turn of the 20th century.
Frank A. Dudley
Frank Alonzo Dudley was an American lawyer, politician, hotelier and business owner associated with Niagara Falls, New York. Dudley established the United Hotels Company of America and the "Lewiston Heights" neighborhood in Lewiston, New York.
Arthur Schoellkopf was an American industrial leader who helped develop the hydroelectric resources of Niagara Falls and served as the fifth Mayor of Niagara Falls, New York.
Jacob Friedrich Schoellkopf Jr. was an American business executive, founder of Schoellkopf Aniline and Chemical Works, and member of the Schoellkopf family who were involved in hydroelectric resources at Niagara Falls.
Paul A. Schoellkopf
Paul Arthur Schoellkopf was an American industrialist and the third generation of Schoellkopf's to manage the hydroelectric power plants of Niagara Falls. Schoellkopf served as chairman of the Buffalo Niagara Electric Corporation and was a trustee of Cornell University.
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Distinguishing In Vivo Versus In Vitro Hemolysis
Grifols Receives FDA Approval for Molecular Blood Compatibility Test
Immunome of Healthy Subjects Tool for Advancing Research Treatment
Medicare Promotes More Home Monitoring Telehealth
Purpose driven Toxicology Services The Key to Financial Success and Client Confidence
Putting the Pieces Together to Battle Anti microbial Resistance
Redefining Diabetes
Siemens Healthyio Team on At Home Test for Chronic Kidney Disease Monitoring
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AACC.org // ... // Clinical Laboratory News // All CLN Articles // Putting the Pieces Together to Battle Anti-microbial Resistance
Putting the Pieces Together to Battle Anti-microbial Resistance
Are new technologies and testing strategies needed?
Author: Jen A. Miller // Date: DEC.1.2018 // Source: Clinical Laboratory News
Analytical Techniques and Applications,
Global Health Issues,
Infectious Diseases/Microbiology
Antibiotic resistant bacteria are not just a $2.2 billion healthcare industry problem: They’re a modern-day health crisis that has continued to build a dangerous momentum.
“Antibiotics have revolutionized medicine and our ability to care for patients because they allow us to treat not just bacterial infections but to make other medical inventions such as surgery, transplantation, childbirth, even just growing up safe,” said Robin Patel, MD, director of the infectious disease research laboratory and chair of the division of microbiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “When you run into a problem with an infection or, in the case of surgery, when you need to prevent an infection, we use antibiotics for that. We have all just historically assumed that they’re going to work.”
With the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, however, that is not always the case. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 2 million Americans contract and 23,000 die each year from antibiotic-resistant infections. Calling antibiotic-resistance “one of the biggest challenges of our time,” CDC in September 2018 spearheaded the Antimicrobial Resistance Challenge at the United Nations General Assembly. This year-long campaign encourages international organizations to make formal commitments that further the progress against antimicrobial resistance on a global scale.
New research shows that the danger is not limited to what physicians consider major infections in hospitalized patients, either. Mild conditions easily treated by antibiotics are showing resistance too, and without treatment, could lead to life-threatening illnesses.
Researchers at Alameda Health System Highland Hospital in Oakland, California found that nearly 6% of urinary tract infections (UTI) analyzed during a 1-year period were extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) resistant, meaning they are resistant to most beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillin, cephalosporins, and monobactams aztreonam (Ann Intern Med 2018;72:449-56).
“ESBL has traditionally been considered the kind of resistance you see inside the hospital, not in a community setting like an emergency department,” said Bradley W. Frazee, MD, attending physician at the Alameda Health System Highland Hospital and lead author of the study. “Here, almost half were patients without risk factors for harboring bugs with ESBL.”
A major concern for these patients, he said, is that a mild infection could unexpectedly become extraordinarily dangerous. “A society without working antibiotics would be like returning to preindustrial times, when a small injury or infection could easily become life-threatening,” he said.
Lengthening the Resistance Lifespan
Antibiotic resistance may seem like a new problem in medicine, but that’s only because the drugs are still relatively new themselves, compared to billions of years of evolution among bacteria. “We’ve only been using antibiotics in clinical practice since the 1940s,” Patel said. “We’re putting a lot of pressure on bacteria, and they’re just doing what they do naturally when they evolve to be resistant. The more you expose the bacteria to antibiotics, the more they pull out their resistance mechanisms.”
One way to lengthen the life span of antibiotics is to use them only when evidence shows they will be effective, and not when a physician doesn’t know for sure that bacteria and not a virus or fungus is making a patient sick. Better and faster testing can help.
“Diagnosis of bacterial infections by culture and production of susceptibility tests is somewhat time consuming,” noted Sheldon Campbell, MD, PhD, professor of laboratory medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and director of laboratories at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in New Haven, Connecticut. “Cultures typically take one to two days to grow, and susceptibility testing can take one to two days after that.” That doesn’t seem like a long time, but in practice, four days can seem like an eternity to a sick patient—or the parent of a sick patient—especially one who is used to being given an antibiotic no matter what.
Advances in molecular diagnostics, notably matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, greatly shorten the time to identify organisms and resistance. The disseminating technology also gives quite accurate data—in places where it has been implemented.
“Matching is so precise that it can tell you exactly what that organism is and can tell you not just the name of the bacterium but whether it’s a yeast and the name of the yeast—with one technology,” Patel said. “It takes only five minutes to do, and it requires very minimal consumables to run, so it’s less costly than the way we’re used to identifying bacteria with panels of biochemicals. As soon as we have something growing on a plate, we can submit it to MALDI-TOF and identify what it is and report it out.”
While clinical laboratories can use MALDI-TOF to name the organism that’s growing, it can’t identify which antibiotics will work against it. That takes another day, Patel said, “but knowing what the organism is can give you some hint as to whether it’s a clinically significant organism actually causing the patient’s infection or whether it’s their normal microbiome.”
Clinicians can also look at data generated by other labs to identify what has traditionally worked against that specific infection and guide drug deployment. “There’s no one single test that will be the solution. They’re all just pieces that will do better,” she said.
A System-Wide Approach
Combating antibiotic resistance will take a combination of wide access to quick, effective testing and a paradigm shift away from treating antibiotics like a never-ending resource, according to experts. “We haven’t had perfect ways of differentiating these different types of infections. We’ve come to expect that when we’re sick with something that looks like an infection, we’ll take an antibiotic because that’s what’s been done in the past,” said Campbell.
Frazee sees multiple pieces forming the solution, including wider use of culture in relatively mild disease, monitoring trends by geographic site, publishing hospital antibiograms stratified by clinical site (emergency departments versus intensive care units, for example), and developing rapid testing for resistant organisms. “Of course, there is a need to develop new drugs. How do you incentivize pharma to develop new oral drugs for resistant UTI pathogens that do not cost $5,000 for a course?”
Frazee also said that clinical laboratories can work on creating systems that automatically alert clinicians “on resistant bugs, perhaps even checking themselves whether a patient was prescribed an active drug.”
Campbell sees a need to build more efficient systems, “not just doing one-offs but working through antibiotics stewardship programs, infectious disease experts, and laboratories, and optimizing both the reporting of the data and the use of it,” he said. “There’s pretty good data now that shows a system-wide approach is having an impact on antibiotic overuse. It’s not just the laboratory saying this, but a data-driven institutional process for reporting in a way that results in appropriate antibiotic use.”
The one thing we cannot do is go back. The days of antibiotics working in every case, every time, are over. “There is no way to get rid of antibiotics resistance permanently or go back to an era where all we have is fully susceptible bacteria, because we’re dealing with evolution,” Patel commented. “There are infections for which we need antibiotics, and if that wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t be in this crisis.”
Can an Immunoassay System Compete With PCR for Rapid Testing?
Rapid molecular tests for flu and other viruses are potential game-changers for encouraging more appropriate antibiotic use, especially when they are available at the point of care. The most recent technological advances from in vitro diagnostics manufacturers have focused on making polymerase chain reaction simple and fast enough for use in doctors’ offices and clinics. MeMed, a young private company, aims to break into this market with a different take on rapid, molecular testing.
The company’s MeMed BV is a new, blood-based, multiplex immunoassay platform that promises to distinguish between bacterial and viral infections within 15 minutes of testing. Eran Eden, PhD, co-founder and CEO of MeMed, believes this testing system can play an important part in fighting antibiotic resistance infections because it can tell physicians within minutes what they’re dealing with.
“We’re trying to tackle a seemingly simple problem. You go to the doctor with your child, and they’re sick and they have a fever—or maybe it’s you or one of your parents. Often, physicians are trying to figure out if it’s a bacterial or viral infection and how to treat you,” he said.
A big problem with the current approach is that “many of the solutions we have today take hours or even days, which is not fast enough,” said Eden. He said that current rapid testing isn’t available for all kinds of infections, and that there’s a high rate of false alarms due to colonization. “Sometimes you identify a bacteria in a 2-year old, and every 2-year old is going to have it whether they’re sick or not. We carry these bacteria when we’re healthy,” he said. Pathogens can change quickly, too.
MeMed believes it can work around these issues in two ways. The first is MeMed BV, an immune-system instead of pathogen-based test for distinguishing between bacterial or viral infections. “The immune system is perfect machinery, so we decided to just listen to the immune response,” said Eden. “We knew we were probably not going to find one magic bullet, one biomarker. Instead, we combined several biomarkers together to measure the immune response.”
That leads to the second part of testing: MeMed Key, a proprietary point-of-care protein measurement platform that runs the MeMed BV test.
MeMed, a private medtech company, received a new round of funding in September, bring-ing total financing of the project to $70 million. That influx builds on two grants MeMed has already received from the U.S. Department of Defense for test development. So far, the system has been evaluated in double-blind studies in 13,000 patients with results published in The Lancet, Pediatrics, and PLOS One.
Jen A. Miller is a freelance journalist who lives in Audubon, New Jersey. @byJenAMiller
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ABC Baltimore CEO Testifies Before Congress on Project JumpStart
Wednesday, September 6, 2017 3:47 PM - stover@abc.org - ABC News, Workforce Development, GA - Employment -
ABC Baltimore Metro President and CEO Mike Henderson was recently invited to testify before a congressional subcommittee seeking answers on how to address declining employment among working-age men. He pointed to the chapter’s Project JumpStart, widely regarded as the most effective workforce development program of its kind in the region, as part of the solution. The program not only trains workers for high-paying careers in construction, but places graduates in professional jobs with dozens of area employers in commercial construction.
Project JumpStart is an intensive, 89-hour, 13-week program designed to enable at-risk Baltimore residents enter a career in the skilled construction trades. Over the past decade, the program has graduated more than 1,000 residents and maintains a 75 percent job-placement record. In addition, nearly half of graduates are over the age of 35.
“We believe that there are thousands of men in their 30s and 40s who, give the right opportunity, can still make something out of their lives, gain a career and self-confidence and become contributing members of their community,” Henderson told the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources. Graduates, 75 percent of whom are ex-offenders, “knew that Project JumpStart was their best and possibly last chance to succeed in this life.”
One of them is Tyrone Ferrens, who also testified before the subcommittee. Ferrens enrolled in Project JumpStart after 14 arrests, jail time and court-ordered rehab. “It instilled in me something I did not have; a sense of hope,” he said. “Every tool I needed to succeed was provided, not just physical tools, but a resume, mock interviews, conflict resolution skills, employer expectations and basic knowledge of tools. From any legal hurdle, to transportation issues, to a learning issue, Project JumpStart was there with a solution.”
Today Ferrens is a journeyman electrician and homeowner who has rebuilt his family.
Project JumpStart’s success has already been replicated at ABC’s Metro Washington and Ohio Valley chapters, with more pilot programs in the works.
ABC Greater Baltimore President and CEO Mike Henderson's testimony and Project Jumpstart Graduate Tyrone Ferrens' testimony are now available online.
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Michele Pracchi - Océ
We sat down with AFPC Board Member Michele Pracchi, Senior VP of Corporate Software Development, Océ, about what makes AFP and the AFPC special and how he sees the future of presentation architectures unfolding.
Q: What do you see as the single most important value AFP capabilities bring to an organization?
Michele: I think AFP’s biggest asset is its built-in data integrity. That’s what makes it capable of such high-performing data processing: It’s so well structured, it streamlines everything, placing ready-to-process print data where it needs to go accurately and efficiently. It’s the best-of-breed print data architecture for production environments because of that.
Q: Why do you feel the AFPC is important to the print industry?
Michele: The AFPC does a lot for the industry, I think. It supports both new and existing AFP users by preparing them for the future of printing. First it was with color at outstanding print quality, and now that that challenge has been met, things are moving forward with object containers and other technical facets. To that end, it’s made great strides in merging transactional and graphic arts workflows, bringing the best of both worlds.
The AFPC has proven a tremendous asset to the print industry in a lot of ways, but I think its major, kind of umbrella contribution is that it honed AFP to be an open, well-maintained standard throughout the print industry. The global group effort to make AFP all it can be is what allows it to compete with non-transactional formats today. The Consortium prepares AFP for the future, increasing its already high value in the print market.
Q: How do you see the marketplace in ten years? How will AFP and PDF work together, and do you think there will be more options for organizations to look to?
Michele: I think both worlds will continue to exist much in the same way they do today, but a new niche will develop from PDF being embedded in AFP, which can bring a lot more to the table for variable data printing jobs created in AFP.
Q: What is the one thing about AFP that you think we should know that we likely don’t?
Michele: I think anyone who doesn’t use AFP must not know just how high a level of functionality AFP provides. That’s fast becoming a poorly kept secret, though. [laughs]
Q: In your opinion, what was the most important evolution of AFP you’ve seen over the years?
Michele: The move from monochrome to color, which was pulled off remarkably quickly when you think about it, and how soon after it was finished that it caught hold in the market.
Q: Do you see adoption of AFP into more cutsheet shops, or is it still primarily leveraged in continuous feed organizations?
Michele: Yes, there are many Océ (Canon) customers printing AFP in cutsheet shops, just because it’s such a solid architecture. Can this be seen as a sort of AFP revolution in those environments? I doubt it. But those kind of use cases do exist.
Q: In what industries do you see AFP being leveraged the most today? Where do you expect adoption to increase in the next five years?
Michele: Transaction and variable data printing today, extending into graphic arts tomorrow. That is, for as much as a high level of customer by customer customization will be required.
Q: What, in your mind, sets AFP apart from other presentation architectures?
Michele: It has a very strong feedback channel, which, coupled with its built-in data integrity, goes a long way in ensuring fidelity in printing.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish through your efforts with the AFPC?
Michele: I’m hoping to stay in touch with our members, who are leaders in the industry, so we can work together to drive the future of print, making sure AFP is in a leading role and does not become superseded by other page description languages. The competition is strong.
Q: What would you like to see AFP do that it isn’t doing right now?
Michele: I’d like to see AFP do more to provide for greater graphic capabilities directly in AFP, instead of just porting them in through other architectures through a side door. To that end, I’d like to see JDF and JMF become integrated into the framework itself. As far as ease of use goes, I’d love to see us put together a driver set to print directly from the application, a la Windows Printer Driver.
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Airwheel Electric Self-balancing Scooter will become the new assistance for celebrating festivals.
Abstract: There are many festivals in the world which need to be celebrated. However, the preparation and celebrating process is very tiring. Many staff are complaining that they will be totally exhausted after a festival. They feel no pleasure during the festival but heavy work load. Whereas, this situation can be changed by Airwheel electric self-balancing scooter.
There are many festivals in the world which need to be celebrated. However, the preparation and celebrating process is very tiring. Many staff are complaining that they will be totally exhausted after a festival. They feel no pleasure during the festival but heavy work load. Whereas, this situation can be changed by Airwheel electric self-balancing scooter.
Things will be much easier and more efficient. Known for its artistic creativity, the Chicago Jazz Festival is a favorite Labor Day Weekend tradition. It is regarded as one of the most significant art event in Chicago, which to some extent, represents Chicago’s music culture and history and people in or out of the city will come to enjoy such a wonderful show. Airwheel electric self-balancing scooter, of course, cannot miss it.
As a new type of promotion, X3 electric scooter is gradually used in distributing flyers by companies or organizations. The traditional way is to walk to distribute, however, considering the cost, novelty and efficiency, intelligent electric scooter seems a better choice for propaganda, which attract a dramatic attention during the propaganda. Just riding one scooter, only one worker is able to cover the half hall, which could improve the efficiency. Besides, imagining that there is one team riding a self-balancing scooter personally, how exciting and novel the scene will be.
Airwheel Technology promises to show itself in more art festivals, leading a fashionable propaganda way. Due to its success this year, it has more motivation to better itself in the soon future. And Airwheel electric self-balancing scooter will become the new assistance for celebrating festivals.
Previous：The Mysteries of New Lifestyles in Cities—Airwheel Intelligent Scooters.
Next：Save Your Life from the Car Slave with Airwheel F3, an Intelligent Electric Scooter
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