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Provincial Gallery
Pictures: 112
The SANAA Leagues
The aim of the League is to encourage archers to shoot a World Archery Federation indoor and outdoor round at least once a month, and in so doing promote visible archery and improve the standard of the sport. Previously the league score used to form part of the selection criteria for Springbok colours.
Today, the league is recognised by the SANAA Council as a means towards introducing the sport to others and for having fun with our great sport.
Members who participate in the leagues are recognised at the indoor and outdoor national championships and are awarded trophies or pins, depending on the level of competence. In addition, Section 17 of the SANAA Constitution allows archers to claim Colour badges and patches for league shoots.
The leagues run from the month of the respective indoor and outdoor National Championships each year. All members are welcome to participate in the leagues, but when you participate for the first time in the year, you will need to contact the league officer who will put you on the leader board. Thereafter, you can enter and manage your own scores by logging into the Members Only area and clicking on the My Scores menu.
While safety remains paramount, there are a number of rules which apply to the Leagues.
July 2014: As scores from the 720 Round are used for selection for most of the International teams in Outdoor archery, interest in the 720 has grown enormously.
SANAA has therefore decided to run a 720 League, as well as the 1440 and the Indoor Leagues, which will give archers the opportunity to keep up with their practice in this round, stimulate some healthy competition and be able to keep track of their improvement.
As the year cycle has already begun, scores will be captured from June until Nationals (March). Scores need to be submitted on a monthly basis. In order to win in a category, scores will need to be submitted for at least 8 out of the possible 10 months. All rules will apply as per the other league rounds
A full listing of the rules can be found in Section 15 of our Constitution which is available from the downloads section of the website. The most important rules are;
For outdoor archery, a minimum of 72 arrows (Half 1440 round) must be shot on the same day for a league score to count. There is no minimum score.
For indoor archery, you need to shoot a double indoor World Archery Federation round (60 arrows)
There are three league-divisions. The first is open to all recognised categories and allows for the calculation of team events.
The second is a development round for the Standard Bow archers (who shoot different distances and on different target faces) and the third division is the junior round. Don’t worry about the technicalities, the league officer normally works out the annual team and individual awards.
Each league comprises twelve (12) shoots in each year. Many clubs have official league days and you would normally be advised of these dates.
Scores should be submitted by the 7th of the new month. There is a procedure in case of late entries. Rather be safe and update your scores (or submit them to the league secretary) as soon as they have been shot.
As of June 2014 members are invited to shoot a 720 round league score. The format must comply with the World Archery Rules, where archers shoot at their respective distances. 720 Round tournament scores are accepted for league scores provided that the shoot is nominated before the first shooting arrow and the score sheet witnessed
Of course, the league score must be witnessed by a third party (it doesn’t have to be an accredited judge) and a record of your scorecard kept on hand. And then there is the obvious, like an indoor league must be shot indoors as per the World Archery rules; and an outdoor league must be short outdoors. Enjoy the leagues. They serve a great purpose and you can win your club the floating trophy which is awarded at the indoor and outdoor prize giving to the top team in each of the league-divisions.
Indoor league results
Outdoor league results
720 Round Outdoor league results
Manage your league scores
Contact the league officer
FITA 1000 Star
Where do I go for Coaching?
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Breaking: What’s happening with the Appalachian State voting site
By Sharon McCloskey
As we reported early this morning, the Court of Appeals refused to review Wake County Superior Court Judge Donald Stephen’s order requiring the opening of a voting site on the Appalachian State University campus.
With that refusal, the State Board of Election scheduled a 4 p.m. meeting to vote on a new Watauga County plan that would include a site at ASU. The Board also, though, had filed a request with the Supreme Court for a stay of the Stephens order and a review by the high court.
By 4 p.m., the Board had not heard from the Supreme Court, so went ahead with the meeting and unanimously approved a new plan that included a site at ASU, per the Board’s public information officer Josh Lawson.
Just after adopting that new plan, the Supreme Court granted the stay and agreed to hear the case.
According to Lawson, despite the Court’s ruling, the Board would have to schedule yet another meeting to adopt another plan without the ASU site in response to the high court’s decision.
Lawson said that as of now he knows of no new plans to hold another Board meeting to do that — a decision that would come from Board Chair Josh Howard.
Meaning this: Unless something changes overnight, early voting will take place at a site in the Student Union of the Appalachian State campus (likely the “Price Lake” room).
Follow this post for further developments overnight.
Previous PostBetter late than never? Conservative conversion on Medicaid expansion continuesNext Post Governor releases statement on UNC academic fraud
I will be pleasantly surprised if the Board decides to stick with their vote of earlier today and allow this campus site to open (and stay open). But the way this rollercoaster has been going, I have a feeling the ride isn’t over.
Gene Hoglan
It’s amazing how much effort is being expended to make sure a few thousand kids don’t vote.
Pertains!
The total of all NC college students who will not/cannot vote due to “some of the most restrictive” voting laws in the United States could make a difference in who is elected. Eliminating the right to register the same day is an unnecessary hardship for many people and will result in many just giving up and not voting.
Makes me sad, ashamed and angry at Tillis and the other two stooges.
Jim Wiseman
Don’t be so confident. Not all college students are America-hating leftists.
Jerry Williamsopn
We were literally first in line to vote at the ASU Student Union this morning! The flow was heavy and steady with many more community people than students (who weren’t up yet at 8 a.m.). Isn’t the Supreme Court’s move an attempt to keep Judge Stephens from setting legal precedent that will apply to other campuses across the state?
Isn’t this a kind-of voter fraud?
Those who are stopping students and others from voting might be considered, by some, as American-hating. I was raised in a family and taught in public-school that abridging a person’s right to vote is unAmerican. I was also taught that American’s fought and died for our right to vote. Yet the conservatives are working to abridge our right to vote and their are considered the saviors of our nation?!!
As our troops fight a war what message is being sent to them as to their efforts in securing all rights of Americans? What is their sacrifice worth when, on a national scale, our right to vote is taken away?
Yes, this is indeed voter fraud, GOP flavor. Interesting that those who proclaim to love America have no issue in voter suppression in the land of the free, denigrating those who differ as “America hating leftists”. One should take note that it isn’t the so called “America hating leftists” that are hell bent on denying as many citizens their right to vote, it’s the GOP and their band of self anointed “patriots”. Looks like the GOP outreach program is stuck in reverse gear?
State Supreme Court rules retroactive application of teacher tenure repeal is unconstitutional
The state Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that ...
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Get Ethnocentrism essential facts below. View Videos or join the Ethnocentrism discussion. Add Ethnocentrism to your PopFlock.com topic list for future reference or share this resource on social media.
Ethnocentrism is the act of judging another culture based on preconceptions that are found in the values and standards of one's own culture - especially regarding language, behavior, customs, and religion.[1][2] These aspects or categories are distinctions that define each ethnicity's unique cultural identity.[3]
Origins of the concept
The term ethnocentrism was coined by Ludwig Gumplowicz[4][5] and subsequently employed by social scientist William G. Sumner. Gumplowicz defined ethnocentrism as the reasons by virtue of which each group of people believed it had always occupied the highest point, not only among contemporaneous peoples and nations, but also in relation to all peoples of the historical past.[6]
William G. Sumner defined ethnocentrism as "the technical name for the view of things in which one's own group is the center of everything, and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it." He further characterized ethnocentrism as often leading to pride, vanity, the belief in one's own group's superiority, and contempt for outsiders.[7] These problems may occur from the division of societies into in-groups and out-groups.[8] Ethnocentrism is explained in the social sciences and genetics. In anthropology, cultural relativism is used as an antithesis and antonym to ethnocentrism.[9]
Although central to anthropology, sociology, psychology, and other disciplines, the concept of ethnocentrism has been defined and characterized so variously that some scholars have spoken of the "disutility of the ethnocentrism concept" and have wondered whether any conclusions could be drawn from the large body of research on ethnocentrism.[10]
William Graham Sumner proposed two different definitions. In the 1906 Folkways, Sumner stated that "ethnocentrism is the technical name for this view of things in which one's own group is the center of everything, and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it."[11] In the 1911 War and Other Essays, he wrote that "the sentiment of cohesion, internal comradeship, and devotion to the in-group, which carries with it a sense of superiority to any out-group and readiness to defend the interests of the in-group against the out-group, is technically known as ethnocentrism."[12]
Forty years later, anthropologist Richard Adams undertook to clear up a confusion between two scholars. He noted that G.P. Murdock defined ethnocentrism as "the tendency to exalt the in-group and to depreciate other groups", which made out-group antagonism the inevitable concomitant of in-group solidarity, but that M. J. Herkovits defined ethnocentrism as "the point of view that one's way of life is to be preferred to all others". Adams pointed out that these were two different attitudes and that it was important to distinguish them. The first is in-group consciousness, a sense of communal interests found even in sub-human animals, but the second arises from the processes of socialization and enculturation and has no counterpart among sub-human groups.[13][clarification needed]
In 1996, Robert K. Merton commented that "although the practice of seeing one's own group as the center of things is empirically correlated with a belief in superiority, centrality and superiority need to be kept analytically distinct in order to deal with patterns of alienation from one's membership group and contempt for it."[14]
People raised in a particular culture that absorb the values and behaviors of that culture will develop a worldview that considers their own culture to be the norm.[15][16] If people then experience other cultures that have different values and behaviors, they will find that the thought patterns appropriate to their native culture are not appropriate for the new cultures. However, since people are accustomed to their native culture, it can be difficult for them to see the behaviors of people from a different culture from the viewpoint of that culture rather than from their own.[15][17]
Ethnocentrism can be explicit or implicit. Explicit ethnocentrism involves the ability to express feelings about outsiders (people from other groups). Implicit ethnocentrism refers to the inhibition of the feelings for outsiders.[18]
Anthropology in the 19th century had been committed to using evolution as a methodological framework in which European society and culture represented the apex of human development--all non-European societies and their cultures were described and ranked according to the degree to which they had developed a monotheistic religion, science, technology, and so on. Franz Boas committed himself to overthrowing this 19th century evolutionism and with his methodological innovations sought to show the error of the proposition that race determined cultural capacity.[19] Boas wrote:
It is somewhat difficult for us to recognize that the value which we attribute to our own civilization is due to the fact that we participate in this civilization, and that it has been controlling all our actions from the time of our birth; but it is certainly conceivable that there may be other civilizations, based perhaps on different traditions and on a different equilibrium of emotion and reason, which are of no less value than ours, although it may be impossible for us to appreciate their values without having grown up under their influence.[20]
Boas and his colleagues promulgated the principle that there are no inferior races or cultures. Cultural relativism in anthropology is a methodological principle, indispensable for investigating and comparing societies in as unprejudiced way as possible without using a developmental scale that is usually irrelevant.[19] Boas and Bronislaw Malinowski argued that any human science had to transcend the ethnocentrism of the scientist. Both urged anthropologists to conduct ethnographic fieldwork in order to overcome their ethnocentrism. Boas developed the principle of cultural relativism where context plays an important role in the understanding of other people's values[21] and Malinowski developed the theory of functionalism as guides for producing non-ethnocentric studies of different cultures. Classic examples of anti-ethnocentric anthropology include Margaret Mead's Coming of Age in Samoa (1928), Malinowski's The Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western Melanesia (1929), and Ruth Benedict's Patterns of Culture (1934). Mead and Benedict were two of Boas's students.
Scholars are generally agreed that Boas developed his ideas under the influence of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Legend has it that, on a field trip to the Baffin Islands in 1883, Boas would pass the frigid nights reading Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. In that work, Kant argued that human understanding could not be described according to the laws that applied to the operations of nature, and that its operations were therefore free, not determined, and that ideas regulated human action, sometimes independent of material interests. Following Kant, Boas pointed out, for instance, the starving Eskimos who, because of their religious beliefs, would not hunt seals to feed themselves, thus showing that no pragmatic or material calculus determined their values.[22][23]
There is no broad consensus as to the cause of ethnocentrism.[24] Various areas of social and biological science have developed theories as to how ethnocentrism works. The social identity approach to psychology suggests that ethnocentricity is caused by a strong identification with one's own culture that links one's self-esteem to a positive view of that culture. It is theorized that in order to maintain that positive view, people make social comparisons that cast competing cultural groups in an unfavorable light.[25]
Research published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) suggested that ethnocentrism may be mediated by the oxytocin hormone. It was found that in randomized controlled trials "oxytocin creates intergroup bias because oxytocin motivates in-group favoritism and, to a lesser extent, out-group derogation."[26]
In The Selfish Gene, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins writes that "blood-feuds and inter-clan warfare are easily interpretable in terms of Hamilton's genetic theory."[27] Simulation-based experiments in evolutionary game theory have attempted to provide an explanation for the selection of ethnocentric-strategy phenotypes.[28][29]
Realistic conflict theory assumes that ethnocentrism happens due to "real or perceived conflict" in between groups. This also happens when a dominant group may perceive the new members as a threat.[18]
Afrophobia
Americentrism
Asiocentrism
Chronocentrism
Consumer ethnocentrism
Cultural racism
Cultural relativism
Endogamy
Ethnic nepotism
Eurocentrism
Indocentrism
In-group-out-group bias
Intercultural communication principles
Pseudospeciation
Sojunghwa (Korean ethnocentrism)
Universalism in geography
Xenocentrism
^ John T. Omohundro (2008). Thinking like an Anthropologist: A practical introduction to Cultural Anthropology. McGraw Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-319580-3.
^ Colman, Andrew M. (2006). A dictionary of psychology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0192806321.
^ Margaret L. Andersen, Howard Francis Taylor (2006). Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. Wadsworth. ISBN 978-0-534-61716-5.
^ Naturalism in Sociology of the Turn of the Century (by Alexander Hofman and Alexander Kovalev), A History of Classical Sociology. Ed. by Igor Kon. Moscow, 1989, p. 84. ISBN 5-01-001102-6
^ Boris Bizumic (Research School of Psychology, the Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia). Who Coined the Concept of Ethnocentrism? A Brief Report, Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 2014, Vol. 2(1), doi:10.5964/jspp.v2i1.264
^ Louis Gumplowicz. La lutte des races. Recherches sociologiques (Guillaumin et Cie., Paris, 1893), p 349. (Cited from: Naturalism in Sociology of the Turn of the Century (by Alexander Hofman and Alexander Kovalev), A History of Classical Sociology. Ed. by Igor Kon. Moscow, 1989, p. 84. ISBN 5-01-001102-6)
^ Sumner, W. G. Folkways. New York: Ginn, 1906.
^ Hammond, Axelrod, Ross A., Robert (December 2006). "The Evolution of Ethnocentrism". Journal of Conflict Resolution. 50 (6): 926-936. doi:10.1177/0022002706293470.
^ William A. Haviland; Harald E. L. Prins; Dana Walrath; Bunny McBride (2009). The Essence of Anthropology. Cengage Learning. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-495-59981-4.
^ Bizumic, Boris; Duckitt, John (2012). "What is and is Not Ethnocentrism? A Conceptual Analysis and Political Implications". Political Psychology. 33 (6): 887-909. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9221.2012.00907.x. JSTOR 23324197.
^ Sumner, William Graham (1906). "Folkways: A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals". Ginn and Company. Retrieved 2019.
^ Sumner, William Graham (1911). "War, and Other Essays". Yale University Press. Retrieved 2019.
^ Adams, Richard N. (1951). "Ethnocentrism and Ingroup Consciousness". American Anthropologist. 53 (4): 598-600. doi:10.1525/aa.1951.53.4.02a00380. JSTOR 664284.
^ Robert King Merton (1996). Piotr Sztompka (ed.). On social structure and science. University of Chicago Press. p. 248. ISBN 978-0-226-52070-4.
^ a b Seidner, Stanley S. (1982). Ethnicity, Language, and Power from a Psycholinguistic Perspective. Bruxelles: Centre de Recherche sur le Plurilinguisme. OCLC 51685367.
^ Gelfand, Michele (2015). "The Inevitability of Ethnocentrism Revisited: Ethnocentrism Diminishes As Mobility Increases". Scientific Reports. 5: 17963. Bibcode:2015NatSR...517963D. doi:10.1038/srep17963. PMC 4672305. PMID 26644192 – via PMC.
^ Barger, Ken (14 February 2018). "Ethnocentrism". Indiana University Indianapolis.
^ a b Darity, William A. (2008). Ethnocentrism. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Macmillan Reference USA. ISBN 978-0028661179.
^ a b Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology, 4th edition, London: Pluto Press, 2015, pp.10-18
^ The Mind of Primitive Man, New York: Macmillan. 1911:207
^ Howson, Alexandra (2009). "Cultural Relativism" (PDF): 1, 2 – via EBSCO.
^ Boas, Franz (1921). "The Mind of Primitive Man". New York: The Macmillan Company. Retrieved 2019.
^ Janine Hitchens, "Critical Implications of Franz Boas' Theory and Methodology," Dialectical Anthropology, 19 (1994), p. 244. JSTOR 29790560
^ Forbes, H.D. (2013). ""Prejudice." Encyclopedia of Race and Racism". CREDO.
^ Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. (2001). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In M. A. Hogg & D. Abrams (Eds.), Key readings in social psychology. Intergroup relations: Essential readings (pp. 94-109). New York, NY, US: Psychology Press.
^ De Dreu, C. K. W.; Greer, L. L.; Van Kleef, G. A.; Shalvi, S.; Handgraaf, M. J. J. (2011). "Oxytocin promotes human ethnocentrism". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108 (4): 1262-1266. Bibcode:2011PNAS..108.1262D. doi:10.1073/pnas.1015316108. PMC 3029708. PMID 21220339.
^ Dawkins, Richard (2006). The selfish gene. Oxford University Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-19-929115-1.
^ Hammond, R. A.; Axelrod, R. (2006). "The Evolution of Ethnocentrism". Journal of Conflict Resolution. 50 (6): 926-936. doi:10.1177/0022002706293470.
^ Max Hartshorn, Artem Kaznatcheev and Thomas Shultz, "The Evolutionary Dominance of Ethnocentric Cooperation" Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 30 June 2013
Ankerl, Guy (2000). Coexisting Contemporary Civilizations: Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western : a Scientific Essay. Geneva: INU PRESS. ISBN 978-2-88155-004-1.
Kinder, Donald R.; Kam, Cindy D. (2009). Us against them: ethnocentric foundations of American opinion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226435718.
Martineau, H. (1838). How to Observe Morals and manners. London: Charles Knight and Co.
Reynolds, V.; Falger, V.; Vine, I., eds. (1987). The Sociobiology of Ethnocentrism. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press.
Salter, F. K., ed. (2002). Risky Transactions. Trust, Kinship, and Ethnicity. Oxford and New York: Berghahn. ISBN 9781571813190.
van den Berghe, P. L. (1981). The ethnic phenomenon. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. ISBN 9780275927097.
Wade, Nicholas (10 January 2011). "The Dark Side of Oxytocin, the Hormone of Love: Ethnocentrism". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019.
Group Processes and Intergroup Relations
Examples of ethnocentric maps: select "Ethnocentrism" subject at the Persuasive Cartography, The PJ Mode Collection, Cornell University Library
Big Deals Etnocentrismo y teorAa de las relaciones internacionales / Ethnocentrism and
Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism in group and out group
Ethnocentrism Video
[PDF] Etnocentrismo y teorAa de las relaciones internacionales / Ethnocentrism and international
J.Crew, Tsunami, Sea of Japan, and Korean Ethnocentrism.
J.Crew, Tsunami, Sea of Japan, and Korean Ethnocentrism
How to Improve Intercultural Sensitivity : Overcome Ethnocentrism Through Avoiding Assumptions
Nationalism and the Body Politic: Psychoanalysis and the Rise of Ethnocentrism and Xenophobia
J_Crew, Tsunami, Sea of Japan, and Korean Ethnocentrism
READ THE NEW BOOK Etnocentrismo y teorAa de las relaciones internacionales / Ethnocentrism and
Ethnocentrism: English PSA
Master Race Propagation From Asia
Blackjack Sniper Software - Advanced Strategy Slaps The Casinos Silly
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INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY - Unit5 Chapter Summary
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A historian analyzes Korean drama Jumong
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Get Tower City Center essential facts below. View Videos or join the Tower City Center discussion. Add Tower City Center to your PopFlock.com topic list for future reference or share this resource on social media.
large mixed-use facility in downtown Cleveland, Ohio
Union Terminal Group
View from Public Square
Show map of Cleveland
Show map of Ohio
41°29?52?N 81°41?39?W / 41.49778°N 81.69417°W / 41.49778; -81.69417Coordinates: 41°29?52?N 81°41?39?W / 41.49778°N 81.69417°W / 41.49778; -81.69417
Graham, Anderson, Probst & White; Walker & Weeks
Beaux-Arts, Art Deco
Tower City Center, originally known as Cleveland Union Terminal, is a large mixed-use facility located on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The facility is composed of a number of interconnected office buildings, including the landmark Terminal Tower, the Avenue shopping mall, a casino, two hotels, and the main hub of Cleveland's four rapid transit lines. On March 17, 1976, the tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Union Terminal Group.
The union terminal complex was originally commissioned by the Van Sweringen brothers, prominent local railroad moguls and real estate developers. The Vans were also responsible for the development of the upscale suburb of Shaker Heights. The complex was designed by the firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. Site preparation began in 1922, and approximately 2,200 buildings were demolished. Construction began in 1926, and structural work was completed by 1927. At the time, it was the second-largest excavation project in the world after the Panama Canal. The Terminal Tower opened to its first tenants in 1928. Three other office buildings, the Medical Arts Building, Builders Exchange Building, and Midland Building, were built in addition to the Terminal Tower. The three Art Deco buildings are collectively known as the Landmark Office Towers Complex and were completed in 1929. In addition to the new buildings, the 1918 Hotel Cleveland was connected to the complex. Cleveland Union Terminal was dedicated and officially opened in 1930.
The facility included a number of retail stores and restaurants. Original designs for the complex show that at first the brothers did not plan on building an office tower within the complex. However, they eventually decided to build the 52-story Terminal Tower on the northeast side of the complex facing Public Square.
From its completion until 1964, the Terminal Tower was the tallest building in North America outside of New York City.
In 1991, two new 11-story office towers, the Skylight Office Tower and the Chase Financial Plaza, were added. The Chase Building houses Cleveland's Ritz-Carlton Hotel and The Skylight Office Tower housed the former Hard Rock Cafe. After the completion of the nearby Gateway project in 1994, RTA built an indoor walkway connecting Tower City to the complex. A second walkway was built in 2002 to connect Tower City with the Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse.
Higbee's (by then bought by Dillard's) closed its department store in the complex in January 2002. Positively Cleveland (formerly the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland) and the Greater Cleveland Partnership (the local chamber of commerce) opened offices in the Higbee Building in 2007. Until late 2010, the Cleveland Plus Visitors Center occupied the first floor.[2][3][4] The building was opened on May 14, 2012 as the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland.[5] After Rock Gaming LLC took over management of the Horseshoe, the casino was transformed into Jack Cleveland Casino and reopened on May 11, 2016.[6]
In 2001, Time Warner Cable Amphitheater opened as an outdoor stage along the Cuyahoga River near the Tower City Complex. A site on the Cuyahoga River side of the complex was proposed as a location for a new Cleveland convention center, but in January 2009 the Cuyahoga County Commissioners decided to redevelop the existing facility.[7]
The Avenue at Tower City Center
The main concourse of Tower City Center
Bedrock Real Estate Services (Dan Gilbert)[8]
No. of stores and services
No. of anchor tenants
Total retail floor area
367,000 sq ft[9]
No. of floors
www.towercitycenter.com
Most of the platform area was demolished in the late 1980s renovation of the building. The station area itself was converted by Forest City Enterprises into a mall and food court known as The Avenue, which opened in 1990. As part of the renovation, RTA rebuilt its rapid transit station beneath the center. The rest of the platform area was turned into a parking garage for the new complex. When the already renamed Tower City Center reopened, the mall housed many high-end retailers, including Bally of Switzerland, Barneys New York, Fendi, Gucci, Versace, and even had a letter of intent from Neiman Marcus to build a 120,000-square foot anchor store in 1992.[10][11][12] Over the following 25 years, many of those shops were replaced by more modest stores, some of them local retailers.[13]
Tower City Center is host to the annual Christmas "Toy Soldier Show": a Cleveland tradition starring the Toy Soldier (Robert Hruby) and the Fairy Godmother (Cathy Brenkus) which celebrated its 28th season in 2017.
Tower City station
Current RTA station
Red Line Blue Line Green Line Waterfront Line
rapid transit and light rail station
The westbound Red Line platform
230 West Huron Road
Greater Cleveland RTA
2 low island platforms for light rail
2 high island platforms for rapid transit
2 outer through tracks, 2 inner stub tracks, 2 non-revenue tracks
HealthLine (Public Square/Tower City station)
B Line Trolley
E Line Trolley
Other bus service at Public Square
Paid parking only
Tower City Rapid Station
July 10, 1996 (Waterfront Line)
Preceding station
Following station
West 25th-Ohio City
toward Airport
Red Line Tri-C-Campus District
toward Louis Stokes-Windermere
through to Waterfront Line Blue Line Tri-C-Campus District
toward Warrensville-Van Aken
Green Line Tri-C-Campus District
toward Green Road
Settlers Landing
toward South Harbor
Waterfront Line through to Blue and Green Lines
Tower City station, known alternatively as Tower City-Public Square and Tower City Center is a rapid transit station in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. It is the central station on the RTA Red Line and the major station on the RTA Green and Blue Lines. The station is located directly beneath Prospect Avenue in the middle of the Avenue shopping mall. The station is only accessible through the Tower City Center shopping complex, and, for this reason, the public concourse of the shopping mall is open at all times that the RTA Rapid Transit is in operation.
Located in downtown Cleveland, the station is the busiest RTA Rapid Transit station. It is also the only station to serve all of downtown Cleveland, in spite of the fact the Tower City complex is located on the south end of this district near the east shore of the Cuyahoga River; the rest of downtown is serviced by frequent bus service. It offers connections to all RTA buses serving Public Square. The station also includes a "Walkway to Gateway," which is a completely enclosed and air-conditioned skyway from Tower City Center to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Progressive Field of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex, allowing RTA passengers, as well as those using the Tower City parking facilities, to walk to the arena or ballpark without having to go outside.
The Waterfront Line began service at Tower City on July 10, 1996.
On July 31, 2016, RTA began replacing the track bed for track 8, the main westbound track.[14] In order to prevent service disruptions during the track replacement, RTA temporarily reopened the Shaker rapid track to the public. Westbound trains arrived on that track and temporary platforms and station facilities were set up. The temporary station was not accessible from the main station entrance and had a separate entrance.[15] The new track opened to passengers on November 26, 2016.[16]
Station layout
Track 6 No service ->
Island platform, closed
Dividing Wall
Track 8 Red Line toward Airport (West 25th-Ohio City)
Waterfront Line toward South Harbor (Settlers Landing)
Westbound
platforms Red Line island platform Lobby
Faregates
Exit to Tower City Center Blue/Green/Waterfront Lines island platform
Track 10 Red Line toward Airport (West 25th-Ohio City) Blue Line toward Warrensville-Van Aken (Tri-C-Campus District) ->
Green Line toward Green Road (Tri-C-Campus District) ->
platforms Red Line island platform Blue/Green Lines island platform
Track 13 Red Line toward Louis Stokes-Windermere (Tri-C-Campus District) ->
Blue Line toward Warrensville-Van Aken (Tri-C-Campus District) ->
The station has two fare-collection entrances, one leading to a low platform station for use by the light rail Green and Blue Lines, and one leading to a high platform station for the heavy rail Red Line. Both entrances open from a lobby located on the lowest level of the Tower City shopping mall, and this lobby is accessible by escalators and elevators from the other levels of the mall. Each entrance has multiple fare gates along with two operator booths. The entrance for the Green and Blue Lines collects fares from passengers entering and leaving the station, since westbound passengers pay their fare upon leaving. The Red Line entrance collects fares from passengers entering the station and also requires arriving passengers to swipe their proof of payment card at the gate in order to exit the station.[17] In order to transfer from the Red Line to the Green or Blue Lines, or vice versa, passengers must exit through the fare gates at one station entrance and enter through the other station entrance. The high and low platform portions of the station could also be reached from each other without going through the lobby by an access ramp located along each side of tracks around the lobby; however, with the implementation of the proof of payment system on the Red Line, the ramps have been closed.
Exit to Tower City Center
Station navigation
Elevator panel
Entrance to the Red Line platforms
Entrance to the Blue/Green/Waterfront Line platforms
Former free transfer ramp
The RTA provided free rides on all routes June 22, 2019
Eastbound Blue/Green Line platforms
The westbound track on the Blue/Green Line platform, November 2016
Cleveland Union Terminal
C.U.T. concourse (Tower City) in 1987
Line(s)
Cleveland Union Terminals Company
Parking lot above concourse
Original company
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
Former services
Conrail
Terminus Cleveland-Youngstown East 55th Street
toward Youngstown
Terminus Mahoning Division
First Sub-Division
East 55th
toward Pymatuning
toward Chicago
Lake Shore Erie
toward New York (Grand Central)
New York Central Railroad
Linndale
East Cleveland
toward New York
toward Cincinnati
Cincinnati - Cleveland (Big Four)
toward St. Louis
Big Four Route Main Line
Nickel Plate East Cleveland
toward Buffalo
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Terminus Cleveland - Akron - Wheeling
toward Wheeling
Cleveland - Sterling - Wheeling
1934-1940s
Cleveland - Akron - Valley Junction
toward Valley Junction
The Cleveland Union Terminal was built by the Van Sweringen brothers as a terminal for all trains coming into Cleveland via the various railroad lines in a concept similar to Grand Central Terminal in New York City.[18]
When the Cleveland Union Terminal (CUT) was built in 1930 as part of the Terminal Tower complex, the train station allocated the northern set of tracks for interurban or rapid transit service and the southern set of tracks for inter-city rail service. The portion of the station above the interurban tracks was called the Traction Concourse and the portion above the intercity train tracks was called the Steam Concourse. The Van Sweringen brothers who developed Terminal Tower complex and built Cleveland Union Terminal[19] envisioned a network of interurban lines extending from the CUT in all directions. They even acquired right-of-way for some of the lines.
In 1931, the Higbee Company moved its main store to a new building connected to Cleveland Union Terminal. In 1934, the U.S. Postal Service moved its main Cleveland office to Union Terminal in a new building designed by the firm of Walker and Weeks. It was known as M.K. Ferguson Plaza under the ownership of Forest City Enterprises.[20]
The Union Terminal served most rail lines: the Baltimore and Ohio, New York Central and Nickel Plate Road.[21] Exceptions were the Pennsylvania Railroad and initially the Erie Railroad. It was never particularly popular with the railroads, however. It required deviating from the quicker route along Lake Erie. As the city would not allow trains to operate under steam power near the downtown area, trains were forced to switch from steam to electric power at a suburban rail yard when heading inbound and then reverse on the way out at another yard. As a result, some lines began to bypass the station entirely, heading along the lake route, and some trains stopped serving the city altogether. Several east-west routes by-passed the city to the south, passing through Akron or Youngstown. In addition, national passenger rail travel had already passed its peak and was starting its gradual decline in favor of the automobile and, later, the airplane. The Erie RR, owned by the Van Sweringens, could not afford the electric transfer and continued to use its own nearby station until 1948, when it replaced steam with diesel locomotives and was able to serve the Union Terminal under its own power.
Amtrak's short-lived Lake Shore served Union Terminal for seven months in 1971, but the railroad found the rents prohibitive. When the new Lake Shore Limited began in 1975 Amtrak chose to construct a new station near Lake Erie adjacent to the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway.[22] The new Amtrak station is located near the former Cleveland Union Station, once served by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The former Erie Railroad commuter service, ultimately inherited by Conrail, was discontinued on Jan. 14, 1977, ending the facility's use as a railroad station.[23]
Former departure board
Platforms converted into parking decks
New York, Chicago and St. Louis
LS&MS (New York Central) - AMTK
ERIE (Erie Lackawanna Railway) - CR
CT&V (Baltimore and Ohio) - CVSR
to Fostoria
NYC to Toledo
Cleveland (Broadway)
Euclid Avenue (Until 1930)
East Cleveland (After 1930)
NYC to Buffalo
to Buffalo
to Toledo
Elyria (Oberlin)
(PC)
Cleveland Union Depot
(AMTK)
(formerly Case Ave.)
(formerly Willson Ave.)
East 105th
Coits
(formerly Coit)
(formerly Euclid)
Heisley
All stations are NYC
unless noted otherwise:
Penn Central
East 55th & McBride
East 93th & Richmond
Lee Road-Shaker Heights
North Randal
Geauga Lake
Jeddoe
Garrettsville-Hiram
Main Line to Niles & Youngstown
All stations are ERIE
(CR)
Cleveland Union Terminal (B&O)
Brooklyn (B&O)
Willow (B&O)
South Park (B&O)
Rockside
Canal Exploration Center
Alexanders (B&O)
Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge
Brecksville (B&O)
Jaite (B&O)
Boston Mill (B&O)
Peninsula Depot (B&O)
Everett (B&O)
Indigo Lake
Ira (B&O)
Botzum (B&O)
Old Portage (B&O)
Akron Northside (B&O)
to Akron CT&V Depot (B&O)
to Akron Union Depot (B&O)
Akron Junction (B&O)
East Akron (B&O)
Krumroy (B&O)
Myersville (B&O)
Aultman (B&O)
North Canton (B&O)
Canton Lincoln Highway
Canton (B&O)
North Industry (B&O)
East Sparta (B&O)
Sandyville (B&O)
Mineral City (B&O)
Valley Junction (B&O)
Former Red Line station
Red Line rapid transit station
Red line platforms
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
1980s-1990s
Cleveland Terminal
Cleveland Transit System
Interurban platforms built
Platforms rebuilt
Lorain-West 25th
Red Line East 34th-Campus
The Red Line took the place of a never-completed interurban line. An additional vault for that line was located at Mayfield Road, now the Little Italy-University Circle station.
The Shaker rapid transit remained the only service using the interurban portion of the CUT for 25 years. When the Cleveland Transit System built its rapid transit (later designated the Red Line) in 1955 (using much of the right-of-way previously developed by the Van Sweringens), another rapid transit station was built in the former interurban area of the CUT to serve it. Since the CTS Rapid Transit (Red Line) and the Shaker rapid transit (Green and Blue Lines) were owned by different entities at the time, there was no fare transfer between the trains, and the stations were entirely separate.
In 1968, the Cleveland Transit System line finished its extension through Cleveland's west side to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and Cleveland became the first North American city with direct rapid transit access from downtown to an airport.[24]
Both lines became part of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority when it assumed control on September 5, 1975. The two stations remained separate until December 17, 1990, when a completely new station was completed with the development of Tower City Center.[25]
Main Red Line entrance in 1980s
Secondary Red Line entrance in 1980s
Red Line platform in 1980s looking east
End of platform
The entrance to the CTS station in 1968
Former Shaker Rapid station
Blue Line Green Line light rail station
Temporary platforms in August 2016
C.I.R.R. Main line
Public Square, Downtown Terminal, Cleveland Terminal
Cleveland Interurban Railroad
One-way operation
through to Waterfront Line Blue Line
Until 1980s
Terminus Blue Line East 34th-Campus
Green Line East 34th-Campus
These platforms opened with the extension of the Cleveland Interurban Railroad from just east of the ramp at East 34th Street and Broadway in 1930.
Since the Van Sweringens owned Cleveland Interurban Railroad which served the suburb of Shaker Heights, the interurban portion of the CUT was immediately occupied by the Shaker trains upon completion on July 20, 1930. (Previously, the Shaker trains had used streetcar tracks to reach downtown from East 34th Street, which caused significantly slower service.) The Shaker rapid transit station was located along the northern-most tracks of the complex, and it included a small yard for the storage of a few trains and a loop to allow trains to reverse direction. Development of the other interurban services, however, was stalled by the Great Depression, which hit the Van Sweringens particularly hard. By 1944, ownership of the Shaker rapid transit passed to the city of Shaker Heights.
The Shaker and Van Aken lines became part of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority when it assumed control on September 5, 1975. The two stations remained separate until December 17, 1990, when a completely new station was completed with the development of Tower City Center.[26]
The platform was temporarily re-opened for westbound passengers in 2016.
Shaker train platform
Key Tower
List of Registered Historic Places in Cleveland, Ohio
Connected components of Tower City Center
Chase Financial Plaza
Higbee building
Skylight Office Tower
Walkway connections
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / Progressive Field
Carl B. Stokes United States Courthouse
Landmark Office Towers Complex
Post Office Plaza / M.K. Ferguson Plaza (connected by private elevators in the parking garage)
^ National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
^ "About Cleveland". Positively Cleveland. Retrieved 2008.
^ Litt, Steven (February 3, 2011). "Casino won't dramatically alter Cleveland's beloved Higbee Building". Cleveland.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved 2016.
^ "Something's Happening Here" (PDF). Zygote Press. p. 34. Retrieved 2016.
^ http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/07/horseshoe_casino_cleveland_des.html
^ TEGNA. "New name, new vibe for Cleveland Jack casino". WKYC. Retrieved .
^ Litt, Steven (January 31, 2009). "Chosen medical mart site offers second chance for Mall". Cleveland.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved 2009.
^ Jarboe, Michelle (March 23, 2016). "Dan Gilbert buys the Avenue shopping mall at Tower City in downtown Cleveland". Cleveland.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved 2016.
^ a b "The Avenue at Tower City Center". Forest City Enterprises. Retrieved 2010.
^ Jarboe, Michelle (March 21, 2009). "Cleveland's downtown is considered choice real estate for outlet shopping". Cleveland.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved 2016.
^ Turbett, Peggy (March 25, 2012). "Forest City CEO David LaRue oversees change at company, Tower City Center: Talk with the Boss". Cleveland.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved 2013.
^ "Cleveland Bucking The Gloomy Trend In Malls". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. February 17, 1991. Retrieved 2013.
^ "Tower City then and now". Cleveland.com. Advance Publications. October 14, 2007. Retrieved 2008.
^ Christ, Ginger (2016-07-29). "Westbound RTA passengers to use new Tower City entrance starting Sunday". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved .
^ Christ, Ginger (2016-08-01). "RTA passengers begin using new Tower City entrance". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved .
^ "Rail Riders - Track 8 Returns to Full Service". Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. 2016-11-26. Retrieved .
^ "Red Line upgrades fare collection system" (Press release). Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. 2009-08-05. Retrieved .
^ "Shaker Hts. & The Van Sweringens". Cleveland Historical. Retrieved 2016.
^ Van Tassel, David D.; Grabowski, John J., eds. (1996). "Cleveland Union Terminal". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (2nd ed.). Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33056-4. Retrieved .
^ "Post Office Plaza". Forest City Enterprises. Retrieved 2010.
^ McGraw-Hill 1918, p. 865.
^ Toman and Hayes 1996, pp. 280 and 295.
^ Toman and Hayes 1996, p. 297.
^ "History of public transit in Greater Cleveland". Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. Retrieved 2016.
^ "About RTA:History of Public Transit in Greater Cleveland". RTA Website. Retrieved .
^ "About RTA: History of Public Transit in Greater Cleveland". RTA Website. Retrieved .
Herrick, Clay (1987). Cleveland Landmarks. Cleveland: Cleveland Restoration Society. ASIN B000KCXJSS.
Johannesen, Eric (1979). Cleveland Architecture 1876-1976 (Digital edition-2007). Ann Arbor, Michigan (Cleveland-Digital): University of Michigan (Western Reserve Historical Society-Digital). ISBN 978-0911704211.
Rarick, Holly (1986). Progressive Vision: The Planning of Downtown Cleveland 1903-1930. Mishawaka, Indiana: Better World Books. ISBN 978-0910386869.
Van Tassel, David; Grabowski, John (1987). The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, 2nd edition (1996). Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0253330567.
Toman, Jim; Hayes, Blaine S. (1996). Horse trails to regional rails: the story of public transit in greater Cleveland. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. pp. 280, 295, and 297. ISBN 978-0873385473.
Electric Railway Journal, 1918, Volume 51 (Classic Reprint) Paperback - September 27, 2015. New York City (Leicestershire): McGraw-Hill Publishing (Forgotten Books). 1918. p. 895. ISBN 978-1330512098.
Cleveland FalconCam
RTA website
Photos of Tower City Station from Subway Nut
Database of railroad stations in Cuyahoga County
Search Resumes For Plane With 6 Aboard In Ohio
Cleveland Ups Security As It Prepares For Republican National Convention
City of Cleveland Republican Convention Protest Limits Rejected By Judge
LeBron James becomes a free agent: What do Clevelanders ...
Tower_City_Center
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Tag: Hurricane
RFA Mounts Bay Ready for Hurricane Season
June 4, 2019 seawaves
June 4, 2019 – All the pieces of the jigsaw are in place for RFA Mounts Bay to respond to hurricanes and tropical storms smashing through the Caribbean over the next five months. The auxiliary now has all the personnel, equipment and supplies needed to deal with the aftermath of a natural disaster. The Falmouth-based support ship was used extensively during the 2017 when a series of storms battered British territories in the region, such as the Virgin and Turks and Caicos Islands. Her Wildcat helicopter carried out reconnaissance missions…
June 2019British Virgin Islands, Hurricane, RFA Mounts Bay, Turks and Caicos
Coast Guard Receives International Recognition for Hurricane Response
June 22, 2018 seawaves
As the 2018 hurricane season opens, the international maritime community recognized the Coast Guard for its efforts last year to restore safe marine navigation in waterways hit by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. The members of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities selected the Coast Guard for its best practices award during its quadrennial conference, held here May 27-June 2. A leader in the employment of electronic aids to navigation, the Coast Guard maintains more than a quarter of the eATON in use around the…
June 2018Eaton, Hurricane, IALA, USCG
USNS Comfort Responds to Second Hospital Generator Failure in Puerto Rico
USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), underway near the coast of the Arecibo-Manati region of Puerto Rico, received four critical patients from Hospital Menonita in Caguas, Puerto Rico, after its generator failed, Oct. 6. “We are a mobile platform that can respond to the greatest area of need or act as a strut to help the Puerto Rican health system,” said Capt. Kevin Buckley, commanding officer of the medical treatment facility onboard Comfort. “We are engaged and determined to relieve human suffering.” The hospital ship was able to respond by coordinating with…
2017 OctoberArecib-Manati, Hurricane, MEDEVAC, MSC, Puerto Rico, USN, USNS Comfort
USS New York Departs Mayport for Potential Assistance Following Hurricane Nate
October 10, 2017 October 11, 2017 seawaves
USS New York (LPD 21), along with components of Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 8, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 40 and HSM 46 departed Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Oct. 7, to support the Gulf coast region if assistance is requested in the wake of Hurricane Nate. The amphibious transport dock ship is carrying four MH-60R helicopters, which can move cargo and perform search-and-rescue missions. New York is also capable of providing medical and expeditionary logistic support. Both New York and USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) were scheduled to depart Mayport…
2017 OctoberHurricane, LPD 21, Mayport, Puerto Rico, USS New York
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Carlsen Wraps Up Gashimov Memorial With 'Stellar Performance'
Having already secured victory yesterday, Magnus Carlsen finished the Gashimov Memorial in style. On Tuesday he defeated Alexander Grischuk to finish two points ahead of the pack, something the chess world hadn't seen for 4.5 years.
After drawing his own game very quickly, Anish Giri said: "It looks like today the only one who will really fight is the one who doesn't have to fight anymore, that Magnus will be the only one who will really go for it."
Carlsen did go for it, and his fighting spirit was rewarded with a third win in a row. He finished on 7/9, the most dominating victory since Fabiano Caruana's win at the 2014 Sinquefield Cup. At the closing ceremony, Carlsen called it one of the best tournaments he had ever played "both in terms of performance and also of quality of the games."
Today's tournament achievement, 12 points shy of a 3000 performance rating, evoked superlative reactions from some of Carlsen's colleagues in Shamkir.
Teimour Radjabov: "A stellar performance, really unique. Carlsen at his best."
Grischuk: "I think Magnus played just amazingly well today."
Grischuk was impressed by his opponent's play. | Photo: Shamkir Chess.
As always, Tarjei Svensen of Norway was quick to provide some statistics. For instance, Carlsen's performance in 2019 is 2927 (+10 =12 -0) and he has been undefeated for 50 games in a row.
Carlsen's new virtual Elo rating is 2861, which is just 21 points below his career-best rating of 2882 from May 2014. The last time his rating was this high was in June 2015, when his Elo was 2876.
He is now 44 points ahead of number-two Caruana. The difference between Carlsen and the rest of the world that hasn't been this high since September 2016 (when Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was world number-two, also 44 points behind). Read more...
Source: www.chess.com
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2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004
You are here: Home > Listings > Archive: 2012 > Coki (Digital Mystikz/DMZ) & Blacks (OGs)
Stealth archives: 2012
Coki (Digital Mystikz/DMZ) & Blacks (OGs), Stealth
Friday 24th August 2012
Supported by: Coki, Blacks & lots more tbc
Friday 24th August, 2012
COKI (Digital Mystikz/DMZ)
London based dubstep & grime producer Dean Harris (aka Coki) is one half of legendary production duo Digital Mystikz. Along with studio partner Mala he has built some of the best and most loved dubstep tracks, including what is regarded by many as the best dubstep tune out there, Anti-War Dub.
Coki is best known for the smash hit 'Night' which was co-produced by fellow dubstep DJ/producer Benga. Arguably the biggest dubstep tune of all time, the beat was so catchy that it was massive in the club and rave scene, even crossing over onto Radio playlists despite not containing any lyrics. If you have been to a club at any point over the last 5 years the chances are you have danced to this track.
Alongside Mala and Loefah, Coki runs the most influential record label and clubnight in the dubstep scene - DMZ. Radio DJ Mary Anne Hobbs’ support of dubstep originated from her attendance of a night to DMZ.
Legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, was an early supporter of Coki, putting Digital Mystikz in his annual Top 50 list back in 2004. Coki's music varies from the most relaxed chill-out tunes, such as 'Soundboy' to bass heavy bangers such as 'The End' and to full on wobblers like 'Spongebob' & 'Goblin.'
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Hosting for Coki we are pleased to present...
BLACKS (OGs)
Blacks, an MC from Blue Borough (South London), started his career in the crew Fatal Assassins and Neckle Camp before becoming a member of the crew OGs, featuring on their debut mixtape entitled OG Season.
His solo mixtapes have featured many top names in the scene like P Money, Jammer, Mischief, Little Dee & Dot Rotten. His regular B2B sessions on Rinse FM with fellow OGs member P Money have helped bring his talent to the masses.
Black's forthcoming mixtape features the Coki produced lead-track 'Hold On Wait' which is currently setting the blog world alight.
For FREE GUESTLIST:
1. Like this page: www.facebook.com/stealthnottingham
2. Write your name(s) as a comment on this post: www.facebook.com/stealthnottingham/posts/197313580400254.
3. Arrive before 11pm (for FREE ENTRY) or before Midnight (for £5 entry).
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More info TBC.
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April 26, 2018 - Features - Racing
by Camden Murphy, Sons of Speed Racing Consultant
Chief Editor, Paul Herrold
Going from 8 Years Old to NASCAR Racer
Back in 2005, there was a little 8-year-old boy who would watch NASCAR every Sunday with his father. They would sit on the couch, just the two of them, and watch the fun, the drama and the excitement of 43 racecars driving around an oval at speeds of 200mph – just inches from each other – all for the glory to be the first across the finish line. NASCAR became their thing. One Sunday, however, for no particular reason, the boy’s father had a thought, and that one thought would set his son on a life-long journey to follow in the footsteps of great men like Dale Earnhardt, Benny Parsons and Richard Petty. “Hey,” his father said, “Let’s go take a look at Go-Karts!” And at that, a new racecar driver was born.
The 8-year-old could hardly contain his excitement as the thought of Go-Karts, helmets and checkered flags were almost too much to comprehend. They went down to the local track and, as they walked through the pits, his father noticed something that he didn’t like at all: parents yelling at their racer kids. And not the type of yelling to encourage little Johnny along; no, what he heard were parents demeaning and insulting their own kids. The boy’s father wasn’t going to be any part of that scene, so together they left. At a nearby car-show a few months later though, they saw a half-scale NASCAR car that kids could actually race. With the father taking note of how inexpensive it was, how much safer these cars were compared to karting and, not to mention, no yelling from over-bearing parents – the racing dream was back in gear! Little did they know, however, the uphill journey and challenges that laid ahead.
Sure, the winning kept on coming, that was the easy part.
It was 2006 when things started coming together. They had a half-scale race car and a trailer to tow it around, and they were ready to go racing! The now 9-year-old started off great finishing second place in points in his very first season. You could say he was now officially hooked on racing – and it showed. Everything revolved around how to go faster, how to turn better, and how to shave a second off the lap time. His life became all about racing, but the more things seemed to progress, the more this father and son team struggled on what to do next. Sure, the winning kept on coming, that was the easy part. The hard part – and what they didn’t realize – was that with winning came more opportunities to drive bigger and faster vehicles; but those opportunities kept getting more and more expensive.
Thankfully, with support from local sponsors and partners, the boy was able to pursue his racing dreams and continued having success. At 12 years old in 2009 (no longer “just a boy”), the young man started driving full size 150+mph race trucks – completely unheard of for his age, especially considering he was still 4 years away from being legally allowed to drive across a public street! Being just 12 years old and driving full-on racing trucks will get you noticed, and unfortunately this is where the ugly side of the racing industry started to reveal itself.
In this business you get to know many people – from mechanics and promoters to spectators and sponsors – and sometimes these people are good and sometimes… let’s just say they’re not. You think you find someone you can trust to help, only to discover they are stabbing you in the back the entire time to enrich themselves. Seeing the desperate need of more financial backing, a close friend and fellow racer stepped in to split the season’s costs with them which helped fund the racing and, most importantly, provided a new race truck through a so-called “middle man.” Well, as it turns out, this middle man was a con-artist who never delivered on what was purchased. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, a motor was stolen along with the trailer, truck parts and everything that came with the truck. Talk about a middle man deal gone horribly wrong!
It is expensive to race – like REALLY expensive.
With the mistakes behind them and people they thought they could trust now gone, the father and son team moved on, wiser and stronger. The year is now 2010 and the young man is realizing that not only is he winning races, but he truly has a knack for this. Gone are the mere hobbyist days; this has now turned into his career. Unfortunately, though, this is where he began to learn a cold hard truth: it is expensive to race – like REALLY expensive, and finding sponsors is very difficult. For the young man, it seemed no one wanted to sponsor him. Even the local sponsors from years gone by wouldn’t return any phone calls. It seemed before when the racing was “just a game,” it was fun to back the little boy; but now that things were serious, the same affluent Chicago suburbanites saw NASCAR as something that “hillbillies” and “rednecks” did, not something worthy of their support. Despite feeling upset and defeated, the young man vowed to himself that he would continue to race and be a success.
And a very successful racecar driver he was, continuing to win races, but there was one thing continuing to hold him back from hitting the big time: money, or rather, the lack of money. In the racing industry, cash means better equipment and more opportunities, and without it, you simply don’t move on. But even having no money could not stop this young man from turning his professional racing dream into a reality.
Compelled to do whatever it takes, the young man drove to North Carolina, home of all the NASCAR race shops, determined to get his foot in the door – any door – even if it took sweeping floors or donating his time to any race shop that would take him in. Still racing back home from time to time, he continued to knock on doors until the day finally came where one of the race shops gave him the break he so desperately needed – a seat in a real NASCAR race. But even then there was a catch – he had to buy his own racing tires. Determined not to fail, he started a Crowd Funding campaign and raised the money needed to cover a few sets of tires. That day will live in this young man’s mind forever: his very first (and incredibly successful) NASCAR start of 2014.
Unfortunately, it was hardly smooth sailing after that. Although he made a great impression in the NASCAR world and more driving opportunities appeared, there was always that same one thing keeping him back – money. Even though the racing teams saw the talent and drive in this young man, it was always the lack of funds that stood in the way of achieving his goals. But the story does not end here. To this day, despite working in race shops 16 hours a day, driving himself to the race events and even sleeping in his own car, this young man has made a total of 15 starts between NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and also drives his very own Monster Jam truck touring the country and the world. Additionally, to tap into all forms of auto racing, he is a full-time driving coach and is currently a TV co-host on Fox Sports 1 as well. All this because they told him he couldn’t make it. All this because they told him he didn’t have what it takes. All this because they told him money was the only way – now, does money still stand in the way of accomplishing your racing goals? Yes it can, but in that journey you never know who you are going to meet along the way. You might just meet someone that wants you to succeed just as much as yourself – so let them in and enjoy the ride – you won’t regret it! Okay, enough with all this chit-chat, Camden Murphy has a lifelong goal to achieve and nothing is going to get in his way – has anyone seen his helmet?
CindyLog in to Reply
Camden, so proud of you! I remember this little boy coming to sing in the children’s choir. It’s great to read about the drive and determination that keep you heading toward your life goals! Best wishes to you as you continue your journey!!!
David BrinkmannLog in to Reply
Fortunate enough to see firsthand Camden's story unfold. The real story is the all out support of his entire family. Sisters unselfish encouragement, mother working extra at family business, father working with his son as they and they alone worked on the race cars. Beating teams with 5,6,and 7 crew members. Just a real lesson in don't give up...NEVER give up.
Joey BurgyLog in to Reply
This is what’s currently inspiring me to get into a racing career in the future...thank you Camden. Keep winning in monster jam!
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Emergency Department Wait Time Case Study
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Patients entering the emergency room at this hospital were experiencing delays, so emergency department leadership used lean process improvement tools to streamline processes and improve the patient experience. This hospital, which was once the lowest performer in the health system, became the “best in the system” after this rapid process improvement event.
ER patients at a South Florida hospital were experiencing substantial delays in being admitted into the hospital. Length of stay (LOS) times averaged 289 minutes, which led to unnecessary anxiety for patients and delayed access to the best possible care.
The problem was defined and the scope of the Kaizen was specified. A team was selected with participants from a variety of roles in the Emergency Department. The chief of emergency medicine led the team and received a complete set of lean resources to review before the Kaizen began.
During the Kaizen, a value stream map was used to track and better visualize the process and identify value-adding moments. An average LOS of 289 minutes was confirmed. Using lean principals as their guide, the Kaizen team focused on reduction of waste, lead times, cycle times and hand-offs. Examination of the future state value stream map found that 60 minutes could be reduced from the process through standardization of certain elements. During the entire event, the Kaizen team began each morning by detailing the tools and principles to be used, as well as facilitating the decision-making processes through guidance. Each day concluded with a leaders' meeting report to administration.
Patient flow at this facility was tracked along a series of stations for every case. One month after the Kaizen, the average patient wait time for the following stages was reduced:
"In Bed" to "Physician Greet" from 12 minutes to six, a 50% reduction
"Physician Greet" to "Disposition, Admissions" from 242 minutes to 224, a 7% reduction
"Physician Greet" to "Disposition, Departs" from 137 minutes to 120, a 12% reduction
Overall Average Length of Stay from 289 minutes to 243, a 16% reduction
The facility, which had been tagged as "worst in the system" of over 20 hospitals, received regular postings as "best in the system" after the Kaizen.
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Low Value Imports
The Australian government has now released the draft legislation abolishing the low value threshold for goods imported into Australia.
The Australian government have now released the draft legislation abolishing the low value threshold for goods imported into Australia.
The current position whereby goods imported into Australia with a customs value that does not exceed $1,000 are not subject to GST is being abolished with effect from 1 July 2017. From that date all supplies of goods to Australia are potentially subject to GST at 10%.
The ‘vendor registration’ model adopted in the legislation means that the GST on supplies of goods for less than $1,000 delivered to Australian consumers will need to be accounted for by either:
The overseas supplier if the total value of goods supplied to Australia is greater than AUD$75,000 per year; or
The entity delivering the goods (the goods forwarder); or
The “Electronic Distribution Platform” where the goods are ordered over that platform.
Australia is the first country to try and collect GST in this way and has tried to align the approach to the taxation of imported services which is also being introduced with effect from 1 July 2017. Unfortunately this has meant that the draft legislation is very complex and is in some instances considered unenforceable.
If a business supplies delivered goods to Australian consumers, the changes need to be carefully considered in advance.
If you would like any further information please contact Andrew Nutman.
Andrew Nutman
Associate Director, Tax
E anutman@shinewing.com.au
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Movie Reviews: A - H
Movie Reviews: I - Q
Movie Reviews: R - #
Review: Jurassic World
Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jake Johnson
Review: Entourage
Starring Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon
Review: San Andreas
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Alexandra Daddario, Carla Gugino
Review: Ex Machina
Starring Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, and Domhnall Gleeson
Review: Pitch Perfect 2
The Pitch is Back!
Review: Blackhat
Wednesday, June 17, 2015 Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis No comments
When you think of director Michael Mann, you think of gritty films with raw grainy visuals that not only ooze machismo and bravado, but also pay a healthy amount of respect for each film’s respective cityscapes. Heat, The Insider, Ali, Collateral, Miami Vice – each boasts Mann’s signature film making style, and - with the exception to Miami Vice - each of these films is quite good. From cops-and-robbers, to tobacco industry whistle blowers, to the Heavyweight Champion of the World, Mann sandpapers that glossy Hollywood sheen off the silver screen to welcome the viewer into a world that feels like it could exist right outside the cinema doors.
Thus, the prospects of teaming Michael Mann with Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Rush) and Viola Davis (The Help, Suicide Squad) seemed to promise a worthy new addition to his mostly impressive resume. But like so many no brainer pairings and can’t miss prospective projects, Blackhat falls incredibly short of those expectations. It’s always easy to point to any one or two specific reasons as to why a film fails (as I am going to do shortly), but ultimately, I think the problems that plague this film are more the result of an extensive series of choices and missteps - resulting in a film that can best be described as one that feels like an amateurish attempt to make a cheap knock-off of a Michael Mann movie.
Piece one of the blame pie has to go to the writing. I am always quick to say that writers are underrated and are the backbone of any great movie. Thus, when things go awry, I have to place culpability upon the screenwriter. Morgan Davis Foehl’s script feels like he spent a weekend binge watching a bunch of espionage/action movies and then picked out his favorite elements and mashed them into one script. The result is a narrative that is an unsightly amalgamation of mismatched parts – a la Frankenstein. Computer hacking, gunfights, explosive devices, stock market manipulation – it’s all in there, but sadly the one key ingredient to this jambalaya of plot mechanisms is missing – namely cohesion.
The second biggest problem with this movie is the casting. Chris Hemsworth is a good actor with more range than one would initially think after watching Thor, but Blackhat requires the actor to play a role he simply does not fit into – that of a tech junky world-class hacker. Because Hemsworth very much has the look of the Norse God he plays in the Marvel cinematic universe, it is an incredible stretch to sell him to the public as this mad genius of a hacker who does most of his work with fingers on keyboards. That his character is also able to take on militant global terrorist with guns and fists alike in the second and third act serves as the crippling blow to the credibility of his performance and the plot of the film. It’s the proverbial moment when you realize that this movie is nothing more than a creative team throwing everything against a wall and seeing what sticks. And just to be clear, what sticks in this film, absolutely stinks.
What do I say about the performance of Viola Davis, Wei Tang (as love interest Chen Lien), or anyone else in the movie? Two words – who cares. No one in this film really matters. Any danger they encounter, any turmoil they experience, any pain that they feels, it all feels so inconsequential. Not a single performance is compelling enough to make the viewer feel empathy, sympathy or any other “-athy” towards anyone in the movie. And that’s catastrophically problematic when you are in the business of storytelling.
These problems along with so many other smaller ones add up to a film that will go into the vault of forgotten movies only to be resurrected as a 5 second clip buried in a montage of other movie clips should Mann’s or Hemsworth’s respective careers ever get the lifetime achievement treatment. So do yourself a favor and take a pass on this one - No OnDemand, no Netflix, no Red Box, no iTunes, no nothing. There are so many mediocre action movies in the marketplace that are at the very least moderately entertaining, that this movie should never have to make its way onto your screen of choice.
Sunday, June 14, 2015 Bryce Dallas-Howard, Chris Pratt, Irrfan Khan, Jake Johnson, Vincent D'Onofrio No comments
There’s no denying that the original Jurassic Park was a cinematic game-changer - a shining of example of who Steven Spielberg once was as a director back when he was still Steven Spielberg. In the original Jurassic Park, the dinosaurs and the musical score were very much the stars, much more so than the cast, which featured solid but not spectacular leads in Sam Neil and Laura Dern, and the finished product was a grand epic that would define a generation of action films. In the twenty-one years since the original, Universal has produced a couple of less than inspired sequels that have found a myriad of reasons to bring viewers back to this world, but those films were void of the majesty and wonder associated with the original - opting instead to focus on destruction and mayhem. The best thing I can say about director Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World, is that it successfully brings back some of that original magic.
The second best thing going for the movie is that the set up makes sense. There are no plans to bring the dinosaurs to the U.S. or some elaborate far-fetched setup in which a kid gets lost on an unregulated island of dinosaurs. In fact, this film more or less ignores the events of the last two outings. In Jurassic World, big business is the driving force and why wouldn’t it. And if you miss the parallels between the machinations behind Jurassic World and the Parks and Resorts group at The Walt Disney Company, then you are not really paying attention. All the merchandising and Disney-fying of Jurassic World aside, as as the camera moves through the park and the score builds to a crescendo, it’s hard to not feel a bit of that original wonder.
One of the main differences between Jurassic World above Jurassic Park is that the casts are more the stars in this film. Chris Pratt, who is suddenly (and deservingly so) one of the biggest action stars in the industry, is very much the lead of this movie. He has the look and feel of the kind of protagonist who can carry a film of this size and scale on his shoulders. Sadly, it seems like Pratt has been reigned in by director Colin Trevorrow's direction, as his performance is mostly void of the goofy tongue-in-cheek sarcasm that has been the staple of his best work. Don’t get me wrong. Pratt is good, but he could have been even better.
Bryce Dallas Howard is a nice contrast to Pratt. No stranger to action films, Howard knows how to hit the right notes in expository and action scenes alike. There are some choices that are made in her character that are curious and my sense is that there are tidbits of backstory that were left on the cutting room floor. If those sacrifices are made for the sake of pacing though, then it is well worth it, because the first act is an intentionally methodical reintroduction to the all things Jurassic, and to linger in this place a minute longer than it does would have been too long.
And no discussion of the film would be complete without talking about the dinosaurs. This is where the film runs into a few problems, but mostly because it uses the dinosaurs as a melting pot for hot button issues (i.e. genetic manipulation, weaponization, corporate greed). The waters become so muddied that it all feels a bit sloppy and flippant. Still, the effects look great and the dinosaurs make for great theater, ultimately redeeming all that ails the film.
I had fairly moderate expectations for this movie going in, but I came away from it very entertained. It’s not the game-changer the original was, but it is big and fun, and stands out against a slate of movies this summer that have been uninspiring. Go see it if you haven’t already - Jurassic World has scored the biggest global opening ever – on the biggest screen you can find. Get the big popcorn, the vat of soda, sit back, and enjoy the ride.
Tuesday, June 09, 2015 Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon 1 comment
Entourage is one of those movies that the viewer knows is going to be bad even before he or she sits down in their seat. It’s also the rare occasion where the viewer is okay with that, because the act of paying for a ticket to go watch a movie that is an extension of a TV show that ended four years ago (but actually wasn’t that good for its last three years), is an act of acquiescence. That’s not a judgment. It’s a statement of fact. It’s why a person goes back to a long lost ex even when that relationship ended poorly – to forget about all the warts and shortcomings in exchange for the comfort of something familiar. And like any short-lived reunion with a former paramour, Entourage (the movie) offers a little bit of closure without any real catharsis.
The show had a run of about 20 episodes where it was as good as anything on television. A show bathed in self-congratulatory narcissism, excess, and winks and nods aimed at those on the lunatic fringe of Hollywood, ultimately was a story of enduring friendships. The opening act of the movie takes us back to this place and catches us up with a where-are-they-now set of scenes. The phones are different (adieu, Blackberry), the cars are Cadillacs, and Turtle is skinny, but other than that, everything looks and feels the same. And there is a sense of vacuous shallow comfort to be found in the status quo.
As for the rest of the movie, it feels like a ten-episode season crammed into ninety minutes. An exhaustive Congo line of celebrity cameos and references to every celebrity fad that has hit during Entourage’s absence almost make you forget that there is a plot to the film and a goal to be met. Like every Entourage season, friendships are challenged, lovers are found and lost and sometimes found again, parties are thrown, and somewhere along the way four bumbling fools from New York manage to make things come together.
Watching this play out is like forgoing the ice cream sundae and eating the whip cream straight from the can. It’s not good; it’s not substantive; but it’s absolutely a guilty pleasure. And if you loved the show, you will enjoy the movie. Not because it has evolved or breaks new ground, but because it will take you back to a time and place where things are light and feel-good and for a couple of hours you’ll get to see some characters that you devoted thirty minutes of your Sunday night to. And if you’re not a fan of the show or never watched it, then not only is there no reason for you to see the movie, but there’s also no reason for you to be reading this post.
If this were another movie, I would be typing snarky reference after snarky reference about how much of a waste of time, money, and effort this movie was, but I was a fan of the show. I was an east coaster who had just moved out to Los Angeles when the show started airing; and many of the places that made LA seem so magnificent onscreen on those Sunday nights, were the very things that made me love this city. So watching the movie was enjoyable to me even though I knew I was watching a film that is very much on par with those movie-of-the-week productions that Drama was always trying to get.
So if you were a fan of the show, you should definitely watch it. It’s not going to change how you felt about the show when it went off-air some four years ago, but it will give you some closure as you find out whatever became of Ari, Vince, et al. It’s not a movie that has to be seen on the big screen. In fact, I would recommend watching it via a more economically friendly distribution channel, but it deserves a look. If this is the last we see of the crew (and judging by last weeks box office, it is) then it is a nice ending for Vinnie Chase and the Chasers.
Monday, June 08, 2015 Alexandra Daddario, Carla Gugino, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Giamatti No comments
Anything you (or anyone else) can do, the Rock can do better. Don’t believe me? Take a look at his resume and you will find that it is littered with projects that have re-imagined and re-engineered other films simply by turning up the volume on the action and infusing Johnson's larger than life screen presence into the plot. The results at the box office have been nothing short of impressive. They don’t - after all - half-jokingly refer to him as The Franchise Viagra.
The plot of Johnson’s most recent movie, San Andreas, follows three simple steps. First, establish the credentials of the protagonist. Second, unleash unfathomable disasters of epic proportions on an unsuspecting public. Third, follow the protagonist as he/she sets out to save endangered family members. If this also sounds like the plot of The Day After Tomorrow, or 2012, you would be correct. In fact, this is the plot of nearly every disaster flick ever created. So what makes San Andreas worth watching?
For starters, the visuals are epic. Major kudos go to the artists involved with the special effects, who really utilized the vast majestic California landscape to paint a sweeping disaster scenario that is both horrific and breathtaking. It helps that the scenario feels incredibly real. Whereas most disaster films tend to depict radically accelerated climate change incidents that could only manifest on the silver screen, San Andreas fictionalizes an earthquake scenario that could occur at any moment. That’s not to say, the film’s account is accurate and grounded in sound science (because it’s not), but the notion of it is quite real.
Still, if special effects was the sole criteria upon which the quality of a movie measured, then the second Star Wars trilogy would have surpassed the original trio. No, it takes something more and in this case, Johnson is just that something more. His ability to bring credibility to lines that on paper must be cringe inducing is one of his greatest skills. It’s an ability he no doubt crafted during his WWE days, delivering over-the-top one liners to live crowds with unwavering commitment and conviction. So when Johnson makes a daring declaration or an ill-timed comment about getting to second based while facing insurmountable odds, it allows the audience to both groan and chuckle. And that he has a larger-than-life presence, allows the audience to suspend just enough disbelief to buy-in.
However, none of this means that San Andreas is a great movie, because ultimately it’s not. Some might say it’s not even good. What most could agree on is that it’s entertaining. Watching the California coast - from the glitz of the Hollywood hills to the nouveau riche technological epicenter that is San Francisco – crumble to the ground offers a horrifically exhilarating backdrop to the perfectly melodramatic chemistry between Johnson, longtime screen veteran Carla Gugino, and Alexandra Daddario. More simply put, it’s watching good-looking people survive or not (no spoilers!) a stunningly visual disaster. And who could possibly decry a gluttony of eye candy.
So long story short, it’s worth a watch. The summer slate has been and will be fairly tepid this for the remainder of 2015 and the list is short on films that really bask in being an unapologetic popcorn flick. The visuals are massive and worth that big screen treatment and will provide you with a nice break from having to think, process, or decipher.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015 Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac No comments
Conceptually speaking, A.I. can be a scary thing. No, I’m not talking about Allen Iverson – though the former NBA player’s crossover could be frightening for a retreating defender. What I’m talking about is artificial intelligence – a term that can mean very different things depending on the layperson. To some, it’s what makes their video games really difficult to beat; and to others it’s a fantastical concept born from the funny pages of the 1950’s. Then of course there are the doomsayers, who see A.I. as the next step in evolution – an ill-conceived attempt on the part of humankind to play god – that will lead to the demise of human beings. Does that seem over-the-top? Yes. Far-fetched? Probably. So far off in the future that it shouldn’t register as a blip on the alarmist radar? Sure. After all, back in 1985, Marty and Doc in Back to the Future had us all convinced the world would have flying DeLoreans by now. But I digress.
Films like Terminator, I Robot, Alien, Terminator, and countless other movies have featured some manifestation of artificial intelligence as significant plot mechanisms and have done so with varying degrees of success. This is a trend I am confident will continue in perpetuity until Skynet goes live and takes over the world (Terminator reference for the uninitiated). In the interim, Hollywood will keep pumping out movies featuring A.I. once or twice a year and we’ll keep on watching them. Given this context, what makes Ex Machina any different than its numerous predecessors? The simple answer is “not much.” The film asks all the typical questions that audiences have come to expect from movies with this premise. When does programming and coding end, and actual consciousness being? What are the implications of “playing God” and what are the consequences?
In writing this, I realize that I have not yet offered up a compelling reason for you or anyone else to rush out and watch this movie – a movie that I actually think is quite well done and absolutely worth your time. But really, the merits of the film have less to do with artificial intelligence (though it is a compelling enough hook) than one would surmise from a distance. Instead, what makes the narrative compelling is the use of space and time to create this sense of claustrophobia that pervades the protagonists’ fundamental struggle to find truth and authenticity while laying in a bed of lies. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Ex Machina is very much a textbook suspense/thriller wrapped up in a cloak of science fiction and to writer/director Alex Garland’s credit, he does a nice of job of dropping layer upon layer of conflict and misdirection in very small spaces.
A movie like this can only truly be successful though if the acting is up to snuff and Oscar Isaac (as Tech genius/mogul Nathan) and Domhnall Gleeson (as computer programmer Caleb) do a good job of establishing a dynamic in which their respective characters share a sphere of common interest but come to that place from polar opposite positions. If their relationship is where the seeds of mistrust are sown, then their respective interactions (or lack of) with Alicia Vikander’s (Ava) is where the fundamental tension of the film is cultivated. Vikander’s Ava uses her innocence to evoke a subtle foreboding sensuality that muddies what is already an incredibly polluted pool.
The pacing is methodical, like an iron on low heat slowly burning its way through a collared shirt. The dialogue is smart but never aspires to answer unanswerable questions. The direction of the film maintains its singular focus of telling a taut suspenseful tale. The combination of these three elements makes the film very much a win for all involved, and one that is worth a look. For Star Wars fans, it has the added appeal of featuring two actors (Isaac and Gleeson) who will be starring in Star Wars Episode VII at year’s end.
Review: Pitch Perfect 2 (The Pitch is Back!)
Monday, May 18, 2015 Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin No comments
The Pitch is Back.
And it will be back for a third installment. You can carve that in stone after we learned this weekend that the only thing that can beat Mad Max is the Bellas of Barden University to the tune of $70M at the domestic box office (to Mad Max: Fury Road’s $44M). Between Pitch Perfect 2 and Furious 7, it’s been a good year at the cinema for Universal and all this success no doubt has left their deep pocketed but suddenly frugal neighbors down the street in Burbank feeling green with envy.
But all the financial success aside, Pitch Perfect 2 is very much the same movie as its predecessor only it’s different. The movie is different from Pitch 1 in that the plot and its characters are meaner, more cynical, and thus a little less likable. And it’s the same as its predecessor in that the creative team knows the film’s audience, knows what that fan base loves about the first movie, and gives them the exact same formula – fluffy story lines and snarky pulp references dressed up with catchy acapela mashups of pop hits from yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
There is something to be said for the ole saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but there’s a lot of truth to the caveat of “going back to the well one too many times.” And while I muster up every possible cliché in the book to describe the experience of watching this movie, what I am trying to say is that this movie is not fun enough and its characters not likable enough to offset the been-there-done-that feeling that pervades this film. See formula below:
Act 1: Bellas find themselves in a bit of a pickle.
Act 2: Bellas try to come together but have a falling out while trying to remedy the issues in Act 1.
Act 3: Bellas reconcile and put things back together to deliver a rousing musical performance.
Like I said, been-there-done-that. In a lot of ways, Anna Kendrick’s careers arc is emblematic of Pitch Perfect’s in that Kendrick used to be the cool plucky underdog in Hollywood on the fringe of the big-time churning out good performances here and there in movies such as Up in the Air and 50/50. Then somewhere along the way (really, after the first Pitch Perfect), she became a big star not only for her acting skills, but also for her vocals and social media savvy. And as her star shined brighter and brighter, her sharp sarcasm started to play less charming and more the product of unwarranted ego. In much the same way, Pitch Perfect 2 feels less charming and more obnoxious – no doubt the product of the cult status its predecessor received during its post-theatrical life.
That’s not to say that the movie is not funny. There is a lot of fun to be had with the supporting cast – Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy), Adam Devine (Bumper), Snoop Dog (Snoop Dog), and Keegan-Michael Key (Becca’s Boss) supply plenty of laughter, but Kendrick’s Becca is the rock upon which this foundation is built and whether its her performance or the way the character is written, it never really comes together for her. She’s no longer the too-cool-for-school outsider who realizes that friends do matter, but instead the too-cool-for-school insider who decides maybe they don’t matter as much until maybe they really do.
But very little of what I has to say here really matters, because if you were all in on the first movie, then nothing will really change how you feel, especially if you are anything like the Kool-Aid drinking crowd that I watched the movie with – a crowd that buzzed with anticipation when even David Cross came on screen. And if you are someone who has to see the movie because the person you are with wants to see the movie, then well, you’re going to see it and endure it because you have to. Just don’t expect a “Cups” moment or any originality. This one’s for the congregation and there’s no need to preach. They’re going to love it. And for the non-believers, well, not all the music is rubbish so there’s that.
Since movie will be an A+ to those who really want to see it, and a D to those who really don’t, I’ll Split the difference and call it a C+.
Why Should We Care About Deflategate Anymore?
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 NFL, Sports 1 comment
Tell me why I am supposed to care about Deflategate anymore? And don’t tell me because it hurts the integrity of the NFL and the game. Any sense of integrity was tossed down the garbage chute when Roger Goodell – the ultimate carpetbagger – was named commissioner. We’re talking about a commissioner so inept and duplicitous that he makes David Stern seem like Honest Abe Lincoln.
The cynic (and realist) in me knows this story has been packaged into television programming designed to bridge the gap from the NFL Draft to the NFL Preseason. And make no mistake about it - the league and the networks are loving it. If you don’t believe me, look at the gallery of rogues and jokers they’ve paraded in front of the camera. The next time Shannon Sharpe has anything cogent and intelligible to say, it will be the first time.
Full discloser, I am a Patriots fan. I grew up in New England and love the sports teams, but I have never been a Brady sycophant. My loyalties have always been with the QB who helped build Gillette Stadium, Drew Bledsoe. So with that being said, let’s get into it. Did Brady have a general idea that these guys were working to get the ball inflation down to the lower end of the scale? More probably than not (to borrow a line from Ted Wells). But the problem with this investigation as with any that is headed up by an attorney, is that:
1. It is trying to assign blame rather than to discover.
2. It is trying to make black and white something that is incredibly gray.
Think about it. It is trying to connect the dots to formulate a direct chain of events that reveal a precise systematic operation to manipulate footballs, when really, there seems to be very little that is precise in regards to how teams and the NFL handle the footballs on game day (right down to the ball pressure measurements). Look at the skeleton buried in the footnotes of the Wells Report, and you will find plenty of cause to question the whole process. Because really, it seems like this whole ball pressure thing was something no one REALLY cared about (i.e. $25K fine for an infraction), until suddenly someone cared. I am of the belief that every QB has different football preferences and they let that be known to low-level (and low paid) equipment guys. To varying degrees, Aaron Rogers, Eli Manning, Jeff Blake, and Brad Johnson have admitted as much. But let’s not get high and mighty about the integrity of the game and a level playing field when we are talking about a game that is predicated on cheating. Don’t believe me? Let’s have a look.
Do you think 300 lbs. men naturally have 4% body fat and can run a 4.4 40 yard dash naturally? Make no mistake about it. The league has a PED problem, but the powers-that-be and the fans-in-the-stands (myself included) turn a blind eye to it because that would ruin our Sundays from September to February. And contrary to popular belief, the Patriots were not the only team to videotape signals. They were the team that Goodell decided to reprimand. Ask Jimmy Johnson, Bill Cowher, or the video evidence of other teams doing it, which Bill Belichick provided to Roger Goodell. Oh wait. We can’t check that evidence, because Roger Goodell had it destroyed. Even the pinnacle of integrity, Mr. Football himself Jerry Rice, admitted in a video documentary that he used Stickum on his hands, when it was explicitly against the rules. Unfortunately for Rice, that was revealed after he had ripped the Patriots for Deflategate. Funny, I missed the NFL and ESPN running that on a constant loop in their news crawl.
And that leads me to the BIG reveal. It’s because this whole thing hasn’t been about deflated footballs. It’s been about the league versus the Patriots. The report, which Goodell and his puppet Troy Vincent claim is indisputable because Ted Wells has an impeccable reputation, states that Bob Kraft, Bill Belichick, and the coaching staff have no guilt in the matter. Yet, the team was fined one million dollars and a first and fourth round pick. What would the punishment have been if they were guilty? Would the Patriot then be playing for the Gray Cup next year in the CFL?
For a bit of context, let’s look at some of the punishment doled out this offseason by Goodell. The Falcons organization pumps in noise during games and as a result, the team is penalized a late round draft pick. The Browns GM Farmer sends illegal texts to the sideline during games and the team gets fined $250K. Jets Owner Woody Johnson tampers with and ultimately signs Darelle Revis and the team is fined $100K. Meanwhile, Bob Kraft, Bill Belichick, and his staff do nothing wrong and get fined $1M and lose a first and fourth round pick. Ridiculous.
I would respect Goodell, his puppets, and some of the GMs around the league more if they just admitted that this is a witch-hunt rather than express their incredibly hypocritical self-righteous sense of indignation. As much a hit as Brady and his reputation has taken, it really is not about him. That four game suspension will be argued down to two if not none by the time the NFLPA and Jeffrey Kessler are done dominating the league and the league knows this. This is about trying to knock the Patriots down – something very few in the league have been able to do these past fifteen years.
How the rest of this plays out, I have no idea, but if I were a betting man (another thing the NFL allegedly does not condone though it forces teams to produce injury reports for the purposes of sports gambling), I would bet that the league and the networks will continue to milk this story for all the ratings and web clicks it is worth and the Patriots will ride the negativity straight to Super Bowl 50.
See you in San Francisco.
Tweets by @TonyShin
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I had it in my mind when I woke up Saturday morning that I was going to see “ Crazy Stupid Love ” in the evening. On tap before that ...
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The thing that always bothered me most about The Three Musketeers is that the plot always involved D’Artagnian – thus rendering the trio a...
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If you have seen Tron: Legacy , then you know that director Joseph Kosinski has a very good eye for visual...
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Sometimes things are all perfectly lined up. Sometimes a project seemingly has everything going for it and just by looking at the colle...
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I haven’t read any of the Jack Reacher novels. I can’t even tell you who the author is. So going into the movie, I had...
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The Straw That Stirs The Drink
In 1969, Humankind reached the Moon, just in time to see one of Reggie's homers pass by Apollo 11's window. Just 23 years old, Reggie Jackson had already starred in college at Arizona State in Football and Baseball, and had moved with the A's from Kansas City to Oakland. That year made his first All-Star appearance, led the AL in Runs Scored, Slugging, OPS, Intentional Walks, and for the second year in a row, strikeouts. The strikeouts didn't bother Reggie, especially with a career high 47 Homers to go with them. He once said that "the most important requirement in success is overcoming failure. You must learn to tolerate it, but never accept it."
It was Reggie Jackson and the players that formed the nucleus around him were the first Athletics team to reach the post season since the team was managed by Connie Mack in the 1930s. In 1972, it was Reggie's surprise steal of home in game 5 against the Detroit Tigers that vaulted them into the World Series and setting the stage for Oakland's dynasty. "Just as nature fills a vacuum, Reggie fills a spotlight." -- Bob Marshall
At the peak of the Oakland dynasty, Jackson was the centerpiece of a dynamic offense. In 1973, he was the MVP of the World Series, and MVP of the American League. He led the AL in Runs scored, Homers, RBI, Slugging and OPS. Playing against the legend Willie Mays and the New York Mets, Jackson would hit .310 in the seven game marathon. Facing elimination, Jackson drove in go ahead runs early and an insurance run later on in Game 6, and a back breaking homer in Game 7 to put the A's up for good.
As an Oakland Athletic, Reggie walked the walk as much as the talked the talk. As the team succeeded and he found great personal success, he displayed the kind of swagger and bravado that would make him a household name. The team was barely holding itself together with in-fighting and a young MC Hammer spying on the players and relaying gossip to owner Charlie O. Finley. No, really. Jackson and the rest of the team's stars would have to endure the antics of the team owner and the low-ball offers he'd extend for new contracts.
Jackson loved Oakland, with deep ties to his teammates and the community. Finley was not willing to pay the salary that Jackson would command in 1976 and beyond and the game's premier power hitter. Reggie was traded to Baltimore just before Opening Day, shocking the baseball world. His season with the Orioles was overlooked for a long time - Topps did not make a card with him in an Orioles unform until after his playing career - but the team would certainly take notice of his talents while he was there. Jackson would lead the team in homers, RBI, slugging, OPS... and stolen bases! He swiped 28 bags at an 80% success rate. He also had a personal best in homers - hitting one in 6 straight games during the 1976 season. The Orioles missed the playoffs - the only time that Jackson missed the playoffs from '71 through 1978. After the season, Jackson would be a free agent. "If I played in New York, they'd name a candy bar after me."
The Reggie Bar was apparently very tasty, if a little too similar to the Baby Ruth bar, but not nearly as sweet as the addition of Reggie Jackson's bat to the Yankees line-up. Not so sweet? his relationship with Billy Martin and Thurman Munson. The New York media had certainly picked a side early on, and drew a firm pinstripe in the sand after Reggie's interview with Robert Ward for Sport Magazine. Even before the magazine was released, the backlash was strong. It was in this interview that Jackson famously quipped "I'm the straw that stirs the drink." Despite the rocky relationship between Reggie and some parts of the Yankees clubhouse, the talent was clear, and winning breeds good team chemistry. It would be wrong to say that all was forgiven, but Reggie's 5 World Series Homers sure made the dugout atmosphere more relaxed. Jackson was of course the MVP of the 1977 World Series, and the team would repeat again in 1978 as Champions. His heroics would earn him the nickname "Mr. October." Jackson would continue to lead the team offensively into the 1980s.
My first exposure to Topps Traded cards was Reggie's bespectacled mug in a California Angels helmet. When Gene Autry heard that Jackson was willing to play out west again once he became a free agent, he made sure to make Reggie a big offer, giving the 35 year old a 5 year deal. Can you imagine a contract like that today? Reggie would help the Angels to 2 more playoff appearances, though he would not reach the World Series again in California. He would retire following one last season with Oakland in 1987.
The Hall of Famer retired with 563 homers, over 220 stolen bases, 1500 + runs, 1702 RBI, and over 2500 hits. He is the All-Time MLB leader in strikeouts, but he didn't mind the boos or taunts - "They don't boo nobodys."
Labels: Baltimore Orioles, Black History Month, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim California, Mr. October, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Reggie Jackson
JediJeff February 22, 2019 at 7:26 PM
Wait - you talk about his talents but fail to address how he tried to murder an English monarch?
Jafronius February 23, 2019 at 10:07 PM
He would have been successful, if not thwarted by opera singer Enrico Pallazzo.
kirk February 22, 2019 at 9:58 PM
that 74 card of reggie is a cool one.
Fuji February 23, 2019 at 12:08 AM
As an A's fan, when I think of a Reggie card, it should be his rookie or one of his early career cards... but sadly it isn't. I will forever see that 83T card of him with the Angels when I close my eyes. I think it has to do with him being on the 83 Topps boxes when I was a kid.
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How Do You Afford ALL the Cool Games? | Talking Games Episode #171
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Black Science #6 Review
Black Science #6
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Matteo Scalera
Painted Art by Dean White
Lettering by Rus Wooton
Review by Mike Duke
So I just went through the archives and it doesn’t look like we at Talking Comics have had the chance to review Rick Remender’s dark science fiction drama Black Science. As such, I’m going to go back a bit and talk about the series as a whole before jumping straight into issue #6, which is something of an ending to the first arc of this fascinatingly twisted story.
Black Science is about a group of fringe scientists who call themselves The Anarchist League of Scientists, led by Grant McKay, who create a machine that will punch through alternate universes. Issue one begins with Grant and his team hip-deep in a life or death struggle to find their way home from their first attempt to use the machine. The Anarchists call it the Pillar–the machine that transports them around what they call the Eververse. The pillar has been sabotaged, and neither can they control it nor can they stop it. The whole thing is sort of like Quantum Leap, but with alternate universes, most of them scary or deadly or both. Remender also has a kind of Walking Dead attitude toward his characters–at least three have died in these first six issues. It’s a gruesome business, stepping out of your universe, and the Anarchist League of Scientists is paying for their hubris.
In issue six, Grant fights with Kadir, the man who funded the pillar project, in the middle of a temple populated by oversized, intelligent monkeys. The two of them have only minutes to return to the pillar before it jumps, and both are determined that the other will not make it. As they scrap it out, another fight takes place around the pillar itself as Grant’s foul-mouthed, teenage daughter tries to leave so she can rescue her dad. One of the strangest things about Black Science is the morality of it. The characters themselves seem to have little in the way of professional ethics or even common human decency, but when it comes to Grant’s kids–who are stuck on this expedition with the Anarchists–no price is too high to keep them safe. Not one character, no matter how duplicitous they turn out to be, ever says, “Forget the kids, I’m saving myself.” I’m not sure how I feel about this choice, however. On the one hand, it keeps any of the characters from becoming the sniveling, Doctor-Smith-from-Lost-In-Space character. On the other, it just seems wrong: you would think that facing death on a far flung dimension where electric frog people ride on the backs of giant flying turtles would break down the chivalry of just about anybody.
One of the coolest moments in issue six is when Grant and Kadir end up in the chamber of a monkey wearing some very sophisticated equipment and brandishing the symbol of the Anarchist League of Scientists. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen another version of Grant in the series, but it’s certainly the first time that the circumstances of a dimension have been so drastically different and yet still produced a recognizable character. The rest of the issue is seriously spoilerific, but I will say that it’s very well written and wraps up this first “act” or “season” of Black Science quite well. I will have trouble waiting until July to get the next part of the story.
I can’t help but compare Black Science to some of the other sci-fi titles I’m reading right now and note the profound differences. This is certainly the best written book I’ve read from Mr. Remender since Uncanny X-Men ended, but it’s also wholly unique from anything else out there. Manhattan Projects has a good deal of humor, but can’t muster the same amount of action and tension that Black Science does. FBP contains some of the same ideas, but doesn’t have quite the same level of imagination of Black Science. And so on, and so on. Though it has a couple of small problems–like the kid issue I talked about earlier–Black Science is a unique and well produced series that I hope will only get better/weirder as time goes on.
One major thing that sets this book apart from others is the art. Matteo Scalera does an excellent job with every aspect of this book, from the faces to the settings. I can only imagine what it must be like to be an artist and get a script like Black Science coming across your desk–never really knowing what to expect from one issue to the other. This month it’s giant monkeys, last month it was Native American spaceships, before that, naked fish women dancing for the enjoyment of their frog overlords. I imagine it must be both terrifying and exhilarating. Not enough can be said, however, about the painting art of Dean White, which is just as integral to Black Science‘s individuality as Scalera’s pencils. It says a lot that White’s credit in the book says, “Painted Art,” and not “Colorist.” I would love to know exactly how he creates the look of this book–whether he uses physical or digital painting, for example–but the finished product is gorgeous, messy, moody, and striking in every issue.
Buy it. As with so many Image titles right now, you may be better off waiting for the trade on this one. The story is quite complicated, and I believe it reads better all together. That being said, there is something in the paper stock and printing of this title that lends itself to single issues. And then there are the covers–they remind me of pulp sci-fi novel covers from way back when, but with Scalera’s dramatic figures and White’s beautiful painted colors. Every one is a joy to look at. But, however you get it, Black Science is definitely worth your time, especially if you like the weird and dark world of fringe science.
black sciencecomic book reviewdean whitefbpgrant mckayimage comicslost in spaceManhattan Projectsmatteo scaleraquantum leapreviewsrick remenderthe pillarwalking dead
Silver Surfer #2 Review
Help Out Talking Comics
Mike is a husband, father, writer, gamer, and all around geek. His life’s ambition is to write the fictions, either in film, books, or comics. He is currently working on a couple of comics with artists local to his home in Denver, Colorado, which will be available in 2014. He loves all kinds of games–card, board, video, etc. (including the ones you don’t usually tell your friends you like.) He’s been collecting and reading comics since he was a youngster with some gaps to accommodate for things like kids and no money. His favorite stories include anything 2099, Elseworlds-like superhero arcs, and vintage 90′s Vertigo and Image. When he’s not posting reviews on Talking Comic Books, he’s also not posting his writing on his writing blog, or not writing his comic book, etc.
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Favorite Comic Book Covers of the Week: 01/16/13
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If You Build It, They Will Come: The Transformational Space of Men’s Groups
Men’s therapy groups provide an exceptional opportunity for men to be fully themselves with one another. In addition to traditional roles men often play, they also have deeper longings for more meaningful, authentic contact in their lives, and group therapy is one venue where they get to practice the here-and-now experience of deeper connection and vulnerability. In his 1988 book Bradshaw: On The Family (which was later expanded into a PBS series), John Bradshaw made the distinction between human doings and human beings. Men’s groups offer a space for men to experience themselves more dimensionally, and less imprisoned in the doing role.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015/Author: Andrew Susskind/Number of views (1688)/Comments (0)/
Categories: Gender Specific
Why Your Girly Thoughts Are Harmful to You . . . and What You Can Do About Them!
Have you ever wondered, as I have, why women are more represented among those who use psychotherapy? Do women really have more problems? Do they strive for greater insight? Or are they just more aware?
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The Beautiful Face of Recovery
Betty Ford saved many women’s lives – women she never met. Thanks to her honesty and willingness to express her vulnerabilities on a national, public level, as well as to personal friends and family, more and more women have been able to admit that they too have addictions to alcohol and/or drugs. Betty Ford revealed her addiction to the public in 1978. In 1982, she, along with former ambassador to Belgium Leonard Firestone, founded the Betty Ford Center.
Friday, November 14, 2014/Author: Carol Teitelbaum/Number of views (991)/Comments (0)/
Gender and the Path to Wholeness
As I have been looking at gender — primarily masculinity — and addiction off and on for more than a decade and a half, I have arrived at some nascent ideas that I am sure are not original but are compelling nonetheless.
Thursday, December 2, 2010/Author: Dan Griffin/Number of views (870)/Comments (0)/
It Happens to Boys: Walking the Heroic Path
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Wednesday, September 29, 2010/Author: Carol Teitelbaum/Number of views (901)/Comments (0)/
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Transmission metaphors in museums
Embodied in the language we use are all sorts of ideas and assumptions: some of which we are aware, others we are not. A paper in the latest Curator journal (Ntzani, 2015) explores how the “transmission” metaphors that are frequently applied to communications influences the way we conceptualise museums:
“[T]ransmission metaphors make communication seem like an easy or automatic process between active speakers and passive listeners. This presupposition has long haunted museum communication practices” (Ntzani, 2015, p. 63).
Drawing upon the work of Michael Reddy, Ntzani describes two main transmission metaphors: that of the conduit; and that of the container.
Some literal museum conduit – a stairwell at the EMP museum in Seattle (Credit: RogerSmith/Flickr)
The two metaphors are distinct and often incompatible. Conduits are invisible and passive transmitters of information, whereas containers call attention to themselves in the way they hold information and impose a shape onto it.
Ntzani argues that the container metaphor is often implicit in the way we discuss museum objects, exhibits and indeed museum buildings.
. . . transmission metaphors make us think of museum objects either as containers of intrinsic cultural information, or as conduits of information that are transmitted from museum curators to museum visitors. The first proposition sees museum objects as sealed containers of cultural values that speak for themselves, while the second proposition sees museum objects as conduits of messages, the signs of a language museums employ to build their narratives.” (Ntzani, 2015, p.65, my emphasis)
That section in particular made me think about the language of objects issue I was grappling with last year. Could the container and conduit metaphors help explain differences in the way different curators conceptualise the object and its communicative role? The former positions the object as being imbued with inherent meaning. The latter renders the object as a mere tool for an interpretive storyline: it says nothing in particular until it’s placed into a wider narrative.
“When museums are discussed as educational institutions, attention falls on the transmission of messages; in this case conduit metaphors take the lead. When discussed as architectural spaces . . . container metaphors are more frequently used.” (Ntzani, 2015, pp.67-68)
The museum itself can be conceptualised as a series of nested containers, analogous to Russian dolls: an exhibit is nested inside an exhibition, which is nested inside a museum that itself is nested within a particular social or geographical context.
Museum architecture can be considered as a series of nested containers – like Russian nesting dolls (Image credit Bradley Davis/backpackphotography/flickr)
Extending the concept further, Ntzani points out that it is only the outside of each doll that is adorned – the interior is a plain, neutral container for the doll within. In museum buildings, there can be a tension between those who wish to have statement architecture that draws attention to iself, versus those wanting a discreet container that will fade into the background. The conflict between conduit and container may be a new way of conceptualising some of these debates about the role of museums.
Ntzani, D. (2015). Under the Spell of Metaphors: Investigating the Effects of Conduit and Container Metaphors on Museum Experience. Curator: The Museum Journal, 58(1), 59–76. doi:10.1111/cura.12098
Audiences, Visitors, Participants
Sometimes you see the words “audience” and “visitors” being used more or less interchangeably. But to me they represent different concepts and there was a discussion on this point some time ago on the Museum Audience Insight blog. While there was some debate about this, I took the view that “audiences” was a broader term than “visitors”; audiences were passive recipients whereas the word “visitor” implied something more active (through physical or virtual presence). So, you try to reach audiences but they may or may not be listening. Visitors, on the other hand, have fronted up and expect to see something that interests them.
Thinking about this again more recently, I’ve noticed that there’s an interesting semantic distinction between the two. Readers familiar with their latin roots will not be surprised by the fact that that “audience” is derived from the word for hearing and listening, whereas “visitor” has its roots in videre, which means to see or to notice. And, at least in Western cultures, we tend to privilege what we see above what we hear (compare how we think of “eyewitness testimony” as opposed to “hearsay evidence”). So it’s not surprising that such assumptions have, knowingly or otherwise, crept into the way we conceptualise audiences as opposed to visitors.
But something is still missing. Visitors themselves can still be passive or active. In media, this has been described as a “lean-forward versus lean-back” model for the way people consume online content. “Lean back” is passive relaxation mode, while “lean forward” is active involvement in searching, creating and critiquing.* In a visitor experience context, I’ll draw upon Nina Simon’s work and characterise these “lean forwards” as participants. Just like there are many different types of visitation, Simon has characterised varieties of participation (but I won’t go into details here). Participation also has interesting etymological roots, having come from the Latin participium, itself borrowed from the Greek meaning “to share”.
So how do audiences, visitors and participants relate to one another?
At the simplest levels, Participants can be considered a subset of Visitors, who in turn are a subset of Audiences. In theory this could also be conceptualised as a progression, with an individual moving from Audience Member to Visitor to Participant. Is moving through this progression a meaningful measure of engagement? It it an unhelpful oversimplification? Do we need a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between audiences, visitors and participants?
*I recall attending a presentation that referred to “lean-forward” versus “lean-back” in heritage interpretation, and I *think* I remember who it was, but I’m not 100% sure. If it was you, let me know so I can link to it!
Unpacking “Experience”
Experience, n & v:
n: 1 – actual observation or practical acquaintance with facts or events
—2 – knowledge or skill resulting from this
—3 – an event regarded as affecting one (an unpleasant experience)
v: 1 – to have experience of, undergo
—2 – feel or be affected by (an emotion, etc)
– Oxford English Reference Dictionary, 2nd Ed (2002)
Straightforward enough, huh? Well maybe not.
I’ve been reading Experience, evidence and sense: the hidden cultural legacy of English by Anna Wierzbicka. In it, she argues that the word experience, particularly in the third sense of the noun described above, is a peculiarly Anglo-English concept that cannot be easily translated into other languages. Furthermore, this use of the word is a relatively recent development in the English language, not appearing until around the 18th century. Its rise coincides with the rise of empiricism in British philosophy (Hume, Locke), in contrast to the rationalism (Descartes, Leibniz) that continued to dominate philosophical thought in the rest of Europe.
The original sense of experience was something that built up over time: experience as a body of accumulated knowledge (e.g. an experienced tradesperson). However experience has expanded to also refer to something that can be, ahem, ‘experienced’ in the moment – it is sensory, self-aware and subjective, combining perceptions, thoughts and feelings. In other words we can have experiences, and we are aware that we are having experiences while we are having them. Experience has become a countable noun: we can have an experience going horseriding; this is a very different thing from gaining experience in horseriding. However, this relatively new and now ubiquitous use of the word experience apparently has no equivalent outside the English language:
“The word experience plays a vital role in English speakers’ ways of thinking and provides a prism through which they interpret the world. While its range of use is broad and includes a number of distinct senses, several of these senses have a common theme that reflects a characteristically Anglo perspective on the world and on human life. This is why the word experience is often untranslatable (without distortion) into other languages, even European languages” (Wierzbicka, 2010, p.31)
So I’m wondering what this means for the way we conceptualise and study Visitor Experiences in a global context. It’s a significant question, as numerous theories in tourism, education and other areas hinge on defining characterising the experience. Obviously, English speakers aren’t the only people to have ‘experiences’. But maybe we are the only linguistic group to conceptualise and describe them in the way that we do. So when we talk about experiences across cultures, how do we know we’re all talking about the same thing?
Pine and Gilmore's 1999 work set up a value chain that had commodities at the bottom, then goods, then services, then experiences. So now I'm left wondering how Anglo-centric this highly influential idea is . . .
“Given the central role of English in today’s science, including psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience, it is particularly important that such culture-specific constructs are not absolutised and also that they be well understood” (Wierzbicka, 2010, p.30)
I’m probably late to the party on this – it’s likely others have already given this considerable thought. I’d appreciate links to additional resources on this point. Given ‘experience’ is a key word in my thesis title, it is probably worth my while mulling it over for a while.
Pine, B. J. I., & Gilmore, J. H. (1999). The experience economy: work is theatre & every business a stage. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Wierzbicka, A. (2010). Experience, Evidence, and Sense: The Hidden Cultural Legacy of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Interpretation: whose business?
I have a confession to make.
Probably a contentious one, given I am Vice President of Interpretation Australia, but one I will make nonetheless: I’m having a bit of a problem with the word ‘interpretation‘.
The word is tantalisingly – misleadingly – simple: and this in itself presents an interpretive problem. Outside the heritage profession, it has a completely different meaning, usually related to translating foreign languages. And even within heritage circles, I sometimes wonder whether we are all talking about precisely the same thing when we’re talking about ‘interpretation’.
The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud from www.alcorngallery.com (One of the top images which came up from a Google search under 'interpretation' - yet another meaning for this vexed term!)
Before I go on, I’ll bring in an analogous example – the word ‘theory’. No-one would need to go look it up in the dictionary. Through common usage we all know it means a ‘hunch’, something we’re basing on conjecture but which we don’t have enough evidence to prove outright. In common usage, ‘theory’ and ‘hypothesis’ are interchangeable terms. But not to scientists. In science, a ‘theory’ is something that is so well backed up by available evidence that it can be taken as an established fact. A hypothesis, on the other hand, is closer to our common understanding of the word ‘theory’ – we think we know what might be going on, but the results are not yet in.
This disconnect between everyday and specialist usage of a seemingly harmless word such as ‘theory’ has its consequences. For instance, people who wish to undermine the well-established Theory of Evolution for their own political or religious agenda can turn around and say: “Well, it’s only a theory, isn’t it?”
Now ‘interpretation’ doesn’t suffer quite like ‘theory’ in the way it is wilfully misinterpreted. But even so, I think the issue of definition runs deeper than just having to clear up confusion when you answer one of those ‘So what do you do?’ questions at dinner parties. How do you get someone to value something when they’re not even sure what it is?
The latest edition of Interpreting Australia focuses on the business side of interpretation: does interpretation make sense from a business perspective? How can we incorporate the value of interpretation into business bottom lines? Is there a firm line where marketing and customer service stop and interpretation begins? And what does this mean for who should be charged with ‘doing’ interpretation?
Sue Hodges writes the first instalment of a thought provoking series (the rest will be coming on the Interpretation Australia website soon) about how the unclear definition and intangible nature of interpretation makes it easy for it to be undervalued and ‘claimed’ by other professions rather than being a separate entity, calling for its own dedicated expertise and budget:
Intepretation suffers from being pluralistic. It spans many disciplines . . . Yet it is this very adaptability that currently threatens our profession; many other disciplines also want our slice of the pie . . . most [interpretation] could theoretically be undertaken by anyone because the required skills base is neither mandatory, legislated nor confined to the arts or sciences. Interpreters are vying for business against specialties which are more clearly defined, such as architecture. . . . it can be hard to justify adaptive and intangible interpretive work against the familiar and tangible work from allied professions. (Interpreting Australia Issue 43, p6)
In this context, consultants from all sorts of fields can claim they can do the ‘interpretation’ part of a project. And if clients aren’t entirely clear what interpretation is, and get different definitions depending on who they speak to, this only muddies the water further.
In a similar vein, I recently had a discussion with someone who is charged with helping local tourism businesses create better experiences (to the end of increasing visitor spend and of course, profits). While we both understood intuitively how interpretation can (and does) enhance tourism experiences, it’s hard to quantify exactly what interpretive ‘inputs’ will lead to a specific set of bottom-line ‘outputs’. And without this hard data, it can be difficult for some business owners, unfamiliar with the term ‘interpretation’ in the first place, to get it (and see why it’s a wise investment).
Our discussion did make me wonder whether the use of the term ‘interpretation’ was actually counter-productive in this instance, and whether we should just be seeing good interpretation as an integral part of creating a distinctive experience, regardless of what we call it?
Or maybe we turn it the other way around – and show how interpretation is something people know about already! In another of the Interpreting Australia articles, Michele Bain of Designhaus draws upon the example of Jamie Oliver as an ‘interpreter’ of food and nutrition:
. . .he engaged us and inspired us so completely we never even noticed that we were actually learning to cook. (Interpreting Australia Issue 43, p10)
Perhaps if we described interpretation in these more familiar terms – i.e. applying interpretive principles to communicating the very concept of interpretation – we might help businesses make the conceptual leap from seeing interpretation as something that sounds very academic and not particularly relevant to them, to understanding that it is the ‘secret ingredient’ which makes the difference between so-so and must-see.
To take the cooking analogy a step further: bricks-and-mortar might be the meat-and-potatoes of a destination, but without the carefully planned and expertly created ‘sauce’ that is interpretation, the experience may satisfy the basics but it is hardly going to be unique, memorable or emotionally satisfying.
Maybe that is the way to describe what I do at the next dinner party . . .
http://www.designhaus.com.au/
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Article focusing on Arena, Wisconsin, examines the deep challenges and heartbreak faced by rural schools and communities
A New York Times article focusing on the closing this week of Arena Community Elementary School in the River Valley School District examines the heartbreak felt by students, parents and the community as they lose not only their school but the centerpiece of their community.
“After classes let out last Monday, the school was shuttered permanently by the River Valley School District, whose administrators say that unforgiving budgets, a dearth of students and an aging population have made it impossible to keep the school open. For the first time since the 1800s, the village of Arena has no school,” the article states.
It is a scene being played out in rural Wisconsin and small towns throughout the nation.
“Officials in aging communities with stretched budgets are closing small schools and busing children to larger towns. People worry about losing not just their schools but their town’s future — that the closing will prompt the remaining residents and businesses to drift away and leave the place a ghost town.”
Read the entire article:
School’s Closed in Wisconsin. Forever.
ARENA, Wis. – Ten-year-old Lola Roske grabbed her backpack and headed to elementary school for the last day of class, the final check on her to-do list before the unstructured bliss of summer. At drop-off, her mother, Kellie Roske, was determined not to linger. All around her, parents were hugging their children.
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About Vice President for Research Gabriel Lopez
Gabriel P. López is Vice President for Research and Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of New Mexico. His current research interests include biointerfacial phenomena, biomaterials, self-assembly and bioanalytical microsystems to address problems in medicine, biotechnology and environmental quality. His current technology transfer and translational activities include serving on the Board of Directors of STC.UNM Corp. and collaboration with several industrial partners. Prof. López’ professional service activities include outreach to, and advancement of, groups under-represented in research, participation in several scientific societies, consultation on research directions for NIH, NSF and DTRA programs, and serving on the NIH College of CSR Reviewers.
López has published ≈200 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters and is inventor on 42 issued U.S. patents. He has served as research advisor to 55 graduate students, 39 postdoctoral fellows and 78 undergraduate students; 17 of his former research protégés have gone on to professional academic positions. He has served as PI or coPI on grants totaling ≈$46 million and his research has been supported by several sources including the NSF, NIH, DOE, NASA, DOD, industry and nonprofit foundations. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, a Fellow the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering, an STC.UNM Innovation Fellow and the recipient of the W. Moulton Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Washington, the Stansell Family Distinguished Research Award from Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering, an NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award, and an Outstanding University Inventor Award from the Semiconductor Research Corporation.
López earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado in 1985. In 1991, he completed Ph.D. studies in chemical engineering at the University of Washington where he worked under the mentorship of Prof. Buddy D. Ratner as a Kaiser Aluminum Co. Graduate Fellow. From 1991-1993, he was an NIH and Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow under the mentorship of Prof. George M. Whitesides in the Dept. of Chemistry at Harvard University. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at the University of New Mexico in 1993, promoted to Associate Professor in 1999, and promoted to the rank of Professor in 2004. He was the founding Director of the UNM Center for Biomedical Engineering (2005) and the UNM Biomedical Engineering Graduate Programs (2008). He moved to Duke University’s Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science in 2010. Lopez became the founding Director of the NSF’s Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (RT-MRSEC, 2011), which is focused on the programmable self-assembly of soft matter. He returned to UNM as Vice President for Research in 2016.
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The Grand Tetons from Triangle X Ranch
The Grand Tetons
It is inarguable that the first sight of the Grand Tetons from any of its approaches it truly breathe taking. Entering Jackson Hole from Yellowstone you are treated to the northern Tetons where they tower above beautiful Jackson Lake. Coming from the west you are treated to the Idaho view of Grand Tetons that tower above Teton Valley Idaho. From Togwotee Pass you are treat to the full length of the Teton Range as soon as they come into view. Most anywhere you view this unique mountain range it will leave you in awe. One of the things that sets the eastern view of the Grand Tetons apart from other ranges is there are not any foothills to obstruct the view. The actions of nature’s elements have sculpted a monolith of sharply notched peaks accented by deep U shaped glaciated canyons that are truly a sight to behold. If you think the Grand Tetons is awe inspiring from the valley floor a trip into the center of them will set new benchmarks for beauty for the hard drive in your skull.
Along the eastern base of the Grand Tetons are several clear blue lakes, the result of glacial moraine damming. When the glaciers receded from the last ice age they left these gems of nature for our enjoyment. Phelps, Jenny, Leigh, Sting and Jackson Lakes all are icing on the cake in this beautiful spot on the globe. Each canyon has a trailhead to lead you into the web of trails that traverse the Teton Range.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Jenny Lake Panorama, Grand Teton Mountain Reflections in the calm water of Jenny Lake one of several of the glacial lakes that line the base of the Grand Tetons[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="299"] An old barn accents Teton Valleys long farming heritage below the Grand Teton Mountains[/caption]
The views from the west are quite different but no less Grand. Teton Valley, a picturesque farming valley provides many beautiful places to frame up a postcard perfect photograph. The numerous beautiful canyons of the western slope are the source for the Teton River; most of these canyons have trailheads also the lead into the Grand Teton’s web of trails.
The western slope of the Teton Range is in the Targhee National Forest, and the southeastern part south of Grand Teton Park is in the Bridger Teton National Forest. The Tetons have prolific wild flower displays in the summer months starting with the balsamroot in early June. Meadows along the Idaho/Wyoming border contain little grass, but many tall perennials such as cow parsnip, penstemon, lupine, monkshood, and western coneflower.
The Grand Teton Range is a small but dramatic mountain range. A north-south range, the Tetons lie on Wyoming’s western border with Idaho, just south of Yellowstone National Park. The two principal summits are the Grand Teton at 13,772 ft and Mount Moran at 12,605 ft; much of the range is within the Grand Teton National Park but much of the western slope is outside of the park. Grand Teton National Park protects the stunning mountain scenery and a diverse array of wildlife of the region. The Grand Tetons are the focal point of the park.
Archaeological studies reveal human presence in the area some 11,000 years ago. Prior to 1600 the inhabitants were Athabaskan-speaking Native Americans; later groups included the Shoshone, Crow, and Blackfoot.
The first recorded American to see the Tetons was American adventurer John Colter in 1907, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, he got hired away form Lewis and Clark on their return from Oregon by fur trader Manual Lisa to do some reconnaissance and PR work for Lisa’s trading post on the Yellowstone River. Colter was also the first American to see Yellowstone. Fur trappers, traders, and mountain men followed suit to frequent the range in the first half of the 19th century.
During the mountain man era the Grand Tetons served as helpful landmarks for the region because you can see them from so far away. French trappers, a no-nonsense lot, named the Grand Tetons (“Big Teats” in English) for their resemblance to women’s breasts.
The geology of the Grand Teton Range consists of a core of igneous and metamorphic Precambrian rocks overlain in most of the range by westward dipping sedimentary Paleozoic rocks. The Teton Fault, lies on the 40-mile long eastern front of the Teton Range. Rock jumps skyward some 7,000 feet from the valley floor, with the Grand Teton the highest peak soaring above all at 13,770 feet, About 10 million years ago, stresses of the Earth's crust caused movement along the Teton fault. The west part of the fault has pushed upwards to form the Teton Range creating the youngest range of the Rocky Mountains. Simultaneously the east side of the fault is droping downwards to form the valley of Jackson Hole. It is this dynamic of the west side of the fault rising while the east side falls that creates the magnificent rock monoliths that are the Grand Tetons. While many of the central peaks of the range are comprised of granite, the geological processes that lead to the current composition began about 2.5 billion years ago. At that time, sand and volcanic debris settled into an ancient ocean. Ocean sediment can still be found on the top of Mt. Moran. There’s no better an example of a fault-line mountain range in all of the Lower 48 states.
Earthquakes have built the Grand Tetons but it has been glaciers that have given them much of their unique character. The Tetons have been glaciated at least three times, with the oldest event being the most significant event. The ice sheet in many places in Jackson Hole exceeded 2,000 feet in thickness, and later glacial events eroded or covered parts of earlier ones. During the latest glaciation, ice flowed down canyons in the Teton Range onto the floor of Jackson Hole and built the moraines that dam Jackson, Leigh, Jenny, Bradley, Taggart, and Phelps lakes. There are still 8 small glaciers in the Grand Tetons.
The mighty Snake River originates a short distance north of the Tetons in Yellowstone National Park. It winds its way through Yellowstone Park’s conifer forests, takes a rest in Jackson Lake before meandering at the foot of the Teton’s sagebrush meadows. In many places it meanders into marshes that give shelter to abundant bird life that call Jackson Hole home. Along its route through Jackson Hole it provides many opportunities for rafting, fishing, canoeing and provides many scenic foreground photographic opportunities for Teton photos.
The Jedediah Smith Wilderness encompasses most of the western slope of the Grand Tetons outside of Grand Teton Park on the west side of the Teton Range. The 123,451-acre Jedediah Smith Wilderness area sits entirely in Wyoming. This area can be accessed from the Idaho side or through Grand Teton National Park. The Jedediah Smith Wilderness contains nearly 300 miles of trails offering incredible high-mountain scenery. Wilderness permits are not required for overnight camping in Jedediah Smith, but if you plan to cross over into Grand Teton National Park one is required. One of the more popular places in the area is Alaska Basin, which provides great vistas of the Grand Teton, South Teton and Buck Mountain. The access point for the Alaska Basin is South Teton Creek Trail.
A diverse wildlife population is found in the Grand Tetons. There are thousands of elk scattered throughout the mountains and valley bottoms. Moose can usually be seen in the canyons on the valley floor. Bison and Pronghorn Antelope can be seen on the sagebrush plains at the foot of the mountains. On the high peaks around Death Canyon, Fox Creek and South Teton Creek you can sometimes see Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep. It is common to see black bear, and always be prepared to see a Grizzly, you don’t see them often but they are there. Trumpeter swans, white pelicans, bald eagles and ospreys can all be seen at the Snake River. Coyotes, Pica, beaver and Marmots are abundant.
The most popular short hikes are in the vicinity of Jenny Lake and the Jackson Lake Lodge. From the south Jenny Lake parking area, a boat crosses the lake and transports visitors to the base of Cascade Canyon trail which leads up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. One can also hike around the lake. In fact the north route around the lake is relatively unused. Most day-hikers take the boat across and hike back along the south shore.
Any of the Grand Teton’s canyons provide great hiking opportunities for those hardy enough to venture into the center, high country part of the range. The hiking in the Grand Teton Park sections are a lot more crowded than those on the south and west sides of the Teton Range. Some of my favorite hikes include, Cascade-Paintbrush Loop, Death Canyon, Teton Crest, Darby Canyon, South Teton Creek and Table Mountain.
The Grand Tetons provide many trails for horseback travel but do research before you go because some trails are only accessible by hikers with ice axes as there are many places where the snow never melts and prevents traversing by horses. Inside Grand Teton National Park not all trails are open for horseback riding. I have found that horseback is the way for me to see the mountains of the area because I can cover so much more ground with them.
Trout fishing in and around the Grand Tetons is a treat to all who give it a try. The Snake River is a Blue Ribbon Trout fishery. The Snake River is home to a unique subspecies of cutthroat trout known as the Fine-spotted Snake River Cutthroat Trout. This outstanding game fish is indigenous to the Snake River drainage and relies totally on natural reproduction. All the Teton tributaries to the Snake are spawning streams for the Fine-spotted Snake River Cutthroat and are fine fisheries. The west slope of the Tetons also has good fishing but rainbow trout are in the mix. The Teton River is also considered a Blue Ribbon fishery. Having a wild trout fishery with indigenous trout is not something we take for granted and we highly encourage catch and release fishing to protect this valuable resource. Phelps, Jenny, Leigh, Sting and Jackson Lakes all have good fishing but some of the high lakes don’t have any fish in them so check before you invest any time. Jackson Lake has had a 52-pound lake trout harvested from its waters.
Elk hunting is popular as well as good in the Targhee and Bridger Teton National forests of the Grand Tetons. There is also a limited Elk hunt on the Valley Floor of Grand Teton Park. Mule Deer, Black Bear, Mountain Lion are also hunted in the National Forest.
The Grand Tetons are a magnet for mountaineers from all over the world. The jagged snow-crusted peaks epitomize the ruggedness of the West, All the elements of alpine climbing, rock, ice, snow, and altitude, are represented in the Tetons. Glaciers, striking arêtes, fist-size cracks, steep rocky ridges and ice couloirs abound providing climbers a true alpine experience. This variety makes them especially appealing to experienced mountaineers who use the Tetons to apply their technical rock climbing skills in alpine settings and to train for Alaskan or Himalayan expeditions.
At first glance the Tetons are daunting to novice, the massifs known as Grand Teton, Middle Teton, South Teton, Moran and Teewinot are surprisingly accessible once you’ve mastered a few essential moves, learn how to read rock, how to knot a rope, how to belay a companion, and to leverage your arm and leg muscles and you’ll be capable of climbing the Tetons.
Ascents of Grand Teton typically involve two days. The first day climbers leave Lupine Meadows Trailhead by 10 a.m., and hike up hike up Garnet Canyon trail, the main approach to the Grand. Along the way you are treated to views of stunning alpine terrain. To the north, periodic clearings of the conifer forest reveal Mt.Teewinot, Middle Teton and the Grand, that appear as distinct razor edges and chiseled stone. Your arrive at the Lower Saddle between the Grand and Middle Teton by late afternoon where you camp for the night. After a night spent at the 11,650-foot saddle you push on in the early morning darkness for the summit. The main approach to the summit is the Owen-Spaulding route, graded 5.4, a relatively easy technical climb even for the novice.
The accessibility and comparatively modest heights of the Tetons lead some to underestimate their dangers. Altitude sickness, avalanche and wildlife, all pose hazards, lightning is a serious threat and it can snow any month of the year and does.
Mountain guides are available for hire, two well-regarded companies offer a variety of classes and private mountain guide services depending on skill level and experience: Jackson Hole Mountain Guides (www.jhmg.com; 800-239-7642) and Exum Mountain Guides (www.exumguides.com; 307-733-2297). offer classes and guided trips throughout the year to introduce climbers of all skills and ages to the Tetons.
There are many worthy peaks in the range offering a spectrum of climbing opportunities, Guide's Wall on Storm Point, is a moderate climb (5.7 to 5.9) on quality, or solid, golden rock is one of the more popular one-day routes in the range. Other interesting day climbs include Baxter's Pinnacle, the southwest ridge of Symmetry Spire and the of Mount Owen’s steep couloirs.
You might think the Grand Tetons would suffer visitor loss in comparison to larger, more historic Yellowstone Park being in such close proximity, but when you see the Tetons rising out of Jackson Hole or Teton Valley, you realize that nothing overshadows soaring peaks like these.
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Chet Thomas
Chet Thomas began his career in law enforcement in 1984 where he worked as a County Jailer, Dispatcher, then Deputy Sheriff. Chet joined the University of Texas at Tyler Police Department in 1989 and received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 1993. He then went to work for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Office of the Inspector General as an Investigator until 2003 investigating internal corruption, civil rights violations and drug trafficking in the Texas Prison System. In addition, Chet was a training officer for the OIG and guest speaker for many civic groups. In 2003 he began teaching concurrent enrollment courses through Tyler Junior College and joined the Smith County District Attorney’s Office. In 2005, Chet began his career in Juvenile Justice with Smith County Juvenile Services as the JJAEP Administrator then became the Facility Administrator/Deputy Director. Chet is a recent graduate and alumni of Leadership Tyler which connects leaders together to serve in various ways to benefit the community. He is currently the Deputy Director of Detention of the Smith County Pre-Adjudication facility. He is married with three daughters and teaches an adult Christian education class at his church.
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Gabby Jones
Photographer based in Brooklyn, New York Gabby Jones portfolio on Visura - a professional network to connect with photo editors and art buyers, and build photography portfolio websites. Visura members, like Gabby, share photojournalism, art photography, landscape, travel photography, portraits and more. Gabby has 0 stories, community news posts, and 1 images shared in the photo stream.
Gabby Jones is a documentary photographer raised in Montclair, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Science in photojournalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Now she resides in... read on
Stories (2) Images (1) Instagram Community (61) About
Gabby Jones is a documentary photographer raised in Montclair, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Science in photojournalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Now she resides in Brooklyn, New York as a freelance photographer.
Gabby dedicates herself to finding the beauty in often unflattering angles of life, chaos, and ordinary scenes that are usually overlooked. She brings those stories to life through her work.
Gabby currently works for Bloomberg News.
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Laser Spine Institute: a medical juggernaut brought to its knees by financial blows
The company’s CEO blames surprise action by banks. But lawsuits and other factors also help explain its sudden demise.
The Laser Spine Institute opened its Avion Park surgical center in Tampa in 2014, part of a heady, years-long run that ended suddenly when the practice ceased operations March 1. [LUIS SANTANA | Times]
By Justine Griffin
Published March 8
Updated March 11
Charlie Stokes found out his upcoming spine surgery was canceled when he received an email from the hotel he had booked for his recovery.
“I got a message from the Homewood Suites asking if I wanted to cancel my reservation now that Laser Spine was closed,” said Stokes, who planned to travel to Tampa from his home in West Point, Miss., next week for the procedure. “I had no idea.”
Like hundreds of other patients, Stokes was stunned when the Laser Spine Institute suddenly closed March 1, leaving a trail of questions.
Among them: How could such a formidable player in the health care world have fallen so far, and so fast?
While the answer remains cloudy, a series of developments — including a statement this week by the company’s CEO — suggest Laser Spine suffered a number of hits that eventually brought financial calamity.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: The fallout spreads after Laser Spine Institute’s sudden closing
The statement by CEO Jake Brace said the institute’s banks “precipitously and surprisingly made the decision to freeze the company’s accounts and strip the cash out of these accounts.” The action, he added, took away the institute’s “operating flexibility,” and efforts to find other financing failed.
The scenario he described unfolded over a handful of days before the closure, when Laser Spine was “forced to wind-down and cease operations and liquidate the collateral for the benefit of the banks.” (See the full statement below.)
The statement makes no mention of what might have caused the banks to take action, but court records and analysts provide some clues.
Laser Spine was embroiled in several lawsuits, including an expensive and drawn-out appeals case with a possible payment of at least $264 million on the line.
And more fundamentally, it’s business model wasn't sustainable in the current, evolving health care landscape, said Jay Wolfson, a professor at the University of South Florida who specializes in health care issues.
"This franchise-type model was bound to fail," Wolfson said. "Laser Spine didn't own their real estate or their medical equipment. They leased them. They had no assets to fall back on when cash flow became a problem."
The institute operated as “more of a business than a doctors office,” said Laura Henderson, the administrator at BioSpine, a competing spinal surgery practice located just down the road from Laser Spine in Tampa.
Laser Spine was known for not taking most insurance policies, which forced many patients to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for procedures in payments made over time.
"There was this mind-set in the industry that if you were accepting insurance, you were leaving a lot of money on the table. That you would never survive being 'in network,'" Henderson said.
RELATED: Tampa’s Laser Spine Institute abruptly closes, lays off hundreds
BioSpine expanded into Tampa from Citrus County in 2014, the same year Laser Spine opened its new facility. But unlike Laser Spine, BioSpine spent a year making inroads with insurance companies and continues to accept Medicare and most commercial plans.
"Then things started to shift as the Affordable Care Act was being implemented,” Henderson said. “Everyone was really starting to see a big change in how things worked with the insurance companies. But Laser Spine still wasn't accepting most insurance plans."
Before its downfall, Laser Spine had many years of success.
The company topped the Tampa Bay Times' annual Top Workplaces list year after year, and regularly made appearances in Florida Trend magazine's top private companies lists.
In 2017, Laser Spine reported $220 million in revenue, up from $216.9 million the year before. At the time, the institute employed more than 1,000 people, nearly 600 of those in Tampa.
When Laser Spine announced the opening of its 176,000-square-foot surgical center in Avion Park in 2014, the company boasted that it was bringing 100 new high-paying jobs to the market. Its new $56 million space could accommodate 25 percent more patients than the 425 it treated a month at its former Rocky Point facility.
Local leaders touted Laser Spine as a big economic driver, with an overall impact of $230 million in “medical tourism” as it drew patients from around the nation. The company also was known for its robust marketing, with billboards and television ads appearing all over America.
"The truth is, we benefited from them,” Henderson said.
“Our models were a little different, but they'd draw patients from all corners of the country and a handful would pull in to our parking lot and ask for a second opinion.”
She added: “We were being fed from their crumbs. When we heard the news they were closing, people congratulated us like it was a David and Golaith story, but we don't think that's fair. People lost their jobs. And Laser Spine's reach helped spread the word about minimally invasive spinal procedures everywhere that don't have to be done in a hospital. That helped spread the word for all of us."
Laser Spine first opened in 2005 with a promise of giving patients suffering with neck and back pain an alternative to traditional surgery. Three doctors — James St. Louis, Glenn Hamburg and Michael Perry — started the practice with nine employees and one operating room.
By 2007, the company opened another location in Arizona. Then Philadelphia and Oklahoma City. But the lawsuits started rolling in.
One accused Laser Spine of offering illegal incentives to lure patients, including paying for airfare, hotels and other out-of-pocket expenses.
In 2013, professional wrestler Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea sued the practice, alleging it performed a series of ineffective procedures that cost him $50 million in medical costs and lost opportunities.
More recently, the 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled Dec. 28 that Laser Spine owed a competing laser spinal surgical center at least $264 million in damages — not the $1.6 million award set by the trial judge. The 2006 lawsuit had accused the institute’s founding doctors of breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy, defamation, slander, tortious interference and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Also last year, the institute was ordered by a Pennsylvania court to pay $20 million to the estate of an Ohio woman who sued after her 2014 death, according to news reports.
And Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation has recorded millions more in malpractice claims.
In addition to its Tampa office, the institute also has closed its locations in Ohio, Arizona and Missouri.
Meanwhile, people like Stokes, the Mississippi patient, are on their own to find out what happens next.
"I'm checking out new doctors," said Stokes, who managed to get a refund on a $250 deposit he put down with Laser Spine.
Jeanette Thorpe Lorensen became a patient at Laser Spine through a clinical trial opportunity.
The New Port Richey resident saw an advertisement for a spinal device clinical trial on Facebook and filled out the online form.
“I’ve had back and neck trouble after a car accident,” she said. “My vertebrae is fused in my neck but I didn’t want the traditional rods and screws surgery on my back, where the vertebrae are sliding past each other.”
Some days are more painful than others. But a new noninvasive procedure that Laser Spine surgeons were testing in an approved clinical trial sounded hopeful, Lorensen said.
“My next appointment was assigned for March 11 and my research coordinator had no idea they were closing,” she said. “No one else in Florida is participating in the trial. So I don’t know what happens next, if anything."
The statement by Brace, the Laser Spine CEO, said the company planned by the end of the week to reach “all 1,500” patients who still need to complete their “care plans.”
Contact Justine Griffin at jgriffin@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8467. Follow @SunBizGriffin.
Below is an unedited version of the statement released this week by Laser Spine Institute CEO Jake Brace explaining the company’s sudden closing.
“March 6, 2019 — On Friday, February 22, 2019, Laser Spine Institute’s banks precipitously and surprisingly made the decision to freeze the company’s accounts and strip the cash out of these accounts. When this happened, we lost our operating flexibility. On February 25, 2019, after working diligently over the weekend, management was able to reach a standstill agreement with the banks in which they we were allowed to fund previously accrued payroll and make limited other critical payments. The banks gave us until the afternoon of Friday, March 1, 2019 to locate an investor to satisfy their requirements. If we were not able to find an investor by then, we would be forced to wind-down and cease operations and liquidate the collateral for the benefit of the banks.
The Company worked feverishly to secure financing up and until Friday afternoon. However, we were unable to secure financing to meet the banks’ requirements. Thus, we had no choice other than to close our doors that afternoon. We deeply regret that, as a result, we were forced to release our employees that afternoon.
Despite last Friday’s sudden closure, forced by the precipitous freezing of LSI accounts, a small group of LSI staff continues to work strenuously on assuring that our patients maintain continuity of care. It is LSI’s plan that by the end of the week, we will have reached all 1,500 of patients and their new care plans will be in process.”
Justine Griffin
Medical Reporter
'It’s a game changer': New Vincent House in Pasco County to help people with mental illness find jobs in the community
The transitional employment placement program has centers in Hernando and Pinellas counties.
Bayfront Health St. Petersburg hires new CEO
Sharon Hayes, who formerly led Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, Palms of Pasadena Hospital and others, will take over after the previous CEO resigned suddenly.
At Tampa General Hospital, 3-D printers are removing guesswork for doctors and patients
The technology is being used far more often in medicine, which means it could start showing up on hospital bills.
‘I’m a helper.’ A Clearwater man just donated his 100th gallon of blood
Tony Mann became a donor at a young age, inspired by his father’s illness. Years later, he sees no reason to stop.
Florida ranks 43rd in access to mental health care. A new group in Tampa Bay wants to change that.
Leaders from hospitals, businesses, law enforcement, government and education have formed a coalition to improve mental health care. One idea: “behavioral health urgent care.”
E-cigarettes may damage brain stem cells: study
Puffing on e-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes can damage neural stem cells important to brain function, a new study says.
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He says “If I pass out, just push me onto the workbench. Don’t call 911 or anything. I’m on this new diet of just air and water.”
Al Alcorn, on Atari hire #40 Steve Jobs
Category Archives: Sony
3 Reasons the Xbox One Is So Scary
Is Microsoft showing us the future of gaming?
In preparation for an upcoming Bitstory article, I’ve been gaming a lot on my Nintendo NES. And when I want to, I can just take a cartridge and slide it into the front of the machine and, you know, play a game.
Nintendo was the first game company to do DRM, but it wasn’t a hedge against consumer misuse of their products. It was made to control the whims of the developers of games for their systems, a way of controlling the quality and pace of game releases so that the market didn’t become glutted with inferior products for Nintendo game machines and thus avoid the shakeout that felled the entire North American video game industry in 1983-1984. When you gained licensee status for the NES, Nintendo would manufacture your cartridges, and during the process the company would put a key chip into the circuitry, which would communicate with the 10NES chip inside the console and allow the game to be loaded. In this way Nintendo controlled what made it into their games ecosystem.
DRM or Digital Rights Management these days are restrictions on what users can do with digital product, be it movies, games or anything else. It’s nice to be able to insert a cartridge into the NES after 30 years and play it unfettered. With Microsoft’s next-gen console Xbox One, this ability could literally become a thing of the past.
This entry was posted in DRM, microsoft, next-gen, Sony, xbox on June 17, 2013 by William.
Sony Drops the Hammer On Microsoft at E3 2013
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 as the hep cats like to call it, is underway in Lotusland. It is here where game makers flaunt their upcoming wares to industry insiders, and this year the show has a particularly keen edge due to the unveiling of the next generation consoles for Sony and Microsoft that will hit the market later this year. Yesterday, the stage at Sony’s E3 press conference was awash with a series of uncannily wise moves by the company.
It’s exciting for a video game historian to watch as a new generation of game consoles is unveiled, as so many have been before. For sure, we all want to find out about the specs under the hoods, and about the new games that will use all that fancy tech to bring new experiences to our screens. New IPs are marvelled at, and continuations of old favourites are warmly welcomed. Amid endless sturm and drang, systems and games are paraded across giant screens to the accompaniment of driving soundtracks amid flashy stage lighting, all designed to get a rise out of the crowd. The biggest audience reaction, however, came during the Sony E3 conference. For a lot of people, E3 2013 was Sony’s show to lose, after Microsoft had unveiled their new console, the Xbox One, earlier in the day. The reason? Not a lack of hardware specs on the new Xbox’s part. Not a dearth of exciting games.
No, the talk of MS having already fumbled this next video game console cycle comes because of the draconian DRM system for the Xbox One. While video games may not stir passions quite as much as Mel Gibson’s famous speech in Braveheart, the people in the audience watching Sony explain the lack of any extra DRM on their machine, and likely those around the world watching the live stream, were standing and cheering their freedom. The freedom to trade in, buy and play used games without additional fees. Freedom from being denied the ability to play your games, even in single player mode, if you lose your internet connection or otherwise can’t authenticate your honesty with a company’s servers. The freedom to sell or lend your legally bought game to a friend. They may take our free multiplayer, but they’ll never take our FREEDOOOOOOOOM!!!
Even President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America Jack Trenton seemed suprised at the visceral reaction of the crowd. The other devastating broadside Sony launched at MS towards the end of the conference, that the PS4 will be $100 cheaper than the Xbox One, was the only other announcement that got a similar response. It goes to show that while gamers want the latest and greatest in games, they also want the ability to play those games. Without onerous restrictions.
In this day and age, with the twisted type of “free market” capitalism we’ve grown accustomed to, where there never seems to be anything approaching a level playing field, there always seems to be fair amount of industrial collusion going on. This time, though, Sony is not playing ball. They came on strong at E3 with a big FU to DRM, and I think Microsoft just got Xboned.
Here is video of Sony’s E3 2013 press conference. The fireworks start at 1:24:24.
This entry was posted in 2000's, 2013, DRM, E3, microsoft, next-gen, ps4, Sony, xbox one on June 12, 2013 by William.
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Biden Receives Over $700,000 At Hollywood Fundraiser
The Fight / May 10, 2019
Joe Biden raked in over $700,000 this past Wednesday at a Hollywood fundraiser, one of the biggest hauls so far in the former vice president’s campaign to take on President Donald Trump in 2020m reports CNBC.
The evening reception had a host committee of Hollywood luminaries including DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, executive and producer Peter Chernin, actor Rob Reiner and Terry Press, the president of CBS Films, according to the event’s invitation. It took place at the home of interior designer Michael Smith and James Costos, a former ambassador to Spain under President Barack Obama.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/09/joe-biden-brings-in-700000-at-hollywood-fundraiser.html
May 10, 2019 in NEWS.
← Renée Zellweger Is Judy Garland. WATCH!
Advocate: The Gay Pastor Fighting for LGBTQ Lessons at a CA School District →
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Jimmy John's Coming To The Bakken
KEYZ is reporting:
Commercial space in the new apartment building on Williston State College campus is almost filled up.
Liza McLean, WSC Foundation Office Manager, says in addition to the new DMV Office that opened yesterday, other businesses on the 1st floor will be opening soon. "Jimmy John's is currently working on their space. Jason's Barbor Shop is going in one of the spaces and we have another tenant that is looking to go in there."
Jimmy John's website.
Finally, Some Common Sense?
A huge "thank you" to a reader for sending me this story, and several stories regarding the energy situation in New England the propane-shortage story in the Midwest.
The Portland (Maine) Press Herald is reporting:
The six New England governors have set in motion a first-of-its-kind plan to increase the region’s natural-gas pipeline capacity by nearly 20 percent in three years and build at least one major electric transmission line to bring renewable energy from Canada.
No new wind farms? No solar farms?
Utility customers would be asked to help pay for the projects, which together could cost billions of dollars, through electricity rates. But the costs soon would be recovered by savings on energy bills as the projects increase supplies of lower-cost power, said Tom Welch, chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission and an architect of the plan.
It will be interesting how long it takes John Kerry and the president to act on that transmission line from Canada. Let's see, is 2014 an election year?
The plan, made public Thursday, requests that the operator of the region’s electricity grid, ISO-New England, seek permission from federal regulators to charge electricity customers for gas pipeline expansion.
“It’s an unprecedented and remarkable approach,” Welch said. “But it reflects the fact that the price of natural gas drives the price of electricity in New England.”
Natural gas now fuels more than half of all power-generating plants. A shortage of gas in the region on very cold days last year sent wholesale electricity prices up 57 percent over the 2012 average.
But the activist environmentalists won't give up:
Maine manufacturers that use a lot of energy say it wouldn’t bring enough gas into the region to erase the wide price difference between New England and other regions. Environmental activists who support a greater shift to wind, hydro and solar energy say it would make New England even more reliant on natural gas.
In case you missed it, the professionals say the plan is not "enough." New England will still be "short" the energy it needs.
Something tells me the activist environmentalists are quickly going to be marginalized.
Labels: NG_NewEngland
The Propane Story In The Midwest; The Natural Gas Story In New England; Grid Failure? Black-Outs? Regional Spread?
For background to this incredibly interesting story, start with this earlier post: propane shortage, winter of 2013 - 2014.
The stories continue:
First, from SeekingAlpha: Natural gas tops $5 for first time since 2010, demand should remain high.
As the U.S. freezes and stocks plunge, benchmark U.S. natural gas futures topped $5/mmBtu for the first time since Aug. 2010 on expectations that continued cold weather would keep demand high for the heating fuel.
Natl gas has moved well into overbought territory during the last few days as consumers have pumped up their thermostats, and the spike may last a while longer given that the cold snap is set to continue all of next week.
Second, Texas is responding. Houston Business Journal is reporting:
The widespread propane emergency brought on by freezing temperatures prompted Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to sign a special declaration that allows other states to tap into Texas’ supply.
The 14-day emergency declaration waives the licensing and rules that prohibit the sale of propane to sources outside the state. The Texas Department of Public Safety has waived restrictions on the hours that propane can be transported for truckers helping with emergency relief.
The shortage has affected 33 states from Oklahoma to Maine. An estimated 7 million homes use propane to heat their homes around the country, which makes the shortage a real health and safety emergency.
Third, a personal story from a reader who has a brother in Minnesota in the propane business:
Propane is now over $ 5.00 per gallon. "Lake country" propane is going to be over $6.00 tomorrow (Saturday). This particular propane dealer and probably others have sold their pre-buy contract of $1.49 per gallon. Newly purchased propane would be purchased at cash/spot price, which can be tracked here: http://www.propanecost.com/index.php?p=btu
Cost works out to:
electricity at 8 cents/KWH = $23.43/mmBTUs
propane (91,500 BTUs/gallon, at $5.00 = $54.64/mmBTUs
That's the update for the propane story in the Midwest. Next we go to the energy challenge in New England. One can start by reading this recent post: natural gas prices soar in New England. It's gotten so bad in New England, we're seeing emergency measures -- in both policy and technology.
First, the emergency policy measures, from Forbes:
The regional transmission operator is also seeking temporary relief from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to temporarily lift the $1,000 price cap it can pay generators through March 1st. PJM is doing so because available power plants must in fact generate power and submit an offer of no more than $1,000 per megawatt-hour (MWh) into the grid.
However, with natural gas costs so high (a large portion of the generating fleet runs on natural gas), some generators’ operating costs are north of the price cap. Generation costs are high as a consequence of extraordinarily high gas prices. Normally in the $3.50 to $4.50/mmBtu range long-term, spot market gas prices this week have reached$140/mmBtu.
Search the blog for "PJM."
Earlier in that story:
The early days of yet another prolonged cold weather snap are causing concerns for grid operators along the East Coast. Daily spot market prices are well above average, but that has not sufficiently dampened demand. Yet again this month, demand response resources have been dispatched. In the PJM power pool that stretches from Chicago to the mid-Atlantic, 150 MW of emergency demand response was called the night of the 22nd. That number was increased to 500 MW on the 23rd, and it was called upon again this morning, according to RTO Insider, a publication that monitors PJM.
I suppose one question folks might be asking: could a grid failure in New England cascade through the rest of the region? And then spread from there? I don't know. But the next bit from another Forbes article suggests others are asking.
The emergency technology measures being taken. Again, from Forbes:
The grid operators have resorted to some rather unusual steps. Energy Choice Matters reported today that ISO-New England asked Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH – a subsidiary of NorthEast Utilities) to operate its entire generation fleet this week to help keep the lights on. This included firing up several infrequently-deployed combustion turbines which ran on jet fuel.
The return of the polar vortex has brought the return of grid reliability issues. The PJM, New York, and New England power grids have seen significant spikes in wholesale market prices, brought on by huge increases in underlying natural gas spot market prices. In many cases, generators do not contractually have access to natural gas, so they cannot generate electricity. This dynamic is exacerbated in New England, where over 50% of the generation fleet is gas-fired.
From The Union Leader:
Public Service of New Hampshire fired up its supplemental, aviation-fueled combustion turbines and planned to run them for about 15 hours Thursday to help meet the demand brought on partly by the cold snap.
“That’s unprecedented,” PSNH spokesman Martin Murray said of the duration of the turbine use.
PSNH has never before been asked a day ahead of time by ISO New England to run the stand-alone units to supplement energy load, Murray said.
The units typically operate 10 to 20 hours over the course of a year, usually when demand spikes, such as a cold snap or a heat wave.
And, of course, this all brings us to the next story, which will have a stand-alone post.
Eleven (11) New Permits -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA
Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment decisions based on anything you read here or think you might have read here.
Friday's like these, it would be nice to hear from Louis Rukeyser.
Active Rigs 187 188 203 164 87
Eleven (11) new permits --
Operators: Legacy (4), Whiting (3), Petro-Hunt (3), Sinclair
Fields: Red Rock (Bottineau), Clear Creek (McKenzie), Kittleson Slough (Mountrail), Ray (Williams), Dollar Joe (Williams)
Wells coming off the confidential list were posted earlier; see sidebar at the right.
One producing well was completed:
23020, 922, CLR, Sacrametno 2-10H, Brooklyn, t1/14; cum --
Sinclair canceled a permit:
23190, PNC, Sinclair Oil, Ryan 1-9H, Parshall,
Why I Love To Blog -- Huge Thanks To A Reader -- Hess CAPEX For 2014 In The Bakken
This came in as a comment but because comments are not google-searchable, I have moved the comment to a stand-alone post, and what a great post. The reader wrote:
You had commented on the potential for this to be a big year for Hess in the Bakken. Here is a link that confirms that: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/hess-sets-2014-capex-5-181005580.html
Hess plans on commissioning 225 new wells in 2014!
From the linked story over at Yahoo!Finance reported by Zachs:
Oil and gas producer Hess Corp. intends to spend $5.8 billion on exploration and production in 2014, down 15% from 2013 as it focuses more on greater efficiency in its U.S. shale fields.
The company targets to spend most of its capital in low-risk, high-growth areas such as North Dakota’s Bakken shale as well as focus largely on discovering and developing energy reserves to satisfy activist investor Elliot Management.
Of the total budgeted amount, Hess plans to allocate $2.85 billion (49%) toward unconventional shale resources, $1.475 billion (25%) for production, $925 million (16%) for development and the balance $550 million (10%) for exploration.
As part of its program, Hess proposes to spend $2.2 billion for the development of the Bakken Shale in North Dakota, flat with 2013. Due to lower well costs and reduced investments in infrastructure projects the company plans to operate 17 rigs versus 14 last year and commission 225 new operated wells in 2014 compared to 168 in 2013. Moreover, the company has increased its expenditures in the emerging Utica shale play to $550 million from $455 million last year.
At a very, very superficial level, the 2013 CAPEX works out to $13.095 million/well. For 2014, it works out to $9.778 million/well.
Again, a huge "thank you" to the reader for taking time to write.
Amtrak Is Probably Affected -- Another Derailment; Global Warming Will Hinder Re-Opening Of Track
Bloomberg is reporting:
A BNSF Railway Co. train that derailed and blocked tracks in North Dakota may delay crude deliveries by as many as two days from the second-largest onshore oil producing state in the U.S.
Eleven cars carrying corn derailed yesterday while switching tracks at Ross, North Dakota, said Steven Forsberg, a spokesman for BNSF in Fort Worth, Texas. Customers may see delays of 36 to 48 hours, the company said. The main track may reopen at 1 p.m. local time today, BNSF said on its website.
“They’re dealing with extremely cold weather there, so we have to go to winter safety protocols,” Forsberg said. “There’s a limit on how long you can have people out there in severe wind chill. They end up working in shorter shifts.”
North Dakota relies on railways to transport its crude, and the type of oil pumped from shale formations in the state may be more flammable and therefore more dangerous to ship by train than crudes from other areas. Last month, a BNSF train caught fire after a collision, leading to explosions and prompting evacuations near Casselton, North Dakota.
The potential delays due to yesterday’s derailment “apply to all trains that would use that route” and not just those carrying oil, Forsberg said. Most of the trains affected don’t originate in North Dakota and are moving between the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Midwest, he said.
BNSF customers load an average of nine crude-oil trains daily across the company’s network of railways in production basins stretching from North Dakota to Colorado to Texas, according to Forsberg.
There is a lot of talk over at the MacRumors site about the new sapphire glass Apple is rumored to be working with, perhaps for an iWatch or a new iPhone or iPad.
Whenever the granddaughters visit us in Los Angeles we always try to visit the Museum of Natural History. When we do, one of their favorite rooms, at least for the older granddaughter is the gemstone vault. It's almost completely unlit, with only the light of the exhibits providing any meaningful light.
The last time I was there I finally said to myself: this time I'm going to remember the difference between sapphires and rubies. Two days later I had forgotten.
So, we'll try again.
Sapphire (Greek: sappheiros, 'blue stone', which probably referred instead at the time to lapis lazuli) is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide (Al2O3).
Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, copper, or magnesium can give corundum blue, yellow, purple, orange, or a greenish color. Chromium impurities in corundum yield a pink or red tint, the latter being called a ruby.
Commonly, sapphires are worn in jewelry. Sapphires may be found naturally, by searching through certain sediments (due to their resistance to being eroded compared to softer stones) or rock formations. They also may be manufactured for industrial or decorative purposes in large crystal boules.
Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires—nine on the Mohs scale(the second hardest mineral right behind diamond)—and of aluminium oxide in general, sapphires are used in some non-ornamental applications, including infrared optical components, such as in scientific instruments; high-durability windows; wristwatch crystals and movement bearings; and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of very special-purpose solid-state electronics (most of which are integrated circuits).
The sapphire is one of the three gem-varieties of corundum, the other two being ruby – defined as corundum in a shade of red—and padparadscha—a pinkish orange variety. Although blue is their most well-known color, sapphires may also be colorless and they are found in many colors including shades of gray and black.
The cost of natural sapphires varies depending on their color, clarity, size, cut, and overall quality – as well as their geographic origin. Significant sapphire deposits are found in Eastern Australia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, China (Shandong), Madagascar, East Africa, and in North America in a few locations, mostly in Montana. Sapphire and rubies are often found in the same geographic environment, but one of the gems is usually more abundant in any of the sites.
So: nothing more than Al2O3 -- aluminum hydroxide, naturally occurring or man-made.
When Al2O3 is pretty enough to be a gem, it's one of three types: a) sapphire, b) ruby, or, padparadscha.
sapphires: blue (generally, as a gemstone)
rubies: red (always)
padparadscha: pinkish-orange (always)
At another wiki site:
Ruby is the red variety of the species corundum, while any other color of corundum is considered sapphire.
That's also what the Los Angeles Natural History of Science also says; until now, I had not heard of padparadshas.
I suppose the most prominent color not noted above (blue, red, pinkish orange) is green. I suppose the most commonly-recognized green gemstone is the emerald. I wonder if the Bakken operator Emerald Oil is from the greenish-tint that oil often imparts to water as a fine sheen?
Rubies are rubies, and I guess "padparadshas" are padparadshas, but sapphires can come in a variety of colors.
Impurities in crystals of Al2O3 can cause the different colors of sapphires:
iron: blue
titanium: yellow
chromium: purple
copper: orange
magnesium: greenish
On the scale of hardness (or resistance to scratching), sapphire glass is second only to diamonds, and thus the interest in sapphire as a crystal layer on the iWatch, iPad, or iPhone.
Labels: NotesToTheGranddaughters
Why I Could Never Be A Market Timer
Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment decisions based on anything you read here or think you may have read here.
I talked about this earlier as an example of why I could never be a market timer. When earnings came out for XLNX, the shares dropped immediately. I read the report and thought the earnings report was actually pretty good, and expected that eventually the shares would recover. The next day, XLNX rose 4%, trading at a new 52-week high. I certainly did not expect "eventually" to be "less than 24 hours."
Now Investor's Business Daily reports:
Xilinx, a specialist in complex programmable semiconductor chips, has engineered a positive turnaround.
On Tuesday, the San Jose, Calif.-based firm said fiscal third-quarter sales jumped 15% vs. a year ago to $586.8 million. That marked the fastest increase since the September 2010 quarter and an acceleration from 10% growth in the September-ended quarter of last year.
Earnings increased 76% to 67 cents a share. It was Xilinx's fourth straight quarter of growth following a seven-quarter spell of declining profits.
KC Southern misses by $0.07, reports revs in-line: Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $1.03 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.07 worse than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of $1.10; revenues rose 8.4% year/year to $616 mln vs the $616.62 mln consensus.
All that money being pulled out of the market yesterday and today is now in cash (earning 0%) and/or in money market funds (earning 0.1%). I doubt the big movers and shakers will stay on the sidelines for long.
MPLX LP increases Quarterly Distribution by $0.015 (or +5%) to $0.3125 per common unit: Co announced a cash distribution of $0.3125 per common unit for the fourth quarter of 2013. This represents an increase of $0.015 per unit, or 5 percent, over the previous quarterly distribution and a 19 percent increase over the minimum quarterly distribution at the time of MPLX's initial public offering (IPO) in October 2012. MPLX has increased its distribution every quarter since its IPO. The distribution will be paid Feb. 14, 2014, to unitholders of record Feb. 4, 2014.
6:46AM Xerox declares 8.7% increase in the co's quarterly cash dividend to $0.0625 per share from $0.0575 per share.
To The Nation's Utility Companies: Quo Vadis?
A reader sent this very interesting article from The New York Times. I like it for several reasons; as usual, all these articles have multiple story lines. The story focuses on a proposed way to manage utilities going forward ... at great cost to the consumer. The article puts the blame on the glut of natural gas, but in fact, the problem first surfaced in Europe, precipitated not by a glut of natural gas, but a glut of central government planning leading to wind and solar energy projects that a) were not viable financially; and, b) destroyed the ability of conventional utilities to cover their own costs.
The New York Times reports:
The “polar vortex” that swept across much of the nation early this month knocked two North Texas power plants offline just as residents began turning up the heat and revving up power use. Grid operators fixed the problem, but not before warning consumers that they were a step away from resorting to shutdowns.
With that, the weather added fuel to a debate about the state’s electricity market and the demands of its soaring population.
“With low temperatures earlier this week, we narrowly escaped rolling blackouts,” a group of electric utilities warned in a full-page advertisement in the Austin American-Statesman just days afterward. “We won’t be so lucky in the years ahead if we don’t take action now.”
As utility companies and big energy users like manufacturers spar in Austin over how best to encourage the building of new power plants, another important question is getting less public attention: How can Texas curb its energy use?
Utilities are pressing regulators to shift the state’s “energy only” market to a “capacity” model, which would pay power plants to maintain reserves and be ready to meet demand peaks — a multibillion-dollar proposition. The utilities say that low natural gas prices have eroded the economic incentive to build plants.
Texas Is Country Music
For Investors Only
GE's vice chairman John G. Rice said that the global economy "was getting better, not worse," and that beneath lower growth expectations for emerging markets "there was tremendous underlying demand for infrastructure."
In a private interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr. Rice touched on an array of topics related to GE and its substantial operations in developing markets from China to Turkey. Mr. Rice said that demand in infrastructure in China "remains great."
Mr. Rice said that many governments still haven't figured out the best ways to encourage maximum investment in new energy projects. He cited the U.S., where a controversial wind-production tax credit known as the "PTC" faced annual federal renewals.
"On again, off again approvals was the way to waste billions," Mr. Rice said. "There was no ability to plan."
It sounds like Mr Rice is really frustrated with the government's energy policy. Geee....no, not "geee" but GE.
Oh, by the way -- he suggests 8% growth in China is a reasonable expectation: lots of conventional energy is going to be needed: coal, natural gas, and oil.
Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment decisions based on what you see here or what you might have think you saw here.
Can we all have an amen? WMB raises dividend again. And again.
WMB board of directors has approved a regular dividend of $0.4025 on the company's common stock, payable March 31, 2014, to holders of record at the close of business on March 14.
The first-quarter 2014 dividend is an increase of $0.0225, or 5.9 percent, from the previous quarterly dividend of $.38 per share. The new amount is an increase of $0.06375, or 18.8 percent, from the first-quarter 2013 dividend.
The company continues to expect to increase the full-year dividend it pays shareholders by 20 percent in each of 2014 and 2015 – to per-share amounts of $1.75 and $2.11, respectively. Williams' full-year dividend for 2013 was $1.44 per share.
Things Have Changed, Bob Dylan
Readers should ignore this post. There's going to be some grandfatherly bragging.
Overhead Starbucks is playing a '60's Bob Dylan song. It brings back great memories. This tune must be located immediately next to the neuron(s) that store information from room 102, Solberg Hall, Augustana College, roommate Rich Nelson, 1969 - 1970.
My roommate was probably the smartest person I ever knew, up to that point. He had a photographic memory, or what sophisticates call an eidetic memory. He would stay up all night before a calculus test, a course we shared in our freshman year, looking at the chapter for the first time. I had studied all week. Calculus was at 7:30 a.m., taught by a retired US Navy officer. Rich would fall asleep about 6:30 a.m. after staying up all night. He had three alarm clocks to wake him up which he hid in drawers, and still he might have overslept had it not been for me or others across the hall coming by to wake him up. He would ace the test. I did okay but never scored as well as he did.
So, the video, but, of course, not the one that Starbucks was playing.
Our older granddaughter appears to have an eidetic memory, at least to some extent, in some areas. Like all children her age, she loves to read. When I say "loves to read," it is not an exaggeration. She will read every free moment she finds. She brought home the results of her standardized reading test yesterday. She told us, and checking out the website regarding the standardized test, that she is now reading at college level. She says there are no books in her elementary school library that are "college level." I asked her what she was going to do. She said she would just read "more" books.
She is the one, a fifth grader, who has asked me to leave my library to her when it's time to leave it to someone.
On another note, I accomplished something yesterday I have wanted to accomplish for a long time. Regular readers know that my biggest disappointment coming out of high school (academically) was not understanding/appreciating physics, specifically electricity. [My biggest disappointment coming out of high school, not academically, was not dating a certain young woman.]
Where was I? Oh, yes, electricity. I have never understood electricity. Yesterday I took a college text on electricity and started reading. Then, when the granddaughters came home from school we got out the Elenco Snap Circuits kit which their dad got them some time ago. We check it out periodically mostly for entertainment but yesterday it was for learning. Our older granddaughter was thrilled when she saw the difference between circuits in series and parallel, and then tried to understand a diode. It was a great day. I finally understood a bit more. We have quite a bit more to go to get through this kit, but it looks like there's even more available out there. I see there's an Elenco Solar Deluxe Educational Kit -- wow. It's going to be a busy summer. [Later, when I was discussing this with her mom, our older granddaughter pointed out something I had said that was incorrect.]
It was particularly cold today taking them to school. Our older granddaughter knew it was going to be very, very cold. We never drive; we always walk, no matter how cold. But today, the older granddaughter really, really wanted to ride over to the school because it was going to be really, really cold. I hate waiting in long car lines, so I discussed with her that if we drove, I would take a different route, and that they might have to get out at the cross-walk and walk the last little bit on their own.
It was a nice discussion. It started to turn a bit too philosophical.
The younger granddaughter cut to the chase: "Ride or walk. Decide. I just want to get to school on time."
We walked.
Thunder On The Mountain, Bob Dylan
Friday -- Global Warming Kills Three In Michigan City, Indiana
RBN Energy: a continuation of the series on the future of natural gas -- a coming surplus in the United States. Laws with regard to exports of these hydrocarbon products that we are living with today were all put on the books during the decades of shortage. Things have changed.
Here at RBN, we have an often repeated view that the flood of oil and gas being produced from unconventional plays will change everything we once knew about energy markets. One such fundamental change is that the U.S. is now producing more natural gas, NGLs and some grades of crude oil than we can use (except for the past three weeks of Polar Vortex weather, of course).
Consequently the U.S. has shifted from a position of hydrocarbon shortage to one of surplus. That is great news. But just down the road there are potential problems developing – distortions in the markets. Some of those surplus products can be exported, some can’t. The rules regarding exports of these hydrocarbon products that we are living with today were all put on the books during the decades of shortage. When you look closely at what those rules really say, you’ve got to scratch your head. Today we begin a series to examine those rules.
And, of course, that in bold will be the issue.
Active rigs in North Dakota:
Investors flee developing countries.
Safety Boad asks for tougher standards for shipping crude oil.
Federal safety investigators called on railroads to route oil-filled trains around heavily populated areas as part of a series of recommendations to reduce risks from the growing business of shipping crude by rail.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that transportation regulators should work with railroads to reroute oil trains and should ensure that railroads have plans in place to handle "worst-case" accidents or spills. It also called for new testing practices for oil being shipped by rail, in the wake of several serious accidents recently in which crude oil exploded after trains derailed.
Keystone decisionas
The Obama administration is set to complete a critical phase of its Keystone XL pipeline review next month, setting the stage for President Barack Obama to make a call on the politically charged decision in the thick of the midterm campaign season.
The State Department, which has been studying the project for years, aims to release on the environmental impact of the proposed pipeline extension in early or mid-February, people inside and outside the government familiar with the decision said Thursday. That would put Mr Obama on track to make a decision by May or June.
Microsoft reports better-than expected results:
The software giant posted surprisingly strong sales of its Xbox videogame consoles and Surface tablet computers, helping drive quarterly revenue and earnings that topped Wall Street expectations. In response, Microsoft's shares rose about 4% in after-hours trading Thursday.
The numbers were good.
For the fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31, Microsoft's revenue rose 14% to $24.52 billion. Net income climbed to $6.56 billion, or 78 cents a share, compared with $6.38 billion, or 76 cents a share, a year earlier.
Analysts, on average, estimated Microsoft would post earnings of 68 cents a share on revenue of $23.7 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.
Target data breach adds to CEO's sack of woe. One misstep after another. Where's Mr Icahn?
Shale boom forces Pemex to find new buyers.
For decades, Mexico's state oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos, had the best customer an oil company could want: the U.S. But now the U.S. energy boom is curtailing the country's demand for imported oil, and Pemex is being forced to look farther afield.
For the first time, the company is negotiating to sell its extra-light Olmeca crude oil in Europe, according to Pemex officials. The first shipment will go in the second half of February to the Cressier refinery in Switzerland, the company said.
Where's Jane Nielsen?
McDonald's CEO concedes loss of relevance. I've blogged about that before -- based on what I've seen on all my cross-country travels. The country has moved a long way since Ronald McDonald showed up. The CEO says its restaurants got "too complicated." Whatever that means. If it refers to the menu, compare McDonald's with In 'N Out: three hamburger choices, FF, and a few drinks. Each item averages about $2.00. They also have to figure out how to compete for Starbucks customers with regard to mobile access, my biggest complaint about McDonald's.
Chromebooks take other mobile PCs to school. The laptops now have about 20% of the school market after "coming out of nowhere." They're "cheap" and they are "inexpensive," but they work. I wouldn't be caught dead with one, but for a family with two children (or more) in elementary school, they make sense. Our granddaughters each have one and they love them: very, very lightweight; very simple; a bit clunky, but no complaints from them.
Wow, this is not good.
The software behind the attack at Neiman Marcus Group lurked in the luxury retailer's payment system undetected for months, scraping data from as many as 1.1 million accounts and ending its mission before it was discovered. The software was clandestinely inserted into the system and worked from July 16 to Oct. 30. Software to help the program work was slipped in even earlier. Neiman didn't even know the software was there until Jan. 1.
40-vehicle pile-up snarls snowy I-94 in Indiana; Chicago to Detroit; 3 killed; 20 injured.
Los Angeles won't allow light trail to reach LAX (the Los Angeles Airport). Too hard to do, too expensive.
Socialists meet capitalists in San Francisco / Silicon Valley.
Percentage of Americans lacking insurance ticks down slightly in January.
The increase in insurance coverage reported by Gallup underscores the slow nature of Obamacare’s rollout. Initial projections by the Congressional Budget Office forecast that some 7 million people would sign up by the time the law’s open enrollment period ends on March 31. Enrollment nationally is behind that forecast, in part because of the breakdown of the enrollment website in October and November. Even if the law reaches the 7-million mark this year, several more years will be needed to make a big dent in the uninsured population. About 45 million people in the U.S. lack insurance, including roughly 29 million potentially eligible for coverage under the exchanges.
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Friday -- Global Warming Kills Three In Michigan C...
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“Spiritual Gifts: Service” - March 30, 2014
Last week a friend of mine posted some advice on Facebook that came from a Singer Sewing Manual from 1949. Ladies! Take heed!
“Prepare yourself mentally for sewing. Think about what you are going to do… Never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaisically. Good results are difficult when indifference predominates.
Never try to sew with a sink full of dirty dishes or beds unmade. When there are urgent housekeeping chores, do these first so your mind is free to enjoy your sewing. When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible. Put on a clean dress. Keep a little bag full of French chalk near your sewing machine to dust your fingers at intervals. Have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on. If you are constantly fearful that a visitor will drop in or your husband will come home, and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing.”
We’ve changed a lot, even since the days when I was in school and the boys were required to take a six-week course on how to scramble eggs and put a button onto a shirt. They called it “Bachelor Survival”. I have no ideas what they were teaching the girls in the metal shop, but one of my classmates now has her own arc welder.
All that aside, living in an age of easily-obtained, mass-produced clothing, we don’t give a lot of thought to what production of clothing meant a century ago, let alone before the invention of the sewing machine. In A Christmas Carol, almost every time Dickens shows us Bob Cratchit’s wife, she (and sometimes her four daughters with her) is sewing. At one point we learn that her eyes are tired and she is beginning to lose her sight from looking at small stitches and working by dim light.
In the Bible, the book of Acts tells us how much one woman’s sewing meant to the community.
“Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them.” [Acts 9:36-39]
As we think about spiritual gifts, it is important to remember that sometimes the grace of God is wrapped up in the provision of basic needs and expressed in acts of helping others that way. That really does make a difference. Let me share a couple of pieces of needlework with you. They are both clerical stoles, these pieces of cloth that I wear around my neck.
The first has personal meaning for me. It was a gift from a woman who went to my home church and who was also one of our high school librarians. She gave it to me as an ordination gift. It has a series of panels on it that she cross-stitched and sewed onto the cloth. Hours and hours of work must have gone into it. It is the product of more than skill with the needle, though, because when I see it or wear it I feel connected to and in some ways responsible to the people who first told me about Jesus, whose birth and death and resurrection are symbolized here.
The second has meaning for others. It’s a stole that comes from Guatemala and was produced by the Ruth and Naomi Project. I brought this back from a mission trip, but they also market through Ten Thousand Villages and this summary is from their web site.
“The weaving cooperative Ruth and Naomi is located in Chontola, near Chichicastenango. The project emerged out of the terror and desperation of Guatemala’s civil war. With the help of a local Methodist pastor and his wife, some widows banded together to support their families through sales of the community’s traditional woven crafts. Of the initial group of 18 women, all had lost husbands, fathers, or both to the government’s ‘scorched earth’ policy of the 1980s. The name was chosen because it spoke of two widows from the Bible who were without resources, but who worked and survived.
Scholarships make it possible for teens to complete high school in Chichicastenango while living in the project compound. Some have gone on to complete university degrees. The project has also started a health and nutrition center.”
Don’t belittle “women’s work”. Don’t think that the meetings the United Methodist Women hold are all about hoagie sales and fruit salad. Some of the most intense conversations and learning that goes on in the church happens there.
Here’s another piece of handiwork. It’s a prayer shawl from the rack that sits in the narthex. The women who crochet or knit these understand that their efforts are an act of outreach to the sick, to let them know they are wrapped in the prayers of God’s people. They are a ministry of welcome to a newly-baptized baby, signifying the promises we all make to surround the child with a community of love and grace as she or he grows.
Don’t miss out on the profound value that there is in the making of lunches for people doing house repairs through Good Works, or the spirituality that goes into swinging the hammers and turning the screwdrivers. Don’t ignore the giving of self that is part of changing the lightbulbs, refinishing cabinets, digging the garden plots, or making decorations for the holidays. Don’t overlook the gift embedded in the act of washing the coffeepots, opening doors, setting up chairs, or keeping the web site current.
“All service ranks the same with God,” wrote Robert Browning, and he was right. The gift of serving, when done with an eye to God, is honored by the Lord himself, as the restoration of Dorcas to the community of believers in Joppa demonstrated. May he raise up a whole crew of such people among us, and among his people wherever they are, from Jerusalem to Johnstown, Galilee to Guatemala, Joppa to Westmont, Kuala Lumpur to Collegeville, Philippi to Phoenixville, to the end of the age.
Posted by Mark Young at 10:45 PM No comments:
“Spiritual Gifts: Discernment” - March 23, 2014
It’s March now, but it will soon be May and then June: the two months when all across the land commencement speakers will stand up in high school auditoriums and gyms or move to center field in a football stadium, clear their throats, welcome various people, and then declaim,
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Had worn them really about the same, …”
and so forth. Robert Frost’s “The Road Less Taken” is a favorite because it talks about choosing a path in life, which people graduating from high school or college are in the midst of doing. That involves the exercise of discernment, a spiritual gift which is the ability to choose, not between good and bad or right and wrong, but among a variety of possibilities which may all be good but will have different outcomes.
When faced with multiple good options, people’s first reaction can often be a refusal to choose at all. How often on Thanksgiving do you hear that question, “Pumpkin pie or apple?” There is going to be someone at the table who will say, “How about just a small piece of each?” Or why is there such a thing as Neapolitan ice cream, with a stripe of vanilla and a stripe of chocolate and a stripe of strawberry?
That doesn’t always work, though. There are some decisions where saying, “Yes,” to one option means saying, “No,” to another. You cannot be in two places at once. You cannot pay for both a trip to Paris and a new car. You do not have the energy both to do your daily work and to train for a marathon. You have to go with one option and stick with it. You could, if you wanted, just go with your gut or just flip a coin. Then there would always be that nagging question at the back of your mind about whether you should have gone the other way after all. Should you have flipped the coin again and gone with two out of three? I’m talking about more serious questions than pie or ice cream, here. I’m talking about when you make decisions that will have a lasting effect in the long run.
Discernment is a matter of understanding your priorities, and putting what is most important first. Work is a good thing, but the Ten Commandments say to
“Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.” [Exodus 20:8-10]
Worship is a good thing, but even there, Jesus himself said that
“when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” [Matthew 5:23-24]
Teenagers and parents, students and teachers especially tend to face situations where they have to pick among good options. Sports or drama or youth group: those are all good. Going to college or learning a trade: those are both good. Each choice, however, may lead to another choice beyond that, and one beyond that, and then another, and soon the paths have diverged.
I doubted if I should ever come back.”
So be aware of those early steps.
We want kids to be well-rounded, and sports teach important lessons about working as a team, about developing self-discipline, and staying in good health. Those are long term gains. Perhaps the real lesson of sports, however, should be always to do your best but when you find someone who is stronger or faster or more agile than you, you may need to lose with grace. To keep things in perspective, according to the NCAA[1] out of 538,676 boys who play basketball in high school, 46 will be drafted by the NBA. Of 433,120 girls who play basketball in high school, 32 will become professionals. Figures for other sports are about the same. The highest rate is in baseball, with O.5% of high school players eventually going pro (although that includes the minor leagues, not just the majors). Given those numbers, shouldn’t more emphasis be placed on simply enjoying the game? Let’s not limit things to sports, either. In 2007, around 100,000 people tried out for American Idol. That means, as one writer put it at the time, “You have a better chance of being the next ‘American Idol’ than you do of getting hit by lightning. But not that much better.”[2]
I recently saw a copy of an open letter that was written to parents by the Youth Pastor of a large church in Alabama. When I read it my first thought was, “Whoa! This guy is burning out! Be careful!” Re-reading it, however, I thought he hit the nail on the head. Part of what he said was,
“We have never seen a generation of teenagers who are more stressed, full of anxiety, depressed, suicidal, over-committed, over-medicated, over-worked and over extra-curriculared, and it is killing them, sometimes literally. We know you want the best for them, the best grades, the best college, the best teams, performances, standardized scores, friend groups etc. We all want the best for them. But they are not the best at everything and they will never be the best at everything. I was not, you were not and they will not stand atop the podium in every area they compete. As I watch the Olympics I have thought a lot about what it takes to get to the Olympics, let alone what it takes to get to the top of that podium. It takes incredible amounts of raw talent, dedication, work, and single-mindedness about that discipline. Unfortunately we see many parents pushing these standards and unrealistic expectations of every area of their kids’ lives. They cannot do it all, they cannot handle the stress and are being crushed under the weight of the expectation. Now, please hear me, it is not just your expectation, it is the expectation of their coaches, teachers, administrators, colleges and the expectations of each other. Expectations are good, they cause us to rise above where we, alone, would usually strive. But they must be realistic expectations based on each student.
Your kids are probably not going to Harvard, and that is ok.
Your kids are probably not going to play a professional sport, and that is ok.
But your kids can be amazing, productive, courageous and wonderful human beings, who love, have passions and dreams; should we really want more than that?”[3]
Discernment means considering not just what is good, but also what might be better. What will lead to a better outcome in the long term, not just in the moment? How do we make our children and youth better people so that they can make the world a better place? Acting with discernment, choosing the better over the good, may mean postponing the immediate rewards or saying, “No,” to some things.
When Paul chose Timothy to work with him in spreading the gospel, he acted with discernment.
“…there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily.”
Paul was looking toward the future. He could have decided to work only with people whose experience had been tried and tested, people like Barnabas and Luke and Priscilla and Aquila, who had helped him share the gospel already, instead of taking a chance on a youngster like Timothy. He might have relied on the help of Timothy’s mother and grandmother, who had already shown themselves to be faithful. All of those people were capable. But he saw good in Timothy and the added fact that he would be around longer than the rest of them. He chose to work to develop the long term good rather than simply take the short term benefit.
Paul made an investment. As it turned out, it was a wise one. He took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
[1] http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/probability-competing-beyond-high-school
[2] Scott D. Pierce in Utah Deseret News, July 27, 2008. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700246255/Scott-D-Pierce-American-Idol-auditioners-will-face-heavy-odds.html?pg=all
[3] Letter to parents by Stephen Ingram, Canterbury United Methodist Church, Mountain Brook, Alabama, February 19, 2014.
Posted by Mark Young at 1:33 PM No comments:
"Spiritual Gifts: Hospitality" - March 16, 2014
There’s more to hospitality than handing someone a donut and a mug of hot chocolate, although that’s certainly a good start. It’s not really hospitality in the fullest sense unless you share something of yourself along with it. It may not take a lot of time; a bride and groom, for instance, try to get around to everybody at their wedding and that means that in some cases it’s just going to be a quick, “Uncle Mortimer! I’m so glad you’re here!” and they truly mean that, (and Uncle Mortimer knows whether or not they do), even that quick recognition can be enough. What matters really, after all, is that recognition. It’s that human one-to-one connection.
In Jesus’ description of the Last Judgment, the people whom he commends are the ones who give another person the help that they need, but in a way that pays attention to them as a person, not just as the object of charity. Many of the good works that the Lord praises can be done in either a personal or impersonal way. Feeding the hungry and housing the homeless and providing clothes to the naked can all be done from a distance. In fact, that’s generally how we do that. There are people who act on our behalf or as our representatives to do things that we sometimes cannot do or cannot do well, and God bless them! It just isn’t possible to cook a meal at the shelter every night, at least not for most of us. On the other hand, however, when Jesus declares how on that day he will say to the righteous,
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me, … I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me…” [Matthew 25:35-36]
those are not jobs that can be delegated to anyone else. Those are acts of real caring that force people actually to get to know one another.
To welcome a stranger isn’t only a matter of saying, “Hello.” It isn’t just asking a list of get-to-know-you questions. “What’s your name? Where are you from? Have you been here long?” It’s not a matter of making small-talk and being able to come up with conversation-starters like, “Did you know that there’s a web site called, ‘The Most Horrible English Words’? I was trying to figure out how to say, ‘Hepaticocholecystostenterostomy,’ and there it was!” Try that out. Either you’ll instantly bond with someone or they’ll avoid you forever. No, to welcome a stranger is to make someone feel at home, like they belong – even better, letting them know they already do belong.
Again, it’s a gift that some people have. When I spent a year doing chaplaincy in Lancaster, I had to figure out which church I wanted to attend. There was one where I had cousins and I went there first. I got there before them, and nobody really took notice. That was fine with me that day, to tell the truth. The week that had just finished had been way too full and I just wanted a chance to pray quietly. When my cousins got there, I was glad to see them, and they introduced me to some folks afterward, the same people who had not even nodded before (which would have been enough) – and this is hard to describe – but they spoke to me not as a visitor, a person in my own right, but as an extension of my cousins whom they knew already. The welcome just wasn’t quite there. The next week I visited another church where I knew no one, and people were not overly in-your-face with warmth but when they said, “Good morning,” they looked me in the eye and it felt like they meant it. I went back the next week and the usher who handed me the bulletin pointed to where I had been the previous Sunday and said, “We held your seat for you.” That was genuine and made me feel less of a stranger, even though he never asked me my name or offered his.
Again, that business of caring for the sick that Jesus mentioned is a very personal thing. You get to know somebody when they are not well, when they are incapable of being anybody but themselves. They get to know the caregiver under those circumstances, too. You don’t hold a basin for someone who’s sick to her stomach without showing that your care is real. That same year I was talking about, I was in a hospital room with a patient who had a family member sitting there who told me he didn’t want to leave her side, but was incredibly scared of even watching the nurse insert a line to draw blood. The next thing you know, there was the nurse, holding an IV needle. The man insisted on staying, and turned his head, but no sooner had the nurse started to push the point into the vein than I saw his face go pale and he started to lean forward and pass out. It was a foolish way to make his point, but it was clear he cared so much about the patient that he risked one of his big fears. That’s hospitality. It’s a weird way to show it, but it was the real deal.
The same is true of visiting someone in prison. You don’t do that easily. It isn’t just the bureaucratic part of getting onto the visitors’ list or the procedural part of leaving your personal belongings in a locker and going through a metal detector or sometimes being patted down. It’s what happens after that. When you visit someone in prison, you are locked in there with the prisoners. To reach a visiting room, gates and doors will close behind you and it isn’t a good thing to think about that too much but it isn’t a good idea to forget it, either. You cannot visit someone in prison without, on some level, your mere presence telling them that you take them seriously as a human being. That’s in our day and in our country. In Jesus’ place and time it was much more of a message, because the prisons were basically cellars with bars on them. Maybe there would be light, but probably not, and you might need to bribe someone to get in and bribe someone else to get out again safely. You only went if you saw it as very, very important.
Hospitality takes guts. You don’t know whom you may meet when you meet the stranger. You don’t know what you might catch when you care for the sick. You enter a whole world that nobody should be a part of when you visit a prisoner. Moreover, if you do take on the parts that sound safer, the feeding and housing and clothing parts, and do so in a personal way, you may be exposed to a lot of human pain and tragedy that tests your faith in people and perhaps even in God.
Having said all of that, I remind you that being hospitable is a spiritual gift, and if you have it in even a small degree, and strengthen it (like any other gift) by exercising it – maybe taking a small step or two first – it grows. Having said all of that, I remind you, too, that it is a gift not only to the person on the receiving end but also to the one who reaches out.
Kathleen Norris is a writer who shares her own story about that. “Not long ago,” she writes,
“I had been running errands downtown, feeling stressed out. My husband was suffering one of his periodic depressions, which in turn had depressed me. And a number of petty difficulties and duties were distracting me from my writing, which had not been going well to begin with. I heard a voice call my name, turned, and to my great surprise saw an acquaintance, a freelance writer who had once collaborated with me on an article. I had not seen him for over a year, but he felt like an old friend… This in itself surprised me; a few hours before I would not have thought that I would be glad to see anyone.”
She invited him back to the house, where he sat down to dinner with her husband and her, then they all spent the evening talking. He shared his struggles over the previous year, during which his wife had died, and after he left Norris and her husband (despite their own troubles) realized how fortunate they were to have one another. She says,
“I was relieved to discover that hospitality was still possible for us, as debilitated as we had lately seemed to be. I read somewhere, in an article on monastic spirituality, that only people who are basically at home, and at home in themselves, can offer hospitality. We had both been so inward lately as to lose sight of that. But hospitality has a way of breaking through the defenses of insularity. Our friend had told us, as he said goodnight, that he felt refreshed for his long drive through Montana the next day. We were refreshed as well, the grace of hospitality having given all three of us much more than we had any reason to expect.” [1]
It makes me think of the verse from the letter to the Hebrews [13:2] that says,
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
Jesus, of course, as he so often does, takes it a step further and says that it may not be merely an angel.
“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” [Matthew 25:40]
[1] Kathleen Norris, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith (New York: Penguin Putnam, 1998), 266-267.
Posted by Mark Young at 8:09 AM No comments:
"Spiritual Gifts: Wisdom" - March 9, 2014
Back in October, we encouraged everyone to take a “Spiritual Gifts Inventory”, and if you didn’t do it then, or if you want a retake, there are copies out in the narthex. I don’t want to let go of the topic, though, because if there is a gift among us – and there are many – it is there for a reason. I may not know what that is, but perhaps you might. If I can bring some light to that by reflection on scripture that refers to them, though, I want to do that. So, throughout these weeks of Lent, we’ll at least touch on some of the gifts that I think may have shown up on paper, and which I hope will show up in people’s lives.
The Bible tells how the gift of wisdom was given to at least one of God’s people. Solomon inherited David’s kingdom upon his father’s death, after having acted as regent with King David’s authority in David’s old age. He came to the throne following years during which there had been civil war and rebellion that began within the king’s own family and among his children. Among the first things that he did was put one of his brothers to death [I Kings 2]. It was a brutal age. Difficult decisions had to be made. One night, during a time when he had gone on a pilgrimage to pray, he had a dream where God offered him anything. Solomon answered,
“‘O Lord, my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?’” [I Kings 3:7-9]
In the dream, God answers him with congratulations that he didn’t ask for riches or power over his enemies or long life and promises that he will make him wise, and that all sorts of good things will flow from that. When he wakes up the next morning, he returns to Jerusalem and goes to the Temple to give thanks to God. Pretty soon the difficult decisions of the kingdom are being put before him and he somehow seems to find the right solutions. So to this day we speak of the wisdom of Solomon.
The gift of wisdom is the gift of being able to see the right thing to do in difficult circumstances. It begins with a desire to do what is right, as Solomon said, “to discern between good and evil”. As the book of Proverbs [9:10] puts it, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” A sign that someone has been given wisdom is that they never leave the Lord out of their considerations. I remember many years ago, sitting with a family in a hospital waiting room when some very difficult choices were put before them. They each had something to say, and there were differences among them, but the man who would have to make the final decision was deeply shaken and was just sort of quietly crying. Then after listening to all his children, he looked over and asked me, “What does the Bible say about this?” I knew he wasn’t asking for a direct rule – the writers of the Bible did not have access to our technology with both the opportunities and the possible unintended consequences that it brings. He was asking about how to honor God’s will for another human being. He didn’t have the answer to the doctor’s question: “Should we do ‘A’ or should we do ‘B’?” He did have the wisdom to ask, “Where do we find the answer?” and to know where to begin. The family prayed together and then reached a consensus, and then gave directions. That is wisdom.
Another sign of wisdom is that someone pays attention to the way that God has ordered the world, both in the ways of nature and in the ways of people. A wise person pays attention to how things are, for a kind of wisdom is built into nature by God himself. Again, the book of Proverbs pictures wisdom as a sort of angelic being that watched the world unfold and was an intimate part of creation:
“The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth—
when he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the world’s first bits of soil.
When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race.”
[Proverbs 8:22-31]
Notice the word “rejoicing” occurs here. Wisdom does not mean being serious all the time. Wisdom, in fact, brings perspective and perspective brings humor. Think of the funniest people, and they will often be the wisest, because they are able to point out what is foolish and help us laugh about it. Think about Mark Twain and some of what he said:
“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”
“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.”
“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.”
Wisdom is able to put us in our place, and I mean that in a good way. It helps us to see ourselves and our human nature in a realistic light, one that is not puffed up and egotistical, but humble and open to ongoing learning.
The gift of wisdom is a gift that points us toward personal growth, and the health of the community. The Letter of James asks,
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.” [James 3:13-18]
So, here is the challenge for someone who may have the gift of wisdom: how can you, with faith, humility, and gentleness, guide people to consider how to live peaceably together?
Here’s a story about how that can happen.
“Early in the morning [Jesus] came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’” [John 8:2-11]
Wisdom shows itself when everyone comes out of a difficult situation a better, generally wiser, more mature, even holier person. Appeal to the best in everyone. Expect good of them. Call on them to listen honestly to God’s voice and to their own lives.
“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.” [James 3:18]
"Transfiguration" - March 2, 2014
I recently heard someone refer to having a case of “sphenopalatineganglioneuralgia”. It sounded horrible. I found myself wondering if I needed to wash my hands or find a surgical mask. Did the Department of Public Health know about this? Would there be a study by the Centers for Disease Control? How long would the quarantine last? Then I looked it up. The explanation broke everything down into its parts:
“spheno-” refers to the sphenoid bone, which is at the front of your skull;
“-palatine” has to do with your palate, the roof of your mouth;
“-ganglio” points to the ganglion, a nerve cell; and
“-neuralgia” is nerve pain.
A light went on. “Sphenopalatineganglioneuralgia” is a nerve pain in the front of your forehead connected to something in your mouth. In other words, it’s an “ice cream headache”. It’s a “brain freeze”. That’s a minor example of how something confusing or puzzling or mysterious sometimes all comes together and in one moment, with a flash, it all makes sense.
The disciples who were on the mountain with Jesus, as Matthew tells about it, had a moment like that. The revelation that Jesus is God’s Son drew together the whole religious history of their people, parts of which even seemed to be at odds with one another at times.
There was a tradition, on the one hand, of respect for the Law. It’s the kind of religious outlook that takes very, very seriously the details of worship. It’s the kind of outlook that says to be sure the colors of the hangings and the altar cloths are the right ones for the season. It the kind of outlook that calls us to give God the best of our creative powers, to pay attention to the music and to wrap all aspects of our daily life in prayer. All of that is good, but it can threaten to turn inward and move the focus from God to ourselves and what we are doing.
The other strand looks back to the Prophets and their drive for social holiness. It embodies the sense that, by feeding the hungry and providing shelter and generally performing acts of kindness, we are serving God. At its best it goes even further to encourage a confrontation with the impulses within society that lead to poverty and exclusion and injustice. But it can threaten to turn our eyes away from the part that we ourselves bear in the injustice of the world or to become judgmental of others, as if we were God.
There are times that the two aspects get split apart, which is a false division but a common one. Call them the religious right and the religious left in our day, or the traditionalists and the progressives, or the evangelicals and the liberals. There were those then, as there are those now, who wanted to grab Jesus for their own camp and hear him say what they wanted to hear.
When the disciples were allowed to see him in his glory, though, they saw him as the Lord of all. In him, separate elements of the human experience of God that sometimes seem at odds are drawn together.
“And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared Moses and Elijah, talking with him.” [Matthew 17:2-3]
It is Jesus who holds Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, together. Jesus pulls all of these impulses together in a way that shines with true holiness.
He could and did point to the goodness of the Law:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 5:17-20]
But he never forgot the love that undergirds it. He knew that there were times when hungry people would pick grain on the Sabbath. He knew that there would be people who had sinned who needed forgiveness, not condemnation.
On the other hand, he knew the limits that the prophetic side had to learn, and could observe it all firsthand. He understood that there were people like the three he took up the mountain – James and John who were hotheads and ambitious, (“Sons of Thunder” he called them) who needed to learn humility; and Peter, who was loyal and steady to a point but in the end could be overcome by fear, enough to deny that he even knew him. These were his closest friends. They would be with him in his most prophetic moments, like when he overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple itself, citing the words of Isaiah [56:7]:
“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.”
But, sadly, they would not be right there when he, who had spoken about loving our enemies, actually did it, crying out from the cross where he suffered,
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing!” [Luke 23:34]
But they were there at that moment when heaven itself opened up and the great figures of faith were there, treating him with honor and respect. It was a moment when he was given a validation by someone even greater than Moses or Elijah, as
“suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” [Matthew 17:5]
Matthew doesn’t give a name to that voice, but surely it was the same heard by John the Baptist at Jesus’ baptism,
“You are my Son, the Beloved, with You I am well pleased.” [Mark 1:11]
It was the voice of God, again proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, the one to whom the traditions of the Law and the Prophets both pointed, the one who would bring them together.
Jesus’ transfiguration was a moment where those three, who are people like us, saw in one brilliant glimpse of God’s glory, that Jesus holds all of human life in the light of God’s love. Jesus is able to bring all of our impulses under God’s guidance and control. Jesus is able to provide us with the balance that makes us truly human, and to bring us into line with God’s will for the world. Julia Ward Howe wrote,
“In the beauty of the lilies,
Christ was born across the sea
With a glory in his bosom
That transfigures you and me.
As he died to make us holy,
Let us die to make men free.
Our God is marching on.”
She was right. Jesus had within him that which transfigured him on that mountaintop but which also transfigures us here and now. Personal holiness and the search for a righteous society don’t need to, and shouldn’t, stand apart. The awareness of God’s holiness and our sinfulness go hand-in-hand with a sense of God’s mercy for us and for others. To see the glory of God shining out from Jesus is also to see it reflected from the people he gathers around him, and the people to whom he was sent.
So keep your eyes open, but keep your sunglasses handy, because thanks to him it can get very, very bright.
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HomeArtsGuidelines to the Ultimate Party Playlist
Guidelines to the Ultimate Party Playlist
March 15, 2012 Kate Koenig Arts, Music, Vol. 90, Spring 2012 0
Afua Nuro, Contributing Writer
You may find yourself at the Sip and Sail (or maybe the Upper Deck when it was still open), a fraternity party or sorority party and wonder what music is playing. The only people who seem to be enjoying themselves at that party are the ones who are too drunk or high to even know what’s coming out of the stereo. You probably are standing in a circle with your friends wondering why you even took the time and effort to come out that night. The one thing that can kill any party mood is the music; not the bad or watered-down drinks or the annoying biddies running everywhere, but the music.
There are five types of music that reliably will make any party great. The first two are hip-hop and dubstep. You need something with a dance beat; when you are at a party, that is not the time to play Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood. For the hip-hop fans, try something by Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Usher or even some of Nicki Minaj’s old music; for the dubstep fans, Skrillex, Avicii and Bassnectar are good choices.
The third type of music you should have on your party playlist is any song with a corresponding dance move; for example, “Teach Me How to Dougie” by Cali Swag District, “Cat Daddy” by The Rej3ctz, “You’re a Jerk” by New Boyz or almost all of Soulja Boy’s music such as “Crank that Superman,” or variations like “Crank that Batman,” “Crank that Homeless Man,” etc. The list of songs with dance moves goes on and on. When you play one of these songs, people at your party will most likely get hype and try to or fail to do the dance moves that go with the song.
The fourth type of music you should play at your party are throwback hip hop songs. Don’t go too far back! Try some songs like “Love Like This Remix” by Faith Evens and Fat Man Scoop, some Ludacris, like his song “Move,” or some of the music T.I. made (before he went to jail for the first time).
The last thing that you need to play at your party to make it complete is… wait, let me give you a clue: “What’s Gucci my N****.” Yeah, you know that line and I bet you know the one that comes next!
For those of you who are clueless, the name of the song is “N****s in Paris” by Jay-Z and Kanye West. Yes, this may not be a genre or category of music like the ones I listed before, but it is one of the best songs to play at a party. Whether you are a fan of rap music or not, I bet you know the words to this song and will scream out the lyrics when it is played. When this song is played at the bars, everyone suddenly turns into the new best rappers and rap the lyrics like they are Kanye West himself.
Now you have no excuses to have lame music at your party, and all the DJs out there have no excuses to not have good music on their playlist. I have told you about the genres and have given you some song titles; if your party is still lame then maybe it’s not the music — it could be that horrible punch, but that I cannot help you with.
An Album to Have Regrets To
A Good Read for the Heroines of Our Time
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Swiss get edge on Japan
Special teams step up in Switzerland’s win
Published 01.04.2016 23:15 GMT-7 | Author Lucas Aykroyd
KAMLOOPS, BC - APRIL 1: Switzerland's Dominique Ruegg #26 and Japan's Aina Takeuchi #9 battle for position while Japan's Nana Fujimoto #1 looks on during relegation round action at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)
Swiss team scoring leader Christine Huni got the first-period winner in a 3-1 victory over Japan to open their best-of-three relegation series on Friday.
Special teams played a big role in the Swiss victory at McArthur Island Centre.
Japan got off to a great start, taking the early lead on Yurie Adachi’s goal at 1:49. But Swiss assistant captain Anja Stiefel struck back with a power play tally at 6:59 to even the score.
After Huni’s go-ahead goal at 18:40, which gave her six points at these Women's Worlds, Switzerland proceeded to take five of the next six minor penalties assessed in the game.
However, they killed off every Japanese advantage, and Lara Stalder’s 3-1 power play goal at 2:36 of the second period proved to be all the insurance coach Daniela Diaz’s squad would need.
Switzerland outshot Japan 27-15. Star goalie Florence Schelling earned the win against Japan’s Nana Fujimoto, who was pulled for an extra attacker in the closing moments.
Game Two in the series is Sunday at 13:00 local time.
Switzerland, which won the 2014 Olympic bronze medal, is striving to avoid being relegated for the first time since 2004.
Japan, meanwhile, must win two in a row if it wants to stay in the top group for three straight years for the first time in its Women’s Worlds history.
Switzerland's Alina Muller did not play, and will be out for the rest of the tournament. In the previous game against Sweden, she suffered a knee injury on a shot from a Swedish player.
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Mount Charleston, Nevada Information
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Charleston,_Nevada
Not to be confused with Mount Charleston or Charleston, Nevada.
Unincorporated town in Nevada, United States
Mount Charleston, Nevada
Unincorporated town
Location of Mount Charleston in Clark County, Nevada
Coordinates: 36°15′29″N 115°38′6″W / 36.25806°N 115.63500°W / 36.25806; -115.63500
MOUNT CHARLESTON NEVADA Latitude and Longitude:
36°15′29″N 115°38′6″W / 36.25806°N 115.63500°W / 36.25806; -115.63500
29.4 sq mi (76.0 km2)
0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
7,510 ft (2,289 m)
( 2010)
9.7/sq mi (3.8/km2)
UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer ( DST)
UTC-7 (PDT)
702 and 725
Mount Charleston Town Advisory Board
Mount Charleston is an unincorporated town [1] and census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 357 at the 2010 census. [2]
Named for nearby Mount Charleston, the highest point in Clark County, the town is in a valley of the Spring Mountains to the northwest of Las Vegas, noted for its hiking trails, and for the Mount Charleston Lodge, a rustic hotel. At an elevation of approximately 7,500 feet, temperatures are much lower than in Las Vegas, which has an elevation of about 2,000 feet, making it a popular place for Las Vegans to vacation. The mean high temperature is 20.4 degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler than in Las Vegas. The area is also known as a vacation village for wealthy Las Vegas residents. [3]
5 Climate
A view of Mt. Charleston
According to the United States Census Bureau, the census-designated place (CDP) of Mount Charleston (which may not coincide exactly with the town boundaries) has a total area of 29.4 square miles (76 km2), all of it land.
As of the census [4] of 2000, there were 285 people, 133 households, and 80 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 9.7 people per square mile (3.7/km²). There were 362 housing units at an average density of 12.3 per square mile (4.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.54% White, 1.05% African American, 0.35% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.46% of the population.
There were 133 households out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.69.
In the CDP, the population was spread out with 15.8% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 45.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $63,125, and the median income for a family was $67,625. Males had a median income of $75,471 versus $35,938 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $38,821. None of the population or families were below the poverty line.
A view of some homes in Mt. Charleston.
Access to the community is from State Route 156 and State Route 157.
Mount Charleston has a public library, a branch of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. [5]
Mount Charleston has a cool Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csb), with some continental influence (Dsb) by 0°C isoterm. [6] Very similar to that of Flagstaff, Arizona though with rather less frequent and abundant monsoonal storms. In contrast to the arid climate of the rest of Nevada, precipitation as rain and melted snow is sufficient to support coniferous forests, with typically 11 inches or 0.28 metres of snow on the ground in February and a maximum monthly snowfall in a limited record of 89 inches or 2.26 metres in December 2010. Summers are markedly cooler than in the lower deserts, with the average July high being only 79.4 °F or 26.3 °C and minima often below 50 °F or 10 °C. On average over half of all nights are below 32 °F or 0 °C and in extreme cold waves temperatures may fall below 0 °F or −17.8 °C, with −15 °F (−26.1 °C) reached during the 1949 Western North American cold wave.
Climate data for Mount Charleston Lodge, Nevada. (Elevation 7,420ft)
(−7.1) 19.8
(−8) 9
(586.4)
(0.51) 0
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch)
4 6 5 4 2 2 6 4 3 3 3 5 47
Source: The Western Regional Climate Center [7]
^ http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/administrative-services/town-liaison/Pages/Mt%20Charleston%20Town%20Advisory%20Board.aspx Mount Charleston Town Board
^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Mount Charleston CDP, Nevada". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
^ "Nevada Public Libraries". PublicLibraries.com. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
^ "Mount Charleston climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Mount Charleston weather averages - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
^ "MT. CHARLESTON F.S., NEVADA: Period of Record General Climate Summary". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mount Charleston, Nevada.
Municipalities and communities of Clark County, Nevada, United States
County seat: Las Vegas
Mesquite‡
Bunkerville
Goodsprings
Moapa Town
Mount Charleston
Nellis AFB
Sandy Valley
Summerlin South
Cactus Springs
Cottonwood Cove
Coyote Springs
Las Vegas Chinatown
Logandale
Lower Kyle Canyon
Mountain Springs
Stewarts Point
Bonelli's Ferry
Buster Falls
Callville
El Dorado City
Gold Butte
Lucky Jim Camp
Nelson's Landing
Quartette
Rioville
Simonsville
Stone's Ferry
Fort Mojave Indian Reservation‡
Moapa River Indian Reservation
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Spring Mountains
Census-designated places in Clark County, Nevada
Unincorporated towns in Nevada
Census-designated places in Nevada
MOUNT CHARLESTON NEVADA
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What's on Los Angeles | Index
by Jody Zellen
Eva and Franco Mattes
Data Doubles
Team (Bungalow)
Installation view Team (Bungalow)
Eva and Franco Mattes are net art pioneers who have been collaborating since 1994. Best known as 0100101110101101.org, their online projects were among the first to share the contents of their home computers, making the private public over vast networks. At Team (Bungalow) they have created a physical installation that calls attention to the presence of invisible data and the networks it travels. This rambling sculptural work weaves through interior and exterior spaces and is presented alongside Riccardo Uncut, 2017, a work originally commissioned by the Whitney Museum for which the Mattes purchased an archive of smart phone photos and videos for $1000 from someone who responded to an open call. The Mattes present over 3000 personal images taken between 2004 and 2017 as a looping projection that showcases Riccardo's life in chronological order. The voyeuristic nature of this work cannot be denied. It is an unedited glimpse into someone's life — how he documents himself, presents himself to others, who his friends are, where he has been, and what he happens to record with his phone. The video overlaid with a snippet of Jeanne Moreau singing Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves becomes a strange and melancholic trip down someone else's memory lane.
Appropriation is pivotal in the Mattes practice.They have appropriated Riccardo's life by turning his image archive into an artwork. By doing so, they explore and expose the compulsion to document, to share on social media and the ever mutating perception of the blurring line between private and public in the digital era. The Mattes have also created Ceiling Cat, 2016, a sculpture based on an appropriated "LOLCat meme." Nested in the ceiling, this simultaneously cute and scary taxidermied cat peeks through a hole. It appears to be always watching. The "laughing out loud cat meme" is a popular internet phenomenon where images of a cat with the text, "ceiling cat is watching you," passing judgement on, or witnessing your activities. In making ceiling cat into a sculpture, the Mattes have made the ephemeral, physical.
Looping through the galleries interior and exterior spaces is a long metal tray, a support system for micro computers, cables and wires. This cable tray forges a path through the exhibition like rogue train tracks carrying invisible data. The micro-computers send a signal back and forth that transmits all the photographs the Mattes shot in September 2009. (142 files). These photographs are in constant movement traveling back and forth along the cables, yet unseen by human eyes.
Though in some ways there is little to see in Data Doubles, there is plenty to think about. In an era of fake news, endless image bombardment and myriad discussions about how the private is made public, the Mattes' installation resonates. Here, the works are "centered around the creation and transmission of images, and the interconnectedness of those two processes." Creating to share versus creating for one's self, and who is watching who are integral questions in these burgeoning digital times.
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The Next Big Idea: An Infrastructure Bank
June 9, 2011 by White House Chronicle Leave a Comment
The late, great senator from New York Daniel Patrick Moynihan used to lament that Americans had lost the courage for big projects like the one he championed for the lower West Side of Manhattan, Westway. He wondered what had happened to the civic courage that allowed the building of the Erie Canal, the Hoover Dam (a giant jobs project), the transcontinental railroads and the Interstate Highway System.
And his lament was when we could still afford to build big things.
Civic timorousness has now been joined by fiscal constraint. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has canceled a project to build a much-needed new tunnel from his state into Manhattan. A station on a new subway line between Dulles Airport in Virginia and Washington, D.C. hangs in the balance, as local jurisdictions throw up their hands at the cost. The issue is whether a less-costly station above ground should replace a planned, underground station in the airport terminal. High speed rail was rejected in Florida ostensibly over cost fears.
But it is the lack of big projects, in a time of financial crisis, that are beginning to threaten the competitiveness of America’s future.
Our infrastructure — once the envy of the world — is in deplorable shape, and declining faster than it is being rejuvenated: airports, bridges, canals, passenger rail, ports, roads, sewage and water systems are all falling apart.
In short, America seems broken. And those things that are not yet broken, like the air traffic control system and the electric grid, are showing signs of mortal strain.
An additional blow to infrastructure has been the zeal of Congress in getting rid of earmarks; a funding device that, at its best, when done openly, directed some miniscule parts of the federal budget to places where the infrastructure was strained to breaking, or simply did not exist.
Because it was abused in the middle of the night, with dollars going to dubious projects and firms, Congress has, to quote Sen. John Kerry (D –Mass,) “thrown the baby out with the bathwater.”
Against this background of impotence, brought on by budget paralysis, there is a stirring in Washington among academics, some politicians (particularly Kerry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) who have introduced a bill), the think-tanks, the craft unions and the columnists — in short, the establishment — that there should be an infrastructure bank, a public-private partnership bank, devoted to the long-term (up to 45 years) financing of infrastructure projects.
The idea, as espoused by panelists at a recent meeting on Capitol Hill, representing interests from the construction contractors, financiers like The Carlyle Group, to the AFL-CIO, is that the bank would make direct loans, guarantee private-sector loans, and verify the creditworthiness of projects that could be financed by the private sector on favorable terms with guarantees from the bank against default. Robert Dove of The Carlyle Group beamed when he described a model project of public-private cooperation along highways in Connecticut.
Although it is very unpopular to say in Washington that anything in Europe works, the model for an American bank might well be the highly successful European Investment Bank with a nod to the Export-Import Bank of the United States, a successful public-private financial partnership.
Whether the bank is the institution proposed by Kerry and Hutchison, talk of an infrastructure bank that would create jobs and help reverse years of infrastructure decay will be coming to a town hall near you soon.
The concept of “infrastructure” is vague, but the word “jobs” is a powerful political opiate. And there are plenty of sound-bite-friendly statistics, such as one from the American Society of Civil Engineers that says that it will take $2 trillion over five years to restore the U.S. infrastructure, or that we spend less than 2 percent of our Gross Domestic Product on fixing up the country while China is spending 9 percent.
No wonder Kerry gets misty-eyed when he talks about the shame he feels at riding the fastest train in the world in China or of sliding from London to Paris in two hours and 15 minutes with his cell phone and computer plugged in.
— For the Hearst-New York Times Syndicate
Filed Under: King's Commentaries Tagged With: Hoover Dam, Interstate Highway System, Sen Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Sen. John Kerry, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, The Carlyle Group, U.S. infrastructure, U.S. infrastructure bank, Westway
The ’60s Return
May 22, 2010 by White House Chronicle Leave a Comment
The decade of the 1960s stood orthodoxy on its head. It was a time when alternative everything got a hearing. Expertise came into doubt; the phrase “some decisions are too important to be left to the experts” was heard everywhere.
The seer of the day was Ralph Nader. Government was only trusted as a regulator. So it regulated: the environment, the schools, the workplace, the airline industry, the communications industry, and new industries like nuclear power. Anything that had escaped regulation in the 1930s got swept up in new regulations. And those 1930s regulations for banks and utilities were applauded.
Well, this decade is beginning to emulate the anti-establishment passion of 50 years ago. In particular, a despised government is being asked to regulate.
Make no mistake, regulation is in the air. Even Republican free-marketeers are blaming a lack of regulatory oversight for the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the collapse of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
We are headed back to the future because some, though not all, of the underlying drivers of the 1960s are in place today,
The core of our crises today is as it was then: a sense of betrayal by our institutions. In banking, the environment and foreign policy, the left and the right feel they have been let down. They may be deeply divided on the degree of regulation that is needed, but the sense that key areas of our national life are broken is pervasive.
Besides the lost jobs, diminished 401(k) savings, recriminations over troop levels and tactics in two wars, and mounting national debt, there is now the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf — a crowning failure, if you will. Taken together they wipe out confidence and bring opprobrium on big institutions.
Big is bad. Big is out. Big cannot be trusted. Big has no civic conscience, whether it is banks paying themselves too well in a time of shortage or oil companies failing to take care when punching holes in the ocean floor. Big screws up big time.
The collateral damage is that, like the 1960s, no one is going to believe the experts on almost anything. People are not going to believe that giant airliners are needed, nor that biotechnology is good for the food chain.
The 1960s brought on an age of studies which, like polling, have become a news staple. These studies pour out of universities, think tanks, government departments and consultancies. Mostly they serve the people who fund them, so they get a brief life in the 24-hour news cycle and then leave us confused.
Are mammograms good or bad? Is there too much heart surgery? Does television affect deductive reasoning? Is weight training better than aerobic exercise? Will red wine and oatmeal cookies keep you going for 100 years?
Despite the contradictions implicit in expertise, we were just getting used to taking experts seriously again. We believed that bankers were oh-so-clever that they deserved oh-so-much money for what they did. Now we know they were just oh-so-greedy.
We believed that Toyota made the best and safest range of cars in the world, and that those Japanese quality-assurance types had it all over everyone else. Ooops! Got that one wrong.
And we believed that the clever people in the government knew how to conquer Iraq and turn it into the democratic beacon for the region. Not quite.
The problem with this institutional failure is the damage it will do in the future. Who is going to believe that the next drug or vaccine is safe? We won’t believe the experts and their studies. Ditto new nuclear power plants (which I favor), bridges, roads, high-speed trains and innovative skyscrapers.
The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., lamented the decision-making freeze that prevented the creation of Westway, an elaborate and revolutionary highway and development project along Manhattan’s derelict Far West Side. In losing our faith in expertise, as we did in the 1960s, we lost our ability to take decisions.
Now it’s happening again. Thank you BP, AIG and Citibank. –For the Hearst-New York Times Syndicate
Filed Under: King's Commentaries Tagged With: 1960s, banking industry, Big Oil, BP, Daniel Patrick Moynihan. government, experts, insurance industry, Ralph Nader, regulation, Westway
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Daniel Blumenthal
Co-Founder & Secretary
Mr. Dan Blumenthal is the director of Asian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on East Asian security issues and Sino-American relations. Mr. Blumenthal has both served in and advised the U.S. government on China issues for over a decade. From 2001 to 2004, he served as senior director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia at the Department of Defense. Additionally, he served as a commissioner on the congressionally-mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission from 2006 to 2012, and held the position of vice chairman in 2007. He has also served on the Academic Advisory Board of the congressional U.S.-China Working Group. Mr. Blumenthal is the co-author of An Awkward Embrace: The United States and China in the 21st Century (AEI Press,2012). He holds a B.A. from Washington University, an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a J.D. from Duke University.
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How does the condition of bipolar women differ from that of men with bipolar disorder? Is the prevalence of the ailment similar, or different, among the two genders?
The prevalence of bipolar disorder has actually been shown to be about equally distributed between men and women. However, the illness course, risks, and possible treatment options vary greatly between the sexes.
This fact becomes especially true during conception and pregnancy, which affects not only the progression of the illness, but the treatment options available. Conception and pregnancy aside, women experience some marked differences in exhibiting some the disorders main symptoms.
For instance, bipolar women tend to cycle between episodes of mania and depression more rapidly and more prevalently than bipolar men. Approximately three times as many women as men experience rapid cycling. Rapid cycling can be defined as demonstrating four or more episodes of mania, hypomania and depression in the span of one year.
The exact causes of this specific difference between bipolar women and men remain unknown; however, experts theorize that it may be attributed to a higher incidence of hypothyroidism among women, the specific use of anti-depressant medications (more often prescribed to women than men), and hormonal differences (gonadal steroid effects), such as the presence of estrogen and progesterone.
Click here for more pages and articles on Bipolar Disorder.
A note about Bipolar Women - Important Information
These hormones fluctuate a great deal during the premenstrual or menstrual phase of the cycles, which sets women up to be highly susceptible to mood changes, including irritability and outbursts of anger. Increased estrogen may make women more susceptible to hypercortisolism, which can lead to depression, as high cortisol can change stress levels.
Sixty six percent of bipolar type I women experience mood cycling during their menstrual phases. Rapid cycling can be challenging to treat, and standard prescription antidepressants seem to worsen manic episodes. If taken alone, anti-depressant medications such as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI), tricyclics and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), may increase the severity of manic episodes. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors appear less likely to cause mania side effects, as compared to tricyclic antidepressants.
Some experts believe that manic episodes caused by antidepressants will be more moderate compared to those caused spontaneously, yet caution patients against taking antidepressants when other trigger factors may be present. In addition, manic episodes caused by monoamine oxidase inhibitors are much milder than those caused by tricyclics or fluoxetine, also known as Prozac antidepressant.
Mood stabilizing agents can be used in place of antidepressants to prevent mood episodes or to treat manic, hypomanic or mixed episodes. However, individuals (especially women) who rely only on mood stabilizing agents may experience extremely deep or severe depressive periods.
Another difference between bipolar women and men is that women will be more likely to develop type II bipolar disorder, in which severe mania does not develop, but milder episodes of hypomania alternate with frequent or prolonged depression.
Mood stabilizing drugs have been linked to reproductive issues in women, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, which can put women at risk for infertility, as well as diabetes, heart disease and uterine cancer.
Prior to conception and during pregnancy and breastfeeding, bipolar women should cease taking lithium and similar bipolar medications. For some bipolar women, pregnancy has a stabilizing effect on their disorder, although post partum depression can be a concern. For others, they must take extra measures to continue to treat their condition, albeit without the use of medications which can cause birth defects and other side effects in pregnancy. Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) has been suggested as a safe alternative to medications.
The onset of menopause, with its fluctuating hormone levels and mood disturbances, can be a difficult time for any woman, but especially for bipolar women. Symptoms such as anger, irritability or rage can increase during this time.
During perimenopause, the estrogen levels decline, causing a special vulnerability to depression. Natural hormone therapies such as various creams, in place of hormone replacement, can be used to regulate hormone levels and decrease mood swings.
Read More: More on Bipolar Disorder | Natural Health Remedies for Various Ailments and Conditions | Home Page | Site Search
Are you married to a bipolar spouse or in a relationship with someone suffering from the disorder? Click here for a help manual that you may need.
Click here to learn more about the 4-step "Joy Equation" to help cure your depression without drugs.
Click here for natural, herbal and homeopathic remedies for bipolar disorder.
Some Related Bipolar Disorder Pages
Return from this page Bipolar Women - Important Information to All 4 Natural Health... attaining good health naturally... Home Page
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Althea Chan
The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don’t tell you what to see.
Piano Instructor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music Secondary Piano Program
Spicks Music School and Nico Zipp Music School Piano Faculty Member
Accompanist, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
Prize Winner, Steinway Prize, Düsseldorf, Germany
Master of Music (First-class Honours) in Piano Performance from Cologne University of Music and Dance, Germany (Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln)
Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, USA
I view the role of music educator...
I view the role of music educator as vitally important in children's education. I have experienced first-hand the crucial impact that an attentive and committed teacher can have on a child's development. A skill which I feel characterises my work as a piano teacher, is my ability to not only help students with their piano skills, but also to help them develop various skills that they may need for success in schoolwork, in a job or career outside of music in the future. As a teacher, I pride myself on my patience and take great joy in developing and appreciating each student's own individual approach and style, as well as tackling their individual challenges. In working with so many different students in the past years, I have developed a teaching style which is accommodating and adaptable, and which allows each student's individuality to challenge my assumptions and ideas.
I have had over 10 years of teaching experiences, including teaching piano in the secondary piano program for music majors at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Ohio, USA), at Spicks Music School and Nico Zipp Music School in Germany, at J.P. Institute of Music and the Endeavourers Leung Lee Sau Yu Memorial Primary School in Hong Kong.
I am a keen chamber musician and have always enjoyed the way in which this form of collaborative playing forces me to work in a connected and communicative manner, an essential skill that a child needs for success in life. It is my belief that chamber music is a powerful tool in children's growth and can be beneficial for anyone, no matter his/her level of playing. It is my passion to create a better future for the children through something as simple as chamber music.
Copyright © 2016 Althea Chan. All rights reserved.
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Employee vs. partner decision relevant across industries
In upholding a Canadian law firm’s right to require that its equity partners retire at a certain age, the Supreme Court of Canada has clarified the need for detailed partnership agreements, says Toronto civil and commercial litigator Patrick Summers.
In McCormick v. Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, the Supreme Court has said Vancouver lawyer John Michael McCormick cannot proceed with his age discrimination case before the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal.
McCormick began working with the firm in 1970 and became an equity partner in 1979. He turned 65 in March 2010 and, following a partnership agreement to which all lawyers were subject, was due to retire on Jan. 31, 2011. But McCormick and the firm were unable to reach an agreement that would allow him to work past his retirement age, and in December 2009, McCormick commenced a proceeding with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal alleging the firm had discriminated against him based on his age.
The Supreme Court’s 7-0 decision upholds a 2012 ruling by the B.C. Court of Appeal, which said a law firm partner is an employer and not an employee, and therefore not subject to the province’s human rights legislation, the Financial Post reports.
“It’s relevant, certainly to all types of partnerships,” Summers, partner with Birenbaum Steinberg Landau Savin & Colraine, says of the ruling. “Really, it’s a distinction between being an employee and being an owner, and in that case, the Supreme Court has decided that where you’re an owner, at least under the British Columbia code, you’re not covered by the human rights legislation.
“There is a distinction between an owner and an employee, sometimes it becomes a bit blurred in terms of large law firms, or large partnerships of any type, because there are partners that have a lot of power and there are partners that don’t have so much power,” says Summers.
“And I think the Supreme Court seemed to leave open the door that if there was a partner that had very little control or power, that perhaps they might be considered an employee. So there’s a little wedge that was put in there that possibly, it doesn’t apply to all partners if they’ve agreed to a mandatory retirement.”
The ruling “clarifies the status quo,” adds Summers.
“Partnership agreements should be drafted in such a way as to make clear whether the employer wants mandatory retirement – and obviously, the clearer these agreements are, the better.”
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Kumho-Asiana Chairman Steps Down to Restore Investor Confidence
HOME News Management
Asiana Airlines Facing Liquidity Problems
By Michael Herh
Kumho Asiana Group chairman Park Sam-koo has decided to step down from his post to restore investor confidence.
Kumho Asiana Group chairman Park Sam-koo has decided to step down from all his posts to eliminate what is called an “owner risk,” a risk that stems from investor distrust in the owner of a company. He was forced to resign to regain investors’ confidence in his group.
Park has been showing his strong will to rebuild his disintegrated group even after his failure to buy back Kumho Tire Co. However, his efforts to improve the group’s financial structure have come to nothing due to a recent controversy over an audit report for Asiana Airlines Inc. As an independent auditor issued a qualified opinion on Asiana Airlines, investors’ confidence has been damaged and it has created skepticism about the airliner’s ability to achieve management normalization without external support.
Until now, Kumho Asiana Group has skated on very thin ice as it relied on debt financing. The expansion in its size through large merger and acquisition (M&A) deals led to a liquidity crisis of the group as a whole. Kumho Asiana’s liquidity crisis started from the acquisition of Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. in 2006. Kumho Asiana Group had total assets of 3 trillion won (US$2.64 billion) at the time, but it bought Daewoo E&C, which was worth 6.40 trillion won (US$5.63 billion). The put-back options the group provided to financial investors (FI) in the acquisition deal put a massive burden on it. The situation was similar when the group acquired Korea Express, which cost 4.10 trillion won (US$3.60 billion), in 2008. After all, the group was forced to sell Kumho Tire, a company to which Park is strongly attached, and all it had was 3.90 trillion won (US$3.43 billion) worth of debt imposed on Asiana Airlines.
Kumho Asiana Group has been seeking to improve its financial structure and normalize its management repaying a large portion of its debt. The group secured liquidity by taking out loans using its stake in Air Busan Co. and a hangar in Incheon as collateral, issuing asset-backed securities (ABS), selling a stake in CJ Logistics Corp. and selling its headquarters building in central Seoul. Park even put up his personal wealth as collateral to the KDB, the main creditor.
With such efforts, Kumho Asiana Group’s debt dropped from 4.60 trillion won (US$4.04 billion) in 2017 to some 3 trillion won (US$2.64 billion) at the end of last year. This was because the group believed that it could take a leap again if it improves its financial structure by focusing on debt reduction. For its main subsidiary, Asiana Airlines, the fuel expenses fell in the second half of last year as international oil prices went down just in time. Moreover, there seemed to be a growing demand as the number of outbound travelers was expected to increase from 2.80 million in 2018 to30 million this year. With an increasing passenger demand, the sales grew as well and there was no problem with cash flow. In fact, Kumho Asiana Group announced in February this year that it recorded its highest sales at 6.85 trillion won (US$6.02 billion) last year and pledged to make an additional improvement in its financial structure by issuing 150 billion won (US$131.87 million) worth of perpetual bonds this month.
All these efforts went for nothing after Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) issued a "qualified" opinion in the audit report as the airline failed to submit some financial statements for 2018 on March 21.It came after the auditor additionally asked the airliner to treat the maintenance costs for leased planes as allowances in accounting according to the revised external audit law. The stock trading of Asiana Airlines, which failed to receive an "unqualified" opinionwas once suspended. Samil PwC revised its opinion on the airliner’s 2018 financial statement from “qualified” to “unqualified” through the reaudit on March 26 but market confidence had already dropped. Asiana Airlines’ net loss for last year greatly rose from 10.40 billion won (US$9.14 million) to 195.90 billion won (US$172.22 million) in the process of additionally reflecting the maintenance costs into allowances.
Even when Kumho Industrial Co. and Kumho Tire went on strike in 2009, Park came under pressure to resign from the market but he survived. However, the market could no longer trust Kumho Asiana Group after it experienced the “no-meal fiasco,” which occurred after a change in caterer, last year and the latest incident in a row. The price of Asiana Airlines and Kumho Industrial shares plunged and there was a rumor that it would make Park take responsibility for the “qualified opinion” incident at the two companies’ shareholder meetings to be held on March 29.
In particular, Kumho Asiana Group came under pressure as there was even a rumor that the financial regulators were considering ways to include a certain ratio of marketable borrowing in the basis of main debtor group selection after the Asiana Airlines’ incident. An official from the business community said, “Asiana Airlines is like a bomb to the group, though it received an “unqualified” opinion. He seems to have made the decision to resign due to a sense of crisis that the group itself can be dissolved if Asiana Airlines which accounts for 60 percent of the total sales of the group collapses with the liquidity issue.”
As Park has decided to step down as group chairman and CEO of Asiana Airlines and Kumho Industrial, the group's holding company, South Korea’s two largest airliners need to suddenly speed up management succession to the third generation of the owner family. Both Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho who has lost his management rights of Korean AirLines Co. after the National Pension Service voted against Cho's reappointment and Park have to worry about the consequences. Since Cho has been removed from its board and Park has offered his resignation suddenly, it was insufficient to succeed the management rights to Korean Air president Cho Won-tae and Asiana IDT president Park Se-chang.
Chairman Park owns a 31.1 percent stake in Kumho Bus Lines Co., which controls Kumho Asiana Group, while the junior Park holds a 21 percent stake. President Cho has only a 2.34 percent stake in Hanjin KAL Corp., the holding company of Hanjin Group. An official from the business community said, “It must be not easy to carry out management succession under the current situation where owners stepped down from their posts. It will take a lot of time to initiate a succession process.”
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February Construction Unemployment Rates Down in 46 States Year Over Year, Says ABC
Posted in Construction Economics, State Unemployment, News Releases 2019
WASHINGTON, April 3—Estimated February not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rates fell nationally and in 46 states on a year-over-year basis, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors.
As the February 2019 national NSA construction unemployment rate fell 1.6 percent from a year ago to 6.2 percent, the construction industry employed 222,000 more workers nationally compared to February 2018, according to BLS numbers.
“The strength of the February construction employment numbers continued to reflect the strength of construction throughout much of the country,” said Bernard M. Markstein, Ph.D., president and chief economist of Markstein Advisors, who conducted the analysis for ABC. “Unemployment rates in February were lower compared to a year ago in 46 states, unchanged in one—Hawaii—and higher in three—Idaho, Kansas and Louisiana. At the same time, the country and 30 of the states posted their lowest February construction unemployment rates on record.”
The national NSA construction unemployment rate fell 0.2 percent from January to February. In years past, a monthly decline has only occurred about a third of the time since the report first began in 2000 (six out of the previous 19 years). Among the states, 28 posted lower estimated construction unemployment rates this year from January, two had no change (Missouri and Oregon) and 20 were higher.
1. Florida, 3.4 percent
3. Colorado, 3.7 percent
4. South Dakota, 4 percent
5. Arizona and Oregon (tie), 4.1 percent
All of these states except for Colorado were also in the top five in January. Florida had the lowest construction unemployment rate in February, up from tied for third with Oregon in January. It was the state’s second lowest February rate on record behind the 3 percent posted in 2006.
Utah had the second lowest rate in February, the same ranking as in January. It was the state’s lowest February rate since 2015, when the rate was 2.3 percent.
Colorado had the third lowest rate in February. This was up from tied with New Hampshire for 11th lowest rate in January. It was the state’s lowest February estimated construction unemployment rate on record.
South Dakota had the fourth lowest rate in February, down from lowest rate in January. Nevertheless, it was the state’s lowest February rate on record.
Arizona and Oregon tied for the fifth lowest rate in February. For Arizona, that was the same as in January (tied with Maryland and Nevada) based on revised data (originally reported as sixth lowest). For Oregon, this was down from tied with Florida for third lowest in January. For both states, it was their lowest February rate on record.
Maryland, with a 4.5 percent construction unemployment rate in February, fell to ninth lowest from fifth lowest rate in January. However, it was still the state’s lowest February construction unemployment rate on record.
Nevada, which tied with Arizona and Maryland for the fifth lowest rate in January based on revised data (originally reported as eighth lowest), dropped to 19th lowest in February with a 5.8 percent rate. It was the state’s lowest February rate since 2007, when it was 5 percent.
46. Minnesota, Rhode Island and West Virginia (tied), 10.5 percent
47. Illinois, 11.3 percent
48. Missouri, 11.4 percent
Four of these states—Alaska, Illinois, Montana, and Rhode Island—were also in the bottom five in January. For the sixth month in a row, Alaska had the highest estimated construction unemployment rate. Still, this was the state’s lowest February rate on record. The state also had the second largest year-over-year and monthly decrease in its rate in the nation after West Virginia and Iowa, respectively.
Montana had the second highest rate in February for the second month in a row.
Missouri had the third highest rate in February compared to sixth highest in January.
Illinois had the fourth highest rate in February, the same as in January when it was tied with Rhode Island. This was the state’s lowest February construction unemployment rate on record.
Minnesota, Rhode Island and West Virginia tied for the fifth highest rate in February. For Minnesota and West Virginia, that compared to tied for seventh highest in January. For Rhode Island, it was the fourth highest rate in January (tied with Illinois). For all three states, this was their lowest February estimated construction unemployment rate on record.
Iowa, which had the third highest rate in January, improved to 14th highest in February with an 8.2 percent rate, tied with New Mexico. For Iowa, this was the state’s lowest February construction unemployment rate on record. For New Mexico, this was the state’s lowest February rate since it hit 5.5 percent in 2008.
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ABS Announces 7 New Incoming Directors
The American Board of Surgery (ABS), the national certifying body for general surgeons and related specialists, is pleased to announce seven new directors from the following nominating organizations. They will join the board as of July 1, 2013, and each serve a six-year term.
Roxie M. Albrecht, M.D. Southwestern Surgical Congress
Dr. Albrecht is medical director of trauma and surgical critical care at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is also vice chair and professor of surgery at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Albrecht completed medical school at the University of Iowa and residency at Michigan State University. She also completed a surgical critical care fellowship at the University of Miami. In addition, Dr. Albrecht currently serves as region chief and trauma center site reviewer for the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma, as well as state councilor for the Southwestern Surgical Congress.
Mark S. Allen, M.D. American Board of Thoracic Surgery
Dr. Allen is chair of the division of general thoracic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He also serves as professor of surgery at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Dr. Allen completed medical school at the Hahnemann School of Medicine and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. He additionally serves as first vice president of the Society of Thoracic Surgery, on the board of the Joint Council on Thoracic Surgery Education, and on the executive committee of the General Thoracic Surgical Club.
William C. Chapman, M.D. American Surgical Association
Dr. Chapman is the Eugene M. Bricker Chair of Surgery and chief of the division of general surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. He also serves as professor and chief of the section of abdominal transplantation at Washington University School of Medicine and surgical director of the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center. Dr. Chapman completed medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina and residency at Vanderbilt University. He also completed a fellowship in hepatobiliary surgery and liver transplantation at Kings College Hospital in London, England. In addition, Dr. Chapman currently serves as president of the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.
Dai H. Chung, M.D. Society of University Surgeons
Dr. Chung is chairman of the department of pediatric surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He also serves as professor of pediatric surgery and cancer biology, as well as director of the pediatric surgery residency program. Dr. Chung completed medical school and residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston; he also completed a fellowship in pediatric surgery at the University of Cincinnati. In addition, Dr. Chung is a past president of the Society of University Surgeons (SUS) and currently serves as president of the SUS Foundation.
Vivian Gahtan, M.D. Society for Vascular Surgery
Dr. Gahtan is chief of the division of vascular surgery and endovascular services at the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. She also serves as the Lloyd S. Rogers Professor of Surgery and vice chair of academic affairs. Dr. Gahtan in addition is lead physician for vascular surgery at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. She completed medical school at George Washington University and residency at the University of South Florida, where she also completed a fellowship in vascular surgery. Dr. Gahtan additionally completed an endovascular fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital. A member of the Vascular Surgery Board of the ABS (VSB-ABS) since 2009, she is also immediate past president of the Eastern Vascular Society.
K. Craig Kent, M.D. American Surgical Association
Dr. Kent is chairman of the department of surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin, as well as the A.R. Curreri Professor of Surgery. He completed medical school and residency at the University of California - San Francisco and a fellowship in vascular surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Kent also completed an endovascular fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. A member of the VSB-ABS since 2008, Dr. Kent is a past president of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and the current secretary-treasurer for the Society of Surgical Chairs.
Anne G. Rizzo, M.D. At-Large
Dr. Rizzo is a trauma and critical care surgeon at Inova Fairfax Hospital, a large community hospital in Falls Church, Virginia. She also serves as vice chairman for research and assistant surgical residency program director. Dr. Rizzo is also an assistant professor of surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University and Howard University, as well as associate professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She completed medical school at SUNY Buffalo and residency at Tulane University. She also completed a fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at Washington Hospital Center and currently serves as regional faculty for the ACS' Advanced Trauma Life Support course. In addition, Dr. Rizzo is a member of the Air Force Reserve and has served several times in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The ABS established three at-large director positions in 2005 to identify exceptional individuals who are reflective of the broad U.S. surgical community. Dr. Rizzo was selected as an at-large director out of 77 candidates drawn from an open nomination process. She will replace Dr. Cogbill, with a remaining at-large position to be filled next year. At-large directors have the same term and responsibilities as all other ABS directors.
New Component Board Members
In addition, the ABS will welcome as new members Dr. Erica L. Mitchell and Dr. Daniel G. Clair to the VSB-ABS, both representing the SVS; Dr. Frederick J. Rescorla (ACS Advisory Council for Pediatric Surgery) and Dr. John H. T. Waldhausen (American Pediatric Surgical Association) to the Pediatric Surgery Board; Dr. Peter D. Beitsch (American Society of Breast Surgeons) and Dr. Michael A. Choti (AHPBA) to the Surgical Oncology Board; and Dr. David A. Spain (Surgical Critical Care Program Directors Society) to the Trauma, Burns and Critical Care Board.
The American Board of Surgery is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1937 for the purpose of certifying individuals who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge in the field of surgery. Surgeons certified by the ABS, known as diplomates, have completed at least five years of surgical training following medical school and successfully completed a written and oral examination process administered by the ABS. They must then maintain their certification through ongoing learning and practice improvement activities.
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Oil on board of the General Israel Putnam home in Danvers,MA by Jose Enrique Guerreo (1905-1986)
Jose Enrique Guerreo (1905-1986)
Ecuadorian painter, born in Quito in 1905. As a young man, he studied at the School of Belle Arts in Quito and became friends with Harold Putnam Browne in 1918. In early 1923 he went to New York City to learn his profession. Later in 1923 he moved to Provincetown, MA to further paint and learn English. In later 1924, he toured Spain, and enrolled in the Academy Julien in Paris. He studied under Harold Browne’s father George Elmer Browne, and also learned French. In 1926 he returned to New York City and continued study at the National Academy of Design.
In the 1920’s and early 1930’s, he painted impressionistic landscapes in a bright chromatic style. This painting was probably done in the early 1930's. Years later, returning to Quito, he developed a luminous deformation style in the manner of Kingman and Guayasamin. In 1946 he was awarded First Prize of the National Painting of the House of Ecuadorian Culture. In 1952 he won First Prize at the Biennial of Latin American painting in Madrid, Spain. He won many other awards in Ecuador throughout his career. He died in Quito in !986.
This house was built on 100 acres (40 ha) of farmland owned by Lt. Thomas Putnam, and occupied by the Putnam family for over three centuries. In 1692, Joseph Putnam, the resident of the house at that time, spoke out against the hysteria of the Salem witch trials. His son, Major General Israel Putnam, commander of the colonial troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill, was born in the house on January 7, 1718.
Date: C, 1932, North Shore, MA
Origin Probably Danvers, MA
Artist/Maker Jose Enrique Guerreo (1905-1986)
Measurements 14 3/4" H x 18 1/4" wide sight
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Backbone Books
Bible Blog
Faith Books
Richard Reeb
Family, Pro-life, Race, Values, Women
No "national dialogue" on abortion
Both William Clinton and Barack Obama have called for a national dialogue on race. Because this issue divided the country before and after independence, entailing slavery and then segregation; and because it continues to divide the country with the current reverse discrimination, the call struck few people as unreasonable. Unfortunately, those making the call are less interested in dialogue than they are in stigmatizing anyone who disagrees with them as bigots and racists. President Obama has acknowledged that the issue of abortion also divides the country and has made similar dialogue gestures. But, given his thoroughly pro-abortion position, it is unlikely that any national dialogue that he supported on that issue would be any more productive than one on race.
My own experience confirms this. Abortion generates more outrage whenever I write a column about it than any other except homosexuality/gay marriage. Last week’s column drew five responses off site (three opposed, two supporting). In spite of my pessimism about a national dialogue led by a Democratic administration, I favor a dialogue on abortion.
Surely no such dialogue would serve any purpose if it were merely an academic exercise. No political debate occurs in a vacuum: while people are talking, babies are being killed. Pro-lifers favor a debate because they want abortion on demand to end. Pro-aborts oppose it because it they want no restrictions on abortion. It’s that simple.
I am grateful to those who commented on last week’s column, even if they find my arguments wanting. A person who emailed me from Kansas, the state in which the recently murdered George Tillman performed late-term abortions, said that I "glorified" women who refused to abort their babies, even in the face of dangers to themselves or their babies. This error is explained by the fact that I hold abortion to be "wrong period."
Regular readers here know that I do not oppose abortion "period" but give principled reasons based on the political philosophy of the Declaration of Independence. Few critics of abortion are blind to the fact that there are hard cases, such as rape and incest (which make up a tiny percentage of them). But as Oliver Wendell Homes famously said, "Hard cases make bad law." In order to accommodate those rare cases, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the exception to swallow the rule. Abortion on demand is the law.
More to the point, children being diagnosed in their mother’s wombs as defective are not being given the benefit of any doubt. Whereas the doctors’ Hippocratic Oath enjoins doctors to err on the side of life, the abortion "ethic" mandates just the opposite. Is this not appalling?
One opposing reader makes the point that abortions are very hard for women and that none would consent to a late-term abortion unless the need was compelling. But that is hard to square with the massive number of abortions performed since 1973 (45 million and counting), not to mention the attraction of Dr. Tillman for those "rare" cases.
Most doctors want nothing to do with abortion, and most abortionists don’t perform them late term. Is this reluctance explained by some mild anxiety, or is it genuine moral revulsion at crossing what used to be regarded as a very bright line, whether early or late in pregnancy?
Another critic reminds me abortion has been the law for 36 years and urges me to "get over" my opposition to it. Thirty six years is a long time from one point of view, but for those who waited 100 years for racial segregation to end it is not so long, and for those who waited much longer for slavery to end, it is a trifle. Prolifers have patience.
The bedrock pro-abortion position is that every woman has a right to control her own body. Yet the baby growing inside her is not her body but someone else’s. Slave holders argued over a century ago that every black they held by force was their "property," and demanded protection for it. Is there any difference in principle between these positions? I await a response.
And the similarities do not end there. Slave masters denounced opponents of slavery as insurrectionists, just as proaborts routinely call their critics "terrorists." Both became "tired" of criticism and favored ending it. Nothing would satisfy slaveholders then, or proaborts today, until everyone calls them right.
Let the dialogue continue.
Family, Health Care, Pro-life, Women
Abortion stalks women every day
From time to time the issue of abortion is a matter for political controversy, but for women it is an issue every day. With 45 million abortions for the last 36 years, that is, 1,500,000 annually, 125,000 monthly, 28,846 weekly and 4,109 daily in this country. Those children could have been men and women who became mothers and fathers, employers and employees, civilians and soldiers, craftsmen and professionals, and so on. But abortion is an ever-present temptation, legal for all nine months of pregnancy for any reason.
Last year when I was on the campus of Barstow Community College, I encountered a small group of young people who identified themselves as Survivors, meaning they were born since January 22, 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade invalidated the laws of all 50 states with varying degrees of restrictions on abortion. The Court found them in violation of a recently discovered "right to privacy" that included the power to take human life in the womb.
These young people are alive because their mothers decided to bear them. Advocates of abortion emphasize that this decision is "personal," suggesting that no one should take that from women. But they ignore the fact that reassuring authority figures, from politicians to doctors, are pressuring them to "terminate" their pregnancies.
Take the case of M, who is pregnant with her first child, having waited nearly four years after marriage, but is having difficulty all during her pregnancy. Bed rest is prescribed, and the labor and delivery look to be yet another challenge. She is comfortably cared for in a hospital room that resembles a nursery, in which compassionate care givers want only what is best for her.
For those months of waiting the "choice" is gently proposed of avoiding all difficulty by a procedure which will eliminate the "problem" and postpone birth to some other pregnancy. But the young woman ignores the entreaties and goes ahead with 33 hours of labor and a difficult delivery anyway.
Then there is A, who has given birth in marriage, but that marriage is over and she has met another man who captures her heart but also gets her pregnant. There is no shame these days, it seems, in unwed pregnancy, but she is in the midst of her higher education and means to become a professional, a teacher it turns out. Abortion was a theoretical but not a real possibility for this young woman who, with the support of her family and church, gave this child up for adoption to a childless couple.
Finally, there is H, who has already given birth to two children and her husband has had a vasectomy so that their budget is not strained by another child. But, lo and behold, she learns that she is pregnant anyway, her husband’s timing being a little off. In a visit to her doctor she is told of a procedure known as amniocentesis, the results of which will tell her if hers is a healthy child and in particular whether it is a Downs Syndrome baby.
She surprises, nay, horrifies the doctor when she declares that she is not taking the test, for she is going to give birth to that child whatever its condition. The doctor can hardly believe what he is hearing and remonstrates with the young woman for not taking this "sensible" precaution. But H is adamant and when the doctor pushes back she says, "Go ahead and schedule the test but I won’t show up!"
The massive issue of abortion is dealt with every day by women such as these acting from their minds and hearts to do right by their children. But a powerful array of perhaps well-meaning but definitely misguided persons requires them to affirm what was rarely questioned in an allegedly less "enlightened" time. Then abortion was viewed as a criminal act that both threatened the health and life of the mother and was at war with her natural desire to give birth to a child.
Despite the legal status of abortion, abortionists are still not seen as respectable people, just as slave catchers were low on the list of possible friends despite centuries of legal slavery. "Law never made just what is by nature unjust," declared George Washington when speaking of Great Britain’s exploitation of colonists. Somehow, despite the easy choice of abortion, millions of women know that abortion is the wrong choice and refuse to make it. God bless them.
Debates, Free Speech, Gay issues, Leftists, Race, Religion, Women
"Ad hate-a-man" argumentation
Nothing is more vital to a healthy body politic than reasoned debate. But that hardly means it is very welcome, as the side with the least defensible argument has the most to lose. The fallacious argument known as "to the man," or "ad hominem," is the most common weapon resorted to when an advocate can’t win an argument on the merits. It attacks a person rather than his argument. In this era of unprincipled politics, ad hominem argument has long since morphed into what I’m calling "ad hate-a-man," or the claim that arguments disliked are really based on hatred of members of groups rather than on any legitimate points. Since races, genders, "lifestyles" and religions distinct from the presumed white, male, Christian majority in America have become privileged, minions of the far left castigate their critics as racist, sexist, homophobic bigots.
Criticism of racial preference schemes, such as affirmative action or racial diversity, in which members of minority races are given the edge in hiring, college admission and contracting, is invariably put down to racism. The initial and wholly defensible goal of the civil rights movement half a century ago was a color-blind society in which merit rather than race was the basis for distributing jobs, schooling and business. But that was abandoned before the ink was dry on the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and honored today only by those who oppose racial preference.
Similarly, if anyone suggests that the natural differences between men and women are of more than passing significance, especially where strength, endurance and decency are relevant, they are dismissed as sexists wanting to keep women "barefoot and pregnant." Nor do the interests of women themselves matter very much to advocates of "liberation" if they are so benighted as to prefer marriage and family to a lifelong career in the marketplace.
The most potent form of "ad hate-a-man" currently concerns the homosexual agenda. Routinely, whenever anyone argues that the natural division of the human race into men and women indicates that homosexuality, lesbianism, etc. are not a basis for marriage, it is often the occasion for screaming and, at times, violence. Homosexuals who keep their relations private but do not support "gay marriage" are not uncommonly "outed" for their apostasy.
There was a time, not long ago, when the Judaeo-Christian tradition in America, which combined government neutrality regarding religious denominations with robust Biblical faith among our people, was a solid basis for both good government and good citizenship. As statesmen from George Washington to George Bush emphasized, morality does not exist in a vacuum and, for us, is the beneficent contribution of Biblical faiths.
Nothing symbolized this tradition more than public ceremonies, such as graduations, where pastors, priests and rabbis alternated in the offering of invocations and benedictions. That this is not unconstitutional is attested to by the fact that our Declaration of Independence teaches that our rights as human beings derive from our Creator, Who is referred to as lawgiver, Divine Providence and Supreme Judge of the World.
The Old and New testaments teach a morality based on piety and emphasizing reverence for parents, self control and respect for the rights of others. The American founders did not need to conjure up some "new morality" that was appropriate to life in the new republic. The morality of the Bible was more than sufficient.
Nothing is more central to the practice of that morality than love. Believers are taught that sin, or falling short of the glory of God, is to be avoided and certainly not to be loved. But nothing in that teaching prescribes or even implies hatred for the sinner. Those who insist otherwise are mistaken.
There is much concern about torture, or alleged torture, these days, which may be seen by some as simply being subjected to something they dislike. Would it be torture for those who believe that Christians and Jews are hateful, particularly those who reject abortion and same-sex marriage, to sit through a service and be subjected to all that alleged hatred?
Or would they be shocked to find out that believers are admonished to "judge not, lest [they] be judged?" Indeed, past critics of Christianity feared that its "nonjudgmental" attitude was inconsistent with the requirements of citizenship. But believers have long appreciated the fact that greater freedom of religion exists in this country than in any other and their patriotism runs deep.
All that "hatred" which some profess to see in those who disagree with them exists only in their imaginations.
Backbone Radio, Religion, Women
Mere Christianity
Slated on Backbone Radio, Apr. 12 Listen every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver... 1460 KZNT, Colorado Springs... and streaming live at 710knus.com.
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you Easter. It's the holiest day of the year for Christians, and an important day for everyone in the world because of Jesus' unequalled impact on the world these past 20 centuries. If you have ever read C. S. Lewis, you know there are few writers more gifted in explaining who Jesus was and why he matters, in a way that speaks to any thoughtful person, not just believers. If you have not read Lewis, let us read him to you this Sunday in a special edition of Backbone Radio.
Assisted by my daughter Tina, I'll present two hours word for word from the central chapters of Mere Christianity, Lewis's best-known work of nonfiction.
"The Rival Conceptions of God"... "The Invasion"... "The Shocking Alternative"... "The Perfect Penitent"... "The Practical Conclusion"... "Let's Pretend"... and "The Obstinate Tin Soldiers." Our selections from this Christian classic all originated as radio talks in the 1940s. Join us as we return them to radio for Easter 2009.
That will be the 5pm and 6pm hours of our April 12 show. At 7pm we'll present Women Speak Out, my interviews with three of the 39 women legislators who make Colorado tops in the country for female state reps and senators.
And that's fitting, too, come to think of it -- since Christianity has done more to benefit women than any other religious or political idea in history.
Whether this weekend for you is Easter, Passover, or just a family day with bunnies and eggs, we wish you a happy and blessed one. Remember that, as always, a full podcast of our show will be available on BackboneAmerica.net starting Monday night.
Yours for new life, JOHN ANDREWS
BOOKS YOU WILL VALUE * LANDMARKS IN THE STORM
BROWSE & BUY →
WELCOME TO BACKBONEAMERICA.NET * PUT SOME STEEL IN YOUR SPINE
John Andrews, Editor * 7156 S. Verbena Way * Centennial CO 80112 * 720 489 7700
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Lorena Ochoa
Q: Have you been working hard this off-season?
I've been working a lot here. I don't think you can slow down. The competition is so tough. I'm doing pretty much the same as I did last year. It worked and there's no reason to change. I've been doing a little more working out; lifting more weights so I can be a little stronger. Hopefully that helps me to perform better.
It's like any pre-season. You need to fine tune. I've been making a few changes in my back swing, to make sure I can create a hard swing and have a little more control of it at the bottom. That's going well.
I also changed my putter. I have a new putter. It's called the (Ping) Piper. I think that's going to help my stroke to be better. You know with all those changes I'm excited and I can't wait to see the results out on the course.
Q: Does the new putter work for you?
Yes. I think one of the things I have more room to improve is my putting. Just because of what I said and the way I stroke (the ball) I know for sure I can improve on that. The new putter is a little bigger and a little shorter. I just need to be a little bit better reading the lines. It will help me with my backswing and in that way I can just be more accurate with my putting and hopefully make more birdies.
Q: Some people were saying that in the second half of the year a little bit of a head movement crept into your putting stroke. Did you agree with that?
I move my head while I'm swinging. It's something I've been doing forever, since I started playing. I'm not worried about my head – that's not something that I need to change – it's more about the line and the stroke.
Q: Was putting the main reason that wins weren't so frequent in the second half of the year?
No, no. I think I was very tired. It was more than that. I was very tired. I was exhausted. I played well early and I had a lot of expectation and a lot of pressure from the media and a lot of things to do with my sponsors outside the course. That was very tough and I just couldn't handle it anymore. I just couldn't do it anymore. I'm hoping it will be a better year this year; a bit more balanced, rest when I need to rest and try to take it easy outside the course. Hopefully those things will improve.
Q: Unfortunately I know personally about family tragedies (Lorena had two bereavements last year)… it teaches you many things, but it can surprise you when it catches up with you can't it?
You know… it's just one of those things and you learn from the experience and then you go from there. You never know what's going to happen, so I'm making sure this year I'm well prepared and I'm going to do better (laughs).
Q: Looking at this season, it's especially exciting for the Singapore fans because two of them – Yani Tseng and Ji-Yai Shin are young Asian girls.
All of them are very young and they're not afraid. They're very aggressive. But I never think of them. I just play for me, rather than think of them, because there's always somebody who is going to give you a hard time (laughs).
Q: Paula's been around so long, we forget how young she is… but last year she jumped to a new level didn't she?
I think so. I think she gained more confidence. I think she's understanding her game more. Experience is better for her and now she's been playing for a few more years. You can see it in the way she plays and the way she talks, the way she handles herself in the last few holes. But, like I say, they're all good players.
Q: You know the answer to the next question better than anybody else in the world… what do you have to do to score well on the Tanah Merah CC Garden course?
The HSBC Women's Champions was a spectacular week and I think last year I took advantage of the par fives. I think I was really good on the par fives. I had a lot of eagle chances, although I don't think I made any eagles (note: she didn't. 23 birdies and 3 bogies).
I think my putter was really good. From the pre-season it was really good. I had a lot of practice. My putting went down later in the year, but early in the year I was making everything! Those things are the keys.
You've got to have the distance and I think this year I'm hitting my driver a little farther and I think it's very important to have the distance, to be aggressive and go for it.
I think I'm hitting (driver) about five yards further and my irons are three to four yards further. All of that will make things easier.
Interview by Tim Maitland
Photos by Getty Images
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women in sport, womans sport womens sport women woman sport
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S: (n) blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids characterized by redness and swelling and dried crusts)
S: (n) inflammation, redness, rubor (a response of body tissues to injury or irritation; characterized by pain and swelling and redness and heat)
S: (n) adenitis (inflammation of a gland or lymph node)
S: (n) alveolitis (inflammation of the alveoli in the lungs caused by inhaling dust; with repeated exposure the condition may become chronic)
S: (n) alveolitis, dry socket (inflammation in the socket of a tooth; sometimes occurs after a tooth is extracted and a blood clot fails to form)
S: (n) angiitis (inflammation of a blood vessel or lymph duct)
S: (n) aortitis (inflammation of the aorta)
S: (n) appendicitis (inflammation of the vermiform appendix)
S: (n) arteritis (inflammation of an artery)
S: (n) balanitis (inflammation of the head of the penis)
S: (n) balanoposthitis (inflammation of both the head of the penis and the foreskin)
S: (n) bursitis (inflammation of a bursa; frequently in the shoulder)
S: (n) carditis (inflammation of the heart)
S: (n) catarrh (inflammation of the nose and throat with increased production of mucus)
S: (n) cellulitis (an inflammation of body tissue (especially that below the skin) characterized by fever and swelling and redness and pain)
S: (n) cervicitis (inflammation of the uterine cervix)
S: (n) cheilitis (inflammation and cracking of the skin of the lips)
S: (n) cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts)
S: (n) cholecystitis (inflammation of the gall bladder)
S: (n) chorditis (inflammation of the vocal cords)
S: (n) chorditis (inflammation of the spermatic cord)
S: (n) colitis, inflammatory bowel disease (inflammation of the colon)
S: (n) colpitis (inflammation of the vagina)
S: (n) colpocystitis (inflammation of the vagina and bladder)
S: (n) conjunctivitis, pinkeye (inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye)
S: (n) corditis (inflammation of the spermatic cord)
S: (n) costochondritis (inflammation at the junction of a rib and its cartilage)
S: (n) dacryocystitis (inflammation of the lacrimal sac causing obstruction of the tube draining tears into the nose)
S: (n) diverticulitis (inflammation of a diverticulum in the digestive tract (especially the colon); characterized by painful abdominal cramping and fever and constipation)
S: (n) encephalitis, cephalitis, phrenitis (inflammation of the brain usually caused by a virus; symptoms include headache and neck pain and drowsiness and nausea and fever (`phrenitis' is no longer in scientific use))
S: (n) encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord)
S: (n) endarteritis (inflammation of the inner lining of an artery)
S: (n) endocervicitis (inflammation of the mucous lining of the uterine cervix)
S: (n) enteritis (inflammation of the intestine (especially the small intestine); usually characterized by diarrhea)
S: (n) epicondylitis (painful inflammation of the muscles and soft tissues around an epicondyle)
S: (n) epididymitis (painful inflammation of the epididymis)
S: (n) epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis; characterized by fever and a severe sore throat and difficulty in swallowing)
S: (n) episcleritis (inflammation of the sclera of the eye)
S: (n) esophagitis, oesophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus; often caused by gastroesophageal reflux)
S: (n) fibrositis (inflammation of white fibrous tissues (especially muscle sheaths))
S: (n) fibromyositis (local inflammation of muscle and connective tissue)
S: (n) folliculitis (inflammation of a hair follicle)
S: (n) funiculitis (inflammation of a funiculus (especially an inflammation of the spermatic cord))
S: (n) gastritis (inflammation of the lining of the stomach; nausea and loss of appetite and discomfort after eating)
S: (n) glossitis (inflammation of the tongue)
S: (n) hydrarthrosis (inflammation and swelling of a movable joint because of excess synovial fluid)
S: (n) ileitis (inflammation of the ileum)
S: (n) iridocyclitis (inflammation of the iris and ciliary body of the eye)
S: (n) iridokeratitis (inflammation of the iris and cornea of the eye)
S: (n) iritis (inflammation of the iris)
S: (n) jejunitis (inflammation of the jejunum of the small intestine)
S: (n) jejunoileitis (inflammation of the jejunum and the ileum of the small intestine)
S: (n) keratitis (inflammation of the cornea causing watery painful eyes and blurred vision)
S: (n) keratoconjunctivitis (inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva)
S: (n) keratoiritis (inflammation of the cornea and the iris of the eye)
S: (n) keratoscleritis (inflammation of the cornea and sclera of the eye)
S: (n) laminitis, founder (inflammation of the laminated tissue that attaches the hoof to the foot of a horse)
S: (n) laryngitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx; characterized by hoarseness or loss of voice and coughing)
S: (n) laryngopharyngitis (inflammation of the larynx and pharynx)
S: (n) laryngotracheobronchitis (inflammation of the larynx and trachea and bronchial passageways)
S: (n) lymphadenitis (inflammation of lymph nodes)
S: (n) lymphangitis (inflammation of a lymph vessel)
S: (n) mastitis (inflammation of a breast (or udder))
S: (n) mastoiditis (inflammation of the mastoid)
S: (n) metritis, endometritis (inflammation of the lining of the uterus (of the endometrium))
S: (n) myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord)
S: (n) myositis (inflammation of muscle tissue)
S: (n) myometritis (inflammation of the myometrium)
S: (n) neuritis (inflammation of a nerve accompanied by pain and sometimes loss of function)
S: (n) oophoritis (inflammation of one or both ovaries)
S: (n) orchitis (inflammation of one or both testes; characterized by pain and swelling)
S: (n) osteitis (inflammation of a bone as a consequence of infection or trauma or degeneration)
S: (n) otitis (inflammation of the ear)
S: (n) ovaritis (inflammation of the ovaries)
S: (n) pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas; usually marked by abdominal pain)
S: (n) parametritis (inflammation of connective tissue adjacent to the uterus)
S: (n) parotitis (inflammation of one or both parotid glands)
S: (n) peritonitis, peritoneal inflammation (inflammation of the peritoneum)
S: (n) phalangitis (inflammation of a finger or toe)
S: (n) phlebitis (inflammation of a vein (usually in the legs))
S: (n) pneumonitis (inflammation of the lungs; caused by a virus or an allergic reaction)
S: (n) posthitis (inflammation of the foreskin of the penis; usually caused by bacterial infection)
S: (n) proctitis (inflammation of the rectum; marked by bloody stools and a frequent urge to defecate; frequently associated with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis)
S: (n) prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland characterized by perineal pain and irregular urination and (if severe) chills and fever)
S: (n) rachitis (inflammation of the vertebral column)
S: (n) radiculitis (inflammation of the radicle of a nerve)
S: (n) retinitis (inflammation of the retina)
S: (n) rhinitis, coryza (an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the nose (usually associated with nasal discharge))
S: (n) sinusitis (inflammation of one of the paranasal sinuses)
S: (n) salpingitis (inflammation of a Fallopian tube (usually the result of infection spreading from the vagina or uterus) or of a Eustachian tube)
S: (n) scleritis (inflammation of the sclera)
S: (n) sialadenitis (inflammation of the salivary glands)
S: (n) splenitis (inflammation of the spleen)
S: (n) spondylitis (inflammation of a spinal joint; characterized by pain and stiffness)
S: (n) stomatitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the mouth)
S: (n) synovitis (inflammation of the synovial membrane that lines a synovial joint; results in pain and swelling)
S: (n) tarsitis (inflammation of the eyelid)
S: (n) tendinitis, tendonitis, tenonitis (inflammation of a tendon)
S: (n) thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid gland)
S: (n) tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils (especially the palatine tonsils))
S: (n) tracheitis (inflammation of the trachea)
S: (n) tracheobronchitis (common respiratory infection characterized by inflammation of the trachea and the bronchi)
S: (n) tympanitis (inflammation of the inner ear)
S: (n) ulitis (inflammation of the gums)
S: (n) ureteritis (inflammation of the ureter)
S: (n) uveitis (inflammation of the uvea of the eye)
S: (n) uvulitis (inflammation of the uvula)
S: (n) vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina (usually associated with candidiasis))
S: (n) valvulitis (inflammation of a valve (especially of a cardiac valve as a consequence of rheumatic fever))
S: (n) vasculitis (inflammation of a blood vessel)
S: (n) vasovesiculitis (inflammation of the vas deferens and seminal vesicles; usually occurring with prostatitis)
S: (n) vesiculitis (inflammation of a seminal vesicle (usually in conjunction with prostatitis))
S: (n) vulvitis (inflammation of the vulva)
S: (n) vulvovaginitis (inflammation of the vulva and the vagina)
S: (n) shin splints (painful inflammation of the muscles around the shins; frequent among runners)
S: (n) angiopathy (any disease of the blood vessels or lymph ducts)
S: (n) angioma (a tumor consisting of a mass of blood or lymphatic vessels)
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Fairfax City, VA Real Estate
The City of Fairfax is an independent city located in the center of Fairfax County. It also serves as the county’s seat. Although the town was formally named in 1874, the region’s history dates back to the early 18th century, when King Charles of England granted Lord Fairfax 5,000 acres of land. Today the city serves as the commercial and governmental center for the most populous jurisdiction in both the state of Virginia and the Washington Metropolitan area.
The City of Fairfax extends outward from its historic Old Town district, which is located in the blocks surrounding the intersection of Chain Bridge Road and Main Street, where the County Courthouse was built in 1790. The City of Fairfax is rich in Civil War history: the courthouse was the site of the first Confederate officer casualty. The downtown area also serves as a cultural hub, offering a variety of festivals to suit every interest. The Fairfax Fine Arts Festival held every April offers a venue for hundreds of local artists. In the fall the “Fall for the Book” features lectures and discussions with nationally recognized writers, all hosted at the new regional library.
Further out from the Old Town hub, a variety of newer developments offer an array of amenities. Fairfax Corner, a new mixed-use development, offers a variety of shopping and dining options, and Fair Oaks mall serves as a major retail center for the region.
Due to its location at the center of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax is conveniently located near a variety of major arteries and choices for mass transit. The downtown area is located about 2 miles southwest of the Vienna Metro, and major arteries include Lee Highway, Route 50, Route 123, and I-66.
Washington-Dulles International Airport: < 10 miles.
Baltimore-Washington International Airport: < 40 miles.
View all Fairfax City Listings
SEARCH FOR LISTINGS IN FAIRFAX CITY
4101 HOLLY STREET
10905 FAIRCHESTER DRIVE
10226 RAIDER LANE
10122 SPRING LAKE TERRACE
9808 BARLOW ROAD
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Nathan Lebron Seek Libertarian Endorsement for Governor of New York
Colonie, NY – Lebron Group LLC President and Chairman of the Hispanic Coalition of New York, Nathan Lebron is currently seeking the Libertarian endorsement for Governor of New York. Mr. Lebron is working with Libertarian party leaders and will address the Capital District Libertarian Party on Tuesday, March 11th at 417 River Street Troy, NY 12180 (Browns Brewing) at 6:30pm. The NYS Libertarian Party will nominate their candidate at their State Convention to be held Saturday, April 26 at the Best Western Hotel, 200 Wolf Rd. in Colonie, NY.
“The major parties in New York State have rendered our democracy dysfunctional; they collude to influence the political process across our great state, disenfranchising millions of voters and citizens. The smaller parties offer no opposition as they align with the traditional parties in exchange for patronage while the voice of the average citizen continues to be ignored. The Libertarian Party of New York is the only party that offers citizens hope to bring fiscal and constitutional discipline to state government.
Governor Cuomo offers a great deal of rhetoric but continues to fail New Yorkers who still pay some of the highest property and school taxes in the nation and are now losing their constitutionally protected freedom through kneejerk legislation like the so-called SAFE Act.
The Governor simply lacks the insight and perspective to present to the people a unifying vision for New York that will create prosperity. The growing calls to split the state into two zones further illustrates the failed leadership of our governor.
New York was once great when it was free. We can be great again if we embrace freedom like we once did. ”
About Nathan Lebron
Mr. Lebron was born in Harlem, NY and grew up in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico and The Bronx.
Having survived childhood cancer, homelessness, and permanent disability, Mr. Lebron put himself through college and received a BA in Computer Science from the State University of New York at Albany. He received a Master degree in Information Technology from Harvard University in 2006.
In 2003, Nathan Lebron created the Lebron-Michelle Scholarship to provide financial assistance to high school graduates at risk of not attending college. He also serves on the boards of directors of a number of Capital District Non-Profits.
He was also the Republican candidate for Mayor of the City of Albany in 2009.
In 2011 Nathan started the Lebron Group LLC, a technology consulting firm and was honored in 2012 when he became Chairman of the Hispanic Coalition of New York.
Mr. Lebron currently resides in Colonie, NY with his wife, Charlotte.
← Libertarian Richard Cooper Response to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State Libertarian Richard Cooper challenges Andrew Cuomo and Republican Unknowns for Governor of New York →
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a walking tour by Carol Mendel
Shelter Island, named for the protection it gives to yachts and small boats against southerly and southeasterly winds, is the home of yacht clubs, sportfishing boats, public moorings, launching ramps, motels, restaurants, yacht-brokers, ship chandlers, public parks, and superb views of the city and San Diego Bay. Connected to the mainland by a causeway (and therefore not really an island at all), it is immensely popular with both visitors and residents, and a delightful place to explore on foot.
Fountain at tip of Shelter Island
Once, for a period lasting at least a million years, it was nothing more than a mud bank, a submerged shoal, lying off Point Loma. In 1934, however, the City of San Diego began dredging the bay and dumped some of the surplus material on the shoal. Similar additions occurred in the late '30's and in the '40's. In 1950 the City added a 2000-foot causeway, along with enough dredgings to raise the former mud bank comfortably above sea level, began landscaping the island with palm trees, and allowed commercial development to begin.
This walking tour is especially nice on a Saturday or Sunday, for then San Diego Bay is speckled with small sailboats, the launching ramps are busily catering to motorboats, and the park along the bay is bustling with picnickers. But on a weekday you will find a lot of activity in the marine yards, so take your pick. Either way, you're in for a pleasant adventure.
Distance: Two miles. Time: An hour and a half. Note: This walk does not bring you back to your starting point, so plan either to walk or to take a taxi back.
MAP of the walking tour
Japanese Friendship Bell
Begin your walking tour at the Bell of Friendship, at the tip of Shelter Island. This bell, weighing two and a half tons, hangs in an open wooden building with a Buddhist motif. It was presented to San Diego in 1960 by her "sister city," Yokohama, Japan.
View of La Playa from Shelter Island
Walk across the road, past the Harbor Police building, to the shoreline. Looking across the water you can see the Riviera-like homes of the La Playa district of Point Loma. The blue ships usually seen just south of La Playa are research vessels of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. A little farther south is a Navy research station.
Follow the shoreline, and walk along the bay side of Shelter Island. As you start out, you pass a mosaic tile fountain designed by local artist James Hubbell. (See photo at the top of this page.)
You can see out past the entrance to San Diego Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Across the entrance to the bay is North Island Naval Air Station. Look for its fleet of planes on the ground.
Tunaman's Memorial
Before long you come to the Tunaman's Memorial, a handsome bronze sculpture of three fishermen working to bring in a catch. Beyond the memorial is a children's playground, and then the popular Shelter Island Fishing Pier. Take a walk out on the pier to see what's being caught. As you continue your walk, a strip of sand soon appears and becomes a fine bathing beach. The beach and the grass are particularly popular on weekends.
Shelter Island Launching Ramp
At the end of the beach, walk out on the spit that encloses the Shelter Island Launching Ramp, and watch the busy skippers sliding their small motorboats and sailboats into or out of the water.
Continuing on, you pass the Shelter Island Gazebo, also designed by local artist James Hubbell.
America's Cup Harbor
Rounding the tip of Shelter Island, you now walk southwest. The boats of Shelter Cove Marina remind you that San Diego is one of the yachting meccas of the United States. Just before you reach the traffic circle, a small, sturdy pier provides a good spot from which to survey the boats. This area is called America's Cup Harbor, in honor of the America's Cup yacht races held in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego in 1988, 1992, and 1995.
Leaving the pier, walk a few yards farther, and then go around to the right on Shelter Island Drive. Shelter Island Drive is lined with small shops that sell and repair yachts. Stop at the edge of a marine repair yard to see the boats in dry dock for repairs, and go into some of the sales offices to look at the new yachts.
On the left side of the road you will find the weighing station of The Marlin Club. The marlin season runs from late July to early November. During these months the scales are put to heavy use when the marlin boats come back to port with their catches in the late afternoon. A good-sized marlin weighs 150 pounds and, including its sword, is six to seven feet long.
Le Rondelet condominiums
Turn left at Anchorage Lane. On your right, the round Le Rondelet condominiums sit on the site once occupied by a Starkist tuna factory. Turn right at Cañon Street, and right again at Shafter Street. Take a few steps on Avenida de Portugal to see two buildings of the Portuguese community -- a tiny wood frame chapel and the large United Portuguese S.E.S. meeting hall.
United Portuguese SES Hall
The hall is used regularly for Portuguese social functions, religious celebrations, and wedding parties. Painted above the doorway are United States and Portuguese flags. The letters S. E. S. stand for Sociedade do Espírito Santo, Society of the Holy Spirit.
Portuguese chapel
The chapel is used only on special occasions, such as the Festa do Espírito Santo, Feast of the Holy Spirit. This celebration is held every year on Pentecost Sunday, seven weeks after Easter. The festa features a parade that begins at the chapel, proceeds to the nearby Catholic church for mass, then returns to the chapel for an afternoon of feasting, singing, and dancing. The food includes home-made wine and a special Portuguese sweet bread flavored with lemons and mint.
If you are taking this walk on a Saturday afternoon, you might want to stop in at the Portuguese Historical Center, on the left a few steps farther up the street.
Return to Shafter Street, and continue along it. Crossing Shelter Island Drive, you come to a block of yacht outfitters. Go left at Carleton Street, right at Scott Street, then right again at Dickens Street. Turn left into the parking lot at the end of Dickens, and continue out to the water.
Point Loma sportfishing docks
Walk left along the sea wall. In a moment you will find the docks and offices of several sportfishing companies. If you like sportfishing, you might stop to arrange a fishing trip.
Alternatively, you may be able to schedule a whale-watching trip. From December through March, day trips take whale viewers out to watch whales as they make their way past Point Loma.
In any case, end your walk by going out onto the docks to look at the fishing boats.
Enjoy this walking tour?
Check out the others in this series
Cabrillo National Monument
The Embarcadero
Mission Bay Park
Enjoy full-color
illustrated maps?
Check out the ones below.
Some can be purchased as laminated maps, some as folded maps, some as wooden trays, and some as all three.
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Òmnium hands out 100,000 copies of newspaper claiming Franco's legacy lives on
On 43rd anniversary of dictator's death, cultural organization's jailed head accuses Spain of wanting "democracy to rot in prison"
"Franco is dead but not Francoism." This is the warning on the front cover of a publication produced by the Òmnium Cultural association on the 43rd anniversary of the Spanish dictator's death.
The social organization that advocates Catalan self-determination handed out some 100,000 copies of the newspaper on Tuesday morning, at the entrances of a number of metro stops in Barcelona.
The publication includes an article written by the association's president, Jordi Cuixart, who is currently in the Lledoners prison charged with rebellion and awaiting trial for his part in last year's independence bid.
In his article, Cuixart claims democracy is on trial with the "criminal persecution of political dissidence" by the Spanish authorities, and in a letter to Òmnium members, he added that "the State is pursuing the same aim as Francoism: for democracy to rot in prison."
The Òmnium newspaper also claims that "Francoism never retires," in reference to the 181 members of the Spanish military who signed a manifesto supporting Franco, and who believe there is a campaign afoot to denigrate the figure of the dictator.
Franco's legacy has been a hot topic in recent weeks after a motion to exhume his remains from his mausoleum in the Valley of the Fallen -a monument to those who died during the Civil War- was passed by the Spanish parliament.
On Tuesday, around 150 Franco supporters went to the dictator's grave to lay flowers and commemorate the anniversary of his death.
In fact, the Òmnium publication includes an analysis of Spain's far right and Spanish nationalism, as well as reproducing a notorious photograph by Manel Armengol showing Spanish police repressing demonstrators in Catalonia in 1976.
Catalan Government Catalan Independence Franco Òmnium Cultural Spanish dictatorship Spanish Government
The paper by Òmnium about Francoism (by Guillem Roset, ACN)
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WHEREAS Salvatore DeFrancesco, a member of Boy Scout Troop 170, has attained the rank of Eagle Scout, joining an elite group of young men dedicated to serving and improving the community; and
WHEREAS for his Eagle Scout project, Salvatore led a group of 20 boys and adults for a project to restore the courtyard area at J.F. Cooper Elementary School, making it a beautiful place for children to play; and
WHEREAS the lessons learned and skills acquired while working toward the Eagle Scout rank help promising young men like Salvatore to develop into leaders who will benefit our world for years to come; and
WHEREAS the Mayor and Council are proud to call Salvatore one of Cherry Hill’s own, as he exemplifies the values that make our community strong.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHUCK CAHN, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the Township of Cherry Hill, County of Camden, State of New Jersey, do hereby proclaim Sunday, April 2, 2016, as
in the Township of Cherry Hill and do urge all citizens to join with me and Council in recognizing the hard work and commitment required to become an Eagle Scout, and in congratulating Salvatore and his family on this tremendous achievement.
⇐Previous Daniel Hullihan DayNext⇒ St. Andrew’s Nursery School and Kindergarten Day
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Health Ministry honors Najm for blood donation drive
Health Ministry honors Najm for blood donation drive /node/1469946/corporate-news
Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, minister of health, awarded Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Sulaiman, CEO of Najm, and Maha Al-Shunaifi, director of corporate communications and marketing at Najm.
Updated 20 March 2019
The Saudi Ministry of Health recently honored Najm for Insurance Services following the successful implementation of the latter’s blood donation campaign. It was conducted in coordination with Wateen — a mobile app that helps find people who need your blood type in nearby blood donation centers.
Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, minister of health, awarded Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Sulaiman, CEO of Najm, and Maha Al-Shunaifi, director of corporate communications and marketing at Najm, during the launch ceremony of Wateen, which was held at the ministry’s headquarters on March 13.
Dr. Al-Sulaiman said the success achieved by the blood donation drive is a recognition of Najm’s social responsibility and reiterates its commitment toward spreading social awareness among the various segments of society.
Al-Shunaifi said Wateen and its subscribed users contributed toward accomplishing the campaign’s goals in reaching more than 15,000 blood donors.
Role of Indian engineers in KSA lauded at IEF meet /node/1527246/corporate-news
Role of Indian engineers in KSA lauded at IEF meet
Indian Engineers Forum (IEF) Jeddah Chapter recently held its 13th annual general meeting at Hotel Ramada Continental.
Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia Dr. Ausaf Sayeed graced the event as chief guest and Consul General of India Noor Rahman Sheikh was guest of honor. IEF President Mohammed Sayeeduddin presided over the function.
Expressing appreciation for the activities of the forum, Ambassador Dr. Sayeed recalled its foundation in 2016 during his tenure as consul general of India in Jeddah.
He lauded Sayeeduddin, Amir Khan, Shuja Sheriff and other members and engineers for the activities of the forum and their contribution to the development of Saudi Arabia. Dr. Sayeed highlighted scarcity of water as an acute problem in the world in general and in India in particular. He shared his experience of interacting with engineers in the US, who developed a water condensation machine to extract water from humid air.
Consul General Noor Rahman Sheikh applauded IEF for its services to the engineering community in Saudi Arabia. He highlighted how the excellence of Indian engineers in each sector has impacted society.
“Our zeal to be the best in whatever we do was demonstrated during last year’s Hajj. The mobile app developed by the Consul General of India is going to help the 200,000 pilgrims expected to come this year,” he said.
Amir Khan, founder and chairman of IEF, said IEF provides a platform for networking, career advancement, community service, and technology exchange. He urged Indian engineers to play a vital role in the development of Saudi Arabia, which he said would help strengthen the relations between India and the Kingdom.
Sayeeduddin thanked Dr. Sayeed for his support in the foundation of IEF. He announced that, having served as founding president for the last 13 years, he is now stepping down and the new president, unanimously elected, will be Khan Mustafa.
Nadeem Ahmed Ali, executive member of IEF, delivered a presentation on digital disruption.
Syed Nasir Khursheed, IEF general secretary, conducted the program.
Indian real estate advisory firm/ institutional channel partner 360 Realtors LLP participated in the event and were the main sponsors. A presentation covering major construction, residential and commercial projects in India was made by S. K. Vivek Kumar, head of international sales, 360 Realtors. Amit Hariyal also delivered a presentation on residential projects across the Indian cities of Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.
Abdul Rahman, general manager of TA Infra Projects, expressed happiness to be part of the IEF.
Khader Memon made a presentation titled “Special Investment Plan.”
The chief guest, guest of honor and sponsors were presented mementoes as a token of appreciation by the IEF president and executive committee. This was followed by the release of the annual magazine of the forum, Spectrum 2019, edited by Muazzam Sayeed.
A lively session of quiz was conducted by Munnawar Amafh.
The event was attended by a number of guests from across the Kingdom, including Abdul Haseeb Hazari, Danish Ghafoor, Siadat Ali Khan, Shameem Kausar and Ahmed Omais.
The program started with a recitation of the Holy Qur’an by Talha Khan. Ashraf Nawaz Qureshi, IEF treasurer, welcomed the guests.
IEF Vice President Abu Bakar Sherkhan introduced the chief guest while Mohammed Shoebuddin, IEF chief coordinator, presented a vote of thanks.
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News / Theresa May's Deal is a bad deal for Britain
Theresa May's Deal is a bad deal for Britain
Posted by William Haddock 1010.83pc on December 05, 2018
Clive speaks in Parliament to explain why he will not be supporting Theresa May's Brexit deal
Clive Efford's speech from Hansard, 4 December 2018
"I voted remain in 2016 and I did not hide my disappointment at the outcome of the referendum. However, since then, I have honoured the result. I have watched as the negotiations progressed. Like my right hon. Friend Margaret Beckett, I have learnt and I was willing to go along with the Government’s negotiations and plans to leave the European Union. I was always clear that the 52% of people in my constituency who voted to leave did not vote to make themselves or their families worse off, or to diminish our country’s status in the world.
The people who campaigned for Brexit never said at any stage that things would be worse. They accused opponents of being doom mongers and pedlars of “Project Fear”. On 14 June, during the campaign, the Ministers of the Vote Leave campaign wrote in a joint letter:
“There is more than enough money to ensure that those who now get funding from the EU—including universities, scientists, family farmers, regional funds, cultural organisations and others—will continue to do so.”
What else did they promise? Here is a list of things that was on their website and they put out in adverts on YouTube and so on: hundreds of new schools, more primary places in our current schools, more spending on scientific research, more health spending, raised pay for junior doctors, the abolition of prescription charges, the building of new hospitals, maintaining all current EU spending, more public support for agriculture, new roads, improving railways, expanding regional airports, reversing changes to tax credits, paying state aid to the steel industry, new submarines, protecting research grants and the old chestnut pothole repairs. It goes on: lower taxes, lower business taxes, a cut in VAT on fuel, a reduction in council tax—all of this promised on the back of money that we would save from the European Union. Of course, there is the other one that everyone refers to: the £350 million per week for the NHS on the side of the bus.
In June, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said that estimates on EU contributions and the savings that could be made were over-exaggerated. The £350 million is a bogus figure. The institute estimates it to be nearer £170 million. Last month, the Government’s own forecast said that, in 15 years, GDP would be 10.7% lower than if the UK stayed in the EU. The Bank of England said that GDP would be at least 1% higher in five years if the UK had voted to remain. Mark Carney went on to warn about the worst-case scenario, a disorderly no-deal Brexit, where the economy would contract by 8%, house prices would tumble by 30% and interest rates would have to rise to combat inflation.
After the referendum, it did not stop. The chatter continued. In July 2016, soon after he was appointed, the former Brexit Secretary, Mr Davis, wrote:
“within two years, before the negotiation with the EU is likely to be complete, and therefore before anything material has changed, we can negotiate a free trade area massively larger than the EU. Trade deals with the US and China alone will give us a trade area almost twice the size of the EU”.
And then there is the Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade, who famously went on the “Today” programme in July last year and said:
“The free trade agreement that we will have to do with the European Union should be one of the easiest in human history.”
Later that year, in October, he said he would have dozens of international free trade deals within the next 18 months. He went on to say that Britain would simply copy and paste existing EU deals with third countries. That was quite an admission. My constituents who were part of the 52% will ask, “What did we vote for when we voted for Brexit if deals are simply going to be cut and pasted from the European Union to trade deals once we have left the EU?”
We will also need to have trading schedules. If once we leave the European Union we want to trade under World Trade Organisation rules, we will have to have schedules in place. Those schedules will have to be cut and pasted from the EU if we want to start dealing with countries outside the EU immediately after we leave.
The WTO has rules. It recognises us under EU trade deals. If we want to begin trading without any problems, we will have to stick with them. All those who make the argument that leaving is simple have failed to explain the complexities of WTO rules. They ignore, for instance, the most-favoured nation rule, which means that, if we cut our trade tariffs with another country without having a trade deal in place, we have to offer that opportunity to every other single member of the WTO. That would effectively make us a tariff-free nation. We would then be open to cheap imports, undermining jobs and local businesses. The notion that we will be completely free agents if we walk out of the European Union is, and always has been, a complete fabrication. If we do not leave with an EU deal in place, we will not be able to start negotiations to do deals with economies as large as the US, China or India.
I have listened to the arguments, and I have learnt, and it is clear that the Prime Minister’s proposal is the worst of all worlds. She is caught up in her own rhetoric—“Brexit means Brexit”, “no deal is better than a bad deal”—but now we know that no deal is the bad deal. My constituents who voted to leave wanted sovereignty to come back to this Parliament. They wanted to take control of their borders and to stop payments to the European Union, but they did not vote to make themselves worse off. This proposal will be lost in the vote next week. No doubt there will be a vote of confidence, and I and my Opposition colleagues will vote against the Government, but assuming that the Tory allies re-rat, the Prime Minister will then be charged with bringing to the House her plan B within 21 days.
I have added my name to amendments that mean we will get meaningful votes here in this House and that Parliament is taking back control. There is no majority in this House for no deal. The amendment tabled by Mr Grieve means that we will get a vote to deliver on that and to stop no deal. So the Prime Minister should stop threatening Members of the House, saying that, if we vote down her deal, it means that we will have to vote for no deal. It is time that we started talking to people about how we take this issue forward. I believe that, eventually, we will have to suspend article 50 and continue negotiations with the European Union."
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EdgeClub Shows
DJ Merritt is one of those premier DJ's that was not only comfortable on stage in front of thousands, but also spinning to over 250,000 people every week on his famous Saturday night mixshow EdgeClub. After moving to Dallas in 1986 and experiencing the nightlife at the Starck Club, it was inevitable his path would manifest and intertwine with other locals finding their way from the dust of one greatest places on Earth. "In the late-80's we were out dancing a lot, then something clicked and it was more than an inspiration, it was a true discovery of what I wanted to do. The way Mike (GoGo Mike DuPriest) would use music to work with other music... He wasn't just playing songs. This was different. it became clear that's what I wanted to do." Merritt carried that realization when he went back to college in Shreveport, La. and on his startup college radio show on Centenary's KSCL. "...I had a show called the Friday Night Rave. Nobody had ever even heard the term rave before, but the weird thing was people were starting to take notice. This was a tiny station with not much footprint and yea... people were listening." After forging a relationship with the local club Capri, Merritt knew he had some learning to do. "Before Capri, and more importantly their DJ, Chuck Davis, I thought all you had to do was just play stuff and they'll dance. I couldn't have been further from reality." Merritt sites Chuck as the guy that took Merritt under his wing. "Not only did Chuck show me how to mix, but more importantly, he showed me how to program."
Around the same time, Dallas had a serious movement going on. Rob Vaughan was holding court each week at Aqua Lounge and former GoGo Mike aficionado Jeff K took over as host and DJ for Edgeclub 94. "It was an amazing time. I first met Rob when my car broke down at Oak Lawn Records. I was stuck there for hours and we just hit it off. He invited me to Aqua Lounge and I got that same feeling I had just a few years earlier at Starck." Merritt continues, "Not only were we hearing amazing stuff in the clubs, but all Saturday night on the radio with Jeff, too." Merritt was still living and attending school in Shreveport and was having friends smuggle tapes back so they could hear the newest sounds. "Hearing Jeff K do Edgeclub was validating what I was doing on the college station. I knew I had to get back to Dallas." The scene was moving fast. The time was fresh, "...and we knew we were on to something special" Merritt recounts. "The scene was growing, but the number of players were still small." Merritt, still shy of his degree in college, "..knew I needed to be closer to the action and found a school an hour away that would take all of my credits from Centenary. I would work all weekend and sometimes during the week driving back and forth to my apartment at East Texas State University in Commerce, TX."
The schedule was rigorous, "I remember getting off work at 4am on Sundays at the Lizard Lounge, getting back to my apartment around 6am and then be in class at 8:20am for a full day." The hard work paid off when he received a call from his mentor Jeff K. "I remember the call vividly. It was the first week in October [1994] and I was outside after one of my classes. I get a call from Jeff asking to help him out each Saturday on Edgeclub." That next week, Merritt was setting up turntables and typing the playlists. "I could have just been cleaning the toilets up there and it wouldn't have mattered, being a part of something like this was the break I was looking for."
In 1996 Jeff K took up an opportunity to move to LA and help start the county's first electronic music station, GrooveRadio. Merritt continues, "Even though I was still spinning in clubs, doing raves, and had been on the air with Jeff for a couple of years, it was scary. I mean... those were pretty big shoes to fill!" After the nerves settled, Merritt took Edgeclub to new heights. "It was crazy. Everybody and their mothers were listening. Here we are playing unfamiliar music and we're the number 2 show in all of Dallas/Ft. Worth." By 1999, the show was enjoying it's highest ratings ever. Edgeclub's market share was showing 1 out of 4 people listening to the radio on Saturday nights were locked in to DJ Merritt & Edgeclub.
With over a quarter million listeners it was inevitable that DJ Merritt would start producing music. "I had started to accumulate some gear here and there. A sampler, synthesizer, and a computer to tie it all together." The summer of 1999 saw the first release from Merritt, "Slappin' Skinz" on the Torchbearers Compilation. "From that point on it was a new bug... producing." DJ Merritt has worked in the studio and released numerous tracks with Dave Aude, Left/Right, DatGuy, LehtMoJoe, Darren DuVall, Funk W, Kelly Reverb, Blake Potter and many more. 2001, saw the major label release of American DJ, Volume 2: Dallas with DJ Merritt at the helm. "At the time I wanted to have a fair representation of what we were doing in Dallas. We started [sic] housey, and then pushed tech to trance." The cd sold over 65,000 copies putting Merritt on a global map.
Over the years, Merritt has provided the opening sets alongside greats like: The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method, Todd Terry, Fabio & Grooverider, Groove Armada, Frankie Bones, DJ Dan, Derrick Carter, Fatboy Slim, Moby, Sven Vath, Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, John Digweed, Ferry Corsten, & Green Velvet, Mark Farina, Carl Cox, & Dub Pistols to just name a handful.
From LA to New York to Amsterdam, DJ Merritt kept dance floors ignited for years, but keeps Dallas home.
Edgeclub ended in November 2010. It was the longest running and highest rated mixshow in the US. Merritt has won the "Best DJ in Dallas" award a staggering 6 times from the Dallas Observer and in January 2015 was listed in the SunTimes as one of the top 100 DJ's in America.
Merritt can still be found making music in the studio as head of NiteTripp Music Group and running Product for software SAAS companies.
He resides in Dallas with his wife, Kimberly and their two children, Luca Claire & Nicholas.
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Thursday, May 2, 2013 4:05 pm, Posted by Eye Sri Lanka Editor 0 | News
Daya Master: the Tamil Tiger leader turned politician
During and after the 26-year long civil war in Sri Lanka, many leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE), which fought for a separate state for the Tamils, renounced violence and joined their one-time enemies.
The most high-profile transitions to date include the terrorist outfit’s former eastern district commander Vinayagamurthy Muraleetharan, alias ‘Colonel’ Karuna, who is now a parliamentarian and deputy minister, and its chief arms procurer Selvarasa Pathmanathan, alias ‘KP’, who is now running a non-governmental organisation helping the Tamil community.
The transformation of Velayutham Dayanidhi, better known as Daya Master, from the chief spokesperson of the Tamil Tigers to a pro-government politician is no exception. During the interview, he appeared to distance himself from the LTTE, using words like them to refer to the organisation that he once represented. But when the interview was over, he asked me to address him as Daya Master – a name that became popular during his time in the LTTE. “You’re probably the first journalist to call me Mr. Dayanidhi. Everyone calls me with the name that I’m famous for,” he said.
While studying for his A-levels in his hometown of Puloly in Jaffna Peninsula, Daya Master saw the plight of Sri Lanka’s Tamils, who make up just 12 percent of a Sinhalese-dominated population. As a young high school graduate, he himself was affected by the marginalisation of the Tamil community by the Sinhalese – an issue facing the Tamils since independence from Britain in 1948. “After passing the A-levels, I was without a job for a long time. At that time, it was a bit difficult to get a job from the government,” he said.
Despite the difficulties, Daya Master started working as an English tutor in his hometown in early 1990s. But soon he found it difficult to make ends meet with the income he earned from running the tuition centre. It was the LTTE that came to his rescue in 1995. “The LTTE knew my area people very well. They came to me and asked me to join them. So I joined them not as a member, but as an employee at their office in my area,” he said.
As a “non-trained cadre” of the LTTE, Daya Master was asked to meet the dignitaries coming from the south to meet the LTTE leadership during Chandrika Kumaratunga’s first term as president. He greeted journalists, Buddhist monks, political leaders and representatives of international organisations near the Kilaly lagoon, and took them to the Jaffna city. “I was the main contact point of the UN and other international NGOs. For a long time I was the contact point between the LTTE and these international NGOs,” he said.
The dawn of a new millennium marked the beginning of a new chapter in the LTTE’s struggle for a separate state. The Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government were engaged in peace talks brokered by Norway in 2000. It was then Thillayampalan Sivanesan, alias Soosai, the commander of the Sea Tigers, brought Daya Master to the attention of Tiger chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran. Soon he was “enrolled as a member” of the organisation, and appointed its chief spokesperson. “I was asked to operate as the spokesperson for the LTTE’s political side. They appointed another person as the military spokesperson,” he explained.
During the ceasefire that came into effect in 2002, Daya Master and his colleagues at the LTTE’s media division kept the international community well-informed of the situation in the rebel-held areas. The Tamil Tigers also fabricated video footage to harm Sri Lankan military’s reputation and distributed them among international media, he claimed. “I was in the LTTE’s political office, so I saw many propaganda videos that show the army allegedly killing or torturing civilians,” he said, denying any involvement in the production of such videos.
Daya Master’s strong links with the LTTE leadership made him one of the few Tiger leaders to be permitted by the government to travel to Colombo for medical treatment during the ceasefire. In July 2006, he underwent heart surgery at Lanka Hospital, then Apollo Hospital, in capital Colombo. But when Daya Master returned to the Tiger’s de facto capital Kilinochchi after the surgery, the ceasefire and peace talks were on the brink of collapse. “Now I’m telling the truth; during the ceasefire agreement, it was only LTTE that violated the agreement in Jaffna and Vavuniya. They carried out small attacks on the security forces,” he said.
With renewed hostilities, the new government of Mahinda Rajapaksa officially withdrew from the ceasefire agreement in early 2008, and began an unprecedented offensive that would wipe out the Tamil Tigers in a matter of months. “The government forces started its operation by capturing Mannar,” Daya Master explained. “After that the forces moved quickly to Killinochchi and to other areas. The LTTE fighters kept retreating to one side, and they were cornered near the Nandikadal lagoon and the surrounding areas.”
Why he remained with the LTTE until the last stages of the war, I asked. “I wanted to leave the LTTE as soon as the peace talks collapsed. During the last stages of the conflict, the LTTE did not allow civilians or cadres who wanted to surrender to the army to do so,” he said.
But in April 2009, a few weeks before the defeat of the Tigers, Daya Master got the chance to flee the rebel-controlled areas and surrender to the Sri Lankan army. “I managed to surrender to the army without them [the LTTE] knowing, about one month before the end of the war. I went with a group of civilians who escaped from the LTTE-controlled areas in Puthumathalan,” he recalled.
Daya Master, like many other captured Tiger leaders, was offered safety and protection by his captors. He was released without any charge, and soon he found employment with a regional television station in Jaffna that is associated with a pro-government parliamentarian. “I’m living with my wife in Point Pedro [the northernmost town in Sri Lanka]. I have a quiet, simple life. The people are also very friendly,” he said.
But Daya Master’s simple life will soon be filled with high-profile meetings and public speeches as he prepares to start his political career. His former captors have turned to him to turn around the damning results they received in the last northern provincial elections, and win the elections slated for September. “I was approached by three parties, but I gave consent to only one party; that is the government party [resident Rajapaksa’s United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA)]. But I have not yet received a feedback from the party,” he said.
I asked whether he regretted being involved in the LTTE, but he simply said that the Tamils “don’t want to go for a ‘post-mortem’ of the past”. “The people want to live their lives in peace,” he stressed. Why did he choose to align with the government? “I want to help the war affected people, ex-LTTE cadres and develop the province. I believe it can be achieved through the government,” he said.
For some diaspora Tamil groups, Daya Master is a traitor like many other former LTTE leaders. For others, he is a realist whose genuine interest is to help the battered Tamil community. But history will ultimately judge his intentions. (Haveeru Daily)
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Recent losses have prompted anger, and there remain “too many cooks” in the Sri Lanka set-up: these were the grouses of interim coach Nic Pothas following the nine-wicket drubbing at the hands of India, in the first ODI in Dambulla. Pothas’ comments come less than …
1 year, 11 months ago by eyeadmin 0
Caste Based Apartheid Segregates Crematoriums
Caste system is still practiced in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Contrary to popular view propagated by the ruling caste that caste is a thing of the past, it is a living cancer within the Tamil community. The upper caste community is the ruling …
Rotting From Within
In recent times, the political scandal you may not have heard about deals with the corridors of power in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Ravi Karunanayake, the island nation’s foreign minister, recently stepped down due to serious (and credible) corruption concerns. This is a big deal and …
Port deal opens new era for China-Sri Lanka ties
On July 29, Chinese port operator China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPort) and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) signed a 99-year lease agreement in Colombo to develop Hambantota Port in southern Sri Lanka in the presence of Minister of Ports and Shipping Mahinda Samarasinghe and …
Tamil Nadu pushes for ferry service
Six years after ferry service between Tuticorin and Colombo was suspended, the Tamil Nadu government is making fresh efforts to re-establish sea links with Sri Lanka to repatriate Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in camps in the state. The state government recently wrote to the …
Young farmers look for new job options
Scorched by a 10-month drought that has killed crops and reduced residents to buying trucked-in water, Adigama’s young people are voting with their feet. At least 150 youth have left this agricultural village 170 km northwest of Sri Lanka’s capital since the drought began, looking …
Bidding for Lanka’s Sinhala-Buddhist constituency?
Sri Lanka’s Minister for Justice and Buddha Sasana, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, appears to be making a bid to capture the island’s core political constituency – the Sinhala Buddhist-Nationalist constituency – in the absence of credible senior claimants. The constituency was well served by Mahinda Rajapaksa until …
Gvernment yet to prosecute those involved in attacks
The US Department of State’s, International Religious Freedom Report for 2016 was released on 15 August 2017. The report states that the U.S. Ambassador, through meetings with the President, Prime Minister and other senior Government Officials, urged that the national reconciliation process be inclusive of …
We Want Your Empty Airport
An Indian company has emerged with a bold plan for taking over Sri Lanka’s struggling Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA). The proposal, which would see India pumping $205 million into the airport for a 70% share for 40 years, was approved by Sri Lanka’s Civil …
Does China harbour strategic ambitions for Sri Lankan port?
Sri Lanka says it’s a way for it to help claw its way out of debt. China says it’s a strictly commercial deal for one of its state firms. But analysts say the Hambantota port on the southern tip of Sri Lanka is part of …
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Home / Microsites / Completing the Well / GTI leading tests on hydraulic fracturing efficiency in Permian Basin
GTI leading tests on hydraulic fracturing efficiency in Permian Basin
in Completing the Well, News, Onshore Advances Jul 19, 2018 0
Research, development and training firm Gas Technology Institute (GTI) is leading a program on hydraulic fracturing test sites (HFTS) in the Permian Basin, bringing together government and industry to improve recovery, continue enhancing environmentally responsible methods of optimizing production and lowering costs in the Midland and Delaware Basins.
In January, GTI was awarded funding from the US Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE/NETL) for cost-shared research and development on hydraulic fracturing efficiency. Anadarko Petroleum and Shell plan to co-host a new field test site in the Delaware Basin, where multiple experiments to evaluate well completion, optimize design and quantify environmental impact will be carried out. Work will commence in late 2018 at an Anadarko-operated location, and other industry partners are invited to join the project.
The new HFTS2–Delaware field test site located in Block 55 T1, Loving County, Texas, will feature different depth, pressures and permeability than the site of GTI’s first collaborative project, HFTS1–Midland. Each location requires specific techniques for optimal production based on local geologic complexity.
“We’re excited to provide the location that will further this important HFTS project,” said Chad McAllaster, Anadarko Vice President, Delaware Basin Development. “Our industry is continually looking at ways to optimize its operations in a way that maximizes recoveries, while improving environmental performance.”
“We are pleased to be joining with Anadarko as co-hosts in support of the HFTS project,” said Amir Gerges, Shell’s General Manager for the Permian Basin. “This research project will help further advance efficiency in the development of oil and natural gas resources and will contribute to sustaining the US as the world’s leading oil and gas producer.”
The Permian Basin in West Texas is considered one of the largest hydrocarbon resources in the world, covering 86,000 sq miles and encompassing 52 counties in New Mexico and Texas.
An increase in shale production from the Permian alone could set the US on a path toward energy security. Current oil production is approximately 2.4 million bbl/day, and projections suggest that this could more than double over the next seven to 10 years. Natural gas production in the Permian Basin is likely to triple by 2020 from its 2010 level.
This new work will build off HFTS1–Midland, which was also supported by DOE/NETL, along with co-funding from operators and service companies. Laredo Petroleum hosted the test site and provided critical geological and reservoir data from many wells in the area.
In September 2015, more than 400 fracture stages were completed in 11 Laredo wells in the Wolfcamp formation of the Midland portion of the Permian Basin. A first-of-a-kind through-fracture core sample was produced to document the physical properties of the fractures. Along with comprehensive data, it provided insight on how induced underground fractures spread, which is being used to assess the performance of individual fracture stages. It is the most meaningful data set to date for unconventional oil and gas production, providing ground truth evidence paramount to understanding fractures, validating and developing models, and assessing how predictive analytics can improve the process.
Linda Hsieh
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Next: Shell secures exploration acreage offshore Mauritania
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920 Shawneehaw Ave S
Banner Elk, NC, 28604
Gabriel Ofiesh
Forty years ago, Gabriel graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in English literature. During his last two years of college, he became interested in making jewelry. Unable to land a prep school English teaching job, Gabriel traveled to a craft show in Chatham, Virginia, and made $400 in two days.
This eye-opening commercial success sparked the beginnings of a solo and largely self-taught career designing and making gold, platinum and silver jewelry. Over the next few years, he traveled throughout Virginia to rural craft fairs, and then expanded his schedule to larger events on the east coast. With the help of workshops with Hekki Seppa and Ronald Pearson and a gem-setting class at the Revere Academy, he started to articulate his design ideas and form a cohesive body of work. His lack of extensive formal education in metalworking became a strength; he learned through trial and error often using tools and materials in non-traditional ways.
Thirty years ago, Gabriel was part of the growth of the craft industry as an exciting and fresh way to market handmade goods. Exhibiting primarily in American Craft Council shows, Gabriel garnered a national audience and honed his design focus to include his now distinctive collections.
Twenty years ago, the craft movement was in full bloom: if you could make it, you could sell it. But as the millennium approached, Gabriel’s business focus underwent a purposeful transformation. He downsized from his large production studio and became more of a metalsmith again and less of a manager. Picking up a longstanding thread of interest in jewelry that moved, he designed his first orbit rings. That expanded collection has become his signature.
Today, although more conscious of maintaining design continuity, Gabriel still uses tools in an unconventional manner and mostly designs by trial and error. Sometimes playing around directly with the materials can produce some surprising “aha!” results.
Festive Rings
Sterling silver with 18K yellow gold bands with multi-colored diamonds.
Aquamarine earrings, square ring and Enhancer
Square Rings
Stones are set in sterling silver and 18K yellow gold. Comes in multi-colored stones.
Square Ring
Pearl square ring, Pearl earrings and pearl enhancer. Set in 18k gold
Diamond Square Rings
Comes in 14K yellow gold and 14K White Gold.
The Woven Collection
Choker, Bracelets, Earrings and Cuff Links.
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The miracle of Finland: What a tiny northern Minnesota town can teach America
By Jacob Steinberg
When the lingering snow from northern Minnesota’s long winter finally recedes, David Abazs’s idyllic homestead in the woods becomes a never-ending to-do list.
There’s manure to pile and compost to spread. Seedlings must be transplanted from trays to pots before eventually making their way into the ground. Everything is on a schedule, and right now, that means “everywhere is digging,” according to Abazs. His days are filled with work, but at least the mosquitos aren’t out yet.
By summer’s end, his toil will produce an abundance rarely found in northern Minnesota. His soil teems with the ingredients for thriving crops—nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium—to such a degree Abazs claims his soil is three times more productive than southern Minnesota farms’. Unlike the farms of the state’s breadbasket, which typically grow a lot of just one thing, Abazs’s acreage yields a bounty fit for Suessian description: fields aflow with collard greens, pea pods, peppers, parsnips, beans, broccoli, and romaine; a pumpkin patch and an apple tree.
This abundance would’ve been impossible three decades ago, when Abazs, 53, and his wife, Lise, settled land that was long abandoned and partially reclaimed by surrounding woods. In its natural state, the soil here rejects most attempts to tame it. “Nothing grew,” he says. “We wanted to renew an older homestead and take what was fallow and make it grow.”
While he and Lise worked odd jobs, like taconite plant janitor, to make ends meet, Abazs spent years nurturing his soil with techniques modern agriculture has all but forgotten. He gets his water from the ground and energy from the sun. The farm’s name, Round River, is derived from the work of the naturalist Aldo Leopold, and describes a self-sustaining system where nature provides everything, and nothing goes to waste.
“The name is to remind us,” he says. “How can we live a good life with minimal resources, so that everyone can live on the planet?”
The ethos of sustainability extends beyond Abazs’s property line. It has come to define the tiny community of Finland, Minnesota, a township nestled between the ridges of the Sawtooth Mountains, where the east and west branches of the Baptism River converge. Home to around 450 people, Finland presents a blip of vitality in a region struggling to square an identity forged long ago with the economic realities of today.
Abazs chose to resettle in Finland because it was near Lise’s family, in southern Minnesota, and had a climate similar to Maine, where Abazs had planned to live. He found his “ocean” in Lake Superior and chose his plot in Finland on a map without ever having visited. Today, Abazs is chair of the town board—effectively the mayor, if townships had mayors, and if that title in Finland didn’t already belong to a regal-looking little dog everyone calls “Mayor Joe.”
Over his 31 years there, Abazs has been instrumental in bringing Finland together, in the hopes it could become a model for local agriculture and sustainability. It’s a daunting task, especially in a region largely considered hopelessly infertile for crops, traditionally dominated by the resource-extraction industries of mining and lumber.
He calls it his “big experiment.”
Finnish immigrants began coming to northern Minnesota in the late 19th century, following a path of least resistance from one cold and boggy woodland to another. At the time, Finland was part of the Russian Empire. Many Finnish emigres fleeing tsarist Russia were socialists, who challenged the dire working conditions they found in the mines and lumber camps of the day.
The Finns earned a reputation as rabble-rousers. After strikes were broken in 1907 and 1916, mining companies blacklisted the Finns, and lumber companies soon followed. Finnish immigrants took up homesteading in the margins of the Iron Range, subsisting on oats and potatoes.
Finland gradually came into existence as as settlement, though it wasn’t named until the railroad station was painted, according to local lore. Painters asked a passerby what the name of the town was. “Finland!” she yelled back, and that was the name they painted on the station.
A co-op general store opened in 1913. Moose meat was first come, first served. The site remains the community’s main store, and touts itself as the state’s longest continually operating co-op.
Committed Marxism gradually receded, but “having a communal mindset was kind of the only way to survive up here,” says Honor Schauland, whose home was once a community hall. Eventually, farming in Finland gradually receded too. Where once there were over a hundred farms, today there are just over a dozen. Twice as many town residents work at the nearby Northshore Mining Plant in Silver Bay, and double that amount work in forestry.
Abazs is convinced he can bring farming back. New technology and improved techniques make it possible to grow a cornucopia of produce in fields that once could only support potatoes, barley, and oats.
In 1987, Abazs convened in the Twin Cities with about a dozen farmers still reeling from the farm crisis of the mid-’80s. Oil prices and farm debt ballooned, grain exports nosedived, and thousands of farms went out of business. They listened as three farmers from Massachusetts described a new food system taking root in the northeast. It was called community-supported agriculture (CSA for short), and offered an alternative to the commodity-driven food economy that tethered farmers to the capriciousness of global trade.
In a community-supported model, consumers buy a stake in the farm, sharing the risk in exchange for a portion of that season’s yield. There are now over 7,000 CSAs in the country, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, but there were none in Minnesota at the time. Abazs wanted to start one, but had his work cut out for him. He stood and explained his circumstances.
Farming in northeast Minnesota can be downright punishing. The glaciers left behind a landscape hostile to most crops. The soil is acidic and infertile. The growing season is short, and frost can happen almost any time of year. Worse, there was no infrastructure in place to process or distribute food—everything would have to be built from the ground up. No one else on the North Shore was trying to grow vegetables on a large scale.
“Do you think it’s possible?” he asked the visiting farmers.
One said: “If you can do it in Finland, you can do it anywhere.”
Today, Abazs’ CSA provides kale, kohlrabi, cabbage, and much more to people from Two Harbors to Grand Marais. Years of work went into making Round River farm possible.
Abazs ran pigs through the brush to clear the shrubs and fertilize the dirt, a technique most farmers would think of as something their great-grandpa did. He planted cover crops, like oats, to shoot their roots into the ground, die, and replenish the earth. The soil grew richer, and began to tolerate more demanding crops, but it took five years to foster reliable soil. Still, Abazs faced another challenge: His farm sits two feet above bedrock.
“Imagine farming above a parking lot,” he says. “When I go to southern Minnesota I drool. It’s incredible. I’ll tell people I’ve got 22 inches and they say, ‘That’s pretty good topsoil,’ and I say no, that’s soil to bedrock.”
However, what Abazs lacks in soil volume he more than makes up for in fertility. His organic remedy of cover crops, compost, and crop rotation has cultivated soil bursting with life. Good soil has 5 percent organic matter. Abazs’s soil has up to 18 percent.
Says Abazs: “Conventional farmers treat the soil like a medium. You put the chemicals in, you put the nutrients in and let the plants suck it up. The soil is dead. It’s not biologically alive.”
Conventional farming practices also make soil vulnerable to erosion. One-third of the world’s topsoil has already been lost, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. Organic practices like those used by Abazs are becoming more common as farmers realize the rate of soil degradation can’t be sustained, but they’re a requirement in Finland.
“The regenerative farming stuff that’s all exciting now, it’s basically the only way you can farm up here,” says Finland farmer Kaare Melby. “You have to build soil. Things grow really well up here once you get your soil right.”
Melby grew up in town, but left to become an archaeologist. He returned in 2012 because he didn’t like the transient nature of the field and wanted to settle where he had roots. He lives in the woods with his family and his “sugar bush,” a network of tree-connected piping that harvests sap from the forest. Melby runs the town’s social media accounts. He sings praise of the local happenings on the community blog, Welcome to Finland—intentionally stylized as “WTF.”
Finland residents are used to lots of snow, and spend the winter months sitting in the sauna and curling to their hearts’ content.
In March, the community celebrates St. Urho’s Day, a holiday conjured by the Finns in northern Minnesota who were jealous of the Irish getting the day off for St. Patrick’s Day. They invented their own patron saint, and picked March 16, so they could get to the beer a day before the Irish. The modern St. Urho’s Day celebration still has the beer. At some point, a drag beauty pageant was added to the festivities. A chainsaw-carved totem of St. Urho can be found in Finland’s town triangle. “We’re too small to have a square,” Abazs says.
Today, many children come to Finland for the township’s premier attraction, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center—which sits on a ridge overlooking Lake Superior—passing the town’s solar-powered fire station along the way. Wolf Ridge’s lights are also powered by a giant solar array, as are a scattered collection of homes in the valley below.
Lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes grown inside Wolf Ridge’s three muggy greenhouses—Blood, Sweat, and Tears—feed the center’s visitors. Abazs hopes students and other visitors learn they could grow their own food, too.
“If we can do it in our crappy soil, then they’ve got no excuse,” said Abazs.
Sustainability was enshrined in Finland’s 2005 comprehensive plan, which says the township “will emphasize alternative energy sources for areas that are off the grid and will be a model of energy efficiency for sparsely populated rural areas.”
Completed in 2011, the Clair Nelson Community Center is powered by a solar array and heated by geothermal energy underneath a nearby swamp.
Winters are long and cloudy, but solar panels abound in Finland. In March, the Minnesota Department of Commerce recognized Finland for its mission to become the “solar capital of the continental United States”—a distinction that will soon adorn the town’s sign. According to an audit conducted by Abazs, at 282 watts, Finland has more solar capacity per capita than Las Vegas and Phoenix combined.
Finland’s embrace of solar is partly out of necessity. Many homes are without utility hookups. “Some people have little dinky solar panels to charge their phones,” Schauland says. “It’s a part of our way of life.”
Abazs’s push for solar wasn’t always met with enthusiasm. He once lost reelection as board chairman because, he says, people thought he was “too green.” Then gas prices spiked during the Great Recession, and suddenly everyone in Finland was open to alternative energy sources.
“The temperature has to be right. For years, no one was talking about solar,” says Abazs. “In the last year, we’ve doubled our solar [output].”
Stefan Meyer was growing vegetables above a parking lot, though unlike Abazs, his was a literal one. Meyer was living in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis when a local nonprofit asked him to run a CSA above a vacant lot awaiting redevelopment. “I’m pretty good at taking on impossible project startups,” he says.
Meyer, 44, is a fifth-generation farmer, and those are just the ones he can account for. He grew up on a conventional farm, but practices an older method. “My father laughs,” he says, “because he says I farm like my grandfather used to farm.”
After five years of urban farming, Meyer’s organic credentials landed him at his next project startup: running AgroEcology Center, a farming research station in Finland.
An experimental deep-winter greenhouse captures the low-hanging northern sun’s heat, and stores it in a cavity of porous rocks below. When it’s negative-10 below, the greenhouse maintains a balmy 100 degrees.
But the center’s real mission is permaculture, a budding design philosophy in which the farmer observes and bends to the natural world’s rhythms.
“It’s a whole new type of farming,” Abazs says. “A new farming system.”
Picture a field on an incline. Along the gradient, the field is punctuated by shallow trenches that retain rainwater. Between them sit mounds of soil, which protect the hill from eroding. The resulting wavy field design becomes a self-sustaining system, where water naturally pools downward. The variety of conditions created allow for different crops to thrive in the same field: rhubarb and raspberries below, hazelnut and apples overhead. Dragonflies and mayflies dart across the water. Birds roost above.
The allure of permaculture and its principles have drawn a new group of young people to farming.
“There’s great interest in it for a whole non-agriculture group of young people,” Abazs says. “The environment is a factor. There’s a lot of people looking at what’s going to make them have a more rich life.”
Idealism is one thing. A food system that makes money is another. Several obstacles stand in the way of an agrarian renaissance on the Iron Range.
“If a regional system is going to have real teeth to it, it’s got have all the processes in the production cycle,” says David Syring, a professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth who’s studied the potential for a regional food system. Syring says the biggest obstacle isn’t the soil, but the lack of infrastructure. “There need to be places that farmers can process their products to get more value out of them.”
Farming also carries a costly barrier to entry, and almost never gives way to financial boon. “It captures the imagination of young people who want to go out and grow [food],” Syring says. “Young people are idealistic, but they’ve got to make a living.”
Most can’t, under current economic conditions. According to the USDA, only 10 percent of small farmers’ income comes from their farm, while 90 percent comes from off-farm sources.
Abazs concedes his farm’s example is lofty, if not unattainable, for many. Still, he maintains farming presents a more compelling and fulfilling future for the Iron Range than alternatives like tourism, and he’s got the research to back it up. He worked with Syring to determine whether the region—composed of 15 counties in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin—had the land to support a local agriculture system, and what the economic benefits would be.
Results were encouraging: The Iron Range has 1.6 million acres of “average or above” land, fit for farming, enough to feed everyone who lives there “without cutting a single tree,” Abazs says. “If we did, there would be just under 1 billion dollars staying in our community, instead of being exported out.”
Farming could also provide 20,000 new jobs to a region thirsting for work. But for some, the idea of the Iron Range being anything but a mining region is irreverent.
“We have such an investment—a physical investment, and emotional investment—in the Iron Range being a mining region,” says Syring.
It’s not as though many other options exist. The Iron Range has struggled to diversify its economy. The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), a state agency founded in 1941, is tasked with providing loans and grants to help support businesses not tied to mining. Its investments have produced a mixed bag.
“The failures are bigger and more public,” says Iron Range blogger and political commentator Aaron Brown, “and the successes are smaller.”
The agency trumpets blockbuster projects, like solar panel manufacturer Silicon Energy, which folded last year, and an infamously short-lived chopstick factory in the ’80s. They’ve also been found to throw good money after bad, as an audit unveiled about Giants Ridge Recreation Area in Biwabik, a fledgling ski resort the IRRRB subsidized to the tune of $17.4 million.
Brown thinks recurring failures have caused many on the Range to wonder if a diverse economy is worth the trouble. “People are tired of watching money go out the door—watching these big things wheel through, then blow up or dissipate,” Brown says.
Tourism has emerged as a natural fallback, though not without contention. IRRRB funding has helped dot the region with golf courses, resorts, and bike trails. But tourism is fickle, too. The number of resorts in Minnesota has dropped by half in the last 30 years.
“I would hate to rely a whole economy on tourism. It’s almost as fatal as doing it on a resource like ore,” says Abazs. “Gas prices go up and people change their habits. It’s also low-paying jobs—not that farming is going to be high, but everybody needs food.”
When Bri Crowley and her partner Gabe were looking for a place they could learn to farm, they kept coming across tales of an agrarian utopia tucked away in the hills of the Iron Range. “We just kept hearing about Finland,” she says.
Neither Bri nor Gabe have farming in their bloodline. She grew up in Apple Valley, and studied global studies and social justice in college. That’s when her interest in agriculture blossomed, as she learned how humans destroy the environment and exploit each other. She decided to learn how to farm abroad, eventually landing in Turkey, where she met Gabe. Now the two of them live in a cabin on Abazs’s land at Round River farm, where they share in the toil—and the bounty.
“We’re really interested in farming as a way to be good stewards of the land. The way that David and Lise farm is a way that really resonates with Gabe and I,” she says. “Especially the idea that this place can sustain itself.”
One day, David and Lise plan to pass Round River on to the young couple. Until then, there are holes to be dug.
This article, in its original form, can be found here: View Story
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Fiscal Stewardship
Grantmaking and Endowment
Summary of Finances
Immigration Grantmaking
Supporting and empowering all residents of our region
The Foundation’s legacy of immigration grantmaking aims to empower all residents to contribute to a thriving community.
Caraly was born in Honduras and her father abandoned her family when she was only three years old. After her family struggled on the brink of homelessness, her mother made the heartrending decision to look for work in the United States. Caraly was left in the care of her grandmother in the city of San Pedro Sula, known as the murder capital of the world.
When Caraly was 12, her grandmother started receiving demands for protection money from a known criminal gang. After living in fear for almost a year, Caraly’s grandmother successfully arranged to reconnect Caraly with her mother in Connecticut—only to be met with deportation proceedings from the U.S. Immigration agency. Fortunately, the Center for Children’s Advocacy represented Caraly in a successful petition to the Court for an alternative form of immigration relief available to abused, neglected or abandoned children. Caraly is now doing extremely well in school and plans to graduate from high school in June 2017.
As Caraly’s case highlights, immigrant children, whose needs can be highly complex, benefit from a holistic approach. Now, more child immigrants like Caraly will receive the help they need thanks to a $20,000 grant to the Center for Children’s Advocacy Project LLEGAR from the Latino Endowment Fund at the Hartford Foundation.
“There is nothing more important than protecting children who have no one else to turn to,” said Attorney Edwin Colon, director of Project LLEGAR. “This grant allows us to help undocumented Latino children access safety and educational services they need to achieve their full potential.”
Connecticut has the fastest growing and one of the largest populations of foreign-born residents in the country.
According to 2014 U.S. Census statistics, Hartford County has an immigrant population of 132,944, of which 63,242 are not U.S. citizens. Often this multicultural population is in need of assistance in navigating the incredibly complex immigration pathways to naturalization or temporary/permanent residency.
Many undocumented immigrants are already a part of the state’s labor force but their immigration status makes them susceptible to exploitation, which undermines everyone’s wages and working conditions. Bringing these workers out of the shadows will reduce problems of wage theft and unsafe workplaces.”
—AMY BLACKWOOD,
Executive Director of the John J. Driscoll United Labor Agency, Inc.
Immigrants are a vital part of our region’s future—They will account for almost all growth in our labor force in the coming decades. How we meet that fact will determine the long-term quality of our workforce. We have an opportunity to embrace diversity and make Greater Hartford more competitive nationally and globally.
We also have an opportunity to uphold the humanity of all people, regardless of their origins.
Take a deeper look: In 2015, the Foundation’s Latino Endowment Fund examined the opportunities and challenges of increased cultural and linguistic diversity in our region.
The Hartford Foundation has a long, proven history of supporting organizations and efforts that settle refugees, provide council to immigrants, clear pathways to employment and ensure equitable educational opportunities for all children.
Since 1985, the Foundation has awarded $3.4 million through 90 grants to nonprofits that support immigrants and refugees with critical health, human, employment and legal services; and we consider the unique needs of immigrants in strategic investment areas such as education and our Career Pathways Initiative.
In 2015, the Foundation joined with six other organizations to form the Immigration Strategic Funders Collaborative of Connecticut to support both statewide and local efforts in preparation for implementing the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and the Expansion of Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA Expansion) executive orders and providing accurate immigrant rights education.
In 2016, the Foundation awarded over $100,000 to four nonprofit organizations that have met the Board of Immigration Accreditation (BIA) requirements in our region. These organizations are known by local residents as trusted and reliable sources of information.
Because many immigrant families simply do not have the resources to navigate the complex immigration system, a three-year, $160,860 grant was also awarded to the United Labor Agency (ULA), providing hundreds of residents in Greater Hartford access to free individualized immigration and employment assistance.
ULA staff work with clients to determine eligibility for citizenship and existing DACA, collect documentation, complete paperwork and online applications, set up classroom training, apply for fee waivers and scholarship opportunities, and refer or review applications with an affiliated immigration attorney. As needed, Hartford Legal Group partners with ULA to provide pro bono legal services.
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lorena@colabinc.com2017-03-27T19:39:29+00:00
For more information, contact Autumn Gordon-Chow at AGordon-Chow@hfpg.org
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Germany and the U.S. Have Different Ideas About Energy
Germany and the U.S. Have Different Ideas About Energy by David Fuller
Here is the opening of this topical article from Bloomberg:
The share of Germany's electricity generated from renewable sources has tripled during the past decade, to 30.1 percent. That's impressive, especially when compared with what has happened in the U.S.
On the other hand, the percentage of Germany's electricity generated by burning coal isn't all that much lower than it was a decade ago, and is higher than it was in 2010. In the U.S., coal's share has been falling a lot in recent years.
Both countries are going through major shifts in how they keep the lights on, but they're very different shifts. Germany is in the midst of a large-scale, government-driven energy transition toward renewables (the "Energiewende"). The U.S. has also favored renewable energy with tax incentives and other subsidies, but the effort has been modest compared with Germany's. Here, the big news has been rising natural gas production thanks to fracking, plus pressure on utilities from the government and private groups to shut coal-fired power plants.
So which country is doing a better job of shifting its energy mix? It depends on your priorities. The Germans have long been uncomfortable with nuclear power, and in 1998 made plans to phase out its use by 2022. There was some hemming and hawing in subsequent years, but after the 2011 Fukushima reactor accident in Japan, the government recommitted to the 2022 phase-out. Since 1998, nuclear power has gone from supplying 27.5 percent of German electricity to 18.1 percent.
The article above does not address critical point regarding average costs of electricity in Germany, the USA and a number of other countries.
However, another article from OVO Energy shows three separate bar graphs for average energy costs in over a dozen countries, based on: “How much does electricity cost”, and “Electricity prices relative to purchasing power”. On average, electricity prices are almost 200 percent higher in Germany than in the USA. That is why heavy manufacturing firms have been moving some of the factories out of Germany and other European countries, and moving them to the USA and other nations which have lower energy costs. This will continue to be reflected by comparative GDP for countries over the longer term.
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Investigation into Shooting at 200 Dipping Lane
July 01, 2019 - Houston police are investigating the shooting of a man at 200 Dipping Lane about 1:15 a.m. today (July 1).
The victim, Sergio Trujillo-Gutierrez, 33, was transported to an area hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
HPD Major Assaults & Family Violence Division Detectives C. Bowling and L. Kauffman reported:
Mr. Trujillo-Gutierrez was walking near the above address when he stated he was struck by a gunshot from an unknown direction. Paramedics transported him to the hospital. Trujillo-Gutierrez admitted to being intoxicated and did not know who shot him.
At this time, there is no known motive for the shooting.
Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Major Assaults & Family Violence Division at 713-308-8800 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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Zombie Sticker Book
OMG!!!! It’s a Zombie Sticker Book that has ZOMBIES ZOMBIES ZOMBIES! In fact, it has over 600 Zombie Stickers that will find their way on Homework, Books, Lockers, Foreheads, Shoes, Floors, Walls, the Fridge, the Car, the Dog, and even the Baby. YES, with 600 Stickers, you’ll be Zombified over and over again. HOW FUN IS THAT! HA! :)
Zombie Virus Plush Toy
RUNNNNN! For it’s the Zombie Virus (Otherwise known as Pithovirus Sibericum) and it’s coming to your HOME! It’s one Virus, you’ll certainly LOVE. For it’s not only an Adorable Plush Stuffed Toy, but it’s a Science Kit, that Teaches…
If you haven’t seen Shaun of the Dead, you SHOULD! It’s Awesome and FUNNY! I just LOVE this Movie! Get off the Couch…and Kill some Zombies! Flesh-Eating Zombies are on the Hunt for a Bite to Eat, and it’s…
Zombie Apocalypse Leg Day Tank Top
LMAO! This Women’s Tank Top is IDEAL for Spring/Summer and IDEAL for any Walking Dead Fans. Yeah… A Fun Colorful Tank Top, made out of Cotton and Polyester, reading “I HOPE THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE DOESN’T COME AFTER LEG DAY”……
Zombie Selfie Tank Top
Tired? Dead to the World? Feeling like a Zombie? Well you Better take a Selfie and Post it, because that’s what Dead Things do. Right? Especially when you have an Official “Zombie Selfie” Tank Top. A Fun White Tee…
A Is for Asteroids, Z Is for Zombies
Ahhh, Lovely. A Dark Comic Fable that offers Visions of the Apocalypse for Every Letter of the Alphabet. A Child’s Dream Come True! Starting with a Father whose Son has been asking Questions about Global Dangers, A Is for…
Custom Zombie Docking Station
Beautiful. Just what you always wanted to say to a Zombie “Here, Hold my Belongings!” HA! A Zombie Docking Station, Handmade out of Wood, this Station holds all types of Phones: Iphone 7, Iphone 6, Iphone 5, Iphone 8……
Zombie Vs Werewolf Socks
LOL! There’s a Fight going on between your Feet… And it ain’t Toe Jam (at least this time). NOW, it’s the Attack of the Zombies versus the Werewolves with these Cool and Colorful Zombie vs. Werewolf Socks! Talk about…
Zombie Walking Cane
The really Cool thing about this Cane… It not only looks Great with a Costume, but it can Crack those Zombies in the Head like Whack-a-Mole! SPLAT! It’s an Undead Walking Cane that’s Creepy, Fun, and Bloody too. 37″…
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Home > GIPCA Archive > GIPCA Projects > GIPCA Projects 2013 > Workshop – Artistic Practice and Entrepreneurship
Workshop – Artistic Practice and Entrepreneurship
The Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts (GIPCA) will host a lecture and workshop on entrepreneurship and independent practice in the arts, on Wednesday 7 August 2013 at Hiddingh Hall.
Facilitated by leading arts professionals Elizabeth Bradley (Professor and Chair of Drama at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University) and Anne Mundell (Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama), this workshop is aimed at creative and performing arts practitioners, students and administrators, as well as arts-based businesses and community organisations.
Bradley and Mundell’s Self Start workshops are designed for practitioners from a range of creative disciplines. Particularly relevant to the current economic climate, the content includes a varied set of adaptable entrepreneurial strategies, with direct applications in the performing and creative arts. Their workshops have had substantial international impact, engaging students and professionals from Hong Kong to Glasgow.
This lecture and intensive workshop, titled The ‘Self Start’ Paradigm: Artistic Practice and Entrepreneurship’, will highlight the basics of the entrepreneurial process, create an awareness of practical resources and enhance participants’ ability to respond creatively to challenges in realising their work. Self Start aims to foster an understanding and mastering of the attributes and skills necessary for effective entrepreneurship in the arts, independent from existing structures and models. Topics discussed will include defining core ideas, evaluating potential arts ventures, attracting stakeholders, and maximizing creative and human capital.
Professor Elizabeth Bradley is an educator, theatrical producer, festival curator, presenter, and international cultural consultant. She joined the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University as Chair of Drama in 2008, after heading the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University. Bradley has a wide-ranging career of almost three decades in the professional performing arts: she was CEO of the Hummingbird Centre (now Sony Centre) for the Performing Arts in Toronto and Founding Artistic Director of the first edition of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts; has produced Tony-nominated Broadway productions and Edinburgh Festival premieres; worked directly for artists as manager and agent; and serves in senior positions on various international advisory boards.
Bradley’s teaching and research interests focus on artistic entrepreneurship, cultural collaboration and empowerment. She also mentors emerging arts leaders in a course that focuses on global best practices in meeting contemporary sector challenges. A past Chair of the International Society for the Performing Arts, an organisation that links leaders in the arts from 51 countries, Bradley was instrumental in the creation of the Inaugural International Arts Forum in Beijing in 2001. She is a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Gold Medal for outstanding contribution to the arts in Canada.
Anne Mundell is an Associate Professor of Scenic Design at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, where she has taught for twenty-four years. A recipient of the Horbosotel Award for Teaching Excellence in the College of Fine Arts, she is also Director and Founder of Growing Theater Outreach, and serves on the advisory boards of several arts outreach programmes. Mundell is one of the founders of the internationally recognised Roboceptionist Project, a social robotics collaboration between the CMU Robotics Institute and the School of Drama. Her design work includes major projects for theatre, museum exhibitions, opera, symphony, dance and industrial design. She is currently working on a book about growing instincts and transcending creative obstacles during the making of theatre.
This lecture and workshop will take place on 7 August 2013 from 14:00 to 18:00 at Hiddingh Hall; University of Cape Town (UCT) Hiddingh Campus, Orange Street, Cape Town, and is free. No booking is necessary. For more information contact fin-gipca@uct.za / 021 480 7156.
Self Start Workshop audio recordings:
Self Start Workshop – Prof Elizabeth Bradley and Anne Mundell – Part 1
Start: 7 Aug ’13 2:00 pm
End: 7 Aug ’13 6:00 pm
Category: Discussion, Workshop
Address: Google Map UCT Hiddingh Campus, 31-37 Orange Street, Cape Town, 8001, Cape Town, Western Cape, 8001, South Africa
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Image: USHL
Toronto Ontario
3rd round (86th overall), 2014
2010-11: Mark Friedman played in two junior A games with the North York Rangers and skated for the Don Mills Flyers midget minor AAA team in the Greater Toronto Metropolitan league. He had no points nor penalties with the Rangers. In 30 games for Don Mills he scored 7 goals with 2 assists and 34 penalty minutes. He skated for the Flyers in the OHL Cup and had 3 assists and 6 penalty minutes in seven games. Friedman was selected by Windsor in the 13th round (255th overall) in the 2011 OHL Priority Draft.
2011-12: Friedman skated for the North York Rangers as a 16-year-old as North York reached the Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs. He scored 9 goals with 18 assists and 44 penalty minutes in 48 regular season games and scored 1 goal with 3 assists in 4 playoff games. Friedman committed to playing college hockey at Bowling Green in 2014-15 in November and was selected by the Waterloo Black Hawks in the fourth round (53rd overall) of the 2012 USHL Entry Draft.
2012-13: Friedman was the second-leading scorer amongst defensemen for Waterloo in his first USHL season; trailing only Florida Panthers’ prospect Ian McCoshen. He scored 8 goals with 27 assists in 64 regular season games and was +22 with 44 penalty minutes. Waterloo finished third in the Western Conference. Friedman scored 2 goals with 3 assists and was +1 with 2 penalty minutes in the five-game, first-round playoff series against Fargo.
2013-14: Friedman returned to Waterloo for a second season and played a key role as the Black Hawks finished first in the Western Conference and reached the USHL’s Clark Cup finals. He scored 10 goals with 30 assists and was +22 with 30 penalty minutes in 51 regular season games and was minus-1 with 7 assists and 4 penalty minutes in 12 playoff games. Friedman was ranked 124th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Philadelphia in the third round (86th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft.
2014-15: Friedman was one of three defensemen to skate in all 39 games for Bowling Green State University in his freshman season. He scored 2 goals with 17 assists and was +7 with 75 penalty minutes, second only to sophomore Sean Walker. The Falcons finished third in the WCHA and advanced to the conference tournament semifinals, falling 5-2 to Michigan Tech.
2015-16: Friedman was the fourth-leading scorer for Bowling Green in his sophomore season, leading all Falcons’ defensemen with 23 points. He scored 6 goals with 17 assists and was +8 with 40 penalty minutes in 42 games. Bowling Green finished third in the WCHA in the regular season, defeating Bemidji State in a best-of-three quarterfinal series before falling to Minnesota State in the WCHA semifinals.
Friedman is an offensive defenseman with room to improve in his own end. After spending an extra year in the USHL, Friedman earned a spot on the WCHA All-Rookie Team and was named Bowling Green’s Co-Rookie of the Year in 2014-15. He built on that success in his second season and continues to hone his overall game with the Falcons. He is an intriguing prospect in an organization suddenly deep in young defensemen.
Friedman had another strong season for Bowling Green in 2015-16 in his sophomore season. The leading scorer amongst Falcons' defensemen, he provided support on the rush while playing a solid game in his own end. He will likely return to Bowling Green for his junior season and projects to being a sound two-way defenseman with some offensive flourishes as a pro.
Philadelphia Flyers prospect preview: Laughton first grad in rebuild
by Jashvina Shah
Photo: Shayne Gostisbehere was a pleasant surprise in Flyers camp, scoring three goals in three games. (Courtesy of Gavin Baker/Icon Sportswire)
The Philadelphia Flyers are still in rebuilding mode, and they’ve been creating the team of the future. Many of Philadelphia’s prospects are already climbing to the next level and have graduated to the professional ranks, including Scott Laughton, Shayne Gostisbehere and Samuel Morin. Read more»
Philadelphia Flyers top 20 prospects list has a new champion
Photo: Ivan Provorov helped Team Russia to a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in January. (Courtesy of Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia Flyers have some changes to their top-20 prospects, thanks to a solid 2015 draft class. Four players selected in the draft made the list, including top draft choice defenseman Ivan Provorov. Read more»
More of the same for Philadelphia Flyers prospects in 2014-15
Photo: Nick Cousins led the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in scoring, with 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) in 64 games. (Courtesy of Bob Frid/Icon Sportswire)
With no prospects graduating to the pro ranks, Philadelphia’s prospect core remains intact. Scott Laughton has kept his spot as the team’s best prospect due to his reputation for hard work. While Laughton has continued to be the go-to performer, Nick Cousins showed the most improvement, bouncing back from a struggling year. Brandon Manning exceeded expectations, earning another call up to the Flyers. Meanwhile, goaltender Anthony Stolarz has struggled in his first professional year. Read more»
Philadelphia Flyers’ collegiate prospect pool still strong on defense
Photo: Mark Friedman is enjoying a standout freshman season on the blueline with Bowling Green State University. (Courtesy of Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire)
Despite Shayne Gostisbehere’s departure to the professional ranks, the Philadelphia Flyers still possess a number of solid defensive prospects at the collegiate level, including Nick Luukko, Reece Willcox and Mark Friedman. Read more»
Top 20 Philadelphia Flyers prospects are deep at defense
Scott Laughton has split duties between Philadelphia and the team’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley this season. (Courtesy of Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire)
There are not any drastic changes in the Flyers Top 20, and Scott Laughton retains the top position in a prospect pool that is mostly populated with defensemen. Shayne Gostisbehere, Samuel Morin and Travis Sanheim are the top blue liners in the system, but are joined by several others in the Top 10—including Robert Hagg and Mark Alt. Read more»
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In Tune > Arts > Organ Restoration — A Lifelong Calling
by Ursula Rehn Wolfman | July 12th, 2015
standard Organ Restoration — A Lifelong Calling
July 12, 2015 By Interlude0 Comments
Organ Builder Wolfgang Rehn in Trondheim, Norway
Master Organ builder Wolfgang Rehn, (who, incidentally, happens to be my very own brother) formerly director of organ restoration at Kuhn Organ Builders, of Männedorf, Switzerland (www. orgelbau.ch) had started his career as a designer and builder of new organs. However, confronted with the unique cultural treasure of Europe’s organs built since the 9th century, which had individual regional and often even personal stylistic developments in sound and technique, he turned to the restoration of these magnificent instruments, many of which had been neglected and/or altered over the course of the centuries.
There was an extraordinary development in the Baroque period, as compared to the earlier somewhat constrained sound of Medieval and Renaissance organs. The innovations of the Baroque period, by which organs throughout Europe became magnificent, powerful and multifaceted instruments, such as those by Gottfried Silbermann of Saxony — provided inspiration to great Baroque composers, such Johann Sebastian Bach.
Franziskaner Kirche – Vienna’s Oldest Organ built in 1642 –restored by Wolfgang Rehn
The 19th and 20th centuries saw development towards a “romantic organ”, which no longer emphasized brilliance and clarity in sound, but rather a dynamic towards an “orchestral” sound. These instruments, with new technological possibilities, inspired composers and musicians of this era to make full use of the improved technology. Organs, unlike other instruments, can transmit the authentic sounds of the past — whereas with other instruments, the interpreter has influence over the character of sound and its strength (such as at the piano, for example). The sound parameter of organs is created by its builder, and not by the organist. The organ’s style is often replicated by the historical period and the architecture of the church itself. This point illustrates the enormous historical dimension of these valuable organs, which can transmit the music of their historical time. However, many of these instruments saw additions and massive changes over time, which the organ restorer tries to reverse in order to re-create their original characteristics. Wolfgang Rehn has dedicated his entire career of over forty years to the restoration of these instruments (over 130 of these while working for Kuhn) to their original conditions – including, to mention just two of them — Vienna’s oldest organ from 1642, in the Franziskaner Kirche (possibly played by Mozart), and the beautiful Baroque organ of 1750 in Weingarten, Germany.
JS Bach – Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546 – T. Koopman
J. Gabler organ, Basilica of St. Martin, Weingarten
Archival knowledge, building materials, discoveries and inscriptions within the instruments, comparable to detective work, bring the history of the organs alive. The restoration process often extends over many years and demands consultation with church officials, historical societies, the various European societies for preservation of historical monuments, expert consultants and organists. Art historical and musical knowledge as well as internationally recognized restoration principles and techniques also have to be taken into account. Whereas new organs can be built according to one’s own ideas and concepts, restoration of ancient organs seems like an education by old masters – the restorer functions only in a “serving” position – one’s own ideas and concepts cannot play a role.
Gabler Organ in Weingarten, Germany restored by Wolfgang Rehn
Restorations are incredibly exciting to the restorer, whose attitude has to be open towards all instruments of different epochs, different styles and regions. This in itself is testimony that there is not just one ideal type of organ, fashionable just at its own particular moment in time. After restoration, many neglected and even ‘disdained’ organs become a revelation to the organist and the listening public.
To contribute to their newly re-discovered sound and multiple capabilities, to rediscover and restore the voice of the past, is truly the work of an artist such as Wolfgang Rehn, whose life’s work has been dedicated to the task.
Arts, In tune, Spotlight
The Baroque Era – The Golden Age of the Organ
The Royal Instrument through the Ages - from Antiquity to the Renaissance Era
The Royal Instrument from the Classical Age to Present
Klais Organs: The Power behind the Throne
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Dan Walsh Shot in Police Standoff - Kansas City News
Photo of the crime scene - NOT a photo of Dan Walsh's home
KCPD Involved in Standoff and Eventually Shooting of Dan Walsh by Kansas City News
Sunday afternoon around 3pm Kansas City Police reported to the home of Dan Walsh in south Kansas City to investigate a situation involving a firearm. When police arrived at the home of Dan Walsh (58), he came outside holding a handgun, fired off a round and then returned inside the home. Police quickly escalated the operation by bringing in several squad cars and some SWAT members armed and taking aim at the man's home. The street was closed down temporarily and the KCPD quickly got into position to fire upon the house if necessary.
After about 20 minutes of trying to reason with the home owner, the man finally emerged from his house again, this time brandishing a rifle. This time the police were shouting at the man to "DROP THE GUN!", when the man didn't comply and instead ran into his neighbor's front yard police opened fire. Police later told the press that Dan had actually pointed his rifle at the policemen. Kansas City police shot 3 times and killed Dan Walsh in the neighbor's yard and he immediately fell to the ground. As Walsh was being loaded into an ambulance police told neighbors that Dan's "injuries were not life threatening", but they obviously knew that they had shot and killed him. According to our interview with close neighbors, he was shot to death immediately in his neighbor's yard, as he fell to ground instantly and did not move at all after he went down.
Dan Walsh was a very inspired man who enjoyed his family and friends and had plans to move to Mexico to enjoy his retirement with his wife. Dan was active on Ebay selling slot cars and had over 8,000 positive feedbacks. In the 80's and 90's Dan remodeled houses and worked on several houses in his neighborhood. Walsh was also an excellent basketball player and all around athlete. He was a devoted father and husband and participated in the Kansas City community in several ways including being a soccer coach for a local sports team. Dan lived life to the fullest every day that he was alive and he will be missed by all.
Dan Walsh shot and killed by police - Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.
Labels: dan walsh, dan walsh killed, kansas city news, kc news, police shoot dan walsh, police shoot kansas city man, police standoff kansas city, sunday july 22nd
This was our friend and neighbor and he was a good man. Dan Walsh had a lot of vigor and energy and was always willing to lend a hand when we needed it. RIP Dan!
James and Margaret D. said...
Yes, Dan Walsh was a good friend and he loved his family. It was a shame that this terrible shooting happened, hopefully more of the back story behind this will come to light as the days move on. We wish his family well in this difficult time.
Sad day, Friend of alot of us here in New Zealand. Will be missed.
Dan was a good man, this incident did not involve alcohol or drugs - period.
Kristi Randall said...
Mr. Walsh was my soccer coach and helped me succeed on being the best player I could be. He was nothing but a positive role model in my life growing up. Prayers to the family. In my heart I will always remember him as the outstanding, comical and aspiring man he was. Kristi R.
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» Pomp, precision and protocol
King's College: pomp, precision and protocol
Engraving of boats on the River Cam to mark the Prince and Princess of Wales' visit to Cambridge, 1894. (KCHR/4/1)
Royal visits to King's College date right back to 1446 when Henry VI came to lay the foundation stone of the Chapel. The visits have continued right up to the present day.
It is even rumoured that Elizabeth I may have visited the Chapel and spent the night in College in 1564 when she toured Cambridge - sadly nothing can be found in the archive to support this.
But there are plenty of documents and images to mark other royal visits.
In 1864 and 1894, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Cambridge and on both occasions the royal party attended Chapel and dined in the Hall.
King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret attended a Service of Thanksgiving for the Preservation of the Chapel in 1951.
Queen Elizabeth II visited Cambridge in 1962 and was shown Rubens' Adoration of the Magi in the Chapel. The Queen visited the College again in 1991 and 2009 with Prince Philip.
Princess Margaret made a number of visits to King's, and spent the night in the Provost's Lodge on some of these occasions.
On the surface, royal visits appear to run seamlessly and with great decorum. Achieving this has always been a challenge, and the whole operation is very much like a complicated dance. All the participants must know their parts, even the Royals!
As might be expected, inviting a Royal to visit is not an easy task. Buckingham Palace suggests that a letter to the Queen might be all that's needed. However those who have been through it describe a baroque process in which a member of the great and the good contacts someone else who 'does lunch' with someone who has connections to a palace official - needless to say this can take some time!
Correspondence found in the archive between King's and Buckingham Palace reveals that on a number of occasions the College had almost given up hope of the visit ever happening. But then miraculously a letter would appear from the royal household accepting the invitation and setting the whole process in motion.
The protocol concerning a royal visit has been set in stone for generations and although the emphasis today is on informality records reveal that in fact a lot of careful planning goes into such an event. The archives hold numerous files filled with correspondence, annotated menus, amended seating plans and modified guest lists for supposed 'casual' or 'low-key' royal visits to the College.
Even on very short 'unofficial' visits an entourage must accompany the Royals to assist with transportation, decorum, security, clothing, jewellery and grooming. Shortly before Princess Margaret paid an 'informal visit' to the Provost's Lodge, a letter arrived from Kensington Palace alerting the College to the fact that the Princess would be accompanied by both her lady-in-waiting and her dresser. This was in addition to her driver and security detail - quite a number of bodies for a 10 hour visit!
Records in the archive reveal the minutiae covered by the Royal Household and the College for each royal visit - everything from 'retirement' facilities to umbrellas is outlined and agreed upon.
Every royal visit has unique characteristics and the documents below serve to highlight the effort required to orchestrate such an event.
Click on an image to enlarge it or start a slideshow:
An estimate for providing the Royal luncheon in Hall, 1864. (KCHR/3/1/33A)
Invitation to W.C. Green, Fellow 1854, to join the Royal Party for luncheon in Hall, 1864. (WCE/4/2)
The Royal Party on the steps of the Hall, 1864. (KCAR/5/4/3/7)
Instructions to King's members for the Royal Visit, 1864. (KCAR/8/2/4/29)
The Prince of Wales and Provost Durnford leaving Chapel, 1918. (KCPH/2/49)
Ticket to enter College on the occasion of the Royal Visit, 1951 (Coll 1372)
Plan of the Royal Progress through King's, 1951. (KCAC/6/1/11/38)
Seating plan for the Royal Luncheon, 1951 (KCAR/6/1/11)
Provost Bateson congratulates the chef, 1988.(KCAR/1/2/5/1/54)
Letter informing Fellows that the Queen will be leaving early, 1991. (KCAR/1/2/5/1)
Provost Bateson requests umbrellas for the Royal Visit, 1991. (KCAR/1/2/5/1/52)
Princess Margaret writes to Provost Bateson about bonfire night, 1993. (KCAR/1/2/5/1/54)
The Queen visits King's, 2009 (Cambridge News online)
Queen Elizabeth I's visit to Cambridge (Cambridge Time Traveller Group)
Sending an invitation to the Queen (Website of the British Monarchy)
The British Royal Family (Wikipedia)
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Indian Parenting
Indian Parenting Blog by Indian Hindu Names.com
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Posts Tagged ‘Names of ministers’
Names of ministers and portfolio in Modi cabinet 2019
Posted on June 3rd, 2019 by Prem No Comments
Names of Ministers and their portfolio in the Narendra Modi cabinet 2019
Prime Minister and also in-charge of:
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions;
Department of Atomic Energy;
Department of Space; and
All important policy issues; and
All other portfolios not allocated to any Minister.
1. Shri Raj Nath Singh
Minister of Defence.
2. Shri Amit Shah
Minister of Home Affairs.
3. Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari
Minister of Road Transport and Highways; and
Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
4. Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda
Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
5. Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman
Minister of Finance; and
Minister of Corporate Affairs.
6. Shri Ramvilas Paswan
Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
7. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar
Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare;
Minister of Rural Development; and
Minister of Panchayati Raj.
8. Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad
Minister of Law and Justice;
Minister of Communications; and
Minister of Electronics and Information Technology.
9. Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Minister of Food Processing Industries.
10. Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot
Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
11. Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
Minister of External Affairs.
12. Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
Minister of Human Resource Development.
13. Shri Arjun Munda
Minister of Tribal Affairs.
14. Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani
Minister of Women and Child Development; and Minister of Textiles.
15. Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Minister of Health and Family Welfare;
Minister of Science and Technology; and
Minister of Earth Sciences.
16. Shri Prakash Javadekar
Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and
Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
17. Shri Piyush Goyal
Minister of Railways; and
Minister of Commerce and Industry.
18. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and
Minister of Steel.
19. Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Minister of Minority Affairs.
20. Shri Pralhad Joshi
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs;
Minister of Coal; and
Minister of Mines.
21. Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey
Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
22. Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant
Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise.
23. Shri Giriraj Singh
Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.
24. Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Minister of Jal Shakti.
Ministers of State (Independent Charge)
1. Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
2. Rao Inderjit Singh
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; and
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning.
3. Shri Shripad Yesso Naik
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH); and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence.
4. Dr. Jitendra Singh
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region;
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office;
Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions;
Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and
Minister of State in the Department of Space.
5. Shri Kiren Rijiju
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
6. Shri Prahalad Singh Patel
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Culture; and
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism.
7. Shri Raj Kumar Singh
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power;
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
8. Shri Hardeep Singh Puri
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs;
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
9. Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Shipping; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
Ministers of State
1. Shri Faggansingh Kulaste
Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel.
2. Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey
Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
3. Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal
Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
4. General (Retd.) V. K. Singh
Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
5. Shri Krishan Pal
Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
6. Shri Danve Raosaheb Dadarao
Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
7. Shri G. Kishan Reddy
Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
8. Shri Parshottam Rupala
Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
9. Shri Ramdas Athawale
10. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti
Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development.
11. Shri Babul Supriyo
Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
12. Shri Sanjeev Kumar Balyan
Minister of State in the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.
13. Shri Dhotre Sanjay Shamrao
Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development;
Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
14. Shri Anurag Singh Thakur
Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
15. Shri Angadi Suresh Channabasappa
Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways.
16. Shri Nityanand Rai
17. Shri Rattan Lal Kataria
Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
18. Shri V. Muraleedharan
Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
19. Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta
Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
20. Shri Som Parkash
21. Shri Rameswar Teli
Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
22. Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi
Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.
23. Shri Kailash Choudhary
24. Sushri Debasree Chaudhuri
Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Tags: Modi cabinet 2019, Names of ministers
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You are here: Home | GFLS 2012 | Speakers 2012 | Moderators | Tammo Bijmolt
Director of the Research Institute and Graduate School of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Professor of Marketing, University of Groningen
Tammo H.A. Bijmolt is Professor of Marketing and the Scientific Director of the Research Institute and Graduate School of Economics and Business, University of Groningen. He is also the chairman of the exam committee “Market Research and Information Management” of the Dutch Markt Onderzoek Associatie and NIMA. He is a member of the jury of the PIM-award for the best Dutch PhD dissertation in Marketing. Professor Bijmolt has done research-based consulting projects for numerous companies, including MetrixLab, Gfk/IRI Nederland, Brand Loyalty International and the Carlson Marketing Group.
He earned his PhD in Marketing from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Is there justice in the UK
Comment Angry 22nd July 2010
The Crown Prosecution Service will tomorrow make its long-awaited announcement about whether a police officer will face criminal charges over the death of Ian Tomlinson.
After Tomlinson died at the G20 protests in London last year, video obtained by the Guardian showed that an officer had attacked him, undermining the authorities' initial version of events.
His family will be informed on Thursday morning if criminal charges will be brought over the death, the CPS has confirmed.
The possible charges include manslaughter, assault and misconduct in public office. Or, the CPS may decide not to bring any charges.
Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper seller, had been walking home from work through the protests in the City on 1 April 2009 when he was struck from behind by a member of the Metropolitan police's territorial support group (TSG).
In deciding whether the officer should face trial, CPS lawyers have examined the video footage along with other documents and witness statements. The high-profile nature of the case means the director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, is believed to have been involved in deciding whether charges should be brought.
Starmer is expected to announce personally whether any charges will be brought.
If the CPS successfully prosecutes the officer over Tomlinson's death he would become the first British police officer ever convicted for manslaughter committed while on duty. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
The Tomlinson family have been critical of the time taken for the CPS to reach its decision. A criminal investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission was completed in August 2009. The CPS has been asking investigators for extra work and inquiries to be carried out since the IPCC handed over its file of evidence.
The officer struck Tomlinson with a baton and shoved him to the ground shortly before the newspaper seller collapsed and died. The officer's badge numbers were covered and his face concealed beneath a balaclava.
Tomlinson had his hands in his pockets and his back to the officer when he was struck. No police officer went to his aid and it was left to a bystander to lift him to his feet. He stumbled about 100 metres down Cornhill, clutching his side, before collapsing a second time.
Police initially led Tomlinson's wife and nine children to believe he died of a heart attack after being caught up in the protest. In statements to the press, police claimed attempts by officers to save his life by resuscitation were impeded by protesters.
The IPCC did not launch its criminal inquiry until six days after Tomlinson's death, when the Guardian gave the watchdog a dossier of evidence including video footage and witness statements that contradicted the police version of events.
Before then, City of London police were allowed to run the inquiry with some supervision from IPCC investigators. After watching the video of the attack a senior City of London investigator told the family that Tomlinson's assailant could be a member of the public "dressed in police uniform".
The Tomlinson family say they were led by the CPS to believe that a decision would be reached by Christmas 2009.
They fear a cover-up and in March Tomlinson's widow, Julia, attacked Starmer's handling of the case. "Why did he say there would be a decision around Christmas? Why are we still waiting? My kids need to move on from this. They're left without a dad now and their lives have been turned upside down over the last year, especially the four girls. He doesn't seem to realise the pain we're going through.
"We feel like there was a cover-up from day one and we didn't see it because we were nervous about the police. Now a year on it still feels like all of that is still going on. If it had been someone on the street, a civilian, who had pushed and hit Ian just before he died and it was all caught on video, surely something would have happened by now. The officer needs to go before a jury. Let them decide what should happen to him
To see if there is justice for all people and not a cover up like has been seen before like Blair Peach, Jean Charles De Menezes…. No wonder why police lose respect
corruption cps ian tomlinson injustice ipcc keir starmer police state state murder
Arrest and prosecute Blair and his and Browns cabinet
Police Complaints and the IPCC
The guilty escaping justice on technical points
Abolish Magistrates’ Courts
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Author Archives: Elaina Doré Smith
“Women Want to Hear Women With Elaina” Featuring Cam
I can’t believe we’ve come to the finale episode of Season 1. I’m so excited about what we’ve accomplished since launching this podcast in June—and that includes YOU listening, watching and reading this. We will definitely keep things going in 2019, but we have the perfect way to wrap things up in 2018. Our guest…… MORE
“Women Want to Hear Women With Elaina” Season 1 Review
I can’t believe Season 1 of Women Want to Hear Women is winding down. Since launching in June, we have completed 23 amazing episodes featuring some of the genre’s biggest names, rising stars and up-and-comers. Before we close Season 1 next week with a sit-down interview with Cam—I’m so excited—I thought it would be fun…… MORE
“Women Want to Hear Women With Elaina” Featuring Danielle Bradbery
Danielle Bradbery has been in the public eye since winning The Voice as a 16-year-old in 2013. But winning a reality talent competition doesn’t immediately translate to superstardom. Like most reality show winners, Danielle has had to work tirelessly to prove herself—and find herself as an artist. In our sit-down interview this week, Danielle talks…… MORE
“Women Want to Hear Women With Elaina” Featuring Leah Turner
Leah Turner has had such an interesting career since moving from California to Nashville in 2012. She is a true example of how finicky the country music industry can be—but her hard work and talent have not gone unnoticed. While Leah has had many challenges, she’s also had many victories, including releasing her self-titled EP…… MORE
“Women Want to Hear Women With Elaina” Featuring Heather Morgan
Heather Morgan has been a songwriting staple in Nashville for the better part of this decade, having penned songs for Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Maddie & Tae, Cole Swindell and Brett Eldredge, including two of his No. 1 hits, “Beat of the Music” and “Lose My Mind.” Now Heather is stepping out from behind the…… MORE
“Women Want to Hear Women With Elaina” Featuring Maren Morris
As of today, there is only one woman in the Top 30 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart: Maren Morris, whose single “Rich” is currently No. 5. Maren stopped by Women Want to Hear Women this week and delivered an open and honest dialogue about the current state of women in the country industry, differences…… MORE
“Women Want to Hear Women With Elaina” Featuring Logan Brill
On this week’s podcast, we’re featuring a young woman you are going to fall in love with: Logan Brill. One of the great byproducts of this podcast is that it has allowed me to discover even more women in country music—Logan is a perfect example. She makes me so excited about the future of the…… MORE
“Women Want to Hear Women With Elaina” Featuring Delta Rae
A few weeks ago I mentioned that I really wanted to start involving more men into the Women Want to Hear Women conversation, because the only way to change the conversation is by working together. I thought the perfect guests would be the men and women of Delta Rae. The group, composed of two women…… MORE
“Women Want to Hear Women With Elaina” Featuring Tenille Townes
You know you’re doing something right when Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town handpick you as the opener for their Bandwagon Tour, right? Well, that is exactly what happened to Tenille Townes this summer. When it comes to Tenille’s talents, I was actually a little slow to the party. Not anymore, thanks in part to…… MORE
“Women Want to Hear Women With Elaina” Featuring Jessie Chris
There are many different paths to success in the ever-changing country music industry—and Jessie Chris is forging her own. Jessie is making moves WITHOUT a traditional record contract, and it has been really impressive to watch the 21-year-old release new music, headline her own tour and acquire sponsorship deals with brands like Durango Boots. It’s…… MORE
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Our deontology
Yves Ach
A financial expert and auditor with a doctorate in management science, Yves is a director of the French National Chamber of Financial Advisers (CNCEF).
He has advised on numerous corporate mergers, particularly those with an international dimension, both in international consultancies and with his own firm.
Trained in mediation and arbitration at the Centre for Mediation and Arbitration of Paris (CMAP), and accredited by CMAP as a mediator, Yves is also listed as a mediator on the List of Neutrals of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center. He acts as an arbitrator under the auspices of the French Association for Arbitration (AFA).
Yves is a mediator accredited by the Court of Appeal of Paris.
He is accredited as an expert by the French Institute of International Legal Experts, and is Vice-President of the Option-Initiatives think tank.
He is a member of, and insured by, the French professional experts’ body, Compagnie Nationale des Experts MCTH.
Yves can be contacted at yach@m4bb.com
Catherine Kessedjian
Catherine Lelouch-Kammoun
© M4bb – mediation for better business
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What Did Abu Ma'shar Know about Surid and the Pyramids?
Yesterday, I discussed some of the cross-cultural currents that fed into the myth of Hermes Trismegistus, and since the world of fringe history has been a bit quiet, I thought that today I’d pick up on yesterday’s discussion by examining how the Ancient Alphabets of Ibn Wahshiyya might actually solve a nagging problem in understanding the development of the legend of the pyramids known to Arabic-speaking Muslims of the middle ages. For convenience’s sake, I’ll follow Michael Cook and call this the “Hermetic history” of the pyramids. I’ve discussed this story many times—how before the Flood a fictitious king named Surid had a dream of the coming disaster, and how his priest Philemon calculated the time of the Flood, and how Surid built the Giza pyramids to preserve knowledge from the Flood. It is the story that inspired basically the whole lost civilization pre-Ice Age pyramids genre when Victorian writers picked it up for their occult texts. An overview of the development of the myth can be found here.
In my last blog post, I explained that the astrological calculations of the time of the Flood given in the Hermetic history, as recorded by the Akhbar al-zaman, Murtada ibn al-Afif, al-Maqrizi (via al-Qudai), and more, were taken from Persian astrologer Abu Ma‘shar’s Book of Thousands. (The date he chose, by the way, was selected to coincide with the Persian myth of Yima, who built the vara to preserved animals from the gods’ destructive winter.) But this presents a bit of a problem because Abu Ma‘shar did not record the legend of Surid and Philemon but rather said that the first Hermes foresaw the Flood and inscribed knowledge on upper Egyptian temples to protect it.
This problem is further exacerbated by a statement that Murtada ibn al-Afif made in in his History of Egypt around 1200, a book that Murtada admitted to copying from an old manuscript, presumably of the Akhbar al-zaman or its predecessor. He wrote,
Abu Ma‘shar the astrologer, in his Book of Thousands, says that the reason for the building of the Pyramids was the dream which Surid ibn Sahluq saw. He confirms it in his Book of Miraculous Dreams, where he adds that he sent for the priests and soothsayers of his time, and the astrologers, and related to them what he had seen of the descent of the Moon upon Earth in the form of a woman; of the overturning of the Earth with its inhabitants, and of the total eclipse of the Sun; and the dream he had after that: and that the Priests declared to him the coming of the Deluge, whereof mention is made in the Book of the Annals… (adapted from John Davies’ translation)
This statement simply cannot be true as written because the myth of Surid and the pyramids does not exist before it appears in the Akbar al-zaman a century after Abu Ma‘shar lived, and every version thereafter is more or less clearly derived from that version.
This seemingly irreconcilable problem hasn’t received a lot of scholarly attention. I asked Michael Cook, one of the great experts, about it a couple of years ago, but he had no idea and suggested that the reference was in error. Two other experts declined to answer my question.
But I think there is a solution.
Ibn Wahshiyya wrote around the same time as Abu Ma‘shar, and he is the only apparently independent witness to the existence of Surid as a mythic figure before the Akhbar al-zaman. Some modern scholars have suggested that his book Ancient Alphabets (Kitab Shawq al-Mustaham) is a Renaissance fraud concocted based on the work of Athanasius Kircher (who was also accused of faking Abenephius’ fragments!), but most believe that it is a genuine medieval text composed around 863 CE. After reading it all the way through, I have to agree that it contains references that don’t match the later works that would have been available in the Renaissance but it does agree with Late Antique material that wasn’t known in the West at the time.
Anyway, Ibn Wahshiyya gives us essentially the same story about Hermes that Abu Ma‘shar does, but which the censorious Akhbar al-zaman does not: “Hermes Abū Tat the philosopher … wrote on the noble art (of philosophical secrets.) He constructed in upper Egypt treasure chambers, and set up stones containing magic inscriptions, which he locked, and guarded by the charm of this alphabet, extracted from the regions of darkness” (4.12, trans. Joseph Hammer). At this early date he also, like Abu Ma‘shar, identifies Hermes with Enoch and Idris, and he alleges that “Hermes the Great”—which he implies is Hermes Trismegistus, the Second Hermes of Late Antique lore (in a confused way—whether he believed in one Hermes or two isn’t clear)—was a king of Egypt and founder of its first post-Flood dynasty. He also speaks of Hermes’ successor Asclepius and the college he founded, just as the Greeks did. This much is the shared Hermetic history of the Byzantine writers and the early Islamic writers, and his Classical learning is also on display when he refers to “King Kimas” as the author of two hundred Hermetic books of alchemy. While this is the Greek word for alchemy, it was also the name assigned to Khufu by Diodorus Siculus, the same pharaoh alleged by the Christians, and based on Late Antique Egyptian lore, to have composed sacred books of wisdom.
But Ibn Wahshiyya also knows something of Surid and Philemon, but not as we know them. His Surid and Philemon are different. He speaks only briefly of Surid, calling him a “philosopher” and attributing to him an alphabet found in the birba, or temples, of Egypt (4.2). He speaks of the pyramids in a bit more depth, writing of “the alphabet of Philaos the philosopher. He invented miraculous fumigations, marvellous compounds, talismans, and astrological tables. He constructed the treasure-chambers in the pyramids, and guarded them with the charm of wonderful alarm-posts” (4.15). That story looks a lot like the one attributed to Philemon, the executor of Surid’s plans, and the name “Philaos” seems just close enough to Philemon that the characters could be one and the same.
This testimony could solve our problem. If we accept that Ibn Wahshiyya is correct in reporting that Surid and Philemon were known in Late Antique and early medieval times as legendary philosophers or priests of the Egyptians, then things start to come together. Abu Ma‘shar might well have reported in the Thousands--which al-Mas‘udi said listed the great temples and buildings of each millennium—that the priest Surid had foretold the Flood, just as Enoch had done, and he might even have interpreted his dream in a book about dreams, presumably his lost Kitāb tafsīr al-manṣmṣt min al-nujūm (“Book of the Explanation of Dreams from the Stars”)—though there was another dream book that passed falsely under his name. And he would not have needed to have known the myth of Surid as a pharaoh building the pyramids—which, a careful reading of Murtada shows was not actually attributed to Abu Ma‘shar, only the dream.
A final bit of confirmation comes from, of all places, the Akhbar al-zaman itself. It says two things of note. First, in a discussion of Surid and his dream, it says that “Abu Ma‘shar reported this opinion in his Book of Thousands,” though the citation seems slightly out of place and appears wrongly attached to the preceding sentence, about the Copts denying they had been invaded, rather than the next one about Surid’s dream. This seems most likely to be an artifact of the Akhbar author breaking up Surid’s story into two parts and moving only some of the text to a different chapter, or the French translator picking the wrong place for a paragraph break. The parallel, but uninterrupted, text from Murtada places the same citation in the same spot, almost verbatim, except that he explicitly connects the citation to the dream. Absent the paragraph break, the Akhbar text would be the same: “Abu Ma‘shar reported this opinion in his Book of Thousands: the reason Sūrīd built the pyramids was the vision that we have reported in its proper place.” This makes two witnesses to the same story, but the Akhbar seems to acknowledge that there was a preceding version. The dream story has been extracted from the account of the pyramids and placed in a different chapter, on priests, where Surid is listed first under the heading of priests before later being reintroduced as king. Moving Abu Ma‘shar’s discussion of the dream to another part of the book interrupted the sentence citing him and left a lacuna in the paragraph that can only be understood by reading it against Murtada.
Interestingly, the version of the same story that al-Maqrizi attributes to Ibrahim ibn Wasif Shah, and which is often assumed to be a copy of the Akhbar because it is nearly verbatim identical, is missing two things: (a) the reference to Abu Ma‘shar right before Surid’s dream and (b) Abu Ma‘shar’s calculations of the planetary positions during the Flood. It is otherwise exactly the same. The implication, therefore, is that the version known to ibn Wasif Shah preserves a story which later writers “improved” with material drawn from Abu Ma‘shar.
Beyond this, at-Ta‘alibi (d. 1038 CE), in his Book of Curious and Entertaining Information, suggests that Abu Ma‘shar may have had more than one story of antediluvians building pyramids, not just the Hermes story known from later citations: “According to Abū Ma'shar al-Munajim (‘the Astrologer’), the ancient peoples living before the Flood, when they had foreknowledge that some calamity from heaven, such as an inundation or a fire, was about to overwhelm all things living on the earth and growing there, used to build massive stone pyramids in upper Egypt on the hilltops and uplands in order to be secure there from fire and water” (trans. C. E. Bosworth). This, too, agrees with the Akhbar and Murtada and implies that Abu Ma‘shar spoke of repeated premonitions of the Flood and recurring catastrophes, similar to what al-Mas‘udi wrote about not long after.
Therefore, taken altogether, the earliest witnesses seem to imply that the first version of the story involved Surid as a priest or prophet (not unlike Idris and Enoch) who (again like Enoch) had a vision of the coming of the Flood. Perhaps Surid and Philaos/Philemon were imagined as two in a series of Egyptian prophets who predicted the coming of the Flood. In this respect, this myth—whatever its origin—found its way into Abu Ma‘shar’s Thousands, where it became evidence for a new story a century later that promoted Surid to a pyramid-building king in place of the original Hermes, perhaps due to changing attitudes toward Hermeticism and the need to craft a more distinctly Islamic history of Egypt.
Well, Jason, you are showing us your work. It is too bad you can not get some middle eastern oil money to support your work on medieval Islamic writers. Ah well.
For your book you will need to hang some clothes on those writers whose work you mention. At least some descriptions of the cities and countries they wrote in.
Who was Philemon, did he pretend he could read hieroglyphic?
My own interests lie in Etruscan survivals in Roman writers, and I'm going to have to work through my own pile of documents for that, as well as some very very badly preserved impact accounts. "quo nihil terribilismus mortalium timori est."
Fundamentally, what you are looking at is ancient writings brought into conformance with the current "scientific" and religious beliefs over a long period of time by the various authors you mention.
A Buddhist
Ignore any racist insults thrown your way, E.P. Grondine. You and Jason both make very interesting writings about the development of strange ideas through history, and unlike Michael Heiser, neither of you seem blinded by a need to believe that a crucified criminal was and was not (must be careful to avoid patripassianism and Arianism even at the expense of Aristotelian logic!) YHVH an uncreated creator god.
Who do you study with?
My practice is the Jesus Prayer:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Prayer
Previously my teacher was Maezumi Rhoshi.
You know that name?
AmericanCool"Disco"Dan
So the lesson of today's ausgekleansing is that we can't talk things that actually happened using TV friendly language, and we can't call out religious bigots for Harmful Speech. Got it.
Do I need to mention that "Rh" isn't a thing in Japanese?
Yes, you sure do.
And: No, we can’t.
Today is Wednesday.
Uh? But wait. My homonculus was technically correct concerning “Bitchlord”.
If you’re sick of this shit, J?
Get real about the platform that supports your blog.
Things age fast around here, these days.
I’ll bail for awhile.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3_NOymzJhDU
You need to read about the transmission of Hermetic lore at Harran, set out here by Frederico Bruzone
https://www.quora.com/What-did-pagan-resistance-to-Christianization-look-like-during-the-time-of-the-Roman-Empire
You need to read this Cliff Notes version:
Hermeticism is only mentioned in the last paragraph. The Cliff Notes version of the last two paragraphs is:
Some pagans claimed to be Sabians so the Religion of Peace wouldn't cut their heads off and had to say "We like the Corpus Hermeticum" to keep up the scam.
The transmission of Greek texts in Babylon is well known.
The start of this transmission in Harran is not.
This fact is essential to Jason's work.
"The transmission of Greek texts in Babylon is well known.
This fact is essential to Jason's work."
You are endlessly amusing, old man. The subject is covered in more detail in the already existing Wikipedia article on the Sabians, and it doesn't involve "they made up a story to keep their heads from getting cut off" like your source,
IT'S ESSENTIAL TO JASON'S WORK!!!!
It's like you think Jason hasn't read the Wikipedia article on the Sabians, which cites a lot of scholarly sources and not just one guy working on his Master's degree like your Quora essay, and it DEFINITELY seems like YOU haven't read the Wikipedia article.
But you do love telling Jason how to write don't you?
Sometimes "news" isn't news.
Bernard Lewis, The Jews of Islam, 1987, page 13.
Judah Benzion Segal, The Sabian Mysteries. The Planet Cult of Ancient Harran, Vanished Civilizations, ed. by E. Bacon, London 1963
The city of the Moon God: Religious Traditions of Harran, p112 Tamara M. Green, 1992.
Daniel Chwolson, Die Ssabier und der Ssabismus (Sabians and Sabianism), 1856, I, 112; II, 543, cited by Salmon.
Extracts from Ethel Stefana Drower, 1937, Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran
Green, Tamara M. The City of the Moon God. Published by E.J. Brill. 1992. pp. 106-112
from 2013: https://clavisjournal.com/the-shadow-of-harran/
from 2000: http://www.annine-pansophia.nl/annine_van_der_meer/wp-content/uploads/THE-HARRAN-OF-THE-SABIANS-IN-THE-FIRST-MILLENNIUM-ad-DEF.hermesharran3.pdf
from 2000: http://www.oocities.org/mandaeans/Sabians6.html
from 2009: http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2010/2010-02-63.html
I could go on for days, but....
IT'S ESSENTIAL!!!
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» Bankruptcy
» Supreme Court sides with Alabama company in patent dispute
Supreme Court sides with Alabama company in patent dispute
The Supreme Court sided Monday with an Alabama technology company over the U.S. Postal Service in a patent dispute.
The dispute before the justices had to do with U.S. Patent No. 6,826,548. That's the patent Birmingham-based Return Mail has for a system that uses barcodes, scanning equipment and computer databases to process returned mail almost entirely automatically. The Postal Service initially expressed interest in Return Mail's invention but ultimately developed its own, similar system. That led to a dispute over the company's patent.
On Monday, the court sided 6-3 with Return Mail. Of the Postal Service's arguments, Justice Sonia Sotomayor deadpanned in an opinion : "None delivers."
The dispute began when the Postal Service tried and failed to get Return Mail's patent invalidated. Return Mail sued, arguing that the government should pay for using its invention without permission.
Just as Return Mail thought it might be gaining the upper hand, the Postal Service switched tactics, using a 2011 law to challenge Return Mail's patent. The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act says that a "person who is not the owner of a patent," can file a patent challenge using the law. The Postal Service argued it counted as a "person" under the law, but the Supreme Court disagreed.
News attorneys: Opioid distribution data should be public
Bankruptcy 05/03/2019
Attorneys for news organizations argued Thursday that the U.S. public should be allowed to see federal data about how prescription opioids were distributed as the nation’s overdose crisis was worsening.They urged a three-judge panel of the 6th ...
Governor says 'no executions' without court-backed drugs
Recent statements and actions by Gov. Mike DeWine suggest Ohio could go years without executing another death row inmate.Last month, the Republican governor ordered the prison system to come up with a new lethal drug protocol after a federal judge's ...
Dakota Access developer sues Greenpeace in state court
The developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline is going after the environmental group Greenpeace in state court in North Dakota, after a judge tossed the company's $1 billion racketeering claim out of federal court.Texas-based Energy Transfer Partne...
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Minnesota Baseball Association
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Central Minnesota Town Ball Report: Spring Hill edges Lake Henry in Stearns County tilt
CENTRAL MINNESOTA TOWN BALL REPORT
Back for a sixth season at 1390 Granite City Sports and mnbaseball.org with your weekly amateur baseball (Town Team) baseball reports. Including not only game summaries, but upcoming schedules, league standings. Tournament summaries and an occasional special interest feature. The plan is to continue to include: Lakewood League, Central Valley League, Sauk Valley League, Victory League South and Stearns County teams throughout their league playoffs, regional and state tourney games. Check out the Minnesota Amateur Baseball website for additional information: http://www.mnbaseball.org
LAKEWOOD LEAGUE/SECTION GAMES
COLD SPRING SPRINGERS 10, MOORHEAD BREWERS 4
The Springers split a doubleheader with one of their big rivals in Section 2B, the Brewers. The Springers collected 14hits, including three doubles and a triple to give their pitchers good support. Lefty Sam Hanson started on the mound, he threw five innings, he gave up two hits, issued seven walks, gave up two runs and he recorded eight strikeouts. Sean Terres threw three innings in relief, he gave up three hits, issued five walks and he gave up two runs. Jack Arnold threw one inning in relief, he gave up one hit and he recorded one strikeout.
The Springers were led on offense by five players with multi-hit games, led by Eric Loxtercamp, he went 3-for-6 with a double for one RBI and he scored two runs. Drew Bulson had a good game, he went 3-for-5 with a triple for three big RBIs. Jeron Terres went 2-for-3 with a double and a sacrifice bunt for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored two runs. Brad Olson went 1-for-4 for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored two runs and Jack Arnold went 2-for-4 with a sacrifice bunt for one RBI and he scored a run. Garrett Fuchs went 2-for-2 with a double, he earned a pair of walks and he scored one run. Brian Hansen went 1-for-4, he earned a walk and he scored a run, Zach Femrite was credited with one RBI and Alex Jungels earned a walk and he scored one run.
The Brewers’ Ryan Bourassa started on the mound he threw two innings, he gave up four hits, issued three walks, three runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Ryan Olson threw one inning in relief, he gave up two hits, issue one walk, four runs and he recorded four strikeouts. Kaleb Binstock threw three innings in relief, he gave up five hits, issued one walk, two runs and he recorded four strikeouts. Parker Trewin threw one inning, he gave up one hit and Matt Oye threw one inning in relief, he gave up two hits, one run and he recorded one strikeout.
The Brewers’ offense had five players who collected base hits, Tanner Adam went 1-for-3 and he earned a pair of walks and Joe Hallock went 1-for-5 for one RBI. David Ernst went 1-for-4, he earned a walk and he scored two runs and Nick Salentine went 1-for-1, he earned two walks, he was hit by a pitch and he scored one run. Chris Clemenson went 1-for-1 and he scored a run and Jake Faircloth was credited with one RBI, he earned three walks, he was hit by a pitch and he scored one run. Denver Blinn earned two runs and Kaleb Binstock and Matt Oye both earned one walk.
MOORHEAD BREWERS 6, COLD SPRING SPRINGERS 3
The Brewers defeated the Springers, taking advantage of a couple of Springers miscues and walks. They got down early and just could not recover, despite out-hitting the Brewers 11 to 9. David Ernst started on the mound, he threw 5 1/3 innings to earn the win. He gave up six hits, surrendered one run and he recorded six strikeouts. Jason Beilke threw two innings in relief, he gave up one hit, issued one walk and he recorded two strikeouts. Dylan Deavy threw 1/3 of an inning, he issued one walk and he recorded one strikeout.
The Brewers were led on offense by Denver Blinn, he went 1-for-5 with a home run for three RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored two runs. Jeremy Peschel went 2-for-5 with a double and he scored one run and Jays McLean went 2-for-4, he earned a walk and he had one stolen base. Joe Hallock went 1-for-4 with a double for one RBI and Jack Faircloth was credited with two RBIs and he earned a pair of walks. Matt Oye went
1-for-3, he earned a pair of walks and he scored one run. Kyle Kingsley went 1-for-3, he earned a walk and he scored one run and Tanner Adam went 1-for-5 and he scored a run.
The Springers’ Zach Femrite started on the mound, he threw five innings, he gave up seven hits, issued four walks, surrendered five runs and he recorded nine strikeouts. Nick Pennick threw four innings in relief, he gave up two hits, issued three walks, one run and he recorded four strikeouts.
The Springers were led on offense by Garrett Fuchs, he went 3-for-5 with a double for two RBIs and Brad Olson went 3-for-3, he earned a walk, scored two runs and he had one stolen base. Eric Loxtercamp went 1-for-5 with a double for one RBI and he scored a run. Joe Dempsey went 2-for-5 with a stolen base, Alex Jungels went 1-for-4 with a double and Drew Bulson earned a walk.
BRAINERD BEES 6, SAUK RAPIDS CYCLONES 2
The Bees defeated their Lakewood League rivals the Cyclones, backed by 11 hits, to give their pitchers good support. Brian Voight started on the mound, he threw four innings to earn the win, he gave up four hits, issued one walk, surrendered two runs and he recorded six strikeouts. Casey Welsh threw five innings, he gave up two hits, issued two walks and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Bees were led on offense by Cole Klefman, he went 2-for-5 for one RBI, one stolen base and he scored one run. Brian Voight went 1-for-3 for one RBI and he scored a run and Tom Fairbanks went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly for one RBI. Grant Talvaren went 1-for-3 with a double, he earned a walk and he scored a run and Phil Zinda went 1-for-4 with a double and he scored a run. McCale Peterson went 1-for-5 with a double and he scored one run and Bryce Flanagen went 2-for-2, he earned a pair of walks and he scored one run. Max Boran went 1-for-2 and Alex Haapajoki had a sacrifice bunt.
The Cyclones’ starting pitcher Andy Thayer threw three innings, he gave up six hits and three runs. Cordel Lazer threw five innings in relief, he gave up five hits, issued three walks, surrendered three runs and he recorded one strikeout.
The Cyclones were led on offense by Luis Massa, he went 3-for-4 and he scored a pair of runs. Tommy Wippler went 1-for-3 with a double and a sacrifice fly for one RBI and Bjorn Hanson went 1-for-4 with a triple for one RBI. Mitch Loegering went 1-for-4, David Kroger earned a walk and he was hit by a pitch and Paul Schlangen earned a pair of walks.
WATKINS CLIPPERS 12, EDEN VALLEY HAWKS 2 (8 Innings)
The Clippers defeated the Hawks in what was a close game until the seventh inning, when the Clippers put up five runs and they added three in the eighth. They collected 15 hits including one home run and a double for the veteran lefty, Dan Berg a great amount of support. Berg started on the mound, he threw a complete game to earn the win. He scattered 10 hits, issued three walks, surrendered two runs and he recorded four strikeouts.
The Clippers were also led by Berg offensively. He went 4-for-4 with a double for two RBIs and he scored two runs. Brendan Ashton had a good game, he went 2-for-4 with a home run for three RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored a pair of runs. Lincoln Haugen went 3-for-5 for one RBI and he scored a pair of runs and Carson Geislinger went 1-for-4 for two RBIs. Carter Block went 1-for-5 and for one RBI and Heath Kramer was credited with a pair of RBIs and he earned a pair of walks. Kevin Kramer went 2-for-4, he had a stolen base and he scored two runs. Matt Geislinger was credited with one RBI on a fielder’s choice, he earned a walk and he scored a run. Reese Jansen went 1-for-4 and he scored a run and Carter Geislinger earned a walk and he scored a run. Nolan Geislinger went 1-for-1 and he scored a run, Nolan will be an eighth-grader this fall, he collected his second amateur hit of his career.
The Hawks’ Stephen Pennertz started on the mound, he threw 6 1/3 innings, he gave up 12 hits, issued two walks, surrendered nine runs and he recorded one strikeout. Nathan Geislinger threw one inning in relief, he gave up three hits, issued two walks and surrendered three runs.
The Hawks’ offense was led by Nathan Geislinger, he went 3-for-4 with one RBI and Matt Pennertz went 1-for-4 for one RBI on a fielder’s choice. David Pennertz went 2-for-4 and Stephen Pennertz went 1-for-2, he earned two walks and he scored one run. Tanner Olean went 1-for-2, he was hit by a pitch, he eared one walk and he scored a run. Alex Geislinger and Matt Lies both went 1-for-4.
WATKINS CLIPPERS 17, PEARL LAKE LAKERS 0 (7 Innings)
The Clippers defeated their Central Valley rivals the Lakers, backed by 13 hits and a good defensive play to support their pitchers. Player/manager Matt Geislinger started on the mound, he threw five innings to earn the win. He gave up four hits and he recorded eight strikeouts. Heath Kramer threw the final two innings in relief, he gave up two hits, issued one walk and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Clippers were led by Kevin Kramer, he went 3-for-4 for four RBIs and he scored three runs. Dustin Kramer went 2-for-4 or two RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored three runs. Carter Block went 1-for-2 for two RBIs, he earned three walks and he scored three runs. Reese Jansen went 1-for-4 for two RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored one run. Dan Berg went 1-for-2 for one RBI, he earned two walks and he scored one run and Matt Geislinger went 1-for-4 for one RBI and he scored a run. Brendan Ashton went 1-for-3 for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored one run and Lincoln Haugen went 1-for-2 for one RBI and he scored a run. Heath Kramer went 1-for-2 for one RBI, he earned a pair of walks and he scored two runs. Nolan Geislinger went 1-for-1 for his first amateur RBI.
The Lakers’ Cole Denn started on the mound, he gave up three hits, he issued two walks and he surrendered seven runs. Tyler Stang threw 1/3 of an inning, he gave up two hits, two runs and he issued two walks. Justin Kunkel threw 4 1/3 inning in relief, he gave up five hits, issued eight walks, eight runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Chandler Bacon threw 1 1/3 inning in relief, he gave up three hits and he issued one walk.
The Lakers’ offense was led by Mitch Wieneke, he went 2-for-2 and he earned a walk. Max Fuchs, Chadd Kunkel and Ryan Wieneke went 1-for-3 and Ryan Heslop went 1-for-2.
COLD SPRING ROCKIES 2, ST. AUGUSTA GUSSIES 0
The Rockies defeated their Central Valley League rivals the Gussies, backed by ten hits and a good pitching performance by a pair of lefties. Ryan Hennen started on the mound, he threw 4 2/3 innings to earn the win. He gave up three hits and he recorded five strikeouts. Jake Brinker threw 4 1/3 innings in relief to earn the save, he gave up three hits and he recorded five strikeouts.
The Rockies were led by veteran David Jonas, he went 1-for-4 with a double for one RBI. Austin Dufner went 2-for-4 and young Colin Eskew went 4-for-4. Calvin Kalthoff went 1-for-4 and Nick Skluzacek went 1-for 5. Jake Brinker went 1-for-2 and Brock Humbert scored a run.
The Gussies’ Travis Laudenbach started one the mound, he threw seven innings, he gave up seven hits, gave up two runs and he recorded two three strikeouts. Tyler Bautch threw two innings in relief, he gave up three hits and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Gussies’ offense was led by veteran Dusty Schutlzetenburg, he went 2-for-4 with a double. Mitch Gwost, Aaron Fruth and Nate Laudenbach all went 1-for-4 and Marcus Lommel went 1-for-3.
LUXEMBURG BREWERS 3, PEARL LAKE LAKERS 1
The Brewers defeated their Central Valley League rivals the Lakers, backed by eight hits, including a pair of home runs and a double. This gave the Brewers starting pitcher, lefty Austin Klaverkamp enough support, he threw a complete game to earn the win. He gave up just two hits, issued three walks, surrendered one run and he recorded 13 strikeouts.
The Brewers were led on offense by Logan Aleshire, he went 2-for-2 with a home run, he earned a pair of walks and he scored one run. Chase Aleshire went 3-for-4 with a double for one RBI and Sam Iten went 1-for-4 with a home run. Luke Harren went 2-for-4, Troy “Chico” Schroeder earned a walk, he had a stolen base and he scored a run and JT Harren earned a walk and he had a stolen base.
The Lakers’ Mitchell Wieneke started on the mound, he threw a complete game, he gave up eight hits, issued four walks, surrendered three runs and he recorded four strikeouts.
Colten Fruth went 2-for-3 and he scored a run, Ryan Wieneke earned a pair of walks and Max Fuchs earned a walk.
LUXEMBURG BREWERS 8, EDEN VALLEY HAWKS 0
The Brewers defeated the Central Valley League foes the Hawks, They collected 12 hits, including a pair of doubles to give their pitchers good support. Reed Pfannenstein started on the mound, he threw seven innings to earned the win. He gave up four hits, issued two walks and he recorded seven strikeouts. JT Harren threw two innings in relief, he gave up two hits, issued two walks and he recorded four strikeouts.
The Brewers were led by Logan Aleshire, he wen 3-for-4 with a double and a sacrifice fly for two RBIs and he scored one run. Sam Iten went 2-for-3 with a double and a sacrifice fly or two RBIs, he had a stolen base and he scored two runs. Derrik Orth went 2-for-3 with a double for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored a run. Ethyn Fruth went 1-for-2, he earned a walk, had a stolen base and he scored a pair of runs. Isaac Matchinsky went 1-for-4 and he earned a walk and Luke Harren went 1-for-2, he was hit by a pitch and he scored a run. Player/manager Cory Wenz went 1-for-1 and he scored a run, Chase Aleshire went 1-for-5 and Reed Pfannenstein earned a walk.
The Hawks’ Ben Arends started on the mound, he was the pitcher of record. The Hawks were led by Alex Geislinger, he went 3-for-4 and he earned a walk. Tanner Olean went 2-for-4, Austin Schlangen went 1-for-3 with a walk, David Pennertz went 1-for-3 with a walk.
KIMBALL EXPRESS 10, ST. NICHOLAS NICKS 0
The Express defeated their Central Valley League rivals the Nicks backed by 12 hits, including four doubles to give their pitcher good support. Ben Johnson started on the mound, he threw four innings, he gave up three hits, issued three walks and he recorded four strikeouts. Zach Dingmann threw two innings in relief, he gave up one hit and he recorded one strikeout. Max Koprek threw one inning in relief, he gave up one hit, issued one walk and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Express was led by the Marquardt family, as they collected six hits, six RBIs and they scored three runs. Cade Marquardt went 2-for-5 with a double for two RBIs and he scored a run. Brian Marquardt went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly for two RBIs. Brooks went 2-for-4 for one RBI and Scott went 1-for-4 for one RBI, he earned a walk, and he scored one run. Ben Johnson went 2-for-4 with a double for one RBI and he scored two runs and Matt Dingmann went 2-for-4 with a double for one RBI, one stolen base and he scored a run. Zach Dingmann went 1-for-3 with a double, he earned a walk and he scored two runs. Adam Beyer went 1-for-2, he earned a pair of walks and he scored a pair of runs.
The Nicks’ Travis Hanson started on the mound, he threw 6 1/3 innings, he gave up 10 hits, issued three walks, surrendered eight runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Matt Schindler threw 2/3 of an inning in relief, he gave up two hits, issued one walk, two runs and he recorded one strikeout.
The Nicks were led by Matt Schindler on offense, he went 3-for-4 with a triple and Hunter Ahrens went 1-for-2 and he was hit by a pitch. Tanner Anderson went 1-for-4, Damian Lincoln earned two walks and Jeff Lutgen and Grant Mrozek both earned walks.
CENTRAL VALLEY LEAGUE STANDINGS
WATKINS CLIPPERS 7-0
PEARL LAKE LAKERS 3-4
EDEN VALLEY HAWKS 3-3
COLD SPRING ROCKIES 2-4
KIMBALL EXPRESS 4-2
LUXEMBURG BREWERS 4-3
ST. AUGUSTA GUSSIES 3-3
ST. NICHOLAS NICKS 0-6
SAUK VALLEY LEAGUE
SARTELL MUSKIES 5, FOLEY LUMBERJACKS 1
The Muskies defeated their Sauk Valley rivals the Lumberjacks backed by 10 hits and a good pitching performance by Adam Wenker. He threw a complete game, he gave up just three hits, issued two walks, one run and he recorded 15 strikeouts.
The Muskies were led on offense by veteran left fielder Tim Burns, he went 2-for-5 with a home run for two RBIs, he had a stolen base and he scored two runs. Jake Sweeter went 3-for-4 for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored a pair of runs. Cody Partch went 1-for-2 for one RBI and he earned a walk and Jace Otto went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases. Adam Schellinger went 1-for-3 for one RBI and he earned a walk and Andrew Deters went 1-for-4, he earned a walk and he had one stolen base. Braeden Dykhuizen earned a walk and he scored a run and John Schumer earned a walk.
The Lumberjacks’ starting pitcher Kyle Kipka threw a complete game, he gave up 10 hits, issued seven walks, gave up five runs and he recorded six strikeouts.
The Lumberjacks’ offensive leaders were Noah Winkelman, he went 1-for-5 with a home run and Taner Brosh went 1-for-3 and he was hit by a pitch. Tyler Midas went 1-for-4 and Kyle Kipka and Joe Ziwicki both earned walks.
SARTELL MUSKIES 10, ST. JOSEPH JOES 1
The Muskies defeated their Sauk Valley rivals the Joes, blacked by 15 hits, including two home runs and a pair of doubles. This gave their veteran lefty, David “DD” Deminsky, good support, he threw eight innings to earn the win. He gave up six singles, surrendered one run and he recorded 19 strikeouts. Paul Schumer threw the final inning in relief, he gave up one hit.
The Muskies’ offense was led by six players with multi-hit games, led by Cody Partch, he went 2-for-4 with a home run and a sacrifice fly for five RBIs and he earned a walk. Jace Otto went 4-for-6 with a home run for two RBIs and he scored three runs. Brian Schellinger went 4-for-6, he earned a walk and he scored a pair of runs. Grant Mackenthun went 2-for-5 with a double and Tim Burns went 2-for-6 and he scored two runs. Andrew Deters went 2-for-6 and he scored two runs, Ethan Carlson went 1-for-6 with a double and Adam Schellinger earned a walk.
The Joes’ Joey Atkinson started on the mound, he threw six innings, he gave up 10 hits, issued two walks, surrendered seven runs and he recorded one strikeout. Isaac Holthaus threw one inning in relief, he gave up four hits, issued one walk, surrendered two runs and he recorded one strikeout. Lukas Nyberg threw two innings in relief, he gave up one run and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Joes were led by Ben Alvord, he went 3-for-4 and Tanner Blommer went 2-for-4 and he scored a run. Brandon Bloch and Tanner Aleshire both went 1-for-4.
ST. JOSEPH JOES 6, MONTICELLO POLECATS 5
The Joes defeated the Polecats in a big Sauk Valley game, the Joes collected eight hits and a number of misplays gave the Joes’ pitchers their support. Greg Anderson started on the mound, he threw seven innings to earn the win. He gave up nine hits, issued five walks, surrendered one run and he recorded two strikeouts. Tanner Aleshire threw one inning in relief, he gave up three hits, issued one walk, surrendered one run and he recorded one strikeout. Isaac Holthaus threw one inning of relief to earn the save, he gave up one hit, issued one walk and he recorded one strikeout.
The Joes were led on offense by Tanner Blommer he went 1-for-5 for two big RBIs and he scored one run and Brandon Bloch went 1-for-5 for one RBI and he scored a run. Nick Gill went 1-for-4 for one RBI, he had a stolen base and he scored one run and RJ Alpers went 1-for-3 for one RBI and he earned a walk. Tanner Aleshire went 2-for-5 and Hunter Blommer went 1-for-3, earned a pair of walks and he scored one run. Joey Atkinson went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and he scored a run and Brandon Bissett scored a run.
The Polecats’ Wyatt Morrell started on the mound, he threw six innings, he gave up eight hits, issued two walks, surrendered six runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Andrew Manning threw three innings in relief, he issued three walks and he recorded three strikeouts.
The Polecats were led on offense by Joe Tupy, he went 3-for-4 for one RBI and he earned a walk and Cole Bovee went 2-for-5 for one RBI. Wyatt Morrell went 1-for-4 for one RBI, he earned two walks and a stolen base and Braydon Hanson went 1-for-3 for one RBI and he earned a walk. Michael Olson went 2-for-5 with a double and he scored a run and Michael Revenig went 2-for-4 and he scored a run. Tanner Eckhart went 1-for-6 and he scored a run, Keenan Macek went 1-for-5, with a double and he scored a run and Jon Affeldt earned two walks and he scored one run.
ST. JOSEPH JOES 6, CLEAR LAKE LAKERS 3
The Joes won their third Sauk Valley League game of the weekend over their rivals the Lakers. The Joes’ Alex Kendall started on the mound, he threw eight innings to earn the win. He gave up nine hits, issued two walks, surrendered three runs and he recorded six strikeouts. Greg Anderson threw the last inning in relief to earn a save, he issued one walk.
The Joes were led on offense by Tanner Aleshire, he went 3-for-5 for one RBI and Peyton Joos went 1-for-1 for two RBIs and he scored a run. Greg Anderson went 1-for-3 for one RBI and he scored a run and Joey Atkinson went 1-for-3, he earned a walk and he scored one run. Tanner Blommer went 1-for-4 and he earned a walk and Alex Kendall went 1-for-2 and he was hit by a pitch. Isaac Holthaus was credited with one RBI and he scored a run and Ben Alvord earned a walk and he had one stolen base. Brandon Bissett scored a run and Jared Klein had a sacrifice bunt.
The Lakers’ starting pitcher was Mike Golombiecki, he threw 3 1/3 innings, he gave up three hits, issued six walks and he surrendered five runs. Ryan Szymanski threw five innings in relief, he gave up five hits, issued one walk, gave up one run and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Lakers were led by Ben Anderson he went 3-for-5 with a double and he scored two runs. Tyler Mauer went 2-for-3 with a triple for one RBI and he scored a run. Matt Korte went 2-for-4 for one RBI and Hayden Fassler went 1-for-5 for one RBI. Ben Wright went 1-for-4 and he earned a walk and Jordan Golombiecki earned a walk and he had one stolen base.
MONTICELLO POLECATS 8, BIG LAKE YELLOWJACKETS 3
The Polecats defeated their rivals the Yellowjackets for a big Sauk Valley League win. The Polecats collected nine hits, to give their pitchers support. Tanner Eckhart started on the mound, he threw seven innings to earn the win. He gave up nine hits, issued three walks, surrendered two runs and he recorded seven strikeouts. Brayden Hanson threw two innings in relief, he gave up one hits, one run and he recorded one strikeout.
The Polecats were led by Tanner Eckhart, he went 3-for-4 with a double for three RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored a pair of runs. Keegan Macek went 1-for-2 for two RBIs, he had one stolen base and he scored one run. Brayden Hanson went 2-for-3, he earned a walk and he scored two runs and Michael Olson went 1-for-4, he earned a walk and he scored two runs. Greg Holker went 1-for-3, he earned a walk and he had a sacrifice bunt Michael Revenig went 1-for-5. Cole Bovee earned a walk and he scored one run and Andrew Manning had a sacrifice bunt.
The Yellowjackets’ starting pitcher was Mason Miller, he threw seven innings, he gave up eight hits, issued four walks, surrendered six runs and he recorded ten strikeouts. Dallas Miller threw two innings in relief, he gave up one hit, issued three walks, two runs and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Yellowjackets were led on offense by Brandon Holthaus, he went 2-for-4 for one RBI and Dustin Wilcox went 2-for-4, he earned a walk and scored one run. Sam Dokkebakken went 1-for-2 for one RBI and he earned a pair of walks and Dallas Miller went 1-for-4 with a double and he scored a run. Tanner Teige was credited for one RBI and he had a stolen base and Luke Atwood went 1-for-4. Brian Larson went 1-for-3 and Travis Hendrickson was hit by a pitch.
BIG LAKE YELLOWJACKETS 7, SARTELL STONE PONEYS 3
The Yellowjackets defeated the Stone Poneys of the Sauk Valley League, backed by nine hits, including a home run and a double. This gave their starting pitcher, Taylor Giving good support. He threw seven innings, he gave up four hits, issued three walks, surrendered one run and he recorded three strikeouts.
They were led by Dustin Wilcox on offense, he went 1-for-4 with a home run for two RBIs and he scored a pair of runs. Mason Miller went 1-for-2 for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored a run. Tanner Tiege went 2-for-5 and he scored a run and Chance Halligan went 2-for-4 and he scored a run. Brian Larson went 1-for-1 with a double, he earned a walk and he scored a run and Nick Harris went 1-for-1 for one RBI. Luke Atwood went 1-for-2 and he scored a run, Dallas Miller was credited with one RBI and Matthew Chuba earned a walk.
The Stone Poneys’ starting pitcher Nathan Nierenhausen threw five innings, he gave up six hits, issued three walks, surrendered six runs and he recorded three strikeouts. Austin Haugen threw one inning in relief, he recorded one strikeout. Sean Minder threw two innings in relief, he gave up three hits, gave up one run and he recorded one strikeout.
SARTELL STONE PONEYS 12, CLEAR LAKE LAKERS 2 (7 INNINGS)
The Stone Poneys earned a Sauk Valley League win over their rivals the Lakers, backed by some timely hits and several walks were issued by the Lakers’ pitchers. Player/manager lefty Jeff Amann started on the mound, he threw five innings to earn the win. He gave up four hits, issued four walks, surrendered two runs and he recorded six strikeouts. Gerald DeGray threw 1 2/3 innings in relief, he issued one walk and he recorded three strikeouts. Jacob Light closed it by retiring one batter, he recorded a strikeout for the final out.
The Stone Poneys were led on offense by Jeff Amann, he went 2-for-5 with two doubles for one RBI. Pat Dolan went 1-for-2 with a double for three RBIs, he earned a pair of walks and he scored one run. Josh Schafer went 1-for-3 with a double for one RBI, he earned two walks and he scored three runs. Rudy Sauerer went 1-for-4 for two RBIs and Dylan Dezurik went 1-for-3 for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored one run. Jacob Light went 1-for-2, he earned one walk, he was hit by a pitch and he scored a pair of runs. William Kranz earned a pair of walks, a stolen base and he scored one run. Spencer Timm and Brandon Hartung both earned a pair of walks, they were hit by a pitch and they both scored one run.
The Lakers’ Brad Knudsen started on the mound, he threw 1 2/3 innings, he gave up five hits, issued three walks, surrendered eight runs and he recorded one strikeout. Blake Brown threw 3 1/3 innings in relief, he gave up one hit, issued seven walks, surrendered two runs and he recorded four strikeouts. Mike Golombiecki threw 1 1/3 innings in relief, he gave up one hit, he issued two walks and one run.
The Lakers’ offense was led by Matt Korte, he went 2-for-3 with a triple for one RBI and Tyler Maurer went 2-for-4. Cole Gueningsman went 1-for-4 and he scored a run and Blake Brown went 1-for-3. Hayden Fassler was credited with one RBI and he earned a walk and Ben Wright earned a walk and he scored one run.
FOLEY LUMBERJACKS 17, SARTELL STONE PONEYS 7 (June 1)
The Lumberjacks defeated the Sauk Valley League foe the Stone Poneys, backed by seventeen hits, including two home runs and two doubles. The Lumberjacks used five pitchers in the game. Mitch Keeler started on the mound, he threw one inning, he issued two walks and he recorded one strikeout. Brandon Buesgens threw three innings in relief, he gave up two hits, issued four walks, one run and he recorded one strikeout. Player/manager, veteran right-hander Mike Beier threw one inning in relief, he issued two walks and two runs. Sam Keeler threw one inning in relief, he issued one walk and he recorded two strikeouts. Tanner Brosh threw the final inning in relief, he gave up one hit, issued two walks, surrendered three runs and he recorded three strikeouts.
The Lumberjacks were led by five players with multi-hit games, led by Noah Winkelman went 2-for-3 with a home run for four RBI’s and Brandon Buesgens went 3-for-4 with a sacrifice fly for one RBI and Tanner Brosh went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double for two RBIs, he earned two walks, a stolen base and he scored four runs. Mitch Keeler went 2-for-5 with a home run for two RBIs, he earned one walk and he scored a pair of runs. Cameron Jurek went 2-for-5 with a double for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored a run. Sam Keeler went 1-for-2 with a double, he earned four walks, a stolen base and he scored two runs. Drew Beier went 1-for-3, he earned two walks, was hit by a pitch and he scored two runs. Kyle Kipka went 1-for-3, he earned one walk, he was hit by a pitch and he scored one run and Rich Rassmason went 1-for-1 and he scored a run. Mike Beier earned a walk and he scored one run and Joe Ziwicki earned a walk.
The Stone Poneys’ Nate Nierenhausen started on the mound, he threw four innings, he issued four walks, surrendered nine runs and he recorded three strikeouts. Brandon Hartwig threw three innings in relief, he gave up five hits, issued four walks, surrendered four runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Jeff Amann threw 1/3 of an innings, he gave up two hits, four runs and he issued four walks.
The Poneys were led by Brandon Hartwig, he went 3-for-3 with two doubles for two RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored a run. William Kranz went 1-for-3 for two RBIs, he earned a pair of runs and he scored one run. Gerald DeGray went 1-for-3 for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored a run and Zack Overboe was credited with one RBI. Jeff Amann earned a pair of walks, Brandon Reinking scored a run and Patrick Dolan earned a pair of walks and he scored two runs. Spencer Timm was credited with one RBI, he was hit by a pitch and he earned a walk, Nate Nierenahausen was hit by a pitch and Sean Minder scored one run.
BECKER BANDITS 20, ALBERTVILLE VILLAINS 10
The Bandits out-hit their Sauk Valley League rivals the Villains 20 to 15 for a big win. Matthew Moe started on the mound for the Bandits, he threw 3 2/3 innings, he gave up nine hits, issued two walks, surrendered eight runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Weston Schug threw 5 1/3 innings in relief to earn the win, he gave up six hits, issued one walk, gave up two runs and he recorded seven strikeouts.
The Bandits were led by six players with multi-hit games, led by Weston Schug, he went 4-for-6 with two doubles for three RBIs, he scored two runs and one stolen base. Ryan Hess went 3-for-6 with a double for one RBI and he earned a walk and Connor Rolf went 2-for-5 with a sacrifice fly for one RBI and he scored four runs. Zach Wenner went 2-for-5 or 2 RBIs, he earned a pair of walks and he scored three runs and Nick Dinius went 2-for-2 for one RBI. Jon Crowley went 1-for-5 for one RBI and he scored a run and Matt Krenz and Cam Fischer both earned walks.
The Villains’ Austin Nickel started on the mound, he threw two innings. Kyle Hayden threw five innings in relief, he was the pitcher of record. Jim Althoff threw one in relief and Keith Bistodeau closed it out with one inning of relief.
The Villains were led on offense by Jim Althoff, he went 4-for-5 with two doubles, he scored four runs and he had two stolen bases. Mike Krempa went 2-for-4 with two doubles for three RBIs, he earned one walk and he scored two runs. Ian Jungels went 2-for-4 for two RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored one run. Ryan Hagerty went 2-for-5 for two RBIs and Luke Schumacher went 1-for-4 for two RBIs, he was hit by a pitch and he scored one run. Nick Bloomstrand went 2-for-5 for one RBI and he scored a run, Henry Berning went 1-for-3, he earned a walk and he scored a run and Kyle Hayden went 1-for-5 and he scored one run.
SAUK VALLEY LEAGUE STANDINGS
ST. JOSEPH JOES 6-2
SARTELL MUSKIES 2-0
FOLEY LUMBERJACKS 2-1
SARTELL STONE PONEYS 1-6
CLEAR LAKE LAKERS 0-5
MONTICELLO POLECATS 2-1
BIG LAKE YELLOWJACKETS 2-1
BECKER BANDITS 2-1
ROGERS RED DEVILS 1-1
ALBERTVILLE VILLAINS 0-1
STEARNS COUNTY LEAGUE
SPRING HILL CHARGERS 2, LAKE HENRY LAKERS 1
The Chargers defeated their Stearns County rivals and neighbors the Lakers in a well-played game. The Chargers’ Anthony Reverman started on the mound, he threw a complete game to earn the win. He scattered eight hits, issued one walk, gave up one run and he recorded one strikeout.
The Chargers were led by Jamie Terres, he went 1-for-2 with a triple and he earned a pair of walks. Owen Meyer went 1-for-4 for one RBI and he had a stolen base and Brent Terres went 1-for-2 with a sacrifice bunt. Jordan Orbeck went 1-for-3 and he scored a run and Anthony Reverman went 1-for-3. Nathan Terres went 1-for-4 and Eric Terres had a stolen base.
The Lakers’ starting pitcher, Jason Kampsen, threw a complete game, he gave up six hits, issued two walks, two runs and he recorded four strikeouts.
The Lakers’ Josh Kampsen went 2-for-3 for one RBI and Shane Kampsen went 2-for-4 and he scored a run. Carter Wessel went 1-for-4 with a double and Grant Ludwig went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt. Jason Kampsen went 1-for-3 and he earned a walk and Matt Lieser went 1-for-3. Matt Quade was hit by a pitch and Sam Hopfer had a sacrifice fly.
ELROSA SAINTS 10, FRAMING FLAMES 0
The Saints defeated their Stearns County rivals the Flames backed by nine hits, including a home run and a double. They got good pitching performances by the right handed brothers. Ethan Vogt started on the mound, he gave up one hit, he issued two walks and he recorded seven strikeouts. Aaron Vogt threw three innings in relief, he issued one walk and he recorded a pair of strikeouts.
The Saints were led on offense by Brandon Roelike, he went 1-for-1 with a home run for three RBIs, he earned three walks and he scored one run. Austin Imdieke went 1-for-3 with a double for two RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored one run. Kevin Kuefler went 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly for one RBI and Brady Weller went 2-for-3 for one RBI. Cody Eichers went 1-for-2 and he scored a run and Jacob Weller went 1-for-2, he earned a walk and he scored a run. Derek Wiener went 1-for-2 and he scored a run and Matt Schmitz was credited with one RBI. Ethan Vogt earned two walks and he scored a run and James Kuefler, earned a walk, had a stolen base, he was hit by a pitch and he scored one run. Ryan Illies went 1-for-1 and he scored a run and Michael Bendix scored a run.
The Flames’ Brady Mergen started on the mound, he threw four innings, he gave up four hits, issued four walks, gave up five runs and he recorded four strikeouts. Adam Winkels threw 2 2/3 innings in relief, he gave up two hits, issued three walks, two runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Tylor Schroeder threw 2/3 of an inning in relief, he gave up three hits, issued one walk, three runs and he recorded one strikeout. The Flames’ Taylor Fourre went 1-for-4 and Cody Fourre, Tylor Schroeder and Dylan Panek all earned walks.
ST. MARTIN MARTINS 11, NEW MUNICH SILVERSTREAKS 0 (7 Innings)
The Martins had a big win over their Stearns County rivals the Silverstreaks, backed by 13 hits, including a home run and four doubles to give their pitchers a great deal of support. Scott Lieser started on the mound, he threw five innings to earn the win, he issued two walks and he recorded four strikeouts. Ryan Nett threw one inning in relief, he gave up one hit, issued one walk and he recorded two strikeouts. Kyle Lieser threw the final inning in relief, he gave up two hits and he recorded one strikeout.
The Martins were led on offense by Daniel Sargent, he had a big game, he went 3-for-3 with two doubles for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored three runs. Kyle Lieser, had a good game, he went 3-for-4 with a home run and he scored two runs. Nathan Schlangen went 1-for-3 for two RBIs and he scored two runs and Jaylyn Arecneau went 2-for-3 for two RBIs. Derek Stroeing went 1-for-1 for one RBI and Scott Schlangen was credited for two RBI’s and he earned a walk. Bryan Schlangen went 1-for-3 with a double, he earned a walk and he scored two runs and Chas Hennen went 1-for-1 with a double, he was hit by a pitch and he scored one run. Matthew Schlangen went 1-for-1 and he earned a walk and Michael Schlangen scored a run.
The Silversteaks’ Ty Reller started on the mound, he threw three innings, he gave up eight hits, issued three walks, surrendered six runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Jim Thull threw two innings in relief he gave up five hits, issued one walk, surrendered five runs and he recorded one strikeout. Will Funk threw the final inning in relief, he recorded one strikeout.
The Silverstreaks’ Will Funk went 1-for-3, Paul Sand and Nolan Sand both went 1-for-1. Joe Stangler, Nick Stangler and Jacob Hinnenkamp all earned one walk.
MEIRE GROVE GROVERS 21, ROSCOE RANGERS 0 (7 Innings)
The Grovers remain on a roll as they defeated their Stearns County rivals the Rangers, backed by 21 hits to give their pitcher a lot of support. Ben Klaphake started on the mound, he threw seven innings to earn the win. He gave up just two hits, issued two walks and he recorded five strikeouts.
The Grovers were led by seven players with multi-hit games, led by Colton Meyer, he had a great game, he went 3-for-5 with a double for five RBIs and he scored two runs. Tanner Klaphake had a good game, he went 3-for-5 with a double for four RBIs and he scored three runs. Alex Welled had a good game, he went 2-for-4 for four RBIs, he was hit by a pitch and he scored four runs. Tyler Moscho went 2-for-4 for two RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored one run. Jordan Klaphake went 4-for-4 for one RBI, he was hit twice by a pitch and he scored three runs. Kurt Marthaler went 2-for-3 for one RBI, he earned a walk, he was hit twice by a pitch and he scored a run. Jaron Klaphake went 2-for-4 for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored two runs. Josh Olmsheid went 2-for-5 for one RBI and he scored a run, Andrew Welle went 1-for-4 for one RBI, he was hit by a pitch and he scored three runs and Bob Deters earned a walk and he was hit by a pitch.
The Grovers’ Josh Mackendanz started on the mound, he threw 3 2/3 innings, he gave up ten hits, eight runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Brandon Schleper threw 2 1/3 innings in relief, he gave up three hits, and one run. RJ Leyendecker threw 2 2/3 innings in relief, he gave up two hits, issued three walks and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Rangers’ Zack Mackendanz went 1-for-2 with a double, Russ Leyendecker went 1-for-3, and Brandon Schleper and Chris Vanderbeek both earned walks.
STEARNS COUNTY LEAGUE STANDINGS
MEIRE GROVE GROVERS 5-1
SPRING HILL CHARGERS 5-2
ELROSA SAINTS 5-3
NEW MUNICH SILVERSTREAKS 2-5
GREENWALD CUBS 0-6
LAKE HENRY LAKERS 4-2
ST. MARTIN MARTINS 3-2
RICHMOND ROYALS 3-3
FARMING FLAMES 3-3
ROSCOE RANGERS 2-5
VICTORY LEAGUE SOUTH
AVON LAKERS 6, NISSWA LIGHTNING 5
The Lakers defeated the Lightning in a game between two of the top teams in the Victory League. The Lakers collected 12 hits, including three doubles to give their right-handers good support. Will Kleinschmidt started on the mound, he threw five innings to earn the win. He gave up three hits, issued one walk, surrendered one run and he recorded two strikeouts. Matt Pichelmann threw four innings in relief to earn the save, he gave up eight hits, issued a pair of walks and surrendered four runs.
The Lakers were led on offense by Taylor Holthaus, he went 2-for-4 with a double for two RBIs and he scored one run. Josh Becker went 1-for-4 with a double for one RBI, he earned a walk and he scored a run. Riley Voit went 2-for-4 for two RBIs and Will Kleinschmidt went 2-for-3 with two doubles and he scored a run. Matt Meyer went 2-for-5 and he scored a run and player/manager Reed Voit went 1-for-4 for one RBI. Caleb Curry went 1-for-3, he earned two walks and he scored one run and Carter Holthaus went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt and he scored one run. Matt Pichelmann earned a walk and Carter Huberty scored a run.
The Lightning’s veteran right-hander Scott Sand started on the mound, he threw seven innings. He gave up 11 hits, issued two walks, gave up five runs and he recorded five strikeouts. Aaron Jenkins threw 1 2/3 innings in relief, he gave up one hit, issued three walks and one run. Eric Bolt threw 1/3 of an inning, he recorded a strikeout.
The Lightning were led by Jason Roepke, he went 2-for-3 with a home run and he earned a walk and Jeremiah Piepkorn went 2-for-5 with a home run and a double for one RBI. Chris Peterson went 2-for-4 with a double and he scored a run and Morgan Shepherd went 2-for-4. Player/manager Aaron Jenkins went 1-for-4 and Tyler Wittwer went 1-for-4 and he scored a run. Adam Hardy went 1-for-2, he earned a pair of walks and he scored a run and Kolton Michalksi was credited with one RBI and he had a sacrifice bunt.
FREEPORT BLACK SOX 5, ST. STEPHEN STEVES 4
The Black Sox defeated the Victory League South division rivals the Steves, backed by a huge five run first inning. The Black Sox’s starting pitcher TJ Frericks threw eight innings to earn the win. He gave up four hits, issued three walks, surrendered three runs and he recorded four strikeouts. Edwin Zombrona threw one inning in relief to earn the save, he gave up two hits, one run and he recorded one strikeout.
The Black Sox’s were led on offense by Brady Pesta, he went 1-for-3 for two huge RBIs and he earned a walk. Alex Martinez went 2-for-4 for one RBI and he scored a run. Jake Braegelmann went 2-for-2, he earned a pair of walks and he scored a run. Ike Sawyer went 1-for-4 and he scored a run and Dylan Carlson went 1-for-4. Bryan Benson went 1-for-3 and Trevor Sawyer earned a pair of walks, had a stolen base and he scored one run. Nate Mettenberg and Cody Rose both earned walks.
The Steves’ Nick Krippner started on the mound, he threw five innings, he gave up six hits, issued four walks, surrendered five runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Chris Belling threw three innings in relief, he issued three walks and he recorded five strikeouts.
The Steves were led by player/manager Ben Omann, he went 1-for-4 with a double for one RBI and Bo Schmitz went 1-for-5 with a sacrifice fly for one RBI. Tony Schmitz went 1-for-3 and he scored a run and Jake Schelonka went 1-for-3 and he scored a run. Austin Guggenberger went 1-for-4 and Nick Krippner went 1-for-1 with a stolen base. Brandon Waldvogel earned a walk and he scored one run and Blake Guggenberger earned a walk.
FREEPORT BLACK SOX 2, ST. WENDEL SAINTS 1 (11 Innings)
The Black Sox defeated their Victory League South rivals the Saints for second big win of the weekend. The Black Sox collected 13 hits, but they left several runners stranded. The Black Sox’s starting pitcher, Mitch Reller threw a complete game. He threw 11 innings, he gave up five hits, issued three walks, surrendered one run and he recorded 26 strikeouts to earn the win.
The Black Sox’s were led by six players with multi-hit games, Bryan Benson went 2-for-4, he earned a walk, one stolen base. In the 11th inning he put down a picture perfect bunt to move the winning run into scoring position. The winning run scored on a balk call, as Nate Mettenburg scored after advancing on a passed ball. Alex Martinez was credited with one RBI on the balk call. Brady Pesta had a good game, he went 3-for-5 and he scored a run and Nate Mettenburg went 2-for-4, he earned a walk and he scored the winning run. Dylan Carlson went 2-for-4 and he was hit by a pitch, Bryce Stalboerger went 1-for-5. Ike Sawyer earned a walk. Trevor Sawyer and Cody Rose both went 2-for-4 and Ike Sawyer earned a walk.
The Saints’ Jake Ethan started on the mound, he threw eight innings, he gave up nine hits, issued three walks, surrendered one run and he recorded three strikeouts. Peter Schumer threw two innings in relief, he gave up four hits, gave up one run and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Saints player/manager led the offense, Tyler Huls went 2-for-5 with a double and Peter Schumer went 1-for-4 with a double and he earned a walk. Jordan Gombos went 1-for-4 and he earned a walk, Jack Opatz went 1-for-5 and Jacob Wolter was hit by a pitch.
OPOLE BEARS 4, ST. STEPHEN STEVES 3
The Bears defeated their Victory League rivals the Steves backed by a good pitching performance by Isaiah Folsom. He threw a complete game, he scattered nine hits, issued four walks, gave up three runs and he recorded eight strikeouts.
The Bears were led by Joel Klein on offense, he went 1-for-3 with a double for three huge RBIs and he earned a walk. Scott Binek went 1-for-2 with a double, he was hit by a pitch, he earned a walk and he scored two runs. Zach Bialka went 1-for-4, he was hit by a pitch and he scored a run and Isaiah Folsom went 1-for-4 and he scored a run. Alex Lange went 1-for-5 and Jake Klein and Austin Lange both earned walks.
The Steves’ starting pitcher Riley Hartwig threw 7 2/3 innings, he gave up five hits, issued six walks, gave up four runs and he recorded eight strikeouts. Chris Belling threw 1 1/3 inning in relief, he recorded two strikeouts.
The Steves were led on offense by Blake Guggenberger, he went 2-for-4 for one RBI and he earned a walk. Player/manager Ben Oman went 1-for-3 for one RBI and he earned two walks. Matthew Meyer went 1-for-5 with a double and he scored a run and Tony Schmitz went 1-for-4 with a double. Riley Hartwig went 2-for-3, Jake Schelonka went 1-for-4, he earned a walk and he scored two runs and Nick Krippner went 1-for-4.
VICTORY LEAGUE SOUTH STANDINGS
AVON LAKERS 5-0
FREEPORT BLACK SOX 4-3
OPOLE BEARS 3-2
ST. STEPHEN STEVES 2-5
St. WENDEL SAINTS 0-6
EXHIBITION GAMES
COLD SPRING SPRINGERS 11, MONTICELLO POLECATS 2
The Spingers of the Lakewood League defeated the Polecats from the Sauk Valley League in exhibition action. Both teams were missing some of those players, despite the final score there was some good baseball played. Both teams made some nice defensive plays. The Springers collected 12 hits, including two home runs and two doubles, to give their pitchers good support. Ben Etzell started on the mound, he threw 3 2/3 innings to earn the win. He gave up three hits, issued two walks and he recorded four strikeouts. Lefty Sam Hanson threw three innings in relief, issued a pair of walks and he recorded six strikeouts. Nick Pennick threw two innings in relief, he recorded five strikeouts.
The Springers’ offense was led by Joe Dempsey, he went 2-for-4 with two home runs for five big RBI’s and he earned a walk. His first home run was about a 380-foot shot to left center field. Veteran Drew VanLoy went 2-for-3 with a double for three big RBIs, he was hit by a pitch and he scored a run. Brad Olson had a good game, he went 3-for-4 with a sacrifice fly for two RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored one run. Eric Loxtercamp went 2-for-4, he earned a walk and he scored a pair of runs. Drew Bulson went 1-for-2, he earned three walks, one stolen base and he scored a pair of runs. Jeron Terres went 2-for-5 with a double and veteran Zach Femrite was credited with one RBI on a fielder’s choice, he earned a walk and he scored a run. Alex Jungels and Nick Pennick both earned one walk and they scored one run.
The Polecats’ Hunter Kisner started on the mound, he threw 1 2/3 innings, he gave up four hits, issued four walks and he surrendered eight runs. Joe Tupy threw 4 1/3 innings in relief, he gave up six hits, issued four walks, and he surrendered three runs. Andrew Manning threw one inning in relief, he issued two walks and he recorded three strikeouts. Braydon Hanson threw the final inning in relief, he gave up two hits and he recorded one strikeout.
The Polecats were led on offense by Michael Revenig went 2-for-3 with a double, he earned a walk and he scored a run. Cole Bovee went 1-for-4 for one RBI and Tanner Eckhart went 1-for-4. Michael Olson earned a walk, he was hit by a pitch and he scored one run, Braydon Hanson earned a walk and Joe Tupy earned a walk.
BEAUDREAU’S SAINTS 12, ST. JOSEPH JOES 2 (7 Innings)
The Saints of the Lakewood League defeated the Joes of the Sauk Valley League, backed by 14 hits, including four doubles and a triple. Veteran right-hander Dan Kronenberg started on the mound, he threw three innings, he gave up one hit, issued one walk and he recorded one strikeout. Brindley Theisen threw three innings in relief, he gave up two hits, issued one walk and he recorded five strikeouts. Player/manager Brian Anderson threw the final inning in relief, he recorded one strikeout.
The Saints were led by five players with multi-hit games, led by Brian Minks, he went 2-for-3 with a triple and a double for two RBIs, he earned a pair of walks, and he scored four runs. Steve Neutzling went 1-for-4 for two RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored a pair of runs. Reese Gregory went 2-for-5 with a double for one RBI and he scored three runs. Tommy Auger went 3-for-3 with a double and a sacrifice fly for one RBI. Tom Imholte went 3-for-5 with a double and he scored two runs and Doug Keller went 2-for-2 for two RBI’s. Nick Hengel went 1-for-1 for one RBI and Mike Reilly earned a walk and he had a stolen base. Tom Spaniol earned two walks, Jason Kotschevar and Will Spaniol both earned walks.
The Joes’ starting pitcher was Tanner Aleshire, he threw two innings, he gave up nine hits, issued three walks, surrendered seven runs and he recorded one strikeout. Isaac Holthaus threw four innings in relief, he gave up three hits, issued three walks, surrendered two runs and he recorded five strikeouts. Tanner Blommer threw 2/3 of an inning in relief, he gave up two hits, issued three walks, surrendered three runs and he recorded one strikeout.
The Joes’ offense was led by Ben Alvord, he went 1-for-2, he earned a walk and he scored a run. Joey Atkinson went 1-for-3 and he scored a run and Peter Nelson went 1-for-4. Hank Haggen was hit by a pitch and Nick Gill went 1-for-3 for one RBI.
CHANHASSEN RED BIRDS 3, BEAUDREAU’S SAINTS 2
Beaudreau’s battled with one of the top Class B teams in the state, the Red Birds of the River Valley League. The Red Birds, they collected just six hits, including a pair of timely hits, one home run and one double. Former St. Cloud State pitcher, Miles Nablo started on the mound, he threw three innings, he gave up two hits, issued two walks and he recorded four strikeouts. Adrian Turner threw two innings in relief, he gave up two hits, issued two walks and he gave up one run. Shawn Reisgraf threw four innings in relief, he gave up two hits, issued two walks, surrendered one run and he recorded three strikeouts.
The Red Birds were led by a former St. Cloud State Husky, Michael Jurgella, he went 1-for-4 with a home run for two big RBIs. Aaron Kloeppner went 1-for-3 for one RBI and Riley Johnson went 1-for-4 with a double and he scored a run. Former Husky Garrett Fischer went 2-for-3, he earned a walk and he had one stolen base. Nick Smith went 1-for-4 with a stolen base, Ryan Diers went 1-for-3 and Justin Anderson earned a walk and he scored a run.
The Saints’ starting pitcher, Tommy Auger threw five innings, he gave up five hits, issued three walks, surrendered four runs and he recorded two strikeouts. Reese Gregory faced a couple of his former Husky teammates, he threw three innings in relief, he gave up one hit and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Saints were led by Mike Reilly, he went 1-for-4 for one RBI and Tom Imholte went 2-for-5. Nick Hengel went 1-for-4 and he scored a run, Brian Minks earned three walks, Reese Gregory earned a pair of walks and Will Spaniol scored one run.
SARTELL MUSKIES 10, PEARL LAKE LAKERS 0 (8 Innings)
The Muskies of the Sauk Valley League defeated the Lakers of the Central Valley league, backed by 16 hits, including a home run, two doubles and a triple. This gave lefty Johnny Schumer the Muskies starting pitcher good support. He threw five innings, he gave up just two hits, issued one walk and he recorded eight strikeouts. Dylan Notsch threw three innings in relief, he gave up two hits and he recorded four strikeouts.
The Muskies were led by six players with multi-hit games, led by Ethan Carlson, he went 2-for-5 with a double for three RBIs, he had a stolen base and he scored two runs. Brian Schellinger went 2-for-3 with a double for two RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored one run. Adam Schellinger went 3-for-4 with a triple and a double and he scored three runs. Dylan Notsch went 3-for-5 for one RBI, he had a stolen base and he scored two runs. Andrew Deters went 3-for-5 and he scored two runs and Riley Arndt went 1-4 with a home run that cleared the road and Grant Mackenthun went 2-for-4 for one RBI. Cody Partch earned a pair of walks and Brandon Kramer was hit by a pitch.
The Lakers’ starting pitcher Chadd Kunkel was their pitcher of record. Justin Kunkel went 1-for-4 with a double and Chadd Kunkel went 1-for-3 with a double. Max Fuchs went 2-for-4, Craig Pfannenstein went 1-for-3 and Mathew Krippner went 1-for-3.
OPOLE BEARS 3, FARMING FLAMES 2
The Bears of the Victory League defeated the Stearns County foe the Flames in exhibition action. They collected eight hits and a pair of runs in the ninth inning to earn the win. Blake Niemeyer started on the mound, he threw five innings, he gave up four hits, issued three walks, surrendered two runs and he recorded three strikeouts. Tate Lange threw four innings in relief, he gave up three hits and he recorded three strikeouts.
The Bears were led on offense by Jordan Schmitz, he went 2-for-3 for two RBIs, he had two stolen bases and he scored a run. Jordan had the base hit that drove in a pair of runs in the ninth inning. Tate Lange went 1-for-3 for one RBI and he earned a walk and Alex Lange went 1-for-4. Scott Binek, Isaiah Folsom and Blake Niemeyer all went 1-for-3. Austin Lange went 1-for-2, he earned a walk and he scored a run and Joel Klein earned a walk and he scored a run Jayden Prochaska had a sacrifice bunt and Jake Klein had a stolen base.
The Flames’ starting pitcher, Chad Mergen threw five innings, he gave up four hits, and he recorded two strikeouts. Aaron Eiynck threw two innings in relief, he gave up one hit, one run and he recorded one strikeout. Zack Koltes threw two innings relief, he gave up one hit, issued two walks, gave up two runs and he recorded two strikeouts.
The Flames’ offense was led by Austin Arceneau and Chad Mergen, they both went 1-for-3 with a double. Isaac Nett went 1-for-3 for one RBI and Adam Winkels had a sacrifice fly for one RBI. Zach Koltes went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and Aaron Eiynck earned a walk and he scored a run. Cody Fourre and Cary Shay both went 1-for-3. Nick Mergen went 1-for-1, he earned a walk, had a stolen base, he was hit by a pitch and he scored one run.
RICHMOND ROYALS 18, ATWATER CHUCKERS 7 (7 Innings)
The Royals of the Stearns County League defeated the Chuckers of the County Line League. The Royals collected 15 hits, including three home runs and a double and eight walks by the Chuckers. Justin Schroeder started for the Royals on the mound, he threw four innings against his former team to earn the win. He gave up three hits, surrendered three runs and he recorded four strikeouts. Eli Emerson threw one inning in relief, he retired the three batters he faced. Alex Budde threw one inning in relief, he gave up one hit and he recorded two strikeouts. Dalton Thelen threw the final inning in relief, he gave up one hit, issued four walks, surrendered four runs and he recorded one strikeout.
The Royals were led on offense by their veteran Cole Schmitz, he had a great game, he went 4-for-5 with two home runs for seven huge RBIs and he scored three runs. Alex Budde had a good game, he went 3-for-5 for three RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored two runs. Justin Schroeder went 2-for-5 with a home run for four big RBIs, he earned a walk and he scored two runs. Kyle Budde went 1-for-4 for two RBIs, he earned two walks and he scored a pair of runs. Dalton Thelen went 1-for-4 for one RBI, he had one stolen base and he scored one run. Dusty Adams went 1-for-4 with a double, he earned two walks and he scored three runs. Andy Hadley went 1-for-3, he was hit twice by a pitch and he scored one run. Kenny Mooney earned two walks, he was hit by a pitch and he scored three runs. DJ Schleicher went 1-for-1 and Aaron Budde was hit by a pitch.
The Chuckers’ Jeremy Elkser started on the mound, he threw seven innings, he gave up fifteen hits, issued eight walks, surrendered 18 runs and he recorded four strikeouts. The Chuckers were led on offense by Josh Cunningham, he went 1-for-2 with a double, he earned one walk, he was hit by a pitch and he scored two runs. Jordan Olson went 1-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and he scored one run and Kobe Holtz went 1-for-4 for two RBIs. Zach Cunningham went 1-for-3 for two RBIs and Jaren Kaddatz went 1-for-2 with a sacrifice bunt, a stolen base and he scored one run. Jeff Peterson earned a walk and he scored a run and David Kingery was credited with one RBI. Noah Cunningham and Nate Ewert both earned a walk and they both scored a run.
ISANTI REDBIRDS 8, MONTICELLO POLECATS 7
The Redbirds defeated the Polecats in exhibition action, they collected 11 hits to give their pitchers support. Phil Bray started on the mound, he threw three innings, he gave up one hit, two runs and he recorded four strikeouts. Tristen Zimprich threw four innings in relief, he gave up one hit, issued four walks, one run and he recorded two strikeouts to earn the win. Patrick Brooks threw on inning in relief, he gave up two hits, three runs and he issued two walks.
The Redbirds were led on offense by Tristen Zimprich, he went 3-for-4 for one RBI, he earned a walk, two stolen bases and he scored a pair of runs. Joseph Tucholsky went 1-for-4 with a triple for two RBIs and he had a sacrifice bunt. Nick Hoffman went 2-for-5 with a double for one RBI and he had three stolen bases. Jeff Bowman went 2-for-4 for one RBI, he earned a pair of walks and he had a stolen base. Phil Bray went 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly for one RBI, he was hit by a pitch and he had a stolen base. Veteran Dan Hamann went 1-for-5 and he earned a walk, Dakota Rockstad went 1-for-2, he earned a pair of walks and he scored two runs and Wyatt Kerkes had a stolen base.
UPCOMING GAMES:
LAKEWOOD LEAGUE
Sauk Rapids Cyclones at Cold Spring Springers, 7:30 p.m. (FOX 9 TOWN BALL TOUR SITE)
Sartell Muskies at Sartell Stone Poneys, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, June 12 (All games at 7:30 p.m.)
Foley Lumberjacks at Big Lake Yellowjackets
Becker Bandits at Sartell Stone Poneys
Albertville Villains at Monticello Polecats
Friday, June 14 (All games at 7:30 p.m.)
Albertville Villains at Sartell Muskies
Rogers Red Devils at Monticello Polecats
Saturday, June 15 (All games at 1:30 p.m.)
Sartell Muskies at Rogers Red Devils
Monticello Polecats at Clear Lake Lakers
Sartell Muskies at Clear Lake Lakers, 1:30 p.m.
St.Joseph Joes at Foley Lumberjacks, 1:30 p.m.
Rogers Red Devils at Becker Bandits, 4 p.m.
CENTRAL VALLEY GAMES
Eden Valley Hawks at Cold Spring Rockies
St.Augusta Gussies at Watkins Clippers
Sunday, June 16 (All games at 2 p.m.)
Pearl Lake Lakers at Eden Valley Hawks
Watkins Clippers at Kimball Express
St.Augusta Gussies at Luxemburg Brewers
St. Nicholas Nicks at Cold Spring Rockies
STEARNS COUNTY GAMES
St. Martin Martins at Farming Flames, 8 p.m.
Richmond Royals at Roscoe Rangers, 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 16 (All games at 1:30 p.m.)
Lake Henry Lakers at Richmond Royals
St. Martin Martins at Meire Grove Grovers
New Munich Silverstreaks at Spring Hill Chargers
St. Wendel Saints at Avon Lakers
St. Stephen Steves at Aitkin Steam
Friday/Saturday/Sunday June 14-16
HIGH LIFE INVITATIONAL
Co-Hosted by: ARLINGTON A’s and GAYLORD ISLANDERS
TEAMS: Gaylord Islanders, Owatonna Aces, Champlin LoGators, Rosetown A’s, St. Peter Saints, Forest Lake Brewers, Regal Eagles, Prior Lake Jays, Pipestone A’s, Janesville Jays, Dawson Drakes, Cold Spring Springers, TCMABL Black Sox, Osceola Braves, Eau Claire Bears, Metro Knights
Owatonna vs. TCMABL at Arlington, 6:45 p.m.
Champlin LoGators vs. Gaylord at Gaylord, 6:45 p.m.
Cold Spring vs. Osceola at Arlington, 8:45 p.m.
Dawson vs. St. Peter at Gaylord, 8:45 p.m.
Regal vs. Prior Lake at Arlington, 10:15 a.m.
Janesville vs. Metro Knights at Gaylord, 10:15 a.m.
Forest Lake vs. Eau Claire at Arlington, 12:15 p.m.
Rosetown vs. Pipestone at Gaylord, 12:15 p.m.
Loser's Bracket games: 2:15 and 4:15 p.m.
Winner's Bracket games: 6:15 and 8:15 p.m.
Loser's Bracket games: Noon, 2:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m.
Winner's Bracket games: Noon, 2:15 p.m.
Championship game: 4:30 p.m.
New London-Spicer Twins at Elrosa Saints, 7:30 p.m.
Avon Lakers at St. Joseph Joes, 6:30 p.m.
Beaudreau’s Saints at St. Augusta Gussies, 6:15 p.m.
Brainerd Bees at Pierz Lakers, 7:30 p.m.
Beaudreau’s Saints at Freeport Black Sox, 5 p.m.
St. Joseph Joes at Willmar Rails, 1:30 p.m.
Albertville Villains at Montrose-Waverly Stingers, 1 p.m.
Elrosa Saints at Starbuck Bucks, 8 p.m.
Sartell Stone Poneys at Beaudreau’s Saints, 5 p.m.
Coon Rapids Red Birds at Monticello Polecats, 2 p.m.
Roger Mischke
The Mat Rat
Guillotine Writer (26 Years)
Class A State Ratings Editor (20 Years)
USA Wrestling Magazine State Editor (12 Years)
1390 Granite City Sports College/Amateur/Legion Baseball/Wrestling Beat Writer (6 Years)
email: matrat@midco.net
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Tag: bb apps
BlackBerry is placing its focus on software as smartphone business trembles
Lucy | February 15, 2016
As its handset sales remain lower than the Canadian company had hoped, it has slashed 200 jobs.
The restructuring strategy at BlackBerry has been continuing and, on the heels of a job cut affecting 200 people, the struggling Canadian handset manufacturing is now directing its attention toward software.
The company barely has any mobile device models left on the market shelves and their sales simply aren’t cutting it.
Because of this, BlackBerry appears to be shifting its focus in order to send its resources in the direction of mobile apps for consumers and services for businesses – areas in which the company has managed to excel, over the years. The market share of global smartphone sales currently held by the Canadian mobile device maker is a measly 0.3 percent (as of the third quarter of 2015), according to data from Gartner. That said, when it comes to business security software and other forms of applications, the brand is managing to steadily improve its position.
Even the switch that BlackBerry made to Android does not appear to have been enough to boost its smartphone sales.
John Chen, CEO of the company, announced that the company didn’t intend to step away from hardware and, as a part of that strategy, the company released the Priv smartphone, which was based on Android instead of on its own proprietary operating system. The hope was that the more popular mobile platform, in combination with the exponentially larger availability of mobile apps, would be enough to draw consumers back to the brand. Unfortunately, while it did see an increase in sales, it doesn’t look as though it was enough to rescue its hardware business.
The device, itself, is quite unique, and it isn’t difficult to see why the company would feel that it had draw for consumers. Its large 5.4 inch touchscreen also offered a slide-out physical keyboard, for users who would prefer the ease of a mechanical way to type. Its 18 megapixel primary camera (which also allows for 4K video recordings) featured autofocus and an image stabilizer. It is NFC technology enabled and offers about 22 hours of battery with standard device usage. It also comes pre-loaded with security and privacy apps. Its retail US price is $699.
That said, while it doesn’t look like BlackBerry has reached the point where it is phasing its smartphones out of production, predictions look as though its hardware options are going to become slimmer as the year progresses.
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Lt TAXIS in Callington, Cornwall
Our Callington Taxi Service
Our Lt TAXIS are available for taxi hire in Callington and around the neighbouring areas. Our Callington Lt Taxis are happy to accommodate you on your journey to and from any location. Our taxis & private hire vehicles can take you on a short or long journey of your choice. In fact Lt TAXIS are available throughout Cornwall so our Callington taxis could take you as far as The Lizard Point should you wish!
Our Lt taxi service in Callington is second to none, we pride ourselves on a great service each time, providing you with a fantastic customer service, a great value journey and most importantly a safe and comfortable drive every time.
About Callington
It has been postulated that Callington was one of the possible locations of the ancient site of the court of King Arthur. Monuments nearby such as Castlewich Henge and Cadsonbury Iron Age Hillfort, together with Dupath Well built in 1510 are well worth a visit. Callington has previously been a very import mining area, one of the most important in Great Britain during the 18th century but today all the mines are closed and only the remains are left. However granite is still quarried on Hingstom Down.
Events in Callington
Henry III granted a market charter to Callington in 1267. This allowed the town to have a weekly and annual fair. To this day, the first Wednesday in October sees the Honey fair, when street traders, charity stalls etc., gather to relive the tradition.
The annual Carnival, held in July each year, includes a window display competition and the town is an avid participant in the Britain in Bloom competition, of which it has won in previous years.
In June of each year you can take part in the Kit Hill Run.
Where is Callington?
Callington (Cornish: Kelliwik) is a town in the south east of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom about 7 miles (11 km) north of Saltash and 9 miles (14 km) south of Launceston. It had a population of 4,783 in 2001, according to the 2001 census. The town is situated in east Cornwall between Dartmoor to the east and Bodmin Moor to the west. A former agricultural market town, it lies at the intersection of the south-north A388 Saltash to Launceston road and the east-west A390 Tavistock to Liskeard road. Kit Hill is a mile north east of the town and rises to 333 metres (1,093 ft) with views of Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor and the River Tamar.
Where can our Callington taxis meet you?
Our Callington Lt Taxis can pick you up and drop you off to any destination you choose, including your doorstep! If you are unsure of a good meeting place, please see some of our favourite Callington pick-up points below:
Bulls Head, Fore Street
Callington Town Hall, The Town Hall New Road
The Cricket Club, New Rd.
Lt TAXIS 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Our office is open to take bookings from 9am to 7pm, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
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Manhattan Camerata
Lucía Caruso
Lucia Caruso is an Argentine born composer and pianist based in NYC. AS artistic director and co-founder with Dr. Pedro Henriques da Silva of Manhattan Camerata, an innovative chamber orchestra, SHE coined THE TERM TRANSCLASSICAL MUSIC, to define A unique style of composition. Grounded in classical technique. her compositions BLEND improvisation WITH elements from varIOUS cultures AND incorporatE world instruments in a range of styles and genres.
Lucía Caruso is an Argentinean-born composer and pianist, based in New York City, whose numerous awards include the 2015 and 2016 ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) Plus Award, the 2017 International Portuguese Music Awards (IPMA), for Best Instrumental Performance, and the Best Emerging Filmmaker Documentary Award at the American Pavilion at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.
Her music career has taken her across four continents, and through over a dozen countries, in places such as: the Versailles Palace, the Louvre Museum, and Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, France; Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, and Vanderbilt Hall at the Grand Central Station (New York City), and Kennedy Center in Washington DC in the United States; the Kew Royal Palace in London; Birmingham and Cheltenham Town Hall, and the Stratford Arts House in the UK; the Magazzini del Sale in Venice, Italy; Monserrate Palace in Sintra, Portugal, the Audiorio Silvestre Revueltas in Mexico, and the Marble Hall of the Hungarian Radio in Budapest where she performed with her husband at the opening ceremony of the Portuguese presidency of the European Union. She did also numerous performances in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, Israel, South Korea, and Spain.
Several of her commissioned orchestral compositions were recorded in London at British Grove Studios and at Abbey Road Studios (Studio 1) by the London Metropolitan Orchestra, with whom Lucía performed and recorded as a soloist, produced by Grammy-winning producer Stephen McLaughlin. She also performed her works for piano and orchestra as a soloist with the Orchestre Lamoureux (Paris) under the baton of Fayçal Karoui (former music director of the New York City Ballet) in front of a crowd of thousands in the Jardin des Tuileries, organized by the Louvre Museum in Paris.
In April 2016 she had the great honor of premiering her composition Titania’s Lullaby for orchestra and choir for the Shakespeare 400 Memorial at his church, the Holy Trinity Church of Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. On this occasion, Lucía performed the organ with the Choir and Orchestra of the Swan, mere paces from Shakespeare’s mortal remains. Lucía and husband Pedro H. da Silva were selected to be the Orchestra of the Swan’s composers-in-residence for 2016-18. They will not only be premiering their orchestral compositions with them, but will also be soloists performing their own compositions as well as concertos from the classical repertoire. In October 2016, Lucia toured the UK performing as soloist Mozart Piano concerto No. 13 K415 with Orchestra of the Swan, as part of the "Mozart and Friends" program.
She was commissioned a cycle of five songs for soprano, choir and orchestra, “Echoes of Nature” in 2014, and a piano concerto “Light and Wind,” by the Ahae Foundation and the Sorel Foundation in 2018. In 2019, she was commissioned to compose and album of Shakespeare songs by Sue and Allen Rogers. Her piano concerto had its world premiere on June 5th 2018 with Orchestra of the Swan in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, at Shakespeare’s church—the Holy Trinity Church—and it is scheduled to be recorded with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields at the Abbey Road Studios in London in July 2019, in both occasions with Lucia as a soloist. Both albums of songs “Echoes of Nature” and “Shakespeare Songs” will have their world premiere and recording in June 2019 with Orchestra of the Swan in Stratford-upon-Avon, also at the Holy Trinity Church, conducted by the Royal Shakespeare Company Music Director Broce O’Neil.
Lucía is starring in and scored the music for the feature documentary, “Forte”, a film about three groundbreaking women in the arts. Lucía was asked to be one of the three women, and this will be the first time in history that the composer is shown during the process of writing music for the film within the film.
Lucia and Pedro are the stars in another 2018 documentary called Death Metal Grandma. The film had its world premiere at SXSW Film Festival, was featured in the front pages of the New York Times’ Op-Docs, Washington Post, the Atlantic, etc., and was screened in forty different film festivals, including the Oscar-qualifying Aspen Shortsfest, Toronto Hot Docs, NYC Docs, and the American Pavilion at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Best Emerging Filmmaker Documentary Award.
She co-composed with Pedro for Richard Témtchine’s film “How to Seduce Difficult Women” (featuring Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Paul Lazar, released 2009) and for the documentary “Il ritorno di Inge” (Nicola Genni, Silvano Toppi, 2006).
In the fall of 2013, Lucía was commissioned a ballet by the José Limon Dance Company, which was premiered on April 29th, 2014, followed by six more performances at the Joyce Theater in New York City. The music was performed by the Manhattan Camerata.
She is the Artistic Director and Co-founder with Pedro H. da Silva of the Manhattan Camerata, an innovative chamber orchestra that performs transclassical music – a term Lucía coined to describe a style based on classical music techniques and instruments, incorporating improvisation and elements from different cultures around the world, integrating world instruments in a variety of styles and genres. Her work with the Manhattan Camerata has brought her to perform and record regularly alongside legendary bandoneonist Daniel Binelli. The ensemble most recently won Best Instrumental Performance for Binelli's arrangement of "Tango Abril en Portugal" at the prestigious 2017 International Portuguese Music Awards.
She has received awards in numerous international piano competitions, such as the Claudio Arrau International Piano Competition in Chile, the Guiomar Novaes International Piano Competition in São Paulo, Brazil, and First Prize at the National University of Cuyo Symphony Orchestra Competition, Argentina. She performed as a soloist with the National University of Cuyo Symphony Orchestra in 1999 and 2006 and with the National Youth Symphony Orchestra at the National Theatre of San José in Costa Rica. For two consecutive years, 2002 and 2003, she was one of only four pianists from Europe and the United States that were granted scholarships to take piano Masters Classes with Jean-Bernard Pommier for the International Musiké Academy Festival in Durham, England.
Lucia and Pedro are also co-owners of Light & Sound Scoring, a New York based film music company. Collectively, the two have recorded for many films including: two scores for Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry (“Be Kind Rewind,” “Interior Design” from the “Tokyo” triptych), as well as recordings with acclaimed film composer Jean-Michel Bernard (“The Science of Sleep,” “Human Nature”). Collectively they have scored nine films, including Richard Témtchine’s “How to Seduce Difficult Women,” and two new scores for silent masterpieces by Georges Méliès for full orchestra and choir.
Lucía received her bachelor’s degree in classical piano from the Manhattan School of Music with Donn-Alexandre Feder, and went on to complete her Masters Degree in Composition at the New York University with Dr. Dinu Ghezzo in 2010, where she also studied film scoring with renowned film composer Ira Newborn (“Naked Gun,” “Ace Ventura,” “Ferris Bueller's Day Off”). Her musical education started in her hometown of Mendoza, Argentina with Gustavo Gatica, and upon moving to New York City she continued with Ana Maria Trenchi Bottazzi, and she studied piano with Miyoko Nayaka Lotto in 2006. Since 2011, Lucía has continued her studies on the harpsichord with Kenneth Hamrick, among the most highly respected harpsichordists in North America.
Lucía has taught piano in New York City from 2006 to the present, from music schools to private lessons. Lucía’s first piano student debuted at Carnegie Hall at only age seven. Since 2006 she has also worked as an organist and musical director in several churches in New York City, and is currently writing a teaching method for piano using her own compositions. She is currently a member of the piano faculty at the Little Red School House in Manhattan, New York.
Lucía’s artistic interests extend beyond music, as she also fences in her spare time, and is in the midst of writing a novel about Sintra, Portugal. Lucía is fluent in Spanish, English, French, Italian and Portuguese.
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The cost of rhinoplasty includes two main components: the surgery fee and a facility fee. The latter includes operating room and other associated expenses.
There are multiple factors that can vary the cost of surgery: First, the operating room or facility expenses, which include utilities, operating room staff, equipment, sterilization, and medications; Second, the extent and complexity of the surgery. More involved and intricate surgery requires more time and expertise on the part of the surgeon; Third, the cost is less when the surgery is performed under local anesthesia (see anesthesia).
Operating Room (Facility) Expenses
Operating rooms that are used for many different types of surgeries will be more expensive to set up. A surgeon who operates at a facility where other types of surgery (including breast, abdominal surgery and liposuction) are being carried out will have a more expensive facility fee because the facility has to purchase and maintain equipment for all types of surgery. A surgeon who specializes in facial surgery, such as Dr. Samaha and who performs a lot of rhinoplasty surgery in his own facility will have a more cost-efficient set-up with lower fees.
The Complexity of Surgery
The less extensive and complex the operation, the less time and skill it requires, and the less costly it should be. However, what may seem like a minor or subtle change to the patient may not necessarily be an easy or simple operation for the surgeon. Sometimes, achieving certain subtle refinements in a rhinoplasty will require more effort, time, and skill on the part of the surgeon. Therefore, the fee will reflect that complexity. Generally, refinement or reshaping of the tip portion of the nose is more complex than work done on the bridge. For example, removing a hump is less complex than repairing an asymmetric tip. Some surgeons will have a fee for a complete rhinoplasty where there are modifications to be made to both the tip and the bridge, and a lower fee for a partial rhinoplasty in which only a hump reduction or tip refinement is performed.
Skill, experience, and “brand name”
Generally, a “bargain” surgeon has lower fees because he performs the occasional rhinoplasty procedure, as opposed to a rhinoplasty expert who generally charges higher fees proportional to his skill and experience. However, as a general rule, price does not necessarily correlate with result. For example, a surgeon charging higher fees may need to do so to pay for his exorbitant facility expenses (see above). Additionally, some surgeons become “popular” among patients in the community and charge high fees because of the demand for their services. This is the “brand name” phenomenon. Although the surgeon may have an excellent reputation, make sure this reputation includes skill in rhinoplasty. If his reputation was developed because he obtains the best results for breast surgery or liposuction, he may not be an experienced rhinoplasty surgeon.
Surgical Tourism
A recent trend that has developed in North America is referred to as “surgical tourism”. People seek to have their surgical procedures, including esthetic surgery in other countries where the cost is significantly less. While there may be a financial advantage, there are several risks. As in Canada, many surgeons in other countries are well trained, experienced and skilled, while some are not. However, patients living in Canada do not have the same opportunity to evaluate a foreign surgeon as they do a Canadian one (see Selecting a surgeon). In addition, should a complication occur after the surgery, the patient who is now back home does not have easy access to the operating surgeon practicing in another country.
Esthetic surgery, and rhinoplasty in particular, is not the time for bargain hunting. The choice should be made based on which surgeon is most likely to safely deliver the result you are seeking (see Selecting a surgeon). Understandably, finances present a reality of life for most people. If that is the case, it is best to wait until you can afford the fees of the surgeon who is likely to deliver the best result. Avoid choosing based on price and going for the bargain. Saving money, even a significant amount, will be meaningless if the result is poor. Your nasal surgery would then need to be revised by a more expert surgeon, with a new fee in addition to the bargain fee initially paid. The end result is paying for the procedure twice and having two surgeries, including a more complex revision (second) surgery whose outcome is less predictable.
Our Centre Minimizes Cost
Dr. Samaha performs only facial surgery, including a large number of rhinoplasties. This specialized approach makes our centre more cost-efficient. This benefit is passed on to the patient in the form of lesser fees with a more experienced surgeon. He performs all procedures with a minimally invasive type of anesthesia which, in addition to being less invasive, more comfortable and less risky for the patient, has the added benefit of being less costly.
Please click here to contact Dr. Samaha.
| © 2008-2019 Mark Samaha, M.D.
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Tag Archives: Woody Harrelson
Lost in London – Review
In 2017 Woody Harrelson made his directorial debut with the highly ambitious Lost in London. Filmed entirely in one take, the movie was broadcast live into theatres on the 19th of January 2017. Based...
Lost In London – Trailer
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Venom – New Trailer
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“What are you?” a frightened man whimpers. “We … Are Venom.” Sony – in association with Marvel studios – have finally given a bigger insight as to the upcoming Venom film, complete with Tom Hardy in ...
Shock and Awe – Trailer
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Mary’s Top Ten of 2017
It’s been a funny old year for cinema. There have been extreme highs and lows; breathtaking pieces of craft to sleazy sex scandals. It’s a year when Hollywood really has had to take a goo...
If you had told me, several years ago, that I would be rooting for the survival of apes (an animal I’m afraid of – it’s the weird thumbs on their feet) against the human race, I would have laug...
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay trailer
Just out is the first full trailer for the new Hunger Games film. As was extensively reported the final book of the series is being split into two films for reasons that can be best described as mone...
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Top Gun: Maverick – Trailer
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HomeNewsSex hormones linked to breast cancer risk in women under 50
Sex hormones linked to breast cancer risk in women under 50
Premenopausal women with high levels of sex hormones in their blood have an increased risk of breast cancer, an Oxford University study suggests, though further research is needed to understand this link.
Lead author Professor Tim Key of the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford said: 'While the link between higher levels of sex hormones and breast cancer is well established in older, postmenopausal women, it's much less clear what effect hormones have on cancer risk in younger, premenopausal women.
'But from this study we can say there appears to be a link, which has important implications for understanding the biology of breast cancer and for planning future research.'
The Oxford researchers looked at data on hormone levels in the blood of up to 760 premenopausal women with breast cancer and 1700 without, from seven earlier studies.
They found that women who had the highest levels of sex hormones were at an increased risk of breast cancer of between a fifth and a third, compared with women with the lowest hormone levels. These were the 'female' sex hormones oestradiol and oestrone, and 'male' sex hormones androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) and testosterone.
The findings are published in The Lancet Oncology journal.
Professor Key explained: 'This analysis combined the results from seven previous studies to provide enough data for us to focus on the association of hormone levels with the risk for women developing breast cancer before the age of 50.
'The results demonstrate a link between higher overall levels of the female sex hormones and breast cancer in premenopausal women – although due to the large variation in hormone levels over the menstrual cycle these findings cannot be used now to classify the risk for individual women.'
The researchers also looked at the association between increased hormone levels in premenopausal women and other lifestyle factors, such as drinking and smoking.
They found that women who smoked 15 or more cigarettes a day, or drank two or more glasses of wine a day, had higher levels of the male sex hormones compared with women who didn’t smoke or didn’t drink. Women who drank the most alcohol also had higher levels of oestrogens.
Hazel Nunn, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, which funded the work, said: 'This is a fascinating piece of research which is helping us to understand more about the role of sex hormones and the effect they might have on breast cancer.
'With one in five breast cancers now diagnosed in women under 50 it's important that we find out as much as we can about what increases the risk for younger women. We don’t yet know why having higher levels of some sex hormones might increase a woman's risk so further research is needed to investigate this link.'
Around 10,000 women under 50 are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, although 80% of all breast cancer diagnoses are in women over 50.
Lancet Oncology
Cancer Epidemiology Unit
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Filming And Consent
Filming Policy
Filming in hospital
Our aim is to enable filming to be done in an ethical way with the agreement and understanding of both patients and staff. Our intention is to protect the interests of all those involved.
For that reason we require consent for filming to be explicitly given. Enough information must be provided to enable the person to make an informed decision. Decisions must be respected and that decision should never affect a person’s care or interfere with a member of staff’s work.
Our duty of care and protection of patients is paramount. NHS staff have the responsibility to ensure that the privacy, dignity and confidentiality of patients is not compromised.
Patients should be asked for their consent to be filmed by someone who is not involved in their care, such as a communications officer. This helps to ensure that patients consent is independent and not influenced by the relationship they may have with the health professionals.
If NHS staff feel at any point during filming that patients are uncomfortable or in any other kind of distress then they should immediately ask the patient if they want the filming to stop and to request that filming be stopped as necessary. This is regardless of whether the patient has consented to filming taking place.
Patients who are unable to consent
Staff are responsible for assessing a patient’s capacity to consent. A second opinion can be sought if necessary. Patients who are at least 18 are able to consent unless:
They are unable to consent permanently e.g. a patient in a persistent vegetative state
They have temporary loss of capacity e.g. a patient who is unconscious
They have fluctuating capacity e.g. patients with mental illnesses.
Patients must be able to consent i.e.
To make a decision, a person must comprehend the information relevant to the decision
To retain this information for long enough to be able to make a decision
To use and weigh information to arrive at a choice
To communicate their decision to others. This can be non verbal e.g. blinking
If a patient is over 18 and does not fulfil the above criteria no one is allowed to give consent on their behalf. A person is not to be treated as unable to make a decision until all practical steps to help them do so have been taken.
Children and filming
Children aged 16 and 17 are judged legally as being competent to give consent and therefore it must be asked directly from them. However, parents should also be involved in discussions.
In the case of children aged under 16, consent must always be obtained from their parents or guardians. However, it is clearly good practice to involve the child as much as possible in the decision.
If consent is obtained from the parents or guardians but the child feels uncomfortable at taking part in the filming, it should not continue.
Health care professionals and other NHS staff may intervene if they feel the filming is inappropriate and goes against the wishes and interests of the child.
Staff consent
The same principles of consent and right to privacy that apply to patients also apply to NHS staff. Filming companies must seek the consent of NHS staff for their involvement in filming.
To be able to give consent staff must:
Fully understand and have enough information to make a decision
Not be under the influence of anyone and to make the decision of their
own free will
At no point should staff feel pressured into taking part in filming if they do not want to or feel that it interferes with their work. Employees who express their wish to withdraw from filming activities will not be penalised and their line manager and the Trust has a duty to respect their wishes.
If staff feel uncomfortable at any point, they can request filming be stopped. Any agreement made is between the broadcasting company and the member of staff. The Trust cannot override any decision.
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Shows > Native American Astronomy >
Astronomy of the Americas was developed with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation, as part of an exhibition entitled 1492: Two Worlds of Science. Assistance was also provided by Nancy Beers and Ceres Bainbridge of the National Geographic Society, Explorer’s Hall, who made available the Society’s magnificent collection of images, books, and articles for this project. Initial ideas for the program were developed by Cary Sneider as part of the overall design for the exhibition.
Astronomy of the Americas was developed as both a participatory planetarium program and series of classroom lessons. Staff members who conducted the basic research for Astronomy of the Americas, designed the activities and special effects, wrote and edited this volume, and tested the program with audiences at the Lawrence Hall of Science were: Edna DeVore (Project Coordinator), Alan Gould, Greg Steerman, John Hewitt, Kevin Cuff, Steve Luntz, Melinda Santos, Debra Sutter, JohnMichael Seltzer, and Nina Serrano.
Key consultants who contributed ideas and expert advice on this program include: Clara Sue Kidwell, Professor in the Native American Studies Department, University of California at Berkeley; Lee Davis, Director of the California Indian Project, Lowie Museum of Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley; Lee Sprague, Native American Performer with the Turtle Island Ensemble, San Francisco; Dennis Jennings, Native American Health Center, San Francisco; David Dearborn, Physicist and Ethnoastronomer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Woodrow Bora, Professor Emeritus, History Department, University of California at Berkeley; William Simmons, Department of Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley; Patricia Amlin, Film maker, Berkeley, California; and Ed Krupp, Ethnoastronomer and Director of the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California.
We are also grateful to the entire Hupa community, who live in Hoopa Valley, California, and especially to Dale Risling, Chairman of the Tribal Council; Ralph Miguelena, Curator, Hupa Tribal Museum; and Jill Fletcher, Educator. Lee Davis, of the Lowie Museum of Anthropology at University of California in Berkeley, provided valuable research data on Hupa astronomy and put us in contact with Hupa community leaders. We obtained their permission to include their traditions in our program. Hupa tribal leaders invited us to visit Hoopa Valley, and even to view the sacred Jump Dance. In the early stages of our program development, staff member Debra Sutter returned to Hoopa Valley to present the program to several hundred school children and many tribal leaders. They provided guidance as to the program’s accuracy.
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Can corporate-NGO partnerships save the environment? Part 2
By Glenn Prickett - posted Wednesday, 2 July 2003 Sign Up for free e-mail updates!
This is part two of a two part series. Part one is available here
As the harvest of agricultural commodities on land threatens biodiversity, so does the harvest of fish and other marine life from the world's oceans. Overfishing has pushed three-fourths of marine fish stocks to their biological limits. Coral reefs and other marine and coastal ecosystems around the world are suffering from destructive fishing and aquaculture practices, as well as pollution from agricultural runoff and other land-based sources.
Unilever, the world's largest buyer of seafood, partnered with WWF to establish the Marine Stewardship Council in 1997. The MSC developed a standard for "sustainable and well managed" fisheries and a label for products from fisheries complying with the standard. McDonald's is working with the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business to assess fishing practices and identify actions that the company and its suppliers can take to protect marine biodiversity in key fisheries.
Energy and Mining
As global demand for energy and minerals grows, oil, gas, and mining companies expand into biodiversity-rich ecosystems around the world, risking biodiversity loss by land clearing, habitat conversion, pollution, and agricultural colonization along access roads and pipeline corridors. Global energy and mining companies have become prime targets of environmental advocacy groups. ExxonMobil, Shell and Freeport McMoRan have been the targets of international criticism for the environmental impacts, conservation and human rights abuses.
Some companies have begun to form partnerships with conservation organisations to reduce the ecological footprint of their operations and to contribute to conservation. Mobil has worked with Conservation International, Shell with the Smithsonian Institution, Chevron partnered with the WWF and Rio Tinto has worked with a number of research institutes and NGOs.
In 2001, a group of leading energy companies and conservation organisations launched the Energy & Biodiversity Initiative. The EBI is convened by the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business and its partners include BP, Chevron Texaco, Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, The Nature Conservancy, Shell International, the Smithsonian Institution, Statoil, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN). In 2002, the newly formed International Council for Mining and Metals announced that it would work with IUCN to develop biodiversity best practices for the global mining industry.
Tourism can be a cause of environmental damage as well as a positive force for conservation. One of the world's largest industries, it is projected to expand four-fold from its 1996 levels by 2010. Nature-based tourism in areas with significant biodiversity is increasing more rapidly than the industry as a whole.
Tourism involves major infrastructure development, increased demands for water, energy and waste disposal, and an influx of new people, ideas and cultures. The tourism industry has perhaps the strongest incentive to conserve biodiversity as the future of its business depends on protecting the natural beauty and cultural richness its customers pay to visit.
Despite the strong business case for conservation, the industry has been slow to develop partnerships with conservation organisations, due in part to the structure of the industry, which is highly decentralized.
Seventy per cent of cruise ship destinations are within the global biodiversity hotspots. The industry has made significant investments in waste disposal and pollution prevention but other impacts have been largely ignored, especially those outside U.S. waters. These impacts include damage to coral reefs from ships' anchors and tourist diving expeditions, and pollution and habitat degradation associated with port development
Conservation organisations should partner with developers to reduce the impact of new hotels and resorts in sensitive coastal regions. The International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI), a program of the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum, was established in 1992 to improve the environmental performance of the global hotel industry. IHEI recently launched a program with the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business to develop guidelines for the siting, design and construction of hotels and resorts, with special emphasis on the biodiversity hotspots.
Global tour operators control a significant flow of tourist traffic through bulk purchases and are important sources of leverage to influence the environmental practices of local hotels. The United Nations Environment Program launched the Tour Operators' Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development (TOI) in 2000. It now includes 26 of the world's leading tour operators.
Continued over the page...
This is an edited version of a paper given to the New America Foundation on 20 November 2002.
Glenn T. Prickett is a Senior Vice President at Conservation International and Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business.
» Can corporate-NGO partnerships save the environment? Part 1 - February 7, 2003
All articles by Glenn Prickett
Center for Environmental Leadership in Business
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Chloë Grace Moretz Praises 'Miseducation Of Cameron Post' Sex Scenes
Chloë Grace Moretz, who plays the titular role in the big screen adaptation of Emily Danforth's acclaimed and controversial coming-of-age novel The Miseducation of Cameron Post, has praised the sex scenes in the movie.
Set in 1993, The Miseducation of Cameron Post follows Cameron, a 12-year-old girl who is sent to live with her conservative aunt in Montana after her parents die in a car crash. The aunt sends Cameron to a gay conversion camp after she is caught in an intimate moment with another female teen.
Speaking with LGBT glossy OUT, Moretz, who is best known for playing Hit-Girl in the Kick-Ass movie franchise, said that there was a sweetness to the movie's sex scenes, which she credited to the movie's female director.
“I’ve been doing sex scenes in movies since I was sixteen,” Moretz, 21, said. “A loooooong time. And I’d never been able to do one with a woman directing me. And for the first time, it was really beautiful, because not only was our director female, but our cinematographer was female. And I think you can feel that in the scenes! There’s an intimacy and a sweetness to them. They’re not voyeuristic. It’s not T-and-A. It’s not about showing someone having an orgasm. It’s about the beautiful side of when you are a young gay person, having your first sexual moments are incredibly enlightening: You’re realizing, 'Oh, I’m not crazy, this is a real emotion that I’m feeling.' And we wanted to depict that. We wanted to depict that the relationship between her and Coley was real and fully requited.”
“The sex scenes were something Desi handled really impeccably. It’s because it’s through the female gaze,” she said, referring to out director Desiree Akhavan.
Moretz also said that she was shocked to learn that Vice President Mike Pence supports therapies that attempt to alter the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBT people.
“It was a shocking realization that Mike Pence, our new Vice President, not only believes in conversion therapy, but he’s a complete advocate for it,” she said. “He helped funnel money from AIDS funding into conversion therapy. I mean, the depravity is shocking! And they’re taking strides on the Republican side daily to try to strip laws from states that have overturned it. And so suddenly this movie became societally one of the most important movies that’s coming out right now. It needs to be seen.”
The Miseducation of Cameron Post opens in New York on Friday and in Los Angeles on August 10.
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Museumsinsel Master Plan - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Museumsinsel Master Plan
The Museumsinsel is a unique architectural ensemble and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The renovation of its historical buildings and the development of the island for the future follow a master plan.
The Museumsinsel Berlin on completion. The UNESCO World Heritage site is being renovated and expanded according to a master plan. 3D visualization. © SPK / ART+COM, 2015
The Master Plan to Restore and Develop the Museum Complex
There are five historical buildings on Berlin’s Museumsinsel (Museum Island), which opened between 1830 to 1930: the Altes Museum, the Neues Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Pergamonmuseum, and the Bode-Museum. Following German reunification and the merging of the Staatliche Museen in East and West Berlin, the need to renovate the buildings quickly became evident. In addition, the Foundation has the goal of redesigning the Museumsinsel into a contemporary museum complex. To that end, it developed the Museumsinsel Master Plan. This extensive restoration and modernization plan was passed by the SPK’s Foundation Board in 1999. It is the basis for all of the construction projects on the Museumsinsel.
Protecting the Historical Building Fabric
The Museumsinsel Berlin is an outstanding historical ensemble of buildings and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The master plan takes this into account as well. All of its construction projects are coordinated closely with the authorities responsible for protecting historical buildings.
Three of Five Historical Buildings Have Been Reopened
Three of the five historical buildings have already been finished and reopened: the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Bode-Museum, and the Neues Museum. The first of the outdoor spaces, the Kolonnadenhof (Colonnade Courtyard), has also been finished. The new building for the Archäologisches Zentrum (Archaeological Center) is already open as well. It is not located directly on the Museumsinsel, nor did it have a historical predecessor there, but it is an important part of the master plan. As an administration and service center, it makes it possible for the floor space on the island to be dedicated entirely to the presentation of the collections.
Additional Construction Projects Leading to Completion
Over the next decade, work on Berlin’s Museumsinsel will be completed according to the master plan. The restoration of the Pergamonmuseum has been underway since 2012. The James-Simon-Galerie is currently being built as a new entrance building to the Museumsinsel. The foundation stone was laid in autumn 2013. The Altes Museum will be the last of the five historical buildings to be renovated. In all of the historical buildings with the exception of the Alte Nationalgalerie, the rooms on the ground floor were converted. When construction is completed, they will be linked to the so-called Archäologische Promenade (Archaeological Promenade). The outdoor spaces on the Museuminsel will also be finished by that point, permitting visitors to take a leisurely stroll across the island.
James-Simon-Galerie
Altes Museum
Archäologische Promenade
Outdoor Spaces on the Museumsinsel
Completed Projects of the Museumsinsel Master Plan
Alte Nationalgalerie (2001)
Bode-Museum (2005)
Neues Museum (2009)
Kolonnadenhof (2010)
Archäologisches Zentrum (2012)
Details on the Museumsinsel Master Plan
Planning the Future: The Museumsinsel Berlin When the Master Plan Is Complete (in German)
Links for Additional Information
Press Photographs
Nationalgalerie at Kulturforum
Central Storage Facility of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
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Alexander “Al” Feher was born in Manhattan, New York September 7, 1924. He moved to Ronkonkoma when he was 6 months old and attended a four-room school on Long Island
and high school in Sayville. Al entered the army on March 9, 1943 and was assigned to the 78th division in Camp Butner, North Carolina. He was shipped overseas to the European Theater.
Upon his discharge, he enrolled in 1946 and began his studies at Concord University. He graduated in 1949 with a BS in Education. Al worked for United States Steel Corporation from January 17, 1957 to September 30, 1986. Al is married to the former Mary Jane Minton of Welch, West Virginia. They have two daughters, Janey (Lynch, Kentucky) and Susan (Lexington, Kentucky).
LYNCH KENTUCKY 1917 TO THE PRESENT
Ellis Island to Lynch, Kentucky
2009 Edition, Perfect Bound, 5.5x8.5, 60 pages
Ellis Island to Lynch tells the story of a young Hungarian immigrant who travels from New York to Lynch, Kentucky to work in the coal mines.
Escape From Hungary
2005 Edition: Perfect Bound; 80 pages; 5.5 x 8.5 inches
Escape From Hungary tells the story of a young soldier who was entrusted with a vital mission during World War II. Having a knowledge of Hungarian, he was asked to volunteer
for a top secret mission to retrieve a scientist being forced to work in a muntions factory in
Budapest, Hungary.
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catalogue > sax ensembles for 12+ players > over the rainbow
Composed by: Harold Arlen / E.Y. Harburg
Genres: Ballad, Jazz, Pop
“Over the Rainbow” is a famous ballad, with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz(1939) and was sung by actress Judy Garland, in her starring role as Dorothy Gale. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and became Garland's signature song, as well as one of the most enduring standards of the 20th century.
This arrangement for saxes was inspired by a piano arrangement of Over the Rainbow by the British jazz pianist George Shearing.
(sno) s s a a a t t b/t b b (bs)
Over the Rainbow is also available in the following editions:
Over the Rainbow (saxophone ensemble edition)
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Statement of the Court delivered by the Lord Justice Clerk Lord Carloway, in refusing an application by relatives of victims of the Lockerbie disaster for an order authorising them to institute or continue any appeal which could have been authorised by the now deceased person who was convicted of the bombing, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi.
“The court will furnish a full written Opinion to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission in terms of the statute (section 194(d)(3) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995) in early course. At this stage, it will give brief oral reasons for its decision.
The application raises a sharp point of statutory interpretation. Section 303A(1) of the 1995 Act permits ‘any person’ to apply to the court for an order authorising him to institute or continue any appeal which could have been authorised by a convicted person who is deceased. Subsection 303A(4), however, assumes that it will be the executor of the deceased who will do so. It continues by referring also to an applicant who ‘otherwise appears to the court to have a legitimate interest’. This application on behalf of the Commission raises a general question of the scope of that phrase. The more particular issue is whether it extends to the relatives of deceased victims of a deceased convicted person and, presumably, in other cases, to the victims themselves.
The court does not consider that this statutory provision applies to the relatives of the deceased’s victims in this case.
First, on a plain reading of the statute, the person who has a right to make an application for authority to instruct or continue an appeal is the executor, who is the personal representative of the deceased. This is demonstrated by subsection (5), whereby the person authorised to institute or continue the appeal steps into the position of the deceased in the appeal. He does not represent a separate interest. The Scottish criminal justice system does not, at present, allow victims or relatives of victims to be direct participants in criminal proceedings. The court does not consider that this provision was intended to provide such a right, just because the convicted person is deceased.
Secondly, to decide otherwise would reverse a central element in criminal proceedings in this jurisdiction. If that were what was intended, the court would have expected it to have been spelled out clearly in the statute.
Thirdly, in recommending this mode of procedure, the Sutherland Committee referred to persons who could demonstrate ‘good reason for pursuing an appeal, for example a personal or business partner, close relation or executor’; that meaning a close relative of the deceased, who might wish to clear the convicted person’s name posthumously and to persons with, for example, an interest in the estate of the deceased who may be affected financially by the conviction. The discussion by the Sutherland Committee provides a helpful aid to construction, were that required.
What the statute is intended to provide is an avenue whereby an executor as of right, and others in a similar relationship with the deceased, can continue or institute appeal proceedings. It is not designed to give relatives of victims a right to pursue an appeal for their own, or the public, interest in securing that miscarriages of justice should not occur.”
In certain cases the judgment reached by the court may be of wider public interest. In these cases a summary of the court’s Opinion is produced and published along with a link to the full Opinion.
Joanne Murray v Amanda Donaldson
Thursday, 4 April, 2019
Thomas Sheridan v News Group Newspapers Limited
Tuesday, 11 December, 2018
Trustees of J Gibsone of Pentlands Trust v James Telfer
Wednesday, 3 October, 2018
Andy Wightman MSP and others v Secretary of State for Exiting the EU
Friday, 21 September, 2018
Ineos Upstream Ltd and another v Lord Advocate
Stay up-to-date with us
Summaries of Opinions
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Wonderland restaurant/tavern making a splash with its view, historic theme
Published - 09/04/13 - 01:04 PM | 12904 views | 0 | 17 | |
The view from the inside of Wonderland in Ocean Beach offers an amazing panoramic glimpse of the ocean and north to La Jolla. Photos by Dave Schwab I The Beacon
The bar’s signature cocktail, a Greyhound made with fresh-pressed citrus juice is among the many enticements.
The restaurant and tavern are a salute to the original Wonderland amusemement park in Ocean Beach in 1913. Wonderland was San Diego’s first amusement parkW.
A century after its first incarnation, Wonderland has returned to Ocean Beach.
Once hailed as San Diego’s first amusement park with a roller coaster from 1913 to 1916, the reincarnated Wonderland is now an ocean pub where Qwigg’s and Nick’s At the Pier once were at 5083 Santa Monica Ave., Suite 2C.
Mina Desiderio, who co-owns Wonderland and owns The Local downtown, said her goal in reinventing the restaurant space was to “pay homage to the history and lifestyle of OB.”
The restaurant space has been remodeled in a unique hybrid style Desiderio characterized as “urban beach.”
“We transformed this space, really opened up all the windows so you can see from the pier all the way down to La Jolla,” she said adding, “The view is absolutely breathtaking.”
The ocean pub’s seating is also atypical.
“It’s community-style seating with shared tables and booths and a lot of bar space,” Desiderio said, noting full advantage is taken of the pub’s remarkable ocean views.
Wonderland is half sports bar, half sit-down restaurant.
“The Pier Pub is our sports bar with more than 40 televisions and a complete sports package,” Desiderio said. “On the other side is a full-service restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner.”
Wonderland serves up pub-style grub with a twist, including seafood, fish tacos, fresh mussels and oysters on the half-shell — and burgers too. Desiderio calls her cuisine “islander coastal.”
“The food reflects what you’d eat in coastal Mexico, Hawaii and in San Diego, all three of those areas,” she said. “We don’t limit ourselves to a particular type of genre of food. We just want to serve good food we know we can make well.”
Wonderland’s atmosphere is described by Desiderio as laid-back with a local flair.
“It’s more casual to fit in with the OB lifestyle,” she said. “The people from our place can catch the best surfers.”
Desiderio said Wonderland “complements the town because we’re featuring the history of Ocean Beach, including the name of our restaurant, as well as having lots of great photographs.”
Desiderio said being an entrepreneur is in her DNA. Both her father and mother were in the restaurant and bar trades. She became a bar owner at age 27 downtown with The Local 10 years ago. When Nick’s at the Pier became available, she and a business partner jumped at the opportunity to reinvent the restaurant space.
Desiderio said Wonderland is family-oriented until 9 p.m. After that, on many nights, music offered up by DJs livens things up for the adult crowd, turning the establishment into more of a night spot.
Desiderio talked about her bar’s signature cocktail, a Greyhound made with fresh-pressed citrus juice.
“We squeeze all of our citrus in big metal juicers,” Desiderio said.
The bar also has 25 beer taps, 80 percent of which feature local craft brews.
Desiderio said she’s happy to “provide the best view for this town,” and hopes Wonderland draws new people to the community, giving them “one more reason now to come to Ocean Beach.”
Wonderland is open Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to
2 a.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
For more information call (619) 255-3358 or visit www.wonderlandob.com.i
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University programme targets children in care
One of the UK’s top universities is encouraging children in care to continue their education beyond school and consider their higher education options.
The University of Cambridge’s Realise project recently ran three days of events, with colleges, departments and museums joining forces to give youngsters in care a taste of what university life is like.
Each of the days had a different theme. Trinity Hall and the Sainsbury Laboratory hosted a natural sciences day, with the students carrying out an experiment to explore how plants react to drought conditions.
Selwyn College organised a languages and culture day, including sample lectures on the traditions around the recitation of the Qur’an and on the links between language and national identity.
The third event, hosted by Queens’ College and the Scott Polar Research Institute was a science and environment day, which featured a session on the work of the British Antarctic Survey.
All three events included a talk from a current Cambridge student who went into care while still at school.
“When you’re in care, a lot of decisions are made for you,” he told the youngsters. “For me, university is the way to get my independence. It’s about standing on my own two feet and making my own decisions.”
The participants also heard about the university admissions process and were given college tours by current students.
Elle Zwandahl, an education practitioner at Suffolk County Council, has attended several of Cambridge’s Realise events and is keen for as many looked-after children as possible to go to them.
“I want them to know that they can access higher education and can have a university place if they want,” she said.
“Realise is about opening their eyes to higher education choices, improving their options and making it an expectation that university can be something for them.
“I see a difference each time we come. When I am driving back they say ‘I fancy going to university now, Elle’. Even if it’s not Cambridge it means a lot that they are thinking like that.”
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Justice 1 Committee, 27 Nov 2001
[The Convener opened the meeting at 13:37]
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
The Convener (Christine Grahame):
Good afternoon. I open the 32nd meeting this year of the Justice 1 Committee. I remind all members to turn off their mobile phones and pagers. I have received no apologies.
Item 1 is further evidence on the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill. I welcome Councillor Corrie McChord, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities spokesperson on modern governance; Lorna McGregor, COSLA's legal consultant; and Iain Matheson, head of legal services for Fife Council. I understand that the witnesses do not wish to make an opening statement. I refer members to freedom of information paper 27, which is COSLA's full submission.
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD):
I will explore the financing, training and existing staff structures that may or may not be available to councils to deal with the provision of information under the bill. In their usual cheerful way, the powers that be seem to be saying that any additional costs should be capable of being borne within planned resources. Apart from smiling ruefully, how would you comment on that?
Councillor Corrie McChord (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities):
There is a theme of change in local government at the moment, with implementation of the Data Protection Act 1998, new information technology and open access programmes. Local government is having to adapt systems to make them more open and accountable. We support that and will continue to support it. The question will be one of resources. Some councils will need additional resources. Smaller councils might be able to deal with the issue more practically than larger councils. How complaints against the withholding of information may be taken up remains to be seen.
Donald Gorrie:
Will councils have to make significant changes in the way in which they store their information, some of which may go back a bit? Will making that stored information more accessible have an effect on costs?
Councillor McChord:
Councils are in a state of flux at the moment because of issues of access and e-governance.
Iain Matheson (Fife Council):
In the recent past, local government has perhaps not devoted time to maintaining its records in a way that would be most suitable to service a freedom of information regime. There is no doubt that considerable staff time will have to be devoted to locating files, especially as the bill is retrospective and people will be able to ask for material that is many years old. It remains to be seen whether there will be time to put records into better order before the bill is implemented. Mr Gorrie is right to identify the staffing implications, which will be significant.
Lorna McGregor (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities):
There will be significant staffing and resourcing implications to do with training. It is imperative that proper training takes place throughout the organisation—at strategic level, at practitioner level and at the general awareness level. Because of the way in which the bill is framed, requests may be received that are not immediately recognised as FOI requests. General awareness training will be required, together with detailed training on the guidance and codes of practice to be used in the implementation of the legislation. That will have resourcing implications for local authorities. Additional resourcing costs will arise because of the time that staff spend in retrieving information and in determining and applying the public interest test and the harm test, as set out in the bill.
That has answered most of my next question. I understand that people will have to write for information, but there will often be personal contact. I will have to choose my words carefully but, in the nature of such activity, some of the citizens who are asking for information may be difficult to deal with, as they will be very focused on their particular issue. Are you planning to offer training in tact for officials who will deal with such cases?
Iain Matheson:
Requests for information can come into the organisation at any level. It is therefore important that requests are made in writing so that whichever officer receives the request has something tangible to pass on. Almost certainly, that officer will not be the person who is best placed to deal with the request, which will be referred to someone else in the system. A level of training will be required, even if it is only so that every employee knows what action to take when they receive a request under the bill.
Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP):
Disabled people may not be able to put a request for information in writing. Their only option may be to make a call. I appreciate that the person on the other end of the line may not know that the caller is disabled, but we must have flexibility that will allow people who are disabled—or people who may speak another language and be unable to make a request in English or in writing—to access information.
That will be a problem for local government, but I think that we should make it as easy as possible for people to get in touch with their councils. Iain Matheson has identified difficulties. There is no codification of whether the information is sought under the freedom of information provisions or whether the request is just a simple one such as local government deals with every day. If we now have to ensure that staff are vigilant and can determine whether a request is made under freedom of information legislation, that will be a big task. However, I agree that we should make it as easy as possible for people to communicate with the council to get the information that they require.
Lorna McGregor:
The duty to assist is set out in the bill. We hope that councils will apply that to ensure that people with disabilities or people whose circumstances make it difficult for them to submit requests in writing receive support from within the organisation.
Michael Matheson:
As the bill stands, the request has to be made in writing. We have to find a mechanism that allows us to accommodate those who may have difficulty in doing that. How do you think that that could be done? If the bill is to be changed, we should take into account the problems that local government may encounter in dealing with any changes.
Local authorities want to be certain that they have understood the question that is being asked. As Lorna McGregor said, the bill places an obligation on local authorities to assist people in making a request. If one was dealing with someone who had difficulty in putting a request into writing, it would not be too onerous for the authority to put something down in writing and ask the individual to confirm that that represented what they were looking for.
From the authorities' point of view, it is important to know exactly what people are looking for. The person who gets the request in the first instance will probably not be the person who is best placed to find the information. If the information has to be passed through two or three pairs of hands, there is a risk that the question will get distorted or that part of it will get dropped along the way. It is important to have a baseline position, but I am sure that local authorities will be willing to assist people in establishing the baseline position and then acting to obtain the relevant information.
The Convener:
When someone requests information, should not there be a presumption that they are making that request under the freedom of information legislation and that the onus is on local authorities to respond to that request?
Absolutely. That is what will happen from now on. That is the sort of culture change that we have to get right, even in our own heads.
So whatever the bill eventually settles for on how applications are to be made, you do not foresee any problems, such as time limits.
That is right.
The National Consumer Council has suggested that a freedom of information officer would be a good idea. That must have resource implications for local authorities. What is your view on having one point of contact for a public authority?
We have considered that. We think that it would be helpful for each local authority to have a nominated officer, but not necessarily a dedicated officer. As much flexibility as possible should be afforded to individual local authorities to determine the best way in which to implement the legislation. Having a nominated officer would certainly help authorities to focus on changing the culture, but we feel that that should be left to individual authorities. The bill relates to a number of public authorities of different shapes, sizes and forms. It would be difficult to legislate for a nominated or dedicated officer, given the spectrum of bodies that the bill will cover. However, we would certainly expect the code of practice to recommend that organisations nominate a freedom of information officer.
Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
You talked about the time that it might take to process requests. Obviously, time is money and there could be implications for staffing costs. The bill sets out various time limits governing application and appeal processes. It includes a power allowing Scottish ministers to alter those time limits by regulation. Executive officials have stated that that power was introduced in response to comments received during consultation. What are your views on the time limits set out in the bill and on the power to alter them?
We feel that 20 days is too tight a time span and may initially result in poorer-quality decisions, as officials who do not have sufficient time to apply the fairly rigorous, if not complicated, tests that are contained in the bill may err on the side of caution. That would not help the effective implementation of the new regime. In relation to requests for information, it is fairly commonplace to see a 40-day time limit initially afforded to a public authority. For that reason, we want an initial 40-day period to be set out in the bill. If, in due course, such systems are in place and changes have been made within organisations, there will be a facility to review the position once the culture is bedded in better. At a later stage, it may be possible to reduce the time scales if they are considered too lengthy.
Maureen Macmillan:
It has been suggested that, if public authorities face problems in getting the information together in a quality way within the time scale, an application could be made to the information commissioner for an extension to the deadline. Would that be a helpful approach?
That would make the process unduly cumbersome. The information commissioner would be flooded with requests, which could mean that they were unable effectively to carry out the other duties of their office. If a realistic time scale were introduced at the outset, that would be helpful. If it were thought at a future date that the time scale could be shortened, the period could be reviewed.
In your evidence on the part of the bill that deals with exempt information, you refer to the fact that the areas of exemption that cover the Scottish Executive are much broader than those for the other public bodies. You say that local government should be treated in the same way as the Scottish Executive. Why do you believe that?
Section 29(1) comes under the heading
"Formulation of Scottish Administration policy etc.",
although there are four legs to it. Paragraph (a) relates to the formulation of policy. However, paragraph (b) relates to "Ministerial communications" and paragraph (d) refers to
"the operation of any Ministerial private office."
Those two provisions appear to take the class exemption considerably beyond anything that would be required purely for policy considerations. It could be argued that content exemption would be sufficient for paragraphs (b) and (d).
Just like the Executive, other public sector bodies—local authorities, enterprise companies and the health service—are required to make policy decisions. If the Executive reserves for itself significant protection on policy considerations that is not extended to other public sector bodies, that could be seen as a lack of parity of esteem.
We should not, by getting lost in the minutiae of exemptions—which seem to take up quite a lot of the bill—lose sight of the fact that the bill is about providing broader information to our citizens. It is important that the current European debate on governance and on Governments being closer to their citizens and communities is embedded in the bill. If the issue gets bogged down in exemptions, that detracts from the whole point of the bill.
Some may argue that we should reduce the number of exemptions available to the Scottish Executive to bring it in line with local government. That may be the solution, rather than taking authorities up to the level of exemptions that the Scottish Executive has. That would fit in more with what you are saying.
It would certainly fit in with my personal philosophy.
Are you of the view that the Scottish Executive and local government should be brought to a similar level?
COSLA's current position on the issue, which reflects the McIntosh recommendations, is parity of esteem.
It is difficult to tell from the bill whether the exemptions are absolute exemptions, class exemptions or content exemptions. It is not possible to tell the difference between an absolute exemption and a class exemption without referring back to, I think, section 2.
One argument says that the regime would be easier for people to understand and assimilate if some of the elements of the class exemptions were moved into the absolute exemption category and other elements were moved into the content exemption category. That would simplify the test that had to be applied.
My inclination is to open the issue up further. I propose that, rather than taking the local authorities up to the Executive's level of exemptions, we should bring down the level of exemptions for the Executive. That would give the parity of esteem that Councillor McChord is looking for.
If that can be achieved, COSLA would be happy to respond at the appropriate time.
That is also the position of the Campaign for Freedom of Information, which made a rather sweeping assertion that such an exemption would be called a class exemption, although, as I read it, it is an absolute exemption. If the exemption included ministerial communications, people are not going to get to know about them, even if information attached to those communications is, for the purposes of the bill, within the factual domain. Is that the case?
I have examined the issue from the practical point of view of section 30, which is the section to which local authorities might refer if they felt that there was a case for not disclosing a piece of information. Section 30 relates to the conduct of public affairs. If the local authority took the view that disclosure might inhibit substantially
"the free and frank provision of advice"
and wanted to withhold information, it is difficult to see what other factors would need to be brought to bear once the public interest test had been applied. Is the answer not likely to be the same?
If I follow you correctly, I think that you are saying that, in section 29, we should be looking at including a substantial prejudice test, as under section 30.
There seems to be a strong argument to support that conclusion.
As Michael Matheson has concluded his questions, do other members want to take up the point about the public interest test?
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con):
In its representations, COSLA mentions that it is concerned that the charging system does not distinguish between private individuals and private companies. COSLA also suggests that more thought needs to be given to the charging system. We are interested to know your recommendations.
The point that we were making was a philosophical concern that, at a time of budget constraint, local authorities might have to devote resources to obtaining information that they were certain would be used by a company for commercial purposes. Some sort of mechanism should be introduced to prevent undue consumption of scarce resources when material that is to be used for commercial gain is supplied. At the moment, there is no requirement to say why information is requested. In certain circumstances, local authorities could anticipate that the information was requested for purposes that could generate income.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
My question asked for a spur-of-the-moment reply and what you have said may not be your final response on the matter. Would you send in a written response on that point? You said that a mechanism should be put in place. It would be helpful to have some further information on that.
We could certainly consider that request.
In your submission, you emphasise
"the importance of the Codes of Practice and stress the need for the active involvement of local government in their drafting."
I am concerned, as I suspect are other members, about when we are going to see the codes of practice. They are not integral to the bill. When would you like to see the codes of practice?
Perhaps I should ask when would be the latest that you would like them to appear.
We would require to see them before the final stages of the bill at the very latest.
Before stage 3?
Have you moved towards developing the codes of practice?
We know little about when the codes will emerge or about the arrangements for compiling them. As we were very much involved from the outset in the development of the code of conduct for councillors, we assume that we would be involved—and be helpful—in the development of the codes on freedom of information.
It might be early March by the time we reach stage 3. Are you saying that the Executive has to get a move on with at least substantially drafting the codes of practice to allow COSLA and the committee to examine them?
That has to happen if local government is to have any meaningful involvement.
What do you want to be included in the codes of practice?
The codes should include guidance on how the tests should be applied. The bill says little about the factors that we should take into account or have regard to when deciding whether something amounts to substantial prejudice or whether the public interest has been served. We have discussed the issue of trademarks, which is a class exemption. If we apply the public interest test to that issue, we could argue that the public interest would be better served by making the trademark more widely available rather than by restricting it. As a result, there must be ground rules or guidance about the criteria that public authorities apply when deciding whether certain tests have been met. There seems to be a bit of a vacuum at the moment.
The codes of practice should also cover the issue of assistance in the handling of requests, particularly where information is shared with the local authority, which is the instigator of the information held. However, that information might be retained or held on the authority's behalf by other public, private and voluntary sector bodies. There will have to be clear arrangements about how requests should be handled when they are passed to a third party and about how local authorities should deal with requests in relation to contracts and partnerships with third parties.
I follow that line of thought, as we are aware that work is now either shared with or totally delegated to private companies outwith the council. We have heard arguments about whether companies in that position should be treated in the same way as public bodies.
This is something of a catch-22 situation. Some witnesses have said that the commissioner should be a major player in the codes of practice, but there will be no commissioner until the bill is enacted. Are you saying that the committee should have a fairly substantive working paper on the codes of practice before stage 3?
We would probably be looking not for a written code of practice, but for a discussion about local government interests and—I suggest—elected members' interests. At the moment, we do not really know whether elected members are to be involved in the internal review of decisions. We have said that elected members should be involved at some stage in the process. However, will that be part of a formal decision-making process or will our contribution merely be based on someone's point of view? We have to think the issue through for ourselves and have that debate with central Government.
The problem is that, often, the committees do not see codes of practice. That has happened with other legislation, such as the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, which has just disappeared from the committees' clutches. Perhaps we should pay more attention to the guidelines for the daily implementation of the legislation.
As for the internal review of decisions by public authorities, section 21 of the bill says that
"a Scottish public authority receiving a requirement for review must (unless that requirement is withdrawn … ) comply promptly; and in any event by not later than the twentieth working day after receipt by it of the requirement".
There is then a list of the various authorities that will have to deal with the review of the decision. Is that just to be left like that, or are we back to codes of practice to deal with reviews within time limits?
Individual authorities may adopt slightly different approaches. In the case of my authority, initial requests for information will probably be dealt with by the service that holds the information. For example, if someone asked for information about social work, that service would obtain the information and issue it or withhold it, as the case may be. If the applicant was dissatisfied, another officer—probably somebody in one of the central support departments, such as law and administration—would review the initial decision and the factors that were taken into account. They would then take a view, possibly involving elected members, on whether the decision should stand. I envisage a two-stage process in local authorities. Authorities will want some flexibility to tailor that to suit themselves, depending on their size. I do not think that there is a gap in this area.
The time limit for compliance is
"not later than the twentieth working day after receipt by it".
Is that too tight?
Our comments about the desirability of a 40-day limit to reach a considered opinion apply equally to the review process.
That would particularly be the case if review decisions are to be made by elected members, which might not be feasible if the time scale for compliance for review is within 20 days. We would like the 20-day working period for reviews to be extended to 40 days.
That is interesting. It is useful to have that information.
I wish to ask about commercial confidentiality. I know from my time as a councillor that things become difficult when, for example, a council moves its recreational facilities into a trust that is run commercially. One is not allowed to ask questions. There is also the private finance initiative on which, at a parliamentary level, it is hard to get answers, because the information is commercially confidential.
There are more and more types of partnership. It has been suggested that any body that provides a public service should be open to questioning in so far as the question relates to its public service. For example, if a multinational was mending roads in Falkirk, it would answer questions only about mending roads in Falkirk, not about extracting gas from Greenland. Commercial confidentiality is a major inhibition to seeking out legitimate knowledge. What do councils feel about that?
I am not sure that we have reached a conclusion on that. We recognise the desirability of all relevant information being available to members of the public. The public will have difficulty distinguishing between information that an authority holds and information that happens to be held by a private contractor. However, I recognise the desirability of making it clear which organisations and bodies are caught by the bill's provisions, so that they can plan and prepare for implementation. A balance must be struck between the desire for the provisions to apply as widely as possible and the practical implications of applying them. As the legislation develops and becomes more established, the provisions may have to be rolled out in stages to make them workable.
We are not just talking about commercial organisations, as there is a range of service-level agreements with voluntary organisations. Indeed, what would be the arrangements for housing associations and housing co-operatives?
The bill is likely to go through Parliament before the summer. How much time will local authorities require to prepare before the bill comes into force?
Resourcing, training and development need to be phased in.
Local authorities are used to responding to new initiatives and new legislation. To implement the bill, we will need a reasonable run-in period and for people to be clear about what is expected of them. If the bill becomes an act in March 2002, it will probably be several months before local authorities can comply.
There was discussion earlier about implementing the proposed act a year after it receives royal assent, which would be a reasonable and realistic time scale.
I am interested in pursuing that. As we know, section 72 of the bill will
"come into force …at the end of that period of five years which begins with the date of Royal Assent",
or at an earlier date. Section 72 also states that
"different days may be so appointed for different provisions".
I want to deal with that last point. You used the term "phased in." Do you mean that sections of the bill should be phased in?
I meant that there should possibly be different stages of implementation for different organisations, such as public authorities and local authorities.
Would not that be confusing? The trouble with bills that do that—from my humble experience in legal practice—is that some sections are in operation but others are not until they are brought in by order. That becomes confusing, perhaps not for the profession but for the public. The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill is intended for ordinary members of the public or organisations to access information. Do you foresee complications if the proposed act applies only to, for example, local authorities and not to other public bodies or agents of local authorities at the same time? I can foresee phasing leading to confusion.
The main point is that we need time to prepare for the implementation of the proposed act, whether it is phased in or comes in as a big bang. Local authorities in particular need time to respond. We want time after the bill is given royal assent to comply with it.
Would not it be the case, as section 72 states, that some technical sections would come into effect only on royal assent? You could defer the entire proposed act's coming into effect, during which time local authorities would have time to prepare to comply with its provisions. I am unhappy to talk about not enacting all the provisions until five years after royal assent.
We said that the proposed act should be implemented a year after royal assent.
I understand that, but I am getting at the business of phasing in the bill, to allow you time to install a freedom of information officer—if you want one—and to ensure that the public knows that on a particular day, whether it be a year or two years after royal assent, the proposed act will come into force.
The purpose of the bill is to extend freedom of information to the public to allow them to participate in governance. That is where we are coming from in local government.
You said that the proposed act should be implemented about a year after royal assent.
That seems to be a reasonable period for implementing the training programme. Phasing would be useful, if not essential, when considering the different categories of information that are held—such as historic records and their management. There may be a requirement for phased implementation for different types of information rather than for different types of bodies.
In my historic home town of Stirling, we have an archive section. The management of archives is not all it should be following the reorganisation of local government in 1996. Archive management was torn apart then. We will need time to consider the implications of the bill for the practical management and curation of archives.
As there are no further questions, I thank you all very much.
I welcome from Friends of the Earth Scotland Kevin Dunion, the chief executive, and Kirstie Shirra, the project researcher. Members have the witnesses' written submission before them.
Kevin Dunion (Friends of the Earth Scotland):
Friends of the Earth has been in Scotland since 1978. We have been members of the UK Campaign for Freedom of Information for more than 10 years and, more recently, we have been part of the strategy group of the Scottish branch of the campaign. We believe that access to information is crucial to the work that we do in promoting sustainable development and environmental justice. The communities that we work with look for information on the environment around them, including on air quality and the polluting industries, and on other developments, for example in health and social policy.
It is not only environmental information that we seek. We have a wealth of experience of utilising existing legislation to ask for information from public authorities. We think that that experience provides an insight into how the freedom of information provisions may operate in practice. It may be of interest to the committee to know that, in the recent work that Kirstie Shirra has co-ordinated, almost one in 10 requests for information did not receive a response. Those were reasonably simple requests to public authorities. A 10 per cent failure to provide information is not acceptable.
We welcome much of what is in the bill; any criticisms we make should not be taken as criticism of the intent. We particularly want to ensure that the intention, which embodies the principles of openness, effectiveness and equality of access, is maintained. We welcome specifically the role of the Scottish information commissioner. However, as we highlight in our evidence, we are concerned about a number of sections. In particular, we are concerned that two or more requests can be refused if they are perceived to come from an organised campaign. We are concerned about the upper limit being proposed for provision of information, and the fact that requests must only be in writing—the committee has touched on that. We are concerned about the commercial confidence provisions and the fact that environmental information will be exempt.
I am happy to take questions on those points and others we have raised in our submission.
On the exemption of environmental information, the Executive has said that modifying the right of access to information to make the bill fully compliant with the requirements of the Aarhus convention would be a complex exercise and might result in tensions in the bill. Therefore, the decision was taken to provide for a power in the bill to introduce separate regulations and access to environmental information, which would be compliant with the convention. Do you agree with that approach?
Kevin Dunion:
Ideally, the bill would encompass environmental information—in other words, the bill would be capable of implementing the provisions of Aarhus. Our concern is that we could continue to have a twin-track approach to access to information. For example, if the bill were enacted as it stands, the freedom of information provisions would require a response within 20 days. However, under the environmental information regulations, a response could be provided up to two months after the request. It would be unfortunate, to say the least, if we continued to operate a twin-track system and the public were not sure which deadline they were operating to. Indeed, it might then be left to the authority to decide which of the provisions encompassed the request for information that lay before it.
Would not there be duplication of effort and administration costs?
If the provisions of the Aarhus convention and the new environmental information regulations can be adopted at the same time as the bill is brought into effect, that should take care of any difficulties. However, if the bill is brought into effect and the environmental information regulations are not amended to comply with or match the FOI provisions, that would be unfortunate for the public.
The Executive said that it did not consider it necessary to include a power to implement article 5 of the Aarhus convention, because that part of the convention can be delivered administratively and much of article 5 will be covered in a revised directive on freedom of access to environmental information. Do you agree with the Executive's reasons?
Kirstie Shirra (Friends of the Earth Scotland):
When we asked how article 5 of the Aarhus convention would be covered, we were told that it would be covered by the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000. We were concerned because we did not think that they would be strong enough or effective enough to implement the intention of article 5. If the bill included a provision on article 5, which deals with dissemination of environmental information, more priority would be placed on introducing good pollution registers, for which we have campaigned.
In what ways are the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 not strong enough?
Kirstie Shirra:
I will not go into great detail, but a couple of elements are relevant to pollution registers. The regulations say that 50 substances must be on a register of pollutants, whereas the intention of the Aarhus convention is to cover at least 250 to 300 substances. At least initially under the regulations, a register would have to be updated only every three years, whereas the Aarhus convention says that that should be done annually. I can give more examples if need be. A major point for us is that the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 do not say that the register must be accessible in numerous locations or on a website, as we would like it to be and as Aarhus states.
I would like you to explain the matter more. Is the Scottish Environment Protection Agency one of the public bodies that is involved?
If you want to ask a question under the freedom of information regime about pollutants from a factory, what is the problem with the system? Are you saying that less access will be available under the bill than would be available if the bill were in harmony with the environmental information regulations?
If I am incorrect, Kirstie Shirra will correct me. I understand that if we asked SEPA for information, it could say that the request was not an FOI request, but a request under the environmental information regulations, so it could take up to two months to supply the information and not the 20 days that the FOI provisions would require. That would be the most obvious distinction if the proposed twin-track approach was adopted.
We believe that new environmental information regulations are to be introduced, which should be more in line with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill. The intention is to introduce them at the same time, which we welcome. The Scottish information commissioner would then be responsible for both regimes. Our main concern is that a gap between the introduction of the two new systems or a substantial difference in the time scales under the two systems could lead to public confusion and, as Kevin Dunion said, a twin-track system.
I am not just talking about time, but about the substance of the information. I gave the example of nuclear waste being moved. The public body might take refuge under a national security exemption or another exemption. I am trying to understand whether the quality of the information that is received under the bill would be different from that received under the environmental information regulations. Are the European regulations more dynamic? I do not know whether I am thinking properly about the issue. If the freedom of information regime were operated separately, could access not be obtained under that system to information that would be obtainable under EIR? How is that?
Pieces of legislation are leapfrogging one another. At the moment, we get more access to information than other organisations because there is a European directive. The environmental information regulations provide us with a right to information on the environment. Such information in respect of health and other information held by public authorities is not available. We are in a favourable position. If FOI comes into effect as suggested, there will be a certain leapfrogging. For example, from the public's point of view, the time scale for the provision of information under FOI is much better than it is under the EIR. We want harmonisation so that all elements of a request will be dealt with under a similar system. Even if the legislation is separate and the environmental information regulations have to be different, they should be introduced at the same time. The public should not be shuttled between two pieces of legislation.
So your concern relates to time scales, rather than quality of information.
No. The point that Kirstie Shirra was making is that article 5 of the Aarhus convention places a responsibility not just to provide information but to disseminate it. In that respect, we want public authorities to volunteer information that is regularly requested and expensive to collate on each request. In particular, under the provisions on the collection and dissemination of environmental information, we want inventories in the public domain that provide information about the release of pollutants—a full list of 250 to 300 substances. As far as I know, that has not been contemplated and is not provided for by the current environmental information regulations. If we asked for that information under FOI, I am certain that it would not be accepted as an FOI request because it would be covered by the environmental information regulations.
Would you not get it under the EIR?
I am getting rather confused.
I thought I understood what was being said initially, but now I am not so sure. You are saying that you could not get such information under FOI, but could you get it under EIR?
Only in so far as the environmental information regulations provide for that. As EIR currently operates in Scotland, there is no obligation on SEPA to disseminate information.
I, too, am trying to get my head round the issue. I imagine that if committee members are having problems getting their heads round it, the general public will have difficulties too. That may reflect the confusion that will occur if we do not get the matter sorted out.
If there was a request that was covered partly by EIR and partly by FOI, one element would be provided within 20 days and the other would take two months, even though the information might come from the same public body. Could we end up in such a situation?
Yes. Indeed, in some respects that is what happens just now, because some information is provided under codes of practice that allow 20 days for public bodies to provide information and other information will be covered by EIR, which provides for up to two months. That is the current state of affairs in Scotland. We can be told that a request has two parts, which fall under different regulations and which will be dealt with accordingly.
Is there a possibility that some public bodies might classify information as being under EIR as opposed to FOI because it would give them more time to deal with the request?
There is potential for that. The committee is considering what can be done to improve the bill, learning from the experience of groups such as Friends of the Earth. At the moment, we know that local authorities regularly fail to provide information even within the two months. In the past two years we have asked for information about who in local authorities is responsible for bathing waters. Of the local authorities that we asked, only 17 provided the information within two months. Of the remainder, three authorities did not provide the information at all.
It was an extremely simple request, but it took two months for half of them to answer and more than two months for the rest to answer. From our point of view, it is important that loopholes do not exist and that twin-track provision is not available to local authorities. It would be easier all round if there was the same time scale in law for the provision of information, whatever its provenance.
If there is going to be harmonisation, should the time scale under EIR come down to 20 days as opposed to the time scale under FOI going up to two months?
That is our preference because that would be in line with the current codes of practice that many local authorities operate for providing information to the public. We would prefer the shorter time scale.
Having harmonised time scales, do I take it that you want the bill to say that it complies with and implements article 5 of the Aarhus convention on the dissemination of environmental information to the public? There would then be a direct link between primary legislation and regulations.
Yes. The bill contains provisions that deal with the dissemination of other information. It is important to have provisions that deal with the dissemination of environmental information.
You made the point that you welcome the powers of the commissioner to take a public body to court to force the release of information. You also believe that there is a need for sanctions for bodies who fail repeatedly to give out information in an appropriate and timely fashion. Obviously, the penalties for non-compliance need to be meaningful and should include fines. Do you think that companies would be less inclined to delay if that were the case? What other methods do you suggest?
Did you say companies or public authorities?
I said companies, but the questions should really be about public bodies.
Yes. Our concern is that there is nothing at the moment that allows the commissioner to intervene in the case of a public authority that fails persistently to meet the terms and the intention of the bill. At the moment, the commissioner can make a ruling or take the authority to court. We are thinking of more prosaic circumstances in which authorities flout the time scales regularly or fail to give adequate or full information regularly. In those cases, the options that are open are either to fine the authority concerned or—copying some other legislation—to rule that the authority is a failing authority and place a member of staff in it to oversee the implementation of more adequate information systems.
You mentioned bathing waters. If I understood you correctly, you said that some authorities had not given you information at all.
That is correct.
How many authorities did not respond?
Seventeen authorities replied within two months, which is the deadline that is set down under the directive. Our reminders produced responses up to 100 days after the initial request and three local authorities did not reply at all, despite reminders.
What reason did they give for refusing to give information?
They did not refuse; they just did not reply. They gave no reason.
Were the standards of their bathing waters below the appropriate standards?
I do not have that information.
You stated that if excessive costs were to be incurred as a result of a large number of people asking for the same information, the public authority should be under a duty to respond to the first request and to publish the information in an easily accessible form for the rest of the applicants. Is not that common sense? Does it need to be written into the bill?
We think that it does because, at present—and this is a matter of extreme concern—section 12(2) entitles public bodies to ignore two or more requests if they perceive them to have come from an organised campaign and if answering the requests would cost more than the prescribed threshold. That is undemocratic in many respects. It is not helpful to have a provision that allows the provider of information to interpret requests that they receive and to assume without checking that requests originate from an organised campaign.
If providing the requested information would entail a considerable cost, public bodies should, after making the information available to the person who first made the request, publish it either in paper form or on a website and inform the other people how the information can be accessed. It is not acceptable that requests can be denied because they are presumed to come from an organised campaign and because providing the information might exceed a cost. That would be harmful to public confidence in the system.
As an alternative to deleting section 12(2), would it be a solution to give guidance in the codes of practice on how public bodies should deal with multiple requests?
From our point of view, it is extremely important to remove section 12(2) from the bill. There is provision elsewhere to deal with vexatious requests, so it is a belt-and-braces job in any case. The codes of practice should deal with multiple requests and inform authorities that they need not reply to each one with voluminous paper correspondence if they can provide the information more efficiently elsewhere in a way that is accessible to the public. Section 12(2) would leave the bill open to abuse by public authorities that do not want to release information. After all, two or more requests might come from people who do not know each other, in which case the authority would not be able to substantiate that there is an organised campaign.
You said that authorities might use section 12(2) as an excuse not to answer requests from campaigns, but campaigns can sometimes be a bit of a nuisance. Members do not reply individually to every e-mail that they receive from campaigns—we compose a stock reply to send out. I presume that councils will either do that or publish the information on their website. It is disingenuous to require a completely fresh reply to every request, when it is obvious that a campaign is involved. People know a campaign when they see one.
As far as I understand section 12(2), it is up to the local or public authority to decide whether the requests come from an organised campaign, which is an interesting function to give authorities. If there are multiple requests, the authorities should provide the information if it is not costly to do so. If the material is expensive because of its volume or nature, it can be published elsewhere and the authorities should respond to multiple requests by informing them of that. We do not have a problem with authorities explaining the difficulty in meeting a request, but as far as we understand it, the bill would allow authorities not to reply to requests and not to supply information.
That is not likely. It is likely that the authority will say that the information can be found on the website, because there have been so many requests.
I have no objection to the information being provided in that way. However, as the bill stands, authorities could refuse to provide information, which is what we have a difficulty with. It would be wrong to have such a provision in the bill. Section 12(2) is a catch-all provision, but we have not received from the Executive—or anybody that we have asked—an example of a current situation or difficulty that it would remedy. It is not a good provision.
You are saying that if the information is published, and the ordinary man or woman on the street agrees that the information is in the public domain, continued requests would fall into the category of vexatious requests, which gunge up the system.
I have a point relating to what Maureen Macmillan said. Most reasonable local authorities will make information public if it fits the criteria. Further requests can be dealt with in the way in which members deal with campaigns—by issuing a stock reply.
The fact that local authorities can deal with the matter in that way is probably a good reason for not having section 12(2) in the bill. My concern—and I think that this is your point—is that local authorities could use section 12(2) as an excuse for not providing information in the first place, when it would be easy enough for them to do so, even if there was an organised campaign.
We must face up to the fact that public authorities wish that they did not receive certain requests for information and that they did not have to divulge that information, as they are required to. As an organisation, we regularly ask for information that public authorities do not want us to have. They second-guess what we might wish to use it for, which—in their eyes—might be to embarrass them. We should not make available to them a get-out—such as section 12(2)—that would allow them to provide no information whatever.
Can I ask another supplementary on that?
I do not know whether Donald Gorrie—
Go on, if you want to. I am absolutely against what you say, but do go on.
If your organisation wants the information and one person writes off for it and gets it, that is it—the organisation can then disseminate the information. Why have 50 people write in for the same information? A campaign is designed to put pressure on people, not just to get information. If you want information rather than just to make a political statement by saying, "We have written 500 letters to the council", I do not understand what your difficulty is.
I do not know why we would do that. The bill states that the request must be the same or "substantially similar". As an organisation, we would not write and ask for the same information.
First, it is up to the public authority to decide whether there is a campaign, not for us to wage one. That is a matter of interpretation of the genesis of the request and of why there are two or more substantially similar requests. The authority is entitled to interpret "substantially similar", which is a generous power to give it.
Secondly, if we asked for information and somebody else asked for it at the same time, both of us could be denied the information. It is not a case of giving the information to Friends of the Earth, then asking Friends of the Earth to disseminate it.
Thirdly, I do not think that it is the responsibility of an organisation other than the public authority to disseminate the information. If we ask for the information and so do many others, it is up to the public authority to supply that information in a form that is most economic to it and to meet the request. If that means anticipating that several people will want the same information, the authority should put it on to a website or publish it, rather than collating it afresh each time. That is the public authority's job, not our job.
There is an extraordinary misapprehension that campaigns are some sort of Napoleonic army, with everyone walking in step. Interest is aroused in a local issue—let us say the closure of a swimming pool—and a lot of people become concerned about that. They might write in and ask how many people have been using the swimming pool. They all do that individually, but are agitated by the campaign, which is not some sort of wicked attitude. The powers that be seem to think that campaigns are a bad thing. I would have thought that, as democrats, we would regard campaigns as a good thing.
In this case, most of the campaign will consist of people writing to the council to ask it not to close their swimming pool. There will be only a few requests for the information, but the council should surely provide it. It is important that the council should indicate precisely where the information is available, because some more sneaky members of the council might say that the information is publicly available without people having any idea where that might be—it could be deep in some vault somewhere.
That was not a question; it was just my way of expressing my indignation at some of the recent conversation.
I would like to explore the issue of secrecy. A number of provisions in the bill—such as those relating to the ministerial certificate and the categories that are exempted, regardless of content—are about denying access to information. Would you elaborate on whether those secrecy elements are acceptable? If not, what should be done about them?
Wherever possible, the class-based exemptions should be removed and replaced by a contents-based approach. We understand entirely that advice to ministers should not be inhibited from being frank and open, but we do not want the information that lies behind that advice to be withheld. Such information may be statistical, fact based or interpretative. It is important that the public understands why decisions are taken. We understand entirely why advice on what ministers should or should not do or comments made by senior officials should not be divulged, but we see no reason why, with a contents-based approach, background information should not be divulged, even if it is part of the overall advice to ministers.
We are not happy with the provision that the commissioner can be overruled and we would prefer that veto to be removed. Ministers should not challenge a commissioner's decision.
To use the word "statistical" in respect of information seems rather narrow. A lot of factual information that may not be statistical should be open to publication, too.
Yes. The selection of facts and the cohorting of a selection of facts is an important part of framing an impression for a minister of what a decision should or should not be. It is important for the public to know which facts have been selected. Each fact may not be challengeable in its own right, but the selection of facts will be of interest. There is no reason that the selection of facts used in preparing background briefing materials should not be in the public domain.
Members of the public can seek review of a refusal for information within 20 days. In your submission, you ask for the period to be extended to 40 working days. That is interesting. COSLA took the view that a public body should have 40 days to respond to a request. Should we substitute 40 days overall, both for the public body and for the applicant?
Perhaps Kirstie Shirra should answer the question about public bodies, but we favour 20 working days. We drew a distinction because, if a public authority fails to provide information within 20 days, no real sanction will be applied to it. A person can complain and if the complaint is serious enough, they can complain to the commissioner. Eventually, the information must be released. However, a real sanction can be applied to members of the public. If they fail to ask for a review within 20 days, they lose absolutely their right to a review. There is a different set of circumstances.
We prefer the longer period for members of the public. The two time limits do not have to be the same. I understand why, for neatness, 20 days was used for both, but there is no other reason why that should be the case.
The public bodies will operate the system—that is their job. Members of the public will not know the legislation as well as the public bodies will and should not be expected to be able to respond within the same time limits. We do not favour increasing the 20-day period that public bodies have to respond to requests to 40 days to make the figure the same as that which we have requested for members of the public.
Did you hear COSLA's evidence on that? It mentioned archive records, for example, and put the view that the proposal was practical. Was the evidence substantive enough?
As I understand it, a response must be issued within 20 working days but that response could simply be a statement to the effect that it was not possible to provide the information within 20 working days and that it would be provided by a set later date. I do not see why the period should be extended to 40 working days to take account of difficulties that might be experienced in only a limited number of circumstances.
The information that we receive from public authorities under the environmental information regulations often comes with the provision that, although not all the information can be supplied at the moment, it will be given to us when it is collated.
That means that the issue could be kicked into touch for quite a long time, just as when members are told that a minister will write to them later, months can pass before a letter is received. Is that what you are saying?
That is one of our concerns. There is no back-up. In a recent exercise that we carried out, one public authority replied promptly but provided almost none of the substantive information that was requested. It would be bad if that happened a lot. At the moment, the local authority cannot withhold information. However, if it were difficult to access the information—for example, if it had never been accessed before—and the period of 20 working days was inadequate, the local authority could say to the applicant that the information would be provided at a later date.
Where is that in the bill? I must have missed that.
It is in section 10. The concern is that that section does not state whether a public body can issue a response saying that it will produce the information at a later date. The section simply states that a response must be received within the 20 working days without specifying what the response should be.
Section 1(1) says:
"A person who requests information from a Scottish public authority which holds it is entitled to be given it by the authority."
Section 10(1) says:
"a Scottish public authority receiving a request which requires it to comply with section 1(1) must comply promptly; and in any event by not later than the twentieth working day".
Section 1(1) refers to information, not to a holding reply.
My point is that a similar provision currently applies to environmental information regulations and that we occasionally get holding replies. Where they appear to be reasonable—which they often do because the information is complex and detailed—we live with them. COSLA's point is that some thought should be given to the length of time in which it could be guaranteed that 100 per cent of requests could be answered.
I am sorry, I have just read section 1(3), which says:
"If the authority—
(a) requires further information in order to identify and locate the requested information; and
(b) has told the applicant so (specifying what the requirement for further information is),
then, provided that the requirement is reasonable, the authority is not obliged to give the requested information until it has the further information."
So a caveat is included in the bill, although one might feel that a local authority could use that provision as a delaying tactic.
The bill's provisions mean that, if circumstances changed between the time when the information was requested and the time when it was received, the information would reflect the situation at the end of that period rather than the situation that obtained when the question was asked. However, if we were believers in conspiracy theories, we might think that that situation could have been changed for a reason—that it might suit someone for the situation, and therefore the information, to change before the information was issued. Given that, should the commissioner be able to say that such a tactic was not reasonable?
That situation would be more likely to occur if the time between the submission of a request and the delivery of the information were lengthened. That is one of the reasons why we think that 20 working days would be a suitable period, especially since the public authorities would be able to let the applicant know that they could not meet their request in that time.
Should penalties be imposed if public authorities fail to deliver the information or issue a holding reply in 20 days?
We raised that issue in response to an earlier question. As far as we can see, the bill contains no provision for the imposition of any penalties.
The sanction is available to make a complaint to the commissioner who can then deal with that request and force the provision of the information. However, if the authority regularly fails to provide the information, for whatever reason, the commissioner does not appear to be able to apply a penalty.
Could you clarify the graph on charging proposals? There seems to have been a hiccup in the duplicating process. The text refers to a 25 per cent option, but there is no line for that on the graph. Is that 25 per cent starting from zero or starting from £100?
It is starting from £100. I am sorry if that line is missing.
Would that be better than what the Executive is proposing?
What the Executive is proposing is at variance with what might be introduced south of the border, which might put people in Scotland at a disadvantage. The Executive is proposing that information costing up to £100 should be provided free. We agree with that, but the Executive is also proposing that people should pay the additional or full marginal costs, which are set at the discretion of the public bodies. Someone could be charged £400 for information that cost £500; they would have to pay the full marginal cost less the first £100, which would be free.
Under the system that is being proposed at Westminster, the public body would be entitled to charge the applicant only 10 per cent of the total costs. In England, therefore, the authority can only charge the applicant £50 for information that might cost £500 to provide. In Scotland, the authority could charge the applicant £400. That is a severe disparity and a disincentive to asking for information that might be expensive to provide.
We are proposing a hybrid between those two systems. The free provision of information costing less than £100 should be maintained; thereafter, there should be an option to charge 25 per cent of the full marginal costs. In Scotland, someone would still have to pay £125 for information costing £500, compared with £50 in England. However, we would have the benefit of the £100 exemption.
Thank you. That is helpful.
The COSLA representatives aired the idea that commercial organisations could be charged more than private individuals or non-commercial organisations such as Friends of the Earth Scotland. Do you think that there is any mileage in that idea?
We have not examined that issue in any great detail. Our main concern is to ensure that ordinary members of the public can get access to information. Our charging proposals have been based on that.
The COSLA suggestion ties in with our idea that there should not be an upper limit to charges. When the proposed upper limit of £500 is reached, perhaps a company that can afford to pay for the information should pay for it. That is the only aspect of the issue that we have considered. Our main concerns are for the public and we have always argued that if the upper limit is reached, the authority should refer the matter to the commissioner instead of just not giving the information to the applicant. The commissioner could decide where the burden of cost should lie. If the applicant was a company, it could pay the charges.
From your activities so far, do you get the impression that a lot of inquiries would cost more than £500 and would therefore be ruled out?
We rarely come across costs as high as that. When we complain about the cost limits, people say that very few inquiries would cost more than £500. However, the fact that people need either a vast amount of information or information that is difficult to retrieve should not be a reason for their not being able to get it.
Friends of the Earth Scotland is probably interested in commercial confidentiality. I could go to a company and ask for public information only to be told that it is a trade secret. For example, if I was trying to find out what a company was putting into a river, would section 33, which allows the company to say that the information is a trade secret, negate the regulations on lists of pollutants that you mentioned?
We have experienced that twice relatively recently. In one case, which concerned an application to construct a road using PFI, we requested information on the outline business case, including details on alternative projects. Our request was denied on the grounds that the document contained commercially sensitive information. When we asked again, we were told that we were not entitled to see the document as it did not contain any environmental information—we learned subsequently that it did. When we asked the council to remove the commercially sensitive bits of the document and provide us with the rest, we were told that that would be prohibitively expensive and would leave little of the original text.
We have not been able to obtain information that is now classed as commercially sensitive on what were hitherto public contracts. The move to PFI has meant that the contracts have become commercial contracts, which would be given a class exemption under the FOI proposals as they stand.
A similar thing happened when we asked for details of waste transfer notes, which describe what is being carried into landfill sites. As was mentioned earlier, we are talking about pollutants going in rather than pollutants going out. When local people asked to have access to the waste transfer notes to find out what was going into the landfill site, their request was denied by SEPA on the grounds that the notes were commercially confidential.
I think that we can expect commercial confidentiality to be used quite extensively. In public-private partnerships, will public interest or commercial confidentiality be the governing issue? As PFI contracts would be class exempt, we could not even deal with them using a context or case-by-case approach.
Section 33 also states:
"Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially … the economic interests".
That concerns me. Although there is a test as to what "prejudice substantially" means, how do we define what we mean by "economic interests"? Do you feel that that provision is very wide?
Yes. We have experience of how the provision would affect environmental activity. For example, a company's economic interests may be affected if it was known that the company was a polluter, since potential clients might steer clear of having dealings with such a company. The provision that relates to companies' economic interests could be very widely interpreted.
I have heard that other countries that have introduced a freedom of information regime have had difficulties changing the culture within public bodies so that people accept the whole idea of making information more freely available. Many of your concerns about the bill are predicated on the basis that the public bodies will be fairly reluctant to provide information in the first place. Alongside the bill, what must be done to tackle the culture of secrecy that exists in our public bodies? What must be done to ensure that the bill will function effectively once it is enacted?
I agree entirely that we require a change of culture, not simply a change of legislation or technical provisions. We agree with COSLA that a rigorous programme of training on and anticipation of the provisions of the bill will be required. I am not sure that I agree entirely with the suggestion that one year would be required, but several months would certainly be required. There must be a culture change at the top of organisations, so that requests for information from the public are no longer treated as symptomatic of people being troublemakers. In other words, we must get rid of the culture in which it is assumed that people who ask for information must intend to do something dangerous with that information.
Information also needs to be provided proactively. Public bodies need to anticipate what information will be requested regularly and to make it readily available either on websites or in published form. Public bodies should not make things more difficult for themselves and for the public by having to collate the information afresh each time.
It will take several months for some public authorities to come up to speed. However, it is obvious from testing that we have done that many public authorities are already pretty good at dealing with requests for information. I am on the board of Scottish Natural Heritage, and I am happy to say that a recent survey by SNH showed that there had been no concerns or complaints about the nature of the information supplied, its timing or its volume. A culture change can take place.
COSLA has said that a year would be required between the granting of royal assent for the bill and full implementation of its provisions. You feel that a couple of months would suffice. To ensure that the legislation works as effectively as possible from the outset, might it be better to err on the side of caution and give public bodies extra time to ready themselves? The bodies would then not have the excuse of saying that they were not given adequate time.
I apologise if I gave the impression that a couple of months would suffice. I did not mean to: I meant that implementation would take a matter of months. In coming to that conclusion, we had expected that the bill would go through by early spring and come into force from the beginning of 2003. That is a reasonable period of time—we say nine months; COSLA says a year. We could live with a year, but I do not think that going beyond a year would be acceptable.
COSLA has said that it would wish to be consulted on codes of practice. Who else should be consulted?
That is a testing question; I heard you put it to previous witnesses. There are good reasons for saying that the codes of practice should be drawn up well before the bill goes through so that people can see what is meant by terms such as substantial harm, public interest and commercial confidentiality. However, the information commissioner should have a role in determining how the provisions are put into effect. It is important to have a draft code of practice that the information commissioner could subsequently amend but that would allow those who are voting on the bill to see what is intended by certain terms. The codes of practice should therefore be circulated in the same way as the draft bill was circulated. It would be intelligent proactively to seek the engagement of those who have so far shown an interest in the bill.
Who are many. We have had many responses.
Yes, they are many, but a difficulty is that lots of things will be put not in the bill but in the codes of practice. The codes of practice really matter to people.
I was not being critical of your suggestion to seek engagement—I applaud the fact that we have had responses from lots of external bodies. Thank you for your evidence.
We will take a 10-minute coffee break before we hear evidence from the Campaign for Freedom of Information, which has submitted a substantial paper, and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.
Meeting adjourned.
On resuming—
I introduce to the committee Maurice Frankel, who is director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information, and David Goldberg, who is co-convener of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland. I refer members to the witnesses' written submission, which is headed FOI 61 and was circulated yesterday. I thank the witnesses for a very full and useful submission. I understand that the witnesses do not wish to make an opening statement, so I ask members to begin questioning, bearing in mind the low temperature in the chamber today. Donald Gorrie will start with a question on exempt information.
Through my own fault, I have failed to find the section in the bill that states that councils or other organisations do not have to say whether they hold certain information that is being sought. Could you point me to that section?
Maurice Frankel (Campaign for Freedom of Information):
It is section 18.
Thank you. You have indicated that a plus point—as opposed to a minus point—of the Scottish bill, in comparison with the English, or UK, legislation is that in Scotland there will be a substantial prejudice test, rather than a prejudice test. Do you think that the inclusion of the word "substantially" will really help?
Maurice Frankel:
Yes. The existing "Open Government" code uses the test of harm or prejudice when dealing with exemptions. That is a clear indication that a more demanding test is being called for. There is a benchmark against which the new test can be judged. However, no one can tell what change will be brought about by having a test of substantial prejudice as against a test of prejudice, until the system is in operation.
I will move on to exemptions. Do you think that we need to include in the bill any class exemptions? Would you advocate sweeping away class exemptions entirely and including only exemptions that are based on content and that are subject to the substantial prejudice test?
Yes. We favour sweeping away the concept of a class exemption. The purpose of a freedom of information act is to allow the public to have access to information, except in cases in which to do so would be harmful. The best way in which to judge access to information is to apply a test of whether the particular disclosure that is being sought would be harmful or not. Class exemptions undermine that approach.
As I understand the bill, issues will be judged on the basis of public interest. However, the bill does not define public interest. Is that a defect or is such vagueness occasionally helpful?
I am not sure that we would favour an attempt being made to define public interest, because one cannot predict in advance what the public interest will be. The definition will evolve over time, through the public interest test, in the same way as the public interest test under the common law and the law of confidence have evolved over time. I do not object to the omission of a definition, although a purpose section would be helpful, because that could indicate some of the principles that the act is intended to further. In interpreting the public interest test, one could draw on those principles. That is what has happened under New Zealand's Official Information Act 1982 and under other freedom of information laws.
Is there a risk that the public interest could be interpreted at the convenience of a senior water board official or Government department official—that is, by someone who could be embarrassed by the questions that were being asked?
The test says that one must weigh public interest in disclosing information against public interest in withholding it. One could leave it to officials to elaborate on the public interest in withholding information, because that would be clear to them. However, it will be difficult for public officials to see where the public interest lies in disclosing information. I agree that we will need guidance, which I assume the commissioner will produce over time. However, guidance would be assisted by a purpose section, if such a section were incorporated in the bill.
As I have joined the committee only recently, I have not compared the provisions in the bill with the provisions in the draft bill. The provisions on investigations by Scottish public authorities seem to be drawn very widely, although I think that those provisions have been changed since the publication of the draft bill. Is that change satisfactory? Would you like that area to be re-examined and amended?
The change brought the bill more into line with UK exemptions. Some elaborations were made to the scope of exemptions in the draft bill, which was considerably wider than the UK exemptions, which are too broad. Although the bill has been brought more into line with UK exemptions, its scope is still too broad, because the provisions to which you refer create a class exemption. In our submission, we illustrate the most obvious consequence, which is that if somebody seeks access to information on an environmental health matter or on a consumer safety problem, all the information that is held by local authority officers as a result of an investigation or an inspection into that matter will be exempt. In order to obtain information about a consumer safety issue or an environmental health issue, interested members of the public will have to weigh their argument against the public interest test. The assumption that all the information in that category is likely to be substantially prejudicial if it is disclosed is wrong. That is why we would like an explicit harm test in that regard.
I understand what you say about being opposed to class exemptions, but how do exemptions work in other freedom of information regimes? You mentioned Australia and Ireland in your submission.
Are you asking about policy formulation?
Yes, because anything that is in policy—factual information, data and so on—seems to be included. Do I take it that in other regimes content drives the exemption, as opposed to class?
The most common approach to narrowing the focus in other exemptions is to exclude certain types of information from the scope of the exemption. Ireland's Freedom of Information Act 1997 excludes factual and statistical information and analysis of that information. Scientific and technical advice and opinion, reports into the efficiency of a public authority and the reasons for a decision simply cannot be withheld under that exemption. In those cases, it is also difficult to withhold information under any other exemption. The information automatically becomes available if asked for.
You are saying that other regimes have a class exemption but that they say, "Notwithstanding that, these types of information are not to be excluded."
That is right. They have a class exemption that includes a public-interest balancing test. Internationally, a vast number of different items of information are included in the range of information that cannot be withheld. Some jurisdictions make a point of excluding opinion polls from the policy formulation exemption. Regimes sometimes adopt different approaches that are based on problems that they have had in the past in their jurisdictions. We are entitled to consider our experience under the "Open Government" code, including the recent experience following devolution in Scotland, where effectively factual information is excluded by a combination of interpretation of provisions, ombudsman's rulings and what the provision itself says.
There is a harm test included in the code at the moment, which relates to whether disclosure of information would harm the candour and frankness of internal discussions. In addition, factual information is generally excluded. That is the current regime, but if we follow the line in the bill, we will take quite a large step back from it.
Any ancillary information would be exempt.
It is all exempt. That is a wide starting point because it includes everything that relates to the formulation or development of Government policy plus—as, I think, the COSLA witnesses reminded us—anything that relates to ministerial communications. That includes not only actual exchanges between ministers; it also includes officials' references to ministers' correspondence. The exemption includes anything to do with the operation of a minister's private office.
In addition, there is the harm test, which relates to information whose disclosure would harm the collective responsibility of Scottish ministers. There is a harm test for the frankness of advice and a harm test for the frankness of views—
Could you refer to the appropriate section?
The appropriate sections are sections 29 and 30. Section 29 is directed exclusively at ministers, but section 30 applies to ministers and to all other public authorities. One must ask why ministers require both sections. What is the deficiency in section 30 that requires the class exemption?
Does anybody else want to come in on the range of class exemptions? Have you concluded your first stab at the matter, Donald?
I have had a fair crack at it.
Section 48 sets out circumstances in which there is no right of appeal to the information commissioner, particularly where certain decisions are arrived at by the Lord Advocate or a procurator fiscal. What would be the implications of the fact that there is no right of appeal? Are you comfortable with that?
I am not comfortable with it. David Goldberg may wish to answer the question.
David Goldberg (Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland):
We are not comfortable with the proposal. The Executive has told us that the provision is a necessary implication of the Scotland Act 1998 and that that provision protects the independence of the Lord Advocate. The Executive also says that the Lord Advocate's independence would be compromised if the information commissioner could review his decisions. That is probably a broader problem, because of the interaction between the Scotland Act 1998, which is not under the purview of the Scottish Parliament, and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill, which is. However, we have always been concerned about the unnecessary confusion between the Lord Advocate's independence and his accountability. We should not confuse one with the other. As I said, the issue is bound up with the complex ramifications of the Scotland Act 1998.
Whether the same will apply to procurators fiscal is an interesting and broader question that should perhaps be probed with the Executive. I am not sure whether the Executive's argument about the protection of the Lord Advocate's independence under the Scotland Act 1998 necessarily extends to procurators fiscal.
I am also concerned about that. Although I understand some of the arguments in relation to the Lord Advocate, I am not so sure whether the Executive's arguments should also apply to procurators fiscal.
David Goldberg:
In fairness to the Executive, it has always pointed out that it is not saying that information about elements of the operations of the offices of procurators fiscal or of the office of the Lord Advocate cannot be made public. There is a distinction to be made between the categories of information that would be requested. Section 48(c) mentions
"the head of the systems of criminal prosecution and investigation".
That sounds like a qualification and I assume—indeed, I hope—that it represents a restriction on the veto of reviews by the information commissioner. Interestingly, however, that is not mentioned in section 48(b). Why not? With respect, I do not think that it is up to us to answer the question, although we are entitled to ask it so that others who are more competent, qualified or responsible can answer it satisfactorily.
We have touched on the ministerial veto. Some of the evidence that we have received has evinced considerable concerns about ministers' ability to override the information commissioner's decisions. At last week's meeting, a witness expressed concerns about the nature of the First Minister's consultation in using the veto on such decisions. In effect, that veto could amount merely to a quick phone call to some of his Cabinet colleagues. We discussed ways of getting around the issue by giving the person who challenges the veto the right of appeal or the right to take the matter to a judicial review. Do you have any suggestions about how we might address concerns about that?
We have two suggestions. Ideally, there should be no veto; in the absence of such a step, ministers would have the right to challenge on a point of law or to review judicially a decision that was made by the information commissioner. Secondly, an intermediate approach would be merely to insert an additional statutory test that would say that the veto would be available in cases in which the effect of disclosure would be exceptionally serious. The Executive made such a statement in "An Open Scotland" to explain why the power of veto was necessary. If that was written into the bill, the veto could not be used for minor issues that were more of an embarrassment or an administrative inconvenience.
I was going to ask about that. Can you think of examples of situations in which ministers would have to use the veto? I understand that issues of national security are covered by other statutes. Can you think of examples that do not involve issues of potential political embarrassment?
The veto does not apply to issues of national security. It can be used for matters that pass the public interest test and for a range of classes of exemptions. When the UK legislation was introduced, we had a similar debate about whether anyone could imagine that such a veto would be needed. Our submission highlights the fact that two weeks ago the parliamentary ombudsman's recommendation under the UK Government's "Open Government: Code of Practice on Access to Government Information" was overruled by ministers in London. That was the first time that ministers have refused to comply with an ombudsman's recommendation on open Government, which is analogous to a veto. The procedure that preceded it was a consultation with Cabinet ministers, which is analogous to the consultation that must take place under the bill. It was clear that the ombudsman felt that the information was not exempt and that the code contained no ground for withholding it. However, ministers did not accept that decision and used their veto.
The argument that the political consequences of exercising the veto would be so severe as to deter ministers has not proved to be correct in Westminster. There has been no outcry, not least because a war is going on in Afghanistan and MPs' concerns are elsewhere. However, I doubt whether in other circumstances the outcry would have been great enough to deter ministers. In that example, the information that was sought was relatively minor. Our concern is that when the veto has been used once or twice and ministers discover that it is relatively easy to get away with it, it will become a frequent occurrence. In that situation, the basis of the bill would be undermined.
I am aware of Jim Wallace's comment to the committee that the use of the veto would be limited. However, I am also conscious that the late Donald Dewar said that the use of Sewel motions in the Scottish Parliament would be limited, although several have gone through Parliament in the past few weeks. I understand Mr Frankel's concern that when the veto has been used once or twice it might become a matter of course.
What is the experience of use of that power in countries that have introduced a freedom of information regime and a similar ministerial veto? Have all countries that have introduced freedom of information legislation included such a power of veto?
Ireland has a veto, but the public interest criterion does not apply. The veto can be used in relation to international relations, defence, security and law enforcement. As far as I know, that veto has been used only twice, both times in relation to issues that were connected to the troubles in Northern Ireland. The veto does not apply to day-to-day political issues.
When the veto was introduced in New Zealand, exactly the same argument was made about it being used rarely but, in the six months after the legislation came into force, it was used several times in cases that we find to be incomprehensibly trivial. One was the price of wall plugs in a Government contract.
Wall plugs?
Yes. The law was later tightened so that a collective cabinet decision was required for vetoes; they have not been used since then. However, the change was a result of a change of Government, so the extent to which the lack of vetoes is a result of the collective system as opposed to a different Government's willingness to abide by the legislation is an open matter. I believe that the early flurry of vetoes were all notified to the Cabinet beforehand.
The American and Canadian systems do not include a veto.
I draw members' attention to section 52(3) because I have a question about how it will work. First, there is a trivial objection to the provision, which states that a copy of an exemption certificate is to be laid before Parliament "as soon as practicable". The bill contains definitive time periods for other elements of reviews, but that phrase is inadequate because it is too vague.
Secondly, there is interest in the sort of debate that the Parliament could hold on the substance of certificates pertaining to information that the First Minister has ruled ought not to be in the public domain. What could the debate be about? While our main problems with the veto are that it is in principle unacceptable in a freedom of information bill, and that the examples of where it has been used cause some concern, there is a third question of how a review could work.
I do not think that there would be a debate; rather, it would be more of a collective body of speculation.
Would that be useful?
It might depend what the issue was. For example, the issue could be the cost of the Holyrood project, which might be the subject of ministerial communication, which could be the subject of a veto. In that case, Parliament might wish to have more than merely a formal review of a motion.
That is not what the bill says. The ministerial veto is the determinant, and that would be an end to the matter, as the bill stands.
Yes, but when a copy of a certificate is laid before the Parliament, what is Parliament to do with it? What is the consequence of that? Is it an affirmative—
I understand what you are saying. It looks as if it is just a matter of complying with the procedures and putting the certificate in the public domain, and that that would be the end of the story. We are considering that, but as the bill stands, laying the certificate before Parliament would be the end of the matter. The certificate would be provided simply as notification.
I have a couple of questions, one of which is about time limits. As you know, the bill sets out a variety of time limits governing application and appeal processes. It includes a power that will allow Scottish ministers to alter by regulation those time limits. Officials from the Executive have told us that that power was added in response to comments that were received during consultation. It would be helpful if you gave us your views on the time limits in the bill and the power to alter them.
The time limit in the bill is 20 "working days". There has been a slightly false comparison made between those 20 working days and the 40 days that are mentioned in the Data Protection Act 1998. The Data Protection Act 1998 sets out 40 days, not 40 working days. The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill sets out 20 "working days", which is the equivalent of 28 days on the scale of the Data Protection Act 1998. I understand that about 92 to 94 per cent of all "Open Government" requests are dealt with within 20 working days, which is the "Open Government" time limit for dealing with requests.
We would be unhappy about that limit being changed to the Data Protection Act 1998's 40-day period. As I understand it, 40 days was chosen for that act because at the time of the bill's passage, the old mainframe computers operated on a system of batch processing, which would not allow current data to be retrieved in less time. When a long period is set, the work on a request will start a certain amount of time before the deadline.
By inference, if the Data Protection Act 1998 was reconsidered, the time limits might be amended, in the light of what you said.
I have one more question, the subject of which you have already touched on. Do have any concerns about the ability of ministers to remove or add bodies to schedule 1?
That power could be used in effect to exclude almost wholesale from the provisions of the bill bodies that are currently subject to the bill by simply removing from the scope of the bill information relating to various functions. I understand that the purpose of the power is to deal with bodies that cease to exist, but a provision could be written into the bill to the effect that a body is deleted from the schedule when it ceases to exist, without granting the power to ministers to remove organisations as the bill allows.
I have a few questions about your views on charging. The Executive seems to be fairly relaxed about charging. It indicates that it intends, in the light of responses to the draft bill, to consider further how fees should be structured.
You indicated a preference for the fees system that will apply under the UK Freedom of Information Act 2000, which would prevent high charges from being levied at the top end, but would perhaps charge more of people at the lower end. Friends of the Earth Scotland wants the best of both worlds—the £100 limit plus only a 25 per cent levy on the rest. What do you want? Do you have models of charges from elsewhere? How much will it cost to access information? People are bandying figures about, but I have no conception of how much provision of information will cost. Some people say that the £100 limit will be perfectly sufficient, but others say that provision of information will cost much more. I have rambled, but what are your thoughts?
In practice, I do not think that the UK Freedom of Information Act 2000 will allow a small charge on basic requests for the simple reason that, under both regimes, all written requests are freedom of information requests, including those which are currently dealt with in ordinary correspondence. A charge could not be introduced for ordinary correspondence requests that are currently dealt with free of charge. As a result of freedom of information, one could not start to charge people for inquiring why their social security payments were being held up, for example. One would be able to do so only after a certain number of hours' work. In practice, there will be a free period under the UK act, too. The £100 free period is a good and positive system that corresponds to existing open government practice for many bodies.
I do not think that there can be a steep charging regime once the £100 free period has gone, whereby £20 for one hour, £40 for the second hour, £60 for the third hour—or whatever—could be charged. That would quickly price many people with no resources out of their rights. There must be a subsidised system.
There are various ways of subsidising. For example, there could be a 10 per cent charge after a free period or fees could be waived for requests that are in the public interest and charged for commercial requests. I am not too concerned about which method is adopted, although a 10 per cent charge after a free period would be most helpful to the public.
An interesting question to which there has been no clear answer is: what is the formula upon which the costing is based? From the Executive's comments over months and years, I understand that there is a notional figure of £20 per hour in respect of location and retrieval, which is the element to which the cost is related. Copying, for example, is a supplemental cost. It is difficult to establish how and why that yardstick has been arrived at. I have seen figures in legislation elsewhere—in the Irish legislation, for example, the figure per hour is lower. There may be a problem in that, after investigation, the figure per hour is higher. What is the figure based on?
Publication schemes under section 23 of the bill are a related issue. With respect, the section has not received a huge amount of focus. At the end of the day, we are talking about location and retrieval of information that is managed in some fashion by authorities. We must ask not merely about the cost basis on which the £100 plus is determined, but whether the duties on public authorities under the publication scheme provision are tight enough. For example, the bill mentions
"classes of information which the authority publishes or intends to publish".
In a library, there are biographies, history books, travel books and so on—classes of information—but from those classes, one does not necessarily know which individual books are available. If a public library's holdings are used as an analogy for a public authority's holdings, the duty under the publication scheme ought to be much tighter.
For example, indexes of all documents should be maintained and contained in a register that is available generally. I know that it sounds a bit far away from us, but in Trinidad and Tobago there is an FOI act under which there is a requirement for an annual index of specific categories of information and the individual items within those categories.
On the issue of the fees charged, two important dimensions require attention. The first is the cost basis on which those figures are being considered. The second is the correlation between that and the duties of information management. I presume that the location and retrieval cost has a direct correlation with the efficiency of the indexing of that information, although it is true that in one or two cases the complexity of the information being requested would have an impact.
In other words, one local authority might charge a lot more than another for the same information because it did not have such good retrieval systems.
I suggest that we debate that when we come to discuss the codes of practice.
With respect, convener—
I get to say that—you do not.
I love to say, "With respect".
There is a danger that the codes will somehow become a repository for all the difficult issues. A general philosophical approach could be taken to impose the maximum specificity in the bill, with the least reliance put on the codes of practice. The codes are not legally enforceable, which is an issue. Your suggestion might be slightly better if the codes of practice were to be legally enforceable; however, they will not be legally enforceable. Earlier, you said that the codes somehow often got away from scrutiny.
I meant just charging rates—something specific that might be updated, which might normally be put in statutory instruments rather than in primary legislation.
That is right. The charging rates would be the subject of subordinate legislation.
But perhaps we need to reconsider the way in which charging rates are calculated. I take your point about that. For example, will there be a notional rate for certain types of information, or will the rate be what each individual public body chooses to charge? Who will challenge the figures?
David Goldberg has raised an interesting point about the status of the codes of practice, concerning giving some kind of authority to codes of practice and whether there might be litigation if they were breached by public bodies. That is an interesting argument, which we might develop.
Let us move on. I have a couple of points to raise that have not been raised so far. First, I would like you to put on record your concerns about section 36, on confidentiality, which we have read in your written submission. Secondly, you make a rather interesting submission concerning changes to the draft bill. You say that, following your representations, the bill was redrafted in a way that made it worse. Can you please tell us about those two matters that you have raised for the committee's attention?
The redrafting of the bill relates to a requirement on the information commissioner not to disclose information that the commissioner obtains for the purposes of the act, except in certain circumstances, with the effect that an offence is committed if the commissioner discloses information in breach of that requirement. We do not like the concept of the commissioner's being subject to an offence for disclosing information. That provision got into the UK act because the UK commissioner handles freedom of information and data protection together and the Data Protection Act 1998 already contains the definition of an offence. It was felt that it would be difficult to operate an offence for some of the functions but not for the other functions when the commissioner undertakes a joint investigation. An identical offence appeared in the draft bill but we argued that, as the Scottish commissioner will have no data protection responsibilities, the bill does not need to include the offence. If it is to be included, it must be more liberal. The definition of an offence has been broadened and now applies not only to information relating to an identifiable individual or business but to all information, including information that is obtained from a public authority.
The defences have also been changed. Where previously there was a defence that disclosure was necessary for a variety of reasons, including the public interest, there is now a defence that, had the commissioner received the request under freedom of information, the commissioner would have had to disclose it. That change has been a genuine attempt to meet our concerns but, in the form in which it has been presented, it does not do so. In fact, both the changes—the broadening of scope and the changing of the defences—make things worse.
The UK commissioner was very unhappy that she was subject to an offence at all—under the Data Protection Act 1998, let alone the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We hope that the Scottish legislation will not include such an offence, because it is harmful.
If there is an offence, there is usually a penalty. What is the penalty?
A fine.
So the commissioner, himself or herself, can be subject to a fine?
That would appear to undermine their position; it would be rather like fining a Court of Session judge.
Yes, it would undermine their position. This legislation will be accompanied by a review of existing statutory restrictions on disclosure, with a view to removing those that are unnecessary or wider than necessary. Why introduce a new restriction with the legislation—a restriction on the person who, one could assume, would be most respectful of the real need for a restriction to protect certain information, because that is the kind of thing that the commissioner will be dealing with all the time.
Would you talk briefly about confidentiality?
There is an exemption for information whose disclosure would constitute an actionable breach of confidence. That leads to a difficulty, because it is easy to acquire an obligation of confidentiality under common law—by accepting information that you agree to accept in confidence—unless the information is publicly available or trivial. Authorities may either tie their own hands without fully realising it, or willingly enter into an obligation of confidence because an agreement with a third party makes it undesirable for the information to be let out. Sometimes, that information may be of a kind that the public are entitled to see.
So it could be cloak-and-dagger stuff, just to keep parties from disclosing an arrangement?
There could be collusion, yes.
Yes, that is a better word.
To help with the implementation of the legislation, what has to be done to change the culture of secrecy that often pervades public bodies? You probably heard the evidence from COSLA and Friends of the Earth on when the legislation should be implemented after receiving royal assent. COSLA said that about a year would be required for its members to prepare; Friends of the Earth said nine months but would be happy to accept a limit of a year if need be. How long should be allowed for people to prepare for the legislation?
We will not quibble between nine months and a year; a year would be fine. However, I am unhappy about the five years in the statute. The UK act also gives a five-year limit. We were told that it would start to come into force after 18 months and would be phased in thereafter. The five years was supposed to be just a fall-back position. Now we are being told that the whole act will come into force in January 2005—more than four years after royal assent. If five years is given as a statutory fall-back, the danger is that people might rely on having those five years to get the act into force. I would hope that the statutory limit would be shorter.
As for the culture of secrecy, the number of exemptions in the bill is potentially overwhelming. If authorities receiving requests start going through the list, check by check, asking whether they have any grounds for withholding information, they will find grounds for withholding anything and everything. The substantial prejudice test is helpful. It means that authorities would have to start with the objective of always releasing information unless doing so would be damaging. Once they had persuaded themselves that releasing information would be damaging, they would then consider whether or not that was justified under the act. The problem with class exemptions is that they make it easy for authorities to persuade themselves that they have legal justification for withholding information. That is why I believe that class exemptions will undermine the efforts made to change the culture.
If one were to adopt content exemptions, there would be a substantial prejudice test plus a public interest test and no ministerial veto. There would be a strong right of access to information and a strong culture-changing philosophy in the statute. With class exemptions, however, there is no harm test, but there is a test of the balance of public interest, backed up by a ministerial veto, and little incentive to change culture. All documents contain a mixture of information that would be covered by content and class exemptions.
How can a change of culture apply to paragraph 1 of a document but not to paragraphs 2 and 3 of the same document? How will that work? The change of culture will not happen if there are broad class exemptions and a ministerial veto, as people will rely on those provisions to back up an instinctive reluctance to disclose information. That is why we found the combination of a bold approach and a timid approach to be odd. We wanted the bold approach to be expressed more broadly throughout the bill.
There should be strong, enforceable duties to publish information, as per the publication schemes, and those duties should be beefed up. The campaign recently published a response to the information commissioner's consultation paper on publication schemes. Perhaps we should supply the committee with a copy of our response, as in it we make a number of specific suggestions on how the positive duties under section 23 could be enhanced.
We would be content to receive additional papers. I thank the witnesses for their evidence.
I welcome Karen Williams, who is the director of corporate services at Grampian police, and Peter Wilson, who is the chief constable of Fife constabulary. Both are here to represent the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland. I apologise to you for the diminishing number of committee members. Only three wise members are left, but I think that that is due to the kerfuffles that are going on elsewhere and which might be stealing the headlines even as I speak. We are probably the only people who do not know what is happening with the Cabinet reshuffle.
I thank you for your paper, which is headed FOI 34. I understand that you would like to make a short opening statement.
Chief Constable Peter Wilson (Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland):
I thank the committee for hearing our presentation.
As you might expect, the police service in Scotland supports the philosophy behind what the bill is trying to achieve. I suspect that we will find ourselves accepting many of the general provisions of the bill. For many years, we have dealt with similar provisions under the data protection legislation. We find that some of that legislation imposes constraints on what we would like to achieve through partnership working and working with victims. In some ways, the bill is a positive step for the police service.
One can always find negative examples, but for many years guidelines have meant that there has been an openness about special branch surveillance arrangements, for example. The police service has worked consistently with the media on documentary programmes and on other public interest issues. Therefore, freedom of information is not new ground for the police, although members will know that we fear that there might be an impact on work load.
Police forces have been keen to be as open as possible about complaints against the police, particularly with police authorities, which have a statutory duty to satisfy themselves about how such complaints are dealt with. Local authority members of police authorities increasingly find that they can have free access to complaint files.
I suspect that the issues that will be of concern in relation to the police will be the provisions on crime inquiries, how the responses that will be expected from us are to be resourced and charging. I listened to some of the questions that members asked earlier and I suspect that that is the ground that members might wish to cover with us.
Only two members—plus me—are left. Members usually compete for questions, but today we will have some left over.
The first question is about the relationship between the UK legislation and the Scottish bill. In earlier proposals you highlighted the need to avoid any incompatibility or confusion between those two sets of provisions and data protection legislation. Are you quite happy with the situation or do you have concerns about that?
Chief Constable Wilson:
I will start and then let Karen Williams join in.
The issue is that some of our work is national and concerns the National Criminal Intelligence Service and other joint crime inquiries. We sometimes work closely with police forces in England and Wales. There is the potential for conflict if different approaches were to be taken by anyone judging whether different standards were being adopted.
Karen Williams (Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland):
I agree. Clearly, we want to comply with the eventual act, and all the necessary steps have been taken to ensure that the protection of individuals' privacy within the Data Protection Act 1998 is there. Mr Wilson makes the point well that we want to ensure, from a policing perspective, that we are giving people who are asking for information a consistent right of access to that information. We hope that that will be the case.
How much conflict do you think there might be on the matter of people accessing information if, for example, Lothian and Borders police were working with Northumbria police? How would that work out? Would each police force follow the legislation in its own country? Where do you think the areas of conflict are?
Issues might surround the fact that, when we are working together on crime inquiries, sources of information might come from different areas of jurisdiction. There might be a conflict, depending on how access to that information was sought at a later stage. That will depend on how the legislation works out in practice. We will not know that until such matters arise. We work closely with colleagues south of the border; there will be different thresholds and the potential for different outcomes, which is not desirable.
I can see the potential for extreme irritation.
It would not be constructive for public perception if there was seen to be an unnecessary obstruction because of thresholds being different.
The content exemptions in relation to law enforcement in section 35 are intended primarily to ensure that policing operations are not prejudiced. Are you satisfied with what is covered in section 35? Do you envisage problems? If so, what would they be?
The exemptions are similar to those in the Data Protection Act 1998 in terms of access to information that relates to the prevention or detection of crime.
Two issues might flow from that. If a request for information went beyond a particular crime inquiry but related to something current, access would be denied and the sustainable defence for that would be that the information was current. I suspect that two issues might start to cause concern. There might be historical interest in access to information about something that may have taken place. That might go beyond a crime inquiry in which the operation is live. Some inquiries on high-profile cases may have gone cold, but not have been closed. That is not an infrequent event. We do not have to go back many years to find cases when DNA testing did not exist. Many cases are now being detected because of DNA; people are being identified from the national database.
If the pressure is for the disclosure of information for legitimate public interest in an inquiry on a particular case, where will the threshold lie? The case may be solved some day and the information could remain exempt. There could be the charge that the information should be published because the inquiry is not going anywhere and it has been two years since the police last did anything with it. DNA in the database may yet throw up a cold hit some years on, but the information would be in the public domain and that might compromise the inquiry. My guess is that for some of the issues, notwithstanding the fact that the cases are cold, we will have to take advice from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service about whether we can disclose the information. That is one issue.
The second issue relates to the operational techniques that may be used. Although, as I said in my opening remarks, there is a willingness for there to be public information about thresholds on surveillance guidelines and so on, we would want to prevent techniques—particularly successful ones—being exposed unnecessarily to the public gaze as that would compromise inquiries in the future. There is a balance to be struck. The wording of the section is fine but whether it is interpreted in an acceptable way remains to be seen. I do not know whether that issue is related to codes of practice, but I can see difficulties arising in relation to it.
You mentioned cases that are open but cold. Will the bill force the police to close cases prematurely on the basis that they might have to disclose information that would prejudice a case? Within a force, how many cases would be left open but classed as cold?
We tend not to give cases labels quite like that because any unsolved case remains to be closed at a later stage. In relation to minor crime, officers usually inform the victims that they have done all they can and, in the absence of any further evidence, they do not expect to be successful. More serious cases remain on the minds of the officers concerned and are revisited from time to time to see whether anything has occurred that might prompt new lines of inquiry. I do not believe that the bill will have an impact on the decision about whether to close a case as all cases lie open until they are solved. A private individual with a legitimate interest might want to be sure that the matter has been dealt with thoroughly and make an inquiry to that end.
In Ireland, where, as I understand it, the gardaí are excluded from the freedom of information legislation, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform receives the most inquiries under the legislation. There is considerable public interest in what the police service does and the number of inquiries that come from the media and people with an interest might be higher in those cases that, while not closed, do not have a team of officers working on them at that moment.
Would issues relating to surveillance techniques that are in compliance with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 be dealt with under the harm test exemption?
Yes, if the issue were pure. However, if cases that had used those techniques had gone cold, one would have to be careful to edit carefully the information that was to be disclosed to prevent information about those techniques being disclosed.
The starting point for this line of inquiry was whether we are satisfied with section 35 in relation to information relating to the prevention and detection of crime. We are satisfied with it in terms of cases that we are investigating, but techniques might be exposed as a result of an inquiry at a later stage. We have to be cautious about that because unless a conscious decision to exempt that material is made, it would not be covered by the exemption.
Even with cases that are closed, I assume that because of the Data Protection Act 1998 there is a limit on what can be disclosed. For instance, you would not be able to disclose names.
The detail could be taken out.
I am thinking of cases where people have been interviewed by the police and the interview has not been followed up, for example. Surely you would have to be careful about quite a lot of that information.
Absolutely. When push comes to shove, that may be the exclusion that chief officers will seek to apply. I am suggesting that that view might not be accepted in all cases. The experience in the United States and Canada has shown that such information often becomes the subject of an FOI inquiry, on a case basis, in relation to police attendance at certain places, or in relation to the frequency of crime in areas covered by closed-circuit television schemes, for example. That is an interesting mode of policing.
I want to pick up on complaints against police and about police procedure. Let us take the example of the Andrew Aspinall case and the failed prosecution because of the warrant. As I understand it, the police are investigating that. At the moment, what would be disclosed to the public about that investigation?
I do not know enough about the particular case to comment.
Let us take a general case of a failed procedure. Take a case that the police were engaged in investigating, which failed at prosecution because of failed police procedures, such as contaminated evidence. What would the public be entitled to know about that now and subsequently under the freedom of information (Scotland) act?
Complaints against the police are dealt with under the current regulations; the public watchdog is the police authority, which has a duty to satisfy itself that complaints are properly handled. Currently, the policy authority, through the police board, would have that statutory power. In the past, when a particular case has drawn wide public attention, there has been a wider publication of the circumstances. Police findings in relation to the general handling of parts of the case that the convener mentions have had fairly wide publication and have been put in the public domain.
In minor cases, the police authority has the responsibility. The inspectorate report on complaints against the police—"A Fair Cop?"—includes a recommendation that the police service should be more willing to give a full explanation of the nature of the inquiry following a complaint and its outcome. That work is being followed through. The Scottish Executive has indicated its intention to review the way in which complaints against the police are handled. There will be a new arrangement whose impact is unclear.
There are two things: complaints against the police by the public who are perhaps unhappy about the way in which something has been handled and cases where the police investigate their own procedures that have impacted on the public and the public purse. What extra information would an interested party be entitled to under the bill that they are not entitled to at the moment?
Currently, such information would be accessed through the police authority. The expectation would be that the authority would seek from the chief constable a report on the nature of the particular event. It may or may not go into the public domain in that way.
I do not see the exclusions relating to our procedures in the future unless one of the particular points applies. I expect more detail to come into the public domain.
We have discussed the fact that Scotland and England will have different regimes. How do we achieve uniformity across various constabularies?
Your written submission suggests that all requests for information should be channelled through one office. That would mean that requests for information would be lifted from the constabulary where the mistake—if we may put it like that—or problem arose. Instead, requests for information would be made to a central place. Would that arrangement be better for reasons of objectivity as well as for administrative reasons? Would such an arm's-length arrangement be better?
Having listened to the debate earlier this afternoon, I imagine that each police force will handle inquiries in much the same way as we currently handle data protection inquiries. One office in each police force will gain experience and deal with inquiries directed at that police force. As the provision of the information is the responsibility of the chief constable, whom the bill designates as the public authority, there will be eight such offices in Scotland. An element of independence will exist because the chief constable will know that he or she may ultimately be answerable to a later challenge if the inquiry has not been dealt with proficiently or objectively. I expect the system to work in that way.
If I may, I want to add that I am sensitive to the fact that people who participate in our inquiries—be they criminal inquiries or internal inquiries following a complaint—willingly do so because they trust the police service and are willing to co-operate with us. In future, we will have to ensure that cautions are given, to make people aware that their contribution may yet find its way into the public domain.
I am not sure whether this applies to the police, but section 36 provides that
"Information in respect of which a claim to confidentiality of communications could be maintained in legal proceedings is exempt information."
The police might, therefore, be able to obtain information strictly on the basis that it is confidential and may be shared only between the parties involved.
That opportunity will exist but it will not apply in all circumstances. We will need to develop a culture of advising people that, notwithstanding the fact that we want them to help us with our inquiries and that identifiable elements may be deleted from any future disclosure, the evidence they provide may find its way into the public domain. One hopes that that will not be counterproductive.
But to return to the question, instead of some sort of freedom of information officer for the police service in Scotland, would a separate office operate in each chief constable's domain, as it were?
Because the provision of information is the responsibility of the chief constable as the public authority, I think that freedom of information would need to be dealt with by each constabulary. Given the fact that the chief constable is accountable and has independent responsibility for the police authority in the operational sphere, I cannot conceive how a central authorising body could operate in Scotland.
That is not to say that, between those offices, there would not be an on-going working relationship such as exists currently, whereby independent people could be brought in to conduct an inquiry to ensure that what is provided is objective. I suspect that co-operation among police forces will apply. Perhaps Mrs Williams could add to that.
Karen Williams:
Sir Roy Cameron referred to that suggestion in the submission, which was submitted in May, because the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland was considering the concept. As Mr Wilson said, data protection is currently dealt with by each force individually. A working group of all data protection officers has regular meetings, at which contentious and difficult issues are discussed—obviously without disclosing any identities—to try to achieve a commonality of approach. That probably happens in most cases, but there are certain cases in which one force might disclose information by saying A, whereas other forces might say B. We try to ensure that we achieve commonality as far as is possible without treading on the independence of each chief constable.
I think that a similar approach will be adopted for freedom of information, but ACPOS has not yet decided in detail how things will work in practice. The suggestion in our submission about one office may have been made to try to ensure that administrative procedures could be set up, but the suggestion has not been agreed within ACPOS. It is more likely that each force will set up protocols that will be discussed among the forces so that we can avoid people perhaps getting different responses dependent on whether they live in the Glasgow or in the Northern constabulary area. Although one cannot ensure that there will be perfect uniformity, our policy will be to strive for that through things such as the code of practice and publication schemes, which we will consider later in the bill. All forces will look at those sorts of issues.
Obviously, you would also hear the views of the Scottish information commissioner, in that the commissioner himself would give guidelines. That would contribute to achieving commonality or some uniformity of response.
Exactly. In our written response, we said that we would welcome the information commissioner's views on how we draw up the publication schemes, so that we can achieve what we are setting out to do, which is to assure legitimate, consistent access to information while ensuring that police investigation is properly and adequately protected.
This is the same question that I have asked everyone else who has given us evidence: it is about the time scale of the bill's introduction. The likelihood is that the bill, once passed, will receive royal assent by next summer. An opinion has been expressed that local authorities and public bodies may require about a year to get up to speed and ready to deal with the enforcement of the eventual act. Do the police have a view about the time scale required to meet the act's demands?
I understand that we are looking at 2004—that is when, according to the current discussions, we are due to reach phase 2. Much work will be required for the arrangements to be set up. I am also conscious that much work will be required to respond to the requests made. An inquiry may require a huge amount of transcription work for taped or broadcast and taped material. The accuracy of that will also have to be ensured. A considerable burden will follow the requests made. If the Irish experience is to be borne out here, the burden in criminal justice will be significant.
May I confirm that you have been advised that you will be involved in the second phase and that you have been informed that different phases are involved?
Yes: in informal discussions with the freedom of information working group, we have been trying to get a lead on what the likely time scales are. It has been indicated that we are likely to be involved in the second phase which, all things being equal, is likely to be in the summer of 2004. We have not had formal notification of that, but we have at least been given a target to work towards.
I thank the witnesses. That concludes today's evidence taking on the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill.
Unborn Children (Recognition in Law) (PE382)
Item 2 is on petition PE382, from Thomas Howe. Members have in front of them a note about the petition, which is document J1/01/32/2. The petition concerns a tragic case.
The committee will note the fact that the Executive has responded to the terms of the petition. The law relating to the unborn child does not entirely come under reserved powers, but it is bound up with reserved matters—it is a complex area.
The petition relates only to civil law. Where there is a criminal offence, such as an assault, it is possible for any effect on an unborn child to be regarded as an aggravation of the crime—but I reiterate that the petition relates to a civil matter. No action for damages is possible while a child remains unborn, but a claim can be made when the child is born alive following damage sustained while the child was a foetus.
We understand that only if the woman suffers physical damage resulting in a miscarriage can she claim compensation for related distress and anxiety as the result of the death of an unborn child. The woman, therefore, can enhance—although I think that that is the wrong word—or increase her claim for damages for pain and suffering if, as a consequence of an injury to her, she loses her child. However, there is no claim in respect of the unborn child, who does not have a legal identity. This is an extremely complex area of law, although saying that does not diminish the concerns of the party submitting the petition.
I wish to make one observation. I can understand the motivation behind the petition: that the party suffering distress, whether that be the mother—although, in this case, the mother did not survive—or a member of the family, should compulsorily receive an apology. Regrettably, an apology that is not made voluntarily and whole-heartedly would appear hardly to be worth the breath in which it is given. Is there even a purpose in that? I seek other members' guidance: should we note the petition now—accepting that it relates to a very sad and very serious issue—but say that we are not in a position to explore the issue?
I agree that the case is very tragic. You were talking about the fact that a mother who lost her child as a result of an accident would have a greater claim for compensation. What is the situation with a father who has lost his wife and unborn child? Would that be taken into account?
You are stretching my knowledge of the law of reparation. In the instance with which we are concerned, the mother and child both perished and another relative is seeking at least an apology for that. My comment was an aside on the law. The law is extremely complex. It goes into when a person is a legal entity.
It seems that there should be some recognition that the unborn child whose life has been ended is not a nobody. However, I realise that that area of law is very complex. I feel that that is not something we can resolve.
I agree with Maureen Macmillan that the case is tragic. I was surprised to learn that a child is not a legal person until they have taken their first breath. That would have to be dealt with by changing the status of the unborn child so that it is a legal person.
I am surprised because my understanding is that, under the Abortion Act 1967, an abortion can take place only up to something like 26 weeks into the pregnancy. That recognises that, after that point, the child is at a stage of development at which it is no longer appropriate to have an abortion. To me, the legislation seems to conflict. The problem is that the legislation that would have to be changed is probably reserved and therefore outwith our control.
If the law protects an unborn child from being aborted after 26 weeks, I do not understand how we can continue to state that the unborn child is not a legal person. There is conflict in the legislation, but it appears that it may be outwith our legislative competence.
By what we have been saying, we indicate that we know how complex the matter is. It involves issues of definition and circumstances. I suggest that we simply note the petition at the moment. Does the committee wish me to add anything else?
We should also note that we sympathise with the petitioner and the loss that he has suffered.
The petitioner has been modest in only requesting an apology.
We will simply note the petition at the moment because of its complexity and the intricacy of reserved and devolved powers. If we were to enter into the matter, it would take a considerable amount of time. I do not wish to diminish the case, but we are constrained at the moment. We could not address the matter at the moment. However, the Parliament is in its youth.
I do not know whether there are any other ways in which redress can be made, without having the unborn child declared a legal person.
Subordinate Legislation
Diligence against Earnings (Variation) (Scotland) Regulations 2001
Members have a paper on the Diligence against Earnings (Variation) (Scotland) Regulations 2001. The instrument just changes the tables in schedule 2 to the Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987, which show the amounts that can be deducted from weekly earnings under an earnings arrestment.
I draw the committee's attention to paragraph 3 of the paper, which states that the Executive note includes
"a list of consultees on a draft instrument. This list includes Citizens Advice Scotland, CBI Scotland and Money Advice Scotland. The note reports that where a response was received ‘no adverse comments' were offered."
That is important. It appears that the instrument does not do anything substantive: it just brings the figures into line with inflation.
I remind the committee that, as is stated under the heading "Procedure" in the paper,
"Under Rule 10.4, this instrument is subject to negative procedure which means that it comes into force and remains in force unless the Parliament passes a resolution, not later than 40 days after the instrument is laid, calling for its annulment."
Any MSP may lodge such a motion. Therefore it is open to any member of the committee to do so, in their own capacity. Do I take it that the committee simply wishes to note the instrument?
Yes. I note that the average increase will be in the order of 160 per cent, which is rather substantial, and that people will probably be quite surprised at the level of the increase next time there is a deduction from their wages. The fact that the Executive has tried to plan ahead and has offered the proposed charges for 2002 or 2003 is to be welcomed, but the figures have been left unchanged for a long time and such a large increase is probably unfair on the people from whom deductions will be made.
I hear what you say. October 2002 is seven years on—
The levels were last revised in 1995.
Yes, I see that. I hear your comments. Is it the position that we wish simply to note the instrument? If Mr Matheson wishes to deal with the point that he raised, it is open to him to do so—he can lodge a motion.
Convener's Report
There is one final thing that I want to say. There were other matters that I wanted to raise under convener's report, but I will leave them until another day when there are more of us present. The next meeting is on 5 December at 9.30 in committee room 2. We will take evidence from the Lord Advocate and the Minister for Justice on the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill. We will also start our inquiry into the regulation of the legal profession by taking evidence from the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Conveyancing and Executry Services Board.
I ask members to put in their diaries meetings on 11 and 19 December—busy, busy, busy. At those, we will discuss the long-term forward work programme for after the Christmas recess.
You are speaking too quickly for me.
I am so sorry. There are meetings on 11 December, which you did not have earlier notification of, and 19 December.
I might have to send my apologies for 19 December, because that clashes with a Transport and the Environment Committee meeting.
The meeting on 11 December is in the afternoon, in committee room 3. The meeting on 19 December is in the morning, in committee room 1. Members will be glad to know that we are not being shot off to the Hub again.
Meeting closed at 16:42.
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Guest Blog: "The Name Game" by Jessica Coplen
Mac Boyle July 16, 2017
Here I am taking two weeks in a row off from the blog! Unprecedented! Thankfully, I do have something to present to you this week while I continue to work on some of the larger projects we have planned for this year. Jessica Coplen once again regales with her thoughts on that elusive and mysterious topic, the television show title.
I'm on the verge of finishing up some big stuff in the next week or so, and plan some big announcements for next week. In the meantime, it is my fondest hope to host more guest blogs here on the site in the weeks to come. Got an idea? There's fifteen dollars to be made, here folks!
Now, take it away Jessica!
If you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, then you shouldn’t judge a television show by its name. But of course, that’s exactly what we do.
A common negative response to tv shows is “it sounds dumb.” Part of this is in response to the synopsis of the show, but the title—like a book cover—is a gate keeper. If the title isn’t interesting or appealing, people may not read or look any further.
Take the show Cougar Town (ABC/TBS) for example. It managed to stay on the air for six seasons, but only after swapping networks halfway through and launching an ad campaign that literally admitted that it was a “crappy title.” This is a bit of an extreme example, though. Do you remember The Event (NBC)? It was about an event that happened, and that event was a mystery. So while the title is on point, it’s so generic that it couldn’t stand out from other Lost-esque shows that flooded the networks.
So what makes a good—or successful—title?
If you check out the list of longest running tv series, the answer is this: straight-forward, non-generic, and short (typically one-word, sans The).
The longest running scripted series is The Simpsons (FOX) at twenty eight seasons so far. This fits the bill, as it’s a straight-forward title that tells you it’s about the Simpson family. It’s not the most unusual name, but it’s enough for people back in 1989 to at least get past the title. It also falls in line with the tradition of early television series that were the names of the performers or main character. The Jack Benny Program (CBS/NBC) came out in 1950 and is the tenth longest running scripted tv series of all time at fifteen seasons. The list of longest-running shows is littered with similar titles, and many have a single word title. For instance, Bones (FOX), Frasier (NBC), Rosanne (ABC) and Coach (ABC) all had at least nine seasons.
Single word titles are so popular that six and a half of the top ten series have single word titles. I say half because Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC) is commonly referred to as ‘SVU’ to distinguish it from its predecessor Law & Order (NBC). Even in ad campaigns, the network will call it SVU. Why are one word titles so prevalent? Because they are easier to say in a conversation around the water cooler. “Hey, did you see ER (NBC) last night?” “Did you hear Timeless (NBC) was renewed after it was cancelled?” And despite the fact that NCIS (CBS) is four syllables, it is still the second ranked television series behind The Big Bang Theory (CBS) for the 2016/2017 season, and currently the seventh longest running series of all time. Perhaps it is because in our mind an acronym is the same as a single word.
But what about current tv champ The Big Bang Theory? That’s not a short title at all, but it is a phrase that is already engrained on the American psyche, and the world, as a scientific concept. The same with Law & Order and Family Guy (FOX), two terms that well existed before their shows did. Also, The Big Bang Theory is easily shortened to Big Bang and doesn’t lose its notability.
Short titles, or titles with an easy acronym, are the way to go. Current favorites Orange is the New Black (Netflix) and Game of Thrones (HBO) are referred to as OitNB and GoT respectively. HBO even uses GoT as part of its ad campaign, just like NBC and SVU. Battlestar Galatica (ABC/Sci-Fi) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Syndication) are called BSG and DS9 more widely than their full titles. It’s the same concept as giving people nicknames; the easier and shorter, the better.
The television market has exploded, from three networks in the 1940s, to the hundreds that are accessible today. From network channels, to basic cable, to premium cable, to streaming services, the lists of new shows are endless. The battle for the audience’s attention is at an all time high. It’s important to stand out from the pack with titles easily transferred through word of mouth and viral marketing. A TV show’s chosen name becomes the nexus in which the show will evolve. In the end, to paraphrase Shakespeare, the title doth maketh the show.
Tags cougar town, Roseanne, Frasier, The Big Bang Theory, OitNB, Timeless, Battlestar Galactica, Orange Is the New Black, Family Guy, Game of Thrones, Deep Space Nine, Bones, the jack benny program, lost, SVU, the event, Coach, ER, the simpsons, tv titles
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Working time and careers
At the TUC conference last week, the General Secretary Frances O’Grady offered a striking comparison, between the C19 struggle for the 8-hour day and what she sees as the equivalent struggle in this century – for a 4-day working week. Some commentators felt that her ambition was a little modest, as she put the target date for achievement only as the end of the century. But I think O’Grady is absolutely right to bring the issue of working time centre stage. (I’m anyway a fan of hers for showing such leadership on the People’s Vote, but that’s another issue. Well, actually, only partly another issue as the EU provides the best framework for achieving reductions in working hours on an international basis….)
Alongside the simple quantity – the number of hours worked – we need to think more about the distribution of those hours. Not only what the working week actually looks like – are the days all clustered together, when do they start and finish and, crucially, who decides what the pattern of work is – but also how different distributions affect working careers: how people progress or not at work.
Here Claer Barrett, the FT commentator, had a very interesting piece in the weekend’s paper (sorry, it’s firewalled). She profiled a couple who both worked for an investment bank, in London. They have two young children, and Mrs Banker went on to a 4-day week. There are the predictable time pressures (including what one of my Paula Principle interviewees called the ‘hard stop’ – ie the need to leave the office on no account later than 5pm), and the out-of-hours work, especially dealing with emails from the US since that was where the bank is headquartered. These are all manageable.
What has turned out not to be manageable is the blighting of her career. Losing pay now is one thing; being permanently shifted to a lower career trajectory is quite another. My guess is that it’s not only the money (including, as the piece makes clear, the pensions contribution gap, which over time mounts up very considerably). It’s the sense that someone working fewer hours is seen as necessarily having lower aspirations.
And here’s the rub. Mr Banker is reported as being very supportive, and even angrier than his wife at the blighting of her career. But if he had wanted to be the one to opt for the 4-day week, my guess is that he would in the first place have had much more of a struggle to get it; and secondly that the damage to his reputation as someone with ambition would have been far, far greater. So my conclusion: it is only by more men working part-time that the circle will be broken, so that women and men can depart from the full-time model without permanently depressing their career trajectories. And the best way for this to happen is for us to force ourselves to think of careers in a more extended and messier way: not an uninterrupted stretch of full-time work, but a collection of spells of work of different dimensions – hopefully eventually taking shape as a mosaic that makes some kind of sense.
Crucially, the interruptions will not only be to do with young children. Already eldercare is a major issue (and there’s no reason at all why men shouldn’t share this form of care equally). But with longer working lives, more and more people will be interested in changing the balance at some stage – not necessarily a radical change, but a shift in the focus of their lives, so allow themselves to develop in different ways. Often such changes will help people develop different skills – just as child-rearing and household management arguably increases work-relevant competences. But we’re some way from having the reward systems that recognise this, or the welfare system that would enable it. Values matter as much as the cash.
Frances O’Grady’s uplifting challenge is right on the nail. But let’s place it firmly in that longer life course context.
Clear Barrett, Frances O'Grady, FT, TUC
Payback!
Using our skills properly
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Viral Videos, Pseudo-Scholarship, and President Obama
I don't usually comment on these kinds of things, but I keep getting asked about this one. And so, instead of writing the same thing over and over again, I thought I'd post my response in a blog.
What I'm being asked about is a video that has apparently been making the rounds of late. Under the provocative title, "Did Jesus Reveal the Name of the Anti-Christ?" the unidentified author claims to present incontrovertible proof in the affirmative. The answer? Wait for it! President Barak Obama. You remember him, don't you? He was the first black person to be elected president of the United States. It was in all the papers.
Now, I'm not going to attempt to ascertain the motive(s) of the video's author; rather, I only intend to comment on the quality (or lack thereof) of his "scholarship."
The argument is essentially this. The author says that in Luke 10:18 Jesus said to his disciples "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." True enough. He goes on to say that while Luke reports this saying in Greek, Jesus would have originally said this to his disciples in Aramaic. Again, true. Jesus was most likely trilingual (Aramaic, Greek, and Latin) but his first language would have been Aramaic. The author then states that Aramaic is the "oldest form of Hebrew." Nonsense. Aramaic is a dialect of Hebrew that was developed, best we can tell, when the Israelites were in Exile. It is essentially a blend of ancient Hebrew and Persian.
That brings us to the author's key claim; namely, that when you translate Luke's Greek of Luke 10:18 back into the original Aramaic, it produces a stunning revelation: that the one about whom Jesus was speaking in Luke 10:18 was none other than Barak Obama. This is how he gets there.
He builds his "case" by arguing that the biblical background and context for the Satan figure in the Bible comes from Isaiah and specifically Isaiah 14:12-19. Again, true enough. He argues, therefore, that if we work from the Hebrew text of Isaiah 14 and specifically Isaiah 14:14, which quotes Lucifer (Satan) as saying, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High," we should have a pretty close parallel in Hebrew to what Jesus would have originally said in Luke 10:18, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." That's tenuous at best in that Aramaic, while a "relative" of biblical Hebrew, is not the same language.
What is even more troubling is that the author then builds his "case" not by working with the original Hebrew of Isaiah 14:14 (something which all real biblical scholars would do), but rather by using a Bible study tool called "Strong's Concordance" which is essentially a "crutch" for people who can't read the Bible in the original languages. Real scholars work directly with the biblical text in Greek and Hebrew, not Strong's.
Now, to the heart of his "argument." He says that the Hebrew word for "lightning," which Jesus would have used in Luke 10:18 when he says, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven," is baraq. Understanding that Jesus would have said this in Aramaic not Hebrew, but recognizing that Hebrew and Aramaic are "cousins," that's close enough. In the Hebrew Old Testament, baraq is used 17 times, each time "lightning" is an appropriate English translation. Hence, the author says that Jesus would have used the word baraq in Luke 10:18 when he said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning…."
Then, the author goes on to say that the Hebrew word for "heights" in Isaiah 14:14 (his "anchor text"), is bama. Again, that's true. But from that he extrapolates that Jesus, in Luke 10:18, would have used the word bama when he says that he saw "Satan fall like lightning from heaven." That's patently false. He is making the completely erroneous supposition (because he's working from Strong's and doesn't know Hebrew!) that the Hebrew word bama, which is translated "heights" in Isaiah 14:14, also means "heavens." It doesn't. The Hebrew word bama means "high place," as in a mountain top, or as in a place of worship, a high altar or sanctuary, all terrestrial not heavenly. The Hebrew word for "heaven" is shamayim (as in Gen. 1:1 - "In beginning God created the heavens...."), not bama.
Finally, he says that the waw (Hebrew conjunction), which he supposes was the word for "from" that Jesus would have used in Luke 10:18, was pronounced "O" or "U." From this he conjectures that Jesus' words in Luke 10:18, translated back into Aramaic would have been "I saw Satan fall as…lightning from heaven (baraq o bama)." Rubbish. The simple truth is that we don't know how ancient Hebrew was pronounced; the language was discontinued as a spoken language by Jews largely as a result of the Diaspora (the "scattering" of Jews around the world). It was picked up again and "revived" as a spoken language at the end of the 19th century and is today the official language of Israel; however, the Hebrew spoken in Israel today probably doesn't sound very much like the Hebrew spoken in Jesus' day. In any case, the Hebrew waw would not have been used by Jesus when saying, "I saw Satan fall as lighting from heaven." "From" in Hebrew is min, not waw.
I know that's technical, but the short version is that he's put together some things that don't belong together in order to prove his point. It's not scholarship; it's pseudo-scholarship.
And so, did Jesus name President Obama in Luke 10:18? Absolutely not. However, if you play the Beatles Abbey Road album backwards….
J. Travis Moger said...
Scholarship errors aside, you have to ask yourself, Why would God be so incredibly cryptic if he wanted to REVEAL the name of the man of lawlessness? I'm afraid all of the debunking in the world cannot not convince those whose minds are already made up. People generally believe what they want to believe. BTW, your post reminded me of a similar one written by Dr. Claude Mariottini in 2006 in which dispelled the myth of George W. Bush as the Antichrist:
http://www.claudemariottini.com/blog/2006/06/is-george-bush-666-antichrist_06.html
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Key Business and Community Connections
Saanichton Today
Other Web Sites of Interest
Central Saanich Today
Living Waters Publishing
Optimizing Profits
Match Your Wits
Mind X Magazine
Healthy Trending
Cowichan Alive
Healthy Hitter
Hydrogen Catalytics
Chuck Groot
Blair Deering
Adult Kids Living At Home? Tips on Coping: https://bit.ly/2MTPgAs
Make Financial Literacy a Household Priority This School Year: https://bit.ly/2KC3Fzh
Primerica Canada Is on the Move: https://bit.ly/2MmWCjF
The number of people residing in campers and other vehicles surged 46% over the past year: https://cbsn.ws/2vqHbvy
Just 28% of households with an income of $25,000 or less had an active savings account: https://bit.ly/2PiC9KU
Nearly half (46%) of Millennials who have already received an inheritance wish they had sought professional advice on how to manage their new-found wealth: https://bit.ly/2Bl3PM8
47 per cent of Canadians with debt believe it has a negative impact on their lives, creating negative thoughts and actions similar to being in a toxic personal relationship: https://bit.ly/2OL160x
“The best investment you can make is in yourself.” — Brad Girard
“If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want will be sacrificed.” — Byron Chatfield
For more information contact Blair Deering - Primerica Representative.
Welcome To Saanichton
A beautiful little Village in the heart of Central Saanich.
Find out what is happening, when and where to catch a bus, Real Estate connections, see a map of the area, read a little history and much more.
West Saanich School
1880 saw the West Saanich School being built as the first school in Brentwood Bay. This one room school was built on land donated by John Slugget and George Stellys.
George Stellys Slugget Farm 1880's Mrs. John Slugget
It was a cute little one-room school that taught all the children in Brentwood Bay and the surrounding area. During 1909 a new school was contracted to serve the ever expanding population. It was active from 1909 to 1952 and continually used it’s pot belly stove for heating and the proverbial outhouse for facilities. Students came from as far away as Mt. Newton to Prospect Lake to gain their education.
Many upgrades and improvements have been made and the community uses it for many group meetings and youth organizations. Girl Guides and Boy Scouts have proudly flown their flags since the 1960’s.
Newman Farm and Boat Shed
Newman Farm and Boat Shed Park
A secret that has been around since 1880. A family held farm for over 100 years The Newman’s ,Allida and Nestor, bought the parcel in the 1880’s. Nestor, a Finlander, worked at the Dunsmuir coal mines built the original cabin which is still standing today. They built a larger newer home in 1905 to house their seven sons and two daughters. Nestor passed away in 1913 leaving Allida to raise the family and seeing that they were self-reliant they grew their own food, fruits, and cattle. The farm was worked until 1996. Although small, they were mighty, raising prize winning jersey cattle. The Newman’s donated the farm and property to the district of Central Saanich in 2003. Everything that you will see there is completely authentic. The brothers did not want any new-fangled conveniences so they chose not to have electricity or plumbing.
John Newman Bathing
Although the property was purchased by Newman, it is very likely that this area was historically important to the Tsawout First Nations who hold an exclusive traditional claim to the area. The Tsawout are part of the Saanich Peoples. Prior to 1850, the Saanich occupied three main villages on the Saanich Peninsula – one of which was situated in Saanichton Bay - as well as other settlements in the Gulf Islands. Prior to the coming of Europeans in the late 18th Century it was observed that, "At one time or another practically every sheltered bay and nook along the southeast coast of Vancouver Island, and on the small islands adjacent to it, carried a settlement of greater or less size…”
Central Saanich and The Farmlands Trust joined together in 2012 to have the 6.6 hectare grow an assortment of fruits and vegetable for use by food banks and Our Place. In addition to this, a local farmer developed a program that involves local schools in a sheep farm.
The community has rallied around and volunteered to maintain, farm, and help others with the historic Newman Farm. In fact they restored two barns to use as boat houses from which the Tsawout Nation canoe Club store their racing boats. At this time you cannot go into the buildings but being able to go and explore the grounds and area gives you a rare glimpse into days gone by. The kids will enjoy running around an exploring the artifacts scattered around.
It is really easy to find. Turn towards the ocean on Mt. Newton X Rd. and then turn left on Lochside Rd. till you come to Newman Rd., you will see the Farmlands Trust signs on the lawn and you will know you have arrived. It truly is a wonderful glimpse into our past and how it brings out the best out in us today. The guiding Vision of the District of Central Saanich Master plan for the Newman Farm is coming to life.
“The community of Central Saanich will care for Newman Farm in a manner that honours the legacy of the Newman Family, reveals our agrarian heritage, demonstrates our values, and involves and considers our community.”
Photo credts: Chuck Groot and Bob Coates
Island View Beach
A gem in Central Saanich! Island View Beach provides long rocky and sandy beaches for your pleasure. With the bonus of there not usually being a lot of people. A fantastic place to commune with nature and get your dose of positive ions. Photos, there are photo ops everywhere you look, especially when Mt. Baker is out showing its glorious snow crested peak. And, lots of parking. Scattered about are a few display boards with local information to learn a little more about the area.
The park borders the Tsawout Nation and the area is of great cultural and spiritual significance to them. Conservation and protection of the wetlands and fragile grass and tree species are of great importance to all. Of particular importance is the bird area, it is a vital breeding ground for a variety of species.
Ahh the views. Did I mention the views here? It is exquisitely spacious, beach, grassland, sunrise, sunset, star gazing, and full moons to drink in. The park is kept wonderfully clean, with the exception lazy dog owners. Look to the north and you see the Hope range, to the south we have the Olympic range and to the east Mount Baker. Often you will see the eagles fly overhead or the deer playing in the fields. And just a stone’s throw away from the beach, you can see Darcy Island, James Island, and Sidney Island. The official name of the body of water your are looking at is the Haro Strait.
Your dog(s) will love it, it is dog friendly! There are many areas for them to roam on and off the leash. They must be on the leash from May to September. With paths throughout the area to enjoy rambling and of course just walking on the beach. You will also find your share of pooches frolicking in the water.
For the agile there are plenty of interesting clumps of driftwood to play on. You can jog the paths for those looking for cardio exercise. Fantastic spot for wind and kite surfing. Easy access to launch you kayak or canoe as well.
Your kids will never get bored here. Play in the sand, swim in the ocean, explore, fly kites, or just lay in the sun with them. Logs and branches abound making it easy for the children to make forts and castles. Naturally there are the requisite cool rocks and shells to discover. You might even find the occasional fossil as well. A night you can come out and view the stars with them and enjoy the falling stars. It is wonderful that there are no city lights to interfere with night time gazing. A great place for the family.
There are picnic tables and restrooms close by for your convenience. It is also equipped with a group fire ring and drinking water station.
It is also so easy to find; drive down the Pay Bay Hwy. and turn East on Island View Rd.; you will know you are the right place when you see Michell’s Farms. Drive for about 3 km and before you know it, you will be at the beach. The campground is open from the Victoria Day long weekend in May and closes on the Labour day long weekend in September. For your convenience they have online reservations at crdregionalparks.perfectmind.com .
Photo Credits: Chuck Groot and Bob Coates
Black Pioneers in British Columbia
Les Pionniers Noirs de la Colombie-Britannique
Their loss our gain.
1850’s saw many discriminatory laws being passed in the United States and specifically in California where they discouraged blacks from entering or staying in the state. Among other horrid laws; they were required to wear distinctive badges.
Sir James Douglas, governor of British Columbia, whose mother was an African Creole mother and a European father, spoke to a group of Blacks who came up from California and promised them equality and opportunity. A group of almost 800 Black Americans came up and settled primarily on lower Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island. These families made a huge difference in the lives of British Columbians.
Mifflin Gibbs was one of the men who led the entourage to British Columbia. He became a naturalized British citizen in 1861. He had many different jobs, owned companies and was involved in politics; including being an alderman on Victoria City council. 10 years later he moved back to the states and was elected a judge among other professions.
Charles Alexander and his wife Nancy came to Victoria in 1958. He made his original home on a site later occupied by the Hudson’s Bay Company. This is back when Victoria was a tent city.
Charles was an accomplished orator which he used to great advantage as a teacher and preacher. He built the first school in South Saanich and became a trustee. As well, he initiated the building of Shady Creek Church, and he assisted building it in 1862.
Governor Douglas was concerned by the influx of Americans, the Americans might retaliate for losing their slaves. The thought that because of American slavery, African Americans could be counted on to resist an American takeover and it worked. The new settlers showed their appreciation by establishing the Victoria Pioneer Rifle company to protect their new home and friends.
In appreciation for what they did for us, a marker was erected in Central Saanich in 1999 by Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada near 7180 East Saanich Road, Central Saanich, British Columbia V8M 1Y4, Canada. On it is inscribed:
“In 1858, nearly 800 free Blacks left the oppressive racial conditions of San Francisco for a new life on Vancouver Island. Governor James Douglas had invited them here as promising settlers. Though still faced with intense discrimination, these pioneers enriched the political, religious and economic life of the colony. For example, Mifflin Gibbs became a prominent politician; Charles and Nancy Alexander initiated the Shady Creek Methodist Church;
Tsartlip First Nations
All part of the Saanich Nation of Coast Salish peoples, the Songhees, Esquimalt, Tsartlip, Tseycum, Pauquachin, Scia'new, Tsawout and T'Sou-ke Nations are all important bands that have long called Southeastern Vancouver Island home.
The Tsartlip First Nation is a First Nation located on the Saanich Peninsula, in Saanich territory on Vancouver Island. They are a member of the Sencot'en Alliance fighting for Native rights.[1] In the 1850s they were signatories to one of the Douglas Treaties.[2]
W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip) is part of the W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) First Nation with territory centered on the Saanich Peninsula and southern Gulf Islands. The W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) First Nation is a single Nation that was historically split into four First Nations according to village site by the Canadian government1. the Nation’s main community is South Saanich Indian Reserve 1, located near the town of Brentwood Bay. The membership total of Tsartlip is 982, with the majority of 684 citizens living on reserve.
Tsartlip First Nation is an economically active, independent First Nation, whose Chief and Council are leading several projects which will generate revenue to be reinvested into Tsartlip Community.
In 2014 Tsartlip opened a gas station and convenience store on their reserve. Tsartlip is currently developing the Gowdy Meadows property into townhomes. The community is not party to any economic development related Agreements with the Provincial Government.
Tsartlip means “land of maples” in SENC'OTEN, the language of the Saanich nations. It is watched over by YOS (Malahat Mountain) one of the most sacred places of the First Nations people on southern Vancouver Island. In the background of the picture you will see the beautiful land of the Tsartlip.
All of Saanich Peninsula is covered by the two treaties signed in 1852 between Saanich Nation and the colonial governor, James Douglas. See R. Wolfenden, "The Indian Land Question," 1875: Douglas Treaties. The North Saanich (Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout and Tseycum) Treaty and the South Saanich (Malahat) Treaty total 26,900 hectares. It is essential to understand that Saanich societies are primarily organized according to complex family relationships rather than on a tribal basis and that they - still today - reflect close marriage ties with other Coast Salish communities.
Tom Sampson on the left conversing with Federal Fisheries Minister, Herb Dahliwal and Provincial Environment Minister Joan Sawiki at Lester Pearson College on the occasion of the formal announcement of the creation of the Race Rocks MPA .
First Nations conservation expert Tom Sampson believes that “Our concept of harvesting of the land and ocean are based on the 13 moons of the year—the absolute time clock of nature, ” he explains. “We managed our resources by understanding this clock, which meant there was a right time for everything, and a time we weren’t allowed to harvest.” Tom has organized sessions on the 13-moon concept as part of his work on the Race Rocks marine protected area, where he has worked to improve cross-cultural understanding and appreciation for the traditional knowledge his people bring to the table. “It’s important that people understand that when we talk about the land we’re talking about a relationship that goes back thousands of years,” he says. “We know this land better than anybody else.”
Furthermore, Tom believes that listening is the key to understanding the environment. He remembers his great grandmother telling him to go down to the beach and listen to the ocean, because “if you don’t listen to it and hear the stories, you won’t learn”. Listening to each other is just as important to Tom, and he believes this skill is not being taught to most young people today.
Among many of the skills that are coming back are those of carving, masks, nahnum, potlatch, powwow, storytelling, and totem poles.
First Nations artists keep old traditions alive and create new ones with brilliant totem poles and carved objects. “For so long we’ve been afraid to do something new because it was not traditional,” Davidson said. “Experimentation is important. If it works, it becomes part of the culture. If it doesn’t, it falls by the wayside.” Robert Davidson, a member of the Haida tribe, who is among a group of contemporary artists infusing fresh life into the rich history of First Nations art.
The masks of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast are powerful objects that assist us in defining our place in the cosmos. In a world of endless change and complexity, masks offer a continuum for Native people to acknowledge our connection to the universe. Like totem poles, Indigenous masks depict different symbols used in the stories of a tribe. The masks carved for a tribe are used for ceremonial purposes. The most common symbols on masks and totems are the Thunderbird, killer whale, frog, salmon, beaver, bear, wolf, raven, sun and moon.
-Chief Robert Joseph (Down from the Shimmering Sky, 1998)
The ceremonial masks of the Northwest Coast display animals, humans, forces of nature and supernatural beings and play an integral role in Coastal First Nations culture. These objects recount a time when magic ancestors changed themselves from supernatural beings to human forms at specific locations along coastal waterways and rivers. It is these locations that designate the territorial boundaries and homeland of over one hundred independent village groups. Images of these ancestors are displayed on storage chests, utensils, totem poles and monumental carvings, dance blankets, and ceremonial regalia, but recreating this magical past is most dramatically done through the use of masks in elaborately staged theatrical events. The purpose of these performances, is of course to impress, but more importantly, it is to validate the ancient and honorable history of the mask owner's family.
For centuries, people have gathered around Sacred Fires to pray into burning tobacco, one of the four sacred Medicines of First Nations Peoples. The smoke carries their prayers to the Creator. All are welcome to visit. Absolutely no alcohol or drugs are allowed since this is sacred space. The Sacred Fire has become a source and symbol of strength and divine connection to the Creator. The sacred fires that help us govern our community gatherings, ceremonies and prayerful expressions as Indigenous Peoples, continues to be a way for our struggles to be refocused into clear understanding and clear direction about where we take challenges and painful issues facing our community.
First, a decision has to be made as to where the fire is to be lit. The grounds are then blessed with Sacred Herbs and Special Prayers. Large stones must be collected and placed around the spot where the fire will be. Firewood must also be collected, making sure there is enough to last throughout four days of burning, which is the normal time frame for a Sacred Fire. Sometimes small stakes with ribbons are placed at four openings to the fire. This represents the four directions. A special lighting ceremony takes place and then people may begin to do their offerings and there is always a Fire Keeper available to help guide you. At the end of four days, there is a ceremony for letting the fire burn out.
The word "potlatch" means "to give" and comes from a trade jargon, Chinook, formerly used along the Pacific coast of Canada. Guests witnessing the event are given gifts. The more gifts given, the higher the status achieved by the potlatch host. The potlatch ceremony marks important occasions in the lives of the Kwakwaka'wakw: the naming of children, marriage, transferring rights and privileges and mourning the dead.
The purpose of the potlatch was to:
To publicly recognize class structure and status
To pass on a family’s rights and privileges or inheritance. Such rights include:
Rights to land, property, fishing holes, berry patches, hunting grounds, and beach fronts.
The right to specific dances, songs, stories, and the right to display animal crest designs of a family’s clan.
The right to wear, use, and display certain regalia and objects that indicate leadership: hats, blankets, dance aprons, carved benches, shield-shaped copper plaques, masks, painted housefronts, and carved posts.
To celebrate marriages, the naming of babies, and the passing on of chief titles, names held within a family, and names that indicate leadership
To honor important people who have passed on
To comfort those who have lost a loved one
To celebrate the opening of ceremonial bighouses and raising of carved poles
To recognize the lineage of a family and renew the community’s ties to the ancestors
To celebrate the people’s relationship to the animal spirits and to give thanks
To restore one’s reputation in the community after a humiliation
Long ago potlatches stretched out over the winter months, lasting for weeks. They were held in a ceremonial Bighouse, the size of which indicated the hosts’ status in the village. Chiefs with the largest bighouses would invite hundreds of guests from many First Nations. Guests would travel to a potlatch by canoe and upon arrival announce themselves and their village by shouting to the host onshore. Giant welcome figures, carved out of cedar, often stood at the water’s edge as hosts sang welcome songs. Sometimes there were so many guests that no room was left on the beach for all the canoes.
What is a pow wow? A pow wow is a celebration of dance, drums and songs - they are a tradition, a festival, a competition, a reunion, an arts and crafts venue, a food fair - one word cannot encompass the many facets of a pow wow; they are a feast for all five senses.
There are a few thoughts on the origin of the word pow wow. Some hold that it is an adaptation from “pau wau”, an Algonquin word for "medicine man" or "he who dreams”. Others sources say its origin lies in the Pawnee word pa-wa, meaning “to eat”. According to Merriam-Webster, the word is either Narragansett "powwaw" or Massachusett "pauwau".
Generally speaking, pow wows originally were gatherings to celebrate a successful hunt or victorious war party and the dances seen at today’s pow wows have their roots in those events. Under the Indian Act, pow wows were forbidden unless sanctioned by the government for parades and celebrations.
There is a spiritual component to powwows and many traditions are inherent in the dances. Elders teach the dancers the spiritual knowledge they need to be good people and effective leaders. To be a true powwow dancer involves more than just the movements in the dance; it’s a way of life.
First Nations, Inuit, and Metis cultures have long passed on knowledge from generation to generation through oral traditions, including storytelling. Storytelling is a traditional method used to teach about cultural beliefs, values, customs, rituals, history, practices, relationships, and ways of life.
First Nations storytelling involves expert use of the voice, vocal and body expression, intonation, the use of verbal imagery, facial animation, context, plot and character development, natural pacing of the telling, and careful authentic recall of the story.
☉ Stories can vary from the sacred to the historical.
☉ Some focus on social, political, and cultural ways.
☉ Some are entertaining, even humorous.
☉ Some tell of personal, family, community or an entire nation’s experiences.
☉ Some are “owned” by certain clans or families and can only be told by a member of that group.
☉ Others can be told by anyone who knows them and cares for them.
☉ Stories reflect the perceptions, relationships, beliefs and attitudes of a particular people.
Totem poles are monuments created by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to represent and commemorate ancestry, histories, people, or events. Totem poles are typically created out of red cedar, a malleable wood relatively abundant in the Pacific Northwest, and would be erected to be visible within a community.
Most totem poles display beings, or crest animals, marking a family’s lineage and validating the powerful rights and privileges that the family held. Totem poles would not necessarily tell a story so much as it would serve to document stories and histories familiar to community members or particular family or clan members.
When a totem is complete, the raising of the pole is cause for celebration that includes a potlatch. Attendees from near and far converge followed by several days of festivities. Totem poles are not simply unique works of art, they are stories. Stories that link First Nations with their past and represent their future. A true testament to the resilience of the First Nations in British Columbia to keep their culture and traditions alive.
Saanichton Bay Park
Photos and article by Chuck Groot
Saanichton Bay Park is found at the end of Ferguson Road in Saanichton.
It was originally one of the Tsawout main winter village sites. It provided food, shelter from the winter storms, and held significant spiritual significance. It is because of this that we have the Tsawout living nearby today. They have a rich cultural and spiritual connection extending back thousands of years. It is part of the fabric of their being; the four winds, the trees, the birds, the animals, and the fish were all people, long ago. Nature, animals, fish, fire and water are imbued with spiritual values that are honoured for their power to heal, give life, provide bounty, and provide guidance through life.
In 1887, it was the site of an important court battle between Louis Claxton on behalf of the Tsawout Nation and Saanichton Bay Marina group. The group wanted to build a marina there but Justice Meredith ruled that James Douglas “implemented a policy to protect the First Nations in their right to pursue their traditional economy of hunting and fishing” and so concluded “that they had the right to resist… the proposed marina at Saanichton Bay as it would diminish in the extent the fishery contractually reserved to predecessor” of the original signatories to the Douglas Treaty.
The Honourable Sir James Douglas
This landmark decision played an integral part to keeping the Tsawout economic, societal, and spiritual life intact in the area. It is important to note that although the Tsawout were not stationary year-round, this area was the epicenter of their life.
And what a beautiful area it is, especially with a rare snowfall, as seen by the photographs seen below.
Tsawout First Nation
"According to the legends from our forefathers ... People dropped down from heaven ... and each one of these people had a specific trade, like a carver, a hunter, a fisherman ... and each one benefited one another to sustain themselves. They traded amongst each other with their abilities."
(Gilbert Joe, Shishalh, 1992)
First Nations of the South Coast of British Columbia
"We have lived here since time immemorial, thousands of years." (Bob Joe, Chilliwack, 1962)
"We know the Creator put us here. We know our Creator gave us laws that: govern all our relationships to live in harmony with nature and mankind; define our rights and responsibilities.
We have the right to govern ourselves and the right to self-determination. Our rights and responsibilities cannot be altered or taken away by any other nation.
We have our spiritual beliefs, our languages, our culture, and a place on Mother Earth which provides us with all our needs.
We have maintained our freedom, our language and our traditions from time immemorial."
(From the XWE NAL MEWX [Coast Salish] Declaration, 1988)
The Northwest coast of what is now called North America has been home to Aboriginal nations for many thousands of years before any European individual has erroneously been able to do the same. White people only began to arrive to the coast of British Columbia in any significant numbers in the 1850s. Many First Nation elders can testify to a time when our Nations were free from any white influence. During the early contact period, the fur trade between aboriginal peoples and Europeans developed without much colonial control. Trading companies established fortified trading posts, but Europeans at this time remained vastly outnumbered. Robin Fisher (1997) in Contact and Conflict contests that during this time control over Indian lands and societies remained in Indian hands. It was not long before the British Crown endeavored to exercise its sovereignty over indigenous peoples and their lands, which was to become the driving force behind the Douglas Treaties.
Xeel's
In the shwi'em' (time of the ancient stories) when the world was made "there was nothing on it - just ground and water. "Then, as the Elders tell us, Xeel's, the Changer, "came down to the world to finish things ... he went about fixing things, making lakes and rivers, and all things that grow, and then he made animals and all things like that." Xeel's dropped the first people from the sky to populate the land. A man named Syalutsa' landed on a grassy field called Tsuqwulu on the southwest side of the mountain Swuqus overlooking the Cowichan Valley. A little further north Stutsun fell from the sky and landed on the mountain Skwaakwnus above the Chemainus River. Other people emerged out of the land itself. At Penelakut on Kuper Island two great cedar logs lay by the shore. Warmed by the rays of the sun, the bark on one of the logs cracked and out came the first man on the island. Within a short time he was joined by the first woman, who emerged from the sand between the two logs. Syalutsa', Stutsun, and the others who landed atop the mountains and hills of Vancouver Island or emerged from the driftwood and sands of Kuper Island are the ancestors of the Hul'qumi'num First Nations. They are mustimuhw (human beings) also called hwulmuhw (people gathered in one place).
The Beliefs of the WSANEC Peoples
It is the belief of the Saanich people that XALS put us here on this world and gave us a language of our own called SENCOTEN.
That the Lands around us came from XALS and the islands, points land and huge boulders were once people and are still referred to in their old names.
That the four winds, the trees, the birds, the animals, and the fishes too were people at one time long ago.
That the living things can understand us if we speak to them using special words.
That among us are special people who have special rights in regard to spiritual communication.
That the islands, the salmon and the living things can be called upon for help to survive in this life.
That the fire and the water have a life and spirit too, and that they can assist in the communication beyond this life.
That beyond this life, life continues and that, at times, communication can take place with relatives who have left this world.
That the origin of the living things of this world are our ancient relatives, and that they must be treated with respect.
That there must be honour given to life around us, that ceremonies and rituals taught to the young will perpetuate these as time passes from one generation to the next.
That when our relatives leave this world they enter the sky world. The stars represent the twinkling of their eyes as they look down upon us a night.
That the Thunder Being lives in a cave in LAUWELNEW, our Sacred mountain and that he is the communicator between this world and the sky world.
That the KEXMIN, Indian consumption plant, is a good medicine used to clean and open the way for the pure spirits to come near.
That is Saanich there is EN SKAU, a destiny based on what a person does. If one does good or one does something not good to one another or to the living things around us, it will return to that person in this life.
It is the belief of the Saanich people that the SXOLE (reef net) is a gift of the salmon spirit who came to our land and took a beautiful lady from Saanich for his wife.
The Saanich have lived to these and many other beliefs for thousands of years.
When the Saanich people lived on this land ALENENEC, our homeland according to the teachings and beliefs given to us by XALS, Our Creator, life was good and plentiful. When the Saanich people forgot the teachings and did not honour life, XALS, Our Creator, punished the Saanich people with a flood. Only the ones who lived by his beliefs and teachings survived the great flood.
These are our beliefs.
This is our History
This is our Culture
The Changer, Xeel's, created biodiversity - the resources used by the first people and the snuw'uy'ul (the cultural teachings), which governed all manner of conduct and interaction with the physical and spiritual realm.
Saanich Mythological Figures
Xe'las (also spelled Xelas, Haylas, Hals, and other ways): A Transformer figure, often known as the Changer in English, common to the mythology of many Northwest Coast tribes. The Changer brought balance to the world by using his powers to change people, animals, and the landscape into the forms they have today.
Raven: Raven is a culture hero of Saanich, Samish, and Lummi mythology. He is a benevolent figure who helps the people, but at the same time, he is also a trickster spirit, and many Saanich stories about Raven have to do with his frivolous or poorly thought out behavior getting him into trouble.
Reven Mask collected at Xwamdasber 1881
Mink: Mink is another Straits Salish trickster character. Indeed, some of Raven's more light-hearted adventures are sometimes told with Mink as the protagonist instead. However, compared with Raven, Mink is a more negative character who primarily embodies traits that are looked down upon by the Salish people (greed, recklessness, arrogance, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor hygiene, etc.) Saanich and Lummi stories about Mink are often humorous, but also are cautionary tales about how not to behave.
Basket Ogress (Ch'eni): A giant cannibal monster who catches human children and carries them off in her enormous pack basket.
The Tsawout First Nation is one of five bands that constitute the Saanich Nation. The other bands of the Saanich Nation are Tsartlip, Tseycum, Malahat and Pauquachin.
The Tsawout First Nation is a First Nations government located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member of the Sencot'en Alliance.[1] In the 1850s they were signatories to the Douglas Treaties.[2]
The Band's offices are located in Saanichton.
East Saanich IR No. 2, the Tsawout First Nation main village, is about 15 minutes north of the City of Victoria and lies on the east side of the Saanich Peninsula. The village (“reserve”) can be accessed via Highway 17 - Pat Bay Highway. We have a population of 1600 people living in Tsawout (year 2006 est.) with approximately 1/3 of the population being registered band members, and others being residents who are leasing lands from landowners.
East Saanich IR No. 2 is approximately 241hectares in size (595 acres) total area. There are single family residential, and leased modular homes, band administration and commercial developments. The commercial developments include motels, restaurants, offices and gas stations. We have a community water and sewer system in place. Our water system is supplied by the Peninsula Water Commision, and Tsawout has its own sewage treatment facility.
Saanichton Bay has historically been, and continues to be significant to the Saanich peoples of Tsawout. The bay provided shelter from the prevailing southeast gales of winter, a year-round source of food, as well as playing an integral role in the Tsawout economic, societal, social, and spiritual life. Because of these reasons Saanichton Bay was one of the main winter village sites of the Saanich peoples, and that is why Tsawout “Indian Reserve” is located there today
Young Saanich woman c. 1868
Tsawout Longhouse Dance c. 1932
Painting by Arthur Pitts
It is important to mention that the people of Tsawout were not stationary at Saanichton Bay year-round, though this was our "headquarters". The Saanich peoples territory includes the Saanich Peninsula, south to Mount Douglas, across to Mount Finlayson and Goldstream. In addition, the Southern Gulf Islands, reaching to Point Roberts, and San Juan Islands constituted what is the Saanich Peoples traditional territory. The Tsawout and Saanich people’s traditional territory is the lands and seas that we traditionally used throughout every season. Names were given to all places we knew, every bay, every stream, every village, every mountain, every lake, every inlet, and island has a name in our language, the SENCOTEN language. Our Language, place names, stories, history is what defines our territory and speaks to our long standing relationship to the land and waters.
The Saanich people are renowned for their canoeing skills. Watched by some 12,000 spectators, "West Saanich No. 5" won the International Indian War Canoe Race at Coupeville in Washington on 10 August 1936. The famous Saanich - Tsartlip canoe, carved from a single massive red cedar tree, was photographed as it reached the half mile point.
Winning war Canoe c.1936
The prize winning war canoe "West Saanich No. 5" is seen in a c. 1929 photo (left). The twelve canoe pullers pose with two of their trophy cups. From right to left: 1) Marshall Henry (the canoe carver and owner), West Saanich and Malahat; 2) Baptiste Paul (the famous wrestler), West Saanich; 3) Joe Seymour, Chemainus Bay; 4) Chris Tom, Cole Bay; 5) Peter Henry, West Saanich; 6) Fred Huston, North Vancouver; 7) Howard Olsen, West Saanich; 8) Fred La Tasse, West Saanich; 9) Jasper Charlie, Beecher Bay; 10) Joe Bartleman, West Saanich; 11) Isaac Bartleman, West Saanich; 12) Johnny Sam, West Saanich.
Winning Saanich War Canoe c. 1929
The Tsawout people continue to play a prominent role in nurturing and protecting the land today. They are a vibrant and important part of the landscape and community. Thank you for all you do.
The Saanich Fall Fair
No one is exactly sure where the first fair was held but today there are more than 3,200 fairs held in North America each year. There is a record in the Bible, in the book of Ezekiel talking about a fair 500 years before the birth of Christ. In North America we have the first recorded fair held in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1765.
Basically a fair is a gathering of people for entertainment and commercial activities. Many were held to sell produce, livestock and other trade goods. It was also a way to view new equipment, techniques, and animal husbandry. Trade Shows and Festivals were the first two types of ancient fairs. The Brits were the first known to have crossed the two and came up with the Agricultural Fair.
Saanichton Fair (courtesy B.C. Archives)
The first European settlers arrived at the Saanich Peninsula in 1852. The Saanichton Fair comes from a long and storied history Ten farmers soon met and formed an Agricultural Society in 1867 to promote what it was like farming. It was originally started by Robert Brown, Captain George Steven Butler, George Thomas, William Turgoose, J.T. McIlmoyle, Thomas Michell, Peter Emrie, Duncan Lidgate, Henry Simpson, and William Thomson. All names that are rich in the history of the Peninsula.
Captain George Steven Butler a legend in Saanichton, bought 120 acres of land in 1868 and passed away in 1885.
Butler’s store and Victoria and Sidney railroad station at Keating. Saanich archives.
George Thomas
William Turgoose
Thomas and Margaret Michell
Duncan Lidgate
Henry Simpson
For the first four years the fair was held in different locations. From there the committee purchased land in 1873, from Henry Simpson, who in fact gave them an excellent deal. The Saanich fair moved in 1993 to its current site on Stelly’s Cross Road. Polo grounds now reside where the original fair stood.
Our fair promotes itself as the oldest continuous fair in Western Canada, no small feat. This year it will mark its 150th birthday – congratulations!
– Where Families Come Together To Have Fun
Truly passionate individuals who keenly desire to preserve our unique and special past, is how I would describe the fabulous people I met at the Saanich Historical Artifacts Society, also known as the Saanich Historical Society, or “Heritage Acres”.
We are very fortunate that it was founded in 1968 by Willard Michell and a group of enthusiastic supporters. In fact, it was really started much earlier than that, probably during the late 1920’s. This is when Willard, a member of a long-standing farm family of the region, started collecting odds and sods. Back then, you never threw anything out, after all, you never know when you might need something.
The first workshop was on Willard’s farm. Meeting were help in members’ homes and the first building was temporarily set up on the Saanichton Fair Grounds. With the help of B.C. Land Commission and Central Saanich Municipal Council they received grants and the permanent location they now enjoy.
Today the dedicated members of the society are sharing the wealth of their knowledge in the areas of mechanics, construction, welding, hydraulics, and blacksmithing to name a few. They welcome anyone who would like to join them as learners, teachers, or enthusiasts. They also would be happy to accept any donations of old tools, farm and household equipment.
They have many wonderful things to see and do. The Society is dedicated to collecting, restoring, and demonstrating artifacts from Saanich's rural past
There is a Log Cabin;
Chapel;
The Moody Gosset Building (the oldest metal building in Canada);
The Newman Building (a fabulous collection of marine artifacts, cameras, and photographs;
The Tillicum Building (home of a fantastic carriage collection);
Home of the Famous Vancouver Island Model Engineers (a separate group who run several different scale model trains around);
The Hatch Car Shed (an incredible collection of scale tram models crafted by Gordon W. Hatch, after the original that operated in Victoria and the Peninsula);
General Store;
Gardner’s Garage;
Carpenter Shop;
Saw Mill;
Planer Shed;
Blacksmith Shop;
And the Picnic Grounds.
Every year they have wonderful events for all the family to enjoy; Car Shows, Farming demonstrations, Seminars, Picnics, Fall and Winter Displays, and a whole lot more. Their facilities are a great place to hold your next meeting, seminar, or wedding. They have one of Western Canada’s largest collections of working steam engines, tractors, agricultural machinery, and household and industrial artifacts. As a matter fact, kids (and parents) can climb all over the farming equipment, see the mini railroad, a sawmill, planer mill and other artifacts at this 12-hectare site with a small lake, forest trails and pond.
The Saanich Historical Artifacts Society meets on the last Saturday of each month in the School House at 12 noon. Everyone is welcome. Individual memberships are $20.00 per year and Family memberships are $30.00 per year, payable in January.
Summer Hours: June 19 – Sept 17 9:30 am – 4 pm, daily
Winter Hours: October – May 9:30 – noon, daily
Trains run on various days from 12 – 3:30
Tod Inlet
A spectacular scenic little jewel off Brentwood Bay; Tod Inlet is found in Gowland Tod Provincial Park. You meander down a gentle gradual downhill grade, through lush forests with the melodious sounds of Tod Creek in the background. On the way, there a many beautiful flowers, plants, and bushes. You might even get to spy the many little inhabitants and wildlife that call this their home. In fact, there are over 150 different types of animals and plants to be found here.
We thank our First Nations brothers and sisters for the use of SNID₵EL (pronounced sngeet-kwith), meaning “place of the Blue Grouse”. Many riches of the area are still used by the WSÁNEĆ (Saanich) First Nation for medicinal, ceremonial, and spiritual values.
You can enjoy over 25 kilometres of trails, ranging from easy to medium in difficulty. Not to mention you will enjoy the measured change from a rare, dry coastal Douglas fir habitat to a protected wetlands and riparian areas. Todd Inlet was originally established on July 22, 1995 as a Provincial Park under the Commonwealth Heritage Legacy Program to commemorate the XV Commonwealth Games held in Victoria in 1994.
It was named after Jon Tod who was a chief trader for the Hudson Bay Company. Tod was known as a “diamond in the rough”, a man of excellent principle, but vulgar manners, well read, musically gifted on the flute and fiddle, and loved nature. He came to Victoria in 1850 and retired to Tod House in Oak Bay in 1852.
Back in the day, Tod Inlet was used by the Portland Cement Company to ship its cement from Victoria to San Francisco. For over nine years, from 1904 to 1913, Robert Pim Butchart mined the limestone deposits and when the limestone ran out his intrepid wife Jennie had a vision to turn the abandoned quarry into a garden of Eden. There was also an early copper mine in the area.
Scattered about you will find a few of the last vestiges of the operation; old buildings, train tracks, pillars and other detritus. A quiet testimony to its industrial past, but vastly overshadowing this is the rustic beauty of the park and the incredible exquisiteness of gardens found next door thanks to Jennie Butchart’s vision of the now world famous Butchart Gardens.
Once you arrive in the inlet you enjoy the tranquil scene of a quiet little inlet surrounded by towering Gowland Range (430 meters over Finlayson Arm) and majestic Douglas Fir and other assorted trees. In the water, you will see pleasure craft of all types and sizes, gently bobbing, relaxing, soaking in the zen vibes of the oasis.
There are many groups, chief among them is Seachange Marine Conservation Society and the Friends of Tod Creek, who are working diligently to restore, preserve, and maintain the richness and beauty of Tod Inlet.
For information on how you can help, visit the SeaChange Marine Conservation Society website and the Friends of Tod Creek Watershed website
50 Years of VRCM
A CLUB FOR FIFTY YEARS
By Bob Stovel
Here is how it all started fifty years ago…..
In the summer of 1966 a small group of local flyers were using the soccer pitch at the University of Victoria on a semi-regular basis. Roy Foot, one of these guys, had the idea to start a formal club. There followed a meeting at Walt Morgan’s house on Bay Street. About ten flyers showed up and Roy chaired the first meeting. “Who would like to be President?” Roy asked. “Why don’t you do it” we said…..it was your idea!! OK…..I’ll do it he said, but we need a name. Roy liked the magazine RC MODELER so suggested that we call the club VICTORIA RC MODELERS. The name would cover more activities than just flying. All agreed and the name has stuck (with the addition of “Society” which came later).
We successfully flew at UVIC for a short time but there were too many “I haven’t got its” and we were asked to leave. We flew at a number of places for a couple of years (school yards, Gordon Head, Lansdowne, Stelly’s field etc.). Also a field on Lochside a few hundred yards off Martindale. We welcomed an opportunity to use the polo field on Puckle Road….off Island View Road, about a kilometer north of our present field. We gladly paid a rental fee to the Polo Club and enjoyed that site for a couple of years. The Polo Club said that they had found another field that would be suitable…..it was a field on East Saanich Road owned by a Michell (Verne Michell’s cousin). This was another great field for a couple of years until the neighbors again complained about the noise to the Central Saanich Council and who promptly forced us out.
Randy Ben, a lifetime Central Saanich resident and a good friend of Vern Michell started discussions with Vern to use part of his field. Vern subsequently gave us the use of a small part of his land which was not suitable for crops and a reasonable rental rate was agreed upon. This is the property that we now enjoy. Weeks were spent preparing the field for a runway. John Van Haaf built a metal gate and we installed a metal culvert in the ditch at the entrance. The club flourished
We then had to deal with the Central Saanich Council, the CRD, our neighbors and our landowner. We had to show that we were in control of the sound being generated at the field and we had to show that we were a viable member of the community.…..to do this we hired BKL Consultants, a professional sound engineer from the mainland to take sound readings under many different conditions. We obtained and studied a copy of a professional sound report done for the Cowichan Regional District by Wakefield Acoustics. This report related to the proposed “Noise Park” north of Duncan…..a very similar noise problem. From these reports we developed a workable sound testing criteria. We hired a BC Land Surveyor to legally identify the land that we were using. We petitioned three thousand signatures from the day to day users of the Lochside trail. We relocated the runway to avoid overflying neighbor’s property. We set up a testing system to assess the skill level of our members. We established an airplane testing system to control the quality of model construction. We established “no-fly zones” to control the overflying of private properties. We established new daylight flying hours. We encouraged the use of our field facilities by the public. Armed with this data we met in mass at a public Council meeting to state our case. The result was in our favor and we now have a written permit identifying our field as being officially zoned for model airplane flying……not many of these in Canada!!
In 2001 Mike Scholefield along with help from Jack Price started our annual “Victoria’s Largest Little Air Show”…..Probably the best thing we ever did as a club. The Air Show has generated over $265,000.00. For two very special charities for 14 years 100% of the proceeds raised at the show were donated to C-FAX Santa’s Anonymous and the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation. From 2016 it became a Santa's Anonymous event. Not only that but this annual event has brought the members together to work as a club. It has given us a special purpose that did not exist before and we are respected for it by our neighbors.
Ethereal Glow
Scene from behind the Butler Brothers pit by Keating Cross Rd.
From military man, to gold miner, to farmer; Captain George Butler laid the groundwork for his family and left a legacy for all to appreciate. The Butlers have a long and integral history on Vancouver Island and particularly in the Central Saanich area. Captain Butler originally came to Central Saanich and was farming when he married his wife Fanny in 1868. He died young, at the age of 51 of consumption.
Fanny lived to the grand old age of 79, supporting herself and her family by giving piano lessons. She was also said to having been one of the first school teachers in the area. History has it that Wally and Claude were twins and when born prematurely in Brentwood in 1911, they were initially kept warm through the oven heat of a woodstove, truly a pioneer beginning.
Butler Brothers is a well-known name in the area providing a wide range of building materials to lower Vancouver Island. Logging and gravel were the mainstays of the business in the 1930’s. They made many innovations to equipment and trucks which enhanced the industry in general. Their off-road log hauler Mark V, believed to be the largest logging truck in the world. This was the final version in a series of prototypes, enormous off-highway trucks locally designed and built for the company in the 1970s and 1980s. Built with a double axle, this truck could haul up to 150 tons of logs.
The brothers who incorporated the company in 1954 were Claude, Wally, Tom and Eric. All grandchildren of the Captain. In fact, great-grandson Brian is at the helm today.
The legacy of the Butlers continues to grow. Claude Butler served as president of the Victoria Flying Club several times over the years. He was a successful businessman, inventor, and a man with many visions. His compassion and generosity knew no bounds.
Today, Butler Brothers Supplies Ltd. has three gravel pits in operation - Keating Cross Road, Sooke and Duncan - and sells ready-mix concrete from Keating Cross Road, Bay Street in Victoria and Sooke.
Butler Brothers Supplies Ltd. continues to grow to meet the needs of Island consumers and to carry on the tradition of quality, integrity and service to Vancouver Island communities.
Totems at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital
Carvers from Tseycum, Tsartlip, Pauquachin and Tsawout have created welcoming totems at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital.
The lawns of the Saanich Peninsula Hospital have been transformed and are home to four 15-foot, locally carved cedar totem poles. A collaboration driven by first Nations communities on Vancouver Island supported by a number of partnerships on the traditional territory of the WSANEC First Nation communities. “These totem poles honour the ancestors and represent the peoples who have always been in this territory and share a message of how we can work better together as neighbors and partners. They are also a way to honour and the recognize the service providers and caregivers, supporting them to reflect on cultural humility, and how to best offer culturally safe services in a health care setting.” Lydia Hwitsum, board Chair for the First Nations Health Authority.
For the $120,000 project, large cedars were donated by Western Forest Products and carved in several distinctive styles in a few months by Tsartlip carver Charles Elliott, Tseycum carver James Jimmy, Pauquachin carver Mark Henry and Tsawout carver Doug LaFortune, who said his pole was “a log for a long time — it took a long time to come out.” Charles Elliott at the Tsartlip Village [WJOL̵EL̵P] in Brentwood Bay knows good logs from bad, and was delighted to receive a beautiful piece of old growth red cedar, knot free. Good carvers only work on old growth timber.
Charles explained the design of his pole. His pole has a marine theme to celebrate the Salish Sea which connects all living beings in this territory. The frog [WEXES] sitting at the bottom is a guardian creature who announces change and new beginnings. They are at home on land and water and connect the two worlds.
The orca [KELL̵OLEMEC’N is the ruler of the Salish Sea that surrounds the W̱SÁNEĆ Peninsula and is visible from the hospital. In Coast Salish culture, orcas are the most respected creature of the sea, revered for their intelligence and power. They also set a good example for humans, as they protect their young and stay true to their pod. The drummer[WDILEM] and orca sing a traditional welcoming song to all people coming to the hospital. The kingfisher [T̸ETĆELE], diving down from above, demonstrates its prowess as a fisherman and shore keeper in Coast Salish culture. They watch over the shores from the skies, trees and cliffs, and protect other living beings by announcing the arrival of visitors with their call.
Mark Henry is from the Pauquachin First Nation [BOḰEĆEN]. Mark and his brother Herman are two of ten siblings, all of whom are working throughout BC. At forty years old, Mark is the youngest son and, according to Herman, has always worked with his hands. In order to get the inspiration he needed to carve his fifteen foot pole, he spent two days simply walking around the Saanich Peninsula Hospital, listening and observing life at the hospital.
After spending time at the hospital, Mark had the vision needed to create the pole that would represent his people. The pod of orcas [qulΪanumutsun] at the bottom of this totem represents the nurses who work together as a team to skillfully guide, teach and protect their young. The sun [sumshathet] that rises over our land and mountains is for the Elders, because they say they love seeing the sun come up every day. It provides warmth and hope, and enables all living things to grow and thrive. The eagle [Yuḧwelѐ] at the top is there to provide strength and vision to all those who come to the Saanich Peninsula Hospital.
Like Charles, Mark uses a small chainsaw to remove the large pieces of the log, but the real artistry is done by hand. Mark explained that it takes about three months to finish a pole.
Doug Lafortune and his brother Aubrey are carvers who have passed the knowledge and skills to Doug’s son, Bear. All three men are involved in the creation of the Tsawout pole. The story behind Doug’s pole is a welcoming figure [S’WQENÀ L̵EN] with outstretched hands greets all those who come to the hospital. The lively, spirited otters [SKA’EṮ] swim playfully around the welcoming figure. The stately blue heron [SNEK̵E], keeper of the cool, early morning fog, stands for hours on the shoreline, symbolizing patience and perseverance. The SENĆOŦEN word for blue heron means, “loud noise.” Herons and otters are predominant figures in Coast Salish culture and there are many of them in the W̱SÁNEĆ territory.
Finally, James Jimmy of the Tseycum First Nation. James’ carving represents the legend of the Tseycum Messenger[WC̸ESES ET]. In ancient times, a man from Tseycum carried messages between villages. He was always accompanied by a wolf [STK A̸ A̸YE], who was his faithful companion. One day, he needed to swim to Salt Spring Island to deliver a message but the wolf would not leave the shore of Tseycum. When the messenger turned to look back from the water, he saw the wolf on the beach. The Creator had turned the wolf into a rock that remains to this day at Tseycum.
The Blue Heron
Adept in fresh water and salt water alike, the Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight to behold. We often see it standing motionless for long spells at a time but it is definitely not asleep, rather patiently blending in to its environment scanning for its doomed prey. Although its’ slow, deep wing beats look slow and purposeful, it can strike with lightning speed and accuracy.
It is one of the largest of the North American herons. It appears blue-gray from a distance but has many shades and can actually be seen as pure white in Florida. They live in a variety of environments from lakes, rivers, marshes and sloughs to grasslands and agricultural fields. That is why they love Vancouver Island.
They are great fishers and have been known to choke to death on fish that are actually too large for them to swallow. Although fish are their mainstay, they enjoy mice, insects and other small creatures to bring some variety to their diet.
Tall trees are their preferred habitat, but can been found in low shrubs. Although they hunt alone they live in colonies. The female will lay anywhere from 2 – 7 eggs which both parents will protect and incubate.
From our First Nations friends we learn that the Blue Heron brings messages of self-determination and self-reliance. The ability to progress and evolve are two of the gifts they teach. Another wisdom they impart is that you don’t need two massive pillars to anchor you but rather learn to stand on your own. If they had a motto it would be, “Follow your heart, create your own circumstances.” The Blue Heron symbolizes patience, grace, balance, elegance, and determination.
Our Lady of the Assumption
A remarkable history marked the birth of Our Lady of the Assumption. Set in arguably one of the most beautiful locations on Vancouver Island it had the humble beginnings of a mission to serve the First Nations in the area. Although idyllic beyond measure there was a lot of conflict between the First Nations Tribes of Tseigurn, Pauquechin, Tsardip, Salish, Haida, songhees, Snohomish, and Cowicjhan to name a few; who all vied for the rights to the beauty and rich resources. These were later diminished by the Douglas Treaties.
The Oblate priests originally established the mission and did much to serve the First Nations people in the area. Rev. Father Lempfrit was the first to come in 1850; leaving a legacy of baptizing over 250 First Nations in the week he visited. He was followed by Father Chirouse in 1859. It wasn’t till 1860 that Father Jayol, Brother Blonchel and several First Nations People built a log church. It wasn’t until 1865 where Father Mandart came and established a formal mission complete with a proper church.
The tradition of Dutch priests continued with Father Vullinghs who served from 1893-1909. To this day the dutch are involved with Father Rolf Hassenack as Pastor of the church and St. Elizabeth in Sidney.
7742West Saanich Rd
Brentwood Bay, BC Canada
V8L 3S6
Mass is held at 8:30 a.m. every Sunday.
Rom Knott Memorial Park
Love and respect make for a lasting legacy. Rom Knott was an enthusiastic sportsman and dedicated coach who coached girls baseball for many years, including winning the 1954 Provincial Championship with his Bantam Girls. Unfortunately he died in a tragic automobile accident in 1964.
His friends and family came together and bought the existing land and developed it as a playing field for baseball and a kids playground. A fitting memorial for a great guy. It was later developed and through the generosity of the Lions Club and the municipality was expanded to include beautiful green-space, a toddler playground, concession and storage building, and of course a fabulous softball diamond. There is also another play area for older children in memory of Stan Bickford.
The park is located on Wallace Drive, right beside the Central Saanich Seniors’ Centre.
http://www.pentalocal.ca/bc/central-saanich/rom-knott-park/
YYJ our Pride and Joy
From it’s humble beginnings in 1939 as a grass strip seeing many flying boats, it now boasts a beautiful airport hosting international flights. As a matter of fact, in 2015, there was over 55,300 local and almost 82,000 international flights. And this number looks to be surpassed in 2016.
Although it technically is in North Saanich, we like to feel we share in the heritage as it is only 8.3 km across the field. Alright, it is a little more than a field, in fact it is approximately 1,198 acres is size. One of the key things is that it is near and dear to the heart of the Victoria Airport Authority to be a leader in environmental protection and management; one of our goals as well.
Some of the aspects that are monitored and tested constantly:
Storm Water Quality
Potable Water Testing
Sanitary Source Control
Habitat and Wildlife Management
Glycol Recovery and Monitoring
Green House Gas
All the while managing the 10th busiest airports in Canada. No wonder people come and watch the flight traffic. Next to a small cemetery, on the south-east side of the airport on Canora Rd., is one spot dreamers love to watch the planes take-off and land. Another great spot is on the other side of airport where there is an open field off Mills and Meadlands Road.
Whether you are coming, going, or just visiting the Pat Bay Airport, or should I say, Victoria International Airport is a great place to dream, look at great art, or just passing the day.
Weather Statistics
Climate data for Saanichton
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.5 16.1 20.5 25.5 31.5 33.9 34.4 32.8 30.5 27 17.8 15 34.4
-59.9 -61 -68.9 -77.9 -88.7 -93 -93.9 -91 -86.9 -81 -64 -59 -93.9
Average high °C (°F) 6.7 8.1 10.2 13 16.4 19 21.8 21.9 19 13.8 9.2 6.8 13.8
-44.1 -46.6 -50.4 -55 -61.5 -66 -71.2 -71.4 -66 -56.8 -48.6 -44.2 -56.8
Average low °C (°F) 1.3 2.1 3.2 4.9 7.5 9.9 11.6 11.7 9.8 6.6 3.6 1.8 6.2
-34.3 -35.8 -37.8 -40.8 -45.5 -49.8 -52.9 -53.1 -49.6 -43.9 -38.5 -35.2 -43.2
Record low °C (°F) −13.3 −12.2 −8.9 −3.3 −1.1 2.2 3.3 4.4 1.7 −3.9 −12.2 −13.9 −13.9
-8.1 -10 -16 -26.1 -30 -36 -37.9 -39.9 -35.1 -25 -10 -7 -7
Average precipitation mm (inches) 137.8 103.1 76.7 46.5 38.9 35 20.6 27.8 31.7 79.6 155.6 152.9 906.1
-5.425 -4.059 -3.02 -1.831 -1.531 -1.38 -0.811 -1.094 -1.248 -3.134 -6.126 -6.02 -35.673
Average Sunshine hrs. 78 102 150 205 267 271 331 303 222 148 81 65 2223
Visitors since November 3, 2016
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Asian Adventure - Modern Gangnam & The Ancient Deoksugung Palace, 8 May 2019
Today was Gangnam day; the three of us were heading towards K-Star Road, where the famous Gangnam district is situated. The road is dedicated to the fashionable teen pop culture, that Korea is famous for. My little Cousin Ruby is into all things Korean at the moment. She sits in front of the television, glued to the latest Korean soap opera or listening to her favourite Korean band. Modern day Korea is a World apart from the traditional side of this country. The two contrasting styles sit happily side by side, in Seoul, a city that has evolved dramatically over the last sixty years and embodies modernity in all its forms. High tech is the order of the day and Gangnam pays homage to a growing culture and lifestyle that older generations would find hard to quantify. However the wide open boulevards, spectacular architecture, beautiful people and well kept sidewalks of this neighbourhood offer a chance to explore new and equally as interesting experiences!
Situated the length of K-Star Road, there are small bear like 'emoji's,' each one depicting a particular band or musician unique to K-Pop culture in Korea. As a novice in such matters, I was a little dismissive of the whole place. Korean pop really isn't my thing and like most of the customs that surround the K-Pop scene, I find it banal and far to kitsch for my taste. Having said that it is extremely popular in Korea and as a nation, they are proud of the music their country manufactures. The songs they produce are popular all over the World and I can understand why. Teenagers like this music because it is so different, young and vibrant, rather like the modern day Korea it seeks to emulate.
Walking down towards the river we stumbled upon some fantastic street art on display. I am a big fan of Graffiti and this form of expression; coming from Portsmouth I am well used to such visual displays. The one thing that has struck me about my time in Korea is just how modern Seoul is. This underground art, shows just how far this part of Asia has come, finding its place in the modern World. It wasn't too many years ago, that this tiny nation was considered a third World country; it's come a long way since then!
Our next stop was Deoksugung Palace, a very special place in the heart of Koreans. This is probably the inhabitants of Seoul's favourite royal palace. Members of the Korean Royal Family lived here right up until 1910, when Korea was annexed by Japan. Of all the palaces I visited here, this was by far my favourite too, a mixture of the ancient Korean style and the more classical European design.
The complex is made up of a number of buildings, wonderful architecture painted in the traditional Korean colours, with a big influence on Blue/Green, which represents the East. The west is white, red is south, north is black and the centre is yellow. This type of design is called dancheong and refers to traditional decorative colouring on buildings for the purpose of style. On a purely practical level the paint is used to protect the buildings from changes in temperature. Symbolically, the patternation also signifies the rank and social status of the residents of these stunning constructions.
Like other historic sights we have visited, these beautiful structures have been preserved and expertly looked after, creating a public space out of what was once a private inner sanctum. On the day we arrived, there were many people waiting to go through the large imposing gates at the entrance to Deoksugung Palace. We were also lucky enough to arrive just in time for the changing of the guard, which was a special experience harking back to an altogether different era. As someone who is fascinated by royal history, both in the UK and abroad, I was in awe at the spectacle being played out before me, right in the middle of a busy intersection in the centre of Seoul.
Next to the ancient buildings of Deoksugung, stands a newer palace, equally as beautiful and more purpose built for the royal family of the time, allowing them to live a more comfortable lifestyle. This newer building is a reminder of colonial and European influence on Korean life. The wonderful gardens, ponds and water features add a air of sophistication to this tale of two palaces. I was taken aback by the sheer scale of this place and could have spent hours sitting, looking at this amazing oasis in the middle of a sea of concrete.
We stopped for a late lunch in a small family run restaurant, just outside the palace walls. This was the best meal yet in Korea, all cooked by a single Korean lady. There were no waiters or other members of staff, just this charming woman, who made us feel completely at home, while she busied herself in the kitchen. The cost of the meal, including three large beers? 34,000 won, which equates to about twenty pounds. This was real Korea and I felt relaxed and happy to be spending time with Darrell and my Aunt in such an historic setting. Korean food seems to suit my constitution and there hasn't been anything I haven't enjoyed while I have been here.....
......However as we left the centre and headed back towards our apartment and Myeongdong, we were confronted by a lone protestor, wearing an A board. On each side of the board, graphic pictures of dogs and cats being slaughtered for meat. The sign simply said 'Stop the Killing,' in English and Korean. It was a large reminder of exactly where we were and yes Koreans do eat animals we don't in the West. Up until now I hadn't seen any cats or dogs being ill treated, but I was aware of restaurants selling specifically dog and cat meat and chose to walk away.
Seoul seems to be a rather open society, at least on the surface. Adult sex shops sit happily next to restaurants selling dubious food still swimming in tanks, including, shockingly for me, turtles and exotic fish. Yet the etiquette expected in everyday life indicates a more reserved, quiet, respectful population. No one bats an eye when they pass a hardcore private shop, yet frowns upon a lack of manners, from a rather confused tourist like me. I find Koreans fascinating and for the most part, engaging and a delight to be around. Something inside of me wants to know more about these enchanting people.
We spent the evening walking around Myeongdong, while Darrell looked for a new pair of shoes. One would think that with all the shoe shops in this shopping district, Darrell would have found something, but no. Exhausted we popped into McDonalds, for one of their Asian burgers, not where I really wanted to go, but since this is Darrell's eatery of choice, I gave in, just this once!
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South Oxford Community Centre
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You are here: Home Local history in South Oxford 66 men of Grandpont, 1914-18 Reginald Robinson
66 men - Reginald Robinson
Reginald Robinson's signature from his US naturalisation papers,
Reginald Vivian ROBINSON
Reginald Robinson is an interesting case: he shouldn't be on the war memorial because he didn't fight in the First World War.
He was born on 11 October 1888 in the parish of Holy Trinity, just to the north and across the river from Grandpont. His father was a carpenter joiner, Alfred Robinson, who had been born in 1861/62 and was from Albert Street in St Ebbe's. His mother was Clara, born in Wendlebury near Bicester in 1859/60. The couple had three children: Kate (born 1885/86); Reginald (1888) and Esther (1895). In 1891 the family were living at 33 Friars Wharf in Holy Trinity, but by 1896 they had moved to 43 Western Road in Grandpont.
Reginald started work as a college servant at Christ Church when he was 14. He was a Junior Common Room boy from April 1903 and then a scout's boy from October 1903 until January 1911. His college employment notes say that he 'Left to better himself, to private services in America. Excellent boy in every respect.' However, in the 1911 census (taken on 2 April) he was recorded as being a Private in the Royal Army Medical Corps (Territorial Force), stationed at the Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley near Southampton, together with the Scragg brothers, Reginald and Horace and 31 other recruits from Oxford, all in the RAMC.
Reginald did go to America soon afterwards though: he sailed on the SS Cincinnati from Southampton on 13 October 1911, bound eventually for Kansas City, Missouri. He returned to England in December 1912, giving his occupation as butler and his place of permanent residence as the USA. He went back to America in March 1913 and went to Chicago before moving to Washington State in May. In November he married Idena Celia Trast, of Elsmore, Kansas, at All Saints church in Seattle. He was 25 and she was 20. Idena was Swedish American: her father Oscar had been born in Stockholm and her mother Lydia (née Larson) had been born in Galesburg, Illinois. They were farmers, and many of their neighbours in Elsmore were also of Swedish origin.
A year later, in November 1914, Reginald and Idena had a daughter, Bernice. In February 1915 Reginald applied for American citizenship; he was working as a lunch counterman and was described as 'dark complexion, 5'10", 195lb [14 stone], black hair, dark brown eyes'. In June 1917 he was called up to join the US army, and gave his occupation as a shipbuilder, employed at Ames ship building and dry dock in Seattle. However, he was granted exemption from the draft on account of his wife and young child (and in fact non-US citizens were required to register but were not subject to induction into the American military).
In June 1918 Reginald was the manager of a restaurant called 'White Lunch' and his petition for naturalisation (American citizenship) was granted. However, he died only five months later, on 2 November 1918, aged 30. The cause of his death was bronchial pneumonia, secondary to influenza; a Spanish influenza epidemic had been declared in Seattle two weeks earlier. The wearing of masks had become mandatory across the state on 29 October, three days after Reginald had first been seen by the doctor. He was buried at Lakeview Cemetery, Seattle.
Reginald's widow Idena married Herbert Houck, a police officer, on Christmas eve 1919 at King County Courthouse, Seattle. Bernice took her stepfather's surname. Herbert already had three children from his first marriage and he and Idena had another child, Thelma, in 1921. By this time the family had moved to California and by 1930 Idena was working in the cookie industry and Herbert was a plasterer. Their daughter Thelma died in 1930, aged eight.
Idena and Reginald's daughter Bernice married Milton Bryant in May 1937, in Oakland, California. Her mother died in February 1973 in Alameda, California, aged 80 and Bernice died there in February 1997 aged 82.
Back in England, Reginald's younger sister Esther married Harrison Murray, a chauffeur, in September 1922, at St Matthew's church. Reginald and Esther's parents Albert and Clara were still living at 43 Western Road in 1928 but were no longer there in 1939. It appears, however, that they remained in Oxford and that Clara died in 1955, aged 95, and Albert in 1962, aged 100!
With thanks to Judith Curthoys (Archivist, Christ Church) for additional information and for permission to show a copy of Reginald Robinson's college employment notes.
Back to the main 66 Men of Grandpont page
The development of these local history pages was kindly sponsored by Four Pillars Hotels, Brasenose College, The Greening Lamborn Trust and Oxford City Council. They are written and maintained by Liz Woolley. If you have any comments or information to add, please contact me.
South Oxford Community Association, Registered Charity Number 304351
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13 Horror Comics to Get You in the Halloween Spirit
Posted 10 months ago by Franco V
Posted in eBooks and Audiobooks, Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy and Teen and Pre-Teens | Tagged with comic books, dystopias, graphic novels, Horror Fiction, scary stories, supernatural and zombies
While most people think of superheroes when they hear the word comics, the medium is actually rich with a variety of different genres. There are an incredible amount of high quality horror comics on the shelves and if you're looking for something spooky to gear up for end of October festivities, the following is a list of comics to check out. And the best part? The Library has most of them available digitally through hoopla.
Chilling Horror Comics
"Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; illustrated by Robert Hack
This isn't the Melissa Joan Hart version of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," or even the teenybop original that first appeared in Archie Comics in the 1960s. Instead, this iteration of Sabrina is refined, mature, and comes from the creator of the popular TV show "Riverdale." If that's not incentive enough, it's also about to debut on Netflix as a show of its own and is this month's reading selection for the Library's Books on Tap discussion group.
Available in Print and as an eComic.
"Afterlife with Archie" written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; illustrated by Francesco Francavilla
Speaking of Riverdale, Archie and the gang have been on a horror roll as of late. In this series the kids of Riverdale High are met with the zombie apocalypse, and Sabrina even makes a cameo for maximum Archie Comics synergy. If you're a fan of "The Walking Dead" or like a little bit of humor injected into your scary stuff, you'll love this book. And if you still can't satisfy the horror itch after reading "Sabrina" and "Afterlife," I highly recommend checking out their sister series "Vampironica" (where yes, Veronica is a vampire) and "Jughead: The Hunger" (featuring everybody's favorite burger-loving sidekick as a werewolf).
"Ice Cream Man" written by W. Maxwell Prince; illustrated by Martin Morazzo and Chris O'Halloran
This comic is truly bizarre and downright frightening. Each installment follows a different cast of characters dealing with their own set of problems, from addiction to existential crises. The one thread that ties them all together is the friendly face of the Ice Cream Man. But don't let the sweet treats and bright colors fool you! Much like Pennywise tortures the children of Derry, Maine in Stephen King's "It," the Ice Cream Man preys upon his victims under the guise of summertime bliss.
"Revival" written by Tim Seeley; illustrated by Mike Norton
"Revival" is about a small Wisconsin town where every person who died on on New Year's Day comes back to life, but not as zombies, as is the usual horror fare. Instead, the "revivers" return as their normal selves, except that they are immortal. While there definitely is a creep factor in this series, the comic also examines complicated family relationships, small-town life, and what it means to live in a world without death.
Available as an eComic via Overdrive or hoopla.
"Redneck" written by Donny Cates; illustrated by Lisandro Estherren and Dee Cunniffe
It's Hatfield and McCoys...but with vampires! Donny Cates ("Doctor Strange," "God Country," "Venom") brings us this bloodsucking tale of the Bowmans, a vampire family that owns a Texas BBQ joint, who have been at war with the Landrys, a mortal family that knows the secret the Bowmans keep hidden, since the 1800s. This comic is one-part crime story, another part horror, and a whole lot of blood and guts.
Available as an eComic.
"By Chance or Providence" written and illustrated by Becky Cloonan; colors by Lee Loughridge
When I first read this book I was somewhat disappointed - the stories move slowly and quietly, and though there are elements of horror present, this collection mostly feels like medieval fantasy. However, the stories wrought here will linger and haunt your dreams well after you've put them down. Cloonan writes and draws beautifully and efficiently, which only makes her mystical tales more disturbing. "The Mire" is especially eerie, following a young squire travelling through a haunted swamp as he learns a difficult life lesson. And I can guarantee that you'll be spooked and sobbing by the end of "Demeter."
"Kill or Be Killed" written by Ed Brubaker; illustrated by Elizabeth Breitweiser and Sean Phillips
I'll admit this pick barely qualifies as horror, save for the presence of a demon that haunts the main character, driving him to kill criminals vigilante-style, a la "Dexter" - with the added caveat that the ongoing murders are in exchange for the demon preserving his own life. On the surface this series is filled with pulp thrills, but on closer look presents a troubling portrayal of mental health and how we cope with personal troubles.
"Mystik U" written by Alisa Kwitney; illustrated by Mike Norton and Jordie Bellaire
If you always wanted a dose of Harry Potter in your superhero comics with an added helping of college angst, this is your comic. The book centers around the magician Zatanna Zatara and her enrollment at Mystik University, a school for the dark arts. But upon her arrival, the faculty begins to investigate a mysterious force called the Malevolence that is poised to threaten the school. This is the kind of silly and fun horror that isn't very scary, but is still great to read during the fall season.
"Harrow County" written by Cullen Bunn; illustrated by Hannah Christenson, Tyler Crook, and Carla Speed McNeil
"Harrow County" is simply magic, and that's not speaking to the Southern Gothic witchcraft at play in the book. Cullen Bunn's writing and Tyler Crook's artwork are nothing short of astounding. The series follows Emmy, a farm girl with a secret origin and emerging magical powers, as she fights against the sinister plans of her evil sister Hester. Even the land and people of Harrow County are unearthly in their creation. This series is an incredibly rewarding and entertaining read.
"My Favorite Thing is Monsters" written and illustrated by Emil Ferris
Fans of late night B-movie horror flicks will be right at home in the first volume of "My Favorite Thing is Monsters." Less of an actual horror comic and more of murder-mystery, the book follows monster-obsessed 10-year-old Karen Reyes as she investigates the murder of her upstairs neighbor and in doing so, discovers the heartbreaking story of a Holocaust survivor.
Available in Print.
"Nijigahara Holograph" written and illustrated by Inio Asano
The one manga on the list, "Nijigahara Holograph" is a complicated story about disappearance, butterflies, a monster that may or not be hiding out in a local tunnel....and that's only scratching the surface. There's a lot to follow in this book - multiple character threads, inexplicable jumps in time - but Asano's artwork alone is worth the hurdle. A trigger warning is also probably warranted here: there is violence in this book that is sexual in nature and specifically targets women. This violence does make the book uncomfortable, but the challenges presented (both literal and metaphorical) carry an expert-level of emotional nuance.
"Wytches" written by Scott Snyder; illustrated by Jock
There's practically no arguing that Snyder is one of the biggest name in comics. His legendary run on "Batman" during DC's New 52 era gave us a contemporary classic with "The Court of Owls."In "Wytches," Snyder dials up his horror chops to spin a terrifying story about a New Hampshire family trying to escape their daughter's anxieties. The scariest thing about this comic? It goes into the depths of the frightening world of being a parent.
"Batman: Haunted Knight" written by Jeph Loeb; illustrated by Tim Sale
Others may not agree, but I've always found Batman to be very Halloween-y. From the costumes to the rogue's gallery, there's just something a little bit ghoulish about the Dark Knight. This collection, from the creative team that gave us the legendary Batman tale "The Long Halloween," is a series of short stories, all set on the last day of October. Each story is scary in its own right, but of particular note is "Ghosts," which features a feverish Bruce Wayne coping with his past, present, and future through a Dickens-like cast of visiting specters.
Related Toledo Library Blog Posts
No Capes Required! Comics Embrace All Literary Genres
Graphic Novel Memoirs
Stranger Reads: 14 Teen Titles for Fans of Stranger Things
The Thrill is Not Gone
Psychological Horror: 10 Suspenseful and Creepy Reads
Franco is an Adult and Teen Services Librarian at the Maumee Branch Library. He loves reading graphic novels, plays the ukulele, and has a bicycle named Flann O'Brien. You can usually find him hanging out with his one-year-old daughter or "maining" as D.Va in Overwatch.
Other Stories by Franco
Best Comics of 2019 So Far Posted about 18 days ago
Mental Health Awareness Posted 3 months ago
Is It Time to Quit Social Media? Posted 4 months ago
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Dr. Carol Utay, Executive Director
Dr. Carol is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and an expert in learning disabilities and reading with a doctorate in special education. Dr. Carol has experience as a principal, Orton-Gillingham reading therapist, teacher, consultant, international speaker, professor, author, and mother. She is a founding board member of the Western Pennsylvania International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and board member of Pennsylvania IDA. Dr. Carol is known for putting complicated education information into a parent-friendly language. Dr. Carol has been the recipient of many awards including as a nationally recognized Athena Award winner for community service and an avid Internet-based education community builder.
Dr. Joe Utay, Director of Counseling & Evaluations
Dr. Joe is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, with over 35 years of experience in psychology and education. Before he and Dr. Carol returned to Pennsylvania to create TLC in 1999, he served three terms as President of the Kentucky Mental Health Counselors Association and was Chief Editor of the state professional counselor’s journal. He is also a former professor at the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he taught school psychology and school and community counseling. Dr. Joe is a certified school psychologist, author, father, earned a Black Belt in Kung Fu, and is a long-time Tai Chi practitioner.
Leah Schram, Special Education Coordinator
Leah is a dedicated, passionate member of the TLC team. With degrees in Special and Elementary Education and years of classroom experience, she brings that thoroughness and professionalism to her current students in the Total Learning Academy. As the TLA Special Education Coordinator, she goes above and beyond for each student and family to help them on their journey through the education system. She is a true advocate for her students, and loves what she does! You’ll find her teaching, collaborating with other teachers, communicating with school districts, and attending meetings, all for her students.
JT Kordesich, Test Preparation Coordinator
JT wears many hats at TLC! Not only is he a Total Learning Academy teacher and afternoon tutor, he also is in charge of our comprehensive Test Preparation program, which include SAT and ACT tutoring. JT teaches Science and Social Studies to his TLA students, and does whatever it takes to help them succeed. You’ll find him helping out other teachers and staff, prepping for his exciting lessons, and taking care of student needs.
Olivia Benton, Outreach Coordinator
Olivia graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Communications. She is thrilled to have been brought on to do Outreach for Total Learning Centers as it allows her to combine her enthusiasm for learning with her background in culture and communication. In her position as outreach coordinator Olivia hopes to spread awareness of TLC and help expand access to the extraordinary services that TLC has to offer.
Ashley Burger, Administrative Assistant
Ashley graduated from LaRoche College with a degree in Psychology in 2018. She is excited to be apart of TLC, and will use her talents to answer phones, schedule students, and manage our office. She hopes to one day become a school psychologist! You’ll find her at our Welcome Center desk, and she is happy to help you, or answer any questions.
Victoria Zulick, Marketing Coordinator
Victoria graduate of Grove City College with a degree in Communication Studies and Studio Art in 2018. She is excited to be focusing on marketing, advertising, and communications for TLC, and will be working on the TLC website, social media platforms, and other in-center marketing materials. Be sure to check out her posts on the TLC Facebook page and give us a ‘like!’
Child's First and Last Name
Private School Tutoring/Homework SAT/ACT Prep Reading Programs Math Programs Testing/Evaluations
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Look Who’s Coming
2016 Attendees
A Word from the Chair
Questions? nbrand@siia.net +1 781 754 4771
PAST EVENTS / SIPA 2016 / Speakers
Steven Van Yoder
Author, Get Slightly Famous, Get The Word Out Communications
Steven Van Yoder is a consultant, speaker and author of Get Slightly Famous: Become a Celebrity in Your Field and Attract More Business with Less Effort (2nd Edition). His firm, Get The Word Out Communications, helps companies become recognized thought leaders in their sector and reach high-end prospects with sustainable, growth-focused marketing programs. Steven is a seasoned journalist, published in hundreds of trade, business and industry media and regularly speaks to business groups about B2B marketing, branding and thought leadership strategies. Twitter @StevenVanYoder
Keynote Panelists
CEO and President, OPIS By IHS Markit
Brian's publishing background stretches back more than 27 years during which he has created and managed a variety of information products, including newsletters, magazines, databases, software, and conferences. Before assuming the role of CEO at OPIS, Brian was a vice president at Hart Publications, a magazine, directory and newsletter subsidiary of Phillips Publishing International. He has a master's degree in journalism from American University. He is currently serving his second term on the Board of Directors of the Specialized Information Publishers Association (he served as a Board member from 2000-2005 and 2009-present), and has won two awards for journalism excellence from that association.
Co-founder and Managing Director, Novatum Group
Robin co-founded Melcrum in 1996 and sold the business in November 2015. Melcrum is a research and training business, advising executives at Fortune 500 organizations worldwide. Robin stewarded the business from a "kitchen-table" start-up to an organization with offices in the US, UK and Australia and blue-chip customers in more than 90 countries. Based in London, Robin's current focus through Novatum Group is on helping growing businesses thrive in the digital age, sharing his knowledge and experience to accelerate performance. He recently published his first novel 'Hurst' a dystopian thriller set in a castle on the south coast of England.
President, Spidell Publishing Inc.
Lynn is president and publisher of Spidell Publishing Inc. Spidell is the premier provider of California tax research and education for tax professionals. Spidell offers monthly newsletters and a profit-generating online research service. Over the past 15 years, Spidell has transformed itself into the go-to company for over 18,000 tax professionals who get their education via seminars, webinars and self-study courses.
Josh Andersen
Production Manager, Fred Meyer
Josh Andersen is an award winning editor/videographer with more than 20 years experience using technology to effectively communicate messages from television news to corporate communications. He is a creative, enthusiastic media professional with the ability to get clients excited about their ideas and amazed by the finished product. He also helps clients communicate their message and navigate social media.
Sarah Andersen
Publisher, Business Valuation Resources
Sarah Andersen is the Publisher at Business Valuation Resources. An accomplished business leader with over 17 years of executive management and writing experience, Sarah leads BVR’s editorial staff and publishes newsletters, ezines, blogs, and books for the business valuation profession. With an eye on content delivery system innovations, Sarah and her team focus on evolving BVR’s publishing model to efficiently meet the needs of the current audience, while tapping into new resources to drive growth.
Online Content Manager, Business Management Daily
Jaclyn leads the social media and video content programs at Business Management Daily. Her role focuses on lead generation campaigns through digital marketing outlets and finding new ways to increase traffic to www.BusinessManagementDaily.com. She also manages webinars on related topics. Jaclyn won the first place SIPAaward for 2014 Best Social Media Success Story and second place SIPAward for 2015 Best Social Media Initiative. She has also worked as a freelance marketing consultant and writer for an entertainment publication.
John Benbrook
CEO, Progressive Business Publications
John has more than 25 years of executive, sales and practice leadership positions with technology & professional services, marketing and publishing companies. Specific expertise and proven track record in strategic change management and company culture transformation. Values built on strong but compassionate leadership, relationship cultivation and measurable results. John joined Progressive Business Publications as their CEO at the start of 2015. Prior to joining PBP he spent 11 years at MMG, a global patient recruitment company in Rockville, Maryland. Identifying core issues and motivating teams to effectively and efficiently find the right solutions is what he enjoys doing.
Phil Binkow
CEO, Financial Operations Networks, LLC
Phil Binkow is CEO of Financial Operations Networks, the developer of InvoiceInfo, a suite of industry leading self-service SaaS applications for accounts payable and vendor relationship management. In 2002 FON founded The Accounts Payable Network, which was acquired by Diversified Business Communications in 2013. Prior to starting Financial Operations Networks, Phil founded and served as CEO of PayTECH, a highly respected electronic payables processing, disbursements and information services provider serving companies such as Oracle, Cisco, the Gap, Charles Schwab, JP Morgan, NCR and Viacom. PayTECH grew to process over 100 million invoices annually and was acquired by PRGX in 1999. Phil and his wife Nancy founded the Friends of North Springs Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit supporting North Springs Charter High School. Phil served on the SIPA board for six years and currently serves on the executive committee and is Vice President of the Specialized Information Publishers Foundation.
William Jefferson Black
Managing Director & Publisher, Transaction Advisors
William Jefferson Black is a Managing Director at Finance Information Group, which provides perspective and information on M&A, financing, and corporate strategy through educational conferences, transaction databases, books, and unique financial publications including TelecomFinance, Transaction Advisors, and SatelliteFinance. Mr. Black was previously with Stout Risius Ross (SRR), a fast-growing transaction advisory firm, where he served as both a Director in the Valuation & Financial Opinions group and as the firm’s head of Marketing and Business Development. In that role, Mr. Black led the rollout of the SRR’s market segmentation strategy, which integrated go-to-market approaches across the firm’s three practices. Within this strategy, he oversaw a significant expansion of the SRR Journal, a print and online publication that was recognized for enhancing the technical reputation of the firm. He also managed the development of a new content marketing optimized web site that received the 2011 WebAward for Financial Services. In his client facing role Mr. Black worked with public companies, accounting firms, and private equity firms on a variety of corporate transactions and related accounting, tax, legal, and financial reporting issues.
Chelsea Brookes
Associate eLearning Product Manager, HCPro
HCPro provides training and education on healthcare compliance, reimbursement, and regulation. Chelsea manages the elearning team and works with experts across departments to successfully build, implement, and maintain training courses. She focuses on streamlining processes and maximizing efficiency.
Bruce Brumberg
Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder, myStockOptions.com
Bruce has devoted most of his professional career to making complex legal and tax concepts understandable to people who do not enjoy reading the Internal Revenue Code or the securities laws. He is editor-in-chief and co-founder of www.myStockOptions.com, the premier provider of web-based educational content and tools on stock options, restricted stock, and other types of equity compensation. This award-winning online resource has a patent and been featured in publications including the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, and Money. Bruce also produced the popular “Think Twice” insider trading prevention videos (www.insidertradingvideos.com). He graduated from the University of Michigan and University of Virginia School of Law.
Chief Revenue Officer, Omeda
James Capo is the Chief Revenue Officer at Omeda. Previously he served as Vice President of Digital Services and Business Development at Access Intelligence. At Access Intelligence, Capo is charged with developing new digital products and partnerships that focus on end-user engagement, data capture, customer insights, and revenue generation. Previously, Capo was with Cygnus Business Media where he lead the development of mobile and tablet applications as well as multiple new digital product launches. Capo also spent 7 years in technology and sales at the Associated Press working primarily in the digital broadcast space.
Director of Programming, Live & Virtual Events, Education Week
Matthew spearheads event programming for Education Week, the nation’s source for K–12 education news and information. He develops both custom and editorial events showcasing best practices in the field. Annually, he oversees “Leaders To Learn From” and the production of 65+ webinars, live chats, livestreams, and 25 sponsored dinners. Matthew is responsible for developing videos with thought leaders, PSAs with celebrities, and other multimedia projects to generate interest in and drive registration. Matthew has held event leadership roles at Reading Is Fundamental, Post-Newsweek Tech Media Group, Magination Press, and Fox Television.
Founder, Coleman Report
Bob is the Author of “Money Money Everywhere and Not a Drop for Main Street.” Coleman is the Editor of the Coleman Report, a trade newsletter for small business bankers. He is the nationally recognized expert on small business financing. He has appeared on Fox Business News and CNN and has been quoted by all major financial media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Bloomberg. He has spoken at numerous small business banking events across the United States. He speaks regularly for SIPA, including its U.K. and Germany events. Bob has been a SIPA member since 1996. He has a B.A. in Medieval History from the University of California Santa Barbara and a M.B.A. in Real Estate Finance from the University of Southern California.
Managing Director, Greenhaven Partners
Wayne is the Managing Director of Greenhaven Partners, where he and his partners invest in and help build B2B information companies. He is currently the Executive Chairman of Chief Executive Group (publisher of Chief Executive magazine and producer of digital media, events, research and peer networks) and Bongarde (an information and training company in the corporate safety sector). He and his team have also transformed Kennedy Information, IOFM, Pyramid Research, Media Publishing International and Vizeum. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Wayne was a strategy consultant with Bain & Company and Monitor Company.
Pat DiDomenico
Editorial Director, Business Management Daily
Patrick DiDomenico is the editorial director at Business Management Daily and the founding editor of The HR Specialist family of newsletters, special reports and online resources. He also manages the company’s webinar division and live conferences. Patrick’s more than 20-year career as a business journalist and thought leader includes stints as newspaper reporter, Washington speechwriter and White House press aide.
Senior Editor, Overdrive, Randall-Reilly
Todd Dills serves as Senior Editor for Overdrive magazine, covering small-business trucking from a home base of Nashville, Tenn. His accomplishments in the role include several Neal Awards, including the 2014 Grand Neal for the inaugural CSA’s Data Trail series. Subsequent years’ work on the series has likewise been recognized for its utilization of roadside inspection data to chart the story of the intersection of truck safety, law enforcement, politics and federal safety scoring. He is a graduate of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., where he was born and raised, as well as the Columbia College Chicago fiction writing MFA program.
President & CEO insideARM and the iA Institute, insideARM LLC
Stephanie is CEO of insideARM LLC (iA), a media company that produces handcrafted news, events, education and community for the credit and collections industry. The iA team believes the value of one's time and investment in our content should be undeniable, so we thoughtfully design everything we do with a focus on the details that make a difference. iA manages insideARM, the iA Research Service, the Consumer Relations Consortium & Innovation Council, and conferences like the First Party Summit and Women in Consumer Finance. Stephanie has a BS in human development and social policy from Northwestern University, and a MBA from UCLA. She won SIPA's Volunteer of the Year award in 2015, was named a Top Woman in Media by Folio in 2016, and was honored by her industry with a 2016 Trailblazer Award.
COO, Access Intelligence
Heather is responsible for the operations and strategic direction across AI’s portfolio. She works closely with her division leaders to identify, acquire and integrate synergistic businesses as well as create strong organic growth through new product launches. Additionally, as a member of Access Intelligence’s Board of Directors, Heather plays an integral role in ensuring that the vision and mission of AI’s core strategic initiatives are successfully executed across all operating units. Heather is a recognized leader in the b2b community and sits on the board of SIPA (Specialized Information Publishers Association) and SIIA (Software & Information Industries Association). In her tenure at AI, Heather has worked on more than a dozen acquisitions and countless product launches. Her expertise in both direct marketing and paid content have been instrumental in the company’s dynamic transition from a traditional b2b media provider to an integrated global media platform company comprised primarily of face-to-face events and online members-based communities. Prior to Access Intelligence, Heather was a senior vice president and group publisher with Phillips Publishing International.
Jack Farrell
Managing Director, Jack Farrell & Associates
Jack Farrell was an STM publishing lifer who left his post as Vice President of Digital Content at McGraw-Hill in May 2006 to start a publishing-centric recruiting firm. His publishing career included leadership roles in sales, marketing, international, editorial, and digital publishing. Jack Farrell & Associates features a team of former publishing managers who are expert at making right matches for our clients. This is evidenced by a 98% retention rate for candidates hired since 2014. Let’s Get Working.
Sheran Fernando
COO, Warren Communications News
Sheran Fernando is president of Publications Management, LLC, a sales and marketing consultancy serving B2B publishers. His publishing career began at the Taft Group, where he served in progressively responsible sales and marketing management positions culminating with his appointment as vice president. After Taft was acquired by the Thomson Corporation, Sheran remained in senior management until he launched his firm in 1991. Since 1991, Sheran's firm has consulted with numerous information providers, including Warren Communications News, the Times Mirror Training Group, National Journal, the Gale Group, IOMA, Legal Times, the Smithsonian Institution, Zero to Three, the American Council on Education and other commercial and nonprofit organizations. In parallel with his consulting practice, Sheran founded and served as president of Customer First, Inc., an information and training firm serving the hospitality industry. Customer First was acquired by the Times Mirror Corporation in 1997. Sheran has been a regular guest speaker at national industry conferences and forums, including those of the Newsletter & Electronic Publishers Association (now SIIA), the National Directory Publishing Association, the Direct Marketing Association and the American Association of Museums.
CEO, Business Valuation Resources
David Foster is the CEO of Business Valuation Resources, the U.S.-based publisher of transaction, legal and other databases for the business valuation profession. Much of BVR’s growth results from responses to the revolution in information industry business processes during the last decade—changes that have forced BVR and other publishers to redefine sales, marketing, product development, technology, content creation, pricing, and every other part of their operations. In addition to BVR, Foster was the co-founder of IOMA, Inc., a management publisher he sold to the Bureau of National Affairs in 1998. He has served on the Boards and/or Executive Committees of 14 information industry companies, as well as a number of non-profits such as Copyright Clearance Center and Bates College. He was SIPA President in 1999, won SIPA’s Hall of Fame Award 2000, and is current co-chair of SIPA's annual CEO Roundtable, which meets again in February 2020 (please join us!).
Len Gilbert
COO, Digital Prism Advisors
Len has deep experience developing new product and business models while leading B2B and B2C media, eCommerce, and data businesses. He has run Product, Customer Experience, and Business Development organizations at Yodle, LexisNexis, Barnes & Noble.com, and McGraw-Hill and serves as an advisor and mentor at a number of start-ups.
Publisher, POWER Magazine
Matt Grant serves as Publisher for POWER, the largest leading global brand in the power generation industry with print, online, e-newsletters, videos, webinars, and conference offerings. He currently oversees the sales, marketing, and content effortsfor POWER, an Access Intelligence brand, and began his career with the company in 2006 in sales. Matt has been directly involved in the development of numerous e-media initiatives that derive from or enhance traditional media. He holds a BA from Texas A&M University.
CEO & Publisher, Subscription Insider
Kathy Greenler Sexton is the CEO & Publisher of Subscription Insider, a leading resource for intelligence on how to build, market and sell subscription-based products and services. Kathy is an executive leader with specialties in market strategy, brand development and digital information products with deep experience and achievements across the information industry in search, media, publishing and information services. Most recently, Kathy led the Software and Information Industry Association's Content Division as its VP & General Manager helping media, publishing and information companies navigate the dramatic changes in content creation, business models and technology impacting the content industry. She has played key roles in the successful acquisitions/mergers of Individual.com to Office.com, NewsAlert/ Inlumen to Screaming Media (Dow Jones), and HighBeam Research to Gale/Cengage. She launched and led the growth of leading digital brands and products, including: AltaVista, Individual.com and HighBeam Research. She also developed the strategy and executed turn-around and new market solutions for organizations that include: SIIA, ZoomInfo, Business & Legal Resources, Inlumen and OrderMotion. Ms. Sexton is known for injecting a great deal of energy and enthusiasm in her roles, offering strategic and tactical acumen to every project under her direction, and successfully leading new initiatives. She lives in the greater-Boston area with her husband and son. She is an avid skier and Boston sports fan.
Director, Quality and Enforcement Group, FDAnews
Jeff is a 22-year veteran of business-to-business publishing. After graduating with a degree in Economics from High Point College, Jeff started his career with The Taft Group under the tutelage of such greats as Marty Mattare, Wendy Muldawer and Bob Elster. He then moved on to Pasha Publications as a Marketing Manager and eventually rose to Director of Advertising Sales when Pasha entered the trade magazine market. With a background in ad sales he was recruited to Public Utilities Reports to turn around its flagship magazine, Public Utilities Fortnightly. During this time he also introduced seven special single-topic advertising-based reports and launched a new magazine. In 2000 -- with financial support from Tod Sedgwick -- Jeff, Randy Richard and David Givens formed a publishing start-up called Io Energy. Io Energy went on to produce two dailies, nine weeklies and select webinars. Io Energy was sold to SNL Financial in 2005. Since 2005 Jeff has been the Conference Director for FDAnews and is responsible for the creation, execution and profitability of 36 webinars, six virtual conferences, eight workshops and four major conferences annually.
Bruce Guzowski
President, Guzowski Advisory
Bruce is a highly successful former entrepreneur CEO who now advises other entrepreneur owned media companies on their growth strategies and financing and sale options. His deep knowledge of the industry and 35-year history of work on both the buy-side and sell-side of acquisitions sets him apart from other alternative resources available to small to mid-sized healthcare service and media companies. His clients have ranged from B2B media platforms to lead generation, health care IT service, database and consulting companies.
Group Vice President, Access Intelligence
Dan runs the largest network of event marketing content in the world, overseeing a print, web and face-to-face content portfolio that includes Event Marketer magazine, The Experiential Marketing Summit, EventTech and The Event Marketing Institute. He also leads the group’s corporate training practice, which produces executive training worldwide for marketing departments at such companies as Mercedes, Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, Coca-Cola Co. and Procter & Gamble. Before joining Access Intelligence in 2011, he built his b-to-b media career working and growing high-performance properties at companies such as Red 7 Media, Penton, Lebhar-Friedman and Nielsen.
Lindsey Harris
Director of Marketing, DecisionHealth, a division of UCG
Lindsey Harris is the Director of Marketing at DecisionHealth. An accomplished and award-winning marketer, Lindsey leads the marketing department to create, orchestrate and implement innovative and successful marketing initiatives across many channels and markets. Prior to joining DecisionHealth, Lindsey served in a variety of marketing roles across a diverse landscape of industries including investment publishing, power boat cruising and alternative medicine. Earlier in her career she worked at Inbox Interactive, one of the region’s first full-service email marketing agencies. For more than two decades, Lindsey has been dedicated to connecting unique people to specialized products.
CW Henderson Ph.D.
President, NewsRX
C.W. Henderson, PhD, has been on the covers of Billboard and USA Today, which selected him among Six Who Made a Difference. With eleven eHealthcare Leadership Awards, he is president of NewsRx, author at Penguin Random House, and executive director of Researcher Institute. NewsRx pioneered AI journalism and focuses on Fintech, Data/Analytics, Edtech with search apps, platforms, automated narratives, and SaaS. With 194 newsletters, The New York Times called NewsRx the largest health news company. NewsRx has produced 11.5-million articles and outputs 10,000 articles daily for its knowledge discovery engine BUTTER (Better Understanding Through Technology & Emerging Research).
Director of Strategy, FDAnews
Luis Hernandez is Director of Strategy at FDANews where he oversees the content, marketing and event production efforts, and is charged with developing new products. Before that he was Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Advisor at Mequoda Systems. At Mequoda he helped guide CEOs of media companies and their respective management teams through the process of growing and monetizing their multiplatform audience. As the Director of Publishing at Thompson Publishing Group, Luis started as a reporter and went on to direct and oversee the editorial, marketing and production efforts for the $15 million publishing company. Previously, he was the Executive Director of the Specialized Information Publishers Association. Luis holds a BA in Journalism from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas — where he was born and raised — and has an MA in English from Georgetown University. Luis resides in Washington, DC with his wife and two daughters.
Stacy Hill
Manager of Analytics & Optimization, Access Intelligence
As part of the Digital Services team at Access Intelligence, Ms. Hill manages the implementation of Optimizely campaigns for over 20 brands in the Access Intelligence portfolio. She helped create a scalable testing strategy, to allow all Optimizely campaigns to be managed centrally within the company before gradually training brand teams to become more self-sufficient. Besides Optimizely, Ms. Hill has coordinated the set-up of a tag manager for all company sites to allow greater flexibility and control over tracking needs. She acts as an internal consultant for Access Intelligence, helping brand teams’ gain greater understanding of their business through data visualization and analysis. To better serve this purpose, she became certified in Google Analytics, and offers regular training and support to her colleagues. Her digital interests don’t stop with just data though; she also provides quarterly company-wide social media reports that cover best practices and relevant resources for all of Access Intelligence’s diverse markets. Before coming to Access Intelligence, Ms. Hill gained experience with digital marketing during her time with the non-profit, Dance/USA, and with the strategic marketing department for TLC network at Discovery Communications. She received her Bachelor’s in Public Communication from American University.
Helen Hoart
Partner, Hoart|Beckerman
Helen has over 25 years in the publishing field, leading both B2B and B2C companies. Currently, she is president of Yikes! Media, a consulting company she founded in 2011. She works with publishing, media and training companies to develop business strategy, marketing programs, new product development, product repositioning, and new product launches. She has been a long-time supporter of Specialized Information Publishers Association. She served on the board of the SIPA from 1996-2001 and was elected president in 2000. Helen was inducted into the SIPA Hall of Fame in 2007.
Laurie Hofmann
Director of Market Development, Access Intelligence, LLC
Laurie Hofmann is the Director of Market Development at Access Intelligence, LLC, where she is responsible for generating online and print subscription revenue for AI’s cable and media industry publications and services. Her publishing career spans more years than she would care to admit, and includes ever increasing responsibilities starting at Sara Lee Corporation (Hanes), followed by Time-Life Books, Western Publishing, Phillips Publishing, Access Intelligence, IHS, Inc. and back to Access Intelligence. With her comprehensive marketing experience, she focuses on developing marketing strategies and executing promotion plans designed to generate leads and subscription revenue, through the use of for electronic media (SEO, SEM and email), direct mail, space ads, flyers and telemarketing—expertly using all for continuous revenue streams. She also develops and manages direct sales activities for enterprise-wide site licenses and negotiates partnerships with other organizations designed to provide mutually beneficial promotional opportunities. She has developed an abundance of accomplishments in diverse industries throughout her career, including children’s book publishing, apparel, continuity book series covering a variety of topics, and personal finance, alternative health, chemical, and cable TV publications. She has a B.S. in marketing from The Pennsylvania State University, and an M.B.A. form Northeastern University with a concentration in marketing.
Matt Humphrey
President, Plain-English Media LLC
Matt Humphrey is President and Founder of Plain-English Media. He has over 15 years’ experience in marketing, product development, and general management roles at specialized information publishers. Plain-English Media serves the real estate and healthcare markets with leading content sites, events and advertising programs. Prior to running Plain-English Media, Matt held executive roles at BLR, including Chief Marketing Officer and VP, HR/Compensation Division.
CEO, Jefferson Communications
Donna Jefferson is president and founder of Jefferson Communications. Started in 1990 with the parenting publication Chesapeake Family, the company has expanded to include annual guides, multiple websites, extensive online directories and weekly e-zines. Donna has pushed the company to become a leader in digital products and local website traffic. She has served as president of the Board of Directors of the Parenting Media Association and an advisory member for Annapolis Recreation and Parks.
Jeanne Jennings
Consultant, Online Marketing Strategy
Jeanne Jennings is an independent consultant with expertise in email marketing strategy; her direct response approach helps medium- to enterprise-sized companies make their online marketing efforts more effective and more profitable. She is also a recognized expert in the email marketing world. Along with being a sought-after speaker and author, recent industry accolades include being named one of the: - World’s Top 50 Email Marketing Influencers (Cision, July 2014). - Top Email Marketing + Design Thought Leaders on Twitter (Litmus, January 2015). Jeanne has over 20 years of experience in the email and online marketing and product development world; she began her career with CompuServe’s Business Services Group in the late 1980s and moved into the publishing world in the mid-1990s. For more details, visit her LinkedIn profile or her Blog (www.JeanneJennings.com). Jeanne’s direct response approach to digital marketing strategy, tactics and creative direction helps organizations make their digital marketing initiatives more effective and more profitable. Clients include AARP, Consumer Reports, Hasbro, National Education Association (NEA), Network Solutions, PRWeb, Scholastic, Verizon, Vocus and Weight Watchers International.
Ed Klaris
Principal, Klaris IP
With his 23 years in the media and entertainment sector, Ed is a recognized expert on intellectual property, privacy, and media law and has extensive experience building revenue from content and other IP. He is the founding partner of Klaris IP, a New York based law and strategy firm. Prior to his current role, Ed was senior vice president at Condé Nast for more than eight years, where he transformed print magazines, photos, and articles into vibrant digital archives, film and TV projects, international branded franchises, and licensed product lines that have produced millions in net profit. Ed conducted business in 28 countries worldwide and was responsible for vetting potential partners, negotiating joint venture and license agreements, and launching and overseeing diverse branded businesses. Ed also led business affairs for all 18 Condé Nast brands and the company’s entertainment division, including movie and TV deals, rights-in and rights-out agreements, and all contracts related to production, talent, partnerships, advertising, and joint marketing. Prior to this, Ed served as general counsel for The New Yorker magazine, media counsel at ABC, and a litigator at the leading intellectual property firm Davis Wright Tremaine. He is a former chair of the New York State Bar Committee on Communications Law, and has taught at Columbia Law School since 2005. He is the current chairman of the board of Pilobolus, one of the world’s largest modern dance companies. He lives in New York City with his wife and two teenage children.
CEO, Revmade
Krystle Kopacz founded Revmade in 2016 to help publishers diversify their revenue streams through new digital products. Based in Washington, DC, Revmade has worked with American Chemical Society, Community Associations Institute, American Society of Association Executives, National Association of Manufacturers and American Trucking Associations, among others.
Andy Kowl
Senior Vice President, Publishing Strategy, ePublishing Inc
Andy Kowl is a journalist and entrepreneurial publisher with more than 30 years developing, marketing and growing publishing companies. He is senior vice president of publishing strategy for ePublishing Inc., the leading enterprise publishing system (EPS) provider which manages content, audience data, workflow, newsletters and/or e-commerce for more than 400 publications. He helps publishers increase reader engagement and response by integrating behavioral data with contextual content, and shows them direct ways to monetize the results. Andy writes the B2B Beat blog for Publishing Executive magazine. His background in B2B includes publishing, editing and/or owning magazines and information products covering specialty retail, horse breeding, real estate, credit unions, Wall Street compliance and wireless technology. Andy has worked with many associations and believes, too often the main association is not sufficiently leveraging publication content, and vice versa.
Carl Landau
Grand Poobah, Niche Media
Carl Landau is Grand Poobah of Niche Media. He is a media/event guru, SF Giants fan and part-time blogger and podcaster. His 15 minutes of fame took place in the mid-eighties when he launched his famous, “Buy an Ad, Get a Cat” ad campaign. He has long since patched things up with the SPCA. As head of Niche Media, Carl has created super niched-out events specifically for magazine publishers for over a decade. He has helped pave the way for the era of boutique events that connect specific audiences and provide great educational, friendly and super-fun environments! Niche Media has expanded to include many events, including an "event about events", and content-packed blogs for both the magazine publishing and event markets.
CEO, B. Behr's Verlag GmbH & Co. KG
Arno is the CEO at Behr’s Verlag, the leading specialist publishing house in German-speaking countries for the food industry for loose leaves, newsletters, books, CDs, DVDs, seminars and online products. He has over 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. In addition to the general tasks of a CEO he focuses on cross-media product development for specialist information in existing market segments and new ones. He was the keynote speaker at the SIPA Annual Conference in 2014 (http://bit.ly/SIPA2014 ) and is the author of the book on customer-oriented new product development, called "Praxishandbuch Produktentwicklung" (Practical Handbook of Product Development).
Jeffrey Litvack
CEO, Adweek
Jeffrey Litvack is the CEO of Adweek. Previously, Mr. Litvack was Group President and Chief Digital Officer at ALM responsible for shaping corporate, product and brand strategy for ALM’s digital, data, and intelligence businesses. Prior to ALM, he held a variety of executive positions at the Associated Press, The Museum of Television & Radio, and Mitchell Madison Group. Mr. Litvack is a highly regarded executive credited with winning more than 25 coveted honors and awards for product breakthroughs and industry leadership from Apple, IAB, The Webbys, and others. He was selected by Folio Magazine as a top digital executive in 2013 and 2014 and was inducted into min’s Digital Hall of Fame. He is a recognized speaker at industry events providing insights into a wide array of topics challenging the media industry including targeted advertising, big data, IoT, subscription and licensing models, and mobile and video trends. Mr. Litvack holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School of Business.
Rick Longenecker
President, Chief Sales Leader
Rick is president of Chief Sales Leader™, a management consulting firm that shows business leaders how to bring precision -- effectiveness, efficiency and predictability -- to sales execution so they can build sustainable revenue growth year-after-year. Rick is best known for creating TheNaviGuide™ a breakthrough sales approach and knowledge management technology for executing sales calls, onboarding sales people, and for transferring product/service, and pricing information to sales people “live-time”. Rick has spent over thirty years building, improving and merging sales teams in over thirty industries and worked with over twenty SIPA members.
President, Business Valuation Resources
Lucretia Lyons is President of Business Valuation Resources (BVR), and runs the company from its Portland, Oregon office. BVR is the leading provider of data, research, publications and continuing education for all stakeholders in the valuation of privately-held companies. BVR’s markets consist of credentialed business appraisers, lawyers, wealth managers, M&A advisors, business owners and financial officers of both public and private businesses. Lucretia is President of the Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA), a division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) and is also involved with non-profit organizations dedicated to the revival of New Orleans, LA. Prior to joining BVR, Lucretia worked in various marketing, operations and strategic planning capacities for companies such as the Institute of Management & Administration (IOMA), Bookstream, Inc., The Wall Street Transcript, Downloadcard.com and Hibernia Bank/Capital One. Lucretia earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and her M.B.A. from the Carroll Graduate School of Business at Boston College.
Kim Mateus
Chief Strategy Officer, Mequoda Systems, LLC
Kim partners with the executive management teams of media businesses to develop strategic multiplatform publishing plans, to oversee implementation of publishing business plans, and to help clients grow audience, revenue and profits. She focuses on bringing new partners into the Mequoda client cooperative and also works with Mequoda’s Gold Members to plan transformative, larger-scale projects and services for growing their systems and maximizing profits. Kim monitors overall system best practices for Mequoda’s Haven CXMS platform and tracks industry trends. She founded the Mequoda Research Team in 2004 and has been a principal driver in documenting the thousands of best practices that govern our core Mequoda Method. She’s a frequent speaker at industry events and proudly serves on the board of the Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA). Kim earned her degree in journalism from Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI.
Senior Associate, W.B. Grimes & Company
John McGovern has near 30 years of experience in the publishing & online information industry, holding positions such as Senior Vice President of Thomson Financial/Securities Data, Senior Vice President of Fair Disclosure Financial Network and various positions at Factiva. McGovern runs the B2B Media division of W.B. Grimes. W.B. Grimes has been providing the media industry with M&A, valuation and advisory services for 50+ years and has completed more than 1500 deals. W.B. Grimes specializes in small- and medium-sized independent publishers. McGovern also does growth strategy consulting with a specialty in helping publishers of all kinds start data businesses.
Roberta Muller
SVP Product Development, Northstar Travel Group
Roberta’s career at Northstar Travel Media spans 27 years. Her blend of technical knowledge, operations and leadership have helped transform Northstar’s digital business. Roberta focuses on complex project implementations, along with full project management lifecycle. Her expertise rests in email distribution systems, website content management systems, and audience data management applications, to name a few. Roberta’s goal is to transform innovate digital media ideas into sustainable and profitable products, while aligning support teams to drive cost savings and improve workflow efficiency. Roberta holds a BA in Communications/Marketing from Susquehanna University, PA. She resides in New Jersey with her husband and three sons.
Director of Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists, HCPro
Brian Murphy, CPC, is the director of the Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS), a 5,000-member association headquartered in Danvers, Massachusetts, dedicated to the unique needs of the CDI profession. He oversees management of its award-winning resources, leads association outreach, and develops industry CDI guidance in conjunction with the ACDIS Advisory Board. Murphy also oversees the annual ACDIS Conference, the nation’s first and largest conference dedicated to the unique needs of the CDI specialist that now draws more than 1,500 attendees. Murphy is a former managing editor at HCPro, with experience in developing products and services serving health information management (HIM) professionals. He has extensive knowledge of CDI and HIM, with an emphasis on documentation, coding, Medicare regulations, and the revenue cycle.
Doug Murphy
President, Thought Industries
CEO, Simplify Compliance
Dan is CEO of Simplify Compliance, a diversified training and information company that offers its customers innovative solutions, authoritative content, and practical, easy-to-use software tools to meet regulatory compliance obligations and adopt best practices. At Simplify Compliance, Dan has orchestrated a number of mergers and acquisitions that have propelled the company’s growth and entrance into new markets. Simplify Compliance operates with four business units; Argosy, BLR, CCMI, and H3.Group, covering financial services, human capital management, telecommunications, and healthcare respectively. Its brands currently include PE Hub, Regulatory Watch, PartnerConnect, BLR, M. Lee Smith Publishers, Thompson HR, Personnel Policy Servies, TelView, Qtel, Decision Health, HCPro, and HealthLeaders Media.
Donald Pazour
Chief Executive Officer, Access Intelligence, LLC
Don has led the strategy and growth of Access Intelligence for over a decade, taking magazine-centric businesses and converting them to an integrated media, web-centric group of market focused product clusters serving the media/marketing, energy/engineering, aerospace, and healthcare markets. His focus has been on providing the best quality information and most effective marketing services to the company’s customers. Don and his team have built the business through countless launches and 18 acquisitions that have been bolted onto and integrated into the Phillips Business Information newsletter and magazine platform that Veronis Suhler Stevenson bought from Tom Phillips in late 2000. In 2010, the integrated, subscription revenue, chemical and energy information business was sold to IHS. Since that time, the company has leveraged its strong balance sheet and robust online market presence in its served markets to create high e-media and event revenue growth. Through this combined build and buy strategy, Pazour says, “the strongest asset we have built is the management team that AI has today. They are seasoned managers with passion for the markets they serve and are thus able to seize opportunities for growth within those markets.” Before joining Access Intelligence, Don was at Miller Freeman, a subsidiary of United Business Media, for 23 years and he was named CEO in 1997. His ascendance through the company included management of conferences, magazines, and high-value information businesses. Don launched and grew Miller Freeman’s presence in the high-tech publishing sector, culminating with the acquisition of CMP Media in 1999. Under his leadership, Blenheim USA’s trade shows were acquired by Miller Freeman, which then became the largest trade show producer in the United States. Don is a frequent speaker at events held in conjunction with FOLIO: Magazine; American Business Media, where he is a Board member and Chairman of the Events Council; Society of Independent Show Organizers, where he is a Board member and past Chairman, and Specialized Information Publishers Association. He also serves on the Board of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research. Pazour has been named CEO Innovator by Media Business Magazine, Industry Icon by TSNN network, and in 2013 was recipient of the McCallister Award which afforded him the opportunity to work with Medill School of Journalism students at Northwestern University.
Founder & Managing Director, InfoCommerce Group Inc.
Russell Perkins is the founder and Managing Director of InfoCommerce Group Inc., a Philadelphia-based researcher, consultancy and publisher serving the database information industry. Infocommerce Group is also the publisher of InfoCommerce Weekly Perspective, a weekly industry newsletter, and the sponsor of the annual InfoCommerce Conference and Health Content conferences. Russell has over 20 years experience in directory and database publishing. He was most recently President and CEO of Dorland Healthcare Information, a venture capital funded healthcare database publisher. Prior to that, he was a Group President at magazine publisher North American Publishing, and previous to that Vice President of a legal news publisher that is now a subsidiary of American Lawyer Media. Russell has also worked at AT&T, and began his career at Thomas Publishing Company. Russell was also the founder of Morgan-Rand, which became widely known in the industry for its consulting and contract database publishing activities. In addition, Russell is author of two books: Directory Publishing: A Practical Guide, now in its fifth edition, and InfoCommerce: Internet Strategies for Database Publishers. Russell has also served as a director of the organization that is now the Software Information Industry Association (SIIA) and is active in the Association for Business Media (ABM) and the Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA).
Database Marketing Manager, Business Valuation Resources
Jacob Perry has been a driving force behind Business Valuation Resource’s (BVR) analytics for nearly five years and was recently an Emerging Leader Award Finalist recognizing the next generation of executives shaping the future of the B2B media and information industry. He has kept BVR at the forefront of online marketing and sales technologies with the successful implementation and adoption of marketing automation and CRM systems. Jacob works with BVR’s management on reporting and manages key performance indicators and analytics dashboards which bring together key customer data from a multitude of sources empowering executives to make informed decisions.
Kevin Perry
Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Innodata
Project Director, Simplify Compliance
Elizabeth is currently a project director at Simplify Compliance, working on corporate level branding, product development, and content generation projects. Prior to her current role, Elizabeth served as president of Simplify Compliance’s healthcare division, where she was responsible for growth strategy and the day-to-day operations of the business unit’s primary brands (ACDIS, DecisionHealth, HCPro, and HealthLeaders Media). During her 14 years with the company, Elizabeth has held various roles of increasing responsibility in the business’s sales, product management, and content development departments. Elizabeth has also held editorial positions at Jones & Bartlett Learning and CCI Communications. She holds a BA from Boston University, where she captained the women’s rugby team. Elizabeth is Pragmatic Marketing certified and Sandler sales trained, and currently serves on the board for the Specialized Information Publishers’ Association. Elizabeth lives in the Greater Boston area with her husband and son.
Jonathan Ray
Director of Analytics, Access Intelligence
Jonathan Ray is the Senior Digital Product Director at Access Intelligence, a leading B2B media and events company based in Rockville, Maryland. Jonathan oversees the digital development strategy for the Aerospace, Energy and Engineering and Healthcare groups. Jonathan and his team work directly with brand managers to create new digital platforms, focussed on boosting audience engagement, exposing user identities, behaviors and optimizing communication between buyers and sellers. In his previous role as Director of Analytics, Jonathan led the development of performance analytics of AI's audience assets, digital media and events. Jonathan joined Access Intelligence in 2004 as a web marketing manager for the company's paid content division. Jonathan received his BA in Journalism and Mass Communications from University of South Carolina.
Bruce Rhodes
Founder, KWI Partners
Bruce is the Founder of KWI Partners, a consulting firm focused on marketing and monetizing content and data services for higher education organizations and media, research and information services companies. Prior to KWI, he has held various product development, audience development and revenue generation roles at MIT Technology Review, Harvard Business Review and Morningstar. He has an undergraduate degree from Duke University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.
Kalani Rosell
VP & Publisher, NewsRx
VP and Publisher at NewsRx, Kalani founded Pubz, an online research solution sourced from periodicals, which merged with NewsRx in 2015. He and the NewsRx team then created the next evolution of the company: BUTTER, a SaaS platform merging NewsRx’s artificial intelligence and publishing prowess to allow professionals to monitor business movements and research. A 2016 SIIA Emerging Leader Finalist, he received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Yale, and completed the Yale Publishing Course. Kalani surfs and was guest lead performer for the New Haven Ballet.
Sr. Director, Event Operations, 1105 Media
Sara Ross is an accomplished event logistics professional, with over 18 years of experience in conferences, trade shows and special events. Sara is the Senior Director of Event Operations at 1105 Media. In her current role with the company, she handles site selection, contract negotiations and all aspects of event logistics for the Enterprise Computing Group. She is known for her strong negotiating skills, staying within (or under!) budget and creative problem solving. Sara has served on the Orange County Convention Center Client Advisory Board and been a member of both MPI and IAEE. Before joining 1105 Media, Sara worked at Miller Freeman and 101 Communications.
Partner, Fired Up! Marketing
Jim Sinkinson founded Infocom Group in 1980 and sold it in 2015. The company produced online information services, newsletters, webinars, books, special reports and live professional development conferences for the corporate communications market. Sinkinson has won numerous awards for his work with publishers, including two Gold Awards from Newsletter on Newsletters, editorial awards from SIPA, and an Axel award for a personalized marketing package he created for Tom Peters’ On Achieving Excellence. In 2015, Sinkinson received a Gold Award from SIPA for his launch of a conference series. Sinkinson served as president of the Northern California chapter of the Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA) for 25 years, served on the SIPA board of directors for 12 years, and served as SIPA president in 1993-94. In June, 2001, Jim Sinkinson was named to the SIPA Hall of Fame. He has spoken on specialized information marketing and content at dozens of SIPA events and today, as a publishing consultant, continues to assist publishers worldwide. He offers expertise in copywriting, online marketing, editorial content, memberships, renewals and website development.
President, Association Marketing, Inc.
Robert Skrob is an expert in subscriber sales and renewals. After creating membership marketing campaigns for more than 47 associations in the first ten years of his career, for the last ten years he’s been the retention specialist for for-profit marketers in hundreds of niches selling newsletters, home study courses, seminars, online training and coaching programs. In 2006, Robert launched a newsletter business, selling it in 2012 to GKIC.com, who he continues to consult with today. Robert has been married to Kory since 1994 and has two children, a daughter Samantha (20) and a son Robert (17).
Katie Smith
Corporate Events Director, Meister Media Worldwide
With more than two decades of event management experience, Smith currently manages more than 18 MMW events which include conferences, trade shows and custom events held in locations throughout the U.S. as well as China, Africa, Mexico, Turkey and Singapore. During Smith’s career, she was the Conference Director for Food Retail Events at Penton Media; a senior member of Questex Media meetings management team with responsibilities for a number of events including the Nightclub and Bar show in Las Vegas; and Corporate Conference Director for M2Media360, specializing in events for the on-premise and off-premise beer, wine and spirits industry. Smith is highly regarded for her negotiating abilities, expense management and leadership skills.
Lucy Swedberg
EVP and Publisher, Wellesley Information Services, a division of UCG
Lucy oversees all publications, content marketing programs, and information products at WIS, a publishing and events company that helps IT and business professionals succeed in their careers. She manages an award-winning team of editors, writers, and product managers to create quality content that exceeds the information needs of customers and partners — through whatever channel they wish to consume it. Lucy is passionate about leadership, management, and high-quality content. She holds an MBA from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, a certification in publishing and communications (CPC) from Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education, and a bachelor’s degree in literature from Harvard College.
Andy Swindler
President, Astek Consulting
President of Astek Consulting, is an entrepreneur passionate about using communication technology to expand our understanding of one another and our bottom lines. In 2003 Andy founded Chicago-based Astek Consulting, an interactive agency that delivers a comprehensive set of integrated Web and mobile products and services designed for publishers. He speaks regularly about communication technology including social media and mobile.
Florence Torres
Group Show Director, Penton
As Group Show Director at Penton, Florence is responsible for the strategic management and financial growth of ten conferences and tradeshows as well as successfully launching events within the portfolio. Florence has extensive experience working with ‘publication born’ events to implement best practices and team development to build result-driven shows. With nearly twenty years of event experience she has navigated every type of event team structure including matrixed shared services event support. Fun fact about Florence…it took her several years to embrace her given name of Florence. Can you guess what name she signed on assignments in early school years?
Jess Tyler
Show Director, Access Intelligence
Jess Tyler serves as Show Director at Access Intelligence’s healthcare group. She oversees the overall content development, continuing education accreditation, sales, marketing, and logistics for AI’s healthcare tradeshow. Jess previously served as Director of Operations for Access Intelligence’s aerospace, healthcare, media and marketing event portfolios and Conference Manager for events within the aerospace and healthcare portfolios.
Linda Vassily
VP of Marketing, Cabot Heritage
Linda is Vice President of Marketing at Cabot Investing Advice in Salem, Massachusetts, one of the oldest and most respected independent investment advisory services in the U.S. Prior to joining Cabot in 2012, Linda served four years as marketing director for United States Biological and 18 years at New England BioLabs, first as a product manager, then as part of the web development team. Linda graduated from MIT with a degree in life sciences.
Publisher, EB Medicine
Suzanne Verity is Publisher at EB Medicine, where she manages the editorial team and leads new product development strategies and initiatives. Most recently, she launched ED CLEAR, a multi-media blended learning program for emergency department physicians and staff. Dividing her career between publishing and trade association management, Suzanne has worked with CPAs, attorneys, physicians, dentists, corporate real estate professionals and engineers, as well as patients and consumers. She founded two national nonprofit trade associations. Over the years, reporters at the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg Business News, Reuters, National Public Radio and Inc. magazine, among others, often turned to Suzanne for expert commentary, and she has been quoted extensively.
Christopher Ware
Vice President of Business Development, Development Magazine/NAIOP
Christopher Ware is Vice President of Business Development for NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. He's an association event pro with expertise in making niche events profitable through creative corporate sponsorships that benefit both the association and the industry it serves. Chris has been working in niche media and events via trade associations for over 15 years, proving that history majors can in fact make productive citizens.
Timothy Warren
Managing Editor, Warren Communications News
Timothy Warren is a Managing Editor of International Trade Today at Warren Communications News, where he began his career as a reporter in 2009. WCN is the leading publisher of hard news, analysis and research covering the telecommunications, electronics, broadcasting, satellite and international trade industries. WCN newsletters include Communications Daily, Consumer Electronics Daily, International Trade Today and Washington Internet Daily among others. Timothy holds a degree from the College of the Holy Cross.
Jared Waters
Training Director, Business Valuation Resources
Jared Waters is Training Director at Business Valuation Resources (BVR) where he focuses on creating training content, expanding the customer base and developing new products. Previously he was an Account Executive with BVR selling content, data and training solutions for valuation professionals in the top 100 accounting firms. He lives in Portland, OR, and graduated with a degree in Political Science from Boise State University.
Joe Webster
Managing Director, SmartBrief
Joe Webster is a media executive specializing in digital and business development. As Managing Director at SmartBrief, he's responsible for building and maintaining new business relationships with media companies, agencies and the private sector to drive revenue and guarantee the best possible content experience for 5M+ B2B subscribers. Prior to joining SmartBrief, he managed U.S. business development at Storyful, the Dublin-based social news start-up, now a division of NewsCorp. Before joining Storyful, he spent close to a decade at the Associated Press where he led the effort to bring the AP into social media.
COO, The Capitol Forum
Jake Williams is a co-founder and COO of The Capitol Forum, an investigative news and analysis service for policymakers, investors, law firms, and other industry stakeholders. Prior to The Capitol Forum, Mr. Williams helped grow The Advisory Board’s best practice roundtable for higher education business executives. Mr. Williams has also held business development positions at Atlantic Media Company, where he focused on analyzing acquisition targets, and at Insight Strategy Group, a boutique market research firm. Mr. Williams received his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Carleton College, and holds an M.B.A from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.
CEO, EB Medicine
Stephanie is the CEO of EB Medicine, a world leader in evidence-based continuous education resources for physicians. She is the chief strategic planner for the company and has pioneered numerous innovations. Stephanie graduated summa cum laude from Georgia State University with a degree in Business Management. She is a very positive leader who demonstrates a high level of strategic planning and analytical thinking. She encourages her team to utilize new tools and resources and to further their knowledge and education. Stephanie and her team are committed to rapid growth, and she is proud to lead a company that strives for excellence in creating products that improve the lives of thousands of physicians and their patients around the world.
Michelle Wyatt
CEO, CadmiumCD
Michelle Wyatt is a founding partner at CadmiumCD, a software company focused on the collection and distribution of electronic content for live conferences and events. Michelle has both a chemical engineering degree and a MBA. In her position, she works with and talks to over 100 meeting planners a year about the goals and challenges in managing and distributing content for their meetings. Michelle is also the mother of two boys and actively involved in Boy Scouts.
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Board index ‹ Basics ‹ Seminal Landlord-Tenant Cases
Engel v. Wolfsohn (how attorney fees are determined)
A "basic repertoire" of controlling case law
by TenantNet » Tue Jul 30, 2013 9:16 pm
Engel v. Wolfsohn
Civil Court, Kings County, Housing Part O
New York Law Journal, 2013-07-31
Cite as: Engel v. Wolfsohn, 098091/2008, NYLJ 1202612814969, at (Civ., KI, Decided July 5, 2013)
Judge Eleanora Ofshtein
Decided: July 5, 2013
Recitation, as required by CPLR 2219(a), of the papers considered in the review of this Motion:
Papers... Numbered
Notice of Motion and Affidavits Annexed for Legal Fees 1 (Seq 006)
Notice of Motion and Affidavits Annexed to Vacate Default 2 (Seq 007)
Other Affirmation in Opposition to Vacate Default 3
Other Reply to Opposition 4
NYLJ DESCRIPTION:
Tenants sought a hearing to determine reasonable attorney fees pursuant to an Appellate Term decision that found they were successful in defending a holdover proceeding, thus were entitled to recover attorney fees reasonably incurred in defending the action. An inquest was held and landlord Engel sought to vacate the inquest citing health issues, including having an emergency tolerance test on the date of the hearing.
The court noted despite Engel's statements that his prior attorney, Brookstone, was discharged and not authorized to proceed in Engel's absence, he then argued Brookstone's decision to leave and not defend the hearing was due to law office failure. Such inconsistency was unexplained, but the court found the various dates of motion practice put Engel on notice of the impending fees hearing prior to his medical test. It ruled Engel's motion failed to show a meritorious defense sufficient to vacate the default, denying same. Further, tenants, as the prevailing parties, were entitled to an award of legal fees, and the court found their attorney's hourly rates for the work completed reasonable. However, it reduced certain amounts for "ancillary expenses and redundancies," granting tenants $115,002.16.
DECISION/ORDER
Upon the foregoing cited papers, the Decision/Order on this motion is as follows:
Respondents brought a motion for legal fees (seq 006), which resulted in an inquest, held January 8, 2013. Petitioner subsequently brought a motion to vacate the inquest (seq 007). Both motions are consolidated herein for purposes of this decision.
Respondents' motion for legal fees, made returnable December 12, 2012, sought a hearing to determine reasonable legal fees pursuant to an Appellate Term decision, dated October 25, 2012, which modified the decision of the lower Court and remitted the case for a hearing finding that, "[a]s tenants were successful in defending this holdover proceeding, the proceeding having been discontinued with prejudice, the 'controversy' over whether tenants' apartment is rent stabilized has reached its 'ultimate outcome'…Thus, tenants are entitled at this juncture to recover so much of their attorney's fees as were reasonably incurred in defending this holdover proceeding (citation omitted)." (Engel v. Wolfsohn & Kellogg, 38 Misc 3d 17 [App Term, 2nd, 11th & 13th Jud Dists 2013]). On the return date, petitioner's application to adjourn the legal fees hearing was granted, over respondents' objection, and the hearing was adjourned to January 8, 2013.
On January 8, 2013, petitioner's attorney, Mr. Brookstone, made another application before the Court, stating that he had been discharged by his client, that he was not authorized to appear in his client's absence, and that he believed that a new attorney was taking over the case. However, despite having been granted a prior adjournment, neither the petitioner nor his alleged new attorney appeared, no notice of substitution or discharge was presented to the Court, and no motion to be relieved was filed by Mr. Brookstone. Nevertheless, the Court gave Mr. Brookstone time to get more information about the whereabouts of petitioner or petitioner's alleged new attorney, and, thereafter, commenced the hearing (digitally recorded, FTR room 505, start at 11:22AM). Mr. Brookstone did not remain for the hearing/inquest.
INQUEST ON RESPONDENTS' MOTION FOR LEGAL FEES
Michael Wolfsohn testified that he and his partner, Jessica Kellogg, were the respondents in this proceeding and that he had retained Kenneth B. Hawco as their attorney. The retainer agreement, dated November 10, 2008, was introduced in evidence (respondents' A) and states that "although Mr. Hawco's usual hourly fee is $350.00 per hour" (paragraph 5), respondents would only have to pay a flat fee of $2000.00, subject to various contingencies (paragraph 8 ). Mr. Wolfsohn testified that he chose the flat fee and potential future reimbursement, over an hourly rate, because he did not have the funds for an hourly rate agreement. Additionally, Mr. Wolfsohn testified that he hired Mr. Hawco to appeal the lower Court's decision and introduced a second retainer agreement, dated October 29, 2010, which noted Mr. Hawco's hourly rate of $450.00 for the appeal (respondents' B).
Respondents' attorney, Kenneth B. Hawco, testified as to his education, employment and experience in the law, and submitted his Curriculum Vitae in evidence (respondents' C). Mr. Hawco testified as to his twenty-one years in practice, eighteen of which have been as a sole practitioner, mostly for tenants in Housing Court. Mr. Hawco further testified that he does all his work without assistance and introduced his contemporaneous time records for the legal fees incurred in the Housing Court case (respondents' D) and the appeal (respondents' G). A Document Index (respondents' F) was also submitted.
Additional time Mr. Hawco spent on the prior action between the parties, on negotiating with petitioner prior to the commencement of this action, and on a pre-answer motion to dismiss, was not billed (respondents' D, 1st & 2nd pages). Mr. Hawco testified that all his bills were provided to petitioner's attorney on December 10, 2012, in order to allow petitioner and his attorney an opportunity for review (respondents' E).
Mr. Hawco testified that his calculations included a reasonable rate of $350.00 per hour for the Housing Court case, totaling $92,907.63, and $450.00 per hour for the appeal work, totaling $41,599.04, for a grand total of $134,506.67. Mr. Hawco further testified that he had worked on this case, as well as the appeal, for over four years, that petitioner had three different attorneys throughout the case, and that petitioner was litigious, necessitating over 300 hours of legal fees, including the filing of eight stipulations, nine affidavits, twenty-eight exhibits, six memorandum of law, six Court orders, and two appeal briefs. Additionally, Mr. Hawco introduced a copy of the E-Courts 'appearance information' print out from this case indicating forty-five (45) court appearances between November 13, 2008 and January 8, 2013 (respondents' H).
Mr. Hawco argued that the Court should use an alternative calculation, at a higher rate than $350.00 per hour for his work in the Housing Court case, due to the number of years the case took to complete, his extensive experience, and the financial risks he faced. In support of this alternative calculation. Mr. Hawco submitted three exhibits calculating his attorney's fees as follows: $134,506.67 at a rate of $350.00/hour (respondents' I); $147,627.63 at a rate of $400.00/hour (respondents' J); and $163,389.55 at a rate of $450.00/hour (respondents' K).
PETITIONER'S MOTION TO VACATE DEFAULT
At the conclusion of the January 8, 2013 inquest, the Court reserved its decision, expecting that an imminent order to show cause would be filed by petitioner or petitioner's new attorney. However, the order to show cause by petitioner's new attorneys was not filed until February 21, 2013, and a further request for an adjournment was sought since respondents had not received a full copy of petitioner's motion. On April 15, 2013, the parties argued petitioner's motion to vacate the January 8, 2013 inquest (digitally recorded, FTR Room 602, start at 11:40AM).
After considering the arguments, document, and evidence submitted by the parties, the Court finds as follows:
The affirmation of petitioner's new attorney and the affidavit from petitioner inform the Court that petitioner had suffered health problems, including two strokes, for over twenty years, and had an emergency exercise tolerance test on January 8, 2013, the date of the hearing. An affidavit from petitioner's physician confirmed petitioner's health problems, as well as the emergency test given to petitioner on January 8, 2013. Petitioner's affidavit further notes that prior to the January 8th hearing, he had attempted to discharge his attorney, Mr. Brookstone, and retain a new attorney, but was unable to formally do so due to his medical issues. Specifically, petitioner's affidavit states that he had verbally informed Mr. Brookstone that he was discharging him from the case and that Mr. Brookstone was not authorized to proceed in petitioner's absence. Despite these statements, petitioner's motion argues that Mr. Brookstone's decision to leave and not defend the hearing, was a result of 'law office failure' and that the Court 'should have exercised discretion in adjourning the hearing.'
Nevertheless, no affirmation from petitioner's prior attorney, Mr. Brookstone, is provided in the motion, and the inconsistency, between petitioner informing his attorney that he was not authorized to appear, while also claiming 'law office failure', is not explained.
The "bare allegations of law office failure on the part of prior counsel cannot serve as the basis to set aside a judgment." Beale v. Yepes, 309 AD2d 886 (2nd Dept 2003) (see also, Spatz v. Bajramoski, 214 AD2d 436 [2nd Dept 1995]; and Unger v. Holmes Protection, Inc., 87 AD2d 589 [2nd Dept 1982], appl dismissed 56 NY2d 856 [1982]). Furthermore, petitioner fails to explain his delay in changing attorneys, his fourth in this matter.
Petitioner had sufficient time to change attorneys and to prepare for the legal fees hearing since the initial decision by the Appellate Term, remitting the case for a legal fees hearing, was rendered in October 2012, the respondents' motion for legal fees was served on Mr. Brookstone in November 2012, and the petitioner's application for an adjournment was granted, over objection, adjourning the case from December 12, 2012 to January 8, 2013. The Court further notes that these dates, all of which put petitioner on notice of the impending legal fees hearing, were all prior to petitioner's January 8, 2013 medical test.
Furthermore, as of January 8, 2013, Mr. Brookstone had not been discharged in any approved or prescribed manner and was still the attorney of record for petitioner (CPLR §321(b)). "Until an attorney of record is discharged by order of the Court or by filing of the consent of the retiring attorney and party in the prescribed form, the attorney represents the party (citations omitted)". Hawkins v. Lenox Hill Hosp, 138 AD2d 572 (2nd Dept 1988). Moreover, since petitioner's motion does not include an affirmation from Mr. Brookstone, it has not been made clear to this Court why petitioner's attorney would have been authorized in December 2012 to file a motion seeking leave to appeal the Appellate Term decision, but not authorized to submit opposition to the motion for legal fees, which was served a month earlier, in November 2012. Nevertheless, respondents include a copy of the decision, dated February 28, 2013, denying petitioner's motion seeking leave to appeal to the Appellate Division (respondent's opposition, Exhibit F).
The Court finds that petitioner's motion fails to show a meritorious defense sufficient to vacate the default or necessitate a new hearing. Other then stating that the fees requested by respondents are unreasonable, excessive and substantially above the amount paid by petitioner to his own attorneys, no specific fees are contested. (See, Unger v. Holmes Protection, Inc., 87 AD2d 589, supra; Montrose Concrete Products Corp v. Silverite Construction Co. Inc., 68 AD2d 904 [2nd Dept 1979]; and Eretz Funding, Ltd v. Shalosh Assoc, 266 AD2d 184 [2nd Dept 1999]). Petitioner's argument that the fees are excessive and that the Court should not consider fees for motions which respondents failed to win, fees for work on the appeal, and 'fees-on-fees', is insufficient to merit a new hearing since the Court is already considering the "reasonableness" of the fees sought, as part of its decision, and since "the court is itself an expert on the question and may consider its own knowledge and experience concerning reasonable and proper fees." McAvoy v. Harron, 26 AD2d 452 (4th Dept 1966), affd 21 NY2d 821 (1968). The determination of what constitutes reasonable attorney's fees "is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial court" (Shrauger v. Shrauger, 146 AD2d 955 [3rd Dept 1989], appeal dismissed 74 NY2d 844 [1989]).
Therefore, petitioner's motion to vacate the default is denied in its entirety.
In deciding the reasonableness of the legal fees sought in the January 8, 2013 inquest, the Court considers factors such as the difficulty of the issues, the skills required to resolve them, the lawyer's experience, the time and labor required, the customary fee, and the results obtained. (See, Jordan v. Freeman, 40AD2d 656 [1972]; Bankers Fed Sav Bank v. Off West Broadway Developers, 224 AD2d 376 [1st Dept 1996]; Morgan & Finnegan v. Howe Chemical Co, 210 AD2d 62 [1st Dept 1994]; and 542 East 14th Street, LLC v. Lee 66 AD3d 18 [1st Dept 2009]). This method, referred to as the 'Lodestar' method, allows the Court to determine the reasonableness of the hours logged multiplied by an attorney's reasonable hourly rate (Nestor v. Britt, 16 Misc 3d 368 [Civ Ct, NY County 2007], affd 19 Misc 3d 142[A][App Term 1st Dept 2008]; Manufacturers & Traders Trust Co. v. Dougherty, 11 AD3d 1019 [2004]; and 338 West 46th Street Realty LLC v. Leonardi, 32 Misc 3d 131[A] [App Term 1st Dept 2011], affd 103 AD3d 518 [2013]).
Furthermore, an attorney is entitled to an additional award for time expended in seeking or defending the award on appeal and for 'fees on fees', such as fees for the time incurred proving the reasonableness of the legal fees sought. (See, NYC 107, LLC v. Clark, 31 Misc 3d 129[A] [App Term 1st Dept 2011]; and Santorini Equities Inc v. Picarra, 30 Misc 3d 136[A] [App Term 1st Dept 2011]).
Therefore, after a careful review of the history of the case and the evidence and documents submitted, including the time records submitted by respondents' attorney, and in accordance with the Appellate Term finding that respondents are the prevailing party in this 41/2-year protracted litigation, the Court finds as follows:
The Court finds respondent's hourly rate, at $350.00 for the work completed in the Housing Court Case, and at $450.00 for the work completed in its successful appeal, to be reasonable in light of the vast experience of respondents' attorney in handling Landlord/Tenant matters. The Court notes that "(a)ctual payment of attorney's fees is not a condition precedent to a tenant's recovery" (Senfeld v. ISTA Holding Co, 235 AD2d 345 [1st Dept 1997], lv denied 91 NY2d 956 [1998]), and that a party's failure to pay for legal services is not a basis for a denial of fees (Maplewood Mgt Inc v. Best, 143 AD2d 978 [2nd Dept 1988]).
However, after a review of the time records submitted, the amounts sought are hereby reduced for ancillary expenses and redundancies. Travel expenses noted in the time records (respondents' D and G) are reduced in the amount of one hour for each of the following dates:
in 2009: 2/19, 5/6, 6/29, 7/21, 8/12, 9/22, 10/20, 12/2;
in 2010: 1/25, 3/1, 3/22, 4/21, 4/26, 5/26, 6/7, 9/14, 9/29, 12/9(appeal), 12/10(appeal), 12/20(appeal);
in 2011: 4/7(appeal); and
in 2012: 9/5(appeal), 12/12.
The following dates and noted reductions in time are based upon redundancies:
10/19/09 (-3.0 hours) and 12/1/09 (-2.0 hours), including hours noted for 'review of file and research on motions to amend/supplement an answer', for which respondents time records already charge sufficient fees;
1/25/10 (-0.4 hours), 2/9/10 (-1.3 hours), 2/26/10 (-0.3 hours), 2/28/10 (-2.0 hours), and 3/21/10 (-2.0 hours), including hours noted for 'litigation strategy and preparation for trial', for which respondents' time records previously charge fees leading up to the January 24, 2010 trial date anticipated by respondents' attorney;
8/12/10-8/16/10 (-20.0 hours), which includes an unreasonable 28.2 hours for opposition to petitioner's motion; and
12/10/12 (-0.5) and 12/15/12-12/16/12 (-6.0), including work done by respondents' attorney for the cross-motion sought on appeal, which was ultimately denied/dismissed by the Appellate Term.
In total, the number of hours reduced from the time records submitted is 60.5 hours (of this amount, 49 hours related to the Housing Court case at $350.00 per hour, and 11.5 hours related to the appeal at $450.00 per hour). Respondents' fees are therefore reduced from 209.6 to 160.6 hours for the Housing Court case, and from 89.6 to 78.1 hours for the appeal.
Furthermore, interest is computed from the date on which the right to interest on the fees accrues, which is "the date on which the party seeking fees was determined to be the prevailing party." Solow Management Corp v. Tanger, 19 AD3d 225 (1st Dept 2005). In this matter, the fees shall be calculated from October 29, 2010, the date of the notice of entry of the Housing Court's decision allowing petitioner to discontinue the case. In its decision modifying the lower Court, the Appellate Term noted that respondents were the prevailing party upon the discontinuance of the Housing Court case.
Therefore respondents are granted a money judgment against petitioner in the amount of $115,002.16, representing the reasonable legal fees and expenses incurred in the Housing Court case and the appeal, as well as interest, through the date of this decision, calculated as follows: (160.6 hours [# of hrs allowed in Housing Court case] x $350.00 per hour = $56,210.00) + (78.1 hours [# of hrs allowed in appeals case] x $450.00 per hour = $35,145.00) = $91.355.00 + $22,052.85 (interest: $91,355.00 x .09 [9 percent interest] x 979 [# of days since 10/29/10] / 365) = $113,407.85 (attorney fees and interest to date) + $1,594.31 (postage, transcript, and copying expenses) = Total: $115,002.16.
This constitutes the decision/order of the Court.
Dated: Brooklyn, New York
by TenantNet » Wed Jul 31, 2013 7:13 pm
Here's the backstory:
Engel v Wolfsohn
2012 NY Slip Op 22320 [38 Misc 3d 17]
Accepted for Miscellaneous Reports Publication
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Michael Engel, Respondent,
Michael Wolfsohn et al., Appellants.
Supreme Court, Appellate Term, Second Department, 2d, 11th and 13th Judicial Districts, October 25, 2012
APPEARANCES OF COUNSEL
Kenneth B. Hawco, New York City, for appellants. David E. Brookstone, Brooklyn, for respondent.
{**38 Misc 3d at 18} OPINION OF THE COURT
Memorandum.
Ordered that the order, insofar as appealed from, is modified by providing that the branch of landlord's motion seeking to sever tenants' eighth counterclaim is denied and by further providing that the branch of tenants' cross motion seeking an award of summary judgment on the issue of liability on their eighth counterclaim and to set the matter down for a hearing to determine the amount of attorney's fees to be awarded thereon is granted, and the matter is remitted to the Civil Court for a hearing to determine the amount of attorney's fees to be awarded on that counterclaim; as so modified, the order, insofar as appealed from, is affirmed, without costs.
This holdover proceeding was commenced in October 2008 following the service of a 30-day notice, upon an allegation that the apartment was exempt from rent stabilization by virtue of{**38 Misc 3d at 19} high-rent deregulation. Tenants answered, asserting that the apartment was subject to rent stabilization and counterclaiming for, among other things, rent overcharge, fraud and, as an eighth counterclaim, the attorney's fees to be incurred in defending this proceeding. In September 2009, tenants were granted leave to amend their answer to assert a tenth counterclaim, for the attorney's fees that they had incurred in defending a prior holdover proceeding that had been brought against them by landlord's predecessor in interest. The prior proceeding had been dismissed sua sponte by the Civil Court on April 29, 2008, without prejudice, based on the prior landlord's sale of the building. The dismissal order notes that tenants' counterclaims in that proceeding, which included a counterclaim for the attorney's fees which tenants had incurred in defending that proceeding, had been withdrawn without prejudice. Eight months after the prior proceeding had been dismissed, tenants moved to restore that proceeding to reinstate their counterclaim for attorney's fees, and for summary judgment on that counterclaim. By order dated July 22, 2009, the Civil Court, noting that an award of attorney's fees is generally appropriate only when a controversy has reached its ultimate outcome, that the instant proceeding had now been commenced by the current owner, and that tenants' counterclaims had been withdrawn without prejudice, determined that the final outcome of the prior litigation was not substantially favorable to either side and denied tenants' motion.
When the instant holdover proceeding came on for trial on March 22, 2010 after being marked "triple final" for that day, landlord's attorney orally moved to discontinue the proceeding, acknowledging that landlord had "no case" and "can't prevail." Tenants' attorney, noting that this was his fifteenth appearance in this proceeding over the course of a year and a half, asked the court to condition the discontinuance on landlord's payment of attorney's fees. The court declined to so condition the discontinuance, granted landlord's application to discontinue the proceeding, with prejudice, and directed that the "counterclaims stand." On May 26, 2010, when the matter came on for trial on tenants' counterclaims, tenants discontinued all of their counterclaims without prejudice except for their eighth counterclaim, for the attorney's fees they had incurred in defending this proceeding, and their tenth counterclaim, for the attorney's fees they had incurred in defending the prior proceeding. Landlord thereafter moved to, among other things, dismiss{**38 Misc 3d at 20} or sever tenants' remaining two counterclaims, and tenants cross-moved for an award of summary judgment on the issue of liability on their counterclaims and to set the matter down for a hearing to determine the amount of attorney's fees to be awarded. By order dated October 27, 2010, insofar as appealed from, the Civil Court, noting that the discontinuance of landlord's underlying proceeding had not been conditioned upon landlord's payment of attorney's fees, granted the branch of landlord's motion seeking to sever tenants' eighth and tenth counterclaims and denied tenants' cross motion. Tenants appeal from these portions of the Civil Court's order.
As tenants were successful in defending this holdover proceeding, the proceeding having been discontinued with prejudice, the "controversy" over whether tenants' apartment is rent stabilized has reached its "ultimate outcome" (Elkins v Cinera Realty, 61 AD2d 828 [1978]). Contrary to landlord's contention, this controversy is separate, for the purpose of determining tenants' entitlement to attorney's fees, from the controversy over whether there has been a rent overcharge. Thus, tenants are entitled at this juncture to recover so much of their attorney's fees as were reasonably incurred in defending this holdover proceeding. Consequently, tenants' eighth counterclaim should not have been severed and the branch of their cross motion seeking summary judgment on the issue of liability on this counterclaim and to set the matter down for a hearing to determine the amount of fees to be awarded on this counterclaim should have been granted.
Tenants' tenth counterclaim, seeking to recover the attorney's fees tenants had incurred in defending the prior owner's holdover proceeding, was not related to the current landlord's proceeding and, thus, was not properly within the jurisdiction of the Housing Part to entertain (see Town Mgt. Co. v Leibowitz, 37 Misc 3d 49 [App Term, 2d Dept, 2d, 11th & 13th Jud Dists 2012]). Consequently, the court properly severed that counterclaim for determination in a regular part of the court and denied the branch of tenants' cross motion seeking summary judgment thereon without passing on its merits.
We modify the order accordingly.
Weston, J.P., Rios and Solomon, JJ., concur.
Return to Seminal Landlord-Tenant Cases
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Home » TIMag.com news » Tournaments/Events » Memphis Open upgrades for 2015
Memphis Open upgrades for 2015
MEMPHIS, TENN. — The Memphis Open presented by ServiceMaster today announced a series of new partnerships, events and fan enhancements for the upcoming 2015 event at the Racquet Club of Memphis. The ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament will be played February 7-15 with a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw. The 2014 US Open finalist and two-time reigning Memphis champion Kei Nishikori is joined in the player field by the five top-ranked Americans — John Isner, Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson, Jack Sock and Donald Young. Last year’s singles finalist Ivo Karlovic of Croatia and Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, both ranked in the Top 25, have also joined this year’s player field.
All tickets are now available for purchase by either visiting memphisopen.com or calling 1-855-307-1981.
The new offerings at the 2015 Memphis Open include:
Charitable Partner St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®
The Memphis Open has named St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® as the official charity of the tournament. Located in Memphis, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since it opened more than 50 years ago.
When fans purchase tickets through memphisopen.com, they will have the opportunity to “click to donate” to St. Jude in support of its life-saving work and help ensure that no family ever receives a bill from St. Jude for anything. To further commemorate the connection between St. Jude and the Memphis Open, spirited images celebrating the sport of tennis created by 11-year-old St. Jude patient and avid tennis player Sunny will be printed onto a tournament T-shirt and sold on site at the event, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.
World-Class Entertainment Production
The Memphis Open has enlisted Fiur Productions to serve as its new Executive Producer of Entertainment. The comprehensive entertainment production company, based in New York City, will help manage all events surrounding the tournament to boost the game-day experience for fans. The company, led by Michael Fiur, is known for producing large-scale live events, television specials, corporate, civic and sporting events, talent booking and theatrical productions. Fiur and his team have overseen the growth of entertainment at the US Open Tennis Championships since 2001. They have also produced more than 20 shows for the NFL’s Super Bowl, including their halftime shows and postgame Lombardi Trophy presentations.
New elements to be introduced by Fiur Productions for the 2015 Memphis Open include revamped Opening Night festivities on Monday, February 9. The special night will feature performances by cast members from Disney’s THE LION KING on Stadium Court, as the stage production prepares to play at The Orpheum Theater February 3 through March 1. Throughout the tournament, veteran US Open public address announcer Andy Taylor will be helping keep fans informed of everything the Memphis Open has to offer. Also, there will be an in-stadium DJ, post-match on-court interviews with the players will be conducted, and fans will see musical entertainment that represents the very best in local talent.
Opening Night Exhibition
Prior to the matches on Opening Night (Monday, February 9) at Stadium Court, Tennis Hall of Famer and 1997 Memphis singles champion Michael Chang and former world No. 4 and 2002 Memphis singles finalist James Blake will entertain the crowd with a fun exhibition as part of the Monday night session ticket. In addition to the match, there is a limited number of tickets available for purchase (for $75 each) to “meet and greet” these two American tennis icons prior to their match, along with dinner and open bar.
“The M.O.” Fan Village and Social Media Tagboard
“The M.O.” is a new fan village where patrons will be offered the opportunity to shop, dine, drink and play. Each evening will also feature top musical entertainment as the very best in local talent will take the stage to perform prior to the night session. The new Memphis Open Social Media Tagboard will also be on display, where an 8x5 LED screen will be housed in “The M.O.” fan village, allowing patrons to stay connected to all the Memphis Open social chatter while on the grounds of the Racquet Club of Memphis. Fans can also follow all the news, action, fun and more by visiting memphisopen.com, @memphisopen on Twitter and Memphis Open on Facebook.
A Taste of the Memphis Open
The menu will be expanded at the Memphis Open to provide a unique and innovative culinary selection to fans throughout the tournament site. Available food offerings will range from upscale cuisine to the traditional barbecue classics. The tournament will also introduce a new signature cocktail this year, specially handcrafted by the Racquet Club of Memphis. Fans can cast their vote for their preferred drink among four Memphis favorites on the Memphis Open Facebook page. Voting ends January 15 at 7:00 p.m. CT and the winning cocktail will be made available onsite at the 2015 Memphis Open.
Memphis Open Merchandise
This year, an all-new line of clothing emblazoned with the new name, look and feel of the Memphis Open will be available, including adult hats and T-shirts, youth T-shirts, performance wear and other apparel items. As mentioned above, to further commemorate the connection between St. Jude and the Memphis Open, spirited images celebrating the sport of tennis created by 11-year-old St. Jude patient and avid tennis player Sunny will be printed onto a tournament T-shirt and sold on site at the event, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.
Court Enhancements
The Grandstand area will see a reconfiguration from two courts to one, with seating for more than 1,000 patrons and a reorientation of the court 90 degrees to provide a more player and fan-friendly atmosphere. A new, upgraded lighting system will also be put in place for Grandstand Court.
On Wednesday, February 11, the Memphis Open will host an all new Ladies Day. Ticket packages for the day session include Get Pampered and Play for $150, which offers the opportunity to play doubles with the pros, a spa experience courtesy of Gould’s Spa and a reserved chair seat to see the matches, and the Champagne Mingle and Brunch package for $85, which includes a seated lunch, a players Q&A session, red-carpet photo opportunity for all guests and a reserved chair seat to see the matches.
Kids Field Trip Program
During tournament week, various schools around the Memphis community will be invited to the Racquet Club of Memphis each morning to participate in a program that focuses on four key areas: activity, nutrition, inspiration and education. The Kids Field Trip program will culminate on Friday morning, February 13, when the Memphis Open provides the kids access to all of its courts to participate in a fun-filled interactive lesson with USPTA teaching tennis pros.
In 2014, Tennis Rendezvous LLC, which is jointly owned by the United States Tennis Association and Golden Set Holdings LLC, purchased the U.S. Indoor National Championships and renamed it the Memphis Open - with the inaugural Memphis Open taking place in February 2015 at the Racquet Club of Memphis. The event is one of the longest-running American tournaments on the ATP World Tour and the only indoor ATP event contested in the United States.
The present incarnation of professional tennis in Memphis officially kicked off in 1976, with a tournament won by Vijay Armitraj. In 1977, the tournament was designated as the U.S. Indoor National Championships. Tennis legend Björn Borg walked away with the title that year, and subsequent men’s singles champions include Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras — for a total of nine year-end world No. 1s. Doubles champions include three of the greatest tandems of the Open era: Bob and Mike Bryan, Ken Flach and Robert Seguso, and Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, among others.
Chris Widmaier, Managing Director, Corporate Communications, USTA, (914) 696-7284, widmaier@usta.com
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