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Starting out in Sierra Leone
My journey to Sierra Leone started from a gray and dreary Paris (I discovered that rain + winter makes Paris less romantic. Harrumph) through Casablanca, Morocco to Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was a lucky break I was in France because the Philippines discourages travelers from going to West Africa (really, my country needs to be a little less backward about things like this) and even blocks people from leaving if they find out that's your destination. (It's disappointing that the Philippines churns out thousands of medical professionals like doctors, nurses, and are known to be excellent caregivers. And yet, the government discourages them from going to West Africa to help in the response. But anyway).
For anyone going to Sierra Leone, the trip at the moment (with all the flight cancellations to Africa) is through Air Brussels (Brussels) and Royal Air Maroc (Morocco). From Morocco, it's a 3-4 hour plane ride to Freetown (I'd be more accurate but I was passed out during my midnight trip until we landed at the annoying hour of 4am). Let me tell you, it's a huge shock to the system to go from chilly Paris and Morocco at - degree weather and come out on the other end at 30 degree Freetown (technically, that's a lot hotter than the Philippines right now!).
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« Query over Sharon’s Malta trip
Boors will be boors »
Workers caught back-dating deals
Published on November 14, 2015 in Crime in T&T, General T&T, Law, Media, Opposition Party and UNC. 10 Comments Tags: Abuse, corruption, Crime in T&T, Guardian, Politics, T&T Govt.
New EFCL board unearths secret operation
By Darren Bahaw and Renuka Singh
November 14, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
A secret contract millhouse was discovered at the Education Facilities Company Ltd (EFCL) in Maraval, and armed guards have been called in to secure a mountain of potentially damning evidence which points to the illegal manufacturing of backdated tender documents worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The discovery was made one day after the new board of the state-owned company suspended its Chief Executive Officer Kiran Shah and Chief Operating Officer Sharma Maharaj over claims of impropriety.
Informed sources told the T&T Guardian that a member of the board found the “secret room” on the first floor of the Maraval building, which is opposite the Country Club and also houses the main branch of FirstCaribbean International Bank (Trinidad and Tobago) Ltd. EFCL occupies the second floor of the building and, unknown to staff, another room was rented on the first floor.
Sources said a new board member was stunned after finding three people busy at work in the “secret room” and called in security after realising they were working on EFCL business. The three people in the room, and another who was subsequently found to be part of the same operation, were sent home and their access to information technology at the company was suspended, sources said.
Accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers has been called in to conduct a forensic audit of the company and has already taken a snapshot of the systems used in the ‘millhouse.’
Sources said they have already discovered that the four select employees were hired to create contracts and tender documents for several existing projects which were already paid for in full. This was being done, according to company insiders, to validate the tendering processes to make them appear transparent and legal.
A preliminary report has revealed that contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars were given out to select contractors in the run-up to the September 7 general election and they were paid in full without any work being done. Two contractors, who are financiers of the United National Congress, have been identified as the major beneficiaries of the scheme, sources said.
Sources said the forensic audit and a criminal investigation by the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau, which began in April, triggered this week’s suspension of the two executive officers.
A whistleblower initially went to the police with a 108-page dossier detailing several instances of fraud and mismanagement. This sparked a police investigation centering around the award of several contracts over the last five years.
Sources said efforts had been made to axe the whistleblower but she stood up against her employers.
The T&T Guardian also learned that the execs’ suspensions come mere months after the dismissal of a female civil engineer who clashed with the seniors over the contract with a preferred EFCL contractor.
Contacted yesterday, recently installed EFCL chairman Arnold Piggott confirmed the suspensions and audit.
Full Article : guardian.co.tt
10 Responses to “Workers caught back-dating deals”
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As we are awakened to the news of what is taking place in Paris today, we should become cognizant of our own vulnerabilities. We like to call our “sweet Trinidad and Tobago”, land of freedoms and freeness. This blog is a snapshot of the kind of thinking that occupy our minds, our wishes, our egos, our fear of each other, our obsession with wealth, fame, fortune, aspirations and yes, domination of those we consider lesser beings. Of course all of those things are just intangibles that we hope will grow our mindset and keep us to enjoy freedoms and freeness. We are in times that the good Lord allows us to have and feel the beauty and peace of his creation. We feel the beauty of his creation when the soft breezes of the Caribbean sea brushes against our faces. We take in the lush landscape of the beautiful green vegetation surround ding us, the mountains of the holy trinity reminding us why we are here, as we survey the flat lands of Caroni and sweet music of the steel pan. We were blessed to have invented our own “sweet music” at a time when Europe was engaged in war amongst themselves and we were deprived of their instruments to make music. We have created our own inequities. In the last five years, there is evidence of greed and corruption. Some of us have taken it for granted that it is the way things ought to be, whilst others are wondering how are we to take care of our loved ones. In the face of so much, we watch with envy, our pristine lands that we fought so hard to acquire from our slave masters been giving away to the wealthy and prosperous. They are the new favorite. Yes, the pristine virgin lands of Chaguaramas are now in the hands of those who did not even lift a finger for it. That hurts those of us who toiled and gave our lives for this freedom and freeness. We now have to bow in subservience to the new masters, whose whose qualifications were the the campaign contributions they gave to put their friends in power. We now have to salute them on their “achievements”. Those who admirers of them tell us that we are lazy and unproductive yet, so no wrong being committed. Over $300B of our money was spent in our country but where and how was that distributed? We had our money going to the favorite contractors, favorite investors, favorite communities and yes favorite people. The jobs that determined whether we prosper or fail given to those without the requisite qualifications. When the good times were threatened, we called a state of emergency and declared instability. We saw not-so-favorite peoples were hounded, arrested and placed in jail. They came from communities that are considered not-so-favorable by the last administration, they were of the same ilk and skin color. They were considered “uneducated” and under privileged. They were never charged with the crimes they were accused of, all seven thousand of them. It was just the fear of uprising that caused them to round them up like animals and imprison them. We just came from massive celebrations of “light over darkness”. We are told that light is good and dark is bad. Light is good, dark is evil. This same concept also applies to the skin tone.
We are told that based their concept of creation, some of us are superior and some inferior. We are told that depending on which parts of the human anatomy represented our birth right, we became prosperous our we are destined to be of service to the favored. We are told that those whose ancestors toiled to develop the virgin lands into urban metropolises must now stand back and make room for those who celebrate their “arrival” into this country. Have we no shame? Their gods have validated them to be the landlords and us the tenants. This is a synopsis of the mindset in which we live in our sweet Trinidad and Tobago today.
If suddenly, as we see in Paris, some disgruntled members of our society were to take it upon themselves, to use methods to destroy our civility in our cities and towns to create havoc of untold proportions, what would we do? We have already created the environment for instability. Whilst we fight and worry about who should run Petrotrin our biggest earner of foreign reserves, that Company is now steep into debts of untold proportions. The management of the past five years were unproductive and worked against the interest of the country. We are now facing a possible reduction of close to five thousand workers in order to reduce debts. We are not allowed to burrow until 2019 to have access to credits to upgrade our plants and industry. What about the fallout from this scenario? The potential for upheaval is real all because we elected those who wished only to serve themselves and not the country. We read it in every newspapers, in every blog. We read how “we” and good and “them” is bad. Meanwhile, there is less production, less resources, less new ideas and more demands for the freedoms and freeness that those in power the last five years were dishing out as Santa Claus. We are not in good shape. And as we observe the horrors of what is taking place in Paris, we have to be vigilant in ensuring that the big pieces of the pie that is Trinidad and Tobago it NOT distributed to only one set of people whilst at the time depriving another the same opportunities.
The above abuse of privilege and garrulousness should have been trimmed down by quite a bit.
Reg.
This discovery should come to us as no surprise. It is exactly what happens when unqualified people are put to run large enterprises. Worse yet, when the number one criterior of race is used for qualification we will always end up with that kind of situation. George Orwell said “The further a society moves away from the truth, the more they will hate those who speak it”.
The UNC was bad news from the day they took up the reins of government. The benevolent ones insisted to “give them a chance”. With all that we know that went on publicly before our own eyes, there should be no surprise that this kind of things went on. Dr. Rowley was absolutely correct in the way he approached governing. Let us have the the whistle blower bill passed, then we begin disecting this and more of what went on in every sector of our economy. One of the things the new government should start thinking about is this. IT SHOULD NEVER BE JUST THE PREROGATIVE OF ONE PERSON (THE PRIME MINISTER) TO NOMINATE A CANDIDATE FOR HEADING ESSENTIAL STATE RUN ENTERPRISES.
THOSE ENTERPRISES ARE OUR BREAD AND BUTTER. SO, IF SOMEONE IS TO RUN IT, WE THE CITIZENS SHOULD HAVE PROPER HEARINGS ON THOSE WHO WISHED TO GAIN CONTROL OF ITS MANAGEMENT. IN other words, when a person is so nominated, the country should be apprised of what qualifies such a person to have such assets under their control. Proper committees should be set up to challenge the appointments with the powers of rejection if necessary. Many of these people just came from the woodworks and with only a background of being a friend of the financier of the party in power. THIS SHOULD STOP IMMEDIATELY. LET US HAVE LEGISLATION TO SET UP COMMITTEES OF MEN AND WOMEN OF INTEGRITY, TO PROBE THE BACKGROUND OF THOSE WISHING TO RUN THESE ENTERPRISES, BEFORE THEY CAN BE GIVEN THE APPROVAL TO GET THE JOB.
Yoruba Israelite
May the Most High continue to expose the wicked, and protect the innocent.
Shalom.
Camera Boy
Nothing to do with MOST HIGH. we/you, have to stand up, look around, ask your self, Am I helping the GOVERNMENT/ COUNTRY TO be BETTER. Can I help the Leader to correct the MADNESS, TIEFING, CRIME,HAVE GOOD GOVERNANCE, LOCK UP THESE MAD FOLKS. T&T have to get DISCIPLINE. SORRY, no one from above, or far away, is coming to HELP. STAND UP, SPEAK OUT, YOU are the Government. so help your self, to do the right thing
Rodwell Paton
Notice the absence of the Town Criers and cyber warriors who usually quickly step forth to throw the teflon protection over image and reputation of the Satira Queen. I mean no one can make this up.
I constantly draw attention between the PPP regime in our sister Caricom nation Guyana, and the UNC/PP regime that them PNM women rallied the people to get out of office. The revelation discovered by both parties succeeding these two regimes are exactly the same. it is though they were coordinating their corrupt practices. Shady companies, shady deals, and back dating records to cover up fraud. Like I said, you cannot make this up.
Rodwell,
please google & read the newsday article “Naipaul:I was abused” & get back to us
“Rowley said he was determined to stop this $1.2 billion project and even wrote to President Anthony Carmona, in March 2014, asking him to intervene.
“I sought an audience with the President and wrote to him, asking him to intervene under Section 81 of the Constitution and call on the (then) PM to explain the actions of her government in facilitating this raid on the monies in NGC accounts,” he said.”
If as stated, the Prime Minister is saying that the sitting President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was asked to grant him an audience, to meet with with him on matters involving the corruption of a $1.2B project and the President did not as a matter of courtesy, offered a reply, then we as citizens of this country have to wonder. What kind of people do we have managing our affairs? The President? The most respect office in the land? The then Opposition Leader asking for an audience and not even a reply? The President not even acknowledging the Official Leader of the Opposition? Is Carmona for real? Is this the same man who, at every chance he gets, always admonishing the population of their responsibilities? No! I can’t believe that.
No wonder why the country is in such array. Policies run governments, not personalities. But judging from this report coming directly from the Prime Minister, we have to be concerned about our country and those we are asked to have respect for. This is like a teacher in school, asking to meet with the principal about a student who has matches and gas to burn down the school and the principal turns his back on the teacher, without acknowledging his complaint. When this occurs at the very pinnacle of power in the government, then I believe that there is need for serious introspection of those whom we ascribe powers to and not turn our backs on them, for fear that they might not seek our interests. In a well organized country, there will be investigative committees sitting on this lack of jurisdictional prudence on the part of the President and may even consider some form of impeachment. But this is Trinidad and Tobago where we should be “afraid” of status and appointments.
If nothing is done, it will be considered a dark day in our history and behavior of the President of the Country.
You said “in a well organised country…..”. I think you can have stopped here or near here.
Trinidad is not an organised Country–“organised” meaning what the Dictionary says. It’s that serious.
Alyssa my sister I do not need to reread that 2008 or 2009
Newsday article. I know of it, read it back then.
From my childhood days I became aware that this was common among many Indian family members. I recall in a conversation with one friend he told me his father and mother does not want his sister to have anything to do with black men. She was about 14 at the time, and according to him, when his mothers adult brother visited over night, he would sneak into their room and get into her bed. He and his sister shared the same room.
He said he told his mother but she scolded him and told him that his mind was dirty because the uncle was not doing her anything. I guess they were more liberal about incest than they were about inter racial copulation.
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Peter Hain – 2001 Speech at the Africa Educational Trust
Below is the text of the speech made by Peter Hain, the then Foreign Office Minister, to the Africa Educational Trust on 23rd January 2001 in London.
It is a great honour for me to be delivering this speech this evening in memory of the Reverend Michael Scott. He was a great inspiration to me and many others who campaigned against the evils of apartheid. He left an indelible mark in southern Africa, particularly in Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Education is vital to the British Government, here and in Africa: education for all not just an elite few. And I am therefore a great admirer of the Africa Educational Trust, which for 40 years has helped educate young Africans who have escaped from oppression and conflict. A galaxy of stars have returned home to play major roles in the transformation to majority rule in southern Africa. Many of the southern African politicians, officials, teachers and businessmen I meet have benefited in some way from your work.
I was born in Nairobi. I am a son of Africa. As an African born British Minister for Africa, I have a personal commitment to the African continent. I want to help build a genuine partnership between the continent of my birth and my adopted homeland. The future of the United Kingdom is inexorably linked to the future of Africa. We have much in common. Britain cannot afford to ignore the plight of our African brothers and sisters.
Our policy is straightforward. We back success in Africa. We are work in partnership with Africans to overcome past failures: African and western. We support Africans who stand up for democracy. We help those who want economic reform. And we encourage and support those who strive for peace.
THE YEAR 2000 IN AFRICA
On the eve of the new millennium, there was an air of optimism. Much was made about the 21st century being Africa’s century. The future looked bright. Africa had finally broken free from the shackles of colonialism. From the divisive politics of the Cold War. It was ready to decide its own future. Talk was of an ‘African Renaissance’.
But, if we are to believe national and international media, the year 2000 was a disaster for Africa. Afro?pessimism ruled supreme. Commentators called Africa ‘the hopeless continent’, riven by conflict, bad leadership and economic failure. Journalists queued up in their attempts to put Africa down. And in doing so, one could almost sense an air of relief. Why? Because African failure lets the international community off the hook. If Africa is ‘hopeless’, then there is no point in even trying to help. With a shrug of the shoulders, attention can turn away.
Can we blame the Afro-pessimists? At times, last year tested even my faith in Africa’s future. Pictures of Ethiopian and Eritrean armies slaughtering each other across barren and inconsequential land in scenes reminiscent of 1914 Europe. Brutal conflict in Sierra Leone, caused by rebels backed by a neighbouring state and destabilising the region. Seemingly never-ending conflicts in the DRC and Angola fuelled and sustained by the illegal trade in diamonds. Civil war in Burundi. Successive coups and counter coups in Cote d’Ivoire. And government-motivated political intimidation and violence in Zimbabwe.
And even where Governments were trying to make positive changes, disaster struck. Devastating floods in Mozambique. Drought in Kenya. Forest fires in South Africa all set back development efforts. The collapse in cocoa and gold prices and the rise of oil prices undermined Ghanaian economic success. The terrifying plague of AIDS continued to engulf and ravage the continent. And malaria kept killing thousands of Africans.
So, it is easy to see why Afro?pessimism dominated the headlines. In the words of President Mbeki, what happens in one part of Africa affects the continent’s image as a whole. Unfair, but it is a fact.
And yet, as so often, the headlines betrayed the superficiality of journalism. I travelled extensively in Africa throughout last year. During my travels and my many discussions with Africans and Africa watchers, I picked up a common theme. Yes, Africa does face enormous challenges in this new era of globalisation. But a new shared vision of Africa’s future is emerging. There is a growing consensus among African leaders that they must implement urgent economic, political and governance reforms. Leaders are defining more clearly the resource needs, and development priorities required to meet these challenges. A new generation of African leaders is coming to power. Democracy and political participation are growing. A new generation of African entrepreneurs is emerging.
The UN Millennium Assembly in September 2000 was a watershed for Africa. A succession of African leaders came to the podium and spoke about what they, not the rest of the world, but they needed to do to set Africa on the road to recovery and growth. And in response, Tony Blair led the way for the developed world. Let me remind you of a little of what he said. ‘…we need a new partnership for Africa, in which Africans lead but the rest of the world is committed; where all the problems are dealt with not separately but together in a coherent and unified plan. Britain stands ready to play our part with the rest of the world and the leaders of Africa in formulating such a plan.’ This is the cornerstone of our policy. We want to see a step change in the way that Africa and developed countries engage with each other. The future involves a modern, forward looking relationship, based on equality, respect, shared convictions, mutual interest and mutual obligations.
The OAU itself has recognised that the time is right for Africa to develop its own development strategy: entitled the ‘Millennium Africa Programme’. The Presidents of South Africa, Nigeria and Algeria have been mandated to develop it. We are working hard with these countries, across Whitehall and with the private and NGO sectors to ensure that we are ready to respond promptly, positively and productively to this African led strategy.
I have been saying since I began this job that democracy in Africa is growing rapidly. Last year we saw further evidence of this in Senegal, Tanzania, Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. Yes there well publicised problems in Zimbabwe. But elections were held. And the world quickly learned of the terrible events surrounding them. Further proof that that African governments are becoming increasingly accountable. And Zimbabwe now has a functioning opposition party represented in Parliament. Earlier this month we saw the first peaceful, democratic change of government and President in Ghana. Throughout Africa, civil society has developed a voice. And that voice is increasingly being heard, loud and clear. In 1973, only three African Heads of State were democratically elected. Last year the figure was 32 – 10 times greater.
The decision by the OAU Summit in Lome in July to exclude the Presidents of Cote d’Ivoire and the Comoros sent a clear message of rejection of coup d’etats and military juntas. Africa’s leaders made clear that only leaders who come to power through accountable and transparent means would be welcome at their table. I believe this brave decision and other efforts by African leaders played some part in the removal of the military dictator General Guei by the people of Cote d’Ivoire.
The refrain of African solutions to African problems has been ringing for some years now. Too often, it has been used as an excuse for the rest of the world to abdicate responsibility for helping to resolve Africa’s disputes. We demonstrated through our efforts in Sierra Leone last year that we take seriously our responsibility as members of the UN Security Council and wider UN family. But we also saw renewed African efforts at conflict resolution. President Bouteflika of Algeria worked tirelessly to bring the warring parties in Ethiopia and Eritrea together. He personally, and the OAU as an organisation deserve great credit for the fact that Ethiopia and Eritrea have signed a peace deal and UN peacekeepers have been deployed. Nelson Mandela, even in retirement continues to work for peace. His efforts in Burundi following on from the work of the late Julius Nyerere – who gave this lecture in 1997 – appear to be bearing fruit. Largely through the efforts of President Guelleh of Djibouti, we are now seeing early positive signs that the largely forgotten tragedy of Somalia could be coming to an end. After more than 10 years of civil war and a failed state, reconciliation will not prove easy. But there is now hope.
So, I would describe the year 2000 as the year of African peacemaking. Africa’s leaders demonstrated that when given appropriate international support, they can resolve African disputes. Of course, problems remain. Africa’s ‘First World War’ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drags on with unmitigated humanitarian suffering. Of course, I deplore the use of violence and I regret the assassination of President Kabila. But I hope that creation of a new government in Kinshasa will deliver fresh impetus for peace. But importantly, no new African conflicts erupted in 2000. This is a new trend on which we must build.
THE CHALLENGES FOR AFRICA
But despite these positive signals, Africa still faces enormous challenges. Africa is poorer now than 30 years ago. Over 250 million, that is 40 per cent of the population of sub Saharan Africa live on less than one dollar a day. Average output per head in Africa is now lower than it was 30 years ago. GDP per head in the EU is more than 45 times greater than in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa’s share of world trade has fallen sharply, and investment has declined. Average real economic growth is currently two per cent a year. But as population growth is also around two per cent a year, GDP per head is stagnant. If Africa is to meet the international target of halving poverty by 2015, GDP will need to grow by an average of seven per cent a year. If the terms of trade continue to deteriorate, conflict proliferates or if international development assistance continues to decline, this growth requirement will be even higher.
At the dawn of the 21st century more than 250 million people in Africa do not have access to safe water. More than 200 million do not have access to health services. 533 million do not have access to electricity. Only 10 African countries have achieved Universal Primary Education. In most countries literacy rates have stagnated over the past twenty years.
So, while I recognise the early signs of positive change, I still have profound fears for Africa’s future. The list seems endless: HIV/AIDS, poor governance, conflict affecting half the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, economic marginalisation, deteriorating infrastructure, low levels of saving, capital flight and human migration, the continuing debt burden, deterioration of the terms of trade, declining incomes and worsening education. These all point to a continuing decline in economic and human development in Africa.
The statistics I have seen on the impact of HIV/AIDS in sub Saharan Africa are horrific. Ten times as many people in Africa died of AIDS in 1999 as died in conflict. In some countries, a quarter of the adult population will die in the next six years. Skills will be lost. The time and energy of the healthy will be diverted from economic and agricultural production to caring for the victims of AIDS. But in despair, there is hope. The Governments of Senegal and Uganda have made great strides towards bringing the AIDS pandemic under control. There are also early signs of success in Tanzania and Zambia.
But Malaria also offers a huge threat to Africa’s future. If it were possible to control malaria, this could translate into an additional 20 per cent growth in Africa over a 15 year period.
New drugs are urgently needed to combat the increasing problem of drug resistance, as well as new vaccines to prevent HIV, TB and Malaria. But there is inadequate research for most of these rampant diseases and it is regarded as unprofitable for drugs companies to develop drugs and vaccines to prevent or treat them.
The challenge is enormous, but we have examples of what can be done if there is a determination to make a difference. Polio was once a huge threat to Africa. But now Africa is well on the way towards eradicating it, even in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. There are efforts underway to tackle the threat of communicable diseases. Across Whitehall we are working hard to assess what more we can do.
If we are to halt Africa’s economic marginalisation and decline in the global economy, international investment and flight capital must return. But international business sentiment is increasingly negative about Africa’s prospects. As Africa missed the industrial revolution, it now risks missing the knowledge revolution. Investment rating services list Africa as the highest risk region in the world. But Africa has huge economic potential. It has great strength in natural resources, and potential for processing and manufacturing. There is a new generation of entrepreneurs emerging in a number of countries. In Uganda, following debt relief, there are early signs that flight capital is starting to return. We must build on this and help our businessmen and women to discover and invest in those areas of potential. We must educate potential investors to look beyond the negative headlines.
For example, I mentioned earlier that only nine per cent of Africans outside South Africa have access to any form of electricity. That means over half a billion people are effectively cut off from the benefits of modern technology. And these numbers are growing as electrification fails to keep pace with population growth – and grid extension stalls due to high costs.
For Africa to catch up with the rest of the world, it may need to focus upon free-standing technology rather than fixed networks which require massive and prohibitively costly investment across huge geographical areas. A combination of mobile telecommunications and solar and renewable power could enable Africa to make the necessary leap forward.
Modern renewable energy – including solar, wind and micro hydro – could drastically improve communities’ livelihoods and quality of life: powering equipment, pumping clean water, cooling essential vaccines and providing light for remote schools. New public/private partnerships are beginning to take forward viable and profit making schemes.
I would like to end by answering a question I occasionally hear expressed: why does Africa matter to us? There are many reasons why Africa matters. Firstly we have a strong humanitarian imperative to end the misery of poverty. But there are also economic incentives. Africa is an essential provider of raw materials, from platinum to timber. There is huge potential for shared economic benefits from increased trade with over 700 million people in countries with valuable natural and human resources, and with whom we have many historical, cultural, family and business ties.
If we do not work to stop it, conflict and violence within and between African countries could grow to epidemic proportions. It could spread beyond Africa, as people become refugees and economic migrants.
Increasing levels of crime in Africa, particularly in the trafficking of drugs, damage lives and societies here and in other developed countries as well as in Africa. The continuing spread of disease, including but not only HIV/AIDS, increases the risks to the health of people throughout the world. Three quarters of all new British heterosexual HIV/AIDS victims last year were infected whilst travelling in Africa. The global environment is threatened by continuing environmental degradation, including deforestation, global warming, erosion of bio-diversity, and air and water pollution from environmentally unfriendly industrial and other production processes.
For all these reasons, the world shares a keen interest in halting the decline of social and economic conditions in Africa. Moreover, as the demonstrations in Seattle, Prague and Nice have shown, there will be increasing political tension if poor countries are left behind as the rest of the world moves ahead with globalisation. These are powerful self-interest reasons for action. But they merely supplement the most important motive: the human cost in Africa of lives lost and unfulfilled potential stands as an indictment against our common humanity. We have an opportunity to build a better future for Africa’s children; we must not miss it.
CategoriesUncategorized Tags2001, Peter Hain, Speeches
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Bengal tiger cubs cuddle up to mum in adorable shots
The Bengal tiger is a Panthera tigris tigris population in the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN List since 2008, and was estimated at comprising fewer than 2,500 individuals by 2011.
It is threatened by poaching, loss and fragmentation of habitat. None of the Tiger Conservation Landscapes within its range is considered large enough to support an effective population of more than 250 adult individuals. India's tiger population was estimated at 1,706–1,909 individuals in 2010. By 2014, the population had reputedly increased to an estimated 2,226 individuals. Around 440 tigers are estimated in Bangladesh, 163–253 tigers in Nepal and 103 tigers in Bhutan.
The tiger is estimated to be present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late Pleistocene, for about 12,000 to 16,500 years.
The Bengal tiger ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. It is the national animal of both India and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Royal Bengal tiger.
These adorable cubs went from having their teeth bared as they headed off in pursuit of their dinner to snuggling up and posing for a purr-fect family paw-trait with mum Arrowhead, five, in the space of minutes.
Wildlife photographer Andy Rouse, 54, snapped the images at Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve in India, where he devotes his time to the animals.
Andy said: “This is the first time anyone has seen these cubs so clearly.
“These are very very unique pictures of the first big adventure for a new family.
“Arrowhead appeared over a small hill with the two cubs walking shyly behind her – they were shy and nervous but they still had enough mischief to play a little.
Responses to "Bengal tiger cubs cuddle up to mum in adorable shots"
Denial says:
Nice they are looking cute together, You have captured it so well.
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Home / feature / genting highland / live / review / ultraman / [Photos] Ultraman's ultra-maniac performance at Genting
[Photos] Ultraman's ultra-maniac performance at Genting
Unknown Sunday, February 22, 2015 feature, genting highland, live, review, ultraman
The Ultra family has finally descended to Malaysia for a special live performance in “Ultraman Live in Genting 2015” which took place from 19 February to 29 March 2015 at Genting International Showroom on the first floor of Genting Grand Hotel.
There are two shows held in one day; one is at 4pm and the other is at 8pm, and both shows last for only an hour and the prices of the tickets are as follows:-
Before the show starts, ticket buyers may purchase the limited edition merchandises that are only exclusive for the event such as Ultraman figurines, pyjamas, shirts, bags and more.
Furthermore, fans may also get a limited edition Ultraman projector watch which can projects up to 10 different projections of Ultraman characters along with their monster counterparts in cute chibi (a Japanese slang term for small) version.
There are also popcorns and drinks sold outside of the showroom and the drinks come together with a special Ultraman tumbler. Ultraman-shaped ice-creams also sold there.
Thirty minutes before the start of the show, there will be a photo session with the ultra fighters where each photos cost RM35 each.
The live-action performance which is in 4D, features Ultraman Zero as the main star of the show along with his Ultra family (Ultraman Mebius, Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Ginga, Ultraman Taro, Ultra Seven, Ultraman Cosmos, Ultraman Taro and Ultraman) who aid him in his fight against the villains that attacked Genting Highland!
The show started with several Alien Baltans causing ruckus at the peak of Genting Highland and Ultraman Zero came out to save the day. Zero performed amazing stunts and swift moves as he fights off all the monsters.
However, the fight wasn’t easy as more Alien Baltans came to attack Ultraman Zero but he was later saved by his father, Ultra Seven.
The show then focused on Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Cosmos fighting off more monsters such as Alien Mefilas, and then moved on to Ultraman (also known as Ultraman Hayata) fight with Alien Mefilas where he was helped by Ultraman Taro.
Along the show, it was learned that to defeat all the monsters, the Ultramans need to gather the pieces of the moon which is the source of their power that has been scattered around in the showroom. This segment required the audience to help Ultraman Cosmos search for the missing pieces of the moon.
Some of the lucky audience found the pieces underneath their chairs and was required to went up on stage and placed the pieces together along with Ultraman Cosmos.
After the pieces were gathered, Ultraman Cosmos wished for happiness for the audience as the moon was said to be able to grant one wish.
Soon after that, Ultraman Cosmos and his alien friends took out a lot of big balloons and threw them to the audience. As the audience enjoy passing the balloons to each other back and forth, Ultraman Cosmos and Ultraman Mebius walked along the aisle of the seats and greeted the audience. It is truly a happy moment indeed!
After that, more alien monsters came out to attack the audience, but they were stopped by Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Ginga and Ultraman Zero.
But the biggest obstacle for the Ultra fighters is Ultraman Belial who transformed himself into a gigantic monster which the three Ultra fighters were unable to defeat.
The Ultra fighters then called out to the audience for their help because apparently, the light from the limited edition watch were the light from the magical moon, so the three Ultramans asked the audience to use the power of the lights and shout, “Ultraman” which the audience did.
The showroom then suddenly turned dark and when the lights turned back on, Ultraman Taro, Ultraman Mebius, Ultraman Cosmos, Ultra Seven and Ultraman, standing among the audience and came to assist the three Ultra fighters.
Together, they managed to defeat the humongous monster by working together and using their incredible stunts, moves and super powers.
The show ended with all the Ultramans returning back to their home planet and thanking all the fans for their support. However, after the Ultramans gone, the screen showed Alien Baltan still not defeated saying that he will return for revenge and the clip ended with “to be continued”.
Another photo session was held after the show where the audience were able to take some commemorative photos with the Ultramans.
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Prestigious teaching award for Sr. Hannah
Headteacher Sister Hannah Dwyer, described as “an educational force of nature”, is a Silver Teaching Award Winner in the category: The Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Recently retired, Sister Hannah’s outstanding career spans over 35 years, 23 of those as a Headteacher. She took on the role of Head at Larmenier R.C. Infants’ School in Hammersmith in 1991, In 2002, Sr. Hannah she merged the school with Sacred Heart R.C. Junior School.
This was a huge challenge that included the task of raising £7 million to fund a new building. The new school has been a great success and has gone from strength to strength.
Dominic McGonigal, Chair of Governors at Larmenier & Sacred Heart said: “The first thing I noticed about Sr. Hannah is her deep interest in the children. From the moment they arrive in Nursery or Reception, right through the school and beyond. In fact, we have a constant stream of former pupils coming back to the school because Sr. Hannah inspired them 10, 20 or even 30 years ago. I am so pleased that her dedication and constant striving for excellence has been recognised by the Pearson Teaching Awards.”
Selected from over 20,000 nominations received by the Pearson Teaching Awards in 2014, Sr. Hannah was one of just 55 recipients of the award which was presented to her in a surprise assembly on ‘Thank a Teacher Day’, 16 May 201 by Bishop John Sherrington, Auxiliary Bishop and Chairman of the Westminster Diocese Education Service.
During the ceremony, Bishop Sherrington spoke about Sr. Hannah’s influence on her pupils: “Sr. Hannah’s strong sense of her personal vocation has led her to give years of dedicated service. In her 35 years of teaching, she has instilled in her pupils the importance of discovering their own unique sense of purpose and doing all they can to live that vocation.
“Sr. Hannah, through her years of dedication and vocation to teaching and learning and to Catholic leadership, has enabled thousands of children to develop their God-given gifts and become the people God wishes them to be. It is a wonderful achievement that, through Catholic education, so many seeds are sown which bear fruit in the future. I also wish to acknowledge Sr. Hannah’s important contribution to the work of the Westminster Education Commission which has oversight for strategy in the diocese.”
The Pearson Teaching Awards are an annual celebration of exceptional teachers and teaching, founded in 1999 by Lord Puttnam. They recognise the life-changing impact of an inspirational teacher on the lives of the young people they teach.
Sr. Hannah will now join fellow Silver Award winners at the UK final of the Teaching Awards at London’s Guildhall on 26th October, where 10 Silver Award winners will receive a Gold Award. The ceremony will be filmed and broadcast by the BBC.
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INFERNO: Ron Howard and Tom Hanks Ignite Singapore with Red Carpet Event
June 15, 2016 by Anton Strout in News
Get ready, fans of Dan Brown’s thrillers, The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. The next installment of the movie series, Inferno, is coming to US theaters this fall, and if the excitement at the red carpet press event at Singapore’s ArtScience Museum is any indication, it will not disappoint!
Once again, Ron Howard takes the helm as director of this third movie, which, like the first two, stars Tom Hanks as symbologist Robert Langdon. This time, Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with no memories of what happened to him. Teaming up with Sienna Brooks (played by Felicity Jones), a doctor he hopes can help reverse his amnesia, Langdon is on a race through Florence and against the clock as he tries to break codes and solve puzzles that are the work of a man obsessed with the end of the world, tied to the work of the great writer, Dante.
Howard, along with actors Tom Hanks and Irrfan Kahn, met with press and fans in Singapore to talk about the movie for the first time since the movie was completed. The enthusiasm was palpable in the crowd as the three walked along the red carpet, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans and journalists. All three happily interacted with the crowd and clearly it was a great time for all.
“It’s fun to be together, particularly in a place as fascinating and interesting and inspiring as Singapore, and this is actually the first time that we’ve had a chance to talk about the movie,” said Ron Howard on the red carpet outside of the ArtScience Museum. “And so in a lot of ways, this group of journalists is catching us at our freshest and at the moment when the movie is just finished, we’re very proud of it, and eager to share.”
Jonathan Prime - (c) 2015 CTMG, Inc. All rights reserved.
Much of Inferno was filmed in Florence, Italy, which follows the path laid down by the first two movies. The Da Vinci Code was filmed in Paris, France, and Angels and Demons in Rome, Italy.
“One of the special things about these movies is that we get to go to extraordinary places, and utilize them for what they are,” said Tom Hanks at the red carpet event. “They’re not just backgrounds.”
Fans of both the movies and the books of Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series love the fast paced chills and thrills as the characters rush to save the world, but part of what makes Brown’s work universally popular are the puzzles and mysteries to be solved. People can’t help but be sucked into the world of the story. It’s an excellent way of having readers and viewers have an active role in experiencing these adventures. There are also things to attract history buffs and religious symbolism scholars.
“It’s a multi-layered thriller,” said Irrfan Kahn (who plays Harry Sims in the film), at the Singapore event. “At one layer you will have a fast-paced thriller, and then there is another layer that is about mystery and symbols and codes. So there are a lot of history and contemporary issues juxtaposed together, so you have an interesting mix of things.”
Inferno comes to US theaters on October 28, 2016, which leaves new viewers plenty of time to both read Dan Brown’s books and watch the first two movies, The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.
“I hope they’re really fun to watch,” said director Ron Howard, “Because they’re really fun to make.”
Melanie R. Meadors is the author of fantasy and science fiction stories where heroes don’t always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She’s been known to befriend wandering garden gnomes, do battle with metal-eating squirrels, and has been called a superhero on more than one occasion. Her work has been published in several magazines, and she was a finalist in the 2014 Jim Baen Memorial Science Fiction Contest. Melanie is also a freelance author publicist and publicity/marketing coordinator for both Ragnarok Publications and Mechanical Muse, an independent gaming company. She blogs regularly for GeekMom and The Once and Future Podcast. Her short story “A Whole-Hearted Halfling” is in the anthology Champions of Aetaltis, available now on Amazon. Follow Melanie on Facebook and on Twitter as @MelanieRMeadors.
June 15, 2016 /Anton Strout
Inferno, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Dan Brown, Sony Pictures, Irrfan Kahn, Robert Langdon, The Da Vinci Code
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Correll Surname Ancestry Results
Our indexes 1000-1999 include entries for the spelling 'correll'. In the period you have requested, we have the following 27 records (displaying 1 to 10):
Buying all 27 results of this search individually would cost US$340.00. But you can have free access to all 27 records for a year, to view, to save and print, for US$187. Save US$153.00. More...
corraro corrd corre correa correbrig corredano corredor corregall corregan corregel correges correggio corregill corregio correia correia-afonso correill correis correl correless correllis corren correni correr corres corresh correton corrett corretyne correur correvont correwyn correy corrforth corri corria corrich corrick corricke corridan
Official Papers (1655-1656)
The State Papers Domestic cover all manner of business relating to Britain, Ireland and the colonies, conducted in the office of the Secretary of State as well as other miscellaneous records. These records are from November 1655 to June 1656: there is also a set of abstracts of navy correspondence.
CORRELL. Cost: US$8.00.
Hertfordshire Sessions (1619-1657)
Incidents from the Hertfordshire Sessions Books and Sessions Minute Books. These cover a wide range of criminal and civil business for the county.
Masters and Apprentices (1720)
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks' articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master's trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice's father's name and address, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. 5 September to 31 December 1720.
CORRELL. Cost: US$16.00.
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks' articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master's trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice's father's name and address, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. 4 May to 31 December 1724.
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks' articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master's trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice's father's name and address, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. 1 January to 7 October 1738
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks' articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master's trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice's father's name and address, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. 1 January to 31 December 1741
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks' articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master's trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice's father's name and address, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. 1 January to 4 July 1754.
Masters of apprentices (1755)
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks' articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master's trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice's name, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. 1 January to 31 December 1755.
Apprentices (1758)
Masters of apprentices registered at Northampton (1758)
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks' articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master's trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice's name, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. There are central registers for collections of the stamp duty in London, as well as returns from collectors in the provinces. These collectors generally received duty just from their own county, but sometimes from further afield. The indentures themselves can date from a year or two earlier than this return. (The sample entry shown on this scan is taken from a Bristol return. Each entry has two scans, the other being the facing page with the details of the indenture, length of service, and payment of duty.) IR 1/53
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Tag: Barrett Foa
Positively Positive Review – NCIS: Los Angeles – Callen, G.
From the moment I first saw the NCIS LA crossover episodes last year on NCIS, I knew that I was gonna like this new spin-off. The first season has done nothing except prove me right which is cool because, well, who doesn’t like it when they’re right?
Another thing I knew right off the bat was that Callen was going to turn out to be my favorite character. No it’s not just because Chris O’Donnell is cute, though that doesn’t hurt, but because “G.” is a great character. We’ve always known very little about Callen and while it’s not unusual for a show to give us nothing about a character at first, it is unusual for the character himself not to know anything about his past, not even his own name.
In this episode, we follow along as Callen gets some clues to his past – including the fact that he had an older sister. Of course we didn’t get the closure or the happy ending when it turns out that the woman living under his sister’s name is actually another person entirely and his real sister is dead. So even though a few questions were answered, a bunch more have been asked, which sets us up nicely for season 2.
The way Callen tried to reach through the cage when he saw there was a file on him and he couldn’t get it out before the place went up in flames. The amount of longing in his eyes was torturous and I just wanted to break down the damn door for him.
Sam sounding insulted that there were no records on him but two whole boxes on Hetty. Oh c’mon, like that’s really a surprise. I’m telling ya, that lady’s got some secrets. I just know it.
Hetty knowing all the answers to all the questions that Callen was ready to ask her. Of course she did have an advantage, since all of the answers were “no”.
Callen getting Eric to tell him what they had on the case before Hetty could officially call and tell him that Callen was off the case. Wow, I don’t know if I would’ve been brave enough to ignore Hetty’s calls like that. Go Eric!
The appearance of Kort (who used to work with Callen? Interesting) and him pointing out that no one calls him by his first name so Callen isn’t missing anything. I love that Callen said it’s because no one likes Kort. LOL, now I’m starting to think that Callen and Tony might get along great. Uh oh….I feel a fanfic idea coming on.
Hetty telling Callen that there’s no point in sending Callen home because it would just move him from is office chair to his office couch. LOL.
Callen working off the stress by going to the shooting range. Somehow that doesn’t surprise me at all. Considering how much stress he’s probably had in his life, it’s no wonder he’s such a great shot.
The way Callen got Nate to get info on the case for him. Pretty sneaky how he kept getting what he needed without technically breaking any rules.
Loved the car chase but I completely lost my cool when Callen’s car flipped over. I totally thought he was gonna end up in a hospital.
Callen in a totaled car, hanging upside down from his seatbelt and STILL able to take out the bad guy. Is that badass or what??
Callen’s adamant declaration that he didn’t have a sister. I just don’t think the he wanted to even acknowledge the possibility because it would mean that there was someone out there who had abandoned him. When he started to remember and the single tear dropped from his eye…..oh man. Killer scene.
Being terrified as Amy/Hannah kept trying to shoot the bad guy but kept missing. Eek.
Callen finally finding out that he has a sister only to find out that she’s dead, then hearing that she always missed him and cried herself to sleep when she was a little girl because she wanted her little brother. When Hannah was nearly out the door, I was practically screaming for him to ask her what his name was. Then he did and I lost it when all he got was “Baby Brother”. Oh, poor Callen….
Nate figuring out that the same person has been filling out the addresses in the book and watching Callen ever since he was a child. HUH???
Hetty once again knowing everything about everything and somehow getting the location where Callen’s sister was buried so he could say goodbye. Then him finding flowers and a card from what looks like a parent?? Is it his and Amy’s parent or maybe Hannah’s? Oh boy, so much to ponder for next year.
Overall a really good season ending with not so much a cliffhanger as a huge question that is ready to be answered in season 2.
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 22 “Hunted”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 23 “Burned”
1 Comment :Barrett Foa, CBS, Chris O'Donnell, Daniela Ruah, Linda Hunt, LL Cool J, NCIS: Los Angeles, Peter Cambor more...
Positively Positive Review – NCIS: Los Angeles – Burned
Boy do I love these kinds of episodes. An agent in trouble, left out on his own, a team trying to help but being cut off from doing so. Man, I just eat this stuff up with a spoon.
Five minutes into the episode, Callen finds out that his cover has been compromised. He immediately goes on alert, putting into action a plan that obviously has been worked out for just such a contingency. Soon he finds out that the man behind it all knows more about him than he does himself and Callen has to decide between protecting his friends and getting some information he desperately wants.
Cracking up at the fact that Callen’s current cover is as an insurance salesman. Well that’s one way to keep people from asking about what you do.
Sam and Kensi’s discussion about the guy who came on to her the previous night and him running the “game” on her. LOL.
Hetty ordering them to go dark when the Eric couldn’t get control of the virus, leaving Callen on his own. Whoa.
The way Callen was able to fast-talk his way through the meet with people he’d never met and acting like someone else. Damn, he’s good.
Hetty calling in Renko to give them a hand. I was wondering when he’d be making another appearance.
Sam and Callen meeting at a rally point they picked out five years ago. It’s so cool to see how much history these guys have together.
Hetty knowing that Sam had met Callen without even needing to ask. Gotta love her. She’s always at least three steps ahead of all of them.
The look between Eric and Nate when Callen’s phone started to ring and neither of them wanted to answer it. OMG that was hilarious! Loved it.
Jumping a little when Renko got hit. I forgot he had a vest on and for a second there I wondered if we were going to lose another agent. Whew.
Callen offering to take himself off the case because he can’t be sure whether his personal feelings are going to get in the way.
Eric telling Hetty that the entire NCIS agency had been compromised, and her immediately ordering Callen back on the case, personal feelings or not.
Eric telling Callen that being asked to put the virus back online was akin to committing “technological malpractice”. LOL.
Hetty pointing out to Callen that he might be losing his one chance to find out about his past if Keelson decided he’d rather die than be caught.
Eric getting a positive match on the face of Keelson, only to find that he doesn’t exist anywhere in cyberspace. Uh oh.
Callen lowering his gun when he was asked if he could live the rest of his life without knowing what “that ‘G’ stands for”…..but still being able to take the guy out when he had no other choice. Man, I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for him.
Hetty asking Callen how he felt about knowing the man who hired Keelson was still out there and his reply that he wouldn’t be able to answer that until he tracked them down.
Eric running up saying that the case wasn’t over. Aha! I had a feeling this one was going to be a two-parter. Looks like this show is following in the original NCIS footprints by having a two-part finale.
Overall an exciting episode that looks to be leading us into a very exciting first season finale.
Want to know every time I add a new NCIS Los Angeles review? Be sure to subscribe to The Positively Positive!
2 Comments :Barrett Foa, CBS, Chris O'Donnell, Daniela Ruah, Linda Hunt, LL Cool J, NCIS: Los Angeles, Peter Cambor more...
Positively Positive Review – NCIS: Los Angeles – Found
Well they did it, they actually killed off Dom. I guess deep down I knew that was going to happen, but I was still sort of surprised when it actually happened. I figured that Adam Jamal Craig was still leaving the show but for a little while there, I wondered if the character might actually live through his ordeal.
The team gets a lead that Dom is being held by a group of terrorists threatening to execute him if their demands aren’t met. They then go about doing anything and everything they can to find him, including some scare tactics that were very effective, like threatening to throw a man into the ocean handcuffed to a brick. When everything leads to one man that they cannot take into custody by normal means, the team decides to take their threats to extreme measures, causing everyone to decide between saving Dom’s life and their careers.
Meanwhile Dom is trying on his own to escape, not content to just sit idly by when he knows his time is running out. An NCIS agent to the bone, he works every angle he can to get out of his prison – from using a broken mug handle to break out of his handcuffs to befriending one of his captors (who turns out to be Sam’s old friend Moe, the boy he took back from Somalia after killing his father).
In the end, it turns out that Dom is being held not in some faraway land, he’s right there in LA in an old theater. The team finally finds him, just as Dom has broken free and is looking for a way out of his prison.
The saddest part of this show is the fact that the team actually does find Dom and for all intents and purposes, does rescue him. But in the ensuing firefight, Dom gets in the line of fire while protecting Sam and is fatally wounded.
Watching Sam and Callen desperately try to bring Dom back while the rest of the team watches helplessly (most of them miles away and watching via cameras), I felt the first tears fall. Then as Callen had to pull Sam off, telling him that they had never given up on the younger man, even more came.
The closing song at the end was the final straw for me, I can’t think of anything more perfect for the sadness of that scene than Peter Gabriel’s “Grieve”
Overall a sad but extremely well done episode.
Farewell Dom.
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3 Comments :Adam Jamal Craig, Barrett Foa, CBS, Chris O'Donnell, Daniela Ruah, Linda Hunt, LL Cool J, NCIS: Los Angeles, Peter Cambor more...
Positively Positive Review – NCIS: Los Angeles – Fame
Alright so I know there might be some people out there who disagree with me, but I’m okay with Dom being replaced by Deeks. I actually thought he was just going to the team’s LAPD liaison but I guess I should’ve known better. Turns out that Hetty has been secretly watching him for a while and wants him to be a full member of the team.
I don’t really have anything against Dom as a character or Adam Jamal Craig as an actor. It’s just that Dom’s character wasn’t that strong so I can’t say that I’m too surprised they are replacing him. Deeks is a bit more interesting. He’s got a grittiness about him and comes with some baggage, all things that are needed in a drama like NCIS: Los Angeles.
This week’s episode did a great job in setting up Deeks, showing how he might work with the team in the future. The truth is that it wasn’t a perfect fit, but that’s okay. He doesn’t immediately get along with everyone, there is disagreement with how he handles a tricky situation with a suspect holding a gun to a woman’s head, etc. But that’s all part of the fun. If Deeks stepped in and everything was hunky-dory right from the start, how interesting would that be? Not much.
After seeing clips from next week’s ep (there I go, watching previews again, darnit), I’ll admit that I did something I normally never do. I went hunting for spoilers. Well for those who want to avoid them, have no fear. Cuz I came up with nothing. The truth is that I have no idea what will happen to Dom in next week’s ep, other than what we saw in the previews. But if I had to bet, I’d say that Deeks will be back soon.
Overall a good episode that gave this new team a chance to start working out the kinks of their (sure to be complicated in the future) relationships.
Leave a Comment :Barrett Foa, CBS, Chris O'Donnell, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Linda Hunt, LL Cool J, NCIS: Los Angeles, Peter Cambor more...
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Liz Cooper & The Stampede
815 V St. NW
Doors 7:00 PM
In the five years since Matthew Houck’s last record as Phosphorescent he fell in love, left New York for Nashville, became a father, built a studio from the ground up by hand, and became a father again. Oh, and somewhere along the way, he nearly died of meningitis. Life, love, new beginnings, death— “it’s laughable, honestly, the amount of ‘major life events’ we could chalk up if we were keeping score,” Houck says. “A lot can happen in five years.”
On C’est La Vie, Houck’s first album of new Phosphorescent material since 2013’s gorgeous career defining and critically acclaimed Muchacho, he takes stock of these changes through the luminous, star-kissed sounds he has spent a career refining. By now, Houck has mastered the contours of this place, as intimate as it is grand, somewhere between dreamed and real, where the great lyrical songwriters meet experimental pioneers and somehow distill into the same person. It is Houck’s own personal musical cosmos, a mixture of the earthy and the wondrous, the troubled and the serene, and by now he commands it with depth and precision. When you ask Houck about the cumulative effect of all this life happening in such a short time, he turns philosophical: ”These significant moments in life can really make you feel your insignificance,” he says. "It's a paradox I guess, that these wildly profound events simultaneously highlight that maybe none of this matters at all..." On this album, Houck reckons with that void — the vanishing point where our individual significance melts into the stars — and sums it up thusly: C'est La Vie.
From the album’s opening moments, Houck sings of this newfound landscape. Of the discovery of new paradigms and the disposal of those no longer useful. After the wordless, haunting Houck-choir opener of “Black Moon / Silver Waves”, he pointedly begins the title track “C’est La Vie No. 2” with the albums first lyrics: “I wrote all night / Like the fire of my words could burn a hole up to heaven / I don’t write all night burnin’ holes up to heaven no more.”
"I was always pursuing this thing of Phosphorescent and becoming the artist that I wanted to become, that sometimes I didn’t even have a second for reflection,” Houck says of the hectic years spent creating, releasing and touring Muchacho. "I was plowing forward—just do, do, do and all else was secondary.” Not that this album exhibits any sense of settling down into complacency. On the contrary, this collection contains some of Houck’s most devastating works to date, but there’s a refreshing measured confidence that radiates throughout C’est La Vie.
Sonically, C’est La Vie is his masterwork: Every sound, including his famously frayed, bemused voice, rings out as inviting and clear as a koi pond. Working in a studio he built from scratch (which certainly came with its own set of challenges) Houck once again set off to produce his own record, calling in musicians from his crack live band as well as friends new and old, and enlisting veteran Vance Powell to help mix the completed project. The writing process was more intuitive, less cerebral and with fewer revisions than anything he'd written before. It was a scary, liberating new approach, like painting with his eyes closed. "I let go of a lot of my writer-poet tricks, and let the lyrics be what they wanted to be,” he says. These lyrics marvel at life’s ability to uproot and re-deposit you into alien, revelatory landscapes: “If you’d have seen me last year, I’d have said, ‘I can’t even see you there from here.’” he sings, wryly, on “There From Here.” This has been one of Phosphorescent’s constant themes—the ever-present possibility for transformation.
But for the first time, Houck seems to be laying down some burdens. “These rocks, they are heavy/I’ve been carrying them around all my days,” he sighs on the album’s closing ballad “These Rocks.” On that same song he also muses, with disarming forthrightness, about drinking: “I stayed drunk for a decade/I’ve been thinking of putting that stuff away.” The lyric makes Houck somewhat uncomfortable, both in its direct simplicity and its capacity to distract listeners into thinking he’d written a stereotypical “battle with the bottle” song. “I'm aware of how that verse resonates, but for me those lines take a backseat to the main driver of that song,” he says. “I originally assumed I'd rewrite and re-sing that lyric,” he says. "But the bones of that song were recorded live and it was the first time I ever played it. It was the first time the band ever heard it and I think it captured something perfect. And it was, y'know, true." So I had to ask myself, again, ‘Well, what is the point of what I’m doing here? I could re-record it but why not just let it be?” To hear Houck, he confronts this moment of mystery every time he records. “Oh yeah, this process is positively filled with moments where you go ‘What exactly the hell is it that I'm doing here?’” Houck laughs. “And the answer always comes back a resounding, ‘I don’t know.’”
Ain't that just how it goes, C’est La Vie.
There is a collective energy in Nashville, one that Liz Cooper has poured herself into for the past six years. Liz remarks that the energy in Nashville today is akin to that of Greenwich Village in 1960s New York or the Laurel Canyon days in the 1960s and 1970s and is a product of a collaborative approach to music and art. This community has allowed Liz to be a part of many magically haphazard nights, where the movers and shakers of the Nashville music world, such as Okey Dokey, Becca Mancari, Rayland Baxter, Desert Noises, Morning Teleportation, Erin Rae, Brittany Howard, Cage the Elephant, Michael Nau and many more converge to make music and art and lose track of time. Her latest album is a product of that pulsating energy in Nashville that has had some of the greatest influence in her work.
Window Flowers is the culmination of a year where Liz made a purposeful effort to do something creative every day. Whether
it was directly related to music or not, this creative process challenged and inspired her to continually put herself in new situations and pushed her to become a better songwriter and guitar player. The tentative newcomer that is present in her early recordings was all but gone in the making of the album. Her absorption into the collaborative community is evidenced by guest appearances on Window Flowers including Will Brown (Michael Nau) on the keys, Michael and Ben Ford (Airpark) BGV’s/ guitar and songwriting, Gianni Gibson (Future Thieves) percussion, Leah Blevins on bgv’s, Emily Kohavi (Kacey Musgraves, Eminem etc.) on violin and Steve Dawson on pedal steel. Liz Cooper & The Stampede and their guests spent five days tracking Window Flowers at Welcome to 1979 in Nashville, Tennessee. TJ Elias, who co-produced the album with the band, sparked the relationship by approaching Liz one night backstage at The Ryman Auditorium after hearing her songs through a mutual friend and musician, Cody Huggins.
Window Flowers is a collection of music that deals with the weight of mundanity, and politely tells it to fuck off. When listening to “Sleepyhead” you hear remembrances of her early Nashville recordings, mixed with the powerful assertion that this is Liz Cooper, a force that will continue to shape and mold her own course of creating music. Whether you see Liz Cooper & The Stampede in a dive bar or a theater venue, you feel like you are being transported to another time and place. People often remark that her music takes them back to the 60s and 70s, when rock-n-roll felt alive, and bigger than oneself. The album will be released on Sleepyhead Records via Thirty Tigers (Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell) August 10, 2018.
Coming off their busiest year to-date, including playing Austin City Limits Festival for the first time in 2017, Liz Cooper & The Stampede have spent the first few months of 2018 touring with Lord Huron, Deer Tick, Rayland Baxter, Ron Gallo and Blitzen Trapper. The band will continue touring this year with Houndmouth, Tyler Childers and will play Firefly Festival and LouFest.
As Liz shakes her tambourine, hair falling in her face, donning a floral jumpsuit, it is hard to believe she identifies as a shy person. “I wanted to grow as a human and a musician so I had to quickly get over being painfully shy. I moved to Nashville as a scared and unconfident 19 year-old so I had to continually challenge myself and put myself out there. Now, as a 25 year- old I feel like I’ve grown so much confidence. Of course I
and many more converge to make music and art and lose track of time. Her latest album is a product of that pulsating energy in Nashville that has had some of the greatest influence in her work.
will always be awkward, but I’m learning to love that. What a journey it’s been and will continue to be; definitely a hot puzzle. As I grow, my music will grow. Music is helping me figure out who I am and what the hell my life is all about and at the end of the day it just makes me happy. Isn’t that what everyone is trying to figure out how to be?”
The Native Tongue Fest - Celebrating 30 yrs of Hip Hop
Beyoncé vs Rihanna Summer Dance Party
Hot In Herre: 2000s Dance Party
G Jones (CANCELLED)
Mynx featuring Vodkatrina, Tezrah, and DJ CYD
Phosphorescent with Liz Cooper & The Stampede
Tuesday, December 11 · Doors 7:00 PM at 9:30 Club
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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Name
Today I launched a portfolio website to showcase my writing and public speaking and I decided to simply call this website Javacia.com. Most people would argue that I should have called it JavaciaHarrisBowser.com, since that is my byline. But I chose to go with Javacia.com as a tribute to my first name.
My first name is the only one I can rely on. Little known fact: my name has been legally changed four times even though I’ve only been married once. Let me explain. When I was born I was named Javacia Nicole Price. Then my folks got hitched and I became Javacia Nicole Harris. But my mom lost the paper work so when I got my license I was Javacia Nicole Price again and remained that way for a year until my mom got the necessary documents to have my name changed AGAIN. Then I got married and changed my name to Javacia Nicole Bowser. Then I decided I missed my maiden name and changed my name to Javacia Harris Bowser. It's a miracle I even know my name.
Despite its dependability, I haven’t always liked my first name. As a girl, while my friends were thinking of names for their future kids, I would sit in my room jotting down ideas for the pseudonym I would use when I became a published author. For years I hated my name. I was disrespectful of my name, calling it “ghetto.” When people had trouble pronouncing my name I apologized as if I and the syllables it took to address me had somehow offended them. When they looked at me as if I were a green girl from Mars and said, "Well, that's different," I felt ashamed. And when they turned to me with a furrowed brow and asked "Do you have a nickname?" I just laughed and said, "You can call me J."
Then I became a journalist. And I fell in love with my byline. I became a journalist and that “ghetto” name Javacia was on the pages of The Seattle Times, The Chicago Sun, USA Today, and national magazines.
I’ve been told that having a name like Javacia is a liability because as soon as you see my name you know I’m black long before ever you see me. I’ve been told that having a name like mine could make jobs hard to come by, that I’d be passed over by certain employers. For years I considered going by my middle name Nicole. But then I thought to myself, “Do I really want to work for someone who would discriminate against me because of my name or race?”
Don't get me wrong. I'm in no way judging people of color who do alter their names for the sake of acceptance or a job. People do what they have to do.
And I decided that what I had to do was learn to stop worrying and love my name.
That same line of thinking also helped me decide to describe myself, on my new professional website, as a writer, speaker, and feminist. Yes, I used the f-word. Doing so made sense even though I recognize it was a risky move. I don’t want to do any writing or public speaking for someone who is anti-feminist. And feminism is not only a part of my work, it’s a huge part of who I am.
My name is Javacia and I am a feminist. Can you handle that?
Labels: feminism, journalism
Ramblings on Jesus, Feminism and Ani DiFranco
“We need to stop turning people into icons” – that’s a statement a friend of mine made on Facebook recently with regard to the outrage and disbelief experienced by many Ani DiFranco fans after the feminist folk singer announced that she’d be hosting her upcoming feminist songwriting retreat in Louisiana on the grounds of what was once a cotton plantation.
DiFranco has since canceled the retreat.
My friend didn’t elaborate much on her statement about icons, but her words reminded me of the importance of not elevating a person to an idol-like status. Humans are imperfect. They will screw up and when they do you could become disillusioned with everything they represent. This happens in churches all the time when parishioners begin to idolize their pastors. The pastor cheats on his wife and then young members of the congregation turn their backs on Christianity.
I am a huge Ani DiFranco fan. She's even part of the inspiration for the name of this blog. I started calling myself “Writeous Babe” not only as a play on the old phrase “That’s one righteous babe” but also as a nod to DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records. Ani’s lyrics have helped me define my feminism. But I can honestly say I've never elevated her to any sort of idol status. I disagree with her on plenty of issues ranging from makeup to religion. But I've mastered the art of being able to accept and even admire something or someone in spite of disagreements. I had to -- I'm a black liberal Christian feminist who lives in (and loves) the South.
Nonetheless, I was one of those people disappointed by Ani. I initially gave her the benefit of doubt. I live in the South and I know that down here it's pretty difficult to find a building that wasn't built on the backs of black folks. Also, I've visited plantations as a teenager and the groups with which I took these trips managed to transform the visits into an opportunity to honor the slaves who had once lived there. We did research on the black people who worked those very grounds and paid homage to them. I remember one moment standing in silence in a wooded area surrounding a plantation and thinking about how terrifying it would be to run away into the unknown and how brave the men and women who did that had to have been. These experiences brought me to tears and made me appreciate my freedom in a way that no history class ever could.
Unfortunately, Ani's released statement revealed that there were no formal plans to acknowledge the history of Nottoway Plantation. She just hoped the conversations would "emerge organically."
So, yes, as an Ani fan, I am very disappointed. But I'm not disillusioned with feminism because while I admire Ani she's not my feminist icon.
Thinking about this I began to wonder -- do I have a feminist icon?
I realized I do not. At least not yet.
I'm currently in the process of making Jesus my feminist icon. Let me explain.
I’ve identified as a Christian nearly all my life and for the past decade I’ve identified as a feminist as well. And for the past ten years reconciling these two parts of myself has been a constant struggle. And I’m tired. Sarah Bessey, author of the book Jesus Feminist, says Jesus made a feminist out of her. I can make no such claims, but I wish I could. No longer do I want to be a feminist in spite of my Christianity, I want to be a feminist because of my faith.
I said that Ani was part of the inspiration for the name of this blog. But I also decided to play on the word righteous because of the dictionary definition of the term – “morally good; following religious or moral laws.”
I don’t just want to be “writeous,” I want to be righteous too. I want my actions and my words to be pleasing in God’s sight.
I want to be a Jesus feminist.
No, we shouldn’t make people our icons because they will mess up. But we can put our trust in God.
And if you’re not sure why Jesus should be a feminist icon, I leave you with these words by Dorothy Day:
Perhaps it is no wonder that the women were first at the Cradle and last at the Cross. They had never known a man like this Man – there has never been another. A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronies; who never made arch jokes about them, never treated them as “The women, God help us!” or “The ladies, God bless them!”; who rebuked without querulousness and praised without condescension; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female; who had no axe to grind and no uneasy male dignity to defend; who took them as he found them and was completely unselfconscious. There is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel that borrows its pungency from female perversity; nobody could guess from the words and deeds of Jesus that there was anything “funny” about woman’s nature.
Labels: faith, feminism, Feminists Have Faith, Jesus Feminist
Beyonce - Flawless and Feminist
This morning I woke up and took a photo of myself.
I can count on one hand the number of times I've taken a selfie. But this morning I just had to. I woke up with Beyonce's "Flawless" playing in my head: "I woke up like this/ We flawless, ladies tell 'em."
"I woke up like this."
Like most Beyonce fans I spent most of yesterday in a state of disbelief. Did Queen Bey really drop a surprise album in the middle of the night? Does this album really feature more than a dozen songs and more than a dozen music videos?
I rushed home from work yesterday so I could sit down and carefully listen to all the tracks. The album immediately won me over with "Pretty Hurts," which speaks to the pressures of fitting society's beauty standards. In "Ghost" Beyonce gives listeners some insight into her business strategy and bluntly says she doesn't trust record labels. Tender tracks like "Superpower," "Heaven," and "Blue" (which features an adorable cameo from her daughter Blue Ivy) show off Bey's vocal prowess and tug on heart strings. And while the sexually explicit lyrics of tracks like "Drunk In Love," "Blow," and "Yonce"/"Partition" are a bit much at times, Mrs. Carter certainly does a good job of dispelling notions that married folks don't have good sex.
But then you hear "Flawless" and you realize she's doing so much more.
"Flawless" is a revamped version of the previously released track "Bow Down." And I will admit, when I first heard "Bow Down" I was confused. I didn't get it and I didn't like it. "What is she doing?" I asked myself.
But "Flawless" is now about to be that track on repeat in my car when I'm running errands or driving to work. Yes, the song starts with Bey telling her haters to show some respect for the path she has paved, but don't think for one moment this means she's turned her back on sisterhood. The entire second verse features snippets from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk "We Should All Be Feminists." This is one of my favorite TED Talks and one that I show to the students in my Women & Media class.
I get chills listening to Adichie's words to the backdrop of Beyonce's soaring soprano. And with Adichie's words, Beyonce's message becomes clear.
Bey's braggadocios lyrics fly in the face of the notion that women should "aim to be successful, but not too successful, otherwise you will threaten the man."
And when Mrs. Carter says "I took some time to live my life/ But don't think I'm just his little wife" she challenges the fact that girls are often taught to, as Adichie explains, "aspire to marriage."
Adichie says, "Marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support, but why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don't teach boys the same?"
Adichie goes on to ask, "Why do we raise girls to see each other as competitors not for jobs or accomplishments -- which I think could be a good thing -- but for the attention of men?"
And when Adichie declares that "We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are" suddenly even those raunchy rhymes from previous tracks have more purpose.
In case you were wondering if Beyonce is a feminist -- yes, she is. And in case you're not sure what that means, Adichie breaks it down: "Feminist - a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes."
And no, Beyonce has not turned her back on her Beyhive. The song ends with Queen Bey inviting all of us to join her in declaring that we're flawless -- not because of makeup, plastic surgery, or expensive clothes, but because we "woke up like this."
Labels: Beyonce, feminism, music
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Showing posts with label Nash. Show all posts
KC's Lazia is gunned down at his home
Sedalia Democrat
Two gunmen fatally shot John Lazia, underworld-connected political boss of Kansas City's north side "Little Italy," July 10, 1934, as he stepped out of a car in front of his apartment building.
Lazia and his wife had spent the evening of Monday, July 9, with their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carrollo, in the Lake Lotawana area, where the Lazias had a summer home. They returned to Kansas City in the early morning hours of July 10 in an automobile driven by Carrollo. Mrs. Lazia was seated in the front, beside Carrollo, while Lazia and Carollo's wife sat in the rear.
They pulled into the semi-circular driveway of the Park Central apartment building, 300 East Armour Boulevard, where the Lazias lived. When the car stopped under the building's front entrance canopy, John Lazia emerged from a rear seat and began to open the front door to help his wife from the car. At that moment, two gunmen opened fire on Lazia with a machine gun and a shotgun.
Mrs. Lazia
As Lazia fell wounded, he called out, "I'm shot. Get Marie out of here. Step on it, Charlie!"
Carrollo did as he was instructed. The gunmen advanced and fired more shots into Lazia's body. They then ran off into an alley beside the apartment building, climbed into a waiting automobile and escaped.
Lazia was rushed to St. Joseph Hospital (then about two miles away on East Linwood Boulevard). Doctors tended to his wounds - he had been struck by slugs in his chest, shoulder, head, back and arms - and administered three blood transfusions. They were unable to save Lazia. He died at the hospital at just after two o'clock that afternoon.
Lazia claimed not to know who shot him. In his final moments, he told Dr. D.M. Nigro, "I don't know why they did it. I'm a friend to everybody. I don't know why they did this to me."
Newspapers noted that Lazia was an important lieutenant in the political machine of Kansas City Democratic boss Thomas J. Pendergast. It was said that Lazia personally controlled 30,000 votes in the city. The killing brought considerable negative attention to the Pendergast machine. It was the second time that Lazia had damaged the organization. The machine's connections to the region's underworld had been exposed through Lazia's trial for income tax evasion five months earlier. At the time he was murdered, Lazia was free on bond awaiting an appeal of failure to file convictions that resulted in a one-year prison sentence, five years' probation and a fine.
St. Louis Star and Times shows location of victim and gunmen
Investigation goes nowhere
Otto P. Higgins, director of the local police force, took personal charge of the Lazia murder investigation. Joe Lusco, a north side political rival of Lazia, was immediately brought in for questioning. Police also rounded up more than twenty of Lusco's followers.
Lusco
Lusco was reputed to be part of Casmir Welch's political organization, which battled the Pendergast machine. A feud between the Lusco and Lazia factions had already claimed a number of lives, including that of Ferris Anthon, believed killed by Lazia-affiliated gunmen in the summer of 1933.
Lusco, however, insisted that any problems he ever had with Lazia had been resolved long ago. Lusco told investigators that he and Lazia were the closest of friends. Without evidence against the rival faction, police were forced to release Lusco and his men.
There was some suspicion that Lazia was targeted due to the arrests of two men for the killing of bank messenger Webster Kemner during a robbery earlier in the year. Sam DeCaro and Charles Taibi were charged with the Kemner killing. DeCaro was quickly tried, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Taibi was awaiting trial at the time of Lazia's murder. There were rumors that Lazia provided information to police that linked DeCaro and Taibi to the slaying of Kemner.
Eventually, the local authorities suggested that Lazia was killed by gangsters from outside the region. Lazia, they claimed, had enraged distant gang bosses by refusing to allow their men to operate within the Kansas City area.
In the fall of 1934, federal agents found interesting connections between the killing of John Lazia and the Union Station Massacre in Kansas City a year earlier. Kansas City gangster James LaCapra told authorities that Lazia aided gangsters "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Adam Richetti and Verne Miller in their failed but bloody attempt to free Frank Nash from federal custody. Agents also discovered that markings on machine gun bullets used in the massacre were a match for bullets recovered at the scene of Lazia's murder, suggesting that the same machine gun was used in both incidents. Authorities felt this was an indication that Lazia was killed by former allies rather than by known enemies.
Stand-up guy?
Police and press seemed not to consider that Lazia's recent income tax case had anything to do with his killing, though testimony in that case revealed to press, police and public the connections between political bosses and underworld bosses, the amount of money generated through local gambling rackets and the specific amounts that had been paid to county law enforcement personnel to ensure protection of those rackets. In fighting the government's case, Lazia went to the witness stand, named business partners and described financial transactions. And his fight did not end with his conviction.
When the jury returned a generous verdict, finding him guilty only of misdemeanor failing to file returns for two years and acquitting him of felony tax evasion, Lazia did not act in the way expected of a "stand-up guy." He went to the press and stated, "I'm a victim of prejudice. I feel I've been convicted on charges that never would have been placed against most businessmen."
Though a federal judge in spring 1934 overruled a request for a new trial, Lazia pressed ahead with an appeal, further increasing the exposure of his underworld colleagues. One month before his murder, Lazia learned that the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Omaha, Nebraska, would hear his appeal in October.
Lazia's remains were placed in a casket reportedly valued at $5,000. Some sources described the casket as silver-plated bronze, others as silver-lined copper. A wake was held at the home of Lazia's sister, and an estimated 10,000 people visited through the night.
St. Louis Star and Times shows funeral procession
On the morning of July 13, about 1,000 people were still crowded around the sister's home as the funeral procession to Holy Rosary Church commenced. More thousands lined the route to the church. Thomas J. Pendergast participated in the sendoff, along with former north side political boss Michael Ross and City Manager H.F. McElroy. The procession included 120 cars and was followed by four trucks filled with floral offerings.
The most noteworthy floral piece was a large wheel and axle with an obviously missing second wheel. That was sent by Pendergast. Newspapers called attention to the fact that flowers had been sent from individuals in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans and other U.S. cities. Even Joe Lusco sent flowers.
Following the funeral Mass, Lazia's remains were taken to St. Mary's Cemetery to be buried next to the graves of his father and mother.
Though John Lazia was dead and buried, the U.S. Bureau of Internal Revenue was not quite done with him. About a week after the funeral, Collector of Internal Revenue Dan M. Nee filed a lien of $62,280.01 against the Lazia estate, including property owned by Lazia's widow. The government argued that Lazia failed to pay $48,847.76 in owed taxes for the years 1927 through 1930 and also owed interest and fines totaling $13,432.25.
"John Lazia, Kansas City politician, goes to trial," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 5, 1934, p. 4.
"Gambling den 'fixing' bared in Lazia trial," St. Louis Star and Times, Feb. 6, 1934, p. 1.
"Says protection of Lazia's resort cost $500 a week," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 7, 1934, p. 1.
"Maze of tax data piled up at Lazia trial," St. Louis Star and Times, Feb. 8, 1934, p. 1.
"Lazia deposits put at $153,871 for two years," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 9, 1934, p. 2.
"Lazia had money; was it taxable? Is issue at trial," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 10, 1934, p. 3.
"Move by Lazia's lawyers to halt tax evasion trial," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 11, 1934, p. 16.
"Lazias lived on $150 a month, wife testifies," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 12, 1934, p. 3.
"Prosecutor asks for 'horse sense" in Lazia verdict," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 13, 1934, p. 6.
"Lazia convicted on two counts in income tax case," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 14, 1934, p. 1.
"Lazia is guilty on two charges," Chillicothe MO Constitution-Tribune, Feb. 14, 1934, p. 1.
"Lazia is sentenced by Judge Otis," Chillicothe MO Constitution-Tribune, Feb. 28, 1934, p. 7.
"John Lazia gets year in jail on U.S. tax charge," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 28, 1934, p. 3.
"A new trial for Lazia is probable," Chillicothe MO Constitution-Tribune, April 9, 1934, p. 6.
"Lazia hearing Saturday," Chillicothe MO Constitution-Tribune, April 10, 1934, p. 2.
"John Lazia denied retrial," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 14, 1934, p. 2.
"Lazia appeal will be argued in Omaha," Jefferson City MO Post-Tribune, June 1, 1934, p. 2.
"John Lazia dies after being shot by two gunmen," Sedalia MO Democrat, July 10, 1934, p. 1.
"John Lazia shot down by 2 unidentified gunmen today," Chillicothe MO Constitution-Tribune, July 10, 1934, p. 1.
"Machine-gunners shoot John Lazia, Pendergast's aid," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 10, 1934, p. 1.
"Politicians are dazed by death of Johnny Lazia," Jefferson City MO Post-Tribune, July 11, 1934, p. 3.
"A Chillicothe young man to aid of wounded man," Chillicothe MO Constitution-Tribune, July 11, 1934, p. 1.
"Great throng files past John Lazia bier," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 12, 1934, p. 3.
"Italians honor Lazia, lies in $5,000 casket," Jefferson City MO Post-Tribune, July 12, 1934, p. 10.
"The Lazia funeral to cost $40,000," Chillicothe MO Constitution-Tribune, July 12, 1923, p. 1.
"Thousands line funeral route of John Lazia," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 13, 1934, p. 1.
"Government files $62,280 lien on John Lazia estate," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 21, 1934, p. 3B.
"John Lazia linked with massacre of 5 at Kansas City," St. Louis Star and Times, Oct. 11, 1934, p. 3.
Posted by Thomas Hunt at 9:55 PM
Labels: Anthon, Carrollo, DeCaro, IRS, John Lazia, July 10, Kansas City, Lusco, Murder, Nash, Pendergast, Pretty Boy Floyd, Richetti, Taibi, Thomas Hunt, Union Station Massacre
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Most Drivers Say 0 Stars to Rideshare. So, Who’s in the Backseat?
You're traveling home after a night out. Do you take an Uber, Lyft, or taxi? For most American drivers, the go-to answer is “none of the above.”
INSIGHTS PREVIEW:
In a survey of American drivers regarding on-demand transportation preferences, nearly sixty percent of respondents did not express having a favorite service
Currently employed respondents, and the more highly educated, were statistically more likely to prefer using Uber and Lyft
There was a demonstrated gender gap in rideshare, with men overrepresented among respondents preferring Uber, and females overrepresented among those saying “none”
Those saying “no thanks” to taxi or rideshare were 10 percent more likely to be married
It could be that most active drivers out there simply never use on-demand transport networks to get around. That’s not only understandable; it’s completely logical. Why pay for a stranger to schlep you about when you’ve got a ride of your own?
At the same time, we don’t have a way to gauge how these “none” respondents necessarily feel about having rideshare options at their fingertips, or their relative access to taxi service. Is there a war on rideshare, and if so, why don’t all Americans fall into the same camps? The data team at Insurify found a handful of fascinating insights into who’s riding in the backseat, and who’s opting out.
The data scientists at Insurify, an auto insurance quotes comparison website, collected information from their database of over 1.6 million car insurance applications, which ask questions about users’ past seven years of driving history, vehicle type, and other relevant information. A random sample of shoppers was also surveyed about their rideshare or transportation network company (TNC) preferences; specifically: When you aren’t driving, which form of on-demand transportation do you prefer? From the response data, Insurify’s data team was able to determine the significant differences between categories of respondents.
Results: The war on rideshare?
While a vast majority of respondents gave a resounding “no,” Uber reigned supreme among the rest of the pack. And while the small showing for taxi might not necessarily be the death knell for the cab industry, it may speak to the paucity of this service in many regions of the country.
Here are some other intriguing (dare we say, Uber-interesting?) demographic insights the data team found:
Ridesharin’ on the job.
Ever need to rush to work in an Uber?
There appears to be a significant correlation between rideshare or taxi usership and employment. Respondents who reported using any type of on-demand transportation were about 7 percent more likely to be currently employed than those who did not.
For prestige services, the chances of rider employment increased. Those who prefer Lyft were about 14 percent more likely to be employed than those who typically do not use an on-demand transportation service. For those who Uber, that figure was around 9 percent higher likelihood.
Rideshare apps: a gendered divide?
There’s a reason the Germans have a word for the “Over-Man”: Übermensch. But it’s not necessarily because of this stat: Uber had the highest percentage of male respondents of any category this survey.
Those preferring Uber were around 15 percent more likely to be male than all other respondents. Is Uber a boys’ club? It was the only option in this survey that ended up being majority-male.
When assessing the gender breakdown of the results, it’s also notable that those choosing “None” were 11 percent more likely to be female. Is this evidence of a rideshare gender gap, or simply noise?
One thing’s for sure: the industry’s taken notice of how rideshare experiences can vary across genders. Startups like Safr are disrupting gendered notions of rideshare safety by empowering users to select the gender of their driver.
GEDs or PhDs in TNCs?
Those with a higher level of schooling are more likely to prefer rideshare services to a statistically significant degree.
Respondents who reported that they don’t typically use rideshare services were around 38 percent more likely to have only a high school-level education when compared to all other respondents.
Industry behemoths Uber and Lyft were the most likely to be enjoyed by those who have reached a higher level of educational attainment. Less than a quarter of both Uber and Lyft respondents had a high school education only. That amounts to a 21 percent higher likelihood that Uber riders made it past high school or a GED when compared to all other respondents. That same figure amounted to 17 percent higher likelihood for Lyft riders.
As for college degrees and beyond? Uber riders were over twice as likely to have at least a bachelor’s degree as all other respondents. Lyft riders were 1.6 times as likely.
Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in this uberPOOL…
It’s more of a one-off stat, but an interesting insight nonetheless: rideshare and taxi avoiders were 10% more likely to be married than all other respondents. When it came to overall share of wedded respondents, however, Uber took the (wedding) cake; 26.2 percent of Uber respondents were hitched.
Despite Uber’s taking the lead here, this could be a sign that rideshare is, overall, more common among singles. But, hey, captains of ships can marry people off, right? So why can’t rideshare drivers officiate? That’s got to be worth five stars and a hefty tip.
If you have questions or comments about this article, please contact insights@insurify.com.
Categories: TSM
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Gospel Shock and the Theology of the Body
CATECHIST AND PARENT ALERT: I invited Bill Donaghy, a Curriculum Specialist, Instructor, and Speaker for the Theology of the Body Institute to give us a quick summary of some of the ideas behind the TOB and the Institute’s upcoming congress.
Lisa: Hey, Bill! Thank you, so much, for taking the time to lay a foundation for our readers in understanding what the TOB is all about and learning more about the upcoming TOB Congress.
Briefly, what is the Theology of the Body?
Bill: The Theology of the Body is a refreshed, renewed vision of the beauty and dignity of the human person and our universal call to love and communion, which is written in our very sexuality as male and female. It is a penetrating series of meditations on both Sacred Scripture and human experience by St. John Paul II that reveals our fundamental call to become a gift, and through this gift, to fulfill the very meaning of our being and existence!
Lisa: Sounds incredibly rich. What is the Theology of the Body Institute?
Bill: The Theology of the Body Institute is a 501(c)3non- profit, educational organization promoting the Theology of the Body at the popular level of both the Christian and the secular cultures. Through graduate level courses, on-site programs and clergy training, Theology of the Body Institute seeks to penetrate and permeate the culture with a vision of true sexuality that appeals to the deepest yearnings of the human heart for love and union.
Lisa: Would you share the journey that led you to work at the Theology of the Body Institute?
Bill: I was privileged to be a part of the World Mission Jubilee in Rome in the year 2000. By “chance” I was chosen to represent the United States along with 11 other representatives from other countries as a symbolic image echoing the original 12 apostles. We were seated near St. John Paul II for the World Mission Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s on October 22, and each received personally from him a mission cross which he placed over our heads. He said that we must “bring Jesus back to our country.” Needless to say, I was ruined after that day! How could I not dedicate my life to the New Evangelization? I found myself consuming his written works, and speaking around my little part of the world about the great things God was doing in the world. This mission spread throughout the USA, and when the Theology of the Body Institute was formed, I was invited to become a speaker for the Institute on St. John Paul II’s beautiful teaching the Theology of the Body. It was the most natural progression for me. God placed it on my heart, all I had to do was say YES!
Lisa: What an incredible witness. I know so many people whose lives were transformed by contact with St. John Paul II.
What is the greatest need in our culture today?
Bill: Great question, and I think it’s a simple answer. We need communion. We need to see and know each other, to love each other. St. Augustine said it best over 1600 years ago! “The deepest desire of the human heart is to see another and to be seen.” I think our over-stimulated, techno-holic culture has become so obsessed with screens and gadgets and quick downloads, we’ve forgotten this most basic human need… to see and to be seen. To know and be known by another. This takes time, and vulnerability, and honesty. But it so slakes the thirst of our hearts for communion!
Lisa: Great point. In teaching young people, we really need to meet them where they’re at and find a way past their screens.
What motivates you to do what you do?
Bill: I guess I’m motivated by beauty, ultimately. The beauty of life, of creation, of other people, and of God Who I think is playing a kind of “hide and seek” behind and through it all with us. The Theology of the Body has really been such a personal gift for me, to see with this kind of “sacramental vision.” It’s captivating to think and to experience that everything speaks; literally everything can become a vehicle for God to communicate His Mystery to us, culminating in the Eucharist. Life is such a gift. It becomes a romance when we realize He is the Lover seeking us His beloved.
Lisa: Amen! Take this even further for us; explain, using your own experiences, how you have found that every human heart has the same desires?
Bill: I think it’s been my own love of music, and art, and movies that has helped me to plug into this universal ache for communion and love that we all feel. It was Van Morrison’s tune “Into the Mystic” that really moved me as a young man. I think I was 16 years old. I felt this pull in the center of my chest into something, Someone, that was so big. Much bigger than me! Bigger than I could contain actually. It was scary, and beautiful, all at the same time. Then you read your philosophers (the ancients are the most clear headed I think). And the poetry, and the love that makes saints and mystics. You start to see our beautiful diversity but in and through our unified desire for a oneness. Our hearts are restless, Augustine said, until they rest in Him. I have found this to be profoundly true.
Lisa: The news is awful, these days. How might we unite beauty and suffering in our broken world?
Bill: You just have to watch the most beautiful movie that was ever made (which is about suffering) and you’ll get it: The Passion of the Christ. You’ll find that authentic beauty gives you in fact a kind of pain. The pain of longing that says “You were made for more. This world cannot contain your heart! Listen, and even in sorrow, hope!” To quote Dostoyevsky, “In the end, Beauty will redeem the world!”
Lisa: Can you explain what a Culture of Life is and what it looks like?
Bill: I think an authentic Culture of Life is a place where the other person is more important than me. It’s a place that rejoices in life, in beauty, in innocence, in the wisdom of old age, in our strength and in our vulnerability. The Culture of Life is anything but boring! It sees everything as a gift, and all of those gifts are calls for us to rise up and out of ourselves for others. That’s really why we are here after all! We are here to be a gift and to see others as a gift.
Lisa: Do you think the general attitude towards sex and sexuality is improving or getting worse?
Bill: Well, that’s a tricky question. I used to think it couldn’t get much worse, but I think the saying is true, “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” We have so disintegrated our identity, our hearts and our bodies and our souls. We are seeking meaning and purpose and a point to it all, and that’s a good thing! I just think that there’s really only one place left to go: to the healing. The prodigal son at some point, turned around and made the journey home. I think the general attitude towards sex is starting to reveal its utter shame and hollowness. We are still hungry. We need redirection, a sexual reorientation. And the Father is running out to meet us, in the body, with St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body! What a grace-filled time to be alive!
Lisa: I agree, totally. Do you think the teachings of Saint John Paul II have the power to restore our culture and build a Culture of Life?
Bill: I have absolutely no doubt that Theology of the Body is the antidote. After my first encounter with it in a Catholic bookstore at age 16, in 1986, and a reawakening after many years (in 2000), it has spoken to my heart and healed me. It has a powerful grace in it, a gospel shock, a solidity and a weight of glory that is exactly what our tired world is looking for. God gives the Church just what She needs when she needs it. All we have to do now is open up our hearts, and receive it.
Lisa: A lot of people are really excited about the 2016 TOB Congress. Tell us why it’s causing such a buzz.
Bill: This is an incredible opportunity that offers everyone the chance to hear world-renowned speakers/experts on a variety of topics through the lens of TOB. Our theme this year is “Love, Mercy, and the Gift of the Family.” It will take place in Ontario, California. Some of our speakers are SR. HELENA BURNS, BRIAN BUTLER, JASON EVERT, MATT FRADD, ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ, SR. REGINA MARIE GORMAN, DR. JOHN GRABOWSKI, DAMON OWENS, MATT PINTO, JAKE SAMOUR, JEN SETTLE, DR. PIA DE SOLENNI, DR. EDWARD SRI, ROSE SWEET, CHRISTOPHER WEST, KATRINA J. ZENO, and more!
The talk categories include catechesis and evangelization, marriage and family, pastoral ministry, philosophy and theology: covering topics like married life, healing, divorce, same sex attraction, celibacy, kids and sex, the new feminism, daily life, the Eucharist, and more! You can learn more at TOBcongress.com
Lisa: Exceptional line-up! Thank you, Bill!
Read all posts by Lisa Mladinich Filed Under: Catechist Training, Culture, Evangelization, Featured, Interviews, Lay Apostolates, Lisa's Updates, NFP/Chastity, RCIA & Adult Education Tagged With: ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ, Bill Donaghy, BRIAN BUTLER, CHRISTOPHER WEST, DAMON OWENS, DR. EDWARD SRI, DR. JOHN GRABOWSKI, DR. PIA DE SOLENNI, HELENA BURNS, JAKE SAMOUR, JASON EVERT, JEN SETTLE, KATRINA J. ZENO, MATT FRADD, MATT PINTO, ROSE SWEET, SR. REGINA MARIE GORMAN, Theology of the Body, Theology of the Body Institute, TOB
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Cynthia Atman
Cynthia J. Atman is the founding director of the Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching (CELT), a professor in Human Centered Design & Engineering, and the inaugural holder of the Mitchell T. & Lella Blanche Bowie Endowed Chair at the University of Washington. Dr. Atman is co-director of the Consortium to Promote Reflection in Engineering Education (CPREE), funded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. She was director of the NSF-funded Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education (CAEE), a national research center that was funded from 2003-2010. Her research focuses on engineering design learning, considering context in engineering design, and the use of reflection to support learning. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the ASEE. Dr. Atman holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. Website.
Mary Besterfield-Sacre
Mary Besterfield-Sacre is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor in Industrial Engineering. She also serves as founding Director for the Engineering Education Research Center (EERC). Mary has a B.S. is in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri – Rolla, a M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, and a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. Mary was on faculty at the University of Texas – El Paso; and returned to Pitt in 1999. Her principal research is in engineering education assessment, which has been funded by the NSF, Department of Ed, Sloan, EIF, and VentureWell. Mary has sponsored 4 postdocs, produced 10 PhDs, and sponsored 32 graduate students and 60 undergraduate students on research. As a top researcher in engineering education, Mary has won numerous national awards for her research, and is a Fellow in the ASEE. In 2011 Mary established the Engineering Education Research Center (EERC), where she also founded Pitt-CIRTL, a member of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL), a national consortium of R1 schools aimed at preparing the next generation faculty member in STEM.
Alan Cheville
Alan Cheville received degrees in electrical engineering at Rice University, specializing in ultrafast optical spectroscopy. After postdoctoral work in ultrafast optoelectronics, he joined the faculty of Oklahoma State University in 1998. He continued his work on high speed THz optoelectronics—supported by funding from the Department of Energy, the Army Research Office, and the National Science Foundation including a CAREER award—in areas such as THz time domain spectroscopy of molecular vapors and flames, pulsed ranging, and optical tunneling. During his time at Oklahoma State University he slowly transitioned his research interests from optoelectronics to engineering education, with an initial focus on effectively integrating research-based pedagogies into engineering curricula in the areas of photonics and electromagnetics. He led a five year, $1.2M NSF-sponsored department-level reform project at OSU that sought to integrate relevant design experiences and mathematical competencies across the curriculum. Following the conclusion of this project, he served for two and a half years as the program director for engineering education in the National Science Foundation’s Engineering Directorate. During this time he developed several funding programs, served as NSF liaison to a Federal working group on games, as well as on several internal working groups. He was recognized by the Director’s Award for Program Management Excellence. He currently serves as chair of the Electrical & Computer Engineering at Bucknell University and is interested in engineering design education, engineering education policy, and the epistemology of engineering. Website.
Aditya Johri
Aditya Johri is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology. He studies the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for learning and knowledge sharing, with a focus on cognition in informal environments. Dr. Johri also examine the role of ICT in supporting distributed work among globally dispersed workers and in furthering social development in emerging economies. He received the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Early Career Award in 2009. He is co-editor of the Cambridge Handbook of Engineering Education Research (CHEER) published by Cambridge University Press, New York, NY. Dr. Johri earned his Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Technology Design at Stanford University, M.S. in Information, Design, and Technology at Georgia Tech, M.A. in Mass Communication at University of Georgia, and a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering at Delhi College of Engineering. Website.
Michael Loui
Michael C. Loui is the Dale and Suzi Gallagher Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University. He was previously Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and University Distinguished Teacher-Scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His interests include computational complexity theory, professional ethics, and engineering education research. He served as the editor of the Journal of Engineering Education from 2012 to 2017. He is currently on the editorial boards of College Teaching and Accountability in Research. He is a Carnegie Scholar, an IEEE Fellow, and an ASEE Fellow. Professor Loui was Associate Dean of the Graduate College at Illinois from 1996 to 2000. He directed the theory of computing program at the National Science Foundation from 1990 to 1991. He earned the Ph.D. at M.I.T. in 1980. Website.
Karl Smith
Karl A. Smith, Purdue University and University of Minnesota
Cooperative Learning Professor, School of Engineering Education, College of Engineering, Purdue University and Emeritus Professor of Civil, Environmental and Geo- Engineering, Morse-Alumni Distinguished University Teaching Professor, University of Minnesota. Research and development interests include building research and innovation capabilities in engineering education; faculty and graduate student professional development; the role of cooperation in learning and design; problem formulation, modeling, and knowledge engineering; and project and knowledge management. PI on the NSF Innovation Corps for Learning (I-Corps™ L) grants. Author of eight books, including Teamwork and Project Management, 4e (2014). Website.
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Chris Plutte
https://twitter.com/chrisplutte
Plutte
Managing Director, Bezos Family Foundation
Chris Plutte is a proven entrepreneurial and multi-faceted leader with more than 15 years of experience in the fields of education, media and conflict resolution. Chris co-founded the award winning NGO, Global Nomads Group (GNG), in 1998, and led the organization for more than a decade. Prior to rejoining GNG in 2010, Chris opened and directed all of Search for Common Ground’s (SFCG) programs in Rwanda, and was SFCG’s Chief of Party on several major initiatives for the Great Lakes region (DRC, Burundi & Rwanda). In both roles at GNG and SFCG, he managed all aspects of project and program development. Chris is skilled and experienced in international development work with a breadth and depth of experience working in multi-cultural environments across Asia, the Americas, Africa and Europe. Chris is a sought after speaker on media, youth and conflict and has been featured during interviews with television, radio and print media, including the Today Show, CNN, NPR, Education Week and Chronicles of Philanthropy. Chris received his BA in International Communications from the American University of Paris. He is currently a Pahara Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Class VII - G7
Adria Goodson
Tommy Loper
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Tanzania is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. The incidence of internal trafficking is higher than that of transnational trafficking and is usually facilitated by family members, friends, or intermediaries of victims who offer assistance with education or finding lucrative employment in urban areas. Some unscrupulous individuals manipulate the traditional practice of child fostering—in which poor children are entrusted into the care of wealthier relatives or respected members of the community—to subject children to forced labor. The exploitation of young girls in domestic servitude continues to be Tanzania’s largest human trafficking problem, though child sex trafficking, particularly along the Kenya-Tanzania border, occurs as well. Girls are exploited in sex trafficking in tourist areas within the country. Boys are subjected to forced labor, primarily on farms—including as farm laborers, cattle herders, and occasionally hunters—but also in mines and quarries, in the informal commercial sector, in factories, in the sex trade, and possibly on small fishing boats operating on the high seas. Smaller numbers of Tanzanian children and adults are subjected to domestic servitude, other forms of forced labor, and sex trafficking—often by other Tanzanians—in other countries including Mozambique, Ethiopia, South Africa, Uganda, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy, and possibly other African, Middle Eastern, and European countries. There are media reports that Tanzanian children with physical disabilities are transported to Kenya for forced begging and that Tanzanian girls are subjected to sex trafficking in China. Trafficking victims from other countries—typically children from Burundi and Kenya, as well as adults from Bangladesh, Nepal, Yemen, and India—are forced to work in Tanzania’s agricultural, mining, and domestic service sectors; some are also subjected to sex trafficking. Citizens of neighboring countries may voluntarily migrate through Tanzania before being forced into domestic service and prostitution in South Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
The Government of Tanzania does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Government representatives participated in donor-funded meetings to draft and review regulations and procedures for the implementation of the 2008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and finalized these texts for stakeholder input near the end of the reporting period. The government repatriated two victims of international labor trafficking, and police reported referring 11 victims to NGOs for support. Despite these measures, the government failed to demonstrate overall increasing efforts to combat trafficking from the previous year; therefore, Tanzania is placed on Tier 2 Watch List. For a fifth year, the government failed to allocate funding to the victims’ assistance fund established by the 2008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. Tanzanian authorities did not prosecute any new cases or convict any trafficking offenders during the reporting period. Insufficient efforts to protect victims left them with a lack of incentives for participating in investigations, limiting the government’s ability to pursue successful law enforcement action against traffickers. Officials’ inability to distinguish between trafficking and smuggling led to some victims being punished.
Recommendations for Tanzania:
Increase efforts to enforce the 2008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act by prosecuting trafficking offenses, convicting trafficking offenders, and applying stringent penalties—including jail time, as appropriate—upon conviction; implement the act’s victim protection and prevention provisions, including by allocating resources to the victim assistance fund; establish policies and procedures for government officials to identify and interview potential trafficking victims—including adults—among vulnerable groups proactively and transfer them to local organizations providing care; begin compiling trafficking-specific law enforcement and victim protection data at the national level; contribute government resources to train judges, prosecutors, and police to clarify the difference between human trafficking and human smuggling; provide specialized anti-trafficking training to all Tanzanian diplomats prior to their departure for overseas posts; allocate a budget for the anti-trafficking committee and anti-trafficking secretariat to implement the national action plan to combat trafficking; provide additional training to law enforcement authorities on the detection and methods of investigating human trafficking crimes; and implement or update the 2012-2014 national action plan.
The Tanzanian government made limited law enforcement efforts during the year. The 2008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act outlaws all forms of trafficking and prescribes punishments of one to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. These penalties are sufficiently stringent, but not commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. A provision allowing offenders to pay a fine in lieu of serving prison time allows for a penalty that is not proportionate to the crime and does not provide an adequate deterrent to potential perpetrators of trafficking offenses.
The government reported investigating three cases of suspected trafficking; details of those cases are unknown. The government reported responding to three additional tips received concerning international trafficking cases, but failed to prosecute or convict any offenders. Two of the latter three cases involved male Tanzanian victims; one victim was subjected to forced labor in Italy, and another was lured to Uganda on the promise of playing soccer and subsequently subjected to forced labor. Following a lead from INTERPOL, authorities investigated a case of a Nepali girl believed to have been subjected to trafficking within Tanzania, but her whereabouts were not discovered. Law enforcement and judicial officials’ lack of understanding of trafficking continued to create an environment of impunity; at best, the crime of trafficking was treated as a minor offense. The government did not allocate funding to provide specialized anti-trafficking training to officials during the year. The government made no progress in compiling trafficking-specific law enforcement and victim protection data at the national level. The Government of Tanzania did not report any investigations or prosecutions of public officials for alleged complicity in trafficking-related offenses during the reporting period.
The Tanzanian government made few efforts to protect victims of trafficking during the year. The police reported referring 11 victims to local NGOs for support, and civil society organizations reported identifying and assisting an additional 11 victims in 2013. Government officials did not typically take measures to proactively identify victims among vulnerable groups. In one incident, authorities in Zanzibar identified two suspected victims, children en route to Oman for domestic work, and prevented them from departing on the basis that they had insufficient travel documents. Authorities failed to refer the girls to social service providers and their subsequent whereabouts are unknown, leaving them at risk of re-trafficking. A systematic referral method which calls for police, Department of Social Welfare, and NGOs to notify each other of all potential cases remained in place, but often did not function effectively. Police cooperated with an international organization to develop a directory of NGOs that could provide support for victims. There were no procedures in place for the referral of adult victims to service providers.
Key victim protection provisions of the 2008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, such as allocating funding to the victims’ assistance fund, remained unimplemented. The government continued to rely on NGOs to provide care for victims, and NGO-run facilities were limited to urban areas. There were no shelters dedicated solely to trafficking victims. The government repatriated two Tanzanian male victims of forced labor abroad—one who had been exploited in Uganda and one in Italy. The government failed to ensure that victims were not punished for crimes committed as a result of their being trafficked. The absence of national procedures for victim identification, and law enforcement officers’ failure to distinguish between trafficking and smuggling, often led to foreign victims being arrested, convicted of immigration violations, imprisoned, and deported as irregular migrants. In June 2013, to satisfy a 2008 U.S. court judgment levied against a Tanzanian diplomat who had been posted to the United States, the government facilitated the payment of $170,000—a negotiated sum equivalent to back wages—to a victim of domestic servitude. In a separate case, a Tanzanian diplomatic mission failed to expeditiously process a victim’s travel documents. The government neither encouraged nor discouraged victims from participating in the investigation and prosecution of their traffickers, but many were pressured by family members not to testify or provide information to authorities. The 2008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act provides foreign victims legal alternatives to their removal to countries where their safety or the safety of their families may be endangered; no foreign victims received this immigration relief during the reporting period.
The government made some efforts to prevent human trafficking during the year. The government’s anti-trafficking committee and anti-trafficking secretariats still lacked budgets and full-time staff, but government representatives participated in three donor-funded meetings and a meeting funded by the Ministry of Home Affairs to draft and review regulations and procedures for the implementation of the 2008 law. These texts were finalized for stakeholder input near the end of the reporting period. Local officials in the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar conducted a public awareness campaign across the island using printed brochures and radio announcements. The Minister of Foreign Affairs met with journalists to condemn reports of Tanzanian girls being subjected to forced prostitution in China, and to warn the public to be cautious about accepting offers of sponsored travel abroad. The government made no discernible efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor or commercial sex acts during the reporting period. Tanzanian troops received specialized anti-trafficking training from a foreign donor prior to their deployment abroad on international peacekeeping missions.
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About the report >
About this year’s report
Since the year 2000 the World Internet Institute has collected data about how the Swedish population uses information and communication technology as well as how it affects individuals, families and society. This is mostly done through the panel study “Swedes and the internet”, a panel study which started with 2000 telephone interviews and today 3000 interviews, based on a random selection of the population from 11 and up (2007 and earlier was from 18 and up). From the year 2010, .SE has been the owner of the study.
Telephone interviews are deep and contain questions about the subjects’ background data, access to technology, use of traditional media and most of all the use of the internet in its different forms. Questions are asked to parents with children at home between the ages of 2-11, about their use of the internet. To adolescents between 11 and 15, the questions are also asked to their parents.
In the past few years, those who have received letters that they have been chosen to participate in a study could choose if they wanted to be interviewed over the telephone or if they wanted to answer the questions themselves with an online form. In the 2014 survey, 628 people (21%) took part in the survey via the online form, and the others over the telephone.
Swedes and the internet is the Swedish part of the World Internet Project, an international research project that follows the distribution and use of the internet around the world. The number of participating countries rises each year and now the project has around 30 participating countries. Every partner in the respective countries finances their own work in the project. The national selection is a representative selection of the population. In the question packet, there are around 100 questions that are common for all countries, the so-called “Common Questions”. These are formulated exactly the same in each country in order to create comparative results.
What is unique with the survey?
The survey is designed as a panel study, which gives the possibility to follow individual people over a longer time. Most other internet surveys are samplings where the entire population, including the elderly, are interviewed. In many other internet surveys there are no people over 65. Both users and non-users are included. The internet is seen in a much broader context. Access, use and the effects are studied. International comparisons are possible.
Swedes and the internet is organized by a so-called revolving panel design. This basically means that a panel of people are interviewed year after year. A portion of the panel falls off for various reasons. They do not want to participate any longer, or they have moved, changed name or for other reasons have been difficult to reach. Therefore, there are new selections of people each year filling in the gaps on the panel. They also constitute a control that makes it possible to control for panel effects. The aim is that the total sample of people interviewed should be representative of the population.
The first time the survey was conducted, in the year 2000, a sample was taken from the national phone directory. This selection is supplemented annually for the loss incurred to the sample total, which amounts to 3000 people. Usually, around 700 new people are recruited for the panel to compensate for people who no longer wish to be part of the study. New recruiting of the panel is done through a stratified selection steered by age and gender to ensure an even representation of these variables.
The selections are ordered via SPAR, the state’s personal address register, which is now handled by the tax authorities. It is a register which includes all persons who are registered in Sweden, both Swedish and foreign citizens.
The total sample of adults, 16 years and older, was 4818 of which 4502 were reachable by phone number (large section). 1576 (35%) did not wish to participate, 57 had language problems, and another 62 were not qualified. The number of interviews conducted was 2801. This gives a response rate of 62 percent based on the large sample.
In adolescent interviews, ages 11-15, where parents’ consent was necessary to obtain, the response rate was much lower, a large selection of 475, of which 205 (43%) did not want to participate. The number of interviews was 250. The response rate was 52 percent.
Except for the first few years, the survey was conducted at the beginning of the year. The 2014 survey took place from February to April.
Adult Survey 2014
Swedes and the internet’s interview surveyed a sample of the population 16+ years (no upper limit). Number of respondents: 2801).
Youth survey 2014
The interview surveyed a sample of youth between 11-15 and their parents (250 youth and 250 parents).
Parent survey 2014
Additional questions in the adult survey to those parents with children between 2-11 years old, about the use of mobile phones and the internet (514 parents interviewed about 833 children)
51 percent men 49 percent women
63 percent urban 37 percent rural
Next: Conclusion
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Click to copyhttps://apnews.com/45f78abcfcec43e49f4c0fbe06b66a8b
Most big public colleges don’t track suicides, AP finds
By COLLIN BINKLEYJanuary 2, 2018
FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2014 file photo, James Holleran, father of Madison Holleran, a University of Pennsylvania freshman who took her own life, talks about his daughter while sitting next to a favorite photo of her at his home in Allendale, N.J. Nearly half of the largest U.S. public universities do not track suicides among their students, despite making investments in prevention at a time of surging demand for mental health services. After her 2014 suicide, one of her former teachers in New Jersey was surprised to learn learn many universities don't report suicide statistics. (April Saul/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, File)
BOSTON (AP) — Most of the largest U.S. public universities do not track suicides among their students, despite making investments in prevention at a time of surging demand for mental health services.
Tabulating student suicides comes with its own set of challenges and problems. But without that data, prevention advocates say, schools have no way to measure their success and can overlook trends that could offer insight to help them save lives.
“If you don’t collect the data, you’re doing half the job,” said Gordon Smith, a former U.S. senator from Oregon who became a prevention advocate after his son, Garrett, took his life in 2003 while attending college. “We need information in mental health if we’re actually going to be able to better tailor health and healing.”
The Associated Press asked the 100 largest U.S. public universities for annual suicide statistics and found that 46 currently track suicides, including 27 that have consistently done so since 2007. Of the 54 remaining schools, 43 said they don’t track suicides, nine could provide only limited data and didn’t answer questions about how consistently they tracked suicides, and two didn’t provide statistics.
Schools that don’t track suicides include some of the nation’s largest, including Arizona State University and the University of Wisconsin, which have both dealt with student suicides in the recent past, according to news reports. There were at least two suicides at Arizona State in 2017. Health officials at Wisconsin said they’re finalizing a database to track the causes of student deaths.
“We will create a formal model to accurately document all student deaths at UW-Madison,” Dr. Agustina Marconi, an epidemiologist at the university, said in a statement. “Our findings and the standards we create will benefit other universities moving forward.”
The issue has come to the fore as some schools report today’s students are arriving on campus less prepared for the rigors of college. Many schools have increased spending on mental health services to counter what the American Psychological Association and other groups have called a mental health crisis on campuses.
Surveys have found increasing rates of anxiety and depression among college students, but some experts say the problem only appears to be worsening because students who might have stayed silent in the past are taking advantage of the increasing availability of help.
“It’s unfortunate that people are characterizing this outcome as a crisis,” said Ben Locke, who runs a national mental-health network for colleges and leads the counseling center at Penn State. “It’s counterproductive because it’s criticizing the exact people we’ve encouraged to come forward.”
Adding to the skepticism is that young adults in college have been found to have lower suicide rates than their peers. But they are also at an age when disorders including schizophrenia and bipolar depression often start to develop.
Federal health officials have sought to encourage data collection as part of a grant program named after Smith’s son, which has awarded $76 million to more than 230 colleges since 2005. Schools have separately spent millions on their own, often adding programs that teach basic life skills, and training staff across campus to identify students in need.
The U.S. Education Department asks colleges to collect data on student deaths but not suicides specifically, and a variety of factors can discourage schools from tracking it.
Often it’s difficult to confirm the cause of death, and medical examiners don’t always notify universities when a cause is determined. There are concerns about legal liability. Some families prefer to keep it private. Even schools that collect data differ on whether they count suicides that occur away from campus or during breaks.
And if the statistics become public, some schools fear it could damage their reputations.
“No school wants to be known as a school with multiple suicides. It’s not good for business,” said Nance Roy, chief clinical officer for the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit that works with colleges and high schools on prevention.
Advocates in at least three states have pushed to require universities to collect suicide data — in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington — but without success so far.
After the 2014 suicide of freshman track star Madison Holleran at the University of Pennsylvania, one of her former teachers in her hometown of Allendale, New Jersey, was surprised to learn many universities don’t report suicide statistics. He pushed for a law that would have required the state’s public universities to collect and publicize annual numbers, but it never made it to a vote amid pushback from schools.
“He felt that it was something that the public had every right to know,” said Pam Philipp, a New Jersey mental-health advocate who lobbied for the legislation along with Holleran’s former teacher, Ed Modica, who died in 2017 at age 66.
A similar proposal by a state task force in Washington was sidelined amid budget woes last year, while lawmakers in Pennsylvania have yet to vote on recommendations to improve data collection.
National studies have found that suicide rates are on the rise in the United States, reaching 13 per 100,000 among all Americans and 12.5 among those ages 15 to 24. Much of the data on suicide comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which does not specifically track college suicides.
The gap in information led Dr. James Turner to seek funding for a national reporting system for student deaths in 2009 when he was president of the American College Health Association, but the National Institutes of Health didn’t see the value, he said, and it never happened.
“I became puzzled, because we as a society are so interested in the health of college students,” said Turner, who is now retired from the University of Virginia. “Why is it we don’t have a comprehensive way of approaching this?”
The NIH declined to comment for this article.
A total of 27 schools provided statistics to the AP that they say were consistently tracked from 2007 through 2016, amounting to an overall suicide rate of about 4 per 100,000, although numbers from some universities were so low that experts including Roy at the Jed Foundation questioned their accuracy. The University of Arizona, for example, averaged more than 40,000 students per year over the decade but reported just three suicides, a rate of 0.7 per 100,000.
Earlier studies have found average rates between 6.5 and 7.5 per 100,000 among college students. Schools that provided data to the AP had rates ranging from 0.27 to 8. Because of the inconsistency in responses, The Associated Press is not publishing figures for colleges that provided data.
Schools that do track suicides, however, often use their data to refine prevention efforts.
After Clemson University started gathering more data in 2015, campus officials noticed an increased suicide rate among transfer students. The school is now redoubling efforts to connect those students with campus services.
Data at other universities have led officials to secure access to certain rooftops.
Among the oldest examples is at the University of Texas at Austin, where officials in the 1990s installed iron barriers atop a clock tower that had previously been closed following several student suicides. The 10-year rate on that campus is in line with averages found in earlier studies, its data show, and has decreased in the second half of the past decade, even as national rates increase.
But Chris Brownson, the counseling center director who analyzes the university’s suicides, said it’s hard to celebrate success when every new case brings so much pain.
“One death is one death too many,” he said, “and that’s why we come to work every day — to do the things that we do here to try to prevent any of those from happening.”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255. Follow Collin Binkley on Twitter at @cbinkley.
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'Captivate, kill or destroy the whole force of the enemy' was the order given to the American soldiers. THE FORT is the blistering new novel from worldwide bestseller Bernard Cornwell. Summer 1779. Seven hundred and fifty British soldiers and three small ships of the Royal Navy. Their orders: to build a fort above a harbour to create a base from which to control the New England seaboard. Forty-one American ships and over nine hundred men. Their orders: to expel the British. The battle that followed was a classic example of how the best-laid plans can be disrupted by personality and politics, and of how warfare can bring out both the best and worst in men. It is a timeless tale of men at war, written by a master storyteller.
Publisher: London : HarperCollins, p2010.
Characteristics: 11 compact discs (ca. 12 hrs.) :,digital ;,12 cm.
Additional Contributors: Bowerman, Robin
Read more reviews of The Fort at iDreamBooks.com
Cdnbookworm Feb 14, 2013
This novel covers the real American Revolutionary battle over the settlement of Majabigwaduce on Penobscot Bay (in present-day Maine) in the summer of 1779. We follow characters on both sides. On the British side we see things from the point of view of Brigadier General McLean and Lieutenant John Moore (later a well-know British military leader). On the American side we see things from the viewpoint of General Wadsworth, a former schoolteacher. The British have three warships and a couple of transport ships and a half-finished fort (the titular Fort George), a Scottish brigade of professional soldiers, and control of the harbour. The Americans have the largely untrained Massachusetts militia, a few Continental Navy ships with marines, and several Privateers. They outnumber the British in both ships and men. General Saltenstall is in charge of the Warren and the American naval forces, but worries more about the safety of his ship than his responsibilities to attack the enemy when appropriate. The leader of the army is General Lovell, a former farmer and nervous in his role. Paul Revere is a Colonel in charge of the artillery and comes across very badly as vain, self-important, and a bad military leader. The bullheadedness of Generals Saltenstall and Lovell create a standoff in which Saltenstall refuses to attack the British ships until the fort is taken, and Lovell refuses to attack the fort until the ships are vanquished. The bad leadership of Revere leads to ineffective artillery, lost equipment, and captured men. The resultant siege allows the fort to be further fortified and the British Navy to send reinforcements. Wadsworth is angry and frustrated with all of them, rightly so, but lacks the authority to force the correct responses to the situation. Both Wadsworth and the Continental marines come across well here, as well as a few other American officers and men, but the amateur nature of the majority of the men on the American side is part of the problem that leads to the final outcome of the battle. Definitely a case where personalities and training, or lack thereof, showed. It was interesting, historically enlightening, and an overall good read.
Kells, Susannah
Penobscot Expedition, 1779 — Fiction.
Audiobooks (CD)
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All in the family —
Hulu seeks buyers, gets $500 million bid from former News Corp president
Peter Chernin is interested in the video streaming site, Reuters sources say.
Megan Geuss - Apr 8, 2013 2:00 am UTC
Late last week, Reuters reported that former News Corp president Peter Chernin, who now runs The Chernin Group, made a $500 million bid to buy the TV streaming website Hulu. The Chernin Group owns stakes in Pandora Media Inc and the related production company Chernin Entertainment has produced films and TV shows such as New Girl, Terra Nova, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Hulu is currently jointly owned by News Corp and Walt Disney Co. Peter Chernin had a hand in building Hulu back in 2007 when he was on the website's board, says Reuters. Chernin left News Corp in 2009 to build his own company. According to Reuters, News Corp and Walt Disney Co "reached out to potential buyers in March [of 2013] after initially contemplating a deal in which one [News Corp. or Disney] would buy out the other. It is not clear whether that transaction is still being contemplated."
Last year, Providence Equity Partners invested $200 million in The Chernin Group, and then turned around and sold its 10 percent stake in Hulu for $200 million dollars. That put the valuation for the streaming service at $2 billion total. Hulu has three million paying subscribers for its premium service, and reported $700 million in revenue last year.
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For Patients Treated for Myeloma, Antibiotic Prophylaxis May Reduce Infections and Deaths
By Caroline Helwick
Mark T. Drayson, MD, PhD
“Infection in the first 12 weeks is the biggest cause of the high early death rate in myeloma,” Dr. Drayson said. “Myeloma profoundly suppresses the immune system, and then we give antimyeloma therapy that deepens that suppression further, so infection continues to be a serious problem.”
Many patients die before they have had time to respond to antimyeloma therapy. In an analysis of 3,107 patients in the United Kingdom’s Myeloma Research Council (MRC) trials, 10% died within 60 days of diagnosis and 45% of those deaths were attributed to infections.2 Infections were also the primary cause of death in more than 20% of patients in the MRC IX trial, for which Dr. Drayson was a co-investigator.3
Levofloxacin is effective against the common bacterial infections in myeloma; taken once daily, the drug has proven efficacy as prophylaxis during treatment of other cancers. Concerns have been increasing, however, about the development of antibiotic resistance and the risk of health-care–associated infections with antibiotic prophylaxis, he said.
Phase III TEAMM Details
TO EVALUATE the benefit of levofloxacin in reducing febrile episodes and death and to investigate any associated risks of health-care–acquired infections, Dr. Drayson and his colleagues randomized newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma to receive levofloxacin or placebo for 12 weeks within 14 days of starting antimyeloma therapy. The patients were regularly screened for carriage of resistant organisms. The study aimed to answer, he said, “whether patients should be denied life-saving prophylactic antibiotics because of concerns about health-care–associated infections.”
“Infection in the first 12 weeks is the biggest cause of the high early death rate in myeloma.”
— Mark T. Drayson, MD, PhD
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The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III TEAMM trial enrolled 977 newly diagnosed patients with myeloma (median age, 67 years; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group [ECOG] performance status mostly 0–1) from 93 hospitals in the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2016. Patients received 500 mg of levofloxacin or placebo once daily for 12 weeks, dose-adjusted for renal function. Patients were permitted to continue routine nonbacterial antimicrobial prophylaxis, including three-times-weekly sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim for pneumocystis. Fecal and throat samples were taken every 4 weeks to detect carriage of Clostridium difficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative bacteria that were positive for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase.
The primary endpoint was the number of febrile episodes (defined as an oral temperature of ≥ 38°C treated with anti-infectives) and or death by any cause suffered in the first 12 weeks. The occurrence of febrile episodes was captured at clinic visits every 4 weeks up to 12 weeks.
Significant Benefit With Levofloxacin
IN THIS STUDY, levofloxacin reduced febrile episodes and deaths by 34%. Although 134 of 488 patients (27%) on the placebo arm experienced events, including 112 febrile episodes, 15 deaths, and 7 febrile episodes and death, the same was true for 95 of 489 levofloxacin recipients (19%), who had 87 febrile episodes, 4 deaths, and 4 febrile episodes and deaths—a highly significant 34% reduction (P = .002), Dr. Drayson reported. “You put that into a Kaplan-Meier curve and see a very significant benefit of taking levofloxacin to prevent febrile episodes and deaths,” he noted.
The benefit of levofloxacin was seen in both febrile and nonfebrile episodes (Table 1). The sites of infection were lower respiratory tract (49%), upper respiratory tract (12%), bloodstream (7%), urinary tract (7%), skin and soft tissue (8%), and gastrointestinal (3%).
Deaths within 12 weeks numbered 8 in the levofloxacin arm and 22 in the placebo arm, attributed to infection in 3 and 8 cases, respectively (P = .02).
“In the regression analysis, adjusting for baseline prognostic indicators, the benefit of levofloxacin held up, with a hazard ratio of 0.66 (P = .002),” he added. The effect of sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, which 315 patients received, was additive to the effects of levofloxacin; the hazard ratio for this combination was 0.59 (P = .0009). After adjustment for sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim use, levofloxacin alone still showed benefit in this group of patients (P = .002).
Specific Organisms
LEVOFLOXACIN REDUCED the number of microbiologically proven infections: of the total 291 organisms detected, 99 were identified in the levofloxacin arm and 192, in the placebo arm. The reduction was predominantly in gram-negative organisms, with 137 gram-negative organisms, including 25 (18%) with levofloxacin and 112 (82%) with placebo; 101 gram-positive organisms, including 52 (51%) with levofloxacin and 49 (49%) with placebo; and 53 fungal and viral organisms, including 22 (42%) with levofloxacin and 31 (58%) with placebo.
“There was not much difference in the gram-positives, and, surprisingly, we saw no Streptococcus pneumoniae in the levofloxacin and only 4 in the placebo arms,” Dr. Drayson commented.
The prophylactic use of levofloxacin did not increase the risk of carriage of resistant bacteria. Of 2,595 stool samples and 2,933 nasal samples, C difficile carriage was found at baseline in 6 cases. New acquisitions for carriage in the levofloxacin and placebo arms included C difficile in 11 and 8 patients, respectively; gram-positive extended-spectrum beta-lactamase in 37 and 51; and methicillin-resistant S aureus in 4 and 7. The only significant difference between the arms was in the reduction of acquired extended-spectrum beta-lactamase in the levofloxacin arm.
At 1 year, there was no difference in overall survival between the arms. “We were concerned that maybe levofloxacin was merely delaying an inevitable early death, so we looked carefully and objectively, and this did not seem to be the case. It’s a good argument, though, for extending prophylaxis out to 12 months,” Dr. Drayson said.
He also maintained that prophylaxis should not be limited to the patient’s initial treatment, but should be reinstituted at the time of relapse as well. The researchers are now analyzing the findings further to look for correlations with antimyeloma treatment and steroid use. ■
DISCLOSURE: Dr. Drayson reported equity ownership or membership on Abingdon Health’s Board of Directors or advisory committee.
1. Drayson MT, Bowcock S, Planche T, et al: Tackling early morbidity and mortality in myeloma (TEAMM): Assessing the benefit of antibiotic prophylaxis and its effect on healthcare associated infections in 977 patients. 2017 ASH Annual Meeting. Abstract 903. Presented December 11, 2017.
2. Augustson BM, Begum G, Dunn JA, et al: Early mortality after diagnosis of multiple myeloma: Analysis of patients entered onto the United Kingdom Medical Research Council trials between 1980 and 2002—Medical Research Council Adult Leukaemia Working Party. J Clin Oncol 23:9219-9226, 2005.
3. Richardson PG, Laubach JP, Schlossman RL, et al: The Medical Research Council Myeloma IX trial: The impact on treatment paradigms. Eur J Haematol 88:1-7, 2012.
Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, on HR+/HER2− Advanced Breast Cancer: MONALEESA-7 Trial on Endocrine Therapy With or Without Ribociclib
Frederick L. Locke, MD, on Innovative CAR-T Cell Therapies: The Patient Experience
Matteo Lambertini, MD, PhD, on Safety of Pregnancy After Treatment for BRCA-Mutated Breast Cancer
Kerry A. Rogers, MD, on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Acalabrutinib With Obinutuzumab in Treatment-Naive and Relapsed or Refractory Disease
Edward B. Garon, MD, on Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: KEYNOTE-001 Trial on Pembrolizumab
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The healing power of sport: Native Detroiter to bring gymnastics to Detroit
First of all, Wendy Hilliard is expanding her Harlem-based Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation to her native Detroit.
She anticipates that the doors will be opening to her new facility by fall 2016, although her organization is currently looking at the State Fairgrounds and another location as possible sites for construction.
Second of all, Wendy Hilliard is a USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame Member. She was the first African -American to represent the US in rhythmic gymnastics and coached a 1996 Olympian. She was the first African -American President of the Women’s Sports Foundation. The year 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of her own foundation, which has brought the benefits of healthy athletic competition and participation – in gymnastics as well as other non-traditional sports – to thousands of kids who might otherwise never have had the opportunity.
Third, in the interest of full disclosure, Wendy Hilliard is my sister-in-law.
“What we really want to focus on more is the non-traditional Olympic sports, the things where kids can really make an impact and that are not usually offered in the city,” she said. By ‘non-traditional’ sports, Hilliard lists boxing, wrestling and fencing as examples, although there will also be room for some of the more traditional such as soccer and basketball.
If there is one thing Detroit needs more than downtown development – as great as that is – it is more programs and activities for Detroit’s young people.
“Basketball and football are so competitive. So when students are exposed to non-traditional sports there’s more opportunity to move up faster” than in the big sports. “And you may also find kids that may have specific talents. It’s about exposure.”
Hilliard said that she was motivated to make the expansion last year when she participated in Detroit Homecoming 2014 as one of many successful Detroiters who have left the city and are interested in giving back to their hometown. She will be returning for this year’s Detroit Homecoming from September 30 through October 2. Hilliard said she was particularly sensitive to how many of the discussions focused on the revitalization aspect of the city with a heavy focus on downtown but without much consideration of what is needed for the city’s youth, or of how essential their needs are to that revitalization thing everyone keeps trumpeting.
“I said, you know, Detroit is such a great sports town, how much are they really doing for the youth?’ And the neighborhoods? I mean, you can revitalize the city but the kids have to do things. You can’t forget that.”
Just as an example, imagine what a difference it could make if a hockey rink were built in one or more of the city’s neighborhoods? The new Joe Louis Arena promises to be quite spectacular, but don’t the neighborhoods and the city’s children deserve spectacular too?
“It would make a huge difference. You want kids to participate. You need to put facilities in the communities. I’m a product of the Detroit Recreation Department. They hired these four Russian coaches, and all of the sudden we had this great gymnastics team. So it’s not rocket science,” she said.
“It made a big difference in the pride of the city in the program because we were one of the two best teams in the country. That investment really made a huge difference. It inspired me to keep doing community gymnastics. The impact was so long-lasting and it was a result of the investment in great coaching and the access to facilities.”
What concerns Hilliard in the current public school environment is how much has been lost, and how athletics seems to have been pushed aside as a non-essential component of education when, in fact, it is easily as essential as mathematics, science, or writing. The result has been more overweight youngsters who are diagnosed with illnesses such as diabetes.
The other result has been the creation of an atmosphere that has made athletics accessible only to the children from more privileged families who can afford to pay the steep fees now often required to participate in a privately sponsored athletic activity, whereas in years past it was a regular part of public education. Youth sports has become a very profitable industry, and Hilliard strongly believes that is not the way it should be because she knows her own career may never have taken flight in today’s environment.
“You have to educate kids how to take care of their bodies. And that comes from participation in athletics,” she said.
Hilliard was an Olympic Sportscaster and Broadway performer. She also was the Director of Sports for the NYC 2012 Olympic Bid. In 1996, she founded the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation (WHGF) which has provided free and low cost gymnastics for over 15,000 urban youth in New York City.
More than 400 local youth participate in WHGF programs in New York every week. One of the WHGF athletes, Alexis Page, is now at Howard University, after achieving National and International Gold medals and travelling the world on the U.S. National Rhythmic Gymnastics Team. Last month, nine members of the WHGF Competition Team qualified and competed at the U.S.A. National Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas where many of the athletes scored in the top 10 in their categories and age brackets. The gymnasts are local Harlem residents between the ages of 8 and 20.
Hilliard writes about children and youth sports on her website at www.whfny.org.
Tags: Detroit, Gymnastics, Wendy Hilliard, Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation, Youth Sports
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McGrath's classy response to James Anderson's historic feat
7Sport• 12 September 2018
Australia great Glenn McGrath has produced a classy response to James Anderson’s record-breaking wicket, despite the Englishman replacing him as the most prolific pace bowler in Test cricket.
Anderson bowled Mohammed Shami to seal victory over India in the fifth Test at the Oval, claiming his 564th Test wicket in his 143rd match to move ahead of McGrath.
But McGrath put traditional rivalries aside, and was one of the first to congratulate Anderson for his historic feat.
“Congratulations to @jimmya9 on becoming the most successful fast bowler in the history of the game,” McGrath wrote on Instagram.
“It takes dedication, commitment, hard work, skill & mental toughness to achieve what you have.
“Very well deserved mate. Congrats again & well done. Enjoy.”
McGrath also backed up his Instagram post with an interview on BBC Radio, and he even challenged Anderson to crack the 600-wicket mark before retiring.
I was proud to hold it for as long as I did – for it to be beaten by somebody like Jimmy Anderson is great,” McGrath told BBC Radio.
“I have a lot of respect for Jimmy. To have played well over 140 Tests and just keep running in, day in, day out, and remain at the top of his game, yeah, I’m very proud Jimmy’s got there.
“If he can raise the bar to 600 wickets, that’s an incredible effort.”
Anderson, who made his Test debut in 2003, now trails only spin trio Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619).
McGrath also believes when Anderson eventually retires, his tally would be difficult for a quick bowler to eclipse anytime soon.
Glenn McGrath has hailed James Anderson for his record-breaking feat. Pic: Getty
England team-mate Stuart Broad, 32, is Anderson’s nearest active challenger with 433, while injury-hit South Africa quick Dale Steyn, 35, has taken 421 Test wickets.
“If there is anyone out there, they have got a long way to go, I don’t think we’ll see it happen in the next decade,” McGrath said.
“Just to play enough games to get anywhere near it is tough in itself. Also, the nature of cricket these days is that there is so much more Twenty20.
“The game is quicker, it’s faster. And will bowlers play enough Test cricket in the future to get anywhere near the mark?
“When it comes to the art of swing bowling, there is no-one better.”
with AAP.
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6:00 PMWBZ News
Meryl Streep To Raise Scholarship Money At UMass-Lowell
Filed Under:Meryl Streep, UMass-Lowell
HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Actress Meryl Streep presents the Best Actor award onstage during the Oscars held at the Dolby Theatre on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)Meryl Streep at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep is appearing at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell to speak to students and raise money for scholarships.
Streep will be interviewed by bestselling author and UMass-Lowell English professor Andre Dubus III on Tuesday. She will also take questions from the audience of 3,500 at the Tsongas Arena.
All net proceeds from the event — including a raffle of a director’s chair autographed by Streep — will go toward scholarship funds, one for an English major and one for a math major.
Streep has been nominated for 18 Oscars, and won three, most recently in 2012 for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.”
Streep was originally scheduled to appear at the school in February, but that was postponed because of a snowstorm.
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By David Wright
Martin Pearlman
Since 1973 Boston Baroque, the period-instrument orchestra founded and still directed by Martin Pearlman, has been giving performances steeped in knowledge and an intuitive feel for how people played and listened to music in the 18th century.
That includes knowing how all the instruments were made and what they sounded like. For example, the glockenspiel played by Papageno in the first productions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute during the 1790s was nothing like the orchestral instrument of today, which is played with a mallet. It was a keyboard instrument, and could be played with both hands like a piano.
Such instruments have been made in modern times. The trouble is, they have been tuned to modern pitch, A440, instead of the slightly lower A430 typical of 18th-century performances and today’s period-instrument concerts.
When Boston Baroque gave the first period-instruments Magic Flute in America in 1989, it didn’t have the right kind of glockenspiel. One can only imagine how that fact has gnawed on Martin Pearlman’s mind these 27 years.
Recently, however, an English instrument maker built a glockenspiel tuned to A430, specifically for period-instrument performances of The Magic Flute, such as the ones Boston Baroque is giving this Friday and Saturday, headlined by tenor Nicholas Phan as Tamino and soprano Leah Partridge as Pamina.
So, not only star singers but a star glockenspiel will come to Boston from afar for this week’s semi-staged performances, with stage action directed by Mark Streshinsky. Top local singers and players will fill out the roster.
And even at A430, the Queen of the Night’s aria will still sound as high as the starry sky.
Boston Baroque performs Mozart’s The Magic Flute, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall. Mr. Pearlman’s program notes at http://www.bostonbaroque.org/news-posts/the-magic-flute-program-notes-by-martin-pearlman. bostonbaroque.org; 617-987-8600.
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Attorneys:
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March 2012 | Earn one hour of MCLE Credit in Legal Ethics
The Green Law Office: Paperless Practice and Ethical Rules
By Wendy L. Patrick
MCLE Self-Assessment Test
Below are sample questions from this month's MCLE self-assessment test.
1. Email communication is not protected under the attorney client privilege. True False
2. The ABA Rule on Confidentiality references a lawyer’s duty of competence. True False
3. At least one California ethics opinion discusses some of the factors to consider when using technology in the practice of law, related to confidentiality and competence. True False
To complete the test, you must pay a $25 fee online. Click the button below and follow the onscreen instructions.
The modern practice of law has moved online. Most lawyers in today’s world have made the transition from pen and legal pad, to word processing, to in some cases - a virtually paperless cyberspace law practice that includes the use of cloud computing, electronic discovery, and for many lawyers, an almost entirely electronically-based law practice. With the disappearance of physical client files and related materials, this article will examine what ethical rules can potentially apply within the contemporary world of the Green Law Office.
Communicating with Modern Clients
Client communication is a major area in which the advent of electronic communication has impacted the practice of law. It used to be a common complaint that lawyers were notoriously bad about returning client phone calls. In today’s world, the bar is even higher. Contemporary clients use email or text messaging to contact their lawyers, and an immediate response is expected. California Rule of Professional Conduct 3-500 governs a lawyer’s ethical duties in communicating with his or her clients.
Rule 3-500 requires a lawyer to “keep a client reasonably informed about significant developments relating to the employment or representation, including promptly complying with reasonable requests for information and copies of significant documents when necessary to keep the client so informed.” The Discussion section to Rule 3-500 notes that while clients must be informed of significant developments, a lawyer will not be disciplined for failing to communicate insignificant or irrelevant information. The Discussion section references Cal. Bus. and Prof. Code section 6068(m) which states that one of the duties as an attorney is to respond to reasonable client status inquiries and “to keep clients reasonable informed of significant developments” regarding the subject matter of their legal employment. Lest anyone take a violation of Bus. and Prof. Code section 6068 lightly, Bus. and Prof. Code section 6103 states that violations of any of an attorneys duties as an attorney “constitute causes for disbarment or suspension.”
Ethical Opinions on Technology and Practicing Law
In addition to communication, corresponding electronically with clients raises a host of issues related to client confidentiality, privacy, duty of competence, and more. Guidance on many of these ethical issues can be found not only in the California State Bar Rules of Professional Conduct and the California Business and Professions Code, but also within ethics opinions from California and around the country.
Regarding looking to ethics opinions for guidance, California Rule of Professional Conduct 1-100 states that while they are not binding authority, California ethics committee opinions should be consulted by California lawyers “for guidance on proper professional conduct.” The rule also states that “Ethics opinions and rules and standards promulgated by other jurisdictions and bar associations may also be considered.”
California State Bar Formal Opinion 2010-179 addresses some of the ethical issues surrounding a lawyer’s use of technology in the practice of law. Lawyers are cautioned that the type of technology they use may implicate the potential issues they face, the kinds of precautions they use, as well as the type of consent they might seek to obtain from the client. The use of technology is a critical concern in modern legal practice given that many lawyers enjoy sitting at Starbucks or in airports using free public wifi internet access. The opinion advises practitioners to consider, before using any technology in particular, how secure the technology is, what steps can be taken to increase the security of the technology, potential sanctions for unauthorized interception of electronic data, the level of sensitivity of the information, how the client could be adversely impacted by inadvertent disclosure of private information, the presence or absence of exigent circumstances, and the wishes and instructions of the client. The opinion explains that these considerations are important in analyzing whether or not the lawyer violates his or her duty of confidentiality to the client, or the duty of competence.
Regarding methods of communicating with clients, several out of state ethics opinions have concluded that generally, a lawyer may communicate confidential information via unencrypted email. (See, e.g. New York State Bar Association Op. 820 (2008); ABA Formal Opinion No. 99-413). The ABA opinion finds email comparable privacy-wise to commercial mail, land-line telephone transmissions and fax communication, but cautions lawyers to consult with their clients regarding the preferred mode of sending highly sensitive information.
The fact that many lawyers rely almost exclusively on electronic communication does not detract from their responsibility to follow all other ethical rules. This is true whether they are communicating with colleagues, family and friends, or clients. In addition to the concerns about the attorney-client privilege, there are ethical opinions regarding the propriety of spying on the electronic documents of others. The New York State Bar Association Committee on Professional Ethics in Op. 749 (2001) concluded that lawyers may not use technology to surreptitiously trace and examine electronic documents, including email. Practitioners are cautioned, however, that different states have different rules regarding the propriety of viewing the embedded data in documents.
Use of Company Email
Lawyers should keep up to date on the latest cases interpreting the interplay between the use of private email accounts, the use of employer computers, and the attorney-client privilege. Different jurisdictions have come to different conclusions regarding the issue of whether or not emails typed on a company computer are entitled to confidentiality. In Holmes v. Petrovich Development Co. (2011) 191 Cal.App.4th 1047, a client sent emails to her attorney from her workplace computer using her workplace account complaining about being unlawfully treated by her boss. Her employment handbook notified her that all emails sent and received on company equipment were subject to company monitoring. The court held that her attorney-client communications were not privileged.
In affirming the judgment, the Court of Appeal rejected Ms. Holmes’s contention that her email exchanges with her attorney constituted “confidential communication between client and lawyer” transmitted “by a means which, so far as the client is aware, discloses the information to no third persons other than those who are present to further the interests of the client in the consultation.” (Evid. Code §952.) So far as Holmes was aware, “the company computer was not a means by which to communicate in confidence any information to her attorney. The company’s computer use policy made this clear, and Holmes had no legitimate reason to believe otherwise, regardless of whether the company actually monitored employee e-mail. Thus, when, with knowledge of her employer’s computer monitoring policy, Holmes used a company computer to e-mail her attorney about an action against her boss, [the company’s namesake], Holmes in effect knowingly disclosed this information to a third party, the company and thus [its namesake], who certainly was not involved in furthering Holmes’s interests in her consultation with her attorney (§952) because [the company’s namesake] was the party she eventually sued.” (Id. at 1071.)“[T]he e-mails sent via company computer under the circumstances of this case were akin to consulting [Ms. Holmes’s] attorney in her employer’s conference room, in a loud voice, with the door open, so that any reasonable person would expect that their discussion of her complaints would be overheard by him.” (Id. at 1051.) It is not that Ms. Holmes waived the privilege; it is that the privilege never attached in the first place because of how she chose to communicate with her attorney. (Ethics Quarterly, 8.1.6 (April, 2011)).
In Stengart v. Loving Care Agency, Inc. (2010) 201 N.J. 300, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that a company policy of monitoring emails must yield to the protection provided by the attorney-client privilege. The court held that the plaintiff, who had filed an employment discrimination case against her employer, had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the emails she sent to her lawyer through her personal password protected Yahoo account, even though they were sent through the use of a company laptop. (Id. at 308) The trial court had ruled that the plaintiff waived the attorney client privilege by using a company computer to send the emails. The court also ruled that the attorneys for the company violated their state’s version of rule 4.4(b) (inadvertent disclosure) by failing to tell the plaintiff’s lawyers that they possessed her privileged emails before reading them. (Id. at 325-36).
The Green Law Office and the Duty of Competence
If you are practicing law in the new millennium, you should have a working knowledge of the legal and ethical rules that apply or could potentially apply to the facts and circumstances of your cases. Your duty of competence includes being able to perform legal representation with competence, bringing in other lawyers who can, or by acquiring the necessary learning and skill by the time you begin performing legal services. In order to comply with the duty of competence, lawyers are well advised to become familiar with contemporary modes of communication, particularly because in some jurisdictions, many aspects of a case are frequently done electronically, such as discovery and filing motions and other court documents. Arguably, a lawyer who is still using a pad of paper and a pencil may not be equipped to handle a case where the discovery is comprised of an enormous amount of electronic documents, the other parties in the case are all communicating electronically, or the subject of the representation involves anything related to the internet, websites, or technology.
California Rule of Professional Conduct 3-110, Failing to Act Competently, states in paragraph (A) that “A member shall not intentionally, recklessly, or repeatedly fail to perform legal services with competence. “Competence” is described in subsection (B) as “to apply the 1) diligence, 2) learning and skill, and 3) mental, emotional, and physical ability reasonably necessary for the performance of such service.” Subsection (C) states that if the lawyer does not possess the learning and skill necessary when the representation was undertaken, he or she may still render competent representation by associating with or consulting another lawyer who does possess the requisite competence, or by acquiring the necessary learning and skill themselves before performing the legal services.
Duty of Confidentiality
California Evidence Code section 917(b) states that a privileged communication does not lose its privileged status “for the sole reason that it is communicated by electronic means or because persons involved in the delivery, facilitation, or storage of electronic communication may have access to the content of the communication.”
The duty of confidentiality is included within California Business and Professions Code section 6068, which enumerates the duties of an attorney. Bus. and Prof. Code section 6068(e)(1) states that one of these duties is “[t]o maintain inviolate the confidence, and at every peril to himself or herself to preserve the secrets, of his or her client.” This code section is referenced in California Rule of Professional Conduct 3-100, Confidential Information of a Client, which states in paragraph (A): “A member shall not reveal information protected from disclosure by Business and Professions Code section 6068, subdivision (e)(1) without the informed consent of the client, or as provided in paragraph (B) of this rule.” Note that even if the proposed set of professional rules that are pending before the California Supreme Court are accepted, bringing California more in line with the ABA Model Rules, California will retain the provisions of Bus. and Prof. Code section 6068(e) — which will result in California remaining unique in the heightened emphasis given to this particular duty.
Note that while California has not yet adopted some versions of the ABA Model Rules, when California does not have an ethical rule governing a specific issue, courts may look to the ABA for guidance, although they may not consider ABA Rules and Opinions as binding authority. Regarding ABA formal opinions, case law holds that while an ABA formal opinion “does not establish an obligatory standard of conduct imposed on California lawyers,” the ABA Model Rules may be considered as a “collateral source” where there is no direct ethical authority in California.[1]
ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.6 is similar to California Rule 3-100 in its initial paragraph, providing that “A lawyer shall not reveal information relating to the representation of a client unless the client gives informed consent, the disclosure is impliedly authorized in order to carry out the representation or the disclosure is permitted by paragraph (b).” The second paragraphs of both rule 3-100 and rule 1.6 specify the circumstances under which a lawyer may, but is not required to, reveal client confidential information relating to the threat or risk of future harm.
Regarding a lawyer’s duty of competence, Comment [16] to the rule explains that a lawyer must “act competently to safeguard information relating to the representation of a client against inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure by the lawyer or other persons who are participating in the representation of the client or who are subject to the lawyer’s supervision.” Comment [17] explains, “A lawyer must act competently to safeguard information relating to the representation of a client against inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure by the lawyer or other persons who are participating in the representation of the client or who are subject to the lawyer’s supervision.” Comment [18] adds that, when transmitting confidential client information, a lawyer must take “reasonable precautions to prevent the information from coming into the hands of unintended recipients.”
Electronic communication has facilitated the practice of law in many ways, and is a valuable mode of communication for the lawyer who is familiar with all of the applicable ethical rules. A working knowledge of the law and ethical rules governing the mechanics and limitations of online communication will allow you to interact in the virtual world of the Green Law Office effectively as well as ethically. Good luck!
*This article does not constitute legal advice. Please shepardize all case law before using.
Wendy L. Patrick is Chair of the California State Bar Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC) and immediate past Chair of the San Diego County Bar Association Ethics Committee. She has her own ethics column in the San Diego Daily Transcript and writes and lectures on ethics nationally and internationally. Ms. Patrick is also a San Diego County Deputy District Attorney in the Sex Crimes and Stalking Division named by her peers as one of the 2010 Top Ten criminal attorneys in San Diego by the San Diego Daily Transcript and a 2010 Superlawyer.
Ms. Patrick can be reached at wendy.patrick@sdcda.org or at (619) 531-3260
[1] State Compensation Insurance Fund v. WPS Inc. (State Fund) (1999) 70 Cal.App.4th 644, 656.
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Department of Education – Schools Division Office of Bulacan
In the annals of Philippine History, it is chronicled that the Americans laid the foundations of the country’s educational system.
Thus, it was thru the efforts of the American servicemen that the first schools in Bulacan were opened in 1900 in their desire to be understood by the natives of the province. The first classes were housed in big rented private residences according to Francisco Calalang who authored the book History of Bulacan (1971).
Grades one to seven were offered as elementary course in the school put up in barrio Tibag in Baliuag with Mr. Guy Clinton as the first principal. Mr. William A. Prequitt was cited as Bulacan’s first school superintendent in 1901 in the accounts made by Don Antonio Bautista as published in Ang Malolos sa Dahon ng Kasaysayan by Jose P. Santos. It becomes conclusive that the institution or office which is now called Department of Education (Division Office) was established in that year, 1901.
It is of interest to mention that the secondary course, with offering of the first year course, was opened in 1906 when Mr. H.A. Bordner took the stewardship of the schools as Division Superintendent. The secondary school was later transferred to Malolos.
The Education Office was first housed in what became the Bulacan Prison House or LEX. After a few months, it was transferred to Bulacan High School, now Marcelo H. del Pilar High School, near the Capitol Building. It is said that the Department of Education, Division of Bulacan was officially established under a Republic Act promulgated sometime in 1945. In 1965, the Office was transferred to the Provincial Capitol Building. Through the concerted efforts of the Bulacan MECS (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports) Family, the Office was housed in the Bulacan Public School Teachers Association Building in 1967 to 1981. During this period, it enjoyed the Central Office’s change in name, from MECS to DECS (Department of Education Culture and Sports). Finally, the Division Office building was constructed and was completed in July, 1982. Since then, it occupied the the same edifice, when, in year 2002, DECS was changed to Department of Education (DepED), with DepEd Bulacan Family continuously extending the comforts and services it can fully offer to all its clienteles.
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The End of Food
Roberts, Paul
Paul Roberts, the best-selling author of The End of Oil, turns his attention to the modern food economy and finds that the system entrusted to meet our most basic need is failing.
In this carefully researched, vivid narrative, Roberts lays out the stark economic realities behind modern food and shows how our system of making, marketing, and moving what we eat is growing less and less compatible with the billions of consumers that system was built to serve.
At the heart of The End of Food is a grim paradox: the rise of large-scale food production, though it generates more food more cheaply than at any time in history, has reached a point of dangerously diminishing returns. Our high-volume factory systems are creating new risks for food-borne illness, from E. coli to avian flu. Our high-yield crops and livestock generate grain, vegetables, and meat of declining nutritional quality. While nearly one billion people worldwide are overweight or obese, the same number of people—one in every seven of us—can’t get enough to eat. In some of the hardest-hit regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa, the lack of a single nutrient, vitamin A, has left more than five million children permanently blind.
Meanwhile, the shift to heavily mechanized, chemically intensive farming has so compromised soil and water that it’s unclear how long such output can be maintained. And just as we’ve begun to understand the limits of our abundance, the burgeoning economies of Asia, with their rising middle classes, are adopting Western-style, meat-heavy diets, putting new demands on global food supplies.
Comprehensive in scope and full of fresh insights, The End of Food presents a lucid, stark vision of the future. It is a call for us to make crucial decisions to help us survive the demise of food production as we know it.
Paul Roberts is the author of The End of Oil, which was a finalist for the New York Public Library's Helen Bernstein Book Award in 2005. He has written about resource economics and politics for numerous publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Harper’s Magazine, and Rolling Stone, and lectures frequently on business and environmental issues.
The best-selling author of The End of Oil takes a close-up look at the modern food system to reveal how we maket, market, and consume food and how this has led to inequities in the global market, analyzing the dangerous impact of chemicals and destructive farming techniques, food contamination, and disease, as well as what needs to be done to address the situation before it is too late.
Takes a close-up look at the modern food system to reveal how food is made, marketed, and consumed, leading to inequities in the global market.
Publisher: Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2008
Description: xxvi, 390 p. ; 24 cm
Branch Call Number: 363.8 Rob
Read more reviews of The End of Food at iDreamBooks.com
zipread Mar 07, 2016
The End of Food --- by --- Paul Roberts.
This is indeed a thought provoking book: one t that should set off klaxons and send politicians and economists and activists scurrying. It’s a tale about food and what we eat; it’s about how we grow our food; it’s about food security and monocultures; it’s about soil degradation and what all of these things mean to the ability of our planet to continue to feed us adequately in spite of our burgeoning numbers. And the prospects don’t look good: in fact, they’re downright scary.
A seriously written book with bibliography and ample footnotes.
Lauren31 Jan 12, 2015
A bit outdated now given how many things have changed since the recession, but still some very interesting concepts to think about.
readingchef Sep 08, 2011
Certainly food for thought ,fascinating and downright scary.
Hadley Jun 09, 2009
A thoughtful, balanced and well-researched book about how unsustainable our current food production methods are.
...when researchers at Skippy realized that the traditional mode for peanut butter consumption -- the sandwich -- had become too complex for time-pressed families and kids, the company introduced single-serving tubes of peanut butter, called Squeeze Stix, that kids empty directly into their mouths....And according to Datamonitor, as companies continue to tailor the snack concept to specific demographics -- working parents, for example, or teenagers whose hands are full of iPods or cell phones -- the critical thresholds for product development will be whether it "can be consumed one-handed, and whether packaging causes a mess." The future of food is as an accessory.
Food Industry and Trade — Environmental Aspects
Food Industry and Trade — Social Aspects
Nutrition Policy
Food Supply — Health Aspects
Agricultural Industries
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“Father of the Bride” has Vampire Weekend striving further than before
The famed indie rock band leans into a more folk-inspired sound on their new album, following six year hiatus.
Courtesy of Sony Music
Ben Hobbs, Writer
Vampire Weekend has remained a household name in the indie/alt-rock community for years. Their debut, self-titled album rocked the world with hits like “A-Punk” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” The success of their first three albums launched the band into the stratosphere of alternative fame, garnering millions of fans and even the Grammy award for best alternative music album with “Modern Vampires of the City.”
The band, founded in New York City, consistently put out music from 2008 to 2013, but after their third album, “Modern Vampires of the City,” Vampire Weekend endured a six year hiatus. Not much was heard from the band until keyboardist, guitarist and backing vocalist Rostam Batmanglij announced that he would be leaving the band to pursue solo projects in 2016.
The hiatus came to an end when, on January 24, 2019, Vampire Weekend released two singles, “Harmony Hall” and “2021,” with the announcement of an album in the near future, “Father of the Bride.” The singles excited fans, curious to see what was in the future for the band. Both “Harmony Hall” and “2021” retained the core VW sound, but had elements of new adventures from frontman Ezra Koenig and company, with “Harmony Hall” reception calling it “Grateful Dead-esque.”
“Father of the Bride” boasts a 58 minute runtime nearly doubling the 10 song tracklisting of their second album “Contra” with 18 songs. While 18 songs seems ambitious, several songs on the record are too short to live up to their full potential, like “Bambina”, “2021,” and “Sunflower.” While short, these songs still pack as big of a punch as the longer, “Harmony Hall,” and “This Life.”
The album sounds like a Vampire Weekend album, but different at the same time, with ambitious sound production and a more “Americanized” sound. Reddit user Johnfromconeyisland said “This record is like meeting up with an old friend that’s changed a lot since you last saw them but you’re happy for how happy they are now.”
The instrumentation on “Father of the Bride” is warm and welcoming, contrasting the dark lyrics littered with internal conflict from Koenig. The Morrison-esque “This Life” puts out a cheery melody with the melancholy lyrics of “Oh Christ, am I good for nothing,” ringing out in the chorus. These themes of self conflict and uncertainty are touched again on several tracks such as “Big Blue” and “Unbearably White,” even “How Long?,” under the guise of the classic summertime happiness that has remained a staple of Vampire Weekend’s core sound.
“Father of the Bride” also sees the addition of several collaborators, most notably the inclusion of Danielle Haim, the guitarist for the sibling trio band, HAIM. Her contributions in the duets on the album work as a contrast and opposite side to Koenig’s lyrics and vocals, portraying their relationship, like in “Hold You Now.” The LP also features guitar and vocal work from the notable Steve Lacy on both “Flower Moon” and “Sunflower” as well as production and instrumentation from former band member Batmanglij.
While reminiscent of Vampire Weekend’s past works, “Father of the Bride” shows eagerness from the band to explore new sounds and techniques even further than they already have. Koenig has proved to be lyrically consistent while pushing the envelope of new sounds, which has been able to keep their millions of fans engaged since their debut in 2008, and it is exciting to see where he will take Vampire Weekend in the future.
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Cage the Elephant lands another hit with Social Cues
Cafe Equinox Review
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P Press Releases
Tallahassee Legislators Attack First Amendment
Florida Legislators Are Fast-tracking A Bill That Targets Constitutionally
Protected Free Speech
(TALLAHASSEE, FL; 1/19/2016) -In an effort to suppress political speech, Florida legislators are considering a bill that would effectively sanction Florida businesses or organizations for their constitutionally protected political speech.
Senate Bill 86, sponsored by Senate President Senator Joe Negron, would place businesses or organizations that endorse Palestinian civil society's call for the boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) of Israel on a "Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List."
The bill, if passed, would deny public investment and public contracts to businesses and organizations that endorse the Palestinian human rights campaign, effectively blacklisting groups for their constitutionally protected political speech.
"What Senator Negron is effectively saying is that if a business or organization in Florida endorses a political view that Senator Negron does not agree with, the state will blacklist that business or organization, and that is a very dangerous precedent," said CAIR Florida's Legislative and Government Affairs Director, Laila Abdelaziz.
Senate Bill 86 has already cleared all three of its committee stops, passing before the 2016 legislative session even officially began. The house companion bill, House Bill 527 goes before the House Government Operations Subcommittee Wednesday, January 20th at 9:00 AM and is expected to pass.
This effort comes at a time when Human Rights Watch, an international NGO that advocates for human rights, released a 162-page report, "Occupation, Inc.: How Settlement Businesses Contribute to Israel's Violations of Palestinian Rights."
Human Rights Watch, one of the most prominent human rights organizations in the country, says in the report that, "businesses should stop operating in, financing, servicing, or trading with Israeli settlements in order to comply with their human rights responsibilities."
The findings of the report continue by declaring that, "those activities contribute to and benefit from an inherently unlawful and abusive system that violates the rights of Palestinians."
The nonviolent, human rights campaign for the boycott, divestment and sanction (BDS) of the state of Israel until it complies with international law was initiated by Palestinian civil society in 2005 to shed light on the apartheid conditions in which Palestinians are subject to under Israeli military occupation. Supporters of BDS include South African social rights activist and Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu and "The Color Purple" author Alice Walker. The Association for Asian American Studies, the American Studies Association, and the American Anthropological Association have all also endorsed some form of BDS. Leadership and/or the general bodies of both the Presbyterian (USA) and United Methodist churches have taken action on the national level in favor of divestment from companies involved in the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and both church's national bodies have voted in favor of boycotting Israeli settlement products.
CAIR Florida is the state's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties of all people, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Civil Rights, News, Islamophobia, Cair, Press Release, Government Relations
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Jeremy Stern
We Can End The Agunah Crisis
Nearly every week we read a story in the media about a tragic case of get (Jewish divorce) refusal. Sometimes, the stories are about agunot (women who are denied a get by their husbands) who are finally freed after years of agony, whereas other stories highlight the seemingly endless struggle of these women for their freedom. The stories are heart-wrenching and often challenge our faith that Jewish law is meant to provide darkhei noam, paths of pleasantness – not a weapon in the hands of an abuser.
We have a solution to the agunah crisis going forward. We can make this stop. The question is not whether Jewish law and the rabbis can solve this problem, but rather whether we have the collective will as a Jewish community to implement the solution, which is what our latest campaign is all about.
About 20 years ago, Rabbi Mordechai Willig, from Yeshiva University and the Beth Din of America, drafted what we refer to as the halachic prenuptial agreement. This document, which is meant to be signed by a couple before they get married, stipulates that, in the unfortunate event of a divorce: a) the couple agrees to abide by the ruling of the Beth Din of America with regards to the halachic aspects of their divorce, including the get; and b) the husband commits to providing his wife with a halachic support payment, to the tune of $150 per day, for every day that he refuses to give her a get.
In other words, what this agreement does is create a severe financial disincentive – of roughly $55,000 per year – which is fully enforceable in civil courts, in order to dissuade a husband from refusing to give his wife a get. (There is also a “reciprocal” version of the halachic prenup, which creates a similar financial disincentive against the wife to dissuade her from refusing to receive a get, though such cases are quite rare.)
At the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA), we have found this halachic prenup to be 100% effective in assuring that a get is given unconditionally and in a timely fashion. While we have seen well over 600 cases of get refusal since our founding in 2002, we have never seen a case where a properly signed halachic prenup did not work. On the contrary, we have seen several cases in which it was used and it worked, and civil courts have enforced it, most notably in a decision by the Superior Court of Connecticut in Light v. Light two years ago. However, in almost all cases in which the halachic prenup is invoked, the case never reaches the civil courts because the husband knows that he would have to fight (and pay for) a losing battle.
Here are the reasons why we have seen the halachic prenup to be so effective:
As a binding arbitration agreement to the Beth Din of America, it eliminates the forum-shopping between different batei din (rabbinical courts) which is a tremendous source of frustration and game playing when trying to determine where, under what circumstances, and under what conditions, a get is issued. At ORA, we have encountered countless agunah cases wherein women spend years without a get because the two sides cannot agree on a beit din.
The enforcement mechanism creates a burdensome financial disincentive for a husband to refuse to give a get. Even for extremely wealthy couples, if they are battling each other in a contentious divorce (in which couples fight over nickels and dimes) then the obligation of paying his wife $55,000 per year will weigh heavily on a recalcitrant husband.
With a halachic prenup, a woman is able to pressure her husband to give her a get early on in the divorce process, before he becomes entrenched in his stance of get-refusal, and before other contentious divorce matters are settled (when he may try to use the get to reverse settlements or decisions that are not entirely to his liking).
With a halachic prenup, a groom signs his name that he will do the right thing and promptly give a get in the event of a divorce. Few people like to be called liars. Additionally, the psychological commitment that the husband has made at the start of the marriage may impact his attitude with its dissolution.
The refusal of a prospective groom to sign a halachic prenup can serve as a red flag to a prospective bride of controlling and abusive attitudes which her fiancé possesses. This should alert her to the fact that he may not be someone with whom she should bind herself in matrimony.
We may eventually find that the halachic prenup will not work in every single case but in “only” 99.99% of cases. So far, though, it has always worked, and we anticipate that it will work in the future in nearly all cases. The measles vaccine is also “only” 99.7% effective, but, by everyone taking it, we have effectively eradicated measles from our society. The same goes for the halachic prenup.
Some people may hesitate at the thought of signing the halachic prenup because they feel that it is inappropriate to discuss divorce when getting married. But, the halachic prenup should not cast aspersions on one’s marriage. In fact, by signing the halachic prenup, you are making a commitment to your future spouse that, no matter what, you want to make sure that you never hurt them. It is an expression of your love and mutual respect. I would argue that if you are not prepared to make that commitment and sign your name, then you shouldn’t get married.
While every agunah case is a tragedy, if we can prevent the vast majority of such situations then we will have done a tremendous service to our community, and, most importantly, to our sisters, mothers, and daughters.
The halachic prenup works. It is up to us to ensure that everyone uses it.
Please join us by sharing our latest video on the halachic prenup and taking the Prenup Pledge – www.prenup-pledge.org – to demonstrate your commitment to resolving the agunah crisis once and for all.
Remember: Friends don’t let friends get married without The Prenup!
Rabbi Jeremy Stern serves as the Executive Director of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA).
Agunot
Finding Fetter Yeremy
Esor Ben-Sorek
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10 Spirited Away Facts You Never Knew
Visionary legend Hayao Miyazaki was said to be retiring, but instead, he blessed the world with the Oscar winning Spirited Away, Japan’s highest-grossing movie of all time. The smart and evocative children’s story was the first animated feature to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, the first movie in history to make $200 million before its North American release, and it even beat Titanic in Japan. Here we’ll take a look at 10 things you never knew about Spirited Away.
A KID BROUGHT MIYAZAKI OUT OF RETIREMENT
The ten-year-old daughter of one of Miyazaki’s associate producers inspired Spirited Away after the filmmaker met her during his annual sabbatical at a mountain cabin, where he often spends time with friends and family. Though he’d announced his retirement from filmmaking in 1997, he felt compelled to make something of worth and substance for kids her age. He wanted to give kids an ordinary girl with no super powers. “Every time I wrote or drew something concerning the character,” he told Midnight Eye, “I asked myself the question whether my friend’s daughter or her friends would be capable of doing it.”
IT WAS MADE WITHOUT A SCRIPT
The fascinating characters, plots, and themes of his movies invite speculation and study for years, yet Miyazaki puts them all together without a screenplay. Instead, the story materializes as he begins drawing storyboards. “It’s not me who makes the film,” he told Midnight Eye, echoing the philosophy of many great artists, filmmakers, and musicians. “The film makes itself and I have no choice but to follow.”
A SPIRITED SPIRIT GIRL
The young actress who lent her voice to the American version of Spirited Away found herself on the other side of the spirit world when she was cast as Samara, the ghostly killer in The Ring, which was based on the Japanese Ringu franchise, the success of which paved the way for American remakes like The Grudge and Dark Water. The dubbed version of Spirited Away premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2002, the same year audiences saw and heard Daveigh Chase in The Ring and as one of the title characters in Lilo & Stitch. Spirited Away and Lilo & Stitch were actually pitted against each other for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. Spirited Away took home the Oscar.
FINGER LICKING GOOD
The actress voicing the mother ate KFC as she recorded her lines, in order to simulate the mouth full of food her character had. The American actress who dubbed the mother in the English version did the same thing, but with an apple.
THE REAL LIFE STINK SPIRIT
The “stink spirit” who comes to the bathhouse was inspired by Miyazaki’s real life experience cleaning a river near his home in the countryside. It took ten people to pull a bicycle out of that river with a rope, which inspired that scene.
IT’S BETTER IN JAPANESE
It’s likely true of many foreign language films that they are best understood in their native tongue, but it seems to be particularly important with Spirited Away. Miyazaki once told Collider that, “for the audiences to truly understand my movies, they should all learn Japanese.” There are a lot of nuances with the different names for the characters for example. Some fans point to the significance of many signs and words, adding layers of mystery and atmosphere.
“To those who prefer a dubbed version, I can only say that like screw top wine, it might turn out to be alright,” noted one critic for The Guardian. “But why compromise the pleasure of this film with an error of taste as silly as that?”
REAL LIFE LOCATIONS
There are a few places in the world fans can visit in order to soak up the look and feel of Spirited Away in some sense. The Edo-Tokyo Open-air Architectural Museum is one source of inspiration for Miyazaki. There’s a town in Taiwan with some similarities to locations in the film. And in that fantastic interview with Midnight Eye, Miyazaki says the bathhouse was inspired by a real place, as well.
THERE ARE GOOD REASONS THEY WENT WITH DISNEY
There were plenty of American movie studios eager to get in business with Studio Ghibli, but there are two big reasons why Disney ultimately beat them all. The Mouse House committed to grabbing all of the films in the catalog and most importantly, they promised not to make any cuts to the films whatsoever.
THERE IS EXTRA DIALOG IN THE ENGLISH VERSION
The English-dubbed version does have some additional dialog, which was put in to help explain certain things an overseas audience may take for granted.
IT WAS THE FIRST ANIME FILM TO WIN AN OSCAR
Spirited Away was the first anime movie to be nominated for an Academy Award, let alone win one. Unfortunately, the Academy hasn’t given the Best Animated Feature to an anime picture since. In 2018, anime fans took to social media to complain about that year’s snubs, which included smart and transcendental films like Mary and the Witch’s Flower, A Silent Voice, and In This Corner of the World.
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What is the Central State University Foundation?
Why are CSU and CSUF separate institutions?
State university-related Foundations were established to give public universities a way to supplement state appropriations through raising private dollars. Such Foundations are required to operate independently, be managed by a separate Board of Trustees, governed by board-approved by-laws, policies and procedures. The Central State University Foundation, like The Ohio State University Foundation, was so founded. Put simply CSU and CSUF must operate separately by state and federal statue and regulation.
From the CSU perspective raised private dollars give flexibility in how the university can meet the objectives listed in the State mandated long-range plan. These objectives – increased enrollment, student retention and graduation rates, new academic programming, construction of new/renovation of existing facilities, et. al.- has costs not necessarily supported by state funds.
From a CSU Foundation’s perspective its mission focuses on the support and enhancement of the University’s fiscal health. The ability of the Foundation to seek and receive philanthropic gifts is dependent upon its continuing recognition as a tax-exempt organization by the IRS. This allows for:
The exemption of all gifts received from federal income tax.
The deductibility, for general income, gift, and estate tax purposes, of contributions by donors to the University.
A Foundation must protect its status by abiding by all relevant laws and regulations. Person’s using the Foundation’s tax-exempt status must receive written permission from the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. With great emphasis, it should be noted state universities do not have the authority to provide (1) and (2) to its publics. Again that is why Foundations were established.
Why should I give to CSUF?
Central State University Foundation is tasked with raising private dollars on behalf of Central State University. As an alumnus you have a vested interest in the well being of your Alma Mater. The value of your degree goes up and down depending on what the university does, how it is portrayed in the news, and how it improves throughout the years. One way that you can influence the successes of Central State University is by giving back.
Whether you realize it or not, you did benefit from the generosity of others while you attended Central State University. Construction of new residence halls, establishment of the robotics and stock trading laboratories, improved computing and other campus technology, restoration of Marauder football and cultural programming are just a few of the areas that were made possible through private support.
You, your roommate, fraternity brother or sorority sister received a scholarship from the CSUF which made graduation possible. 95% of CSU students require a scholarship or a grant to help defray college expenses. Since 2001 the CSUF has awarded an average of $225,000 per year in scholarships. These funds were derived from fellow alumni and friends of the university.
The funds you donate today will help future generations of Centralians.
Will I receive recognition for giving?
Yes, the CSU Foundation has several donor recognition programs to honor donors. The most notable is the annual black tie gala “a Night for Philanthropy” where alumni are honored for long term giving to the Alma Mater. In addition, alumni are inducted into giving societies, including the prestigious 1887 Legacy Society for planned giving.
Where exactly do my contributions go?
All contributions are made through the CSUF. If you choose to designate your gift, it will be used in the area that you specify. If you give unrestricted contributions, the money will be used to fulfill the most crucial needs of the University. Each year, CSUF sends out an Annual Report to its donors, which lists the names of all contributors and describes the specific allocation of funds.
Are there giving programs for people who are not CSU alumni?
Yes, friends of the University and parents of current and past students are encouraged to contribute.
What is the CSUF's fiscal year?
Contributions are counted within the Foundation’s fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30.
What is a matching gift company, and how do I find out if I work for one?
Matching gifts are, in essence, “free” money for CSU. Matching gift companies match charitable contributions made by their employees. The ratio could be a 1:1 (dollar for dollar) match or could be as high as 3:1. This allows you to double, triple, your gift. To find out if your company matches gifts please contact your human resources office. They should have all of the information you need in order to utilize this program.
Why are sustaining gifts important to the Central State University Foundation?
Sustaining giving. Recurring giving. Monthly giving. The name of such giving really does not matter. What matters is that you understand that it is essential to the well being of the Foundation’s mission- support Central State University. In the sustained giving model, donors contribute to the Foundation on an annual basis. These gifted dollars are typically not designated for a particular program or organizational goal. Instead, the funds are considered unrestricted revenue. Being inducted into the Sustaining Philanthropists Society recognizes sustained donors during the Black Tie event “a Night for Philanthropy”.
What is an endowment?
An endowment is a long-term investment in Central State University that provides benefits to students, faculty and programs year after year, generation after generation. An endowment is made up of gifts (including will bequests) that are subject to a donor requirement that corpus be maintained and invested to create a stream of income, with a portion of the average investment earnings expended to carry out the specified purpose of the endowment.
Why are endowments important to Central State University?
An endowment creates financial stability, allowing CSU to be less dependent on unpredictable sources of revenue, such as state appropriations. Income from endowments fund a rich variety of activities such as scholarships and fellowships for talented students, support for distinguished and dedicated faculty members through professorships and chairs, support for research, support for the libraries, or support for other programs.
How can an endowment be established at CSUF?
The Foundation staff will work with you on establishing the specifics of your endowment. The first step is simply complete the Central State University Foundation Endowment Gift Agreement Form indicating your interest in establishing an endowment.
Can an endowment be designated for a specific purpose?
Absolutely! As with any gift to the Central State University Foundation an endowed gift offers alumni and friends the opportunity to have their names, or the name of a loved one, linked to an area of the University in which they have a special interest.
What is the minimum amount for establishment of an endowment? What is BTE?
The Central State University Foundation‘s minimum to fund an endowment is $15,000. You can initiate an endowment with a gift of $1000 through using the Foundation’s BTE. A BTE is a fund that is Building To Endowment minimum. BTE’s are allowed a five-year period to achieve the minimum required level of $15,000. Spending is not permitted from BTE funds until the minimum endowment level is reached.
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Formalization
Organizational documentation
Principles of delegation
Development of the organization
Principles and features of organizational structure
Management functions
Theory of management
Importance of teamwork
Formalization in organizational structure is a process in which managers specify (in writing), procedures, rules and responsibilities for the individual employees, organizational units, groups, teams and the organization as a whole, which leads to the development of processes, relationships, and operating procedures. The formalization of the organization is the result of the management's tendency towards bureaucracy and centralization.
Formalization creates a series of provisions that specify:
mission and goals,
tasks of basic posts and organizational units,
basic organizational relationships,
ranges of responsibilities and power,
patterns of action (main processes and procedures).
Formalization of organizational documents[edit]
Formalization in practice implies the development of such documents as:
organizational chart,
terms and conditions,
job description,
range of activities,
operating procedures,
process descriptions,
organizational statement,
commands,
circular letters.
Fig. 1. Organizational chart as an example of formalization
Stages of formalization[edit]
Formalization is a process occurring in three stages:
Stage 1. Creating legal documents for the company, to define its mission, goals, course of action and principles of operation. The result of the first stage is the development of such documents as the statute, procedures and organizational chart,
Stage 2. Development of a detailed description of units describing behavioural patterns in specific organizational situations, decision rules, etc.,
Stage 3. Continuous improvement of organizational documentation, adapting it to changing internal and external conditions.
Measurement of level of formalization[edit]
Formalization occurs in every organization, but there is a wide variety of its degree and scope. A common problem for management is therefore to find the so-called. optimum formalization, when it is not achieved they have to deal with:
over-formalization - occurs when there is too many organizational rules, which leads to a lack of flexibility,
under-formalization - existence of too small quantities of rules and documents, it leads to the freedom of action of workers, which in turn can result in chaos and a decline in the efficiency.
The degree in which managers are formalizing the system can be measured by:
the number of provisions governing the functioning of the organization,
degree of detail of these provisions,
degree of stringency (i.e. penalties for failure to comply with the rules).
Characteristics of bureaucracy
Centralization
Organization of administrative and office work
Brooke, M. Z. (1984). Centralization and autonomy: A study in organization behaviour. Praeger Publishers.
Forster, N. (1994). The analysis of company documentation. Qualitative methods in organizational research: a practical guide. London: Sage, 147-66.
Hall, R. H., Johnson, N. J., & Haas, J. E. (1967). Organizational size, complexity, and formalization. "American Sociological Review", p. 903-912.
Sah, R. K., & Stiglitz, J. E. (1991). The quality of managers in centralized versus decentralized organizations. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 106(1), 289-295.
Vlaar, P. W., Van den Bosch, F. A., & Volberda, H. W. (2006). Coping with problems of understanding in interorganizational relationships: Using formalization as a means to make sense. "Organization Studies", 27(11), p. 1617-1638.
Retrieved from "https://ceopedia.org/index.php?title=Formalization&oldid=36355"
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Sugarland plans Indiana collapse benefit concert
October 7, 2011 (INDIANAPOLIS)
The band will perform a free concert on October 28 in downtown Indianapolis. The group was about to take the stage for an August 13 concert when a strong gust of wind blew over the stage rigging. Five fans, a security guard and a stagehand died from their injuries and more than 40 other people were hurt, some seriously.
All tickets from their cancelled August 13 date will be honored.
Contributions will benefit the Indiana State Fair Remembrance Fund, which was created for the collapse victims.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Steve Indig
Sport Law Strategy Group
Steve Indig began his career with the Sport Law & Strategy Group in 2003 immediately after being called to the bar as a lawyer. Steve has had the opportunity to work with over 650 national, provincial, and local sport organizations providing consulting and legal services related to governance, employment, contracts, policies, disputes, and privacy. He is a regular guest speaker and presenter at AGMs, conferences, and workshops, and also acts as a mediator and adjudicator.
During the early years of his career, Steve was certified by the NFL, CFL, MLS, and FIFA represent professional athletes as a sports agent. He continues to be involved in sport as an athlete in swimming, hockey, basketball, softball and golf; and recently won a bronze medal in the 2013 Maccabi Games in Israel playing basketball. Steve is also the proud father of a son and daughter.
2A Legal Perspectives Organizations Should Be Aware Of
This session will aid organizations in understanding hot legal topics effecting the sport sector. This presentation will expand on topics such as employees vs. contractors, conflict management, the legalization of cannabis, waivers and more. Awareness and education is a powerful tool to minimize legal risks.
Organizational Effectiveness
1A Safe Sport Principles, Practices and Board Composition Considerations
Sport organizations must have the proper policies in place to ensure a Safe Sport environment for all participants. In this timely session, lawyer Steve Indig will discuss how to improve your code of conduct, discipline and complaints policies, and screening procedures to increase protections for athletes, coaches, and volunteers.
Steve will also review whistleblower policies, the ombudsman concept for sport, how activating your policies and educating your stakeholders can reduce harassment and abuse in all areas of your organization, and more.
Additionally, participants will learn about good governance principles and Board composition considerations.
Safe Sport Organizational Effectiveness
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Location: Pottawatomie County KS
Biography of S. E. Leinbach
S. E. Leinbach. Fifty years have passed since Mr. Leinbach became a resident of Kansas. He arrived in Pottawatomie County as a pioneer not long after the close of the Civil war, in which he had played a gallant part as a Union soldier. The war was the first great event in his life and his settlement in Kansas the second. Mr. Leinbach developed a homestead and had since acquired a large body of the fertile and valuable soil of Pottawatomie County. He is now living at Onaga and had been a public spirited factor in the progress of that
Biography of John McKimens
John McKimens. Pottawatomie County was organized in 1857, It is one of the oldest counties in that section of the state that was fairly well settled during the border period of Kansas history. The present county seat, Westmoreland, was established in 1871 and was named for Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The pioneer who gave the name to the county seat was the late John McKimens, Sr. He was one of the first settlers in Pottawatomie County, having located at the present site of Westmoreland in Oetober, 1856, a year before the county was organized. John McKimens, Sr., was born in Pennsylvania
Biographical Sketch of William Francis Bowen, M. D.
William Francis Bowen, M. D. One of the best known surgeons of Topeka is Dr. William Francis Bowen, who while a general practitioner of both medicine and surgery had manifested a particularly high degree of skill in surgery and is accounted one of the ablest operators in the state. Most of his life had been spent in Topeka, but he was born in Wamego, Pottawatomie County, Kansas, December 25, 1872. His father, Frank C. Bowen, is a prominent and widely known man of Topeka and had long been identified with local politics and public affairs. Frank C. Bowen was born
Biography of Archibald Steel Johnson
Archibald Steel Johnson, a resident of Kansas nearly forty years, has one of the very interesting places historically considered. It is located a few miles from North Topeka on rural route No. 6 in Shawnee County, and is a farm of eighty acres which he bought in 1907. The history of this farm is especially interesting. The site comprises the old historic Town of Indianola. This town was established when the Territory of Kansas was new. It was the home of a large number of abolitionists, though there were two or three pro-slavery families in the same community. When this
Biographical Sketch of James E. Conroy
James Edward Conroy. One of the largest landowners and most successful farmers and stock raisers in Riley County is James Edward Conroy, whose entire life has been devoted to agricultural activities. Mr. Conroy is progressive and enterprising, believes in thoroughbred stock and in modern methods of farming and keeps himself well informed on these subjects and thereby prospers. James Edward Conroy was born February 24, 1862 in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. He is a son of James and Mary (Dempsy) Conroy, both of whom were born in Queen’s County, Ireland. They came to the United States and were married in the
Biographical Sketch of Ralph W. Squires
Ralph W. Squires, present register of deeds of Shawnee County, was born at Columbus, Ohio, April 29, 1870, and was nine years of age when brought to Kansas by his parents, Jeremiah and Virginia E. (Schimp) Squires, and for a few years the family lived on the farm in Pottawatomie County. The recollection of the booming of the prairie chickens in the spring when frost covered the earth in the morning, the cries of the plover, and other incidents of pioneer life, left an indelible impress on his youthful mind. He received his education in the public schools and later
Biography of John Henry Tole
John H. Tole. While it is certainly true that a live and growing community such as Liberty offers many and widely diversified opportunities for advancement along every line of personal endeavor, yet it is just as true that only a certain percentage achieve distinction, and a large number fail of even attaining a competency. It takes something more than mere opportunity to elevate a man from the common level of every-day accomplishments. Unless he has within him that divine spark of genius for his life work, be will continue to belong to the great majority of mediocre humanity, instead of
Biography of James Claude Wilhoit, M. D.
James Claude Wilhoit, M. D. This is the name of a prominent young physician and surgeon at Manhattan, but a man who in spite of his years has attained an enviable prominence in the professional and business life of his home state. Doctor Wilhoit has those natural gifts which together with thorough training make the proficient surgeon. His work is now largely surgery and diagnosis. He was born at Westmoreland in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, July 14, 1885, a son of Dr. John W. and Jennie (Armstrong) Wilhoit. His parents were natives of Kentucky, where they married, and they came to
Biography of William Peterson
William Peterson, during the last years of his life, lived retired with his wife in a comfortable home at Randolph in Riley County. He had a remarkable range of experience. A native of Sweden, he came to the United States a poor man. He had hardly become accustomed to American ways before he entered the army to fight for his adopted land. Three years of gallant and faithful service as a Union soldier are to his credit. Nearly fifty years ago he came out to the new State of Kansas. He was a homesteader and for years a successful farmer
Biography of Michael Floersch
Michael Floersch. In the year 1854, the late Michael Floersch, then a young man of twenty-one years, came from Missouri to Kansas and homesteaded a claim in the Pottawatomie country. He had been reared in Missouri, where his parents had settled on coming to the United States when he was eight years old. He was born in Germany, in 1833, and was reared in the faith of the Catholic Church, to the teachings of which he consistently adhered through a long, active and exemplary career. When Mr. Floersch came to Kansas he was without capital other than indomitable courage, unlimited
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Israel’s view of “democracy” very different from Canada’s, says Palestinian member of Israeli Knesset
On July 19th, the few Palestinian members of Israel’s Knesset (parliament) strenuously objected to a bill making Jewish citizens “more equal” than others. But to no avail. CTIP guest columnist Yousef Jabareen, an elected member of the Knesset, explains that in Israel the word “democracy’ does not mean what it does in Canada. Read more.
Dr. Yousef Jabareen, CTIP guest columnist
Guest column by Dr. Yousef Jabareen, MK (member of Israel’s parliament)
“Israel”, prime minister Netanyahu likes to repeat to anyone who will listen, “is the only democracy in the Middle East”.
But on Thursday July 19th, I watched in despair and frustration as a majority of Israel’s Jewish parliamentarians passed a law (The “Nation State Law”) which deprived me, a Palestinian citizen born in Israel, of many of my basic democratic rights. And I could not help reflecting on how different the Israeli notion of “democracy” is from Canada’s, which I had the opportunity of visiting in 2016.
In both Canada and Israel, “majority rule” is a key element of the definition of democracy.
But in Canada, “democracy” means much more than a simple “majority” in the Parliament. It also means equality for all citizens. No citizen has more legal rights, or a higher standing than others.
In Canada, “democracy” also means legal protections for minorities. French, the mother tongue of about 20% of Canadians, is an official language. It means that discrimination of all kinds, whether against French speaking Canadians or Black, Brown or Indigenous Canadians or women, is illegal. (I understand, of course, that discrimination still occurs in Canada. But it is punishable by law.)
In Israel however, none of this is true. “Democracy” has only one dimension – “majoritarianism”. That is, whoever is in the majority – in this case Jewish Israelis – can make any rule it wants. That majority can, and does, confer special, superior status on itself. The minority has the right to complain but has little protection, little political power and little recourse.
The recently passed “Jewish nation-state” law formalizes in law the superior rights and privileges that Jewish citizens of the state enjoy over its indigenous Palestinian minority, who comprise roughly 20% of the population. It rescinds the status of Arabic as one of Israel’s two official languages, deepens racial segregation by directing the government to “encourage and promote” Jewish towns, and declares that the right to self-determination in Israel is “exclusive” to the Jewish people, denying the history and ancient Palestinian roots in this land.
To use an imperfect Canadian analogy, imagine that a White Anglo Saxon (WASP) majority of Canada’s parliament were to amend the country’s constitution to declare that Canada is a “WASP” country? That English would be the only official language. That it would be legal for towns like Westmount, or Oakville to bar Black, or Brown, or Muslim people from moving there? That only WASP Canadians had the right to self-determination but not Quebec or indigenous Canadians?
Yet that is what is happening in Israel to its non-Jewish citizens.
The status of the Palestinian minority inside Israel
I come from an Arab-Palestinian background. I was born in a town called Umm al-Fahem, as was my father, and his father before him. Umm al Fahem pre-dates the State of Israel by centuries. My mother tongue is Arabic. Today I am part of Israel’s Palestinian minority.
Umm al Fahem is classified by Israel as an “Arab” municipality. It has never been given the same quality of public services as the “Jewish” towns which surround it, including in housing, education, healthcare and public transportation.
Equality proposed… and rejected
In one sense, there is little new in the “nation state law”. But it entrenches in law, and legalizes, and deepens Israel’s existing practices of racial discrimination.
It does not have to be like this. Only a few days ago, the Knesset rejected without debate a different law, in part inspired by a week long visit I made to Canada in 2016. The bill I proposed called for Israel to guarantee full equality, as Canada does, for all of its citizens, regardless of religion or race.
My proposal was defeated, confirming what Palestinians in Israel have always known: in Israel only Jews enjoy the full rights and privileges of citizenship.
We will continue our legal struggle for recognition of the Palestinian nation and for equal citizenship rights iican Israel. The denial of our individual and collective rights forces us to do so.
We are encouraged to see so many people around the world, (including many American and Canadian Jews), who have expressed their opposition to this Israeli law. We appeal to our friends in Canada, and to the Canadian government, to support our shared vision for enlightened democracy and the well-being of all people, regardless of race or religion.
We hope that international pressure can force Israel to reconsider this racist legislation and adopt an alternative based on “democracy” as the rest of the world understands that word.
See Dr. Jabareen’s presentation to the European Parliament concerning the Nation State law below.
Dr. Yousef Jabareen is a Palestinian citizen of Israel. He was elected to the Israeli Knesset (parliament) in March 2015. He has a Ph.D. in human rights law from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. He came to Canada in October 2016 on a study tour organized by Canada Talks Israel Palestine, a Canadian NGO.
Canada Talks Israel Palestine (CTIP) aims to promote a serious discussion in Canada about the complicated and emotional Israel/Palestine issue. We accept guest columnists from time and encourage brief comments (under 100 words) from serious readers. To learn more about what we do, contact us at membership.ctip@gmail.com.
Posted in Canadian Politics, Discrimination, Israel, Palestinians, Uncategorized on August 27, 2018 by Peter Larson. 23 Comments
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Dr. David Lorge Parnas says:
Another guest of CTIP, Jonathan Cook, taught me another way to understand Israeli democracy. He pointed out that in Israel Citizens are officially further classified by something they name “nationality”. The majority nationality is Jewish. Israeli democracy is much like Canadian democracy but restricted to the majority nationality. Within that nationality, there is diversity. Minorities within that nationality, such as the Haredim (ultra orthodox), have their rights protected; their interests are represented by the “religious” party MKs (MPs) that they elect. It is the entirely artificial notion of “nationality”, as distinct from citizenship, and the legality of discrimination on the basis of nationality that makes Israel look so undemocratic to the rest of the world.
Douglas W. Larson says:
Sad. Just sad. And again I am forced to wonder…what is it that drives bullies? At all scales and at all ages? When I watch the bullies on the playground at my grandkid’s school I see Netanyahu, Trump, Sheer, and Doug Ford in microcosm. Bullies waiting for their turn. Bullies are all scared. I think they fear almost everything that they cannot control and hence they do their best to control everything. But I think fear is their motivator. And they win by great rhetoric that instills fear in everyone else. Never mind what is really happening or what has happened in the past – fear is the currency of choice. And once the gullible choose the bully because they themselves are powerless, the bully becomes even more powerful. It’s positive feedback in the biological sense – runaway feedback. And here does it lead? Jews themselves know this and hence it is massively ironic that they themselves should be susceptible to the bully thoughts. So no, not just sad….ironic and sad.
Sylvia Laale says:
I was troubled and saddened by the passing of this law.
The ruling party of Israel seems to think that because there is complete freedom for the Jewish Israelis that this constitutes a country devoted to ‘democracy’. If we had done something similar here in Canada decades ago and made similar laws favouring the Anglo provinces, Quebec would have set up their own country if they could and rightly so. Democracy means equal responsibilities and equal rights for all peoples in the country…not just one group. Unfortunately for the Palestinian Israelis, there is no place to go and no way to establish their own country.
Does this not smack of apartheid?? I think so and as a Jewish woman, it gives me cause to feel ashamed.
Israel, i.e., west of the green line is and has always been an apartheid entity.
Hendrik Verwoerd, then prime minister of South Africa and the architect of South Africa’s apartheid policies, 1961: “Israel, like South Africa, is an apartheid state.” (Rand Daily Mail, November 23, 1961)
Jacobus Johannes Fouché, South African Minister of Defence during the apartheid era, compared the two states and said that Israel also practiced apartheid. (Gideon Shimoni (1980). Jews and Zionism: The South African Experience 1910-1967. Cape Town: Oxford UP. pp. 310–336. ISBN 0195701798.
“Former Foreign Ministry director-general invokes South Africa comparisons. ‘Joint Israel-West Bank’ reality is an apartheid state”
EXCERPT: “Similarities between the ‘original apartheid’ as it was practiced in South Africa and the situation in ISRAEL [my emphasis] and the West Bank today ‘scream to the heavens,’ added [Alon] Liel, who was Israel’s ambassador in Pretoria from 1992 to 1994. There can be little doubt that the suffering of Palestinians is not less intense than that of blacks during apartheid-era South Africa, he asserted.” (Times of Israel, February 21, 2013)
Adi Ophir, professor of philosophy, Tel Aviv University: “…the adoption of the political forms of an ethnocentric and racist nation-state in general, are turning Israel into the most dangerous place in the world for the humanity and morality of the Jewish community, for the continuity of Jewish cultures and perhaps for Jewish existence itself.” (1998 issue of “Theory and Criticism,” published in Israel)
Ilan Pappe, then professor of political science at Haifa University: “[Israel’s] political system [is] exclusionary, a pro forma democracy – going through the motions of democratic rule but essentially being akin to apartheid or Herenvolk (‘master race’) democracy.” (“Jerusalem Report,” Feb. 14/2000)
Ronnie Kasrils, a key player in the struggle against the former South African apartheid regime, minister for intelligence and a devout Jew: “The Palestinian minority in Israel has for decades been denied basic equality in health, education, housing and land possession, solely because it is not Jewish. The fact that this minority is allowed to vote hardly redresses the rampant injustice in all other basic human rights. They are excluded from the very definition of the ‘Jewish state’, and have virtually no influence on the laws, or political, social and economic policies. Hence, their similarity to the black South Africans [under apartheid].” (The Guardian, 25 May 2005)
Shlomo Gazit, retired IDF Major General: “[Israel’s] legal system that enforces the law in a discriminatory way on the basis of national identity, is actually maintaining an apartheid regime.” (Haaretz, July 19, 2011)
One example of apartheid within Israel:
“Jewish town won’t let Arab build home on his own land”
Excerpt: “Aadel Suad first came to the planning and construction committee of the Misgav Local Council in 1997. Suad, an educator, was seeking a construction permit to build a home on a plot of land he owns in the community of Mitzpeh Kamon. The reply he got, from a senior official on the committee, was a memorable one. ‘Don’t waste your time,’ he reportedly told Suad. ‘We’ll keep you waiting for 30 years.’” (Haaretz, 14 December 2009)
In its 2015 Country Report on Human Rights Practices for Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, published in 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor acknowledges the “institutional and societal discrimination against Arab citizens of Israel.” (U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor)
“Construction, Not Destruction”
“While Israeli Arabs constitute 20 percent of the population, Arab communities’ jurisdictions occupy just 2.5 percent of the state’s land area, and the process of approving new construction in Arab towns takes decades.” (Haaretz Editorial, April 4, 2017)
“Israel” also differentiates between citizenship and nationality, i.e., “Israeli” nationality does not exist, only Jews and non-Jews, and each citizen carries an appropriate identity card. While the implications of this absurdity for discrimination and racism against non-Jews are obvious, it has been upheld by Israel’s Supreme Court.
The effect of Israel’s blatantly racist “Citizenship Law” and more than fifty other restrictions Arab citizens have to endure is well expressed by writer and Knesset member, Ahmed Tibi, “…dutifully defining the state [of Israel] as ‘Jewish and democratic,’ ignores the fact that in practice ‘democratic’ refers to Jews, and the Arabs are nothing more than citizens without citizenship.” (Ma’ariv, 1.6.2005)
Eminent Jewish Israeli journalist, Bradley Burston, aptly sums up the horrors Israel inflicts on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem:
“Occupation is Slavery”
“In the name of occupation, generation after generation of Palestinians have been treated as property. They can be moved at will, shackled at will, tortured at will, have their families separated at will. They can be denied the right to vote, to own property, to meet or speak to family and friends. They can be hounded or even shot dead by their masters, who claim their position by biblical right, and also use them to build and work on the plantations the toilers cannot themselves ever hope to own. The masters dehumanize them, call them by the names of beasts.” (Haaretz, Feb. 26/13)
Regarding Gaza:
The International Committee of the Red Cross: “The whole of Gaza’s civilian population is being punished for acts for which they bear no responsibility. The closure therefore constitutes a collective punishment imposed in clear violation of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law. The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, ratified by Israel, bans collective punishment of a civilian population.”
“In practice, Gaza has become a huge, let me be blunt, concentration camp for right now 1,800,000 people” – Amira Hass, 2015 correspondent for Haaretz, speaking at the Forum for Scholars and Publics at Duke University.
To quote Dov Weisglass, then PM Ariel Sharon’s senior adviser:
“‘The significance of the [proposed] disengagement plan [implemented in 2005] is the freezing of the peace process,’ Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s senior adviser Dov Weisglass has told Ha’aretz. ‘And when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda….’ Weisglass, who was one of the initiators of the disengagement plan, was speaking in an interview with Ha’aretz for the Friday Magazine. ‘The disengagement is actually formaldehyde,’ he said. ‘It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that is necessary so there will not be a political process with the Palestinians.’” (Top PM Aide: Gaza Plan Aims to Freeze the Peace Process, Ha’aretz, October 6, 2004)
Palestinian Canadian says:
Thanks, Dr. Yousef, for your informative article and good analysis. You are part of the courageous Palestinian leadership inside Israel who are working and fighting for equality against a powerful racist machine. You definitely deserve our respect and support!
After the “Nation State Law”, it seems that more people believe that a new strategy is required to challenge and resist the Israeli oppressive and discriminatory system. For example, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti is calling now for a united Palestinian popular struggle to end the whole apartheid regime (inside Israel itself, West Bank and Gaza, in addition to addressing legitimate rights of Palestinian refugees). In other words, he does not see a chance for a two-state solution anymore. Here is another example:
https://mondoweiss.net/2018/08/political-democratic-palestine/
I hope that the Palestinian leadership inside Israel will succeed in organizing a united and effective popular movement to end the whole Israeli apartheid regime where all people can enjoy dignity, safety and freedom.
droytenberg says:
The provisions in the law that would have endorsed exclusive communities were removed, in favour of less specific language in favour of settlement of the land.
That said, MK Jabareen is right that the nation state law asserts the power of the Jewish majority in matters where minority rights should be upheld. Although the law states that the previous status of the Arabic language is unaffected by its provisions, the symbolism of no longer putting Arabic on the same footing as Hebrew is rightly alarming to Isrsel’s Arabic speaking minority. I look forward to a future Israeli Knesset healing this self inflicted wound.
Peter Larson says:
David, thanks for your comment, but I’m not sure the difference is real. When a case of discrimination comes to the Supreme Court it will be defended on the grounds that “jewish settlement” is encouraged under a basic law. Do you doubt that this will apply to both the West Bank and to Israel itself?
David Roytenberg says:
You are right that this argument may well be put forward, but the law says “settlement”. It doesn’t say “Jewish settlement”. The Israeli Supreme Court has taken on the role of protector of minorities and those with less power, much like the Supreme Court of Canada. It is a genuinely independent branch of government, as it is here. We cannot know how the court will rule in a particular case until that case comes before them.
Mr. Roytenberg (August 30, 2018 at 12:04 am)
Perhaps you should read again. In the text of the law as translated and published by the Times of Israel, the following are the only appearances of “settlement”
7 — Jewish settlement
A. The state views the development of Jewish settlement as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation.
The wording of the text is quite clear and refers only to Jewish Settlement. It allows little room for re-interpretation. Since this is “Basic Law”, the Supreme Court can do little.
George Jacoby says:
Its unfortunate that Israel’s Jewish state and nationality laws violate the equality of all citizens rule that is a basis of most western democracies like Canada,. Within the context of the Jewish majority this equality principle applies, even though not extended fully to the Palestinian minority whose MKs did try to present an alternative vision along Canadian equality lines. In a real sense it changes nothing in the reality for Israeli Palestinian Arabs or the Palestinian Arabs in the “occupied territories'”. What it does do is hammer another nail into the coffin of a one state solution with equality for all citizens of “Israetine.” But it does strengthen the drive towards a sovereign and equal two state solution of the Jewish state of Israel and the Arab state of Palestine with capitals in West and East Jerusalem respectively along the green line with land and population swaps and guaranteed human and minority rights for the respective Arab Palestinian and Jewish minorities not inhabiting their own national ethnic state. For the billions committed to equal access to their holy sites of Judaism, Christian and Islam in old Jerusalem, the internationalization of this area as proposed by former Canadian ambassador Michael Bell who produced a plan of implementation before his death,. Therefore, the two state solution becomes the most promising scenario to apply the “equality” principle to Israel and Palestine.
Hey George, thank you for your comment. I draw the exact opposite conclusion. I think this law drives another nail into the idea that a 2 state solution would ever solve the main grievances. The main objective of the two state solution is get the Palestinians (and the world) to accept the legitimacy of Israel. But could you, or I, accept a state that officially legally discriminates against 20% of its own population, and proposes to forever forbid those it expelled from returning to their own land? Hmmm…
In fact, I do not believe that there is a two-state solution. The proposed Palestinian entity would not control its borders, would not be armed, and its residents would not be free to travel without Israeli permission, Israel would still control (and delay) any mail. It would not be contiguous. Nobody would call that a state. It would be achieved at the cost of denying many people the right to visit or reside in the land of their grandparents. There would be people on either side of the so-called border who would not accept it as a solution. What difference would it make?
Peter, there is no right of return. The Jews who were deprived of their citizenship and driven out of Iraq have no right of return. The Jews who escaped Syria have no right of return. The Jews in Hebron today are considered illegal settlers by many, even though their ancestors were driven out of the city in a Palestinian pogrom in 1929. The Poles who were uprooted and expelled from what is now Western Ukraine when Stalin divided Poland with Hitler in 1939 have no right of return. The Germans who were expelled from the Sudetenland, and from the portion of Germany that was annexed to Poland in 1945 have no right of return.
The 20 million people on the Indian subcontinent who fled their homes in India and Pakistan have no right of return. The Greeks and Armenians who were fortunate enough to escape from Turkey with their lives after the first world war have no right of return. Personally, I am a Jew whose forebears fled Russia for Canada, in the earliest years of the 20th century to escape persecution, but I have no right of return to Russia.
While it may seem like it would be just, the descendants of peoples who fled conflict do not in fact have any right of return to the countries inhabited by their ancestors. When inter-communal violence precipitates flight, as it did in Palestine and on a much larger scale in the Indian Subcontinent in the same year as the events in Palestine, the just and humane and legal solution is for the refugees to be absorbed elsewhere and get on with their lives. That’s what happened in India and in Germany and in Israel. It is a tragic fact that many of the Palestinians were treated differently and left to languish stateless in their countries of refuge, but this bad treatment in their countries of refuge does not give them a right to return to their grandparents’ homes in what is now Israel.
While Israel doubled its population after 1948, absorbing the Jewish refugees from the holocaust and from Arab lands, Palestinian refugees were not given the same sort of welcome in Syria and Lebanon and they were treated badly by the Egyptian government in Gaza and by the Jordanian regime in the West Bank, which was seriously underdeveloped when Israel captured the territory in 1967. In the case of Jordan, the Palestinians were in fact internally displaced persons and not refugees who moved from one part of Palestine to another, just as the Jews of East Jerusalem, Gush Etzion and Kfar Darom, who also lost their homes in the territory conquered by Jordan and Egypt were forced to flee to the part of Palestine that became the State of Israel.
The demand for the right of return is incompatible with the Oslo principal of two states for two peoples. Arafat signed up for this principal (and promised an end to violence) when he signed the Oslo accords, and it was on that basis that Israel ceded control of a large swathe of territory to the PA. It was rightly taken as a sign of bad faith when, after being offered a state in most of the Palestinian territory Israel took from Egypt and Jordan in the six day war, Arafat walked away from the deal in 2000, and went back to war, due to the “right of return”.
The Jews will not give up their independence by agreeing to mass return of the descendants of Palestinians displaced in the war of independence. Insisting on this means that the war will continue indefinitely. I deeply hope that a new generation of Palestinian leaders will seek peace with Israel based on mutual recognition of the claims of both Arabs and Jews, which can only be resolved by territorial compromise on both sides and the two state solution.
David, what on earth are you talking about?
I support the “right of return” for all refugees, no matter what their religion.
In point of fact, those Poles you referred to, do have the “right of return”. They just have to turn up at the Polish border. Ditto for Germans, Czechs etc. I support that right.
The largest number of Jews who came to Israel came from Morocco. Morocco has explicitly said it welcomes Jews who want to come back to settle. And thousands of Jews, including Jews from Israel, “return” to Morocco on holiday every year.
I would support the “right of return” for any Jewish refugee from Iraq if he/she wanted to return.
The right of return is a human right that applies to every refugee. I would oppose any country, including Israel, which denies the right of return.
Hey David, I forgot to mention that of course you have a right to return to Russia. In fact, you can apply for citizenship if you want. I doubt you would want to, nor would I.
And about those Jews from Iraq??? Many did leave under threat and so could claim refugee status even if they came to Israel as “immigrants”. But by coincidence i just saw an article in +972 Magazine about how Iraq is debating inviting Jews to return there. Apparently opinion is divided, but I would certainly support the right of any Jew who was expelled from Iraq to return there. Here is the article. It is interesting: https://972mag.com/iraq-jewish-right-of-return-al-sadr/137559/
Pierre says:
Israel is a modern liberal democracy with a per capita GDP that rivals the most successful economies in the EU, add five million Arabs to Israel and it will become as successful economicly as Jordan, as peaceful as Syria and as democratic as Egypt
Israelis all understand that point and they will never commit mass suicide by granting the right of return to people who want to kill them
You’ll die as an old bitter man with nothing to show for the decades you invested in a propaganda fight against Israel
Hey Pierre,
Who’s bitter?
I may be old, but definitely not bitter. (Many even say that I have a good sense of humour).
I am proud of being a democrat, and of fighting for democratic values – in Canada and around the world, including in the Middle East.
I have been quite consistent over several decades in fighting against anti-semitism as well as other kinds of racism whenever I run across it in Canada. And I also apply the same democratic lens to the State of Israel. I’m sorry if this offends you.
Mr. Roytenberg,
I find it ludicrous that you deny the “right of return” to people who were expelled from Palestine in living memory while I, as a Jew, supposedly have the right of “return” to a land that I never saw before the present century, a land my father and his father never saw, a land that no known ancestor of mine ever saw.
Jews from all over the world were (and still are) actively recruited and welcomed by Israel. That is a sharp contrast to Palestinians who are still refugees, were recruited by no other country and cannot even visit their family homes. Many Palestinian families were split with some remaining while others, who left temporarily to escape violence, are not allowed to return.
As Peter as pointed out Jews who fled Europe in the Nazi time do have the right of return. What he fails to point out is that many have exercised that right. Those countries have vibrant Jewish communities now. As the child of a German and an Austrian refugee, I held citizenship in those countries when I was born and have lived in Germany. While living there, I knew Israelis who had returned and were living quite comfortably in Germany.
Palestinians should have the same rights to return to their “homeland” as I had to return to my “homeland”. Not allowing them to exercise rights that we enjoy is hypocrisy.
Pierre (August 31, 2018 at 12:16 am)
You wrote, “Israel is a modern liberal democracy … , add five million Arabs to Israel and it will become as successful economicly as Jordan, as peaceful as Syria and as democratic as Egypt”.
In fact, Israel is as modern as South Africa was under apartheid, as liberal as the US when slavery was legal, and as democratic as we were when women could not vote.
If Israel’s neighbours had received even a fraction of the support from foreign countries that Israel has received, had not been burdened by the need to support the people that Israel has discarded, and had not been ruled by governments installed by Europeans, they would be doing very well. When Israel stops devoting so much of its resources to suppressing others, it will do even better economically than it does now.
This forum is not a place for personal attacks. It is of such obvious depth and quality that its organizer needs no defense.
Muazzam says:
Not a democracy- it is a perfect example of autocracy and repression. – Rejecting Palestinians the right of return to their homeland, but giving full citizenship rights to those who are not even born and have no connection to the land – a cowardly religious discrimination.
More than 70 percent Israeli industry that claims security-sensitivity and therefore no chance for Palestinians to work as the doors are shut– a cowardly socioeconomic bigotry that exist for Palestinians only.
It’s not a democracy where the government openly shows its prejudice and consider Palestinians as enemies that should never be trusted. This is not a myth, this is Israeli sick mentality. Defeating people’s resistance is not a democracy. Incarcerating people without trial is not a democracy. Collective punishments of local population by blowing up their homes is not democracy.
Considering its arrogance, repression and superiority over the people whose land has been stolen by force — the International Criminal Court has classified forced population removals as a war crime. The refugees and the Arabs in Israel, the Jewish state can never be by any scale of self-respect and human dignity, be a democratic state. It’s an insult and offense to the democratic values, principles and moralities that we believe as people. It has gone beyond an apartheid regime but the hypocritical world leaders still believe otherwise.
For more than half-century and as of today, this has been the strategy that it will never allow the formation of a Palestinian sovereign state anywhere in Palestine- neither one state nor two-state as we continue to witness the outrageous double standard approach demonstrated by the US, UK, Arab World, Canada and many more.
I believe in only one solution and that is:
Right of Return: For all Israelis to leave Palestine that they occupied and return to their home countries where they have come from.
Right of Return: For all Arabs, Christians, Muslims & Jews who lived for thousands of years in Palestine shall return to their homes in Palestine and practice their faith.
The most unwanted people from Europe were dumped on Palestinian lands are now the most unwanted people in Palestine and Mideast. They have now become the most wanted people in Europe, USA and Canada. Will any of these counties take them and will this happen in our life time?? I wonder!
Muazzam, you say “I believe in only one solution and that is:
Are you arguing that ALL Jews in Israel must leave Israel/Palestine to return to their “home countries?” Even those born in Israel? I have met a few Palestinians who think that, but I say to them that I won’t support that, nor will any Western country.
If you really hold that position, would you also say that you and I (both immigrants or descendants of immigrants to Canada) should give up the land taken from indigenous Canadians a century or two ago and return to our “home countries”? I am a 3rd generation Canadian. My great grandparents came from Sweden. I don’t speak Swedish.
I admit freely that my house is on land taken by force from the Algonquin people. (Probably yours too). They have a right to it. But I committed no crime and I have an acquired right as a result of being born here. The law will have to sort out the contradiction between the two rights. (Many “rights” are in contradiction and have to be resolved.) And besides, no indigenous Canadian claims that i should “return” to Sweden.
I fully support the right of Palestinian refugees to return to live in Palestine (all of Palestine) to live in peace and equality with those Jewish Israelis who wish to stay. I do not support, and will not support the idea of a new expulsion of Jews.
Peter, the Jews of Palestine are not the problem, I am talking about the ones who came and occupied the land by force and exiled indigenous Palestinians. It is the Israeli government and its ministers who continue to murder Palestinians. Many Jews in Palestine wish and want to leave in peace with Arabs, Christians and Muslims. The killing machine that Israeli government holds in its possession and giving the power to those who only know how to murder Palestinians is the problem. It is the Zionism and terrorism that brought us to the point that Jerusalem got rubbed and sold to the immoral occupying forces that has no respect for human rights or dignity. A truthful historian must document this as the gloomiest and sad day in the history of mankind and for those who have faith.
Now we see a show of recklessness by the US to reject the possibility of the Palestinian “right of return.” to their ancestral homeland which is nothing but a cowardly display of arrogance, injustice and low scale human respect by the US.
Peter, there is a difference between many of us as immigrants “right of return” as compared to Palestinians who were removed from their homes by force while we have made the choice to leave on our own. We may not be questioned to leave but all of us have the “right of return” to where we came from. Why not the Israelis? Leave or live with equal rights, dignity and self-respect as a peace loving nation.
Ahik says:
Muazzem ya zalameh, my family had been in Israel for almost a century my nieces and nephews have great grandparents from both Iraq and Europe, but are ineligible to a passport of neither, can they please stay in Israel?
UN resolution 194 calls for the return of the Palestinians “who wish to live peacefuly next to their neighbours” in Israel.
Even if you were indeed became a refugee in 1948, your expressed intent to uproot the Jews from Israel makes you ineligible to UN resolution 194
With friendship,
Your cousin
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Geochemical process on Saturn’s moon linked to life’s origin
Washington, DC— New work from a team including Carnegie’s Christopher Glein has revealed the pH of water spewing from a geyser-like plume on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Their findings are an important step toward determining whether life could exist, or could have previously existed, on the sixth planet’s sixth-largest moon.
Enceladus is geologically active and thought to have a liquid water ocean beneath its icy surface. The hidden ocean is the presumed source of the plume of water vapor and ice that the Cassini spacecraft has observed venting from the moon’s south polar region. Whenever there’s the possibility of liquid water on another planetary body, scientists begin to ask whether or not it could support life.
The present team, including lead author Glein, John Baross of the University of Washington, and J. Hunter Waite Jr. of the Southwest Research Institute, developed a new chemical model based on mass spectrometry data of ice grains and gases in Enceladus’ plume gathered by Cassini, in order to determine the pH of Enceladus’ ocean. The pH tells us how acidic or basic the water is. It is a fundamental parameter to understanding geochemical processes occurring inside the moon that are considered important in determining Enceladus’ potential for acquiring and hosting life. The work is published in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
The team’s model, constrained by observational data from two Cassini teams, including one led by coauthor Waite, shows that the plume, and by inference the ocean, is salty with an alkaline pH of about 11 or 12, which is similar to that of glass-cleaning solutions of ammonia. It contains the same sodium chloride (NaCl) salt as our oceans here on Earth. Its additional substantial sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) makes the ocean similar to our planet’s soda lakes such as Mono Lake in California or Lake Magadi in Kenya. The scientists refer to it as a “soda ocean.”
“Knowledge of the pH improves our understanding of geochemical processes in Enceladus’ ‘soda ocean,’” Glein explained.
The model suggests that the ocean’s high pH is caused by a metamorphic, underwater geochemical process called serpentinization. On Earth, serpentinization occurs when certain kinds of so-called “ultrabasic” or “ultramafic” rocks (low in silica and high in magnesium and iron) are brought up to the ocean floor from the upper mantle and chemically interact with the surrounding water molecules. Through this process, the ultrabasic rocks are converted into new minerals, including the mineral serpentine, after which the process is named, and the surrounding fluid becomes alkaline. On Enceladus, serpentinization would occur when ocean water circulates through a rocky core at the bottom of its ocean.
“Why is serpentinization of such great interest? Because the reaction between the metallic rocks and the ocean water also produces molecular hydrogen (H2), which provides a source of chemical energy that is essential for supporting a deep biosphere in the absence of sunlight inside moons and planets,” Glein said. “This process is central to the emerging science of astrobiology, because molecular hydrogen can both drive the formation of organic compounds like amino acids that may lead to the origin of life, and serve as food for microbial life such as methane-producing organisms. As such, serpentinization provides a link between geological processes and biological processes. The discovery of serpentinization makes Enceladus an even more promising candidate for a separate genesis of life.”
Even beyond the search for life-hosting conditions on other planetary bodies, the team’s work demonstrates that it is possible to determine the pH of an extraterrestrial ocean based on chemical data from a spacecraft flying through a plume. This may be a useful approach to searching for habitable conditions in other icy worlds, such as Jupiter’s moon Europa.
“Our results show that this kind of synergy between observations and modeling can tell us a great deal about the geochemical processes occurring on a faraway celestial object, thus opening the door to an exciting new era of chemical oceanography in the Solar System and beyond.” Glein added.
Caption: A diagram illustrating the possible interior of Saturn's moon Enceladus, including the ocean and plumes in the south polar region, based on Cassini spacecraft observations, courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.
(Top image caption: Dramatic plumes, both large and small, spray water ice and vapor near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus. This two-image mosaic is one of the highest resolution views acquired by Cassini during its imaging survey of the geyser basin capping the southern hemisphere of Saturn's moon Enceladus. It is provided courtesy of NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.)
This work was supported by the Deep Carbon Observatory, the Carnegie Institution for Science, the NASA Astrobiology Institute, and the Cassini Project.
The Carnegie Institution for Science (carnegiescience.edu) is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science.
Scientific Area:
Earth & Planetary Science
Reference to Media:
Reference to Project:
News Topic:
Earth/Planetary Science
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Tag: hastings
HISTORICAL BOOK REVIEW SERIES: ‘Richard III: Loyalty Binds Me” by Matthew Lewis
Published on February 18, 2019 February 18, 2019 by Caroline Angus Baker1 Comment
King Richard III remains one of the most controversial figures in British history. Matthew Lewis’s new biography aims to become a definitive account by exploring what is known of his childhood and the impacts it had on his personality and view of the world. He would be cast into insecurity and exile only to become a royal prince before his tenth birthday.
As Richard spends his teenage years under the watchful gaze of his older brother, Edward IV, he is eventually placed in the household of their cousin, the Earl of Warwick, remembered as the Kingmaker; but as the relationship between a king and his most influential magnate breaks down, Richard is compelled to make a choice when the House of York fractures. After another period in exile, Richard returns to become the most powerful nobleman in England. The work he involves himself in during the years that follow demonstrates a drive and commitment but also a dangerous naïveté.
When crisis hits in 1483, it is to Richard that his older brother turns on his death-bed. The events of 1483 remain contentious and hotly debated, but by understanding the Richard who began that year, it will become clearer what drove some of his actions and decisions. Returning to primary sources and considering the evidence available, this new life undoes the myths and presents a real man living in tumultuous times.
cover and blurb via Amberley Publishing
I have to be honest, I am very much Ricardian. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched Richard III get vilified by Shakespeare (well, by 21st century actors, anyway) and barely contain my rage. I don’t think Richard is perfect, a completely impeachable hero (no one is), but I also don’t think him a child-killing villain. There are few like Richard, a man who had suffered a great deal in a short time before his fateful battle at Bosworth. And it takes an author as fine as Lewis to dig into the details of Richard’s life. Most books either love or hate Richard, whereas this writer doesn’t go down either road, and instead gives us an insight into the mind of a man who became king, lost his own family, and then was overthrown by a man with a flimsy claim. Richard was a king, now a legend, but he was also just a man, and here is a book where we finally get to meet Richard. I moved books around on my Richard shelves to make room for this biography before it even came out.
While many books write about 1483 onwards, so much happened in Richard’s life leading up to the crown. The first half of the book digs deep into Richard, those in his life, the battles he fought, his ideals in life and religion, all as he grew into the king people focus on now. Much happened to Richard in his short life – overcoming a spinal deformity would have shaped his thoughts. He grew up around powerful people, like the Nevilles, who would do anything for power. Richard was prepared to lay down his life for his brother Edward, and yet his brother George betrayed them both, harm which would cause a wound that could never truly heal. Edward was king on the back of Richard’s hard work, and Richard ran the north in England and kept an eye on Scotland for his sovereign, all before the age of thirty.
But when King Edward died in April 1483, all the moments in Richard’s life which shaped him would come in play. The next three months have been debated since the moment they happened, but this book gives a reader a more detailed insight into why Richard acted as he did, thought as he did. It seems Richard was neither a murderous villain desperate for power, or an innocent caught up in a disaster. The illegitimacy of the Princes in the Tower is well discussed too, whether Richard was fooled, or did he simply miss important details, or was he the master? I can’t tell you, because spoilers, but the murky situation and Richard’s handling is a reflection of many events long before the mess with the Princes. Another important detail in the events of 1483 is the death of Hastings, a particular favourite subject of mine. Again, in the interest of spoilers (as in the excellent research on Lewis’ part) I won’t share all that is written, but the whole situation felt fresh to me, a tough feat after 500 years and a whole lot of writing on the subject.
Richard’s life went from a powerful ruler in the north after years of fighting, to having brother George executed, to his brother Edward dead before his time, to being thrust onto the throne, to his nephews disappeared, to his precious wife and son dead from illness, to betrayal by men he trusted… how much can one man take in only a few years? By the time Richard faced Henry Tudor at Bosworth, Richard’s life was circling the drain, yet he remained confident of victory. This book talks of Richard in a positive way, without soundly like it is gushing with adoration; rather, it shows the whole life of an extraordinary man. England could have had a fine king, had Richard been given the chance.
This book is worthy of five stars. Matthew Lewis wrote The Survival of the Princes in the Tower not to long ago, one of the best books I’ve ever read. Loyalty Binds Me is an excellent addition to any library. Imagine saying you like Richard III but don’t have Lewis in your collection?
Gallery•Categories ALL REVIEWS, Historical Book Review Series, Plantagenet•Tags 1483, 1485, edward iv, england, george clarence, hastings, henry tudor, matthew lewis, neville, non-fiction, Plantagenet, princes in the the tower, review, richard iii, richard neville, war of the roses, York
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Julian Sefton-Green
Julian Sefton-Green is an independent scholar working in Education and the Cultural and Creative Industries. He is currently Principal Research Fellow at the Department of Media & Communication, London School of Economics, and a research associate at the University of Oslo working on projects in London and Oslo exploring learning and learner identity across formal and informal domains. He is an Honorary Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham, UK and the Institute of Education, Hong Kong.
He has worked as an Associate Research Professor at the University of South Australia, where he was developing a city-wide initiative to imagine and implement new kinds of spaces for learning. He has been the Head of Media Arts and Education at WAC Performing Arts and Media College – a centre for informal training and education – where he directed a range of digital media activities for young people and co-ordinated training for media artists and teachers. He worked as Media Studies teacher in an inner city comprehensive school in London and in higher education teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses, leading teacher training degrees in media education.
He has researched and written widely on many aspects of media education, new technologies, creative learning and informal learning. Recent volumes include: joint editing of The International Handbook of Creative Learning (2011) and Researching Creative Learning: Methods and Approaches (2010), both with Routledge; Learning at Not-School (2013, MIT Press); and co-editing Identity, Community and Learning Lives in the Digital Age (2013 Cambridge University Press). He has directed research projects for the Arts Council of England, the British Film Institute, the London Development Agency and Creative Partnerships and has spoken at a number of conferences around the world. His personal blog is www.julianseftongreen.net.
The Class: Living and Learning in the Digital Age
Connected Learning: An Agenda for Research and Design
A Learning Life: How Connected Learning Might Work Over Time
In my last blog, I talked about Learning Identities, Education and Community: young lives in the cosmopolitan city as an example of an attempt to study connected learning in action — catching the...
Category: Connected Learning
From ‘Connected Learning’ to ‘Learning Lives’
It's too late now but having worked with the Connected Learning Research Network for some time now, I wonder whether the concept of connected learning should really have been called connecting learning on the...
Childhood and the Pursuit of Meaning in Today’s Connected World
Most adults reckon they know about children because they were one once. This is a strange kind of qualification. First of all, there is a tendency to universalize childhood as if the...
Category: Digital Citizenship
Introducing New Book Series: ‘Connected Youth and Digital Futures’
Building on research supported by the MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning initiative, a new series “Connected Youth and Digital Futures,” is debuting its first two books — By Any Media Necessary:...
Category: Equity
From Changing Education Systems to Changing Society
Whether stated explicitly or not, a core proposition of DML is that there are deep consequences to the ways that young people are learning both in and out of school and using digital...
Categories: Educational Practice, Equity
Explaining the Research of Connected Learning
The idea of “connected learning” encompasses a way of theorising and describing the kinds of learning that take place against the grain, as it were, in places where we might not usually...
Making Sense of Games, Gaming Culture Knowledge
I am carrying out a piece of work, exploring how young people imagine, develop interests in, and work toward becoming employed in a range of digital creative industries. I am interviewing a...
Category: Edtech
How Might Creative Youth Cultures Understand the Nature of ‘Creativity’?
In this post I want to compare two European research projects that investigated creative production by young people in informal, out-of-school and, to a great extent, self organised contexts. Around the world...
What Counts As Learning?
I have recently contributed to a new issue of the Bank Street occasional papers. The issue is called “The Other 17 Hours: Valuing Out of School Time” and explores recent attention to...
Categories: Digital Learning, Educational Practice
Is There Such a Thing as Digital Creativity?
In some ways, this question is of course impossible. Given the difficulty of defining creativity in the first place with scholarship, trying to focus on the distinctions between what is new, what...
Category: Digital Learning
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How Classic Is Redman's Whut? Thee Album | Album Review
Redman came along in a time when Def Jam was failing and they needed another superstar. Lyor Cohen said that Redman was that next big thing and that Redman was what they were looking for. Personality wise and musically he was sellable artists, although this album would only sell to Gold in the United States. But there’s no doubt that Redman would go on to have a long and successful career in the music business, even taking on the responsibilty of most of his marketing (on Doc’s Da Name 2000). But what was Redman’s background like and what lead up to the release of Whut? Thee Album?
A similar photo of the cover in the Whut? Thee Album CD inlay artwork
What Happened Before Whut? Thee Album ?
Reggie Noble aka Redman spent a huge portion of his youth selling all kinds of drugs and DJing at parties and clubs. Then at age 16 (in 1986) he picked rapping, as he was heavily influenced Biz Markie who had a comedy rapping style. Four years later in 1990, Redman was discovered by Erick Sermon (from EPMD) at a show Redman was DJing at. It was during a freestyle session backstage that Sermon heard Redman’s skills as a rapper. He was very impressed and invited Red to perform during EPMD’s set. They then took him on tour where he would freestyle rap and do DJ sets. He was now apart of the Hit Squad and was given two guest spots on EPMD’s 1990 album Business As Usual. One year later he was signed to Def Jam and began recording his debut album under the tutelage of Erick Sermon.
Review - What Are The Best Tracks?
Whut? Thee Album begins with a great intro skit (skits would become one of Redman’s best assets) before he launches into “Time 4 Sumaksion” which packs a solid punch with a quick beat and plenty of energetic rapping. Produced by Erick Sermon this track has the feel you would expect, but tailored to Redman’s style. E-Dub produces 99% of the album with only a Pete Rock co-prod. on one track (and a Mr. Bozack (Redman) co-prod).
“So Ruff” borrows heavily from Parliament (the legendary funk group) and is an ultra-bouncy track which is more mid-tempo and laid-back. Lyrically it has a storytelling structure. “Rated R” samples one of Eric B. & Rakim’ vocals and is one of the best tracks on the album hands down. Lyrically we see Redman really come into his own, with his trademark outlandish boasting and sick humor. A gem on the album.
Another shot of Redman in CD inlay artwork for Whut? Thee Album
“Hardcore” has a heavy ass beat with Redman dropping a simple, freestyle vibey verse. A simple and short, yet effective track. “Funky Uncles” is a skit which shows us Redman’s ability to make hilarious skits with interesting characters. “Tonight’s The Night” is a great track and one of the most interesting because the beat is really melodic and smooth yet Redman is kicking hardcore lyrics over it. A nice chilled track.
“How To Roll A Blunt” is co-produced by Pete Rock (who was mad hot in 1992 with Mecca and the Soul Brother) and this track is pure quality. The lyrics which are as you would expect, weed orientated and the music is original sounding, just a great track overall.
Yet another similar shot of Redman from his debut Whut? Thee Album
The best track on Whut? Thee Album is “A Day Of Sooperman Lover” which gets our CLASSIC rating. One of the reasons for its classic’ness is how the beat starts out in one style before seamlessly switching up and going in another direction. This technique had been used by Dr. Dre and also by Ice-Cube on AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (the latter is one of Redman’s big influences). The beat begins with a low-key soul vibe before launching into a high energy James Brown track with a beatboxing segue in between. Lyrically the whole track is tied together by the Sooperman Lover theme which Redman would revisit on his subsequent albums.
The CD back cover showing the tracklist for Whut? Thee Album
All in all, Whut? Thee Album is a great album. It’s entertaining, the beats are solid, and there are plenty of songs on it (14 in total). It really wets your appetite for more Redman music and luckily he had a lot more material to come.
How Classic Is Whut? Thee Album ?
CLASSIC: "A Day Of Sooperman Lover" - DOPE: "Time 4 Sumaksion", "So Ruff", "Rated "R" ", "Jam 4 U", "Hardcore", "Tonight's The Night" - GOOD: "Da Funk", "Watch Yo Nuggets", "Blow Your Mind", "Redman Meets Reggie Noble", "Blow Your Mind", "How To Roll A Blunt" - SUB-PAR: "I'm Bad"
Alexander Ramalho October 11, 2018
This Is The Return Of The Boom Bap... KRS-One Style | Album Review
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Breaking Muscle
Featured Coach: John Hackleman, Part 1 - Origins of The Pit
Becca Borawski Jenkins
Coaching, Strength and Conditioning, Martial Arts
When you meet John Hackleman, founder of The Pit and CrossPit, he seems like a guy who would train fighters - big, bald, covered in tattoos, and full of prison jokes. He has trained some of the world’s best, including UFC fan-favorite Chuck Liddell. Hackleman, however, also teaches families and children, worked for many years as a nurse, and is an accomplished business man.
So don’t let his “I’m just a dumb karate guy” act fool you. John Hackleman has a lot going on.
John knew from an early age martial arts was the sport for him. In fact, it’s the only sport he’s ever done. Born in New York City, he moved with his family to Honolulu, Hawaii when he was just four years old. At the age of nine he began studying Judo and then Shotokan Karate. It was at the age of ten he found his true calling in the art of Kajukenbo.
Kajukenbo was created in Hawaii in the 1940s from a combination of karate, judo and jujitsu, kenpo, and boxing. Its name in fact, is taken from the first two letters of each of these styles: ka-ju-ken-bo. In that sense it was a “mixed martial art” long before MMA as we now know it existed.
When asked about his ranking in Kajukenbo, John injected his typical sense of humor:
I was awarded great-grandmaster in Kajukenbo, from the head guy, Adrian Emperado, before he passed away. And my instructor [Walter Godin] before he passed away in 2001 awarded me great-grandmaster, as well. And then I awarded myself great-great-great-great-grandmaster. So I’m a three-time grandmaster, so I’m a super-great-grandmaster - and I think I am.
As far as his own fighting career, John began fighting at the age of 14. He started as amateur in boxing and kickboxing. He competed in a few no-holds-barred fights in the 1970s, as well. After a stint in the Army, John turned professional. As a pro-boxer he earned the nickname, “The Train,” early on - named so by an unlucky opponent on the receiving end of one of John’s knockout punches.
John knew, however, that fighting was not a long-term career. Indeed, one of his trainers coached him on this point and it led to John’s second profession as a nurse:
When I was boxing I was always really interested in the medical stuff, because I loved science. One of my trainers was actually a respiratory therapist. I was just starting my boxing career and he said you’re not going to be able to box forever; you should go to school and be a respiratory therapist or something like that. I thought that was a great idea, so I went to school to become a respiratory therapist and from there it kind of evolved. There’s just more work as a registered nurse, so I went back to school for that.
Eventually John’s passion for martial arts would lead to the birth of the now world-famous martial arts gym, The Pit. The Pit began quite modestly, in a backyard in Woodland Hills, California.
It was 1985. I was living with someone in Los Angeles and I was working as a respiratory therapist in a hospital and it was just pain to go to the gym every day and work fulltime. So, I decided to put a gym in our garage. Some of my friends from the hospital would come over and workout with me. Actually one guy, he was a lab tech or a nurse, said, “This gym, this place is so small; it’s like training in a pit.” That’s where it got its name. It was just a little one-car garage and we liked to lift weights, hit the bags, and spar out in the driveway.
Before long the gym outgrew the garage and John built a small gym in the backyard. From there, he and his wife whittled their jobs down to part-time as the martial arts school started growing, while having little to no overhead. John would also evolve the very art he was teaching. "In 1985 there were some things I wasn’t crazy about in that system," he explained. "So I started taking some of those things out that I didn’t like and putting in things I did like. I created my own style, called Hawaiian Kempo, and that’s what I pretty much do to this day."
In 1990 John moved the school to Arroyo Grande, California, starting off with an 800 square foot building in the backyard of his new home. It was at this school that Chuck Liddell and John Hackleman were introduced.
Now, in 2011, The Pit resides in a 4,000 square foot gym replete with heavy bags, rowing machines, and weights. There is also a brand-new second location in Las Vegas measuring 12,000 square feet in size with a 30-foot cage and full CrossFit gym. Pit affiliates operate in 12 different states and in the United Kingdom. As John said, “It’s evolved a little from the beginning.”
The original Arroyo Grande backyard gym is still in use. “I call it the compound – so it’s not the ‘backyard,’” explained John. The compound now includes a sauna, a block-glass shower, a Jacuzzi, and a sleeping room for visitors. And the visitors do still come.
I train the CrossFit guys there who come - they love that. My old-school students come once a week and we do workouts once a week in the backyard with the gi on. It’s part of the old-school workout that they have to wear a gi. My fighters I usually do once a week. My certification seminars, usually a couple of the workouts are done in the backyard, too.
From a garage gym in Woodland Hills to a mega-gym in Las Vegas, John and The Pit have come a long way over the years. All of John’s endeavors, however, revolve around his passion. When asked to describe that passion, in terms of what gets him up in the morning, John responded:
Thinking how I can train that day to train really hard to tax myself and to train my people - how to get everyone in the best shape, with what techniques. I spend a lot of time on the techniques that I’m going to teach them, how to put them together, and how to condition them. And then, not as much the techniques for me, but how I can train to my fullest that day. Whether it’s one workout that day, two, two easy ones, one hard one – whatever it is – to program my workout and my students’ workout. And build my business, The Pit – to take it to the next level. Those things combined are all separate, yet the same. That’s my passion.
I just want to grow this. There’s nothing else I want. There’s nothing else I’ve ever wanted to do and nothing else I do want to do. I just want to keep this where it is now, or even grow it bigger. Then that’s beyond my wildest dream. I’d be tickled pink.
I’m just a karate guy; I’m not too smart.
Read part two of our interview with John for his thoughts on training CrossFitters, advice for aspiring MMA fighters, and why he thinks all athletes need to learn the Dougie:
Featured Coach: John Hackleman, Part 2 - Lifelong Student
To train like the fighters at The Pit, follow John's three weeks of workout programming:
Strength & Conditioning WODs from John Hackleman's The Pit
Topic: Fitness
See more about: martial arts, mixed martial arts, MMA, featured coach, strength and conditioning
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Gmail and the Restraining Orders is a violent attempt to rip the comforts of melody and rhythm away so that music, and by extension the world, may be seen more clearly.
Death Grips is an underground, experimental hip-hop trio based in Sacramento, California. They rose to popularity in 2011 with the release of their self-titled and Exmilitary EP’s. These two projects circulated quickly through internet communities and eventually landed them a deal with Epic Records where they released their first two full length LP’s, The Money Store and No Love Deep Web, before leaving the label on less than amicable terms to release the bulk of their work independently. They’re known for an aggressive style which defies genre, but does draw heavily from hardcore, punk, EDM, and math rock elements. Their last album, Year of the Snitch received mostly positive reviews from fans and I, myself, enjoyed their absurdist take on metal and hardcore music and the irreverent cynicism which flowed through every beat. Gmail and the Restraining Orders, however, is a different story.
I sat down to this EP with the intension of giving it a full review. This was already made difficult by the fact that the project was only released as one long youtube video without track names or even any separate tracks at all. However, I was still determined to give it the classic Brendon’s Beats treatment until I heard the actual music. There was a moment of echoing spoken word immediately sliced in half by a chilling, electrified growl and a chaotic explosion of drum work that sent the music into pure insanity. It became quickly apparent that I couldn’t review this record in the traditional sense, and so I began to approach it from a different angle.
I certainly don’t claim to understand some hidden, singular meaning within the record, nor do I think that such a thing even exists in any real sense, but I’ve listened to it a handful of times and I simply must share my thoughts. As I said, I don’t know that I’ve discovered a true meaning to the piece, but I would rather say that I’ve discovered a few interesting lenses through which once might view this project in order to even begin parsing out the jumbled chaos Death Grips has given us. For the purposes of this article, I’d like to take a stab at viewing this EP through the lens of one of the most subversive movements in all of art history.
Gmail and the Restraining Orders maps quite closely to the early 20th century avant-garde movement of Dadaism. Dadaists aimed to reject societal norms and capitalist pressures on art by creating works which were the antithesis of all which had been called art up until that point. By crafting pieces which eschewed all semblance of aesthetic and even logical norms, the Dadaist movement hoped to encourage their audiences to question their own reality and the systems of power which had enforced such artistic standards in the first place.
This falls exactly in line with the artistic goals of Death Grips’ entire career. From using a photo of drummer Zach Hill’s erect penis as an album cover to refusing to use any social media platforms, the trio seems to actively defy conventional wisdom in the music industry and one must wonder at some point if this decision is a statement in of itself.
Gmail and the Restraining Orders is certainly the most Dadaist piece of music in the band’s catalog to date. Every sound is caustic and unpleasant, there are no recognizable song structures, the vocals are heavily effected often made even harsher than MC Ride’s already brutal delivery, and while some beats and grooves do develop, they’re often at odds with one or more sections of the full sonic landscape at the time.
Of course, it’s impossible to hear a piece like this and not have my mind rush to perhaps the most popular example of dadaism in music, Captain Beefheart’s 1969 classic, Trout Mask Replica. In it, listeners are treated to the sound of extremely talented jazz musicians at the direction of a madman in Captain Beefheart. The result is excellent and not dissimilar to this latest effort from Death Grips, except in one key aspect.
Trout Mask Replica is, at its heart, fun. It’s a man with wild ideas being given a chance to bring them to life and its packed with youthful exuberance and moments of absurdist comedy. On the other hand, I can’t imagine someone listening to Gmail and the Restraining Orders for fun. Instead, it’s a violent, unforgiving assassination attempt on the concept of traditional music and art. It’s far more aggressive and alienating than any of the band’s work to date and I thoroughly enjoy that aspect.
It would seem that Death Grips believes, like other Dadaists before them, that our concepts of aesthetics, be they symmetry and color in visual art or rhythm and melody in music, are vices; dearly held comforts which we use to shield ourselves from any difficult realizations about the world which may be brought to us through the art we consume.
HEAR THE EP: https://youtu.be/j1Kxol_6Ezk
Author: brendonsbeats
I'm a Sophomore at Middle Tennessee State University, studying audio-production while writing and playing music in Nashville. I love music more than anything else in the world, and I run this blog with the hope of introducing people to some great music that I love! View all posts by brendonsbeats
Author brendonsbeatsPosted on July 4, 2019 July 4, 2019 Categories ThoughtsTags Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Dadaism, death grips, Gmail and the Restraining Orders, Trout Mask Replica
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Death Grips and Dadaism in Modern Music July 4, 2019
Lil Nas X’s Debut EP Is a Fun and Unique Listen July 3, 2019
Top Ten Albums of 2019, So Far… July 2, 2019
Springsteen’s Western Stars Is a Soaring Masterpiece June 26, 2019
CLASSIX REVIEW: Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s “Once More With Feeling” June 17, 2019
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Tag: Arctic Monkeys
Top Ten Albums of 2018
Here it is, ladies and gentlemen! My picks for the top 10 albums of 2018! Thanks to everyone for a great year, and here’s to a fantastic 2019!!
10. John Prine – The Tree of Forgiveness
2018 has been a year full of legacy records, and few were more enjoyable than that of country and americana icon, John Prine. The Tree of Forgiveness is many things, not the least of which is a masterclass in traditional country songwriting. Each track is well-formed and buries its formulaic nature in a heap of heart and wit. We even get a fun feature from Amanda Shires on backing vocals early in the record.
Above all, the album is a showcase for a beloved figure in country music. Prine’s vocals hold the character of his many years atop the charts and his guitar work is as proficient as ever. Importantly, he avoids many of the trappings of legacy record, forgoing the sad longing for the past in favor of upbeat, enjoyable stories. There are heartfelt moments, notably in tracks like “Summer’s End,” and “When I Get to Heaven,” but they’re each softened by Prine’s persistent charm.
9. Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth
The follow up to Washington’s 2015 debut, The Epic, Heaven and Earth is a sprawling jazz epic which fills a nearly three hour runtime to the brim. Intimidating, right? Luckily, Kamasi finds a way to make his music relatively accessible as well. The record ranges from fun and danceable to breathtaking in scope, never really feeling like a slog, despite the length. With the jazz genre having fallen off in popularity over many years, Kamasi is bringing the sound back to the mainstream better than maybe an other artist.
The instrumental pallet is a real pleasure on this one, pulling in choirs, theremins, congos, and a multitude of horns. On the other hands, the staples of his band turn in incredible work as well. The drums never stop and utilize cymbals better than any album I’ve heard all year, the piano is reserved, yet peaking in at the most opportune times, Thundercat’s bass drives each track along with a flare and Kamasi’s saxophone is just undeniably powerful. This is a forceful but gentle sophomore project from one of the most exciting artists in the jazz world today.
8. Post Malone – Beerbongs & Bentleys
Every time I start to think that trap is fully dead with no more quality records left to be made in the style, a record like Beerbongs & Bentleys comes along to reinvigorate it. On one of the catchiest and most successful albums of this decade, Post Malone delivers one fantastic hook after another, separated by well written verses and some excellent instrumentals. Tracks like “Zack and Codeine,” “Better Now,” and “Psycho,” will likely be large parts of our musical landscape for many years, thanks in no small part to Post’s vocal performances and several well placed features.
Perhaps the highlight of this album, however, is the production by a massive team, lead by Louis Bell and Frank Duke. Each track is so well layered and benefits from a clear understanding of the sound they’re trying to achieve. This an especially apparent on the highlight of the entire tracklist, “Stay,” which wonderfully blends folk music with trap production. In the end, it’s an extremely listenable album with high replay value which we’ll talk about for many years to come.
7. Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
Following a long and critically acclaimed career, the Monkeys announcement of an upcoming 2018 album left me wondering if they’d continue in the vain of their traditional, blues-inspired garage rock or pull in a few outside influences. I could’ve never expected something like this. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino takes a hard left turn into psychedelic and glam rock territory with full confidence and the new sound benefits the band well.
Alex Turner’s vocals are especially excellent here, channelling his inner David Bowie to deliver a smokey and intriguing performance on every track. Additionally, much of the band took something of a backseat, trading in the guitar heavy sound of the past for a more atmospheric tone, which means that when the guitar finally roars in, each solo is impactful and well placed. Chiefly, TBHC has a tangible space to it and feels like a sonic profile of a real place.
6. Florence + The Machine – High as Hope
Another simple album, High as Hope is the fourth studio album from Florence + The Machine, having established themselves as alt-rock powerhouses in the previous, indie-centric era. Here, they don’t aim to reinvent the wheel, but instead craft an enjoyable piece of orchestral pop-rock. The drums are very well produced and, though the pallet leaves a bit to be desired, the majority of instrumentation is quite excellent.
All of this is secondary, however, to Florence Welch’s remarkable performance as lead vocalist. She’s remarkably powerful on tracks like “Big God,” and yet sweet and gentle on “June.” Her phenomenal control lets her bring her Irish influences to the front in the form of a multitude of tight runs and she’s so dynamic that she’s able to paint thoughtful melodies over the various tracks, never once seeming to repeat herself or run out of ideas. The group doesn’t let their ambition outrun themselves, but instead create a high quality version of the sound that’s brought them massive success.
5. Noname – Room 25
One of the most surprising releases of the year, Noname’s theme heavy, jazz-rap album is starkly gorgeous. Her poetry background means that every single verse is jam-packed with wordy soliloquies that rely on a softer tone and flow to fit in the timing. After finding some mainstream acclaim with a feature on Chance the Rapper’s 2016 LP, Coloring Book, Noname finally realizes her potential two years later with this album.
Themes like race, feminism, and inequality bleed through this album, boldly informing her writing throughout, as is the case with much of the art that comes out of Chicago. The drum work is nothing short of incredible, setting complex grooves throughout and leading along an impressive team of instrumentalists, all of whom sound incredible thanks to great production, especially for an independent release. In an oddly weak year for rap music, Room 25 was a thoughtful commentary on the modern world and a fun listen all in one.
4. Richard Edwards – Verdugo
After ending his supremely successful run as the frontman of the indie rock outfit, Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s and recovering from worrisome medical issues, Richard Edwards finally returned in 2017 with Lemon Cotton Candy Sunset, his first solo release which promised the release of a sister album this year. While I expected a lot from the follow up, Verdugo crushed every expectation and stands as one of my favorite Edwards project to date.
The album continues, stylistically, where LCCS left off, but this time fleshing out the unique, orchestral folk sound much better. The songwriting is excellent here as well, both in terms of lyricism and hooks, with each song taking turns sticking in your head. Richard’s vocals are simply stunning on this record, especially on the more intimate second half, with “Something Wicked,” being one of my favorite tracks in his entire catalog. Last year’s project landed in the top ten of my 2017 list, but with Verdugo, he cracks my top five for the first time.
3. Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer
His fourth studio record and less than a year after his 2017 masterpiece, Pure Comedy, Father John Misty has established himself as one of the foremost songwriters of this decade. While Comedy took a frigid and cynical dive into the horrors of the modern world, God’s Favorite Customer is self-reflective and contemplative. He touches on alcoholism, maturity, loneliness, and much more in a terse runtime that never once feels either bloated or underdeveloped.
Misty is one of the best lyricists writing right now, and he proves that repeatedly on this album. “The Songwriter,” is a moving tribute to the medium of songwriting itself, while “Mr. Tillman,” is a snarky retelling of his own bender is through the eyes of a hotel employee. The way he toys with metaphor, point of view, and tone is fascinating and shows him to be a seriously elite writer. Ultimately, God’s Favorite Customer may not feel quite as prescient as its predecessor, but it’s still a masterclass in songwriting and a remarkable achievement, considering the quick turnaround time.
2. Daughters – You Won’t Get What You Want
When it came to ranking this years releases, there were exactly two albums that had a shot at the top spot and, in the end, You Won’t Get What You Want came up just a hair short. Once an extreme metal band with songs lasting about 60 seconds, Daughters had blossomed into one of the most unique acts in all of hard rock by the time of their self-titled farewell record eight years ago. Upon their revival this year, however, the band gave us one of the inexplicable music experiences of 2018.
You Won’t Get What You Want incorporates elements of doom, industrial, grunge, punk and a multitude of other sounds to craft an unforgiving soundtrack with a particularly bleak outlook on the world. The lyrics are almost poe-esque horror stories, each conveying some vague sense of impending annihilation, telling succinct tales in of themselves while also having far reaching implications on the political and social landscape of our time. It’s unpredictable, it’s engulfing, it’s terrifying, and yet somehow it’s intensely personal. Easily the best paced album of the year, Daughters slowly and methodically unveil a brutal hellscape that is every bit as sprawling as and psych-rock piece and will remain forefront in the minds of listeners long after the first listen.
1. IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance
When it came down to it, there was just no other record that could occupy this spot. No other band has so adequately recognized the state of the world in all its glory and shame while providing a fun, singable piece of work. After bursting onto the scene last year with Brutalism, IDLES continued this year with the best punk record in 30 years. This may seem like sacrilege, but I would put Joy as an Act of Resistance up against the seminole efforts of groups like The Clash, The Dead Kennedys, and The Ramones without hesitation. It’s that good and that important.
The overarching purpose of Joy is to examine modern masculinity, worts and all, to see what is worth keeping and what needs to be changed. Short of quoting large sections of lyrics, it’s difficult to explain how well Joe Talbot addresses this topic, following as it spirals through topics like immigration, violence, racism, love, and change. The instrumentation is thrashing and powerful, but it’s somehow still overpowered by the lyricism and Talbot’s performance. In the end, having aggressively hacked away the blocks that exist in society, the record stands simultaneously as a touching celebration of the beauty in the world and a visceral attack on that which robs us of this beauty.
Joy as an Act of Resistance the first album to ever receive a 10/10 score from Brendon’s Beats, and for my money, it’s the undisputed best album of the year.
Author brendonsbeatsPosted on December 31, 2018 February 1, 2019 Categories Yearly ListsTags 2018, albums, Arctic Monkeys, best, best albums of the year, Daughters, Father John Misty, Florence and the Machine, Idles, John Prine, Joy as an Act of Resistance, Kamasi Washington, noname, post malone, Richard EdwardsLeave a comment on Top Ten Albums of 2018
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Creative Society
Audiowave Network In Detroit Is Reimaging Podcasting For People Of Color
Not just another black man with a studio.
Joy Mohammed
| March 21 2018,
Right on Detroit's border with affluent Grosse Pointe, inside of the Detroit Artist Test Lab, is a black man with a recording studio.
But hold up, he is different.
It is a podcast studio. Jonathan Galloway, affectionately known as JG, is the CEO of Audiowave Network, an all black and operated podcast network out of the city of Detroit. Podcasting has grown exponentially over the past years from about 10,000 in 2008 to about 500,000 broadcasted in 100,000 languages in the US in 2018. So there is no need to wait — black people are taking their share of the medium.
A podcast is free and easy to start. You just need a few things: an interesting focus, audience, talent and, if you want that sound quality in the city of Detroit, you need JG.
JG started recording with his own podcast, Negus with a Podcast, in July of 2015. The show consists of him and four of his closest friends as they spill "intelligent ignorance" from a black male perspective on a weekly basis. The podcast has seen success, pulling sponsorships and will have its first live show this month in Detroit in conjunction with the Detroit Podcast Festival. While the show was growing, he explored taking the show national with the very successful Loud Speaker's Network in New York City. (LSN is home to Angela Yee's Lip Service and The Read), but ultimately decided to fill a large void in Detroit instead and share his success with other podcasters and storytellers in Detroit.
That is how Audiowave Network opened in November 2016, featuring NWP and two new shows, Sips, Flix, and Chix, and FRMSCRTCH. The name, Audiowave, comes from the concept of an natural, unstoppable and uncontrollable force of a wave, which is how JG describes his network. They moved the studio out of his friend's basement, and into a soundproofed studio on Detroit's east side, where JG is from, and the network has been growing ever since, and is home to over 10 podcasts, including Fav Baby Mama and Sole Food Sunday.
As podcasting continues to grow as a medium, Audiowave continues to look for new ways to create unique content and stand out. JG admits that is a struggle, but he capitalizes on the meaningful relationships he establishes with his talent. "Demanding authenticity in content, and transparency in their lives," is the secret. Authenticity and transparency, like drinking his wife's breastmilk and analyzing the flavor on an episode, illustrates his dedication to the concept.
Additionally, the AWN is a community. While some networks and recording studios charge you by the hour to use their equipment. JG executive produces and facilitates the growth of your content. Podcasters pay a fee which goes to the upkeep of the network. On the other hand, JG needs to make sure they meet his standards of creativity, consistency and family in order to record in his studio. To him, it is about more than the money.
AWN podcasts are more than black people shooting the dozens with their friends, they are autobiographies through podcasting. As podcasting continues to grow, so does the possibilities for black voices to be pushed out. But the collective might of the Audiowave Network has the ability to amplify the voices of people of color, making Audiowave and JG more than just another recording studio full of black folks.
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Sufjan Stevens nominated for Academy Award
Published on March 4, 2018 in News by Beret Leone
“Call Me By Your Name” film cover photo.| Sony Pictures Classics
Tune into the 90th Academy Awards, showing on ABC at 7pm CT, Mar. 4.
By Lindsey Micucci
Singer-songwriter, Sufjan Stevens is not new to Bethel listeners. From Discover Weekly playlists to singing his banjo-influenced rendition of “Come Thou Font Of Every Blessing” during chapel, and a nod to those indie-kids who have taken up their parents vinyl record players, Sufjan Stevens isn’t a new name around the block.
Within the past year, Stevens has been testing the waters in other territories of art aside from releasing albums – he has been dipping his feet into the film business.
Stevens has written three songs for two Oscar nominated films this past year. “I, Tonya” and “Call Me By Your Name” are both nominated by the Academy for Best Picture. “I, Tonya” tells the story of the 1994 incident in which ice skater, Tonya Harding, was under heavy speculation of the FBI and the public eye of being an accomplice in the plan to bash in fellow ice skating competitor Nancy Kerrigan’s knee months before the 1994 Olympics. After the 1994 Olympics, Harding was found guilty of withholding knowledge of the plot from authorities. She was ultimately banned for life from the U.S. Figure Skating Association.
Stevens submitted his song, “Tonya Harding,” for the film, but the director couldn’t find a place for it. And rightfully so – the story told by director, Craig Gillespie, tells the story of Harding at an opposite angle that of which Stevens does. Gillespie holds Harding under the same harsh light that she has known for majority of her life.
Stevens’ song delivers a sorrowful ode to Harding, addressing her as his star in the songs’ first stanza, while the film’s soundtrack strikes the big screen with retro pop-rock hits from bands like Dire Straights and Fleetwood Mac. A quick comparison would show that Stevens’ compassionate song wouldn’t fit in the films’ repertoire.
As “The New Yorkers’” Richard Brody titled his review, “A Condescending Bio-pic of Tonya Harding,” he noted that the film doesn’t do justice to Harding as a person, only a subject and a character in her very own life story.
Stevens, contrary to the director’s voice, shows empathy for Harding and her life-long predicament. Stevens’s has explained his tribute to Harding on his website, writing, “I considered the wholeness of the person of Tonya Harding…and began to feel a conviction to write something with dignity and grace.”
Stevens is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, “Mystery of Love.” |Photo by Jeannette Fleury
But for a different 2017 film, Steven’s music was accepted after it had been first requested. “Call Me By Your Name’s” director, Luca Guadagnino, spoke to Stevens first in hopes to cast him as a narrator for the film, and even mentioned the idea of having an onscreen appearance. Stevens declined the role and his shot at being on screen, but agreed to write songs for the film. Before attending a screening, Stevens said how Guadagnino told him, “I want you to know, in some ways this film is an homage to your music.”
“Call Me By Your Name” is based on the 2007 novel by André Aciman. Elio, a 17 year old living in Italy with his parents in their summer villa welcome a grad student, Oliver, into their home to work for the summer. Elio and Oliver become friends through the trials of flirtation that soon develops further into a love that all dream to have. They feel the presence of freedom and yet, lack of, in a world that seeks to only wish their feelings away.
Stevens, himself, is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, “Mystery of Love.” Steven was asked by Guadagnino, to write one song for the film, but instead, delivered two which Guadagnino used to the films’ advantage.
In fact, Stevens shows up a total of three times in the film, with a remix of his 2010 “Futile Devices.” “Mystery of Love” and “Futile Devices” plays mid-film. “Visions of Gideon” appears in the film’s ending scene and into credits.
All three of the songs deliver the life and young spirit of 17 year old Elio, capturing a breath of a summer in Northern Italy. From taking bikes rides on dirt paths to finding love over the course of three months that will last them a lifetime, the heartbreaking, soul renewing, journey of love leaves an audience in awe. Catch both films at nearby theatres.
I’ll be keeping my eyes out for Sufjan Stevens as he is set to perform “Mystery of Love” during the 90th Academy Awards, showing on ABC at 7pm CT, Mar. 4. My guess is he’ll be wearing a t-shirt under his black tux and bow tie, and maybe some avant-garde butterfly wings to go with that.
Though Steven’s music is a golden beat on the film’s soundtrack and he’s getting more head nods from this, it doesn’t commercialize him to be expandable nor does it sell him out to Hollywood by any means. His choice in submitting a song that he is truly proud of, “Tonya Harding,” which went through a 27 year editing process, which got rejected yet he still put it out there as a single for the world to see, shows that he isn’t out there to make it big in the film industry.
Stevens being nominated for an Academy Award doesn’t suddenly put him on the map. Sufjan Stevens has been all over the map, quite literally – check out his past albums and wikipedia page for a glimpse into his life. He’s making music for people that he is passionate about. The most beautiful part about it, is that his empathy for others has yet to fail us as listeners.
Beret Leone
2017-2018 managing editor for The Clarion.
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Some Enchanted Evening, John Cudia Will Bring Him Home With Just The Music of the Night
Featured, Interview, Musicals, Theater
Gil Kaan
Writer, Registered Critic
The perennial Rodgers & Hammerstein favorite SOUTH PACIFIC with its magnificent songs and its oh-so relevant messages will light up the stage at The Soraya April 13 to 15, and then on to La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts April 20 through May 13. John Cudia, the first and only actor to have performed both The Phantom in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and Jean Valjean in LES MISERABLES on Broadway, will once again impart his vocal and acting talents to the role of plantation owner Emile de Becque at both venues. John took some time to answer my inquisitive queries.
John, thank you for taking the time for this interview!
You have a strong familiarity with SOUTH PACIFIC as not only have you played Emile de Becque before (as you will at The Soraya), but you also had the role of Lt. Joe Cable. How wonderful the experience of playing different roles in the same show! Did you find taking on the role of Emile was easier or harder after tackling Cable before?
I love playing multiple roles in a show! I've had that privilege with PHANTOM, LES MIZ and SOUTH PACIFIC. I really enjoy getting to know a show from many different angles, learning all the secret ins and outs. Emile felt more difficult just from the amount of material and responsibility, but also because the vocal range of the show is a lot lower for me. But it is certainly a benefit to have been on both sides of the conversations with Lt. Cable and our discussions of race and prejudice.
Have you sometimes sang along backstage to the actor on stage singing Cable's "Younger Than Springtime"?
I sing along with everybody in this show. I adore the score and have since I was a kid.
Would you say that even though Emile and Cable were raised in much different backgrounds, they have many positive character traits in common?
They both have strength and conviction and drive. When pointed in the right direction, they are formidable men.
Do you remember the first time you saw a performance of SOUTH PACIFIC?
I never saw a live production of SOUTH PACIFIC before I was in it. My mother and father are big fans of the 1958 film, and I had seen that a couple of times growing up.
I didn't realize the seriousness, the significance of racial bias portrayed within this musical when I first saw it. I also didn't realize SOUTH PACIFIC won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. Would you agree that lessons to be learnt can be easier digested when entertaining, like SOUTH PACIFIC?
Certainly, and most especially when those lessons come packaged in the writing of Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. For me, music is a quick key to the heart, and when the heart is open, it can receive these messages more easily. With a show like SOUTH PACIFIC you know all the tunes, you'll find when you're singing them and thinking of them in context, their lessons will surprise you. You didn't know you were learning all along! But, yes, the show addresses very serious subjects, not the least of which is finding ways of overcoming our own ignorance and prejudice. In this case, the greatest lesson is that love is the only cure for racism.
You have sung the leads in some pretty established musicals (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, LES MISERABLES, among many others). As a theatre lover, you must have seen previous productions of a lot of the shows you're later cast for. Do you 'steal' from the best? Or consciously try to block their performances out of your creative mind?
In long running shows, some things just plain "work" for a character, and you don't mess with what works. But i insist on trying to learn the lesson from what has been done before, then discover my own way of getting there. I think I owe the audience the due diligence of exploring a moment fully and making it personal so they are not seeing a museum reproduction. In my approach to well-known roles, I like to imagine that no one (including me) has gotten it exactly right, and there is room for the director, conductor and I to find new and wonderful things to play.
How old were you when you realized your vocation was singing?
I knew that music, and specifically musical performance, would be a part of my life as far back as I can remember. I started singing publicly in school at the age of six, took up the drums at ten, was a part of a Top 40 cover band at 14, and doing plays and musicals through high school. Being a singer and musician was my entree to the world, the basis of most of my friendships and relationships. Put most simply, it was a natural thing and I never really questioned it.
Which musical field did you initially see yourself in - opera? Or musical theatre? Today you perform in both mediums.
As far as the medium I perform in..that developed over time. At first, I followed my heart towards the material or the show and tried to mold myself to it. Like, for instance, LES MIZ hit me like a sledgehammer, so I knew I had to do whatever it took to get me there - including training my voice and getting my theater degree. But then the voice as an instrument develops on its own and becomes more appropriate for different material. Opera came to me as a fan first. After college, then later as a student in earnest (and I'm still and always will be a student.) What I prefer is to try to make my living as a singer. Singing beautiful music. In a musical or an opera or in concert, for as long as an audience will tolerate me.
Which do you prefer, performing as a scripted character? Or as yourself, John Cudia?
No preference really. I enjoy both very much. It's great to lose oneself in a character, but it's also fun to let your own story come out, like in a concert or cabaret.
When you perform as one of The Broadway Tenors, are singing in your own voice? Or in the show's character's voices of the selected songs?
A little bit of both. We try very hard to give our audiences a taste of what it was like to see us in the roles we performed on Broadway. We want the audience to feel like they saw the whole Broadway show while having only seen a small piece of it. But we also feel it's important for them to leave with the feeling that they have gotten to know us personally and that we've all enjoyed the evening together.
What vocal exercises and maintenance would you strongly recommend to an up and coming vocalist?
Good health habits help the voice. Sleep/rest is as important as singing. Hydration, avoiding smoke and excessive alcohol. Regular singing is the "going to the gym" for the voice. You can fall out of shape vocally very quickly, so consistency will actually help you over the course of a show/season. Never pushing the voice before its warm and ready, and never trying to force the voice to imitate a sound that isn't yours. Whatever the exercises are, the development of the sounds should come from you and your heart, and a teacher should then guide you to make those sounds the best they can be.
Are there any 'must-haves' in your dressing room in regards to preserving your vocal cords?
Tons of water. I love warm water with honey and lemon. I also use a massager on my neck and throat in between scenes to relieve any tension.
Any particular song from one of the shows you've been in that you never mind singing again and again and again? (i.e., "This Nearly Was Mine," "Bring Him Home," "The Music of the Night," "Some Enchanted Evening")
I think "Bring Him Home" tops that list personally. However, I love singing the songs from the shows that hold such special meaning for the audience. Like for me, these shows changed people's lives. I respect that and am awed and grateful to have shared in their history.
Thank you again. I look forward to spending an Enchanted Evening with you and your fellow artistes at The Soraya.
For ticket availability April 13 to 15 at The Soraya, log onto ValleyPerformingArtsCenter.org
For ticket availability April 20 through May 13, 2018 at La Mirada Theatre of the Performing Arts, log onto LaMiradaTheatre.com
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September 21, 2018 PODCAST: An Interview with Mary Bridget Davies of 'A Night with Janis Joplin'
June 25, 2019 Now Registered on the Better Lemons Calendar – June 18 - 25, 2019
May 20, 2019 Now Registered on the Better Lemons Calendar – May 13 - 19, 2019
May 2, 2018 Audio Interview: Barbara Luna (Lt. Marlena Moreau of Star Trek) and the cast of "South Pacific" at La Mirada Theatre
July 3, 2019 Now Registered on the Better Lemons Calendar – June 26 - July 2, 2019
January 18, 2019 Friday Features – Sweet Shows This Coming Week
December 5, 2018 EVENTS OPENING THIS WEEK
John Cudia
La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
The Soraya
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work ahead
Five months in, crucial part of New York City’s school diversity plan begins to take shape
By Christina Veiga - November 20, 2017
PHOTO: Mayoral Photography Office
Mayor Bill de Blasio hosts a town hall in Brooklyn in October.
Five months after New York City officials announced a much-anticipated plan to address school segregation, an advisory group that is supposed to help put the plan into action is finally starting to take shape.
Behind the scenes, city officials have been recruiting potential members, while the group’s leaders have started some initial planning before the first full meeting on Dec. 11.
Chaired by high-profile civil rights leaders, their charge is to spearhead an independent effort to turn the city’s general plans into specific recommendations for how to spur integration in the country’s largest school district — and one of the most segregated.
Advocates have held out hope that the group will push Mayor Bill de Blasio to move faster and further on integration in his second term than he did in his first. But they also have reason to temper their expectations.
Establishing the group bought de Blasio another year to act on the politically volatile issue, a tactic he has deployed on other controversial matters including rising homelessness, the Riker’s Island jail, and contested public monuments. The integration group’s recommendations may not be released until December 2018, one member said — about six months after the original deadline, and several years after advocates began demanding action on segregation. And even then, city leaders can pick and choose among the recommendations, which are non-binding.
“Politics 101 is: When you don’t want to decide, appoint a commission,” said David Bloomfield, a professor of education, law, and public policy at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center.
To lead the work, the de Blasio administration chose respected figures who can speak with authority on race and segregation — but who are not advocates who have demanded aggressive action. They are José Calderón, president of the Hispanic Federation; Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP for New York State; and Maya Wiley, former chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, who previously served as de Blasio’s legal advisor.
Chalkbeat New York
Stay on top of New York education news with our morning newsletter.
“I didn’t even know what I was missing, but as soon as Chalkbeat’s info started rolling in, it was like a part of my brain just started lighting up. You need what they have to offer.” — Tim L.
Wiley, who is also professor of urban policy and management at the New School, said the group would try to boil down a decades-old problem with roots in housing policy, school-assignment systems, and structural racism to a set of realistic solutions.
“We’re looking for things that are actionable,” she said. “This is a big and complex set of questions.”
More recently, two additional members have been named to the group’s executive committee: Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation who is a longtime proponent of socioeconomic integration; and Amy Hsin, associate professor of sociology at Queens College.
The chairs have held at least two private planning meetings, and will continue to meet every six-to-eight weeks, said education department spokesman Will Mantell.
Mantell said the group will ultimately include 30-35 members who will be divided into committees. The city is reaching out to potential members “based on the recommendations of the executive committee and our ongoing discussions with advocates, researchers, educators, parents and community members,” he wrote in an email.
Wiley, the executive board member, said the group wants to bring a diversity of perspectives into the planning process, so will host public meetings in every borough to gather different ideas on school segregation and how to address it.
The group grew out of the city’s “school diversity plan,” which was released this summer after relentless pressure from advocates and recurring headlines about de Blasio’s relative silence on the city’s persistent school segregation. The plan left many advocates underwhelmed.
In particular, they said the city set unambitious racial and socioeconomic integration goals for itself. Pressed on such concerns, Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters the plan was “a strong first step,” but added: “There will be more to come.”
To some advocates, the advisory group creates an opening to give teeth to the city’s plan.
David Kirkland, executive director of the New York University Metro Center, recently accepted an offer to become a member. He said he hopes — among other changes — to push the city to set more aggressive goals for “racially representative” schools, which the plan currently defines as those where 50 percent to 90 percent of students are black or Hispanic (together those groups make up 70 percent of city students).
“It’s not clear to me that we have the right metrics,” he said. “My hope is that this diversity plan is going to begin to change in significant ways.”
In order for the recommendations to take hold, its members must be truly representative of the community — and free from political pressure to sidestep thorny issues, advocates say.
New York City’s grassroots integration movement has been criticized as being dominated by white middle-class parents and activists, although it includes members of different races and backgrounds. To build broad support for their work, observers say, the advisory group will have to bring in more black and Hispanic families whose children make up the majority of city students — as well as Asian students, who are often left out of the conversation about integration.
“If we don’t have authentic and real representation,” said Matt Gonzales, who lobbies for school integration through the nonprofit New York Appleseed, “then we run the risk of running failed efforts in integration that we’ve already watched unravel” elsewhere.
By Christina Veiga @cveiga cveiga@chalkbeat.org
In this story: david kirkland, desegregation, diversity, diversity plan, Hazel Dukes, integration, richard kahlenberg, school diversity advisory group, segregation
NYC parents march for disability pride to bring ‘a face to the journey’
NYC parent leaders seek — and receive — new assurance about Chancellor Carranza’s future
NYC vows to address special education failures detailed in state review. But will their reforms go far enough?
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Nineteen-month-old Micah beat the odds of surviving three open heart surgeries before her first birthday, and continues to amaze her team of doctors and nurses at Children’s National. As her therapist says, she is “one of the most resilient kids I’ve known.”
Each year the Washington Post features stories from Children’s National Medical Center to raise money for the hospital.
Read other Washington Post feature stories from the recent campaign.
About Children's National Health System
Children’s National Health System, based in Washington, D.C., has served the nation’s children since 1870. Children’s National is one of the nation’s Top 5 pediatric hospitals and, for a second straight year, is ranked No. 1 in newborn care, as well as ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. It has been designated two times as a Magnet® hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C. Metropolitan area, including the Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia. Home to the Children’s Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National is the seventh-highest NIH-funded pediatric institution in the nation. Children’s National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.
For more information, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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Comet Over Hollywood
Home for classic movie lovers
Where else can I read Comet?
Tag Archives: World War 2
Musical Monday: Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
Posted on November 13, 2017 by Jnpickens
It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
This week’s musical:
Two Girls and A Sailor (1944) – Musical #120
Richard Thorpe
June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, Van Johnson, Tom Drake, Jimmy Durante, Henry Stephenson, Henry O’Neill, Donald Meek, Frank Jenks, Frank Sully, Karin Booth (uncredited), Ava Gardiner (uncredited), Natalie Draper (uncredited), Gigi Perreau (uncredited), Arthur Walsh (uncredited)
Themselves: Carlos Ramírez, Ben Blue, José Iturbi, Amparo Iturbi, Harry James, Helen Forrest, Xavier Cugat, Lina Romay, Gracie Allen, Lena Horne, Virginia O’Brien, Lyn Wilde, Lee Wilde, Albert Coates
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Posted in Musical Monday | Tagged Gloria DeHaven, Jimmy Durante, June Allyson, Musical Monday, Van Johnson, World War 2, World War II musicals | 4 Replies
Musical Monday: Reveille with Beverly (1943)
Posted on September 19, 2016 by Jnpickens
Reveille With Beverly (1943)– Musical #323
Charles Barton
Ann Miller, William Wright, Dick Purcell, Andrew Tombes, Franklin Pangborn, Adele Mara, Douglas Leavitt, Barbara Brown, Larry Parks, Doodles Weaver (uncredited), Irene Ryan (uncredited), Lee and Lynn Wilde
As themselves:
Bob Crosby and his orchestra
Freddie Slack and his orchestra with Ella Mae Morse
Count Bassie
Mills Brothers
The Radio Rogues
A switchboard operator, Beverly Ross (Miller), at the local radio station KFEL has dreams of having her own jive radio show. She eventually gets her own time slot and features all of the top jive music. While on the radio, Beverly catches ear (and eye) of soldier Barry Lang (Wright), who is wealthy and switches places with his chauffeur buddy Andy Adams (Purcell) to see if he can win Beverly without his millions.
Andrew Tombes and Ann Miller in “Revellie with Beverly”
-The film is based off the radio show Reveille with Beverly which was hosted by Jean Ruth Hay. Jean Hay served as technical adviser to the film and narrates the trailer for the film.
-All of the musical performances
Notable Songs:
-“Cow Cow Boogie” performed by Ella Mae Morse
-“Big Noise from Winnetka” performed by Bob Crosby and his Bobcat Orchestra, singers Lyn and Lee Wilde
-“Take the A Train” performed by Duke Ellington, sung by Betty Roche
-“One O’Clock Jump” performed by Count Bassie
-“Night and Day” performed by Frank Sintra
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/hLc7rohX9As” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen><!–iframe>
“Reveille with Beverly” is one of those guilty pleasure musicals. It has very little plot but for fans of 1940s big band and jive, it’s a dream.
“Reveille with Beverly” is based on a real radio show called “Reveille with Beverly” which was DJed be a young lady named Jean Ruth Hay. The Los Angeles radio show was on the air from 1941 to 1944 for soldiers fighting in World War II. They could hear it on ships, fighting or in the air.
Advertisement for Jean Ruth Hay’s radio show.
The idea of the radio show came when soldiers Jean knew said they hated starting their day with the blast of a bugle. Hay also said that government officials would sometimes provide a script to read which included names of songs that didn’t exist. These scripts turned out to be code for the French Underground. Hay even married bandleader Freddie Slack, who is featured in this film.
The real show is merely a premise for the plot and all else is fictional. The movie has multiple laugh-out-loud funny scenes, particularly with Franklin Pangborn who is furious that Beverly’s show is in his time slot. While there is a bit of a plot, the majority of the film are musical performances of 1943 hits. When Beverly’s record starts spinning, we’re transported to a video of Bob Crosby and his band or Duke Ellington performing “Take the A Train” on a train.
All the songs had me dancing in my seat. I saw this movie for the first time in 2009 and it introduced me to Ella Mae Morse, who I wasn’t familiar with prior. Now she is one of my favorites.
Admittedly, there may be some who don’t enjoy this style of movie. If you aren’t interested in a string of jive musical numbers, you should probably stay away.
This isn’t your usual Ann Miller film, who was still early in her career. Ann only tap dances once and it’s a patriotic number at the end of the film.
Just writing this review makes me want to watch “Reveille with Beverly” again. It’s a brief hour and 18 minutes that will leave you dancing and humming by the end.
Ann Miller in her tap dancing finale.
If anyone knows where to listen to some of Jean Ruth Hay’s original broadcasts, leave me a message! I would love to hear them.
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Posted in Musical Monday | Tagged Ann Miller, Bob Crosby, Count Bassie, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Jean Ruth Hay, Musical Monday, radio, radio shows, Reveille with Beverly, vintage radio, World War 2, World War II, World War II musicals, World War II radio shows
The Longest Day: Actors who fought in D-Day
Posted on June 6, 2014 by Jnpickens
On June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed Omaha Beach in the Normandy Invasion, known as D-Day.
A few of those soldiers were established actors or later pursued a career in Hollywood. Here are a few of those men that served in D-Day:
Lt Col David Niven, Royal Marine Commando, Normandy 1944
David Niven: The British actor was a Lt. Colonel of the British Commandos. He also worked in the intelligence branch and was later assigned to the U.S. First Infantry.
Niven was one of the first officers to land at Normandy. He later was one of 25 British soldiers to be awarded the U.S. Legion of Merit Medal, according to a 1983 book by Don McCombs and Fred Worth.
Alec Guinness in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve
Alec Guinness: The British actor operated a British Royal Navy landing craft on D-Day.
Richard Todd during World War II
Richard Todd: Capt. Todd was one of the first British officers to land on D-Day. Todd was part of the British airborne invasion, that took place June 5 through June 7. During Operation Overlord, Todd’s battalion were the reinforcements parachuted in after the gliders landed and captured Pegasus Bridge to prevent German forces crossing the bridge and attacking.
Todd’s battalion was led by Major John Howard, who Todd played in “The Longest Day”(1962). The beret that Todd wears in the film is the one he wore on D-Day.
Robert Montgomery in his Naval uniform during World War II.
Robert Montgomery: American actor Montgomery enlisted in World War II before the United States entered the war.
Montgomery became a PT boat Lt. Commander and was part of the D-Day invasion on board the destroyer, USS Barton (DD-722).
After serving five years of active duty, Montgomery was awarded a Bronze Star, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Ribbon, the European Theater Ribbon with two Battle Stars, one Overseas Service Bar, and promoted to the rank of Lt. Commander. (1904-1981)
Actor Charles Durning during World War II. He served in the United States Army.
Charles Durning: American actor Durning served in the United States Army. He was in one of the first waves to land on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion. Durning was the only soldier in his company to survive, according to KPBS broadcasting.
Durning was wounded nine days after the landing and earned a Purple Heart. Durning was also awarded the Silver Star.
Actor James Doohan was shot several times during the Normandy Invasion.
James Doohan: Canadian actor Doohan served in the Canadian Army. Doohan was in the Juno Beach invasion on D-Day. During the invasion, Doohan was shot in the leg, chest and lost his right middle finger.
Posted in Holidays | Tagged Actors in D-Day, Actors in World War II, D-Day, Military History, Normandy, Normandy Invasion, Omaha Beach, World War 2
The forgotten Hollywood war hero: Wayne Morris
Posted on May 27, 2013 by Jnpickens
Warner Brothers star, Wayne Morris in he 1930s
He can be seen playing alongside Bette Davis as a boxer in “Kid Galahad” (1937) or a cadet running amok at the Virginia Military Institute in “Brother Rat.”
Wayne Morris may not be a name you’re familiar with but you have most likely seen the husky, affable blond in Warner Brothers 1930s and 1940s films.
But you may not be familiar with Morris’ war time record.
We frequently hear about Hollywood actors such as James Stewart, Clark Gable and Mickey Rooney who enlisted and were decorated for their bravery during World War II.
However, Morris is rarely recognized for his service and was one of World War II’s first flying aces.
His interest in flying started in Hollywood.
While filming “Flying Angles” (1940) with Jane Wyman and Dennis Morgan, Morris learned how to fly a plane.
Morris in 1944 in his plane “Meatball.” The decals show how many Japanese planes he shot down.
Once World War II began, Morris joined the Naval Reserve and became a Naval flier in 1942 on the U.S.S. Essex. He put his career on hold to fight. The same year he was married to Olympic swimmer Patricia O’Rourke.
“Every time they showed a picture aboard the Essex, I was scared to death it would be one of mine,” Morris said. “That’s something I could never have lived down.”
Morris flew 57 missions-while some actors only flew 20 or less- and made seven kills, which qualified him as an ace. He also helped sink five enemy ships.
He originally was told he was too big to fly fighter planes until he went to his uncle-in-law, Cdr. David McCampbell who wrote him a letter, allowing him to fly the VF-15, according to “McCampbell’s Heroes: the Story of the U.S. Navy’s Most Celebrated Carrier Fighter of the Pacific”, Edwin P. Hoyt.
Three of his planes were so badly damaged by enemy fire that they were deemed unfit to fly and were dumped in the ocean, according to IMDB.
“As to what a fellow thinks when he’s scared, I guess it’s the same with anyone. You get fleeting glimpses in your mind of your home, your wife, the baby you want to see,” Morris said. “You see so clearly all the mistakes you made. You want another chance to correct those mistakes. You wonder how you could have attached so much importance to ridiculous, meaningless things in your life. But before you get to thinking too much, you’re off into action and everything else is forgotten.”
For his duty, Morris was honored with four Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Air Medals.
When he returned to Hollywood after four year at war, his once promising career floundered and Warner Brothers did not allow him to act for a year.
Jack Warner welcoming actors home from the war in 1945 including Wayne Morris, Ronald Reagan, Army Air Forces; Jack Warner; Gig Young, Coast Guard; and Harry Lewis, Army.
Morris’s most notable post-war films include “The Voice of the Turtle,” “John Loves Mary” and “Paths of Glory.” His career ended with several B-westerns.
At the age of 45, Morris passed away in 1959 from a massive heart attack.
But his service to his country was not forgotten. Morris is buried in Arlington Cemetery and was given full military honors at his funeral.
Morris with his wife Patricia and daughter Pamela in 1946.
Though I am thankful for all men and women who serve our country, I wanted to recognize Wayne Morris.
For years I saw Wayne Morris in films and knew nothing about him except that I liked him. He is one of those character actors that can make a movie special.
Morris seemed like a regular guy. Before he started out in Hollywood, he played football at Los Angeles Junior College and worked as a forest ranger.
After I researched him and discovered his war record, I wanted to honor his service and his work in films.
Thank you to Wayne Morris and men and women in the military for serving our country.
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Posted in Hollywood and the Military, Star Profile | Tagged Actor in World War II, Memorial Day, Wayne Morris, World War 2, World War II
Favorite Films: So Proudly We Hail (1943)
Posted on February 17, 2013 by Jnpickens
Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake
Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard and Veronica Lake.
The three very different Paramount Pictures actresses are brought together to star in one of my favorite 1940s films, “So Proudly We Hail” (1943).
The film follows a group of U.S. Army nurses- Claudette Colbert (as Lt. Janet Davidson) and Paulette Goddard (as Lt. Joan O’Doul)- who leave for Hawaii for their tour of duty. Shortly after they leave, Pearl Harbor is attacked and the United States is brought into World War II. The military ship picks up nurses and wounded from Pearl Harbor, one a troubled nurse Lt. Olivia D’Arcy, played by Veronica Lake. The nurses are then sent to the Philippines, first assisting soldiers in Bataan and then evacuating to Corregidor.
From a dramatization of Doolittle’s Raid in “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” to “Mrs. Miniver” showing life on the British home front and the Battle of Dunkirk, Hollywood made several films that depicted what was going on overseas during World War II.
While I enjoy most 1940s era World War II films, I love “So Proudly We Hail” because of its focus on military nurses.
Lt. Summers (George Reeves) and Lt. Davidson (Claudette Colbert)
Colbert is the real star of the film; the rock of the group of nurses, leading them to aid injured soldiers. Goddard and Lake flank her as secondary female leads: Goddard the flirty, glamor girl and Lake the troubled, quiet nurse.
Their differences in real life as actresses as well as the differences in their characters illustrate the wide range of people who were brought in to serve together during war time.
“The events in this movie were still very much on the minds of Americans when this film came out,” said Turner Classic Movies prime time host Robert Osborne in the DVD introduction. “Events in the movie had happened for real recently and news reports were still coming out.”
Movies like this are made to make viewers feel proud and patriotic of their country, but what I like about “So Proudly We Haill” is that I feel it’s fairly realistic.
Nurses with 104 degree temperatures from malaria are still caring for men while others are craving tomatoes and milk, items that can’t be found on the military front.
“What is a heroine,” One nurse asks, tired of all the attention on their voyage home.
“I don’t know. Anyone who is still alive,” another says.
Joan (Paulette Goddard) and Kansas (Sonny Tufts)
While Claudette Colbert is consistently good in all of her films, “So Proudly We Hail” gave Veronica Lake and Paulette Goddard the chance to show off their acting chops.
One scene that sticks out is when Goddard and Colbert find out why Lake acts cold towards the other nurses:
She opens up to Colbert about why she is angry and is there to “kill Japs”:
“Today is Christmas, isn’t it? The time for cheer and good fellowship and for peace. Well, today’s my wedding day. He and I were to be married today in St. Louis. And why weren’t we? Because he’s dead. He died that first morning. They killed him. I saw him. He was running across the field to his plane and they killed him. Sixty bullets – sixty! By the time I got to him he was dead. His face was gone – I couldn’t see him anymore. Just blood – blood all over.”
For Goddard, the scene that sticks out is when she tearfully says goodbye to soldiers in a military hospital before being shipped back to the United States.
When the film starts, Goddard is flirty, saying she has two fiancés, because she can’t say no to an engagement. But throughout the film, as she sees the horrors of war, she wants to help in every way she can, attending to soldiers and never sleeping. At the end she gives the wounded soldiers small gifts of hers and her old love letters for some laughs.
Other scenes that stick out to me:
• When Pearl Harbor is attacked, the nurses and military personnel are on a boat several miles out watch the bombing. There are screams of horror and disbelief, though they watch the attacks.
• Lt. O’Doul (Goddard) wearing a lacy black nightgown throughout the film. The night gown first enters as a dress for the Christmas party. Later she wears it every night to keep her moral up.
• The son of Nurse Capt. “Ma” McGregor has his legs amputated and soon after dies. Her son never knew his father, because he died in battle, and now Ma’s grandson won’t know his father either.
“My son like his father died for what he knew what is right. And if we don’t make it right, then they will all rise up and destroy us,” she says.
•The scene when the nurses are left behind during an evacuation. The nurses are the last to ship out during evacuation as the Japanese move closer. Lt. O’Doul forgets her nightgown, holding their truck up and the male drivers are shot. As Lt. Davidson (Colbert) searches for the truck keys to drive them out the nurses panic.
Veronica Lake “surrendering” to Japanese.
“I was in Nanking. I saw what they did. They fight over the women like dogs,” said Lt. Peterson (Ann Doran) panicking.
-During this scene is when Lt. D’Arcy dies. She takes a grenade, pulls out the pin, puts it in her uniform and walks towards the Japanese pretending to surrender. She dies to protect her peers and to “kill Japs” which is what she originally said she wanted to do. The scene is horrifying and shocking for a 1940s film.
• When the Japanese bomb the military hospital, sweet nurse Lt. Rosemary Larson, (Barbara Britton) is killed when the roof of the hospital collapses.
• When Lt. Davidson and Lt. Summers (George Reeves) get married and are given gifts of bread and peanut butter. Another sign of how much items we take for granted were valued.
The movie also has two romances: A playful and joking one between Paulette Goddard and a marine played by Sonny Tufts, and a more serious, passionate one with Claudette Colbert and a soldier played by George Reeves. However, I don’t feel the relationship takes away from the true purpose of the film.
As mentioned before, the three actresses were very different, and it has been rumored that they didn’t get along.
“All three were popular actresses and not accustomed to sharing close-ups,” Osborne said.
In Veronica Lake’s autobiography, she said she got along with her co-stars while it was Colbert and Goddard who locked horn. However, actor George Reeves disagreed.
“George Reeves said Veronica was the difficult one,” Osborne said. “Claudette was the moral builder for the whole cast, and if there was a problem it was because all three were so different. Reeves said it takes three to make a quarrel and Colbert wasn’t into that. She was too busy doing her work.”
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Posted in Reviews | Tagged Claudette Colbert, Corregidor, George Reeves, Paulette Goddard, So Proudly We Hail, Sonny Tufts, Veronica Lake, World War 2
Birthday Blogathon: Film #4 Since You Went Away 1944
For my fourth evening of birthday favorite films I chose:
Since You Went Away (1944)
Jane and Bridget listening to Anne read a letter from their father. (This actually is my desktop background).
Brief plot: The story of Anne Hilton and her two daughters Jane and Bridget on the American World War II home-front while their father is overseas fighting. The film stars Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Shirley Temple, Joseph Cotton, Robert Walker, Hattie McDaniel, Monty Wooley and Agnes Moorehead (among several cameo appearances).
Why I love it:
Jane and Bridget talking about a boarder with their mom
My favorite time period is the World War II era. One thing that particularly fascinates me about this time is the war effort on the home front-what this film call the “unconquerable fortress”. This movie chronicles life on the home front and daily adjustments Americans went through in order to help soldiers overseas-there aren’t many films that show this. But aside from the historical aspect of the film, the actors, camera shots and script make “Since You Went Away” absolutely perfect.
Cast: This film has a very strong, star-studded cast and every actor is perfect. Claudette Colbert does an excellent job as Anne Hilton and Shirley Temple (Bridget) and Jennifer Jones (Jane) embody how I think a 1940s teenager would act. Joseph Cotton plays family friend Tony Willett who used to carry a flame for Anne. Monty Wooley is Col. Smollett who boards at the Hilton home during tough financial times and Robert Walker is his grandson Bill who falls in love with Jane. Hattie McDaniel is the Hilton’s maid, Fidelia, who has to quit and work at another reason residence, because the Hiltons can no longer afford her. However she comes back to live with them, because she doesn’t like the other servants at the new employers home. Lastly, Agnes Moorehead is Emily Hawkins, Anne’s catty friend who thinks war sacrifices mean hoarding food in a cold storage unit and hosting canteen dances.
But one very special thing this film is the plethora of uncredited cameos. Tim Hilton, Anne’s husband that has already left for basic training when the movie begins, can be seen in photos. The actor who is supposed to be Tim is Neil Hamilton-known for his role of the commissioner in the 1960s show “Batman” and who usually played cads in early 1930s films.
Throughout the film, you can see:
-Dorothy Dandridge and Ruth Roman at the train station
-Guy Madison as the sailor Bill and Jane meet at the bowling alley
-Lionel Barrymore as a clergyman in the Hilton’s church
-Kennan Wynn at the Hilton’s Christmas party as Tony’s friend
-Silent star Alla Nazimova as Anne’s immigrant friend who works in the shipyards with her.
-Rhonda Flemming as a girl at the dance
-Terry Moore as a refugee child on the train
-Character actor Grady Sutton (who pops up in so many movies!) looking for Suzy Flemming at the dance-I wonder if he ever finds her?
-Jimmie Dodd of Mickey Mouse Club fame as a train passenger
-And other recognizable faces like Jackie Moran, Craig Stevens, Lloyd Corrigan and Irving Bacon.
Emily and Anne in the background of the Paradise Cocktail Lounge-strangers talking in the front.
One that makes me laugh every time is when Fidelia brings in a cake for Col. Smullett’s birthday and says she did something different to it.
Col: “What was the experiment with this cake?”
Fidelia: “I tried something new:I bought it!”
I also like when Jane tells Emily Hawkins off after Hawkins said well-bred girls shouldn’t be war nurses: “Please don’t worry if our hands come in contact with their mangled bodies. We’ll survive even if they don’t!”
But my absolute favorite part of script is something I’ve always thought was very creative. During four separate scenes-Anne and Emily at the cocktail lounge, the canteen dance, the train on the way to see ‘pop’ and the train station as Bill is about to leave.
The camera takes the audience through crowds of people, and we hear snippets of several different conversations. It gives you a sense of what different people were talking about during the war, patriotic or unconcerned with the country’s conditions. Here is the dialogue from each of those scenes:
-The Paradise Cocktail Lounge scene:
1.”The moral breakdown of this country is caused by drinking….this is lousy scotch.” 2. “I don’t mind red finger nails but red toe nails is going too far”
3. “I went shopping before the hoarders got there.”
4. “I can’t write everything the baby says down on those little V-cards.”
-The Canteen Dance scene:
1.“I feel so good, don’t you feel good?”
2. “Now Suzy Flemming, she’s a one man woman.”
3. “I love to read books, don’t you think they are so….”
4.”Why do they call you Walt, is that your nickname?”
-The Train to see pop:
1. Business Man: “If we keep stopping like this, I’ll miss the biggest deal of my life.’ Armless Soldier: “Well I’m in no hurry, I’ve got plenty of time from now on”
2.“My husband’s never seen the baby”
3.“And after the Germans came we didn’t have milk or meat at all”
4.“Only serving two meals a day is simply outrageous”
-Train Station as Bill is leaving:
1.“Let me look at your darling so I can picture you always…now go and don’t look back” (Said to two different girls by the same soldier)
2. To a crying baby held by Dorothy Dandridge: “Look at the nice apple daddy got you”
3. “I’m sorry mom I’ve only got 5 minutes, my furlough was canceled.”
4.”I swear I can’t tell any difference between it and butter.”
5. Little girl to MP: “Hello, my mommy’s a sergeant.” MP squats down to child: “She is!”
6.”What’s a good excuse for being AWOL?”
7. Ruth Roman: “Agnes, look at that dame, nylons!”
8. Soldier: “Five months pay…give me some War Bonds! Plenty of them!”
9. Two soldiers: “I wonder where we can go for free where we don’t have to dance with hostesses.”
Jane at the train station
Camera technique: I feel some of the camera techniques in this film might compete with Hitchcock. The director took advantage of light and shadows. One example of this is Bill and Jane sitting on the Hilton’s back porch talking. The two are back-lit so we only see their silhouettes. The only light from the couple is when Bill lights his cigarette. Another is when Jane is saying goodbye to Bill at the train station. She stands there waving goodbye, the camera pulls back and her shadow stretches about 100 feet across the station. Another shot I really like is when Guy Madison leaves Jane and Bill after they walk around downtown. He gets on the bus and walks to the back, but the camera stays on him as he walks and the bus is driving away to the left and going off screen. But some of my shots are during the dance at the canteen. One part is the shadows as couples waltz (seen at 2:05 in the video below). Also right after they find out Johnny Mahoney dies, there is a shot through a star emblem and you see everyone dancing in the background, very beautiful.
Home front: I feel like this movie is so natural and believable not just a bunch of Hollywood stars playing roles. No, not all families were as well off as the Hiltons were before Mr. Hilton went off to war and not everyone’s mother looked like Claudette Colbert-but we see a lot of what I think is pretty realistic.
-A cop pulls Tony and Anne over just to chat, because he doesn’t see cars much since gas rationing.
-Bridget keeps a plant in the sink to make sure it gets water, because her father gave it to her.
-Anne initially doesn’t really understand why Tim enlisted. She doesn’t do much for the war effort to start out with, because she feels like missing her husband and taking in a boarder is enough. By the end she is working in a shipyard.
-Jane starts off as a silly, boy crazy high school girl and matures throughout the film. Part of it has to do with falling in love with Bill, but another part of it has to do with her work as a nurse and what she sees at the hospital.
-Bridget is in her early teens throughout the film, so she still is pretty young and unchanging, but she seems to be the average, patriotic teenager saying her “Pop looks like a parade all by himself” when he is in his uniform.
-We also see a glimpse of war life as people talk about rationing. There isn’t any ice cream at the soda fountain and instead they have a “Victory Punch,” and we see Bridget sorting scrap metal.
-Along with the patriotism we also see those who didn’t care about the war, like Emily Hawkins. At one point she flippantly says to Anne after Tim is missing in action, “Oh, and I’m sorry about Tim. I’m sure he’ll show up sometime.”
Hotel, after Tim couldn’t meet them
Drinking Victory sodas at the soda fountain
Bridget and Monty Woolley looking for “We-Took-It,” Texas on the map
To review: This film is two and a half hours so I feel like I could write on and on and on about it forever, but in a nut shell-I adore this film. It’s perfect. The shots, the characters, the American life on the home front. Its one that makes you laugh at some scenes and crying in the next. It’s one emotional roller coaster of a film-and I can sincerely say it’s my all time favorite.
This concludes Night 4 of Birthday Blogathon Week.
Posted in Travels, Events & Museums | Tagged classic film, Claudette Colbert, jennifer jones, Joseph Cotton, Robert Walker, Shirley Temple, since you went away, War on the homefront, World War 2
Elkin goes to war and Hollywood
Fred Norman, 19, in 1943 when he enlisted.
I met one of the last Americans to see Churchill, Stalin and Truman together and who also has met several Hollywood stars.
On Wednesday, I was excited about the interview and wore a skirt and turtleneck rather than my usual outfit of jeans. I wanted to show respect to this particular interviewee.
It was already a crazy morning after driving 20 minutes to a wreck and I was running a little late for our 10 a.m. appointment.
I pulled up to a beautiful ranch style home, I later found out he and his wife built it in 1954, and was greeted at the door by 88-year-old Fred Norman before I even rang the doorbell.
I’d seen younger photos of him and he looked basically the same-still wearing his hair in the 1940s wave style and a few pounds heavier.
“Hello!!” he happily said inviting me inside. We sat down and started to talk about his war years.
Norman was in the 3rd Army, sixth division (or Super Six) that fought under General George S. Patton. Under Patton he fought in the Siege of Bastogne to relieve the U.S. 101st Airborne Division who was surrounded by the German in the Battle of the Bulge (this is shown in the 1948 film “Battleground”).
Norman was with the American, French and British forces who went into Berlin, Germany after the Russians. He was also there with hundreds of other soldiers and tanks that lined the Autobahn as Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin rode into Berlin for the Potsdam Conference that determined Nazi Germany’s punishment.
“Churchill had his daughter Sarah with him and Stalin was in the biggest limousine I’ve ever seen,” Norman said. “Truman road up in a convertible and I slipped out of rank and snuck into the forest to take a picture. I’m probably one of the last people living to see those three together. I was 21 at the time and it was 66 years ago so there can’t be many of us left.”
Born and raised in Elkin, N.C., Norman was 19-years-old and a student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when he was drafted into the Army. He was sent to California for basic training before going overseas to England.
After the war, Norman married his sweetheart since the fourth grade, Nan ‘Hon’ Johnson. She passed away in 2007.
Fred Norman and his division in front of their tank in Bastogne. I said he was like Van Johnson in “Battleground.” He got bashful and said “I don’t know about that”
“When I got out of the Army I said, ‘Nan we aren’t having any long engagement, we’ve been engaged since the fourth grade,’” Norman laughed. “Hon and I were married for 62 years and we had a great life. Someone may go but the memories never leave.”
Towards the end of the interview I asked if he saw any movie stars or went to the Hollywood Canteen while he was in California for training.
“I saw a bunch of stars when I went to Hollywood, but I don’t think you’d know anything about them,” he said.
I quickly said I was actually a big movie fan. Mr. Norman smiled real big and we talked an extra 30 minutes about people he had seen at the Canteen and during the 1940s and 1950s.
“I remember seeing Joan Blondell at the Hollywood Canteen-she was real famous at the time. That was a really great thing they did for us,” Norman said. “I also saw Frank Sinatra, he was mine and Hon’s number one.”
Norman and a friend used to travel to New York City to see the Lucky Strike Radio Hour and listen to Frank Sinatra sing.
“The girls just went crazy for him. I asked my friend ‘What has he got that we haven’t got?’ Every time he would move the girls would go crazy,” Norman said. “He was sitting on a stool and knelt down to adjust his loafer and the girls went ape. They did the show again two hours later for California audiences and I’ll be doggoned if those girls waited another two hours to listen to Frank again!”
Norman also saw big band leader Kay Kyser several times since they both went to UNC Chapel Hill, but at different times.
Fred Norman and a friend at the Hollywood Canteen in 1944.
While overseas he saw Marlene Dietrich perform.
“See what the boys in the backroom will have,” he sang thinking about the famous song Dietrich sang. “World War 2 was so different. Everyone was so dedicated. I don’t believe anyone would do that now.”
In Berlin, Norman saw one of the most modern theaters he had ever seen. It had 12 doors that lead to every row of seats and an elevator stage.
“The elevator stage rose up and there was Mickey Rooney,” he said. “I didn’t know how small that rascal was! He came out and said, ‘I know you are all going to tell me to get off my knees, but this is as tall as I get.’ He gave quite a show.”
Norman met many incredible actors that we have lost today, but most importantly I’m thankful for what he did for our country. He fought under one of the greatest generals our country will ever see, and is the sweetest man I have ever met.
For a long time, Norman didn’t talk about his war experiences.
“I didn’t talk about the war for many years after I got home. Nobody did, I didn’t even talk to daddy about it,” he said. “It wasn’t until Tom Brokaw came out and said we needed to tell our stories that I did. I don’t mind telling some of the anecdotes, but there are a lot of things I saw that I just don’t want to talk about.”
I’m proud that I was able to talk to him, and that I consider this man a friend.
Thank you Fred Norman, and all the other veteran’s who have served our country.
Fred Norman today showing off his Nazi helmet and flag he captured during WW2.
Posted in Holidays, Hollywood and the Military | Tagged Bastonge Veteran, classic film, Elkin NC, Frank Sinatra, Fred Norman, General George S. Patton, Marlene Dietrich, mickey rooney, Siege of Bastogne, veteran, Veterans Day, World War 2, world war 2 veteran, World War Two, ww2 veteran
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New comics 11/7/07
Filed under: atom, batman, countdown, fantastic four, groo, howard the duck, robin, supergirl, superman, tranquility — Tom Bondurant @ 3:43 am
We begin this week with Supergirl #23 (written by Kelley Puckett, pencilled by Drew Johnson, inked by Ray Snyder), which I bought mostly out of past loyalty to these creators. By now these Supergirl relaunches have an air of “This time for sure!” about them, so I’ll also admit to some morbid curiosity. In that respect I wonder if it’s a bit of black humor that the cover has our heroine going up in flames….
Anyway, the issue itself is an enigmatic bit of decompression which starts and ends with a mysterious box delivered to Supergirl’s apartment. After a brief, but funny, chat with Batman about the box, she’s called away by Superman to help him and a squad of Green Lanterns stop an interstellar war. Things don’t quite go as planned, but her reaction — and the role of the box — aren’t quite explained, thereby theoretically encouraging us readers to come back next month.
Should we, though? I’m more intrigued by the storyline than I am by the title character, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. From what I can tell from this issue, Supergirl’s kind of a spaz. She zones out when the GLs brief her. She’s apparently responsible enough to have her own (spacious, nicely furnished) apartment, and that magazine subscription in her hand indicates she’s put down some roots, but how old is she supposed to be — late teens? Early twenties? What’s her “secret identity” like? (Judging by this week’s Superman, she doesn’t have much of one … but that’s this week’s Superman.) She’s got all the powers of Superman, so how does she use them differently? In short, why should I care about her enough to pay $2.99 (plus tax, minus folder discount) every month?
Well, the art is quite good. Johnson and Snyder do meticulous work. I’m not entirely sure about their Supergirl anatomy, but that could just be an optical illusion from the costume. There’s a long, wordless stretch in the second half of the book, and they handle that pretty well too. Like I said, I’m intrigued by the story, and this issue was good enough to make me want to see more. However, if I’m going to make a long-term commitment, I’d like to know more about Supergirl herself.
As for her cousin, Superman #670 (written by Kurt Busiek, pencilled by Rick Leonardi, inked by Dan Green) finishes up “The Third Kryptonian.” It’s a good conclusion to what was a somewhat predictable but still enjoyable arc. Busiek hit most of the “moody loner” character beats with Kristin Wells, including the “only out for herself” one. However, the issue is mostly action, which Leonardi and Green do nicely. I also like their Supergirl, who looks about five pounds heavier than Johnson and Snyder’s; and their Power Girl, who looks about ten pounds lighter than, say, Michael Turner’s. Anyway, the basic plot is that the Head Bad Guy has all kinds of weapons specifically designed to kill Kryptonians, so Superman and his allies (including Batman) have to figure out inventive ways to counter them. It’s all fairly straightforward, although it apparently sets up a sequel and at least one other future story. That’s not really a criticism, because I haven’t been this consistently pleased with a Superman writer in a long time.
Countdown #25 (written by Paul Dini and Adam Beechen, pencilled by Ron Lim, inked by Jimmy Palmiotti & John Stanisci) finally checks in with the cliffhanger that closed out Firestorm, lo those many months ago. That’s the bulk of the issue, and it’s entertaining and somewhat satisfying. However, the other “check-in” scenes — Jimmy and Mary Marvel on Apokolips, and Piper and Trickster escaping from Deadshot (?!?) — are kind of lame. Art is good throughout, and I would expect no less from an old hand like Lim.
I was curious about The Search For Ray Palmer: Red Rain (written by Peter Johnson, pencilled mostly by Eric Battle and Angel Unzueta, inked by Derek Fridolfs, Vicente Cifuentes, and Jonathan Glapson, with a few pages drawn by Kelley Jones) because I enjoyed the “Bat-Vampire” trilogy by Jones and writer Doug Moench. However, this has all of the grue and none of the grim nihilism. It’s not a very attractive book, mostly because it tries to ape Kelley Jones’ style without much success. The colors (by Art Lyons) are muted and muddy, like a red filter has overlaid everything. The plot is moderately diverting, since it involves this Earth’s Dick Grayson (and, in a small role, Barbara Gordon), but even that feels like something of a departure from the original material. The Batman/Dracula: Red Rain book was creepy precisely because it was set in a Bat-milieu that could easily have been the character’s regular title. However, this special’s Dick and Babs are just characters with the same names. What’s more, our Challenger heroes really can’t do anything to affect this Earth’s status quo — they can only introduce us to it and move on. Therefore, nothing of consequence happens. Unless you just like seeing alternate versions of familiar characters put through penny-dreadful situations, you don’t need this issue.
In the regular Bat-books, “The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul” begins officially in Robin #168 (written by Peter Milligan, drawn by Freddie E. Williams II). If you’ve seen one of those “Bad Seed” kinds of movies, where no one will believe the good kid who knows the evil kid’s evil, that’s about how Tim must deal with Damien. Also, Batman rescues Talia from what is apparently her bandage-enwrapped father. It’s kinda unremarkable, except for the hints at the mysticism (Nanda Parbat, the Sensei, etc.) behind Ra’s’ return. Williams’ work is fine; Robin is lean and muscular, and Batman is appropriately chunky.
The romance, or whatever it is, of Ryan and Doris “Giganta” Zuel is the best thing about (The All-New) Atom #17 (written by Gail Simone, pencilled by Mike Norton, inked by Trevor Scott). I found myself rooting for the two crazy kids despite the fact that she’s a little unhinged. The weird androgynous villain (at least I think “he” and “she” are the same person) was hard to figure, but that’s a good enough mystery for two issues. Norton and Scott turn in another fine issue. They work about as well with Simone as Nicola Scott did on Birds Of Prey, and considering how much I like Nicola Scott, that’s high praise indeed.
I bought Welcome To Tranquility: Armageddon #1 (written by Christos Gage, drawn by Neil Googe and Horacio Domingues) out of loyalty to the regular title — only one issue left, apparently — and it was just okay. Basically, it focused on Tranquility’s Captain Marvel-analogue, but let him stay “in costume” the whole issue, as opposed to his regular role of deus ex machina. Also, the time-travel involved in showing us the alternate future also made our hero’s role that much more confusing. In short, he flies around while others tell him how bad things have gotten, and then he forgets about everything and the issue is over. It was kind of like the Ray Palmer: Red Rain issue, above, except without the muddy art.
Fantastic Four #551 (written by Dwayne McDuffie, pencilled by Paul Pelletier, inked by Rick Magyar) looks like it kicks off this creative team’s last arc, involving a set of time-travelers bent on stopping Reed from saving the world. It ends on a heck of a cliffhanger, and it ties into Reed’s “room of notes” from Civil War. That’s not a lot in terms of plot, but it’s executed well.
Howard the Duck #2 (written by Ty Templeton, pencilled by Juan Bobillo, inked by Marcelo Sosa) gets closer to its roots, as Howard and Bev must deal with Howard’s sudden celebrity following his smackdown of the hunters last issue. Most of the issue finds Howard on a yelling-match talk show, and that goes about like you’d expect, or maybe a little worse. I might be easily amused, but I did like MODOT (Designed Only for Talking) a lot. This is not a bad miniseries by any means, even if it has a lot to live up to.
Finally, the satire is presented much more deftly in Groo: Hell On Earth #1 (by Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragones), in which Groo’s bumbling leads to eco-unfriendly consequences. I’m not sure how this can be stretched out into four issues, but if the rest are as clever as this one, I definitely won’t care. The latest Groo tale finds everyone at the top of their particular game, especially Aragones and colorist Tom Luth. Those two complement each other perfectly through Aragones’ exquisite backgrounds and two-page spreads. This story aims for a broad scope and even an epic feel, and succeeds admirably.
Filed under: atom, batman, countdown, green lantern, howard the duck, justice league, nightwing, tranquility, weekly roundups — Tom Bondurant @ 6:12 pm
This was really a pretty good week for new comics. I’ve got at least one positive thing to say about each book.
Let’s begin with Howard the Duck #1 (written by Ty Templeton, pencilled by Juan Bobillo, inked by Marcelo Sosa). As you might have gathered from the Friday Night Fights excerpt, its humor is pretty broad, and not as incisive as Steve Gerber’s original stories. Bobillo’s take on Howard is also just different enough from Frank Brunner’s and Gene Colan’s Disney-duck riffs to take some getting used to. There’s a little more Harvey Pekar in Bobillo’s Howard these days. Outside of the Cleveland setting, the American Splendor comparisons probably stop there as well. Still, it was a diverting enough story, hardly decompressed, and tied into the wacky side of Marvel a la Dan Slott. It won’t make you forget about Gerber, but I don’t think it’s a traveshamockery.
The highest praise I can give to another blast from the past, the JLA/Hitman miniseries (#2 came out this week, #1 two weeks ago, both written by Garth Ennis and drawn by John McCrea), was that it made me want to read all sixty issues of the original Hitman series. I knew nothing about Tommy Monaghan before reading these issues, but by the end I was sorry to see him go.
When word came out that Roger (Power of the Atom) Stern would be writing an issue of All-New Atom (#16, pencilled by Mike Norton, inked by Trevor Scott), I spouted off that it would be good, but not Gail-Simone good. Well, I was wrong, and happily so. This issue was great fun, perfectly in sync with Simone’s status quo. An alien turns Ivy Town into dirty hippies, with Ryan Choi having to use his iPod to save the day. The best part was the punk band’s (unintentional?) reference to the “Tear It Down, Wipe It Out” song from Action Comics #398‘s “The Pied Piper Of Steel.” Thankfully, Atom‘s music festival feels much more authentic than Action‘s attempt at a Woodstock pastiche.
And speaking of Action Comics (#856 written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner, drawn by Eric Powell), this week brought the creepy, effective continuation of its “Bizarro World” story. Powell’s art really does the heavy lifting here, and it sets an appropriately spooky tone. It helps excuse the more violent aspects of Johns/Donner’s Bizarro, glimpsed briefly in the previous storyline. If this Bizarro is misguided, it’s to the extreme. Therefore, Powell fills these pages with blocky, clumsy figures, keeping Superman and the other Earth-people smooth and fluid. The combination makes the story more worthwhile, because a more “realistic” artist wouldn’t have made the grotesque figures the norm. Still, There’s probably a bit too much evisceration, though, and I’m not going to excuse it “just because they’re Bizarros.” It’s not like they’re robots — those are actual, if imperfectly-duplicated, guts.
More viscera is on display in Tales Of The Sinestro Corps: Cyborg Superman #1 (written by Alan Burnett, pencilled by Patrick Blaine, inked by Jay Leisten), specifically when the Cyborg defiles his late wife’s grave. Most of the issue re-tells the few Adventures Of Superman issues which transformed a Reed Richards parody into a … well, for a while, an overused, somewhat lame villain, but unlike the Parallax special from a few weeks back, the larger plot is actually advanced, and that’s nice. The art is serviceable — thick, somewhat stiff, and chunky, not unlike the original Dan Jurgens work on the character.
This week also saw another “Sinestro Corps” installment in Green Lantern Corps #16 (written by Dave Gibbons, pencilled by Patrick Gleason, inked by Prentis Rollins), specifically the big battle involving Mogo and Ranx. For those of you who remember the Alan Moore story which informs much of “Sinestro Corps,” this issue relies upon its prophecy most heavily, with Mogo having to repel bombardiers and the Daxamite Sodam Yat coming into his own. It was a good, suspenseful issue, although I pretty much knew how it would have to turn out. I thought Gleason and Rollins kept things moving well, and made characters distinct, but in crowd scenes I still had trouble telling Yat from the other male-human-looking GLs.
Jumping back into the creepy-zombie realm for a moment, here’s Welcome To Tranquility #11 (written by Gail Simone, drawn by Neil Googe), the continuation of its Devil-raises-the-dead-to-destroy-the-living story. I really liked this issue, both as an action story and as a quirky evocation of a superhero-centered community. The Kyle Kite vignette was a good example of the latter, bringing together the innocence of children’s comics, the twisted take Simone and Googe have on them, and the juxtaposition of all that with a carnage-filled zombie tale. I do feel like I’ve spent enough time with these characters to get comfortable with them, so naturally I’m worried that the book will be cancelled. There’s also a sweet backup story (drawn by Irene Flores) about a teenager who finds she’s more in tune with manga than with Western comics, and it’s fine; but I kept expecting it to switch to right-to-left and I don’t think it ever did.
I guess Jamal Igle is off Nightwing (#137 written by Marv Wolfman, pencilled by Jon Bosco, inked by Alex Silva), which is too bad, because Bosco and Silva don’t have the same fluidity to their work as Igle and (I think) Keith Champagne brought. Anyway, this issue was the end of the big woman-from-Dick’s-past story. While the plot still seems a bit arbitrary — apparently super-soldiers are involved, not unlike the battlesuit of Wolfman’s first Nightwing arc — I did appreciate the relation back to New Teen Titans. I have beaten the drum of strengthening Dick’s ties to his past for a while now, probably to death, so it’s always nice to see writers doing just that. This is Wolfman’s last issue too, if I remember right, and the ending is soured somewhat by having it tie into his new Vigilante series. NTT did that too, of course, albeit a littel more gracefully.
Igle pencils this week’s Search For Ray Palmer: Crime Society (written by Sean McKeever, inked by Rob Hunter), which is actually the origin of Earth-3’s Jokester. McKeever’s clever script successfully re-casts the tragedies which formed the Joker into a story of a hard-luck anti-hero. The timeline’s a little screwy, but this is an alternate Earth after all. Igle’s pencils are pretty tightly inked by Hunter, giving them an appreciably different look than I’m used to, but it all works. The issue is much better than I expected a Countdown one-off to be.
Detective Comics #837 (written by Paul Dini, pencilled by Don Kramer, inked by Wayne Faucher) is a Countdown tie-in which focuses mostly on the Riddler and the former Harley Quinn, filling in Harl’s backstory leading up to Countdown. To me it demonstrated how much better Dini is at writing Harley than the Countdown writers have been so far — there she’s generally wacky; here you can tell she has a brain. Of course, there she only gets a few pages to herself, and here she’s much more in the spotlight. Anyway, Harley and Holly get embroiled in the theft of a Wayne Industries MacGuffin, which leads the Riddler to their women’s shelter. Batman and Robin are in it too, briefly, but the book is Detective Comics, not Batman, after all….
Finally, Countdown #30 (written by Dini, Justin Gray, and Jimmy Palmiotti, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, pencils by Jesus Saiz, inks by Palmiotti) is all over the place, checking in on Karate Kid and Brother Eye, Trickster and Piper behind the scenes at the Green Arrow/Black Canary wedding fight, and Jimmy Olsen escaping from scientific study, before settling on the Challengers of the Beyond on Earth-15. (You can tell it’s Earth-15 not just from the captions, but also from the little Earth-symbol on the cover. Thanks, DC!) On this Earth, everyone’s taken over for their mentors — Donna is Wonder Woman, Jason is Batman, and Kyle is GL #1. There’s not much to this part of the story beyond catching one’s breath with some character insights. Jason and Bat-Jason fight, and a few more alternate-version heroes show up. The cliffhanger switches scenes again, to Harley and Holly on their way to Themyscira (misspelled “Themyscria” — or is it?) Giffen’s breakdowns and Saiz’s pencils keep everything moving, at least. On the whole I was entertained, but it’s still pretty hard to embrace Countdown unreservedly.
New comics 7/25/07 and 8/1/07
Filed under: atom, batman, countdown, fantastic four, green lantern, nightwing, she-hulk, superman, tranquility, weekly roundups, wonder woman — Tom Bondurant @ 7:08 pm
Someday soon I’ll get caught up. July was ka-razy all around, not just with San Diego.
Anyway, let’s begin with the comics I read in between a thousand other things happening the day before the plane took off….
Batman #666 (written by Grant Morrison, pencilled by Andy Kubert, inked by Jesse Delperdang) is the third DC comic to reach that infamous number, and I’m pretty sure it’s the one which takes the most inspiration from said number. Future Batman Damien Wayne fights the last of the Black Casebook’s faux Batmen in a story rich with metatextual meaning. Kubert and Delperdang are especially good at depicting the hellish future Gotham and the evil, red-goggled Batman who thinks he’s going to destroy it. For a while I’ve been convinced that Morrison’s run is dedicated to exploring what it means to “be” Batman, mostly by looking at how others (Damien, the evil pretenders, the upcoming Club of Heroes) take on the role. I’m not quite ready to say it’s of a piece with Seven Soldiers‘ examination of different types of superheroes, but it’s fascinating nonetheless. I may have to get the collections, if only to read the stories in a big chunk, without these months of delays and fill-ins separating them.
It also seems to me that All-Star Batman & Robin (#6 written by Frank Miller, pencilled by Jim Lee, inked by Scott Williams) is meant to be seen in a similar “nature of the superhero” light. This issue’s set pieces involve rookie heroes Black Canary and Batgirl, and Batman musing about “all these wannabes.” It’s still not anywhere near a plot; but honestly, the book’s erratic schedule may actually be working in its favor: if it comes out so infrequently, why not spend the $2.99?
Sinestro fights Soranik Natu in Green Lantern Corps #14 (written by Dave Gibbons, pencilled by Patrick Gleason and Angel Unzueta, inked by Prentis Rollins), and basically, both of them win the battle in different ways. I’ve called “Sinestro Corps” a big excuse for fighting (not that that’s a bad thing), but what’s great about this issue is the way in which it plays with the reader’s expectations. It’s unlikely that Sinestro, bad as he is, will be “allowed” to kill Dr. Natu, beloved as she is; but it’s more unlikely that Natu, a rookie GL, could hold her own against the No. 1 Renegade. The issue’s solution is pretty clever.
Just like that, the Jodi Picoult Era is over, as J. Torres writes and Paco Diaz draws Wonder Woman #11, another brick in the Amazons Attack wall. Diana heads back to Themyscira to protect it from a nuclear strike, and finds the wreckage of Greg Rucka’s excellent “politicizing” of the Greek pantheon. Much of the rest of the issue shows us various Justice Leaguers and Justice Socialites fighting the invaders. It’s better than a Picoult issue, but it’s hardly the best the book’s been. Three more issues of this — one WW, two AA — right?
Is it too late to put Kurt Busiek in the Countdown rotation? He’s done a fine job with Jimmy’s involvement, even though Superman #665 (pencilled by Rick Leonardi, inked by Ande Parks) isn’t part of the main story. This particular issue shows us Jimmy’s “origin,” coming from homeless newsboy to Planet photographer and Superman’s Pal. I’ve liked Leonardi’s work for a long time, probably going back twenty years, so he’s good as always, and Parks’ lines are thick enough to give his figures the appropriate weight. The story’s fun too, in case I didn’t make that clear.
As for the main book, Countdown #40 (written by Paul Dini and Tony Bedard, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, pencilled by Manuel Garcia, inked by Mark McKenna) focuses on three scenes: Donna et al. fighting yet another group of “natives,” Holly questioning the shelter’s priorities, and the Pied Piper and Trickster hooking up with the Penguin. It also checks in with Jimmy and Mary Marvel. The “Ray Palmer” story is getting a little tedious, as is the Holly story, and the Jimmy story is getting better coverage in the Superman titles as of late, so that leaves Mary Marvel and the Rogues to salvage the issue, and Mary’s scene is a little too short. Garcia and McKenna provide decent art — nothing groundbreaking; kind of in the Brad Walker/Eddy Barrows range.
Thankfully, Countdown #39 (written by Dini and Sean McKeever, pencilled by Jim Calafiore, inked by Jay Leisten) starts off much better, as Karate Kid and the last of Triplicate Girl break into Oracle’s office. Holly meets Athena — but is it the same Athena who was mad at Wonder Woman last week? — and the Suicide Squad comes after Piper and Trickster. Art is fine; I thought Calafiore was a good fill-in artist back in the Peter David days of Aquaman, and he’s better here than he has been on the series. Maybe it’s the inks. I liked this issue more than I did the last one, and it may well be because Countdown (unlike 52) does action pretty well. The talky Monitor backup (by Dan Jurgens) even goes a long way towards explaining the nature of the threat, which is nice considering that we’re at the one-quarter mark.
Speaking of threats to the multiverse, wasn’t She-Hulk #20 (pencilled by Rick Burchett, inked by Cliff Rathburn) not only Dan Slott’s last issue, but also some kind of panacea for Marvel continuity at large? Generally, though, it’s a quick and dirty wrap-up to Slott’s years with Shulkie, including the by-now-familiar “here are the stories I would have done if I had the time” teases. It’s not entirely successful — or, maybe I should say it would have been more successful had I read the Jen-as-judge issues from the last part of Slott’s first series. Anyway, it’s not bad. Slott hasn’t had much room to do his own stuff for a while, with all the crossovers the book’s been part of the past few months, so I guess this is one last example of the unadulterated book.
Fantastic Four #548 (written by Dwayne McDuffie, pencilled by Paul Pelletier, inked by Rick Magyar) kicks off the full FF’s (Reed and Sue included) battle with the Frightful Four, so it’s good clean superhero combat. Much the same is on display in Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #4 (written by Jeff Parker, pencilled by Mike Wieringo, inked by Wayne von Grawbadger). Both are highly recommended for all your FF needs.
Welcome To Tranquility #9 (written by Gail Simone, drawn by Neil Googe) brings the Devil, more zombies, and Freefall (right? with the purple hair) to town. The main story’s fine, but the backup (pencilled by Leandro Fernandez, inked by Francisco Paronzini) is quite good. It explains, in the best EC tradition, why the Coyote Kid has such a mad-on for zombies. I still enjoy the series, although I don’t think it’ll be around much longer.
More spooky goings-on abound in Detective Comics #835 (written by John Rozum, drawn by Tom Mandrake), as the Scarecrow decides to use puh-sychology on his victims instead of that old crutch, fear-gas. The notion that Batman could be pushed To The Edge (TM) even by the Scarecrow’s gruesome new tactics is a bit hard to accept, and Mandrake’s art isn’t for everyone, but overall it’s fairly effective.
Nightwing #135 (written by Marv Wolfman, pencilled by Jon Bosco, inked by Alex Silva) presents exposition via interrogation, as Vigilante facilitates Dick’s flashbacks to how he busted Metal Eddie back in the day. It’s about how you’d expect, considering that most of the information has already been provided in previous chapters, but it’s good nonetheless. Bosco’s figures are a bit clunky, and Silva uses a lot of blacks, and overall they’re in that same “DC house style” mode. It’s about time for this story to end, though.
Remember what I said about Busiek’s fine Jimmy Olsen story in last week’s Superman? It applies just as much, if not more, to this week’s Action Comics #853 (pencilled by Brad Walker, inked by Livesay). Jimmy, as his superheroic alter ego Mr. Action, tries to help Superman take out the Kryptonite Man. Extra points for the special last-page appearance.
Finally, this week’s other “Countdown doesn’t make everything suck” entry is (All-New) Atom #14 (written by Gail Simone, pencilled by Mike Norton, inked by Trevor Scott). Atom, Donna Troy, Jason Todd, and Bob The Monitor go to “Heaven,” find Blue Beetle, and fight all manner of dead bad guys. The Internet is already buzzing over the new catchphrase, “Stupid jetpack Hitler!” It’s a fun issue, but it does kinda feel like treading water. The fun wins out, though.
New comics 6/6/07
Filed under: atom, batman, birds of prey, countdown, nightwing, superman, tranquility, weekly roundups — Tom Bondurant @ 2:12 am
Is it Gail Simone Week so soon? Hooray!
Only one thing would have made Birds Of Prey #107 (written by Simone, pencilled by Nicola Scott, inked by Doug Hazlewood) dead solid perfect, and that would have been a more explicit reference to the Huntress nursing Ice back to health in 1989’s Justice League America #35. Not that I’m complaining — there’s enough in the issue to satisfy this old JLI fan, especially the words Huntress speaks to bring Ice back to reality. The rest of the issue wraps up the BoP/Secret Six fight in fine fashion.
Welcome to Tranquility #7 (written by Simone, drawn by Neil Googe) is a bridge between arcs, largely wrapping up subplots from the first six issues, and otherwise focusing on the Emoticon, a minor character from the first arc. My problem with this issue is that it expects me to have kept up with all of these characters, most of whom are easy for me to confuse, simply by sight and subtle reminders of their character arcs. An omniscient narrator would have helped. It’s very much written-for-the-trade, which on one level is a valid choice, but I’m not reading the trade. I put a little more blame for this on Googe for not making the senior-citizen designs distinct enough. I dunno; maybe it’s just me. The Emoticon stuff is done well, and even shocking. There’s also an obviously satirical backup story about Bunny (also pretty much unnamed throughout), and it’s fine, but I’m not sure what the point is.
The trifecta is completed by (All-New) Atom #12 (written by Simone, pencilled by Mike Norton, inked by Dan Green), a prologue to the “Search For Ray Palmer” arc which finds Ryan encountering random wackiness on his way home through Ivy Town. The whimsical travelogue elements from the first few Tranquility issues show up here, but as over-the-top as this book is, they go just a smidge too far. At the end, the Atom fights some old Atom villains, all goofy, and (like Tranquility) none named. Here, though, I didn’t miss them being identified (the only one I knew by name was Bug-Eyed Bandit), because the joke about them being lame didn’t need it. I like Norton and Green on this book — their style is cartoony enough to fit the overall tone, and I can’t see Eddy Barrows or John Byrne doing the wacky travelogue stuff. By the way, it’s been twelve issues and a short story — can’t we drop the “All-New?”
I went through most of Detective Comics #833 (written by Paul Dini, pencilled by Don Kramer, inked by Wayne Faucher) thinking it was a subtle nod to The Prestige, the steampunk magician movie starring Christian “Batman” Bale, Michael “Alfred” Caine, and Hugh “Wolverine” Jackman. I appreciated Dini’s use of Zatanna and the evil guest magician, both of whom had appeared earlier in his run. I even thought there was some social commentary on the “audience likes girls tied up” element of the crime. Maybe all of this was distracting, but I did not expect the twist at the end. Good show, gentlemen.
The Black Adam/Mary Marvel parts of Countdown #47 (written by Dini and Sean McKeever, pencilled by Tom Derenick, inked by Andrew Pepoy, Jack Purcell, and John Stanisci) were actually kind of interesting this week. Adam is still a tiresome character as far as I’m concerned, and I know he’s a bad guy, but throwing Mary around was rather uncomfortable to see. The interesting part to me was the way Mary got her powers back. The issue also checks in with Jimmy Olsen, the Monitors, and the Rogues, all in the name of hitting character and plot points. Holly Robinson (not the actress, the onetime Catwoman) is also brought into the story. Art is decent — Derenick’s a competent penciller, but again, the scenes with Mary getting slammed into walls were the weak points.
Superman #663 (written by Kurt Busiek, pencilled by Carlos Pacheco, inked by Jesus Merino) may represent the first weak link in the Countdown scheduling chain. Ideally, it should have come out last week at the latest, because it stars a character who “died” in last week’s Countdown. Other than that, though, it’s a very good issue, exquisitely drawn and colored (the latter by Alex Sinclair). Merino looks to be using a more intricate inking style, but it really works out well with Pacheco’s pencils. My only question is, when did Lana Lang start stealing from Jean Grey’s old Hellfire Club closet? I don’t watch “Project Runway,” but is the corseted look making a comeback? As for plot, basically the Young Gods of Supertown are in Metropolis on a road trip, with their good-natured hijinx giving Superman problems. The “Camelot Falls” subplot of Superman’s necessity also runs through the book, giving continuity-mechanic Busiek a chance to clear up Arion’s recent history. It ends on a cliffhanger which should advance the “CF” storyline, although I’d have thought we’d have seen more of the apocalyptic future by now.
Finally, Nightwing #133 (written by Marv Wolfman, pencilled by Jamal Igle, inked by Keith Champagne) is the best issue I’ve read so far. It opens with a well-choreographed fight scene, gives Dick some good “civilian time” (including a good bit of detective work), and brings in a mystery woman from Robin’s past. Thus, it’s not afraid to use Dick’s history productively, beyond name-checking Batman, Robin, or their assorted trappings. The plot is nice and compressed, with Dick spending much of the issue trailing kidnappers, and actually having a couple of good action scenes with them. Wolfman’s dialogue is improving too. The worst part involves the implausible mechanics of a mob hit, and even that feels retro enough that it’s probably a criminal’s “theme.” Wolfman’s first two arcs were so-so, but this is leaps and bounds better.
New (at the time) comics 4/25/07 and 5/2/07
Filed under: 52, astro city, atom, batman, checkmate, fantastic four, firestorm, green lantern, hero squared, justice league, legion, marvel family, superman, tranquility, weekly roundups, wonder woman — Tom Bondurant @ 4:47 pm
(sigh)
Yes, it’s been another three weeks without a new-comics recap. I’m not going to dwell on that, though, so let’s jump right in. Should have the 5/9 comics recapped by tonight or tomorrow.
52 #51 (written by Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison, and Mark Waid, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, pencilled by Joe Bennett, inked by Jack Jadson and Belardino Brabo) … yeah, you know, it was fine. The space heroes got their reunions, there was a nice bookend to the first issue with the Superman/Superboy memorials, and it was a good way to wind down the bulk of the series. I can’t help but see it as the first part of a 2-part conclusion to the series, given what happens in #52, but we’ll get to that later.
Wonder Woman #8 (written by Jodi PIcoult, drawn by Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson) and Amazons Attack #1 (written by Will Pfeifer, drawn by Pete Woods) are joined at the hip(Polyta — oh, I hate myself), so I’ll talk about ’em together. It occurs to me that AA does a better job of starting Wonder Woman’s “rehabilitation” than the main title does. Not that I didn’t like the Allan Heinberg issues, because they were on the whole pretty clever. It’s just that you’d think the Big Novelist Arc would overshadow, or at least color, the Big Event Miniseries, and it’s turned out the other way around — and the ironic thing is, that’s probably for the best. WW #8 is more of the same “save Nemesis from Circe” plot, now in its third issue; and still making with the contrivances for the sake of humor.
I may like AA better simply because it seems to give everything some direction. In fact, it hews more to a traditional superhero-story introduction: it establishes the threat, presents the stakes, and shows the heroes beginning to respond. Sure, the Amazons are bloodthirsty, perhaps excessively so; but I have a feeling the excess may be part of Circe’s prompting. Both books look fabulous, so that helps a lot.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Justice Society of America #5 (written by Geoff Johns, drawn by Fernando Pasarin), the wholly nondescript cover notwithstanding. (I almost didn’t get it because — unlike the Phil JIminez variant for sale for $10 behind the LCS’ counter — it didn’t say anything about being Part 2 of the JLA crossover.) Anyway, it’s part 2 of the JLA crossover, and oh boy stuff happens! Batman, Sandman, Starman, and Geo-Force fight “Batmen Through The Ages” and Doctor Destiny in Arkham Asylum! Superbo– er, Superman gives the teen JSAers the Fortress tour, complete with Madame Toussaud’s Legion of Super-Heroes! Wildfire vomits up Batman’s utility belt, last seen on Rick Jones in Avengers Forever! Okay, that last part isn’t quite true, but it kind of gives you the feel for where all of this is going. I liked this issue well enough, although Pasarin’s art is just a little too much over-rendered. Also, unless those are animatronic Legion statues, I’m kind of disturbed by how expressive they are. Also also, as I clumsily indicated before, his Superman looked at first a little too Superboy-ish. Hope part 3, in JLA #9, is at least as good.
I now prefer to think of the final issue of Firestorm 2.0 (#35 written by Dwayne McDuffie, pencilled by Pop Mhan, inked by Mhan and Steve Bird) as Part 3 of the special bridge-the-gap Firestorm miniseries. Looks to me like the Dan Jolley/Stuart Moore-written plots and subplots all concluded satisfactorily in #32 — because this issue ends on a terribly disappointing cliffhanger. It’s good because it means Firestorm will be popping up later in other DC books, and might get enough new exposure for a revival, but it’s bad in terms of narrative cohesion. It’s the Gotham Central non-ending, pretty much. The plot is also kind of hard to understand, because it hinges on some use of Firestorm’s powers that he takes great pains to set up … but when he does it, the setup doesn’t appear necessary. Basically it’s a big fight scene, rendered and choreographed well, except for that one part.
Action Comics #848 (written by Fabian Nicieza, pencilled by Allan Goldman, inked by Ron Randall) continues the fill-ins with Part 1 of a 2-parter about a superhero who gets his powers from God. Well, faith, prayer, something like that. The new guy destroys a squad of soldiers in an African country because he’s there to protect missionaries — which he does — but he can’t control his powers otherwise. The religious angle causes Superman to question how much he should be interfering, because clearly he’s got his own history of religious belief. It’s a good start for a story, but as you might expect, it ‘s not too subtle. I’ll be surprised if the folks behind Jarod (the new guy) aren’t broadcasting their own powers through him, and not really acting on direct orders from the Lord. The story isn’t helped by Goldman’s pencils. They’re serviceable, and his storytelling is fine, but his figures are awkward and his perspective falters occasionally. One scene, with Clark and Lois getting ready for bed, features an overmuscled Clark and a Lois whose back arches too far, apparently so she can display her hinder more prominently.
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #29 (written by Tony Bedard, pencilled by Kevin Sharpe, inked by Mark McKenna & Jack Purcell) was a weird fill-in, if indeed it is such and not just the start of the Bedard/Sharpe Era. It basically spilled the beans on 52 a week early (in the comics themselves; Dan DiDio did it first, of course), explaining why the Dominators hate the Earth, and the Legion in particular. The issue is nothing special — the Dominators’ history is told against the backdrop of the Legion trashing their planet — and the art is decent at best.
Batman Confidential #5 (written by Andy Diggle, pencilled by Whilce Portacio, inked by Richard Friend) is another issue-long fight scene, as first the Batplane and then the Batcycle are used to attack Luthor’s secret robot warehouse. It took me about three minutes to read.
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t get a whole lot out of Astro City (The Dark Age Book Two #3 written by Kurt Busiek, drawn by Brent Anderson). Maybe the Ron Burgundy cameo threw me off. I had the same reaction to Planetary Brigade: Origins #3 (written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, drawn by Julia Bax).
Thankfully, the same was not true for Fantastic Four #545 (written by Dwayne McDuffie, pencilled by Paul Pelletier, inked by Rick Magyar), which did a lot with the new FF, the Silver Surfer, and Gravity. I’ll echo the blogosphere’s concerns about some of the physics in the issue, but overall it continues to be very good.
I talked about 52 #52 in the 5/3 Grumpy Old Fan. Short version: yay multiverse! Slightly longer version: a big jumble of a story that felt more like a Big 52 Special than an organic ending to the series. Also, I’m not sure, but I think it broke out of the “this happened this week” mold in large part for the last issue. Still, a good end to the series.
Probably the worst thing about Green Lantern #19 (written by Geoff Johns, drawn and colored by Danlel Acuna) is the continued existence of the new Star Sapphire costume. Otherwise, it would be this issue’s notions about the beginnings of a Star Sapphire Corps — which, okay, makes some sense, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it right on the heels of the Sinestro Corps. I did like seeing Carol in a Green Lapphire costume, and the Hal/Carol scenes are fine, but there’s some really weak dialogue here — mostly predictable “first dates are hell” stuff. Acuna’s art is good, but it’s so different from the Pacheco/Reis school of finely-rendered figures that it takes some getting used to. The “Sinestro Corps” backup continues to be good and scary, in every sense of the words.
Detective Comics #832 (written by Royal McGraw, drawn by Andy Clarke) showcases the return of the Terrible Trio, a ’50s-era threefer of theme-gimmick villains now bent on killing each other off. I figured out the twist about halfway through. Not a bad issue, but not a standout either.
Checkmate #13 (written by Greg Rucka and Judd Winick, pencilled by Joe Bennett, inked by Jack Jadson) begins “Check/Out,” the Outsiders crossover, with the Checkmaters taking out the Outsiders one by one. Not much plot beyond that, and it’s a good way to introduce someone who’s never read any Outsiders (i.e., me) to the team. It also makes Checkmate look capable without making the Outsiders look like chumps. Bennett and Jadson are the new art team starting this issue, and they do their usual fine job.
(The All-New) Atom #11 (written by Gail Simone, pencilled by Eddy Barrows, inked by Trevor Scott) concludes the Atom-vs.-zombies story, and not an issue too soon. As much as I want this series to show how it can handle different subgenres, this story just felt shoehorned into the book to get it out of the way before the big Ray Palmer arc. I am still rooting for Ryan Choi, but I’m eager for the more science-y stuff to return.
Welcome To Tranquility #6 (written by Gail Simone, drawn by Neil Googe and Billy Dallas Patton) also wraps up its arc. While I think WTT is a very ambitious book, and deserves a look because of it, it hasn’t really hooked me. I’ll probably re-read these six issues before deciding whether to continue.
Jeff Smith’s Shazam! The Monster Society Of Evil #3 was good as usual, with some familiar Sivana-vs.-Batsons action at the center of the issue. The manner of Billy’s escape is particularly fun. However, maybe it was just the way the story broke out, but this issue’s cliffhanger isn’t all that suspenseful. Oh well; it’s not like I won’t get #4.
Finally, Superman #662 (written by Kurt Busiek, pencilled by Carlos Pacheco, inked by Jesus Merino) offered a decent bridge into the second half of “Camelot Falls.” Some have complained that nothing happens, but I thought Superman’s examination of his role in Earth’s history was done well. It’s not really the “Must There Be A Superman?” question, because Superman’s allegedly not making humanity weaker as much as he’s making the bad guys stronger. I can see where someone who didn’t read the previous Busiek issues might wonder what all the fuss is about, but since I did, and since that particular future was about as apocalyptic as one could get, I was invested in Superman’s musings from the start.
Now for the 5/9 books, and maybe some more new content besides.
New comics 4/4/07, 4/11/07, and 4/18/07
Filed under: 52, aquaman, atom, batman, brave and bold, dr 13, fantastic four, flash, green lantern, justice league, legion, she-hulk, spider-man, spirit, superman, tranquility, weekly roundups, wonder woman — Tom Bondurant @ 9:50 pm
Man, what a week. The Best Wife Ever has been out of town, so you know what that means: blogging about the DC solicits and World War III!
Anyway, three weeks behind; no time to waste.
I’m just going to do a quick rundown for these books. I talked about Justice League of America #7 over at Blog@, in connection with the rest of “The Tornado’s Path.” Madman Atomic Comics #1 was not what I expected — weird, expositional, and kind of depressing. Welcome to Tranquility #5 was decent, as the first arc starts getting wrapped up. Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #28 was pretty good, and its current arc is ready to end as well. Atom #10 was okay — I’m not a huge fan of Eddy Barrows’ art, and the “Sometimes They Come Back” story doesn’t feel right for the book. Detective Comics #831 was very good, especially with the flashback to the previous Ventriloquist. Superman #661 felt like it could have come out of the ’70s or ’80s, and that’s not entirely bad. Superman/Batman #33 finished what turned out to be the Despero arc, and I’m glad it’s over. Nightwing #131 was okay — not as good as the rest of the arc has been. Finally, 52 #48 felt rushed, and never quite came together.
We begin the backlog in earnest with Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #1 (written by Jeff Parker, pencilled by Mike Wieringo, inked by Wade von Grawbadger) and All-Star Superman #7 (written by Grant Morrison, drawn by Frank Quitely), two books designed to meet all one’s needs for their respective subjects. I know I’m supposed to say something insightful about every title, but with these it’s not going to get much deeper than “more, please.” I can’t get enough of Mike Wieringo’s FF, and he draws a fine Spidey too. Jeff Parker’s story strikes a good balance between the typical street-level Spidey adventure and the correspondingly cosmic FF tale. It’s nice and light-hearted, with the Impossible Man and a great set of Ben/Johnny pranks. The stakes are laid out a little more clearly in the Superman title, as a “Bizarro plague” comes to Earth. The problem’s big enough that it doesn’t require Superman to be artificially de-powered, or to hold back, but at the same time Morrison and Quitely’s Superman radiates confidence. More, please.
I can see that Tales of the Unexpected #7‘s lead Spectre story (written by David Lapham, pencilled by Eric Battle, inked by Prentis Rollins) is trying to wrap everything up in its penultimate chapter, but I’m not really invested anymore. The same is definitely not true for the Dr. 13 story (written by Brian Azzarello, drawn by Cliff Chiang), which just seems to get crazier and more affecting as it goes along. The satire on DC’s continuity struggles has never been more clear, with the “Architects” even wearing Ben Cooper-style superhero masks representing some of their signature assignments. (If I’m right, they’re Grant Morrison/Batman, Greg Rucka/Wonder Woman, Geoff Johns/Superman, and Mark Waid/Flash). Speaking of stakes, the Dr. 13 story seems to be about nothing less than the survival of DC’s own Island of Misfit Toys. We’ll find out next issue.
More metacommentary is on display in She-Hulk #17 (written by Dan Slott, pencilled by Rick Burchett, inked by Cliff Rathburn). Slott’s treatment of Shulkie’s sexual history comes into play during an encounter with Iron Man and some Nick Fury LMDs reference several other books’ subplots. The bulk of the story has Shulkie’s squad taking out old Hulk villains both in the field and on the SHIELD Helicarrier, and that part’s good. Meanwhile, Mallory and Two-Gun try to clean up the former’s image following her breakup with Awesome Andy. I have always been a fan of Rick Burchett’s work, and Cliff Rathburn’s inks are a good complement. However, it all feels like treading water until “World War Hulk” and its attendant round of status quo change(s).
Lotsa plot in Green Lantern Corps #11 (written by Dave Gibbons, pencilled by Patrick Gleason, inked by Prentis Rollins), so I won’t try to summarize. Suffice it to say that everything seems to be connected to weird goings-on on Mogo, which I’d guess are in turn caused by the imminent attack of the Sinestro Corps. A mention of the old Empire of Tears only heightens the apocalyptic mood. I enjoyed this issue, because it balances the various plot threads (I count six) pretty well. I’m also a lot fonder of Gleason and Rollins than I was this time last year.
JLA Classified #37 (written by Peter Milligan, drawn by Carlos D’Anda) begins “Kid Amazo,” so when we see a slacker college student who’s questioning his purpose and the meaning of existence, it’s not hard to figure out why. However, this story wants to look at its title character not as someone who will naturally turn to the light (a la Red Tornado and Tomorrow Woman), but someone who can make a real choice to join his “family” against the JLA. In that respect it looks interesting. I know I’ve seen D’Anda’s work before, but I can’t remember where. Here it’s pretty good — kind of like the clean Doug Mahnke/Tom Nguyen style, but a little rougher. A decent book all around.
Still sticking with Wonder Woman (#8 written by Jodi Picoult, pencilled by Drew Johnson, and inked by Ray Snyder), even though this issue isn’t much better than the last. The art’s still good, though. I will say that the story ties into Amazons Attack a little earlier than I expected, and it makes me wonder about how that event played into the development of Picoult’s arc.
That leaves us with 52 #49 (written by The Architects, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, pencils by Eddy Barrows, inks by Dan Green, Rodney Ramos, and Barrows) — and honestly, with everything that happens in 52-land this week, I can’t say much more about the leadup in this issue. The Dr. Magnus bits were the highlight, and Barrows draws facial features a bit soft for my taste.
The elephant in the room this week was World War III, about which I’ve already written some 1600 words behind the above link. Short version: incoherent, redeemed somewhat by the efficient 52 #50. Moving on.
The Metal Men show up in Superman/Batman #34 (written by Mark Verheiden, pencilled by Pat Lee, inked by Craig Yeung), and the story is set up for them to fight Supes and Bats, but it’s not much more than that. Lee and Yeung’s art is dark and slightly exaggerated, such that when one of the bad guys looks grotesquely overmuscled, I’m not sure whether I should accept that there’s an in-story reason or that it’s just bad anatomy. At one point Bruce Wayne gets slapped by the widow of one of his employees, killed in an attack, and you don’t see that too often, so the story gets points for that. However, it sure doesn’t have as much fun with Magnus or the Metal Men as 52 does, and I hope that changes.
By now you’ve probably heard about the bestiality in The Spirit #5 (by Darwyn Cooke), and sure, that’s good for some laughs, but it’s only part of another solid issue. The plot takes off from the unauthorized licensing of the Spirit’s likeness into some unexpected directions. When a comic makes you feel sympathetic for a guy who loves his pet more than he really should, that’s saying something.
Manhunter #30 (written by Marc Andreyko, pencilled by Javier Pina Diego Olmos, and Cafu, inked by Robin Riggs and Art Thibert) was enjoyable, but perfunctory: the Wonder Woman arc ends, the Chase-and-her-sister arc ends, and there’s more with Mark Shaw. I think having this book “uncancelled” took a little pressure off everyone involved and let them spread out more, so that it feels more transitional than anything else. It’s good that the book isn’t cancelled, and the resolutions are all handled well — there’s even an Amazons Attack tease, if I read it right — but it doesn’t seem as … resolute, I guess, about everything.
Andreyko also writes Nightwing Annual #2 (pencilled by Joe Bennett, inked by Jack Jadson), the secret history of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon’s lurve. Andreyko does a good job with the material, working in Dick’s time with the New Titans pretty well, and Bennett and Jadson likewise do right by the characters. (They take particular care with the Robin costume.) Dick does have one moment where he lives up to his name, which I’m sure you’ve read about already. I am not a Dick/Babs ‘shipper, nor am I a Dick/Kory ‘shipper. I think Dick and Babs are more like siblings than potential lovahs, and I never got the sense that Dick and Kory were in it for much more than the sex. Therefore, I wasn’t emotionally invested in these events, but I can’t tell you what either party’s ideal mate looks like. Anyway, a pretty good issue overall.
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #51 (written by Tad Williams, pencilled by Shawn McManus, inked by Walden Wong) centers around Topo leading the Atlantean survivors through underwater “hatches” which teleport them across the oceans to Sub Diego. Along the way, they encounter Species 8472 … I mean, the race that built the hatches. The art seems to be a little more cartoony than it was last issue, to go with the more fanciful tone overall. I’m not complaining about that. The book seems to be finding a middle ground between the isolation of the early Busiek SoA issues and the pre-OYL stories, and it’s still intriguing to me.
Big doins’ are afoot in The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #11 (written by Marc Guggenheim, pencilled by Tony Daniel, inked by Art Thibert), mostly in preparation for next issue’s fight with the Rogues’ Gallery. This issue is about Inertia gathering the Rogues, and Grandma Iris telling Bart why she’s pointing that gun at him. I don’t really buy Inertia as a Rogue mastermind, especially since he’s Bart’s peer. However, the issue flows well, it’s not implausible otherwise, and I’m interested to see where it goes.
The JLA/JSA/old-school LSH team-up begins in Justice League of America #8 (written by Brad Meltzer, pencilled by Shane Davis, inked by Matt Banning). I must have missed Geo-Force joining the League, and the issue dwells inordinately on Red Arrow almost getting killed by a tree. It was okay, although I spent the whole issue wondering what else it would reference from my childhood. The art was fine, although very similar to the regular Benes/Hope team. I said over at B@N that this crossover could be so big, it forces Meltzer to pick up the pace, and I still hope that’s the case — but this issue was just prologue.
And then there’s The Brave and the Bold #3 (written by Mark Waid, pencilled by George Perez, inked by Bob Wiacek), another incredibly good issue teaming Batman and Blue Beetle against the Fatal Five. I intend to catch up on the new Beetle, so I don’t know how closely Waid writes him to his regular voice. However, I did think Beetle’s dialogue, funny as it was, fell into a standard Waid type. It was still very funny, but it felt familiar too. Anyway, more, please.
Lastly, bringing our survey of some thirty-odd issues to a close is Birds of Prey #105 (written by Gail Simone, pencilled by Nicola Scott, inked by Doug Hazlewood). The fight with the Secret Six continues as the mystery behind You-Know-Who’s sudden reappearance is explored. It has to do with a Rasputin cult, apparently. Hawkgirl and Scandal fight and the new Secret Sixer is revealed, but most of it is standing around talking. It’s good talking, don’t get me wrong, and as I’ve said too many times in this post, wait ’til next issue. Good as Sean McKeever may be, he’ll have a hard act to follow on this book.
New comics — lots of ’em — 2/28/07 and 3/7/07
Filed under: 52, atom, batman, captain america, fantastic four, firestorm, flash, green lantern, hawkgirl, hero squared, justice league, legion, manhunter, marvel family, superman, tranquility, weekly roundups — Tom Bondurant @ 7:15 pm
Grab a snack — this could take a while.
Wednesday was not only the day of “LA LA LA I HAVEN’T READ CAP #25 YET,” it was capped off (sorry) with a massive stack of 18 floppies, to go with the 7 issues I haven’t gotten to from last week. (Three of yesterday’s buys were delayed from last week, so that contributed.) I like comics a whole lot, but I can’t take too many more Wednesdays like that.
The last week of February featured two themes, with the first being the New Gods. Hawkgirl #61 (written by Walt Simonson, drawn by Renato Arlem) picks up with the Apokoliptian gizmo (actually, a “gizmoid”) that found its way to the St. Roch museum last issue. This time it’s attracted the attention of the Female Furies. The Furies fight Hawkgirl for it, but it has ideas of its own and … I’m not quite sure what happens, but a robot Hawkgirl wings away from a pile of unconscious superwomen, including Kendra. In subplot news, there’s the usual workplace banter, and Hawkgirl gets a new set of shootin’ irons (which don’t do her much good, because: robot.) I’m not quite sure how to feel about this series, because on the one hand, I really liked Simonson’s work on the Fourth World in Orion, but it was full of grandeur and pomp, and this is more irreverent. It’s nicely done, but still. Also, this looks like a more sexx-ay version of the Female Furies than I’m used to, and it kind of reduces their appeal somewhat. I’m not saying that ugly = evil by any means, but the old-style Furies looked terrifying, and that was the point. These new ones … eh. Arlem’s art is fine, except for the ending, where first it’s not clear how Robot Hawkgirl comes out of Human Hawkgirl (and that may be intentional) and then it’s not clear whether Robot Hawkgirl is supposed to be human-sized or gigantic. (Maybe a callback to 52?)
Darkseid’s uncle Steppenwolf fights Bart in Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #9 (written by Marc Guggenheim, pencilled by Ron Adrian, inked by Art Thibert), and that’s pretty exclting, if a little generic, but most of the issue is concerned with Marc Guggenheim genuflecting towards the fans and basically trying to make his script as charming as possible. Combined with Adrian and Thibert’s simple, straightforward art — a lot less busy than Ken Lashley, but not as good as the Karl Kerschl fill-in from a few issues back — the issue works pretty well. I’m still not convinced that DC needed to replace Wally with Bart, but this issue makes Bart a lot less unappealing than he was last time.
Because last week was also apparently Dan Jurgens Week, he provides the layouts for Firestorm #33 (written by Dwayne McDuffie, pencilled by Ken Lashley, inked by Rob Stull). As you might guess from the cover, most of the issue is a fight involving Orion, Firestorm, Mr. Miracle, and the Female Furies. I should point out that this is the Seven Soldiers Mr. Miracle, but the traditional versions of Orion and the Furies, and yes, the Furies look a lot scarier here. McDuffie writes some very witty banter between Shilo and Firestorm, and gives each his own clever introductory sequence. The Firestorm/Orion fight is also entertaining. Art is a little more severe than it has been, with the combination of Jurgens/Lashley/Stull being reminiscent of ’80s Firestorm artist Tom Grindberg — lots of slashy lines and “shiny” inks. Still, Jurgens is a good storyteller, so that helps. All in all a good issue, and a nice way to start the series’ final arc.
Jurgens also lays out 52 #43 (written by JMRW, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, finishes by Norm Rapmund), the first part of the two-week How Tragic, Black Adam’s Evil Again arc. Also, Buddy Baker finds out he can mimic Sun-Eaters, which apparently doesn’t come with their craving for, you know, suns. More on Black Adam later.
Jurgens does most of the work in JLA Classified #35 (co-written by Dan Slott, inked by Al Milgrom), the part of the Red King’s plan that works out the best for him. This means, to quote Dave Campbell, it’s an Alternate Universe Where Everyone Dies. It doesn’t seem necessary to show the grisly deaths of the Justice League, so I’m giving this particular issue a thumbs-down, but maybe the conclusion will justify its existence.
In non-Dan Jurgens, non-New Gods comics, Hal defeats Amon Sur and the Sinestro Corps makes its triumphant appearance in Green Lantern #17 (written by Geoff Johns, pencilled by Ivan Reis, inked by Oclair Albert). It got me thinking, though: Amon did have a point about Hal just burying Abin Sur under a mountain. Hal doesn’t have the best reputation for tactfulness, so now maybe he can start atoning for his past misdeeds? “My Name Is Hal,” coming soon….
Also, the Batman scene was pretty funny.
I liked Action Comics #846 (written by Johns and Richard Donner, drawn by Adam Kubert) because it aimed only to show the Phantom Zone villains’ devastating first strike at Superman. It left me wanting to see the next issue, which is job one for any serial installment. I’m still not sold on the arc as a whole, but this issue was pretty good.
We close out February with Hero Squared #5 (breakdowns by Keith Giffen, script by J.M. DeMatteis, drawn by Joe Abraham), in which Captain Valor and Milo swap personalities, so to speak — Milo explores his inner hero, and Valor continues to mope. Milo has a funny scene with Caliginous too. I continue to like this series, but I get the feeling we’ve been going over this ground for a few issues now, and five issues in, it’s time to find the plot and stick with it.
Okay, here we go. I’m just going to try and knock these out.
52 #44: I know a few other bloggers have said it, but 52 doesn’t do action well. It can make the case for a couple of weeks of all-action issues like #43 and #44, but it works best portraying slice-of-life snippets, because the action stuff makes you ask, “is this the most important thing that happened this week?” I don’t think we needed to go into detail about something that has been foreshadowed pretty heavily ever since Isis was introduced, especially because her last bit of advice seems to contradict a lot of what she’s espoused previously. Also, I wasn’t too fond of the fight storytelling, not least because the Four Horsemen have a lot of parts that aren’t easily recognizable, such that seeing only parts of them makes it hard for me to orient myself within the panel.
(The All New) Atom #9: Ryan Choi goes back home for “Sometimes They Come Back.” It’s pretty familiar: undead bullies are just as intimidating as regular bullies, yadda yadda yadda. The revelations about his old girlfriend are interesting, but we’ll see next issue if they lead to anything more. This title seems to work better with the more science-y stuff.
The Authority #2: Now that the story of Ken, The Earth-Prime Submariner has given way to a more conventional superhero comic, our main cast has to adjust to life on Earth-Prime. I don’t know if I’m on this book for the long haul — I’m not that invested in the Authority, and this was a pretty unremarkable issue. Next issue might be fun, but who knows when that will be?
Batman Confidential #3: Still not making much of an impression.
Detective Comics #829: I’m resisting the Die Hard jokes (Die Battier? … no) because this looks like a good fill-in from writer Stuart Moore. Bruce Wayne is trapped in Wayne Tower with dignitaries, and Robin has to do the costumed work. Andy Clarke’s art is fine, although occasionally Bruce looks kind of doughy.
Justice League of America #6: The end of the Red Tornado story (I thought it had one more issue to go) isn’t so bad in terms of efficiency, but it does confirm that this is a Red Tornado story and not so much a Justice League story. Also, reader discretion is advised for scenes of extreme dismemberment. Not to mention just talking about dismemberment: I echo the blogger who wondered, do they practice sawing off Amazo’s legs? (Do they use Buster the dummy?)
Manhunter #29: I’m pretty new to the series, but it seems like Kate doesn’t get in the costume a whole lot. When she does at the end of this issue, it’s pretty cool. This arc has been about the Special Guest Stars, though, with subplots about other D-list characters (Cameron Chase, Mark Shaw, Azrael; not that they’re not cool), so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It feels like DC’s She-Hulk, and that ain’t bad.
Nightwing #130: Marv, you’re starting to lose me. I kind-of understand the Bride and Groom relationship. However, maybe I’m not paying enough attention, but I don’t quite understand how their victims are important to Nightwing. I did like the setpiece on the ferry, though.
Shazam! The Monster Society Of Evil #2: What a fun book this has turned out to be, and what a clever homage it presents to the original Mr. Mind story. If memory serves, he wasn’t seen fully until well into the storyline, so assuming Jeff Smith sticks to that, his “big reveal” (so to speak) here should be pretty fun. Also, DC Direct, please make a Mary Marvel plush toy for me to give to my 4-year-old niece.
Supergirl and the Legion #27: The Ranzz brothers make up as Cosmic Boy and Brainiac 5 have an accident with their dimension doors. Basically, a lot goes wrong for the Legion this issue, and only a Dave Cockrum tribute can save them.
Superman/Batman #32: I think the best thing about this issue is the scary Batman it presents towards the end. Oh, and the obscure DC alien heroes (the Vanguard? Seriously?) that make cameos. Otherwise, I’m about done with this series.
Welcome To Tranquility #4: A decent issue, but I want to read ’em all to make sure I have everything straight.
Captain America #25: This would have worked a lot better without all the hype. As a Big Death Issue, it’s hardly suspenseful. For one thing, there’s no body (promises of an upcoming autopsy notwithstanding — and why do you need an autopsy if it’s pretty obvious how he died?). For another, the death is, as the Klingons say, without honor: he gets shot on the courthouse steps while unmasked and handcuffed. Superman died delivering a mortal blow to a monster on the front porch of the Daily Planet. I’m just saying, if you give that to the New York Times, it seems more permanent. That said, as Part 1 of a new Cap story, and as someone’s introduction to the idea of Captain America, it’s a good gateway book.
Criminal #5: I understand why this story had to end the way it did, and I appreciate a format that lets a story end this way, and it’s all executed (ahem) very professionally, but right now it doesn’t sit well. I’ll have to read this one again too.
Planetary Brigade: Origins #2: The PB cartoon gives a couple of members a chance to reflect on the team’s history, and it occurs to me that maybe I’m getting a little burned out on the Giffen/DeMatteis schtick-for-its-own-sake. It’s still witty, but between this and Hero Squared, it’s just kind of there.
Marvel 1602: Fantastic Four #5, Fantastic Four #543, Fantastic Four: The End #6: The 1602 miniseries ended in a flourish of cataclysm and incomprehensibility, the Alan Davis miniseries ended rather predictably (for all those who thought that we weren’t done with the tragic events of #1), and the anniversary issue was good for its second and third stories. I like Mike McKone, but he’s not the right artist for the book, and the bridge from Reed & Sue to T’Challa and Ororo is a rickety one.
New comics 2/7/07 — for real, this time
Filed under: 52, astro city, atom, batman, fantastic four, marvel family, nightwing, superman, tranquility, weekly roundups — Tom Bondurant @ 2:00 am
Okay, I got the date wrong in the last post, so if you think this is old content … well, probably some of the jokes are old, but the comics are as new as last Wednesday.
First up, because I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it, is Nightwing #129 (written by Marv Wolfman, pencilled by Jamal Igle, inked by Keith Champagne). It introduces “Bride & Groom,” a pair of long-lived serial killers who prey on young, hot, single people by stripping them to their underwear and sacrificing them. That Marv — always with his finger on the audience’s pulse! (To be fair, Nightwing spends time sweating in his boxers as well.) Maybe I like it because it’s pretty straightforward. The scene of Dick talking back to the TV news was also fairly appealing. Mostly, this was the first issue I really got a feeling that the book was about Dick “Nightwing” Grayson, ex-Boy Wonder, and not Generic Urban Acrobat. Having him go to a party at Wayne Manor didn’t hurt, but I have to say, the new art team of Igle and Champagne are a vast improvement over Dan Jurgens’ old stiff figures. The faces sometimes seem a little too fluid, but overall it’s a solid package.
52 #40 (written by JMRW, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, pencils by Chris Batista, inks by Rodney Ramos & Dan Green) is just as advertised — the bare-knuckle beatdown of Lex Luthor by John Henry Irons. While everyone does their best to make Luthor detestable, it all seems too convenient somehow, aspiring to the “Aha! I too am left-handed!” school of dramatic reveals, but never getting there. It seems intended to work on a visceral, almost pulpish level, but so much has gone into this arc that that kind of resolution isn’t very satisfying after all. Also, Gar Logan making a crack literally over a villain’s dead body was pretty disconcerting.
I like Fantastic Four: The End (#5 written and pencilled by Alan Davis and inked by Mark Farmer), but there doesn’t seem to be much “The End” in it. Mostly it’s an all-inclusive FF/Marvel Universe story set a few decades from now, with no indication that this is supposed to be the last FF adventure. Maybe it’s setting readers up for a tragic ending, but that doesn’t quite fit its overall jaunty tone. This issue, like the others, features the FF reunited at last, but other than that it’s more of the very nicely rendered travelogue in which Alan Davis seems to delight.
Welcome To Tranquility #3 (written by Gail Simone, drawn by Neil Googe) was a good introduction to one of Tranquility’s younger residents, a former teen speedster gone goth with a history with the late Mr. Articulate. We get to know a lot about her in this issue, and by the end it might seem like too much, but it’s really paced well, with a nice balance between the series’ “multimedia” elements and more traditional storytelling. This series is growing on me, slowly but surely.
Gail Simone also writes The All-New Atom #8 (pencils by Mike Norton, inks by Andy Owens), the second half of a time-travel-based storyline featuring a Linear Man and the old Atom’s friend Professor Hyatt. It’s fun as usual, with shout-outs to bits of DC kitsch, but honestly, I was a little disappointed that the Linear Man didn’t turn out to be as inflexible as he had indicated. Just a minor complaint.
I liked Astro City: The Dark Age Book Two #2 (written by Kurt Busiek, drawn by Brent Anderson) well enough, but I can’t point to anything specific that really stood out. It’s more of a mood-setting installment than anything else, establishing the change in society and the superheroes that characterized this period of AC history. Not bad, but not as memorable as some Astro City issues.
Action Comics Annual #10 (written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner, drawn by various artists) was basically a Secret Files without the Who’s Who-style pages: a smorgasbord of variable-length stories presented in scattershot fashion. The issue’s two complete stories are a pastiche of the original Mon-El introduction, and a bit on the familiar (from the movies, that is) Phantom Zone villains’ secret origins. They’re fine on their own, and the other storylets aren’t bad, but it all feels rather haphazard.
Detective Comics #828 (written by Paul Dini, pencilled by Don Kramer, inked by Wayne Faucher) started off well, with a murder at Bruce Wayne’s yacht party, but it starts to get a little hinky about halfway through. The murder turns out to be pretty simple once Batman and special guest detective the Riddler put everything together, so the end result turns more on how Batman can hide Bruce Wayne’s friendship with the victim. It’s not a bad story; it just doesn’t seem that consequential.
Finally, I really enjoyed Shazam! The Monster Society Of Evil #1 (by Jeff Smith). If you know anything about this miniseries, you can guess why. For the uninitiated, it’s an all-ages look at the quintessential kids’ superhero, Captain Marvel. He’s the adult protector Billy Batson never had, a creation of the wizard Shazam put under Billy’s control. I have two very minor complaints about this issue: the format is durable but not quite kid-friendly, and I really, really wanted Shazam to order Billy to “SPEAK MY NAME!!!” as I believe he does in the original.
New comics 1/10/07
Filed under: 52, agents of atlas, batman, dr 13, green lantern, hawkgirl, justice society, spectre, tranquility, weekly roundups — Tom Bondurant @ 10:45 pm
We begin this week with Agents Of Atlas #6 (written by Jeff Parker, pencilled by Leonard Kirk, inked by Justice with Terry Pallot), the little miniseries that deserves a big future. I really liked how this book played with my expectations, especially this issue. The ending is so perfectly suited to the book’s quietly subversive tone that I can’t say much more for fear of spoiling it. The whole miniseries strikes me as Marvel: The Lost Generation without all of M:TLG‘s aspirations at legitimacy, but it’s a fine story by itself. Also, speaking of nostalgia, it was good to see inker Terry Pallot’s name in credits again — for me, it’s been since I read Star Trek comics in the’ 90s.
From the Midnighter cameo I’m a little confused as to whether Welcome To Tranquility #2 (written by Gail Simone, drawn by Neil Googe) is supposed to be part of the regular WildStorm universe. It doesn’t matter all that much, I guess: the issue uses Mr. Articulate’s murder as an opening into further exploration of Tranquility and its quirky inhabitants. It’s not really Astro City or Top Ten-level pastiche, but there’s a lot of meta elements (old-style comics pages, ads, etc.), sometimes overlaid with the regular story, and that can get a little overstimulating. Together with Googe’s cartoony art, the overall effect is supposed to be something like Northern Exposure, I guess, and that’s not bad. Really, that’s how I feel about the series too, at this point.
I did like the Spectre lead in Tales of the Unexpected #4 (written by David Lapham, pencilled by Eric Battle, inked by Prentis Rollins) more than I have in previous months, but that’s because it ties the previous issues’ carnage into an overarching plot. Unfortunately, the plot depends on none of the Gotham City police ever having heard of the Spectre; and I’m sorry, but wasn’t the old Spectre rampaging throughout DC-Earth, including Gotham City, during Infinite Crisis? As always, the real treat of this book is the Dr. 13 backup (written by Brian Azzarello, drawn by Cliff Chiang), this time featuring much more craziness, including a gorilla with (I swear) the transliterated accent of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yes, there are Planet of the Apes jokes, including the one you expect, but there’s also the one I didn’t expect, and that was the best of all.
[FYI, I am writing while listening to the complete 2-disc Superman soundtrack, and I just took a break to enjoy Disc 1, Track 12, “The Big Rescue.” (“You’ve got me? Who’s got you?!?”) Mmmm … John Williams-licious.]
Batman Confidential #2 (written by Andy Diggle, pencilled by Whilce Portacio, inked by Richard Friend) takes its story in a very strange, almost Iron Giant-like, direction. I didn’t dislike it, it was just … not what I was expecting at all. The issue still ends in a pretty familiar place, though, although I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. I have made up my mind, however, that this kind of Batman-discovers-technology story is done no favors by the moody, expressionistic art of Portacio and Friend. I’d have been happier with someone more suited to giant robots and mean-looking Bat-vehicles. Howard Porter’s old style would have worked, as would Chris Weston’s or even Michael Lark’s.
“Grotesk” wraps up in Batman #662 (written by John Ostrander, drawn by Tom Mandrake), and nothing much happens except for a final confrontation between Grotesk and Batman aboard a vintage sailing ship in the icy waters of Gotham Harbor. Now, I like Bat-fights in moody, Frankenstein-esque locations, so this was a highlight of the issue; but the rest of the story was pretty predictable. I do get the feeling that Ostrander was going for a combination of Frankenstein and maybe Phantom of the Opera, but it ended up being very familiar.
Walt Simonson writes and draws JSA Classified #21 as a tie-in to the Rann-Thanagar aftermath he started over in Hawkgirl, and I’m not going to say no to Simonson art. The story answers some questions Hawkgirl raised, but by the end of the issue, unfortunately, things have gotten more confusing. Basically, Hawkman’s trying to prove that Blackfire is still evil, but can’t; he gets involved in a pretty cool mid-air fight; and the issue ends on a cliffhanger that sets up the last Hawkgirl. Oh, and Adam Strange might be alive and able to see, assuming nobody else on Rann dresses like him, which they do.
For real interstellar action, though, the best bet this week was Green Lantern Corps #8 (written by Keith Champagne, pencilled by Patrick Gleason, inked by Prentis Rollins). The three Green Lanterns take on a super-Dominator and a super-Khund, and things don’t go well. Things go so badly, in fact, that I can’t help but think a big chunk of this issue will have to be undone next issue. Still, I didn’t mind, because the creative team did a great job of establishing these two bad guys as overwhelmingly dangerous, and building to a really suspenseful cliffhanger. Well done all around.
52 #36 (written by JMRW, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, pencilled by Jamal Igle, inked by Keith Champagne) finally wrapped up the Lady Styx storyline, touched on the Question and Osiris subplots, and connected Supernova and Skeets to Rip Hunter. The highlight was Igle and Champagne’s artwork, because the two major plot threads — in space and with the Question — felt like they should have happened a while ago.
Finally, if the super-neo-Nazis are hunting down JSA relatives in Justice Society of America #2 (written by Geoff Johns, pencilled by Dale Eaglesham, inked by Ruy Jose), why are they just trying to kill them? Why not try to sway them to their side? After all, the JSA’s attempts to identify them could be taken as part of a plan to establish a kind of genetically-superior class of people, whose powers and connections give them a special destiny, yadda yadda yadda. In other words, there’s a fine line between wanting to raise the next generation of superheroes right, and wanting them to embrace what sets them above the rest of humanity. Okay, maybe the line’s not so fine, but you can see where Nazis might make a good set of villains for a Justice Society beyond just the World War II angle.
Instead, the issue is filled with more allusions to DC history, from the new Commander Steel to the old Star Boy — and really, that’s not a spoiler, because with last issue’s last page, you had to kind of think that’s what was going on. The Wildcat-and-son scene was good, but it’s balanced against devoting a couple of pages to Starman screwing around with gravity. I like the art, despite Eaglesham’s tendency to clutter panels with people and things. The issue itself moved in fits and starts, jumping at one point from a quiet scene right into the middle of a fight, and that might not have been so jarring if the rest of the issue had more action. Again, I’m sure a lot of folks will eat this up, but I’ve been out of the JSA loop for too long, I guess.
Filed under: 52, agents of atlas, aquaman, atom, batman, beyond, hero squared, justice society, manhunter, nightwing, star wars, superman, tranquility, weekly roundups — Tom Bondurant @ 11:48 pm
I’ve already talked a little about Justice Society of America #1 (written by Geoff Johns, pencilled by Dale Eaglesham, inked by Art Thibert), but let’s begin there this week anyway. I like the idea of the Justice Society basically acting as keepers of the flame, charging the new legacy heroes with the social responsibilities of living up to their famous names. (It’s an idea similar to Kingdom Come, which explains Alex Ross’s involvement in the series.) I do like the last-page tease of upcoming storylines, and am looking forward to the JLA/JSA crossover in a few months. I like the fact that the Justice Society is positioning itself as being just as important as the Justice League, albeit for different reasons. Frankly, and I hate to sound horribly sycophantic by saying this, but Geoff Johns’ enthusiasm is pretty palpable, and you can tell he’s really putting a lot of love into this book.
I thought the introduction of Mr. America came off a bit overblown, even considering the role he plays later in the issue. Maxine Hunkel’s enthusiasm was just a bit much, the secrets of the new Starman seem pretty obvious, as does the attitude of the new family member (not to mention his dad). The Rebel/Damage fight also went on a little long if the point it was making was just that Damage could stand to learn more manners. These are all personal reactions, of course, and I understand that you might feel the exact opposite. That’s fine. I suppose the hook for me buying this series would be its importance to DC-Earth as a whole, and not any investment in the characters — but if that’s my approach, it seems I’ll be missing out on about half the book every month. I’m still on the fence about #2, although I may pick up the eventual paperback.
Because the rest of the blogosphere would surely rise up as one and smite me if I didn’t, I picked up my first issue of Manhunter (#26, written by Mark Andreyko, pencilled by Javier Pina, inked by Robin Riggs), and it was pretty good. Basically Kate’s been hired to defend Wonder Woman against criminal charges brought by the federal government (for political reasons), so the whole issue is pretty much her and her staff freaking out around Wonder Woman. That’s always fun. Checking in with the book’s supporting cast requires more of a learning curve, though. Their scenes are interesting, just disconnected from everything else (or so it seems). Anyway, I’m getting #27, so you can put away the torches.
52 #31 (written by Johns, Morrison, Rucka, Waid, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, pencils by Chris Batista, inks by Rodney Ramos, Dan Green, and Dave Meikis) would have been a lot harder to take had DC not chosen to feature its main character in his own miniseries, now on sale. Still, any villain who eats Green Lantern rings is certainly one to watch. The interlude with Supernova and Ralph has me wanting to do some detective work of my own, which will probably turn out badly but at least should be fun. The origin of Robin (Tim Drake) somehow manages to omit Jason Todd, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Finally, the Infinity, Inc. scenes still don’t do a lot for me.
Detective Comics #826 (written by Paul Dini, pencilled by Don Kramer, inked by Wayne Faucher) was strangely uninvolving, considering that it featured the Joker torturing Robin by running over Christmas shoppers in a stolen SUV. It’s not a bad idea (for a story, that is), and it certainly fits with the Joker’s satire-til-it-hurts paradigm, but the best part of the issue was the brief flashback to Bruce, Dick, and Tim comparing Joker notes during their “One Year Later” sojourn. I think the problem for me might have been too much internal monologue from Tim competing with the blackly-comedic Joker monologue. Usually the Joker’s diarrhea of the mouth is up against Batman’s stoicism, and it may have been more effective, more suspenseful, and more entertaining to wonder how Tim planned to get out of trouble rather than to “hear” his play-by-play. Kramer and Faucher draw a fine Joker though, reminiscent of Michael Lark’s (right?) in Gotham Central.
Another Robin in trouble and another internal monologue are also the focus of Nightwing #127 (written by Marv Wolfman, pencilled by Dan Jurgens, inked by Norm Rapmund). Dick gets buried alive and has to dig his way out the long way, with a busted shoulder to boot. It gives him, and us, a chance to go over the plot of the last couple of issues, which seems like it should be simple but I still can’t figure out why the battlesuit guy was killed or why we should care. Anyway, next issue should be the big finish, and maybe I’ll have gotten on board by then. As for this issue, while there wasn’t really much suspense, Wolfman does have a good handle on the internal monologue, and showed Dick getting appropriately beaten up and bloodied. Not that I’m into that, mind you — I’d like to see next issue treat our hero a little better.
I got last week’s Aquaman: Sword Of Atlantis #46 (written by Kurt Busiek and Karl Kesel, drawn by Butch Guice and Phil Winslade) this week. It’s a tale of Orin-Aquaman’s encounter with a younger King Shark, and while it features Mera and Vulko, it doesn’t quite feel like a classic Aquaman story. Not that a good Aquaman story requires the phrase “finny friends” or the concentric circles of marine telepathy, but I couldn’t quite connect the guy calling himself the King of Atlantis with someone probably carrying a Justice League signal device. The story itself isn’t that complicated, but it does require you to keep track of some unfamiliar names and their various motivations, and I may have to spend some more time with it.
The (All-New) Atom #6 (written by Gail Simone, pencilled by Eddy Barrows, inked by Trevor Scott) finishes the first storyline of Ryan vs. the Waiting and various other malignant forces in Ivy Town. However, while I’m sure Ryan’s solution makes sense, I still don’t understand it. Also, somebody (maybe Mr. Scott, the inker) makes everyone’s faces look awfully pinched towards the end of the issue, which results in some unfortunate near-caricatures of the Asian cast members. I didn’t dislike this issue, and I’m still on board for the future, but it wasn’t this team’s strongest effort.
Superman Confidential #2 (written by Darwyn Cooke, drawn by Tim Sale) was good, although I really don’t understand the appeal of drawing Superman as an overstuffed kid who looks like he’s flunked sixth grade a few too many times. That’s just a few panels, though, and Sale’s Lois Lane more than makes up for it. The sight of Superman vomiting up lava after thinking he might just die under a volcano is also pretty sobering.
I was looking forward to Batman Confidential #1 (written by Andy Diggle, pencilled by Whilce Portacio, inked by Richard Friend) because I thought it would feature Batman fighting giant robots and Lex Luthor. That’s apparently next issue. This one opened with a fairly familiar scene of Batman fighting gritty urban violence with, yes, his internal monologue to keep him company. Portacio and Friend draw a serviceable Batman, and their Bruce Wayne looks sufficiently young and arrogant for the story’s setting, but every now and then characters sport big raccoon-eyeshadows and their heads change shape from panel to panel. Still, I like Diggle well enough to come back next issue for the giant robots.
I was also looking forward to Welcome To Tranquility #1 (written by Gail Simone, drawn by Neil Googe) in part because its aging-superhero setting seemed like a good counterpoint to Justice Society. Instead, it’s more like Astro City, which obviously isn’t bad. Between them, Simone and Googe make the oldsters (and their younger selves) pretty endearing, like if your grandmother were a ’40s teen heroine who still thought she could fly the old plane. The issue did seem a bit scattered, though, with weird ads for the local chicken restaurant sprinkled throughout and a locked-room murder mystery that comes out of nowhere. It’s not a bad package, although it does try pretty strenuously to be quirky and that could get old (no pun intended).
Man, aging superheroes must be a motif this week, ’cause here’s Agents Of Atlas #5 (written by Jeff Parker, pencilled by Leonard Kirk, inked by Kris Justice), in which one teammate turns rogue and another’s origins are questioned. This isn’t a grim ‘n’ gritty, realistic take on forgotten ’50s characters, though, so everything works out. It’s a credit to Parker and Kirk that they’ve gotten me invested in these characters despite my utter lack of familiarity with many of them.
The same applies to Beyond! #6 (written by Dwayne McDuffie, drawn by Scott Kolins), the end of which relies upon the same kind of built-from-scratch emotional investment. I hate to sound too glib, but this was a good example of old-school Marvel crossover magic that might not Mean Something to the bigger picture, but used to be Marvel’s bread and butter. I’m glad McDuffie will be writing Fantastic Four before too long.
Stay with me, folks … just a couple more.
The message of Hero Squared #4 (written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, drawn by Joe Abraham) is that superhero fights are messy, something that I thought we learned a few issues ago. Still, this issue works as a standalone story, with Milo’s own heroism contrasted against Valor’s.
Finally, Star Wars: Rebellion #5 (written by Rob Williams, drawn by Brandon Badeaux), finishes this book’s first arc, many months after it was originally scheduled. Lucky for me it’s just a lot of carnage involving who will turn against the Empire and save the Rebels. It turns out about like you’d expect, but there are a couple of points of bad execution. First, there’s not a lot of distinction between Luke’s old friend Tank and the ex-Imperial spy Jorin Sol. Second, the plot hinges on the Rebel flagship going into hyperspace, requiring somebody to Push The Hyperspace Button, and this makes me wonder why the Hyperspace Button is always so hard to push. Third, all the damage the ship takes apparently doesn’t make much of a difference to the whole hyperspace question, because the book never addresses it. Sorry if that’s a spoiler, but you kind of have to expect Luke and Leia (still looking unreasonably hawt) to survive.
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Home > Movie > Actors
6 people voted
191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
May 13, 1961 (60 years)
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Gary Cooper is 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) tall
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Who is Gary Cooper?
Gary Cooper was a great film actor of the 20th century.
Early Accomplishments
His first real role in the movie was in 1926, when he Gary appeared as a replacement actor in The Winning of Barbara Worth.
In 1935, Cooper got a serious role in The Wedding Night where he played the role of a prosperous NY novelist who turned to alcoholism and hard work.
His role in The Virginian in 1929 made his an embodiment of American West. Even though he didn’t star in western films that often, that image stuck to him for decades.
In 1941, Gary Cooper starred in Ball on Fire that changed his image of the western guy. That bright comedy was a step towards Gary’s wide popularity.
His final notable role was in Vera Cruz in 1954.
For the great part of his life Gary Cooper was not a very religious person. Adherents.com informs that according to Gary’s daughter Maria, her father converted to Catholicism at already mature age. Though the actor turned to religion later, his family often used to attend Mass even before that.
Gary Cooper was of straight orientation - till his dying days he was married to Veronica Balfe. The actor preferred a normal traditional marriage to numerous affairs, as many stars used to do.
Worth to Know
Surprisingly, Gary Cooper was born on a ranch in Montana that belonged to his dad. His mother didn’t want the son to grow up without decent education and manners, so she took him to English public school. (Source: The New York Times, 05/22/2007)
Cornel Wilde
Jerry McRay
Not knowing anything about him I would think he was an honest man wt higher intregerty & of high moral character . A man to be admired. I watch him acting and feel he would be the same in real time. Someone I would have been proud to know!
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Moderate Drinking May Boost Risk of Breast Cancer's Return
But it could reduce the risk of dying from other causes, study finds
By Alan Mozes
MONDAY, Aug. 30, 2010 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking even moderate amounts of alcohol may raise the risk for breast cancer recurrence in some women, new research indicates.
The association seems confined to former breast cancer patients who are postmenopausal or overweight or obese, the researchers noted.
However, drinking moderately (about three to four drinks per week) was not linked to increased risk for all-cause death, and may in fact lower the risk for dying from a non-breast cancer-related health issue, the study suggests.
New Test Can Pinpoint Which Pancreatic Cysts Might Turn Cancerous
Evolution Could Explain Why Staying Slim Is So Tough
The observations are reported in the Aug. 30 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology by a team led by Marilyn L. Kwan, a researcher at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif.
The findings are "consistent with what we already know about alcohol's role in increasing the risk for developing primary breast cancer," said Kwan.
"But I want to emphasize that women who consume less than three to four drinks per week didn't see any increased risk in terms of recurrence or breast cancer death," Kwan added. "And, in fact, we did see a suggestion that women who consume small amounts of alcohol get some protection against the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease." But that finding was not statistically significant, she noted.
Between 2000 and 2002, Kwan and her colleagues recruited about 1,900 women in California and Utah, most of whom had been diagnosed about two or three years earlier with early-stage breast cancer.
To explore the potential relationship between drinking and breast cancer risk, the researchers asked the women to complete a dietary survey, indicating their routine consumption of wine, beer and/or liquor.
Just over half the women were considered drinkers. Nearly nine in 10 drank wine, more than 40 percent consumed liquor, and almost 36 percent drank beer.
Over nearly seven and a half years of follow-up, 293 women experienced breast cancer recurrence, and 273 died from a variety of health complications.
Kwan's team found that study participants who were postmenopausal or overweight/obese raised their risk for breast cancer recurrence by nearly 1.5 times if they regularly consumed a minimum of three to four drinks of any type of alcohol a week.
Similarly, that group of women faced a 1.5 times greater risk of dying from breast cancer if they followed the same drinking patterns.
On the other hand, the research team unearthed indications that drinking any amount of alcohol may possibly decrease the risk of dying from causes other than breast cancer.
However, Kwan stressed that the findings will need to be confirmed by other studies.
Dr. Paula Klein a medical oncologist and breast cancer specialist at the Beth Israel Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City, who was not involved in the research, described the observations as useful, as long as they are taken in context.
The researchers only looked at moderate drinking, not heavy drinking, and their finding is confined to women who are postmenopausal and those who are overweight or obese, she stressed. "But that's a good thing, because information like this -- where risks and benefits are confined to different subgroups -- is part of the new push to personalize medicine," she said. "Because one size doesn't fit all in terms of risk factors and treatments."
The study is important because it adds to a woman's awareness of risk factors for the development and recurrence of breast cancer, she said. "And it's another gentle reminder of the risks associated with being overweight and obese, and how small additional factors can influence outcomes," she added.
When patients ask what they can do to lower their risk, this is a modifiable change, alongside weight loss and exercise, she said.
"For those patients who really want to enjoy their wine and are thin, you can assure them that a little bit of wine with dinner is not going to make a dramatic difference in their breast cancer risk. But for those who are overweight/obese, you can ask them to control their alcohol intake."
For more on breast cancer prevention, visit the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
SOURCES: Marilyn L. Kwan, Ph.D., division of research, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif.; Paula Klein, M.D., medical oncologist and breast cancer specialist, Beth Israel Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York City; Aug. 30, 2010, Journal of Clinical Oncology, online
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New Technique Harvests Stem Cells at Earlier Stage
Research shows future production of new lines may be done without destroying embryo
WEDNESDAY, July 9, 2008 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists say they have finally succeeded in developing human embryonic stem cells earlier in the development stage of a blastomere, or a 4-cell stage embryo, so the whole embryo is not destroyed.
The development, expected to be presented Wednesday at the European Society of Human Reproduction & Embryology annual conference in Barcelona, may make stem cell research easier to conduct by not raising as many ethical concerns, the researchers added.
"Previously, scientists have been able to derive hESC [human embryonic stem cell] lines at the 8-cell stage," Hilde Van de Velde of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium, said in a news release issued by the society, "but success rates were variable, and it was necessary to culture them by mixing with established hESC lines. We have been able to derive hESCs at an earlier stage of embryonic development, and without the need for co-culture with established hESC lines. Now we have derived a second hESC from one cell of a 4-cell stage embryo. Given the complex nature of earlier attempts, we were pleased that we could develop a technique that seemed simple and was also reproducible."
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Blastomeres form in the early stages of embryonic development when important changes occur: inner cells become the fetus, and outer cells change into trophoblast, the outermost layer of the embryo that hooks into the uterus and becomes a feeding tube for the developing egg.
Working with mature eggs donated by couples undergoing in vitro fertilization, researchers split three 4-cell stage embryos into a dozen single blastomeres. They then allowed them to grow in vitro and cultured them using conventional methods for hESC derivation. From these 12, one resulted in a stable hESC line, including one that scientists determined was pluripotent, or derived from the inner cells at the blastocyst stage, just as most other established hESC lines are.
"Now we will try to derive four hESC lines from the same embryo in order to compare the potency capacity of all four cells," Van de Velde said.
The work could have major ramifications for pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), by enabling the biopsy of one cell from a 4-cell stage embryo. This would let the remaining three cells grow into a blastocyst (five-day embryo) that could be implanted into the uterus and develop into a healthy baby.
"Currently, PGD is performed at the 8-cell stage, when one or two cells are removed; others have derived stable hESC lines at this stage but with low efficiency. If hESC derivation at the 4-cell stage turns out to be more efficient then at the 8-cell stage, we might consider changing our PGD policy," Van de Velde said.
The public mostly favors stem cell research, according to another researcher scheduled to speak at the conference.
According to the online survey of almost 600 people, more than 78 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement "I believe that it is morally wrong to use embryonic stem cells for research." A similar majority also disagreed with the statement "I believe that it is morally wrong to use embryonic stem cells for medical treatment."
"We found no difference between male and female attitudes towards using hESCs for research, but when it came to medical treatment, men showed significantly more support than women," survey researcher Jaclyn Friedman, a clinical embryologist at Reproductive Biology Associates in Atlanta, said in a news release from the society. "We found no significant differences when we looked at particular age groups, but a higher level education of respondents correlated with greater support for the use of hESCs, both in research and medical treatment. There were no important differences among regions of the world ..."
"Our study shows that public, patient, and scientific opinion is very much in favor of both stem cell research and the therapeutic use of stem cells in medical treatment. This is different from the perceived equal distribution for and against hESC use reported in the news media," she said.
The National Institutes of Health has more about stem cells.
SOURCE: European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology, news release, July 9, 2008
-- Kevin McKeever
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As of May 1, 2019, The French Language Services Commissioner became part of the Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario.
This change occurred under the Restoring Trust, Transparency and Accountability Act, 2018.
As a result, the OFLSC website will no longer be updated.
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner
Exemplary Practices
Honourable Mention: Ontario Job Creation Partnership for the London Francophone Consultation Group
The London Francophone Consultation Group, a conglomerate of 25 organizations that provides services in French in the London area, received funding to hire six people through the Ontario Job Creation Partnership (OJCP) program. The Francophone participants selected gained valuable work experience through their involvement in this project and the activities undertaken, such as:
the creation of a Francophone Expo, held on September 19, 2013, which featured more than 25 Francophone stakeholders and 250 Anglophone stakeholders. The event was also attended by City of London counsellors, ministry staff and the French Language Services Commissioner;
the development of a comprehensive resource for Francophone entrepreneurs seeking to start their own business; the resource provided links to local, municipal, provincial and federal programs and services;
the launch of a website and a marketing brochure that provide information on French services in the areas of employment and education, child care, immigrant services, health services, and cultural/sporting and recreational services. The website, hosted by the City of London website, aims to increase the visibility of French-language services available in the London community.
The Honourable Mentions Series is a series of 11 blog posts that the Commissioner is releasing to individually recognize the leadership shown by government ministries and agencies that have made efforts to expand the delivery of high-quality French-language services, as listed in his 2013-2014 Annual Report.
Honourable Mention: Identified Health Service Providers Group
The Mississauga Halton LHIN created a group of identified health service providers within its catchment area. The group led by the MHLHIN aims to improve access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care services in French in the LHIN, as required by the French Language Services Act. This forum provides an opportunity for identified health service providers to discuss topics relating to FLS, such as the latest news and directives, initiatives and programs to support FLS development, funding opportunities, language resources, and best practices and community events.
The Honourable Mentions Series is a series of 11 blog posts that the Commissioner is releasing to individually recognize the leadership shown by government ministries and agencies that have made efforts to expand the delivery of high-quality French-language services, as listed in his 2013-2014 Annual Report here.
Honourable Mention: OLG Supports Nine Dedicated Francophone Events Across the Province
With $44,000 in sponsorship money, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation supported nine dedicated Francophone events across the province this year. The funds supported festivals, film, concerts, dance and business luncheons in French in Toronto, Ottawa and Sault Ste. Marie. OLG’s growing commitment to the Francophone community is reflected in a 96% increase in funding over two years. This heightened support not only helps grassroots organizations and the Francophone community that attends these events; it also promotes the events in diverse, far-reaching and appealing ways within the broader community.
Honourable Mention: Evolution of FLS in the Justice Sector (Strategic Plan Cycle 2)
Justice Sector ministries and Francophone stakeholders’organizations have been participating in the Strategic Plan for the Development of French Language Services in Ontario’s Justice Sector since 2006 in order to improve and modernize access to justice in French. The year 2013 marked the third year of the second phase of the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan.
The directions presented in this new phase are aligned with those exemplified by the government’s adoption of concepts such as FLS results-based planning, diversity and inclusion, and integration of FLS in the accountability mechanisms within the Ontario Public Service, as well as with the Research Study on theMechanisms of Offer and Demand for FLS in Ontario’s Justice Sector. In addition, the recommendations made by the French Language Services Commissioner complement and guide the identified directions.
At the Annual Francophone Stakeholders Meetings, which are part of the strategic planning process, Justice Sector ministers and senior managers take the opportunity to address the participants and show by their presence and encouraging words their unconditional support for the partnership and consultations undertaken with the community. These meetings provide a forum where all key partners can sit at the table, define FLS priorities and potential solutions, and create linkages and partnerships to meet the needs of the Francophone community.
Progress reports submitted each year during these meetings clearly reflect the efforts undertaken by the various divisions to implement the guiding principles and the mission of the new cycle of the Strategic Plan. Specific initiatives and best practices are consolidated in the Annual Report of the Francophone Stakeholders Meeting.
The consensus from both the Justice Sector and the stakeholders is that this consultation process and the Annual Francophone StakeholdersMeetingsare essential to better understand the needs of the Francophone community and strengthen our relationships. The stakeholders play a crucial role by encouraging us to remain vigilant and keep moving in the right direction.
This government-community partnership has been extremely successful and has helped to consolidate the joint efforts and create positive and productive relations between the community and governmental partners.
Honourable Mention: Collaborative Care Project for Francophone Seniors
The Central West LHIN and its Entity, Reflet Salvéo, partnered to create a collaborative care project focused on Francophone seniors. The goal of the initiative was to enable the community to identify care needs and build a business case to address them. With the leadership and support of the LHIN and the Entity, community members met and participated in an engagement and planning process in order to draft a business case.
Community members from Francophone seniors groups, community centres, health service providers and community colleges were mobilized for the collaborative care project and engaged in the development of the LHIN’s Seniors Strategy. Through community engagement sessions and a survey, this project is building capacity within the community. In addition, the community was able to better understand their health needs and the process of service planning, and provided the LHIN with valuable information and guidance in drafting its SeniorsStrategy.
Honourable Mention: French Language Services Toolkit
The Erie St. Clair and South West LHINs put together a French Language Services Toolkit as a comprehensive resource to support health service providers in implementing and delivering quality services and meeting the needs of their French-speaking patients and clients.
The Toolkit provides an overview on a variety of subjects related to the delivery of services in French. Each section is designed to provide useful information and practical tools to make delivery of services in French as easy as possible. Providers will find basic information on the Francophone community, active offer of French-language services, human resources, training, translation and interpretation, supporting legislation and thehealthline.ca. The Toolkit also contains fact sheets, lists of resources, flyers, badges, a lanyard and signs to promote the delivery of services in French. It can be easily adapted for use in other areas of the province or for non-health service providers.
Commissioner’s Blog
29 April 2019 This is not goodbye ...+
26 April 2019 A great conference in Toronto you don’t want to miss: Protecting Linguistic Minorities, Building Stronger Societies ...+
2 April 2019 About Bill 74, The People’s Health Care Act, 2019… ...+
27 February 2019 The French Language Services Commissioner’s reaction to Bill 74, The People’s Health Care Act, 2019 ...+
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Designer: Vittorio Gregotti, Lodovico Meneghetti e Giotto Stoppino
Vittorio Gregotti, Lodovico Meneghetti e Giotto Stoppino
Vittorio Gregotti (Novara, 1927), Lodovico Meneghetti (Novara, 1926) and Giotto Stoppino (Vigevano 1926 – Padua, 2011) worked together between 1953 and 1969 under the name of Architetti Associati, very quickly becoming key reference figures in the contemporary debate. Their work encompassed a range of areas, from architecture to furniture and design and they created important partnerships with SIM and Arteluce. They were initially associated with the much-discussed Neoliberty movement but, in reality, their work was largely a rejection of the final echoes of the so-called International Style. Their architectural designs of this period include, in 1956, the residence for workers of the Bossi plant in Cameri-Novara. Their presence at the major shows of the period was always noteworthy: in 1954, at the X Triennale di Milano, they designed the furnishings for an "INA-casa home" and this was followed in 1960, for the XII Triennale, by a "rural home". In 1958 they took part in the “I Biennale of Furnishing Standards” in Mariano Comense. In 1960 they played a lead role at the major "New designs for Italian furniture" exhibition at the “L’Osservatore delle Arti Industriali” gallery in Milan. In 1964 their design for the XIII Triennale di Milano, dedicated to "Free Time", made a name for itself and won the “Gran Premio” award. In 1965, they participated in the “La casa abitata” interior design biennial at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, curated by Michelucci and Spadolini, with their interpretation of a "Spatial transformation of the toilet". The “Architetti Associati” association disbanded in 1969 but Gregotti, Meneghetti and Stoppino continued to work freelance with significant results.
Description: Designed in 1959, the Cavour armchair forms part of a group of products that includes two different models of chair (1960 and 1961) and a games table (1955). With these pieces Vittorio Gregotti, Lodovico Meneghetti...
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Florida History, Culture and Heritage
The Seminole Wars were one of the most important series of conflicts in American military history. Lasting from 1818 to 1858, they redefined relations between Native Americans and European Americans in Florida.
Materials are generally available through interlibrary loan from the circulating collection of the State Library.
Links within the bibliographies take you to information in our State Library catalog or to more information on external sites.
Primary Sources: National Archives Records
Other Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
National Archives Records
The State Library has an extensive collection of primary sources about the Seminole Wars from the National Archives. While the originals are in Washington, D.C., researchers can consult our microfilm copies.
Topics include troop movements, land surveys and more. Please contact the State Library for more information, or visit the National Archives’ website for details about specific collections.
Below are selected examples:
United States Adjutant-General’s Office. Letters Received by the Office of the Adjutant General (Main Series), 1822-1860. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1964.
United States Adjutant-General’s Office. Letters Sent by the Office of the Adjutant General (Main Series), 1818-1824. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1965.
United States Department of the Navy. Letters Received by the Secretary of the Navy From Captains (“Captains’ Letters”), 1805-1861, 1866-1885. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1978.
United States Department of War. Letters Received by the Topographical Bureau of the War Department, 1824-1865. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1963.
United States Department of War. Letters Sent, Registers of Letters Received, and Letters Received by Headquarters, Troops in Florida, and Headquarters, Department of Florida, 1850-1858. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1979.
In addition to National Archives materials, the State Library has a wide range of other primary sources. These materials include militia muster rolls, historical newspapers and more.
Carter, Clarence Edwin, ed. The Territorial Papers of the United States. New York, NY: AMS Press, 1956.
Carter, Clarence Edwin, ed. The Territory of Florida. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1956.
Cohen, M. M. Notices of Florida and the Campaigns. Charleston, SC: Burges & Honour, 1836.
Florida Department of Military Affairs. Florida Militia Muster Rolls, Seminole Indian Wars. Saint Augustine, FL: Florida State Arsenal, 1980.
Giddings, Joshua. The Exiles of Florida. Columbus, OH: Follett, Foster & Co., 1858.
Homans, Benjamin. Army and Navy Chronicle. Washington, DC: Benjamin Homans, 1835.
Niles, Hezekiah et al. Niles’ National Register. Philadelphia, PA, 1811-1849.
State Archives of Florida. “Richard Keith Call Papers.” Florida Memory. Florida Division of Library and Information Services.
State Archives of Florida. “Thomas Sidney Jesup Diary.” Florida Memory. Florida Division of Library and Information Services.
United States House of Representatives. Debate on the Seminole War, January and February 1819. Washington, DC: National Intelligencer, 1819.
Belko, Stephen. America’s Hundred Years’ War: U.S. Expansion to the Gulf Coast and the Fate of the Seminole, 1763-1858. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2011.
Bland, Celia. Osceola: Seminole Rebel. New York, NY: Chelsea House, 1994.
Florida Division of Historical Resources. Florida Native American Heritage Trail. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Department of State, 2007.
Florida Historical Quarterly. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Historical Society, 1928-present.
Hatch, Thom. Osceola and the Great Seminole War: A Struggle for Justice and Freedom. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2012.
Kimball, Christopher Delano. Seminole & Creek War Chronology. Charleston, SC, 2013.
Knetsch, Joe. Fear and Anxiety on the Florida Frontier: Articles on the Second Seminole War. Dade City, FL: Seminole Wars Foundation Press, 2008.
Knetsch, Joe. Florida’s Seminole Wars, 1817-1858. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003.
Laumer, Frank. Dade’s Last Command. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 1995.
Laumer, Frank. Massacre. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 1968.
Linnard, T. B., Frank Laumer, and Joe Knetsch. Memoir to Accompany Map of Military Operations in Florida. Dade City, FL: Seminole Wars Historic Foundation, 2007.
Mahon, John K. History of the Second Seminole War, 1835-1842. Rev. ed. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 1967.
Missall, John, and Mary Missall. The Seminole Wars: America’s Longest Indian Conflict. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2004.
Missall, John, and Mary Lou Missall. Index of Seminole War Articles in the Florida Historical Quarterly, 1908-2008. Dade City, FL: Seminole Wars Historic Foundation, 2008.
Missall, Mary Lou. A War of Wills: The Social, Political, and Economic Forces That Caused and Prolonged the Second Seminole War. Diss. California State University, Dominguez Hills, 1999.
Van Blarcom, Ralph. Seminole War Artifacts and a History of the Forts of Florida. Bloomington, IN: Xlibris, 2011.
Wickman, Patricia Riles. Osceola’s Legacy. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 1991.
State Planning Collection
State Documents Collection
Federal Documents Collection
Florida Collection
Circulating Collection
Capitol Branch Collection
Florida History, Culture & Heritage Bibliographies
Florida's African-American History
The Civil War in Florida
Native Americans in Florida
Spanish Colonial History
Florida County Histories
British Heritage
History of Florida Tourism
Florida During World War II
Golf in Florida
Florida's Air and Space History
Pioneer Florida
Florida Governors
Religion and Spirituality in Florida
Historic Preservation in Florida
Architecture in Florida
Florida During World War I
Emancipation and Reconstruction in Florida
Women's History in Florida
Forts in Florida
Cooking and Cuisine in Florida
Fish and Fishing in Florida
Rock and Roll in Florida
Blues in Florida
Capital Postconviction Public Records
Magazines and Professional Journals
Emancipation Day in Florida
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In 2008, Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Studios franchise. Since then, the subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios has released 22 films from the Marvel Universe. The final movie, Avengers Endgame, is currently breaking records in the box office right now.
To date, the box office for the franchise is up to about $18 billion, making it the highest grossing of all time. It’s no surprise then that Disney is bringing the characters from this universe to its network of theme parks. Super hero rides and experiences are planned for Hong Kong Disneyland, Disneyland Resorts, Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris.
Disney patent for superhero characters
Showing that innovation is constantly underway for its subsidiary companies, a Disney patent was published in March 2018 for costume enhancements most likely aimed at Marvel characters.
All character actors, whether for Marvel or Disney, have a problem that needs solving – vision. Many superhero characters from Marvel have glowing or lit up eyes, and this is tricky to replicate in costumes.
Iron Man, for example, has glowing eyes that are integral to his superhero costume. Glowing eyes lend legitimacy to costumes but it’s very difficult to include them in a way that doesn’t hinder the actor’s movements or ability to portray the character. And that’s where this patent comes in.
Solving traditional problems
The patent is called “Optical Assemblies That Are Both Brightly Backlit and Transparent for Use in Costumed Characters”. It first describes the problems inherent in masks and helmets for costumers like this. Solutions that are commonly used to enable the actor to see properly include simple holes in the mask or helmet. However, the view given by this method is limited, and as the holes usually don’t correspond with the character’s eyeholes, it’s difficult for the performer to navigate.
Using display camera inside a helmet is also a solution that is often used in costumes. At least one camera will take pictures of the space around the character and show it to the actor with an internal screen. These are expensive and complex to manufacture, and very bulky. They’re only appropriate for characters with large headed costumes and wouldn’t work for a sleek superhero like Iron Man, for example. They also give the character actor a skewed view from the camera, with no sense of depth.
How does the patent’s technology work?
Disney’s patent describes technology that will allow glowing eye effects and good visibility for the wearer. It uses a synchronised strobe effect using two eye screens. The first is positioned further away from the user’s head, and closer to the audience. This screen flickers between on and off (lit and unlit) very rapidly, giving the impression of being constantly glowing. It takes just milliseconds to switch between the active and transparent state. The second eye screen is closer to the wearer, and switches equally quickly between opaque and transparent. When the other screen’s light is on, the closer screen is dark and protecting the user’s eyes. When the other screen’s light is off, the user can see through the now transparent screen.
Therefore, the helmet or mask switches between two functions. These are when the mask is not lit and the eyes are not shielded, and when the mask is lit, and the eyes are shielded. Because the changes happen so rapidly, it is unnoticeable to both the wearer of the costume and the watching audience. The wearer of the costume will always be able to see, and the audience will always see glowing eyes.
The intricacy of this technology is likely to have been developed with the Marvel characters in mind. The patent itself talks about superheroes in particular, and the illustrative designs show a character not unlike Black Panther. Other Marvel characters, including Iron Man and Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy also have trade marked masks with glowing eyes.
About Dawn Ellmore Employment
Dawn Ellmore Employment was incorporated in 1995 and is a market leader in intellectual property and legal recruitment.
Editorial credit: Ekaterina Kupeeva / Shutterstock.com
The Intellectual Property experts at Dawn Ellmore Employment examine a Disney patent aimed at Marvel characters.
Disney, intellectual property, Marvel, patent
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Here Come the Brides Part II
Remember when I said, I work best on non-fiction when I’m 1) in edits, 2) have too many outside, real-life events that keep me from entering the world of my book? I should add a third reason: sometimes I like to procrastinate. Currently I have a cold and just can’t seem to get my clouded head into my work in progress. Instead, I’m coming back and finishing installment two of the promised Here Come the Brides analysis.
If you haven’t read Part I yet, you can find it here.
This part will deal with the women of the series, starting with...
The Brides
The brides of the television show came from New Bedford, Massachusetts, not Lowell, MA where the original Mercer girls were from. Why the difference? I suspect it has to do with the fact that Lowell is land-locked and New Bedford is not. In the interest of storytelling, when you only have forty-eight minutes of time to use (remember, a “one-hour” show needs to leave time for commercials!), it is far easier to have the brides in a sea-side town where you can simply dock the ship rather than have to add in an overland journey.
While Ada Mercer brought eleven ladies to the west coast, the producers of Here Come the Brides needed more if they hoped to have a long-running series with lots of stories to be told. Therefore, Aaron Stemple’s bet with Jason Bolt is for a grand total of one hundred young women. If only ninety-nine arrive, Aaron wins the bet – and Bridal Veil Mountain, the Bolt brothers' treasured legacy (rest assured, all one hundred arrive and the mountain is secure, as are all future story lines).
Of the hundred brides the Bolt brothers brought (try saying that ten times fast!), however, only two are given regular status in the world of television acting, Candy Pruitt, played by Bridget Hanley and Biddie Cloom, played by Susan Tolsky. All the other brides are extras who serve as background scenery for various scenes. While there are a few semi-regular brides in the first season, many speaking brides are played by guest stars who have entire episodes built around their characters.
The two “permanent” brides, Candy and Biddie, like the Bolt brothers are also appropriately named (see Part I post).
Candy is sometimes short for “Candice” but in the TV show, however, she is never referred to by any other name other than “Candy,” so we can assume that is her full first name. It is not a period name for any time in the 1800’s, the first of many anachronisms we will find. “Candy” as a girl’s name doesn’t begin to appear on the lists of popular girls names until 1943, where it appears as #907 out of 1000 ranked names. It peaks at #267 in 1969 – the same year the series has its first season. It may not have been a popular name in the 18th century, but the TV series made it popular in the 20th. The 21st century, however, has a different take, with one baby-naming site calling it “too sugary sweet and inconsequential for a modern girl.” Hmmm...apparently we are all still girls...but again, another post for another day!
(Sidenote: Bonanza, another western from this era, also had a character named “Candy” – Candy Canadice – who was male!)
Candy Pruitt is among the first to become engaged. Her ongoing relationship with Jeremy Bolt (played by Bobby Sherman) is unique among the relationships in the series’ version of Seattle in that we never see them take the final step to the altar. We get to see other brides’ wedding ceremonies, but circumstances always keep Jeremy and Candy from taking that final step. This, of course, could be explained in two ways.
One, keeping them apart gave the writers lots and lots of story lines. Each time viewers thought the two might actually make it to the church, something would happen and they’d be split for at least another week. The writers must’ve had a lot of fun finding new reasons for the two of them never to get hitched. The season two addition of Candy’s young niece and nephew added even more plot lines and reasons to keep Jeremy and Candy from tying the knot.
And two, Bobby Sherman was a bubblegum pop star who brought a weekly audience of young girls to the show, all of whom wanted to be Candy Pruitt and get to stare into those dreamy eyes (full disclosure here: yes, I was one of those girls!). To marry him off to Candy would close the door on his character’s availability, therefore ticking off an entire segment of the show’s core audience.
No, better to keep the two of them apart and keep both the story lines flowing and the audience tuning in.
Biddie Cloom, the other recurring Bride character, is doomed to be a spinster from the start. Her first name refers to old, unmarried women who are more worried about their neighbors and the latest gossip than anything else. Modern day slang version isn’t much better: college-age girls who are air-headed and drunk most weekends. Her last name rhymes with “gloom” giving viewers a short-hand synopsis of her life. Based on her name alone we know this woman is an empty-headed female who gossips, likes her drink and will never find a husband, even among the most needy men of Seattle.
I remember being offended by how people treated Biddie when I watched it all those years ago and I was never sure if I was angrier at the people of Seattle (including all the leading players) or at Biddie herself. As an adult watching it now, that same feeling came to the fore again, a discomfort whenever she did something wrong and got scolded for it.
With the wisdom of age, however, I’ve figured out why I was offended – and it had nothing to do with Biddie’s actions or reactions. Time after time the people of Seattle tell her she’s “silly” or call her “addle-brained”. In general, they treat her shamefully. Yes, she is silly, she is an air-head who often gets things wrong and yes, those traits can be played for comedy (Lucille Ball, anyone?).
But Jason and Lottie and even Candy never find the humor in Biddie’s character, all they find is the irritation. Susan Tolsky saw Lucille Ball as a role model for comediennes (Etter 48) and Ball had those who scolded her (“Lucy! You got some ‘splainin’ to do!”). So why was it funny when Desi did it, but not when the characters of Here Come the Brides scolded Biddie?
I think the answer lies in love. For all their marital problems, Desi and Lucy were in love (at least publicly). He forgave her for every mistake, every problem she created.
But no one loves Biddie. She’s an irritant, a social mis-fit who gets passed over or passed around on the dance floor, pushed aside or worse, patted on the head like a little girl while they sigh at her incompetence.
Susan Tolsky had a great sense of comic timing and a wonderful aptitude for pratfalls and funny faces. It’s too bad the writers missed an opportunity to use her talents to the fullest. She could have made people laugh out loud instead of squirm in their seats.
(In the interest of keeping this post from growing too long, I will wait for a future post to talk about the other brides. Miss Essie, for example, was semi-regular in the first season, but we’ll save her for next time and, for now, continue with some of the other regular characters.)
Lottie Hatfield (played by Joan Blondell) is NOT a bride, yet she is the unmarried saloon keeper, a no-nonsense woman who runs a “clean” bar, meaning no dancing girls or hanky-panky allowed. Only good, old-fashioned drinking, although she also serves meals. Her first name is often the diminutive of “Charlotte” but again, since she’s never referred to as any way but by “Lottie” it’s fairly safe to assume that’s her full first name.
And that name, at least, fits the time period. “Lottie” is a top-100 name for girls at the end of the 18th century, when Here Comes the Brides takes place. In the first film treatment (when it was still going to be a musical), the character name was Lottie, but she had a different last name, so I’m going with Nash as being the namer of this character. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Alan Marcus’ wife was named Lotte – a similar enough name to cinch the deal.
As for her last name, Hatfield, I could find no reference that would make anything of it. The long-standing feud between Hatfields and McCoys was certainly common knowledge in the 1960’s when this series was created, but I can’t find any evidence that our good saloonkeeper was of any relation. It could be this name was chosen just because it sounded good.
Because, age-wise, she is among the older characters in the series, Lotte plays the role of the mother-character, not only to the brides, but to the Bolt brothers as well. She also serves as the town’s conscience, reminding them to do what is right, keeping the men in line even while serving them drinks. When the brides have a problem, it’s to Lottie they turn as their mother away from home. When anyone needs nursing, Lottie is there to take care of them. When Jason needs advice, it’s often Lotte he comes to, pouring out his troubles so she can offer a solution.
Of course, we cannot forget the last of the cast regulars, even if he isn't a woman, the loveable sot, Captain Roland Francis Clancey (played by Henry Beckham). I am amazed, watching through these second-season episodes, at how many he was in, not just as a side character, but as a lead, working himself up to one of the town councilmen by the second-to-last episode (“Absalom”).
Captain Clancy makes a regular run between San Francisco and Seattle, which is useful when the writers want to take the action outside of Seattle. He also serves as the town’s comic relief. He’s often drunk (on at least one occasion with Biddy Cloom), which allows for a great deal of physical comedy. Today’s mores do not often find drunkenness humorous, but 1968 is not now and I have enough of 1968 left in my soul to find myself smiling at the predicaments Clancy gets himself into.
It is worth noting that Captain Clancy and Lottie Hatfield have an off-again, on-again romantic relationship. More off- than on- to judge by the rolled eyes and ticked-off looks Lottie sends in Clancy’s way when he’s being particularly thick-headed. These are also the oldest two characters in the series, but where people turn to Lottie for advice and mothering, they see Clancy more as a buffoon than anything else.
These differing views of these two characters makes for some interesting by-play both between them and among the other characters. I’m sure this was done on purpose by the show’s writers as it gives ample opportunity for storytelling. Because these characters are older, it also gives the writers a chance to delve into their backstories, bringing up people from their past to complicate their current lives. A smart move on the part of the writers!
Where Lottie remains a static character, however, her essential personality never changing, Clancy cleans up his act in the second season. He still gets drunk, but less often, becoming a respected citizen of Seattle, even if he still makes his regular runs to other ports. It would’ve been interesting to see further changes in this character had the show run to a third season. Would Clancy have run for mayor? I’d like to think so.
Okay, stopping here. There are still a ton of topics (and characters) to explore and I’m still having fun, so you can be assured there will a third post somewhere down the line. If you haven’t read the first, you can find it here.
*You may also note I quoted Etter’s book less often in this post. That’s because his book deals more with the actors playing the roles than it does with the characters they played. I found the same problem with his episode guides. There are no synopses of the episodes, instead, each listing contains information on the actors and writers rather than detailing what happened in the episode. A good source for finding out how some of the people involved in the series felt about the series, but not a lot of discussion about the themes and mores the series represents.
Prompting 1...2...3...4...
Star Trek Continues
Over My Enslaved Body, a book by Mystic Shade, is ...
no workshop today
The vanishing infinitive
Interview at Sizzling Hot Books
If music be the food of love...
Don't shoot me!
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Arthur Silver Morton came to the University of Saskatchewan in 1914 and served both as head of the History Department and University Librarian until his retirement in 1940. Upon arriving in Saskatoon, Morton embarked on the study of Western Canadian History and the preservation of the region's historical documents and historic sites. Over the next four decades he published several books. The digitized material from the A.S. Morton Manuscript Collection includes photographs and documents relating to prairie settlement, including pioneer accounts; manuscripts collected by James Frederick Church Wright relating to the Doukhobours in Canada; statements of pioneer settlers; stories of pioneer experiences in Saskatoon; early settlers' reminiscences; documents pertaining to immigration among Hungarians, Mennonites, Icleanders, and Ukrainians; the papers of "New Canadians"; biographies; and the Meilicke papers.
Alice Cameron Brown was born in Rolling River, Manitoba in 1898 and grew up near Minnedosa, Manitoba. She was the daughter of Sarah and Duncan Cameron. In 1921, Alice graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manitoba. While working as a teacher in Tisdale, Saskatchewan in 1922, she met James Edward Brown. The couple and their daughter Elizabeth Allison lived in Tisdale for twenty-six years. In 1934, Brown won first prize in the Canadian Author's Association poetry contest. The winning poem was published in a few magazines, after which numerous poems of hers were published. In 1952, the Brown family moved to Beamsville, Ontario where James passed away in 1965. Alice Cameron Brown died in 1993. The digitized material from the Alice Cameron Brown fonds consists of correspondence pertaining to Brown's teaching career.
The Alpha Omega Society was created at the University of Saskatchewan in 1930 to "foster such social and intellectual activities as will bring the students of Ukrainian descent into a closer bond and a clearer understanding within the rest of the University." The digitized material from the Alpha Omega Society fonds consists of a scrapbook that contains photographs and yearly lists of Alpha Omega Society members from inception in 1930-1931. Also included are booklets from graduations and concerts, newspaper clippings from the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, University of Saskatchewan Sheaf and Ukrainian New Pathway (in Ukrainian) detailing society activities and student achievements. Correspondence between members, faculty and other individuals are also included in the scrapbook, which was compiled in 1962-1963.
Angus Shortt was well-known Winnipeg artist and painter of wildlife art. Due to his mother’s influence as an artist, he developed a love for sketching birds around the Silver Heights farm located near the family home. In 1926, determined to find employment as an artist, Shortt sought a position at Brigden’s, a commercial art firm. Despite his desire to become an illustrator, Brigden’s offered him an apprenticeship as a wood engraver, which he accepted. As part of the apprenticeship, Shortt was sent to the Winnipeg School of Art, where he studied under L. LeMoine Fitzgerald. Thereafter Shortt chose to work for the newly formed Ducks Unlimited Canada as an artist in the public relations department. He worked at Ducks Unlimited for thirty-four years (1939-1973). There he specialized in painting ducks and geese and donated his painting to many Ducks Unlimited fund-raisings. Angus Shortt also designed series of the Manitoba wildflower and bird paintings, series of 12 medallions featuring designs based on provincial wildflowers for Canada's Centennial, series of greeting cards depicting a variety of ducks, and sets of playing cards with wildlife illustrations for the U.S. Playing Card Co., Ohio. He illustrated Treasure of Waterfowl (1946), Birds of Colorado (1965), and Ducks and Men: Forty Years of Co-operation in Conservation (1978). He also contributed to the making of eighteen films for Ducks Unlimited. Ducks Unlimited named a lake after him (Shortt Lake) to honor his longtime work. In 1962, he designed a fifteen cent stamp for the post office department. After his retirement, Shortt continued to accept commissions for paintings into the 1990s but in his later years only painted for his own enjoyment.
Anne Yanchyshyn taught in Varennes School for 24 years and after her early retirement she took Oral History workshop classes at the Archives of Manitoba. Anne Yanchyshyn edited the book MPC Flashbacks, a commemorative local history celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the arrival of settlers in Meleb-Park Cumming School District area. In the book she documented the local history of the Ukrainian, Polish as well as the German and Jewish pioneers in the Interlake area. The digitized material from the Anne Yanchyshyn fonds consists of audio recordings of her interviews with Ukrainian and Polish pioneers in the Interlake area, plus printed summations and transcripts of those interviews.
Bertram Brooker was born in Surrey, England in 1888. He immigrated to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba with his parents in 1905. At age seventeen he worked in the kitchens and in the timekeeper's office of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Later he managed a movie theatre in Neepawa and did newspaper work in Portage and Winnipeg. In 1921 he moved to Toronto to assume a career in advertising and freelance journalism. Brooker began writing his first novel at the age of nine, and as early as 1910 he was writing and directing several of his own plays. His literary achievements include Think of the Earth (1936), Tangled Miracle (1936) and The Robber (1949). He won the first Governor General's Award for fiction in 1936. Although he was the author of nine books as well as texts on advertising and writing, Brooker is perhaps best known as an artist. He began painting in the 1920s and formed close ties with LeMoine Fitzgerald and most of the members of the Group of Seven. Apparently influenced by Fitzgerald and Lawren Harris, he became a pioneer in abstract painting.
William (Bill) Lobchuk was born in Neepawa, Manitoba and is a very accomplished artist. He received his Diploma of Art at the University of Manitoba and has played an active role in the arts community for over 30 years. He has received several awards and has been commissioned by numerous organizations. Lobchuk has had his artwork displayed in exhibitions since 1970 at many venues in Canada such as the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Burnaby Art Gallery in Burnaby, British Columbia, the Susan Whitney Gallery in Regina, Saskatchewan as well as internationally in Yugoslavia, Japan, and Holland. Lobchuk’s artwork can be found in personal and corporate collections throughout Canada and the world. The digitized material from the Bill Lobchuk fonds consists of negatives and glass slides of various Ukrainian-Canadian families taken at the early part of the twentieth century.
The Brian Macpherson fonds consists of one wood scrapbook started by the University of Manitoba chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon when the fraternity was founded in 1958 to chronicle fraternity events. The unique wooden design was created by a member who was good at woodworking and was intended to be both visually distinct and allow additional pages to be added easily. The use of the scrapbook to keep track of TKE events gradually diminished in the early 1960s.
Brigden's Limited, one of Toronto's oldest graphic arts firms, was founded by the English immigrant Frederick Brigden in the early 1880s after he purchased the Toronto Engraving Company from his business partners. Soon after, Frederick's seventeen-year-old son George came into the business. Brigden's began producing illustrations for the Eaton's catalogue in 1893, an association which continued for many years. In 1903, Arnold O. Brigden, Frederick's nephew, came out from England to apprentice in the engraving trade and he remained as an apprentice with the Toronto company until 1908. In 1905, William H. Brigden, a younger brother of Frederick's and a master printer came out to Canada. At that time, Brigden's purchased a platen press and installed it in their Toronto premises. In 1914 Frederick's son, Frederick H., was sent out to Winnipeg to locate suitable premises for a branch operation. Their major Winnipeg client was to be the Western Canadian version of the Eaton's catalogue. After a period working in New York, Arnold was induced to take over management of Brigden's Winnipeg. Frederick Brigden passed away in 1917 and his sons George and Frederick H. took over the Toronto business. The third generation of Brigden's, George's son Geldard, came into the business in 1920. George passed away in 1941 and Frederick H. retired from active management of the company. Arnold O. Brigden retired from active management of Brigden's Winnipeg in 1956.
The Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University is a national, non-profit organization that develops and promotes awareness of, leadership in, and financial support for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Winnipeg Chapter was founded in 1948.
The Connie Macmillan Collection depicts several portraits of Aboriginal Peoples taken in 1880s Winnipeg taken by James D. Hall and Skene Lowe. Hall and Lowe formed a partnership in 1882, creating a photography studio titled "Hall & Lowe, Artists and Photographers". They advertised as selling "Indian photos (taken from life), Xmas cards, views of Winnipeg." The subjects of the photographs were paid for their images and their photographs were advertised for sale in the store's display windows. Hall & Lowe moved to British Columbia in the mid-1880s.
Margaret Elizabeth Hunter, born 18 April 1849, and William Adam Hunter, born 17 June 1845, married in Dumfrese, Scotland, on 22 December 1870. A year later they emigrated to Canada, settling first in Cayuga, Ontario. In 1883 Margaret's brother, Thomas Copland, encouraged them to move west with the Saskatoon Temperance Colonization Society and they built a home at Llewellyn. Margaret and William had 7 children; their two oldest daughters, Mary Kerr Hunter and Barbara Elizabeth Hunter, married brothers from the Anderson family – Burpee James Anderson and Newton Joseph Anderson, respectively. Margaret's brother, Thomas Copland, was one of the first settlers in Saskatoon, and was trained as a chemist and druggist. The University of Saskatchewan is located on his original homestead. The digitized material from the Copland, Hunter and Anderson Family fonds consists of documents that describe the lives of the Copland, Hunter and Anderson families, notably their early years following Margaret and William Hunter's move to Canada and years in Saskatoon. It includes materials relating to events such as the 1885 Resistance; later material documenting student life, at the University, as well as materials documenting the daily life of a pioneering farm family. Included are diaries of Barbara Elizabeth Anderson, nee Hunter (1874-1951) documenting her daily life, 1899-1934 and 1944; memoirs of Mrs. Barbara E. Anderson (covering 1874-1905); and background material.
Denise Kolesar, a native of Neepawa, Manitoba, with family ties to the Polonia and Mountain Road areas, became interested in the life and works of Fr. Philip Ruh during research efforts for the 2004 Ukrainian Catholic Church Hundredth Anniversary Committee in Mountain Road, Manitoba. In October 2007, Kolesar conducted a research tour of churches in Saskatchewan and Alberta where she took digital photographs of churches. This digital collection consists of several digital photographs of the interiors and exteriors of Ukrainian Catholic churches in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Dieter Roger's works are primarily concerned with German immigrants and their adaptation and contributions to Canadian life. In 2000, Roger published Eckhardt-Gramatte Gedenkschrift fur das Familiengrab in Berlin-Wilhelmhagen, a monograph detailing the pre-immigration life of the Eckhardt-Grammate family of Winnipeg and their familial grave site in Germany. Roger has served as president of the Manitoba chapter of the German-Canadian Historical Association and has published books and articles in both English and German. The digitized material from the Dieter Roger fonds consists of a German newspaper article from the Kanada Kurier, dated 30, September 1999. The article, written in German, is entitled "Denkmalschutz und Ehrengrab: Dr. F. Eckhardts Familien-grabmal in Berlin," which detailed the pre-immigration life of the Eckhardt-Grammate family of Winnipeg and their familial grave site in Germany.
The Dixon family originally settled in Quebec before moving to Manitoba. Margaret Ann Purcell and George William Dixon were both born in Belfast, Ireland in 1858 and 1851, respectively. Both their families immigrated to Kildar in Joliette County, Quebec, where they were married in 1872. They moved to Rounthwaite, Manitoba, where they raised their family of 13 children. Most of their descendants still live in the Brandon area. The digitized material from the Dixon, Baker Family fonds includes genealogical information of the Dixon and Baker families between 1851 and 1963, land title deeds, farm receipts, and photographs of agricultural scenes in the early-twentieth century.
Doris Saunders was born in Winnipeg in 1901. In 1917 she graduated from Kelvin High School and then enrolled at the University of Manitoba, where in 1921 she graduated with Gold Medals in both Philosophy and English. Upon graduation, she taught at a rural elementary school before heading to Oxford. After graduating from Oxford with a Diploma of Education in 1923 she taught at both Machray Junior High and Kelvin High School. In 1925, while still teaching, she completed a MA at the University of Manitoba. In 1928, Saunders became the first female appointed to the Department of English at the University of Manitoba and in 1959 became the first female full Professor in the Faculty of Arts. From 1933 to 1945 she was the Dean of Junior Women and was the Registrar of University College from 1964 to 1968, when she retired. Doris Saunders passed away in 2001. The digitized material from the Doris Saunders fonds consists of copies of an address Saunders gave titled "Continuing Education for Women in Canada."
Ed Kleiman was a lecturer with the English Department of the University of Manitoba. He was an Associate Professor at the time of his retirement in 1996. Beyond his academic career, Kleiman found time to write three books of short stories and numerous articles. His first book The Immortals, published by Newest Press in 1980, delves into the lives of families living in Winnipeg's ethnic and culturally diverse North End. Eight years later A New-Found Ecstasy was published by Newest Press and in 1998 The World Beaters was published by Thistledown Press. The digitized material from the Ed Kleiman fonds includes several manuscripts of short stories written by Kleiman that detail the immigrant experiences of varying nationalities and ethnicities, primarily set in Winnipeg's north end.
In 1959, Edward Swiecicki and his brother knights of St. Josaphat Council # 4138 of the Knights of Columbus, first committed to assist Fr. Philip Ruh with the Lourdes Grotto project in Cook’s Creek, Manitoba. When Fr. Ruh was on his deathbed in 1962, members of the Council vowed to complete the Lourdes Grotto for him. Organized in work crews, the volunteers laboured for a decade, modeling the structure as much as possible upon the original shrine in Lourdes, France. The digitized material from the Edward Swiecicki fonds consists of correspondence between Edward Swiecicki and the Very Reverend Monsignor J. Marty regarding the completion of the Grotto in Cook's Creek, Manitoba following the death of the architect, Father Philip Ruh. A photograph of the Grotto in Lourdes, France is also included.
A successful painter of portrait miniatures in water colour on ivory, Winnipeg-born Elizabeth Maude Macvicar's (1881-1965) output included private commissions, solo and group juried exhibitions, as well as private exhibitions of her work throughout Canada, and at least once in the United States, during a career that flourished during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Macvicar attended the Winnipeg School of Art and studied miniature painting on ivory in London, England, visiting the famous Wallace Collection of miniatures in that city, and also touring Italy. A member of the Manitoba Society of Artists, she exhibited her work in the group and juried annual exhibitions of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1922, 1923, 1925 and 1927; in the first "open exhibit" of the Manitoba Society of Artists in 1926; at a Hart House exhibition at the University of Toronto in 1930; and in numerous private exhibitions in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, London, Ontario, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. She completed private commissions in all of these cities, as well as in Victoria, Seattle and New York. Macvicar was commissioned to paint a miniature of His Excellency, Lord Willingdon, Governor General of Canada, 1926-1931. She also enjoyed working with children and completed scores of miniature portraits on ivory of the sons and daughters of the wealthy and well-connected. She also painted miniatures of service men and women during the Second World War, as well as large water colour portraits of Canadian women in the services.
The Emil and Lynette Hain fonds consists of a collection of glass slides created by Ms. Hain's grandfather, Rev. Thomas Featherstone Watson, who documented the missionary work being undertaken in the Transvaal region of South Africa prior to the onset of the Boer War in 1899. Rev. Watson created glass slides from his original negatives and used them as the basis of his lecture tour titled "Missionary Labours in the Transvaal Before the War: Glimpses of Missionary Life in the Transvaal." The scenes depicted in this digital collection include the South African people, culture and countryside, churches, church services, European and South African ministers, and other glimpses into missionary life in South Africa. The rare and fascinating images in this collection provide some insight into the controversial practice of missionary work in a little-seen region of the world just prior to the outbreak of a violent war only a few years later.
The first nursing course at the University of Manitoba was offered in 1944, the result of a Government of Canada grant to the Canadian Nurses Association for nursing education. Six years later the School of Nursing was established. In 1959 the first degree program in nursing was discussed and three years later the first students were accepted. In 1963 a four year program leading to a Bachelor of Nursing was initiated. The program was revamped in 1975 to study public health and to concentrate on illness prevention. By 1980 a Masters program had been developed, and in 1984 the Manitoba Nursing Research Institute was established at the University of Manitoba. The School of Nursing received faculty status in 1992. The digitized material from the Faculty of Nursing fonds consists of textual records pertaining to seminars on women in the field of nursing.
The first program of physical education was offered in 1951 in the Department of Physical Recreation and Athletics. A Bachelor degree in Physical Education was first offered in 1964, reflecting a change in philosophy with physical education as a bona fide educational field. Facilities for the Department of Physical Recreation were lacking until the swimming pool was built in 1965 and, more importantly, when the Frank Kennedy Physical Education Centre was completed in 1972. Facilities were improved when construction commenced on the Max Bell Winter Sports Complex in 1981. A Bachelor of Recreation Studies degree was approved by Senate in April 1981 and Faculty status was achieved in May 1982. In 1990, the Master of Physical Education was changed to the Master of Science. In the spring of 1998, a four-year degree program, the Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science, a revised three-year B.P.E. degree, and a Master of Arts in Recreation Studies were approved by the Council on Post-Secondary Education. In September 2004, the degree designation of the Bachelor of Recreation Studies was changed to the Bachelor of Recreation Management and Community Development. In December 2005, Senate approved the name change of the Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science degree program to the Bachelor of Kinesiology degree program, which became effective in the fall of 2006. At the same time, the Master's of Science in Exercise and Sport Science was renamed the Master's of Science in Kinesiology. Effective July 2007, the University of Manitoba Board of Governors approved the recommendation to change the Faculty name to the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management.
Frederick Philip Grove arrived in Manitoba in September 1912. Although he kept his prior life very much a secret, he was born in 1879 as Felix Paul Greve in Radomno, a small Prussian town on the German-Polish border. In late July 1909 he faked his suicide and immigrated to North America. In Canada, he was a teacher/principal in a variety of rural schools, including Rapid City where he lived for seven years before moving to Ottawa in 1929. There, he joined Graphic Publishers until 1931, when he settled on an estate in Simcoe, Ontario. Grove wrote and his wife Catherine Wiens opened a Froebel Kindergarten. Grove suffered a crippling stroke in 1944 and although he continued to write, his health deteriorated. He died on August 19, 1948. During his Manitoba years between 1919 and 1929, Grove published twelve books, including Over Prairie Trails (1922), The Turn of the Year (1923), Settlers of the Marsh (1925), A Search for America (1927), Our Daily Bread (1928) and It Needs to be Said (1929). He also wrote many short stories, reviews, essays and articles, and a very large number of poems. In Ontario, several more books were published, starting with The Yoke of Life (1930). Fruits of the Earth (1933), Master of the Mill (1944), and his official autobiography In Search of Myself (1946) followed. His "ant-book", the Swiftian satire Consider Her Ways (1947), was published as a fragment. The digitized material from the Frederick Philip Grove fonds includes correspondence with I. Warkentin describing life in Canada in 1913, manuscripts written by Grove describing the experiences of immigrants, documents relating to Grove's Canadian 1921 citizenship, and photographs depicting Grove's home in Ashfield, MB.
George Wilfred Simpson's teaching career at the University of Saskatchewan started in 1922, with an appointment as instructor in History. By 1928 he had been promoted to full professor, and, in 1940, Simpson was appointed head of the History Department, a position he held until his retirement in 1958. Upon retirement, Simpson was named Professor Emeritus. During his career at the University of Saskatchewan, Simpson helped initiate the department of Slavic studies, was the first Canadian historian to learn Ukrainian, and edited the first history of the Ukraine published in English. He helped shape the policy of the Saskatchewan Archives Act and was the first Provincial Archivist (1945-1948). The digitized material from the G.W. Simpson fonds consists of files entitled “Ukrainian files” regarding the Ukrainian community in Saskatoon and University of Saskatchewan, 1930-1957; and material relating to Simpson’s association with the Advisory Committee on Co-operation in Canadian Citizenship (Nationalities Branch), 1941-1960.
Gallery One One One was established in 1965 to serve the School of Art and the public, showing and collecting contemporary and historical art. It now exists as the School of Art Gallery and is currently located in the ArtLab.
George Swinton was a reknowned authority on Inuit art and the author of numerous articles on the subject. His own art hangs in the National Gallery of Canada, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. He studied Economics and Political Science in Vienna from 1936 to 1938 before coming to Canada in 1939. He served five years with the Canadian Intelligence Corps in the Canadian Army, becoming a Canadian citizen in 1944. He completed a Bachelor of Arts at McGill in 1946 and took courses at the Montreal School of Art and Design from 1946 to 1947 and the Art Students' League of New York from 1949 to 1950. Swinton was the Curator of the Saskatoon Art Centre from 1947 to 1949. He was an instructor at Smith College from 1950 to 1953 and Artist-in-Residence at Queen's University from 1953 to 1954. That fall, he joined the faculty of the School of Art at the University of Manitoba, a position that he held for twenty years. From 1974 to 1981, he was a professor of Canadian Studies at Carleton University. His final academic position was an adjunct professorship in the Department of Art History at Carleton University from 1981 to 1985.
George Swinton was a reknowned authority on Inuit art and the author of numerous articles on the subject. His own art hangs in the National Gallery of Canada, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. He studied Economics and Political Science in Vienna from 1936 to 1938 before coming to Canada in 1939. He served five years with the Canadian Intelligence Corps in the Canadian Army, becoming a Canadian citizen in 1944. He completed a Bachelor of Arts at McGill in 1946 and took courses at the Montreal School of Art and Design from 1946 to 1947 and the Art Students' League of New York from 1949 to 1950. Swinton was the Curator of the Saskatoon Art Centre from 1947 to 1949. He was an instructor at Smith College from 1950 to 1953 and Artist-in-Residence at Queen's University from 1953 to 1954. That fall, he joined the faculty of the School of Art at the University of Manitoba, a position that he held for twenty years. From 1974 to 1981, he was a professor of Canadian Studies at Carleton University. His final academic position was an adjunct professorship in the Department of Art History at Carleton University from 1981 to 1985. This digital collection includes material from the Winnipeg Art Gallery Archives as part of the Prairie Prestige project.
Gloria Romaniuk moved with her husband, Greg Stanwick, to Cook’s Creek, Manitoba in 1976, to operate Cook’s Creek General Store. Romaniuk grew interested in the life and works of Rev. Philip Ruh, OMI in 1982 and in 1983 she launched and coordinated the “Ruh Project”, an effort to document Ruh’s life and works. Together with Olly Charney, Romaniuk located materials which had been created by, or belonged to Ruh and produced more than seventy audio interviews with individuals who knew or worked with Ruh. She wrote a local history pamphlet for Cook’s Creek church, edited the translation into English of Ruh’s autobiography "Missionary and Architect (Autobiography)", and wrote several newspaper and magazine articles. She has served as the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg Archivist since 2003. The digitized material from the Gloria Romaniuk fonds consists of several digital photographs and printed photographs of the interiors and exteriors of several Ukrainian Catholic churches and church facilities throughout western Canada.
Dr. Helen Glass was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1917. She received a Bachelor of Nursing degree from Teachers' College, Columbia University in 1960, followed by an M.A., a M.Ed, and finally a Ph.D. of Education in 1971, also from Columbia. She began teaching nursing courses at the University of Manitoba in 1953. Devoted to enhancing the profession of nursing and the quality of medical care, Glass was founder of the Manitoba Nursing Research Institute, President of the Manitoba Association of Registered Nurses, President of the Canadian Nurses Association and first Vice-President of the International Council of Nurses. She served on the Canadian Delegation to the World Health Assembly in 1983 and again in 1985. Dr. Helen Glass retired officially from the School of Nursing in 1986. She is currently Professor Emerita at the University of Manitoba. The digitized material from the Helen Glass fonds consists of textual records pertaining to Glass' education at Columbia Teachers' College, her teaching and administrative work at the University of Manitoba, and her work with professional nursing associations.
Henry Kalen was a Manitoba-born architect and photographer. Kalen worked as an architect until 1960 when he enlisted in Art Education at the Illinois Institute of Technology to become a professional photographer. He joined the University of Manitoba Faculty of Architecture where in addition to teaching photography he assisted in teaching Architectural Drawing, Graphical Presentation, and Fundamentals of Design between 1960 and 1971. Kalen started his own photography and postcard distribution company. His stock photographs were used in publications such as Maclean's, Chatelaine, and Canadian Geographic. His book, Henry Kalen's Winnipeg, was a local best-seller for many years.
Irene Knysh fonds
Irene Knysh was a feminist, journalist, and author of many books on the Ukrainian women’s movement. Throughout the course of her illustrious writing career, Knysh corresponded with leaders of the Ukrainian women's movement in Canada and the United States, most notably Stefaniia Abrahamovs'ka, one of the founding members of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America. Knysh also corresponded with famed Ukrainian dance instructor, Vasil' Avramenko. This digital collection features items from the Irene Knysh fonds, many of which were acquired by Knysh during the course of her research. Items featured in the collection include the original record book of the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada (1930-1931) and photographs of Irene Knysh, Stefaniia Abrahamovs'ka, members of the National Women's League of America (SUA - Soiuz Ukrainok Ameryky), and Vasil' Avramenko.
Jaropolk Radkewycz fonds
In 1961, with the intention of entering the priesthood, Jaropolk Radkewycz began his studies at the Redemptorist Minor Seminary in Roblin, Manitoba. In 1967, he decided to begin studies for the diocesan priesthood, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba in 1971, followed by a Bachelor of Theology degree in 1974 and a Bachelor degree in Canon Law in 1975 at the University of St. Paul in Ottawa. He was ordained by Metropolitan Maxim Hermaniuk in Winnipeg in 1974. Radkewycz served in parishes in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie and Brandon. In addition, he served as chaplain of St. Paul College at the University of Manitoba, as lecturer at the St. Boniface School of Nursing, as chairman of the Manitoba Medico-Moral Committee, and chaplain of the Catholic Physicians Guild in Manitoba. He served as assistant vicar general from May 1975, and as the Metropolitan’s secretary until the time of his accidental death on April 29, 1996. The digitized material from the Jaropolk Radkewycz fonds consists of nearly 80 photographs of the interiors and exteriors of several Ukrainian Catholic churches and church facilities throughout western Canada.
John Leslie Charles fonds
Major John Leslie Charles was a Chief Engineer for Candian National Railway's (CN) Western Region and consulting engineer for CN. He later became responsible for much of the engineering and construction in western Canada, northern Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories. In 1926, he was appointed as a transit man for a survey crew and surveyed the second section of the Hudson Bay Railway (Limestone- Fort Churchill). He also published studies of the Great Slave Lake Railway, the first railway to enter the Northwest Territories and the most northerly railway connected to the continental system. The collection includes articles, reports and maps created by Charles regarding Northern Canadian railway routes.
In 1959, John Zborowsky Jr. and his brother knights of St. Josaphat Council # 4138 of the Knights of Columbus, first committed to assist Fr. Philip Ruh with the Lourdes Grotto project in Cook’s Creek, Manitoba. When Fr. Ruh was on his deathbed in 1962, members of the Council vowed to complete the Lourdes Grotto for him. Organized in work crews, the volunteers laboured for a decade, modeling the structure as much as possible upon the original shrine in Lourdes, France. Zborowsky served as Grand Knight from 1962 to 1963, compiling documentation of project expenses, funds raised, photos of various stages in the effort, work schedules, newspaper clippings, and related records. The digitized material from the John Zborowsky fonds consists of nearly 20 photographs illustrating the construction of the Lourdes Calvary Grotto and the Ukrainian Catholic church in Cook's Creek, Manitoba, as well as a photograph of St. Joseph's Ukrainian Catholic church in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Josiah Jones Bell was an Ensign with the Ontario Battalion in Colonel Garnet Wolseley's Red River Expedition of 1870. The expedition was intended to exert Canadian sovereignty in the newly created Province of Manitoba. The digitized material from the Josiah Jones Bell fonds consists of several photographs taken by Bell during his travels with the Wolseley Expedition. The photographs depict several of the buildings located in the Red River Valley region during this time.
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Jeff Siegel June 30, 2019 2019 Offseason Previews
30 Teams in 30 Days: New York Knicks 2019 Offseason Preview
The New York Knicks are the only team left with double-max space (at least, right now), after their crosstown rivals have reportedly worked out a deal with Kyrie Irving ahead of free agency starting later today (though, if we’re being serious, free agency has been going on for weeks now). After the league released their salary cap projections, the Knicks are projected to go into the summer with $69.95 million in cap space which includes retaining the non-guaranteed contract of Damyean Dotson. How they split that money up will be fascinating, particularly if the big names decide to sign elsewhere.
The best path for the Knicks, of course, is to sign both Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard to form another superteam in the Eastern Conference. There’s no special analysis to add here – if New York can add two of the three or four best players in the world, they do it. Durant’s injury is a concern, of course, as he would earn more than $38 million next season and likely would not suit up at all. Filling out their roster would be somewhat difficult at that stage, as they’d still have a few holes to plug with their Room Exception and minimum contracts.
The first order of business would be the center position, as Mitchell Robinson may not quite be ready to take on the starting role full-time next season. At the very least, they’d want to spend that Room Exception to get a starting-level big man on the squad who could play big minutes while Robinson has foul trouble, which will be an issue for him if he’s playing a lot. Robin Lopez has already been linked to the team and would be a strong addition, though he’s likely to command more than the Knicks can pay him under that exception. Kevon Looney would be another good option, though the Warriors would likely match an offer sheet at the Room Exception for Looney, considering they wouldn’t have massive tax concerns if Durant left.
What happens if they don’t sign one or both of those elite free agents is very interesting. They would likely see what those guys do before proceeding; if Leonard takes a 1+1 in Toronto and will be on the market again next summer, the Knicks will keep the powder dry and hope to land another meeting with him in 2020. Durant and Leonard both taking multi-year contracts to either stay home or go to another team (the Clippers can clear double-max space for the pair), then things become more difficult for New York, as they’d be tasked with filling out a roster with a ton of money to spend and no real reason to go the one-year contract route again, as the 2020 free agent class is not a particularly good one.
Should they strike out on the bigger names, they’re already connected to a slew of mid-tier free agents, from Julius Randle to Bobby Portis to Terry Rozier. Those players are all likely looking for multi-year pacts with their new teams and the Knicks could certainly afford to offer much more than almost any other team, particularly if they want to front-load those salaries and even overpay a bit in order to get some non-guarantees or a team option in the final year. That way, the club could keep their options open in the later part of the contract, whether to trade or move on from those guys in a few years.
The links to Randle and Portis make sense from a team-building perspective, since New York has an opening at both big man spots and could use the offensive production those guys bring to the table. The rest of their projected starting lineup (Dennis Smith, R.J. Barrett, Kevin Knox, and Mitchell Robinson) is full of young and unproven players, so signing a player like Randle or Portis to be an offensive fulcrum and give them a go-to scoring option would make things easier on the young guys.
Behind Smith at the point guard spot, they’re left with just Frank Ntilikina, who has mostly fallen out of favor with the Knicks and may not complete the season with the club, if they can find a trade they like later on in the summer or into the regular season. Putting money into the point guard spot in the form of Rozier would be interesting, with the added benefit of pushing Smith to the bench, where he could develop in a low-pressure role. Rozier’s lack of basketball intelligence and immensely poor shot selection would be a poor fit in New York, though he’d certainly find teammates with a similar view toward shot selection in Knox and Barrett. Going with a stopgap player with more playmaking and floor spacing acumen makes more sense for the Knicks, as they’ve been linked to George Hill in recent days. Hill is a better player than Rozier but doesn’t quite fit the timeline of the rest of their team. Still, he would be a very good addition as a shooter and secondary playmaker who could bring a veteran presence to a very young locker room. Evaluating which of their young guys around which they should build is also made much easier when they have competent point guard play.
New York will be going for the best players on the open market in Leonard and Durant and those guys will determine the rest of their summer, whether they choose to join the Knicks or not. A short-term deal for Leonard would open the door to recruiting him in 2020, particularly if they feel the meeting with his representatives went well but he wants to return to Toronto in order to defend the title in 2019-20. The worst-case scenario still isn’t all that bad for the Knicks, as they have a slew of interesting young players and a bunch of future draft picks to either use to continue to build their team or trade down the line for a star or two.
Posted in 2019 Offseason Previews and tagged NBA, New York Knicks. Bookmark the permalink.
TKO on July 6, 2019 at 12:10 AM
I think the Knicks are making a mistake by overpaying all these veterans even if they are only getting 1 year guaranteed except for Randle. They should’ve saved their cap space for salary dumps, which I’m expecting a lot of considering all the overpays to free agents so far this offseason. The Knicks could’ve gotten some nice assets to accelerate their rebuild. Oh well, that’s their problem and money, not mine.
30 Teams in 30 Days: Los Angeles Lakers 2019 Offseason Preview
Structuring signings and transaction timing in Utah
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Tag Archives for: Loan
Visit our full DIA ticker page for ratings, quotes, and much more »
The Subprime Auto Loan Meltdown Is Here
Uh oh – here we go again. Do you remember the subprime mortgage meltdown during the last financial crisis? Well, now a similar thing is happening with auto loans.
NYSE:DIA March 1, 2016 12:16pm
Last time around it was subprime mortgages, but this time it is oil that is playing a starring role in a global financial crisis.
NYSE:DIA January 19, 2016 12:54pm
Is The 505 Trillion Dollar Interest Rate Derivatives Bubble In Imminent Jeopardy?
All over the planet, large banks are massively overexposed to derivatives contracts. Interest rate derivatives account for the biggest chunk of these derivatives contracts.
NYSE:GLD May 26, 2015 11:52am
It’s Germany vs. Greece, And The Very Survival Of The Eurozone Is At Stake
Is this the beginning of the end for the eurozone? On Thursday, Germany rejected a Greek request for a six-month loan extension. The Germans insisted that the Greek proposal did not require the Greeks to adhere
NYSE:EWG February 22, 2015 8:23pm
24 Reasons Why Millennials Are Screaming Mad About Our Unfair Economy
Do you want to know why Millennials seem so angry? We promised them that if they worked hard, stayed out of trouble and got good grades that they would be able to achieve the "American Dream". We told them not to worry about accumulating
ETF BASIC NEWS November 17, 2014 4:24pm
Why The Student Loan Debt Crisis Is Out Of Control
The student loan debt bubble in America is spiraling out of control, and it is financially crippling an entire generation of young Americans. At this point, the grand total of student loan debt in the United States has reached a staggering 1.2 trillion dollars,
ETF BASIC NEWS October 9, 2014 4:20pm
America’s Insatiable Demand For More Expensive Cars, Larger Homes And Bigger Debts
One of the things that this era of American history will be known for is conspicuous consumption. Even though many of us won't admit it, the truth is that almost all of us want a nice vehicle and a large home. They say that "everything is bigger in Texas",
ETF BASIC NEWS June 3, 2014 12:48pm
Is The Economy Getting Weaker?
Why are young people in America so frustrated these days? You are about to find out. Most young adults started out having faith in the system. They worked hard, they got good grades
NYSE:FAZ October 3, 2013 11:57pm
Student Loan Delinquency Rate Hits New Record High
37 million Americans currently have outstanding student loans, and the delinquency rate on those student loans has now reached a level never seen before. According to a new report that was just released by the U.S. Department of Education
NYSE:XLF May 30, 2013 1:59pm
Why Money Is A Form Of Social Control And Most Americans Are Debt Slaves
Is America really "the land of the free"? Most people think of money as simply a medium of exchange that makes economic transactions more convenient, but the truth is that it is much more than that. Money is also a form of social control. Just think about it. What did you do this morning?
NYSE:FAS February 19, 2013 6:34pm
Will The Student Loan Debt Bubble Damage Our Financial System?
Every single year, millions of young adults head off to colleges and universities all over America full of hopes and dreams. But what most of those fresh-faced youngsters do not realize is that by taking on student loan debt they are signing up for a life of debt slavery.
NYSE:SPY September 10, 2012 5:45pm
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Is Your College on Feds’ List of Title IX Investigations? Here’s How to Find Out
January 25, 2016 Emily Richmond
For reporters covering colleges and universities, The Chronicle of Higher Education has put together a valuable new resource: an online tool for searching, and tracking, federal investigations into potential Title IX violations involving sexual assault allegations.
There are currently close to 250 in the Chronicle’s database, with just under 20 percent of them listed as “resolved.” The average duration for an investigation is one year, two months.
You can search by both an institution’s name and by keywords — such as a particular sport or Greek life organization. This tool can be a useful starting point for local reporters looking to keep tabs on cases within their own communities, as well as for those examining broader trends at the state or national level.
In some cases, individuals who have experienced campus sexual assault are creating their own support systems and resources – going public with their painful stories in an effort to force higher education officials to confront inadequacies in existing policies. The Know Your Title IX website, which provides support and guidance to students, is funded by a coalition of sexual assault survivors.
There’s been some first-rate reporting recently on Title IX violations and campus handling — and indeed, mishandling — of sexual assault cases. The Washington Post wrote earlier this month about the latest bizarre twist that may have contributed to a controversial Rolling Stone cover story about an alleged rape at the University of Virginia. (The magazine has since retracted the article and is being sued by the campus fraternity where the attack was alleged to have occurred.)
One of the newer angles has been to focus on students who have been accused of assault and then may have had their rights to due process violated during the campus investigation. A 2014 Slate article by Emily Yoffe about a sexual assault investigation at the University of Michigan is worth close reading, as is the followup about the subsequent the reversal of charges against the student accused of committing rape.
If you’re an education reporter working on a story about these issues, take a look at our Topics Page on sexual assault and Title IX. You’ll find key coverage, the latest reports, and even five questions to ask. You can also catch a video replay of our seminar session with experts on how to understand the complexities of these issues.
Sexual Assault & Title IX
Higher Ed 2016
September 16–17 • Tempe, Arizona
What new techniques and practices should higher education embrace to ensure that more students graduate? Join the Education Writers Association September 16–17 at Arizona State University to explore cutting-edge innovations that aim to address financial, academic, and social barriers. More on the seminar theme.
This annual seminar is one of the largest gatherings of journalists covering postsecondary education. Network with others covering this beat and step up your coverage for the upcoming academic year.
Tweet #ewaHigherEd
From Schools to the Olympics, Women and Title IX Score New Victories
July 3, 2012 Emily Richmond
Four school districts have agreed to ensure thousands of girls are given equal athletic opportunities after gender discrimination complaints were filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
Higher Ed Topic
Stories about campus crime and safety always attract interest, but these issues also are often difficult to summarize simply. That’s especially true with sexual assault, a subject that has been highly visible in recent headlines. Prominent universities like Yale, the University of North Carolina and Notre Dame have been the subject of investigations by the Department of Education; the alleged involvement of football players in sexual assaults has intensified the spotlight on incidents at Vanderbilt University, the U.S. Naval Academy, Florida State University and the University of Montana.
Understanding the Facts on Campus Sexual Assaults
September 29, 2014 Lori Crouch
California became the first state in the country to describe what is meant by “yes means yes” during sexual encounters when Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill into law on Monday.
And it also puts the onus on California higher education institutions to reshape their sexual assault policies and reporting practices, as The Associated Press reported.
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6 Revolutionary War Veterans Survived Long Enough To Be Photographed
These six soldiers were part of an 1863 project to speak to remaining Revolutionary War veterans.
By Blake Stilwell, We Are the Mighty
The Revolutionary War ended long before photography was a refined process, but the gap between the two historic events was still enough to allow some of America's true patriots—in the literal sense of the word—to sit for a photo. The Revolution was over by 1783, and the earliest surviving photo dates back to 1826, a 43-year difference. Since the average life span of a man at that time was around 40 years, it's safe to say these guys barely made it to the era of photography.
Except the photographer didn't get around to doing it until the middle of the Civil War in 1864—some 83 years after Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown.
1. Samuel Downing
Photo Credit: We Are the Mighty
Downing was 102 when Hillard interviewed him. He served under General Benedict Arnold at the Battle of Oriskany, saying Arnold was a fighting general, one who treated his soldiers well, and as brave a man as ever lived.
He lamented the fact that generals in the Civil War weren't as gentlemanly as they were in his time.
Related: The Culper Ring: Revolutionary Spies Who Helped Win the War
2. Rev. Daniel Waldo
Waldo was a Connecticut colonist drafted at age 16 in 1778 and captured by the English in 1779. Confined in a New York prison, he was later released in exchange for captured British soldiers.
Waldo went on to serve as the Chaplain of the House of Representatives. He was appointed to the role in 1856–at the age of 94. He also lived to be more than 100 years old.
3. Lemuel Cook
At 105, Cook was the oldest surviving veteran of the war. He joined the Continental Army in 1775, only convincing the recruiter because he volunteered to serve for the duration of the war. Cook was in the Army at Brandywine and at Yorktown, under the command of Washington, Lafayette, and Rochambeau. He remembered Washington ordered his men not to laugh at the British after the surrender, because surrender was bad enough.
Related: The Earliest-Born American to Be Photographed Is Also a Veteran
Want more revolutionary figures? Sign up for The Archive's newsletter, and discover the undiscovered.
4. Alexander Milliner
Milliner was a Quebec native who not only served as drummer boy at the Battles of White Plains, Brandywine, Monmouth, and Yorktown, he was also on the crew of the USS Constitution back when the ship was the latest technology in naval warfare. He remembered that General Washington once patted him on the head and referred to Milliner as "his boy".
Related: 10 Revealing Revolutionary War Books
5. William Hutchings
A native of Maine who enlisted at age 15, Hutchings served in coastal defense batteries along the Maine coast. He was taken prisoner at the Siege of Castine, the only action he saw in the entire war. The British released him because of his young age. He died in 1866, at the home he lived in for some 80 years.
6. Adam Link
Photo Credit: Find A Grave
Link was from Hagerstown, Maryland and enlisted in the Pennsylvania militia on three separate occasions. At 16, he was part of a unit whose job was to defend the Western Frontier—back when that frontier was still in Pennsylvania. The hard-drinking, hard-working farmer lived to the ripe old age of 104, dying shortly after his photo with Hillard.
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Featured photo of Daniel Waldo: Find A Grave
Revolutionary WarU.S. historyWe Are the MightyAmerican History
Published on 02 May 2019
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Home Entertainment Box Office Collection Parched (2016) 3rd/4th Day Domestic Box Office Collection
Parched (2016) 3rd/4th Day Domestic Box Office Collection
Parched 3rd/4th day worldwide box office collection: Radhika Apte, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Surveen Chawla starrer Indian drama film Parched is about to complete its fourth day at the box office today. The movie had already acquired immense recognition in the west as it was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015. Leena Yadav‘s way of direction established each and every character in their own rights. And now it was time for the Indian audiences to witness the portrayal of how women are still treated in the outskirts of our country, and how they can break free from the unnecessary rules imposed on them to proceed ahead in the quest for peace and the freedom which they deserve. Leena Yadav has successfully depicted the scenarios through her movie Parched. Nevertheless, Ravi Jadhav’s Banjo also hit the silver screens on Friday along with Parched and as per reports Banjo has surpassed the earnings of Parched during its three days of release at the domestic box office.
People these days are burdened with immense work pressure, responsibilities and turmoils. Therefore, many of them prefer a rejuvenating movie over a serious genre. And the storyline of Banjo differs from Parched in every way as Banjo is a musical action drama film, and Parched is all about how women are still treated like doormats and the naked truths which reside in few parts of our country. However, in this article, we will shed some light on the estimated box office collection of the movie Parched on its third and fourth day of release at the domestic box office.
With a budget of almost Rs. 10 Crores Leena Yadav’s Parched gave an average performance at the domestic box office during its three days of release. Many of them already had an idea about the storyline of Parched due to its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015. However, people who are inclined towards serious genres and love watching women oriented films did hit the theatres to watch Parched. Nevertheless Parched acquired almost an amount of Rs. 26 Lakhs at the domestic box office on its third day of release. And is expected to settle down to an amount of Rs. 14 Lakhs at the domestic box office on its fourth day of release. However, Radhika Apte, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Surveen Chawla kept up to the expectations of the viewers, as all of them delivered their magnificent acting prowess in Parched. And the story of an abused wife, a widow and a prostitute was depicted with an utmost perfection in the film.
We have seldom seen Indian audiences not paying much heed towards a lot of movies which are worth watching. They are still stuck with the mentality of watching stereotypical Bollywood films with the same old storyline. Movies like Maasan, Matrubhoomi, D-Day, Water, Madras Cafe and so on could not perform well at the box office but each one of them had an outstanding storyline. Parched has also proceeded to fall under that category as it could not fetch enough audiences despite a breathtaking storyline. It has also been witnessed that if a film doesn’t star a well known celebrity, the moviegoers do not prefer watching it even if it has got a great subject. Nowadays, the storyline of a movie doesn’t matter but what matters is how much the movie has collected at the box office which fetches the film ‘a super hit’ tag.
Nevertheless, we at Fab Newz have tried our level best to come up with an estimated earning acquired by Parched during its third and fourth day of release at the domestic box office. We will be updating this artcle as soon as there is an official confirmation by the filmmakers.
TagsLeena YadavParchedRadhika Apte
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Prince Albert Raiders stronger for having survived Oil Kings scare
Robert Tychkowski
Edmonton Oil Kings Brett Kemp (24) and Will Warm (4) tie up Prince Albert Raiders Eric Pearce (23) during second period WHL playoff action on Sunday, April 28, 2019, in Edmonton . Greg Southam / Postmedia
Nobody in Prince Albert thought the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship was going to be easy, but nobody thought it would be this hard, either.
When the Raiders left Edmonton Sunday evening, exhaling a big sigh of relief after a hard-fought six-game series that both teams knew could have easily gone the other way, they knew they’d been in a fight.
“It’s amazing for the organization, it’s something we worked for the entire year,” said Raiders captain Brayden Pachal after the series clinching 4-2 victory at Rogers Place. “(The Oil Kings) are a really good team to make it this far and they pushed us to a point that I think we needed to get to.
“We were down and we found a way to battle back.”
The Oil Kings pulled a split out of Prince Albert in the first two games of the series (nearly winning both) before taking a 2-1 series lead in Game 3. It was the first time the Raiders trailed in a series this year and it took all of their resolve to take back the momentum.
“At the start of the series you could say that (the Oil Kings) wanted it more than us,” said Pachal, adding they all knew that if they lost Game 4 in Edmonton they would have been cooked.
“So we had a meeting in the dressing room where we said ‘We worked for this all season, why give it up now.’ And in the last few games we really played our game.”
They ran the table after that meeting. Now that it’s over, they all agree that the adversity they’ve faced along the way, much of it in stark contrast to a 54-10-2-2 cakewalk of a season, will only make them stronger going forward.
“Absolutely,” said head coach Marc Habscheid. “It scars you up, toughens you up a little bit when you go through some adversity. Our guys faced that. We faced it against Saskatoon and we faced it again here.
“Edmonton is a really good team. I played with (Oil Kings coach) Brad Lauer in Las Vegas and he did a really good job, that’s a well-coached team.”
As for their slow start to the series, Habscheid feels it took Prince Albert a little while to get back up to speed after a gruelling six-game win over arch-rival Saskatoon in the second round.
“Saskatoon was our biggest rival and it was an emotional series,” said Habscheid. “It still had some lingering effects on us.
“In Game 1 (against Edmonton) we scored a goal midway through the second period in a full building and it was like golf applause. The momentum hadn’t built yet with the players and the fans. It took us a while to get going.
“I think we got going in Game 4, then Game 5 was really good and you saw Game 6. But it did take us a while to get into it, I’m not going to lie about that.”
The Raiders move on to the WHL final against Vancouver and possibly a berth in the Memorial Cup.
“We have two more trophies to go,” said Habscheid. “But we’re not thinking about that right now; we just want them to enjoy the victory for a day. We played a really good team, faced some adversity in the third period (three-straight penalties), but guys dug in and found a way.”
BACK-TO-BACK HATTIES
Aliaksei Protas is either Chris Kontos and Fernando Pisani all rolled into one or he’s figured out the North American game and the sky’s the limit.
After scoring back-to-back hat-tricks in Game 5 and 6 against Edmonton, he’s upped his total to 11 goals in the playoffs, after scoring just nine in 49 regular season games.
Hard to tell if the 2019 draft eligible centre is just one of those guys who gets red hot in the post season or this is the tip of an incredible iceberg.
“I think it’s a little bit of both,” said Habscheid. “He’s a smart guy, has a good shot, gets to spots really well. But I’ve been playing and coaching long enough to now that when you get on a roll, you’re on a roll. And he’s on a roll.
“If we could start the next series against Vancouver he might get another three. He’s feeling it and, hopefully, it continues.”
Protas isn’t quite sure he can believe this, either. Winning a championship is always exciting, but it feels that much better knowing his six goals in the last two games are a big part of why Prince Albert is moving on.
“I’m happier than last game,” he grinned. “It’s more unforgettable for me because two hat tricks in a row has never happened in my life. I’m so happy.
“Sergei (teammate Sapego) said to shoot more, so I tried to and it’s working.”
Twitter.com/rob_tychkowski
rtychkowski@postmedia.com
Watch: Oil Kings prepare to host Prince Albert
FC Edmonton and Valour FC play through weather delays
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Home Teaching & Learning Break the Silence: Auckland school counsellor Tom Brown says shying away from...
Break the Silence: Auckland school counsellor Tom Brown says shying away from youth suicide drives it into ‘dark corners of the mind’
It's time New Zealand starts talking about youth suicide
By: Olivia Carville
Aorere College director of student services Tom Brown wonders whether New Zealand is now ready to talk about youth suicide. Photo / Mike Scott
Warning: This article is about youth suicide and may be distressing for some readers.
New Zealand has the second worst youth suicide (25 and under) rate in the developed world and the worst teen (15-19) rate. The annual number of deaths has remained largely unchanged for 20 years. The New Zealand Herald’s Break the Silence series aims to start a national conversation about this issue.
“I emigrated here from the UK in 2006 where I was a very successful and well-paid teacher but I hated what the education system over there was doing to kids. I took a huge pay cut, uprooted my family, left wider family and friends behind and came to New Zealand.
“I came here to give my own kids a better life, to let them enjoy a life away from the pressures and strains of an over-regulated and over-examined education system. Don’t get me wrong, New Zealand’s education system is far from perfect but – at the moment – it is still less regulated, less examined and still tries to place the individual student at the heart of the education process.
“It was no surprise to me to read recently that UK students are among the unhappiest in the world. What was also not surprising to me was that the statistics for suicide among young people show New Zealand has a rate almost double that of the UK.
“I was frankly amazed at the reaction I got the first time I mentioned that a student of mine had asked if she could research suicide for a discussion piece. I was told it was not a ‘suitable’ topic for students. Admittedly this was 10 years ago but have attitudes changed at all?
“Teen suicide is one of New Zealand’s biggest problems and until very recently was a subject no one wanted to acknowledge. No one talked about it. The culture of the country seemed to me to be that the subject was taboo/tapu. It was not to be raised in the classroom, in the church, in the home. Students were to be discouraged from discussing it.
“Those students that were brave enough to raise it as a subject to be researched as being one of the most relevant problems New Zealand teenagers face were quietly dissuaded
and pointed towards ‘safer’ issues. School counsellors warned that it is an area demanding expertise in its handling. The attitude was that to talk about it might put the idea into someone’s head.
“I come from a different culture. In the UK the subject is open. It is talked about, discussed, debated. Teachers are not afraid to have the topic raised in their classrooms and because it has been discussed and debated openly for so long it has lost its dangerous mystique.
“It is recognised as being a problem that we simply have to be open about. Sure, the issue is sensitive but it is recognised. It exists.
“Teachers learn early in their careers that the more sensitive an issue the more it is likely to be opened up by the kids themselves and they had better be prepared to deal with it.
“To the UK way of thinking, every time there is a teen suicide the first people that know about it are the kids. It hits social media way before it gets into the press and the biggest users of social media are teenagers. They can tell you who, where, when and how. They can’t tell you why because there are usually so many reasons, but they talk about it.
“It’s out there whether we like it or not so we’d better be prepared to deal with it. Shying away from it simply drives it into the dark corners of the mind – the last place it should be.
“How many times have you read in this paper about a teen suicide? How many times have you discussed the subject of that article with members of your family, your congregation, your class? You may ask, ‘Why would I?’ I would ask, ‘Why wouldn’t you?’
“Have you ever commented on what Donald Trump has done/not done/is threatening to do? Isn’t teen suicide more directly concerning to our young people?
“I recognise that New Zealand is a multicultural society and that not all cultures deal with issues of self-harm and suicide in the same way. Each culture has to be approached differently but I do not believe that any culture would wish to continue to watch its young people die.
“The UK is multicultural as well. It faces similar problems in raising the issue among people with different cultural expectations, religious expectations and social expectations yet it has managed to find a way to cope. In fact it’s almost twice as effective as New Zealand.
“During the past few months I have seen more articles discussing suicide and teen suicide in particular than I have in the entire preceding 10 years. Is this a sign that attitudes are changing?
“Are New Zealanders now ready to have these conversations?
“They might be difficult conversations to have but they are a whole lot less difficult than the conversations held at the graveside of a child’s preventable death.”
• Support the Mental Health Foundation by texting ‘Break the Silence’ to 2446 to make an automatic $3 donation.
WHERE TO GET HELP:
If you are worried about your or someone else’s mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call 111.
If you need to talk to someone, the following free helplines operate 24/7:
DEPRESSION HELPLINE: 0800 111 757
LIFELINE: 0800 543 354
NEED TO TALK? Call or text 1737
SAMARITANS: 0800 726 666
YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633 or text 234
There are lots of places to get support. For others, click here.
youth suicide
Previous articleUnions dismayed at new charter schools
Next articleNew Ngati Whakaue-run charter school a ‘vision realised’
Young people’s health and wellbeing high on Budget agenda
Aroha’s Way – giving children the tools to understand their mental health
Opinion: Dr Tracy Chandler – Why more and more younger people have an inability to cope with life
Unicef report reveals New Zealand’s poor scores for child wellbeing
Unicef has released a report today showing New Zealand is near the bottom when it comes to child wellbeing. A core reason for this is our adolescent suicide rates, the highest in the world.
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Super Wood Could Replace Steel
COLLEGE PARK -- Engineers at the University of Maryland in College Park have found a way to make wood more than ten times times stronger and tougher than before, creating a natural substance that is stronger than titanium alloy.
“This new way to treat wood makes it twelve times stronger than natural wood and ten times tougher,” said Liangbing Hu, the leader of the team that did the research, to be published on Thursday in the journal Nature. “This could be a competitor to steel or even titanium alloys, it is so strong and durable. It’s also comparable to carbon fiber, but much less expensive.” Hu is an associate professor of materials science and engineering and a member of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute.
“It is both strong and tough, which is a combination not usually found in nature,” said Teng Li, the co-leader of the team and the Samuel P. Langley associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland. His team measured the dense wood’s mechanical properties. “It is as strong as steel, but six times lighter. It takes 10 times more energy to fracture than natural wood. It can even be bent and molded at the beginning of the process.”
The team’s process begins by removing the wood’s lignin, the part of the wood that makes it both rigid and brown in color. Then it is compressed under mild heat, at about 150 F. This causes the cellulose fibers to become very tightly packed. Any defects like holes or knots are crushed together. The treatment process was extended a little further with a coat of paint.
The scientists found that the wood’s fibers are pressed together so tightly that they can form strong hydrogen bonds, like a crowd of people who can’t budge – who are also holding hands. The compression makes the wood five times thinner than its original size.
The team also tested the material by shooting a bullet-like projectile at it. Unlike natural wood, which was blown straight through, the fully treated wood actually stopped the projectile partway through.
“Soft woods like pine or balsa, which grow fast and are more environmentally friendly, could replace slower-growing but denser woods like teak, in furniture or buildings,” Hu said.
“The paper provides a highly promising route to the design of light weight high performance structural materials, with tremendous potential for a broad range of applications where high strength, large toughness and superior ballistic resistance are desired, “ said Dr. Huajian Gao, a professor at Brown University, who was not involved in the study. “It is particularly exciting to note that the method is versatile for various species of wood and fairly easy to implement.”
“This kind of wood could be used in cars, airplanes, buildings – any application where steel is used,” Hu said.
“The two-step process reported in this paper achieves exceptionally high strength, much beyond what [is] reported in the literature,” said Dr. Zhigang Suo, a professor of mechanics and materials at Harvard University, also not involved with the study. “Given the abundance of wood, as well as other cellulose-rich plants, this paper inspires imagination.”
“The most outstanding observation, in my view, is the existence of a limiting concentration of lignin, the glue between wood cells, to maximize the mechanical performance of the densified wood. Too little or too much removal lower the strength compared to a maximum value achieved at intermediate or partial lignin removal. This reveals the subtle balance between hydrogen bonding and the adhesion imparted by such polyphenolic compound. Moreover, of outstanding interest, is the fact that that wood densification leads to both, increased strength and toughness, two properties that usually offset each other,” said Orlando J. Rojas, a professor at Aalto University in Finland.
Hu’s research has explored the capacities of wood’s natural nanotechnology. They previously made a range of emerging technologies out of nanocellulose related materials: (1) super clear paper for replacing plastic; (2) photonic paper for improving solar cell efficiency by 30%; (3) a battery and a supercapacitor out of wood; (4) a battery from a leaf; (5) transparent wood for energy efficient buildings; (6) solar water desalination for drinking and specifically filtering out toxic dyes. These wood-based emerging technologies are being commercialized through a UMD spinoff company, Inventwood LLC.
Photos of the wood's microstructures were produced in the Advanced Imaging and Microscopy (AIM) Lab, part of the Maryland NanoCenter, which is headquartered in College Park.
Processing bulk natural wood into a high-performance structural material
J Song, et al.
Nature, 2018
DOI: 10.1038/nature25476
Cooling Wood: An Eco-Friendly Building Material
UMD Researchers Work to Mitigate Water Scarcity Crisis with...
Stories / April 20, 2017
Wood filter removes toxic dye from water
A peek under a hybrid’s hood reveals wood?
Stories / August 30, 2016
Transparent Wood: Clark School Research in the News
Wood Windows are Cooler than Glass
Clark School’s Amazing Transparent Wood Featured in New York...
A View Through Wood Shows Futuristic Applications
A Battery Made of Wood?
Stories / Jul 17, 2019
Stories / Jul 8, 2019
Stories / Jun 30, 2019
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HomePosts tagged 'Wetwang'
Silly Named Game Two.
August 24, 2013 August 17, 2013 fasab Bloopers, comedy, Humour, Language, Silly Names accident, amusing, beans, beef jerky, Bird-In-Hand, boring, choosing names, Comedy, cowboy, Crapstone, Crotch Crescent, Embarrass, Entertainment, fart, fools, Fucking, funny, hell, Hooker, Humor, Humour, idiots, Intercourse, Misc, Miscellaneous, morons, Name, names, Nevada, Pahrump, place names, Random, silly names, stupid, stupid names, stupid people, stupidity, Titty-Ho, town names, Wetwang
Last week’s post was a selection of towns that had been given names that, to put it mildly, left a lot to be desired.
Today is part two of what I have called the Silly Named Game with another selection of towns that you wouldn’t really want to have as your address if you didn’t have to.
I should say that the whole idea came to me when I was remembering the time I spent doing some business in Nevada. While there we came across a town called Pahrump (you can read more about it here if you are interested http://www.pahrumpnv.org/ ) and both my colleague and myself thought the name quite unusual.
He said to me, “I wonder why they called the town that?”
I must have been in good form that day because I was able to tell him straight off, “Oh, I know the answer to that.”
“Go on then,” he said. “Tell me.”
“Well,” I began. “This is cowboy country and one day, way back when, a couple of good ole boys were riding, one slightly behind the other, through the desert and came across this piece of land.”
“This here would make a good place to settle,” the first cowboy said.
“Sure would,” agreed the other.
“What do you reckon we should call it?” the cowboy in front asked – and as he did so the guy behind him raised a hip a let go with a rather loud fart.
“Pahrump?” the first cowboy questioned, thinking that was what he had heard the other one say. “Well, I guess it’s as good a name as any.”
“And that’s how the town became known as Pahrump,” I told my colleague.
I’d be the first to admit that it’s not the official explanation of how the town was named, but it’s a better version as far as I’m concerned and a warning to one and all never to name a town when all you have had to eat for a week is beef jerky and beans.
But enough of that.
Here is today’s selection of the Silly Named Game.
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TRAITOR McCain
DISHONORED the Crew of the USS Liberty
"I am now an admiral again and I want you to listen to me very closely. If you ever repeat what you have just told me to anyone, I don’t care if its your mother, another shipmate, anyone, I will make sure you end up in prison…"
"Admiral Kidd later told me that Admiral McCain was adamant that we were not to travel to Israel"
Used deceptive terms like “attacking nation” to describe Israel.
Told every soldier and NSA agent aboard the ship they would be court-martialed if they ever testified before any commission.
DISHONORED the surviving crew members of the USS Liberty by THREATENING them.
DISENGENUOUS: "Ward Boston’s sad confession that he dishonored his oath taken in 1967 and remained silent about it for 36 years, have become part of the literature through the actions of persons and organizations with their own political agenda"
Declaration of
Ward Boston, Jr.,Captain, JAGC, USN (Ret.)
Counsel to the U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry’s investigation into the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty
I, Ward Boston, Jr. do declare that the following statement is true and complete:
For more than 30 years, I have remained silent on the topic of USS Liberty. I am a military man and when orders come in from the Secretary of Defense and President of the United States, I follow them.
However, recent attempts to rewrite history compel me to share the truth.
In June of 1967, while serving as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General Corps, Department of the Navy, I was assigned as senior legal counsel for the Navy’s Court of Inquiry into the brutal attack on USS Liberty, which had occurred on June 8th.
The late Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, president of the Court, and I were given only one week to gather evidence for the Navy’s official investigation into the attack, despite the fact that we both had estimated that a proper Court of Inquiry into an attack of this magnitude would take at least six months to conduct.
Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., then Commander-in-chief, Naval Forces Europe (CINCUSNAVEUR), at his headquarters in London, had charged Admiral Kidd (in a letter dated June 10, 1967) to “inquire into all the pertinent facts and circumstances leading to and connected with the armed attack; damage resulting therefrom; and deaths of and injuries to Naval personnel.”
Despite the short amount of time we were given, we gathered a vast amount of evidence, including hours of heartbreaking testimony from the young survivors.
The evidence was clear. Both Admiral Kidd and I believed with certainty that this attack, which killed 34 American sailors and injured 172 others, was a deliberate effort to sink an American ship and murder its entire crew. Each evening, after hearing testimony all day, we often spoke our private thoughts concerning what we had seen and heard. I recall Admiral Kidd repeatedly referring to the Israeli forces responsible for the attack as “murderous bastards.” It was our shared belief, based on the documentary evidence and testimony we received first hand, that the Israeli attack was planned and deliberate, and could not possibly have been an accident.
I am certain that the Israeli pilots that undertook the attack, as well as their superiors, who had ordered the attack, were well aware that the ship was American.
I saw the flag, which had visibly identified the ship as American, riddled with bullet holes, and heard testimony that made it clear that the Israelis intended there be no survivors. 10. Not only did the Israelis attack the ship with napalm, gunfire, and missiles, Israeli torpedo boats machine-gunned three lifeboats that had been launched in an attempt by the crew to save the most seriously wounded — a war crime.
Admiral Kidd and I both felt it necessary to travel to Israel to interview the Israelis who took part in the attack. Admiral Kidd telephoned Admiral McCain to discuss making arrangements. Admiral Kidd later told me that Admiral McCain was adamant that we were not to travel to Israel or contact the Israelis concerning this matter.
Regrettably, we did not receive into evidence and the Court did not consider any of the more than sixty witness declarations from men who had been hospitalized and were unable to testify in person.
I am outraged at the efforts of the apologists for Israel in this country to claim that this attack was a case of “mistaken identity.”
In particular, the recent publication of Jay Cristol’s book, The Liberty Incident, twists the facts and misrepresents the views of those of us who investigated the attack.
It is Cristol’s insidious attempt to whitewash the facts that has pushed me to speak out.
I know from personal conversations I had with Admiral Kidd that President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered him to conclude that the attack was a case of “mistaken identity” despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Admiral Kidd told me, after returning from Washington, D.C. that he had been ordered to sit down with two civilians from either the White House or the Defense Department, and rewrite portions of the court’s findings.
Admiral Kidd also told me that he had been ordered to “put the lid” on everything having to do with the attack on USS Liberty. We were never to speak of it and we were to caution everyone else involved that they could never speak of it again.
I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of that statement as I know that the Court of Inquiry transcript that has been released to the public is not the same one that I certified and sent off to Washington.
I know this because it was necessary, due to the exigencies of time, to hand correct and initial a substantial number of pages. I have examined the released version of the transcript and I did not see any pages that bore my hand corrections and initials. Also, the original did not have any deliberately blank pages, as the released version does. Finally, the testimony of Lt. Painter concerning the deliberate machine gunning of the life rafts by the Israeli torpedo boat crews, which I distinctly recall being given at the Court of Inquiry and included in the original transcript, is now missing and has been excised.
Following the conclusion of the Court of Inquiry, Admiral Kidd and I remained in contact. Though we never spoke of the attack in public, we did discuss it between ourselves, on occasion. Every time we discussed the attack, Admiral Kidd was adamant that it was a deliberate, planned attack on an American ship.
In 1990, I received a telephone call from Jay Cristol, who wanted to interview me concerning the functioning of the Court of Inquiry. I told him that I would not speak to him on that subject and prepared to hang up the telephone. Cristol then began asking me about my personal background and other, non-Court of Inquiry related matters. I endeavored to answer these questions and politely extricate myself from the conversation. Cristol continued to return to the subject of the Court of Inquiry, which I refused to discuss with him. Finally, I suggested that he contact Admiral Kidd and ask him about the Court of Inquiry.
Shortly after my conversation with Cristol, I received a telephone call from Admiral Kidd, inquiring about Cristol and what he was up to. The Admiral spoke of Cristol in disparaging terms and even opined that “Cristol must be an Israeli agent.” I don’t know if he meant that literally or it was his way of expressing his disgust for Cristol’s highly partisan, pro-Israeli approach to questions involving USS Liberty.
At no time did I ever hear Admiral Kidd speak of Cristol other than in highly disparaging terms. I find Cristol’s claims of a “close friendship” with Admiral Kidd to be utterly incredible. I also find it impossible to believe the statements he attributes to Admiral Kidd, concerning the attack on USS Liberty.
Several years later, I received a letter from Cristol that contained what he purported to be his notes of our prior conversation. These “notes” were grossly incorrect and bore no resemblance in reality to that discussion. I find it hard to believe that these “notes” were the product of a mistake, rather than an attempt to deceive. I informed Cristol that I disagreed with his recollection of our conversation and that he was wrong. Cristol made several attempts to arrange for the two of us to meet in person and talk but I always found ways to avoid doing this. I did not wish to meet with Cristol as we had nothing in common and I did not trust him.
Contrary to the misinformation presented by Cristol and others, it is important for the American people to know that it is clear that Israel is responsible for deliberately attacking an American ship and murdering American sailors, whose bereaved shipmates have lived with this egregious conclusion for many years.
Dated: January 9, 2004
at Coronado, California.
Ward Boston, Jr., Captain, JAGC, USN (Ret.)
Senior Counsel to the USS Liberty Court of Inquiry
McCain declined my offer to raise his voice on behalf of the Liberty. He said that he wasn’t going to do anything about it because the “matter was thoroughly reviewed.” Really! In his letter to me, dated, April 28, 1997, he relied on the results of the now totally discredited Naval Court of Inquiry, which was conducted by Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd, USN. It began on June 10, 1967, and lasted less than a week. A scathing and devastating rebuttal of that seriously flawed Naval Inquiry can be found in the “Declaration,” dated Jan. 8, 2004, of Capt. Ward Boston, Jr., JAGC, USN (Ret). . . .
So, McCain, the “Conscience of the Senate” wasn’t going to do anything about bringing justice to the Liberty! He did, however, say something else in his letter that made me feel suspicious about his do-nothing position. He said, “The attacking nation” did not submit any evidence or testimony on their behalf about the assault at the inquiry. “Attacking nation!” What is that suppose to mean? Why couldn’t McCain just come right out, he is the “Conscience of the Senate” after all, and simply say: The Israelis? Why use a deceptive term, like: “attacking nation?” Talk about Orwellian Double Speak! I can’t imagine McCain writing about the attack on U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor, on Dec. 7, 1941, and instead of stating up front that Japan was responsible, refer to that sneaky, militant aggressor as the “attacking nation.”
By A. Jay Cristol
Judge Cristol is the author of the Liberty Incident: The 1967 Israeli Attack on the U. S. Navy Spy Ship.
On June 8, 2007, the San Diego Union Tribune published an article titled "Time for the Truth About the Liberty," with a byline, Ward Boston, Jr.
Ward Boston, Jr.served his country as a naval aviator during World War II. He completed law school and then, after a stint with the FBI, he returned to the Navy as a legal specialist in the days prior to creation of the Judge Advocate Generals Corp. By 1967, he had been promoted to the rank of Captain and established a fine reputation as a legal officer. When the Liberty incident occurred, he was selected by then Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, Jr. as counsel to the U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry, convened by order of Admiral John McCain (the father of Senator John McCain) Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe.
When Boston reentered the Navy, he took an oath to faithfully perform his duties as a United States Naval Officer and upon the opening of the Court of Inquiry, on the record at page 106, he took another oath to faithfully perform his duties as counsel to the Court. Also sworn to faithfully perform their duties on the Court were Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, Jr. As President, Captain Bernard J. Lauff, a highly respected veteran of Wake Island, and Captain Bert M. Atkinson, Jr., a Naval Academy Graduate, as members, Lieutenant Commander Allen Feingersch, as associate counsel and YNC Joeray Spencer, as court reporter.
The Court convened at forty-six minutes before midnight on June 10, 1967, in London, moved to the USS Liberty to take sworn testimony of the crew, and then back to London where it closed for deliberations at 16:45 London time on June 16 and filed its report on or about June 18, 1967 with Admiral McCain, who endorsed it. "The foregoing comments by the convening authority lead to an overall conclusion that the attack was in fact a mistake." It was sent immediately to Washington to the Chief of Naval Operation Admiral David McDonald, being carried personally by Admiral Kidd in a brief case chained to this wrist.
The Boston article goes on to recite some hearsay, "I know from personal conversations with the late Adm. Isaac C. Kidd - President of the Court of Inquiry - that President Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered him to conclude that the attack was a case of mistaken identity." The article fails to explain how or when President Johnson or Secretary McNamara transmitted the orders.
Prior to the publication of the June 8, 2007 article, Ward Boston signed an affidavit which was released on October 22, 2003, making similar allegations and later supplemented the affidavit by declaration making additional allegations. So, Boston, who signed the Court of Inquiry findings under an oath in 1967, now says under oath in 2003 that he participated in a lie in 1967. If he is telling the truth now, he confirms lying in 1967, or if he was truthful in 1967, then obviously he is lying now. So how does one decide when Ward Boston was lying? Then or now?
Perhaps an analysis of the June 8, 2007 San Diego Times Unions article, Boston’s affidavit, and the supplemental declaration will help determine when, not if, but when, Ward Boston lied.
First, a look at the article raises a question of whether it was written by Ward Boston or written by someone else for him. The first paragraph talks of the "bombing" of the ship. Boston was aware and the record is clear, the ship was not bombed. It was attacked with 30MM cannons by the aircraft and then by 20MM cannon, 50 caliber machine guns and torpedoes by the torpedo boats. The second paragraph says 34 American sailors died. In fact, 33 sailors and one NSA civilian died. It says 172 were wounded. The official records show 171 were wounded. Next. the article says the cover-up has haunted us for 40 years. If the Johnson administration had engaged in a "cover-up," why did the next seven administrations, five Republican and two Democrat, continue the "cover-up"?
The next paragraph is a repetition of the demand of various conspiracy theorists requesting a congressional hearing and suggesting the survivors be allowed to testify. One hundred and fifty four pages of sworn testimony of the Liberty’s Captain, William McGonagle, the ship’s officers and key crew members was taken on June 13 and June 14, 1967 and is available for review by any member of the public. Not one shred of additional evidence has been produced or disclosed by the conspiracy theory supporters since 1967. What is being requested is a platform to make allegations and charges before TV cameras without any prior showing that there is new or credible evidence to support he allegations. In our system of justice, first there must be the presentation of some credible evidence of probable cause to support the charges. To date, neither Boston nor anyone else has produced such evidence.
The article confirms that "we," Boston and Admiral Kidd, boarded the Liberty and interviewed the survivors and states that "the evidence was clear" but does not state what that evidence was. What evidence was clear? This is the point where Boston makes a leap of faith. He says "we both believed with certainty that the attack was deliberate."
Boston, the lawyer, if he wrote those words, knows better. He could say "I believed" but when he attributes that belief to Admiral Kidd, he violated the hearsay rule and the Dead Man Statute which forbids quotation of a dead man because the dead man can neither confirm nor deny the statement. The article says "I heard testimony that made it clear the Israelis intended there be no survivor." What testimony did Boston hear? A careful reading of the 154 pages of sworn testimony does not even suggest it. Who testified about what? Since no Israelis participated in the Court of Inquiry, who was able to testify about he intent of the Israelis and where is that testimony?
And an even better question, if the Israelis intended to sink the Liberty, then why didn't the Israeli Armed Forces, which had destroyed the entire Egyptian Air Force in minutes, had destroyed thousands of Egyptian tanks and artillery in a few days, had captured the Sinai, the Suez Canal, the Old City of Jerusalem, the West Bank and a day later destroyed the Syrian army and its armor and captured the Golan Heights, all in six days, why didn’t they sink the ship, if that is what they intended?
The myth Boston repeats about Israel committing a war crime by machine gunning three life rafts was initiated by Lloyd Painter about ten years after the event. The sworn testimony of Lloyd Painter taken June 13, 1967 does not mention machine gunning the three life rafts, nor does the testimony of the Captain or any of the crew, who were there on the bridge and on the deck with Lloyd Painter at the time on June 8, 1967.
Boston states "I am outraged at the efforts of Israel’s apologists to claim this attack was a case of ‘mistaken identity.’" This outrage, coming in 2003 - 36 to 40 years after Boston signed the Court of Inquiry findings under oath raises a number of questions.
Why was Boston not outraged on June 18, 1967 by the report of the Court of Inquiry signed by, according to his definition apparent apologists for Israel, Admiral Kidd, Captain Atkinson, Captain Lauff and Captain Boston?
Why was Boston not outraged on June 18, 1967 when apologist for Israel, Admiral John C. McCain, in Boston’s presence, endorsed the Court of Inquiry with the comment: "15. The foregoing comments by the convening authority lead to an overall conclusion that the attack was in fact a mistake"?
Why was Boston not outraged in July 1967 when apologist for Israel, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee stated, "In the case of the attack on the Liberty, it was the conclusion of the investigatory body headed by an Admiral of the Navy [Isaac C. Kidd, Jr.] in whom we have great confidence that the attack was not intentional. I read the record of investigation and I support that conclusion, and I think . . . it was not a conscious decision on the part of either the government of Israel . . . [t]o attack a U.S. vessel." (Released by U.S. Government printing office: 1967.)
Why was Boston not outraged on September 15, 1967, when distinguished journalist and, by Boston’s definition "apologist for Israel," James L. Kilpatrick wrote in an article published in the National Review, on page 958, ". . . that the Israeli government was heavily dependent upon the goodwill of the united States; it would have been utterly irrational for the Israeli Navy knowingly to have launched an attack on the U.S. ship; and that the only reasonable explanation is that the incident was mistake arising from the natural tensions and fallible judgments of a hot war."
Why was Boston not outraged on February 27, 1978 when "apologist for Israel," the CIA Director Admiral Stansfield Turner, stated in a letter to Senator Abourezk, "It remains our best judgment that the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty was not made in malice toward the United States and was a mistake."
Why was Boston not outraged on September 19, 1978 when the Director of Central Intelligence, Admiral Stansfield Turner, stated publicly on ABC television in a discussion about the Liberty incident: ". . .we released an evaluated over-all document which said very clearly that it was our considered opinion that the Israeli Government had no such knowledge at that time."
Why was Boston not outraged on July 11, 1983 when "apologist for Israel," the National Security Agency released in its partially declassified 1981 report "Liberty was mistaken for an Egyptian ship as a result of miscalculations and egregious errors"?
Why was Boston not outraged on September 5, 1991 when "apologist for Israel," President George H.W. Bush’s (41) White House, wrote ". . . A thorough investigation into the USS Liberty incident was conducted and the conclusion was that it was a tragic case of mistaken identity."
Why was Boston not outraged on May 10, 1995 when "apologist for Israel," President William Clinton’s White House, wrote, "There is no information available that demonstrates that the attack was deliberate."
Why was Boston not outraged on August 30, 1995 when Clark Clifford’s July 18, 1967 report was declassified revealing the conclusion, "The weight of the evidence is that the Israeli attacking forces originally believed their target was Egyptian . . .2. The information thus far available does not reflect that the Israeli high command made a premeditated attack on a ship known to be American."
Why was Boston not outraged on October 2, 2002, when President George W. Bush’s White House, wrote "The results of the investigations . . . were considered satisfactory . . .there is no precedent to reinvestigate this case."
Why was Boston not outraged on July 2, 2003 when the "apologist for Israel" National Security Agency further declassified a portion of page 64 of its 1981 Report, which stated, "While these reports revealed some confusion concerning the nationality of the ship, they tended to rule out any thesis that the Israeli Navy and Air Force deliberately attacked a ship they knew to be American."
Boston says "Let former intelligence officers testify that they received real-time Hebrew translations of Israeli commanders instructing their pilots to sink the American ship. This myth is perhaps the easiest of all to debunk. Although the conspiracy theorists have claimed for years that there exist NSA audio intercepts between Israeli pilots and their controllers which prove the attack was deliberate, no such tapes have ever been produced. What has been produced on July 2, 2004, as a result of this author’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, are audio tapes and translations of communications between Israeli pilots and their controllers which clearly establish that the Israelis believed the target ship was hostile, most likely Egyptian, until 3:12 PM, approximately 44 minutes after the attack was concluded. The National Security Agency confirms that there are no other tapes.
Dr. Marvin Nowicki, the U.S. Navy/NSA person who recorded and initially translated the intercepts has stated clearly that they show the attack to be a mistake. See letter of the Dr. Nowicki to Editor of the Wall Street Journal published May 16, 2001 at page A23.
Richard Hickman, the NSA Hebrew linguist at headquarters, who made the final translations of the intercepts and briefed NSA Director Marshal Carter on the tapes, also confirmed that the tapes make it clear the attack was a mistake.
The reader may hear the tape recordings in Hebrew and read the official transcripts of English translation on the National Security Agency’s NSA website, www.nsa.gov.
So who told Ward Boston about the former intelligence officers receiving "real-time Hebrew translations"? Could it have been Ron Gotcher who helped Boston with his initial affidavit and declaration and very likely wrote or assisted in the preparation of the June 8, 2007 article, bylined Ward Boston, Jr., published in the San Diego Union Tribune. Ron Gotcher has long made claims of the existence of the alleged incriminating tapes on his website. Gotcher also claimed to have worked for the National Security Agency; however, reference the "Documents" page of www.libertyincident.com and go to "Gotcher Debunked." There the viewer will see the actual letter from the National Security Agency, in response to a FOIA request, confirming that Gotcher never worked for NSA.
What or who is behind these continuing false charges that have induced Boston, a naval officer with a distinguished career, to dishonor himself by admitting to have violated his oath, either in 1967 or more recently. Ron Gotcher is only a bit player in a much broader propaganda effort.
The propaganda emanates from a small but well-funded and very vocal group of people and organizations principally supported by Saudi Arabian money. The groups include the American Educational Trust (AET) operated in Washington, DC by former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Andrew I. Kilgore, and a circle of others whose agenda is to attack the present excellent symbiotic relationship between the United States and Israel. It includes: the Americans for Mideast Understanding (AMEU) which was reportedly founded with money from Arabian American Oil Company, ARAMCO, and has former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, James Akins, who was dismissed by the U.S. State Department in 1975 "for being too compliant to Saudi demands" and former congressman Paul Findley serving on its National Council; and the Liberty Alliance operated by Tito De Nagy Howard, who is described as "a man at war with the Israelis" by Anthony Pearson. Howard met Pearson in Dubai and upon learning that Pearson was considered by the PLO to be pro-Palestinian, gave him "an idea to resurrect the Liberty incident as a whole new story."
It all started with former Illinois congressman Paul Findley (who was defeated for re-election after he announced his support for the terrorist organization, the PLO) and former California congressman Paul "Pete" McCloskey, who speaks regularly at meetings of Holocaust denial organizations in California and Washington and was defeated for re-election. Findley and McCloskey were the moving force in founding the Liberty Veterans Association. Findley served as its advisor and McCloskey incorporated the association and served as its attorney. They continue to manipulate and distress Liberty survivors and their families by prodding this old wound and preventing its healing – all for their own political agenda. And what is that agenda? Findley and McCloskey are also the founders of the Council for the National Interest (CNI), whose publicly announced purpose is to be the anti-Israel lobby.
Distorted explanations of events obfuscate the picture and destroy the ability to learn real lessons for the future. Multiple official investigation reports and endorsements have all concluded the incident was the result of a tragic mistake or that there is no evidence that the attack was deliberate. Nevertheless, dozens of conspiracy stories, in addition to Ward Boston’s sad confession that he dishonored his oath taken in 1967 and remained silent about it for 36 years, have become part of the literature through the actions of persons and organizations with their own political agenda. The conspiracy stories continue to multiply and become more extreme. They detract from the possibility to learn from the tragedy. They also inflict pain and suffering upon the victims and their families creating an additional tragedy by provoking, goading and torturing the victims with inaccurate, false and even absurd theories about that sad day, not with the goal of bringing closure and peace but for political objectives.
As for the victims, they should be left to believe whatever brings them peace. As for historians seeking the truth, it is respectfully suggested that a review of all evidence, now declassified and available, will confirm the official conclusion that the Liberty incident was a tragic case of mistaken identity as a result of numerous mistakes by both the United States and Israel, and will explain the conflicting recollection of Ward Boston, who boasts he is now in his eighties. Perhaps the quotation from a recent speech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer explains. Breyer said "I am now at the age where I remember quite clearly and with great detail, many things that never actually happened."
After forty years, it is time to close the book. Let those who lost their lives rest in peace and be honored in treasured memory. Let the survivors be honored and respected and let them and their families have peace and closure.
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Kęstutis Girnius. Is the freedom of the press under threat?
Kęstutis Girnius
© DELFI / Karolina Pansevič
The answer to this question is clear. There are no serious threats. The journalists are exaggerating. The government is not seeking to rein in the media, it backs away when it faces criticism over supposed attempts on the freedom of the press. If it had intentions to rein in the media, it would take a firm stand and would intensify its assault.
There is no doubt there is little love and trust for the media in the government. Meanwhile, many journalists are negatively inclined regarding the current government from day on and are convinced that "the wrong side" won the elections.
Thus, there will be confrontations, disagreements, accusations, tensions, a few protests perhaps, where journalists will voice their concerns. Such protests may be useful, they highlight dubious government actions to the public.
To clarify. Not all journalists view the situation the same, some, such as those of the BNS agency, refused to participate in the protest.
D. Radzevičius on freedom of press: if the government viewed criticism as advice, everyone would be better off
EBU warns Lithuania against linking LRT supervisors' mandates to appointing bodies' terms
There is no ban on complaining about the government. The new Centre of Registers head S. Urbanavičius ended a longstanding practice in September to grant data based on journalist enquiries for free.
When journalists requested the government to present a recording of the meeting where the question of Centre of Registers information provision to the media was discussed, Prime Minister S. Skvernelis declared that the meetings are usually held behind closed doors and thus sees no reason to hand over the recording. Soon it turned out the recording was destroyed.
The Seimas commission's proposals to change the LRT Council formation regulations and management model for the national broadcaster were met with criticism.
The changes supposedly open the door to LRT politicization. A similar reaction was evoked by legislative amendments, which expand the authority of the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (LRTK).
The amendments would allow the LRTK to apply sanctions to online broadcasters of unlicensed radio and television programmes. There were concerns that this could threaten the internet television Laisvės TV.
Not all of these complaints have a serious basis and the most important of them has essentially been resolved. Last Wednesday the government made a ruling, which will allow journalists to access Centre of Registers data free of charge. The data access expenses will be compensated by the budget up to the point where amendments will come into power, which regulate journalists' access to free of charge registry data for the purpose of informing the public.
An uproar arose due to the government's refusal to release the aforementioned meeting's sound recording and the decision to destroy it.
By explaining that recordings of meetings held behind closed doors do not have to be publicised and the recording can be destroyed, Skvernelis clearly tripped up. BNS specified that the government chancellery's work regulations specify that the digital recordings of cabinet meetings must be stored in data catalogues and on the end of a calendar month – transferred and stored in the government chancellery's archive.
That the prime minister and his close advisors do not know or disregard their own chancellery's regulations is nothing to applaud. Regulations must be upheld, even if they are poor.
On the other hand, it is unwise to demand that ministers' meetings and discussions, even when they do not touch upon state secrets, would be accessible to journalists or the public.
Conditions must be ensured that in deliberations on serious questions, ministers or the prime minister's advisors would be able to openly, acutely and even brutally express their opinion without sugar-coating. It will not happen if their remarks are made public.
They will pick their words with care to protect themselves from criticism, so that their image is not harmed and this way, the president or prime minister may not receive necessary advice.
It was claimed that in the meeting, Skvernelis spoke rudely about journalists. This would not surprise me. Politicians are not nuns. I neither have no doubt that many a journalist in their conversations cursed Skvernelis, Širinskienė and Karbauskis with various profanities. Journalists aren't nuns either. There's no need to pretend and be hypocritical.
Concerns were expressed regarding the potential politicization of the LRT, if some of the Seimas commission's proposals were implemented, especially those regarding LRT Council member appointment regulations.
The commission's proposals are debatable, they need careful reviewing. Some are acceptable, some aren't, but the commission performed an important task, revealing the flaws in LRT administration, especially the lack of transparency and breaches in public procurement regulations.
As soon as the commission began to investigate the LRT, the usual accusations poured in that these are efforts to limit the freedom of the press. Nothing of the kind happened, equally how efforts to uncover paedophile priests is no attempt at freedom of religion.
It has been clear since 2011 that the LRT administration is performing abuses and is covering its activities with silence and shadow. The then LRT Council member A. Račas called upon the LRT administration with a request to access the broadcaster's 2010 financial results, changes in wages for separate department staff, certain other documents.
The administration refused the request because it supposedly cannot reveal "trade secrets." This was approved with a shameful majority consent from the LRT Council, which showed that they had no intent or could not perform their duty to oversee the administration.
While the LRT Council slept and the LRT administration, the journalists, made abuses, things turned sour. LRT management must be changed, a council should be formed, which is familiar with finances and business (let's not forget the LRT budget is around 40 million euro), thus not just appoint poets and singers, but lawyers and businessmen with a spine, who would not care about the modest wage paid for participating in council meetings.
It is necessary to ensure that there would be no "trade secrets," that information about staff wages and bonuses would be made public, as would be relations with production companies about public procurements. And to strictly prohibit all advertising, be it on television or online.
The president got involved in the discussions, declaring that attempts on the national broadcaster's independence are a threat to the freedom of speech. During the commission's investigations, she and her team did not conceal their favour for the LRT.
It is unfortunate that the president is once more indulging in repeating tired rebukes instead of presenting specific and formal proposals, the implementation of which would allow the LRT to perform more transparently and effectively. Serious structural changes are needed, not just the election of a new director general.
In the LRT case, the clan solidarity of journalists sprung to action, even if not of all of them. Even after the scandalous behaviour with Račas, there was no more serious journalistic investigation.
With the administration refusing to grant the commission information, the usual news media demands to ensure transparency and protect the people's right to know, what is being done with tax payers' money, was nowhere to be heard. Silence reigned, as if in conspiracy.
On the other hand, it cannot be denied that the government faltered by ceasing Centre of Registers data provision, destroying the recording and a number of commission proposals over LRT reform are worth criticising. Journalists have the duty to evaluate government reform proposals with criticism.
But the situation should not be overly dramatized, especially knowing that the government is inclined to concede to criticism and back down. It would be even better if journalists were to occasionally review themselves and news media institutions.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has warned that linking the mandates of public broadcasters'...
R. Sotvarė-Šemetienė. The government tosses a chewed on bone to the media
Seimas starts deliberating amendments on giving media free data access
Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday started deliberating amendments on giving journalists free of charge...
PM calls for careful evaluation of decisions to support privately-owned companies
Decisions to support privately-owned businesses through taxpayers' money must be "carefully...
M. Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė on the Seimas Commission investigation: the conclusions to a certain extent are true, but the aspirations of parliamentarians are not related to transparency
The conclusions of the Seimas Commission scrutiny of the LRT activities are to a certain extent true,...
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Khan Ataur Rahman
This article is about the Bangladeshi actor. For the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, see Ataur Rahman Khan.
Khan Ataur Rahman (known as Khan Ata; 11 December 1928 – 1 December 1997) was a Bangladeshi film actor, director, producer, screenplay writer, music composer, and singer. He became renowned for his role in the film Jibon Theke Neya (1970). He received Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Screenplay for the film Sujon Sokhi (1975) and Danpite Chhele (1980).[4] He was awarded Ekushey Padak posthumously in 2003 by the Government of Bangladesh.[5]
Native name
খান আতাউর রহমান
(1928-12-11)11 December 1928[1]
Singair, Manikganj, Bengal Presidency, British India
1 December 1997(1997-12-01) (aged 68)[2]
Tara,[2] Anis,[3] Khan Ata
Dhaka College
University of Dhaka
Actor, film director, Music composer, Singer
Shirley Wheaton [3]
Mahbuba Rahman
Nilufar Yasmin
(1968–1997)[3]
Rumana Islam
Agun
Early life and educationEdit
The son of Ziarat Hossain Khan and Zohra Khatun, who lived in Singair Upazila, Manikganj District, Rahman was born on 11 December 1928. When he was a student in class three, he won the first prize of the Dhaka Zilla Music Competition. He rendered the song Mon paban-er dinga baiyya.[2][6]
Rahman attended Dhaka Collegiate School, Dhaka College, and Dhaka University, completing a Bachelor of Science degree. Rahman was extremely obsessed with films. After enrolling in Dhaka Medical College, a career he later decided not to pursue, he made an attempt to escape from the family home and join the film industry. He had only Taka 60 in his possession at the time. His brother-in-law spotted Rahman in the Rail Station and he was forced to return home.[2]
As a result of Rahman's bohemian attitudes, he left Dhaka University in 1949 and ran away from home for the second time. This time he went to Bombay (present-day Mumbai).[1] He started frequented the film industry and slept on the side walks. He met Jyoti Studio's cameraman Jal Irani, who gave Rahman the chance to work as an apprentice but it was not satisfying enough for him.[2]
In 1950, Rahman went to Karachi and took a job as a News Presenter for Radio Pakistan. Here he met with another notable Bengali media personality, Foteh Lohani. At this time, Khan Ata started taking music lessons from renowned Pakistani Sarnagi player Jawahari Khan. After some days Foteh Lohani moved to London. In 1952, Khan Ata went to London as well. There he performed as a singer and actor in several Bengali programs. He met with artist SM Sultan and helped him with his savings to buy art supplies. Rahman and his companions also made arrangements for displaying and selling Sultan's paintings.[2]
In 1953, Rahman enrolled in the Theatre department at City Literary Institute.[1] Rahman studied in the Netherlands when he was awarded a UNESCO fellowship in 1954. Thereafter, he worked as a teacher in London but also took to the stage for several years. In 1956, he returned home and starred in a film called Jago Hua Severa directed by AJ Karder. He played many roles with notable Bengali actress Tripti Mitra.[1]
In 1963, Rahman made his directorial debut with the film Onek Diner Chena, and continued making many notable films like Nawab Sirajuddaula (1967), Saat Vai Champa (1968), Arun Barun Kironmala (1968), Abar Tora Manush Ho (1973), Sujon Sokhi (1976), Ekhono Onek Raat (1997).
In addition to acting, Rahman was a songwriter with over 500 compositions, some of which remain popular.[1]
Personal lifeEdit
Rahman married three times.[3] When he was in London, completing a higher course in Cinematography, he met an Englishwoman named Shirley and married her.[3] On their return to Bangladesh and after having a child, they got divorced. Shirley returned to London with the child. Then Khan Ata married Mahbuba Rahman. They met in a radio station. They had a daughter named Rumana Islam, a Bangladeshi singer.[7] In 1968, Rahman married Nilufar Yasmin, a Bangladeshi singer. They had a son, Agun, who is also a Bangladeshi singer.[8]
As directorEdit
Onek Diner Chena (1963)
Raja Sanyasi
Nawab Sirajuddaula (1967)
Saat Bhai Champa (1968)
Orun Borun Kironmala (1968)
Jowar Bhata (1969)
Moner Moto Bou (1969)- it is directed by Rahim Nawaz
Abar Tora Manush Ho (1973)
Sujon Sokhi (1975)
Din Jay Kotha Thake
Arshinagar
Porosh Pathor
Ekhono Onek Raat (1997)
As actorEdit
Jago Hua Savera (1959)
E Desh Tomar Amar (1959)
Kokhono Asheni (1961)
Kancher Deyal (1963)
Moner Moto Bou (1969)
Jibon Theke Neya (1970)
Chhutir Ghonta(1980)
As composerEdit
Sangam (1964)
Bahana (1965)
AwardsEdit
Pakistan Film Festival Award
Nigar Award
International film festival awards at Moscow and Tashkent
Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Screenplay (1975, 1980)
Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Lyrics (1980)
Ekushey Padak (2003)
^ a b c d e Hossain, Ayub (2012). "Rahman, Khan Ataur". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
^ a b c d e f Waheed, Karim (11 December 2007). "Khan Ataur Rahman: The eternal bohemian". The Daily Star. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
^ a b c d e Khokan, Liaquat Hussain (4 February 2010). রোমান্টিক নায়ক আনিস [Anis, The Roamntic Hero]. Amar Desh (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
^ "জাতীয় চলচ্চিত্র পুরস্কার প্রাপ্তদের নামের তালিকা (১৯৭৫-২০১২)" [List of the winners of National Film Awards (1975-2012)]. Government of Bangladesh (in Bengali). Bangladesh Film Development Corporation. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
^ "একুশে পদকপ্রাপ্ত সুধীবৃন্দ" [Ekushey Padak winners list] (in Bengali). Government of Bangladesh. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
^ Aowlad Hossain, Mohammad (30 November 2009). "12th death anniversary of Khan Ata" (in Bengali). Manabzamin. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
^ Sen Gupta, Asish (15 May 2009). বিনোদন জগতে আত্মীয়তার বন্ধন [Relationship bonds is Entertaining Media]. Glitz (in Bengali). bdnews24.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
^ "Happy Birthday, Khan Ata!". The Daily Star. 11 December 2015.
Khan Ataur Rahman on IMDb
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khan_Ataur_Rahman&oldid=905801153"
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Maldives Living Expo to be held from March 8-10
High Rise has announced the new date for the sixth edition of Maldives Living Expo, postponed due to the declaration of a State of Emergency in Maldives.
Maldives Living Expo 2018 was originally scheduled to be held at the National Art Gallery from February 15-17.
But the event organizer, High Rise postponed the event with the State of Emergency.
High Rise announced this Monday that the event will now be held from March 8-10 at the National Art Gallery.
March 8 (Thursday): 2 pm to 6 pm, and 8 pm to 11 pm
March 9 (Friday): 4 pm to 6 pm, and 8 pm to 11 pm
March 10 (Saturday): 2 pm to 6 pm, and 8 pm to 11 pm
The main sponsor of Maldives Living Expo 2018 is Sri Lanka’s mixed-development property Colombo City Center. The co-sponsors are; Coral Boulevard – a property under development at Rasfannu in Male’ City, and the luxury apartment property under development in Sri Lanka – Altair.
More than 28 local and international companies are participating in this year’s event.
Visitors to Living Expo will have the opportunity to participate in lucky draws.
Security forces close down streets surrounding Parliament
Local News Business Local Housing High Rise Maldives Living Expo
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World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development
Trends in Media Independence
media-independence_en.jpg
Trends in Media Independence chapter
Trends in Media Independence infographic
The trends in media independence in a nutshell:
Strains on business models mean more dependence on outside influence, although media institutions – as well as Internet companies – are giving greater attention to self-regulatory standards.
The polarization of public life, observed in parts of all regions covered by this study, highlights the need for independent and professional journalism that is able to provide verifiable information as a common content currency to serve effective and open public debates. Yet, in continuity with the trends highlighted in the first World Trends Report, published in 2014, media independence is under increased pressure, due to complex interconnections between political power and regulatory authorities, attempts to influence or delegitimize media and journalists, and shrinking budgets in news organizations. This deterioration of media independence is reflected in a number of indicators.
There is declining public trust in news media reported across most regions. Disruptions in business models have been seen as contributing to increasing dependence on government and corporate subsidies in some circumstances, and thereby raising concerns about potential impacts on editorial independence. In some cases, there has been an increase in highly antagonistic criticism, including from leaders, about media and the practice of journalism. These criticisms are seen to carry the danger of promoting intolerance of expression, and undermining the credibility of all journalism, irrespective of its authenticity. Across all regions, the autonomy of independent regulators has faced pressure. Across large parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, licensing of broadcast operators lacks transparency and continues to be driven by political and commercial rather than public interest. Self-regulatory bodies, which can support the exercise of professional standards while maintaining editorial independence, have received increased interest in countries with growing media sectors. However, in addition to the difficulty of establishing and maintaining independence in a sustainable way, press councils have faced digital-era challenges, such as the moderation of user-generated comments.
At the same time, there are positive developments for the independence of journalists to make editorial decisions. In Africa, the Arab States and the Asia Pacific region, journalists have self-reported substantial increases of journalistic autonomy. Such changes have also encouraged alternative and often influential outlets for journalists, including on digital media, as well as international investigative journalism collaborations. With continuing growth of information abundance online, the distinctive value of independent journalism is being underlined. Journalism education, which reinforces independent professional standards in the media, has seen a notable growth in the availability of online resources. However, donor support for independent NGOs doing media development has fluctuated, posing significant sustainability challenges, particularly in parts of Africa and Central and Eastern Europe. These groups are also impacted by growing legislation that restricts foreign funding.
In the context of increasing pressure to respond to content on social media that incites violence or hatred, internet companies have launched self-regulatory initiatives to counter hate speech, violent extremism, misogyny, racism and so-called ‘fake news’. Tools have included media and information literacy campaigns; partnerships with fact-checking and research organizations; support to journalists; and removing advertising from sites that generate such content. In the face of fabricated and counterfeit news reports, many news media brands are using the opportunity to show their unique value-add as reliable sources of information and commentary.
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Lesser grison
colspan=2 style="text-align: center; background-color: Template:Taxobox/Error colour" | Lesser grison
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Galictis
Species: G. cuja
Galictis cuja
(Molina, 1782)
Lesser grison range
ウィキメディア・コモンズには、Lesser grisonに関連するカテゴリがあります。
The lesser grison (Galictis cuja) is a species of mustelid from South America.[2]
2 Distribution and habitat
3 Biology and behaviour
4 Relations with humans
Lesser grisons have a long, slender body, short legs, and a bushy tail. They have a long neck and a small head with a flattened forehead and rounded ears. They are smaller than the closely related greater grison, with a head-body length of 27 to 52 cm (11 to 20 in) and a tail 14 to 19 cm (5.5 to 7.5 in) long. Adults weigh anything from 1.2 to 2.4 kg (2.6 to 5.3 lb). Females are slighter smaller and more slender than males.[3]
The top of the head, the back and flanks, and the tail have coarse black guard hairs with buff-coloured tips over a softer undercoat, giving them a grizzled greyish colour. The remainder of the body is black or nearly so, apart from a pale buff-coloured stripe running from the forehead to the shoulders along the lower margin of the grey furred area. The feet are webbed, with five toes ending in sharp, curved, claws.[3]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Lesser grisons are found throughout most of southern South America from sea level to as high as 4,200 metres (13,800 ft) elevation. They are found in a wide range of habitats, although generally near water, including grasslands, forests, scrub, and mountain meadows. They are also known to inhabit agricultural land and pasture in some areas.[3][1]
Four subspecies are recognised:
Galictis cuja cuja – southwestern Bolivia, western Argentina, central Chile
Galictis cuja furax – southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay
Galictis cuja huronax – south-central Bolivia, eastern Argentina
Galictis cuja luteola – extreme southern Peru, western Bolivia
Biology and behaviour[edit]
Lesser grisons are carnivorous, feeding on small to medium rodents, as well as rabbits, birds, frogs, lizards, and snakes.[3] They are among the major predators on cavies, including wild guinea pigs, and also of nesting grebes.[4]
They are semi-plantigrade, walking partly on the soles of their feet, and, despite the webbing, their feet are adapted more for running and climbing than for swimming. They possess anal scent glands that spray a noxious chemical similar to, but probably weaker than, that of skunks. They are monogamous, hunting together when raising their litters of two to five young.[3]
Lesser grisons hunt primarily during the day, locating their prey at least partly by scent. They are either solitary, or live in small family groups of parents and offspring, which travel together in single file. They are said to be particularly fierce, and to play with their food for up to 45 minutes before eating it. During the night, they sleep in hollow trees or natural crevices, or else in excavated burrows. Burrows may be as deep as 4 m (13 ft), and have entrances obscured by leaves.[3]
Relations with humans[edit]
Lesser grisons can be tamed if raised from a young age. They were used in the past to hunt wild chinchillas, pursuing them down burrows in a similar manner to ferrets, although chinchillas are now too rare for this to be viable.[5] They are still sometimes kept to control rodents on farms,[3] although they may also be hunted, especially where they are thought to prey on domestic poultry.[6] They have also been reported to be amongst the most frequent species among mammalian roadkill in Brazil.[3]
Lesser grisons can act as a reservoir for Chagas disease.[7]
The bodies of lesser grisons have also been used as magical charms in Bolivia, where their pelts are stuffed with wool and decorated with ribbons and paper to be used in ritual offerings to Pachamama.[3] One apparent sacrificial burial from Argentina has been dated to 1,420 BP. It was interred together with human remains, wearing a decorated collar, placed on an animal pelt and associated with numerous other funerary goods and bodies of mice.[3]
^ a b Template:IUCN2008
^ Wozencraft, W. Christopher (16 November 2005). "Order Carnivora (pp. 532-628)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. [http://google.com/books?id=JgAMbNSt8ikC&pg=PA606 Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference] (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). p. 606. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. External link in |title= (help)CS1 maint: Multiple names: editors list (link) CS1 maint: Extra text: editors list (link)
^ a b c d e f g h i j Yensen, E. & Tarifa, T. (2003). "Galictis cuja". Mammalian Species: Number 728: pp. 1–8. doi:10.1644/728. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Burger, J. (1984). "Grebes nesting in gull colonies: protective associations and early warning". American Naturalist. 123 (3): 327–337. doi:10.1086/284207.
^ Jiménez, J.E. (1996). "The extirpation and current status of wild chinchillas Chinchilla lanigera and C. brevicaudata". Biological Conservation. 77 (1): 1–6. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(95)00116-6.
^ Brooks, D. (1991). "Some notes on terrestrial mustelids in the central Paraguayan Chaco" (PDF). Mustelid and Viverrid Conservation. 4: 5–6.
^ Wisniveski-Colli, C.; et al. (1992). "Sylvatic American trypanosomiasis in Argentina. Trypanosoma cruzi infection in mammals from the Chaco forest in Santiago del Estero". Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 86 (1): 38–41. doi:10.1016/0035-9203(92)90433-D. CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link)
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African wild dog
(Redirected from Lycaon pictus)
colspan=2 style="text-align: center; background-color: Template:Taxobox/Error colour" | African wild dog
L. p. pictus, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
Subfamily: Caninae
Tribe: Canini
Genus: Lycaon
Species: L. pictus
Temminck, 1820
L. pictus range
The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) is a canid native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest of its family in Africa,[2] and the only member of the genus Lycaon, which is distinguished from Canis by its fewer toes and dentition, which is highly specialised for a hypercarnivorous diet.[3] It is classed as endangered by the IUCN, as it has disappeared from much of its original range. The current population has been estimated at roughly 39 subpopulations containing 6,600 adults, only 1,400 of which are fully grown. The decline of these populations is ongoing, due to habitat fragmentation, human persecution, and disease outbreaks.[1]
The African wild dog is a highly social animal, living in packs with separate dominance hierarchies for males and females.[4] Uniquely among social carnivores, it is the females rather than the males that disperse from the natal pack once sexually mature, and the young are allowed to feed first on carcasses. The species is a specialised diurnal hunter of antelopes, which it catches by chasing them to exhaustion.[5] Like other canids, it regurgitates food for its young, but this action is also extended to adults, to the point of being the bedrock of African wild dog social life.[6] It has few natural predators, though lions are a major source of mortality, and spotted hyenas are frequent kleptoparasites.[7]
Although not as prominent in African folklore or culture as other African carnivores,[8] it has been respected in several hunter-gatherer societies, particularly those of the predynastic Egyptians[9][10] and the San people.[11]
1 Early accounts and naming
2 Taxonomy and evolution
2.1 Subspecies
3 Physical description
4 Behaviour
4.1 Social and reproductive behaviour
4.2 Hunting and feeding behaviours
5.1 Habitat
5.2 Diet
5.3 Enemies and competitors
6 Range
6.1 Status
6.1.1 North Africa
6.1.2 West Africa
6.1.3 Central Africa
6.1.4 East Africa
6.1.5 Southern Africa
7 In African cultures
Early accounts and naming[edit]
Dutch zoologist Coenraad Temminck was the first person to give Lycaon pictus a binomial name, though he mistakenly classed it as a hyena.
The earliest possible written reference to the species comes Oppian, who wrote of the thoa, a hybrid between the wolf and panther which resembles the former in shape and the latter in colour. Solinus's Collectanea rerum memorabilium from the 3rd century AD describes a multicoloured wolf-like animal with a mane native to Ethiopia.[12]
The species was first described scientifically in 1820 by Coenraad Temminck, after having examined a specimen taken from the coast of Mozambique. He named the animal Hyaena picta, erroneously classifying it as a species of hyena. It was later recognised as a canid by Joshua Brookes in 1827, and renamed Lycaon tricolor. The root word of Lycaon is the Greek λυκαίος (lykaios), meaning 'wolf-like'. The specific epithet pictus (Latin for 'painted'), which derived from the original picta, was later returned to it, in conformity with the International Rules on Taxonomic Nomenclature.[13]
The English language has several names for Lycaon pictus, including painted lycaon,[12] African wild dog, Cape hunting dog,[8] and painted dog or painted wolf. The latter name is being promoted by some conservationists as a way of 're-branding' the species, as 'wild dog' has several negative connotations that could be detrimental to its image.[14] Nevertheless, the name 'African wild dog' is still widely used.[15]
Indigenous names for Lycaon pictus[8]
Linguistic group or area
Indigenous name
Afrikaans wildehond
Amharic ታኩላ (takula)
Ateso apeete
Damara !Gaub
isiNdebele iganyana iketsi leKapa
isiXhosa ixhwili
isiZulu inkentshane
Kalenjin suyo
Kibena liduma
Kibungu eminze
Kichagga kite kya nigereni
Kihehe ligwami
Kijita omusege
Kikamba nzui
Kikuyu muthige
Kiliangulu eeyeyi
Kimarangoli imbwa
Kinyaturu mbughi
Kinyiha inpumpi
Kinyiramba mulula
Kisukuma mhuge
Kiswahili mbwa mwitu
Kitaita Kikwau
Kizigua mauzi
Limeru mbawa
Lozi liakanyani
Luo sudhe, prude
Maasai osuyiani
Mandingue juruto
Nama !Gaub
Pulaar saafandu
Samburu Suyian
Sebei kulwe, suyondet
Sepedi lehlalerwa, letaya
Sesotho lekanyane, mokoto, tlalerwa
Setswana leteane, letlhalerwa, lekanyana
Shona mhumhi
siSwati budzatja, inkentjane
Tshivenda dalerwa
Woloof saafandu
Xitsonga hlolwa
Yei umenzi
Taxonomy and evolution[edit]
The evolution of the African wild dog was once poorly understood, due to the scarcity of fossil finds. One proposed ancestral genus was Xenocyon, which lived throughout Eurasia, from Germany to Japan, as well as in Africa from the Early Pleistocene to the early Middle Pleistocene. The species X. falconeri shared the African wild dog's absent first metacarpal (dewclaw), though its dentition was still relatively unspecialised.[16] This connection was however rejected, as X. falconeri's missing metacarpal was a poor indication of phylogenetic closeness to the African wild dog, and the dentition was too different to imply ancestry. A more likely ancestral candidate is the Plio-Pleistocene L. sekowei of South Africa, on the basis of skull shape and tooth morphology, which shows the same adaptations to a hypercarnivorous diet as the modern species. L. sekowei had not yet lost the first metacarpal absent in L. pictus, and was more robust than the modern species, having 10% larger teeth.[3]
Fossil of Lycaon sekowei, a possible ancestor of the modern L. pictus.
Paleontologist George G. Simpson placed L. pictus in the subfamily Simocyoninae, along with Cuon alpinus and Speothos venaticus, on the basis of all three species having similarly trenchant carnassials. This grouping was disputed by Juliet Clutton-Brock, who argued that other than dentition, there were too few similarities between the three species to warrant classifying them in a single subfamily.[6] The species' molecular genetics indicate that, although it is far removed from the genus Canis, it is nonetheless more closely related to it than to other canid lineages.[17] Phylogenetic studies place L. pictus and Cuon alpinus into a monophyletic clade alongside some members of the Canis genus, including C. simensis, C. aureus, C. latrans, and C. lupus, while the more basal C. adustus and C. mesomelas are excluded from it.[18](Fig. 10)
Side-striped jackal
Black-backed jackal
Golden jackal
Ethiopian wolf
Subspecies[edit]
As of 2005[update],[19] five subspecies are recognised by MSW3:
Trinomial authority
Cape wild dog
L. p. pictus
Nominate subspecies Temminck, 1820 Specimens inhabiting the Cape are characterised by the large amount of orange-yellow fur overlapping the black, the partially yellow backs of the ears, the mostly yellow underparts, and a number of whitish hairs on the throat mane. Those in Mozambique are distinguished by the almost equal development of yellow and black on both the upper and underparts of the body, as well as having less white fur than the Cape form.[20] Southern Africa cacondae (Matschie, 1915), fuchsi (Matschie, 1915), gobabis (Matschie, 1915), krebsi (Matschie, 1915), lalandei (Matschie, 1915), tricolor (Brookes, 1827), typicus (A. Smith, 1833), venatica (Burchell, 1822), windhorni (Matschie, 1915), zuluensis (Thomas, 1904)
East African wild dog
L. p. lupinus
Thomas, 1902 Distinguished by its very dark coat, with very little yellow.[20] East Africa dieseneri (Matschie, 1915), gansseri (Matschie, 1915), hennigi (Matschie, 1915), huebneri (Matschie, 1915), kondoae (Matschie, 1915), lademanni (Matschie, 1915), langheldi (Matschie, 1915), prageri (Matschie, 1912), richteri (Matschie, 1915), ruwanae (Matschie, 1915), ssongaeae (Matschie, 1915), stierlingi (Matschie, 1915), styxi (Matschie, 1915), wintgensi (Matschie, 1915)
West African wild dog
L. p. manguensis
Matschie, 1915 West and Central Africa mischlichi (Matschie, 1915)
Chadian wild dog
L. p. sharicus
Thomas and Wroughton, 1907 Chad ebermaieri (Matschie, 1915)
Somali wild dog
L. p. somalicus
Thomas, 1904 Similar to lupinus, but is smaller, has shorter and coarser fur, and has a weaker dentition. Its colour closely approaches that of the Cape form, with the yellow parts being buff rather than bright orange as is the case in lupinus.[20] Horn of Africa luchsingeri (Matschie, 1915), Matschie (Matschie, 1915), rüppelli (Matschie, 1915), takanus (Matschie, 1915), zedlitzi (Matschie, 1915)
Nevertheless, although the species is genetically diverse, these subspecific designations are not universally accepted. It was once thought that East African and Southern African L. pictus populations were genetically distinct, based on a small number of samples. More recent studies with a larger number of samples showed that there has been extensive intermixing between East African and Southern African populations in the past. Some unique nuclear and mitochondrial alleles are found in Southern African and north-eastern African populations, with a transition zone encompassing Botswana, Zimbabwe and south-eastern Tanzania between the two. The West African L. pictus population may possess a unique haplotype, thus possibly constituting a truly distinct subspecies.[21]
Physical description[edit]
L. pictus skull (left) compared with that of C. lupus (right). Note the former's shorter muzzle and fewer molars.
The African wild dog is the bulkiest and most solidly built of African canids.[2] The species stands 60–75 cm (24–30 in) in shoulder height, and weighs 20–25 kg (44–55 lb) in East Africa and up to 30 kg (66 lb) in southern Africa.[5] Females are generally 3–7% smaller than males. Compared to members of the genus Canis, the African wild dog is comparatively lean and tall, with outsized ears and lacking dewclaws. The middle two toepads are usually fused. Its dentition also differs from that of Canis by the degeneration of the last lower molar, the narrowness of the canines, and proportionately large premolars, which are the largest relative to body size than any other carnivore other than hyenas.[4] The heel of the lower carnassial M1 is crested with a single blade-like cusp, which enhances the shearing capacity of the teeth and thus the speed at which prey can be consumed. This feature, termed "trenchant heel", is shared with two other canids: the Asian dhole and the South American bush dog.[8] The skull is relatively shorter and broader than that of other canids.[2]
The fur of the African wild dog differs significantly from that of other canids, consisting entirely of stiff bristle-hairs with no underfur.[2] It gradually loses its fur as it ages, with older specimens being almost naked. Colour variation is extreme, and may serve in visual identification, as African wild dogs can recognise each other at distances of 50–100 metres.[4] There is some geographic variation in coat colour, with north-east African specimens tending to be predominantly black with small white and yellow patches, while southern African ones are more brightly coloured, sporting a mix of brown, black and white coats.[8] Much of the species' coat patterning occurs on the trunk and legs. There is little variation in facial markings, with the muzzle being black, gradually shading into brown on the cheeks and forehead. A black line extends up the forehead, turning blackish-brown on the back of the ears. A few specimens sport a brown teardrop shaped mark below the eyes. The back of the head and neck are either brown or yellow. A white patch occasionally occurs behind the forelegs, with some specimens having completely white forelegs, chests and throats. The tail is usually white at the tip, black in the middle and brown at the base. Some specimens lack the white tip entirely, or may have black fur below the white tip. These coat patterns are asymmetrical, with the left side of the body often having different markings from that of the right.[4]
Behaviour[edit]
Social and reproductive behaviour[edit]
Springbok kill, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
Play fighting after a kill, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
The African wild dog has very strong social bonds, stronger than those of sympatric lions and spotted hyenas, thus solitary living and hunting is extremely rare in the species.[22] It lives in permanent packs consisting of 2–27 adults and yearling pups. The average pack size in Kruger National Park and the Masai Mara is 4–5 adults, while packs in Moremi and Selous contain an average of 8–9. However, larger packs have been observed, and temporary aggregations of hundreds of individuals may have gathered in response to the seasonal migration of vast springbok herds in Southern Africa.[23] Males and females have separate dominance hierarchies, with the latter usually being led by the oldest female. Males may be led by the oldest male, but these can be supplanted by younger specimens, thus some packs may contain elderly former male pack leaders. The dominant pair typically monopolises breeding.[4] The species differs from most other social species by the fact that males remain in the natal pack, while females disperse (a pattern also found in primates like gorillas, chimpanzees and red colobuses). Furthermore, males in any given pack tend to outnumber females 3:1.[5] Dispersing females will join other packs and evict some of the resident females related to the other pack members, thus preventing inbreeding and allowing the evicted specimens to find new packs of their own and breed.[4] Males rarely disperse, and when they do, they are invariably rejected by other packs already containing males.[5] Although arguably the most social canid, the species lacks the elaborate facial expressions and body language found in the grey wolf, likely because of the African wild dog's less hierarchical social structure. Furthermore, while elaborate facial expressions are important for wolves in re-establishing bonds after long periods of separation from their family groups, they are not as necessary to African wild dogs, which remain together for much longer periods.[6]
African wild dog populations in East Africa appear to have no fixed breeding season, whereas those in Southern Africa usually breed during the April–July period.[22] During estrus, the female is closely accompanied by a single male, who keeps other members of the same sex at bay.[5] The copulatory tie characteristic of mating in most canids has been reported to be absent[24] or very brief (less than one minute)[25] in L. pictus, possibly an adaptation to the prevalence of larger predators in its environment.[26] The gestation period lasts 69–73 days, with the interval between each pregnancy being 12–14 months on average. The African wild dog produces more pups than any other canid, with litters containing around 6–16 pups, with an average of 10, thus indicating that a single female can produce enough young to form a new pack every year. Because the amount of food necessary to feed more than two litters would be impossible to acquire by the average pack, breeding is strictly limited to the dominant female, which may kill the pups of subordinates. After giving birth, the mother stays close to the pups in the den, while the rest of the pack hunts. She typically drives away pack members approaching the pups until the latter are old enough to eat solid food at 3–4 weeks of age. The pups leave the den at around the age of three weeks, and are suckled outside. The pups are weaned at the age of five weeks, at which point they are fed regurgitated meat by the other pack members. By seven weeks, the pups begin to take on an adult appearance, with noticeable lengthening in the legs, muzzle and ears. Once the pups reach the age of 8–10 weeks, the pack abandons the den, and the young follow the adults during hunts. The youngest pack members are permitted to eat first on kills, a privilege which ends once they become yearlings.[5]
L. p. pictus pack, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Hunting and feeding behaviours[edit]
The African wild dog is a specialised pack hunter of common medium-sized antelopes. Like the cheetah, it is the only primarily diurnal African large predator.[5] L. pictus hunts by approaching prey silently then chasing it in a pursuit clocking at 66 kmph for 10 to 60 minutes.[23] The average chase typically only goes as far as 2 km, during which time the prey animal, if large, is repeatedly bitten on the legs, belly and anus until it stops running, while smaller prey is simply pulled down and torn apart. L. pictus hunting strategies differ according to prey, with wildebeest being rushed at in order to panic the herd and isolate a vulnerable individual, whereas territorial antelope species, which defend themselves by running in wide circles, are captured by cutting off their escape routes. Medium-sized prey is often killed in 2–5 minutes, whereas larger prey like wildebeest may take half an hour to pull down. Male wild dogs usually perform the task of grabbing dangerous prey, such as warthogs, by the nose.[27] Small prey, like rodents, hares and birds are hunted singly, with dangerous prey like cane rats and porcupines being killed with a quick and well placed bite in order to avoid injury. Small prey is eaten entirely, while large animals are stripped of their meat and organs, with the skin, head, skeleton left intact.[22] The African wild dog is a fast eater, with a pack being able to consume a Thompson's gazelle in 15 minutes. In the wild, the species' consumption rate is of 1.2–5.9 kg per African wild dog a day, with one pack of 17–43 specimens in East Africa having been recorded to kill three animals per day on average.[15] Unlike most social predators, it will regurgitate food for adult, as well as young family members.[22] Pups old enough to eat solid food are given first priority at kills, eating even before the dominant pair; subordinate adult dogs help feed and protect the pups.[28] The African wild dogs is a highly successful hunter, with the majority of its chases ending in kills.[29]
The African wild dog is mostly found in savanna and arid zones, generally avoiding forested areas.[5] This preference is likely linked to the animal's hunting habits, which require open areas which do not obstruct vision or impede pursuit.[2] Nevertheless, it will travel through scrub, woodland and montane areas in pursuit of prey. However, forest-dwelling populations of African wild dogs have been identified, including one in the Harenna Forest, a wet montane forest up to 2400m in altitude in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia.[30] There is at least one record of a pack being sighted on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.[5] In Zimbabwe, the species has been recorded at altitudes of 1,800 metres.[15]
L. p. pictus pack consuming a blue wildebeest, Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa.
Diet[edit]
In East Africa, its most common prey is Thomson's gazelle, while in Central and Southern Africa it targets impala, reedbuck, kob, lechwe, and springbok.[5] Its diet is not restricted to these animals though, as it will also hunt wildebeest, warthog, oribi, duiker, waterbuck, Grant's gazelle, zebra, bushbuck, ostrich, African buffalo (especially calves),[31] and smaller prey like dik-dik, hares, spring hares and cane rats.[22] Certain packs in the Serengeti specialized in hunting zebras in preference to other prey.[32] One pack was recorded to occasionally prey on bat-eared foxes, rolling on the carcasses before eating them. L. pictus rarely scavenges, but has on occasion been observed to appropriate carcasses from spotted hyenas, leopards, and lions, as well as animals caught in snares.[15]
Enemies and competitors[edit]
Lions dominate African wild dogs, and are a major source of mortality for both adults and pups.[7] Population densities of African wild dogs are low in areas where lions are more abundant.[33] One pack reintroduced into Etosha National Park was destroyed by lions, and a population crash in lions in the Ngorongoro Crater during the 1960s resulted in an increase in African wild dog sightings, only for their numbers to decline once the lions recovered.[7] However, there are a few reported cases of old and wounded lions falling prey to African wild dogs.[34][35]
Spotted hyenas are important kleptoparasites,[7] and will follow packs of African wild dogs in order to appropriate their kills. They will typically inspect areas where African wild dogs have rested and eat any food remains they find. When approaching African wild dogs at a kill, solitary hyenas will approach cautiously and attempt to take off with a piece of meat unnoticed, though they may be mobbed in the attempt. When operating in groups, spotted hyenas are more successful in pirating African wild dog kills, though the latter's greater tendency to assist each other puts them at an advantage against spotted hyenas, who rarely work in unison. Cases of African wild dogs scavenging from spotted hyenas are rare. Although African wild dog packs can easily repel solitary hyenas, on the whole, the relationship between the two species is a one sided benefit for the hyenas,[36] with African wild dog densities being negatively correlated with high hyena populations.[37]
Range[edit]
African wild dogs once ranged from the desert and mountainous areas of much of sub-Saharan Africa, being absent in the driest desert regions and lowland forests. The species has been largely exterminated in North and West Africa, and has been greatly reduced in number in Central Africa and northeast Africa. The majority of the species' population now occurs in Southern Africa and southern East Africa.[1]
North Africa[edit]
The species is very rare in North Africa, and whatever populations remain may be of high conservation value, as they are likely to be genetically distinct from other L. pictus populations.[38]
Template:Country data Algeria Although historically present, L. pictus is probably extinct, though may exist as a relict population in the south.[38] As of 1997, the only recent reports come from the Teffedest Mountains. The species once occurred in the Mouydir Arah Mountains, but has disappeared, likely due to trapping and poisoning by Tuareg tribesmen. The last sighting in the Ahaggar National Park was in 1989.[38]
Template:Country data Mauritania Probably not present.[38] There was at least one unconfirmed sighting in 1992, and hunters living in the coastal areas of Western Sahara described a pack-hunting canid resembling L. pictus, though the identity of this animal is unconfirmed.[38]
West Africa[edit]
The species is faring poorly in most of West Africa, with the only potentially viable population occurring in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park. African wild dogs are occasionally sighted in other parts of Senegal, as well as in Guinea and Mali.[38]
Template:Country data Benin L. pictus is most likely extinct, with a survey taken in 1990 indicating that locals thought that the species' continued survival in the country extremely unlikely.[38] Parc W might hold the country's remaining L. pictus populations, though they were considered either declining or extinct in 1988. It may occur in declining numbers in Pendjari National Park.[38]
Burkina Faso L. pictus is likely extinct, and widespread poverty prevents effective wildlife protection, despite the species' protected legal status.[38] The last sightings of the animal occurred in 1985 in the Nazinga Game Ranch. It might still occur in the Arli National Park and the Comoé Province, but in low numbers.[38]
Template:Country data Gambia The most recent sighting occurred in 1995, on the northern border with Senegal.[38] A small population may occur on the border area with Senegal.[38]
Template:Country data Ghana Although L. pictus is legally protected, it is probably extinct, as poaching is rampant and traditional attitudes toward predators are hostile.[38] Although there have been no recent sightings, the species may still occur in Bui and Digya National Park. Hunters have reported the presence of L. pictus in the Kyabobo National Park, though the species is probably rare there.[38]
Template:Country data Guinea Although protected, the outlook for L. pictus in Guinea is poor.[38] The species may occur in Badiar National park, as the park is adjacent to Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park, where L. pictus does occur. The most recent reports of the species include a sighting in 1991 along the Sankarani River and the deaths of three cows in 1996 in the Ndama Fôret Clasée.[38]
Template:Country data Ivory Coast There have been very few sightings, and the majority of the public hasn't heard of the species. Furthermore, its legal status is 'noxious'.[38] The species may still occur in Comoé National Park (where it was last sighted in the late 1980s) and Marahoué National Park (where the last sightings occurred during the 1970s).[38]
Template:Country data Liberia Liberian folklore makes no mention of L. pictus, thus indicating that the species has probably never been common in the area.[38] The species may have once inhabited the north, but it is almost certainly rare there now.[38]
Template:Country data Mali Although once widespread, L. pictus is now extremely rare in Mali. Although sighted in the Forêt Classée de la Faya in 1959, the species was notably absent during a ground survey in the 1980s.[38] The species may still occur in the south and west of the country, in the border regions with Senegal and Guinea.[38]
Template:Country data Niger The species is almost certainly extinct, having been the subject of an extermination campaign during the 1960s. Although legally protected, L. pictus specimens were still shot by game guards as recently as 1979. Even if still present, the species' chances of survival are still low, due to regular droughts and loss of natural prey.[38] L. pictus may still be present in low numbers in Parc W, in the extreme north and the Sirba region.[38]
Nigeria Although legally protected, there are no resident L. lycaon populations in Nigeria, though vagrants from neighbouring countries occasionally appear. Factors inhibiting the species' recovery include a lack of effective protection and the drastic reduction of its prey.[38] L. pictus may still persist in low numbers in Gashaka Gumti National Park, which is fairly close to Cameroon's Faro National Park, where the species still occurs, though there were no sightings in 1982–1986. L. pictus is occasionally reported in Chingurmi-Duguma National Park, with the most recent sighting having occurred in 1995. It is likely extinct in Kainji National Park and Borgu Game Reserve, as poaching is intense and the species has not been sighted since the 1980s. It is also extinct in Yankari National Park, with the last sighting having taken place in 1978. One confirmed sighting of a lone individual occurred in 1991 in the Lame Burra Game Reserve.[38]
Template:Country data Senegal Although only partially protected, L. pictus has increased in number since the 1990s in and around Niokolo-Koba National Park, thus making Senegal the best hope for the species in West Africa.[38] L. pictus is present in increasing numbers in and around Niokolo-Koba National Park. The population in the Park was estimated to number 50-100 specimens in 1997. This population is monitored and studied by the IUCN's Canid Specialist Group, in conjunction with Senegal's Licaone Fund. Elsewhere, L. pictus is rare or extinct.[38]
Template:Country data Sierra Leone The species is almost certainly extinct in Sierra Leone.[38] L. pictus may have once been present in the northern savannah-woodland areas, as natives there have names for the species, and some unconfirmed sightings were made in the 1980s. There may be a small population in Outamba-Kilimi National Park, though there has only ever been one unconfirmed sighting.[38]
Template:Country data Togo Despite receiving partial protection, L. pictus is probably extinct, and the country is severely lacking in prey species.[38] It may occur in Fazao Mafakassa National Park, though in very low numbers. There are rumours of some small L. pictus packs taking refuge in caves on the mountain-sides of Mazala, Kpeya, and Kbidi.[38]
Central Africa[edit]
The species is doing poorly in Central Africa, being extinct in Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. The only viable populations occur in the Central African Republic, Chad and especially in Cameroon.[38]
Template:Country data Cameroon The status of L. pictus in Cameroon is uncertain, though three packs occur in the north of the country, thus making it the only possible refuge for the species in Central Africa, along with those present in CAR and southern Chad. Historically, most conservation efforts were directed to rainforest reserves, where L. pictus does not occur, though efforts in the 1990s sought to redress this. Nevertheless, attitudes towards the species remain negative, with 25 specimens having been killed by professional hunters in northern Cameroon in 1991–1992, with a government quota of 65 specimens during the December 1995 – May 1996 hunting season.[38] The species is still regularly sighted in and around Faro National Park, where four packs were recorded in 1997. It is present in smaller numbers in Bénoué National Park, with several sightings having occurred in 1989 in the area between the two parks. L. pictus was sighted several times in and around Bouba Njida National Park in 1993.[38]
Template:Country data Central African Republic Although afforded total legal protection, CAR's L. pictus population has an uncertain future, though it is not far from the larger Cameroonian population.[38] The species is very rare in Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park, with sightings having been reported as recently as 1992. It was once reportedly common in the Bamingui-Bangoran National Park and Biosphere Reserve during the 1980s, though there were only two sightings in 1988–1990.[38]
Template:Country data Chad There are no recent reports of L. pictus in Chad, and their legal status is unknown. If the species does occur, then the southern part of the country may form an important link between Cameroonian and CAR L. pictus populations.[38] The species was already considered rare in the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve during the 1980s, and has not been sighted since. It is considered extinct in Zakouma National Park and the Bahr Salamat Faunal Reserve. There are no recent records of the species in Manda National Park and the Siniaka-Minia Faunal Reserve, though they once occurred in reasonable numbers during the 1980s.[38]
Template:Country data Republic of the Congo Although afforded total legal protection, L. pictus has not been sighted in the Republic of Congo since the 1970s.[38] The species may have once inhabited Odzala National Park, though it occurred largely in unprotected areas, where it preyed on livestock and was subsequently exterminated by local pastoralists.[38]
Template:Country data Democratic Republic of Congo Although the DRC once held a healthy L. pictus population, it has probably been extinct since the late 1990s.[38] The most recent sighting occurred in 1986 in Upemba National Park.[38]
Template:Country data Equatorial Guinea The species is extinct in Equatorial Guinea.[38] There are no records of the species on the island of Bioko and Río Muni.[38]
Template:Country data Gabon L. pictus is probably extinct.[38] The species was apparently once present in the Petit Loango National Park, but has not been sighted in years.[38]
East Africa[edit]
L. pictus's range in East Africa is patchy, having been eradicated in Uganda and much of Kenya. A small population occupies an area encompassing southern Ethiopia, South Sudan, northern Kenya, and probably northern Uganda. The species may still occur in small numbers in southern Somalia, and is almost certainly extinct in Rwanda, Burundi, and Eritrea. Nevertheless, it remains somewhat numerous in southern Tanzania, particularly in the Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park, both of which are occupied by what could be Africa's largest L. pictus population.[38]
Template:Country data Burundi Declared extinct in 1976.[38] There are no reports in the large protected areas of Kibira and Ruvubu National Park, and the remaining areas are too small to support the species.[38]
Template:Country data Djibouti No data.[38] The only protected area, Day Forest National Park, is unlikely to support the species.[38]
Template:Country data Eritrea Probably extinct.[38] There are no recent records, though reports from the early 1900s indicate that the species once occurred in some remote areas, including the future Yob Wildlife Reserve.[38]
Template:Country data Ethiopia L. pictus is rare in Ethiopia, despite total legal protection and the government's efforts at strengthening its network of protected areas. The species has been extirpated in three national parks, though it still occurs in the south of the country.[38] The species was once occasionally recorded in and around Gambela National Park, though the last sighting occurred in 1987. It is frequently sighted in the Omo and Mago National Parks, with the most recent sighting in the former having occurred in 1995. Between 1992–1993, it was estimated that there were one or two packs in Omo and upt to five in Mago. It occasionally occurs in Bale Mountains National Park, though it is hampered by rabies and persecution by shepherds. Sporadic sightings have also occurred in the Awash and Nechisar National Parks. Three specimens were sighted in the Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary in 1996. Outside protected areas, the species has been reported in Jijiga and Filtu.[38]
Template:Country data Kenya Although widespread, the species receives only partial legal protection, and primarily occurs in unprotected areas, with no high population densities. L. pictus numbers have declined, and it has become locally extinct in many areas, with only 15 packs occurring throughout the entire country as of 1997. Local attitudes towards it are poor, and it is frequently shot in livestock areas.[38] It is occasionally sighted in the southern part of the Lake Turkana National Parks and the surrounding Turkana County. Vagrant individuals are sometimes sighted at the border with Sudan, as well as in the northeast, around Mandera, Wajir, and Marsabit National Park. It is rarely encountered in the Samburu National Reserve, and has been absent from the Buffalo Springs National Reserve since the mid-1980s. It was observed twice in 1982–1983 in the Kora National Reserve. It is now absent from Mount Kenya, though it was reportedly common in the 1950s. L. pictus is probably extinct in Lake Nakuru National Park, and a fence erected around the park to protect rhinos prevents the species from recolonising the area. It was twice sighted outside Nairobi National Park, though it is regularly shot and snared there. The species disappeared from the Maasai Mara in 1991 after a disease outbreak. It may still be present in the Rift Valley Province and East and West Tsavo. It is still present in small numbers in the Lamu District, but is declining in the Dodori National Reserve, and may be absent in the Tana River Primate Reserve.[38]
Template:Country data Rwanda Although legally protected, L. pictus is extinct in Rwanda, likely due to a disease outbreak. Modern Rwanda's overly high human population makes the country unsuitable for future L. pictus recolonisation, and a reintroduction project in 1989 was thwarted by the onset of the Rwandan Civil War.[38] The species once occurred in high numbers in Akagera National Park, to the point of it being known as Le Parc aux Lycaons. A disease outbreak wiped out this population in 1983–1984.[38]
Template:Country data Somalia The ongoing Somali Civil War has made the outlook of L. pictus very poor in the country, with deforestation, poaching, drought, and over-grazing preventing the species from recovering, despite it being legally protected.[38] The species may still be present in the north, though the last sighting occurred in 1982. It was once common in the Buloburde District before the late 1970s. A probably declining population may occur near the Jubba River. One pack was sighted in 1994 in Lag Badana National Park, which may be the best stronghold for the species in Somalia.[38]
Template:Country data Sudan
Template:Country data South Sudan As with all large carnivores, L. pictus populations fell drammatically during the Second Sudanese Civil War, though sightings have occurred in South Sudan.[38] The species once occurred in the Sudd, though updates are lacking, and it is not afforded any legal protection in the area. It may be present in the Bangagai Game Reserve and Southern National Park. A pack was sighted in 1995 in Dinder National Park.[38]
Template:Country data Tanzania Prospects in Tanzania are good for L. pictus, as the government imposed a moratorium on all hunting of the species, and it receives full legal protection. Although rare in the north, the south offers ideal habitat, as large tsetse fly populations prevent widespread human colonisation. The Selous Game Reserve and probably Ruaha National Park represent the best strongholds for the species in all of Africa.[38] The species is common in the Selous Game Reserve, where about 880 adult specimens were estimated in 1997. It is also present in neighbouring Mikumi National Park, and has been sighted in other nearby areas. L. pictus may no longer occur in Serengeti National Park, with only 34 individuals being counted in late 1990. It is occasionally seen in the Kilimanjaro and Arusha National Parks.[38]
Uganda It is unlikely that Uganda has a resident L. pictus population, as the species was heavily persecuted after a 1955 directive to shoot it on sight. Vagrant specimens occasionally enter the country via Tanzania and South Sudan.[38] A survey taken in 1982–1992 showed that the species was likely extirpated in Uganda, though sightings in some scattered areas may indicate that L. pictus is recolonising the country. Single individuals and small packs were sighted in Murchison Falls National Park, and were seen several times in the Northern Karamoja Controlled Hunting Area in 1994.[38]
Southern Africa[edit]
Southern Africa contains numerous viable L. pictus populations, one of which encompasses northern Botswana, northeastern Namibia and western Zimbabwe. In South Africa, around 400 specimens occur in the country's Kruger National Park. Zambia holds two large populations, one in Kafue National Park, and another in the Luangwa Valley. However, the species is rare in Malawi, and probably extinct in Angola and Mozambique.[38]
Template:Country data Angola Although L. pictus is legally protected, the Angolan Civil War prevented the collection of data, and there have been no reports of the species since 1990.[38] The species was once found throughout Angola's protected areas, though it went into decline during the mid-1970s. It may still occur in the Cuando Cubango Province, where vagrants may arrive from Zambia and Namibia, though the population is probably unviable.[38]
Template:Country data Botswana The species' prospects in Botswana are hopeful, with the north of the country probably holding the largest L. pictus populations in all of Africa. Nevertheless, it receives only partial protection, and farmers are permitted to shoot it in defence of livestock.[38] The species' most important stronghold in Botswana is Ngamiland, which includes the Okavango Delta, the Moremi Game Reserve, and Chobe National Park. In 1997, at least 42 packs containing 450–500 individuals were estimated in the area. L. pictus is scarce elsewhere.[38]
Template:Country data Malawi Although rare, L. pictus is legally protected, and may only be taken by government hunters and private citizens with ministerial permits. By the 1990s, it was regularly sighted in Kasungu National Park.[38] The species was regularly reported in Kasungu National Park in the 1990s, where there were 18 sightings in 1991 alone. It occurs in low numbers in Nyika National Park and the Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve.[38]
Template:Country data Mozambique The outlook of L. pictus in Mozambique is poor. The species underwent a rapid reduction in numbers after the Mozambican War of Independence in 1975, reaching the verge of extinction by 1986. Nevertheless, it regularly enters the country via Kruger National Park in neighbouring South Africa.[38] L. pictus was once widely distributed in the remote and protected areas of the country, though it was declared extinct in western Manica, endangered in Tete and Zambezi, and extinct in Nampula. The species still occurred in the Rovuma and Lugenda River regions in 1986, and a pack with pups was sighted in Cahora Bassa in 1996.[38]
Namibia Although heavily persecuted by farmers throughout the country, the species has full legal protection and is doing well in the northeastern part of the country.[38] The species is restricted to the northeast, being extinct elsewhere. The northeastern population is probably connected to that in northern Botswana.[38]
South Africa South Africa's L. pictus population is listed as 'specially protected' in the South African Red Data Book, and it has a stronghold in Kruger National Park, which held 350–400 specimens in the mid-1990s. There have been several attempts to reintroduce the species elsewhere, though only two of these attempts proved successful, and the resulting populations were not large enough to be viable.[38] The species occurs in three regions: the Northern Cape, Kruger National Park, and KwaZulu-Natal. The Kruger population numbers at around 375–450 specimens, though they face pressure from lions and spotted hyenas, and are sometimes shot or snared outside Park boundaries. Six specimens were released into the Madikwe Game Reserve during the 1990s, though the reserve is too small to sustain a large population. In KwaZulu-Natal, the species is present in Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, where it was reintroduced during the early 1980s. This population has fluctuated since the reintroduction, and local attitudes towards it vary from hostile to favourable.[38]
Template:Country data Swaziland There appears to be no resident population in the country.[38] L. pictus has only been sighted once, when a pack was observed to kill a blesbok in December 1992, staying in the area for two weeks before disappearing.[38]
Template:Country data Zambia Although once extensively persecuted, the species has total legal protection in Zambia, and can only be hunted after purchasing a costly licence from the Minister of Tourism. L. pictus remains widespread and occurs in most protected areas, which are large and hold suitable habitat and prey. Nevertheless, populations have declined since 1990.[38] The species was present in declining numbers in Lusenga Plain National Park in 1988, and have not been reported there since. Sightings have occurred in Sumbu National Park, where the species is likely declining due to disease. Small numbers were recorded in North Luangwa National Park in 1994, and are occasionally seen in the adjoining Musalangu and Lumimba Game Management Areas. It is often sighted in South Luangwa National Park, where it was previously declining due to an anthrax outbreak. Occasional sightings also occur in the Lupande Game Management Area, Luambe National Park, Lukusuzi National Park, and the Lower Zambezi National Park.[38]
Template:Country data Zimbabwe Zimbabwe holds viable L. pictus populations, which were estimated to consist of 310–430 individuals in 1985. The population increased during the 1990s, with a survey taken in 1990–1992 having estimated the population to be made up of 400–600 animals. The species is legally protected, and can only be hunted with a permit, which has only been given once between 1986–1992.[38] The bulk of L. pictus populations in Zimbabwe occurs in and around Hwange National Park, including Victoria Falls National Park, Matetsi and Deka Safari Areas, and Kazuma Pan National Park. Collectively, these areas contain an estimated 35 packs made up of 250–300 individuals.[38]
In African cultures[edit]
Cosmetic palette from the Naqada III period depicting African wild dogs, Louvre.
Artistic depictions of African wild dogs are prominent on cosmetic palettes and other objects from Egypt's predynastic period, likely symbolising order over chaos, as well as the transition between the wild (represented by the golden jackal) and the domestic (represented by the dog). Predynastic hunters may have also identified with the African wild dog, as the Hunters Palette shows them wearing the animals' tails on their belts. By the dynastic period, African wild dog illustrations became much less represented, and the animal's symbolic role was largely taken over by the jackal.[9][10]
The African wild dog also plays a prominent role in the mythology of Southern Africa's San people. In one story, the animal is indirectly linked to the origin of death, as the hare is cursed by the moon to be forever hunted by African wild dogs after the former animal rebuffs the moon's promise to allow all living things to be reborn after death. Another story has the god Cagn taking revenge on the other gods by sending a group of men transformed into African wild dogs to attack them, though who won the battle is never revealed. The San of Botswana see the African wild dog as the ultimate hunter, and traditionally believe that shamans and medicine men can transform themselves into the animal. Some San hunters will smear African wild dog bodily fluids on their feet prior to a hunt, under the belief that doing so will gift them with the animal's boldness and agility. Nevertheless, the species does not figure prominently in San rock art, with the only notable example being a frieze in Mount Erongo showing a pack hunting two antelopes.[11]
Painted Dog Conservation[39]
Botswana Wild Dog Research Project[40]
Institute of Zoology Wild dog research[41]
Harnas Wildlife Foundation
African Wild Dog Conservancy[42]
Wildlife Conservation Network[43]
^ a b c Template:IUCN2008 Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered
^ a b c d e Rosevear, D. R. (1974). The carnivores of West Africa. London : Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). pp. 75–91. ISBN 0-565-00723-8.
^ a b Hartstone-Rose, Adam; Werdelin, Lars; De Ruiter, Darryl J.; Berger, Lee R. and Churchill, Steven E. (2010). "The Plio-pleistocene Ancestor of Wild Dogs, Lycaon sekowei n. sp" (PDF). Journal of Paleontology. 84 (2): 299–308. doi:10.1666/09-124.1. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
^ a b c d e f Creel & Creel 2002, pp. 1–11
^ a b c d e f g h i j Estes, R. (1992). The behavior guide to African mammals: including hoofed mammals, carnivores, primates. University of California Press. pp. 410–419. ISBN 0-520-08085-8.
^ a b c Clutton-Brock, J.; Corbet, G.G.; Hills, M. (1976). "A review of the family Canidae, with a classification by numerical methods". Bull. Brit. Mus. Nat. Hist. 29: 119–199.
^ a b c d Woodroffe, R. & Ginsberg, J. R., eds. 1997. Past and Future Causes of Wild Dogs' Population Decline. In Rosie Woodroffe, Joshua Ginsberg & David MacDonald, eds., Status Survey and Conservation Plan: The African Wild Dog: 58–73. IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group.
^ a b c d e Woodroffe, R., McNutt, J. W. & Mills, M. G. L., 2004. African Wild Dog Lycaon pictus. In Sillero-Zubiri, C., Hoffman, M. & MacDonald, D. W., ed., Canids: Foxes, Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Jackals and Dogs – 2004 Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, 174–183. IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group, ISBN 2-8317-0786-2
^ a b Baines, J (1993). "Symbolic roles of canine figures on early monuments". Archéo-Nil: Revue de la société pour l'étude des cultures prépharaoniques de la vallée du Nil. 3: 57–74.
^ a b Hendrickx, S. (2006). The dog, the Lycaon pictus and order over chaos in Predynastic Egypt. [in:] Kroeper, K.; Chłodnicki, M. & Kobusiewicz, M. (eds.), Archaeology of Early Northeastern Africa. Studies in African Archaeology 9. Poznań: Poznań Archaeological Museum: 723–749.
^ a b De la Harpe R. & De la Harpe, P. (2010). In search of the African wild dog: the right to survive. Sunbird. p. 41. ISBN 1-919938-11-7
^ a b Smith, C. H. (1839), Dogs, W.H. Lizars, Edinburgh, p. 261-69
^ Bothma, J. du P. & Walker, C. (1999), Larger Carnivores of the African Savannas, Springer, pp. 130–157, ISBN 3-540-65660-X
^ Kristof, N. D. (14 April 2010), "Every (wild) dog has its day", The New York Times, retrieved 18 October 2010
^ a b c d Chimimba, C. T. (2005). The Mammals of the Southern African Sub-region. Cambridge University Press. pp. 474–480. ISBN 0-521-84418-5
^ Martínez-Navarro, B., and L. Rook (2003). "Gradual evolution in the African hunting dog lineage: systematic implications". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 2 (8): 695–702. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2003.06.002. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Wayne, Robert K. (1993). "Molecular evolution of the dog family". Trends in Genetics. 9 (6): 218–224. doi:10.1016/0168-9525(93)90122-X. PMID 8337763.
^ Error: Bad DOI specified: 10.1038/nature04338
^ Template:MSW3 Wozencraft
^ a b c Bryden, H. A. (1936), Wild Life in South Africa, George G. Harrap & Company Ltd., pp. 19–20
^ Edwards, J. (2009). Conservation genetics of African wild dogs Lycaon pictus (Temminck, 1820) in South Africa. Magister Scientiae. University of Pretoria.
^ a b c d e Kingdon, Jonathan (1988). East African mammals: an atlas of evolution in Africa, Volume 3, Part 1. University of Chicago Press. pp. 36–53. ISBN 0-226-43721-3.
^ a b Nowak, Ronald M. (2005). Walker's Carnivores of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. p. 112. ISBN 0-8018-8032-7.
^ Kleiman, D. G. (1967). "Some aspects of social behavior in the Canidae". American Zoologist. American Society of Zoologists. 7 (2): 365–372. doi:10.1093/icb/7.2.365.
^ Creel, S. (1998). "Social organization and effective population size in carnivores". In Caro, T. M. Behavioral ecology and conservation biology. Oxford University Press. pp. 246–270. ISBN 978-0-19-510490-5.
^ Kleiman, D. G.; Eisenberg, J. F. (1973). "Comparisons of canid and felid social systems from an evolutionary perspective". Animal Behavior. 21 (4): 637–659. doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(73)80088-0. PMID 4798194.
^ Morell, Virginia. "Hope Rises for Africa's wild dog". International Wildlife. 26 (3).
^ Nowak, Ronald M. (2005). Walker's Carnivores of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. p. 113. ISBN 0-8018-8032-7.
^ Schaller, George B. (1973) Golden Shadows, Flying Hooves. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 277. ISBN 0394472438.
^ Dutson, Guy; Sillero-Zuberi, Claudio (2005). "Forest-dwelling African wild dogs in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia" (PDF). Canid News. 8 (3): 1–6.
^ African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). arkive.org
^ Malcolm, J.R.; Van Lawick, Hugo (1975). "Notes on wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) hunting zebras". Mammalia. 39 (2): 231–240. doi:10.1515/mamm.1975.39.2.231.
^ Woodroffe, Rosie; Ginsberg, Joshua R (1999). "Conserving the African wild dog Lycaon pictus. I. Diagnosing and treating causes of decline". Oryx. 33 (2): 132–42. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3008.1999.00052.x.
^ Pienaar, U. de V. (1969). "Predator-prey relationships amongst the larger mammals of the Kruger National Park". Koedoe. 12 (1). doi:10.4102/koedoe.v12i1.753.
^ Schaller, G. B. (1972). The Serengeti lion: A study of predator-prey relations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 188. ISBN 0-226-73639-3.
^ Kruuk, H. (1972). The Spotted Hyena: A Study of Predation and Social Behaviour. University of California Press. pp. 139–141. ISBN 0-226-45508-4.
^ Creel & Creel 2002, pp. 253–254
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci Fanshawe, J. H., Ginsberg, J. R., Sillero-Zubiri, C. & Woodroffe, R., eds. 1997. The Status & Distribution of Remaining Wild Dog Populations. In Rosie Woodroffe, Joshua Ginsberg & David MacDonald, eds., Status Survey and Conservation Plan: The African Wild Dog: 11–56. IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group.
^ "Painted Dog Conservation". Painted Dog Conservation.
^ "The Botswana Predator Conservation Trust". Save the African Wild Dog. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
^ "Dr Rosie Woodroffe". Zoological Society of London. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
^ "Help Save Wild Dogs!". African Wild Dog Conservancy. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
^ "African Wild Dog – Painted Dog Conservation". WCN Wildlife Conservation Network. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
Creel, Scott; Creel, Nancy Marusha (2002). The African Wild Dog: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01654-2.
Githiru et al. (2007). African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) from NE Kenya: Recent records and conservation issues. Zoology Department Research Report. National Museum of Kenya.
Van Lawick, H. & Goodall, J. (1971). Innocent Killers. Houghton Mifflin Company Boston
Wozencraft, W. C. (November 2005). D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.) Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4. Bucknell.edu
Template:Wikispecies
painteddog.org, Painted Dog Conservation Website
painteddog.co.uk/, Painted Dog Conservation United Kingdom Website
African Wild Dog Conservancy
African Wild Dog Watch
Wild Dog conservation in Zimbabwe
Namibia Nature Foundation Wild Dog Project: Conservation of African wild dogs in Namibia
"African wild dogs: Wildlife summary". African Wildlife Foundation.
The Zambian Carnivore Programme
Save the African wild dog
Wildentrust.org
Painted Dog Conservation (conservation organization)
Photos, videos and information from ARKive
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.beta.wmflabs.org/w/index.php?title=African_wild_dog&oldid=214346"
IUCN Red List endangered species
Carnivorans of Africa
Fauna of East Africa
Fauna of West Africa
Fauna of Southern Africa
Fauna of the Sahara
This page was last edited 21:35, 31 March 2015 by Wikipedia user Jdforrester (WMF). Based on work by Wikipedia anonymous users imported>Rjwilmsi and imported>Materialscientist.
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Sugar (Tonic album)
1999 studio album by Tonic
Studio album by
Post-grunge
Tonic chronology
Lemon Parade
(1996) Sugar
(1999) Head on Straight
Allmusic [1]
Entertainment Weekly (B)[2]
Rolling Stone [3]
Sugar is Tonic's second studio album, released in 1999. Released on November 9, 1999 and self-produced by the band itself, the album's title shared the same name as the fifth track on the recording.[4][5] The creative and collaborative process spanned several geographic locations including Austin, Texas, and a 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) mansion in New Orleans, Louisiana, where actual recording for the album was performed.[6] "Knock Down Walls" and "You Wanted More" were charting singles released off the record, with the latter having first appeared on the soundtrack to the movie American Pie.[7] With Shepard no longer part of the band, touring drummer Peter Maloney played drums on the album. Music videos for the songs "You Wanted More" and "Mean to Me" were created as part of the album's promotion.[8] Tonic appeared on the television shows Late Night with Conan O'Brien and "The Martin Short Show" in late 1999 as part of additional promotion.[9][10] Sugar spent eight total weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, reaching a peak of #81 in its first week of release.[11] The single "You Wanted More" reached a high of #3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks charts in the U.S., and was featured on the soundtrack for the film American Pie.
Track listing[edit]
...there are no bad songs to be found anywhere on the entire album, each one bearing its own redeeming qualities, whether a driving beat or a tenacious scrap of melody...
Music critic Mathias Sheaks reviews Sugar for All Music Guide[5]
All songs by Emerson Hart except where noted.
"Future Says Run" − 3:46
"You Wanted More" (Hart, Jeff Russo, Dan Lavery)− 3:50
"Knock Down Walls" (Hart, Russo) − 3:43
"Mean to Me" − 4:11
"Sugar" (Hart, Lavery, Russo) − 3:29
"Jump Jimmy (Stronger Than Mine)" (Hart, Lavery) − 3:39
"Queen" − 4:34
"Waiting for the Light to Change" − 4:32 (strings arranged by David Campbell)
"Waltz with Me" − 3:45
"Sunflower" (Hart, Lavery) − 3:20
"Drag Me Down" (Hart, Lavery, Russo) − 2:46
"Top Falls Down" (Hart, Kevin Shepard, Russo) − 4:17
"Love a Diamond" (Hart, Lavery, Russo) − 3:52
Personnel[edit]
Emerson Hart: Vocals, Guitar, Slide, Percussion
Jeff Russo: Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals, Slide, Percussion
Dan Lavery: Bass guitar, Backing Vocals, Slide
Pete Maloney: Drums
^ Allmusic review
^ Entertainment Weekly review
^ Rolling Stone review
^ Olson, Catherine Applefeld. "Tonic Bridges Old And New With Universal's 'head On Straight'". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
^ a b Sheaks, Mathias. "Sugar Overview". Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
^ "An Interview with Tonic". The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). 2000-01-19. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "American Pie Original Soundtrack Overview". Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
^ "Tonic on Yahoo! Music". Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
^ "Late Night with Conan O'Brien episode dated 17 December 1999". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
^ "The Martin Short Show episode #1.53". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
^ "Tonic Album & Song Chart History". Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
Emerson Hart
Jeff Russo
Dan Lavery
Dan Rothchild
Kevin Shepard
Head on Straight
Lemon Parade Revisited
Live & Enhanced
"If You Could Only See"
"You Wanted More"
A Casual Affair: The Best of Tonic
This 1990s alternative rock album–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sugar_(Tonic_album)&oldid=866113347"
Tonic (band) albums
1990s alternative rock album stubs
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Gaming History You Should Know – Video Game Inspired Game Shows April 23, 2017
Posted by Maniac in Gaming History You Should Know, Uncategorized.
It’s Sunday and we are back for more Gaming History You Should Know. Let me tell you about the YouTube Channel Grid 19 Productions. It features a fantastic ongoing series called The Game Show Reviewer, where a man trapped in space and time reviews some of the most memorable game shows in the history of television. You name the show, he’s probably reviewed it. Jeopardy, The Price is Right, and Press Your Luck are just a few examples of adult game shows he’s reviewed. Heck he’s even reviewed memorable kids game shows like Legends of the Hidden Temple, GUTS and Double Dare.
You’re probably wondering why I would feature The Game Show Reviewer on a website devoted to video games, and to answer that I need to take you back to the 90s. When I was growing up I always had a thirst for new information, regardless if it was historical or pop culture related, and two shows were about to air that would change my life.
By the early 90s there was no escaping the phenomenon that were the Carmen Sandiego PC video games. Created by Brøderbund, Carmen Sandiego was a thief who stole the world’s most precious historical artifacts while leaving a trail of clues in her wake. Depending on the game, following the clues and solving each case required a knowledge of history and world geography. This focus made it a perfect fit for the PBS network who adapted the video game into a daily game show I used to love watching it after school every day. Later on, the series actually got a sequel show. Here’s his review of the Carmen Sandiego game shows on PBS. Now, I finally can say what I’ve always wanted to say, “Do it Rockapella!”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the dial, the first kids’ network Nickelodeon was dominating children’s programming with an influx of unique sitcoms, cartoons and game shows. It was the early 90s and the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis consoles were dominating with their superior graphics and sound. Competitive gaming was being openly discussed among people who never even played video games before and Nickelodeon had plans to capitalize on the craze. However, if they were going to make a tv show about games they weren’t just going to show kids playing video games, they were going to put kids IN THE GAMES! With that in template mind, the show Nick Arcade was born and here is his review.
Hope you enjoyed this look at the classic game shows that made up my childhood. Special thanks to The Game Show Reviewer for letting me feature him on this site, I can’t wait to see what videos he has in store for the future.
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Why First Merchants (FRME) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio
Zacks March 11, 2019
In the latest trading session, Molina (MOH) closed at $142.09, marking a +1.01% move from the previous day.
Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.
Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
First Merchants in Focus
Based in Muncie, First Merchants (FRME) is in the Finance sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 14.04%. The bank is paying out a dividend of $0.22 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.25% compared to the Banks - Midwest industry's yield of 2.26% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.97%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $0.88 is up 4.8% from last year. Over the last 5 years, First Merchants has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 31.22%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. First Merchants's current payout ratio is 27%, meaning it paid out 27% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
FRME is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 is $3.44 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 6.83%.
Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers their shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that FRME is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
First Merchants Corporation (FRME) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Here's What Steven Madden, Ltd.'s (NASDAQ:SHOO) P/E Is Telling Us
What Should You Know About The Future Of General Mills, Inc.'s (NYSE:GIS)?
Where PetMed Express, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:PETS) Earnings Growth Stands Against Its Industry
Should Amdocs Limited (NASDAQ:DOX) Be Part Of Your Dividend Portfolio?
Ipsen S.A. (EPA:IPN): Will The Growth Last?
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Game 14: Wells Fargo Center
Nuggets 108, Sixers 104 OT
PHILADELPHIA — It’s not unreasonable to believe that David Stern is the greatest commissioner in the history of American major league sports. A lawyer by trade with a background in marketing, Stern took over the NBA from Larry O’Brien—the James Buchanan of commissioners—and ushered the game into a new era.
Actually, Stern had plenty of help. It just so happened that Stern became the commissioner just when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were coming into their primes, plus, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon and John Stockton entered the NBA during Stern’s first year as commissioner.
But give the guy credit for not sitting idly by. Under Stern’s watch, the NBA went from being a league that only serious basketball fans followed to an American-based Premier league of sorts. Internationally, the two most popular team sports are soccer and basketball and that comes in no small part from Stern’s ability to market his league.
That doesn’t mean the league is not without its flaws. After all, since Stern took over the NBA, labor peace has been virtually non-existent. In fact, there have been four player lockouts, including one in 1999 that left the league with a 50-game regular season and this year’s lockout that has teams playing 66 games in four months.
So when Stern turned up in Philly for a media session before the game against the Nuggets, one of the biggest topics was the condensed season and players’ health.
“I can tell you that we had the same short training camps in the last lockout, so I don’t think that’s the problem,” Stern said during the press conference. “As for the injuries, I reserve the right to see how things play out over the next few weeks before I draw any conclusions. I will take a look at the data and then I’ll call you.”
The idea when creating the condensed schedule was to come as close to representing a full, 82-game season without playing 82 games. When the league had its 50-game season, it was too short.
“When we got together with the player representatives and made the deal, I knew that if we got it done that (Thanksgiving) weekend, we could start on Christmas and we could play 16 games every 28 days, rather than 14 games every 28 days,” Stern said. “To us, the two extra games, to get in as much as we could of the season was important, so people wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, it isn’t a representative season.’”
Stern says fans love the condensed schedule. Coaches must hate it because of all the injuries and beat up players left in the wake, but this NBA season feels like a baseball season in that there is a decent game on every night. In fact, Sixers’ coach Doug Collins told us before the game in New York that he felt like a baseball manager with all the travel and games, but so little practice time.
“You win and you lose,. People say, ‘You have too many games,’ or, if you go to 50 games, as we did before, then you get told that you are not having enough,” Stern said. “We thought the 66 games were do-able. It seems to be doing OK. We’re pretty pleased with it. From the fans’ perspective, I’ve had people telling me, it’s great, you go home and there are all these games on League Pass, and so our fans are loving it.”
From a journalists’ perspective, the season is a blast. There is tons of action and when we get home from the arena, the west coast games are burning up the TV.
However, it’s no fun writing about injuries and it’s also not much fun to see ballplayers gimp around in the locker room before and after games. Sometimes, a players’ health dominates the news end of things and we get stuck writing speculative stories about when someone will return.
Injuries are also a drag on the quality of play, too. At its best, basketball is unlike any other sport. Sometimes a basketball game is a prize fight, a ballet and a chess match all rolled into one and when players are injured, it takes some of the fun out of it.
Posted at 01:37 AM in David Stern, injuries, lockout, NBA | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Don't expect Jamie Moyer to give up so easily
We all remember how it was when Mike Schmidt announced his retirement from playing baseball. Better yet, when Schmidty told everyone he was done that day in San Diego in 1989, there was no mistaking the intent. Sure, the blubbering, the emotion and the cracking voice were dead giveaways that he meant business. Oh, but there were better indicators than just the crying and carrying on.
Think about it… who wakes up in the morning and puts on a late-‘80s styled suit straight from a Tom Cruise movie, and then arranges his hair in a supremely coiffed feathered ‘do if they didn’t mean business. If I remember correctly, the theme from Miami Vice played Schmidt out of the room when the presser was over.
However, neither the walk-off song nor the fat lady has begun to sprinkle out those first notes for Jamie Moyer’s exit. No way. Baseball’s most elderly statesman isn’t going to give up the ghost of his career without a fight. That wouldn’t be his style.
So noting that Moyer reportedly suffered an injury last weekend while pitching in his third winter league game in the Dominican Republic last weekend with his 48th birthday next Friday, it’s reasonable to think that the old man is done. Add in the fact that Moyer jetted off to California to visit with renowned orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum because of an injured elbow that reportedly swelled up to the size of a golf ball, and maybe this is how it finally all goes down.
Then again, that’s way too easy.
While the results of an MRI on his elbow are still unknown, those simply writing off the cagey, 24-year veteran lefty should think for a second. Hell, the easy thing to do would be to retire and that was something Moyer has had plenty of chances to contemplate. Considering that he’s been flat-out released three times, allowed to take free agency three more times, and then sent back to minors three more times on top of that. Even his father-in-law, former basketball coach Digger Phelps, told him to retire and go back to school. In other words, Moyer has had his chances to take the easy way out—there has been no shortage of easy exits.
In fact, there was the time he sat in his hotel room in Anaheim waiting to go to the ballpark to pitch in a meaningless game for the Mariners in mid-August, that Moyer says he and his wife had a 90-minute conversation over the phone about whether or not it was time to pack it in. The idea of playing another season with a mediocre team with no shot to realistically compete for a World Series was just too much for him to bear.
Enough was enough, he thought, until he was offered an interesting proposition…
“A couple of days later they came to me and said, ‘Hey, want to be traded?’” Moyer recounted earlier this year.
Five days after that phone conversation with his wife, Moyer was pitching for a Phillies team that was preparing to make the greatest post-season run in their history. Better yet, he was the pitcher who got the most wins during the past four years.
Still, Moyer has never been through the things he’s been faced with over the past 12 months. Last November he had three different surgeries to repair a torn groin and abdominal issues and even ended up in the hospital last Thanksgiving to clean up an infected blood clot. But even that wasn’t enough to keep him from reporting to spring training on time.
Then shortly after the All-Star Break, Moyer hurt his elbow in the first inning of a game in St. Louis, where the diagnosis was a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and a strained flexor pronator tendon. Typically the course of action for that type of injury is Tommy John surgery. However, because Moyer and John had careers that overlapped by four years, such an invasive surgery would have ended it all.
Instead, Yocum prescribed rest and Moyer followed it to the letter before he was given the go-ahead to begin throwing again. During the NLCS it wasn’t uncommon to see the old lefty in the bullpen throwing pitch after pitch in attempt to rebuild his strength and to prepare for the winter league season.
So to think that Moyer would give up so easily after heading to the Dominican Republic to pitch against up-and-comers and players looking to get more at-bats or innings says something about the man. Better yet, it’s about time people accept the fact that Moyer isn’t pitching for stats, money or fame. Sure, he has an ego like anyone else and chances are that if Moyer was digging ditches for a living and could retire whenever he wanted and remain independently wealthy, he’d do it. But Moyer loves the game. He loves pitching and he loves to compete. Still defiant and engaged in a fight with those who are resigned to accept outcomes and convention wisdom, it’s clear that Moyer’s goal was to keep pitching until it was no longer physically possible. He wasn’t slowing down and he wasn’t taking shortcuts, either.
He never lost it.
But he’s not blind, either. He’s not wishing for a perfect, lucky outcome in order to take one more spin around to celebrate some type of victory. Why should he? Moyer has faced his every day in baseball with a cold, hard shot of reality and that defiance. He’s celebrated the mundane and taken joy in the unbelievable fortune that comes to those who are lucky enough to throw a baseball for a living.
He wasn’t granted any shortcut when the Cubs, Rangers and Cardinals placed him on waivers, and he’ll be damned if he’s going to accept one now.
“Because once it’s over it’s over whether I just plain retire or if it’s due to an injury,” Moyer said after his injury in St. Louis. “I’ve always said that when that last day comes, I’m done.”
The truth is that for the better part of the past four decades, Moyer has played baseball, so why stop now?
“Some players get injured and others just lose the desire,” Moyer told me during a conversation in Washington two years ago. “Then some, for one reason or other, are told to quit because they reach a certain age or time spent in the game. Some just accept it without asking why.”
Moyer never accepted it. That’s why he won’t accept it this time unless Dr. Yocum tells him otherwise. No tears, no speeches, no nothing. Just baseball.
Posted at 10:22 PM in Dr. Lewis Yocum, injuries, Jamie Moyer, Mike Schmidt | Permalink
Does Charlie have Phillies on the right pace?
From the way Charlie Manuel explains it, he’s an organic kind of guy. In baseball there is a natural ebb and flow of things that Charlie doesn’t like to mess with. With its rhythms and whatnot, a baseball season unfolds a certain way for a reason so when there is anomaly that pops up, Charlie rarely bats an eye.
For instance, if a player comes out of the gate hitting everything in sight and posting huge numbers, Charlie doesn’t get too excited. Just wait, he says, everything will even out as long as nature is allowed to work its course. After all, it would be silly to sprint the first mile of a marathon with 25 miles left.
Pace yourself.
So with Shane Victorino back with the team after going 6-for-8 with a homer, triple and four RBIs in two Triple-A rehab games, and Chase Utley cleared to resume his hitting drills while Ryan Howard was back to taking grounders, don’t get too crazy with excitement yet. Charlie says there will be a period where the players will have to knock off some rust.
It won’t be the players’ fitness or skills that will be the issue, the skipper says. It will be the hitters’ timing. As Charlie explains, it often takes a player more time to recover his timing at the plate and his in-game conditioning. Sometimes just gripping a bat feels a bit weird even though the hits could be dropping in. As a result, a late-season injury to guys like Howard, Utley or Victorino might not be the boon logic would dictate.
On the plus side, the Phillies will have some depth.
“I feel like when we get everybody healthy our bench definitely should be as strong as it’s been all year,” Charlie said. “Without a doubt.”
That’s the only doubt Manuel doesn’t have. Otherwise he’s full of them. Baseball managers always are—even successful ones like Big Chuck. Truth is, calling them “managers” is a misnomer this time of year considering there is very little they get to manage at all. With the Phillies it has been about the injuries as well as some inexplicable ineffectiveness with the bullpen. Sure, Brad Lidge appears to have it together despite a bit of a dip in the velocity of his fastball, but the club’s lone lefty, J.C. Romero, is dealing with some strange “slow hand” phenomenon.
“My hand was slow,” Romero explained after a rough outing on Tuesday night against the Dodgers. “Not my arm. My arm got there. My hand was slow.”
Wait… aren’t they connected?
“I still, to a certain extent, don't understand what the problem is,” Charlie said about his lonely lefty. “We have to find out about it.”
See what were saying about “managing?” How can anyone have a say over a guy whose arm is moving faster than his hand? Perhaps it could be Romero’s mouth is working faster than his brain in this instance?
But don’t think for a minute Charlie would trade his injuries for the one Braves’ skipper Bobby Cox is dealing with, or for the craziness Mets’ manager Jerry Manuel has going on with his closer. After all, Victorino can go out there and play tonight while Utley and Howard should be back before the end of the month. Actually, the toughest decision Manuel has looming is whether or not to keep top hitting prospect Dom Brown in the majors or send him back to Triple-A for the final week(s) of the International League season.
Certainly there are some big issues concerning the Phillies, like what they are going to be able to do about the left-handed reliever problem. For now, we’ll just have to pretend that Ryan Madson is a lefty and hope he continues to strikeout left-handed hitters at a rate of 25 percent per at-bat. The righty handled two of the Dodgers’ toughest lefties in the eighth inning of a close game on Wednesday night and might find himself pushed into more righty-on-lefty action as long as Romero’s left hand continues to belabor the pace.
Still, no one with the Phillies was called down to the precinct house in order to post bail for the closer early Thursday morning. According to published reports, the Mets’ All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez cursed at reporters before allegedly walking to another portion of the clubhouse where he was accused of committing third-degree assault on his 53-year-old father-in-law. The 53-year old went off to the hospital, while K-Rod was arraigned and released on $5,000 bail on Thursday.
With the rival Phillies headed for Queens this weekend, K-Rod likely will be serving a team-issued suspension. Meanwhile, ace lefty Johan Santana has been sued for rape by a Florida woman after authorities declined to prosecute.
In comparison, Charlie will take those injuries.
But certainly not the one that appears to cost Braves’ future Hall-of-Famer Chipper Jones the rest of the season. It came out Thursday that Jones tore the ACL in his left knee and likely will have season-ending surgery. If that’s the case, the first-place Braves will go into the final month of the season without their best hitter, who just so happens to be a Phillie killer, while hoping the aches and pains suffered by All-Stars Jason Heyward and Martin Prado relent enough so they can carry the load.
“When you think of the Atlanta Braves, the first guy you think of is Chipper Jones,” Braves’ GM Frank Wren told the Associated Press. “His presence in our lineup has been increasing based on his performance the last couple of months. He was a force. So, yeah, we're losing a lot.”
So put this way, the Phillies might be coming together just in time. Considering spring training lasts approximately six weeks, Charlie’s boys ought to be running at full steam in time for the last week of the season.
Talk about perfect timing.
Posted at 06:32 PM in Bobby Cox, Charlie, Chase Utley, Chipper Jones, Francisco Rodriguez, injuries, J.C. Romero, Ryan Howard | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
How bad does the (injury) bug bite?
When the Phillies showed up for spring training two months ago, it was difficult to imagine the team not winning the NL East for a fourth season in a row. With the core group heading into its athletic and physiological prime and the addition of Roy Halladay to the top of the rotation, the over/under on wins was placed at 95 by the swells in Vegas.
The Phillies will hit unlike no other Phillies team ever and they have a horse that has piled up at least 220 innings the past four years.
Truth is, things are so rosy with the Phillies as its hitters have bludgeoned the Nationals and Astros in the first seven games, that no one wants to jinx anything. Come on… why bring up something like the potential for injuries and be a mush? Why do that when the Phillies have used the schedule to their advantage in order to rush out to the best record in baseball?
Injuries are a tricky thing because no one in sports ever knows how the body is going to respond. Your calf injury recovers at a different rate than someone like Jimmy Rollins. See, as a shortstop whose speed and quickness is what helped get him to the big leagues in the first place, the calf muscle is that much more important. That’s the muscle that is the engine for Rollins. A balky calf means Rollins doesn’t go from first to third when Placido Polanco laces one to right field or goes from first to home when Chase Utley bangs one into the gap.
And without Rollins at the top of the batting order the entire dynamic of the offense gets knocked off kilter a bit.
Oh sure, even if it turns out that Rollins has a Grade 2 sprain of his calf like a source told CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury on Monday and has to serve some time on the disabled list, the Phillies still will win the NL East. The same goes for Jayson Werth, who likely will miss a game or two with a sore hip that “grabbed” him during Monday’s victory over lowly Washington.
Thanks to some wise off-season acquisitions, the Phillies have Juan Castro to play short if Rollins goes out for a bit instead of Eric Bruntlett. The Phils also have Ben Francisco, Greg Dobbs or Ross Gload to play the outfield for Werth if he needs a few games off.
Sure, losing those players will sting a bit, but they only mask the real concern that could cause the 2010 season to blow up like one of those trick cigars in the cartoons.
The concern: what if Brad Lidge doesn’t get it back this year?
No, I’m no doctor and chances are I would have flunked out of medical school within a week of attending a single class. However, a late March cortisone shot into his sore right arm mixed with two rehab outings at Single-A in which he has allowed five runs, five hits, a walk and no strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings is attention grabbing.
Yes, Lidge is coming off yet another surgery—his third since joining the Phillies before the 2008 season—and it probably will take a bit for him to get back his strength. But what happens if he doesn’t get it back? Or let’s say he gets it back and turns in another year like he did in ’09 when he saved 31 games, but allowed 51 runs in 58 2/3 innings?
Ryan Madson, the Phillies’ acting closer, says there are no worries on his end. In fact, he pointed out after getting his second save of the year on Monday, talk of a thin bullpen is an annual rite of spring around these parts.
If there is ever one thing guys like me like to pick at as if it’s a mealy old scab, it’s the Phils’ bullpen depth. Madson has noticed.
“Every year I've been here, it’s about the bullpen,” he said. “It’s our weakest link. You're going to have something that’s not like the lineup we've got.”
The thing about injuries is they give guys like Madson a chance. When they hear the chatter or the put-on panic about the team’s chances when a key player goes down it only serves to motivate. Besides, Madson says, the bullpen was another one of those areas where a couple of off-season acquisitions just might pan out. Veteran Jose Contreras is making the transition from starter to reliever and just might have the stuff to close out games if needed. Rule 5 guy Dave Herndon has been impressive in limited action.
So far this season the Phils’ relievers have allowed just three runs with 18 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings. That comes to a 1.33 ERA, which is second-best in the Majors.
“We’ve got plenty of arms out there that have been throwing the ball really well,” Madson said. “It will be nice when they get back, but for now, we've got good arms out there. We’re happy.”
There’s no reason not to be. Not yet, anyway. The Phillies have worked over the lowly Nats and Astros, but that will change soon when they get deeper into the schedule.
That’s when we find out just how costly those aches and pains really are.
Posted at 01:39 AM in Brad Lidge, injuries, Jimmy Rollins, Phillies, Ryan Madson | Permalink | Comments (0)
Ibanez hurt? Who knew... aside from everyone
One of my favorite things about writing about sports is knowing something but still not being able to write about it. Call that a quirk or just an example of an off-kilter sense of humor because there are a lot of guys who get all bent about things like that.
Take the case of Raul Ibanez, for instance. A whole bunch of us knew that he was hurt/injured and that he was playing even though he was in obvious pain.
Just watch the guy run, for goshsakes. His form is all over the place like he's compensating for the pounding one takes with each painful footfall. Swinging a bat couldn't be easy, either. Just look at the difference between those first and second-half numbers for that proof.
Or better yet, when Raul first arrived in town he was always a fixture in the clubhouse before and after games, but during the second half of the season those clubhouse sightings were rare. It was deduced that he was getting treatment or going through a series of stretches, twists, shots or potions in order to get out on the field.
We didn’t know any of this because no one was saying anything. Even when Raul or Charlie Manuel were asked—point blank—if the left fielder was hurt, injured or needed surgery, the answer was always elusive and ambiguous. The best answer was always something about not being on the list of players getting treatment from athletic trainer Scott Sheridan.
The truth was Ibanez was beyond such mundane things as basic treatment.
So when the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated arrived in mailboxes, it was all there for all to read—Ibanez was hurt just like we knew, only more dramatically so.
According to the story, rather than have surgery and potentially miss a large portion of the season he toughed it out as we all saw.
He batted .312 with 22 home runs in his first 2½ months, a welcome splash of cold water for a team still groggy from a World Series hangover. But by the third week in June, Ibañez was suffering from a sore left groin and, unbeknownst to the public, a small but serious muscle tear near his abdomen. On a trip to Toronto he was confronted with an excruciating decision: He could have surgery to repair the tear and miss a large chunk of time, or he could return after a short stint on the disabled list and play his dream season hurt. "We all asked him if he would have the surgery," Phillies first base coach Davey Lopes says, "and he told everyone, 'I won't do that. I'll do anything but that.'"
After consulting with a neuromuscular specialist in Toronto and a surgeon in Philadelphia, Ibañez chose the DL, followed by aggressive rehabilitation. Every day he drops onto a mat in the Phillies' clubhouse, performs core and hip exercises with trainer Scott Sheridan and then heads for the field. Lopes believes that Ibañez's swing, speed and statistics have suffered because of the injury—he batted just .232 with 12 homers in 72 games after coming off the DL—but his clubhouse cred clearly spiked. "A lot of guys in his position would have said, 'Oh, my God, I'll just have the surgery,'" says Phillies utilityman Greg Dobbs, who played with Ibañez in Seattle. "But he's the type who says, ‘You tell me I can't, then I will.’”
So there are a couple ways to look at this, such as we can laud Ibanez for his toughness and his pain management. These are admirable traits for athletes—especially Philadelphia athletes—as long as the team doesn’t suffer because of it. Though Ibanez hasn’t been himself during the second half of the season, he hasn’t been a drain on the team.
Give the guy credit for going out there as often as possible. Charlie Manuel is the type of manager who rides his regulars and Ibanez got no special treatment despite the injury. He said he was OK, so he played... no complaints.
Surely there are second half VORP numbers out there to confirm or deny this claim.
Conversely, it kind of stinks that Ibanez and the Phillies held back a story that the local guys had already sniffed out only to confirm it for Sports Illustrated. In the meantime all some of us could do was drop some not-so subtle hints and force readers to do some between-the-lines reading about the assumed injury. There are other examples aside from this one, but this is what stands out for the moment.
So yeah, we knew something was up. We knew there was something more than what was being trotted out there. But apparently it pays to be a part of the national media as opposed to li’l ol’ Philadelphia.
You want the truth? Can you handle it?
Posted at 12:00 AM in injuries, Philadelphia, Raul Ibanez, Sports Illustrated | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Junge Gun
Nearly seven years ago, Eric Junge pitched five innings of a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in a meaningless September game. In fact, September of 2002 was one of the last few final months that were meaningless for the Phillies. In 2004 all that was left to decide in September was when they would mercifully pull the plug on the managerial career of Larry Bowa.
Those were the days when the pitching coach got punched in the face by a player, and some wondered if it was simply a matter of time until the manager suffered the same fate. Nope, those definitely weren’t the golden days of Phillies baseball.
More like Blood Sport.
Anyway, Eric Junge started and won his first Major League outing over the Pirates in rather dramatic fashion. See, Junge was finished pitching for the year after going 12-6 with a 3.54 in Triple-A in 29 starts, until then-GM Ed Wade called him at home in Rye, N.Y. in the middle of a pizza feast. The Phillies needed some fresh arms to get through the year and since the roster had expanded, Junge got a phone call inquiring whether he wanted to pitch in the big leagues.
Sure, Junge said, but first he had to cancel some plans.
Junge joined the Phillies on Sept. 11, 2002, exactly one year after that day. So instead of going down to Ground Zero with his trumpet to play a tribute to the three friends from childhood that died on 9/11, Junge was the Vet waiting to make his big league debut instead of “preparing to mourn and remember.”
“I would have been playing my trumpet, playing Taps. It's something I used to do on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. I would go down to the town square and all the veterans would be there,” he told us. “It would be my little way of saying thanks for our freedoms. Taps for me is emotional. I'd rather be pitching in the big leagues, obviously.
“I didn't think I would get called up," he said nearly seven years ago. “It's all kind of surreal. I was getting ready to mourn and now I feel alive.”
I remember that day for a lot of reasons. First, there weren’t too many games in the 2002 baseball season that were too memorable. Brett Myers made his debut at Wrigley Field, pitcher Robert Person hit a pair of homers and got seven RBIs in about two innings of a rout over the Expos, and Scott Rolen was traded.
Secondly, only two seasons into Bowa’s reign of terror, it was clear things had already come unhinged. Little did we know at the time that the franchise would have to take some decisive actions after some growing pains and old-fashioned time biding.
Otherwise, it was an underwhelming season.
But Junge was interesting. After he threw those five innings in which he gave up four hits and one run in his only big league start, I was all set to write about how he was the first Bucknell University alum to pitch in the big leagues since Christy Mathewson. Acquired in the Omar Daal trade with Los Angeles, Junge was the minor league surprise of ’02.
Instead of writing about the surprise start, the Mathewson angle and a promising future, someone saw three names scribbled on Junge’s cap while talking to him in the clubhouse after the game. The names “Fetchet,” “Mello” and “McGinley” were hard to miss there in black Sharpie just to the left of the Phillies “P” on Junge's cap.
What was the deal with those words, Junge was asked.
Those three guys were Brad Fetchet, Chris Mello and Mark McGinley, Junge told us. All three died on 9/11 at the World Trade Center during the attacks. Mello grew up with the pitcher and the two played baseball and football all the way from little league to high school. He died when his plane struck the north tower.
Fetchet and McGinley were Bucknell classmates of Junge who were working in the Trade Center that fateful day and didn't make it out.
Then there was Junge's dad Peter, who was standing on the street corner adjacent to the buildings when the first plane hit, which was carrying Mello. A maritime attorney with offices a block away from Wall St., Peter Junge was on his way to court when the unthinkable happened. Junge was eating breakfast in a waffle house in Huntsville, Ala., preparing to pitch for the Dodgers' Double-A club, Jacksonville.
“That was a hectic day,” Junge told us after his first Major League start.
It was a helluva story and forced a lot of us to re-do those Mathewson/Bucknell angles we were knee-deep in by the time we met with Junge. But aside from the emotional side of the story, there also was the work on the field. After all, it’s not every day a pitcher in his first big league start walks off with swagger. Junge might have been a surprise call up, but he was acting as if he belonged.
“Some guys might be apprehensive but he acts like he's been here for 20 years,” Bowa said after that game. “With his makeup, he wanted the opportunity and he opened some eyes. He was walking around the dugout yelling, ‘Let’s go!’ and getting everyone fired up.”
Junge’s big league career lasted just 10 games. In 2002 he got another win when Vicente Padilla exited a game after just 13 pitches and Junge came on in the first inning and went into the sixth.
But injuries derailed whatever future he might have had with the Phillies or a chance to return to the Majors with another club. In 2003 he was shut down after 16 games between the Phillies and Triple-A. When he came back from shoulder surgery, he pitched at three different levels in the Phillies’ organization before he was granted free agency at the end of the year.
Then came the life of the baseball nomad. In 2005 he pitched in Triple-A for the Mets and then released. In ’06 it was Triple-A with the Padres and then another release. For 2007 it was a handful of games in the independent Atlantic League until he wound up back at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with the Yankees.
And then, of course, another release.
Junge spent 2008 in Japan pitching for the Orix Buffaloes, which was the former team of So Taguchi and Ichiro, as well as the organization that featured an American cleanup hitter named Chuck Manuel. They called Chuck, “The Red Devil.”
Now 32, the same age as former teammates, Marlon Byrd, Johnny Estrada, Geoff Geary, Nick Punto as well as a year older than his ex-third baseman, Chase Utley, Junge is still out there playing. As fate would have it, the lean, 6-foot-5 righty signed to play for a team with a stadium less than one-mile from my home as the crow flies.
Yeah that’s right, Junge was pitching for the Lancaster Barnstormers in the Atlantic League. The Atlantic League is baseball purgatory… or maybe worse. No matter, in his first month with the team the baseball lifer (think Chris Coste had he been a prospect) was the league’s pitcher of the month with a 4-1 with a 1.73 ERA and twice broke the franchise record with 12 strikeouts in a game. In 26 innings, Junge had 34 whiffs.
And then he was gone.
That’s what I learned this evening when I moseyed down to the ballpark with the kids to check out a game. I had hoped to see Junge, relive those days in Philly and see what’s shaking with Antonio Alfonseca, who is closing out games for the Barnstormers. However, Junge’s name was strangely omitted from the roster. A quick Google search later revealed he had left Lancaster to pitch for a team in South Korea.
How’s that for an indictment of the team, league and town? Junge would rather travel halfway around the globe to pitch in South Korea rather than for Tom Herr and Von Hayes in Lancaster, Pa.
You know, some days I know how he feels.
Nevertheless, good luck to Mr. Junge. Undoubtedly he could trade in the uniform for a career as a good baseball exec, but let’s hope his baseball journeys pay off with a trip back to the big leagues or at least some pretty kick-ass stories. He certainly gave us one seven years ago, and, as readers of the site know, it’s the stories that make the word go ‘round.
Posted at 12:00 AM in 9/11, Eric Junge, injuries, Lancaster, Larry Bowa, Phillies, South Korea | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Shot from the hip
Brett Myers joins teammate Chase Utley, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Lowell, Alex Gordon and Carlos Delgado (amongst others) who have (or will) undergo surgery for a torn hip labrum. And that’s just in baseball. Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals and Floyd Landis are two more notable athletes who had hip surgery recently.
That’s not all, either. Hip pain and injuries are the bane of distance runners and soccer players and it appears to have replaced the knee as the injury in baseball.
Of course shoulder injuries in pitchers are the biggest of the big, so the hip has a ways to go to catch up.
Nevertheless, with Myers acknowledging that he has to have hip surgery – whether it’s now or later is to be determined – the question has arisen about all the labral tears and hip surgeries.
What’s the deal with that? Is it something sinister or related to nefarious acts? Are these ballplayers built differently or doing something their predecessors did not?
Ballplayers in the old days had hip injuries and labral tears, too, only back then they called it a groin injury or some other catchall phrase. But with sports medicine and athletic training reaching new heights of insight and with technological advancements of the diagnostics, things like labrum tears and spurs are found much more easily.
Think about how many careers could have been saved if certain players were simply born in a different era. Or think about how much pain some players went through just to play their game. We know that tons of pitchers would have been able to have longer careers if Tommy John surgery had existed before 1975. That’s just one example – what was it like before arthroscopic procedures?
What if Mickey Mantle (for example) would have been able to have modern medical procedures instead of the slicing and dicing he underwent?
Anyway, Myers will need surgery and the consensus from a few medical folks who I described his situation to seem to think he will be best served to have the surgery now instead of later. Of course Myers is going to see Dr. Bryan Kelly, who just might be the Michael Jordan of hip ailments.[1] Clearly Dr. Kelly will steer Myers to the right path.
Nevertheless, a few medical folks seem to think that Myers’ shoulder injury from 2007 might have led to his hip problems. The reason they think this is because of the significant drop in the velocity of his fastball seems to point to Myers pushing off harder with his right leg in order to throw pitches as hard as he did before the shoulder injury. By having the surgery as soon as possible – and hoping that the damage isn’t too bad – Myers could be recovered in time for the stretch run and should be throwing as hard as he once did.
Of course Myers wants to pitch now. The best season of his career came when he pitched out of the bullpen when he pitched nearly every day in September of 2007. His durability was his strength and would have been attractive on the free-agent market this off-season.
The guy likes to pitch and even when he was in pain on Wednesday night, he didn’t want to come out of the game.
Certainly it makes the decision for Myers that much more difficult.
I watched Randy Wolf pitch for the Dodgers against the Cubs at Wrigley Field last night and it appears as if the ex-Phillie is finally 100 percent healthy. It was easy to think about Myers and the medical issues he faces when watching Wolf pitch. Several surgeries and lots of perseverance has Wolf looking like the strongest cog in the Dodgers’ rotation.
That 3-1 record and 2.84 ERA and .221 batting-average-against would look sharp for the Phillies these days.
Still, count on the Phillies being active on the rumor mill from here on out.
I missed this the other day, but last Tuesday was the 50th anniversary of the greatest baseball game ever pitched. That’s when Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix, a Phillie for two seasons, threw 12 perfect innings in Milwaukee, gave up a hit in the 13th inning and lost, 1-0.
Boggles the mind.
Anyway, check out Albert Chen’s story on Haddix’s game in the recent SI. The amazing part was the Milwaukee Braves were stealing Pittsburgh’s signs with binoculars and still couldn’t get a hit.
[1] Hey Doctor Kelly… I’m a distance runner who can’t shake the hip tightness and pain. Am I ever going to be fast again? Damn hip!
Posted at 12:00 AM in Brett Myers, Chase Utley, Dr. Bryan Kelly, Floyd Landis, Harvey Haddix, injuries, Randy Wolf | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Bird was The Word
It's an odd coincidence that two of baseball's greatest characters - Harry Kalas and Mark Fidrych - died on the same day. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be in some sense... who knows. Maybe people better versed in spirituality, religion, science or whatever else can explain it.
Needless to say, Mark Fidrych's death kind of got lost in the shuffle here. When an icon dies - the pope of Philadelphia for a lack of better description - everything else kind of takes a backseat.
Besides, Mark Fidrych was a shooting star in the night in baseball. He was here for a moment - bright, shiny, beautiful and majestic - and gone. Snap... just like that. Fidrych owned baseball in 1976. He was the best pitcher in the game, started the All-Star Game for the American League at The Vet, won 19 games and then tore up his rotator cuff in 1977.
The thing about that was Fidrych had the gall to rip up his shoulder before the proliferation of arthroscopic surgeries. Undoubtedly the injuries that ended careers like Fidrych's are nothing more than out-patient procedures these days. High school kids have Tommy John surgery the way they used to rub their faces in Clearasil in the good old days.
If Fidrych only would have waited a few years to rip up his shoulder he might have had a longer career. He might have been around long enough to make enough money throwing a baseball so that he would not have had to return to Massachusetts and go to work as a contractor or help out at Chet's Dinner, owned by his mother-in-law.
But from all the stories, Fidrych probably would have done it the same way.
By now most people know all the stories about "The Bird." He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated AND Rolling Stone (back when that meant something) with that floppy Tigers' cap pulled over that crazy mop of curly hair with Big Bird. He talked to the ball, smoothed the dirt on the mound with his bare hands while on his hands and knees. He waved to the fans in the middle of the game and ran over to teammates to shake their hands after good plays.
Hell, he even told hitters where he was going to throw the ball and they still couldn't hit it. Charlie Manuel's old pal, Graig Nettles, tells a story about watching The Bird talk to the ball before delivering a pitch. As soon as he saw it, Nettles says he called time, hopped out of the batters' box and began talking to his bat.
"Never mind what he says to the ball," Nettles said he told his bat. "You just hit it over the outfield fence!"
But when Nettles struck out, he blamed the bat.
"Japanese bat," the story goes. "It doesn't understand a word of English."
I missed Fidrych's act. I was too young, but I caught bits and pieces of it at the very end when he staged one of his many comebacks with the Tigers. I also caught enough of the hype to understand what everyone was talking about, though how does one explain Mark Fidrych to people who missed it? How do you properly explain a pitcher who talked to the ball, told hitters where it was coming, yet still racked up 24 complete games and 19 wins?
Anyway, one part I remember was a game on TV at the end. It must have been in '79 back before cable TV when the Game of the Week was the only chance us D.C. kids had to see teams other than the Orioles, and Fidrych was talking to Tony Kubek before a game about his return. Needless to say, it was so much different than any other ballplayer interview.
Fidrych looked like he was actually having fun. He looked like he liked to play baseball. He smiled when he played and bounced when he ran. It was a game, right? It was supposed to be fun.
To this day there was never anyone like Mark Fidrych. If there was someone like him, that personality would be stamped out and pulverized before he reached the big leagues. But thankfully there was The Bird. When they showed him on TV, even all those years after that summer of '76, personality beamed from the set like trippy, psychedelic colors. It just oozed out there like dripping honey. Years later, any time there was a Fidrych sighting or even a story in a magazine, I stopped in my tracks and took notice as if in a trance.
Still, it was impossible to watch those old tapes and wonder about the "what if." What if he never got hurt? Would the game be different now? Would it be more fun?
Fortunately, the "what if" never got to The Bird. Years after his comet had streaked out of view, they found him in Massachusetts on his farm with that crazy curly hair and that big goofy smile. He was still having fun, only without the sellout crowds and the baseball in his right hand. When asked who he would have over for dinner if he could invite anyone in the world, Fidrych was as goofy as ever.
"My buddy and former Tigers teammate Mickey Stanley, because he's never been to my house," he said.
Fidrych reportedly died approximately an hour after Harry Kalas. But unlike Philadelphia's Voice, Fidrych was far away from the ballpark when his dump truck apparently fell on top of him. He was apparently working on his truck when it came loose and crushed him...
A strange ending for one of the neatest and pleasantly strange ballplayers ever.
Posted at 12:00 AM in 1976, fun, Harry Kalas, injuries, Mark Fidrych | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Cole Hamels is really, really good at getting injured. Actually, his ability to get injuries, pain, soreness, tweaks and twinges are the most consistent aspect of his pro career.
It’s what he does best.
Oh sure, Hamels also has a left arm that comes around maybe once a generation. He has an incredible knack to put together incredible stretches of games that conjure up memories of the all-time greats. Better yet it’s a Hall-of-Fame arm, which, if one asks Hamels straight out what he wants to accomplish with his baseball career, he’ll flat-out tell it without so much as blinking or a trace of arrogance.
The answer comes as if he had rehearsed it in front of a mirror for years…
He wants no-hitters, piles of wins, Cy Young Awards, a career that spans decades, and, of course, the Hall of Fame. The good part for the Phillies is that Hamels’ goals aren’t all that unreasonable. The odds are relatively favorable that the lefty could pitch a no-hitter or two or win a Cy Young.
But here’s the thing about that – Cole Hamels ain’t Steve Carlton. Hell, he’s not even Tom Glavine. Oft-injured lefty and changeup specialist John Tudor might be more like it.
Continue reading this story ...
Posted at 12:00 AM in Chris Carpenter, Cole Hamels, injuries, John Tudor, Steve Avery | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Schilling down to his last pitch
The news from Boston today that Curt Schilling is headed for surgery to repair his right rotator cuff, labrum and biceps should not come as much of a surprise. When spring training began the question was whether or not Schilling would be able to respond to a rehab program and throw a pitch in a big league game before going under the knife. Decidedly, the answer was no. No way. Now, after Schilling has given up on the 2008 season as well as his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, a new question rears its head regarding the former Phillie: Is it all over? "There's a pretty decent chance that I have thrown my last pitch forever," the 41-year-old ex-Phillie said. "I don't want it to end this way, but if this is the way it has to end, I'm OK with that. If it's over and my last pitch was in the 2007 World Series, I'm OK with that. I just can't stress enough where I am mentally with this. I have not a regret in the world. "None of this makes me bitter or angry. It is what it is. In that sense, honestly, it's very, very easy for me, because of what I've been able to experience compared to what I wanted when I first started my career. But if I have some say in how this is going to end, I want it to be different than what it is right now." That much is obvious. After all, Schilling would not be having an elaborate surgery on Monday with Dr. Craig Morgan, the renowned shoulder specialist in Wilmington, Del. on Monday if he was thinking about hanging it up. Really, who has biceps tenodesis surgery (when the diseased biceps tendon is detached from the bone and reattached in another location) as well as arthroscopic surgery to determine if more surgery is needed to the labrum and rotator cuff if the only ball playing he does is with his kids in the yard? The rehab process for those surgeries is difficult for a guy just looking to handle the remote control with more alacrity, the fact that Schilling is going through with it means he wants to pitch again. But whether or not Schilling will pitch again could be determined in Wilmington on Monday. According to Dr. Morgan, Schilling's future as a big leaguer depends upon what is found when the right-hander is scoped. "The key issue there is frankly the rotator cuff," Morgan told The Boston Globe. "If he does not have significant rotator cuff involvement there's a good chance, even at age 41, that he can come back and pitch. But he must accept the fact that this may be career ending." Schilling understands that last part very well. "If I don't have surgery, my career is over today," he said. Still even if the damage to his shoulder isn't severe and a return to the mound is not ruled out, Schilling knows the rehab process will be much more difficult. Age is the damndest thing - if Schilling were 10 years younger there would be no question that his career could continue in 2009. But even if everything goes perfectly and the tendons in the big right-hander's shoulder turn him into the $8 million man again, the fact that he was born in 1966 instead of 1971 or 1976 makes a HUGE difference. So too does the issue of contracts and ability to pitch for an entire season. No longer the horse every five days as ex-Phillies GM Ed Wade once claimed, Schilling says he will not be able to go to spring training for a team to compete for a job. A better scenario, says Schilling, is a post-All Star return to a team in the playoff race. But of course, that's putting the cart before the horse. Nevertheless, it is an interesting to think hypothetically. Let's suppose the Phillies are in a similar position in 2009 as they are today - one where they lead the division but starting pitching is still a glaring weakness - do you take a chance and sign up Schilling for a second-half run? Clearly it's one of those low-risk/high-reward situations that general managers love so much (hello, Kris Benson!), but in Schilling's case the intriguing part is his history not just as a big-game pitcher, but also as a pitcher for the Phillies. Though his regular season statistics aren't shoo-in Hall-of Fame numbers (he'll get in), his body of work in the playoffs and World Series place him with the biggest names in the sport... And that was before the bloody sock. Here's one more question to ponder about Schilling until his future is decided: which cap does he wear on his Hall-of-Fame plaque? Actually, this question is probably more apt... how long until Schilling is working on baseball broadcasts? Aside from big-time outings in big games, Schilling's legacy will be that of a guy who liked to gab just a little bit. In fact there may have been the rare occasion where he did not rehearse his interviews in the mirror beforehand. One time at Fenway Park I wandered over to the home team dugout to search out Schilling where I was told by a teammate to, "follow the cameras." Guess what? That's where he was.
Posted at 12:00 AM in Curt Schilling, hypothetical, injuries, surgery | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High around 95F. NW winds shifting to SE at 10 to 15 mph..
Mostly clear skies. Low 64F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Libraries offer up free summer lunches for Colorado Springs students, and the demand is huge
Colorado Springs chef James Africano takes fascinating and unexpected journey
Movie previews for the week of July 18
A large screen is displayed inside the media room at the Democratic primary debate hosted by NBC News at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Art, Wednesday, June 26, 2019, in Miami. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Brynn Anderson
From left, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney pose for a photo on stage before the start of a Democratic primary debate hosted by NBC News at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Wednesday, June 26, 2019, in Miami. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., gestures towards New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, during a Democratic primary debate hosted by NBC News at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Wednesday, June 26, 2019, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Hickenlooper, Bennet take stage tonight in 2nd Democratic presidential primary debate
By: Ernest Luning
Ernest Luning
Stay with ColoradoPolitics.com and Gazette.com for more coverage from tonight's debate.
MIAMI — The two Coloradans seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination get their minutes in the spotlight Thursday night at the second of two nationally televised primary debates in this city.
AM Update
Receive the top local headlines each weekday.
John Hickenlooper, a former two-term governor, and Michael Bennet, Colorado's senior U.S. senator, will have the chance to make their pitches to voters along with eight other candidates, including early polling frontrunners former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and a passel of Democrats who have been nipping at the septuagenarians' heels.
Thursday's debate also features U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who have both flirted with double-digit support in some polls.
The two-hour debate airs Thursday at 7 p.m. Mountain time on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo.
NBC is carried on KUSA-9News in Denver and KOAA-News5 in Colorado Springs. Telemundo is carried by KDEN in Denver, on digital channel 29 and virtual channel 25.
Democrats' use of Spanish in debate evokes praise, eye rolls
Candidates qualified for the first round of debates by meeting polling or fundraising thresholds set by the Democratic National Committee.
The candidates will be arranged on stage according to their support in public opinion surveys, with Biden and Sanders center-stage, flanked by Harris and Buttigieg.
The line-up promises more star-power and potentially a more aggressive scrum for attention than Wednesday's debate, whose top-polling contenders included U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of New Jersey, as well as former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas.
The two Coloradans, who have been stuck at or below 1% in most polls this year, will be standing near the edges on Thursday night. Hickenlooper, on the left, will stand between political novices spiritual advisor Marianne Williamson and entrepreneur Andrew Yang. Bennet will stand on the other side of the stage, next to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California.
If Wednesday's free-wheeling debate is any guide, each candidate will get between five and 10 minutes of speaking time.
Hickenlooper said Thursday he intends to talk about what his administration was able to achieve in Colorado without "a massive expansion of government or socialistic policies" — continuing the criticism he's leveled at Sanders, who calls himself a democratic socialist.
"I plan on being myself and talking about how we made Colorado the most progressive state in the nation — with near universal healthcare, the strictest restriction on methane emissions in the country, and tough gun laws that include universal background checks and limits on high capacity magazines," Hickenlooper said on an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit.
"I will also note that we did not get there through a massive expansion of government or socialistic policies — we got there by bringing people together — nonprofits and business, Democrats and Republicans, urban and rural communities — to find progressive solutions to our toughest problems."
Bennet told Colorado Politics he hopes to distinguish his experience while making a case for a series of government reforms he's made central to his campaign.
"We're all going to be on the stage together — the rules apply to all of us equally, and I think it's an opportunity for me to be able to demonstrate that, unlike any other candidate standing on that stage, I have experience in business, I have experience at the local level running a billion-dollar school district, and I've spent 10 years in the Senate, which is long enough time to figure out how to get things done but also long enough to understand why it doesn't work on so many fundamentally important issues that we have to [tackle]. And frankly, there's nobody else on that stage that can say that," he said in an interview Wednesday.
The debate — spread out over two nights to accommodate the crowded primary field — is the first of six the DNC has said it plans to sponsor this year. Moderators are NBC’s Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie and Chuck Todd, along with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Telemundo’s José Díaz-Balart.
Follow Ernest Luning
Enhance Your Home with These Basic Design Principles
AARP Colorado’s state director spotlights Innovations in Aging’s work to make Colorado Springs an Age-Friendly Community
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President & CEO, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce
“Four Class I railroads privately invested more than $500 million in safety and capital improvements in Minnesota in 2015 alone. That’s a big number—more than a quarter of the state’s 2015 budget surplus.”
Matt Kramer is President of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining the Chamber, Kramer served with Governor Tim Pawlenty as both his Chief of Staff and as Commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development. He was previously Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Control Data Systems, which in 1999 was acquired by British Telecom.
Kramer has a B.S. from the University of Minnesota, an M.A. from Bethel University and a doctorate from Creighton University.
Railroad Day Brings GoRail Advocates to Capitol Hill
#RailDay2019 Social Media Guide
Join the Community of Rail Advocates
GoRail's rail advocates are community leaders from every region of the country. From Duluth to Denver, Corpus Christi to Charleston, freight rail investments are catalyzing local development and supporting jobs in their communities. Join our advocates and become a critical voice for smart rail policy decisions.
Become a Rail Advocate
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George Threlfall (1819-1897)
George Threlfall (1819-1897) of the Phoenix Foundry Co (of Ballarat)
1819 Born in Lancashire the son of William Threlfall and his wife Catherine Pollett (possibly- needs confirmation. Some sources say he was from Blackburn.)
Trained as an engineer
1851 Emigrated to Australia and arrived at Williamstown, Victoria where he set up an engineering business.
1852 Set up business in Ballarat at the height of the gold rush, making and repairing picks and tools for miners and mining machinery.
1854 Business was renamed Carter & Co in Armstrong Street, Ballarat with the addition of partners, iron-founder William Henry Shaw, moulder Robert Holden and engine smith Richard Carter, producing a wide range of products.
1858 Left this business in January. The business was later renamed the Phoenix Foundry employing 96 men by November 1861.
1861 He married Bridget Hickey in Ballarat and had nine children, eight reaching adulthood.
He remained in Ballarat for many years becoming a shareholder in the Sons of Freedom Gold Mining Company at Napoleon Lead near Buninyong in 1863.
He remained at Ballangeich until his death at his residence, Hopkins-house on 8 April 1897 at the age of 78. His widow remained at the Ballangeich homestead until her death in 14 January 1926 at the age of 86.
Retrieved from "https://gracesguide.co.uk/index.php?title=George_Threlfall_(1819-1897)&oldid=808814"
Biography - Australia
Births 1810-1819
Deaths 1890-1899
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“Free stuff and racial division coming directly from the White House, the 52.9 and 51.1 percent are not likely to change.America was already roughly divided 50-50 when Obama began his Fundamental Transformation.With Obama’s hatred of all things American, the 47.1 percent who cast votes against him in 2008 and the 48.9 percent in 2012 have much to worry about during the long 966 days ahead.Obama Fundamental Transformation spoor shows that he’s going after them in all age groups from cradle to grave.It’s no exaggeration to note that it’s like the devil went down to the White House circa November 4, 2008, and”
English: Barack Obama delivers a speech at the University of Southern California (Video of the speech) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
EXCERPT!
……Free stuff and racial division coming directly from the White House, the 52.9 and 51.1 percent are not likely to change.America was already roughly divided 50-50 when Obama began his Fundamental Transformation.
With Obama’s hatred of all things American, the 47.1 percent who cast votes against him in 2008 and the 48.9 percent in 2012 have much to worry about during the long 966 days ahead.Obama Fundamental Transformation spoor shows that he’s going after them in all age groups from cradle to grave.
Rules for Radicals (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s no exaggeration to note that it’s like the devil went down to the White House circa November 4, 2008, and though he’s been there ever since there’s been no Charlie Daniels among the opposition to sing about it.In…
Jim Willie: “Tragedy In Progress” – Satanic System, Sacrifice Soon To Come | Economics and Politics
…..Willie, of GoldenJackass.com, warns of ‘rules of engagement’ for the satanic system in place and shares that the public is being set-up and prepared for the coming bloodletting, the mass sacrifice that will soon take place as a new system is brought in.
In the rest of the video, Jim talks about the forces bringing about an end to the US dollar as the Eastern world ‘dollar phase out’ marks the beginning of the end of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency.
SWAT team throws a stun grenade into a toddler’s CRIB during drugs raid
SWAT team throws a stun grenade into a toddler’s CRIB during drugs raidhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2643344/Horror-SWAT-team-throw-stun-grenade-toddlers-CRIB-drugs-raid-leaving-coma-severe-burns.html ^Posted on 5/30/2014, 6:45:37 AM by kelly4cA family is in shock after a SWAT team threw a stun grenade into their 19-month-old son’s crib during a midnight drugs raid, leaving the baby in a medically induced coma with severe burns.
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Arrest Made in Connection to Suspicious Packages
Posted 7:59 AM, October 26, 2018, by CNN Wire
Federal authorities have arrested a man in connection to the suspected explosive packages discovered this week, the Justice Department announced Friday.
Multiple law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Cesar Sayoc, 56. He has an Aventura, Florida, address, and was arrested at a business in Plantation, about 20 miles away in South Florida. He has a criminal history and ties to New York, the sources added.
A white van — adorned with images of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as well as a “CNN Sucks” sticker — in Plantation was towed away to Miramar, Florida, where an FBI field office is located, a law enforcement official said.
Earlier Friday, authorities intercepted suspicious packages intended for Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey; former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper; Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California; and major Democratic donor Tom Steyer, the latest to be sent to prominent Democrats and critics of Trump that were discovered earlier this week.
Speaking at the White House Friday afternoon, Trump congratulated law enforcement on the arrest and denounced what he called “terrorizing acts.” He also called for unity: “peace and love and harmony as fellow Americans.”
His remarks came after he has blamed the media this week for rising “anger” in the country while refusing to acknowledge his own role in contributing to divisive rhetoric in the public discourse.
“We must never allow political violence to take root in America,” Trump said at one point. “I’m committed to doing everything in my power as President to stop it.”
As the situation initially unfolded mid-morning — before the arrest was announced — the President complained on Twitter that the news media was busy reporting on “‘Bomb’ stuff” and not politics.
“Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this ‘Bomb’ stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows – news not talking politics. Very unfortunate, what is going on. Republicans, go out and vote!” Trump tweeted.
DNA, cell phone helped identify suspect
DNA found on at least one of the packages, as well as Sayoc’s cell phone, helped investigators identify him, multiple law enforcement officials said. He was not previously known to the Secret Service, law enforcement sources said, but Florida records show a string of arrests dating back to the early 1990s.
Notable among them is a 2002 arrest by Miami police for an offense described in online records as a “threat to bomb” and “threaten to discharge destructive device.” A police report at the time shows that he threatened to blow up a power company and that “it would be worse than September 11th.”
The online records do not provide details about the case. They show that Sayoc pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of probation. There is also a notation about the ajudication being withheld.
The records show a total of eight arrests for offenses, including grand theft, battery, fraud and drug possession, as well as multiple probation violations. In 2014, he was arrested after stealing copper pipes at a Home Depot, to which he plead guilty.
The adjudication of each of the arrests could not immediately be determined from the summary of offenses provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Sayoc appears to have pleaded no contest to some offenses. Prosecutors appear to have dropped charges in other matters.
Sayoc also was arrested in North Carolina in 1999 on a stolen vehicle charge, which was later dismissed.
Florida voting records show Sayoc is a registered Republican. He filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
New packages Friday
The FBI said Friday that the package addressed to Booker was discovered in Florida and is “similar in appearance to the others.” Sources told CNN the package was addressed to the senator’s Camden, New Jersey, office. Booker confirmed the package was intended for him but declined to comment further to CNN. The packages intended for Harris and Steyer were discovered in California and are similar to the other packages, law enforcement sources said.
The package intended for Clapper also was addressed to CNN, a law enforcement official said. It was found at a New York City postal facility and was similar to the other packages, the official added.
The Clapper package arrived in a manila envelope with six US flag stamps, similar to other packages discovered this week. The return address is that of Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Florida office, which was the address on packages intended for former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, billionaire and Democratic donor George Soros, actor Robert De Niro, former Attorney General Eric Holder, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and former CIA Director John Brennan. There is no information that suggests Wasserman Schultz sent the packages.
Clapper, who has frequently criticized Trump, vowed to CNN Friday morning that he wouldn’t be intimidated in light of the discovery.
“I do want to just echo one thing that John Brennan said and that this is not going to silence the administration’s critics,” Clapper said.
Law enforcement authorities are treating the bombs as a domestic terror matter. The motive is unknown, but the recipients are all prominent targets of right-wing criticism and, in many cases, of Trump himself.
Questions for investigators
By Thursday night, the investigation had worked its way to a mail facility in Opa-locka, Florida, located about 13 miles north of Miami.
One key question authorities are asking is why none of the apparent bombs detonated, a law enforcement source said, raising questions about the skill and motive of the bombmaker.
The FBI called them “potentially destructive devices” — so either the bombmaker was good enough to ensure none would go off and never intended them to explode, or they were poorly constructed.
The presence of what is believed to be pyrotechnic powder is one reason why authorities consider them to be potentially destructive, though it appears they were handled through the postal system — where they were jostled and moved — without any explosion.
Outside experts have pointed to the lack of a triggering mechanism, suggesting they were never meant to explode.
The devices included very common components, making it more difficult to get clues from the signature of the bomb. But the components could have still provided clues — like the clock and the tape used.
Filed in: National and World News, News, Political Connection
Business National and World News
Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein Arrested and Accused of Sex Trafficking Minors, Sources Say
The Son of Parents Who Pleaded Guilty in College Admissions Scandal Arrested for Alleged Assault on His Father
Political Connection
The Lineup for the First 2020 Democratic Debate is Set
At Least 21 People Are Injured in a Gas Explosion at a Florida Shopping Center
Jeffrey Epstein Charged with Molesting Dozens of Girls
National and World News Political Connection
Trump Says Tariffs on Mexican Imports Are ‘Indefinitely Suspended’ after Reaching Deal
Rapper Kodak Black Arrested; Lil Wayne Bows Out of Show
Trump Still Hangs Tariff Threat Over Mexico Despite Deal
Proposed Bill Would Help Student-Athletes Earn Money in the Face of NCAA Rules
California Connection Political Connection
California Leaders Propose Rewards, Fines to Spur Housing
Florida Man Arrested after Being Caught on Camera Intentionally Running Over Dog
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Hoban Cards
The Business Cards of American Psycho
Claire Green – October 18, 2018
Over the years of designing and printing business cards and calling cards, there is one famous card that is referenced time and time again. This card’s celebrity status comes from a three-minute movie scene and is visible for about four seconds, yet it has become one of our most requested cards.
The card we're referencing is, of course, Paul Allen’s Pierce & Pierce business card from the 2000 horror/thriller film, American Psycho. We’re going to take a closer look at the design of this simple business card, along with the other four cards featured in the film, and try to distill why it remains such a popular and beloved card.
We’ll start in order of appearance, with Patrick Bateman’s business card. His card is a close second in popularity to Paul Allen’s and is a style we’ve printed by request numerous times. According to the film, Patrick’s card is printed on “bone” colored paper, and is set in a fictional typeface called “Silian Rail.” The actual typeface appears to be Garamond Classico SC (small caps). There are a few problems with Patrick’s card: the type is set off-center, painfully far to the left edge. It is also set too low so that the tight lower margin of the card is out of balance with the much larger top margin.
This gives the card an unhinged appearance, which might speak to the character’s mental state (though we’ll try to steer clear of film and character analysis here and stick to talking about the cards). In addition to the card being out of register, there isn’t a space between the ampersand and “Pierce” in the company name at the top right. Finally, Patrick’s card has a typo that is shared with the other four cards: all incorrectly spell the word “acquisitions” by omitting the c.
Patrick Bateman’s Business Card from the movie, American Psycho (2000)
Oblivious to the card’s design issues, Patrick proudly shows it off to his colleagues and is met with mild praise. Let’s humor Patrick for a moment and consider the strengths of his card. For one, his card is clearly letterpress printed. When the card is shown at a certain angle, you can see the impression made in the paper. Also, Garamond style typefaces are respectable, timeless classics that remain popular through not only the decades but the centuries (you might recognize a Garamond in the Abercrombie & Fitch logo, or when reading a US edition of the Harry Potter books). The print quality and the chosen typeface are traditional and professional selections, though it’s unfortunate that the other design problems distract so greatly from the card’s stronger aspects. (Update: We've decided to create our own corrected Patrick Bateman card as a calling card template)
Angle showing the signature letterpress impression into the paper stock
David Van Patten
David Van Patten is the second character to show off his business card. Just like Patrick’s, his card is set off-center, though too high this time, so that the bottom margin has too much white space and the top is too tight. David describes his card as “Eggshell with Romalian type,” but are in fact printed on heavily textured uncoated paper and set in Bodoni. Though his card is set too high, it is at least centered from left to right, which gives it a slight advantage over Patrick’s card.
One shortcoming is that David’s card isn’t letterpress printed, rather it is conventionally printed (presumably offset, since there weren’t digital printing options in the 1980’s). This means his card is printed flat and lacks the tactile quality of Patrick’s card, though he tries to compensate with the textured paper. Overall, his card has a more modern feel than Patrick’s, due mostly to the typeface selection, but the paper texture also gives the card a solid 80’s corporate vibe.
Timothy Bryce
Third up is Timothy Bryce’s card. He introduces it by saying “raised lettering, pale nimbus white.” Right off the bat, it’s clear that the lettering isn’t raised or embossed. The card appears to be letterpress printed, though we don’t get a clear shot of the impression depth. The typeface is the ever popular and ubiquitous Helvetica, giving it the most contemporary feel of all the cards.
The only real flaw is that the card is set far too low, but otherwise looks pretty good. Timothy’s paper is also noticeably textured, though slightly more understated than David’s. As uninspired as his card is, the clean and almost anonymous feel that Helvetica lends is a good fit for the straightforward design as a whole. It’s as though this card knows that it is one of the flock and just does its best to look presentable, rather than stand out in any way.
And at last, we arrive at the supposed Adonis that is Paul Allen’s card. Since Paul himself isn’t in this part of the scene to present his card, we don’t get a character description of the typeface and paper choice. We do, however, hear Patrick’s envious voiceover, “Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh my God, it even has a watermark…”
Now let’s start by saying that there is no evidence of a watermark. His card is printed on a relatively smooth, uncoated stock, similar to but whiter than Patrick’s. The typeface is Copperplate Gothic (which incidentally is also the typeface used in the film’s title sequence). Though it is called gothic, the typeface actually has lovely subtle glyphic serifs, giving the card a distinctly 20th-century sensibility with more character than Helvetica offers (which is a true gothic or sans serif).
Paul’s card doesn’t appear to be terribly off center vertically or horizontally, making it the most confident of the bunch. The most unique aspect of Paul’s card is that the address, fax, and phone numbers are set on two lines rather than one long line spanning the length of the card. Overall, his card might be the cream of this particular crop, though none are particularly special.
Luis Carruthers
Before we move on to talking about the primary four cards as a whole, we have to make an honorable mention to the often overlooked fifth card! This card isn’t part of The Business Card Scene but instead shows up about halfway through the movie. Luis Carruthers’ garish two color card stands out with the printing in green ink and gold foil. The green is registered well enough, but the gold is significantly out of register, hanging much too far to the left.
Another detail unique to this card is that Luis’ name is set with his last name first. His last name is set in all caps like the other four cards, but his first name is the only one to be set in title case. His card is the flashiest and most expensive but is executed so poorly that it really just looks outlandish and silly.
As a whole, the cards are much like their owners: potentially appealing at first glance yet predominantly unoriginal and flawed. Patrick Bateman, David Van Patten, Timothy Bryce, and Paul Allen are similar in age, appearance, and dress and they all have the same job and variations of the same business card. Their cards follow the same basic layout, have the same contact information and title and are printed in black ink on off-white paper. The differences are mainly in the typeface, paper type, and degree to which the card is out of register. Typographically, Patrick’s card is an Old-style, David’s is a Modern, Timothy’s is a Sans Serif, and Paul’s is a Serif, which does give each card its own unique, though subtle, flavor.
Putting aside the technical errors and overall homogenous quality of the cards, what makes them so appealing? As mentioned earlier, we get many requests for American Psycho themed business cards. In fact, Paul Allen’s card is so popular that we eventually created our own calling card inspired by the original. We call it the Improved Paul Allen because we gave it an updated and polished redesign. We traded in the turn of the century Copperplate Gothic for the modernist sans typeface, Verlag, and cleaned up the kerning and overall balance on a UK sized business card. And we’ll let you in on a little secret—it’s our top-selling calling card!
So that brings us back to the question of why people love these cards. Some of it simply comes down to the novelty of their celebrity status, but we think it also has to do with the flexibility of the cards’ layout. All these cards manage to display a relatively large amount of information on a single sided card. The layout has a professional, familiar feel to it and is well suited in a variety of industries.
The focal point is on the name, without requiring the font to be overly large or ostentatious and it’s safely nestled inside all the desired contact and business information. In a word, it’s adaptable, and it might be this quality more than any other that makes this card so highly favored.
Our own rendition of the Paul Allen card - the Improved Paul Allen
We not only love writing about letterpress, typography, and design – we're printers ourselves! We've chosen to carry on the tradition of letterpress printing by offering beautifully pre-designed cards at affordable prices.
See Our Cards
Hoban Cards is a tiny letterpress printing shop located in Chehalis, Washington. Owner, Evan Calkins, and good friends Ben and Claire work hard hand feeding three antique letterpresses.
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A total of six chuckwagon horses died during this year’s Calgary Stampede. The first death occurred last Monday. Driver Troy Dorchester had one of his horses examined following a chuckwagon race for a “serious internal medical issue.” It was reported…
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Canadian Government Sued Over Transport of Horses for Meat
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Study to Determine Prevalence of Tick-Borne Infections in Ontario Horses
A study led by Dr. Luis Arroyo at the Ontario Veterinary College set out to determine the prevalence of Lyme Disease and Anaplasmosis in the Ontario horse population, and to identify geographic risk factors for the tick-borne infections. The research…
Intercity Insurance Is Now Known as CapriCMW Insurance Services Ltd.
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2019 Horse Day Kids Drawing Contest Winners
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Eric Hovde & Steve Hovde Foundation
Building hope. Bringing change. Loving the world's most vulnerable children.
MS Research
Hovde Houses
Domestic Grants
One of the founding objectives of the Hovde Foundation is funding research to cure Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This debilitating disease affects around 2.3 million people worldwide, with approximately 200 new cases identified weekly in the US alone. Diagnosed with the disease in 1991, Eric Hovde was driven to join the fight against MS. For more than 25 years, Eric Hovde has given his financial resources and his time to tackle this issue. He has served in leadership positions on the board of directors of several MS-related organizations, including the National MS Society, MS International Federation, and The Myelin Repair Project. In partnership with the National MS Society, Eric was also instrumental in launching Fast Forward LLC, an innovative initiative by the Society to speed up treatment availability to those suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. Through the Hovde Foundation and personal contributions, Eric Hovde and Steve Hovde have donated more than $2 million to Multiple Sclerosis research, and they will keep giving until a cure is found.
The Hovde Foundation provides on-going support to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which serves as a conduit of knowledge and resources for researchers and families affected by MS. Recently, the Society received a grant from the Hovde Foundation to expand its wellness program. Details about the Society’s expanded wellness solutions can be found in the Summer 2016 Quarterly Research Update. For additional information about the benefits that living a healthy lifestyle can have on those living with MS, please check out the latest issue of the MS Connection newsletter.
Hovde Foundation
608-255-5175 ext. 35
Copyright © 2017 Hovde Foundation. All rights reserved.
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[Statement] on the Restoration of the Death Penalty and the “Shoot-to-Kill” Policy -FLAG
Human Rights Online Philippines / June 1, 2016
Statement on the Restoration of the Death Penalty and the “Shoot-to-Kill” Policy
The FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE GROUP [FLAG] strongly opposes the incoming
government’s efforts to restore the death penalty and adopt and implement a “shoot-tokill”
policy. These actions are illegal and unconstitutional, render our legal system
impotent and meaningless, and blatantly violate international law.
The death penalty and “shoot-to-kill” policy are anti-poor.
The death penalty is anti-poor. Seventy-three percent (73%) of the 1,121 inmates on
death row before the death penalty was abolished in 2006 earned less than ten thousand
pesos (Php10,000) a month. Eighty-one percent (81%), in addition, worked in lowincome
jobs as sales, service, factory, agricultural, transport or construction workers.1 If
these numbers are any indication, it is those who live in poverty who will suffer the
most if the death penalty is restored.
The poor also bore the brunt of wrongful death penalty convictions. In the landmark
case of People vs. Mateo,2 the Supreme Court revealed that seventy-one percent (71%) of
the death sentences handed down by the trial courts were wrongfully imposed. This
means that 7 out of 10 convicts on death row–-most of them poor–-were wrongfully
convicted and did not deserve to be there.
The poor are vulnerable to the death penalty because they have no voice, no money, no
power, and lack the resources to hire good lawyers. For exactly the same reasons, they
will also be vulnerable to the proposed “shoot-to-kill” policy of the President-elect.
The death penalty and “shoot-to-kill” policy cheapen human life.
The death penalty and “shoot-to-kill” policy—coupled with the President-elect’s
proposal to employ death by hanging “until the head is completely severed from the
body”3—reflect a callous disregard for human dignity not befitting a Chief Executive.
The Constitution, the Code of Conduct of Public Officials and Employees, and other
laws impose on all public servants the duty to observe, respect, and promote human
rights. Advocating state-sanctioned killings is not just anti-poor but anti-life.
The death penalty and “shoot-to-kill” policy, moreover, will not deter crime–only the
certainty of being caught and punished can do that. What the country needs is a better
justice system–not a new one based on the barrel of a gun.
The restoration of the death penalty blatantly violates international law.
The Philippine Government signed the Second Optional Protocol to the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 20 September 2006 and ratified it on 20
November 2007 without reservation. The Second Optional Protocol “is the only
international treaty of worldwide scope to prohibit executions and to provide for total
abolition of the death penalty.”4 States that ratify the Second Optional Protocol “are
required to renounce the use of the death penalty definitively.”5
President-elect Duterte is bound by the Second Optional Protocol. In the words of two
highly respected experts on the death penalty, Sir Roger Hood, Professor Emeritus of
Criminology, University of Oxford, and William Schabas, Professor of Human Rights
Law and International Criminal Law, Leiden University —
The Philippines would, if it reintroduced the death penalty, be the only
nation to have abolished it and reintroduced it twice, and the only nation to
reintroduce it having made a commitment to abolishing it by ratifying the
2nd Optional protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political
As for the Second Optional Protocol, no State has ever attempted to
denounce the Second Optional Protocol. It would be unprecedented. I think it
would also be illegal. The Human Rights Committee has already made it clear
that denunciation of the Covenant itself is impossible. This was well-known
to the Philippines when it ratified the Second Optional Protocol. Article 6(1)
of the Second Optional Protocol states, ‘The provisions of the present Protocol
shall apply as additional provisions to the Covenant.’ Thus, when [the]
Philippines ratified the Protocol, it agreed that its provisions became part of
the Covenant. And it is impossible to denounce the Covenant, in whole or in
part. If [the] Philippines restores the death penalty, it will be in clear breach of
both the Covenant and the Protocol. This has already happened with Liberia,
which restored the death penalty after ratifying the Second Optional Protocol.
Liberia has had no executions since ratifying the Second Optional Protocol,
however. Given that article 1(2) of the Protocol says, ‘Each State Party shall
take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty within its
jurisdiction.’, merely enacting legislation for the death penalty, even if it is not
imposed, constitutes a breach of the Protocol and therefore of the Covenant.
If the Philippines reinstates capital punishment (after having ratified the
Second Optional Protocol), the country would be condemned for violating
international law. It would be a great stigma.
The shoot-to-kill policy disregards rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
The 1987 Constitution categorically mandates that “[n]o person shall be deprived of
life, liberty, or property without due process of law.”6 The Constitution further
guarantees the right to be presumed innocent, to be heard, to counsel, to be informed of
the nature and cause of the accusation against him/her, to have a speedy, impartial,
and public trial, to meet the witnesses face to face, and to have compulsory process to
secure the attendance of witnesses and the production of evidence in his/her behalf.
These rights are brushed aside by the shoot-to-kill policy.
The shoot-to-kill policy gives unbridled discretion to law enforcement officers to take
the law into their own hands and act as judge, jury, and executioner. It contravenes
Article 11(1-3) of the Revised Penal Code which authorizes police officers to use deadly
force only when it is reasonably necessary. In the words of Justice Antonio Carpio of the
[…] a policeman is never justified in using unnecessary force or in treating the
offender with wanton violence, or in resorting to dangerous means when the
arrest could be affected otherwise.7
FLAG, therefore, calls upon the President-elect to abandon his plans to restore the death
penalty and impose a “shoot-to-kill” policy.
Quezon City, Philippines, 20 May 2016.
JOSE MANUEL I. DIOKNO
FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE GROUP [FLAG]
Care of Sanidad Law Offices, 2/f East Side Building, 77 Malakas Street,
Brgy Pinyahan, Diliman, Quezon City, Tel (632-475-7159); Email flag@flag.com.ph
1 See “Socio-economic Profile of Capital Offenders in the Philippines,” a study conducted by the Free
Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) in 2004, published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
(PCIJ) and available at http://pcij.org/blog/wp-docs/flag-survey-death-row.pdf.
2 G.R. Nos. 147678-87, 07 July 2004.
3 Philippine Daily Inquirer, 17 May 2016, p. A-6.Philippine Daily Inquirer, 17 May 2016, p. A-6.
4 Article by Pierre Deset published on 27 June 2008, available at http://www.worldcoalition.org/Second-
Optional-Protocol-Frequently-Asked-Questions.html.
5 Id..
6 1987 PHIL. CONST., art. III, sec. 1.
All submissions are republished and redistributed in the same way that it was originally
published online and sent to us. We may edit submission in a way that does not alter or
change the original material.
Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and
original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the
tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos etc.
June 1, 2016 in Statement. Tags: Death Penalty, FLAG, Human Rights, philippines, Rodrigo Duterte
[In the news] Lawyers’ group opposes death penalty, ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy -Rappler.com
[Press Release] Human rights group decries Duterte’s proposal for death by hanging and shoot-to-kill order to curb criminality -Balay
[Blog] Death Penalty is no laughing matter By Darwin Mendiola
← [Statement] Free ALL political prisoners and detainees regardless of political affiliations -TFDP
[Press Release] Taguig fiscal recommends indictment of PMPI 4 on Cyber Libel -PMPI →
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Heather Gates, Ep. HG 35, Heather Enjoyed After School Year End Activities
William Leverne Smith
Dr. Bill's first passion is family history. His second is a passion for creating family saga, historical fiction stories that share it.
Heather was happy to see the Trail Ride season resume
Trail Ride Season Got Underway
With School Out, Heather Settled Into Her New Work Routines
The best part of the new routine, Heather told herself was getting to spend more time with Cloud and Azuza, the new female foals at the stable. Azuza now was her foal, of course, but she was careful to balance her work time with each of the animals under her care, appropriately. She and Diane had discussed this and had come to a reasonable and responsible agreement on how this would work. There were now Trail Rides to lead and assist with, of course. The new season was already well under way. Heather looked forward to working with returning groups, especially. However, breaking in new groups was also a positive challenge that she looked forward to. Some of these would be ‘new regulars,’ of course, … and that was how it went.
Lyle Cunningham had announced that after being in the business for 42 years, he had sold his “End-‘O-The-Road” auction house business effective May 31, 1997. Lyle had thanked all his customers over the years and said the new owner would be making his own announcements shortly. When asked what came next with him, Lyle said he was pleased to say that he would be continuing, and very likely increasing, his volunteer work with the newly formed McDonald Conservancy. He felt there was much he could contribute as both a Board member and as a volunteer worker for the non-profit organization.
Among the several graduation parties for high school and community college graduates, the Bevins Trust was pleased to host one at the Homeplace Country Inn Heritage Room on a Saturday night honoring each of the graduates of workers of the Bevins Trust and affiliated companies. For the evening, Commencement Speaker, Dr. Raynor Crimmons, was the honored guest. He was pleased to spend some time with each of the graduates and their families.
Travis Inman, back at Inman Real Estate after his military service obligation, invited members of the community to join a tour of open houses of properties available on Sunday afternoon, June 1. The tour would begin at the Inman Real Estate Office in downtown Oak Springs, for the full tour. Community members could also join the tour in progress, with estimated arrival times at each home suggested. Five three-bedroom homes were being featured. Each home was of a similar size, but each offered differing amenities. The tour would start promptly at 2 p.m.
The Wedding Reception was well attended and enjoyed by all
A Wedding Cake
Jennifer and Brian Were Married
Mr. Brian Kirk and Dr. Jennifer Bevins were married at the United Methodist Church in front of close family and friends on Saturday evening, June 14th, with the Reverend Clarice McCauley officiating. Christopher Ogden served as Best Man and Nicole Ogden served as Matron of Honor in a simple, very traditional wedding. Don Kirk and Linda Ogden served as hosts at a reception at the church following the ceremony. Heather Gates was at the Guest Book and accepted gifts on behalf of the bride and groom.
At the reception, several people naturally asked Jennifer what name she would take now that she was a married woman. Jennifer was ready with the answer she had shared privately with family. She would continue to be “Dr. Bevins” in her professional practice, as many of her contemporary colleagues were doing. In private and personal life, however, she would be the traditional Mrs. Kirk. She was happy that friends had the courage to ask. Jennifer also confirmed that she and Brian would make their home at her apartment near her clinic, for the time being, following a brief honeymoon trip. The future would take care of itself, the two of them emphasized.
Penny Nixon, Associate Editor at the Oak Springs Enterprise, announced that the manuscript on the founding of Oak Springs would be published in Hard Copy. Two dollars from the sale of each copy sold would go to support the work of the Oak Springs Historical and Genealogical Society. Pre-orders were being taken at $42 per copy. When 100 orders had been received, the books would be printed. Subsequently, approximately 70 copies would be available to purchase at $49 each (about 30 of the second 100 would be distributed to libraries and other repositories).
[Editorial note: This, of course, was before ‘print-on-demand’ and ‘ebooks’ came on the scene.]
The local auction house changed ownership
The auction house was at the end of a long road
The Sullivan End-‘O-The-Road Livestock Auction opened on June 1, 1997
Jerry Sullivan announced that he would continue the auction schedule that Lyle Cunningham had previously used. Moving from Houston, Sullivan had been in the livestock auction for many years. He was looking forward to this new location. The site of the auction barn was actually first settled by his great-great-grandfather, Jourdan Sullivan, in 1852. Jourdan Sullivan had been the very first settler on that piece of land, and their home had been located the end of a long road off of what was then known as the Houston Road. It was now State Highway 24, of course. He invited everyone to come to the next auction and see the remodeling underway to improve an already great facility.
In a separate interview in the Oak Springs Enterprise, Jerry Sullivan expanded a bit on the early history of the auction house location and his family. He said that his great-grandfather, Julian, had left the valley with his family as a young man when the Civil War had started. Julian had then served with the Union forces, actually based right there in Houston. After the war, Julian stayed in Houston to raise his own family. However, his parents had returned to the Oak Creek west valley, rebuilt their home that had been burned to the ground, and farmed. Jerry said that his father, Jesse, had been born in Houston, of course. Jerry remembered hearing stories of visiting the family back in Oak Springs in the very early years. He was now very happy to be bringing his own family ‘home’ to the Oak Creek valley and Oak Springs.
This series of stories in the life of Heather Gates, a fictional character in The Homeplace Saga series of family saga, historical fiction stories (home blog found at thehomeplaceseries dot blogspot dot com), is being created as a way to use a minor character in the early writings to expand those stories and share details omitted in those earlier writings within the original overarching themes. These newly included details may have been left out of the earlier stories through editing or they may have seemed unrelated to central themes at the time. With the expansion of the entire Saga, over the years, it has become obvious that filling in some of the gaps in the story for overall better understanding of the individuals, their families, and their interactions would be useful to The Homeplace Saga body of work in total. The first thirty episodes ran in parallel with the timeline of the “Christmas at the Homeplace” novel. This episode represents stories following the end of the novel. These will run in parallel, starting with January 1997, with stories previously published on the home blog that ran monthly with new stories into early 1999. This provides the opportunity for new insights of events to be shared.
"The House Between Tides" Book Discussion and Apple Pie Spice Cupcakes Themed Recipe
by Amanda Leitch2
"Billy's Back!" - Revelations of Paul McCartney's Replacement
by Miriam Parker15
Jake Patton Memoirs - JP29 - Jake Remembered the Effects of the Gold Rush of 1849
by William Leverne Smith2
7 months ago from Hollister, MO
Keep writing, Alexander, we'll keep reading! ;-)
Alexander James Guckenberger
7 months ago from Maryland, United States of America
Thank you so much William. :)
Enjoy your writing, Alexander James, it is very satisfying! ;-)
Agreed, Bill. I see the relationships as the key. Relationships with others, with the environment, with circumstances. So much the same today as even Elizabethan Period...I'm currently reading about Sir Walter Raleigh... ;-)
7 months ago from Olympia, WA
Here are my thoughts about these chapters set in modern times....life is still the same for people. A few more conveniences, for sure, but still work, family, entertainment....the more we advance as a civilization, the more we stay the same intrinsically. :)
I enjoy writing too. Keep up the good work!
Thank you. I try hard to include interesting photos that go along with the story... ;-)
I love the accompanying photos. :D
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MGExaminer in Atina LeRoux December 29, 2018 6,526 Words
Chapter 7: I played a wall once. They’re relentless.
The lights were still on when I returned home, past ten. I wished Polly and Alfred a peaceful night together, and opened the door. Sitting in the living room, I saw Jack sitting on the chair, curled up, her arms around her legs, face buried between her knees. She appeared to be sleeping, and the pose almost made me wonder if she’d been waiting up for me. I considered, for a moment, picking her up and carrying her down to the bed. I decided to think better of it, less out of fear of her stabbing me in surprise, and more because I thought it would just weird her out. Instead, I lifted a blanket from the couch and draped it over her, and turned off the light, walking towards the kitchen to see if there was any pizza left in the fridge.
“Atina?” whispered a soft voice from behind me. I turned back. Jack’s soft eyes were wide, staring at me. I gave an apologetic smile.
“Did I wake you? Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. I wanted to ask you a question.”
“Yeah? It isn’t about something I did while I was drunk, is it?” I asked, trying a little too hard to sound amused and cheerful. I hated being blackout drunk, not because I knew I’d do something wrong, but because I feared I would. The fact that the worst I’d done in the past was pass out on someone’s lawn did not ease this fear.
“Sort of.” She paused, just long enough for my brain to shift into overgear and produce nightmare scenarios.
“Yes?” I asked, partially to encourage her, mostly because my heart was beginning to race and fear had gripped my guts.
“Why do humans destroy themselves?”
I considered that question. “Is this about the drinking?”
“I guess. Partly. I knew a lot of humans who acted self-destructively. One of my owners took heroin. Another had sex with strangers, without protection.”
“God. You’re getting into a heavy question here, Jack. Why…” I was quiet for a moment. “Do you want to destroy yourself, Jack?”
She looked away. ”What’s wrong with that?”
“The thing is, in my experience, very few people want to die. Most of the time, they just want to stop hurting. Intoxicants, depressants, hallucinogens, stimulants. It’s all a way to stop hurting. The sign things are bad is that you don’t care if you die, because that’ll stop the hurting, too.”
She nodded softly. ”I want to stop hurting.”
“Being broken must have been hard-”
“Not my pain. That doesn’t matter. I want to stop hurting other people. I made them hurt themselves. I told them it was right. I knew better, and I could have helped them. But I told myself they deserved it, that they deserved to hurt, because they weren’t smart enough to see what it was doing to them. But you should be smarter.” She looked up at me, her expression nervous. “Polly called me. She told me you visited the hospital, today.”
“It was just the local clinic. They were being worryworts,” I said, shaking my head. ”And- the thing about that is, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between self-destruction and pushing yourself for a reason. I drink because I need to relax, sometimes.”
“You’re pushing yourself very hard,” said Jack, still staring at me. “Why do you want to help people so badly that you hurt yourself?”
I sighed. ”Look, Jack. I care about people. Alfred, Polly, Li, the Half-Faced Man. You, too. My parents, my little brother. I care about all of them. And I hate seeing any of you hurt. Whereas… It’s not that I like to hurt myself. I just don’t care if I get hurt. I’m tough. I know how tough I am. I may get stressed out, frightened, angry, but I won’t break. I don’t break. So it only makes sense for me to be the one who worries about these things, if I can handle it.”
“I want to help,” said Jack, meeting my eyes. I stared levelly at her. After several long seconds, she looked away. ”God, it’s hard to stare like you do.”
“The key is to not feel anything. Jack, I’m here to help you. Come on.” I sat down on the floor, and patted it. “Meditation. I’m pretty sure of what you are, now. You’re a sword. It’s the kind of thing that fits with what I know of you. It’s the kind of story that fits. Broken sword, mistaken for a knife, pretty good story. Now, I need to ask you. Do you think a sword would be useful for what I’m dealing with?”
“No,” said Jack, in a rather small voice.
“Yeah. Even if I knew precisely who was responsible for this, what am I going to do, gut them?” I smiled apologetically. “I don’t use a sword, even symbolically. You can use a sword without hurting anyone. You can make men knights, you can make plowshares, you can cut the chains of slavery, you can end a fight without striking a blow with a sword. But if you try to write a brief or fill out a form with a sword, let me tell you from experience, people make a huge fuss about your handwriting.”
Jack looked down at her knees, without any laugh to tell me things were okay.
“But you know what does help? Having you here. Watching movies with you. Having you help me read through the endless, utterly tedious reams of documents. You’re helping.”
She looked me in the eye. ”You’re full of crap, Atina,” she said, somewhat miserably. “Anyone could do that. I’m capable of more, and we both know that means I need to do more.”
“And how do you want to help?” I asked, levelly. ”Ask yourself. Ask yourself what you really, truly want. What are you trying to have. I can’t tell you what’ll make you satisfied, not anymore. You became a person, and that means that you don’t get easy answers. You’re not just a sword anymore. The upside is that you don’t have to stand by when awful things happen. The price is that you can stand by.”
I crossed my legs, resting my hands on my knees. Jack finally sat, and mirrored my pose, her eyes down and to one side. “I want to protect you,” she said, softly. ”I want to protect Alfred. I want to protect Jenny and Polly.”
“Well, that’s a pretty silly wish. This is… nothing all that special. The vast majority of cases are like this, Jack. They’re important, but only to the people who are directly involved. This one hasn’t even gotten violent on me, because nobody particularly wants me to die, this time around.” I smiled. “I’m safe. The fact that I don’t need you to protect me is a good thing.” I was quiet for a moment. ”You know what drives me mad about this case is, it’s typical. I looked up the statistics. Murder is one of the most frequently solved crimes that gets brought to police investigation, and It’s still only about a 60% chance that it gets solved. Your odds are one in three that any given murder won’t be solved. That’s miserable odds. But things get better when the murder is personal, when there was a reason. That’s what will help. If I could find this phylactery he was working on, though… That’d be the most useful.”
“Phylactery?” asked Jack, curious.
“It’s a-” I paused. ”There’s a whole lecture about it. I was researching them on the ride back. Are you sure you want to hear?”
“I think so,” she said, nodding.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, damn it, Atina!” said Jack, and I was damned if I was going to let an opportunity like this slip past me. People got very snotty when I tried to educate them about things.
“Alright. The actual use of the term phylactery is recent. Gary Gygax made them back in the 70s. The origin of the phrase was a protective amulet, in Greek, most commonly used to refer to a Jewish tradition of containing pieces of the Torah in an amulet they wore.”
“So it only started being a thing in the 70s?”
“Well, the idea- store your soul somewhere safe?- That’s been around for a much longer time. Goes right back to the ancient Egyptians.” I rubbed my chin. ”If I could find it… And if it works, it’d solve this case like that. If I could find it.”
“You think I could recognize it on sight?” said Jack, her head tilted to one side. ”It’s an object with power. It can’t be that different from a Tsukumogami, can it?”
“Maybe.” I grinned. ”See? Talking things out helps. You’re more than just a sword, now, Jack. You’re a person. It comes with a much wider set of talents. Now.” I took a deep breath. ”Focus, and Ommmmmm…”
“Ommmm- Do we have to do this, Atina? The chanting part? The Atlanteans didn’t.”
“While you live in my house, you use my sacred syllables, young lady. Ommmmmm…”
“Ommmm…”
There was something wrong. A crack. I saw it appear on her face, and slowly spread, reaching down. It spread out, even as I chanted. I tried to shout a warning, but the only thing that left my lips was ”Ommmm…”
The fracture lines spread lower. And as she opened her mouth, I could see them spreading across her tongue. ”Ommmm…”
I tried to warn her. I tried to tell her to stop, to take it easy. It came out ”Ommmmm…”
Jack smiled gently at me, and sang “Ommmmm…” as her body fell into shards like glass, like powder.
And then I was standing by a waterfall.
Not a real waterfall. You know those beautiful Japanese landscape paintings, the calligraphic style of black ink on mulberry paper? It was like that. A sweep of dramatic black lines landing in dozens of little spirals. But it moved, and the roar of it filled the air. A man knelt by the water, studying it with great interest, and I saw a hammer hanging from his waist. Delicate petals, like tiny teardrops in their stylized form, fell from a gloriously pink cherry blossom tree. They were the only color in this place, a monochrome wasteland of off-white like paper marred here and there with dramatic sweeps of midnight-blue ink.
I breathed in. This was the same thing that had happened before. I just had to stay calm, and let it happen. It had passed before. Pretend it wasn’t happening, and watch very closely.
He dipped his finger into the water, and watched as the petals slowly swept around them, an interested expression on his face. He turned towards me, and smiled. ”Good water, don’t you think, Atina? Atina?! ATINA!”
My eyes snapped open, and I tried to throw up. The lack of food meant that all that came up was a thin trace of burning acid. Jack was over me, her expression terrified, eyes wide, her fingers tight on my shoulder.
“Are you okay?” She asked, squeezing me. ”Can you see? How many fingers am I-”
“Three,” I said, taking a deep breath. ”Fine. I’m fine. What happened?”
“You just- sort of slumped over. Fell to one side. You looked like you were asleep, but after earlier today-”
“No, no. Just tired. Must have fallen asleep, it was so peaceful.” I smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry I worried you, Jack. I’m just fine. How are you feeling?”
“I… better. Maybe we shouldn’t-”
“No. We’ll do this again tomorrow.” I stood up. “But I think it’s a clear sign from my body that I should get some sleep. We’ll meditate together in the morning, alright?”
“Alright.” She opened her mouth, looking as though she wanted to say something, then closed it, pursing her lips.
“I’m okay,” I said soothingly. “Just a little overworked. I promise, if anything is wrong, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, Atina.”
As I lay in bed, I looked up LSD flashbacks on my phone. I’d always suspected Alfred sprinkled a little of the stuff in the Dreamwalk solution. The datura was bad enough that acid wouldn’t make things much worse. And apparently, acid flashbacks are a real thing. Short-term flashbacks happened in about 60% of the people who took it. Long-term or distressing flashback frequency was more like 5%.
But what was more important was that I could handle it. I had found myself in another dream, and I had not allowed it to overcome me. I could do this. I could keep it together. I could keep them from worrying about me.
In the morning, Jack and I did our meditations again. This time, I did not pass out, I did not experience any strange and twisted dreams. It could work. I could keep this all together.
“Do you mind if I come with you to the Summer Court?” asked Jack, a bit nervously.
I paused, and considered this. On the one hand, I could think of several ways it could go wrong, just off the top of my head. Bringing a broken sword spirit into a court full of conflict-happy fairies was a provocative move on at least three levels. On the other hand, it was the first time that Jack had asked to go somewhere with me, and the fairies would take any provocation. Might as well be a meaningful one.
“I’d love that.” I smiled, and patted Jack on the shoulder, before opening the door to the car.
The drive to the botanic garden wasn’t a long one, but it was just long enough for the conversation Jack had been hoping for. ”Atina. I’m not stupid. I heard about your behavior. You drank more than I’ve ever seen. Jenny says you were fine after visiting Earlen Wen. Then you’re out of sight for an hour, and suddenly, you’re home with a handle of tequila and a grudge against your own liver. What happened?”
I was quiet for a moment. Athena’s visit lingering on my memory. “If you knew the world was going to end… If someone you really, truly trusted told you that everything was going to end. How would you react?”
Jack Knife looked forward, her expression neutral. ”I guess I’d refuse to believe them.”
“That’s… not an answer I expected.”
“I mean, if the world’s going to end what can you do? That’s huge. And the world is full of people who don’t want it to end. You wouldn’t believe how hard New York City fought back against being ended, and it’s just a city. The world is so much bigger.” She shook her head. “If the world, if humans, were easy to kill, they would have died a very long time ago, Atina. And if it is going to end, well, why not enjoy yourself?”
“What if you knew you could save someone, but not everyone?”
“You do that all the time.”
I blinked. Then I felt the guilt in the pit of my stomach. ”That’s different.”
“Is it? Every time you work on one case, there’s another person in need who’s not getting helped. You can’t save everyone, Atina. The world’s too big for that. You have to be selfish about who you save, sometimes. You’ve got to make your heart small. How many people would you get to take with you?”
“So, five people. Who would you bring?”
The question whirled in my head. I deflected. ”I can’t take the offer, anyway. I need to help here.”
“Do you think you can do anything?” asked Jack, her voice suddenly cold, hard, her eyes on me. And I remembered myself. I came to a stop at the red light, and turned to meet her eyes.
“Yes. I can.”
She looked down quickly, her expression softening. ”Sorry.”
“No. Sometimes you need tough love. Sometimes you need to get angry at someone to stop being depressed. Rage gives you strength.”
She curled her arms around herself, lowering her head a bit more. ”You don’t hate me for doing that?”
“No. You’re trying to help. And I want you to help. Nothing there to be angry about.” The light turned green, and I drove.
The Cutler Botanic Garden. when I was just a child, my mother had brought me there occasionally. The memories were so distant that they were almost secondhand- memories of remembering the place more than anything, smears of color and distant impressions. One stuck out more than anything else. I had learned to make a corn husk doll there, turning the golden husk into a small but pretty doll. It was only years later that I’d learned the true significance.
The Iroquois had made corn husk dolls. Part of it was simple frugality; Children needed something to play with, and corn husks were handy. You used the husk and the silk to make a small, faceless doll.
There was a European belief, though, that mixed with it when the first settlers arrived. All things have a spirit. Even crops. When the crop was harvested, the spirit of that crop was left without a home. And so, it was tradition to create a corn husk doll, to hold the spirit of the corn, and to ensure that it had a place to live. I always loved how sentimental that act was.
I wondered where the doll was. I’d been a child when I’d made it. Unmindful. But it could have been a person, just like Jack. Just like every god damn egg in my ovaries, if I came right around to that. I smiled wryly at that thought as I pulled into the parking lot by the farmer’s market, and resolved not to worry too much about the lives that could have been, in favor of the lives that are. The Cutler Botanic Garden sat in full bloom, its various examples of prosaic life brilliant. And there, in the center, stood the Gazebo.
I’m a goddamn nerd, I’ll openly admit that. So I know the old and very famous story of Eric and the Gazebo. There’s a type of demon, known as a Glabrezu, which is notably powerful and dangerous. It’s perfectly reasonable to mistake a gazebo for a Glabrezu, if all you’ve got is the name, but the story’s funnier if the titular Eric comes across as a fool. And there, sitting in the shade of the dread gazebo, were Alfred and Polly.
Alfred sat in his silly looking LARPing chainmail, a comical foam arrangement which I had seen stop bullets and claws and no end of swords that by rights should have gutted him like a trout. Polly was carefully balancing her soccer ball on one fully extended ankle, shifting it ever so slightly to keep it upright. I knew from personal experience that the ball weighed somewhere north of a hundred pounds, and was almost entirely lead under that unassuming black and white surface. She’d chosen a sporty looking green blouse and green skirt. They were both scandalously short, and did absolutely nothing to keep her legs or midriff covered. She spotted me and grinned, rolling the ball up her leg and onto her lap with a skillful movement, and began waving. ”Oy! Atina! Oy!”
“Hello, Atina,” said Alfred, as I approached. He nodded to Jack. ”And it’s nice to see you out and about, Jack. Still a few minutes until noon. Ah, Jenny!”
I turned. Jenny was approaching from the pedestrian walkway, dressed in a delicate yellow sundress. I found that a bit on the nose, but it was a bright and sunny day, and it suited her. I noted that she was developing a fair tan. Considering the fact that it was barely April, this was a bit surprising. She smiled nervously. ”I’ve been practicing my powers a bit more, lately.”
“Really?” said Alfred, interested. “And it tans you?”
“Apparently. Have they announced the contest, yet?”
“There’s a few possibilities,” said Alfred. “Tournament of Champions is one possibility. A tournament between all comers, with the victor facing me. A marathon. I’ve even read about some cases being solved in a trial of sport.” He studied us. ”We should have enough for a basketball team, but if it’s football or baseball, we may be in trouble.”
“You think they’re going to avoid combat?” asked Jenny, her head tilted.
“Not to toot my own horn, but I have something of a reputation in trials of combat. There are very few people who could go the distance with me, let alone beat me.” He chuckled. “They’re going to try to gain advantage wherever they can find it.” He checked his watch. ”Well, the hour is upon us. Let us enter.”
He stood up, and closed his eyes as the five of us stood on the gazebo. There was a brief incantation, a timeless moment of warmth. Then, we stood in the Summer Court.
The Summer Court was set in a great open field. The sky above was blue and cloudless, which was damned unusual for Binghamton. The rolling hills surrounded us, but faded in the distance, leaving enough room for about a thousand acres of farmland, divided by a great and unbridged river which swept past with dizzying speed. Already, the land was tilled, the seeds planted. In Binghamton itself, this would be a dangerous move. But in the Summer Court, the weather never got too cold for corn.
Pavilions had been set up. Commoner and noble alike circulated, and while they recognized eachother’s ranks, they intermingled freely. Hierarchy was less a thing here. The Summer King stood, his skin black as soot, his violently red hair arrayed around his head, dancing among his people, noble and commoner alike. An ugly scar reached from his left brow down to the right side of his chin, the skin half-melted in a patch an inch wide, giving it that particularly unpleasant look of a burn victim, which didn’t apparently do anything to mar his cheerfulness.
He approached us, a brilliant smile on his face, his teeth shining like diamonds. “Alfred! Atina! Polly! And honored guests! Welcome!” He grabbed Alfred’s gauntleted hands, and grinned. There was a moment of straining bone and steel, Alfred matching him grip for grip, before the two released the handshake like fencers disengaging “Come! Eat! We have slain the fatted calf!”
“It is good to see you again, Sidney,” said Alfred, smiling. ”I am sorry I have not been to court recently.”
“Busy times! Don’t fear, my old friend. We will soon have this all sorted out.” He chuckled, and with that enigmatic comment, he returned to the crowd, leaving the five of us to stand awkwardly.
“Sounds like a bit of a nasty surprise they’ve got planned,” I said, frowning. “Do you suppose-”
“Friends!” bellowed a voice that shook the earth beneath our voice. Low, throaty, intense, but undeniably female. We turned. The Summer Queen stood at the bank of the river. Annis was a big woman in every sense of the world, towering over me and with the kind of body that inspired worship in prehistoric cultures, her substantial measure of bare skin tattooed with copper powder to give her ferocious blue tattoos across most of her body. She was an inveterate nudist, which Jack, Jenny, and I had a bit of trouble with, if I were to judge from who was unable to look directly at her..
Annis waited for a few moments as the conversations, meals, and fights died down, hands on her hips. She had that kind of way of talking that got people’s attention. She seemed almost to bloom under the collected stares of the full Summer Court.
“There is no doubt in the minds of the Summer Court. One of our own has been sorely misused. The Iron Knight, Alfred, is innocent!” she declared, in a voice that rocked the soil, and all around seemed to agree. “Yet the beasts of darkness believe him to be otherwise. They believe that there exists some force that could corrupt the Iron Knight of Binghamton. They demand a price be paid in blood, because that is what the dead crave most.”
“She’s not calling for a war, is she?” I asked, softly, under my breath, my brows furrowed.
“No. That’d be lunacy. The Undead have always been the dominant force in Binghamton, and the other three courts wouldn’t join if Summer started this war. It’d be suicide,” said Alfred, looking equally perplexed. “They wouldn’t risk that for anyone.”
“The Undead have set their trap with the expectation that we will be predictable. After all, we Fae are creatures of stories, are we not? And everyone believes they know which way a story will go.” The rumbles of the crowd grew a bit louder at this. “But stories are clever. They are not stagnant, like corpses. Stories evolve. We change. We subvert expectation.”
“Who’s that?” said Polly, frowning, narrowing her eyes.
“Who?” I asked, turning my head.
“There, with Alfred’s mom.”
I scanned the crowd. It wasn’t hard to spot them. In a field where everyone mixed, they stood apart, surrounded by a moat of untouched space where no one seemed eager to tread. One was Alfred’s mother. I had never met Ethniu before, but she was the kind of woman you would recognize instantly from descriptions. Tall, nearly as tall as me, pale skin, hair so blonde it was almost silver. She was flanked by a woman with pale skin and hair black as pitch, who wore a cloak of crow feathers and a hood that covered her eyes. On her other side was Megan Smith, a white buffalo hide draped over her shoulders, a pipe between her fingers. And behind them…
“We have consulted with great powers,” said Annis. ”And we have been the recipients of a gift. Please, Athena, share with us your solution.”
Athena stepped forward. Pallas Athena, Bright-Eyed Athena, the Gorgoneion on her arm covered with a sheet of canvas. She wore a helmet and a linen robe, and she stood tall. Though she was several inches shorter than me, I felt as though I had to crane my neck up to look at her.
”There are two ways that a hero’s story may end,” she said. Her voice was soft, and rang in the silence. “This is the most basic rule of a story. In a tragedy, the story ends in a funeral. In a comedy, it ends in a wedding. But either way, it is an ending. The contest to prove the innocence or guilt of Alfred Ethniuson, Iron Knight of Binghamton, shall be a Gauntlet to the Pinking, Open to the Masses and Closed to the Unwilling, with a Prize of Weal or Woe. And should the Night Court of Binghamton not accept this outcome, I shall Smite them.”
I blinked. Alfred blinked. Hell, Polly blinked. Jenny looked between us, looking for an explanation, and I was the one to provide it. “That was a lot of jargon. You’re going to be fighting someone who’ll decide whether you’re executed, or-”
“Or I marry them,” said Alfred. “The Pinking means that victory will be decided by whoever manages to remove a part of their opponent’s body first. A lock of hair, a piece of skin, a nail, or blood. The Weal or Woe means that I will either be executed by them, or bound to marry them. The ‘Open to the Masses and Closed to the Unwilling’ means that anyone can participate, but only those who have entered the Gauntlet can know the list of others. And the Gauntlet…” He sighed. “That means that I will be required to compete until I lose, or defeat all comers. An endurance test.”
“Alfred, I’m pretty sure I’ve read about this,” I said. “Aren’t Gauntlets rather rare?”
“Because of their tendency to depopulate entire Summer Courts? My understanding is that you get a choice to execute those who compete, as well. To say nothing of those willing to thin out the ranks of their competitors to get their own chance.”
“Somehow,” said Alfred, looking around the crowd, “I think that the Summer Court will find a way to work together. To save me,” he said, with unusual bitterness.
“Alfred,” said Polly, softly, looking across the crowd. “Is this the worst way that this could end?”
“Dean Morton’s death gone unpunished? A threat against the Night Court hanging? This won’t fix anything,” said Alfred.
I had to admit, I didn’t entirely agree. This was an out. A way to save Alfred. It might mean marrying someone he didn’t want to, but people had entered loveless marriages for reasons far less important than survival.
Ethniu’s voice was soft, gentle, ringing like a bell. She stood, her arms folded, her demeanor cold as ice, and her eyes steady.
“Ethniu,” said Alfred. And I saw the heartbreak in Ethniu’s expression, the ice breaking as she looked down and to one side.
“I am sorry, son. I am doing this for your own good.”
“Is that what your father said to you, when he locked you in Tur Mor?” Alfred asked.
“Of course not. He told me he was doing it for his own good,” said Ethniu. She looked as though she wanted to say more, but was unsure how to. In her place, Athena stepped forward.
“Hello, Alfred Ethniuson,” she said, her expression completely calm. And then, just as Alfred was visibly weighing whether to bow, she lowered herself to one knee. ”It is a pleasure to meet one of your caliber. I have heard of your heroism.”
“I appreciate the thought, Pallas Athena,” stated Alfred, slightly stunned. ”But I must confess, I am surprised to see you here. Or that you are, indeed, real.”
“Were I to have the choice, Alfred, I would allow you to die,” said Athena, softly. ”Your legend could be great. it does not deserve to be cut short so quickly, and death holds little threat for a bergentrückung. But a mother’s love and a friend’s desperation has forced my hand.” She nodded towards me. Alfred turned to stare at me.
“I didn’t do this, Alfred,” I said, apologetically, trying not to look at Athena. ”But…”
“It is a plea bargain,” said Alfred, firmly. ”Accepting a lesser sentence. You think it’s a good idea.” He shook his head. ”I will not surrender. I will fight with everything that I have. If I fail, I will accept that fate. But I will not simply give up.”
“I know, son,” said Ethniu, nodding. ”I do not wish to be without you. That is all. Please, do not hate me for this.”
This gave Alfred pause for a moment. Then he stepped forward, and even as Ethniu let out an indignant ‘oh!’, his arms went around her shoulders, squeezing her tight. He planted a kiss on her forehead, giving her a tender embrace. ”Of course not, mother,” he whispered, softly.
“Atina,” said Athena. “A moment of your time.” She crooked a finger, and I followed. Jack moved to join me, and Athena held up a hand. ”My apologies, Jack Knife, and I mean no disrespect, but this is a private matter.”
Jack looked at me. I smiled. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be back in a little while.”
Athena led me along for some time, as the two of us made our way down the river. We were joined by the dark-haired woman, and Megan Smith. “So,” said Athena, as we stopped, her eyes turned out towards the far side of the river. “Have you thought about who you will bring with you?”
“I haven’t decided whether I’m going to come to Avalon,” I said. “Even if everyone accepts this, the city’s going to be in chaos-”
“Unless we are impossibly lucky,” said the dark-haired woman, ”this city and this world will be dead by New Year’s.”
I blinked. My stomach went cold. ”How do you know?”
“She is the Morrigan,” said Megan, apologetically. “She knows when things die. She’s quite skilled at it. Things do not look good, Atina. The world teeters on the brink.”
“A variety of ways,” said Athena. ”An encroachment by a Lost God. A crusade led by those Gods who believe that humanity must be brought to heel. A nuclear engagement in the Middle East growing worse. A super-plague created by human artifice. I am afraid that the world is throwing itself headlong towards oblivion. I can’t promise that it will even last until the end of the year, but it will surely not last long past that.”
“How many times can heroes arise?” asked the Morrigan, softly. ”How many times can the impossible be done, how many times can humanity deny its fate? There is only so much that can be done, by mortal and god, to stave off the inevitable.”
“How about a dragon?” I asked, softly.
Athena had to be good a poker player. She didn’t even move. Her expression didn’t betray anything, even as Megan frowned and The Morrigan snorted. Of course, that kind of freezing was its own betrayal.
“What about a dragon?” asked Athena, her tone level.
“Could a dragon do something?”
“There’s no such thing as dragons,” said the Morrigan.
“Not anymore,” said Athena.
“Of course,” said Megan, her tone sharp, ”if there were something that could be done, a dragon would be able to do it.”
“Don’t tell me you believe those old stories,” said The Morrigan, glaring . ”Dragons and Chaos and the Brother and all of that.”
“Destiny is when Fate takes an interest,” said Megan, in the unmistakable tones of one quoting. “And Luck is when Chaos takes an interest.”
“Dragons are gone,” said Athena, firmly. ”They were never capable of hiding themselves. They were never subtle. The world is better for them being gone. And we must focus on preserving what is good about it.” She turned towards me, and sighed. ”I stepped forward to help you, Atina. To put an end to this case, to save your friend from his destiny, in order that I could preserve you. Please.”
I felt my stomach twist. ”I can’t just leave people to their fate.”
Athena opened her mouth, clearly ready to argue. Then, to my very great surprise, she sighed. ”Very well. My invitation remains open. And I will visit again. I will help you, where I can, with this case, as my duties will allow me to. In exchange…” Athena was quiet for a moment. ”Swear to me, that when this case is ended, through either vindication, or conviction, that you will come with me to Avalon.”
“I can’t do that,” I said, softly. ”I can’t lie to you. You know I won’t.”
“I suspected,” she said, and sighed. ”And I understand. It is hard to let go.”
“I don’t want to be a corn husk doll. A living reminder of all that’s been taken from me,” I said. “I need to fight.”
“I would not be who I am if I did not respect that,” said Athena, and she smiled. ”I will help you, nonetheless.” Then she snapped her fingers, and she and the Morrigan were gone, leaving only Megan.
“Is the world doomed?” I asked her.
“How do you know?”
“Everything dies, Atina. If we survive this, then we shall die another time. Even Gods die. Even worlds die.” She smiled, wryly. ”This world, too, shall pass. Sometimes, all we can hope for is that something new will arrive after it.”
“Cut our losses?” I asked, softly.
“Yes.” She reached out, and squeezed my shoulder. ”Sometimes, all you can do for the people you love is survive. Meet me for some tea some time.” Then she was gone, too.
We met together outside the gazebo, the five of us sitting in the cool March air.
“So,” I said, for lack of anything better to do. ”Just under three months until the Gauntlet. What can we do in the meantime?”
“You don’t think I should surrender?” asked Alfred, wryly. ”Give up? It’d mean survival.”
“You were right,” I said, softly. I saw the look Alfred and Polly gave me. ”What?”
“Are you sure you’re okay, Atina?” asked Jenny “You just said Alfred was right.”
“Well, he is, wisenheimers,” I said, a slight grin creasing my cheeks. ”But mostly, I’m angry. We can solve this. I’ve got ideas. Leads. But I’m not sure how long they’ll take to pay off, and this kind of contest is way outside of my bailiwick. If you’re fighting who-knows-how-many pissed off Fairies who all just need to cut a piece of you off to win, without any chance to rest…”
“Yes,” said Alfred. “I pride myself on my stamina, but I am forced to confess, even I may be taxed by that many women.”
“I had an idea,” said Polly, softly. We all turned. She’d been quite quiet since- Well, if I was honest, since getting back from England with Alfred. She flushed. ”Ye don’t have to look so bloody shocked, I’m nae moron.” Her accent seemed more pronounced as she became defensive.
“Go ahead,” said Jenny, softly.
“Well. The only people who know who’s going to compete are those who are already competing. So, we can’t just threaten and intimidate people into dropping their names from the contest,” said Polly. ”Unless… of course, some clever jane were to join the contest, with the intention of surrendering or throwing to Alfred when she faces him.”
“That is… a solid idea,” I said, an eyebrow raised. ”It wouldn’t be easy. We’d need to find ways to cajole the other competitors into duels beforehand, or otherwise bribe them into swearing to surrender.”
“Well, that’d be something you’d be good at,” said Polly, smiling. ”I get the much simpler and much more entertaining job of beating them into the ground.”
“It could work,” said Alfred, softly. ”We could eliminate many, perhaps all of the competitors.” He frowned. “You aren’t going to hurt them too badly, are you, Polly?”
“I’ll just muss their hair,” she said, with a sweet smile on her lips.
Paradise by the Dashboard Lights Chapter 4: Red Zeppelin
Case Files 2: Giants, Ogres, and the King and Queen of Binghamton’s Summer Court.
One thought on “Chapter 7: I played a wall once. They’re relentless.”
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Map of Harlem Health Areas and Census Tracts, 1930
Census and public health records help identify the areas of New York where the highest concentration of African Americans lived during the first half of the twentieth century. In the five boroughs of New York in 1930, only 4.7% of the population was identified as black. In Manhattan, about 12% of the population was black. For Harlem, however, nearly 55% of the residents were black. From the early 1910s onward, Harlem was known as a "black neighborhood" as migrants from other parts of the United States settled there. The dark lines on this map enclose the areas where the black population was higher than the Manhattan average and helps define the parameters of "black Harlem."
Source | Cheryl Lynn Greenberg, "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work," in "Or Does It Explode?": Black Harlem in The Great Depression (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991).
Creator | U.S. Census
Cite This document | U.S. Census, “Map of Harlem Health Areas and Census Tracts, 1930,” HERB: Resources for Teachers, accessed July 18, 2019, https://herb.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/829.
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Adolescent Well-Being in Washington State Military Families
American Journal of Public Health (2011); 101(9), 1676-1682.
Janice F. Bell, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.N.
Department of Health Service and the Maternal and Child Health Program
Sarah C. Reed, M.P.H., M.S.W.
Adult Survivorship Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusettssarah_reed@dfci.harvard.edu
Todd C. Edwards, Ph.D.
Department of Health Services and the Maternal and Child Health Program
Survey Methods and Data Collection
Applied Research Studies
Military Children
parental deployment
• As of 2007, over 1.8 million U.S. children had at least one parent serving in the military. Adolescents with parents in the military may be a particularly vulnerable population due to the stressors of parental absence, increased responsibilities at home after parental deployment and media exposure to the violent consequences of war.
• This study is one of the first population-based quantitative studies to focus on how adolescents’ quality of life is affected by the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) conflicts. Researchers found that as a population, adolescents with deployed parents were more likely to report binge drinking than those with civilian parents.
• In terms of outcomes, adolescent girls with parents deployed to combat were found to be at risk of depressed mood and suicidal thoughts, while adolescent boys with deployed parents were at increased risk of impaired well-being, including depressed mood, thoughts of suicide and low quality of life overal
“Objectives: We examined associations between parental military service and adolescent well-being.
Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the 2008 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey collected in public school grades 8, 10 and 12 (n=10606). We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses to test associations between parental military service and adolescent well-being (quality of life, depressed mood, thoughts of suicide).
Results: In 8th grade, parental deployment was associated with higher odds of reporting thoughts of suicide among adolescent girls (odds ratio [OR]=1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.19, 2.32) and higher odds of low quality of life (OR=2.10; 95% CI=1.43, 3.10) and thoughts of suicide (OR=1.75; 95% CI=1.15, 2.67) among adolescent boys. In 10th and 12th grades, parental deployment was associated with higher odds of reporting low quality of life (OR=2.74; 95% CI=1.79, 4.20), depressed mood (OR=1.50; 95% CI=1.02, 2.20), and thoughts of suicide (OR=1.64; 95% CI=1.13, 2.38) among adolescent boys.
Conclusions: Parental military deployment is associated with increased odds of impaired well-being among adolescents, especially adolescent boys. Military, school-based, and public health professionals have a unique opportunity to develop school- and community-based interventions to improve the well-being of adolescents in military families.”
In this population-based study of adolescents in Washington state, researchers found parental military service to be significantly related to the well-being of adolescents. The authors point out that these results are consistent with previous research showing higher rates of stress among children of deployed parents than those with civilian parents. For adolescent females in eighth grade, those with deployed parents were more at risk of depression and suicidal thoughts, while adolescent males with deployed parents were more at risk of impaired well-being in terms of all outcomes examined. Gender differences in adolescent well-being may be explained by possible gender-based differences in media exposure, responsibilities at home and relationships with parents upon reintegration. Since boys watch more television and play more violent video games, as shown by previous research, they may have greater exposure to media that highlights the violent consequences of war. Boys may also face more challenges in reconnecting with parents emotionally after deployment, and may have difficulty renegotiating family roles upon the deployed parent’s return. Gender differences in the way adolescents respond to reduced supervision may also account for differences in well-being, as boys may be more likely to participate in high risk behaviors such as drinking and drug use. As many of the findings indicate gender-based differences in coping with deployed parents, school and community-based therapists in areas with a high military population should develop gender-based interventions for adolescents. In addition, educators and community agencies currently involved with military families should work together to create and implement interventions. Counselors, educators and community agencies should create targeted, potentially gender-based adolescent interventions as a first step, with boys being the priority due to their significantly higher risk of reporting low quality of life, depressed mood and thoughts of suicide.
These findings indicate a need for policies focused on adolescents in military families. Adolescents with military parents, especially adolescent boys with parents who have been deployed to combat, tend to have more negative effects on well-being compared to adolescents with civilian parents. Since almost 40% of active duty soldiers are married and have children, this research has policy implications for a significant portion of the military population. With the help of policy makers, military and public health professionals will have a unique opportunity to both develop and enhance interventions that can improve the well-being of adolescents in military families. Policy initiatives should focus on providing funding and resources for school and community counselors in areas with large military populations to further the development of gender-based and age appropriate interventions, as well as those focused on teaching adolescents and families to manage emotional difficulties and relationships with parents throughout the deployment cycle.
As this study was based in Washington, which has the sixth largest active duty population in the U.S., these findings are only generalizable to other states with large populations of active duty, National Guard and Reserve personnel with similar demographics. Researchers should aim to collect longitudinal data in future studies, as the cross-sectional data in this study cannot be used to infer causation or temporal relationships between periods of parental deployment and adolescent well-being. The data in this study was also self-reported, which may have resulted in underreporting of behaviors such as drug use and drinking, as well as inaccuracies in the reporting of parental combat status. Future studies should also control for several variables that were not included in this analysis, including the timing and duration of parental deployment, frequency of deployment, whether both parents were deployed, deployment experiences of parents and type of military service. Researchers should also examine outcomes by socioeconomic status, as factors such as parental education, income and occupation may affect which social support systems are in place for adolescents with deployed parents, and therefore, adolescents’ outcomes in terms of health and well-being. This study was only able to use maternal education as a proxy for socioeconomic status (SES), however future studies should include additional factors. Use of these social support systems, and school or community-based resources, may also differ by gender, which should be explored in further research as well.
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SECI floats new tender for 1,800 MW wind power projects in FY20
seci, wind power
After two under-subscribed auctions, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has floated a new tender for setting up 1,800 MW of wind power plants - making it the country's maiden wind bid announcement for FY20. Participating bidders cannot quote a tariff of more than Rs 2.85/unit.
In the previous round of wind auction, the SECI could allot only 480 MW capacity against the invitation of 1,200 MW. To date, 16 GW of capacity has been called for auction since February 2017 by various central and state government agencies. Out of this, 12.4 GW has been allotted.
The lowest tariff discovered in the last auction held in March was Rs 2.82/unit, much higher since February last year when the price had bottomed out at Rs 2.44/unit. Capacity addition of wind power units has recently slowed down, with 1,480 MW getting installed in the FY19 (against 1,865 MW in FY18 and 5,502 MW in FY17).
"The less capacity addition is due to the transition of wind power sector from feed-in tariff regime to transparent competitive bidding mechanism and issues relating to land acquisition in certain states," power minister RK Singh said on Thursday in a response to a question in Parliament.
The industry has also attributed lack of adequate transmission infrastructure as a reason behind tepid response to auctions. Wind power projects of around 8,590 MW capacity are currently under implementation.
The government provides various financial incentives to developers such as accelerated depreciation and concessional custom duty exemption on certain components of wind electric generators. Besides, a generation-based incentive (GBI) scheme was available for wind projects commissioned before FY17-end.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has also issued orders to waive inter-state transmission charges and losses for inter-state sale of wind and solar power projects to be commissioned by March, 2022.
Further, wind and solar power projects are accorded 'must run' status.
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Henry Cavill Thinks a Zack Snyder Cut Wouldn't 'Change Anything' - Comic-Con 2018
Movie Reviews, Trailers, News & Poster for Movies
Justice League / July 20, 2018
"It's not going to change anything that I can think of."
By Alex Gilyadov
Superman himself Henry Cavill thinks a Zack Snyder cut of Justice League wouldn't "change anything."
Speaking to Yahoo! Movies, Cavill shared his thoughts on this alternate version of the DC film, which Warner Bros. recently confirmed won't be released. Cavill thinks Zack Snyder's cut of the movie, while intriguing, shouldn't be a priority for Warner Bros.
“I think it might be entertaining, for sure, and go, ‘Oh look, now I’ve scratched that itch,’ but it’s not going to change anything that I can think of, it’s not going to make huge amounts of money all of a sudden for a studio," Cavill said.
Cavill then went on to say Warner Bros. probably does not have any intention of releasing the alternate version in theaters, and would rather look to the future with the DCEU rather than clinging onto what's already been made.
"They’re not going to release it into cinemas and so they’re not going to suddenly make an extra few hundred million,” Cavill said. “So it would be interesting to see what the difference is, but I’d rather focus on the future rather than what’s been.”
Be sure to read why we think Justice League may have arrived too early and all of the missing characters and Superman's black suit, which didn't feature in the movie.
San Diego Comic-Con runs from July 19-22, and IGN will be on location to provide you with live coverage from the event. Check out our guide on how to watch Comic-Con 2018 live on IGN, and be sure to bookmark IGN's SDDC hub page, where you'll be able to keep up with all the big trailer reveals, panel reactions, and more.
Alex Gilyadov is a writer for IGN. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel and follow him on Twitter.
Zack Snyder Wanted to Introduce a Female Robin in the DCEU
Justice League: Warner Bros. Confirms No Plans to Release a Zack Snyder Cut
Why Justice League Ditched Superman's Black Costume
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Kolman & Pryor Gallery
The Color Series: Part 2, Red
January 3 - February 16, 2019
Kolman & Pryor Gallery continues its adventurous foray into the artist’s color palette with the second exhibition in The Color Series with, The Color Series: Part 2, Red. Curated by gallery artist and co-owner Patrick K. Pryor, Red includes work by gallery artists, Betsy Ruth Byers, Kate Casanova, Jil Evans, Jodi Reeb, Cameron Zebrun, and Patrick K. Pryor. The exhibition opens January 3 and runs through February 16. The gallery will host an artist reception on Saturday, January 26 at 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
“In the dead of winter, red really stands out as the color of heat and vitality, passion and energy, daring and danger,” says Anita Sue Kolman, gallery co-owner, who selected the color red for the second exhibition in The Color Series. “It’s an intense color, regardless of tone or hue, that’s packed with emotion. Red is a highly visible color, with different meanings across cultures. For all of these reasons, we’re thrilled to challenge our gallery artists with creating new work that explores the meanings that red holds for them.”
The series began in January 2018 with a focus on white. In contrast, says Pryor, “Red is the most stimulating color to the eye, especially after the purity of white.” In western culture, red often signifies objects associated with danger that need to be noticed, such as fire trucks, hydrants, and extinguishers. “Red is a fascinating color to use as an exhibition concept,” Pryor adds.
Viewers are invited to arrive at their own associations and observations about the use of red in art. “We always hope visitors and collectors enjoy what they’re seeing, even as everyone reacts in different ways,” Pryor says. As for the artists, “It’s important for us to challenge our gallery artists to work in new ways and develop new pathways with their work. We’re excited to see what they create for this exhibition.”
Saturday, 12pm to 4pm
First Thursday of the month, 5pm to 9pm
Studio 395, Northrup King Building
1500 Jackson Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
© 2019 Kolman & Pryor Gallery. All Rights Reserved.
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Greta Van Fleet, Sting, Chris Cornell, High on Fire Win Grammys
Matthew Wilkening
High on Fire - Frederic Brown, Getty Images
Greta Van Fleet can now add "Grammy winners" to their ever-increasing list of accolades.
The young foursome took home the Album of the Year award during this afternoon's Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, for their debut full-length From the Fires. They prevailed in a category that also included Alice in Chains, Fall Out Boy, Ghost and Weezer.
The late Chris Cornell won in the Best Rock Performance category - over Greta Van Fleet, Arctic Monkeys, The Fever 333 and Halestorm - for his posthumously released song "When Bad Does Good."
Cornell's children accepted the award, with his son Christopher declaring "I never thought we'd be standing here without my dad. I'm sure he would be proud and honored."
High on Fire were victorious in the Best Metal Performance category, with their "Electric Messiah" triumphing over Between the Buried and Me (for "Condemned to the Gallows"), Deafheaven ("Honeycomb"), Trivium ("Betrayer") and Underoath ("On My Teeth").
"Wow, what a trip,” said guitarist and singer Matt Pike as the band received their award. “We never really needed an award for doing what we love. Twenty-one years later, thank you to the Academy.”
Sting and Shaggy won in the Best Reggae Album category for their recent collaboration "44/876," overcoming fellow nominees Black Uhuru, Etana, Ziggy Marley and Protoje.
Greta Van Fleet were also passed over - this time, in favor of St. Vincent's "Masseducation" - in the Best Rock Song category. The other nominated artists in that field were Twenty One Pilots, Bring Me the Horizon, and Ghost.
Greta Van Fleet also came up short in the Best New Artist category, which was their fourth and final nomination of the evening. Dua Lipa was the victor, in a field that also included Luke Combs, Bebe Rexha, Jorja Smith, Chloe x Halle, H.E.R. and Margo Price.
Several other classic rock artists were nominated for awards in a diverse range of categories - but spoiler alert, they didn't win. Here's our full recap:
BEST BOXED OR LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE
The "Locked N' Loaded" box set edition of Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction lost out to "Weird Al" Yankovic's Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic in the Best Boxed or Limited Edition Package category.
BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
The soundtrack to NBC's live telecast of Jesus Christ Superstar, which counted Alice Cooper among its cast, lost out to the Broadway hit The Band's Visit in the Best Musical Theater Album category.
BEST MUSIC FILM
The Eric Clapton documentary Life in 12 Bars was passed over in the Best Music Film category, with that award going instead to the self-titled documentary about legendary music and film producer Quincy Jones.
Talking Heads star David Bryne's American Utopia was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album, but the award went to Beck's Colors instead.
BEST FOLK ALBUM
BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM
The Punch Brothers' All Ashore won the Best Folk Album Grammy, which means that Joan Baez' Whistle Down the Wind did not. Similarly, Boz Scaggs' Out of the Blues was overcome in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category by Buddy Guy's The Blues Is Alive and Well.
BEST AMERICANA ROOTS SONG
BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
Even though he was nominated for two different songs, John Prine was defeated in the Best Americana Roots Song category by Brandi Carlile's "The Joke." Her album By the Way, I Forgive You also defeated his The Tree of Forgiveness in the Best Americana Album category. Hopefully, he can forgive her.
BEST ALBUM NOTES
Bob Dylan's Trouble No More: The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 / 1979-1981 (Deluxe Edition) lost in the Best Album Notes category to Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris.
BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
Former Toto drummer Simon Phillips' Protocol 4 album lost to the Steve Gadd Band's self-titled effort in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category.
We will be updating this post throughout the night.
33 Artists Who Surprisingly Have Never Won a Grammy
Next: 10 Times the Grammys Got It Wrong
Source: Greta Van Fleet, Sting, Chris Cornell, High on Fire Win Grammys
Filed Under: Chris Cornell, Greta Van Fleet, High on Fire, Sting
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‘Deadpool 2’ Is the Highest-Grossing X-Men Movie Ever
FoxDea
The highest-grossing X-Men movie ever isn’t X2 or Days of Future Past. It isn’t any X-Men movie at all, technically. It’s Deadpool 2. Sweet chimichangas, what is this world coming to?
According to Box Office Mojo, Deadpool 2 just passed the first Deadpool to become the highest-grossing film in the history of the X-franchise. Here is the full worldwide box office totals for all 12 movies in the series:
Deadpool 2 - $785.9 million
Deadpool - $783.1 million
X-Men: Days of Future Past - $747.9 million
Logan - $619 million
X-Men: Apocalypse - $543.9 million
X-Men: The Last Stand - $459.4 million
The Wolverine - $414.8 million
X2: X-Men United - $407.7 million
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $373.1 million
X-Men: First Class - $353.6 million
X-Men - $296.3 million
Once Upon a Deadpool - $31.3 million
As you can see, Deadpool 2’s impressive box-office totals don’t even include its recent PG-13 re-release as Once Upon a Deadpool. With those monies factored in, it’s far and away the biggest X-movie ever.
Some of these numbers or affected by the fact that the international marketplace has gotten so enormous in the last couple years; when the first X-Men was released almost 20 (!) years ago, foreign ticket sales weren’t nearly as lucrative. Still, it is interesting to note that three of the top five X-Men movies are solo spinoff films, and that includes the bloody, R-rated Logan. (That also means three of the top five X-Men movies are rated R, which is also surprising.)
Could it be that Fox made too many X-Men movies and not enough films about the individual characters? Let’s see what Disney does with the Marvel mutants when they get full control of their cinematic exploits.
Gallery — The Best Marvel Cinematic Universe Posters Ever:
The Most Dated Parts of X-Men 1
Source: ‘Deadpool 2’ Is the Highest-Grossing X-Men Movie Ever
Filed Under: Deadpool 2, Ryan Reynolds, X-Men
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