pred_label
stringclasses 2
values | pred_label_prob
float64 0.5
1
| wiki_prob
float64 0.25
1
| text
stringlengths 112
978k
| source
stringlengths 37
43
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
__label__cc
| 0.680686
| 0.319314
|
Hots, News, Sport
Salah, Ronaldo And Modric Shortlisted For UEFA 2017-2018 Player Of The Year Award
UEFA have officially announced the three final players in the shortlist for the 2017-18 Player Of The Year Award.
Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah has been shortlisted after helping his team reach the Champions League final last season.
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric and former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved to Juventus after winning the Champions League with the Spanish side, are the other players on the three-man shortlist.
The winner will be named – along with the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and UEFA Champions League positional award winners – during the group stage draw in Monaco on Thursday 30th August.
According to UEFA,
“The shortlist of three players was selected by a jury comprising the 80 coaches of the clubs that participated in the group stages of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League (32) and UEFA Europa League (48), along with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing each of UEFA’s member associations.”
The Top 10 ShortList:
1. Luka Modric (Real Madrid & Croatia)
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/ Juventus & Portugal)
3. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt)
4 Antoine Griezmann (Atlético & France)
5 Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)
6 Kylian Mbappé (Paris & France)
7 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
8 Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid & France)
9 Eden Hazard (Chelsea & Belgium)
10 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid & Spain)
Previous Previous post: UEFA Goal Of The Season: Nominees Announced (See Full List)
Next Next post: Court Stops MultiChoice From Increasing DSTV Subscription Rates
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9114
|
__label__cc
| 0.705893
| 0.294107
|
Home / Life / The Reader / Staff Pick: Burnt Paper Sky
Staff Pick: Burnt Paper Sky
Burnt Paper Sky by Gilly MacMillan is a 2015 thriller that follows what happens in the days following the disappearance of eight-year-old Ben, the son of a divorced (and bitter) mother named Rachel Jenner. While walking in the woods one day, Rachel lets Ben run ahead to get to the swings. When she catches up a few minutes later, he is nowhere to be found. Set in England, the book alternates between the point of view of Rachel, who is shattered and guilt-ridden, and a detective named Jim, who is assigned to the case.
As we follow the developments, including vicious media scrutiny of Rachel, the exposure of secrets, and police missteps, the list of possible suspects grows. This book is not high literature – at times I felt like it was written to be made into a TV show. However, it was an entertaining weekend read and kept me guessing until almost the end. If you want a few more “missing child” thrillers on your list, keep reading!
Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman begins with two young Baltimore girls who are kicked out of a birthday party. On their way home, they see a baby in a stroller with no one else around, and a disturbing crime results. The story jumps ahead to the girls’ 18th birthdays, when they are released from juvenile detention for their convictions in the baby’s death. As soon as they’re out, another child disappears, and they are the obvious suspects. To find the missing child, we must find out what really happened all those years ago.
The Stranger on the Train by Abbie Taylor is another thriller set in England. A young single mother named Emma is struggling to raise her baby Ritchie. One evening, her worst fears come true as she is separated from her child in the London Underground. Upon reporting the situation to police, Emma’s story is doubted and she doesn’t know who to rely on. Flashbacks show Emma’s life prior to becoming a mother, as the story develops day by day.
The Last Child by John Hart is about two young teens named Johnny and Alyssa. They are twins who had a great life, until one day Alyssa disappeared. A year later, Johnny is still devastated and finds that no one but him believes that Alyssa is still alive. He takes on the search himself, risking his own safety to try and find his sister. A detective frustrated with the unsolved case joins him in the search, but they end up facing twists and turns they couldn’t predict.
38th Nova Scotia 4-H Show Celebrates Youth Leadership in Windsor
2014 Kirkus Prize – Winners!
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9115
|
__label__cc
| 0.554686
| 0.445314
|
The FARC and Colombia's illegal drug trade
As part of its ongoing monitoring of the peace process in Colombia, the Latin American Program is pleased to share with you a new study of the FARC’s involvement in Colombia’s illegal drug trade. In “The FARC and Colombia’s Illegal Drug Trade,” veteran Bogotá-based reporter John Otis assesses the FARC’s current role in the taxation, production, and trafficking of illegal drugs as well as the significance of a May 2014 accord between the Colombian government and FARC negotiators to jointly combat coca cultivation and drug trafficking in guerrilla-dominated areas and to expand alternative development projects upon the signing of a formal peace treaty.
The report finds that:
The fight between the FARC and illegal right-wing paramilitary groups over coca fields and drug smuggling corridors has been a key factor in the conflict’s extreme levels of violence, forced displacement and land grabs;
The FARC’s continued control over several hundred thousand Colombian coca growers in southern Colombia, where the guerrillas can recruit fresh troops and impose their own laws and taxes, makes the rebel group far more powerful and influential than any of the country’s more traditional drug trafficking organizations;
There is little evidence that the FARC is involved in the most lucrative downstream aspects of the drug trade such as retail distribution in consumer countries;
Colombia’s bandas criminales (BACRIM) have actively sought business alliances with the FARC and today there is almost no fighting between these groups;
The temptation for some rebel commanders to return to drug trafficking following a formal demobilization of the FARC will be strong;
Demobilizing the FARC would sideline one of Colombia’s largest drug producing and smuggling organizations. A more peaceful countryside, in turn, would allow government institutions as well as non-governmental groups to provide services and carry out development work in some of the poorest and most isolated areas of Colombia.
Report in English
Visit source
Wilson Center
The Wilson Center, chartered by Congress as the official memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, is the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum for tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue to inform actionable ideas for Congress, the Administration and the broader policy community.
Transnational and organised crime
Drug-related violence
Cultivation of crops deemed illicit
Economic decline, incarceration, and mortality from drug use disorders in the USA between 1983 and 2014: an observational analysis
Peace, illicit drugs and the SDGs - A development gap
Geneva drug policy week: When local and international actors meet in Geneva
Why Malaysia’s New Proposal Could Change Southeast Asia’s Drugs Debate
Take Home Naloxone: best practice in preventing fatal opioid overdoses for prison leavers
Philippines: ‘They just kill’. Ongoing extrajudicial executions and other violations in the Philippines’ ‘war on drugs’
Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Right in the spotlight - Annual Report 2018
Chemsex-related drug use and its association with health outcomes in men who have sex with men: A cross-sectional analysis of Antidote clinic service data
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9116
|
__label__cc
| 0.53852
| 0.46148
|
Home — Essay Samples — Philosophy — Socrates — Socrates: Piety and Its Flaws
This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers.
Socrates: A study of the faults of spirituality
Category: Philosophy, Literature
Subcategory: Philosophers, Poem
Topic: Socrates, The Odyssey
Pages: 3.5
Print Download now
Pssst… we can write an original essay just for you.
Any subject. Any type of essay.
We’ll even meet a 3-hour deadline.
Piety was an important concept in ancient Greek civilization, as it shaped the culture and actions of Greek citizens. What exactly piety means has varied over time, and the definition differs throughout Greek literature. Characters such as Odysseus from The Odyssey and Orestes from The Oresteia reflect a more traditional view of piety, while Socrates in Plato’s Five Dialogues views piety differently as he questions and challenges previous notions of what is pious/impious. Due to his actions it appears that Socrates rejects traditional notions of piety, although he is still a pious man who has different views of piety than previous Greek figures such as Odysseus and Orestes.
Based on the writings of Homer and Aeschylus, traditional Greek piety is defined as following the will of the gods without question, and one must honor the gods in order to have good fortune. Odysseus exhibits this belief in piety as he and his crew repeatedly make sacrifices and pray to the gods in order to have a safe journey home. Most of the troubles Odysseus experiences is due to him displeasing the gods; Odysseus’s journey is prolonged when he angers Poseidon by blinding the cyclops, and Apollo punishes the crew for eating his sacred cattle.
Odysseus tells Eurycleia in reference to the suitors to “rejoice in [her] heart, but do not cry aloud. It is unholy to gloat over the slain. These men have destroyed by divine destiny and their own recklessness” (Homer 349). He believes that since the suitors were being impious by disrespecting the gods’ laws, their deaths were justified by the gods’ will (“divine destiny”). In Homer’s view of piety, one must always honor the will of the gods’, or else they will face their wrath.
Orestes also reflects a more traditional view of piety. When told by Apollo to kill his own mother, Orestes obeys willingly. Although matricide is typically considered an impious act, because it is the will of a god it is thus justified. Even when Orestes questions whether killing his mother would be morally right, he is convinced to do it because “Apollo wills it” and it is better to “make all mankind your enemy, not the gods” (Aeschylus 217). This shows Aeschylus’s view of piety is to always follow the will of gods, because to disobey them would be considered impious and lead to bad fortune. Orestes is at the mercy of Apollo, and it is the knowledge that the god is on his side that gives him the confidence to commit a violent act that would typically be frowned upon.
Socrates however, does not accept these views of piety. He instead seeks a more “universal” definition of piety, and rejects the definitions given to him as being flawed. For example, “when told what is dear to the gods is pious, what is not is impious”, Socrates challenges this notion, as he notes that “gods consider different things to be just, beautiful, ugly, good, and bad, for they would not be at odds with one another unless they differed about these subjects” (Plato 7). Orestes faces this in his worship of the gods; by following Apollo’s will, he puts himself in conflict with the Furies and has to go to trial to defend his actions. Socrates believes that since the gods have conflicting ideals, then it is impossible to determine what is truly pious; thus he disagrees with the more tradition views. He is also unsatisfied with Homer’s ideal that piety is the act of prayer and sacrifice between people and the gods, as he feels that the gods do not actually benefit in this exchange and there is a flaw to the logic.
He also openly disagrees with the views upheld by citizens such as Homer and Aeschylus from traditional societies. When speaking on poets and the writer of tragedies he says “…because of their poetry, they thought themselves very wise men in other respects, which they were not,” (Plato 27). By rejecting the idea that the writers and poets were wise, Socrates is inferring that their lack of proper wisdom means they cannot have the correct definition of piety. Due to his belief that he is possibly wiser than all men, he chooses to follow his own definition of piety until someone else can provide a satisfactory one for him.
Some may say Socrates dissatisfaction with previous views of piety would make him impious; however, while his beliefs may differ from Greek tradition, he is still pious in his own way. Due to his unwillingness to conform to traditional views of piety, Socrates is being accused of corrupting the youth of Athens by “teaching them not to believe in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other new spiritual things” (Plato 30). The jury sees his actions as impious; however, although Socrates has different religious views than them, that does not necessarily make him impious. During the trial he says “I myself believe that there are gods…not, however, the gods in whom the city believes…but others..” (Plato 31). It is clear that the real issue between Socrates and the jury is not that he is acting against the gods, but rather is sharing a different way of religious thinking.
Instead, Socrates lives by his own belief about what is pious. For example, he believes “…that it is wicked and shameful to do wrong, to disobey one’s superior, be he god or man” (Plato 33); therefore, it is pious to be obedient towards the gods because they are superior, and it is what is right. Socrates uses his own interpretations of the gods to shape his spiritual beliefs. He describes his mission as a philosopher is to get people to examine their own lives, to not to be satisfied with popular stories from the past, and to think and inquire about ethical questions such as what does it take to be a good person and what is true happiness. Socrates believes he is completing the will of the gods by questioning other citizens around him, although others reject his way of thinking. While his belief in obeying the gods is similar to the traditional notions of Greek piety, it still differs because Socrates inserts his own wisdom until his actions while others choose to only follow what the gods want them to do. By encouraging others to think for themselves rather than blindly following the gods, the citizens view him as disrupting the norm of society. It is these religious differences, along with previous scrutiny towards Socrates, that cause him to be accused of being impious, when in actuality he is still a pious person–albeit one who does not conform to how others view piety.
Socrates uses the claim of pious motivation for him doing philosophical work, but he does state that human reasoning within his own person is the final arbiter of what he finds to be right and wrong. This manner of operating differs from the actions of Odysseus or Orestes, in which the gods had the final say in what was right or wrong. It could be argued that this belief would make him less pious than previous characters, but the fact Socrates still seeks to obey the gods and service them shows that he is just as spiritual. It also difficult to determine how he can be called ‘less pious’, because due to the lack of a universal definition of piety it is harder to describe whether or not it is Odysseus or Orestes or Socrates who is following the true meaning of piety. Thus, it can be determined that Socrates is just as much as a pious man as the Greek figures before him despite their conflicting beliefs.
Although piety is a subjective concept, by looking at the works of writers such as Homer and Aeschylus, readers can see how ancient Greek society interpreted it. and we can see how the real character of Socrates changed the interpretation. Based on Homer and Aeschylus, the traditional notion of Greek piety is sacrifice, prayer, honor and respecting the gods’ laws/will, and fear of their retribution. Socrates is not pleased with these notions, and instead defines piety based on his own experience of service and obedience towards the gods. He is not necessarily less pious than previous Greek figures such as Odysseus and Orestes, but he does not agree with their way of piety and practices his own.and fear of their retribution. Socrates is not pleased with these notions, and instead defines piety based on his own experience of service and obedience towards the gods. He is not necessarily less pious than previous Greek figures such as Odysseus and Orestes, but he does not agree with their version of piety and practices his own.
Homer, and Stanley Lombardo. Odyssey. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co., 2000. Print.
Aeschylus, and Robert Fagles. The Oresteia. New York: Viking Press, 1975. Print.
Plato, and G. M. A. Grube. Five Dialogues. 2nd ed. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Pub., 2002. Print.
Remember: This is just a sample from a fellow student.
Your time is important. Let us write you an essay from scratch
100% plagiarism free
Sources and citations are provided
Get essay help
Cite this Essay
To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:
GradesFixer. (2018, May, 13) Socrates: Piety and Its Flaws. Retrived July 18, 2019, from https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/socrates-piety-and-its-flaws/
"Socrates: Piety and Its Flaws." GradesFixer, 13 May. 2018, https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/socrates-piety-and-its-flaws/. Accessed 18 July 2019.
GradesFixer. 2018. Socrates: Piety and Its Flaws., viewed 18 July 2019, <https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/socrates-piety-and-its-flaws/>
GradesFixer. Socrates: Piety and Its Flaws. [Internet]. May 2018. [Accessed July 18, 2019]. Available from: https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/socrates-piety-and-its-flaws/
Sorry, copying is not allowed on our website. If you’d like this or any other sample, we’ll happily email it to you.
By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails.
Your essay sample has been sent.
Want us to write one just for you? We can custom edit this essay into an original, 100% plagiarism free essay.
Are you interested in getting a customized paper?
The Consequences of Greed in The Pardoner's Tale, a Novel by Geoffrey Chaucer Essay
Forms of Psychoanalysis in Keats, Smith and Wordsworth Essay
Mankind's Obsession with Money in The Queen of Spades and The Necklace Essay
Annual Report Essay
The Theme of Sruggling with Cultural Identity: The Inheritance of Loss by Karen Desi Essay
Significance of Imagery as Exploited in Mrs. Dalloway Essay
Weakness Succumbs authority and the Expectations Essay
Violence and Gender in Duffy’s “Queen Herod” Essay
A Cup of Tea Essays
Everyman Essays
The World Is Flat Essays
The Fall of The House of Usher Essays
Invisible Man Essays
Having trouble finding the perfect essay? We’ve got you covered. Hire a writer
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9121
|
__label__wiki
| 0.92098
| 0.92098
|
KISS Accused Of Lip Syncing In Concert – Fan Demands A Refund
KISS' Monster tour live on AXS TV in Zurich, 2013 - Zack Clay / Youtube
Ever since American shock rockers KISS returned to the stage for their End of The Road farewell tour, constant allegations of lip-syncing has been plaguing the band.
While most of it was dismissed due to the band playing backing tracks for a variety of live television appearances like America’s Got Talent and The Late Late Show With James Corden in the previous year, fans have been wary of what they are really seeing and hearing.
With the End of The Road tour just recently commencing on January, a handful of live videos and footage have been circulating online and sparking debate. People have been noticing inconsistencies on KISS’ shows, especially vocalist Paul Stanley’s vocals being heard in crystal clarity, even though the frontman is considerably at a distance from his mic. This isn’t the first incident, though. During past performances, fans have noticed different notes being blasted from the sound system to what Simmons and Stanley were playing on their instruments.
US radio and TV personality Eddie Trunk shares a story of a personal acquaintance, who was a KISS fan, that complained after being disappointed with the band’s gig. He reportedly spent $1,000 for four shows, which was surprisingly refunded the following day. Trunk says the fan argued, “‘I paid for live; this is not fully live, I want a refund.’ Twenty-four hours later, Ticketmaster issued the refund. That is interesting. This person sent me an email about it, this is a guy who is also in the business so this is not just a fan who is just trying to stir the pot.”
Way back 2015, Stanley came clean when he admitted to using vocal tracks on a Japan show because his voice was shot and didn’t want to disappoint concertgoers. Stanley has been known to be suffering from severe vocal problems in the past years, and has undergone surgical procedures to get him fixed. It didn’t do much apparently, since he still struggles on live performances occasionally, his age also factoring in.
Stanley has reassured fans before the tour started, saying his voice is in tip-top condition and was doing a lot to make sure he sounded his best live. Although its impossible that Stanley has lost his voice, the seemingly seamless performances for consecutive nights are making fans skeptical as to how he is doing it, given his situation.
Watch a clip below from one of KISS’ 2018 gigs in Barcelona. You be the judge.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9129
|
__label__wiki
| 0.545164
| 0.545164
|
Hugo Sigman Official site
Hugo Sigman
Hugo Sigman Companies
Mundo Sano
Argentine entrepreneur Hugo Sigman is the founder and CEO of Grupo Insud, a holding group of companies owned by Argentine stakeholders that is committed to the development of the country with long-term projects. Jointly with his wife, Silvia Gold, in 1977 Sigman founded Chemo, a pharmaceutical laboratory whose main focus has always been research, development and production of medicines at more affordable costs for larger sections of the population, and which currently has operations in more than 40 countries.
With the consolidation of his first company, Sigman diversified his fields of activity.
The companies that are led today by Sigman operate in various industries, some of which are strategic, including: the production of pharmaceuticals, vaccines and biotechnology products for human and veterinary use; the creation of innovative treatments for cancer; the publishing of books and journalistic materials; the production of very successful films, and the development of agricultural and forestry activities in various regions of the country adhering to strict sustainable land and forest management practices. Sigman also invests in breakthrough projects, such as controlled caiman farming in Corrientes province, and the development of seeds designed to improve agriculture with major genetic advances.
Hugo Sigman, profile of a different entrepreneur
He believes that the country must choose some sectors conducive to its development, in addition to agriculture.
“La Cordillera”, the chosen film by the arg...
La Nación 17/08
La cordillera: the paths of power, narrated with master...
Rolling Stone 16/08
La cordillera: an ambitious story that grows on the dar...
In the field of Corporate Social Responsibility, Hugo Sigman and Grupo Insud companies are among the main sponsors of Mundo Sano, a nonprofit institution engaged in research, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neglected diseases, mainly affecting the low-income sectors of society.
R&D+i Consortium
Hugo Sigman supports the Public-Private Research, Development and Innovation (R&D+i) Consortium to promote scientific research and development of products for the benefit of patients.
Hugo Sigman --Exeltis, the new global organization of Chemo
Exeltis is the Chemo group company of branded pharmaceutical business.
View more videos >>
Empresas Grupo Insud
(Español) YouTube
Consorcio ID+i
Grupo Insud
(Español) Facebook
Paraguay 1535 C1061ABC. Buenos Aires, Argentina T (+5411) 4872 1300 info@hugosigman.com.ar
(Español) Twitter
(Español) Tweets by HugoSigman
Copyright 2019. grupo INSUD
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9131
|
__label__cc
| 0.696968
| 0.303032
|
Arizona Game And Fish Commission Modifies Proposed Rules On Trail Cameras
July 12, 2018 SCI 1 Comment
In a 5-0 vote, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission agreed to retain the provision that prohibits use of live-action trail cameras for the purpose of taking or aiding in the take of wildlife, but removed the provision that prohibits the use of other trail cameras within one-fourth mile (440 yards) of a developed water source.
The provisions were in the amended Article 3, “Taking and Handling of Wildlife,” Notice of Final Rulemaking, which was submitted to the Commission for consideration during Friday’s public meeting in Payson.
A live-action trail camera is defined as an unmanned device capable of transmitting images, still photographs, video or satellite imagery, wirelessly to a remote device such as, but not limited to, a computer, smartphone or tablet. This does not include a trail camera that records photographic or video data for later use (such as on an SD card), provided the device is not capable of transmitting wirelessly.
The unanimous decision, reached following a thorough public input process by the Commission and the department, has prompted a Supplemental Rule Making process that will include a 30-day public comment period beginning in July.
The final rule will be presented to the Commission at its Sept. 21 meeting at the Navajo County Heber Complex, 2188 W. Country Club Drive, in Overgaard. The Commission then could take action on the remainder of the Article 3 rulemaking proposals.
To track the progress of this rule, view the regulatory agenda and all previous Five-year Review Reports, and to learn about any other agency rulemaking matters, visit www.azgfd.gov/rulemaking.
Previous PostSCI Nebraska Chapter Hosts Youth EventNext PostA Perfect Bongo Hunt
One thought on “Arizona Game And Fish Commission Modifies Proposed Rules On Trail Cameras”
Dave Mattausch says:
On public land in Arizona game cameras should not be allwed within 1/4 mile of a water source. Exception to this that the Game dept is allowed to do so for research and survey studies.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9133
|
__label__wiki
| 0.935805
| 0.935805
|
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.
Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings (in softball and high school baseball games there are typically seven innings; in Little League Baseball, six), each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat. However, if the score remains tied at the end of the regulation number of complete innings, the rules provide that "play shall continue until (1) the visiting team has scored more total runs than the home team at the end of a completed inning; or (2) the home team scores the winning run in an uncompleted inning." (Since the home team bats second, condition (2) implies that the visiting team will not have the opportunity to score more runs before the end of the inning).
The rules of the game, including the batting order, availability of substitute players and pitchers, etc., remain intact in extra innings. Managers must display caution to avoid exhausting all their substitute players during regular innings, in case the game reaches extensive extra innings. The rules call for a forfeiture if a team is unable to field a full team of nine players.[1]
Line score of the longest professional baseball game, which lasted 24 extra innings; 33 innings total.
Home-field advantage
In Major League Baseball, home teams won about 52% of extra-inning games from 1957 to 2007.[2] During this same time period, home teams have won about 54% of all baseball games.[3] So while the home team has some advantage in extra-inning games, this advantage is less noticeable than the initial home-field advantage. Home teams tend to have the greatest advantage in run-scoring during the first 3 innings.[3]
For the visiting team to win, it must score as many runs as possible in the first (or "top") half of the inning and then prevent the home team from tying or taking the lead in the second (or "bottom") half. Because it bats in the bottom half of an inning, a home team wins the game by taking the lead at any point in the final inning. Normally in such a situation, the moment the winning run scores for whatever reason (base hit, sacrifice, wild pitch), the game immediately ends and no other runs are allowed. The term for winning in this scenario is a "walk-off" win (as everyone can walk off the field as soon as the winning run is scored). The exception is if the winning hit is a walk-off home run; all runners on base and the batter must circle the bases on a home run, so all their runs count for the final score.[4] Each extra inning simply repeats this scenario. This is in contrast to the analogous penalty shootout used in other sports, where shootout points are counted separately and only one point is awarded to the winner; however, the same procedure of counting runs as if they were scored in regulation is like American and Canadian football.
The East Asian professional leagues, NPB, KBO, and CPBL have a 12-inning limit before the game is declared a draw.
Additionally, NPB games have a total time limit of three and a half hours during the regular season before being counted as a tie.[5] It is also 12 in postseason play, and the last game is completely replayed if drawn, leading to seven-game series that can go on for eight games. There are no limits on the number of innings in the eighth game of the Japan Series.
The KBO does not play extra innings in the first game of a double-header. Tie games are discarded when calculating winning percentages since 2002, except for 2008 when it was counted as a loss in the league's standings. Before 2002, they counted as half a win.
For CPBL postseason games, the 12-inning limit does not apply and the games will continue until a winner is decided. The longest game to be played took place during 2009 Taiwan Series, where in Game 6 the Brother Elephants defeated Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions 5 to 4 after 17 innings.
In the 11th inning, the manager selects anywhere in the batting order to start the inning, regardless of the last player put out. The batter immediately preceding this newly designated leadoff man becomes a runner on first base, and the next preceding batter is placed on second base. In subsequent innings, the batting order continues as normal, but the two players preceding the player scheduled to lead off (or substitutes for those players) the inning start on second and first.
This has also been adopted by European leagues Division de Honor (Spain), Italian Baseball League, and Honkbal Hoofdklasse (Netherlands).
Since 2009, a modified form of the rule has been used for the World Baseball Classic. Unlike the standard rule, the batting order may not start from a different place. Through the 2013 edition, the first inning in which teams started with runners on first and second was the 13th. The rule was not used in either the 2009 or 2013 editions because no game lasted more than 11 innings. For the 2017 World Baseball Classic, the rule was modified to use extra runners for the first time in the 11th inning, and it would see its first use in a second-round game between Japan and the Netherlands at the Tokyo Dome. Japan won that game thanks to a sacrifice bunt and a 2-run hit.
Other methods include the following:
Putting runners on second and third (those who made the last two outs of the past inning) and an 0-2 count on the batter with no outs.
Having bases loaded (runners being the last three outs of the past inning), with a 1-1 count on the batter and no outs.
Sudden-death extra innings (the next team to score wins the game; this can result in a walk-off home run for the visiting team).
In international softball, a special extra innings rule starts immediately after regulation. Each team begins their half of the inning with a runner on second base (the last player to be put out). This increases the odds that teams will score and ensures a faster resolution. There is a drawback, though, in that the home team has a major advantage in batting second. Should the visiting team fail to score, all the home team must do to win is, for example, get a successful bunt and sacrifice fly to score the winning run. This rule is also used in certain NCAA college conferences, usually applied after one or two extra innings where the "international tiebreaker" is not used.
MLB spring training
During spring training in Major League Baseball, whenever a game remains tied after ten innings, it is declared to end in a tie. This is done for multiple reasons: on account of the relatively low importance of preseason games, to reduce the chances for injuries, and to save time. During spring training, teams often travel on a daily basis.
Longest games
There are nine innings in a professional baseball game.
The record for the most innings ever played in a single professional game is 33 which occurred in 1981 in a Minor League Baseball game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings, Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles, respectively.[6] Each team had a future Hall of Famer on its roster: Wade Boggs for Pawtucket and Cal Ripken Jr. for Rochester.
The longest game by innings in Major League Baseball was a 1–1 tie in the National League between the Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Robins in 26 innings, at Braves Field in Boston on May 1, 1920.[7] It had become too dark to see the ball (fields did not have lights yet and the sun was setting), and the game was considered a draw. Played rapidly by modern standards, those 26 innings were completed in 3 hours and 50 minutes. As was the custom, the first pitch was thrown at 3:00 p.m.; home plate umpire Barry McCormick called the game as lights began appearing in the windows of buildings across the Charles River, just before 7:00 p.m.
The longest American League game, and tied for the longest major league game by innings which ended with one team winning, was a 7–6 victory by the Chicago White Sox over the Milwaukee Brewers in 25 innings, at Comiskey Park in Chicago in 1984. The game began at 7:30 p.m. on May 8, 1984, and after scoring early runs both teams scored twice in the 8th inning; but the game was suspended after 17 innings with the score tied 3–3 due to a league curfew rule prohibiting an inning from beginning after 12:59 a.m. The game was continued the following evening, May 9, 1984, and both teams scored three times in the 21st inning to make the score 6–6; finally, in the bottom of the 25th, the White Sox' Harold Baines hit a walk-off home run to end the contest. Tom Seaver was the winning pitcher in relief.[8] A regularly scheduled game followed, meaning both nights saw 17 innings played; Seaver also started, and won, the second game. The official time of the entire 25-inning game was 8 hours, 6 minutes, also a major league record.[9]
On September 11, 1974, the St. Louis Cardinals won a marathon night game against the New York Mets, after 7 hours 4 minutes, and 25 innings, also tied for the longest game played to a decision in major league history. Two Mets errors led to the Cardinals' winning run, starting with an errant pickoff throw that allowed Bake McBride to scamper all the way around from first. St. Louis won, 4–3.[10] The Mets went to the plate 103 times, a record in a major league game; the Cards were not far behind with 99 plate appearances. All told, a record 175 official at-bats were recorded, with a major-league record 45 runners stranded. Only a thousand fans were still at Shea Stadium when the game ended at 3:13 a.m.. (Unlike the American League, the National League did not have a curfew.) This was the longest game played to a decision without a suspension.[11][12]
On April 15, 1968, the Houston Astros defeated the Mets 1–0 in a 24-inning game at the Houston Astrodome. The 6-hour, 6-minute contest, which ended with the Astros' Bob Aspromonte hitting a grounder through the legs of Mets shortstop Al Weis in the bottom of the 24th, remains the longest shutout game in Major League history. It also had the most scoreless innings (23) in a major-league game.[13]
The longest American League game to end in a tie was a 24-inning contest between the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics on July 21, 1945. The teams were tied 1–1 when the game was called due to darkness at Shibe Park; the Tigers' Les Mueller had pitched a record 192⁄3 innings (and only given up one run) before being taken out in the 20th inning.
The longest game to end in a scoreless tie was a National League contest between the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers on September 11, 1946. The teams went 19 innings before darkness fell at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, forcing the game to be called on account of darkness. In the American League, the longest 0–0 game was played between the Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers on July 16, 1909. The game was called after 18 innings due to darkness at Bennett Park in Detroit. The longest scoreless period within a completed game came in the April 15, 1968 game between the Astros and Mets which remained scoreless after 23 innings.
The Washington Senators became the first team in Major League history to play multiple games of at least 20 innings in a season when they defeated the Minnesota Twins 9–7 on August 9, 1967, in 20 innings, having set a franchise record for innings played with a 22-inning win over the Chicago White Sox on June 12 of that year. This feat would later be accomplished by the 1971 Oakland Athletics who had games of 21 and 20 innings and the 1989 Los Angeles Dodgers who played two 22-inning games, against the Houston Astros on June 3 (a game which they lost 5–4) and the Montreal Expos on August 23.[14] (The 22-inning Dodgers-Astros game took an NL-record 7 hours 14 minutes to play. One day later, the teams again went into extras, playing a 13-inning game.[15])
The longest doubleheader in Major League history came on May 31, 1964. The San Francisco Giants beat the New York Mets 5–3 in nine innings in the day's first game at Shea Stadium, and then won the nightcap 8–6 after 23 innings (despite a rare triple play turned by the Mets in the 14th). The two games lasted a combined nine hours, 52 minutes. The Mets' Ed Kranepool played in all 32 innings of the two games; Kranepool had been called up to the team that day after having played in both games of a doubleheader the day before for their Triple-A farm club in Buffalo.
On April 5, 2012, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Cleveland Indians 7–4 in 16 innings. The five-hour, 14-minute game was the longest Opening Day game in Major League history.[16]
On June 8, 2013, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 4–3 in 18 innings while the Miami Marlins beat the New York Mets 2–1 in 20 innings. This was the second time in Major League history that two games of 18 innings or more were played on same day;[17] the first was August 15, 2006.[18]
On September 21, 2013, just past 2:00 a.m., the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5–4 in 18 innings in a game that had started at 7:10 p.m. the night before.[19] Both teams were in contention for an American League wild card slot, with Boston having won the AL East division while this game was being played.
On September 24, 2013, the Arizona Diamondbacks set a major league record by playing their 77th extra inning of the season when their game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park went into the 11th inning.[20] This broke the record of 76 extra innings played by the Minnesota Twins in 1969.
On August 10, 2014, at 12:39 a.m. the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim defeated the Boston Red Sox 5–4 in 19 innings in a game that had started at 6 p.m. the night before.[21] Albert Pujols' walk-off homer was quickly reviewed, per Boston's request, but the call was confirmed. That same day the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Detroit Tigers 6–5 in a 19-inning game of their own, Both teams used all their available bench reserves as well as their entire available bullpen, Toronto even used starting pitcher Marcus Stroman as a pinch runner at one point. Tigers starter Rick Porcello would be credited with the loss after coming into the game in the 18th inning. Toronto reliever Chad Jenkins would get the win after pitching 6 innings of relief (an unusually long outing for a reliever) with José Bautista hitting a walk-off single to score Munenori Kawasaki to win the game. Toronto starter R.A. Dickey had begun warming up in the bullpen in the top of the 19th and likely would have come on in relief had the game gone to 20 innings. The game was the then longest in franchise history for Toronto. It is now tied with another 19-inning game, a 2–1 loss to the Cleveland Indians on July 1, 2016.
On April 11, 2015, the Boston Red Sox defeated their historic AL East division rivals the New York Yankees 6–5 in 19 innings at Yankee Stadium. The game began at 7:05 p.m. on April 10, and ended at 2:13 a.m., after 6 hours and 49 minutes of play. The game also included a 16-minute delay due to a brief power outage. It was the longest game between the two teams since the 20-inning, 4–3 Yankees win on August 29, 1967. The length of the game prompted a Twitter joke during the game by Yankees' media personality Mark Feinsand at 12:10 a.m. on the 11th regarding Mark Teixeira's birthday: Mark Teixeira was 34 when this game began. He's now 35. #TrueStory.[22]
On May 28, 2017, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Minnesota Twins 8–6, in a 15-inning, 6-hour-and-26-minute game. Both teams combined had 115 at-bats, 33 hits and 21 strikeouts. This would be the second longest game in Tampa Bay Rays history.
On May 4, 2019, the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the New York Mets 4-3 with a walk-off single by Ryan Braun, in an 18-inning, 5-hour-and-22-minute game, the longest game played at Miller Park in the stadium's history.[23]
On June 18, 2019, the Minnesota Twins defeated the Boston Red Sox 4-3 with a walk-off single by Max Kepler, in a 17-inning, 5-hour-and-45-minute game, the longest game played at Target Field in the stadium's history.[24] However, about a week later, on June 27, the Tampa Bay Rays scored 3 runs in the 18th inning to defeat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 in an 18 inning, 5-hour-and-42-minute game (excluding a 57-minute rain delay) that had been scoreless since the second inning, to surpass the longest game at Target Field by innings, but not time. [25]
The longest postseason game by innings in MLB history is 18 innings, which has happened three times. The first 18-inning contest was played between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros on October 9, 2005. In Game 4 of a National League Division Series in Houston, the Braves (who were trailing the series 2–1 and facing elimination) took a 6–1 lead into the 8th inning. A grand slam by Lance Berkman in the bottom of the 8th brought the score to 6–5, and with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Brad Ausmus homered to tie the game and send it to extra innings. The score remained deadlocked at 6–6 until the 18th, when the Astros' Chris Burke (who entered the game in the 9th inning as a pinch runner) hit a walk-off home run to left to win it, sending Houston to the NLCS. Roger Clemens, who was brought in to pinch-hit in the 15th and pitched the last three innings in relief, was credited as the winning pitcher in the 5-hour, 50-minute contest. Adam LaRoche and Tim Hudson played in both of the first two 18-inning games. This one as Atlanta Braves and the second one as opposing sides of one another with Hudson pitching in both games as the visiting team's starting pitcher. It is the longest winner in a potential clinching game in baseball history.
The second 18-inning game was Game 2 of the 2014 National League Division Series, with the visiting San Francisco Giants winning 2–1 over the Washington Nationals. The game ended just after midnight on October 5, 2014 and lasted 6 hours 23 minutes. The Nationals had been leading 1–0 with two out in the ninth inning, with starter Jordan Zimmermann one out away from a complete-game shutout. Following a decision by manager Matt Williams to remove Zimmermann with two out after he walked Joe Panik, Washington closer Drew Storen gave up a single to Giants catcher Buster Posey and an RBI double to Pablo Sandoval, scoring Panik to tie the game 1–1. Posey was thrown out at the plate trying to score the second San Francisco run on Sandoval's double. After Sergio Romo retired the Nationals in order in the bottom half, the game went into extra innings. There was no further scoring until Giants first baseman Brandon Belt led off the top of the 18th inning with a home run. Hunter Strickland, a September call-up, recorded the save.
The third and most recent 18-inning game was Game 3 of the 2018 World Series. It was played on October 26, 2018, between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers took a 1–0 lead in the 3rd inning when Joc Pederson homered off of Boston starter Rick Porcello. The Red Sox tied the game in the top of the 8th when Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a solo home run off of Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. The game remained deadlocked at 1 until the 13th inning when Brock Holt scored on a throwing error by Dodgers reliever Scott Alexander. The Dodgers subsequently tied it again at 2 in the bottom of the inning, when Max Muncy scored on a throwing error by Red Sox second baseman Ian Kinsler (who had entered the game in the 10th inning as a pinch runner). The score remained 2–2 until the bottom of the 18th, when Muncy (who had missed a walk off ome run in the 15th inning by mere inches) hit a walk-off solo home run off of Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (who was in his 7th inning of relief). The winning pitcher for the Dodgers was Alex Wood. With a duration of 7 hours and 20 minutes, this was also the longest postseason game by time in MLB history.[26]
The 1986 National League Championship Series was notable for its two climactic extra-inning games. After the Houston Astros and the New York Mets split the first four games of the series, the Mets won Game 5 in 12 innings and Game 6 in 16 innings to claim the pennant.[27]
The 1986 American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels featured a dramatic game where the Angels were leading 3 games to 1 and leading 5–4 in game 5, one strike away from the first ever pennant in franchise history, only for Red Sox's Dave Henderson hit a two-run home run off Angels closer Donnie Moore in the top of the ninth inning to give the Red Sox the lead. The Angels tied it in the bottom half but in the top of the 11th, Henderson's sac fly off Moore proved to be the winning margin and the Angels lost the game. The series returned to Boston and the Angels were outscored a combined 18–5 in games 6 and 7 to lose the pennant.
Game 6 of the 1986 World Series between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox went into extra innings as well. The Red Sox scored 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning to take a 5–3 lead and then got two quick outs with no one on base in the bottom of the 10th. With the Red Sox one out away from their first world championship in 68 years, reliever Calvin Schiraldi gave up three straight singles to cut the lead to one run with runners on first and third. Red Sox manager John McNamara replaced Schiraldi with Bob Stanley, who then threw a two-strike wild pitch to Mookie Wilson to allow the tying run to score and move the other runner to second base. The wild pitch was particularly notable in that it completely turned the tables on the Red Sox from what they had done while facing the Angels weeks earlier, as they themselves had now blown a situation in which they were one strike away from winning the series. Wilson subsequently hit a ground ball to first base that rolled through the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner to allow the winning run to score from second base, sending the Series to a Game 7 where the Mets completed the upset. Had Buckner not committed this error, the game would have either remained tied with runners on first and third for the next batter (if Wilson was safe) or would have gone to an 11th inning (if Wilson had been out).
The 1980 National League Championship Series, played between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies, had four of its five games go to extra innings. The Astros won Games 2 and 3 in 10 and 11 innings respectively, while the Phillies took Games 4 and 5 in 10 innings each.
Game 6 of the 2011 World Series invokes echoes of 1986. In the bottom of the 9th inning, the Texas Rangers were one strike away from winning their first-ever World Series when David Freese hit a two-run triple to tie the game 7–7 and send the game to extra innings. In the 10th, Josh Hamilton hit a two-run home run to give the Rangers a 9–7 lead, but the Cardinals responded with two runs to tie the game again at 9. The game ended in the 11th inning when Freese led off with a walk-off solo home run. Just like in 1986, the Cardinals went on to win Game 7 and the championship.
The 2012 American League Division Series between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees had back-to-back extra-inning games, going 12 and 13 innings respectively. The Yankees won Game 3 on a walk-off home run by Raúl Ibañez and the Orioles returned the favor the next night by winning Game 4.
In the 1995 American League Division Series, the Seattle Mariners and Yankees battled in Game 2 in 15 innings. The Yankees won the game on a two-run walk-off home run by Jim Leyritz, setting the record for longest game in MLB postseason history by time until 2005. In Game 5, the Mariners won the game and the series in 11 innings on Edgar Martínez's famous double that scored Ken Griffey Jr. Until 2011, this was the only LDS game 5 in either league to go into extra innings.
The 2014 American League Wild Card Game featured the first extra-inning game in its third year of postseason existence, was won by the Kansas City Royals over the Oakland Athletics in 12 innings.
The longest Game 7 in postseason history was during the 1924 World Series where the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants 4–3 in 12 innings to claim the title.
The longest "winner take all" game (defined as the final game of a postseason series, in which the winning team clinches the title or advances to the next round while the loser is eliminated from the postseason) in MLB postseason history is the 2018 National League Wild-Card Game, won by the Colorado Rockies over the Chicago Cubs 2–1 in 13 innings.
The longest major league All-Star Game by time was played on July 15, 2008 at Yankee Stadium, with the American League winning 4–3 in 15 innings after four hours, 50 minutes. Michael Young hit the walk-off sacrifice fly to win it.[28] This was the first time in All-Star game history that the AL won an All-Star Game in extra innings. The previous nine times The National League went 8–0–1 in extra-inning games.
The All-Star Game of July 11, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium also lasted 15 innings, but was considerably shorter in terms of elapsed time. The All-Star Game of July 9, 2002 at Miller Park was controversially declared a 7–7 tie after 11 innings, when both teams ran out of available pitchers.[29]
Over the history of the World Series, 63 games have gone to extra innings, setting the following innings-related records.[30]
Most extra innings ever played in a World Series game: 9 (2018, game 3). Further, game 3 was the longest World Series game ever played in terms of elapsed time.[31]
Most extra innings ever played over the course of a World Series: 9 (2018). This record, distinct from the above, was also set by the large number of extra innings in 2018's game 3 alone, eclipsing the previous record 8 extra innings logged in games 1 and 5 of the 2015 Series.
Most innings ever played over the course of a World Series: 75 (1912). 1912 was one of seven historically unusual Series: four (1903, 1919, 1920, 1921) were best-of-nine contests, and three (1907, 1912, 1922) were best-of-seven contests which each had one tie game apiece. In the 1912 Series, game 2 concluded as an 11-inning tie and the Series-deciding game 8 went for 10 innings,[32] padding the Series' total inning count to 75.
Most innings ever played over the course of a standard World Series: 69 (1924, 1991). "Standard" denotes best-of-seven Series which had no tie games, excluding the seven above Series. 1924's games 1 and 7 each went for 12 innings, while 1991's games 3, 6 and 7 went for 12, 11 and 10 innings, respectively.[33][34]
Most games running to extra innings, ever played over the course of a World Series: 3 (1991). No other Series has ever had more than two games running to extra innings.[30]
Additionally, World Series-deciding games have gone to extra innings 10 times: 1912's game 8,[35] 1924's game 7,[36] 1933's game 5,[37] 1939's game 4,[38] 1991's game 7,[39] 1992's game 6,[40] 1997's game 7,[41] 2012's game 4,[42] 2015's game 5,[43] and 2016's game 7[44] all went past 9 innings before a champion was determined.
On November 6, 2010, the record for longest Japan Series game was set in Game 6. The Chiba Lotte Marines and the Chunichi Dragons played 15 innings totaling 5 hours and 43 minutes. The game ended a 2–2 tie leading to a Game 7 in which the Marines won the game and the championship. Since 2018, the limit is 12 innings for the first 7 games, but no limits thereafter.
Taiwan Series
The longest game in Taiwan Series's history took place in Game 6 on October 24, 2009. The Brother Elephants defeated the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions 5 to 4 and tied the series 3–3 after 17 innings that totals 6 hours 14 minutes. The Lions eventually took the title after defeating the Elephants 5 to 2 in Game 7.
The longest college baseball game was played between Texas and Boston College on May 30, 2009, in a regional NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament game at Austin, Texas. Texas won the game, 3–2, in 25 innings as the visiting team under NCAA tournament rules on home-team declaration during a tournament. The game lasted seven hours and three minutes.[45][46] Three years later, another NCAA tournament game passed the 20-inning mark when Kent State defeated Kentucky, 7–6, in 21 innings in an opening round game at the Gary Regional in Gary, Indiana.
The 1943 Boston Red Sox played an MLB record 31 extra inning games, winning 15 and losing 14, with 2 games tied.[47] They played 73 extra innings that season, equivalent to playing an additional eight nine-inning games.[48] The fewest extra inning games played in a season (dating back to at least 1908) is three, by the 1936 St. Louis Browns.[49] The 2016 Los Angeles Angels played four extra inning games, the fewest in a 162-game season, and lost all four.[49]
The convention of the visiting team batting first means that there is no limit to the possible margin of victory for the visitors in extra innings. The MLB record is held by the 1983 Texas Rangers, who put up 12 unanswered runs in the top of the 15th inning to defeat the Oakland Athletics by a score of 16–4 on July 3.[50][51] Conversely, for the home team who bats second, the highest possible margin of victory is four.
Overtime (sports)
Longest professional baseball game
^ Major League Baseball. "Rule 7.03(b)". Official Baseball Rules (PDF) (2017 ed.). p. 90. ISBN 978-0-9961140-4-2. Retrieved 25 September 2017. Subscribe to peediepie
^ "Home team record in extra innings". Baseball-Reference.com Blog Archive. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ a b "Baseball Prospectus – Ahead in the Count: Home-Field Advantages, Part One". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ Baseball Explained by Phillip Mahony, McFarland Books, 2014. See www.baseballexplained.com Archived August 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
^ "NPB Extra Innings Rule for 2011 season released". Yakyu Baka. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ Barry, Dan (April 12, 2011). Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game. Harper. ISBN 006201448X.
^ "Boston Braves 1, Brooklyn Robins 1". Retrosheet. May 1, 1920.
^ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Chicago White Sox 7, Milwaukee Brewers 6". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ Ask The Experts | BaseballLibrary.com
^ "Retrosheet Boxscore: St. Louis Cardinals 4, New York Mets 3". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ St. Louis Cardinals (1892–Present)
^ September 11, 1974 St. Louis Cardinals at New York Mets Play by Play and Box Score Baseball-Reference.com
^ "Big Days in Astros History – April 15, 1968 – Astros win longest shutout ever played". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ "Game Length Records". Baseball Almanac. August 10, 2014.
^ "Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros Box Score, June 4, 1989". Baseball Reference.
^ Chisholm, Gregor (April 5, 2012). "Blue Jays top Tribe in MLB's longest Opening Day game". MLB.com.
^ Townsend, Mark (June 9, 2013). "The Juice: Marathon Saturday includes 20-inning win for Marlins and 18-inning Blue Jays victory". Yahoo! Sports.
^ Brady, James (June 8, 2013). "Mets-Marlins, Rangers-Blue Jays both go 18-plus innings". SB Nation.
^ "Baltimore at Tampa Bay". Yahoo! Sports. 2013-09-20. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ "MLB Gameday: Diamondbacks vs. Padres". MLB.com. Sep 24, 2013.
^ "Red Sox lose to Angels, 5–4, in 19 innings". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ "Red Sox outlast the Yankees in 19-inning marathon". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
^ "With 6th (!) hit, Braun ends 18-inning (!!) game". MLB.com. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
^ "Kepler ties it in 13th, wins it in 17th for Twins". MLB.com. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
^ "5-plus hours, 18 innings, a win to spark Rays". MLB.com. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
^ "2018 World Series Game 3 amazing facts". MLB.com. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
^ Izenberg, Jerry (May 1, 1988). The Greatest Game Ever Played. Henry Holt. ISBN 0805005137.
^ Hoch, Bryan (July 16, 2008). "Night is Young: AL walks off in 15th". MLB.com. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
^ "Fit to be tied". CNNSI.com. July 9, 2002. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
^ a b "World Series Game Length Records: Every Extra Inning Game in World Series History". Baseball Almanac.
^ Axisa, Mike (October 27, 2018). "Longest World Series game in history: Dodgers, Red Sox set a new record in Game 3". CBS Sports.
^ "1912 World Series: Boston Red Sox over New York Giants (4–3–1)". Baseball Reference.
^ "1924 World Series: Washington Senators over New York Giants (4–3)". Baseball Reference.
^ "1991 World Series: Minnesota Twins over Atlanta Braves (4–3)". Baseball Reference.
^ "1933 World Series: New York Giants over Washington Senators (4–1)". Baseball Reference.
^ "1939 World Series: New York Yankees over Cincinnati Reds (4–0)". Baseball Reference.
^ "1992 World Series: Toronto Blue Jays over Atlanta Braves (4–2)". Baseball Reference.
^ "1997 World Series: Florida Marlins over Cleveland Indians (4–3)". Baseball Reference.
^ "2012 World Series: San Francisco Giants over Detroit Tigers (4–0)". Baseball Reference.
^ "2015 World Series: Kansas City Royals over New York Mets (4–1)". Baseball Reference.
^ "2016 World Series: Chicago Cubs over Cleveland Indians (4–3)". Baseball Reference.
^ * Schlegel, John. "Texas wins NCAA record 25-inning game", MLB.com (MLB Advanced Media, L.P.), May 31, 2009.
^ "2009 NCAA Div. I Baseball College World Series Bracket" (in column 1 (Regionals), click on Austin box; then click on Texas–BC box), NCAA.com (NCAA).
^ "Team Batting Game Finder: From 1908 to 2018, Only extra-inning games, sorted by greatest number of games in a single season matching the selected criteria". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
^ "1943 Boston Red Sox Schedule". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
^ a b "Team Batting Game Finder: From 1908 to 2018, Only extra-inning games, sorted by smallest number of games in a single season matching the selected criteria". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
^ "Team Batting Game Finder: From 1908 to 2018, Only extra-inning games, (requiring run_diff>=9), sorted by greatest run_diff". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics Box Score, July 3, 1983". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
Game Length Records by Baseball Almanac
William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, filmmaker, and writer. He first gained exposure on Saturday Night Live, a series of performances that earned him his first Emmy Award, and later starred in comedy films—including Meatballs (1979), Caddyshack (1980), Stripes (1981), Tootsie (1982), Ghostbusters (1984), Scrooged (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), What About Bob? (1991), and Groundhog Day (1993). He also co-directed Quick Change (1990).
Murray garnered additional critical acclaim later in his career, starring in Lost in Translation (2003), which earned him a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and for frequently collaborating with director Wes Anderson. He also received Golden Globe nominations for his roles in Ghostbusters, Rushmore (1998), Hyde Park on Hudson (2012), St. Vincent (2014), and the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge (2014), for which he later won his second Primetime Emmy Award. Murray received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2016. His comedy is known for its deadpan delivery.
Carl Erskine
Carl Daniel Erskine (born December 13, 1926) is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959. He was a pitching mainstay on Dodger teams which won five National League pennants, peaking with a 1953 season in which he won 20 games and set a World Series record with 14 strikeouts in a single game. Erskine pitched two of the NL's seven no-hitters during the 1950s. Following his baseball career, he was active as a business executive and an author.
Extra Innings (The Twilight Zone)
"Extra Innings" is the thirty-seventh episode and the second episode of the third season (1988–89) of the television series The Twilight Zone.
MLB Extra Innings
MLB Extra Innings is an Out-of-Market Sports Package distributed in North America by satellite provider DirecTV since 1996 and by most cable providers since 2001. The package allows its subscribers to see up to 80 out-of-market Major League Baseball games a week using local over the air stations and regional sports networks.
As of the 2008 season, the feeds from both teams' broadcasts are available for each game on DirecTV, even if a team is showing the game locally on a broadcast station. Even though the package relies on satellite uplink paths, DirecTV also carries feeds from local broadcast and even cable-only networks as well, such as NBC Sports Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Phillies. Feeds that are not included on the DirecTV version of Extra Innings include KCAL (Dodgers), KCOP-TV (Angels), KNTV (Giants), and WCIU (Cubs and White Sox) unless that is your local area.The iN DEMAND version of Extra Innings added the "dual feed" system for select broadcasts after the 2008 MLB All-Star Game. Along with this, the iN DEMAND version of MLB Extra Innings has been able to add broadcast television stations, WKYC (Indians), WJZ-TV (Orioles), WUSA (Nationals), WPIX (Mets, Yankees), WPHL-TV (Phillies), and in addition, one Canadian RSN, the Toronto Blue Jays' Rogers Sports Net feed. Previously, only one feed was available, usually the home team's. For the 2017 season, Comcast X1 customers could get all MLB EI games in HDTV, using the Beta IN DEMAND platform. DirecTV has offered all MLB EI (Most with dual HD feeds) games in HDTV for years.
Free previews of MLB Extra Innings are shown during the first week of the season, and the week after the All Star Game.
Baseball concepts
Outline, Glossary
Rules of baseball
Pitch clock
Unwritten rules
Park/Field
Backstop
Baseball diamond
Batter's box
Batter's eye
Foul pole
Foul territory
On-deck circle
Warning track
Batting glove
Glove (defense)
Pitching machine
Protective cup
Uniform number
Game process
Batting order
At bat
Baltimore chop
Batting count
sacrifice bunt
slap bunt
squeeze play
Charging the mound
Checked swing
Chinese home run
Cleanup hitter
Double switch
Foul tip
Golden sombrero
Ground rule double
Infield hit
Leadoff hitter
Lefty-righty switch
Line drive
Plate appearance
Platoon system
Pull hitter
Sacrifice fly
Strikeout
Beanball
Breaking ball
Brushback pitch
Changeup
Immaculate inning
Inside pitching
Intentional walk
No-hitter
Perfect game
Pickoff
Pitching position
Pitchout
Quick pitch
Spitball
Striking out the side
Time of pitch
Wild pitch
Bases loaded
Contact play
Scoring position
Small ball
Stolen base
Tag up
Tie goes to the runner
(positioning)
Appeal play
Blocking the plate
Defensive indifference
Fielder's choice
Fifth infielder
Force play
Fourth out
Hidden ball trick
In-between hop
Infield shift
Passed ball
Putout
Tag out
unassisted
Uncaught third strike
Wall climb
Wheel play
Bench jockey
Bench-clearing brawl
Dead ball
Seventh-inning stretch
Streak (losing)
Streak (winning)
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9139
|
__label__wiki
| 0.637763
| 0.637763
|
Hastings and Rye Liberal Democrats
About Nick Perry.
Donate Today.
Join The Party.
Give Your Views.
Volunteer With Us.
Regular Donations.
Local News.
National News.
Nick Perry's blog.
South East Lib Dems.
National Lib Dems.
Boris Johnson shouldn't be allowed out
By Alistair Carmichael
Boris Johnson has made a bizarre appearance on the Today programme where he showed flagrant disregard for history and international affairs by comparing the Northern Ireland border with the Congestion Charge.
Once again the Foreign Secretary has shown why he shouldn't be allowed out of the house to talk about foreign affairs.
He has revealed a complete lack of understanding of the complexities and history of the Northern Irish border. It is one of the major outstanding issues of Brexit negotiations and one of our most senior Cabinet Ministers hasn't even bothered to read his briefing notes.
The Foreign Secretary has shown why he shouldn't be allowed out of the house to talk about foreign affairs
Peace was brought to Northern Ireland as a result of cooperation across the parties in Britain and Northern Ireland as well as between the UK and Ireland. Comments in recent days questioning that consensus shows that there is nothing that the Brexiteers will not do to achieve their ruinous end.
As we work our way through the most important negotiations of our modern history it is quite clear that this country is not in safe hands.
Hastings & Rye Liberal Democrats
Published and promoted by Stephen Milton on behalf of the Hastings & Rye Lib Dems, all at 9 London Road, St Leonards on Sea TN37 6AE
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9142
|
__label__wiki
| 0.758452
| 0.758452
|
[ALBUM REVIEW] FATES WARNING: Awaken The Guardian Live
Mark Ellis May 13, 2017
Band: Fates Warning
Album Title: “Awaken The Guardian Live”
Record Lable: Metal Blade
Release Date: 28th April 2017
In November 1986 Fates Warning released their seminal LP “Awaken The Guardian”. Cited by many bands including, Dream Theatre, as the founders of the Progressive Metal Genre, they have gone on to produce some truly outstanding albums and despite several lineup changes they have remained true to the style they pioneered.
We now leap forward to 2016, 30 years since its first release, founder member, and songwriter Jim Matheos decided to get the same lineup from the 1986 original together for two festival shows to celebrate the anniversary. ‘Awaken The Guardian Live’ showcases Jim Matheos (guitar), Frank Aresti (guitar), Steve Zimmerman (drums), Joe DiBiase(bass), along with John Arch (vocals)
CD1 takes us to Keep It True XIX in Lauda-Konigshofen, Germany, and CD2 is from Prog Power USA XVII in Atlanta, Georgia. Both discs present the album along with other classic tunes from the band.
Singer, John Arch who left the band shortly after the original release, was back with his stunning vocal gymnastics reaching notes that many can only aspire to. He comments: “It was truly a surreal experience being able to share the spirit of ‘Awaken The Guardian’ at these shows. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans that have given back so much over the 30-year span since the album’s release. To all our family and friends, much gratitude.”
The double release captures the spirit of these shows perfectly. Although I would have to say that the second show has the band sounding a little more relaxed on stage with one another and flows a little better. There is, however, no doubt that the talent on show here is superb, in particular, the guitar work of Matheos and Aresti whose riffing and soloing are second to none.
Fans of the band will surely appreciate this release particularly if they were unable to see these reunion shows, if you are new to the band you will hear just what is so special about Fates Warning and why they hold a special place in the hearts of many Prog Metal bands and their fans.
Awaken the Guardian Live consists of both festival performances in their entirety. This piece of progressive metal history will be available on CD, DVD, Blu-ray, and double gatefold vinyl.
Mark has had a long association with all things rock and metal. Back in the 80's and 90's he was a rock DJ in and around clubs in West Yorkshire. Since then he has taken up with his "other" passion Photography and gig going. He can now be found in the photo pit at many of the North of England's concert venues.
GRETA VAN FLEET Return To Oz
On The Run With CROOKED THIEVES
Letting Life Grow with CALIGULA’S HORSE
Making A Noise with ELEPHANT HIVE
CD Fates Warning International metal Progressive Metal Review Rock
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9146
|
__label__cc
| 0.743508
| 0.256492
|
IOTA and Audi Reveal Results of E-Mobility Project
December 19, 2018 Mike Dalton 0
The IOTA Foundation has published a new blog post that details its partnership with Audi, the major German automotive manufacturer. The partnership began in July, when the two groups initiated a five-month long effort to bridge the automotive sector and the Internet of Things.
Although details of the project were initially kept under wraps, the two teams gradually allowed details to come to light. The effort reportedly focused on developing e-mobility, and we now know that a real-world product is slightly closer to seeing a release.
Project Produces a Final Result
IOTA and Audi’s joint project concluded earlier this month, when the two teams gave a live presentation in Berlin and announced positive results. IOTA followed up with a public announcement on their blog, which essentially detailed each team’s responsibilities and the end result of the project.
Audi was largely responsible for developing the product: Audi Denkwerkstatt, the company’s think tank, carried out research, investigated problems and solutions, and created prototypes. IOTA, meanwhile, provided team members who served as consultants and provided information.
Now, after months of work, the project has finally produced results. Although it is not clear exactly what the project will look like when it reaches consumers, we do know that the product has a focus on mobility and is “customer centric.”
IOTA has also hinted at future announcements, stating that “the end result is focused on enabling trust in e-mobility — it is not yet clear where the path finally goes — so stay tuned for further information!”
Suggested Reading : Learn how to store IOTA.
IOTA’s Use Cases
IOTA has become a major participant in the machine-to-machine (M2M) economy and the Internet of Things. These two areas involve electronic devices that can communicate and handle funds autonomously. IOTA can be used to develop solutions in these areas thanks to its complex and efficient network, the Tangle.
So far, IOTA has been used to create charging stations for electric vehicles, a supply chain for waste collection, and several other systems. Although any type of device can be part of the Internet of Things, vehicles have become a major focus in that area. This partially explains why IOTA and Audi have decided to join forces.
However, IOTA also has other practical applications. Although it is fairly experimental, it also provides some of the other functions commonly found in blockchains. For example, it allows payments to be made with its native IOTA token. In other words, IOTA holds promise in a variety of areas, from facilitating basic transactions to reshaping the entire machine economy.
The post IOTA and Audi Reveal Results of E-Mobility Project appeared first on UNHASHED.
About Mike Dalton
Bad to Worse for Bitcoin Cash SV: “Satoshi’s Vision” Proves Unpopular
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9148
|
__label__cc
| 0.623638
| 0.376362
|
Communicating the Risks of Investments in Intellectual Property
Policy Sep 1, 2008
International financial reporting standards may be better than U.S. standards
Based on the research of
Robert Magee
Investors examining financial statements in the United States may encounter two primary sets of financial reporting standards. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are generally used by companies based in the United States. However, firms in much of the rest of the world use International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Recently, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission decided that foreign companies may provide U.S. investors with financial statements prepared according to IFRS without having to reconcile them to GAAP. According to research by Kellogg School of Management accounting professor Robert Magee, not only are the statements prepared using the international standards better at communicating certain information to potential investors, the use of these standards promotes better corporate decision-making about how to invest in research and development.
Magee notes that one of the differences between the two accounting methods is the treatment of companies’ investments in intellectual property such as research and development. “In the GAAP system used in the United States, even though we know that research and development costs are intended to produce future benefits, we don’t treat them as assets for accounting purposes,” he explains. “When using IFRS, companies look more closely at projects they are investing in, and if the benefits that they are going to get from the intellectual investment are relatively certain, they recognize an asset rather than simply expensing them as they incur them, as they would have to do under GAAP.”
In effect, the asset recognition decision is used to convey information about uncertainty, Magee further explains. “We don’t recognize investments in intellectual property as assets, not because we don’t think they will create future value, but because the future value is more uncertain than the future value of assets that consist of bricks and mortar.”
Evaluating Investments in Intellectual Property
The ability to analyze the relative riskiness of a company’s intellectual property expenditures is potentially very valuable to outside investors. Therefore, the differences between the two accounting methods have real-world implications for people examining the financial disclosures of a company in which they are considering investing. “If you think back to the Internet boom, companies spent lots of money on investments that were pretty risky—they just threw money at it,” Magee says. “When using the GAAP method of financial reporting, there was no way for investors to use financial statements to evaluate the quality of the firms’ investments in intellectual property.”
The IFRS practice of examining intellectual property expenditures and recognizing some of them as assets is better than the GAAP system at conveying information to potential investorsMagee developed an analytical model to explore whether GAAP or IFRS is more efficient in conveying information to investors about a company’s intellectual property expenditures. If a “reasonably certain estimate” of an asset’s benefits can be made, the model recognizes the asset. The model predicted that IFRS-type asset reporting not only improves communication about investments; it also improves decision-making about investments in research and development and other types of intellectual property.
For example, if an investor receives a disclosure from a U.S. company that uses the GAAP system, the material might say, “We spent $100 million on research and development last year.” The investor does not obtain any information about what portion of that $100 million was spent on short-term, reasonably safe investments in development and what percentage of it was expended on risky investments that could either result in an unusually large profit or a complete loss. In contrast, a company using IFRS would break out the portion of the expenditures that was spent on relatively safe investments.
Magee elaborates, “Suppose that out of $100 million, $35 million was capitalized as development costs. That also provides you with some information about the other $65 million. If $35 million of it was pretty safe, it is likely that the other $65 million was in stuff that was not so predictable. This distinction is valuable, even if it’s imperfectly implemented.”
Magee’s model showed that making these distinctions in financial reports not only conveys information, it also leads to more efficient investment by discouraging the riskiest investments. In a working paper reporting on his research, Magee writes that “when an expenditure intended to create future benefits is expensed, the investor can make an inference about the variance of those future benefits. And, when a firm discloses a future obligation for which it has accrued no liability, the investor can make an inference about the variance of those future costs. This recognition practice conveys information about risk and affects the price that the entrepreneur expects to receive from investors.”
The Recognition Hurdle
Magee calls the threshold of certainty at which an asset or liability is recognized for accounting purposes the “recognition hurdle.” According to the paper, the asset recognition hurdle gives information about the level of uncertainty in payoffs from an investment, and the liability recognition hurdle conveys information about the uncertainty of the future costs. Magee points out, “In effect, the recognition hurdle allows the entrepreneur to communicate to the investor that she is not taking on risky future cash flows when the overall profitability of the project is modest.”
The findings from the model lead to the conclusion that the IFRS practice of examining intellectual property expenditures more closely and recognizing some of them as assets is better than the GAAP system at conveying information to potential investors in the firm. According to Magee, in using GAAP standards, “there just wasn’t any way” to convey information about the relative riskiness of intellectual property investments. Using IFRS, a company can send the message, “We are spending money on research and development in intellectual property, but look, a large portion of what we’re doing is relatively safe.”
Featured Faculty
Professor Emeritus of Accounting Information & Management
Beverly A. Caley, JD, is a freelance writer based in Corvallis, Oregon.
Magee, Robert P., “Reasonably Certain Estimates, Recognition, and Communication of Uncertainty,” 2008, working paper.
Most Popular Podcasts
Podcast: Our Most Popular Advice on Improving Relationships with Colleagues
Coworkers can make us crazy. Here’s how to handle tough situations.
Podcast: How You and Your Company Can Lend Expertise to a Nonprofit in Need
Plus: Four questions to consider before becoming a social-impact entrepreneur.
Podcast: Attract Rockstar Employees—or Develop Your Own
Finding and nurturing high performers isn’t easy, but it pays off.
Podcast: How Music Can Change Our Mood
A Broadway songwriter and a marketing professor discuss the connection between our favorite tunes and how they make us feel.
A Nation’s Wealth May Depend on How Much Its Workers Can Learn on the Job
Are You Offering Your Children Too Many Choices?
Do High-Frequency Traders Deserve Their Bad Rap?
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9149
|
__label__wiki
| 0.861651
| 0.861651
|
BooksFantasy
Folio Society Is Doing Special Editions for All of A Song of Ice and Fire...If It's Ever Finished
Filed to: game of thronesFiled to: game of thrones
A peek inside the special hardcover edition of A Game of Thrones. All photos: Folio Society.
Photo: Folio Society
The Folio Society recently announced that it was releasing a special collector’s edition of A Game of Thrones, the first novel in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. Now, on the cusp of the series finale for HBO’s Game of Thrones, it looks like we can expect even more—the entire A Song of Ice and Fire, including those famously still-unwritten books. Of course, that all depends on whether Martin ever finishes them.
In a statement to io9, the Folio Society’s representative confirmed that it was following up its A Game of Thrones hardcover edition with other books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. The publisher says the project is a collaborative with Martin, who’s been involved “every step of the way.” The first book is available for preorder, and is set to come out on July 16. You can see a preview below:
There are no planned release dates for the rest of the completed books in the series, as Folio Society’s representative explained that each one takes a lot of time to illustrate and complete. However, they did say there are plans to do special hardcover editions for both The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, the final two books in A Song of Ice and Fire that Martin is reportedly working on (the author recently denied reports that he’d already completed them).
In the meantime, Game of Thrones is completing its eight-season run on Sunday, following its surprising and somewhat controversial penultimate episode, “The Bells.” It’s still unclear how much last two books will mirror what we’ve seen on the final episodes of Game of Thrones, but Martin has said there may be discrepancies.
For more, make sure you’re following us on our new Instagram @io9dotcom.
Winter Has Come
George R.R. Martin Hits Back at Rumors Saying He's Already Finished Writing A Song of Ice and Fire
George R.R. Martin Gives a Quick Update on the Game of Thrones Spinoffs
Last Night's Game of Thrones Song Might Be More Important Than You Think
George R.R. Martin Says There May Be 'Discrepancies' Between the Game of Thrones Finale and His Books
This Video Explores the Slippery Relationship Between History and Mythology in Game of Thrones
George RR Martin Explains Why Writing The Winds of Winter Is So Hard
Video Editor and Staff Writer at io9. My doppelganger is that rebelling greeting card from Futurama.
Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys Gets a Gorgeous New Collectors Edition
Recent from Beth Elderkin
io9 Takes You on a Tour Inside San Diego Comic-Con 2019's Show Floor
Ratigan Finally Gets His Villainous Due in the 'Evil Comes Prepared' Board Game Expansion
CW's Pandora Is an Embarrassment
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9151
|
__label__wiki
| 0.970311
| 0.970311
|
Canada open to seamless transition in trade with Britain after Brexit
By Kevin Dougherty. Published on Mar 13, 2019 1:34pm
High Commissioner of Canada to the United Kingdom Janice Charette pictured at the International Maritime Organization headquarters in London, U.K. International Maritime Organization photo.
Tuesday’s massive rejection by the British House of Commons of Prime Minister Theresa May’s eleventh-hour bid for Brexit on her terms leaves Britain’s future relations with the European Union up in the air.
May gambled she could force the hand of Brexit supporters to endorse her proposal by pushing the vote to 17 days before the March 29 Brexit deadline.
But a combination of her Democratic Unionist Party allies from Northern Ireland, who have maintained her Conservative minority in power, Brexit hardliners in her own party, Labour MPs, Scottish Nationalists and other opposition members defeated her proposed withdrawal agreement by 149 votes.
Further votes in the coming days will offer MPs the option of a no-deal Brexit or a delay beyond the March 29 deadline, which some MPs see as a chance to call a new referendum.
Their hope is to reverse the June 23, 2016, referendum result when 52-per-cent votes cast were in favour of leaving the European Union.
That option remains a long-shot, with May opposed and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn unclear on his position.
Canada has been preparing for Brexit since a September 2017 meeting in Ottawa between May and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau and May agreed then to work toward a “seamless” transition, cloning the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada, in force since 2017, as a bilateral add-on between Canada and Britain.
At the London School of Economics recently, Janice Charette, Canada’s high commissioner to Britain, noted the commitment by Trudeau and May to a seamless transition in trade relations.
“I would say, from a Canadian perspective, that we can be ready and we would very much like to be ready to continue to provide that preferential access as of March 29 and I’m hoping that we will be in a position to do so,” Charette told her LSE audience.
But Charette warned “as a third country,” Canada would like to see an arrangement between “a strong U.K.” and a “strong EU” with “a constructive relationship between them.”
“I think that a scenario where there is no deal at the end of March and (that) the U.K. leaves the European Union without a deal, that would not help to achieve that outcome of a strong player on each side of a strong productive relationship.”
Charette noted that currently Britain is Canada’s leading trade partner in Europe, with “two-way merchandise trade of about 15.5 billion pounds or $26 billion (Canadian).”
She reminded her British audience that market proximity is a key factor in trade relations and that Canada’s two-way trade with the United States is worth $2 billion a day
“Twenty days at $2 billion a day is what we do in the entire year with the United Kingdom,” Charette added.
“We both have one thing in common,” she said. “Once the U.K. leaves the EU, we’ll both be living next to a really big neighbour.”
And while a continuing trade and economic relationship with Britain is a priority for Canada, Charette went on with words of caution for Brexiteers.
“It’s really important to look at the world as it is and deal with the world as it is.
“Not the world that used to be, the world that we think we would like to be in, but the world that we are in today.
“It’s not about a glorious past. It’s not about a return to the empire. Even the conversations about the Commonwealth I would urge perhaps that we think about the Commonwealth in terms of the collection of many countries, each of whom have a separate and distinct identity and we would like to have conversations with the U.K. on the basis of those separate identities, not just as part of the institution of the Commonwealth.”
Other U.K.-based Canadian voices have weighed in on Brexit.
Last week Mark Carney, the former Bank of Canada governor, who now is Bank of England governor, told a House of Lords committee that a no-deal Brexit could mean a shrinkage of the British economy of between eight and five percentage points over three years.
Carney was a supporter of May’s withdrawal agreement, seeing it as a path to negotiate satisfactory new arrangements between Britain and the European Union.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9153
|
__label__wiki
| 0.804879
| 0.804879
|
Information Technologies & Telecommunication Solutions
Getting Information
Quality, Environment And Bgys Policies
Message From General Manager
BTK Committee Decisions
Communication Network Infrastructure Management Service
Radio Services
IBB WiFi Services
Internet of Things (IoT) Services
Communication Solutions With Smart City Furniture
Isttelkom in Press
Isttelkom Logos
White Table
İSTTELKOM
Kamunet Project Was Introduced
Multimedia: Photo Gallery
Multimedia: Video Gallery
Multimedia: Isttelkom Logos
SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT FROM ISTTELKOM AT BILISIM 500
Information Economy of Turkey Exceeds ₺100 Billion.
2018-2023 Strategic Plan Workshop at Which We Set Our New Course is Completed.
World Cities Congress Istanbul’18 Set the Course for Smart Cities
The Heart Of Infrastructure Trobbed In Istanbul!
3 years önce
Minister of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communication Ahmet Arslan announced that a circular was being prepared for the use of the public network (public virtual network) in all public institutions and that it would be published soon.
At the opening of the 2016-2019 National Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan Workshop, Arslan said that the information and communication technologies have become an integral part of life and that developments are accompanied by various cyber threats which lead to security concerns in society.
Arslan said that the sector could not refrain from benefitting from the advantages to avoid cyber threats and that , ‘the bull has to be tackled by its horns.’
Arslan said that eliminating increasing threats in the cyber environment is of great importance in terms of the transformation process to the information society targeted by the country and that loss of life, large-scale economic damage, national security vulnerabilities and public order deterioration incurred when the confidentiality, integrity or accessibility of information deteriorated. Arslan, emphasizing that it is not possible to make any information system 100 percent secure said that, “It is important to minimize security vulnerabilities. There is a very apt phrase by Kaşgarlı Mahmut: ‘If the hunter knows traps, so does the hunted know paths.’ No matter how much cyber attacks are launched by the enemy, we have the task to take counter measures and find new ways . ”
“So far 8 organizations have been included in KamuNet”
Minister Arslan said that as a result of intensive work, a platform with end to end security called KamuNet had been developed, and that the system currently included 8 institutions.
Arslan stated that KamuNet did not use the internet network open to the public and that cyber security risks had been minimized because only public institutions were allowed to communicate and that it is important for the whole system to be monitored from one point.
Arslan said that by communicating public data more securely over the KamuNet network, the security of large data infrastructures, where both public data and citizen’s personal information are stored would be provided.
Arslan pointed out that work was ongoing to include all public organizations in the KamuNet network and said, “I would like to emphasize that we are preparing a circular regarding the usage of KamuNet by all public institutions which will be published soon. In the near future, the cyber security of relevant public organizations in terms of KamuNet will be provided. ”
Arslan expressed that with KamuNet, the infrastructures of public organizations would be promoted to the league of countries with the highest security, however he stated that ensuring cyber security was not limited to measures to be taken in the public domain only.
Arslan reminded that masterful computer hackers targeted novice computer users and it was a known fact that cyber attacks carried out by zombie computers last month had interrupted Internet access in many countries.
Arslan explained that Turkey ranked among the leading countries in terms of cyber hacking and that this was caused by the rapid development of the sector and the setting of big goals and continued as follows:
“According to Fortinet Threat Landscape Report, 45 percent of the computers in Turkey are under cyber attack. This is a rate that demonstrates that we need to take robust and serious steps to improve our cyber security. In terms of captured computers we rank in 4th place in the world. For this reason, the most important stage of cyber security is the raising of user awareness which is one of the issues that we are trying to do. The Cyber Security Action Plan which was launched in 2013 to cover all institutions will be an important step in raising awareness on security and providing a holistic sense of cyber security. In this sense, we created intervention teams for Corporate and Sectoral Cyber Events. The number of teams is currently 517 and proceeding very successfully.”
“Energy spending ranked first in the establishment of data centers”
Arslan emphasized that this strategy and action plan has been strengthened by participatory and innovative strategic steps and has been prepared to contribute to the establishment of the ecosystem by covering and giving responsibilities to all stakeholders, including the public and private sector, universities and NGOs.
Arslan mentioned that yesterday Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım had spoken about increasing the number of data centers in Turkey and asked for support in the presentation he made to the Council of Ministers on Monday regarding the subject because energy costs for the establishment of big data centers to keep personal and public data generated in Turkey in the country incurred major costs.
Arslan indicated that the issue had been addressed in the Decree Law published yesterday and continued as follows:
“We appreciate this. Our aim is to give energy support in particular, to consider this energy on par with industrial electricity if necessary, to provide support in terms of personnel expenditures, taxes, SSK matters, to minimize or zero customs taxes for initial installation, to provide credit support, to allocate land, in particular to allocate public land free of charge. In other words, we have established centers of attraction to eliminate the difference of development between 23 provinces in the east and other provinces and we have provided a lot of support within the scope of these attraction centers. We will give support and initiatives to equalize this sector with those attraction centers. Our intention is to grow and develop the sector, ensure that the data in our country remains here and if possible, even to recruit investments from abroad and establish big data centers in our country. We know that this sector is an indispensable part of facilitating the economy, trade and overall life.”
Minister Arslan indicated that the sector is the most important sector in terms of employment in the future and said, “because no matter who you serve wherever in the world, whose needs you fulfill anywhere in the world, you have the chance to do it from wherever you are with a single key stroke.”
“Cyber security, a national issue”
Ömer Fatih Sayan, President of Information and Communication Technologies (BTK), said that cyber security is a national issue and that there is a need for more macro-level security controls in addition to controlling access to systems.
Indicating that KamuNet would provide cyber security for the public, Sayan expressed that it is very important for information not to get out.
General Director of Communications Ensar Kılıç noted that KamuNet which had been established to minimize cyber security risks by providing a more secure network for data communication between public institutions has been commissioned as of today and that institutions are now taking their places on the system.
siracel
ISTTELKOM INC. is an associate of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
ISTTELKOM INC. CENTER OFFICE
Istanbul Electronic Telecommunication and Infrastructure Inc. Aytekin Kotil Cad. No: 8 Floor: 9 Mecidiyekoy – Sisli / Istanbul
© 2018 All rights reserved. Powered by TE Bilişim Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Yusuf KOTIL
Born in Rize in 1965, Yusuf KOTIL completed his primary, secondary and high school education in Istanbul. He graduated from the department of Electrical/Electronic Engineering at Anadolu University. He received training courses both at home and abroad, such as MBA, Manager Development Training, Project Management Certification Training, Bogazici University Traffic Engineering, etc. and participated in a number of seminars.
Beginning his professional career at his family-owned company KOTILOGLU Construction, Mr. KOTIL served as Electronic Systems Engineer at IGDAS AS in 1994 and SCADA Technical Chief in 1996. When he was employed at ISBAK AS in 1997, he took part as engineer in the establishment of R&D Department. He served as R&D and IT Manager between 2004-2010 and Project Implementation Manager between 2010-2015.
Appointed as the General Director of ISTTELKOM AS in September 2015, Mr. KOTIL is married with 3 children. He is fluent in English.
Omer ENGIN
He was born in 1978 in Istanbul. Having graduated from Istanbul Tuna High School, Omer ENGIN graduated from the department of Public Administration, Faculty of Economics at Anadolu University in 2002. He did master degree in the department of International Trade at Istanbul Ticaret University.
We worked as cashier at Foreign Exchange Office between 1997-1998. He was employed as Inspection Staff, Personal Secretary, Tenders and Contracts Staff at ISTAC AS between 1998-2013. He served as Tender Specialist at ISTANBUL SEHIR HATLARI AS (CITY LINES) between 2013-2017. In February 2017, he was appointed as the Chief of Tenders and Contracts at ISTTELKOM AS He has been serving as the Commercial Director at ISTTELKOM AS since August 2018.
Omer ENGIN is married with 2 children.
Mahmut HACIBEKTASOGLU
Born in Istanbul in 1988, Mahmut HACIBEKTASOGLU graduated from Hayrullah Kefoglu High School in Kadikoy, Istanbul in 2006. Having completed his undergraduate studies at the department of Business, Anadolu University, Mr. Hacibektasoglu completed the master’s degree program successfully in Innovation enterprising and management at Yildiz Technical University Social Sciences Institute.
Beginning his career at Istanbul disinfection decontamination company ISDAS, Mahmut Hacibektasoglu maintained his career at A’ND International Certification Services company, a compliance assessment organization, in 2011 serving as the planning manager, corporate sales manager, administrative affairs manager and project manager respectively.
Beginning to serve as the Management Systems Specialist at IGDAS, an Affiliate of IBB, in 2014, Mr. Hacibektasoglu maintained this position until February 01, 2017, during which he took part and responsibility in winning IGDAS EFQM Sustainability in Excellence great award, IIP (Investors in People) Bronze awards for the company as well as the establishment and certification of, ISO 55001 Asset Management System and 22301 Disaster Emergency Management Systems.
Having served as the chief of Human Resources at ISTTELKOM AS in 2017, Mahmut Hacibektasoglu was appointed as the Director of Human Resources in August 2018 and is currently serving in this position.
Taking pat in the social projects in a number of various non-governmental foundations and associations, Mr. Hacibektasoglu is fluent in English.
Mehmet Recep CELIKBILEK
He was born in Beykoz, Istanbul on 13.06.1978. having graduated from Istanbul Imam Hatip High School in 1996, Mehmet Recep CELIKBILEK graduated from the department of Finance, Faculty of Political Science at Istanbul University in 2005.
He worked as Budget Finance Staff at ISBAK AS between 2006-2007. He serves as the chief of Budget and Finance between 2007-2014. In November 2015, he was appointed as the Director of Finance at ISTTELKOM AS. He has been serving as the director of finance at ISTTELKOM AS since November 2015.
Mehmet Recep CELIKBILEK is married with 2 children.
Huseyin Avni BUYUK
Infrastructural Systems Manager
Huseyin Avni BUYUK was born in Rize in 1972. Having graduated from Rize High School, Mr. Buyuk graduated from the department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering at Yildiz Technical University in 1995.
He worked as the construction site manager in various projects in the private sector between 1995-1998. He began to serve as the project engineer at ISBAK AS on October 01, 1998. He worked as the chief of Realization, Signalization, Transportation Systems Manufacturing, Project Implementation, and Signalization systems manufacturing chief at ISBAK AS between 2001-2016, respectively. On December, 2016, he was appointed as ISTTELKOM AS Infrastructural Systems Director. Currently serving in this position, Mr. Buyuk is married with 3 children.
Ahmet Selami SOGUT
Electronic Systems Manager
He was born in Gumushane on 05. 07. 1978. Having graduated from Istanbul Kucukkoy Imam Hatip High School in 1995, Ahmet Selami SOGUT completed his studies in the department of Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Architecture and Engineering at Karadeniz Technical University. He took his master degree in the department of Business Management at Bilkent University in 2014.
He worked as Traffic Signalization Programming Engineer, R&D Engineer and Camera Systems Engineer at ISBAK AS between 2001-2007. He serves as the chief of Communication and Video Systems between 2007 – 2014. He began to work as Isttelkom AS Technical Director at the end of 2014. He has been serving as the Electronic Systems Director at ISTTELKOM AS. since December 2016.
Married with 3 children, Ahmet Selami SOGUT is fluent in English.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9157
|
__label__cc
| 0.574837
| 0.425163
|
Posts Tagged ‘libertarian women’
Aimee Allen, Catherine Bleish, ladies of liberty alliance, libertarian women, liberty movement, LOLA, Ron Paul, Shelly Roche
Ladies of liberty increasing in numbers
In liberty and rights, protest, women's rights on November 10, 2009 at 2:24 am
“Ultimately, the most feminist thing that can ever be, is a truly independent women. Free mind, free body free spirited.” — Angela Keaton, AntiWar.com”
The Republicans have Sarah Palin and the Democrats have Hillary Clinton. But within the liberty movement, a much younger, brighter feminism is growing.
These young women are not content to simply support Ron Paul or follow the lead of their male counterparts. They are grabbing the reigns and directing the pro-freedom spirit spreading throughout their country. They are organizing, educating and protesting all for the sake of liberty.
The Ladies of Liberty Alliance, otherwise known as LOLA, is one such organization. According to its Web site, LOLA’s goal is to “build a community of liberty-minded women who are empowered to achieve their individual goals in the fight for freedom.”
However, LOLA is not a politically driven organization as mush as it is an educational and philosophical one:
“The opportunity to influence the leaders of today and tomorrow is ours. We intend to take it. Note that our goal is not to create ‘politicians.’ We have no desire to lead men in chains or to empower others to do so. The force of reason and an appeal to morality is what we seek to bolster. And we will.”
The majority of LOLA’s 400 plus members appear to be young, educated feminists (men are also allowed to join). Many of them are entrepreneurs with pro-liberty organizations/businesses of their own.
One such example is member Catherine Bleish. Bleish is the co-founder and executive director for the Missouri-based Liberty Restoration Project — an organization whose main focus has been fighting the Federal Reserve system. Bleish was also the Kansas City area grassroots leader for the 2008 Ron Paul presidential campaign and the communications director for the Revolution March.
Another prominent member is creator of ByteStyle TV Shelly Roche. Roche has been a guest on both FOX News’ “Freedom Watch” and on Russia Today. ByteStyle TV was originally intended to be a podcast but Bleish has grown it into a multimedia blog, covering everything from politics to food issues.
Another semi-famous lady of liberty is the singer/songwriter Aimee Allen. Allen’s dance song “Cooties” contributed to the soundtrack of the 2007 film Hair Spray and her single “Revolution” appeared in the soundtrack of the film Storm and was the theme for the WB Television Network series Birds of Prey.
Allen is perhaps most well known for writing the “The Ron Paul Revolution Theme Song” otherwise known as the “Ron Paul anthem.” On Sept. 2, 2008, she performed the song in front of a 12,000-plus crowd at Ron Paul’s sold-out Rally for the Republic in Minneapolis.
The above are just a few examples of how the other half is taking over the liberty movement. OK, so maybe women aren’t “taking over” the liberty movement, but their numbers are definitely growing.
As is the case all across the political spectrum, women tend to be underrepresented among the pro-libertarians. According to Bonnie Kristian with the Leadership Institute, the ratio of men to women in the liberty movement is about 25 to 1, “and that’s on a good day.”
It’s exciting to see organizations like LOLA altering that ratio. My dream is not for women to take control of the movement but to work side by side with men in advancing its cause.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9160
|
__label__wiki
| 0.674488
| 0.674488
|
Literacy Programme for St. Mary
Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, with responsibility for Local Government, Robert Montague, has signed a Letter of Intent with Cuban Ambassador, Gisela Garcia Rivera to undertake a literacy programme in St. Mary.
The signing, which took place at Local Government Department’s Hagley Park Road offices in Kingston on Nov. 27, represents phase two of an ongoing educational co-operation between the Cuban Government and the people of St. Mary.
Mr. Montague noted that under the programme, St. Mary would be provided with a literacy expert, for four months, which is part of the Cuban ‘Yes I Can’ programme. “St. Mary has one of the highest rates of illiteracy in the island, some 34 per cent, and the purpose of this expert is to train community trainers who will assist in the drive to reduce the level of illiteracy,” he said.
Pointing to the success of the “Yes I Can” programme, Mr. Montague noted that it has been used in Africa, South America, Central America, “and it has proven itself, that in almost an eight-week period, you can take a person who is totally illiterate and have a very functional and useful citizen.”
He noted further that the Chamber of Commerce in St. Mary is “twinned” to the National Chamber of Commerce of Cuba and as such, a number of scholarships were issued to residents and students of St. Mary. “At the last count, we had some 65 students studying in Cuba, mainly at the University of Cienfuegos, studying from agronomy to zoology,” he noted.
Ambassador Rivera, in her remarks, said that she was happy to finally make the programme work in Jamaica. She said the objective was to assist the people of Jamaica, and to “strengthen our bonds, and our links of collaboration”, adding that it was hoped that the project be expanded to other areas in the island.
The ‘Yes, I Can’ literacy programme uses various teaching methods, along with radio and television, to tutor persons who are illiterate or under-educated.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9163
|
__label__wiki
| 0.65705
| 0.65705
|
HDSI - Associate or Full Professor: Data Science - Multiple Areas
The University of California, San Diego invites applications from outstanding candidates for multiple tenured primary appointment faculty positions at the Halicioglu Data Science Institute with optional joint appointment in another academic department. We are focusing on candidates who advance research in the following areas:
Theoretical Foundations - candidates who are applying their disciplinary skills to advance the theory and applications of data science. The foundations area draws heavily from traditional disciplines such as machine learning, statistics, optimization, signal processing, algorithms and complexity. Accordingly, ideal candidates will have a doctorate in areas of engineering and computer science or mathematics/statistics with a record of research in data sciences.
Systems and Applications - candidates with background and experience in building data science systems that target a well-defined application area. Examples of application areas include robotics, health, cyber-physical systems. Research topics may include architectural design and implementation of devices and systems that push the state of the art in the use of data, data models, data related work-flows and methods of artificial intelligence. Demonstrated applications of these advances in targeted areas are of special interest. System implementations that target cross-cutting needs such as data visualization, system security are particularly welcome to apply. Accordingly, ideal candidates will have a doctorate in sciences or engineering with a record of research in data sciences.
The University of California, San Diego is committed to academic excellence and diversity within the faculty, staff and student body. A PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Math or related discipline is required at the time of application. Candidates are expected to have established independent publication and funding records with national reputation in their field of research. The preferred candidate will have demonstrated strong leadership or a commitment to support diversity, equity and inclusion in an academic setting. Applicants will be expected to teach graduate and undergraduate students in the Data Science major/minor degree programs offered by the Institute. In case of a partial joint appointment with another department, the teaching workload would include appropriate course work in the participating department. Salary and rank will be commensurate with qualifications in conformance with University of California policies.
About the Halicioglu Data Science Institute: Data Science has emerged as an area central to advances in our understanding of nature, improving the quality life and a healthy society. Data collection, stewardship, and analyses are already integrated into the infrastructure for commerce, healthcare, governance, and education. These ubiquitous practical uses of digital data have raised awareness of the need to further develop the underlying scientific and technological basis for understanding and exploiting data. UC San Diego is pursuing a strategy for advancing Data Science that builds upon its unique strengths in creating interdisciplinary research areas that span multiple disciplines and departments. Funded with a $75M endowment, the mission of the Halicioglu Data Science Institute (HDSI) is to explore the scientific foundations for the new field of data science. These foundations include the principles, methods, and tools that will enable us to understand the nature of digital data, and also the intersections between this new field and existing disciplines of human enquiry. HDSI is a new strategic academic institute tasked with hosting and coordination of Data Science research and education activities at the University of California, San Diego. Among HDSI academic programs are a Data Science major and minor currently with nearly 600 undergraduate students. Prospective HDSI faculty members will have the option of a joint appointment with one or more academic departments of the University in order to bolster the interdisciplinary nature of Data Science.
We encourage candidates to send applications as soon as possible. Review of applications will begin Jaunary 17, 2019 and continue until the position is filled.
Applications must be submitted electronically through AP-Online Recruit website: https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/JPF01994
Please submit a:
A Cover Letter
C.V. with list of publications
Solicit 3 to 5 references to provide letters through the Recruit system
A statement of Research
A statement of teaching interests and
A separate statement describing past experience in activities that promote diversity and inclusion and/or plans to make future contributions. For further information about contributions to diversity statements, see http://facultyequity.ucsd.edu/Faculty-Applicant-C2D-Info.asp.
For applicants with interest in spousal/partner employment, please see https://aps.ucsd.edu/services/pop/index.html for the UC San Diego Partner Opportunities Program.
UC San Diego is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer with a strong institutional commitment to excellence through diversity.
Document requirements
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
Statement of Research
Statement of Teaching
Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Applicants should summarize their past or potential contributions to diversity. See our Faculty Equity site for more information.
Misc / Additional (Optional)
Reference requirements
3-8 letters of reference required
To apply, please visit: https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF01994
Copyright 2017 Jobelephant.com Inc. All rights reserved.
jeid-7f0c6844be086e459944b30a655d1a70
About University of California, San Diego
UC San Diego is an academic powerhouse and economic engine, recognized as one of the top 8 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. Innovation is central to who we are and what we do. Here, students learn that knowledge isn't just acquired in the classroom - life is their laboratory. UC San Diego's rich academic portfolio includes six undergraduate colleges, five academic divisions and five graduate and professional schools. The university's award-winning scholars are experts at the forefront of their fields with an impressive track record for achieving scientific, medical and technological breakthroughs.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9164
|
__label__wiki
| 0.999805
| 0.999805
|
Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street
PROPERTIES in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street
للبيع..مجمع 3 فلل في شارع الخليج العربي أبوظبي
Ref No.:vi 114021
price on demand
للبيع..مجمع فيلتين في شارع الخليج العربي أبوظبي
Top Abu Dhabi Searches
Apartment in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Staff accommodation in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Staff accommodation in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Hotel Apartment in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Hotel Apartment in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Building in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Building in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Office Space in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Office Space in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Shop in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Shop in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Warehouse in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Warehouse in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Compound in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Compound in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Duplex in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Duplex in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Full floor in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Full floor in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Half floor in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Half floor in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Penthouse in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Penthouse in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Townhouse in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Townhouse in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Land or Plot in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Land or Plot in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Villa in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Villa in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Labor camp in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Staff accommodation in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Labor camp in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Bulk units in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Bulk units in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Show room in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Show room in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Retail in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Retail in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Commercial Building in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Hotel Apartment in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Land or Plot in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Commercial Building in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Building in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Factory in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Villa in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Factory in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Labor camp in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Bungalow in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Office Space in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Shop in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Bungalow in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Warehouse in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Compound in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Duplex in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Full floor in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Half floor in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Penthouse in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Townhouse in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Bulk units in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Show room in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Retail in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Commercial Building in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Factory in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Bungalow in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rent Apartment in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Buy Apartment in Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9166
|
__label__cc
| 0.735701
| 0.264299
|
About, Austria, Europe & UK
KC LIM / September 3, 2016
Vienna is the capital of Austria and has been the heart of the Habsburg Empire for centuries. It has left behind an impressive number of palaces, monuments and other landmarks.
We arrived in Vienna Haupbanhof in the mid afternoon and our pre-booked taxi driver was already there waiting for us. The drive to our hotel, Hotel Rathaus – Wein and Design took only about 30 minutes. The location of our hotel is quite convenient as it is only about a 20 minutes walk to the Austrian Parliament Building.
Thankfully, most of the city’s main sights are also located in Vienna’s compact center or at the boulevard encircling the historic center, which makes it easy to visit the city on foot.
On the advice of the hotel’s staff, we joined a group tour by coach to the Schonbrunn Palace. The tour starts at about 8.30 am and after the tour of the palace, you will be taken around the historic centre of Vienna and eventually you will be dropped at the Vienna Tourist Information Centre, where you can obtain a map showing all the important landmarks of Vienna.
Schoenbrunn Palace – was completed in 1780 during the reign of Maria-Theresa and since its completion had been the favorite residence of the Habsburg monarchs. It is only about six kilometres from the centre of Vienna and can be easily reached by the underground. It is a huge complex and the whole area (including the garden) occupies about 435 acres.
The entrance to the palace
Looking back towards the main gate of the palace
After the visit to the Schoenbrunn Palace, we visited the Vienna Tourist Information Office to get the appropriate maps of the city and this is what we use for our next two days walking all over the historic area of Vienna.
Hofburg – the whole Hofburg complex is huge. It is the bastion of the Habsburg monarchs, who ruled Austria from 1276 until the downfall of the Habsburgs in 1918, a period of more than six centuries. Due to its vast size, you may want to visit only some of the attractions, such as the royal apartments, the treasury, the winter riding school, the Albertina museum and the Neue Burg museum.
Maria-Theresa-Platz – is a square that was created in the 19th century and lies across the road just north of the Hofburg. It is named in honor of Empress Maria Theresa, whose huge monument is the centerpiece of the square. The other buildings in the square are the Museum of Fine Arts and
Museum of Natural History.
At the centre is the monument of Maria Theresa seated on top of a large pedestal supported on all sides by Corinthian columns.
The monument of Maria Theresa
Burgtheater – founded in 1741 is one of the most important theatre companies in Europe. It is situated opposite Vienna’a city hall.
Demonstrations by turkish austrian near Burgtheater
Parliament – is situated along the boulevard around Vienna’s inner city. The monumental neoclassical building is the seat of the Austrian Parliament.
The Parliament building was constructed between 1874 and 1884 and in 1918, after the fall of the Habsburg Empire, parliamentarians declared the creation of the Republic of Austria.
Karlsplatz – the only point of interest in the western half is the Secession Building, which contains works of various artists.
The succession building
Resselpark lies on the eastern half of Karlsplatz and overlooking it is the beautiful Karlskirche, a Baroque church commissioned in 1713 by Emperor Charles VI.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral – the cathedral’s Gothic south tower, dominates the skyline of Vienna.
Michaelerplatz – is one of Vienna’s most famous square and is very near to the Hofburg. Infact, the impressive neo-Baroque Michaelertor, is the entrance gate to the Hofburg.
Unearthed remains of a Roman house as well as some medieval foundations. The ruins are now exposed and can be seen from street level
Am Hof – is the biggest square in the inner city and its history goes back to the Roman era.
Am Hof Square
The famous clock
There are so many other interesting and beautiful land marks in Vienna and this is indeed one of the most beautiful city in Europe.
Vienna Music House
Johan Strauss monument
Vienna Railway Station for our onward journey to Budapest, Hungary
We spent three days in Vienna and considering the vast numbers of interesting and beautiful landmarks in the city, the amount of time we had there is barely sufficient to take in all the wonderful sights.
All images shot with Nikon D810 and Nikkor 18-35 f3.5-4.5g lens and processed in adobe camera raw and photoshop.
About KC LIM
View all posts by KC LIM →
3 thoughts on “Vienna”
Exquisite beautiful & an architectural treat. Of course only made possible by expert photography. Thanks
KC LIM says:
Enjoy. There is more coming for your viewing pleasure.
Estate Agents in Playa Flamenca says:
Hello, i think that i saw you visited my weblog so i came to “return the favor”.I am attempting to find
things to enhance my web site!I suppose its ok to use some of your ideas!!
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9170
|
__label__wiki
| 0.70433
| 0.70433
|
‘Magic Mike 2′ Will Drop Trou in 2015, Won’t Be Some Dark Drama
After getting the delightful news that 'Magic Mike 2,' starring, co-written and co-produced by Channing Tatum, will be titled 'Magic Mike XXL,' Tatum lovers everywhere will no doubt release a collective sigh to hear that the film is coming sooner than we think! Warner Bros. dated 'Magic Mike 2' for release in 2015, and what's even better, Tatum says that nearly the entire cast is expected to return.
Grab hold of your dollar bills, ladies, 'cause the gents will be back on July 3, 2015. Tatum, who is not only reprising his suave title role, is deep in the writing stages with Reid Carolin. Speaking with MTV, the actor said, "I think everyone’s gonna be back, I think. Obviously no one’s deals are done which is always kind of scary.”
While formal plot details are unavailable at this time, Tatum said of the film:
This one will be a road trip movie. Without giving a lot away, we don’t wanna make it a really serious, slice-of-life movie. We want to have reality in it, but we don’t want to make it some dark drama. There was some darkness in the last one that I think surprised people and shocked people. This one, we want there to be a lot of conflict and a lot of struggle, but we also want there to be a shit-ton of fun. A shit-ton of just ridiculous stuff that you would never see in a movie.
Though Steven Soderbergh will not be returning to direct 'Magic Mike 2,' his longtime first assistant director Greg Jacobs will be filling in, so it's in pretty good hands. The first film starred the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer and Adam Rodriguez, and told the tale, largely inspired by Tatum's early life as a male stripper, of how Magic Mike inducted a newbie into the stripping circuit. It'll be interesting to see which stars agree to show their stuff one more time, which will no doubt impact the story. You can be sure we'll be keeping our eyes open for any (*cough*) action on that front.
And while we wait for the 2015 release date, there's always Manganiello's male stripping documentary, 'La Bare,' to keep you warm at night. Here's that trailer:
Source: ‘Magic Mike 2′ Will Drop Trou in 2015, Won’t Be Some Dark Drama
Filed Under: Channing Tatum
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9173
|
__label__wiki
| 0.619928
| 0.619928
|
EXPERIENCED LEGAL
Call For A Free Consultation(309) 827-4300
John G. Prior, Jr.
Aggravated DUI
Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm
Cannabis Conspiracy
Cannabis Delivery to Persons under 18
Cannabis Trafficking
Casual Delivery of Cannabis
Criminal Trepass to Real Property
Criminal Trepass to Vehicles
Delivery of Cannabis on School Grounds
Fraudulent Identification Card
Manufacture or Delivery of Cannabis
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child
Production or Possession of Cannabis
Unlawful Use of Weapons
Criminal Procedure Rights
Felony Sentencing
Misdemeanor Sentencing
Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child
Definition of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child.
(a) A person commits predatory criminal sexual assault of a child if that person commits an act of sexual penetration or an act of contact, however slight between the sex organ or anus of one person and the part of the body of another, and the accused is 17 years of age or older, and:
(1) the victim is under 13 years of age; or
(2) the victim is under 13 years of age and that person:
(A) is armed with a firearm;
(B) personally discharges a firearm during the commission of the offense;
(C) causes great bodily harm to the victim that:
(i) results in permanent disability; or
(ii) is life threatening; or
(D) delivers (by injection, inhalation, ingestion, transfer of possession, or any other means) any controlled substance to the victim without the victim’s consent or by threat or deception, for other than medical purposes.
(b) Sentence.
(1) A person convicted of a violation of subsection (a)(1) commits a Class X felony, for which the person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 6 years and not more than 60 years. A person convicted of a violation of subsection (a)(2)(A) commits a Class X felony for which 15 years shall be added to the term of imprisonment imposed by the court. A person convicted of a violation of subsection (a)(2)(B) commits a Class X felony for which 20 years shall be added to the term of imprisonment imposed by the court. A person convicted of a violation of subsection (a)(2)(C) commits a Class X felony for which the person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 50 years or up to a term of natural life imprisonment.
(1.1) A person convicted of a violation of subsection (a)(2)(D) commits a Class X felony for which the person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 50 years and not more than 60 years.
(1.2) A person convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child committed against 2 or more persons regardless of whether the offense occurred as the result of the same act or of several related or unrelated acts shall be sentenced to a term of natural life imprisonment.
(2) A person who is convicted of a second or subsequent offense of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, or who is convicted of the offense of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child after previously been convicted of the offense of criminal sexual assault, or who is convicted of the offense of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child after having previously been convicted under the laws of this State or any other state of an offense that is substantially equivalent to the offense of aggravated criminal sexual assault or the offense of criminal sexual assault, shall be sentenced to a term of natural life imprisonment. The commission of the second or subsequent offense is required to have been after the initial conviction for this paragraph (2) to apply.
EMAIL:johnprior@thepriorlawfirm.com
The Prior Law Firm PC
1210 Towanda Ave #15,
Bloomington, IL 61701
johnprior @
thepriorlawfirm.com
Production or Possession of Cannabis Sativa Plant
Cannabis Delivery to Persons under 18 Years of Age
State of Illinois v. JM
Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance Case
JM was facing a potential felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.
NO CHARGES FILED
In June 2017, after hiring The Prior Law Firm, the State declined to file any charges against JM.
State of Illinois v. BO
BO was charged with aggravated battery in March 2017.
The charge against BO was dismissed in August 2017, right before trial.
State of Illinois v. RP
RP was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in March 2017.
In September 2017, RP had a jury trial and was found not guilty.
State of Illinois v. AE
Possession of a Controlled Substance Case
AE was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony, in May 2017.
In September 2017, the charge was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. KM
KM was charged with driving under the influence of drugs.
In October 2016, the DUI charge was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. SB
SB was charged with driving under the influence of drugs.
In June 2017, the DUI charge was dismissed and a petition to rescind statutory summary suspension was granted, allowing SB to keep his driver's license.
State of Illinois v. AH
Aggravated Battery of a Police Officer
AH was charged with aggravated battery of a police officer and with obstructing justice.
All charges were dismissed in June 2017.
State of Illinois v. RM
RM was charged with driving under the influence of drugs.
In February 2017, the charge against RM was dismissed and a petition to rescind statutory summary suspension was granted, allowing RM to keep his driver's license.
State of Illinois v. AM
Criminal Damage to Property Case
In April 2005, AM was charged with criminal damage to property in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a jury trial.
The jury returned a verdict of NOT GUILTY.
State of Illinois v. HT
DUI Case
In 2005, HT was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a jury trial.
State of Illinois v. RR
In August 2006 in McLean County, RR was charged with: aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony; indecent solicitation of a child, a Class 2 felony; and endangering the life or health of a child, a Class A misdemeanor. A motion to dismiss the case was filed.
The motion was granted and the case was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. MC
Resisting/Obstruction a Peace Officer and Obstruction of Justice Case
In August 2007, MC was charged with resisting/obstructing a peace officer and with obstruction of justice in McLean County, both of which are Class 4 felonies. A motion was filed to vacate both of the convictions and to dismiss the criminal proceedings.
The motion was granted and the judgment of the convictions were vacated. The case was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. AV
In September 2007, AV was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
A verdict of NOT GUILTY was returned.
State of Illinois v. TH
Manufacture/Delivery of Narcotic Case
In November 2007, TH was charged with manufacture/delivery of a narcotic in McLean County, a Class 2 felony. A motion was filed to vacate the conviction and to dismiss the criminal proceeding.
The motion was granted and the conviction was vacated. The case was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. SP
In March 2008, SP was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
State of Illinois v. JG
Manufacture/Delivery of Cannabis Case
In July 2008, JG was charged with manufacture/delivery of cannabis in McLean County, a Class 3 felony. A motion was filed to vacate the conviction and to dismiss the case.
Illinois Secretary of State Petition
After receiving a DUI, CL lost his driving privileges. A petition was filed with the Illinois Secretary of State to give CL full reinstatement of his driving privileges.
CL was granted full reinstatement of his driving privileges in March 2010.
State of Illinois v. CR
Manufacture/Delivery of a Narcotic Case
In October 2008, CR was charged with manufacture/delivery of a narcotic in McLean County, a Class 2 felony. A motion to vacate the conviction and to dismiss the criminal proceeding was filed.
The motion was granted and the judgment of conviction was vacated. The case was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. NR
In November 2008, NR was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony, and with resisting a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor, in McLean County. The charges resulted in a bench trial.
The possession of a controlled substance charge was dismissed. A verdict of NOT GUILTY was returned for the charge of resisting a peace officer.
State of Illinois v. AR
In November 2008, AR was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A motion to rescind the statutory summary suspension of AR's driver's license was filed.
The motion was granted.
After receiving a DUI, CL lost his driving privileges. A petition was filed with the Illinois Secretary of State to issue CL a restricted driving permit in February 2009.
The petition was granted and CL was able to receive a restricted driving permit.
State of Illinois v. KH
In April 2009, KH was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A motion to rescind the statutory summary suspension of KH's driver's license was filed.
State of Illinois v. SF
Possession of Cannabis Case
In 2009, SF was charged with possession of cannabis in McLean County, a Class C misdemeanor.
In August 2009 the case was dismissed.
Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse Case
In January 2010, SB was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse in DeWitt County, a Class 2 felony. The prosecution filed a petition to revoke SB's probation.
The petition was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. JL
In June 2010, JL was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
A verdict of NOT GUILTY was rendered.
State of Illinois v. DA
In July 2010, DA was charged with possession of a controlled substance in McLean County, a Class 4 felony.
The case was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. RO
Arson and Fraud Case
In July 2010, RO was charged with arson/defrauding an insurance company, a Class 2 felony, and with defrauding a governmental entity, a Class 3 felony, in DeWitt County.
Both charges were dismissed.
State of Illinois v. SD
In September 2010, SD was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A motion was filed to rescind the statutory summary suspension of SD's driver's license.
State of Illinois v. NB
In September 2010, NB was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
State of Illinois v. LH
Credit Card Fraud Case
In September 2010, LH was charged with credit card fraud in McLean County, a Class 3 felony. A motion to vacate the conviction was filed.
In November 2010, JG was charged with possession of a controlled substance in McLean County, a Class 4 felony.
State of Illinois v. CB
Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance Case
In January 2011, CB was charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a church in DeWitt County, a Class 1 felony. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
The felony case was dismissed. CB pled guilty to disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor.
State of Illinois v. MD
Improper Left Turn Case
In January 2011, MD was charged with an improper left turn in McLean County, a petty offense. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
State of Illinois v. AG
In March 2011, AG was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A motion was filed to rescind the statutory summary suspension of AG's driver's license.
The motion was granted
State of Illinois v. JJ
In June 2011, JJ was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A Motion to Quash Arrest an Suppress Evidence based on the officer having no reasonable and articulable suspicion to stop JJ was filed.
The motion was granted and the case was dismissed
State of Illinois v. PS
In August 2011, PS was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
State of Illinois v. BB
In August 2011, BB was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
A verdict of NOT GUILTY was rendered
State of Illinois v. RF
In December 2011, RF was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial and a motion to rescind the statutory summary suspension of RF's driver's license.
In December 2011, NR was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A motion was filed to rescind the statutory summary suspension of NR's driver's license.
Violation of Sex Offender Registration Act Case
In February 2012, SB was charged with violation of the sex offender registration act in McLean County, a Class 3 felony. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
State of Illinois v. JD
Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon Case
In March 2012, JD was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in McLean County, a Class 4 felony.
The felony case was dismissed. JD pled guilty to a Class A misdemeanor.
State of Illinois v. MM
In May 2012, MM was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charges resulted in a bench trial.
In June 2012, JL was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor.
After receiving a DUI, BR lost his driving privileges. A petition was filed with the Illinois Secretary of State to reinstate BR's driving privileges in June 2012.
Reinstated
The petition was granted and BR's driving privileges were reinstated.
State of Illinois v. SC
In July 2012, SC was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
In December 2012, SC was charged in McLean County with aggravated battery of a police officer, a Class 2 felony, and was also charged with resisting a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor. The charges resulted in a bench trial.
A verdict of NOT GUILTY on both counts was rendered.
State of Illinois v. KC
RESISTING A PEACE OFFICER
In December 2012, KC was charged with resisting a peace officer in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
A motion for directed verdict was granted and a verdict of NOT GUILTY was rendered.
State of Illinois v. JN
Unlawful Possession of Cannabis Sativa Plants Case
In December 2012, JN was charged with unlawful possession of cannabis sativa plants in McLean County, a Class 3 felony. A motion was filed to vacate the judgment of conviction and to dismiss the case.
State of Illinois v. BS
Driving While Revoked/Suspended Case
In February 2013, BS was charged with driving while driver's license was revoked/suspended in McLean County, a Class 4 felony.
State of Illinois v. CK
In February 2013, CK was charged with domestic battery in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
Transport Cigarettes to Evade Tax and Possession of Contraband Cigarettes Cas
In February 2013 in McLean County, MM was charged with transporting cigarettes to evade tax, a Class 3 felony. MM was also charged with possession of contraband cigarettes, a Class 3 felony.
Both Class 3 felony charges were dismissed. MM pled guilty to a Class A misdemeanor.
Domestic Battery Case
In March 2013, SB was charged with three counts of domestic battery in McLean County, all Class A misdemeanors.
The case and all three charges were dismissed.
State of Illinois v. JH
In March 2013, JH was charged with two counts of driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charges resulted in a jury trial.
The jury rendered a verdict of NOT GUILTY on both counts.
State of Illinois v. SR
In April 2013, SR was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial.
State of Illinois v. JW
In April 2013, JW was charged with a Class 4 felony for unlawful possession of a controlled substance in McLean County. A Motion to Vacate Judgment of Conviction was filed.
State of Illinois v. KB
In April 2013, KB was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor.
State of Illinois v. VG
Retail Theft Case
In July 2013, VG was charged with retail theft in McLean County, a Class 3 felony.
The retail theft case was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. MW
Aggravated DUI Case
In August 2013, MW was charged with aggravated DUI for not having a valid driver's license in McLean County, a Class 4 felony.
In August 2013, MM was charged with resisting a peace officer in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor.
State of Illinois v. JF
In September 2013, JF was charged with two counts of driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor.
State of Illinois v. MR
In September 2013, MR was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A motion was filed to rescind the statutory summary suspension of MR's driver's license.
State of Illinois v. RB
In October 2013, RB was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. In May 2014, a bench trial was held.
In October 2013, NB was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor.
State of Illinois v. AB
In November 2013, AB was charged with aggravated DUI in McLean County, a Class 4 felony.
State of Illinois v. JT
In March 2014, JT was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A motion to dismiss the case and a petition to rescind the statutory summary suspension of JT's driver's license were filed.
The case was dismissed and the petition was granted.
State of Illinois v. HS
In May 2014, HS was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor.
State of Illinois v. TM
In May 2014, TM was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor.
In July 2014, JT was charged with aggravated driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class 2 felony.
State of Illinois v. JB
In November 2014, JB was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor.
State of Illinois v. DW
In December 2014, DW was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A motion was filed to rescind the statutory summary suspension of DW's driver's license.
State of Illinois v. TV
In January 2015, TV was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A motion was filed to rescind the statutory summary suspension of TV's driver's license.
In February 2015, CB was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in McLean County, a Class 2 felony. The two charges against CB resulted in a jury trial in October 2015.
The jury returned a verdict of NOT GUILTY on both counts.
Criminal Sexual Assault Case
In February 2015, JG was charged with criminal sexual assault in McLean County, a Class 1 felony.
Case was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. TD
In April 2015, TD was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge resulted in a bench trial, which occurred in November 2015.
In June 2015, RM was charged with driving under the influence in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor. A Motion To Quash Arrest and Suppress Evidence based on the inadvertent destruction of an in-car video in the care of the police was filed.
DUI case was dismissed.
After receiving a DUI, TJ lost his driving privileges. A petition was filed with the Illinois Secretary of State to reinstate TJ's driving privileges in July 2015.
The petition was granted and TJ's driving privileges were reinstated.
State of Illinois v. II
In January 2016, II was charged with battery in McLean County, a Class A misdemeanor.
Traffic Case
In April 2016, JH was charged with violating the right-way and crosswalk statute.
The charge was dismissed.
After receiving a DUI, BQ lost his driving privileges. A petition was filed with the Illinois Secretary of State to reinstate BQ's driving privileges and a hearing on that petition was held in May 2016.
State of Illinois v. JR
Possession of a Controlled Substance & Possession of Cannabis
In July 2016, JR was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony, and with possession of cannabis, a Class C misdemeanor.
Both charges against JR were dismissed.
State of Illinois v. YS
Unlawful Visitation Interference
In June 2016, YS was charged with unlawful visitation interference.
The charge against YS was dismissed.
State of Illinois v. EG
In September 2016, EG was charged with DUI.
The DUI charge was dismissed.
Hit & Run Case
In October of 2016, RP was charged with failing to notify damage to an unattended vehicle, a Class A Misdemeanor, and with failing to give notice of an accident, a petty offense.
State of Illinois vs. D.J.
In February 2016, DJ was charged with resisting a peace officer. A motion was filed to quash the arrest and suppress the evidence. A hearing on the motion was held in June 2016.
The motion was granted and the charge was dismissed.
State of Illinois vs. J.G.
State of Illinois vs. J.H.
POSSESSION OF CANNABIS & DRUG PARAPHERNILIA
In April 2016, JH was charged with unlawful possession of cannabis and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. A motion to quash the arrest and suppress the evidence was filed and a hearing on the motion was held.
The motion was granted and both charges were dismissed.
Petition To Seal Felony Convictions
J.A. & L.A.
In 1999, JA and LA were both convicted of forgery, a Class 3 felony. In June 2016, a petition to seal both felony convictions was filed. In August 2016, a hearing was held on both petitions.
Both petitions were granted and the felony convictions were sealed.
After receiving two DUIs, AN lost his driving privileges. A hearing with the Illinois Secretary of State to reinstate AN’s driving privileges was held in November of 2016.
In January 2017, AN was granted a restricted driving permit.
State of Illinois vs. B.S.
In October of 2016, BS was charged with unlawful consumption of liquor by a minor, a Class A Misdemeanor.
In January 2017, the charge was dismissed.
State of Illinois vs. R.M.
In January 2017, RM was charged with driving under the influence of a drug, a Class A Misdemeanor.
In February 2017, the charge was dismissed. A petition to rescind RM’s statutory summary suspension was filed and was granted, allowing RM to keep his driver’s license.
John was a wonderful asset when it came to my defense for my DUI. Not only was he very knowledgeable and very responsive, we truly felt he had my best interest at heart. He made a very difficult time for me run very smoothly. He answered all of my questions no matter how trivial. Having him there to guide and walk me through the process made my life less stressful. I highly recommend Mr. Prior!
- Monica F.
John is the best lawyer I have ever talked to. He kept me informed through the entire process in terms the average person could easily understand. I hope I never need an lawyer again, but if I do it will be John Prior!
- Daniel V.
Posted by: John Prior
What are the Illinois Laws Against and Penalties for Prostitution?
Sometimes referred to as the world’s oldest profession, the practice of prostitution has a long-standing place in human history. Despite these historical roots, Illinois law prohibits the exchange of sexual acts for money or other things of value. If a person receives something of value in exchange for performing sexual penetration or other acts, then[...]
Illinois Legalizes Marijuana for Recreational Purchase and Use
When Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a new law on June 25th, Illinois became the 11th U.S. state to legalize recreational possession of marijuana, according to an article by the Associated Press. As of January 1, 2020, the legal limit will be 30 grams for residents and 15 grams for non-residents. Officially titled the Cannabis Regulation[...]
How Does Illinois Confront Drug Paraphernalia?
Any equipment used in conjunction with illegal drugs and other controlled substances is referred to as drug paraphernalia in Illinois. Under state law, it is illegal to deliver or possess drug paraphernalia. Any person who violates these laws can face criminal liability in the form of prison time and fines. Definition of Drug Paraphernalia Under[...]
Drug Distribution Charges Pending After Illinois Traffic Stop
A 26-year-old driver faces criminal charges for distribution of cocaine and cannabis after a recent traffic stop in Decatur, Illinois, according to an article by the Herald & Review. Police officers executed this traffic stop on Thursday, May 30th near the 700 block of East Johns Avenue. The officers stopped the driver due to a[...]
Burglary vs. Residential Burglary in Illinois
The State of Illinois prohibits any person from stealing property or other valuable items under the general umbrella of theft crimes. Within that umbrella, Illinois also has specific types of theft, including but not limited to burglary and residential burglary. What is the Illinois Definition of Burglary? The Illinois definition of burglary appears under 720[...]
What is the Difference Between DUI and Reckless Driving in Illinois?
To preserve safe roadways across the state, Illinois law prohibits driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs. Additionally, even if a person is completely sober, Illinois law also bars people from driving recklessly or dangerously. If convicted for either DUI or reckless driving, Illinois law mandates serious criminal penalties, including but not limited[...]
What Qualifies as Forgery in Illinois?
From an overarching standpoint, forgery involves the creation of a fake document or the alteration of an existing document. For example, some minors possess forged identification cards to illegally purchase alcohol. Some scammers send forged emails pretending to be a legitimate institution, such as a bank or government agency. Regardless of the type of forged[...]
Illinois Governor Pushes to Legalize Recreational Marijuana
Governor J.B. Pritzker is pushing hard to legalize marijuana for recreational use across Illinois, according to an article by The Pantagraph. With solid backing in the state legislature, the governor intends to have a program for recreational marijuana in place by next year. Under the governor’s plan, any person over the age of 21 would[...]
How Does Illinois Punish Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm?
The State of Illinois has many laws against the use of dangerous weapons, such as knives, clubs, and firearms. Due to the inherent risks associated with the use of firearms, specifically, there are additional restrictions and penalties under Illinois law, including aggravated discharge of a firearm. How Does Illinois Define Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm?[...]
What are Illinois Laws Against Home Invasion?
A home invasion under Illinois law is a highly specific type of criminal offense. Unlike the more general crime of breaking and entering, a home invasion also deals with the use of force or threats of force. If there is no one present who sustains physical harm during the offense, it does not normally qualify[...]
What are the Penalties for DUI in Illinois?
It is illegal to drive under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs in Illinois because of the risk of property damage, physical injury, and even death. To deter people from engaging in this type of driving behavior, Illinois law under 625 ILCS 5/11-501 outlines a multifaceted penalty structure for DUI offenses. Penalties for Standard[...]
How Does Illinois Define and Punish Criminal Damage to Property?
When any person engages in certain types of property damage in Illinois, he or she will face charges for criminal damage to property. This offense exists on top of civil remedies available to the property owner, punishing specific conduct with potential jail time and criminal fines. That being said, this offense is limited to perpetrators[...]
What is the Difference Between Battery and Aggravated Battery in Illinois?
Under the laws of the State of Illinois, it is unlawful to make unwanted physical contact with another person. This is referred to legally as battery or aggravated battery, depending on the circumstances of the offense. The presence of actual contact is what differentiates battery from assault crimes, which only address threats of unwanted physical[...]
Illinois Orders of Protection vs. No Contact Orders
Orders of protection and no contact orders are legal devices available to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and similar crimes. In a general sense, these legal orders prevent the criminal perpetrators from further contact with the victims. From a more precise standpoint, the eligibility and protections available for these orders varies based on[...]
Illinois House Passes Bill to Adjust Adult Sex Crime Limits
The Illinois House just passed a bill that would remove the statute of limitations for sexual assault and similar adult sex crimes, according to an article by CBS affiliate WIFR. Co-sponsored by State Representative Maurice West II, this bill would allow state authorities to pursue criminal cases against sex crime perpetrators at any time. At[...]
Illinois Man Arrested for Armed Robbery on College Campus
Law enforcement arrested an 18-year-old man from Urbana, Illinois for an armed robbery incident that occurred on the University of Illinois campus, according to an article by FOX Illinois. The incident in question occurred on March 7th near the 100 block of North Gregory Street. That is when this Urbana man allegedly threw a student[...]
How Does Illinois Define and Penalize Kidnapping?
Under Illinois law, it is illegal to kidnap or otherwise confine a person against his or her will. While popular movies and TV shows might take a simplistic view of kidnapping, there are many subtleties to this crime in Illinois. Depending on the circumstances of the offense, the kidnapper can even face serious prison time[...]
How to Regain Driving Privileges After an Illinois DUI
After a conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs in Illinois, there is a mandatory period of driver’s license suspension. In the most severe cases, the DUI offender can even have his or her driving privileges revoked indefinitely. In order to regain driving privileges in Illinois, which is referred to legally[...]
Illinois Court Rules Against Unlocking Criminal Cell Phones
An appellate court determined that an Illinois man charged with illegal drug possession was not required to unlock his cell phone for police investigators, according to a recent decision from Appellate Court of Illinois, Third District. In terms of specific background information, this legal battle dates back to June 2017. At that time, the Illinois[...]
How Does Illinois Define and Penalize Vehicular Hijacking?
Commonly referred to as carjacking, standard and aggravated vehicular hijacking are Illinois crimes that address the immediate theft of motor vehicles. In any circumstance, this type of behavior is illegal under Illinois law. Depending on the circumstances, the Illinois penalties for vehicular hijacking can fluctuate greatly. Definition of Vehicular Hijacking The definition of vehicular hijacking[...]
Illinois Laws Against and Penalties for Growing Marijuana
Even though many U.S. states have already legalized marijuana for recreational use, that is not the case in Illinois at this point. Outside of narrow exceptions, Illinois still prohibits the possession, use, and distribution of marijuana. Moreover, there are specific Illinois laws against and penalties for growing marijuana plants. Illinois Laws Against Growing Marijuana Plants[...]
What is the Timeline of a DUI Arrest in Illinois?
Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs is one of the most common criminal offenses in Illinois. Despite the risk of property damage, personal injury, and even death, DUI accidents and arrests still occur regularly throughout Illinois. Although each DUI case is completely unique, there is commonly a three-step timeline for most DUI[...]
Illinois General Assembly Considers Social Media Checks for Gun Owners
In order to curb unlawful use of weapons, the Illinois General Assembly is considering whether to require social media checks for potential gun owners, according to an article by CNN. Introduced by Illinois State Rep. Daniel Didech on January 24th, House Bill 888 seeks to amend the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act to include additional[...]
Could the Pell Grant Program Save Illinois Millions in Prison Costs?
By reforming criminal law and lifting a ban on the federal Pell Grant program, Illinois and other states could save millions of dollars per year in prison costs, according to an article from NPR Illinois. In a report titled, “Investing in Futures: Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison,” the Vera Institute examined the impact[...]
The Zero Tolerance Law for Underage Drinking in Illinois
To prevent underage minors from driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs, Illinois has a zero tolerance law for such behavior. Stated otherwise, underage drivers are not allowed to register any amount of alcohol in their system. Otherwise, they may face criminal penalties, including but not limited to mandatory suspension of driving privileges.[...]
How Does Illinois Define and Penalize Domestic Battery?
More commonly referred to as domestic violence, domestic battery is an Illinois crime that addresses aggressive conduct against a family or household member. This type of crime has serious ramifications, as the perpetrator and victim have a close association with each other. Given this reality, Illinois imposes stringent laws against and penalties for domestic battery.[...]
What is the Difference Between Arson and Aggravated Arson in Illinois?
Under Illinois law, arson occurs when a person uses fire or explosives to intentionally damage another person’s property. Given the inherent danger of arson — especially fire’s ability to spread quickly — there are strict penalties against arson in Illinois. In certain severe situations, using fire or explosives can result in criminal charges for aggravated[...]
Illinois Sex Crimes: Grooming and Traveling to Meet a Child
In order to protect the safety and welfare of children, the State of Illinois has strict laws in place against child sex crimes. These legal protections extend past physical contact and sexual acts, safeguarding children from the threat of potential predators. In the age of the Internet and digital communications, however, it is often difficult[...]
Illinois Gun Law Regulates Dangerous ‘Red Flag’ Owners
A new gun control measure will take effect in Illinois on January 1st, reported the Rockford Register Star. The Lethal Violence Order of Protection Act (the Act) enables the authorities to remove firearms from “red flag” owners who represent a danger to themselves or other people. The Act will make Illinois the latest U.S. state[...]
Illinois and Michigan in Race for Legal Sale of Marijuana in Midwest
With Michigan already on course to regulate the commercial sale of recreational marijuana, Illinois seems to be in second place in this race between Midwest states, reported the Chicago Tribune. As of December 6th, Michigan officially legalized the recreational use of marijuana. The state has yet to roll out a comprehensive scheme for regulation, licensure,[...]
Aggravated Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in Illinois
Although driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs is a dangerous activity in every circumstance, certain situations are more extreme than others. When a driver exhibits such reckless behavior, he or she could face criminal charges for aggravated DUI. For readers interested in reviewing Illinois laws and penalties for standard DUIs, please do[...]
Three Variations of Robbery Crimes in Illinois
Under Illinois law, robbery is a criminal offense that involves on stealing property by force or the threat of force. The circumstances of the crime matter greatly, as more dangerous conduct can result in charges of aggravated robbery or armed robbery. In order to understand the differences between these offenses, the following sections will explore[...]
Illinois Man Faces Criminal Trespassing Charges
After allegedly breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment with a deadly weapon, an East St. Louis man faces charges for criminal trespassing and several other offenses, according to the Belleville News-Democrat. Approximately two days after Thanksgiving, the East St. Louis man climbed through the bedroom window of his ex-girlfriend’s apartment in St. Clair County. When the[...]
Distracted Driving vs. Reckless Driving in Illinois
When a person engages in distracted or reckless driving, there is a substantial likelihood of physical injury or property damage. Illinois has enacted laws and penalties against both distracted and reckless driving. Distracted Driving in Illinois Illinois laws and penalties concerning distracted driving appear in 625 ILCS 5/12-610.2. Essentially, it is unlawful to operate a[...]
How Does Illinois Address and Punish Criminal Sexual Abuse?
Under Illinois law, criminal sexual abuse occurs when a perpetrator engages in sexual conduct or sexual penetration without the victim’s consent. Similarly, it is unlawful for a perpetrator to force a victim into sexual conduct or penetration. Illinois law also provides specific protections for victims who are minor children. From a legal standpoint, there are[...]
How Does Illinois Penalize Fake IDs?
Valid ID cards allow government and business actors to verify a person’s name, birth date and other important details. Unfortunately, many people use fake IDs to circumvent laws and regulations, such as minimum age requirements for tobacco or alcohol. To mitigate this risk, the State of Illinois imposes broad-sweeping laws against the use or sale[...]
The Manufacture or Delivery of Methamphetamine in Illinois
Recognizing that methamphetamine poses a serious threat to public health and safety, Illinois established the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act. Codified as 720 ILCS 646, this act makes it a felony crime to manufacture or deliver methamphetamine in Illinois. Manufacture of Methamphetamine Under 720 ILCS 646/15, it is unlawful to knowingly participate in the[...]
Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm in Illinois
One very serious weapon crime in Illinois is the aggravated discharge of a firearm. This offense is reserved for careless gun users who discharge their weapons haphazardly at other people. Given the extreme danger of these weapons, the state of Illinois specifically prohibits this type of dangerous firearm use. To understand the boundaries of this[...]
How Does Illinois Define and Penalize Driving Under the Influence?
Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs is one of the most common criminal offenses in Illinois. Once a driver loses the ability to operate a vehicle carefully — and thus poses a threat to other people or property — then it may qualify as a DUI offense under Illinois law. What is[...]
Overview of Cannabis Laws and Penalties in Illinois
Even though several U.S. states have legalized marijuana, recreational use remains illegal in Illinois. Outside of limited exceptions for medical use, Illinois law makes it unlawful to possess, manufacture, or distribute marijuana. The Cannabis Control Act (the Act) establishes the Illinois laws and penalties for marijuana, which is referred to legally as cannabis. Definition of[...]
Laws and Penalties for Theft Crimes in Illinois
Theft is one of the most common crimes in Illinois and across the United States. From grocery stores to museums to apartments and homes, anything of value is a potential target for thieves. Despite elaborate security systems and other devices, property owners always have to worry about theft. That is why Illinois law employs a[...]
Three-Step Process to Expunge or Seal Criminal Records in Illinois
When law enforcement makes an arrest or files a criminal charge in Illinois, there is a corresponding entry on the alleged offender’s criminal record. This criminal record provides overarching details of all criminal activity, including but not limited to arrests, charges and convictions. The presence of a criminal record can have a negative impact on[...]
Analyzing Burglary Crimes in Illinois
Burglary is a scary prospect for any home or property owner. Not even the best locks or security systems can keep out determined thieves. That is why Illinois has strict laws against burglary. When a burglar breaks into another person’s property, he or she runs the risk of severe criminal penalties. Burglary Laws and Penalties[...]
How to Obtain a Restricted Driving Permit After an Illinois DUI
When a person is convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs in Illinois, there is a mandatory period of driver’s license suspension. The convicted DUI offender is not allowed to drive a car or operate other vehicles for a certain amount of time. This suspension period can apply to commercial drivers,[...]
Prostitution and Solicitation Crimes in Illinois
Often deemed the world’s oldest profession, prostitution has deep roots in human history. From the Bible to other ancient texts, there are numerous mentions of prostitutes and companions who provided sex in exchange for money. Under Illinois law, however, prostitution is illegal and punishable by criminal penalties. It is also illegal to engage in solicitation,[...]
Volunteer Firefighter Charged with Child Sex Crime in Illinois
A volunteer firefighter from Zeigler, Illinois, was charged with a child sex crime after transporting a minor for the purpose of sex, reported NBC affiliate WPSD. The Zeigler City Attorney released a statement concerning this situation last week. Based on that statement, law enforcement arrested the volunteer firefighter on August 19th. The next day, the[...]
Ashley’s Law Enables Medical Marijuana Use at School
Governor Bruce Rauner recently signed a new bill into law that allows students to receive legally prescribed medical marijuana at school, reported the Chicago Sun-Times. House Bill 4870 (HB4870) makes several adjustments to the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act (the Act). This bill is also referred to as “Ashley’s Law,” named after[...]
How Does Illinois Address the Crime of Forgery?
In Illinois and other jurisdictions across the United States, it is illegal to forge or otherwise alter valid documents for unlawful purposes. As most of the U.S. government system operates on the validity of certain information, it is vital to preserve authenticity. Consequently, there are strict penalties for forging or altering pieces of identification or[...]
Distracted Driving and Electronic Communication Devices in Illinois
Distracted driving is a dangerous reality that leads to an unfortunate amount of personal injury and property damage. Recognizing this danger, it is unlawful in Illinois to text and drive or engage in other forms of distracted driving. Referred to legally as use of an electronic communication device, Illinois law prohibits the use of mobile[...]
What is the Process for Driver’s License Reinstatement in Illinois?
When a person commits a DUI or certain traffic offenses in Illinois, that person can lose his or her driver’s license for a period of time. Referred to as driver’s license suspension or revocation, the duration of this period changes based on the circumstances of the offense. In order to regain driving privileges, the offender[...]
Cannabis Delivery Crimes in Illinois
The Cannabis Control Act regulates the possession, manufacture and delivery of cannabis in Illinois. Outside of specific medical exceptions, Illinois law prohibits the delivery of cannabis. Under the law, the term delivery refers to the actual or attempted transfer of possession of cannabis. Moreover, Illinois law does not require the presence of compensation or consideration[...]
Widespread Sexual Abuse Scandal Rocks Chicago Public Schools
The Chicago Tribune recently released a report detailing widespread sexual abuse within the Chicago Public School (CPS) system. Internal CPS documents revealed a total of 430 reported incidents of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment in the past seven years. Approximately 230 of those reported incidents led to legitimate evidence of teachers and school employees committing[...]
Survey of Three Vehicular Crimes in Illinois
Today’s post will take a deep dive into three different vehicular crimes in Illinois. The first section will explore criminal trespass to vehicles, then vehicular hijacking, and finally, Aggravated vehicular hijacking. Criminal Trespass to Vehicles Illinois law under 720 ILCS 5/21-2 defines the offense of criminal trespass to vehicles. A person commits criminal trespass to[...]
Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Devices (BAIIDs) in Illinois
There are approximately 12,000 people in Illinois currently driving with a breath alcohol ignition interlock device (BAIID). These devices monitor former DUI offenders to prevent further episodes of drunk driving. To gain a clear understanding of this legal requirement, the following sections will explore several frequently asked questions about BAIIDs in Illinois. What is a[...]
Appellate Court Challenges Part of Illinois Firearm Laws
Today’s blog will break down a significant appellate court decision that challenges part of the firearm laws in Illinois. Specifically, the Illinois Appellate Court declared that it was unconstitutional to ban loaded firearms from within 1,000 feet of any school. Factual Background This case dates back to November 20, 2012. Around 3:15 p.m. on that[...]
Six Driver’s Rights that Apply to Every Illinois Traffic Case
From minor traffic violations to serious offenses like DUI, there are certain rights that apply in every Illinois traffic case, according to the Illinois Circuit Court. The following sections will explore important considerations for six driver’s rights in Illinois traffic cases. Right to Know the Charge After law enforcement issues a traffic ticket, the[...]
Illinois General Assembly Approves Major Changes to Medical Marijuana Act
Both houses of the Illinois General Assembly recently approved major changes to state rules for medical marijuana. Before the changes become effective, however, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner must sign each bill into law. In the meantime, the following sections will examine Illinois rules for medical marijuana and the proposed changes in each bill. Medical Marijuana[...]
What is Domestic Battery in Illinois?
Commonly referred to as domestic violence, domestic battery is a crime that occurs between family or household members. To understand the boundaries of this offense, the following sections will break down the definition of and penalties for domestic battery in Illinois. What is the Definition of Domestic Battery in Illinois? The definition of domestic battery[...]
Assault vs. Aggravated Assault in Illinois
The topic today involves an exploration of the differences between assault and aggravated assault crimes in Illinois. The following sections will provide definitions of and penalties for both offenses. What is the Definition of Assault in Illinois? The definition of assault appears in 720 ILCS 5/12-1. Essentially, a person commits assault when he or she[...]
Comparing DUI and Aggravated DUI in Illinois
In the interest of public health and safety, the State of Illinois has enacted strict laws against driving under the influence (DUI). To gain a full appreciation of these laws, the following sections will outline definitions of and penalties for DUI and aggravated DUI. What is the Definition of DUI in Illinois? The Illinois definition[...]
How Does Illinois Address Possession of Child Pornography?
Possession of child pornography is a type of child sex crime in Illinois. This law is designed to protect children and other people with mental disability from predatory sexual practices. In that vein, there are severe consequences for voluntary and intentional possession of child pornography in Illinois. In order to gain a full appreciation of[...]
What is the Illinois Driver’s License Point System?
When a driver commits a moving or traffic violation in Illinois, such as driving under the influence (DUI), the driver receives demerit points on his or her driver’s license. The number of points assessed will depend on the circumstances of the offense. How Does Illinois Assess Driver’s License Points? Illinois employs a tiered system for[...]
Overview of Reckless Driving Crimes in Illinois
Reckless driving is a traffic offense that is similar to driving under the influence. Illinois law prohibits both offenses in the interest of public safety. In order understand the boundaries of reckless driving in Illinois, the following sections will outline key definitions and penalties under the law. What is the Definition of Reckless Driving in[...]
Criminal Record Expungement and Sealing in Illinois
When a person is arrested for or charged with a crime, the relevant details appear on that person’s criminal record. Generally speaking, a criminal record is accessible to the general public, including family and friends, employers, banks and other organizations. Consequently, a criminal record can lead to serious consequences, personally and professionally. In certain circumstances,[...]
Three Different Types of Arson Crimes Under Illinois Law
Arson crimes in Illinois refer to the use of fire or explosives to damage property. Not all arson crimes are the same under Illinois law. Depending on the actions and intentions of the arsonist perpetrator, the charge and penalties can fluctuate. The following sections will provide Illinois definitions of and penalties for three different types[...]
Six Reasons for Driver’s License Suspension or Revocation in Illinois
There are many reasons for which a person may face driver’s license suspension or revocation, including driving under the influence (DUI). Driver’s license suspension refers to a temporary measure. If the driver satisfies all requirements, he or she can regain driving privileges. On the other hand, driver’s license revocation is a permanent measure. In those[...]
How Does Illinois Penalize Driving Under the Influence?
In the interest of preserving public welfare and safe highways, the state of Illinois has enacted harsh penalties for driving under the influence (DUI). It does not matter if a driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If a driver is incapable of driving safely, then he or she runs the risk of[...]
Majority of Cook County Voters Support Recreational Use of Marijuana
During the March 2018 primary elections, approximately 63% of Cook County voters endorsed legislation of marijuana for recreational use, reported The Chicago Tribune. The marijuana legalization issue entered the primary ballots in the form of a non-binding referendum question. Specifically, voters were asked whether adults aged 21 and older should be allowed to consume marijuana[...]
Kidnapping vs. Aggravated Kidnapping in Illinois
There are some significant differences between kidnapping and aggravated kidnapping in Illinois. The following sections will outline key definitions and penalties for both of these kidnapping offenses. Definition of Kidnapping in Illinois As detailed in 720 ILCS 5/10-1, it is unlawful to knowingly imprison or otherwise detain another person without legal justification. Illinois law includes[...]
Former Illinois Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced for Drug Crimes
A 40-year-old woman received a one-month sentence for drug crimes committed while serving as a sheriff’s deputy in Kane County, Illinois, according to an article by the Daily Herald. Illinois State Police officers began investigating the Kane County woman in 2015. At that time, the officers received information alleging that the woman was diverting seized[...]
Examining Robbery Crimes in Illinois
This blog post will provide an overview of the different types of robbery crimes in Illinois. The following sections will provide definitions and penalties for standard robbery, aggravated robbery, and armed robbery. Definition of Robbery in Illinois As underlined in 720 ILCS 5/18-1, robbery is a theft crime. If the perpetrator steals another person’s property[...]
Illinois General Assembly Passes Series of Gun Control Measures
In the wake of yet another mass shooting, the Illinois General Assembly passed several pieces of legislation to improve statewide gun control, according to an article by the Belleville News-Democrat. In order to grasp the significance of these changes, the following sections will provide an overview of each specific gun control bill. Minimum Age for[...]
Applying for Driver’s License Reinstatement in Illinois
When a person is convicted of DUI or certain traffic violations in Illinois, he or she may face driver’s license suspension or revocation. During the suspension or revocation period, Illinois prohibits the driver from operating a motor vehicle. There are certain exceptions to this prohibition, including the restricted driving permit (RDP). In most cases, driver’s[...]
Sexual Assault and Stalking No Contact Orders in Illinois
The following article will break down the differences between the restraining orders available to sexual assault and stalking victims in Illinois. While both mechanisms are referred to as “no contact orders,” there are slight differences between sexual assault and stalking victims. At this juncture, it is important to note that victims of domestic violence must[...]
Illinois Judge Expands Qualifying Conditions for Medical Marijuana
An Illinois judge ruled to expand the statewide qualifying conditions for medical marijuana, according to an article by the Chicago Tribune. Specifically, the judge determined that patients suffering from “intractable pain” should qualify for medical marijuana in Illinois. Intractable pain is a general term for all types of pain that are resistant to standard medical[...]
Breaking Down Illinois DUI Statistics
The Illinois Secretary of State maintains a fact book with important considerations for driving under the influence (DUI), including several detailed statistical breakdowns. Before delving into the details, it is important to note that the statistics below represent 2016 data. The Illinois Secretary of State will update the handbook once 2017 data is available. Illinois[...]
Illinois Kicks Off 2018 by Rolling Out More Than 200 New Laws
Illinois is kicking off the new year with a legislative bang by rolling out 215 new laws, including a number of criminal defense updates, according to an article by The Chicago Tribune. The following sections will provide an overview of several key updates to Illinois law. Juvenile Criminal Records From 2018 onward, Illinois will expunge[...]
Five Questions to Consider Before Expunging or Sealing Criminal Records in Illinois
Under the Criminal Identification Act in Illinois, the expungement or sealing process allows qualifying individuals to erase their criminal record. It is important to note that expungement or sealing is only available to certain individuals under certain conditions. Furthermore, this process is only available for Illinois convictions. An out-of-state or federal conviction is not eligible[...]
What is the Illinois Approach to Orders of Protection?
An order of protection in Illinois is a legal mechanism available to victims of domestic violence. Commonly referred to as a restraining order, an order of protection is a legal command from a judge to cease domestic violence or other family abuse. Who is Eligible for an Order of Protection for Domestic Violence? An order[...]
Driver Charged in Illinois Aggravated DUI After Fatal Accident
A Texas man faces criminal charges for aggravated DUI in Illinois after killing a woman in a fatal car crash, according to an article by The Southern Illinoisan. The car accident in question occurred on September 18th on Interstate 57 near Franklin County, Illinois. At that time, the Texas man was driving a tractor-trailer on[...]
Conductor Will Not Face Criminal Charges for Sexual Misconduct in Illinois
Despite recent allegations of sexual misconduct, a famous conductor with ties to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will not face criminal charges in Illinois, according to an article by the Chicago Tribune. The conductor denies these allegations and continues to maintain his innocence. In the past month, the Lake Forest Police Department received several claims of[...]
Paying Driver’s License Reinstatement Fees Online in Illinois
Illinois drivers who lose their licenses due to DUI or other traffic offenses may be eligible to pay their reinstatement fees online. Under certain circumstances, drivers can submit the required fees to the Secretary of State and regain driving privileges. Which Reinstatement Fees are Eligible for Online Payment in Illinois? The Illinois Secretary of State[...]
Springfield Law Enforcement Busts Massive Marijuana Operation
Springfield law enforcement officers busted a massive marijuana operation, according to an article by The State Journal-Register. The perpetrators were using an abandoned warehouse in Springfield for marijuana trafficking. Springfield law enforcement conducted surveillance on the abandoned warehouse since the summer, when they received a tip about illegal activities. After raiding the warehouse, law enforcement[...]
Illinois Woman Sustains Life-Threatening Injury in Drunk Driving Incident
A 65-year-old woman from Virden, Illinois, faces criminal charges for driving under the influence (DUI), after losing control and crashing into another vehicle, according to an article by The State Journal-Register. This drunk driving incident occurred at approximately 5:10 p.m. on Illinois Route 4, not far from Alpha Road. At that time, the Virden woman[...]
The Never-Ending Prison Sentence for Sex Offenders in Illinois
Illinois law makes it extremely difficult for certain sex offenders to leave prison, even after serving their entire sentences, according to an article by Peoria Public Radio. Stringent parole requirements have forced several offenders to stay in prison beyond their sentences with very little hope for release. A Rockford, Illinois man is among those caught[...]
Illinois Doctors Petition to Solve Opioid Crisis with Medical Marijuana
Several Illinois doctors have banded together to form Physicians Against Injurious Narcotics (PAIN) to advocate for the replacement of opioids with marijuana, according to an article by the Chicago Tribune. The PAIN doctors have seen the devastating effects of prescribing opioids for pain. They also cited data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and[...]
Examining Crime Data from Uniform Crime Reporting Program
Today we will examine statistics from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system concerning various crimes. Managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the UCR provides a centralized depository for crime statistics across the United States. Starting in 1930, the FBI took responsibility for collecting and publishing UCR crime data. Today, the UCR system collects[...]
Cave-in-Rock Altercation Leads to Attempted Murder and Aggravated Arson
Two men face criminal charges for attempted murder and aggravated arson after they allegedly hit, stabbed, and then lit a victim on fire in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, according to an article by The Southern. The Cave-in-Rock Fire Department arrived on the scene in response to a structural fire. Firefighters found the victim in rough shape, bleeding[...]
What is the Difference Between Robbery and Aggravated Robbery in Illinois?
Today we will explore an important concept in criminal law – the difference between robbery and aggravated robbery. It should be noted that we will discuss the state-specific approach to these crimes in Illinois. The statutory schemes in other states will differ in many ways. What is the Definition of Robbery in Illinois? We can[...]
What is the Definition of Aggravated DUI in Illinois?
Before we delve into the finer points of aggravated DUIs, we need to take a step back and review standard DUIs. Essentially, it is illegal to drive in Illinois while intoxicated or incapable of driving safely. Illinois law accounts for intoxication on the basis of alcohol, drugs or a combination of both. Illinois law[...]
Evanston High School Teacher Accused of Sexual Assault and Molestation
The Evanston Police Department is receiving a flood of calls detailing alleged child sex crimes by a former high school teacher, according to an article by the Chicago Tribune. This flood of calls started around October 11, 2017, after a man posted on social media about being molested by the teacher in question. After hearing[...]
North Central Narcotics Task Force Secures Arrests and Seizes Marijuana
The North Central Narcotics Task Force completed an investigation, arrested a man and woman as well as seized large amounts of marijuana, according to an article by the Northwest Herald. A combination of more than 50 law enforcement agencies, the North Central Narcotics Task Force investigates major crimes within Kane, McHenry and DeKalb counties. Among[...]
Illinois Gun Laws are Back in the National Spotlight
In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Illinois gun laws are back in the news, according to an article by the Chicago Tribune. During a discussion on gun control, a White House official questioned whether strict laws actually prevent gun crimes. The official pointed out that strict gun laws across Illinois have[...]
Illinois Supreme Court Approves Hearsay in Murder Conviction
In a unanimous decision, the Illinois Supreme Court voted to allow the use of hearsay testimony in the highly publicized murder conviction of former police officer Drew Peterson, according to an article by the Chicago Tribune. Peterson is currently serving a sentence of 38 years for the 2004 death of his third wife and 40[...]
Hazing Incident Leads to Felony Charges for College Football Players
After a violent hazing incident, five Wheaton College football players now face felony charges for aggravated battery, mob action, and unlawful restraint, according to an article by the Chicago Tribune. The perpetrators allegedly barged into a freshman teammate’s dorm room in March of 2016. After tackling their victim, the perpetrators duct taped his wrists and[...]
Aggravated DUI Lands Illinois Man in Prison
A Fairmont man received a five-year prison sentenced for aggravated DUI, after causing the death of a young woman last year, according to an article by The News-Gazette. The man was driving near the Vermilion-Edgar County line when he veered off the road to avoid an animal. The man overcorrected when roadside gravel caused the[...]
Illinois Waves Goodbye to Statute of Limitations on Child Sex Abuse
Governor Bruce Rauner signed a bill into law that removes the statute of limitations for child sex crimes in Illinois, according to a press release from the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. Sponsored by State Senator Scott Bennett and State Representative Michelle Mussman, Public Act 100-0080 changes the Illinois Criminal Code of 2012 to[...]
Chicago Gun Traffickers Arrested and Charged
Authorities arrested two Chicago men who allegedly conducted a series of illegal firearm sales, according to an article by DNAinfo. Over the course of four months, the men sold 16 firearms, including but not limited to an AK-47 rifle, sawed-off shotgun, and .22-caliber pistol. In two of the transactions, authorities benefited from cooperation. A buyer[...]
Illinois Expands Protections for Former Criminal Offenders
After Governor Bruce Rauner signed two new bills into law in August of 2017, Illinois will feature enhanced protection of rights for former criminal offenders, according to an article by Illinois Policy. The goal of both bills is to help former criminal offenders find gainful employment and integrate back into their communities. The first bill,[...]
Illinois Attorney General Continues Battle Against Sexual Assault
In July 2017, Attorney General Lisa Madigan rolled out comprehensive guidelines for responding to sexual assault in Illinois, according to a press release from the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. With detailed instructions on how to respond to complaints of sexual abuse, Illinois law enforcement will be in a better position to help and[...]
Illinois DUI Fatalities Beginning to Level Off
After successfully decreasing the number of DUI-related deaths in the state for decades, that trend in Illinois seems to have flattened out, according to an article by the Daily Chronicle. To gain a better understanding of what this means, we need to look at the numbers. Over the last 30 years, DUI fatalities dropped by[...]
Illinois Judge Declares Ballot Photo Law Unconstitutional
An Illinois judge declared that the state law prohibiting ballot photos was unconstitutional, according to an article by the Belleville News-Democrat. On Election Day in 2016, a Madison County man attempted to take “ballot selfie” after voting. An election official told the Madison County man not to take a photo of his ballot. The reason[...]
Illinois Considers Legalization of Marijuana
With a statewide budget crisis in full swing, Illinois legislators are mulling over the legalization and taxation of marijuana as a potential solution, according to an article by DNAinfo. Separate bills proposed by State Senator Heather Steans and State Representative Kelly Cassidy both advocate for the legalization of marijuana, commonly referred to as cannabis in[...]
Chicago Police Department Blocks Applicant for Alleged Hate Crime
Citing a six-year-old hate crime charge, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) is attempting to block the hire of an Illinois man, according to an article by The Chicago Tribune. The hate crime charge in question was never prosecuted, however, raising questions about this course of action. The CPD applicant in question, Patrick Lavin, was formerly[...]
Safe Neighborhoods Reform Act Becomes Illinois Law
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed off on a bill that takes aim at repeat gun offenders, according to an article by Reuters. This bill increases the minimum sentences for repeat firearm offenses under the Illinois rules governing unlawful use of weapons. Passed as SB1722, this bill is also referred to as the Safe Neighborhoods Reform[...]
Illinois Man Accused of Kidnapping Visiting Chinese Scholar
Illinois resident Brendt Christensen is currently awaiting trial on kidnapping charges, according to an article by The Chicago Tribune. Christensen is charged in connection with the disappearance of Yingying Zhang, a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois. Prosecutors admitted that while Zhang is still missing, she is most likely dead. Prosecutors also claim to[...]
Should Sex Offenders Lose Their Right to Free Speech?
A McLean County case involving criminal sexual abuse and failure to register as a sex offender is on hold presently, while the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to hear the case, according to an article by The Pantagraph. The case centers on Mark Minnis, a Normal, Illinois resident. In 2010, when Minnis was 16, he[...]
6th Judicial Court
Dewitt County
10th Judicial Court
johnprior
@thepriorlawfirm
© 2017 The Prior Law Firm P.C.
Site Design By: White Rabbit Marketing
ILLINOIS LOCATION
1210 Towanda Ave #15
ILLINOIS Bloomington 61701
johnprior@thepriorlawfirm.com
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9175
|
__label__wiki
| 0.592373
| 0.592373
|
← An American baptism and an American marriage.
President Theodore Roosevelt married in London! →
Benjamin Franklin’s London Home
For nearly sixteen years between 1757 and 1775, Dr Benjamin Franklin – scientist, diplomat, philosopher, inventor, Founding Father of the United States and more – lived at 36 Craven Street. see map here.
In the mid 1700s Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania (1706-1790) and other leaders (becoming known as the Founding Fathers of the United States) began promoting a sense of American collective identity amongst the then 13 separate British colonies that stretched the length of the continent’s eastern coast. Responding to popular grievances against London, they set up a Continental Congress in 1774, which declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, set up state governments, and formed a new nation, the United States.
Benjamin Franklin House is a museum in a terraced Georgian house at 36 Craven Street, London, close to Trafalgar Square – on map here. It is the only surviving former residence of Benjamin Franklin. The house dates from circa 1730, and Franklin lived and worked there for sixteen years. The museum opened to the public on 17 January 2006. More here.
You can get a feel for the events that lead up to the Declaration of Independence of 4th July 1776 from this clip from the musical ‘1776’.
The strategic policies for Benjamin Franklin House are set by its Board of Governors which includes Chairman John Studzinski and Director Dr Márcia Balisciano.
This entry was posted in America. Bookmark the permalink.
1 Response to Benjamin Franklin’s London Home
Pingback: Happy Birthday America | John's World View
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9176
|
__label__cc
| 0.707799
| 0.292201
|
Tag Archives: clinicaltrials
The Shell Answer Man
cancer, clinical trials, clinicaltrials, CME, digital media, evidence based medicine, health, Just Oncology, oncology, participatory medicine, social media, twitter
Over the past 37 years in practice, I’ve received thousands of requests from patients, family and friends to interpret results of clinical trials. These requests have increased dramatically with the advent of the Internet. Many of these reports involve poor trial design or are inappropriate for the patient under consideration. Sometimes I’ve mumbled to myself “I feel like the Shell Answer Man”. For those too young to remember, I’m referring to a Shell Oil Co. ad beginning in the 1960’s in which the ‘Shell Answer Man”, replete in his Shell gas station uniform, answered common questions about driving and the uses of gas and oil. He just memorized a script; sometimes I wish I had one.
Over Labor Day weekend, while in Chicago for a family event, we turned on TV to catch up on the day’s news. As fate would have it, we stumbled upon a healthcare segment on the NBC affiliate. The reporter was listing items individuals should consider in evaluating results of clinical trials. It seemed to me that knowledge of these items would be very helpful to people who are not healthcare professionals; people who need some way to filter trials worth pursuing with their physicians. The following are those questions:
Are the patients in the trial separated into groups, with one receiving the drug or regimen being tested (“Experimental Group”) while the other is treated with the agent(s) considered standard treatment (“Controls”)? These groups are many times labeled “arms.” The Control Arm may be a placebo if there is no known standard treatment. This does not mean the patient receives no treatment at all. These types of studies are considered the “gold standard” of clinical trials in that they involve large numbers of patients who are followed for long periods of time. This increases the likelihood that resultant findings are valid. The downside is they take a long time to complete and are very expensive (about $1 billion from start to finish).
What is the total number of patients entered into the trial? As alluded to above, the more the better. If one study includes 50 patients while another 350 (all other factors being equal), place more trust in the larger trial.
What is the length of the study? In other words, how long are the patients followed? Again, the longer the better.
Were the patients included in the trial representative of the proposed population to be studied? For example, if the population to be studied involves pediatric patients, someone over 18 years of age should not be entered into the trial.
Who is funding the study? Pay attention here. If the study is paid for by the company who developed the experimental agent, how likely are they to give a completely unbiased report? Of course we want to assume that they will, but unfortunately, some won’t. A government supported trial is more likely to report balanced findings than an industry funded one. The reporter added that patients should note what the authors say about their study, i.e., do they make overly optimistic claims for their treatments? Most investigators add some type of cautionary note, like “the proposed treatment looks promising pending further studies.” This disclaimer recognizes that no study is perfect. In fact, there has been a marked increase in the number of studies initially reporting positive results that were retracted when similarly designed trials were subsequently negative. The end result has been a delay in patients receiving appropriate treatments and a horrible waste of money.
I’m adding this one on my own. I’ve noticed that one of the most common mistakes people make is to search for clinical trials involving the wrong cancer, not realizing that we identify cancers by their organ-of-origin, not the organ where they spread (metastasize). An example would be to collect articles about liver cancer instead of colon cancer that metastasized to liver.
As chairman of our hospital’s Investigational Review Committee, I and our members are in charge of reviewing proposed clinical trials conducted in our hospital district. The above factors, as well as many others, are considered before studies are approved, denied or amendments recommended. Consideration of the items discussed above could save everyone a lot of wasted time, and even lead to the retirement of the Shell Answer Man.
China Bound: An Appeal to the China Clinical Trials Consortium (CCTC), et al
cancer, china clinical trials consortium, clinical trials, clinicaltrials, evidence based medicine, integrative oncology, medical education, medicine, oncology, research, Traditional Chinese medicine
Dr. Just will be heading to China this week and has an interest in connecting with clinicians associated with the China Clinical Trials Consortium, other academic or established medical group practices’ specializing ‘integrative oncology’, or solely traditional Chinese medicine for the care of cancer patients.
For a brief personal invitation please watch the video above. Dr. Just’s Twitter handle is @chemosabe1, if you are available during the timeline below and interested in meeting with an American colleague please follow @chemosabe1 on Twitter, he will follow you back and enable direct message sharing. Otherwise an @reply will work as well.
Travel dates and cities are: arriving Beijing, Thursday, May 3rd, and departing Shanghai on Friday, May 18th, 2012.
Trials and Errors – Part II
cancer, clinical trials, clinicaltrials, FDA, medical education, medicine, oncology, pharma, research, science, social media
So, the purpose of the Cancer Genome Atlas is to identify all mutations in the most common cancers. A massive project. Several maps have been completed including melanoma, pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancers. Activation of these mutated genes results in the 6 characteristics of cancer previously listed. Therefore, it would stand to reason that aiming novel agents at these targets would inhibit growth and spread, possibly cure, cancer. But which targets to aim at? For example, pancreatic cancers contain between 50-60 mutations. To make order out of chaos, the most frequently identified mutated genes are inferred to be causative or “driver” mutations while the rest are “bystanders.” Also, by recognizing that driver mutations tend to be found in certain ”core” pathways but not others, this further reduces possible targets to a more manageable number. Between 13-15 pathways, an average of 13, are affected in a typical cancer type.
Getting back to the issue of causation, this month’s issue of Wired Magazine contains an intriguing article by Jonah Lehrer headlined by the following statement: “Dead –end experiments, useless drugs, unnecessary surgery. Why science is failing us.” The title, “TRIALS AND ERRORS”, persuaded me to read on.
The story starts with Big Pharma’s nightmare: a failed clinical trial. The drug, torcetrapib, appeared to be a slam dunk in that it lowered bad cholesterol (LDL) and increased the good (HDL) by inhibiting a protein that converts HDL to LDL. Inferred from these facts was that plaque formation would be reduced, which in turn would result in decreased morbidity and mortality from heart attacks and strokes. In fact, the opposite occurred, and the Phase III trial was terminated. Pfizer had invested more than $1 billion dollars to develop torcetrapib plus an additional $90 million to expand the manufacturing facility. The value of the company dropped by $21 billion in 1 week. Since 40% of drugs fail Phase II clinical trials, and 25,000 volunteers were participating in this trial alone, both the financial and human costs are staggering. $100 billion is invested in biomedical research annually.
How could torcetrapib fail? After all, the entire pathway of cholesterol metabolism had been mapped out and the drug’s exact site of action was known. Sound familiar? As the author states, “it is a tale of mistaken causation”. By lowering LDL and increasing HDL, it was assumed that improved cardiovascular health would result.
“This assumption-that understanding a system’s constituent parts means we also understand the causes within the system-is not limited to the pharmaceutical industry or even to biology. It defines modern science. In general, we believe that the so-called problem of causation can be cured by more information, by our ceaseless accumulation of facts. Scientists refer to this process as reductionism……Once we find the cause, of course, we can begin working on a cure.”
Over the years we have learned that our attitude toward cause and effect is perceptual and that causal explanations are oversimplifications. We have learned to deal with the issue of causation through statistical correlation. The central concept is statistical significance, which “defines a significant result as any data point that would be produced by chance less than 5% of the time.” But significant correlation does not necessarily equal cause. “While correlations help us track the relationship between independent measurements, such as the link between smoking and cancer, they are much less effective at making sense of systems in which the variables cannot be isolated.” But the human body is extremely complex with inter-relationships between multiple pathways. Mapping one pathway and identifying all mutations does not reveal interactions between multiple pathways that are connected. This is why torcetrapib failed.
We are designing new clinical trials. We are mapping all the pathways of various cancers. By inference and statistical correlation, we think we have unearthed the driver mutations and core pathways that cause cancers, whose hallmarks have been identified. Are we setting ourselves up for another torcetrapib?
cancer, clinical trials, clinicaltrials, CME, digital media, medical education, medicine, oncology, participatory medicine, pharma
The explosion of information in molecular oncology has identified a seemingly infinite number of targets for novel therapeutic agents. This has spawned the concept of personalized oncology, which has “gone viral.” However, a disconnect between the very large number of possible targets and the very small number of treatments is now apparent. In addition, most (85%) of drugs thought to be beneficial in Phase II clinical trials cannot be validated when other labs and institutions attempt to reproduce these results. And it is still taking up to 10 years and costing over $1 billion to bring a single new agent from the bench to the bedside. A postulated major roadblock is that Clinical Trial design has not adapted to these new developments.
Maitland and Schilsky addressed this topic in a comprehensive article entitled: Clinical Trials in the Era of Personalized Oncology; CA, A Cancer Journal for Clinicians; vol 61 no 6, Nov/Dec 2011: pp 365-381. Table 1, pg 366 summarizes “Oncology Care and Clinical Trials in the Eras of Population Oncology, Transition, and Personalized Oncology.” In the areas of Screening, Diagnosis, Staging, Treatment determination, and Assessment intervals, we are headed for molecular-based and individual-based decision making, but we’re still in the transition phase. As far as early phase clinical trials are concerned, the Population Oncology Era was oriented to maximum tolerated dose (MTD); the Transition Phase is oriented to “optimum biologic dose” and the Personalized Oncology Era to determine the range of tolerable and active doses. Mid-phase clinical trials use histology and prior treatment-based eligibility in typically single-arm, non-comparator trials in the Population Oncology Era; the addition of some marker-based screening and some randomized controlled trials in the Transition Phase and some trials, histology, and prior treatment-based eligibility with rapid, serial assessments in the Personalized Oncology Era, many with eligibility restricted to tumor marker subsets. Obviously, the trend is to stratify patients according to their biomarkers and to serially assess for response or lack of it at more frequent intervals to accelerate the conduct of trials.
Another issue is the complexity of the diseases we’re dealing with. Weinberg and Hanahan proposed 6 “rules” that define the behavior of cancers, the so-called hallmarks of cancer:
Self-sufficiency in growth signals: cancer cells acquire an autonomous drive to proliferate, so-called pathological mitosis, by virtue of the activation of oncogenes
Insensitivity to growth-inhibitory (antigrowth) signals: cancer cells inactivate tumor suppressor genes that normally inhibit growth.
Evasion of programmed cell death (apoptosis): cancer cells suppress and inactivate genes and pathways that normally enable cells to die.
Limitless replicative potential: cancer cells activate specific gene pathways that render them immortal even after generations of growth.
Sustained angiogenesis: cancer cells acquire the capacity to draw out their own supply of blood and blood vessels-tumor angiogenesis.
Tissue invasion and metastasis: cancer cells acquire the capacity to migrate to other organs, invade other tissues, and colonize these organs, resulting in their spread throughout the body.
A Cancer Genome Atlas is currently in process of development for the major cancers to map all these mutations and pathways to hopefully identify targets important in the causation of these cancers.
When Less is More – Part II
cancer, clinicaltrials, epatients, medicine, oncology, participatory medicine, pharma, research, twitter, value based medicine, wellness
In my last blog, I discussed the rationale behind and evidence supporting the United States Preventive Services Task Force’s (USPSTF) recommendation to discontinue routine PSA screening for prostate cancer. Exceptions might be made in circumstances where men are at high risk. In 2009, the USPSTF found that screening mammography offered no benefit to women in their 40’s. Previously, screening was recommended every other year between ages 40-50. Now it is suggested that women between 50-74 years of age be screened every other year rather than annually. Pushback to all of these recommendations has been “animated” to say the least. Finally, the annual PAP smear for cervical cancer has been challenged. Rather than annual exams, the proposed change is every 3 years.
In her New York Times article of October 29, 2011 entitled: “Considering When It Might Be Best Not to Know About Cancer”, Gina Kolata asks “What changed?” Her conclusion is that new information is now available. In regard to breast cancer, mammography finds the cancer in 138,000 women per year. But between 120,000 to 134,000 have cancers that already are lethal, or cancers that are so indolent they require no treatment. In the same article, the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, Dr. Otis Brawley, states the way we look at screening has also changed. “No longer is it just, Can you find the cancer?…..Now it is, Can you find the cancer, and does finding the cancer lead to a decrease in the mortality rate?” Factor in possible harm that can result from screening, e.g, surgical procedures for benign conditions, and increase in cost, resulting in a benefit/risk ratio that is upside down.
While researchers and clinicians are approaching screening from multiple angles, annual mammography has assumed an almost unassailable status from our patients’ point of view. To many, screening is equated with prevention of cancer, which is untrue. Tiring of hearing the unsubstantiated claim that “a mammogram saved my life,” Dr. H. Gilbert Welch and Brittney A. Frankel from Dartmouth conducted an analysis estimating a woman’s 10-year risk of developing breast cancer and her 20-year risk of death. Their calculations included the added value of early detection and benefits from improvements in treatment. It was concluded that of the 60% of women whose breast cancer was detected by mammography, only 3-13% were helped by the test. This amounts to 4,000-18,000 women per year out of a total of 230,000 women diagnosed with the disease. Conversely, of the 138,000 patients found to have breast cancer as a result of screening mammography, 120,000-134,000 are not helped by the test. In turn, these numbers pale when put in the context that 39 million women have mammograms each year in the U.S. So, when they did the numbers, claims that mammography saves lives really are untenable. The paper by Welch and Frankel was published online on October 24, 2011 in the Arch Intern Med.2011.476.
For abstract, click here.
I agree with my colleagues that some women are helped by screening but the numbers are very low. Also, the premise that early diagnosis saves lives has been somewhat diminished by improvements in treatment of aggressive and even advanced cancers. Mammography has certainly improved our ability to diagnose breast cancers earlier as reflected by the marked increase in incidence of carcinoma in situ, i.e., pre-invasive cancer. And these are not lethal cancers. Do these facts justify the $5 billion spent on mammograms annually? I think not. But the reality is until these recommendations become standard of care, I doubt that many physicians would be brave enough to adopt these as policy in our litigious society. That’s the sad truth.
When Less Is More
cancer, carcinoembryonic antigen, cea, clinical trials, clinicaltrials, medical education, medicine, oncology, participatory medicine, podcasting, social media, twitter
The longer I continue in practice, the more complex it becomes. I thought advances in our understanding of the molecular basis of cancer would clarify decision making ; instead answers have led to more questions. In the spirit of the immortal Henny Youngman: Take the issue of cancer screening, PLEASE!!
The story of screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) and prostate cancer has many similarities. The primary screening and diagnostic tool during my training years was the digital rectal exam (DRE). In CRC the manual examination was (and still is) supplemented with stool occult blood testing. A positive result usually leads to an invasive procedure, e.g., barium enema or colonoscopy. Not fun procedures! And if the test is falsely positive, not only is unnecessary time wasted, cost expended, and anxiety generated, but severe morbidity (bowel perforation) and possible mortality can result.
Enter the great hope: the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Finally a simple blood test that would solve all our problems. It was originally marketed as a specific screening test that should save lives. But within a short period of time, it was discovered that a positive test wasn’t specific for CRC and a negative test did not always rule it out. CEA determinations are still useful in following patients treated for CRC to get an idea if they are responding or not. But, they are not reliable enough in diagnosing CRC let alone reducing mortality from the disease. Thus, CEA testing is not recommended as a screening test for the general population.
Contrary to the experience with CEA, PSA (prostate specific antigen) screening for prostate cancer has been made available to all middle age and elderly men for 20 years. Its utility has not been seriously questioned until the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reviewed two negative clinical trials and recommended that PSA not be used to screen the population at large. As with changes in recommendations involving screening mammograms made by USPSTF two years previously, response and pushback has been vocal and immediate. But, these two trials demonstrated that PSA-based screening of the general population does not save lives.
I found the article ‘Prostate-Cancer Screening — What the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Left Out‘ in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine frames the debate about screening into its proper perspective. (Allan S. Brett, M.D. and Richard J. Ablin, Ph.D.: NEJM, 10,1056, October 26, 2011). They point out that PSA is not a cancer-specific protein and there is a wide variation in aggressiveness across the spectrum of prostate cancer. Therefore, “controversy and debate about PSA screening were predictable from the outset.” They cite three issues the panel didn’t address even though they “agree fully with the task force’s analysis”:
Every guideline recommends discussing the benefit/risk ratio and individualizing screening decisions taking into account patient values and preferences. In this era of consumerism, a laudable approach. However, before the publication of the two trials mentioned above, no data existed to support screening. So a discussion based on evidence was impossible. “Thus, patients were not really making informed decisions, and office-based discussion of the pros and cons of PSA testing was essentially a charade. Instead, most patients’ decisions reflected their general concerns about cancer or their general inclination to accept (or resist) medical interventions”.
I lost count of the number of times lengthy discussions ended with patient and family saying that I was the doctor and should make decisions for them. Even in this age of patient advocacy. As Brett and Ablin point out, the two screening trials only add to the confusion in that one did not demonstrate any mortality benefit while the other demonstrated a small reduction in prostate cancer related mortality, and there were differences in methodology between them.
Management of individual and serial PSA values is inconsistent and unpredictable even within practices. Physicians are trying to adopt reproducible practices, but “the guidelines are vague precisely because the limitations of PSA screening preclude the kind of rational, standardized, evidence-based algorithm that should inform any routine preventive intervention”. When one of my colleagues nonchalantly proclaims to practice Evidence-Based Medicine, I remain skeptical.
It has been estimated that $5.2 million is spent screening everyone to prevent one death from prostate cancer. This does not include excessive PSA testing and extra encounters. So some estimate the actual cost to be more than double this figure. The authors argue that there are other more pressing uses for this money. The argument that Black men, who have a higher incidence of prostate cancer than whites, should be screened. Statistics don’t bear this out since the proportion of deaths from prostate cancer in 2007 was 3.3% in blacks and 2.3% in whites. The difference is not great enough to justify race related screening, even if we knew how to do it.
A New York Times article entitled: Considering When It Might Be Best Not to Know About Cancer, October 29, 2011, raises the possibility that more screening may not be productive and could possibly be harmful. In 2009, the USPSTF, charged with reviewing evidence and publishing screening guidelines, recommended that screening mammograms not be performed on women in their 40’s, and they be reduced to every other year up to age 74. A similar backlash occurred. I will review this issue in my next blog.
Drug Shortages: A View From The Trenches
cancer, clinical trials, clinicaltrials, CME, digital media, Dr Just, drug shortgages, elder wisdom, epatients, FDA, health, health 2.0, innovation, Just Oncology, kris ghosh md, medical education, medicine, oncology, Pacific Oncology, participatory medicine, pharma, physician, research, San Diego, social media, twitter, wellness
A few weeks ago, I had a discussion with Kris Ghosh, MD one of our local GYN Oncologists, (listen here). We talked specifically about Doxil, the usual second line treatment for recurrent ovarian cancer. We agreed that the lack of availability of the drug does limit options for these patients, with further increase in already heightened anxiety levels for patients and families. Add to the mix the increase in stress levels of oncologists and our staffs trying to handle one more insult to a broken healthcare system. In one patient who was due to start treatment I was able to substitute topotecan (Hycamptin). Fortunately, she is responding and tolerating the agent very well. We had put her name on our list of patients who were waiting for Doxil when it became available. So I was able to use the drug allocated to her for another patient with multiple myeloma. The only agent that had controlled his disease was Doxil. I guess the problem worked out well in these cases, but it appears that this shell game is going to become routine. The question arises: “Is this the harbinger of rationing cancer care?”
In my residency training in the late ‘60’s/early ‘70’s, I rotated through the Nephrology service when hemodialysis was relatively new. Just like today, demand for the procedure far outstripped supply. One of the factors taken into consideration in a negative way was anyone whose renal failure was due to diabetes. That’s a lot of people!! Obviously, we were very uncomfortable being put in that predicament. Hindsight personalized this for me since my maternal grandfather died of sepsis after amputation of one of his legs for diabetic gangrene, my father died of every complication of diabetes and was hemodialyzed for 2 ½ years before his death, and I have type I diabetes and am on an insulin pump but fortunately no signs of renal impairment, yet. I’m sure my father would never have been treated during my training years. I’m sure our cancer patients experience similar anxiety and fear when faced our current dilemma.
Causes of shortages are multifactorial. In Doxil’s case, the manufacturing plant in Alabama was struck by lightning during the tornado earlier this year. Hard to believe but that’s the story. Obviously an unpredictable Serious Adverse Event (SAE). However, most of the chemotherapy drugs in short supply are older agents, e.g., bleomycin, cisplatin, cytarabine, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, etoposide, leucovorin/levoleucovorin, mechlorethamine, thiotepa, and vincristine. Many are now off patent and therefore priced lower as generics; so not as profitable. In some cases manufacturing of the drug was stopped in anticipation of newer and, of course, more expensive replacements. One of the predictable side effects replacing old, cheaper drugs with newer, more expensive agents is pushback from payors who deny coverage/payment. We then get on the authorization-denial-authorization-denial merry go round many times leading to a teleconference with the medical director of the health plan. All this takes time and can delay treatment for quite a while, adversely effecting results. Especially when used with curative intent and when there are no good substitutes, this is unacceptable. Another complication is the emergence of a “gray market” where drugs from questionable sources pass through unknown hands to our offices at up to 10 times the usual price. In the ‘90’s we called this brown-bagging. Trying to keep inventory straight as to which drug from what source belonged to whom was an added challenge.
From the above, it is obvious that health care is big business. An invaluable source of health care information is, therefore, the Wall Street Journal. In last weekend’s edition I learned that “Roche Holding AG has stopped delivering its drugs for cancer and other diseases to some state-funded hospitals in Greece that haven’t paid their bills.” This policy may extend to Spain, Portugal and Italy. Patients had to purchase chemotherapy from private pharmacies and bring them back to hospitals for administration. In the US, we find ourselves in a similar situation in that we can’t afford to purchase some drugs for our patients. So drug shortages are a global issue involving different causes requiring different approaches directed to specific problems.
I found two articles helpful in defining the problem and proposing possible solutions:
Link, M., et. al.: Drug Shortages Threaten Patient Health and Safety; HemOnc today, vol 12 no 15, August 10, 2011, pg 1, 10-12.
Johnson, P.E.: Drug Shortages: Impact and Strategies; JNCCN, vol 9 no 8, August, 2011, pp 815-819.
Surprise!!!
clinical trials, clinicaltrials, CME, Dr Just, elder wisdom, Just Oncology, legacy, medical education, medicine, mentoring, oncology, Pacific Oncology, participatory medicine, pharma, physician, podcasting, research, San Diego, social media, wellness
As I was browsing through the Harvard Business Review the other day (seriously, this is not my usual reading material), I happened on an interesting article. Actually, the piece was an interview in the “Idea Watch” section entitled: “Defend Your Research; The Color Pink Is Bad for Fighting Breast Cancer”, HBR, pp. 30-31, July-August, 2011. Professor Stefano Puntoni, an associate professor of marketing management at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, was asked to explain the counter-intuitive findings of his research. He stated: “Our original prediction was boring. My research partners-Steven Sweldens of Insead and Nader Tavassoli of London Business School-and I thought pink and other gender cues would make campaigns against women’s diseases, such as breast and ovarian cancer, more effective. But we found the opposite”.
Perplexed, they delayed publishing their results and kept running tests. After 3 years, the same basic finding was validated 10 times. Initially, women who wrote an essay about gender were less likely to donate to ovarian cancer research than women writing gender-neutral essays (42% vs. 77%). Then, breast cancer banner ads were placed on a website but not mentioned to the women viewing them. When the site was feminine-oriented, 33% recalled the ads; when gender-neutral, 65% remembered. The color pink turns out to be one of many feminine gender-cues, but prior to the 20th century it was actually associated with the male gender.
Most importantly, “these findings seem to fly in the face of the marketing principle that you should build a strong brand that emotionally connects with consumers”. So why is this? Interestingly, ideas or concepts that are regarded as threatening or difficult to comprehend elicit defensive responses, mainly denial. The color pink tends to connect women with the thought that they could die of breast cancer. Another fascinating fact is that not all gender-cues result in defensive responses. Mascara ads were placed on control websites and 76% of the gender-primed group recalled these non-threatening ads, even more than the control group (65%). Additionally, gender-cues involving prostate cancer are not as threatening in men. The author postulates that prostate cancer is more a disease of older men and has a longer natural history, i.e., it is not associated with impending fatality.
Finally, since pink is synonymous with breast cancer, “is there any way to preserve it but overcome the negative effect”? Women found pink ads about breast cancer harder to read than more gender-neutral peach ads. But, men found pink ads slightly easier to read. One suggestion that results from this is “that seeing more men wearing pink as part of breast cancer awareness may start to break down the color’s effect as a gender cue”. Another thought is that pink may empower men to donate more. Obviously, work in this field is very preliminary.
As a result of the above article, I tried to think of research where the opposite of the anticipated result was found. Tamoxifen was approved for clinical use shortly after I started my practice in 1975. It was marketed as an anti-estrogenic alternative to surgical oophorectomy. Therefore, the concern was that it could lead to osteoporosis. To test this hypothesis, studies were initiated in 1980 and completed 10 years later. If anything, Tamoxifen resulted in slight reduction in the incidence of bone fractures. But: surprise, surprise!! Increases in endometrial cancer and deep venous thrombosis, occasionally leading to lethal pulmonary emboli, were found. These complications led to the realization that the drug had estrogenic properties and was in fact a partial, not total, Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM).
Quoting Don Miguel Ruiz from The Four Agreements:
“The Third Agreement Is Don’t Make Assumptions. We have the tendency to make assumptions about everything. The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth. We could swear they are real.”
This is why we do research.
Victims No More
cancer, clinical trials, clinicaltrials, Daniel Kraft MD, digital media, Dr Just, elder wisdom, FutureMed, genomics, medicine, oncology, Pacific Oncology, research, San Diego, Singularity University, social media, twitter
It was 1967. I was an intern in the UCLA-Wadsworth VA Rotating Internship Program when I reported for my physical as part of the Berry Plan deferment. For the younger set, physicians and dentists could elect to delay military service until completion of their first year of residency training, and we could elect our branch of service we preferred to serve in. I chose the Air Force. On the History portion, I stated that I suffered with asthma since childhood. Within short order, I was notified of disqualification by the Air Force, my Draft Board reclassified my status to IA, and I was drafted into the U.S. Army, losing my deferment! I sought legal advice, pronto.
After one year of legal maneuvering, during which time an independent physician certified I should be disqualified from military service altogether, my attorney informed me that all appeals had been exhausted. I had two options: go in as a captain or be drafted as a private. I elected the former. His parting words were: “At least you won’t go to Viet Nam. Not with all the documentation”. My orders read “Saigon”. Modifying the Sinatra song: “It Was” NOT “A Very Good Year”.
I resigned myself to serving my time in Viet Nam. My wife and one year old daughter would live in Hawaii near her father during my tour. But, my wife admonished me to try one more time to appeal what was obviously unfair. So, before we left for Ft. Sam Houston, I humored her and called the Pentagon. I explained the situation to a Major Baker who was new at his post. He discovered that all of my records had been shredded! I sent more copies of my documents to a panel of physicians for its review with no guarantee that their decision would change my orders.
On reporting to Ft. Sam, the entire new group was addressed by the commanding officer. Sighting his rank (a bird colonel), we greeted him with the loudest groan I’ve ever heard. But I’ll never forget his advice to us: “Let’s face it, we gotcha. You can be miserable all this time. Or you can make the best of it”. He went on to say that we would have one year (I had two) at a stateside base during which time we should avail ourselves of all the opportunities to do something other than practice medicine 24/7. Two weeks later, I was called into the same bird colonel’s office and advised Major Baker had called. I was not going to Viet Nam! I’ve said a prayer for Major Baker every night since. And I did everything reasonable to appeal the decision and then let it go. No longer a victim.
My two years at the Rock island Arsenal were terrific. One Sunday I was rounding at a local hospital when a general practitioner (that’s what the terminology was in those days) commented about the then recently enacted Medicare legislation: “Mark my words. This is the beginning of Socialized Medicine”. From that point on, any proposal to organize our practices was met with suspicion. We were victims of external pressures and resisted most changes to the status quo.
Over time, this attitude has shifted to a more proactive position, dealing with the situation at hand (i.e., making the best of it) and trusting in an outcome that can be managed. I was impressed by an article entitled: “Oncology patient-centered medical home and accountable cancer care” by John D. Sprandio, M.D. in the December 2010 issue of Community Oncology, Volume 7/Number 12, pp. 565-572. This medical home model has been adapted to oncology from primary care as both are assuming more responsibilities for patient care and are under severe financial restraints. For oncologists, the situation is complicated by “by the perverse methodology of paying physician practices for the drugs they administer after discounts from pharmaceutical companies-a model that has eroded over the past several years”. A detailed description of the model is provided and successes to date listed, giving hope that we can deal with proposed healthcare reform in a positive manner. Current and future challenges are discussed. These include:
Assessing and improving value in cancer care.
Enhancing physician accountability.
Standardizing and integrating clinical care.
Encouraging payer collaboration.
The author concludes by stating: “None of the other efforts that payers are considering provides a sustainable business model for community oncologists”. It was refreshing to read a well thought out plan addressing present issues rather than the old whining and complaining of the past. Rather than victims, we become survivors.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9182
|
__label__wiki
| 0.835407
| 0.835407
|
Treasures of the Brotherton
Our Special Collections are distinctive because they are not confined to a particular time or subject. The selection presented here is merely a snapshot of what are extensive collections, definable as treasures due to their value, rarity or distinctiveness.
Hours of Antoine de Crèvecoeur, 1450-75
In our catalogue: [Hours of Antoine de Crèvecœur]
A book of hours was a devotional book, popular in the Middle Ages. The manuscript of the Hours is mainly in Latin, but includes some text in French with 38 large arched miniatures. The borders throughout are decorated with intricate curving foliage and ivy leaves in pen and gold, enclosing grotesques, birds, animals and flowers in colour.
It was made in northern France in the middle of the 15th century for Antoine de Crèvecoeur. His patron portrait shows him kneeling in prayer, arranged so that he is looking towards his patron saint, St Anthony. The portrait was altered to represent the second owner, Hughes de Mazijnghem, who had Antoine_amp_#39;s name scraped out from the text and the colours on the armoury and shield repainted for those of himself. Remains of the original composition can be seen underneath the overpainted pigment.
As early as the beginning of the 16th century the manuscript passed to the family of Hornes, and in the 17th century to the family named Pot. Later, the manuscript belonged to Pierre Duanne. Lord Brotherton bought it from the bookseller Chas J Sawyer in the 1920s and donated it to Leeds University Library.
Epitome Margaritae Eloquentia (printed by William ...
In our catalogue: [Epitome margaritae eloquentiae]
This is a unique copy of a book printed by William Caxton, England's first printer. Epitome Margaritae Eloquentia ("Epitome of the Pearl of Eloquence") by Lorenzo Guglielmo Traversagni summarizes his larger work on rhetoric, Nova Rhetorica.
Manuscript additions on its blank leaves give interesting insights into the work's early use. Alongside the formal work on rhetoric are two 16th-century ballads set to music: "A ballet of ye deth of ye Cardynall" about Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the alter rex to Henry VIII, and "A lytyll ballet mayde of ye yong dukes gace" about Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, an illegitimate son of Henry VIII.
The Epitome suffered damage by damp, and was repaired separately from the other works in the composite volume. The leaves with music are preserved within the new binding, at the end of the main text block.
The Epitome was part of Ripon Cathedral Library from at least the mid-17th century, having belonged to Anthony Higgin, Dean of Ripon, from 1608 to 1624. It was bought for the Brotherton Collection in 1959 after being put to auction by the Dean and Chapter of Ripon.
De Humani Corporis Fabrica, 1543
In our catalogue: De humani corporis fabrica libri septem
Vesalius's De Humani Corporis Fabrica ("On the Fabric of the Human Body") is second to none as a printed medical book for its elegant typography and beautiful illustrations. It was the first work on anatomy that used illustration to such an extent.
In Fabrica, Vesalius emphasises the importance of dissection of the human body and criticises his contemporaries who relied on the dissection of animals for their research (human corpses were not as readily available as they once had been).
The work was printed in Basle by the publisher Oporinus in 1543. The format is large: the book is 43 centimetres tall and has 663 pages. There are 83 plates and several historiated initials for books and chapters.
Fabrica is most famous for its full-page illustrations of skeletons and muscle men, pictured as if they were alive, standing upright with their arms out, and posing in front of landscapes. They are printed from pearwood woodcuts made in Venice. The artist of the illustrations could have been Stefan Calcar (as Giorgio Vasari declared), or even the great Venetian painter Titian assisted by his pupils, or possibly Vesalius himself.
Die Rotwelsch
Die Rotwelsch Grammatic, 1520
In our catalogue: Die rotwelsch Grammatic / unnd barlen der Wanderschafft. Dardurch den Weiszhulmen gevopt ... damit mann stettinger und speltling uberkompt [sic] / im Schrefenbosz Joham zi schöcheren / und mit Riblingen zurürn hab ... [etc.]
Leeds University Library holds the only surviving copy of Die Rotwelsch Grammatic, printed in Augsburg in 1520. It deals with Rotwelsch, a language prevalent amongst travellers and itinerant craftsmen from the Middle Ages onwards.
The first references to Rotwelsch appeared around the middle of the 13th century but it was later that it became identified as the language of false beggars and thieves. Through such works, travellers and by extension their languages became a topic of the Reformation debate about almsgiving and begging.
Die Rotwelsch Grammatic consists of 27 printed pages including two (identical) woodcuts of a man and a woman, dressed for travelling on foot and carrying distinctive staffs. The text is in Middle German. There is a short vocabulary of Rotwelsch as well as notes on grammar and language. The text introduces different types and groups of Gypsies and travelling beggars and gives brief information about travellers.
Die Rotwelsch Grammatic formed part of the Huth Library. It was sold by Quaritch and came into the possession of Mrs DU McGrigor Phillips, who donated it to the Library in 1950 as part of the Romany Collection.
The First Folio of Mr. William Shakespeares Comedi...
In our catalogue: Mr. William Shakespeares comedies, histories, & tragedies. Published according to the true originall copies
The "First Folio" is widely considered the most important book in English and world literature, and one of the greatest books ever published. The First Folio appeared in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare's death, and was compiled by John Heminge and Henry Condell, who had been theatre colleagues of Shakespeare. Though their motivation may in part have been financial, they undoubtedly saw the production of the First Folio as an act of homage to a writer whose unique status was already apparent to contemporaries.
The term "folio" refers to the book's impressive physical size. The main enduring significance of the book lies in the inclusion of 18 plays, including Macbeth, Twelfth Night and The Tempest, which would otherwise be unknown. The slow, accident-prone hand-printing methods of the 1620s and the uncertainties of history have made all copies different from one other; these differences form the study of many scholars.
228 copies of the First Folio are thought still to exist, probably just under a third of those originally printed. Only 44 copies remain in the UK, and just six universities own one. Leeds University Library's copy, purchased by Lord Brotherton_from an American collector in 1924, is acknowledged to be in unusually good condition.
The complete folio has been digitised by the University Library.
Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, 1686
In our catalogue: Philosophiæ naturalis principia mathematica
Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica is the most important and influential single publication in the history of science. It summarises Newton's discoveries in terrestrial and celestial mechanics and presents the peaks of Newton's achievement - the development of calculus and the law of universal gravitation.
The Principia was first published in London in 1687 and licensed for publication in 1686 by Samuel Pepys, President of the Royal Society. The astronomer Edmund Halley edited and financed the Principia, as the Royal Society had spent the available funds on an extravagant publication - De Historia Piscium ("The History of Fishes").
In his preface Newton wrote: "...I offer this work as the mathematical principles of philosophy, for the whole burden of philosophy seems to consist in this - from the phenomena of motions to investigate the forces of nature, and then from these forces to demonstrate the other phenomena..." The Principia established this scientific method, giving a mathematical expression to natural phenomena and placing modern thought on a new course.
The Leeds copy of the Principia was gifted by All Souls College, Oxford, in 1926, together with other early books on science and religion.
Dame Mary Lister's Household Book, 1623-35
In our catalogue: Recipe book known as 'Dame Mary Lister's household book'
Dame Mary Lister was the daughter of Sir Henry Bellasys of Newburgh Priory. She married Sir William Lister in 1610 and became the head of household in his manor at Thornton-in-Craven.
Her household book details recipes, but also includes religious notes and inventories of cloth, silver and pewter items. There are herbal remedies such as "The Preparation of Fox Lungs from Mr. Slinger" (a treatment for asthma), "Water for Wounds by [th]e Lady Fairfax" and "A Medicine for...hurt of a hand Gunne".
The majority of the text is in the hand of Mary Lister, and was written between 1623 and 1635, but there are also several recipes by Grace Bellasis (d.1659), Lister's niece-in-law, as well as notes probably for or of a sermon on Joshua and a catechism on Genesis.
The Cookery Collection is based on two historic private collections - the Blanche Leigh Collection presented in 1939 and the complementary John F Preston Collection presented in 1962. They were joined by the Camden Cookery Collection, covering the later 20th century, in the 1980s.
Jacobean Travelling Library, January 1617
In our catalogue: Travelling Library
Brotherton Collection
This is one of our most curious items. It is a miniature travelling library from 17th-century England: a wooden case bound in brown turkey leather, disguising it as a large folio volume, containing three shelves of gold-tooled vellum-bound books.
The books within are all small in format and bound in limp vellum covers with coloured fabric ties. They are gold-tooled on the spine with a flower and a wreath, and all the covers have a gilt angel bearing a scroll that reads GLORIA DEO. The catalogue inside the front cover is arranged in three columns of text within an architectural structure of arches and columns painted on a sheet of vellum.
The library was probably commissioned by William Hakewill MP (1574-1655) for a friend at the turn of the year 1617/1618; within a period of five years he ordered three other such libraries to be made for his friends or patrons. These are now held at the British Library, the Huntington Library California, and the Toledo Museum of Art Ohio. The recipient of the Brotherton copy seems to have been a member of the Irish Madden family, whose arms are clearly painted beneath the catalogue of the library inside the front board.
The life of Feild [sic] Marshal the Right Honourab...
In our catalogue: The Life of Alexander Percy
The Brontë siblings Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell brought excitement to their childhood and teens in a remote Yorkshire parsonage by writing stories that created complex imaginary worlds. Branwell and his elder sister Charlotte wrote of the kingdom of Angria, Emily and Anne of Gondal.
This manuscript story is an example of Branwell's Angrian writing, consisting of 34 pages densely written in the barely legible script that he and his sisters typically used, probably to protect the privacy of their story-telling.
Echoes of Angria and Gondal are evident in the sisters' mature work - but for Branwell there was virtually no mature work, for his early promise as a writer and artist was destroyed by alcohol, opiates and unrequited love.
Critic and journalist Clement Shorter traced Charlotte's elderly widower AB Nicholls, who handed over bundles of manuscripts. Shorter and his associate TJ Wise split them up and sold them off in batches, leaving later scholars with the bewildering task of trying to reconstruct the stories from fragments distributed in collections worldwide, sometimes page by page. Two of Branwell's stories illustrated here remained intact, but were lost until 1980 when they were acquired for the Brotherton Collection.
The Duchess of Padua, 1883
In our catalogue: The Duchess of Padua / Oscar Wilde.
Wilde is celebrated for his sparkling social comedies of the 1890s, but it is little known that his writing for the stage began over a decade earlier with a pair of failures. On completing The Duchess of Padua, his second play, he declared, "I have no hesitation in saying that it is the masterpiece of all my literary work, the chef-d'oeuvre of my youth".
It was eventually produced in New York in 1891, but did not transfer to the London stage and by 1898 Wilde conceded, The Duchess is unfit for publication. By then he had found his true voice as a dramatist.
The autograph manuscript consists of 228 pages and Wilde's changes and corrections show the play developing. It includes instructions for printing the text, suggesting that this manuscript version was used for producing the first published edition of only 20 copies in 1883. The play was finally published for a wider audience in the Collected Edition of Wilde's works in 1908.
Rare books and manuscripts by Wilde, including The Duchess, are a major feature of the Library's Fay and Geoffrey Elliott Collection, a benefaction which began in 2002 and continues to grow.
Vile Bodies, 1929-30
In our catalogue: Evelyn Waugh, autograph letters and manuscripts, including the manuscript of 'Vile Bodies', with related material.
In 1929 Waugh was elated by the recent success of his debut novel Decline and Fall. As his glamorous partying life in London became more strenuous than ever, he withdrew to the country to write his second novel.
Within weeks of starting work on Vile Bodies, Waugh discovered that his wife had started an affair with a mutual friend. Much scholarly interest in the novel centres on the effect of this event on its composition. It is evident which handwritten sections were sent by Waugh to his typist earlier and later, grouped in uniquely folded batches. From this we can identify the novel;s turning point. Vile Bodies was published in 1930 and Waugh's first marriage was annulled in the same year.
Vile Bodies is the only original manuscript of an Evelyn Waugh novel to remain in the UK. He gave it away to friends on completion, separating it from the rest of his large manuscript collection, which was sold to the University of Texas after his sudden death in 1966.
Fay and Geoffrey Elliott presented the Vile Bodies manuscript to Leeds University Library in 2002.
Bertram Ratcliffe's sardine tin and map of Ba...
In our catalogue: RATCLIFFE, BERTRAM LOUIS
Bertram (Bertie) Ratcliffe (1893-1992) was a nephew of Leeds University Library's great benefactor, Lord Brotherton, and already an officer in the regular army before the outbreak of the First World War. He was among the first British soldiers to be wounded, at the Battle of the Marne in September 1914. He was captured by the Germans and imprisoned at Ingolstadt in Bavaria.
A friend in London attempted to send him this map of Bavaria soldered into a sardine tin, but the workman asked to do the soldering informed the police and the map was never sent. His mother succeeded in sending him a compass in a tin of Harrogate toffee, which he used when a chance to escape arose in 1917. He became the first British prisoner of war to make his way back to England, receiving a hero's welcome and the award of a Military Cross.
The military historian Dr Peter Liddle developed the Liddle Collection privately from the early 1960s until 1988, when it was acquired by Leeds University Library. The collection continues to grow through many donations.
Autochrome, c1910
In our catalogue: ANDREEV, Vadim Leonidovich (1902-1976)
Leonid Andreev's great success as a writer in the early 20th century enabled him to pursue the rather expensive hobby of stereoscopic colour photography, using the Autochrome technique that was first marketed by the Lumière brothers in 1907.
In 1989, 80 of Andreev's images were published by Thames and Hudson in London and New York in the book Photographs by a Russian Writer: An Undiscovered Portrait of Pre-Revolutionary Russia, which also came out in Finnish, French, German and Italian editions. Andreev autochromes have been exhibited in Britain, France, Germany and Russia and used on many book covers and theatre posters. They have also featured in several histories and encyclopaedias of photography.
The Leeds Russian Archive holds over 300 of Andreev's original autochrome plates and copies of others held by museums in Russia and the United States.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9186
|
__label__cc
| 0.610792
| 0.389208
|
Kevin Knudson
My Favorite Theorem
Talk Slides
My Favorite Theorem/
Math/
Talk Slides/
CV/
Personal/
Home of the "My Favorite Theorem" podcast.
A podcast dedicated to sharing our guests' favorite mathematical results. Follow us on Twitter at @myfavethm.
My Favorite Theorem RSS
Episode 39 - Fawn Nguyen
March 27, 2019 / Kevin Knudson
Evelyn Lamb: Hello and welcome to My Favorite Theorem, a math podcast where we get mathematicians to tell us about theorems. I'm one of your hosts, Evelyn Lamb. I'm a freelance math and science writer in Salt Lake City, Utah. And this is your other host.
Kevin Knudson: Hi, I’m Kevin Knudson, professor of mathematics at the University of Florida. It's Friday night.
EL: Yeah, yeah, I kind of did things in a weird order today. So there's this concert at the Utah Symphony that I wanted to go to, but I can't go tonight or tomorrow night, which are the only two nights they're doing it. But they had an open rehearsal today. So I went to a symphony concert this morning. And now I'm doing work tonight, so it's kind of a backwards day.
KK: Yeah. Well, I got up super early to meet with my financial advisor.
EL: Oh, aren’t you an adult?
KK: I do want to retire someday. I’ve got 20 years yet, but you know, now it's nighttime and my wife is watching Drag Race and I'm talking about math. So.
EL: Cool. Yeah.
KK: Life is good.
EL: Yes. Well, we're very happy today to have Fawn Nguyen on the show. Hi, Fawn. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Fawn Nguyen: Hi, Evelyn. Hi, Kevin. I was was thinking, “How nerdy can we be? It’s Friday.”
So my name is Fawn Nguyen. I teach at Mesa Union School in Somis, California. And it's about 60 miles north of LA.
EL: Okay.
FN: 30 miles south of Santa Barbara. I teach—the school I'm at is a K-8, one-school district, of about 600 students. Of those 600, about 190 of them are in the junior high, 6-8, but it's a unique one-school district. So we're a family. It's nice. It's my 16th year there but 27th overall.
EL: Okay, and where did you teach before then?
FN: I was in Oregon. And I was actually a science teacher.
KK: Is your current place on the coast or a little more inland?
FN: Coast, yeah, about 10 miles from the coast. I think we have perfect weather, the best weather in the world. So.
KK: It’s beautiful there, it’s really—it’s hard to complain. Yeah.
FN: Yeah. It’s reflected in the mortgage, or rent.
EL: Yeah
KK: Right.
FN: Big time.
EL: So yeah, what theorem have you decided to share with us today?
FN: You mean, not everyone else chose the Pythagorean Theorem?
EL: It is a very good theorem.
FN: Yeah. I chose the Pythagorean Theorem. I have some reasons, actually five reasons.
KK: Five, good.
FN: I was thinking, yeah, that's a lot of reasons considering I don't have, you know, five reasons to do anything else! So I don't know, should I just talk about my reasons?
EL: Yeah, what’s your first reason?
FN: Jump right in?
EL: Well, actually, we should probably actually at least say what the Pythagorean theorem is. It's a very familiar theorem, and everyone should have heard about it in a middle school math class from a teacher as great as Fawn. But yeah, so could you summarize the theorem for us?
FN: Well, that's just it. Yeah, I chose it for one, it’s the first and most obvious reason, because I am at the middle school. And so this is a big one for us, if not the only one. And it's within my pay grade. I can wrap my head around this one. Yeah, it's one of our eighth grade Common Core standards. And the theorem states that when you have a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the two legs is equal to the square of the hypotenuse.
FN: How did I do, Kevin?
KK: Well, yeah, that's perfect. In fact, today I was—it just so happens that today, I was looking through the 1847 Oliver Byrne edition of Euclid’s Elements, this sort of very famous one with the pictures where the colors, shapes, and all of that, and I just I happened to look at that theorem, and the proof of it, which is really very nice.
FN: Yeah. So it being you know, the middle school one for us, and also, when I talk about my students doing this theorem—I just want to make sure that you understand that I no longer teach eighth grade, though. This is the first year actually at Mesa, and I've been there 16 years, that I do not get eighth graders. I'm teaching sixth graders. So when I refer to the lessons, I just want to make sure that you understand these are my former students.
FN: Yeah. And once upon a time, we tracked our eighth graders at Mesa. So we had a geometry class for the eighth graders. And so of course, we studied the Pythaogrean theorem then.
KK: So you have reasons.
FN: I have reasons. So that was the first reason, it’s a big one because, yeah. The second reason is there are so many proofs for this theorem, right? It's mainly algebraic or geometric proofs, but it's more than any other theorem. So it's very well known. And, you know, if you ever Google, you get plenty of different proofs. And I had to look this up, but there was a book published in 1940 that already had a 370 proofs in it.
KK: Yeah.
FN: Yeah. Even one of our presidents, I don't know if you know this, but yeah, this is some little nice trivia for the students.
EL: Yeah.
FN: One of our presidents, Garfield, submitted a proof back in 18-something.
FN: He used trapezoids to do that.
KK: He was still in Congress at the time, I think the story is that, you know, that he was in the House of Representatives. And like, it was sort of slow on the floor that day, and he figured out this proof, right.
FN: Yeah. And then people continue to submit, and the latest one that I know was just over a year ago, back in November 2017, was submitted. That's the latest one I know. Maybe there was one just submitted two hours ago, who knows? And his was rearranging the a-squared and b-squared, the smaller squares, into a parallelogram. So I thought that was interesting. Yeah. And what's interesting is Pythagoras, even though it's the Pythagorean Theorem, he was given credit for it, it was a known long before him. And I guess there's evidence to suggest that it was by developed by a Hindu mathematician around 800 BC.
FN: And Pythagoras was what? 500-something.
KK: Something like that.
FN: Yeah, something like that. But he was the first, I guess he got credit, because he was the first to submit a proof. He wasn't just talking about it, I guess it was official, it was a formal proof. And his was rearrangement. And I think that's a diagram that a lot of us see. And the kids see it. It's the one where you got the big, the big c square in the middle with the four right triangles around it, four congruent right triangles. Yeah. And then just by rearranging that big c squared became two smaller squares, your a squared and b squared. Yeah.
EL: Yeah. And I think it was known by, or—you know, I'm not a math historian. And I don't want to make up too much history today. But I think it has been known by a lot of different people, even as far back as Egyptians and Babylonians and things, but maybe not presented as a mathematical theorem, in the same kind of way that we might think about theorems now. But yeah, I think this is one of these things that like pretty much every human culture kind of comes up with, figuring out that this is true, this relationship.
KK: Yeah, I think recently wasn’t it? Or last year? There's this Babylonian tablet. And I remember seeing on Twitter or something, there was some controversy about someone claimed that this proved that the the Babylonians knew, all kinds of stuff, but really—
EL: Well, they definitely knew Pythagorean triples.
KK: Yeah, they knew lots of triples. Maybe you wrote about this, Evelyn.
EL: I did write about it, but we won’t derail it this way. We can put a link to that. I’ll get too bothered.
FN: Now that you brought up Pythagorean triples, how many do you know? How many of those can you get the kids to figure out? Of course, including Einstein submitted a proof. And I thought it was funny that people consider Einstein’s proof to be the most elegant. And I'm thinking, “Well, duh, it’s Einstein.” Yeah. And I guess I would have to agree, because there were a lot of rearrangements in the proofs, but Einstein, you know, is like, “Yeah, I don't need no stinking rearrangement.” So he stayed with the right triangle. And what he did was draw in the altitude from the 90 degree angle to the hypotenuse, and used similar triangles. And so there was no rearrangement. He simply made the one triangle into—by drawing in that altitude, he got himself three similar triangles. And yeah, and then he drew squares off of the hypotenuse of each one of those triangles, and then wrote, you know, just wrote up an equation. Okay, now we're just going to divide everything by a factor. The one that was drawn, in you just divide out the triangle, then you just you end up with a squared plus b squared equals c squared. It's hard to do without the the image of it, but yeah.
EL: But yeah, it is really a lovely one.
FN: Yeah. And this is something I didn't know. And it was interesting. I didn't know this until I was teaching it to my eighth graders. And I learned that, I mean, normally, we just see those squares coming off of the right triangle. And then I guess one of the high school students—we were using Geometer’s Sketchpad at the time, and one of the high school students made an animated sketch of the Pythagorean theorem. And, you know, he was literally drawing Harry Potter coming off of the three sides. And you know, and I just, Oh, I said, yeah, yeah. You don't have to have squares as long as they’re similar figures, right, coming off the edges. That would be fine. So that was fun to do. Yeah. So I have my kids just draw circles so that they—just anything but a square coming off of the sides, you know, do other stuff.
EL: Well, now I’m trying to—my brain just went to Harry Potter-nuse.
KK: Boo.
EL: I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
FN: That’s a good one.
KK: So I have forgotten when I actually learned this in life. You know, it's one of those things that you internalize so much that you can't remember what stage of your education you actually learned it in. So this is this is an actual Common Core eighth grade standard?
FN: Yes, yes. In the eighth grade, yeah.
KK: I grew up before the Common Core, so I don't really remember when we learned this.
FN: I don't know. Yeah, prior to Common Core, I was teaching it in geometry. And I don't think it was—it wasn't in algebra, you know, prior to these things we had algebra and then geometry. So yeah.
My third reason—I’m actually keeping track, so that was the second, lots of proofs. So the third reason I love the Pythagorean theorem is one fine day it led me to ask one of the best questions I'd asked of my geometry students. I said to them, “I wonder if you know how to graph and irrational number on the number line.” I mean, the current eighth grade math standard is for the kids to approximate where an irrational numbers is on the number line. That's the extent of the standard. So I went further and just asked my kids to locate it exactly. You know, what the heck?
EL: Nice. Yeah.
FN: And I actually wrote a blog post about it, because it was one of those magical lessons where you didn't want the class to end. And so I titled the post with “The question was mine, but the answer was all his.” And so I just threw it out to the class, I began with just, “Hey, where can we find—how do you construct the square root of seven on the number line?” And so, you know, they did the usual struggle and just playing around with it, but one of the kids towards the end of class, he got it, he came up with a solution. And I think when I saw it, and heard him explain it, it made me tear up, because it's like, so beautiful. And I'm so glad I did, because it was not, you know, a standard at all. And it was just something at the spur of the moment. I wanted to know, because we'd been working a lot with the Pythagorean theorem. And, yeah, so what he did was he drew two concentric circles, one with radius three and one with radius four on the coordinate plane, and the center is at (0,0). If you can imagine two concentric circles. And then he drew in y=-3, a line y=-3. And then you drew a line perpendicular to that line, that horizontal line, so that it intersects the—right, perpendicular to the horizontal line at negative three. And it intersects the larger circle, the one with radius four.
KK: Yeah, okay.
FN: So eventually what he did was he created, yeah, so you would have a right triangle created with one of the corners at (0,0). And the triangle would have legs of—the hypotenuse would be, what, four, the hypotenuse is four. One of the legs is three, and the other leg must be √7.
EL: Oh.
KK: Oh, yeah, okay.
FN: Yeah, yeah. So it's just so beautiful.
EL: That is very clever!
FN: Yeah, it really was. So every time I think about the Pythagorean theorem, I think back on that lesson. The kids really tried. And then from √7, we tried other routes. And we had a great time and continued to the next day.
EL: Oh, nice. I really liked that. That brought a big smile to my face.
FN: The fourth reason I love the Pythagorean theorem is it always makes me think of Fermat’s Last Theorem. You know, it looks familiar, similar enough, where it states that no three positive integers a, b, and c can satisfy the equation of an+bn=cn. So for any integer value of n greater than 2. So it works for the Pythagorean Theorem, but any integer, any exponent greater than two would work. So I love—whenever I can, I love the history of mathematics, and whatever, I try to bring that in with the kids. So I read the book on the Fermat’s Last Theorem, and I kind of bring it up into the students for them to realize, Oh, my gosh, this man, Andrew Wiles, who solved it—and it's, you know, it's an over 300 year old theorem. And yeah, for him to first learn about the theorem when he was 10, and then to spend his life devoted to it. I mean, I can't think of a more beautiful love story than that. And yeah, so bring that to the kids. And I actually showed them the first 10 minutes of the documentary by BBC on Andrew Wiles. And just right, when he tears up, and, you know, I cannot stop tearing up at the same time because it—I don't know, it's just, it's that kind of dedication and perseverance. It's magical, and it's what mathematicians do. And so, you know, hopefully that supports all this productive struggle, and just for the love for mathematics. So, kind of get all geeky on the kids.
EL: Yeah, that is a lovely documentary.
FN: Yeah. Yeah. It's beautiful. All right. My fifth and final reason for loving this theorem is Pythagoras himself. What a nut!
EL: Yeah, I was about to say, he was one weird dude.
FN: Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, he was a mathematician and philosopher, astronomer and who knows what else. And the whole mystery wrapped up in the Pythagorean school, right? He has all these students, devotees. I don't know, it's like a cult! It really is like a cult because they had a strict diet, their clothing, their behaviors are a certain way. They couldn't eat meat or beans, I heard.
FN: Yeah. And something about farting. And they believed that each time you pass gas that part of your soul is gone.
EL: That’s pretty dire for a lot of us, I think.
FN: Yeah. And what's remarkable also was that, the very theorem that he's named, you know, that's where I guess one of his students—I don't remember his name—but apparently he discovered, you know, the hypotenuse of √2 on the simple 1x1 isosceles triangle, and √2 and what did that do to him. The story goes he was thrown overboard for speaking up. He said, hey, there might be this possibility. So that's always fun, right? Death and mathematics, right?
EL: Dire consequences. Give your students a good gory story to go with it.
FN: I always like that. Yeah. But it's the start of irrational numbers. And of course, the Greek geometry—that mathematics is continuous and not as discrete as they had thought.
EL: Well, and it is an interesting irony, then that the Pythagoras theorem is one really easy way to generate examples of irrational numbers, where you find rational sides and a whole lot of them give you irrational hypotenuses.
FN: Yes.
EL: And then, you know, this theorem is the downfall of this idea that all numbers must be rational.
FN: Right. And I mean, the whole cult, I mean, that revelation just completely, you know, turned their their belief upside down, turned the mathematical world at that time upside down. It jeopardized and just humiliated their thinking and their entire belief system. So I can just imagine at that time what that did. So I don't know if any modern story that has that kind of equivalent.
EL: Yeah, no one really based their religion on Fermat’s Last Theorem being untrue. Or something like this.
FN: Right, right. Exactly.
EL: Yeah. I like all of your reasons. And you've touched on some really great—like, I will definitely share some links to some of those proofs of the Pythagorean theorem you mentioned.
So another part of this podcast is that we ask our guests to pair their theorem with something. So what have you chosen for your pairing?
FN: I chose football.
KK; Okay, all right.
FN: I chose football. It's my love. I love all things football. And the reason I chose football is simply because of this one video. And I don't know if you've seen it. I don't know if anyone's mentioned it. But I think a lot of geometry teachers may have shown it. It's by Benjamin Watson doing a touchdown-saving tackle. So again, his name is Benjamin Watson. I don't know how many years ago this was, but he’s a tight end for the New England Patriots. So what happened was, he came out of nowhere. Well, there was an interception. So he came out of nowhere to stop a potential pick-six at the one-yard line.
EL: Oh, wow.
FN: I mean, it's the most beautiful thing! So yeah, so if you look at that clip, even the coach say something to remember for the rest—anybody who sees it, for the rest of their life just because he never gave up, obviously. But you know, the whole point is he ran the diagonal of the field is what happened.
KK: Okay.
EL: Yeah, so you’ve got the hypotenuse.
FN: You’ve got the hypotenuse going. The shortest distance is still that straight line, and he never gave up. Oh, I mean, this guy ran the whole way, 90 yards, whatever he needed from from the very one end to the other. No one saw Ben Watson coming, just because, we say literally out of nowhere. Didn’t expect it. And the camera, what's cool is, you know, the camera is just watching the runner, right, just following the runner. And so the camera didn’t see it until later. Later when they did film, yeah, they zoomed out and said, Oh, my God, that's where he was coming from, the other hypotenuse, I mean, the other end of the hypotenuse. Yeah. But I pair everything, every mathematics activity I do, I try to pair it with a nice Cabernet. How's that?
KK: Not during school, I hope.
FN: Absolutely not.
EL: Don’t share it with your students.
FN: I’m a one glass drinker anyway, I'm a very, very lightweight. I talk about drinking, but I'm a wuss, Asian flush. Yeah.
EL: Yeah. Well, so, I’m not really a football person. But my husband is a Patriots fan. And I must admit, I'm a little disappointed that you picked an example with the Patriots because he already has a big enough head about how good the Patriots are, and I take a lot of joy in them not doing well, which unfortunately doesn’t happen very much these days.
KK: Never happens.
EL: There are certain recent Super Bowls that I am not allowed to talk about.
FN: Oh, okay.
KK: I can think of one in particular.
EL: There are few. But I'll say no more. And now I'm just going to say it on this podcast that will be publicly available, and I'll instruct him not to listen to this episode.
FN: Yeah, now my new favorite team actually, pro—well, college is Ducks, of course, but pro would be Dallas Cowboys. Just because that’s the favorite team from my fiance. So we actually, yeah, for Christmas, this past Christmas, I gave him that gift. We flew to Dallas to watch a Cowboys game.
EL: Oh, wow. We might have been in Dallas around the same time. So I grew up in Dallas.
FN: Oh!
EL: And so if I were a football fan, that would be my team because I definitely have a strong association with Dallas Cowboys and my dad being in a good mood.
FN: There we go.
EL: And I grew up in in the Troy Aikman era, so luckily the Cowboys did well a lot.
FN: Well, they’re doing well this year, too. So this Saturday, big game, right? Is it? Yeah.
KK: I feel old. So when I was growing up, I used to, I loved pro football growing up, and I've sort of lost interest now. But growing up in the ‘70s, it was either you're a Cowboys fan or a Steelers fan. That was the big rivalry.
FN: Yeah.
KK: I was not a Cowboys fan, I’m sorry to say.
FN: I never was either until recently.
KK: I was born in Wisconsin, and my mother grew up there, so I’m contractually obligated to be a Green Bay fan. I mean, I’m not allowed to do anything else.
EL: Well, it's very good hearted, big hearted of you, Fawn, to support your fiance's team. I admire that. I, unfortunately, I'm not that good a person.
FN: I definitely benefit because yeah, the stadium. What an experience at AT&T Stadium. Amazing.
EL: Yeah, it is quite something. We went to a game for my late grandfather's birthday a few years before he passed away. My cousins, my husband and I, my dad and uncle a ton of people went to a game there. And that was our first game at that stadium. And yeah, that is quite an experience. I just, I don't even understand—like the screen that they've got so you can watch the game bigger than the game is like the biggest screen I've ever seen in my life. I don't even understand how it works.
FN: Same here, it’s huge. And yet somehow the camera, when you watch the game on television, that screen’s not there, and then you realize that it's really high up. Yeah.
KK: Cool. Well, we learned some stuff, right?
KK: And this has been great fun.
EL: Yeah, we want to make sure to plug your stuff. So Fawn is active on Twitter. You can find her at—what is your handle?
FN: fawnpnguyen. So my middle initial, Fawn P Nguyen.
EL: And Nguyen is spelled N-G-U-Y-E-N?
FN: Very good. Yes.
EL: Okay. And you also have a blog? What's the title of that?
FN: fawnnguyen.com. It’s very original.
EL: But it's just lovely. You're writing on there is so lovely. And it, yeah, it's just such a human picture. Like you really, when you read that you really see the feeling you have for your students and everything, and it's really beautiful.
FN: Thank you. They are my love. And I just want to say, Evelyn, when you asked me to do this, I was freaking out, like oh my god, Evelyn the math queen. I mean, I was thinking God, can you ask me do something else like washing the windows? Make you some pho?
KK: Wait, we could have had pho?
FN: We could have had pho. Because this was terrifying. But you know, it's a joy. Pythagorean theorem, I can take on this one. Because it's just so much fun. I mean, I've been in the classroom for a long time, but I don't see myself leaving it anytime soon because yeah, I don't know what else I would be doing because this is my love. My love is to be with the kids.
KK: Well, bless you. It's hard work. My sister in law teaches eighth grade math in suburban Atlanta, and I know how hard she works, too. It's really—
FN: We’re really saints, I mean—
KK: You are. It’s a real challenge. And middle school especially, because, you know, the material is difficult enough, and then you're dealing with all these raging hormones. And it's really, it's a challenge.
EL: Well, thanks so much for joining us. I really enjoyed it.
KK: Thanks, Fawn.
FN: Thank you so much for asking me. It was a pleasure. Thank you so much.
March 27, 2019 / Kevin Knudson/ 1 Comment
Episode 40 - Ursula Whitcher
Episode 38 - Robert Ghrist
I have written for The Conversation
I am a former contributor to Forbes
Need to get in touch with me? Click here.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9189
|
__label__wiki
| 0.739636
| 0.739636
|
A cascade of failures: the U.S. Army and the Japanese-American internment decision in World War II
K-State Electronic Theses, Dissertations, and Reports: 2004 -
Thomsen, Paul A.
The Second World War internment of the West Coast Issei and Nisei remains a tragic moment in American history. It has long been viewed by historians as a singular act of mass social and political pressure to remove a racially constructed social group from the area, but it was carried out by the United States Army under the direction of the War Department. This dissertation studies the formation of the military policy that led to the Second World War internment of Japanese-Americans and the transformation of a reluctant American Army into an agent of a xenophobic West Coast civilian populace through external pressure, poor planning, and false assumptions. This study focuses on several aspects of civil-military relations associated with the Second World War internment of the Issei and Nisei. This includes the history of militancy and mob rule in the West Coast urban landscape and the borders of civil-military relations on the West Coast as they applied to the region’s xenophobic legislative government. Likewise, the relationship between the military and the militia, urban race relations, and the role of intelligence analysis play a central role in determining the distortion of facts, which shaped the American military’s internment policy. Finally, the disconnects between the East and West Coast arms of the federal government and the Justice and War Departments play an equally pivotal role steering the military’s response to the devolving state of affairs on the West Coast in the months following Pearl Harbor, resulting in the internment of over 110,000 Issei and Nisei in the following months.
Keywords: United States Army; West Coast; Nisei; Issei; Second World War
Graduation Month: May
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Department of History
Major Professor: Mark P. Parillo
Filename: PaulThomsen2013.pdf
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9190
|
__label__cc
| 0.680513
| 0.319487
|
Alternative Title: Royal purple
These Kansas State University (also known as Kansas State Agricultural College and Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science) yearbooks were published from 1891 to the present under the following titles: College Symposium of the Kansas State Agricultural College for the year 1891; Biography and History of the Class of '95, Kansas State Agricultural College for the year 1895; K.S.A.C. '96 for the year 1896; Class Book of the Class of '98, Kansas State Agricultural College for the year 1898; The Sledge for the year 1900; Sunrise for the year 1904; The Bell Clapper 1905 for the year 1905; The Banner for 1906 for the year 1906; College Annual of 1907 for the year 1907; Class of 1908 for the year 1908; and, Royal Purple for the years 1909-present. There were no yearbooks published before 1891, and none were published for the years 1892-1894, 1897, 1899, 1901-1903.
Citation: Kansas State Agricultural College. Class of 1908. Kansas State Agricultural College, 1908. Print.
Call number: LD2668 .A6 1908
Keywords: Kansas State Agricultural College--Students--Yearbooks; Kansas State Agricultural College--Faculty--Periodicals; Kansas State College--Students--Yearbooks; Kansas State College--Faculty--Periodicals; Kansas State University--Students--Yearbooks; Kansas State University--Faculty--Periodicals; College yearbooks--Kansas
Publisher URL: http://archive.org/details/ClassOfKansasStateAgriculturalCollege
Filename: KSUL0015RoyalPrpl1908.pdf
College symposium of the Kansas State Agricultural College
Unknown author (Kansas State Agricultural College, )
Development of education in Kansas
Smith, Charles F.
Introduction: Preparatory to bringing the western land into market, sections numbered 16 and 36 in each township were to be reserved for the benefit of the schools of the country. The act of 1861 admitting Kansas as a ...
Royal purple 1986
Unknown author (Student Publications, Inc., )
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9191
|
__label__wiki
| 0.964689
| 0.964689
|
Firefighter Walking A Week After Leg Run Over By SUV
By Matt Rascon, KSL TV
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A firefighter has returned to his feet nearly a week after being hit by a car while responding to a call in Millcreek Canyon in Salt Lake County.
“Initially we were dispatched to help a hiker,” said Armen Jacobs, who works as a firefighter and paramedic for the Unified Fire Authority.
Jacobs said it was another day and another call for first responders on the narrow Millcreek Canyon Road.
They’re always on the giving end, except in very rare and unfortunate circumstances.
“We typically like to be the ones providing the care. Not to be the ones receiving the care,” said Jacobs.
He has been getting around with crutches and a boot on one leg.
Just five days earlier Jacobs was in Millcreek Canyon responding to the call of an injured hiker.
The fire engines were parked in the westbound lane. Jacobs said he was walking from one to the other when it happened.
“Everything happened so quick,” he said. “I remember the jolt of being hit – kind of like an electrical firing down my hip.”
Jacobs said an SUV came around the corner and skidded to a stop, slamming into him. The vehicle drove over one of his legs and then rested on top of the other.
“(It was) very painful after the initial shock,” he said.
Fellow firefighters and paramedics heard the call for help over the radio.
“The distress that came over the air on the radio was quite apparent,” said Ryan Love, UFA’s public information officer. We never like to hear that.”
Authorities describe the crash as an accident. Officials with the Unified Police Department said the driver would not face any citation or charge.
Still, Jacobs’ story was a painful reminder for drivers to watch out for first responders on the road.
“Take it slow and pay attention,” Love said. “I strongly urge that drivers be mindful of emergency personnel.”
Fortunately for Jacobs, his friends and colleagues were feet away and the first to respond.
“It’s a little surreal having them help you,” he said.
The car pinned Jacobs’ foot and ankle to the ground and fellow firefighters helped guide the driver off of his leg. Yet he somehow managed to limp away with only some torn ligaments and tendons and no broken bones.
“(I was) lucky. Just lucky,” Jacobs said.
The incident gave Jacobs and others a new appreciation for the first responders who so often put their lives on the line to help others.
“I’ll be taken care of, and hopefully I’ll be back with the crews in no time,” Jacobs said. “To be on the receiving end of that, and seeing your friends and peers, and those individuals you were just in an engine with, providing you that care… its rewarding.”
Jacobs suffered torn ligaments, but amazingly no broken bones. He was expected to be on crutches for up to six weeks.
Cybercriminals Using Amazon Prime Day To Scam Shoppers
KSL Investigates Ayoola Ajayi's Changing Immigration Status
JK! Studios Brings The Funny On NBC's 'Bring The Funny'
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9192
|
__label__cc
| 0.647116
| 0.352884
|
- KEEP the FAITH - https://ktfnews.com -
How the Greeks Destroyed the Jewish Church
Posted By Pastor Hal Mayer On September 1, 2004 @ 3:11 pm In | Comments Disabled
By Pastor Hal Mayer
How the Greeks Destroyed the Jewish Church [1]
One of the most incredible changes ever to happen to God’s church took place at a time in which there IS no biblical record. Yet the changes were so profound and so devastating that it is vital that we study them. The Jews were led by Satan to the ultimate rebellion and to their rejection as God’s church. There are many lessons for us today that we had better learn if we are going to avoid making a similar mistake in our day.
Please turn with me in your bibles to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter one, vs. 18. Now, before we read God’s holy word, we must bow our heads and ask for his wisdom to understand what He wants to tell us today.
Our Father in heaven. Thank you for your holy word and the TRUTH that it contains for us today. Please send your Holy Spirit to speak to us about this truth and help us to understand what you wish to say to us. Help us to see how that what happened to the Jews before Christ came to this earth has its parallel today. And we thank you in Jesus name, Amen.
Now reading from the 18 th verse. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where [is] the wise? where [is] the scribe? where [is] the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”
Notice the contrast between the preaching of the cross and the thinking of the Jews. The Jews were looking for sensational manifestations of truth in order to be willing to believe. They were in some ways like the charismatics of today, who want a religion that mostly involves their senses and feelings, but is largely ignores the intellectual. On the other hand, notice that the Greeks were emphasizing the intellectual and avoiding the emotional.. “The Greeks seek after wisdom,” Paul said. Vs. 22. Paul saw that something happened between these two groups of people, the Jews and the Greeks, that he believed would also threaten God’s church. He could see what had happened to the Jews under the influence of the Greeks and he warned all of God’s people down to the end of time what was to come.
Originally, the educational system God gave the Jews was simple, practical, natural, and designed to create love and loyalty to God, and an understanding of His law in their hearts. If Israel had remained loyal, God would have blessed them so much that they would have been the admiration of the world and consulted regularly. God’s educational plan would have prepared Israel to announce Messiah’s salvation to the world.
But God’s chosen people stoned the prophets, went whoring after idols, languished in Babylon, and ultimately rejected Christ the Messiah. After returning from captivity, being fearful of idolatry they hedged themselves with rules and regulations to prevent apostasy. Satan knew it would be extremely difficult to entice Israel into rank idolatry again, so he tried another angle.
At the end of the Medo-Persian Empire, Alexander the Great conquered the civilized world, but his sudden death left the empire divided between his four generals. The Greek empire championed worldly masters of wisdom. Aristotle, Socrates and Plato laid the foundation of Western Culture. They tried to solve the moral dilemmas of society using worldly, pagan philosophy. Though Greek civilization flourished economically, their system of philosophy and education failed to produce the moral system that could change the heart and make it truly noble. It had no divine system of evaluating right and wrong.
Sophisticated Greek culture required highly developed colonization and city life. The city state was the only social concept of mature Greek culture. But it was not a city with walls and fortifications. They were more interested in the usefulness of the city in which to engage Greek culture. Grecian kings were known for establishing large cities, colonizing and mixing cultures together under Greek principles.1 Colonizing large cities removed people from the natural simple influences of the country and engaged them in the complex, man-made and the artificial.
Previous empires forcefully imposed their culture and religion on those nations they conquered, but it was always difficult. Alexander was the first emperor to leave national culture and religion alone from a military standpoint.2 Nevertheless Hellenistic philosophy, economics, lifestyle, language, and the arts sunk in very deeply. By popularizing their culture and education they could integrate it into other cultures, resulting in one vast “Greekdom” under their intellectual masters.3 This strategy was very effective, not by creating an empire controlled by military power, but by creating a cultural empire built on ideas and a way of thinking that would influence nations throughout all time.4 What Babylon and Medo-Persia had failed to do by force of arms, the Greeks did by force of intellect. Though their military power was relatively short-lived, the power of Greek intellectualism is still with us today in every aspect of our lives. No wonder Paul wrote what he did in first Corinthians. He was very concerned that the philosophy of the Greeks would compromise the church. He could see that these ideas were very attractive to the unregenerate heart.
Devastating effect on the Jewish church
The effect of Hellenistic culture on God’s church during the 400 years between the last Old Testament prophet and the time of Christ is instructive to His church today. There were no prophets to speak to God’s church, and the Bible is otherwise silent concerning the history and condition of the church during this period. Interestingly many of the same principles the Greeks used on the Jewish church, which led to its terrible rejection of Christ, are being used on God’s church today to prevent it from receiving the latter rain.
One of the four generals that took control of the southern part of the Greek empire after the death of Alexander the Great was Ptolemy I. He began the Ptolemy dynasty that ruled from Alexandria, Egypt. This kingdom had the most influence of the Jews during the 400 years just before Christ came to this earth.
The Ptolemys were very willing to let other nation’s leaders close to the circles of power in Alexandria. They invited these leaders to participate in at least certain aspects of their government. This strategy was effectively used to strengthen the cultural integration back home. The pagan Greeks were very friendly to the Jews. Alexander and Ptolemy I offered them equal rights, benefits and protections with all other citizens.5 This friendly relationship between the Jews and the Greeks caused large Jewish communities to arise in Alexandria, Egypt.
The Ptolemy strategy to integrate Greek culture into Jewish life was a multi-pronged approach through their educational system, economy, entertainment and the arts. The Jews were intrigued by the intellectualism of the Greeks, and eventually became enthralled with it.
The Ptolemy dynasty controlled Egypt in the south and Judea, Phoenicia and the surrounding regions. One of the Ptolemy kings strategically commissioned a large number of rabbi scholars to come to Alexandria and translate the Old Testament (their sacred oracles) into the Greek language.6 This would no doubt open opportunities for the Jews to become more familiar with the culture of the Greeks by exchanging ideas with the Greek master philosophers. The Jews would have vainly seen it as an opportunity to influence the Greeks with their own sacred texts.
Promising and talented Jewish youth were no doubt invited to Alexandria’s schools and then with their degrees came back to teach in Jewish schools. Because Greek culture was becoming quite popular, the Jews thought this a good way to bring fresh thinking and new perspectives into Jewish life. The average Jew was enamored with Greek lifestyle and materialism. And the prospect of wealth strengthened the Jewish fascination with Greek thinking and culture. Meanwhile Greek intellectualism crept into Palestine.
Economic influence
The Jewish priests had made themselves singularly wealthy from the offerings of the people and had become corrupted. Their chief aim it seemed was to gain money.7 What does the scripture say, “The Love of money is the root of all evil.” Since the priests were essentially the national leaders, they guided the course of their country according to their ambitions and became easy prey to Hellenic influences which improved their chances of increasing their wealth even further.
But a broader economic principle was to come into play in Judea which would effect everybody, not just the priests. The Ptolemy king made a certain Jew the head of tax collection from Phoenicia to the borders of Egypt. He in turn appointed his own countrymen to help him. These enriched themselves and in turn invested in Judea, showering it with money and wealth and improving economic conditions. This investment in Palestine raised the people from poverty to prosperity and changed the course of Judean history.8
The newfound wealth helped turned admiration for the Greeks into emulation. Jewish tastes became more refined. They became interested in less practical arts, especially painting. Their homes became more beautiful. Their clothing copied the fashions of the Greeks. But the simple habits and customs of the Jews designed to keep them loyal to God and separate from pagan idolaters was lost.9 Though they no longer bowed down to idols, they were guilty of a new idolatry to the gods of reason, materialism and fashion.
It was the Jewish leaders that led the “yuppies” of the day to adopt extravagant habits and frivolous customs. They copied the Greeks in everything from eating and drinking to fashion and finances. They indulged in wine, music, drama, theater and other entertainments. They placed more importance on making money than on spiritual values.10 Greek fashions became customary in Judea. Youth would exercise under Greek hats,11 and flaunted the popular Greek country dress through the streets of Jerusalem.12 As the new educational system advanced within Jewish society, so did the corresponding love of worldliness and monetary gain. These enchantments greatly appealed to the youth who were quickly drawn into dissipation and unchastity.13
The Greeks loved their festivals which consumed a large share of public life.14 Some important Jews, familiar with Ptolemy’s court, witnessed, and even participated in the corrupt orgies connected with the numerous Greek festivals. These leading Jews brazenly introduced them at Jerusalem, including the wine, dancing women and pagan music.15 The result was that there was less interest in the festivals that God had given to His people to inspire them with truth and soul-saving education. You see, the Jews were being re-educated into the thinking of the world.
Greek Education
Some of the leading Jews knew that in order to Hellenize the Jewish church, they would have to control the education of the young so the Jews could become as much like the Greeks as possible. Some of the most influential Jews shamelessly conspired to systematically Hellenize the Jews through education and eventually abolish the faith of their fathers. The goal of these “liberals” was the complete incorporation of Jewish life and customs into worldly Greek culture.16
Greek education put a high priority on sports. The Jewish revisionists introduced games, races, wrestling matches and contests of all sorts in Jewish schools, even though Jewish law sternly opposed these innovations. One of the High Priests named Jason introduced the Olympian games into Judea and built a gymnasium for this purpose in the heart of the city close to the temple.17 Jewish youth flocked to this Olympic shrine within their own borders. Greek sports masters were hired to teach their games. The Jews crowded the stadium. Even the Priests neglected their duties in the temple so they could participate in the games.18
There was one embarrassment to the Jews. The participants in the Olympic games were required to compete naked. One of the distinctive marks of Jewish singleness to God was circumcision. Yet this became a mark of shame under the influence of the Greeks. To prevent derision, Jewish Olympians undertook a special operation to disguise this.19 And little wonder. Competitive sports are contrary to God’s system of education, and this symbol of their singleness to God was a constant reminder of their new idolatry.
Loss of Distinctive Doctrines and the Sanctuary Message
The decline in standards fostered by the liberal leaders led to a general disregard and even denial of the fundamental truths of the Jewish faith.20 “By the act of its own people, Jerusalem had renounced its age-long isolation and come into line with the great Hellenic world.“21 The increasing fascination with Hellenic culture led to less interest in the old Jewish laws and ways. Little by little the things that made the Jews distinct; their very identity, became open for discussion. Even conservative Jews began to question their old traditional beliefs. They wondered if the teachings of Judaism were actually correct. They could see that their old teachings were in conflict with Greek reasoning. Yet the Greeks were so “successful,” could it not be the blessing of God that they were so beneficial to Jewish economy? They gradually replaced God’s definition of success with Greek ideas. They even began to wonder if God really required self denial, and whether God was really concerned about man at all.22 You see, these two things go hand in hand. How can we understand that God loves us deeply, and sacrificed Himself for us if we ourselves have no desire to help others and sacrifice for them? Self-sacrifice is one of the ways that God helps us understand His love for us. God ordained sacrifice to help us grasp the principles of heaven.
The rabbinical schools of the Jews continued to operate. But as Alexandria-trained rabbis held sway over the curriculum, the training in these schools became greatly compromised. Increasingly they were less practical, less biblical, and more theoretical. Sports, games, wealth and luxury were glorified. Worldly motivation replaced service in God’s cause.
Year after year the word of God was studied less as the educational curriculum moved toward intellectualism and rationalism. Year after year man was exalted and God was less thought of. The degreed rabbi was extolled and the unlearned depreciated. Ceremony increased as piety diminished. More emphasis was placed on the Mishna and the Gemara. The Mishna was a commentary on the Bible which added many laws and ceremonies. The Gemara was a commentary on the Mishna which again added more regulations and rules. There was a saying in “The Ethics of the Fathers” which went something like this; “A child of five years should study the Bible, at ten the Mishna and at fifteen the Gamara.23 As a student advanced in years and increased in mental ability, he studied God’s word less and man’s writings more.
What do you think this did to the principles of the sanctuary which were designed to protect God’s people from worldliness and teach them the way of salvation? In the Jewish mind these things began to become less and less important. Fidelity to God’s law was seen as too narrow and restricting. Attendance at temple services was less and less. The simple truths of the sanctuary message failed to impress their minds anymore.
The Peril of Prosperity
Liberal compromises do not bring peace and unity. By the second century B.C. the degeneration of the Jewish faith led to severe internal conflicts creating a reaction. Those that opposed this liberalization banded together and formed the Chasidim or “The Pious.” The conflict between the liberals and the conservatives pushed both parties to opposite extremes so that they could not comprehend each other. The conservatives accused the liberals of backsliding, “breaking the law” and of “fearful sin.” The liberals accused the conservatives of folly in retaining the old landmarks and of undermining national progress, prosperity and stability.24 As you can see the conservatives trying to uphold the principles were accused of causing the disunity. Does this sound familiar?
Arguments arose on all fronts. Disagreements about sports, food, medicine worldliness, and philosophical problems created general discord. Both parties struggled for political influence. The liberal Hellenizers wanted one of their number to replace the conservative high priest and soon the burning question was whether it was really necessary that the high priest be a descendant of Aaron, leading to fears that the liberals would desecrate the high office.25
The people generally took the middle course. They enjoyed the luxuries, refinements, entertainments such as drama and theater, and the ever-present sports, but disapproved of the extreme liberal excesses because they did not want to break their connection with the past. Some even began to rationalize that since the Jews were the special objects of God’s affection, these changes to society, buttressed by economic strength, were actually blessings from God and should be accommodated.26
The conflict and strife in Jerusalem with its political intrigues drew the attention of Antiochus Epiphanies, who marched on Jerusalem. In 169 B. C. Antiochus desecrated the temple, and made the keeping of the Sabbath and circumcision capital crimes, while forcing the Jews to keep the pagan festival to Dionysias.27 The revolt of the Maccabees and subsequent wars eventually restored the temple and Jewish nationality under the control of conservatives. But the infiltration of Greek principles was never eradicated.
The Jews had departed from God again, and to supply the lack of spirit, the conservative rabbis made the Jewish religion much more legalistic in order to restrict Hellenism’s progress.28 Yet the religious leaders had lost sight of the true object of their religion. They multiplied ceremonies without understanding their real purpose. Meanwhile, the Jewish church had become so compromised that full reform was essentially impossible. By the time of Christ, it is obvious that even He could not change them and had to start a new church.
“As the Jews had departed from God, faith grew dim, and hope had well-nigh ceased to illuminate the future. The words of the prophets were uncomprehended.“29 The influences of pagan culture, philosophy and lifestyle had so gutted the religious life of the Jews that when Jesus came to them, only a few humble souls recognized and welcomed Him. Even the masses who followed Him daily looked for a temporal kingdom, and when threatened by the religious leaders, they deserted Him.
Can you imagine how sad heaven must have been to see the reaction of the Jews to Jesus? Imagine their horror at the hatred that was directed at Christ. Imagine the heartsick angels that ministered to Christ as we was persecuted by the priests, as He anguished in Gethsemane, beaten by the Romans, and hung on a cruel cross. Imagine the shock and amazement of heavenly beings as the church leaders mocked him and derided him there as he hang on that cross. Unbelievable! Satan had been so subtle and so slick in captivating the minds of the Jews with all these liberal compromises, and then creating a conflict that prevented them from coming back into the balance of the truth. It is difficult to imagine it perhaps, but is it possible that Satan is working to do the same things to God’s church today? As difficult as this may be to accept, it is true. Here is how.
Application to Modern Times
In our day, there has been a similar loss of the core principles of the truth in God’s church, and the parallels are phenomenal. For example, to meet accreditation standards, teachers attend evangelical and secular seminaries for advanced degrees (in the Greek tradition no less) and bring evangelical teachings back into our seminaries, compromising the training of younger pastors.
Years ago, the liberals knew that the only way to change the church was to control the educational system. This they have done successfully. Our schools have replaced agriculture with the Greek pagan concept of games and sports and have tried to become as much like secular schools as possible. Have you noticed that many churches have gymnasiums built across the parking lot. The distinctive features of God’s educational system that were to set our educational system apart from the world have been largely eliminated. Academic curriculums now emphasize less Bible and more evangelical theology and ecumenical teachings.
Like the Jews, we have developed an entertainment mentality which includes celebration style worship services, mimes and clowns, movies and theater, amusement parks, computer games, dancy music and the ever present sports. Many of us live in city environments where these entertainments are more easily available. Similar to the Jews, affluence consumes our time and energies, providing little time for God and family. Many are more concerned about making money than about their spiritual life or the eternal salvation of others. And many among us try to become as much like the worldlings around us as possible.
Like the Jews, many now question the distinctive features of our faith. Many “progressive” leaders (as liberals like to be called) are determined to incorporate evangelical religious culture into our Adventist lifestyle and completely do away with the faith of our fathers. Many of us have become ashamed of the distinctives of our faith and like those Jewish athletes, want to hide or minimize them. It’s interesting to note that Jewish distinctives, such as the Sabbath and circumcision, once compromised, eventually became a target of repression under Antiochus. Will similar compromises lead to persecution of those who uphold our distinctive truths that God has entrusted to us, perhaps even by those of our own house of faith? Conflicts between liberals and conservatives today have gotten to the point where they often can’t understand each other.
God’s plan of true education, designed to strengthen the loyalties of God’s people to the Law of God is almost wholly extinct today. Except for a few self-supporting schools such as Hartland College, where young people learn the biblical principles of our faith, there would be no place for youth to avoid, what God calls foolish Greek principles (see 1 Cor. 1:18-28) that prevail in our educational institutions. Compromise has gutted denominational education to the point that many graduates have little or no motivation to serve God’s cause.
Even most self-supporting institutions are silent; fearful of speaking up against the Hellenization of Adventism and the lowering of standards, for fear of being “blackballed” by leadership. By the way, one interesting difference exists. The old Jews had a conservative leader in the high priest to help the conservative cause. We don’t have that luxury today. Therefore we cannot hope that a political change in Adventism is going to restore the faith once delivered to the saints. The burden rests on you and me!!! We are the ones that must keep the faith, uphold the faith, reveal the faith in our characters and live like we believe that Jesus is coming very soon.
The Messiah not recognized
The Jews were so steeped in Greek education and lifestyle that they could not discern that among them was the Promised One – Jesus the Messiah. They viewed him as unlearned and lower class because he never studied in their schools. They hated his pointed public accounting of their infidelity to the Law of God. They despised his simple teaching about how to be saved. But most of all they were angry that he refused to obey their authority and follow their rules. They may well have been upset that He accepted donations and perhaps even some tithe and taught his disciples to do it too (Read Luke 10:3-12). The Greek system of education and philosophy had destroyed the Jews capability to comprehend Jesus’ mission and they ended by crucifying him. Oh, that is sad!
Is it possible that many of us are so steeped in worldly (Greek) principles that we will treat the genuine manifestation of the Holy Spirit similar to the way the Jews treated Christ? Is it possible that many will miss the latter rain while it is falling all around them because they have refused to follow God’s simple plan of education? How many among us will miss the last opportunity to cooperate with heaven in the final warning message to the world because they have frittered away their preparation time in sports, entertainment, or other worldly pursuits?
Perhaps we need to rethink our relationship to Christ and the world around us and find where we are personally compromised, and do all in our power to recover our faith and live by it in our homes, schools and churches. Perhaps we could gain much by restudying the sanctuary services that God gave to Israel to illustrate His principles of salvation. If we understood what Christ has done for us and His powerful love for each of us personally, we could see the pathway through all the temptations and attractions that the Devil would throw at us.
Christ and Him crucified is to be the center of our lives. If that is our focus, we will escape the dangers of worldliness and selfishness.
How is it with you? How is it with me? Are we striving to become part of the last group of people that will understand and reflect the fullness of the character of God through Jesus Christ? Will you join me in living for Jesus today, no matter how much ridicule, no matter how much persecution, no matter how difficult it will be? Will you join me in pleading with God for a true experience with Jesus? Will you join me in digging deeply in His word for truth?
Let us pray. Father, it is in Jesus name that we come to you today. We know that we have often compromised our faith and have adopted worldly principles in our lives, even after we have professed to accept Jesus and the truth for these last days. Help us to see how dangerous it is to play with Satan’s devices. Help us to see how to come apart and be separate from the world. Help us to leave these things behind and look only to heaven, for that is where our home is. We are on the borders of the promised land – our heavenly home. May you sanctify us and purify us, and make us ready, so that when the crisis comes to us and the Holy Spirit is poured out, we will be part of that great final warning message, and that we will not reject Him and miss out on this crucial time. This is our prayer in Jesus name, Amen.
1. Bevan, Edwyn, Jerusalem Under the High-Priests, (London, 1904, Edward Arnold & Co.), pp. 31-33. See also Graetz, H. History of the Jews, (Philadelphia, 1891, The Jewish Publication Society of America), pg. 419.
2. Graetz, pg. 415; Beven, p. 33-34.
3. Graetz, pp 411.
4. Bevan, pp. 18.
5. Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn, Lectures on the History of the Jewish Church (New York, 1884, Charles Scribner’s Sons), Vol. 3, pp. 221.
6. Josephus, Flavius, The Works of Flavius Josephus… Translated by William Whiston (Philadelphia, The International Press, The John C. Winston Co.) Book XII, Chapter II. pp. 349 -350; Bevan , pp. 44 .
7. Op. cit., Stanley, pp. 217; Bevan, pp. 45.
8. Op. cit., Graetz, pp. 426, 427.
9. Ibid., pp. 427.
10. Ibid., pp. 427.
11. Mathews, Shailer, A History of New Testament Times in Palestine (New York, 1927, The MacMillan Company) pp. 8; Bevan, pp. 79; Graetz, pp. 435.
12. Op. cit., Bevan, pp. 79.
13. Op. cit., Graetz, pp. 427-429.
14. Op. cit. Bevan, pp. 36.
15. Op. cit. Graetz, pp. 428, 429.
17. Schurer, Emil, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Christ, (Edinburgh, 1890, T. & T. Clark), Div. 1, pp. 202, 203; Bevan, pp. 79;
18. Op. cit., Graetz pp. 435, 445, 446; Shurer, pp. 203
19. Op. cit., Mathews, pp. 8; Graetz, pp. 445, 446.; Shurer, Div 1, pp. 203.
20. Op. cit., Graetz, pp. 446.
22. Op. cit. Graetz, pp. 429.
23. Incorporated in “Jewish Daily Prayer Book,” (New York, 1890, Rosenbaum & Werbelowsky).
24. Op cit., Graetz, pp. 435, 436.
25. Ibid. pp. 435-437, 440.
27. Op. cit. Shurer, pp. 207.
28. White, Ellen G., The Desire of Ages, (Mountain View, CA, 1940), pp. 29.
29. Ibid., pp. 32.
Article printed from KEEP the FAITH: https://ktfnews.com
URL to article: https://ktfnews.com/portfolio/greeks-destroyed-jewish-church-2/
[1] How the Greeks Destroyed the Jewish Church: http://www.ktfministry.net/resources/audio/hd/en/podcast/Srm-200409.mp3
Copyright © 2015 KEEP the FAITH. All rights reserved.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9193
|
__label__cc
| 0.738186
| 0.261814
|
College of Law > About > Centers & Institutes > Mary and Michael Jaharis Health Law Institute > E-Pulse Newsletter > telemedicine-demands-the-abandonment-of-the-bifurcated-state-medical-licensure-system
Telemedicine Demands the Abandonment of the Bifurcated State Medical Licensure System
Lacey Rogers / 4/28/2017 / Posted in: HLI News / Twitter / Facebook /
Telemedicine is the use of technology to undertake an activity constituting the practice of medicine when the healthcare practitioner and the patient are not in the same physical location, utilizing telecommunication devices. Telemedicine faces a host of unique issues, including the issue of state licensure acting as a barrier to the practice of telemedicine.
Under Article X of the U.S. Constitution, states have the authority to regulate activities that affect the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens. Regulation of the practice of medicine, and the people who practice medicine, falls directly within the purview of this power. States exercise this power through legislative action, which gives the state medical licensing boards the authority to implement and enforce the states’ medical practice acts. The authority to regulate and license those who practice medicine originated with and remains with the states because the states have a direct interest in protecting their citizens by ensuring patient safety. The states accomplish this interest by closely monitoring who can practice medicine in their individual state.
Yet this system comes into direct conflict with the practice of telemedicine for several reasons. First, the bifurcated system makes it difficult for physicians to obtain and maintain licensure in multiple states by imposing excessive administrative burdens. Second, the system impedes the practice of telemedicine by making it difficult for physicians to care for patients in other states. This causes a reduction in access to health care for several populations, which in turn causes poor health outcomes. Lastly, the bifurcated system causes increased costs for both providers and patients. Providers who wish to provide care in multiple states are forced to pay several states’ licensure fees. Patients see both direct and indirect costs. Directly, patients are forced to pay transportation costs to get to their provider for care, as telehealth was not an option, and indirectly, patients are forced to pay the cost of seeing a different, perhaps less experienced, knowledgeable, or skilled provider, or no provider at all.
Two possible solutions have come to the forefront of overcoming telehealth’s barrier of state licensure. The first proposal is federal legislation. In one such attempt, a bill proposed to redefine “place of service” from the originating site (the site of the patient) to the distant site (the site of the provider delivering care). However, no federal legislation attempted has been passed and signed into law.
A second, and more promising approach, is the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (“Compact”). The Compact is a contract among several states to offer a “new, voluntary expedited pathway to licensure for qualified physicians who wish to practice in multiple states, increasing access to health care for patients in underserved or rural areas and allowing them to more easily connect with medical experts using telemedicine technologies.” The Compact allows for voluntary participation by physicians and state medical boards. It does not change a state’s existing medical practice act, and regulatory authority remains with state medical boards, but the Compact creates an additional, expedited pathway to licensure. Proponents of the Compact argue that the Compact will continue, and even enhance, states’ ability to protect their citizens by regulating the practice of medicine within their borders as states who agree to the Compact would share data on ongoing investigations of physicians.
As of January 2017, eighteen states had enacted the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, and seven additional states had active legislation regarding the Compact. The administrative process for expedited licensure is still being developed and established, so expedited licensure is not yet available. However, it has been determined that the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission will provide oversight and administration of the Compact, which will consist of two representatives from each member state. Illinois is one of the eighteen states which has enacted the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact.
Telemedicine is a promising field through which health care costs may be decreased and healthcare access may be increased for millions of Americans. Yet state licensure laws currently impede the practice of telemedicine. There are a couple of solutions that could be pursued, still the most promising seems to be the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. The Compact could lead to provider ability to practice across state lines, and the unencumbered practice of telemedicine, which would decrease the cost of care, increase patient access to care, and ultimately improve patient health outcomes.
Lacey Rogers is a third-year student at DePaul University College of Law. She will graduate in May of 2017 with her J.D. and Health Law Certificate.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9197
|
__label__wiki
| 0.552042
| 0.552042
|
Posted in 2 Categories & 7 Tags
After Senate Repeal Fails, What Comes Next for American Healthcare?
By Danika McClure on August 8, 2017 at 10:57 am
In a dramatic late night vote last week, the Senate rejected a Republican led effort that would repeal portions of the Affordable Care Act. The defeat of the attempted �skinny repeal� seems to have put GOP Obamacare repeal effort on the backburner for the time being, much to the relief millions of individuals, especially poor people of color, disabled individuals, and women and families who rely on the ACA to meet their healthcare needs.
According to numerous reports, many Republican leaders have �simply moved on� from their defeat, and are hoping to focus on other priorities before the Senate recesses in mid-August.
As Sen. Orrin Hatch, the head of the Finance Committee told Reuters, Republicans are too conflicted on the issue to sustain another attempt to repeal and replace the ACA.
�There’s just too much animosity and we’re too divided on healthcare,� he stated.
Although efforts to repeal and replace the ACA have been foiled, the American healthcare system still leaves much to be desired. For many, health insurance premiums have become too costly, deductibles are on the incline, and there are a lack of health insurance options. These problems have left many wondering what the next steps may be, and some are encouraged by an upcoming proposal brought forth by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders in the form of universal healthcare for all Americans.
According to The Guardian, Sanders will spend several weeks leading a campaign to build support for his plan before unveiling the bill in September. On August 2, Sanders unveiled an advertising campaign on social media that encourages supporters of his plan to become �citizen co-sponsors� of his �Medicare for All� plan.
�Bottom line is: if other countries around the world are providing quality care to all their people, we can do the same,� Sanders told NPR in an interview on Tuesday.
�This is not complicated,� Sanders continued. �The American people are familiar with Medicare. By and large it’s quite a popular program. But it starts now when you are 65 years of age. God didn’t create 65 years of age for being the eligibility rate. It should be available for every single person in this country.�
It’s no surprise that Sanders is pushing forth this legislation, as he has been a long time supporter of the �single payer� system. His proposed plan was a huge part of his left-wing grassroots campaign throughout the 2016 Democratic primaries. As progressives seek to expand their agenda in a Congress that is overwhelmingly conservative, now may be the right time to put forth their vision for the future of U.S. healthcare.
�There are signs that support for a government-run healthcare system is spreading,� Lauren Gambino writes. �A survey published in June by the Pew Research Center found that a growing share of Americans support a universal healthcare system. Among all Americans, 33% support a single-payer approach to healthcare, up five points since a January survey and 12 points since March 2014.�
Support among progressives is higher, she continues, and rising drastically. �In January, 43% of Democrats said they supported a single-payer healthcare system, according to the study. By June, that number rose to 52%.�
It’s also rumored that Sanders has support from his colleagues–a sharp contrast from the last time he introduced this kind of legislation in 2015, with no co-sponsors. Last week, outspoken Democrats like Elizabeth Warren and Kristen Gillibrand have agreed that this is the next step for American healthcare.
Still, it looks as though the fight for universal healthcare coverage will be an uphill one–a prospect which Sanders and team are well aware of.
�Let me be clear,� Sanders wrote in an email to supporters of his proposition, �this will be an enormously difficult and prolonged struggle, and one which will require the efforts of tens of millions of Americans in every state in this country.�
As Sanders is often quoted as stating, single payer healthcare may require a significant �political revolution� led by the American people.
Bernie Sanders 92
ahca 1
More from Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders Makes History Again As His Campaign Staff Unionizes
Bernie Sanders has made history again. The Sanders 2020 campaign… Continue Reading
Former Clinton Economist Agrees It’s Time To Embrace Progressives
Vt. senator Bernie Sanders’ historic primary challenge against Hillary Clinton… Continue Reading
By Ted Millar on March 6, 2019 at 18:07 pm
It’s Official: Bernie Sanders Is Running For President
Well, it’s official. Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is running… Continue Reading
By Ted Millar on February 19, 2019 at 8:21 am
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9204
|
__label__wiki
| 0.691721
| 0.691721
|
LUNA Selected as Language Services Partner to Provide Language Access for Marion Superior Court
by LUNA Admin | May 13, 2015 | Indianapolis Area, Interpretation, Success Stories | 0 comments
LUNA Language Services has been named the exclusive vendor for all language interpreting requests in the Marion Superior Court system. The Marion Superior Court system consists of 36 elected Judges, 29 commissioners and magistrates who work in 4 divisions – Civil, Criminal, Juvenile and Probate. In a typical year the court will resolve nearly 40,000 criminal cases, 200,000 traffic cases and nearly 50,000 civil cases. While Spanish, Burmese and American Sign Language (ASL) are the most frequent languages requested, interpreters are also provided in a variety of other languages.
LUNA Language Services offers the largest pool of Court Certified and Court Qualified interpreters in the state of Indiana in many foreign languages. LUNA’s Director of ASL Services and Education, Rebecca Buchan, is one of only three Indiana Supreme Court Qualified ASL interpreters. Over the coming weeks, LUNA will be adding several additional in-house full-time legally certified and qualified interpreters to their current team of 13 full-time staff interpreters and over 700 contract interpreters.
LUNA Owner, Chris Waters, first began providing services to the court in 2004 as Indianapolis Interpreters (rebranded last year as LUNA Language Services). Waters and his staff have seen the language needs drastically change over the past ten years. A working relationship between LUNA and the court evolved as the need for non-Spanish foreign language requests became increasingly common. LUNA began intensively recruiting and training rare language interpreters to create a concrete foundation of interpreters competent to provide services in the Marion Superior Court. Beginning in November of 2014, LUNA took over the majority of language requests in an attempt to provide an efficient and cost-effective coordinating system for the court. Waters said, “The Marion Superior Court is a microcosm of our community, incredibly diverse, and reflective of our changing demographics.”
Because there was no formal certification process for legal interpreters at that time, Marina Hadjioannou J.D., LUNA Chief Operating Office, coordinated with the Indiana Supreme Court Certification Office to establish a process for certification for rare languages. This process involves interpreters completing the Interpreter Certification classes, passing a written exam and providing proof of a high level of language proficiency in both English and a foreign language. Once these steps have been completed, the interpreter is able to be sworn in as “Qualified” by the court. Hadjioannou says, “The Supreme Court has been very responsive to orient and recognize trained interpreters who speak rare languages in the courts. We are one of very few states in the nation seeking these solutions.”
Emily VanOsdol, Court Administrator for Marion Superior Court, said “Marion Superior Court is committed to providing equal access to all its constituents.” LUNA, a company dedicated to increasing language access, will work with the Court to ensure that language needs are met for all involved.
Established in 2001 by Waters, former Peace Corps volunteer and Indiana native, LUNA Language Services was founded with a mission of service. LUNA offers interpreting and document translation services for 90+ spoken languages and ASL, and provides work for over 700 language providers across the state.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9206
|
__label__wiki
| 0.659476
| 0.659476
|
Movie Review: Oscar winner is painful and endearing
By Emily J. Sullivan on March 1, 2019 in Arts, Etc., Movies
Emily J. Sullivan
Like some mid-20th Century white families vacationing via road trips with maps and yellow pages, African-Americans used the Green Book, published from 1936-1966, to find establishments that were welcoming to non-white tourists and travelers.
In the three-Oscar winning film “The Green Book,” Italian-American Tony Vallelonga, played by Viggo Mortensen, is down on his luck after a string of short-lived employment flukes and failures. He is presented with a business opportunity to drive and accompany an African-American classically trained pianist throughout his two-month tour of the Deep South.
Vallelonga, a racist tough-guy who lived in the Bronx his entire life, had never heard of the Green Book.
Together, the unlikely duo embark on a remarkable journey in which stereotypes are crushed, personal transformations flourish and a complicated friendship blossoms.
The film is simultaneously painful and endearing, horrific and sweet.
The story, based on true events and a real life friendship between Shirley and Vallelonga, is an easier-to-swallow depiction of only a fraction of the monstrosities of a Jim Crow era existence.
In the end, the overwhelming value of the film can be characterized as the beauty that can be born out of disaster and the power of learning from one another, especially those who are most different from ourselves.
Dr. Don Shirley, played by Mahershala Ali, is a brilliant pianist that lives above Carnegie Hall.
He is the frontman of an impressive world-class trio that tours the country playing concerts for the wealthy upper-class.
Shirley is repeatedly confronted with the complications of being praised by white American elites in one aspect of his life and degraded and demoralized in the other.
He is welcomed to play on their stages and entertain white audiences but refused a seat in their restaurants.
He is flooded with thunderous applause, only to be shunned to a filthy outhouse rather than offered the in-house restroom.
It is through these persistent attacks on Shirley’s basic treatment as a human that Vallelonga’s eyes are opened and assumptions challenged.
Controversy regarding the film’s Oscar win has been trending in the news and social media. The New York Times called it a “racial reconciliation fantasy.”
But I think the film’s three wins, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Picture were well deserved.
Emily J. Sullivan can be reached at emily.sullivan@laverne.edu.
Bike ride brings art and community together
Eubank is first to paint world’s five oceans
Ensemble enjoys final show
In U.S., Latin music popularity spikes
Green Book, Jim Crow, Mahershala Ali, movie reviews, viggo mortensen
Skip the morning rush
LGBTQ rights, safety in danger
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9208
|
__label__cc
| 0.735601
| 0.264399
|
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8am - 5pm
Patient Portal Contact Us
The Louisiana Foot and ankle center will open its doors in 2014 to meet the needs of Minden and surrounding communities. Dr. Stefan Lorincz brings the highest level of specialized comprehensive foot and ankle care, including advanced surgical treatments for complex deformities. Together with the Minden Medical Center and affiliated physicians, we strive to provide care that was once only available in larger metropolitan areas.
Dr. Lorincz grew up in the northern Chicago suburbs and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He continued his education at the Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Following medical school, Dr. Lorincz completed a three year surgical residency at Rush University Medical Center. Before calling Minden, Louisiana home, Dr. Lorincz practiced with Kearney Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in Kearney, Nebraska and Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Dr. Lorincz is a fellow of the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgery and board certified in Foot Surgery and Reconstructive Rear Foot and Ankle Surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. Advanced procedures performed by Dr. Lorincz include ankle arthroscopy, ankle ligament repair / reconstruction, complex flatfoot reconstruction, bunion and hammertoe repair, TOPAZ microtenotomy for chronic plantar fasciitis and Achilles Tendinosis, joint replacement and Charcot reconstruction. Call us today for an appointment if you are having foot or ankle problems.
101 Murrell Street, St 1
Minden, LA 71055
Copyright © 2018, Louisiana Foot and Ankle Center. All rights reserved.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9216
|
__label__cc
| 0.511312
| 0.488688
|
Inside Dyson's Dynamic Engineering and Designs
By Pete Pachal 2012-05-22 17:26:02 UTC
The Leaders in Design Series is presented by Volvo.
Dyson is a company that embodies the word "disruptive." Before it arrived on the scene, the world of vacuum cleaners was boring and stagnant, and the machines themselves were essentially commodities. Dyson — with its novel solution of getting rid of irritating disposable bags by using different suction technology — shook up the industry and became a household name along the way.
A fair bit of that disruption came from the design of Dyson's vacuums, which eschewed broom-closet aesthetics for iMac-like modernity. With transparent parts, simple shapes and strategic placement of color, Dyson's vacuums are instantly recognizable. The company has since spread its air-blowing technology into hand dryers and fans.
The man behind those designs is Alex Knox. One of the longest-serving members of the Dyson team, Knox has seen the company grow from three people to more than 3,900. He works at the company headquarters in the UK, where the 650 scientists and engineers based there are greeted every day by elaborate cutaway models on display. Each is an iconic example of great design, and the collection includes the original Mini and a Harrier jet.
Dropping by Mashable's offices, Knox talked with us at length about his design philosophy, why Dyson hasn't made a robot vacuum and how sustainability factors into his work.
Q&A with Alex Knox, Senior Designer at Dyson
How did you first get interested in design?
My father was an architect, and I almost never had any doubt that I would do anything other than architecture or design. I enjoyed designing and playing with things that I could actually get my hands on. Dad was always up all night drawing things, and product design was always something I was attracted to.
How did you hook up with Dyson?
I was working for a design consultancy in Italy, and I had just read a magazine article about James, who had just released this brand new vacuum cleaner. I was really fascinated. I just thought it would be an amazing place to go and work. So I wrote them a letter and got a job. It was tiny then — there were just two of us and James.
Was there a moment where things turned, when you knew Dyson had really arrived?
When I first started, it was basically a startup company. I remember thinking, "I just don't know if this is going to work or not. In a month's time, I might not have a job." But then sales just kind of picked up. The sales charts were almost like comedy graphs, going up and up and up and up and up. It been just like a roller coaster ride from then on.
How do you approach design?
By breaking it right down and starting with, "What's the fundamental problem?" We don't worry about what it's going to look like — it's all about the problem we're going to solve and how we're going to solve it. And then we start thinking about maybe tackling that problem in a slightly different way than perhaps everyone else did.
The vacuum cleaner is a great example. The problem was this bag that clogged up, and by coming up with a new technology, a new idea, a new way of solving the problem of separating dust and air, you can come up with a really interesting machine that doesn't have all the disadvantages of the conventional way of doing it.
And at some point a sexy product just pops out? How does design factor in?
The way our machines look is kind of derived from the way they work. The final embodiment of it all is just kind of a process of fine-tuning the way it works and looking at the usability and just experimenting. There's no time where we sit there doing a sketch and think, "It would be really nice if it looked like this."
Would you say Dyson is "green" tech?
We don't really do green. Green is this word that gets bandied about all the time, and actually sustainability is the important thing. And we think that by doing good engineering, you automatically design something that is going to be sustainable, because it's all about efficiency, and that's what green is all about.
Why is Dyson's technology more efficient?
Because we set ourselves some pretty challenging targets in terms of what we're trying to get out of whatever technology that we're using. And so it's all about what we can get out of that and minimizing what we need to put in to do it.
How important is the design process at any company that sells products?
You'd think it would be central. I'm not sure it always is. It certainly is for us — it's one of the key things that we do. It's something James Dyson is incredibly passionate and involved in, so even now he spends most of his time in our R&D center. And that's not just looking at things in a top-down strategic view — it's right down to the tiny little details of design. So he's involved right the way through.
So design and engineering — since we don't really separate the two things — is just a fundamental part of what it's all about.
How does failure factor into the design process?
Failure is really important, actually. If you want to push something to the limits, you want to see failures because otherwise you know you haven't pushed it hard enough. So if you're testing or developing anything, you want half of the things you test fail and half of them work. By seeing failures, you can then work out where the limits are — how far you can push a certain technology or design.
Series presented by Volvo
The Leaders in Design Series is presented by Volvo. Experience the newest Volvo for yourself. Step inside the 325hp 2011 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design at volvocars.us.
Topics: Dev & Design, dyson, Gadgets, Leaders in Design Series, Tech, vacuum
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9219
|
__label__wiki
| 0.64709
| 0.64709
|
Top StoriesWorldClimateWomen/YouthPoliticsHuman RightsOceansBusinessWildlifeTravel
Women/Youth
IMPATIENT OPTIMISTS – GIRLS: THE WORLD’S GREATEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT
byRiseUpTogether
Rise Up Executive Director Denise Dunning writes about what inspired her to advocate for girls and the many benefits of investing in girls.
My mom is from Argentina, and we often spent Christmas holidays there while I was growing up. When I was 12, I was riding on a train with my parents to spend Christmas Eve with family friends living outside of Buenos Aires. The mood on the train was festive – everyone was dressed up and many carried holiday gifts. At a station about 20 minutes outside the city, I saw a teenage girl board the far end of the train. The girl, only a couple years older than me, was carrying a baby and dragging a toddler along behind her. They were ragged and very poor – their faces were streaked with dirt and their clothes were torn.
I watched as the girl and her children walked down the aisle of the train towards us, asking for money and food. And in every single row, no one helped them. Everyone just looked away. But I couldn’t take my eyes off them. I felt so angry and ashamed – both that no one did anything, and that there was nothing I could do to help.
Just like the girl on the train, there are 600 million girls living in poor countries who struggle to eat, attend school, and see a doctor when they need one.
That early experience is why I launched Let Girls Lead, an organization that has contributed to the health, education, and livelihoods of more than 3 million girls globally since 2009. And that girl on the train – and the 600 million more girls like her – is why the UN and member states must radically increase their investments in girls, and place girls at the center of the new global development agenda.
Consider this – research demonstrates that girls who complete seven years of schooling will marry four years later and have 2.2 fewer children than girls who do not complete primary school. Yet even though the economic and social returns of investing in girls are undeniable, World Bank research demonstrates that only two pennies of every dollar in international aid funding goes to support programs for girls.
In Davos last month at the World Economic Forum, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon told world leaders that girls are the key to ending global poverty. Investing in girls is now proven to be one of the most cost effective strategies to improve health, education, and economic outcomes for poor countries around the world.
Just like the girl on the train, there are 600 million girls living in poor countries who struggle to eat, attend school, and see a doctor when they need one. These girls could be our own daughters – bright, eager to learn, with dreams and hopes for the future. These girls could become doctors, entrepreneurs, and leaders of their countries. These girls could change the world.
Reality, however, is very different. Most of these girls are forced to work while their brothers attend school, suffer abuse in their families, and experience violence in their communities. They are too often married off as children to men three times their age, and give birth to daughters whose lives will follow the same cycles of exploitation.
Yet even in the face of poverty, violence, and discrimination, these girls are not victims – girls are powerful leaders and inspiring agents of change. Through Let Girls Lead, I have learned that when we invest in a girl, she will change her own life and her family. And when we invest in girls’ leadership and empowerment, the same girl will also change her community, her country, and maybe even the world.
At the upcoming UN Commission on the Status of Women, Let Girls Lead will call on the UN and member states to double their investments in girls, and prioritize girls’ health and education in the post-2015 development agenda. During CSW, Let Girls Lead will share the UN Foundation’s external evaluation of our work, demonstrating girls’ power to transform their own lives, families, communities, and the world. We will also host the global film premiere of PODER, a documentary about two Guatemalan girls who overcame enormous obstacles to improve their community, ensuring that girls can attend school and stay healthy.
Let Girls Lead’s model is now the foundation for Champions for Change, which is building a movement of Champions advocating for improved reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health in Nigeria. Let Girls Lead and Champions for Change drive sustainable change through the passage of national laws and programs that save the lives of women, newborns, and children, and ensure girls’ access to quality healthcare, education, and economic opportunity.
The world’s 600 million girls are our greatest return on investment. The time has come for our dollars to follow our research and our rhetoric. As a global community, we can no longer afford to look away.
Dr. Denise Raquel Dunning is the founder and Executive Director of Rise Up, which advances health, education and equity for girls, youth and women everywhere. She teaches courses at the University of California San Francisco, previously worked for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and served as a Fulbright Scholar in Honduras. She has a PhD in Sociology from the University of California Berkeley, a Master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton University and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Duke University.
No. 1-1
Appreciation for them
Saudi sisters ask Google and Apple to remove ‘inhuman’ male guardianship app
Editorjean
Nearly half of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People are women.
460 Adolescent Girls Are Infected With HIV Daily: UNAIDS Report
Empowering Mexican Women in Tech to Achieve Their Dreams
Global Hero of the Week: Ria Sharma
togetherforgirls
5 Things You Can Do to End Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls in the Media
Just 17% of startups are founded by women -- it’s time to change that!
Little League Baseball Transforms America’s Most Dangerous City
Shannon Kaiser: Self-Love Experiment
SvetlanaKim
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9221
|
__label__wiki
| 0.984597
| 0.984597
|
Home2015March
Green’s Manalishi
March 14, 2015 February 11, 2018 mayobat Music Fleetwood Mac, Hell Bent for Leather, Judas Priest, Killing Machine, Peter Green, Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin after Sin, Stained Class, Take on the World
Peter Green was losing his mind. Excessive LSD use was starting to take its toll. By late 1968, his bandmates in the band he had founded, Fleetwood Mac, had become concerned about Green’s mental state. He was growing distant, was sometimes incoherent, and had begun wearing robes and a crucifix. By 1969, Fleetwood Mac’s founder and main songwriter had provided the band with a No. 1 hit single (‘Albatross’), as well as two No. 2 singles (‘Oh Well’ and ‘Man of the World’). But in the wake of those successes, the guitarist was becoming estranged from the rest of his band, and was increasingly fixated on the morality of the band’s recent financial success.
A 3-day LSD binge at a commune in Munich in early 1970 greatly exacerbated Green’s mental descent into schizophrenia. Around this time, Green wrote a song called ‘The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)’ after waking from an acid-induced nightmare in which a green dog that Green ‘understood’ represented both money and the Devil, barked at him. In the dream, the dog was dead, as was Green himself; eventually Green won the struggle to return to his living body in order to wake from the nightmare (hey, this is acid, folks). Green awoke from the dream and immediately wrote Fleetwood Mac’s next hit single. The song would reach No. 10 in the UK.
Before the song became Fleetwood Mac’s fourth consecutive Top Ten single, Peter Green quit the band he had founded. Mick Fleetwood remembers Green demanding that the band give away all their money; specifically, that they use their money to help end world hunger. Green also insisted that he be the one to give the aid to the poor and hungry, in order to avoid charitable organizations, which he did not trust. After the rest of the band refused, Peter Green left the band.
Peter Green was an integral part of the ‘British Blues Boom’ on the mid-to-late ’60’s. He replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Blues Breakers, and formed Fleetwood Mac in 1967. Metal historians agree that these bands (along with fellow Brits the Yardbirds) laid the groundwork for the evolution of Heavy Metal music. Follow that evolutionary path into the mid-70’s, and you’ll eventually encounter The Beast that is Priest.
Heavy Metal had come a long way in a short time, quickly morphing from ‘white boy blues’ into a valid genre unto itself in just a few years. Birmingham’s Judas Priest were pivotal in metal’s evolution; their 2nd album, 1976’s ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’, is a landmark in the development of the form in that it steps away from the genre’s blues roots and into a sound and style unique unto itself. Someone at CBS Records recognized the genius at work on ‘SWOD’, and signed Judas Priest to a multi-album deal.
Priest’s third album, ‘Sin After Sin’, was another groundbreaking heavy metal record, but their new label was interested in commerce at least as much as they were in art. CBS insisted that the band record a cover song to attempt to garner some airplay. Producer Roger Glover suggested Joan Baez’s haunting ‘Diamonds and Rust’, and the rest is history. For album number four, 1978’s ‘Stained Class’, the label once again insisted on a track to push to radio; ‘Better By You, Better Than Me’, written by Gary (‘Dream Weaver’) Wright and originally recorded by Spooky Tooth, was recorded at the 12th hour with a different producer, and tacked onto the already-completed record.
Did including these cover versions deliver the results that CBS was looking for? No. Neither of these covers were ‘hits’; neither charted at all, anywhere. But the execs at CBS took no chances with the band’s fifth album, entitled ‘Killing Machine’. Released a scant 10 months after ‘Stained Class’, ‘Machine’ revealed some major concessions by the band in the songwriting department, but CBS was still unhappy with the album as a whole, at least in terms of its ‘commercial potential’ in the US. The label, uneasy with the original’s ‘murderous implications, changed the title of the record for the US market to ‘Hell Bent for Leather’. CBS also pushed for yet another cover. The Gun’s ‘Race With the Devil’ was demo’d, but was dropped in favor of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)’.
Judas Priest transformed Peter Green’s haunting, acid-induced warning of the evils of wealth into a crushing juggernaut of menace and melody. The song is gathered up and rewritten into a cast-iron structure and rolls along like a Sherman tank. Green’s mysterious ‘Manalishi’ character turns from the psychadelic money is the Devil in a dead barking dog into another one of Priest’s fantasy/sci-fi hero/prophet/savior/doomsayer figures, the latest in a long line of exciters, dreamer/deceivers, sinners, rippers, aggressors and starbreakers.
How ironic that Judas Priest, historically important for removing much of the blues from Heavy Metal, would record a song written by one of the most renowned British blues guitarists of all time. But the fact that the song translates across genres so well speaks less about any debt Judas Priest owes to blues music and more about Peter Green’s compositional contributions to Heavy Metal… a genre which hadn’t even happened yet. And how ironic that the song was being used in an attempt to bring band and label increased financial success…
CBS tacked ‘Manalishi’ on to the US version of the re-titled ‘Hell Bent’… but did not release it to radio. Priest had given the suits what they wanted, but had actually written better singles themselves this time around. ‘Take on the World’ was released instead, and reached No. 14 in the UK. Priest/CBS would abandon the cover idea after ‘Manalishi’; the strategy had ultimately failed to increase the profile of the band, let alone the balance of anyone’s bank account. Judas Priest would have Top Forty success with the UK version of the album that excluded ‘Manalishi’; the US version that did include the song would peak at a lowly No. 167 in the States. In recording ‘The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)’, Judas Priest had messed with some bad mojo; Peter Green’s Manalishi was still barking.
Crazy Like a Tyger
March 2, 2015 mayobat Music $5.98 E.P., Blitzkrieg, Holocaust, Jess Cox, Lionheart, Metallica, Neat Records, NWOBHM, The Small Hours, Tygers of Pan Tang, Wildcat
When Jess Cox had just quit his gig as guitarist with Wild Willie and the Werewolves, he had no idea that in just a few short months he would be the lead vocalist on a UK Top 20 album. The British music press was hyping a new ‘phenomenon’ they dubbed the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, or NWOBHM for short, and Cox’s new band, the Tygers of Pan Tang, had been swept up into the whirlwind and signed to a major label. Suddenly Jess Cox was a pop star. Hopefully he savored every moment…
…Because for Cox, fame was fleeting. Cox was fired in 1981 before he could record a second record with the Tygers, and was replaced by someone who could actually sing. Truth be told, Cox was a godawful vocalist, with a severely limited range, who talk-sang his way through the Tygers’ debut album ‘Wildcat’. Cox’s voice is somehow endearing in all its limitations, and the record did become among the highest charting NWOBHM debut albums (‘Wildcat’ peaked at #18; Iron Maiden beat the Tygers by reaching #4; Angel Witch’s debut, held in much higher regard than the Tygers’, peaked at number 88 that same year). But presumably the band and/or MCA wanted more.
Cox went on to form Lionheart with Dennis Stratton (ex-Iron Maiden) and Frank Noon (ex-Def Leppard). Due to the recent history of most of its members, Lionheart was billed as a NWOBHM supergroup. Perhaps this was a bit of an overstatement, as the band, in its original form, lasted exactly one gig. Lionheart’s 1981 debut performance at the Marquee in London was a disaster. The press absolutely destroyed Cox the following day, and, once again, he was fired and replaced by a proper vocalist. After one gig. He was that bad.
In 1983, Cox returned once again with the boldly-named Jess Cox Band, who released 2 (terrible) singles and one (awful) LP for Neat Records. Neat had released the Tygers’ debut recording in 1979, a 3-song E.P. that is widely acknowledged to be the very first NWOBHM release. Neat Records was NWOBHM’s ground zero, a hugely important element in the origins and development of the genre. Beyond the Tygers’ first release, Many pivotal NWOBHM singles were released on Neat by Venom, Raven, Jaguar, Blitzkrieg, Fist, Persian Risk and many others. It made perfect sense that Cox had found a home at Neat.
But that’s not all he found. After a short-lived attempt at starting a band with ToPT guitarist Rob Weir (Tyger Tyger) went nowhere, Cox retreated from performing completely. But not from the music business… After attending college, Cox planned to become a music journalist, and in 1987 went down to the old familiar Neat offices to interview the new owner of the label. Cox was offered a job as a press agent for Neat, and accepted, and over the next few years, he dedicated himself to learning how the business worked. By 1992, Jess Cox was co-owner of Neat Records.
By the early 90’s, Neat had followed America’s lead and moved into more commercial areas of hard rock. Cox was determined to bring the label back as a heavy metal force, and scoured the Neat archives for unreleased material to jumpstart a new offshoot, owned by Cox himself, called Neat Metal. Unreleased albums by Blitzkrieg, Cronos and Nasty Savage were languishing in the Neat vaults, and Cox polished them up and released them on his new label. Neat Metal also signed (or re-signed) some of the bands that had been part of the NWOBHM heyday, like Holocaust, Savage, and Shy.
Cox continued to expand his own brands, while the original Neat wavered near bankruptcy. He started a black metal label, and a label set up specifically to release archival material from the Tygers of Pan Tang, all the while financially propping-up Neat. All of Cox’s labels were doing better than Neat proper, of which he still co-owner. Cox and his partner finally opted to split up and sell the failing Neat to Sanctuary Records in 1995. Cox retained ownership of all of the labels that he himself had started. The Sanctuary deal sealed it: Cox had reinvented himself as an independent label mogul.
Jess Cox’s true masterstroke, though, was gradually positioning himself into a position to control many of the movement’s most historically important properties. While doing so, he was able to purchase exclusive rights to the entire catalogue by the Scottish NWOBHM band Holocaust. This move turned out to be one of Cox’s biggest triumphs. Why? A Scottish band known only to only the most hardcore NWOBHM aficionados, Holocaust has nonetheless cemented its place in heavy metal history, not through the quality of their records but rather through one of the bands they influenced: Metallica.
In 1987, Metallica covered a track from Holocaust’s 1983 album ‘Live — Hot Curry and Wine’ entitled ‘The Small Hours’ on their ‘The $5.98 E.P.’ Metallica were on the brink of becoming the biggest band on Earth, and every move they made influenced legions of rock fans and other bands worldwide. Cliff Burton alone was responsible for sparking international interest in obscure comic book punk band the Misfits, and thereby providing lead singer Glenn Danzig his entire post-Misfits career, just by appearing in photos wearing Misfits T-shirts. Several bands benefitted from the exposure a Metallica cover version afforded. However, while any Holocaust records still in print probably would have enjoyed an upsurge in sales after Metallica’s E.P. hit, there were no records to be found, and the band’s tiny, self-run label wasn’t able to capitalize on any of the hoopla. When Jess Cox picked up the rights to the Holocaust catalogue, which he purchased “for a few hundred pounds”, the Metallica ship had sailed, and the property was considered worthless.
By 1998, Metallica are the biggest band on Earth. Their ‘5.98 E.P.’, out of print for years, was revamped and expanded into a 2-CD release called ‘Garage Inc.’ ‘Garage Inc.’ hit #2 in the Billboard Hot 100, eventually selling 6 million copies (the original E.P had only sold 1 million copies before falling out of print). Not only did the new version include Holocaust’s ‘The Small Hours’, but also ‘Blitzkrieg’, originally recorded by Neat alums Blitzkrieg, which Metallica had covered in 1984. This time someone was able to reap the benefits of Metallica’s magic touch: Jess Cox, sole owner of Blitzkrieg’s current label, and sole owner of the Holocaust catalogue. When Cox was quoted in the early 2,000s as having made “a quarter of a million pounds” on the Holocaust acquisition, he was referring to the ‘Metallica Effect’. I’m betting all of those bad reviews from the NWOBHM era are a bit easier for Cox to read nowadays.
Today, Cox has consolidated his labels under the Metal Nation banner, and continues to capitalize on his NWOBHM properties. Jess Cox’s main strength was always his belief in the music of the bands who made up the NWOBHM. After all, he was once IN one.
*Disclaimers:
1. I love the Tyger’s debut album, ‘Wildcat’. Coming across as a rough and tumble combo of Status Quo and Sweet, it’s packed with all the youthful exuberance and punk rock energy of the best of the NWOBHM. It’s the only Tygers album I own (everything after this was too polished; too generic), and I consider it to be one of the 3 best debut albums of the NWOBHM.
2. I love the vocals of Jess Cox. When held to ‘rock singer’ standards, Cox fails completely, but his voice has a street-level, average Joe appeal that’s both awkward and charming. Unique and instantly recognizable, Cox’s tuneless drone fit the post-punk, garage-y feel of the Tyger’s early music perfectly. That all adds up to awesome in my book.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9222
|
__label__wiki
| 0.885079
| 0.885079
|
HomePosts tagged 'Roger Glover'
Roger Glover
Ian Gillan’s Book of Magic
April 28, 2019 April 29, 2019 mayobat Music Bernie Torme, Bluesy Blue Sea, Breaking Chains, Colin Townes, Deep Purple, Deep Purple Mk II, Deep Purple Reunion, Demon Driver, Gillan, Ian Gillan, Ian Gillan Band, Ian Paice, Janik Gers, John McCoy, Jon Lord, Long Gone, Magic, Mick Underwood, Mk II Reunion, Purple Sky, Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Whitesnake
Of the three major offshoots that emerged after the break-up of Deep Purple in 1976, Gillan (the band, not the man) was certainly the most musically daring. And Gillan’s most daring album just might be their last: 1982’s ‘Magic’. Yes, the keyboard-heavy record carries a glossy, polished sheen; yes, it contains a pair of obvious stabs into ‘hit single’ territory; and yes, the off-the-rails kinetic chemistry of the Torme years is largely absent. But it’s not the music that makes makes ‘Magic’ Gillan’s most fascinating record; it’s the words. Truth be told, ‘Magic’ could and should be looked at in hindsight as a concept album, as the lyrics throughout revolve around a common theme: Gillan (the man, not the band) was laying out his future plans right before our very eyes, misdirecting our attention with another album’s worth of musical hocus pocus while planning the greatest magic trick of all: making himself disappear.
Some context: After leaving Deep Purple in June of 1973, Ian Gillan spent a few years away from the music biz, eventually launching The Ian Gillan Band, who released 3 albums of what can only be called jazz-rock, to limited success. Gillan scrapped the IGB but retained keyboardist Colin Towns, whom the vocalist regarded as a valuable writing partner. The pair re-emerged in 1978 with a new band, re-christened simply ‘Gillan’, and a self-titled album, released only in Japan. Perhaps sensing the coming NWOBHM, Gillan, Towns and bassist John McCoy revamped the band’s line-up to include guitarist Bernie Torme and drummer Mick Underwood, heading in a much harder-rocking direction. This bunch released three UK Top Twenty albums (including a #2 & #3) before Torme left; enter Janick Gers, and two more UK Top Twenty records. Add to that six UK Top Forty singles, and you’ve got one heckuva four-year run.
In Britain, during the NWOBHM, Deep Purple’s offspring: Gillan, Whitesnake and Rainbow, dominated the UK Heavy Rock scene. But the first whispers of a Deep Purple Mk II reunion began to circulate in early 1982, as the NWOBHM fire began to fade, and probably caused the five members of DP’s classic line-up to pause and reassess. Ritchie Blackmore seemed content, having found his pot of gold at the American end of his Rainbow, and bassist Roger Glover was a key factor in the band’s US success. Whitesnake, which then included Jon Lord and Ian Paice, were on the verge of implosion, as David Coverdale began retooling the band in an attempt to replicate Rainbow’s success in the US. Paice bolted; Lord stayed. Gillan’s response to the MK II reunion rumors was hidden in plain sight: within the lyrics of what would be his namesake band’s final album, ‘Magic’.
A quick look at the track listing reveals a lot: Titles like ‘Caught In A Trap’, ‘Long Gone’, ‘Living A Lie’ imply a theme; non-album tracks used as b-sides and giveaways such as ‘Breaking Chains’ and ‘Purple Sky’ continue that theme. Even on the surface, we find an indication as to where Gillan’s mind was at during the process of putting together the ‘Magic’ album. Delving deeper, and looking at the lyrics to these songs, and several others on the album, allows an even deeper insight. The concepts IG was working with here center around themes of entrapment, escape, and rebirth… as well as deceit. The lyrics on ‘Magic’ paint a picture of one trapped in an undesirable circumstance, while covertly working toward a more favorable situation. Which is pretty much exactly what occurred while Gillan maneuvered himself into position for a DP reunion.
‘Magic’s lyrics contain ample evidence that, by the time that the lyricist put pen to paper, Ian Gillan had already made his mind up to end the band. Of the twelve original tracks recorded (several covers were also recorded, though only one made the album), eight of them contain hints and clues about Gillan’s mindset and the band’s imminent demise. Some of these red flags are woven into the material with great subtlety; others are startlingly direct. These weren’t just lyrics; they were a letter of resignation. Gillan’s work on ‘Magic’ is akin to a that of a master criminal who intentionally litters his crime scene with tantalizing clues and dares us to put the pieces together, before it’s too late… Or how about Gillan the Escape Artist; stunning his audience by extricating himself from certain doom with seconds to spare, through mystifying means that could only be described as ‘Magic’.
Entrapment/Escape, Rebirth
Some additional context: After a few albums and an extensive amount of touring, the members of Gillan became concerned at their lack of financial success (see: Bernie Torme’s exit), and Ian himself has stated that the band were badly in debt by 1982. Gillan had financed the band entirely with his own money, and by around this time, the Gillan band was deeply in debt. A reunion of the classic Purple line-up just might do the trick…
This snippet from the b-side ‘Breaking Chains’ contains several hints of Gillan’s financial woes:
Ten years of hard sweat, I’m sitting here with a mess of bad debt
I’m down, flat broke, sitting here and you know it’s no joke
I ain’t tired, I ain’t dead, going crazy getting out of my bed, here we go, got another show
Hot dog, cool bitch, feels good but you will not get rich, here we go, got another show
‘Chains’ also speaks to Gillan’s imminent freedom:
How can I be so sad? I gave everything I had
Now that I’m free again, I’m strong and I’m breaking chains
Here’s the dream that I’ve been searching for, I know ’cause I’ve been here before
‘Here’s the dream – I’ve been here before’ is a reference to his previous tenure in DP and the potential upcoming reunion.
The chorus to ‘Caught in a Trap’ also shows Gillan looking forward to revisiting his past in the future (!) but feeling stuck:
In a gateway, I’m trapped in a gateway, Look where I’m going, look where I’ve come from
I’m caught in a trap
‘Long Gone’ has many surprisingly overt references to Gillan’s as-yet-unknown decision to end the band. Musically, this song was an obvious choice for one of the album’s singles, although with these lyrics on top, the choice was a bold one; here IG unflinchingly reveals that his decision is made: He’s gone, long gone:
Say what you’re going to say. I’ll never turn you away but you’ll never make me stay
I’ll come back when the trees stop growing, I’ll come back when the tide stops flowing
I’ll look around when there’s no complaining, I will not return
Send love to the old ways, love to the city haze, I’m gone, long gone
The album’s magnum opus, ‘Demon Driver, contains the following:
I’m trapped here in this tomb, Hell fire here in this womb, this earth
‘Driver’ also includes many uptempo sections that utilize the concept of driving as a metaphor for escape:
Goodbye habit, boring Sunday, Monday slow death
Hello freedom, faster freeways, clean air sweet breath
The album outtake ‘Purple Sky’ is another hidden-in-plain-sight clue about Gillan’s future plans. The was kept off the album, and was not used as a b-side, but rather it was relegated to a flexi-disc and given away free with the purchase of an issue of Flexipop magazine. This excellent song would have been a stellar addition to the album’s track list, but perhaps the title/chorus was too much of a giveaway? The song opens with the line:
‘My old lady, have a lot of fun, when she look the other way, I begin to run’
The first proper verse leads right into the chorus like this:
When I’m cruising you know I’m confusing my head When I’m choosing there’s no one that I want instead
Purple sky, get me by, purple sky get me high, get me high, free and high, purple sky
Gillan began work on the Magic album in July of 1982, and the album/tour cycle lasted until the band’s final performance in December; Gillan’s lyrics had to have been completed during the July/August recording sessions, at the very latest. That means that IG kept his plans to end the band a secret for six whole months…
‘Bluesy Blue Sea’ is about a man about to embark on a journey, as he prays to the sea that he will get to his destination. He suspects that his departure will upset those he left behind who are as yet unaware of his decision, but feels he must stay true to himself despite the fallout and hopes that they will understand the reasons behind his leaving:
Sitting here with the bottom line, you wanna know what, I’m gonna take my time
It may be good but it could be bad it drives me mad
Looking deep in my moody eyes, feeling good well I got a big surprise
Lock me up if I’ve done you wrong, you’ll never sing my song
Got a dream in December days, I can’t reach it but I’m gonna change my ways
Forget the wind and forget the now, you gotta let me go
Sitting here like a lunatic, you wanna know what and don’t it make you sick
Yes I may be right I may be wrong, but you can’t sing my song
Bluesy Blue Sea won’t you favor me
In ‘Driving me Wild’, Gillan outlines another reason he had privately decided to move on:
What can you do when you stay is your soft and easy life, when ambition is burning to make a break?
What can I do? Lost in a haze, telling you how but I’m just in a daze
That ‘telling you how‘ bit could be seen as a bold admission that the truth is here if one cares to look.
‘Long Gone’ offers more hints at the covert nature of Gillan’s decision throughout the creative process of the album, in the two cryptic instances of ‘it’s not what you think’:
Long gone, out of this place, long gone, it’s not what you think
Long gone, don’t want a new face, long gone it’s not what you think
‘Living a Lie’ appears on the surface to be about a person who has fallen out of love with their partner, yet remains in the unhealthy relationship. In the context of the rest of the lyrics on the album, it’s all too easy to understand that Gillan is actually relating his feelings about his relationship with his band. The middle eight section reads as follows:
Going down going down, down to deceive, coming round, around I believe
Lay me down, lay me down I can’t breathe, I’m living a lie
This line is sung three different times in the song over a solemn, church like organ riff, and is quite striking in its stark declaration:
It’s just another lie
The song ends with this line, softly spoken and drenched with reverb, over the same quietly somber organ backing… feeling more like a confession than a song lyric.
And finally, ‘Demon Driver’, includes this ominous admission:
Look past my eyes, you’ll be surprised
Inside this civilized master, there lies a human disaster
Gillan dissolved Gillan the band at the end of the Magic tour, after their final gig at Wembley Arena on December 17, 1982, exactly as foreshadowed in ‘Bluesy Blue Sea’ with that ‘Got a dream in December days’ lyric. Clearly IG had the band’s demise planned right down to the month of the final gig. Claiming the need for throat surgery, Gillan was now free for the Deep Purple Mk II reunion… which was scuttled by Ritchie Blackmore, who opted to one more album/tour cycle with Rainbow. Gillan now had a year to kill, and so less than two months after his namesake band’s final gig, he was announced as the new lead vocalist of Black Sabbath. The quick turnaround was a shock to the other members of Gillan, leading them to believe they had been *ahem*, misled about the reasons for Gillan’s ending the band. The Sabbath detour turned out to be a one-off, as the fabled Mk II reunion finally became a reality in April of 1984.
The remaining members of Gillan were all quite vocal about their perceived betrayal, expressing their acrimony in the UK music press as well as in songs written about their ex-bandleader’s behaviors and motivations. To hear the band’s impressions of what took place, without the lyrical sleight of hand employed by their former boss, check out John McCoy’s ‘Because You Lied’, a direct response that pulls no punches; McCoy felt so close to the singer that he named Gillan godfather to his first daughter. Colin Towns gave ‘How Does the Cold Wind Cry’ to Roger Daltrey, who recorded the song for his ‘Parting Should be Painless’ collection, a loose concept album inspired by the break-up of The Who. Towns’ song fit into Daltrey’s theme seamlessly; the lyric is a sad and haunting take on his betrayal by someone he had loved and trusted for almost a decade.
So Gillan the Magnificent pulled off quite an amazing trick with ‘Magic’, turning Gillan’s fifth record into a concept album about his breaking up the band right before our eyes… and right under his band’s noses. In retrospect, this IS the same guy who wrote a very unflattering lyric about Ritchie Blackmore over a song on Deep Purple’s ‘Who Do We Think We Are? LP (‘Smooth Dancer’) which went wholly unnoticed by the Man in Black, so his ‘Magic’-al mischief was not without precedent. One wonders if any of the former members of Gillan ever had had an inkling of what was happening, after hearing those lyrics night after night on the road, or perhaps a head-smacking moment years later— “Of course! How could I not have seen it!” But by then, The Amazing Gillan had packed up his travelling Magic show and moved on to Purpler Skies and greener pastures…
Unsung: John Gustafson
September 25, 2014 September 27, 2014 mayobat Music Atomic Rooster, Butterfly Ball, Colin Towns, Deep Purple, Episode Six, Goose Grease, Hard Stuff, Ian Gillan, Ian Gillan Band, Jesus Christ Superstar, John Du Cann, John Gustafson, Liverpool, Love is the Drug, Mark Nauseef, Mersybeat, Mick Underwood, Quatermass, Roger Glover, Roxy Music, Scarabus, The Big Three
During the last 12 months or so, the world of rock has lost several notable rockers. Jeff Hanneman, Clive Burr, Lou Reed, Glenn Cornick, Allen Lanier, Tommy Ramone, Trevor Bolder, Johnny Winter… This shouldn’t be a surprise; most of our 70’s hard rock heroes are somewhere in their 60’s, and as much as it pains me to point out, nobody lives forever. Lemmy “That’s the way I like it baby, I don’t want to live forever” Kilmister was forced off the road and into the hospital several times recently. Malcom Young has officially retired, unable to play with AC/DC due to some unspecified ailment. Tony Iommi’s cancer battle was an eye opener, but it was the death of Ronnie James Dio that really hammered it home for me: Living legends are dying. The Age of the Metal God is drawing to a close.
There was no shortage of press surrounding Dio’s passing; RJD’s stellar career warranted the full treatment. He even had a tribute album. The mainstream metal press, both in print and online, are quick to respond to the death of heavy metal icons with career retrospectives, buyer’s guides, archival photos, and ‘final Interviews’. So you know where to go if you want to read about the Deathstyles of the Rich and Famous. But who’s gonna pay tribute to the less-than-legendary rock/metal musos? Who’s gonna memorialize those dudes with names that sound… kinda… familiar… but… Who will remember the sidemen to the superstars? That’s right. This blog. Right here.
You have heard John Gustafson, even if you have never heard of him. Gustafson was one of those guys who popped up in several middling UK bands in the 70’s but never really became a household name. His association with the Deep Purple extended family tree kept him busy for much of the 1970’s, and I can virtually guarantee that you have heard one song that Gus played on, as he was associated with exactly one US/UK hit single. But the man’s lack of name recognition is in no way related to the man’s talent and abilities as a bass player and lead vocalist. John Gustafson was a phenomenal talent. I make some listening recommendations at the end of this piece; check them out and see if you don’t agree.
In the 1960’s Gustafson played in some important British bands, the first of which was The Big Three, a Merseybeat group that emerged from Liverpool along with the Beatles and the Searchers. The Big Three were managed by one Brian Epstein, and had a UK #37 with their version of ‘Some Other Guy’ in 1963. In ’64 Gustafson joined the Merseybeats, another Merseybeat band (!) who scored two consecutive #13 hits on the UK singles charts. Not a bad start.
In 1969, Gustafson replaced a cat by the name of Roger Glover in a UK pop band called Episode Six. The reason that Glover needed replacing? Glover and Episode Six lead vocalist Ian Gillan had left to join Deep Purple. While playing with E6, Gustafson was invited to appear on the album version of Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Weber’s rock opera ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. Hard rockers are familiar with this record mainly due to the presence of Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan in the role of Jesus Christ. John Gustafson sang the role of Simon Zealotes on the album, which topped the US Billboard chart in 1970. ‘Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem’ is essentially a duet between Gustafson and Gillan, and, strange as it may sound, it’s not the only vocal duet the pair would record. More on that later.
As Episode Six fizzled, drummer Mick Underwood, Gustafson and keyboardist Peter Robinson left to form progressive rock trio Quatermass. Quatermass released one excellent album in 1970 and folded. Consisting of only drums, bass, and layered keyboards (no guitars whatsoever), Quatermass is a dynamic, complex, and creative piece of progressive rock, and Gustafsons first true showcase as a hard rock vocalist and bassist. Hard rock without guitars? Believe it. Ritchie Blackmore liked one of the songs on ‘Quatermass’ enough to suggest that Deep Purple record it in 1974; they balked, so he packed up and did it (‘Black Sheep of the Family’) with Rainbow instead.
Gustafson then joined Daemon, featuring John Du Cann and Paul Hammond, both former members of Atomic Rooster. Daemon changed their name to Bullet when Gustafson joined, but had to change it yet again, as there was an American by the same name. Now called Hard Stuff, Gustafson and crew jokingly titled their 1972 debut album ‘Bulletproof’. One of early metal’s true lost gems, ‘Bulletproof’ is a solid slab of guitar heavy, loud-ass 70’s hard rock; stripped to bare bones and ragged in all the right places. Hard Stuff’s next album was almost derailed when an auto accident seriously injured both Hammond and Du Cann, almost ending their careers; Gustafson emerged unscathed, but the band barely survived long enough to see the release of the proggier sophomore effort ‘Bolex Dementia’ in ’73.
Gustafson always made himself available as a session man for whatever came his way, and one of these sessions led to a 3-year association with the band Roxy Music. Gustafson appeared on 3 Roxy albums, ‘Stranded’, ‘Country Life’, and ‘Siren’, the latter featuring the UK #2 single ‘Love is the Drug’. The song also hit #30 in the US, and there’s a good chance you’ve heard it. Gustafson was never an ‘official’ member of Roxy Music, but was asked at the end of the ‘Siren’ tour in ’75 if he’d like to join permanently. Gustafson declined, citing his desire to play ‘harder edged’ music.
While working with Roxy, Roger Glover invited Gustafson to contribute to his ‘Butterfly Ball’ project in 1974. The album was based on a popular children’s poem, with each piece centered on a different woodland animal; Gustafson’s entry was called ‘Watch Out for the Bat’. As Glover wrote all of the music and lyrics on the record, and hired mostly studio musicians to record it, Gus only sang on the song. But at the project’s sole live performance in October of 1975, Ian Gillan (who was enlisted to sing Ronnie Dio’s parts !! for the live presentation) asked Gustafson to join a band he was putting together.
Gustafson released a solo album in 1976. ‘Goose Grease’ is a funky, jazz-influenced album; part fusion and part prog. Gustafson’s versatile playing shines throughout; fluid, chops-heavy and funky, anchored by a solid 70’s hard rock sensibility. Gustafson joined the Ian Gillan Band later in the year; this album provided the template for that band’s ultimate direction.
The Ian Gillan Band (Not to be confused with Gillan, a very different band) expanded on the sound and style of Gustafson’s solo album, releasing three jazz/rock albums during the height of the UK punk rock explosion. With its focus on texture, chops, and improvisation, jazz-rock was one of the styles that the punks were so vehemently rallying against, and the IGB paid the price for it.
The IGB’s first album, called ‘Child in Time’, was produced by Roger Glover. Much of the material was written and demo’d between ’72 and ’74, before the IGB formed. The album is a murky mix of slow, dirgey R&B and mellow jazz rock, and the version of ‘Child in Time’ here has to be heard to be believed. Another song worth checking out is ‘Down the Road’, the second vocal duet between Gustafson and Gillan. Trading lines in each verse, the song is remarkable in that Gillan takes a moderate, even sedate, approach to his vocal, letting Gustafson unleash the histrionics usually associated with Deep Purple’s legendary screamer. The two differing approaches compliment each other nicely, and it’s interesting that Gillan let Gustafson loose like this on his first post-DP recording. definitely worth a listen.
Keyboardist Colin Towns joined the IGB in ’76, and on their next two releases, the band solidified their sound significantly. Second record ‘Clear Air Turbulence’ is a prog/fusion monster. Gustafson had found his ultimate rhythmic partner in drummer Mark Nauseef (the guy who filled in for Brian Downey for the Thin Lizzy gig filmed outside the Sydney Opera House in 1978), and their playing together is outstanding. Although lacking in the hard rock department, CAT is both a prime example of mid-70’s jazz-rock noodling and a shining example of what not to play while punk rock is tearing up the music charts.
Third Album ‘Scarabus’ is just plain excellent. A perfect combination of hard rock muscle, progressive ideas and jazz-influenced playing, ‘Sarabus’ reigns in the song lengths and focuses on standard rock structures. It’s a great album of strong songs and excellent performances by all involved; but nobody cared. IGB couldn’t get arrested in the UK, none of the albums were available in the states, and in 1977, there was nowhere to go but Japan. 1978’s ‘Live at the Budokan’ would be IGB’s swan song. It, too, is excellent.
A fourth IGB album was underway when Gillan finally saw the writing on the wall and decided to get with the program and start rocking again. Retaining only Colin Towns, Gillan dumped the rest of the band, changed its name to (what else?) Gillan, and proceeded to jump headlong into the emerging NWOBHM movement. Released in 2003, a CD compilation called ‘Rarites 1975-1977’, includes 3 songs recorded for that unfinished fourth IGB album. All three songs (‘Vindaloo’, ‘You Get What You Ask For’, and ‘Raped by Aliens’) feature John Gustafson on lead vocals, with Gillan nowhere to be found. Gus more than carries the material; in fact, it sounds like the Ian Gillan Band could have carried on quite nicely without Ian Gillan… After a name change, of course.
Recordings after 1980 were few and far between; mainly some session work (Steve Hackett, Rick Wakeman, Ian Hunter) and reunions with some of his 1960’s bands (The Pirates). But his 70’s work is where you’ll find the real Johnny Gustafson. While his legacy is as rich as it is obscure, the respect and appreciation long due the man is now overdue: John Gustafson died at age 72 on September 12, 2014. Honor the man and check out some of his music:
John Gustafson/Ian Gillan, ‘Simon Zealotes/Poor Jarusalem’, from ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ 1969
Quatermass, ‘Quatermass’ album, 1970
Hard Stuff, ‘Bulletptoof’ album, 1972
John Gustafson, ‘Watch Out for the Bat’, from Roger Glover’s ‘The Butterfly Ball’ 1974
Roxy Music, ‘Love is the Drug’ single 1975
Ian Gillan Band, ‘Down the Road’ from ‘Child in Time’ 1975
Ian Gillan Band ‘Scarabus’ album, 1977
Ian Gillan Band, ‘Vindaloo’/’You Get What You Ask For’/’Raped by Aliens’, from ‘Rarities 1975-1977’ 2003
Gillan’s Hat Trick
June 30, 2013 October 8, 2015 mayobat Music Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Gillan, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover
So this morning I’m setting myself up for the next week of my commute, dragging and dropping a bunch of albums into my ipod, when it strikes me that 3 of the choices I’ve made feature the one and only Ian Gillan on vocals. Not surprising, I guess. Ian Gillan features more prominently in my music collection than any other single musician. That’s not only because I think he’s one of the greatest rock singers ever. It’s also because the guy has been so damn prolific throughout his almost 50-year recording career. His discography is enormous. Thankfully, with Gillan, it’s just as much about quality as it is about quantity.
A big chunk of Gillan’s recorded output is rightly regarded as ‘Classic’. Just being a part of Deep Purple MkII seals that deal. But while his first stint in Purple surely cemented his legacy, it’s hardly the entire story. That Ian Gillan was able to create or co-create so much stellar music in so many different (and sometimes difficult) situations is nothing short of miraculous.
It could be said that Gillan’s most significant post-Purple period was a 3-year span during the early 1980s, as the Deep Purple MkII reunion slowly became a reality. Gillan knew he would have to break up his own band, and wrote and recorded their final album while keeping his fellow band members in the dark. He then found he’d have to wait a year for Ritchie Blackmore to wind up Rainbow, and decided to kill time fronting what was arguably the greatest Heavy Metal band of all time. But all of this was just the build up for DP MkII’s triumphant return. This tumultuous chain of events gave us three fantastic albums; three more stellar entries into the colorful Ian Gillan catalogue.
And now, back to my iPod…
Gillan/’Magic’, 1982
‘Magic’ was Gillan’s (That’s Gillan-the-band, not Gillan-the-singer) sixth and final album. While it is perhaps their most commercial record, it’s also their most interesting. The frenetic, off-kilter vibe of previous albums such as ‘Glory Road’ and ‘Future Shock’ is largely absent, mainly due to the departure of Bernie Torme in 1981. By the following year, the band had apparently decided that replacing Torme with Blackmore-clone Janek Gers was a mistake, as there are few guitar solos on ‘Magic’, and the overall sound is keyboard-heavy. The record thus became a showcase for keyboard player Colin Townes’ decidedly left-field musical vision, culminating with the cinematic epic ‘Demon Driver’ (7:16). Gillan’s trademark screams do sound a bit ragged… Overall, there’s enough of the Gillan magic (sorry) here to ensure the album stands as a solid (albeit more commercial) follow-up to the previous year’s excellent ‘Double Trouble’, and a fitting farewell to a great band.
Lyrically, almost every song on ‘Magic’ is about moving on from a bad situation and toward a better one… which is exactly what Ian Gillan was about to do. ‘Magic’ was the band’s lowest-charting LP in the UK, peaking at #17. Ian must have seen this coming. The NWOBHM that had supported the band’s launch just a few years prior was over; while writing the songs for ‘Magic’, Gillan had apparently decided that the band had run it’s course as well. The lyrics to songs like ‘Long Gone’, ‘Living a Lie’, ‘Caught in a Trap’, and ‘Breaking Chains’ seemed innocuous enough when taken at face value, but took on a new clarity after Gillan broke up the band, allegedly to undergo surgery to have nodes removed from his vocal cords. There’s even a song called ‘Purple Sky’… Hmmm… Could there have been an ulterior motive for breaking up Gillan?
The vocal chord issue proved to be bogus, as Gillan’s next move created much bad blood among his ex-band members when he resurfaced the following year, screaming his ass off on…
Black Sabbath/’Born Again’, 1983
With its garish, primary-colored cover, often-ridiculous lyrics, and dense, murky mix, ‘Born Again’ has a ‘special’ place in the Sabbath canon. Either loved or hated by the hardcore faithful, there’s no middle ground with this record. It’s not the complete disaster that its detractors claim, but neither did it live up to the potential of what initially seemed like an absolutely brilliant pairing. Bill Ward is back, so 3/4ths of the original Sabbath are on hand, and legendary Deep Purple screamer Ian Gillan is in fine larynx-abusing form (a truly miraculous recovery…?) But: the overall result just doesn’t gel into something deserving of the Black Sabbath name. Geezer has said that they had planned to put it out under a different name, but the record company did what record companies do: interfere.
There are moments when it all works beautifully: the uber-riffic drone of ‘Zero the Hero’, the super-heavy chug of ‘Digital Bitch’, and the sludgy dreamscape of the title track all impress, while ‘Trashed’, ‘Disturbing the Priest’ and the aforementioned ‘Zero…’ are all excellent Gillan/Sabbath hybrids. But Gillan’s lyrics just don’t work in this context, and the album is short on songs and long on filler. Two atmospheric instrumental pieces, ‘The Dark’ and ‘Stonehenge’, were edited considerably from much longer pieces (both originally clocking in at almost 5 minutes each); both work well as intros to the songs they precede, but giving them titles and track numbers of their own does little to hide the fact that there are only 7 songs here (and only 3 or 4 real keepers). An outtake from the sessions, ‘The Fallen’, was recently released on the Deluxe Edition of ‘Born Again’; this tune would have really rounded out the album.
Overall, ‘Born Again’ will go down in history as a flawed experiment, a missed opportunity, a ‘classic’– not only because of the music within, but also because of the controversy, baggage and backstory that came along with it. Like Motorhead’s ‘Another Perfect Day’, it exists as a separate entity completely outside of the band’s discography, an ‘asterisk album’, a creation that doesn’t quite fit but also cannot be written off entirely. It’s also worth noting that this was Bill Ward’s final album with Black Sabbath, and the only Black Sabbath album with Jesus Christ on vocals.
One comes away from the ‘Born Again’ experience with the feeling that the next one will be better… But alas, there was to be no ‘next one’. Gillan would later reveal that he joined the Sabs to kill time while Ritchie Blackmore wrapped up Rainbow’s commitments and the Double-Secret Master Plan could finally reveal itself (‘Purple Sky’ indeed!) the following year: A reunion of Deep Purple MkII and the release of…
Deep Purple/’Perfect Strangers’, 1984
And so, the planets finally aligned, and one of the greatest heavy rock bands of all time reunited after a decade. Each of the MkII members had found varying levels of success in several different situations. Their individual writing and playing styles had all evolved. Could they come together and create that caustic MkII chemistry once again? As it turned out, the individual members weren’t all that far apart after all. Roger Glover had been beside Blackmore in Rainbow for several years. Jon Lord had been playing with Ian Paice in Whitesnake. And Ritchie Blackmore had actually invited Ian Gillan to join Rainbow in 1978 before hiring Graham Bonnet, so it wasn’t impossible to imagine the two headstrong alphas reconciling their infamous differences.
Wisely, ‘Perfect Strangers’ doesn’t attempt to continue where DP MkII left off (with 1973’s ‘Who Do We Think We Are?’); rather it sounds like a less commercial Rainbow fronted by Ian Gillan. It would have been unrealistic to expect a true follow-up to ‘WDWTWA?’ over a decade later. That record would have found an audience, but would not have earned the band a new generation of new fans, as ‘Strangers’ so effectively did. So this wasn’t a slavish return to a classic sound, but rather an updated, revamped version of that sound. Clearly Purple didn’t feel the need to remind anyone that they’d helped invent heavy rock; instead they’d re-invented themselves for a new generation.
And this approach worked. The album is rock-solid. Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord & Paice had no problem transforming Purple into an 80’s hard rock powerhouse. The older, wiser DP was about tight, direct, impactful hard rock; precision riffs, catchy choruses, nimble drumming, and dynamic performances. The excesses of the 70’s were left behind in favor of a more compact, muscular, hard-hitting style, with Blackmore leading the overall sound in a slight neo-classical direction throughout. Keyboard and guitar interplay? Check. And with a confident and fully-committed Gillan singing over It, ‘Perfect Strangers’ sounded like Classic Rock from day one.
Without having to keep up the frantic histrionics and madcap pace of his band in Gillan; no longer under pressure to fit his lyrics and bluesy vocal approach into the doom-and-gloom universe of Black Sabbath, Ian Gillan sounds truly at home on ‘Perfect Strangers’. Gillan strides across the album, sounding relaxed, confident and comfortable. The Master of Ceremonies for one of rock’s greatest comebacks. Lyrically, Gillan was once again hiding secret messages in his band’s songs; a quick read of the words to ‘Gypsy’s Kiss’ (Cockney rhyming slang for ‘taking the piss’, which in turn means ‘not taking something seriously’) reveals his inner thoughts on the reunion and the biz surrounding it. Hey, this is the guy who wrote ‘Smooth Dancer’, remember.
Gillan had maneuvered his way out of his own successful solo band, maneuvered his way into one of the biggest bands of all time, then took his rightful place in one of the most successful comebacks in rock history. The fruits of these machinations? Three consecutive albums in three years for Ian Gillan. Three different bands, three different sets of writing partners. Each record a milestone in each band’s career; each historically significant. I’ve been trying to come up with another notable rocker who has accomplished this same feat, but have thus far come up empty. And this is just a 3-year slice of a creatively restless and somewhat daring career that started in the 60’s and continues to this day. This must be what the phrase ‘storied career’ means.
(Now, if only someone would explain the significance of the phrase ‘grey plastic retards’, which appears in the lyrics for both ‘Born Again’ and ‘Wasted Sunsets’…Anyone?)
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9223
|
__label__wiki
| 0.648153
| 0.648153
|
Home News VODAFONE GLOBAL SURVEY REVEALS RAPID ADOPTION OF FLEXIBLE WORKING
VODAFONE GLOBAL SURVEY REVEALS RAPID ADOPTION OF FLEXIBLE WORKING
75 per cent of companies worldwide have now introduced flexible working policies to enable employees to vary their hours and use the latest technologies to work from home or on the move according to one of the largest global surveys of its kind conducted with 8,000 employers and employees across three continents. The survey – Flexible: friend or foe? – by Vodafone drew on responses from small and medium-sized businesses, public sector organisations and multinational corporations (MNCs) in 10 countries.
Respondents stated – to a striking extent – that they believed performance had been enhanced as a result of flexible working:
– 61 per cent of respondents said their company’s profits increased;
– 83 per cent reported an improvement in productivity; and
– 58 per cent believed that flexible working policies had a positive impact on their organisation’s reputation.
The rapid adoption of high-speed mobile data services, fixed-line broadband and cloud services is playing an integral role in this workplace revolution: 61 per cent of respondents now use their home broadband service to access work applications and 24 per cent use a mobile data connection via their smartphone, tablet or laptop with a broadband dongle.
Barriers to adoption
Vodafone’s survey also explored the reasons why 20 per cent of respondents said their organisation had not yet implemented a flexible working policy. Of those reporting that there was no such policy in place:
– 33 per cent said they believed it would not suit the culture of their organisation;
– 30 per cent were concerned about friction between employees working flexibly and those who did not do so;
– 25 per cent believed that work would be unfairly distributed between flexible and non-flexible groups of employees; and
– 22 per cent believed employees would not work as hard if allowed to adopt flexible working patterns and technologies.
While the minority of respondents without flexible working policies in place were clear on the reasons why their organisations had not yet pursued these, even within this group there was a clear sense that reversing their organisation’s position would deliver benefits:
– 55 per cent of employers without flexible working policies in place agreed that employee morale would improve if these were to be introduced;
– 44 per cent said they believed productivity would improve as a result; and
– 30 per cent believed profits would increase.
Country and generational differences
Vodafone’s research identified a number of striking variations between national attitudes towards flexible working. For example:
– 71 per cent of Spanish employees surveyed use their own smartphone to work flexibly outside the workplace compared with 38 per cent in the UK and 27 per cent in Germany;
– Only 8 per cent of UK employers surveyed would be concerned about employees not working as hard as a consequence of flexible working policies compared with 33 per cent in Hong Kong; and
– 52 per cent of German employees surveyed said they were not aware of their company’s security policy regarding flexible working compared with 23 per cent of those in India.
Vodafone’s Flexible: friend or foe? survey also found marked differences between age groups in the workplace. The new generation in the workplace is instinctively adopting technologies such as cloud services, advanced messaging and video conferencing that are central to flexible working. Researchers found that 72 per cent of 18-24 year olds believed that flexible working would improve the quality of their work. However, that proportion fell to 38 per cent among respondents over 55.
Vodafone Group Enterprise Chief Executive Nick Jeffery said: “Vodafone’s research reveals a profound and rapid shift in the modern workplace. Employers are telling us that flexible working boosts profits while their employees tell us they’re more productive. Central to all of this are the new technologies that are reshaping every sector, from high-speed mobile data networks and fixed-line broadband to the latest collaborative cloud services. We truly are in an era when work is what you do, not where you go.”
The Flexible: friend or foe? survey was conducted by Morar (formerly Redshift Research) on behalf of Vodafone between September and October 2015. The countries surveyed were Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the USA. A total of 8,000 employers and employees were interviewed online across 10 countries.
Download our flexible working guide at www.vodafone.com/WorkFlexi
www.vodafone.com/media/contact
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9226
|
__label__cc
| 0.530073
| 0.469927
|
Herd immunity is a group resistance of a population against a particular disease and the spread of its disease-causing agent in the same population. It is a collective type of immunity that is demonstrated by a community against a particular pathogen and disease within the same environment. In herd immunity, there is a larger proportion of individuals who are protected against an infection in a population, and this allows members of the community to enjoy an immunity which is not necessary of their own making but that of the community they found themselves. This type of immunity reduces the probability of effective contacts of infective persons with those that are vulnerable while allowing susceptible individuals in the community to have contacts with those that are already immune against a given infection. Herd immunity allows epidemiologists the chance of assessing epidemic developments within a population. A higher proportion of immune individuals within a given community will ensure a higher proportion of protected population. This is the rationale behind most public immunization programs (e.g. polio immunization). When immunization exercises are embarked upon and routinely followed, the goal is to ensure that herd immunity is maintained in the population by reducing the number of susceptible individuals which continue to enter the population via many means such as child birth and migration. Antigenic shift and antigenic drift of pathogenic microorganisms can also inform the decision of public health professionals and health policy makers to step up their immunization programs and monitoring and evaluation of the exercise in a given population.
It is however noteworthy that herd immunity (which can also be called community immunity or population immunity) does not necessarily work for those infectious diseases that have a common source of transmission or spread in a given population. Cholera (caused by Vibrio cholerae) is a typical example of an infection or disease that has a common source of transmission. The common source of cholera transmission or spread in a population is contaminated water especially those contaminated with human excreta or sewage. Individuals who drink form such faecally-contaminated water will easily become infected with V. cholerae and other infectious disease agents transmitted through this route; and this will predispose those affected to a variety of waterborne diseases (despite the fact that the hosts are immune or non-immune). Microbial diseases that come from a common source (e.g. water and food) is transmitted in a given population via that common source – irrespective of the fact that some individuals in the said community or population may be immune or non-immune, susceptible or non-susceptible hosts. Since the members of the community (inclusive of the immunized and non-immunized members) drink or get their water from the same contaminated common source, they all can easily become infected or acquire the disease agent once the source of their water is contaminated by microbial pathogens.
Herd immunity as aforementioned is the indirect form of protection that occurs when a large proportion of a population have become immune to an infectious disease such as measles or polio – thereby providing a reasonable form of immunity for non-immunized members of the same community that they come in direct contact with. It can be achieved through massive immunization or vaccination of a large percentage of the population; and this epidemiological concept (i.e. herd immunity is vital to halting disease transmission or spread in any given population, especially those infectious diseases transmitted or acquired via direct body contact with infected individuals – which are the types of diseases preventable via the phenomenon of herd immunity. Infectious diseases that can be transmitted via direct body contact with infected persons are typical examples of diseases that are preventable via herd immunity – in which a larger proportion of the population are immunized, thus body contacts in the population is now with immunized individuals (who do not spread the disease) rather than with non-immunized and possibly chronic carriers (who will definitely spread the disease in the population).
John T.J and Samuel R (2000). Herd Immunity and Herd Effect: New Insights and Definitions. European Journal of Epidemiology, 16:601-606.
Gordis L (2013). Epidemiology. Fifth edition. Saunders Publishers, USA.
Garnett G.P (2005). Role of herd immunity in determining the effect of vaccines against sexually transmitted disease. The Journal of Infectious Disease, 191:97-106.
Uses of Epidemiological Data
Antigenic Drift and Antigenic Shift
REPLICATION IN VIRUSES
ANTIBODY SELECTION AND STAINING FOR...
EXPERIMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES
QUESTIONS ON FUNDAMENTALS OF MICROBIOLOGY METHODS
Penicillin & mechanism of action
Microbiology Tests
Calculations for culture media preparation
GERM THEORY OF DISEASE
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9235
|
__label__cc
| 0.622238
| 0.377762
|
← Join The Growing Citizens’ Campaign For Positive Change In Niagara Municipal Governance!
After 15 Years Of Letting Us Down On The Gender Pay Gap, Ontario’s Wynne Liberals Disappoint Again →
‘Women’s Economic Empowerment Strategy a Canadian First’ – Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne
Posted on March 7, 2018 by dougdraper | Leave a comment
“Thanks to this first-of-its-kind strategy, we’re building a fairer, more dynamic, forward-thinking and prosperous Ontario — for everyone.” – Premier Kathleen Wynne
News from the Office of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne
Posted March 7th, 2018 on Niagara At Large
Ontario First Province in Canada to Introduce Pay Transparency Legislation
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne
Ontario today (this past March 6th) becomes the first province to tackle pay transparency as part of a broad new strategy to advance women’s economic empowerment and build fairer, better workplaces.
Premier Kathleen Wynne unveiled Then Now Next: Ontario’s Strategy for Women’s Economic Empowerment, which includes the introduction of legislation to increase pay transparency by requiring certain employers to track and publish information about compensation in their organizations.
The multifaceted strategy will help remove long-standing barriers that have kept women from benefiting equally in Ontario’s rapidly changing economy.
The strategy includes the introduction of standalone legislation to increase transparency in hiring processes and give women more information when negotiating fairer compensation that is equal to their male peers — making Ontario the first province in Canada to do so.
If passed, the legislation introduced today would help ensure compensation is based on a job’s requirements and the candidate’s qualifications. Specifically, it would:
Require all publicly advertised job postings to include a salary rate or range
Bar employers from asking a job candidate about their past compensation
Prohibit reprisals against employees who discuss or disclose compensation
Establish a framework to require larger employers to track and report compensation gaps based on gender and other diversity characteristics, to be determined through consultation. Once fully implemented, these measures would require employers to publicly post that data within their own workplaces, in addition to reporting them to the province.
The proposed legislation is the central piece of Then Now Next: Ontario’s Strategy for Women’s Economic Empowerment, which also includes up to $50 million in funding over three years.
The strategy will also:
Advocate for further enhancements to parental benefit entitlements
Expand and strengthen women’s centres, which provide skills training and a variety of supports to women — including immigrant, racialized and women experiencing, or at risk of, violence
Reinforce measures to promote women in corporate leadership
Increase women’s access to training and mentorship opportunities
Better support women entrepreneurs — including helping young women develop an entrepreneurial mindset, and creating the Ontario Women’s Entrepreneurship Association
Launch a social awareness campaign to break down gender stereotypes and promote gender equality at work, at home and in communities.
Making wages fairer for everyone is part of Ontario’s plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.
Then Now Next: Ontario’s Strategy for Women’s Economic Empowerment builds on existing government efforts to create fairness and opportunity for women, including a $15 minimum wage in 2019, new workplace leave of up to 17 weeks for survivors of domestic or sexual violence, a $242 million investment in It’s Never Okay: Ontario’s Gender-Based Violence Strategy and our government’s plan to build 100,000 new child care spaces.
Improving gender equality in workplaces and society could add as much as $60 billion to Ontario’s GDP over the next decade.
The gender wage gap in Ontario has remained stagnant for the last decade, with women earning around 30 per cent less than men.
Ontario’s pay transparency legislation was informed by other jurisdictions with similar laws in place, including the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany.
The strategy plans to leverage Ontario’s buying power to encourage gender equity when selecting vendors for government work.
The province’s pay transparency disclosure measures will begin with the Ontario Public Service. Then, following consultation, the proposed new rules will then apply to employers with more than 500 employees, and later will extend to those with more than 250 employees. Exactly which prescribed characteristics — in addition to gender — employers will be required to record and report will be determined through consultation.
Then Now Next: Ontario’s Strategy for Women’s Economic Empowerment
Ontario sets gender diversity targets
It’s Never Okay: Ontario’s Gender-Based Violence Strategy
Ontario’s progress to empower women
“It’s been more than 30 years since Ontario first passed pay equity legislation, but we are still working to close the gap. We know that too many women still face systemic barriers to economic advancement. When women face increased harassment, violence, poverty and discrimination, it hurts our society and our economy. It’s time for change. Then Now Next: Ontario’s Strategy for Women’s Economic Empowerment shines a spotlight on compensation and improves conditions for everyone in Ontario applying for a job. Thanks to this first-of-its-kind strategy, we’re building a fairer, more dynamic, forward-thinking and prosperous Ontario — for everyone.” Kathleen Wynne Premier of Ontario
“By taking immediate and meaningful steps, Ontario stands out as a true leader when it comes to ending income inequality. Our government is committed to breaking down barriers to employment, closing the gender wage gap and helping to support all women in the economy.” Kevin Flynn , Minister of Labour
“Equality is the hallmark of a fair and just Ontario, yet equality is still out of reach for many women, especially racialized, Indigenous and newcomer women. Ontario is changing that by being a leader in Canada and investing in women’s futures at all economic levels.” – Harinder Malhi . Minister of the Status of Women
NIAGARA AT LARGE encourages you to join the conversation by sharing your views on this
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9237
|
__label__wiki
| 0.613721
| 0.613721
|
Ripper Owens on Debut Three Tremors CD – Some People Might Not Be Able to Take it Because it’s So Over the Top!
March 3, 2019 March 3, 2019 DenysComments Off on Ripper Owens on Debut Three Tremors CD – Some People Might Not Be Able to Take it Because it’s So Over the Top!
Interview by Robert Cavuoto
Three of metal’s greatest vocalists; Tim “Ripper” Owens, Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin, and Sean “The Hell Destroyer” Peck have united as the Three Tremors and released their debut self-titled CD this past January.
There are twelve original songs featuring all three singers on every track; songs that cover all different metal styles and have some incredible vocal performances. It’s a fierce juggernaut of old school metal songs combined with hair raising vocals. Songs like “Sonic Suicide” and “Speed to Burn” are pure brutal US metal.
To hammer the point home, US fans will get their chance to witness the Three Tremors perform live on their first-ever tour running from February through March 2019. Tickets for the shows can be purchased here: http://www.thethreetremors.com/site/shows.html
I caught up with Ripper Owens between shows to talk about the creation of the Three Tremors CD if he would ever work with KK Downing on a CD, and his personal thoughts on lip-syncing.
Robert Cavuoto: The Three Tremors CD has an old school US metal vibe, was that intentional?
Tim “Ripper” Owens: Absolutely! When Sean asked me if I was interested in participating, the thing that won me over was that he wanted to make this a band, with a record, and do a tour. It was not just the three of us going on stage playing songs from our respective bands. Everything we did was going to be over the top with the music, lyrics, hitting the high notes, and the artwork. We wanted it to have a vibe of the music we grew up on but over the top. Some people might not be able to take it [laughing] because it might be too over the top for them, but that is what we wanted.
Robert Cavuoto: Was the music and lyrics written prior to you joining forces with Sean and Harry?
Tim “Ripper” Owens: It was written but what was great was I had just written Spirits of Fire and the year before that I was working with the new band, New Revenge with Keri Kelli, Rudy Sarzo, and James Kottak, so it was nice to take a break from writing. Sean sent me ideas with his vocals, and I recorded the entire record myself using his ideas as a template. I changed my voice quite a bit, which was more than I might normally have done because I didn’t want to sound like Sean or do the exact same thing he was doing. I did more layering with a raspy falsetto voice. I also added to the huge harmony parts. During the mixing, they worked out who would take what vocal part in the final mix. We are looking to release the CD with the three versions of each singer alone. We are thinking of releasing as a three-CD box set so people won’t have to go out to buy our individual versions like a contest.
Robert Cavuoto: You’re a very a versatile singer and blend in nicely with so many of the bands that you perform with; incorporating your style yet enchanting the band. Do you feel this CD is created more in line with your personal preference of music?
Tim “Ripper” Owens: I think this CD forced me to sing in a different voice than I’m used to doing. On the last Charred Walls of the Damned CD, I used a falsetto raspy AC/DC voice, but I don’t use it as much as I did on this CD. On the New Revenge CD that I just did, I love the vocals as it was a straight forward hard rock. The one that gets it all is the one in the middle; Spirits of Fire as that is a Judas Priest/ Sabotage type of voice. Like you said my voice blends into the music and adapts. So anything I sing it fits. I like to sing in character.
Robert Cavuoto: I really loved your vocals on Perpetual Flame with Yngwie Malmsteen.
Tim “Ripper” Owens: I loved that record too. I would love to work with him again. Maybe do another CD with a producer this time around to do a little better mix. Everybody is expecting me to talk dirt about him but don’t have any bad to say. He was one of the easiest guys I have ever worked with in the studio. I would want to do a retake of the vocals, and he would say, “They are good, and we don’t want to lose that take.” [Laughing]. I would get off stage with him and tell him that I didn’t think I had a great night and he would always say, “You sounded fucking great, man!” He was so complimentary to me and my singing. I thought he might have unleashed the fury on me, but he never did. I’m waiting for the call from him to make another record!
Robert Cavuoto: “King of the Monsters” is about Ronnie James Dio and Lemmy Kilmister, tell me about is creation?
Tim “Ripper” Owens: “King of the Monsters” was originally going to be about Godzilla, but Sean changed direction because they are both monsters of the metal world. What’s great about hard rock and metal is that you can sign about anything. When I made my solo record, the song “Play My Game” is about believing in yourself. “Death Race” is about driving a fast car. “The Cover Up” is about aliens. You can write about everyday stuff or add political innuendos into the songs. I don’t like to get political though. The CD Beyond Fear has some political songs, a song about a messed up situation where people screwed me over, and a song about a metal monster. I’ll sit down to write lyrics for a song and when I first start to come up with the idea vocally, whatever comes out of my mouth will be what the song is about. It’s a weird thing.
Robert Cavuoto: I read KK Downing’s book, and he spoke highly of you. Did the two of you ever talk about working on putting together a band or a CD?
Tim “Ripper” Owens: We kind of talked about it. He is always busy doing other stuff. You never know as I think he is getting a little fever to do it again. I think it would be awesome to do a record together. We have been offered well-paying gigs to do all star-line ups or be special guests, but he never wanted to do it. He has been doing this since the 70s, and I have to imagine he enjoys doing some other things outside of music. I get calls about doing a tour or something with KK, and I always give the person KK’s email and tell them to talk to him about it first. I would do anything in a heartbeat that is why I have three records coming out at the same time. I’m probably the only person who in one year has released five records. They weren’t all recorded in that year. I like to work so don’t have a lack of offers.
Robert Cavuoto: In the book, KK Downing talks about Judas Priest playing smaller venues after Rob Halford left the band, what was the band’s feeling of downsizing at the time?
Tim “Ripper” Owens: I don’t think it was easy. The guys in Priest told me at the time of Painkiller; they were doing shows to 1,500 people. They may have been playing in arenas, but they were only a quarter full. When I was in the band, we were playing club gigs to 2,000-3,000 people. They were fine with it because they loved performing.
Robert Cavuoto: There is a lot of talk on social media about bands lip syncing live, would you ever consider that in your career?
Tim “Ripper” Owens: I don’t need to use them or think about it. I don’t care if people use it. They can do whatever they want. Me, I don’t need them only if I was stuck with some difficult back-up vocals. I would never use with main vocals, that’s just silly.
http://thethreetremors.com/
Tell Us How You Feel
Tagged Ripper Owens on Debut Three Tremors CD - Some People Might Not Be Able to Take it Because it’s So Over the Top!, Tim “Ripper” Owens
Interviews Photos
Interview with guitarists Simon Golaz & Cal Wymann – Daxx & Roxane
December 8, 2018 December 8, 2018 Adrian Hextall
Interview by Adrian Hextall On the back of a great triple bill tour with Bad Touch and Aaron Buchanan & The Cult Classics, Daxx & Roxane having been wowing audiences with their energised brand of infectious hard rock. We caught up with Simon Golaz (Bass) and Cal Wymann (Guitar) before the show at ULU-Live in London […]
Interview with Frank Dennis (Drums/Backing vocals) (Cambion)
September 5, 2014 September 5, 2014 Denys
Cambion are an Exeter-based Technical/progressive metal four-piece who performed at this year’s Bloodstock Festival. They played on the Sophie Lancaster stage on Friday, just two years after they first performed on the New Blood stage after winning their local Metal 2 The Masses competition. We had a quick chat with them to ask about their festival experience and plans for tours and recording…
“You got to love yourself enough for people to love you. But not too much because you’d look like a dick!” Stevie Westwood, Bad Touch
November 12, 2017 November 12, 2017 Adrian Hextall
We can’t wait to go on our first headline tour which is really brown trouser time. Like you’ve mentioned on earlier, we’ve gone out and supported a lot of people. So I’m really excited to them..we’ve got Mollie Marriott coming with us, she’s an amazing talent in her own, right.
Lance King – ReProgram Review
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9241
|
__label__cc
| 0.554797
| 0.445203
|
Rock legend Lou Reed passes at age 71
By Metal October 27, 2013 12:50pm 197 Comments
Lou Reed, who’s band, Velvet Underground, influenced rock and some of my own favorite bands, passed away. Just because I thought his collaboration with Metallica was terrible, doesn’t mean that I don’t think he was an amazing musical artist. The man was a genius. His band, Velvet Underground, went from only selling 10,000 copies (which I’ll admit is wayyyyy more than Jars of Vomit ever did, but hey we still had a blast making music) to becoming legends in rock and producing classics like “Walk on the Wild Side.”
Not only could he sing, but, man, Lou could perform. In fact, he was set to tour last April, but had to cancel it due to health concerns. This guy was performing back in the sixties and seventies and STILL wanted to keep rocking the stage even after a liver transplant? Whew. That’s what I call someone who loves what he does, while always making sure to keep his fans happy.
Lou was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1996 along with the rest of his band and deservedly so. Fighting against the norms of what people thought rock should be, Lou and his band made a name for themselves by puttin’ it to the man and putting out music they wanted to make. How can I say no to someone who wants to stick it to the man. Lou, you will be missed, but your legacy will live on forever through your music.
BREAKING NEWS: Chris Brown JAILED?!?
Video of the Week: Baseball Gets Classical
Pizza Band? Totally Culkin.
That Really Happened?: 5 Crazy Collaborations!
Screw 1D, Metallica’s Heading Back on the Road!
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9243
|
__label__cc
| 0.690241
| 0.309759
|
Slave Trade, Slavery, and Reparation
Posted on Apr 2019
The Triangular Trade, Slavery, and Reparations to Africans and African Descendants ~ Slavery and slave trade have significantly featured in several parts of the world for the major part of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries[1]. Africa provided...Slave-Trade,-Slavery,-and-Reparation
Children and the Modern Market
Children and the Modern Market~ The potential influence of the contemporary child on the purchase decisions of their parents has significantly increased. Consequently, more companies have heightened the attention accorded to this target group....Children-and-the-Modern-Market
International Monetary and Financial Environments
International Monetary and Financial Environments~One of the major challenges which have faced the world financial and monetary environments was the 2007 crisis which began in the US (Claessens, Kose, Laeven & Valencia, 2014). This...International-Monetary-and-Financial-Environments
Criminal Justice Papers | Code of Ethics in Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
Code of Ethics in Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office AbstractThe work of law enforcement officers is governed by Code of Ethics that determine their conduct while in service. Serving humankind is based on their intricate knowledge of the law and ab...Criminal-Justice-Papers-|-Code-of-Ethics-in-Jacksonville-Sheriff's-Office
Sexting’s Impact in the Society
Sexting is simply the act of sending messages or photographs that are sexually explicit, primarily between mobile phones. Sexting can be greatly attributed to the advancement in technology thus enabling new forms of social interaction. The term “s...Sexting’s-Impact-in-the-Society
Online Learning Success
Online learning is preferred nowadays by many people due to its flexibility and convenience. It is easy to integrate with the busy lifestyles that people have and still help them achieve their set learning goals. According to Roper, seven factors ...Online-Learning-Success-
IT as a Differentiator
Over two decades ago, most executives despised computers and depicted them as proletarian tools (especially calculators and typewriters). These devices were best relegated for the low-level employees such as technicians, secretaries, and analysts...IT-as-a-Differentiator-
9/11 Crime
The September 11 terrorist attacks went down in the books of history as perhaps one of the most calamitous day in United States history. Often referred to as 9/11, the crime was a series of four related terrorist attacks perpetrated by al-Qaeda, a...9/11-Crime
Case Study: Rich, Angry Birds
Angry Birds is a simple puzzle video game developed by Rovio Mobile in 2009 that took the world by storm and has ever since been extremely popular. It is a mobile app whose franchise is expanding towards toys, board games, cookbooks and video gam...Case-Study:-Rich,-Angry-Birds
Strategic Implementation
Strategic implementation is paramount in matters regarding company success. It addresses the who, when, where and how of reaching the desired objectives and goals of a company. Strategic implementation typically focuses on the entire organization ...Strategic-Implementation
Raffael Sanzio | About The Artist And Their Works Of Art.
Background on the artist Raffael Sanzio was born in the year 1483 April 6 at a town known as Urbino. The very concept that defined him is that his interest in painting began at a very early age since his father was also a painter. ...Raffael-Sanzio-|-About-The-Artist-And-Their-Works-Of-Art.
Law and Order in a Free Society | How the Minorities and the Poor are treated in the Justice System
We can argue that the unequal treatment of minorities in America’s justice systems is perhaps one of the most serious problems facing the United States in the new millennium. Statistical pieces of evidence to support the truth in these assertions ...Law-and-Order-in-a-Free-Society-|-How-the-Minorities-and-the-Poor-are-treated-in-the-Justice-System
Movie: Food Inc.
Which two major plant crops that are incorporated into the vast majority of foods are comprised of Genetically Modified Ingredients?The two major plant crops incorporated into a wide variety of foods are corn and soybeans with around 90 percent of...Movie:-Food-Inc.
Public Health Impacts of Climate Change
Greenhouse gases are as a result of many factors which are as a result of human activities which are on the increase and therefore increasing the rate at which these gases develop and hence causing menaces as far as public health is concerned. Cli...Public-Health-Impacts-of-Climate-Change
Industrial Revolution and the Comparison between Capitalism and Communism
'The Industrial Revolution' applies to a phase of massive economic, technological, social and cultural change which affected individuals to such an extent that it's often compared to the change from hunter-gathering to farming. The industrial rev...Industrial-Revolution-and-the-Comparison-between-Capitalism-and-Communism
Intermediate Macroeconomics
Q1. Cost-push inflation means that the general prices have been hiked due to the increase in general costs of the factors of production, i.e., labor and capital when production companies are running at full production capacity ca...Intermediate-Macroeconomics
Instrument calibration
The purpose of calibrating instruments is to ensure readings from an instrument are consistent with other measurements to determine the accuracy of the instrument reading and also to establish the reliability of the instrument i.e. that can be tr...Instrument-calibration
Environmental History of Humanity
Qn 1 Agricultural Revolution saw humanity moving onto a settled life as human labor was replaced by machines, fertilizers which did most of the work. The industrial revolution brought about the use of new energy sources, e.g., e...Environmental-History-of-Humanity
The Scope of Underflow and Overflow Dams
An underflow dam unit provides a barricade to pollutants suspended in runoff water which otherwise finds a way through streets and streams. They use leaning culverts to allow water which is moving downstream to run off while keeping the spill wel...The-Scope-of-Underflow-and-Overflow-Dams
The symposium Plato nature of love
Aristophanes had a mind to praise love in a different way whereby he argued unlike Eryximachus and Pausanias that humankind has never understood the supremacy of love for if he surely did understand, then he would have built noble alters and temp...The-symposium-Plato-nature-of-love
Humanities 105
[1] ELECTRONIC MEDIA The electronic media is the most dynamic form of all interactive media. It illustrates the characteristics of its time by being a form of asynchronous communication, for example, the social networking and also the anonymit...Humanities-105
Collaborating Community Nursing and Faith Based Nursing
Posted on Mar 2019
Cooperative partnerships between faith-based organizations and health care are a revolutionary concept. In most communities, faith-based organizations and nursing are highly trusted entities. This is mainly because they provide renewal and spiritu...Collaborating-Community-Nursing-and-Faith-Based-Nursing
Racial Profiling against Blacks, Hispanics and Arab Americans
Racial profiling refers to the use of ethnicity or race as grounds for suspecting individuals of having committed a particular offense. It can also be defined as the targeting of specific individuals (particularly on the basis of their race) by la...Racial-Profiling-against-Blacks,-Hispanics-and-Arab-Americans-
Argument Essay: Legalizing Medical Marijuana
The attitude of humans especially American citizens towards marijuana (also known as weed or pot) have significantly varied from the time its use was illegalized in the 1930s to the present day. In 1970, the US Congress considered marijuana has "n...Argument-Essay:-Legalizing-Medical-Marijuana
SWOT Analysis of Voyager Study Abroad
Report Three: SWOT Analysis of VSA Voyager Study Abroad (VSA) is a budding student travel company that was started three years ago by a long time serving accounting professor; Dr. Michael Tyler. It is a provider of multicity, multi-country, sum...SWOT-Analysis-of-Voyager-Study-Abroad
What are the most significant trends facing e-commerce?
E-Commerce E-Commerce or Electronic Commerce refers to the sale and purchase of goods and services or facilitation of trade through computer networks or electronic channels such as online social networks and the internet. E-Commerce...What-are-the-most-significant-trends-facing-e-commerce?
Benefits of social media use
The accessibility of the internet all around the world is a defining phenomenon in the present times for everyone. The best thing about the internet and what has made it popular is that it solves each and every problem since information is what ev...Benefits-of-social-media-use
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
American writers of the nineteenth-century such as Charles Chesnutt, Sarah Orne, Henry James, Jack London and Mark Twain among others have been widely celebrated and renowned because of their incredible literature work that depicted the life of Am...The-Celebrated-Jumping-Frog-of-Calaveras-County
Richard Wolff on the Mondragon Cooperatives
Capitalism refers an economic or political system which is based on private ownership of the available means of production and their operation mainly for profit. Capitalism is characterized by capital accumulation, private property, voluntary exch...Richard-Wolff-on-the-Mondragon-Cooperatives
The Resource Mobilization Theory
The resource mobilization theory is a major sociological theory that emerged in the 1970s in the study of social movements. It mainly emphasizes on the ability of members of a movement to acquire resources and mobilize people towards achieving the...The-Resource-Mobilization-Theory
Dealing With Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom
Social behavior and academic achievement typically define the success of students. Real success in schools over the years is often measured by how well students socialize and behave (which is the sole reason I chose this topic to research on). Thi...Dealing-With-Challenging-Behaviors-in-the-Classroom
Introduction and Evidence Reporting
A crime scene sketch refers to a scale drawing which locates evidence in relation to other factors. It typically complements videos and photographs taken of a scene. It can be argued that with the dynamic technology and increased use of digital ca...Introduction-and-Evidence-Reporting-
Heineken Strategic Analysis
Heineken Heineken is United Kingdom’s leading beer and cider producer which has been existing for over 150 years. It’s the name behind iconic drink brands like Foster's, Desperados, Strongbow, Kronenbourg 1664, Heineken and Bulmers, among other...Heineken-Strategic-Analysis
Is there Crime in you area? - Crime in Compton
Compton is undoubtedly the most dangerous place for crimes in Los Angeles County of California. The neighborhood is well known for crimes such as murder, burglary, rape, assault, homicide, arson, auto theft and robbery. According to city-data.com ...Is-there-Crime-in-you-area?---Crime-in-Compton
Representing Women
Summary The summary is on the topic of women representation in the contemporary culture. The author brings out the complexity of this issue throughout the chapter and giving clear and numerous examples and explanations of the various ways in wh...Representing-Women
Critical Thinking Essay Example | Problem Solving
Scenario 1 The scenario is associated with the choice involving finishing classes in order to get promoted at a current job or shifting and joining another organization which pays better. Working in a company for eleven years is a quite a ded...Critical-Thinking-Essay-Example-|-Problem-Solving-
Obesity in America Essay
Obesity in AmericaThe Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out obesity in the United States as a national health problem being the second leading cause of mortality af...Obesity-in-America-Essay
Kantianism vs utilitarianism
DEONTOLOGY VS UTILITARIASM Kant's theory judges the morality of an action based on actions adherence to rule, he bases his theory on the discussion of goodwill, a duty the moral law, the test of reasons and the categorical imperative. Utilitariani...Kantianism-vs-utilitarianism
Research papers on abortions
Abortion legality debate As of late Supreme-Court activities sanctioning abortion have formed two moral positions: pro-life and pro-choice. A progression of cases brought about choices allowing ladies the privilege to pick whether to get abort...Research-papers-on-abortions
Nursing career goals essay
Nursing is unarguably the most conspicuous professions within the medical environment and in the greater health care sector. Although nursing is a popular profession in the medical arena, its definition is not effectively understood across the boa...Nursing-career-goals-essay
Dill to kill a mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird Over the years, our family, the Ewell’s has been viewed as poor, compared to other white families living in the Maycomb region. We are seen as people who h...Dill-to-kill-a-mockingbird
The death penalty is part of capital punishment which is a state-sanctioned form of punishment. It is associated with putting a person to death through execution. There are a wide range criminal activities referred to as capital crimes that are p...Death-penalty-essay
MLA Interview Citation
Lab Report Conclusion
Reddit Writing Prompts
Course Hero!! Free Access Here For Student Help and Study Materials!
Is Hell a Bad Word?
High School vs. College - Know the Differences & Comparisons
How Bad is it Failing a College Class: Reddit
Tommy Lynn Sells
Concerns for Police Administrators in Current Society
Criminology of Armed Conflict
Teaching Gender Roles
Tolkien’s Universal Tale Succeeded in Transmitting Catholic norms
Adolescent Literature
Student Loan Crisis: Persuasive Argument Research Paper
Pullman is a qualified atheist
Kongra-Gel Terrorist Group
Transgender bathrooms in Texas
Community Paper
What is Creativity?
Comparative Analysis of Elsie Wiesel’s Night and The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick
Life and contributions of Annie Easley
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
Career Options Someone With An Accounting Education Can Pursue
How Class Size Affects Learning
A World Without Gender
What is a theme of "what we talk about when we talk about love?" By Raymond carver
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9244
|
__label__cc
| 0.571084
| 0.428916
|
Strange Object Found In Orbit Near Neptune Baffles Experts
Brett Tingley August 15, 2016
From liquid-filled canyons on Io to super-sized meteor showers, this year has been full of fascinating news about our solar system. Now, a new discovery has scientists scratching their heads in wonder about what might lie at the edge of our cosmic neighborhood. A mysterious object was detected just past Neptune, and astronomers are unsure what gave it its unique properties.
An international team of astronomers researching the object has published the results of their study, which are still awaiting peer review. The newfound trans-Neptunian object is presumed to be a dwarf planet, and scientists have named it Niku. Based on its brightness, Niku is thought to be less than 200km in diameter. Several other dwarf planets and planetoids have been found recently near or beyond Neptune, and Niku was assumed to be similar to them. However, astronomers got a real treat when they began to observe and study Niku’s behaviors.
Niku’s orbit sends it far beyond Neptune.
The mystery surrounding Niku stems from its strange orbit. While most objects orbit the Sun in the same direction as the Sun rotates, Niku orbits in the opposite direction. Furthermore, Niku orbits the Sun on a plane that is tilted 110 degrees off of the plane upon which the rest of the planets orbit. While other objects have been found that orbit the Sun in the opposite direction, the combination of these two facts is curious, to say the least.
Niku’s orbit is tilted 110 degrees to the orbit of the rest of the planets in our solar system.
As of now, scientists are unsure what to make of Niku’s unique orbit or how to explain it. Michele Bannister, an astronomer at Queens University Belfast, told New Scientist that the mystery of Niku makes it a prime subject for future study:
It’s wonderful that it’s so confusing. I’m looking forward to seeing what the theoretical analysts do once they get their hands on this one.
When solar systems form, the angular momentum, or spin, of forming stars create gas clouds spinning outwards from their centers; all the planets in our solar system orbit in the same direction due to the spin of our Sun as it formed. The unusual orientation and direction of Niku’s orbit thus imply that some cosmic event or object set it on its unusual course at some point in the past. What this might have been remains a mystery.
Tags Astronomy dwarf planet exoplanets extreme trans-Neptunian object Neptune new planets orbit orbital angular momentum Orbital Sciences solar system space
Brett Tingley is a writer and musician living in the ancient Appalachian mountains.
You can follow Brett on
Mushroom Cloud on Mars Spotted by India’s Orbiter
Paul Seaburn March 8, 2015
NASA Seeks Partner for Habitats on Mars
Japan Tests Death Star Laser – Now Looking For Death Star
Should We Get Excited About a Space Taxi?
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9246
|
__label__cc
| 0.632872
| 0.367128
|
Goal 1: Set the Standard for a Personalized Learning Experience
Goal 2: Foster a Sense of Belonging among Students
Goal 3: Provide Intellectually Engaged Learning
Goal 4: Increase Flexibility in Student Access
Goal 5: Facilitate Student Success
Goal 6: Foster a Healthy
Goal 7: Enhance our Culture of Innovation
Goal 8: Engage Multiple Communities in Innovative and Productive Partnership Activities
Goal 9: Enhance Community Outreach
Goal 10: Advance Economic, Environmental
and Social Sustainability
Strategy 1.1
We will ensure a personalized learning experience for our students and promote it internally and externally in order to identify this as a distinguishing feature of a Mount Royal University educational experience. Our approach to personalized learning does not stop at smaller class sizes and inclusive classroom instruction; rather, it gives us the opportunity to focus on the academic success and growth of every student, in every interaction.
Students consistently rate Mount Royal as a leader in providing a personalized learning experience, when surveyed through NSSE, CUSC and our own Student Assessment Seminar.
We will create high impact experiences in and out of the classroom.
Students benefit and are more satisfied in supportive settings that cultivate positive relationships among students, faculty, and staff. A supportive environment leads to increased engagement, a sense of belonging and ultimately, success in a student’s university experience.
Our students report strong access to and interactions with faculty at greater than the national average.
Our students rate the quality of our campus environment at greater than the national average.
The availability of part-time student employment on campus is at or above the national average.
Our alumni describe the supportive environment of their Mount Royal experience as a key factor in their success, both as students and as they enter the working world.
We will expose students to a liberal education and a broad interdisciplinary approach to critical thinking and problem solving.
Mount Royal defines a liberal education as one that exposes our students to a breadth of disciplines across different faculties. As a fundamental part of all of our degree programs, liberal education includes an exposure to themes such as: numeracy and scientific literacy; values, beliefs and identity; community and society; and communication.
Our approach includes a comprehensive collection of courses across a range of subjects, including the sciences, mathematics, business and the humanities, and is designed to complement our students’ studies in their chosen field. These courses provide a broad, well-rounded foundation, helping to prepare our students for success in their core subject studies and for future education and employment.
Our degree graduates demonstrate literacy in the sciences, mathematics, humanities, social sciences, business and communications.
Our degree graduates report they have strong critical thinking and problem solving skills at or above the national average.
Because of the value of liberal education in developing employability skills, employers report high satisfaction with Mount Royal graduates as expressed through employer satisfaction surveys.
Every student will participate in at least one high impact or capstone work integrated learning experience during his or her time at Mount Royal.
At Mount Royal, the majority of our programs currently offer some form of work integrated learning. These experiences provide our students with practical application of the concepts they have learned through classroom study, better preparing them for the next stage in their lives.
We are nationally recognized as a leader in work integrated learning, including, but not limited to co-ops, internships, service learning opportunities, practica, field studies, or work experience placements.
Every student will have the opportunity to enrich their academic experience through participation in research projects during his or her time at Mount Royal.
Engagement of our students in scholarship and research projects is a defining characteristic of Mount Royal’s undergraduate education. Undergraduate research at Mount Royal takes many forms, including the availability of research assistant roles, faculty support for individual or group research projects, faculty guidance for student research journals, scholarly communications or conference presentations as well as student poster presentations.
At Mount Royal, the majority of our programs currently offer some form of student scholarship or research. We will develop new and innovative ways to integrate research into teaching, and to involve our students in research projects. Through this integration, our students will gain new knowledge in their area of study, as well as in the research process itself, adding depth to their overall educational experience.
Every program includes the opportunity for students to participate in at least one senior level research or capstone project through individual or group work, or directly engaged with faculty.
Our graduates have recognized experience in conducting research and have gained transferable analytical skills in the research process.
Graduate schools recognize the quality of our undergraduate student research experiences, with Mount Royal placing within the top 10% among Canadian universities in graduate school acceptance rates.
Employers recognize the quality of Mount Royal’s undergraduate student research program as expressed through employer satisfaction surveys.
We will engage and challenge our students and create empowered learners.
By encouraging our students to take responsibility for their own educational experience, and to collaborate with their peers in a collective ownership of their shared learning, we are empowering them to become more self-sufficient learners, developing personal skills that they can apply in all of their future endeavours.
Our students participate in collaborative learning, peer to peer and mentorship programs at a rate above the national average.
We will grow to meet the demands of Alberta learners.
We will increase both the number of spaces available and programs offered at the Lincoln Park Campus to better accommodate the growing demand for access to post-secondary education in Alberta.
We have student spaces and funding to accommodate 13,000 credit FLE learners.
We offer at least 15 degree programs and 60 majors.
We are recognized as a provincial leader in terms of intake of transfer students for degree completion at Mount Royal.
We have successfully launched at least six new post-baccalaureate certificates and diplomas that provide timely new professional development.
We will provide a greater number of students with access to Mount Royal degree programs in areas of the province currently without access to university-level programming.
Many students residing in smaller cities and towns around Alberta do not have access to university-level programming at their local colleges.
By offering Mount Royal degree programs at these colleges, we are creating flexible options for student access around the province, without adding student numbers to the limited space on our Lincoln Park campus.
A minimum of five colleges in Alberta offer collaborative Mount Royal degrees.
A minimum of ten Mount Royal degree programs are offered at Alberta colleges.
We will remove existing barriers to timely degree completion. Mount Royal will facilitate degree completion by improving student access to specific courses, expanding course availability, enhancing alternative delivery methods, offering year-round course delivery and maximizing course transferability across Mount Royal programs and between post-secondary institutions.
All students who intend to complete their undergraduate education in a timely manner will complete their degrees within five years.
We place within the top 10% among Canadian universities for timely undergraduate degree completion.
We will provide students with alternative entrance options.
Mount Royal will provide students with access opportunities outside of direct entrance into degree programs. By creating clear pathways to provide the highest probability for success, more students will be able to complete a degree at Mount Royal.
We are recognized as a provincial leader in alternative degree completion opportunities for mid-career adults.
We have doubled the number of alternative entrance students continuing into degree programs.
We will reduce barriers to academic success by improving access to and awareness of quality student services.
We recognize that post-secondary education can be an overwhelming proposition for many students. By providing enhanced services to those student segments exhibiting the greatest need, we can give them the assistance they need to be successful in their studies.
The health and wellness of our students will be a foundation for services designed for student success.
Students report satisfaction with the availability of quality student services at greater than the national average.
Students report health and wellness at greater than the provincial and national average.
Across all programs, we place within the top 10% among Canadian universities in student retention rates.
By increasing the availability of student awards and providing fnancial literacy services and employment opportunities on campus, we can help to reduce the financial pressures on our students, enabling them to focus on and successfully complete their studies.
The value of available student bursaries, scholarships and awards equals 5% of Mount Royal’s annual operating budget.
More than 50% of students access financial management services or participate in financial literacy programs at some point during their studies.
Across all programs, we place within the top 10% among Canadian universities in student graduation rates.
We will provide services that support a healthy and productive work environment.
Mount Royal has a commitment to the personal success of all members of our campus community. We will provide our faculty, staff and management with the services they need to be successful in their work to effectively support our students.
We have increased participation by faculty, staff and management in continuous learning and professional development.
We have enhanced our recruitment, on-boarding and continual development strategies to ensure alignment between employee and University needs.
Positive response by our faculty, staff, and management in all categories on employee engagement and satisfaction surveys.
We will foster a safe and positive working environment which is respectful and inclusive.
By remaining focused on fostering a respectful learning and work environment, we will minimize barriers and maximize opportunities for engagement and collaboration among individuals, departments and divisions.
By supporting diversity and nurturing an inclusive campus, we will add facets to our internal community culture, enriching our campus and the overall experience of its members. By formally acknowledging the importance of work and life balance, we will create a more engaged and productive workplace.
Evidence of high employee satisfaction on ranking of respectful learning and work environment.
Evidence of employee wellness as measured through the employee wellness survey.
Evidence of broad cultural, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, abilities, gender and age diversity among our staff, faculty, and management complement.
We will foster an environment that promotes trust through transparency in decision making.
We will promote an open and transparent approach to both decision making and the outcomes that result from these decisions. Recognizing that confidentiality and privacy are critical, and that not every decision can be made in a public manner, we will seek to provide clarity whenever possible, so that our faculty, staff and management have a shared understanding of how and why key decisions are made.
As evidenced through employee surveys, our faculty and staff are satisfied that openness and transparency are practiced in all decision making across the University.
As evidenced through employee surveys, our faculty and staff are satisfied that internal communications are timely and adequate during budget development and other peak times when broad and critical decisions are being considered.
We will foster career development among our faculty, staff and management.
By maximizing the various skill sets among our faculty, staff and management, we can achieve Mount Royal’s strategic goals while also meeting our employees’ own career objectives. In recognizing and nurturing employee talents, we will be optimally positioned to provide professional opportunities to those highly skilled employees as new opportunities arise.
As evidenced through employee surveys, we consistently achieve high rates of employee satisfaction across our faculty, staff and management groups.
We have developed a flexible and innovative human resources strategy which includes goals dedicated to employee recruitment, retention and succession planning.
We will be leaders in innovation and excellence in teaching and pedagogy.
Faculty who wish to explore and incorporate new and unique teaching methods should be supported and recognized. Mount Royal is dedicated to the advancement of Scholarly Teaching and also promotes the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). We will encourage and provide greater support to faculty in the pursuit of excellent teaching, including new methodologies and integration of enhanced technologies.
Our individual faxculty members are recognized at the national and international level for teaching innovation and excellence.
Mount Royal is recognized at the national and international level for teaching innovation and excellence.
We will support the scholarship, research and community engagement of our faculty.
As a knowledge seeking community, Mount Royal appreciates that intellectual inquiry benefits us all. The sharing of this knowledge takes many forms, each of them equally important. Be it through traditional peer reviewed publications, performances, presentations or openly accessible work, Mount Royal recognizes the contribution of our faculty as scholars, researchers and public scholars.
Dissemination of individual research findings and scholarship outcomes increase by 20% across all faculties.
Tri-council research applications which include student research engagement opportunities are increased, with a resulting increase in approved funding.
Scholarship and research funding from foundations and alternate sources is increased
Industry and community organizations acknowledge Mount Royal faculty expertise in an increased number of collaborative projects.
We will encourage and invest in innovation by staff, faculty and management.
Innovative approaches to our day-to-day support of students and our support of one another deserves profile, and requires support to create successful results.
We have a formal program to invest in and/or seed innovation on campus.
Our staff and management are recognized by related professional organizations for innovation and excellence.
We will support and encourage collaborations with post-secondary institutions across Canada in the generation of new and innovative instructional approaches, in the pursuit of scholarship and research and in the sharing of best practices among staff and management.
There is great value in building connections with peer institutions to uncover and explore new innovations in classroom teaching. As best practices continually evolve, peer-to-peer and institution-to-institution collaborations can unveil new approaches which can be immediately incorporated into individual classes or even across programs.
These partnerships will provide our faculty and students with an avenue for scholarship collaborations, sharing knowledge with like-minded, forward thinking institutions. Our students will gain an even greater breadth of experience to apply directly to their field of study. Our faculty will gain invaluable professional development opportunities in their area of specialization, thereby enhancing their teaching in the classroom.
Our staff and management can seek to gain new knowledge in their area of specialization, and enhance business processes and procedures for more efficient and effective practices.
We have enhanced the existing post-secondary institutional collaborations to benefit teaching, learning, scholarship and business practices.
We have implemented a sophisticated and interactive network to share best practices and innovative teaching, learning, scholarship and business processes across Mount Royal and among peer post-secondary institutions.
We will actively develop new teaching, learning and research partnerships with community organizations and the private and not-for-profit sectors, and we will nurture and expand our existing partnerships.
These collaborations will create new and original opportunities for our faculty and students to embark upon current and timely research projects, as well as practicum and other experiential learning placements which will benefit our community and enrich the student experience, while further solidifying our unique relevance.
We have realized a 25% increase in new formal and informal partnerships with community organizations and the private and not-for-profit sectors dedicated to enhancing teaching, learning and research at Mount Royal.
Our partnerships with community organizations and the private and not-for-profit sectors are broadly viewed as models of university/community collaboration and are the subject of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) publications.
We will fundraise with intention, actively developing new private sector relationships to generate additional sources of revenue for current and emerging areas of priority.
Through greater collaboration and engagement with individual philanthropists, alumni and the corporate community, we will enhance our programming and provide our students and faculty with opportunities not available through traditional revenue streams.
Bursaries, scholarships and awards available to our students represent an amount equal to 5% of our annual operating budget.
Endowment funds provide sufficient operating revenue for The Institute for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and other programs that directly support our vision.
We have increased our number of alumni donors by 300%.
We sustain our numbers of alumni donors year over year.
We will actively build affinity with our alumni, to strengthen their connection to Mount Royal and create ambassadors throughout the community and around the world.
By enhancing our alumni programs, we will in turn enhance affinity among our alumni. By developing new and more flexible ways to engage with our alumni, we will enhance their pride for their alma mater, thereby securing their ongoing, committed support for our initiatives.
We have increased awareness and grow by 60% the number of active alumni contacts.
We have doubled the involvement of alumni in chapter activities and programs such as the Harry G. Schaefer Mentorship program.
We have maximized the number of alumni engaged in leadership roles on Program Advisory Committees, the Board of Governors, the Board of Directors (Senate) and Alumni Chapters.
We have successfully launched at least a half dozen new post-baccalaureate certificates and diplomas that both refresh and update Mount Royal degrees and other credentials and provide timely new professional development for our alumni.
We will enhance our partnerships with Aboriginal communities, thereby fostering an engagement with current and potential Aboriginal students, enabling greater success in our dedicated recruitment initiatives and specialized retention strategies.
The representation of Aboriginal students at Mount Royal should be equal to the representation of Aboriginal peoples within our province.
We have increased representation of Aboriginal students equal to 7% of our overall student population.
We have increased retention and graduation rates of Aboriginal students.
Faculty, staff and management demonstrate strong awareness and understanding of Aboriginal culture and issues.
100% of degree programs across the University include Aboriginal content and perspective.
There is an increased presence of Aboriginal faculty and staff across the University.
We will create and expand our diverse and unique programs, which are a defining characteristic for Mount Royal, differentiating us among other post-secondary institutions.
Mount Royal is an agile university, able to respond to emerging needs of Alberta and our current and potential students to create new and innovative academic and Continuing Education programming. This responsiveness provides our students with access to unique programs not readily available at other universities.
Our Continuing Education Faculty is positioned as a provincial leader in the development of new and unique lifelong learning opportunities.
Our Continuing Education Faculty collaborates with academic faculties to offer unique programming, including the provision of at least two to three new degree completion opportunities for mid-career professionals.
We will continue to strategically support the work of our community focused programs by developing new and innovative programs and services for the broader community.
Areas such as Continuing Education, the Conservatory, Recreation, Cougar Athletics and the Riddell Library and Learning Centre are important ambassadors in our community, providing Mount Royal with an invaluable link to thousands of students and community members every year.
Through the development of an integrated marketing strategy, we can ensure that all promotions enhance the broader reputation of Mount Royal as a whole.
We have increased external community participation and engagement across all of our community focused programs.
We will create partnerships with universities across Canada to facilitate student and faculty exchanges between institutions.
A national exchange strategy will enable students from across Canada to benefit from a Mount Royal education while providing our students access to new experiences within the country.
We are recognized as a national leader in program-to-program student exchanges with other Canadian universities.
We are an active participant in at least four to six new multi-institutional student and faculty mobility programs, in addition to the two bilateral agreements currently in place.
Upwards of 1,000 Mount Royal students participate in these domestic mobility programs, and an equal number of students from other institutions study at Mount Royal.
We will increase our international focus through the development and delivery of programs related to student mobility and faculty exchanges, and through the provision of specialized student supports dedicated to our international student population.
An enhanced internationalization strategy will enable a greater number of students from all over the world to experience a Mount Royal education. The added benefit of this element of internationalization will be the interactions our current students will enjoy when engaging with international students, while providing greater exposure to the diversity that internationalization will naturally bring to our campus.
Additionally, facilitating exchanges for our students and faculty through international partnerships will further enhance their educational experience.
We have increased representation of international students studying at Mount Royal equal to 5% of our overall student population.
At least 5% of our students study abroad for at least one semester.
At least 5% of our students participate in international field schools.
We will encourage, support and recognize the community service commitment of our students, faculty, staff, and management.
Many members of the Mount Royal community are active citizens who make an impact well beyond our University gates. Often referred to as human capital, their contributions and talents are felt throughout Calgary and beyond. Whether tied to their activities on campus or based on strong personal interests, the commitment of so many members of our community defines and models engaged citizenship and demonstrates the importance of integrated communities.
We have increased community involvement with more than half of Mount Royal’s students, faculty, staff and management making a personal and dedicated commitment to active citizenship.
Goal 10: Advance Economic, Environmental and Social Sustainability
Strategy 10.1
We will create an environment of Economic Sustainability by ensuring that the Government of Alberta considers post-secondary education a priority, and there is a commitment to provide stable and equitable operating funds and flexible Tuition Fee Regulation.
At Mount Royal, Economic Sustainability is dependent upon predictable and sustainable base operating grants and infrastructure maintenance funding from the provincial government to cover the cost of current program delivery, and to plan future programs and enrolment to meet the proportionately high demand for university access in Calgary.
Tuition at Mount Royal is based on a standardized fee for all courses and is competitive within the province of Alberta.
The historical inequity in the base operating grant has been restored and our annual operating grant is equitable to other universities in Alberta.
The government has revised the Tuition Fee Regulation to provide us with flexibility to apply appropriate tuition and course-based instructional fees to balance tuition and operating grants with the cost of program delivery.
We will secure our economic sustainability by developing comprehensive implementation plans, including management of current assets and resources and planning for future resource development with diversified revenue sources. The implementation plans will also include enhanced internal controls to ensure responsible management of resources to capitalize on returns on investment.
Economic Sustainability also includes the application of important practices such as fiscal stewardship, resource development, asset management, the development of internal controls and planning for initiatives to ensure a responsible return on investment.
We have developed a budget that is designed to achieve both our current and long-term strategic goals.
We present a balanced budget to the Board of Governors, without the need to draw on reserve funds to cover the cost of program delivery.
We will actively promote and support Environmental Sustainability by implementing the key recommendations from the President’s Task Force on Campus Sustainability.
At Mount Royal, Environmental Sustainability includes the adoption of important initiatives such as energy renewal, reducing our carbon footprint, carefully considered land use, waste reduction, and the stewardship of our green spaces.
Environmental considerations are incorporated into day-to-day activities and long term planning.
We will foster Social Sustainability by developing a Social Sustainability Plan that identifies, addresses and removes barriers to access, to ensure full and meaningful participation in our learning, living and working community.
Mount Royal is committed to developing a socially sustainable campus community that nurtures and celebrates diversity, inclusion, equity and justice and facilitates a service culture. We acknowledge that our activities, programs, services, and everyday interactions are enriched by our acceptance of one another.
We have implemented improved policies aimed at lowering systematic barriers and increasing universal access.
We have adopted practices and behaviours which promote and provide a safe and inclusive environment.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9249
|
__label__wiki
| 0.50972
| 0.50972
|
A Tale Of Two States: Vermont And Texas Debate Gun Bills.
There can’t be two states in these United States more different than Vermont and Texas, right? The Green Mountain State is quintessential New England, with picturesque town squares, maple sap running from the trees and let’s not forget America’s only Socialist, aka Senator Bernie Sanders, who just might try to run for President in 2016. And what can we say about the Lone Star State? Remember the Alamo, the best doggone chili and barbeque this side of the Pecos and the Rio Grande, and a former Governor named Rick Perry who might also try to run (again) for President in 2016.
But despite the clear contrasts between these two states, in one way they are very similar, and the similarity was on display last week when the two State Legislatures held public hearings on new laws about guns. In the case of Vermont, the bills being considered would have tightened gun regulations, bringing in background checks on private sales and setting standards for taking guns away from people at risk to others or themselves; in the case of Texas the bills will allow open carry of handguns and end the long-standing practice of considering college campuses to be gun-free zones.
Gov. Rick Perry
Two different states, two different types of gun bills, but one thing in common, namely, the degree to which the pro-gun community was organized, turned out in force and made arguments which, rightly or wrongly, shaped the public debate. In Texas the push for open carry was led by an organization called Open Carry Texas which gained notoriety last year when its members publicly disavowed the NRA after the latter organization denounced gun-owning ‘extremists’ who were parading around with their guns. Last week in the run-up to the legislative hearings on the new laws, a group of open carry agitators not only openly threatened a gun-owning state legislator in his office, but also showed up at the hearing and loudly denounced anyone who would commit ‘treason’ by not voting the right way.
In Vermont, the debate over a gun bill occasioned the largest turnout at the State House since the debate over civil unions in 2000, and while supporters of the legislation cited personal anecdotes about a family shooting or the psychological damage caused by schoolchildren having to undergo active-shooter training, the prevailing sentiment during the debate was summed up by one female gun enthusiast who said, “If I’m being assaulted on a city street, I’d rather have my .38 with me than a copy of Senate bill 31.” Much of the credit for packing the gallery with orange-shirted gun owners should be given to Gun Owners of Vermont, which says it’s committed to a “no-compromise position against gun control” which is ironic since Vermont has no state-level restrictions on gun ownership or CCW at all.
This is not to say that folks who took a dim view of the proposed gun bills didn’t show up. There’s a group in Vermont known as Gun Sense Vermont, whose members appeared at the hearing and voiced their concerns. In Texas, the open carry gang got a little taste of their own tactics when a bodyguard hired by Moms Demand Action allegedly tried to stop Open Carry’s C.J. Grisholm, from filming an interview with a Moms activist by grabbing his phone. This brief incident occasioned all kinds of heated rhetoric on right-wing blogs about how the Moms group (behind which, of course, is the sinister Watts-Bloomberg combine) has no respect for the 1st Amendment, never mind the beloved 2nd.
I don’t know who is going to win the legislative contest over gun laws in either state, but the pro-gun forces clearly won and continue to win the argument in the public, and certainly the internet space. The plain truth is that fear-mongering sells, while reasonable and earnest debate gets little or no airtime at all. For that reason, the gun-sense community may need to re-think the manner in which they present their point of view. In the public argument about guns, opinions seem to trump the facts every time.
Buy it on Amazon.
This entry was posted in Blogs and tagged Alamo, Bernioe Sanders, C.J.Grisholm, Moms Demand Action, Open Carry Texas, Rick Perry, Texas, Vermont by mikethegunguy. Bookmark the permalink.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9250
|
__label__cc
| 0.675629
| 0.324371
|
Tag Archives: David Hemenway
John Lott Has A New Gun Survey Which Doesn’t Say What He Would Like It To Say.
Not to ever be considered anything less than a full-fledged member of the academic community, John Lott has just published the results of two surveys he conducted on the views of academic scholars about guns, in particular whether gun ownership makes us more or less safe. Lott has been hammering away at this issue for more than twenty years, and although his research has been debunked again and again for either being wrong or possibly non-existent, to his credit John slogs on and on.
John’s latest attempt to burnish his academic bone-fides are these surveys, which can either be downloaded in full from SSRN or read in a summary written by John himself. The bottom line is that his surveys of 74 academics who “published peer-reviewed empirical research on gun issues in criminology and economics journals” shows, not surprisingly, that a slim majority of respondents tended to support Lott’s long-held view that armed citizens decrease the murder rate, and roughly half the respondents did not believe that suicide rates were at all affected by having a gun in the home.
Although Lott doesn’t mention his competition by name, the gold standard for surveys on what academic researchers think about guns belongs to David Hemenway and his Injury Control Research Center at Harvard’s School of Public Health, a group that has conducted 13 separate surveys of published academics, including surveys on both the questions which Lott covered in the study he just released.
Survey question by the Harvard group: “In the United States, having a gun in the home increases the risk of suicide.” Answers: 150. Result: 84% agreed or strongly agreed.
Survey question by the Harvard group: “Carrying a gun on your person outside the home generally reduces the risk of being killed.” Answers: 113. Result: 76% disagreed or strongly disagreed.
How is it that two groups of academic scholars could give such different responses to the same questions about guns? And it should be added that both Lott and Hemenway basically created their survey groups by following the same criteria: published, peer-reviewed studies which excluded book reviews and other, non-academic work.
But if there was any basic difference between the academic backgrounds of the two survey groups, it lies in the fact that Lott and Hemenway chose very different academic disciplines from whom to build their survey lists. Lott sent surveys to criminologists and economists, who happen to represent the academic fields in which he has published his own work; Hemenway’s surveys went out to individuals who had published relevant articles in peer-reviewed journals devoted to public health, public policy, sociology or criminology.
Given the overlap in disciplines, I think it is not an invalid approach to combine these surveys and see what we get. On the question of whether guns in the home lead to an increase in suicide, a total of both surveys resulted in 67% saying ‘yes.’ On the question of armed citizens bringing down the murder rate, the two surveys only registered about half saying ‘yes.’
I don’t think these two surveys are any kind of ringing endorsement for the idea that academics, according to John Lott, are all that comfortable with his views on guns. And even among the two groups of scholars queried by Lott – criminologists and economists – the latter group was much more in line with his thinking than what he got in responses from academics whose major field involves the study of crime. The fact is that Lott could only find a majority of his survey respondents who buy his Koolaid brand by including economists who publish little, if any research directly relevant to guns or crime.
In an interview with The Blaze, John Lott stated that “when The New York Times interviews an academic for a gun-related story, they can’t seem to find one who says that guns make people safer.” But after carefully reviewing his surveys, I have to admit that I might find it difficult to find such scholars myself. And unlike John, I haven’t been throwing around this armed citizen nonsense for the last twenty years.
Posted in Blogs | Tagged David Hemenway, economists, Gun control, Gun violence, John Lott, Public health, social scientists, Suicide | 2 Replies
A New Article Explains How Crime Guns Get Into The ‘Wrong Hands’
When a serious scholar like Philip Cook publishes research on gun violence, the pro-gun community usually ignores what he has to say. This is because Professor Cook has been publishing important work on the risks of guns for nearly forty years, and the folks who don’t believe that guns are a risk would rather pretend he doesn’t exist. Which is why I found it interesting that his latest work on how criminals get their guns has made the headlines in the pro-gun media, from the NRA to the National Review.
Philip Cook
The pro-gun headlines, however, tell a much different story than the one we get from Phil Cook. Because what Cook and his research colleagues were trying to find out was information about the operation of the ‘informal’ gun network; i.e., gun transfers which occur outside of the regulatory environment that defines initial gun transfers between customers and FFLs. And since only 10% of the guns acquired by the survey respondents came directly from legal sources, the whole point of this research was to illuminate the shadowy and unmapped world of illegal guns. Or to be more precise, how guns were acquired by people who were then arrested for using or carrying them in illegal ways. Incidentally, this article appears in the special Preventive Medicine issue on gun violence edited by Daniel Webster and David Hemenway whose lead editorial I discussed last week.
The pro-gun noisemakers are falling over each other telling their followers that this article justifies their opposition to every gun regulation of any kind, because the criminals themselves admit that only 10% of the guns they use come through legal channels to them. So what’s the point, for example, of expanding background checks to secondary transfers if gun-toting criminals get all the guns they want without undergoing a background check at all? To quote the geniuses at the NRA: “Since these criminals do not use gun stores, gun shows, or even legal private gun sellers, there is no point in the criminal supply chain where a background check would make any difference whatsoever.”
The NRA’s been peddling this crap since they lost the battle to prevent NICS background checks in 1994. Here’s the organization’s official statement on the issue: “NRA opposes expanding background check systems at the federal or state level. Studies by the federal government show that people sent to state prison because of gun crimes typically get guns through theft, on the black market, or from family members or friends, and nearly half of illegally trafficked firearms originate with straw purchasers—people who can pass background checks, who buy guns for criminals on the sly. No amount of background checks can stop these criminals.” And guess what? Now they have the esteemed gun researcher Phil Cook validating the NRA point of view!
Except that’s not the point of Phil’s research at all. To the contrary, the article contains a very interesting graphic (Page 30) along with excerpts from respondent interviews which illustrate the degree to which nearly all the guns acquired by inmates passed through multiple hands following the initial, legal transaction that took place in an FFL’s store. And even though the lack of NICS checks over secondary (or tertiary or quaternary or quinary) transactions was the rule for guns by themselves of their friends, few of the jailed inmates interviewed in this study had any idea of exactly how or when their guns first disappeared from lawful commerce and ended up in the mean streets.
What makes this article so powerful and compelling is that it’s not based on data so much as on the words of gun-carrying criminals themselves. The fact that again and again inmates mentioned their fears of getting caught with a gun validates the notion that gun regulations work. The respondents in this study clearly understood that giving them a gun was putting it in the ‘wrong hands.’ In that respect, the felons in Cook County Jail are way out in front of the NRA.
Posted in Blogs | Tagged Chicago, Cook County, county jail, Daniel Webster, David Hemenway, Gun violence, NICS background checks, NRA | 1 Reply
A New Collection Of Public Health Gun Research Is A Must Read
Posted on September 2, 2015 by mikethegunguy
The Journal of Preventive Medicine has just published A Special Issue on the Epidemiology and Prevention of Gun Violence, bringing together the foremost group of scholars ever assembled in one publication devoted to understanding gun violence. If anyone wants to quibble with me over the superlatives of the previous sentence, that’s fine. The bottom line is that if you want to know what some of the best and brightest in this field have been doing lately, this journal number is a good place to start.
It’s altogether fitting that the collection should be introduced in a guest editorial written by David Hemenway and Daniel Webster, who direct the two most important academic centers devoted to gun violence research from a public health perspective. Hemenway and Webster can thus take a global view of gun violence research which, unfortunately, doesn’t yield very positive results. The authors note that public health research is underfunded in medicine, injury prevention is underfunded in public health and gun research is underfunded in injury prevention – a triple whammy, if you will. Between 1991 and 2010, gun injuries were the second leading cause of injury deaths among youths ages 1-17, yet public health/medicine research accounted for less than 1% of all injury research.
This is a rather dismal state of affairs, and while much of the blame can be placed at the doorstep of the NRA, which pressured Congress into ending CDC-sponsored gun research after 1996, we shouldn’t discount other factors contributing to this research void as well. Chief among the reasons that inhibit public health gun research is the fact that injuries caused by guns are almost always considered major crimes. And while someone who punches someone else has committed an assault, the impact of such an event simply cannot be compared to what happens when someone shoots someone else with a gun. More often than not, gun violence is viewed as something more fittingly lodged within criminology rather than anything having to do with health.
Which is why I find the linkage of epidemiology to prevention in the title of this collection so exciting and perhaps signaling an important and fruitful change in the direction of gun violence research. Because epidemiology is the study of the incidence, distribution and control of disease, and if the editors of this collection believe that gun violence is a disease which can be controlled through the application of medical knowledge and techniques, then perhaps we will see an attempt by members of the medical community to reclaim the formative position they held in this field prior to the elimination of CFC-funded gun research.
I am going to leave a discussion about each article in this collection to specific columns to be published over the next few days. But I do want to briefly mention the editorial which introduces the volume because it’s the work primarily of three scholars from outside the United States. And while we tend to think of gun violence in America as a particularly American problem studied only by Americans themselves, it’s good to have an international perspective on the issue, in this case submitted by three medical researchers from over our northern border at McGill. The editorial, An elusive low-hanging fruit for public health: Gun violence prevention, notes that gun violence in America can’t be entirely separated from events throughout the world, in particular the cycle of violence unleashed by the attacks on 9-11.
This is hardly the first time that America’s obsession with guns and its toleration of excessive levels of gun violence have been tied to the continuing warfare and militarization provoked by terrorism both here and abroad. There’s only one small problem: not true. There was a spike in gun sales after the Twin Towers came down, but by the time it was noticed it was over. Gun sales continued at modest levels throughout the eight years of George W. Bush, and zoomed upwards only after a certain Kenyan moved to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2009. Want to understand the epidemiology of guns? The U.S. Army, I’m afraid, won’t get you there.
Posted in Blogs | Tagged CDC, Daniel Webster, David Hemenway, gun research, Gun violence, NRA, Public health | Leave a reply
Oops – Jon Lott Does It Again. He Just Can’t Stop Using Real Or Imagined Women To Advance His Views On Guns.
Posted on August 17, 2015 by mikethegunguy
Everyone on both sides of the gun debate knows John Lott. He’s been a leading promoter of the armed citizen nonsense since he published a book which claimed to find a connection between an increase in CCW and a decrease in crime. The fact that a review committee of the National Academy of Sciences was unable to replicate his findings using his own data was a minor stumble in what has become a full-blown career promoting the idea that carrying guns around protects us all from crime.
In 1997 Lott appeared before a committee of the Nebraska legislature and stated that he had conducted a national survey which showed that nearly all DGUs (defensive gun uses) involved brandishing but not actually firing a gun. When his survey results were challenged, Lott was unable to produce any data, claiming that it was lost when his hard drive crashed.
John Lott
I’m not all that upset about the degree to which Lott has or hasn’t faked information about CCW, DGUs or anything else. The truth is that once the gun nuts found a willing sycophant who would cloak his pro-gun advocacy in some kind of ‘scientific’ or ‘academic’ approach, it didn’t really matter whether scholars on the other side of the debate agreed with him or not. In fact, the more that scholars like Harvard’s David Hemenway and Stanford’s John Donohue call Lott to account, the more the red-meat noise machine comes to his defense. And what the hell, a guy has to earn a living, doesn’t he?
But I’m beginning to think that Lott may have now gotten involved in a situation that even his most ardent friends and supporters may find it difficult to come to his defense. I’m referring to a story that appeared in Media Matters, regarding what appears to have been an effort by Lott to publish an article supporting guns on campus that was actually written not by him but by a Brown University student named Taylor Woolrich. In what can only be described as an act of journalistic identity theft, Lott got this op-ed piece published on Fox News.com, complete with a headline that read: “Dear Dartmouth, I am one of your students, I am being stalked, please let me carry a gun.” The piece was originally sent to Fox under both their names but was rejected, then Fox changed its mind and was willing to run the op-ed under Taylor’s name but she declined but gave Lott permission to send in the piece using her name. Except she didn’t give him permission to rewrite the entire piece, in particular the conclusion that starts with the following sentence: “Having a gun is by far the most effective way for victims to stop crime.” What Woolrich thought was going to be a story about the trauma of stalking turned into a Lott-inspired paean to the value of citizens carrying concealed guns.
This episode wouldn’t be so interesting were it not for the fact that John Lott seems to have an interesting history when it comes to using or inventing female identities to advance and defend his own career. In various web postings, particularly websites that were critical of Lott’s work, a former PhD candidate at Wharton named Mary Rosh defended Lott, calling him the “best professor I ever had.” There was only one little problem – Mary Rosh was actually John Lott and he has never adequately explained how or why this case of false identity came about.
There’s been a lot of chatter over the years, much of it harmless or aimless, about the alleged link between sexual inadequacy and gun ownership, the idea being that guys who feel impotent in the bedroom can compensate to their heart’s content when they pull out their AR and head to the range. In the case of John Lott, we have a major pro-gun personality who keeps using women, real or imagined, in ways that must leave him feeling embarrassed if not ashamed. And the saddest thing about it is that he always seems to get caught.
Available on Amazon.
Posted in Blogs | Tagged CCW, David Hemenway, DGU, gun crime, Gun violence, John Lott, National Academy of Sciences, Taylor Woolrich | Leave a reply
Does A Gun Protect You From Crime? A New Study Says You Should Just Run Away.
Posted on May 5, 2015 by mikethegunguy
If there is one issue more than any other which divides the two sides in the great gun argument, it’s whether guns are an effective deterrent against crime. The controversy has been raging since advocacy for and against gun ownership escalated during the debate over the 1994 Brady bill and again when Clinton pushed through his omnibus bill on crime. Basically the argument came down to what I call the social utility of gun ownership; i.e., do the risks of guns outweigh the benefits or is it the other way around?
The latest entry in this field is a study that analyzes more than 14,000 ‘personal contact’ crimes between 2007 and 2011, meaning that the victim and the perpetrator had some degree of contact during the crime incident itself. The good news about this study is that it covers a very large number of criminal incidents; the bad news is that like all studies based on data from the National Crime Victimization Survey, it is based solely on the testimonies of the victims themselves. Which means that the information cannot be corroborated by another source, but at least the respondent is asked to provide a great deal of specific information about what actually took place.
The researchers, David Hemenway and Sara Solnick, have utilized the NCVS data to create what they call an ‘epidemiology’ of gun use, with the intention of trying to figure out the degree to which people used guns to protect themselves from crimes. This issue of frequency has been the hot-button question in the gun argument over the past twenty years, spurred largely by Gary Kleck’s 1994 defensive gun use (DGU) study which claimed that Americans used guns to thwart crimes upwards of several million times each year. Kleck’s study was based on complete interviews with less than 125 respondents, none of whom were asked to define or describe the alleged criminal event which a gun helped them to forestall. There was also no attempt to compare the outcome of using a gun to prevent a crime as opposed to other methods that individuals might use to make themselves safe from criminal attack.
This new study, on the other hand, seeks to address the gaps in Kleck’s work and the work of others, and the results, not surprisingly, cast the value of defensive gun use in a very different light. To begin, the number of times that people use guns as opposed to other ways of defending themselves is very slight; less than 1% of the 14,000 respondents used a gun against their attacker, whereas more than 40% defended themselves or their property in some other way. Men were three times more likely to use a gun to defend themselves, they were also more likely than women to get involved in DGUs away from the home, and men used guns more for defense against assaults while women favored using guns to protect their property from being damaged or taken away.
The important finding from the study, it seems to me, is not the relatively low frequency of DGUs as opposed to other self-defense methods, but the degree to which using a gun as a defense against crime reduces the chance of injury to the victim. Slightly more than 4% of the victims were injured during the criminal incident, the percentage of injuries suffered by victims who used other ways to defend themselves was the same. The bottom line is that a gun will protect you from crime, but it won’t protect you better than yelling for help, threatening to call police, or just running away.
On the other hand, what public health and other gun-safety advocates need to understand is that even if the data doesn’t support the idea, statistically speaking, that guns can protect us against crime, the fact is that many people believe that a gun is the most effective antidote to their fear of crime, and it’s often what we believe rather than what we know that determines the choices we make.
Posted in Blogs | Tagged David Hemenway, DGU, Gary Kleck, gun crimes, Gun violence, Homicide, NCVS | 4 Replies
Public Health And Public Opinion Don’t Seem To Mesh When It Comes To Guns.
Posted on April 7, 2015 by mikethegunguy
The Injury Control Research Center has been engaged in fruitful and necessary gun research from a public health perspective since it was founded by David Hemenway whose book, Private Guns, Public Health, is a fundamental contribution to the field. Since May, 2014 the Center has been engaged in an interesting survey effort to measure attitudes of gun researchers towards different aspects of the gun debate. Each month they send a questionnaire to slightly less than 300 researchers who have published at least one a relevant, peer-reviewed article since 2011. The questionnaires cover virtually every major argument about guns, from background checks to concealed carry to safe storage and beyond.
David Hemenway
The results to date were just summarized in a Mother Jones article which compared the responses of the survey respondents to the arguments against gun control that are made by the NRA. Not surprisingly, the difference between the public health consensus and the NRA positions on the same gun issues are, to put it mildly, about as wide as what God did to the two sides of the Red Sea. Here are some salient examples of those differences:
The NRA says a gun with a home is safer than a home without a gun, two-thirds of the public health researchers disagreed.
The NRA says that guns are used much more frequently in self-defense than in crime, three-quarters of the researchers said it was the other way around.
The spread of concealed-carry laws, according to the NRA, has reduced crime, six out of ten researchers disagreed.
What the Mother Jones article did not point out, however, is that the Harvard survey also asked respondents to evaluate the quality of the research, from ‘very weak’ to ‘very strong’ on which their responses were based. On only one question were the researchers overwhelmingly satisfied with the quality of the research that formed their response, namely, whether a gun in the home made it a safer place. Only 25% of the respondents felt the research on this issue was medium or weak, whereas more than half believed the research to be ‘strong’ or ‘very strong.’ In other words, of the nine survey questions that have been answered to date, this question not only showed a strong response indicating that a gun did not make a home safer, but it also showed the highest rate of validation in terms of the quality of the relevant research.
How is it that of all the major issues on guns that David Hemenway and his Harvard colleagues surveyed, this issue – the risk versus benefit of owning a gun – not only shows the widest disparity between public health researchers and the NRA, but an equally-wide disparity between public health researchers and the public at large? I am referring to the recent Gallup poll where 63% said ‘yes’ when asked, ‘Do you think having a gun in the house makes it a safer place to be or a more dangerous place to be?’ This is the fourth time the poll has been taken since 2000, and it was the first time that the affirmative response reached above 60%, never mind ever previously climbing above 50%.
Public concern about global warming was basically non-existent in the U.S. until the 1980s, and as late as 2006 a slight majority of Americans still didn’t think it was a major issue. But the tide seems to have turned in the last few years, and now only petroleum-funded public figures like Jim Imhofe dare to suggest that global warming isn’t a fact of life. We can also dismiss the mutterings of the GOP’s most recently-announced Presidential candidate because he mutters about everything.
What can’t be dismissed is the fact that research on the risks versus benefits of gun ownership have failed to persuade a majority of Americans that they would be safer without their guns. And nothing persuades me that the public perception will change just because the public health community conducts more research. There’s a disconnect here that has yet to be explained.
Posted in Blogs | Tagged background checks, David Hemenway, global warming, Gun violence, Jim Imhofe, Mother Jones, NRA | 5 Replies
Want To Take A Public Health Approach To Gun Violence? Ask The NRA For Help.
Posted on March 29, 2015 by mikethegunguy
Here we go again. Another state, Texas, is going to try and keep physicians from talking to patients about gun ownership thanks to a bill newly-filed by a state representative named Stuart Spitzer, who happens to be a general surgeon with a medical degree from UT-Southwestern Medical School. The proposed bill goes further than the celebrated Docs vs. Glocks Florida statute which prohibits inquiry into gun ownership but makes an exception in cases where the physician believes that a serious medical problem might arise if the patient has access to a gun. The Texas law contains no such provision, and simply says that any physician, other than a psychiatrist, cannot ask a patient to disclose firearm ownership, period. The end.
The bill’s sponsor peddles the standard nonsense about how this law will protect gun ownership because, according to him, the moment that such information is entered into a patient’s file, the Federal Government will be able to find out who has guns and who doesn’t. This outright lie has been floating around the paranoid internet since Obama took office, even though the NRA has refuted it on their website. But if Glenn Beck can find customers to stock up on freeze-dried food for the coming apocalypse, how hard is it for a Texas legislator to make others believe that Big Brother is waiting to grab their guns after a visit to their local doctor?
Even though studies show that most patients really don’t care if their doctor asks them about guns, people are sometimes susceptible to this blatant attempt at fear-mongering because they simply don’t understand the methods used by the public health community to define and treat medical risk. It’s easy to get all worked up about Ebola because the danger is obvious; you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that with mortality rates above 50%, doing whatever is necessary to avoid this disease is a priority for government and citizens alike. But is there a consensus on the medical risks posed by guns? In a funny way there is such a consensus, but it’s based on the idea that guns don’t pose any medical risk at ball.
At the same time that public health researchers argue that the risks of guns outweighs the benefits, the NRA pushes the opposite point of view. And while research clearly supports the public health position on gun risk, the NRA continues to use a bogus telephone survey by Gary Kleck and some thoroughly-discredited statistical nonsense from John Lott to sell the idea that guns are essential tools in protecting us from crime. Using the fear of crime as a justification for guns is a master stroke of marketing because a majority of Americans now agree with the pro-gun point of view.
Know why the NRA and its allies have been so successful selling the positive utility of guns? Because they have adopted a public health strategy for convincing the public and the lawmakers that what they are saying is true. First, identify the disease, which in this case is harm caused by crime. Then identify how the disease is spread, in this case contact with a criminal. Now develop a vaccine, i.e., the gun, and immunize as many as people as possible with concealed carry, now legal in all 50 states.
The problem in trying to sell the public health solution to any medical problem, as David Hemenway reminds us, is that unlike medicine, “the focus of public health is not on cure, but on prevention.” This usually requires a long, comprehensive strategy combining research, education and laws. Recognizing that most people aren’t usually responsive to solutions which don’t immediately work, the NRA has fast-tracked the process. The real problem in the gun debate is that the side which is totally resistant to an honest, public health approach to guns has shown itself remarkably adept at turning that same approach on its head and getting exactly what it wants.
Posted in Blogs | Tagged David Hemenway, docs vs. glocks, Glenn Beck, guns, NRA. gun violence, Obama | 2 Replies
Is The Argument Really About Guns?
Posted on June 26, 2014 by mikethegunguy
For more than twenty years, the argument about guns has been going and forth. But when all the intellectual saber-rattling dies down, we are left with one simple issue which needs to be explained: Do guns make us more or less safe? According to public health researchers like Hemenway, Cook and Kellerman the answer is a resounding ‘no.’ On the other side, academics (Kleck) and non-academics (Lott) respond with a fervent ‘yes.’ And what the research of both groups allegedly proves becomes the public stance of the anti-gun and pro-gun advocacy groups like Brady and the NRA.
I’m beginning to wonder if this is what the argument is really all about. Or to put it more precisely, can we ever resolve the argument over guns as long as we cast it in those terms? Because the one thing I have noticed in the more than 20,000 comments that I have received at Huffington Post and my own blog is not so much that people disagree with me, which is what I would expect, but the degree to which each side seems to be speaking a languages that the other side cannot understand. When pro-gun activists talk about their “God-given right” to own a gun, anti-gunners shake their rhetorical heads in disbelief. When people who want more gun control say that guns do more harm than good, they are accused of wanting to make America defenseless in the face of a criminal tide.
There’s no way that two sides this far apart will ever find a common ground to discuss the issue of gun violence, let alone figure out a way to make things change. And whether we want to admit it or not, 31,000 gun deaths and 50,000 gun injuries each year cannot simply be wished away. But it seems to me that there might be a way to find a common language and a common set of definitions that will work for both sides if we stop emphasizing the difference because I own a gun and you don’t, and instead look at things that are the same for both groups, gun owners and non-gun owners alike.
Dick Heller
Because the truth is that whether we believe that guns will or won’t protect us from things we fear, we all have the same fears, whether we express those fears through gun ownership or not. Women, for example, are less inclined (by a wide margin) than men to own guns, but they are just as afraid, if not more afraid, of crime. Kids in poor neighborhoods are much more likely than suburban kids to carry guns, but every youngster is afraid of the neighborhood bully who comes sauntering down the street. So the real question is not whether the gun is an answer to our fears, the question we all have to answer is what to do about fear itself.
And the problem is that no amount of research or data or any other set of objective facts is going to compensate for our fears, because fears can’t be overcome by appealing to some well-researched facts. You can tell me from today to next year that I’ll be safer making that trip by plane than in my car, but the moment we have wheels up I get a little nervous feeling that has never appeared when I flip over the ignition of my Ford.
If we could only begin to understand that while gun ownership may divide us, the fears that make some (like me) own a gun are common to us all. At which point perhaps both sides in the gun debate might begin speaking a language that the other side would understand. And then it would become a true debate rather than yelling past each other the way we do today.
Posted in Blogs | Tagged Brady, David Hemenway, Gary Kleck, gun cpntrol, Gun violence, John Lott, NRA | 6 Replies
Homicide And Gun Ownership: Update, Comparisons and Strategies
Last week I submitted this article to The Journal of Criminology and they rejected it immediately without comment. But I thought you would like to read it anyway so here it is.
In 2011 Erin Richardson and David Hemenway published a painstakingly-researched article based on 2003 data comparing gun violence in OECD countries.1 One of their findings was that the U.S. gun homicide rate was nearly 20 times higher than the overall rate for other high-income countries. While they did not explicitly link elevated gun homicides in the U.S. to the prevalence of firearms in the civilian population, their findings have been utilized by virtually every gun control advocate to justify additional gun ownership restrictions, particularly in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre in December, 2012.2 The purpose of this article is to update their data with more current information, as well as to determine whether the policy strategies being advanced to diminish gun harm aligns with the relevant data on gun violence.
The chart which follows contains updated (2010) data on national population, the number of guns in civilian hands, per capita civilian gun ownership and the gun homicide rate per 100,000.
Country Population (000’s) Civilian guns (000’s) Per capita % Hom. Rate
Australia 22,065 3,250 14.7 0.11
Austria 8,389 2,500 29.8 0.18
Canada 34,126 9,950 29.1 0.5
Czech Repub. 10,519 136 1.2 0.12
Finland 5,363 2,400 44.7 0.26
France 65,031 19,000 29.2 0.22
Germany 81,776 25,000 30.5 0.2
Hungary 10,000 560 0.05 0.13
Iceland 315 90 28.5 0
Italy 60,463 7,000 11.5 0.36
Japan 127,450 710 0.005 0
Luxembourg 506 70 13.8 0.6
Netherlands 16,615 510 3 0.2
New Zealand 4,367 1,000 22.8 0.26
Norway 4,889 1,320 26.9 0.04
Portugal 10,637 2,600 24.4 0.48
Slovakia 5,430 450 8.2 0.18
Spain 46,070 4,500 9.7 0.15
Sweden 9,378 2,800 29.8 0.19
UK 62,271 4,060 6.5 0.05
TOTAL OECD 585,660 87,906 15 0.17
USA 309,326 270,000 87.2 3.58
Notwithstanding changes in some specific values, the 2010 data shows a very similar profile to what Richardson and Hemenway discovered for 2003, namely, a correlation between gun ownership and gun homicide rates on the one hand, and a continued and significant disparity between the United States and other economically-advanced countries on the other. Gun homicide rates per 100,000 range between null for Japan and Iceland up to .48 for Portugal, with the mean of .24 or above only being experienced by countries with a per capita gun ownership of at least 1 in 5. There were other countries (Sweden, Norway, Iceland, France) whose per capita ownership also exceeded 1 in 5, but they were still below the mean for gun homicides. The correlation for gun homicide and median per capita gun ownership, on the other hand, does not appear to be as strong.
Both the OECD and the U.S. gun homicide rate slipped between 2003 and 2010 (15 and 13 percent respectively) but the significant gap in gun homicide between the United States and other OECD countries remained basically unchanged. To put this differential in a somewhat more graphic context, in the 22 countries above there were 12,070 homicide victims in 2010, of whom 11,078, or 92%, lived in the United States. This is a remarkable statistic and there is no other form of violent death in which the disparity between the United States and its OECD cohorts displays even a fraction of this difference.3
The consistency of the data from 2003 and 2010 makes it difficult to ignore the connection between gun prevalence and gun homicide in the United States. But the data, suggestive and comprehensive as it is, does not yield the kind of information that would allow us to align it properly with strategies designed to diminish the harm caused by guns. In particular, the evidence both for the U.S. and elsewhere is either silent or unreliable on defining the type of guns that are used in felony assaults.4 We can estimate this data from FBI-Uniform Crime Reports as well as other sources, and it appears to be the case that handguns (pistols, revolvers), as opposed to long guns (shotguns, rifles) are used in perhaps 90% of gun felony crimes.5
If we deduct estimates of long gun ownership from the overall total of guns circulating amongst civilians in the United States, the per capita number for U.S. gun ownership would drop from its current 87 to somewhere below 40, placing us within the “normal” boundaries of gun ownership within the OECD. What this simple exercise affirms is that we are not the only advanced country to allow its citizens access to small arms, but we are the only country that gives equal opportunity to acquiring both long guns and hand guns. The discussion about guns and homicide should focus on the prevalence of handguns, and not on small arms in general. Strategies to curb gun violence in the U.S. by controlling access to all types of small arms do not really catch the issue which needs to be addressed.
Erin G. Richardson & David Hemenway, “Homicide, Suicide and Unintentional Firearm Fatality: Comparing the United States with other High-Income Countries, 2003,” The Journal of Trauma, Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, Volume 70, No. 1 (January 2011), 238-243.
See, for example, http://www.bradycampaign.org/about-gun-violence and http://www.vpc.org/studies/moreguns.pdf.
The U.S. auto fatality rate per 100,000 is lower than rates recorded for many OECD countries; cf. http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/irtadpublic/pdf/risk.pdf.
Of the OECD countries compared in this study, less than 20% provide breakdown between long guns and hand gun ownership. According to the ATF, 2010 was the first year since records have been kept (mid-80’s) when handguns constituted more than 50% of all guns manufactured or imported into the U.S. Cf. Firearms Commerce in the United States, Exhibits 1 and 3.
Reliable estimates for 2010 in: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10shrtbl08.xls. See Table 6.
Posted in Blogs | Tagged David Hemenway, gun ownership, Gun violence, hand guns, Homicide, OECD, Sandy Hook | Leave a reply
When Is A Crime Not A Crime? Beats Hell Outta Me.
Posted on January 23, 2014 by mikethegunguy
Remember the old doggerel about if a tree fell in the forest and nobody heard it, did it really fall? I’m running into the same kind of problem in trying to understand the data on crime. There are two agencies that publish crime data: the FBI (Uniform Crime Reports) and the BJS (National Crime Victimization Survey.) With one exception, all of this information comes from statements by crime victims who may or may not choose to report the crime. The one exception is homicide because it’s pretty tough to hide a dead body plus, given the severity of the crime, the moment we even think it has taken place, everyone gets into the act. Otherwise, there isn’t a single category of serious (or non-serious) crime whose occurrence can be counted or even estimated without the cooperation of the victims themselves.
I have been trying to figure out how many crimes really take place for two reasons. First, the question has become a big political football in the ongoing debate about guns. The NRA and its allies claim that the drop in violent crime over the last twenty years demonstrates both the futility of more gun laws and the efficacy of concealed-carry permits as a further defense against crime. The gun control crowd, on the other hand, points to the fact that although the overall rate of serious crime has declined, the homicide rate due to the proliferation of guns, is still much higher than we would like.
The second reason that I have been trying to figure this out lies in the disparity between crime data generated by the FBI as opposed to crime victim data produced by the BJS. The gap between those two reports has narrowed considerably over the last number of years, but it is still significant enough to make me wonder whether the numbers can be trusted at all. As a starter, let’s compare crime data for 2012, the most recent year for crime data published by both agencies. According to the FBI, there were 1,214,462 homicides, forcible rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults committed that year. According to the BJS, there were 2,084700 serious criminal victimizations that same year, and this number does not include the nearly 15,000 homicides reported by the FBI. Now according to the BJS, virtually all the victmizations covered by their survey are reported to the police, but I since the data for this assertion is presented in terms of rates per 1,000 rather than raw numbers, I can’t really figure out why such a discrepancy between between the two reports exists.
And the discrepancy becomes much greater if we go back to the period when, according to both agencies, there was a lot more crime. Let’s look at the data for 1996, which is considered the high-water mark for crime levels over the last two decades. According to the FBI, there were 1,688,540 serious crimes reported in 1996, the number of 1996 victimizations, according to BJS, was 3,371,445 (adding the murders counted by the FBI.) In that year the difference between BJS and FBI numbers was 2:1, again, a discrepancy which neither agency seems able to explain.
But what this might explain are all the public polls which indicate that most people believe that violent crime in on the rise, even when the official numbers keep show that it is going down. In a survey published last year during the debate over a new gun control law, Pew found that a majority of Americans (56%) believed that crime was at higher levels than during the 1990’s, and only 12% thought it had gone down.
The difference between the data from the FBI and the BJS can’t just be dismissed as stemming from different definitions of crime or different methods of data collection or different something else. You can, in fact, read a very detailed statement about the difference between the two sets of data published by the Department of Justice (which oversees both agencies) but it doesn’t offer even the slightest acknowledgement that the disparity in numbers published by the two agencies calls into question the accuracy of either one.
Posted in Blogs, Crime, Guns | Tagged David Hemenway, FBI. BJS. Department of Justice, NCVS, NRA, UCR | 7 Replies
Want To Understand Gun Violence? Try Using Your Gmail Account.
When It Comes Gun Violence, Guns Aren’t Cars.
In Virginia The Gun Guys Won With Or Without The NRA.
How To Properly Clean A Gun.
Why Do People Like Guns? Because They Like Guns.
Brent Gurtek on Want To Understand Gun Violenc…
When It Comes Gun Vi… on When It Comes Gun Violence, Gu…
jimtheantigunguy on When It Comes Gun Violence, Gu…
Brent Gurtek on When It Comes Gun Violence, Gu…
Thomas Collins on When It Comes Gun Violence, Gu…
Gun Advocacy
Guns – Public Health
Huffington Blogs
Tom Gabor
Metanautics
Like my Facebook.
Proudly powered by WordPress Theme: Twenty Eleven.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9251
|
__label__cc
| 0.545996
| 0.454004
|
By Heather Hartmann • 2 years ago
How to use aesthetics, space, teachers and more in setting the mood at your studio.
Growing up, did you ever wear a mood ring?
If you did, you’ll recall the ring would change colors based on your “mood” — glowing shades of blue, green and purple based on the emotions you felt internally.
Unfortunately, determining the mood in your studio isn’t as easy as placing a ring on your finger. However, setting the mood is essential to running a successful yoga business.
“The mood your space and staff sets is the first thing students pick up on when they walk through the door,” said Jason Herd, the founder and director of M.Power Yoga Studio in Baltimore, Maryland. “When designing your studio, it’s important to build an environment that reflects your class offerings and also makes students feel welcomed, calm, relaxed and at home.”
The instructors at M Power Yoga control the vibe of their classes.
Mood can be determined by numerous things. Herd mentioned locker rooms, lighting and lounges are a few aspects they pay attention to in order to make students feel comfortable in their space.
At Y7 Studio, with locations in New York City and Los Angeles, lights, candles, a clean and simple design, and music playlists specific to each class, all work in harmony to set the mood, said Sarah Levey, the founder of the studio.
“We want everyone to know and feel that they are at Y7 from the moment they walk into the front door, not just the studio room,” said Levey.
In fact, keeping the overall mood similar between locations was a key factor for Levey. “The most important thing to me is consistency among locations and that if things are working, you do not need to change them just to change,” she said. “Find what really speaks to you and the experience you want others to enjoy.”
Kacee Must explained a lot of thought goes into the mood — or rather “culture” as she depicted it — at each of her three locations in Michigan. Every element in her studios is designed based on promoting social interaction, from where the cubbies are placed and how clean the studio is, to how it smells.
Mood can come down to the details. Must noted at one of her locations, a mistake was made and a wall ended up being three inches too high. “Those three inches mean the front desk person can’t see the students at all the different places in the studio,” said Must. “It might seem like nothing to most people and nobody else would notice it, but I notice it.”
Must’s goal is open interaction and making people feel connected to one another. From there, the culture is established. “People actually need to connect and be more comfortable talking to each other, so part of us setting the mood is us making sure students are interacting and talking to each other, and having meaningful conversations,” she said.
At Citizen Yoga, the community of teachers and students make up the atmosphere and mood.
Having an open space with not much in the practice room sets the mood for Donna Ponder, the owner of Blue Sky Yoga, which has two locations in Louisiana. She explained while teaching at the local university, she learned to appreciate a less busy space where things are simple and in order.
But mood doesn’t stop at aesthetics — it is also determined by teachers. Ponder said each of her teachers are different, and she wants that to show from class to class. While some start class with a reading, others play music. Allowing instructors to embrace what makes them unique conveys an authentic tone to the students.
Overall, staff play a vital role in setting the mood for your students, said Herd. He explained students pick up on what vibe staff give off, so it’s key to make sure teachers are living their yoga outside of class. However, he agreed with Ponder in allowing the individuality of teachers to flow out naturally. “The mood of the class is so important because it’s a reflection of each individual teacher and the students who follow them,” he said. “Mood should be different for each teacher and class format.”
Must mentors her teachers to ensure their teaching is impactful, safe and connected. Teachers are instructed on how to say hello to each person, as well as the importance of learning student names. For Citizen Yoga, conversations go beyond how someone is doing. “Yoga culture is not just about sitting quietly by yourself before class,” said Must. “That’s not actually what creates confidence and community. It’s really a much deeper interaction.”
Ultimately, the mood of your studio and class is determined by your students. Ponder explained while she goes into her class with a plan, she knows she has to respond to her students’ needs. In the end, that’s really all you can do. “You almost have to feel what’s going on,” she said. “The class isn’t about me. It’s about them. Work with what is happening.”
aesthetics mood vibe Y7 Citizen Yoga M Power Yoga
Heather Hartmann
Heather is an editor at Peake Media. You can email her at heather@peakemedia.com.
The Final Pose – Prajna Yoga
NewsNurture
Lock it Down
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9252
|
__label__cc
| 0.574773
| 0.425227
|
I had never seen much of Star Trek, or any other science fiction, before I was cast. But Seven's wonderful.
Jeri Ryan's quotes
I'm not so widely known that I'm going to be pigeonholed.
That's what makes a character interesting from an actor's perspective - the more screwed up, the better.
It's supposed to be entertainment. It's not supposed to be a documentary.
I have a lot of fun with guns, especially the M-16, but my favourite is my little .22. It fits nicely in the palm of your hand. I do limit myself to blanks.
It doesn't bother me that Seven has such an overtly sexual presence, because she has no concept of what effect that physical package would have on some male member of the crew. That's what's fun, her innocence.
I was always a fan of horror films as a kid.
I loved working with Eric Close and J T Walsh.
The costume that I wear on the show is a little snug and doesn't leave a whole lot to the imagination. I don't have a problem with it because of the way this character's been written.
It was really a pleasure to play someone who's literally pushed past her breaking point repeatedly.
The entire season, the show had never been aired for more than three weeks. You can't get an audience that way. They would never promo the show for the next week.
I started by looking everything up in a Star Trek dictionary so I knew what I was talking about, but you can't do that because they talk in circles, and half of it doesn't make sense, so you'll just end up driving yourself more insane.
I get to pretend I'm flying into space, and hang out with my friends. That's what I do for a living.
West Hollywood is predominantly gay, so every man that came into the grocery store was shopping for his boyfriend.
I was raised all over. Kansas, Hawaii, Georgia, Texas and Kentucky, by the time I was 11.
This was truly guerilla filmmaking. We shot out in the middle of nowhere in a place called Delta Flats, where basically every day was some new minor catastrophe.
The whole sex symbol or babe thing doesn't bother me.
There is a very large chunk of our population who firmly believe in extraterrestrials.
They said that Seven was a former Borg who had been human and had been assimilated. She was regaining her humanity. I had no interest in this character.
I have no specific ideas in mind of what I will or won't do; it's all about the roles.
I'm not seeking out genre films, but this just came my way, and Miramax was good enough to add a role for me because we wanted the chance to work together.
I would defy people to find a more beautifully developed character than Seven of Nine.
I think the more stressful our times get, the more we look for fantasy escapes.
It might be arrogant to think that we're the only living creations in all of the solar systems that there are. Space is so vast.
My husband travels a lot with his job, so we have a lot of frequent flyer miles so we can hop on a plane with no notice. That's a nice luxury and he is very supportive.
My husband is someone who's in the real world. It's a big help that I don't have both feet in Hollywood.
I'm not real impressed with the Star Trek weaponry, I gotta be honest.
I've always wanted to do this, so it really is a dream come true.
My background has been very helpful for this experience. But everyone was so accommodating because they knew it's not the most comfortable position to be the new kid.
We haven't done such a great job, so I don't know why God couldn't have started over somewhere else. I don't necessarily believe in aliens coming to the States, and I don't buy into the government cover-up.
I've loved the escapism of being another person, slipping into another character for a little while.
I don't really have special rituals, but I don't try to write fiction unless I have a minimum of a few hours. For me, it takes a while to settle into a mode where I'm truly concentrating.
The fact that it's science fiction gives you the license to do anything you want to do.
For someone who writes fiction, in order to activate the imagination and the unconscious, it's essential to be free.
Manuel Puig
Fiction came quite a while later. I began with short stories and fiction for children.
Helen Dunmore
Mr. Henry James writes fiction as if it were a painful duty.
I'd have been a filmmaker or a cartoonist or something else which extended from the visual arts into the making of narratives if I hadn't been able to shift into fiction.
For truth is always strange; stranger than fiction.
We were given clear concrete tools. The course did a great job demystifying the art of fiction writing and fostering confidence. The instructor brought complex concepts down to earth. I will miss coming here every week.
Miguel Ferrer
The biographies and autobiographies are on the whole more impressive than the fiction of the last two decades, but the freakish best sellers among them are least likely to withstand the test of time.
Harold Acton
I have never been a critic of science fiction as a whole.
Fiction was invented the day Jonas arrived home and told his wife that he was three days late because he had been swallowed by a whale.
I think if I had been writing fiction, where the work is entirely dependent on the writer's creativity and the potential directions the narrative might take are infinite, I might have frozen.
I have always loved science fiction. One of my favorite shows is 'Star Trek.' I like the trips, where it drops my mind off, because they give you a premise and all of a sudden, you say, 'Oh!' and I'm fascinated by it.
I spent several years acquiring the obsessive, day-to-day discipline that's needed if you want to write professionally, then several more, highly valuable years studying fiction writing at the University of Iowa.
John Dalton
For people who have no critical acumen, a state is a mythical entity, for those who think critically it is a rational fiction, created by man in order to facilitate human coexistence.
Friedrich Durrenmatt
There is an element of autobiography in all fiction in that pain or distress, or pleasure, is based on the author's own. But in my case that is as far as it goes.
William Trevor
For the last 30 years our cinemas have been ruled by science fiction and horror. We've had some very good Fantasy films in that time period, but for my tastes I still haven't seen fantasy done to absolute perfection. That is the hope I have in this project.
Harry Knowles
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9253
|
__label__cc
| 0.581305
| 0.418695
|
Innovative Aid: The Afar People of Africa
At the last Innovators Alliance meeting, I attended a presentation by Warren Creates and Irena Dule on the Afar People of Africa. It was an interesting presentation on the efforts being made by Warren and his team at Can-Go-Afar Inc.to help this ancient nomadic tribe. The presentation can be viewed here and the Can-Go-Afar website has a lot of additional information.
The presentation was partly aimed at informing us of the issues involved in this tribe but Warren also asked us some key questions:
What do you think of the work we’re doing?
How do we make what we have started sustainable?
How can we improve our fund raising efforts?
The Afar people live in a region of Africa called the Afar triangle which is extends from the coast of Eritria and Djibouti into the heart of Ethiopia. It includes the Danakil Desert, a wasteland of salt and one of the Cruelest Places on Earth. 200 feet below sea level, it is home to vast salt plains and active volcanoes. Temperatures reach 50ºC.
There are approximately 3 to 5 million people in the Afar tribe. The average life expectancy is 45 years. As nomadic tribe with an aural tradition, 94% of the people are illiterate. They are a tough people that have lived off this land for ages. Still, there are issues that prompted Warren to get involved.
Warren was working as an immigration lawyer and was representing the Afar people in Canada. In 2006, he was invited to attend a development conference in a remote town of Assayati in northern Ethiopia. At the conference, a number of issues were raised including assisting the Afar refugees from the neighboring countries of Eritrea and Djibouti, to providing food security, addressing health issues and HIV/AIDS, education and literacy, provision of fresh water and, last but not least, women’s issues and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
On his return to Canada, Warran organized fund raising efforts with the aim of providing aid to these nomadic people. Along with raising awareness, health, litereacy, and food aid were the main goals.
One of the interesting projects was the provision of water filters to the help treat water. Many people in the region get their water from seeping wells such as this one.
Seeping well used for drinking water
The water filters are an unique design by Manzwaterinfo.ca. Called the Biosand Water Filter (BSF), it uses a cheap concrete vessel to hold sand and stone which filters dirty contaminated water to remove up to 99% of contaminates and disease causing bacteria and viruses. It is a neat idea.
Water Filter cutaway
Construction of the filters can be done on site by local people using readily available materials and reuseable molds.
Building a water filter
We had lost of comments and suggestions mostly aimed at focusing the aid efforts of his small organization on a key area they could have impact. As a small group, they do not have the capability or track record to work with the large government aid agencies and either have to work alone or will have to partner with NGOs to get access to government funds. The water filters, since they are a relatively cheap (about $100 each) and can be constructed on-site, could be branded or sold as charitable contributions. I could see a Christmas campaign with information cards and a small token ornament sold in return for a contribution towards the construction of a filter.
As an example of what an individual can do to organize and actual influence people in the world, you have to give Warren credit for his efforts. It is truely inspiring.
If you have any suggestions, or want to get involved yourself, please comment here or contact Warren directly through Can-Go-Far.
MJM Consulting – Strategic Management Consulting – Helping companies grow.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 13:23 and is filed under Business Planning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
One Response to Innovative Aid: The Afar People of Africa
houmed mohamed says:
7 February 2009 at 6:13
what you are doing for our people is priceless work.
please,do as much as you can to help us and let canadian society understand that there is people(root of mankind) who are suffering from starvation ,illetracy and persecution.
believe me, we are thankfull people and keep on doing this sacred mission
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9254
|
__label__wiki
| 0.72977
| 0.72977
|
JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Government will be looking at bringing the emoluments of early childhood educators on par with personnel in similar positions in the Ministry.
“I know we have to take care of the financial needs and issues of those who have been doing a great job and laying the foundation in early childhood education. The good news is that as an agency of the Ministry of Education we are committed to doing so,” he pointed out.
“We have to recognise that at the end of the day, these are wonderful people that we must look out for. We have to treat them properly…we have to treat them special. We have to do a good job in transforming the early childhood sector and to do so we have to ensure that the people are properly taken care of and where they are motivated to do their best,” he added.
The stipend paid to early childhood education teachers have increased by 15 per cent per year since 2014.
Senator Reid, who was addressing the closing ceremony of the Early Childhood Commission’s (ECC) four-day retreat at the Iberostar Hotel in St. James on February 9, noted the Government’s commitment to the development of the sector, as it is the foundation for all learning.
“If we can get it right at early childhood, then that is going to provide a strong foundation for a very productive and prosperous country,” he noted.
“We have to get the early childhood institutions to be fully certified…we really should insist that we operate at the highest standard. Persons who are serving at any level, much less in early childhood, should be properly trained and have their facilities in exceptional conditions,” he pointed out.
The Minister said that by promoting and maintaining certain standards, this will prevent persons from putting up an early childhood institution “at the back of their yard.”
“I am signalling that this ought not to be tolerated,” he said.
“Persons who want to start an early childhood institution, even before they get permission to start, they should meet some basic standards before they are allowed to operate,” he stressed.
Senator Reid said he is aware of the growing sentiments that Government should simply take over early childhood, considering its importance and the fact that it needs to have the necessary resources for it to function properly.
“That is a discussion that we have to have,” he said. “I am waiting for the ECC board to put together a task force to advise me as to what this is going to cost. It will be really helpful knowing what it will require to bring these institutions up to the certifiable standards and how the Government can assist them in doing so,” he said.
CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, receives a gift of appreciation from Early Childhood Commission (ECC) Acting Executive Director, Karlene Degrass-Deslandes, after addressing the closing ceremony of the ECC Retreat at the Iberostar Hotel, St. James, on February 9.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9257
|
__label__wiki
| 0.854677
| 0.854677
|
Tag Archives: John Buchan
Buchan, John: John Macnab, and Greig, Andrew: The Return of John McNab
Posted in Authors: B, Authors: G by monthlybookgroup
The books for discussion were “John Macnab” by John Buchan (1925) and “The Return of John Macnab” by Andrew Greig (1996).
Introducing “John Macnab” the proposer said that Buchan (1875-1940) had a long, varied and distinguished career. He would pick out some salient points, in particular to challenge the popular view that Buchan was:
– a traditional Tory Imperialist;
– casually racist as was typical of his times;
– and the author most notably to be remembered for “The Thirty-Nine Steps”.
Buchan was born in Perth and raised in Kirkcaldy, but his heart lay in the Scottish Borders where he spent his summer holidays in Broughton with his grandparents. An uncle and aunt lived in Peebles. His title, Tweedsmuir, came from that part of the Borders, as well as the names of two protagonists in this book: Leithen and Lamancha.
He studied classics at the universities of Glasgow and Oxford, and had no less than six of his works published while still at University. After graduating he became a diplomat acting as PS to Lord Milner, High Commissioner for South Africa (which country was to feature in a number of his novels). On return to the UK he became a partner in Thomas Nelson, living in Salisbury Green, and editor of the Spectator.
On the outbreak of the Great War he worked for the British War Propaganda Bureau; became an officer in the Intelligence Corps where he wrote speeches and communiqués for Douglas Haig; and ended up as Director of Information under the future Lord Beaverbrook.
After the War he devoted most of his time to writing, but was elected in 1927 as the Unionist Party member for the Combined Scottish Universities seat. As early as 1910 he had stood as a Unionist candidate in the Borders. However, he was quite a liberal unionist as he supported women’s suffrage, national insurance, and the reform of the House of Lords. He also strongly admired Gladstone. Archie Roylance’s speech probably reflected much of Buchan’s liberal unionist political views.
In 1935 Buchan was appointed Lord Tweedsmuir before he was sent to Canada as Governor General, in which post he died in 1940. Buchan was still held in very high regard in Canada. He argued that a Canadian’s first loyalty was to Canada not to the British Empire. He was a champion of multiculturalism – a word he invented. He argued that ethnic groups in Canada should retain their individuality and make their contribution to the nation, and that the strongest nations were those made up of different elements. He also argued successfully that his successors as Governor General should be Canadians.
He was best known for his thrillers, in particular “The Thirty-Nine Steps” (1915), which along with “The Riddle of the Sands” was the first modern thriller novel. However, arguably his best novels, as Buchan himself thought, were his historical ones. The proposer particularly recommended “A Lost Lady of Old Years”; “Midwinter” and “Witch Wood”. His lives of Montrose and Scott were also superb. Buchan indeed wrote over 100 works including poetry, essays, journalism, histories, biographies and some 30 novels. The influence of Stevenson and Conan Doyle on Buchan’s narrative skill was palpable.
The proposer had chosen “John Macnab” for this discussion, partly because it was an amusing, difficult to classify, novel, and partly because it provided an opportunity to compare and contrast it with Andrew Greig’s updated version. There was a good review in Scots of the two books on Wikipedia.
So how did the Group react? Everyone had enjoyed the Buchan – “beautifully written, fluent, and very amusing – and a brilliant idea”, “easy, humorous, rollicking read”, “a well-crafted page-turner”. But two reservations were expressed.
One was discomfort with the cast of upper class grandees and the class-conscious, snobbish society they inhabited (and which the author seemed to endorse).
The other was that the book was a lightweight jeu d’esprit (although Buchan, who worked hardest at his historical fiction, might have agreed). The characters who collectively comprised John Macnab were hardly differentiated and it was difficult to remember who was who. If you compared this book with the “most popular” books published in 1925 (most popular as assessed by contributors to the “goodreads” website) it was competing with “Mrs Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf, “The Trial” by Franz Kafka, and “In Our Time” by Hemingway, works of much greater substance.
But was it really true that Buchan fully bought into the gilded life of the upper classes he was describing? Some detected a note of reservation, a distancing of the author from some of his characters. There was the ironic reference to Lamancha – son of a Marquis – having every disadvantage of birth. It was surely tongue-in-cheek for Janet Raden to spot John Macnab was really a gentleman because he was wearing an Eton prize badge. Admittedly there was some snobbery in the portrayal of the nouveau riche Claybodies (although by the end they became more sympathetic). But the women in the novel came through strongly, and the characters with most energy were a woman, Janet, and Fish Benjie, the artful dodger. Arguably Buchan was foretelling a different type of society in which women and the working classes were to play a bigger role.
Hold on, were we not over-intellectualising something that was written with the intention of being an entertainment? Well, not necessarily: even if we knew what Buchan’s intentions were (and he had a very active and wide-ranging intellect), the meaning of a work of literature is often very different from what the author intends to put into it.
One of the clearest signs of a more serious meaning was at t where Claybody explains to them that they were never at real risk of any public embarrassment. This point was given surprising weight, and highlighted the author’s awareness of their privileged position. It would be going too far to suggest that there was an element of satire in the book, but the author was certainly “knowing” about the social background of his characters.
A shadow cast over the jolly jape was that of the First World War. The three heroes of John Macnab plus Archie had all fought in it. The imagery – particularly in the poaching scenes – was full of allusion to the War, right down to the Flanders mud. The characters’ attitude to ordinary soldiers who had fought in it was central to the moral distinctions drawn between the John Macnab heroes and the non-combatant Claybodies. (Denis Healey has remarked on the difference in real understanding of working people between those who had fought in war and those who had not).
Another point given considerable prominence by the author was the political philosophy expounded by Janet and taken up by Roylance, although it was wrapped up in a comic scene worthy of P.G. Wodehouse. They argued that the landowners had to take up the challenges of the new post-War era if they were not to disappear. The ennui suffered by the three heroes of the collective John Macnab was not just a plot device but a common condition in the twenties in the wake of the War (as evidenced, for example, in Huxley’s novels).
While it was true that it was difficult to separate out many of the central characters, it was normally the case that a novel with a complex plot had little character development, and vice versa (this point is elaborated in our discussion of P. G. Wodehouse in November 2008). And in this case, although the characters might have little depth, the plot kept you avidly turning pages to see how the tale would finish.
(Phew, just time for a quick refreshment before they were off again on to another book…. whatever next, three books)?
Introducing the second book, “The Return of John Macnab” by Andrew Greig, the proposer said that Greig had started as a poet before turning to fiction. His other most well known novels included “Electric Brae”, “That Summer”, and “Romanno Bridge”. He had also written books on climbing, which gave him good background for writing the Return, which the proposer felt was a good update.
So what did we make of Greig’s Return? On the positive side, it was a bright idea to update the novel, and he had cleverly brought it into a modern setting. It had more of a political edge, but remained a page-turner. He had a real feel for the modern Scottish Highlands, and a deep knowledge of mountains and mountain sports.
Some of the descriptive writing was good, reflecting his background as a poet. His philosophical reflection on metaphors for life – not like the sand disappearing through an hour-glass, but like a tree putting on rings of experience, and at its broadest before dying – was engaging.
Kirsty – taking on and developing the journalist role played in the original by Crossby – was an excellent and very intriguing character. Her relationship with Neil, and Neil’s struggle to move on from the death of his wife, had the stamp of authenticity.
The author created a fine climax, with a real sense of drama and danger of death (although the gravity of the danger jarred with the jesting tenor of the rest). And the cameo appearance of Prince Charles was amusing.
Alas, we also had plenty to say on the negative side. The relentlessly jaunty, would-be-youthful, tone grated. Some of the dialogue hit false notes. The coherence of the tale was lost as he endlessly explored the relationship problems of the protagonists. He even indulged in some passages of Housemanesque self-pity on behalf of a narrator who, confusingly and unnecessarily, did not identify himself until the end. And it grated to have the novel end with a plug for the follow-up.
Kirsty and Neil did seem real characters with an interesting hinterland (perhaps based on people known to the author or his own experience). However, most of the other characters were either stereotypes (Murray), implausible (Alasdair and Jane and their unconvincing reunion on the moors), or politically correct (the lesbian Shonagh and the Arab Aziz). And did he need to harp on so obsessively about Buchan’s praise of boys and small-breasted women?
One of our members gave up on the book by page 100. He had been put off by sentences such as:
“The air smelled like white wine ought to taste but doesn’t unless you’ve a lot of money to burn, and he felt fifteen years younger.” (Chapter 5); and
“The light didn’t do anything so dramatic as break that morning. It was more as if somewhere up in the gantry of the hills, a giant hand slowly pushed a lighting rheostat from closed to open.”
The latter seemed particularly bad, as he says the light wasn’t doing anything dramatic, and then evokes a theatrical metaphor (lights coming up on a lighting gantry) to describe it. (Chapter 7) What was he thinking? Did his editor read this and say nothing?
Or was our largely negative reaction because you got bored of the plot of the poaching games by the time you were on the sixth one? …Oh really, would you feel that way if it were a sixth bottle of wine?
There was a feeling that Greig – who started off writing poetry and climbing literature, and had written a good book on golf courses – was not too comfortable writing fiction. Perhaps that was why he had hit on the idea of doing a “remake” of the plot of someone else’s book? Certainly those who had read “Romanno Bridge”, which followed on from this book but with an original plot, found it pretty disappointing both as a follow-up and as a self-standing work. Like “The Return of John Macnab” it had flashes of quality – in the idea for the plot, and in some of the poetic and philosophical asides – but it did not function well as a work of fiction.
So, your correspondent ventured, some good tasty bits but rather lost overall in a soggy mass, a bit like a Gregg’s prawn sandwich? Oops – instant silence and intense glares for interrupting the literati….
who moved on to compare the two books.
Greig’s version revealed a rather different structure of ownership of Highland land in 1996, with foreign owners – Arab and Dutch – outnumbering the one British (and royal) owner. This compared with a couple of Scottish aristocrats owning land in the Buchan version; one self-made English businessman; and just one foreigner, an American. Greig was writing in 1996 before the creation of the Scottish Parliament and the right to roam legislation, and his concerns about the new offence of aggravated trespass, although accurate for the time of writing, already had a dated feel.
(At this moment I idly examined my empty glass and bottle, but to no effect as the debate was in full spate….)
John Macnab has similarly moved from an upper class group of jolly good chaps, with subordinate support from a woman and a tinker, to a group of equals that is more broadly based in class terms, and in which women have a major role to play.
One interesting difference is that John Macnab is in no danger in Buchan’s version, as Claybody is at pains to stress, whereas he is in mortal danger in the Greig version with the “Shoot to Kill” policy of the Security Services.
However, the biggest difference is that Buchan is a major writer at the height of his powers, writing with assured poise in a genre in which he is very comfortable. Andrew Greig by contrast seems somewhat uncomfortable and gauche as a novelist, and obscures his updating of the novel – intrinsically a very interesting idea – with some unproductive diversions. However, the comparison of the two versions had proved an intriguing exercise, and it had been a particular pleasure to revisit Buchan, whom many of us had not read for many years.
(I put my glasses on, lifted the bottle, and scrutinised it against the light….)
What were other examples of updating famous works of literature? And were any very successful? We had recently discussed Posy Simmonds’ version of “Far from the Madding Crowd” (May 2009), which was very successful in its own terms. New versions of Shakespeare plots were ten-a-penny in Hollywood and of varying success. And it was widely believed that Shakespeare himself updated an earlier version of Hamlet, probably by Thomas Kyd, which would make it the most successful updating of all.
So on they went, wondering if a yet newer John Macnab had been responsible for the theft of a watercolour from the Signet Library after a New year function, returning it unharmed after a couple of weeks…….discussing a John Macnab jape for the MBG to carry out (watch the press for news of this)… and then segued to the causes of the First World War and the impact of Prince Bertie on the alliance with the French….
I tried turning my glass upside down and shaking it. “I say, fancy a drop of Talisker?” said the host….Result! Capital fellow!
Andrew Greig, John Buchan
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9260
|
__label__cc
| 0.630066
| 0.369934
|
Tag Archives: Robert Dodds
Dodds, Robert: The Garden of Earthly Delights
We were fortunate to have the author of this book in our midst. He described how he first wrote the story as a radio play and then as a stage play. In 2011 he began working on the novel. The fifth draft got as far as an editorial meeting at the publisher Polygon, but was narrowly turned down. It took a further year and a sixth draft before the author arrived at the version that was finally self-published in 2014. We pondered long and deeply on the issue of how an author gets his/her work on the bookshelves in the High Street or into the online marketplace of Amazon.
What did we think of this self-published work?
The first few pages reminded some of us of Hilary Mantel’s work. The use of the historic present tense certainly engages the reader, but above all the images, stenches, and the stark emotions are writ large on every page. This powerful portrayal of medieval life stays with the reader throughout the book: the squalor, the plague, the evil, the superstition and the all-pervading and bitterly cruel injustice. We are plunged into the year 1490, and we are in the town of Den Bosch, famously the home of Hieronymus Bosch (here he becomes ‘Jerome’). The Roman Church is the main power in the land (and elsewhere), and this power is enforced though agents, the Inquisitors, who go looking for sin. They punish it ruthlessly with vile tortures and hideous machines.
Jerome, the hard-working artist, is married to Aleyt, and at first they seem like a nice couple albeit surrounded by a chaotic and thoroughly nasty world. But all is not what it seems. She loves Hameel, another local artist and lifelong friend of Jerome. Also living in the house is the stupid servant girl Mary, who is far from discreet about what she has seen and heard. It’s an explosive situation. Now enter the Inquisitor Jacomo, whose commission from Rome is to establish the town as a regional centre for inquisitorial work, and especially to make an up-to-date Inquisitorial Dungeon with the aid of the skills of the local bell-maker. Now add to this the Abbess Dominica, who maintains a public face of piety and as a wise governor of her convent whilst secretly being gluttonous, avaricious and manipulative. She hates Jerome, who makes no secret of his insight into her true character.
It is a gripping tale that cannot be told in the few paragraphs of this page. The book itself is hard to put down. There are many twists and turns in the storyline. We all enjoyed it. The plot is carefully-woven and logical; there are no loose ends. As I read it a second time, it seemed almost mathematical. Parts of it are charged with cruelty and gore, and some people might put the book aside for that reason. But not we of the Monthly Book Group: we are inured, habituated, seasoned readers of the shocking.
The most obvious theme is betrayal: lovers betray each other, the Abbess betrays the Church and God, and Hameel betrays Jerome in the manner of Judas Iscariot. But there is also forgiveness: Jerome forgives Hameel in the end, in the manner of Christ himself. Ironically, the Inquisitor Jacomo shows himself to be a man of integrity: he is incorruptible and capable of admitting that he made a mistake. Jerome is preoccupied with his work and his weird dreams; his sexual energy and hatred of the hypocrisy of the church seem to be given full expression in his paintings. The rest the characters are all, in one way or another, dodgy.
The author’s recreation of the medieval world reminded some of Chaucer. Whilst we have yet no means of time travelling, serious academic scholars of the medieval world present a view which is not very different from that portrayed in this book (e.g. Daron Burrows’ The Life of St Clement).
We discussed the title. Would readers browsing the bookshop ‘get it’? Is Bosch’s work well enough known? Probably ‘yes’, and the design on the cover would lure them to it anyway, if they had an interest in historical novels at all.
Rather little is known of the real history of the time, and the author has exercised his creative talents to a full extent. There is much evidence of underlying research. A historical novel generally attempts to convey the spirit, manners, and social conditions of a past era. This book seems to do that very well.
Apart from Hilary Mantel, comparisons of this work were made with The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng, Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, the novels of Haruki Murakami, and Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999).
As it stands, it would translate easily into a film or play, and perhaps a graphic novel. It is rich in imagery, and the dialogue is well-crafted.
Robert Dodds
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9261
|
__label__wiki
| 0.601804
| 0.601804
|
Mark Serwotka
We believe it’s in our members’ interests to elect a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government
Rather than Labour being merely the least worst option, it has the opportunity to bring about a radical socialist vision, says MARK SERWOTKA
THE 150th Congress begins this week as outrage builds over this chaotic Tory government’s attacks on workers and those most in need of support from the state. In the time-honoured tradition of our movement, we need both an industrial and a political response.
The attacks are multi-pronged and designed to divide, demonise and dampen the resistance of working people to the government.
PCS members have been targeted under this strategy by the imposition of the pay cap and then by falling foul of draconian anti-trade union laws simply for attempting to exercise their democratic right to strike.
Despite a record Yes vote of 85 per cent — the biggest mandate the union has ever achieved — our members were denied the right to strike because we were just short of the 50 per cent threshold for turnout demanded by the Trade Union Act.
As a result, PCS is planning to step up our organising work, consult with our branches and activists, and plan for another ballot next spring. In the meantime, we have decided to seek legal advice on whether mandatory postal balloting in a strike ballot is an infringement of Article 11 of the Human Rights Act — the freedom of association.
E-balloting would be secure, safe and would more than likely give a truer and more democratic reflection of whether trade union members want to withdraw their labour.
On top of pay cuts, PCS members have suffered a massive office closure programme and job cuts across the Civil Service. The huge cuts to the services we deliver include the closure of 70 jobcentres, with staff left struggling under outrageous workloads.
With the rollout of universal credit, which the union is calling to be halted, the government has created a crisis in the benefits system with devastating effect on claimants. Some of the most vulnerable people are falling into debt, losing their homes and going hungry.
In PCS we are determined to fight now with everything we have to win better terms and conditions in the workplace. And on the political front, we believe that it is in our members’ interests to elect a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government, committed to a bold vision. We need them to go on the front foot and radically transform this country when the opportunity to govern presents itself.
The social security system was originally conceived of as a collective and secure safety net for those falling on hard times but has been replaced by a system geared around individual responsibility.
Those who find themselves in financial difficulty are expected to take full responsibility for their actions and solve their difficulties themselves, or be vilified and further penalised by sanctions.
This ideological approach started under Thatcher and was entrenched by successive governments. Memories of New Labour’s capitulation to big business interests, and attacks on those claiming benefits, are still vivid for many of us.
Now, rather than Labour being merely the least worst option, it will have the opportunity to take a historic step and set out a socialist vision of a new social security system where no-one falls into poverty through unemployment or disability.
PCS is looking into how, as a non-affiliated union, we can practically support the election of a Corbyn-led Labour government.
One way would be to win the arguments for unity with all those experiencing the effects of austerity and organise them into effective action — this Tory government’s attacks have affected so many that I would guess there isn’t one trade union member who doesn’t have a relative that is unemployed, disabled, working on zero-hours contract or in receipt of some form of benefit.
Alliances of trade unions with the unemployed, disabled people and the dispossessed should now be a key strategic objective for trade unionists.
It is 150 years since the TUC was formed at the Mechanics Institute in Manchester. Trade unions were fighting on the industrial front and came together to begin the fight for working people’s interests in the political arena.
Those ideals of bringing workers and their allies under one roof to fight for fundamental economic and social change must be revitalised at this year’s Congress.
Mark Serwotka is general secretary of PCS.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9263
|
__label__wiki
| 0.750479
| 0.750479
|
Date: Sat 03 August
BOOK TICKETS HERE Double-bill:
Complemento by Rafael Guizado, translated by Gigi Guizado
Freddie by Abilio Estévez, translated by Kate Eaton
“The state of love is like the state of grace: it demands an act of faith and a miracle of hope.”
Complemento eavesdrops on the lover’s quarrel between Clara and Antonio in the park. His strong sense of duty to help others compels him to befriend the heartbroken Clara. But is he a long lost friend or just trying to take advantage of the situation? Complemento offers to put the couple’s marriage plans back on track by helping Clara quell Antonio’s delusions of becoming a great business tycoon. Whether through earthly conniving or heavenly intervention, Complemento manages to keep his promise.
Complemento was among the first radio plays broadcast on Colombia’s national radio. It premiered as a stage play in 1943 with Colombia’s national theatre. Complemento is regarded as an important national literary work and enduring classic, having been re-recorded and broadcast in 1957, republished in 1973 as part of the Colombian Institute of Culture Ministry of National Education collection, and included in the 2011 Señal Memoria audio release “El Retablo de las Maravillas: Homenaje al Radioteatro, 1945 – 1965”.
Freddie is the second work in a trilogy of theatrical monologues written by Estévez called Ceremonies for Desperate Actors. Freddie is a desperate actor of his own creation. Alone in his room with the world glimpsed only through a closed window, he plays a dangerous game of make-believe. Transgressive and defiant, he invites the audience to share in the ceremony of this extraordinary day.
· About the author Abilio Estévez
·About the translator Kate Eaton
· About the author Rafael Guizado
·About the translator Gigi Guizado
Director: Camila González
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9268
|
__label__cc
| 0.703919
| 0.296081
|
Clare Johnson
Clare Johnson, Independent Usborne Organiser
Fiction Book of the Month - Broken Sky
In Amity's 'perfect' world, war is illegal, and global disputes are solved fairly by Peacefighters - the most respected of all people and the best pilots in the world.
Amity has always dreamt of being a Peacefighter like her father, and when she makes it, she swears that she will do everything she can to uphold the honour of her profession, and to defend the rights of her country to the best of her ability.
But when peacefights start to result in deaths, and fights seem to end in a way that always benefits the Central States (run by dictator Gunnison), Amity starts to question whether the world she lives in is really as honourable as it claims to be. And the more that she investigates, the more that she begins to believe that something much less peaceful is at the center of all international disputes.
As her suspicions grow, Amity's place in the world becomes increasingly precarious, and everyone she thought she could trust seems to be leading a double life that she could never have predicted. Amity knows that she needs to tell the world about the truth behind the peacefights, but who can she tell when those with the most power seem to be those most plagued by corruption?
Broken Sky is the first title in a sensational triology set in a dystopian version of 1940s America. It will have you questioning everyone and everything as you follow Amity in her quest to find out the truth behind the world she lives in.
Like any great dystopian novel, what is perhaps most gripping about Broken Sky is how believable the world L.A. Weatherly has created is. It is easy to see how one person's control can shape a world, and how fear can lead everyone to follow an oppressive regime. Whilst Broken Sky won't leave you with a happy ending, it will leave you with an insatiable hunger to find out what happens next.
Here's what our Organisers thought about it:
'Broken Sky is a perfect first book of a wonderful trilogy. The distorted 1940s world is completely immersive and draws you in from the first page. The characters are easy to relate to and they make you want to root for them (for all the wrong or right reasons!)
Amity is a strong, believable heroine who is a fantastic role model for teenage girls who want to help make the world a better place. Her love for her brother shines through, as well as how much she values friendship and community within the team of pilots.
There's a huge sense of good vs evil in the book, made slightly more complicated by the fact that you're never quite sure who's actually good or evil... Ultimately, it sets you up perfectly for the rest of the trilogy and it comes with a kicker of a twist at the end!' - Francesca Nixon
Tags:book review
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9271
|
__label__wiki
| 0.864477
| 0.864477
|
More Obituaries for Minor Coon
Minor Coon
Coon, Minor 7/29/1921 - 9/5/2018 Ann Arbor Minor Jesser (Jud) Coon was born in Englewood, Colorado on July 29,1921, the son of Minor Dillon Coon and Mary Margaret Jesser Coon. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Colorado and his PhD from the University of Illinois. His research at the University of Illinois in the 1950's led to the discovery of HMG-CoA, the precursor to cholesterol synthesis. At Illinois, he met Mary Louise Newburn, who became his wife of 52 years. After several years at the University of Pennsylvania, including a sabbatical year in New York City, the family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1955 where he began a stellar career at the University of Michigan, serving as Chair of the Department of Biological Chemistry for twenty years. Jud is best known for his pioneering work with the cytochrome P450 system, initially isolating this compound which has now become known as the metabolism system for medications, hormones, toxins, and other substances. His work on P450 is featured as a Journal of Biological Chemistry Classic. He retired in 2002 as Victor C. Vaughan Distinguished University Professor. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1983, a society of distinguished scholars charged with providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology. He received the State of Michigan Scientist of the Year Award in 1988, among numerous other awards. Jud was editor-in-chief of Biochemical Preparations and Microsomes, Drug Oxidations and Chemical Carcinogenesis. He also served on the editorial boards of Biochemistry, Molecular Pharmacology, and the Journal of Biological Chemistry.2The Minor J. Coon Professorship in Biological Chemistry was established at the University of Michigan in 1991, the highest academic award that a University can bestow, which lasts as long as the University exists. He was especially humbled by his honorary degree as Doctor of Medicine, which was awarded by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The International Conference on Cytochrome P450 was held in France in his honor on the occasion of his 80th birthday. He served as President of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from 1991 to 1992. In the course of his productive career he published over 350 papers with colleagues and students. He and his family spent a sabbatical year in 1961 in Zrich at the EidgenossischeTechnische Hochschule, which was a seminal experience. He was a generous mentor to many rising scientists over the years. Jud was ahead of his time with his support for women in the sciences and biochemistry in particular, a leader in true equality. The scientific process and discovery mindset sees no gender, and he embraced all discovery with eagerness. The Minor J. and Mary Lou Coon Award was established by Jud and Mary Lou and is now and will continue to be presented annually to the student at the University of Michigan in biochemistry who best exhibits excellence in research, teaching, and service. Of particular mention was Jud's willingness to openly share his research internationally in collaboration for the enrichment of science and betterment of humanity. Both his wife, Mary Lou, and his son, Lawrence Richard Coon, died in October 2000 of unrelated causes. He is survived by a daughter Susan Louise Coon (Conrad Weiser,) and a daughter-in-law, Linda Wilkins Coon; four grandchildren: Jon Robert Svoboda (Margaret), and Jessica Ashley Preston (Craig), Sarah Weiser Davis (John), and Philip Konrad Richard Weiser(Elisabeth); four great-grandchildren: Kaitlyn Marie Preston, Robert Lawrence Preston, Camille Grace Svoboda, and William Jesser Davis, who carries on a family name. He was a gentle, kind and wise father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Annual Halloween visits with pictures with great grandchildren in costumes, gifts of dry ice at Christmas and musical interludes on the piano were highlights of their visits together, along with many worldwide adventures and endless stories. The rock at the corner of Washtenaw Avenue and Hill Street was painted red by his grandchildren to represent the color of cytochrome P-450 on the visible light spectrum for his 80th birthday, one of many connected moments between his professional and family life. An avid photographer and gardener, Jud also enjoyed camping with his family around the country, especially in his beloved Colorado. The entire family appreciated the frequent slide shows of their childhoods and their travels. He picked up the nickname Jud when he was doing his PhD research, using himself and fellow graduate students as research subjects, because of the song "Pore Jud is daid" from the musical Oklahoma! He was well known for his great sense of humor. Jud joined the First Unitarian Church of Ann Arbor in 1955, an outgrowth of which was an Investment Club lasting 50 years. He and Mary Lou entertained frequently in their home. He was a great opera lover, and took full advantage of the rich musical offerings in Ann Arbor and around the world. Jud is not only survived by his loved ones, but also by the ever grateful and growing community of scientists who have benefitted from his dynamic and persistent field of study. This applies not only in the laboratory setting, but now expanding into the clinical setting of biochemical science in the new epigenetic based realm of healthcare with the application of knowledge of the cytochrome P450 system to an individual's capacity to metabolize and detoxify environmental stimuli. Jud's impact will reverberate for generations to come. Jud's last few years were in the company of close friends and family and with attentive loving care from his daughter-in-law, Linda. A memorial service will be held on October 27, 1:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist church in Ann Arbor, reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the University of Michigan Minor J. and Mary Lou Coon Graduate Student Fellowship Fund in the Department of Biological Chemistry or the University Music Society (UMS).
Published in Ann Arbor News on Sept. 23, 2018
"My heartfelt condolences to the family at the passing of..."
-Dr. Shaun Black
" Please accept my sincere condolences to the Coon family..."
One of the women Jud encouraged in science--my mother, Alice Campbell
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9273
|
__label__cc
| 0.516643
| 0.483357
|
Meizu M2 Note Launched with a 5.5-inch display, 64-bit processor, 4G LTE for Rs. 9,999
by Chetan Bhawani August 5, 2015 November 18, 2015
To end the confusion, here’s what it is called – Meizu M2 Note has launched in India for Rs.9,999. It is exclusively available through Amazon and sale starts from August 10th. This is powered by a 64-bit processor, and has Dual SIM with 4G LTE support, and a MicroSD card slot for storage expansion. To make it simpler, it is a single SIM unit if you are choosing to use the other slot for storage expansion.
A very little difference in the thickness, Meizu M2 Note has a 8.7mm thickness, which is just 0.2mm lesser than its predecessor M1 Note. The device comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display, an octa-core 64 bit processor, and Android Lollipop OS based on Flyme OS, company’s own ROM.
The M2 Note has 16GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM, though the MicroSD card slot is able to expand it to 128GB. The camera combination includes a 13-megapixel rear, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with a new home button that works like Touch ID, but doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor. It has both, the touch and mechanical reception.
Meizu has not long back, launched the first Note device, the M1 Note with a 5.5-inch screen and some mid-range specs. Now, before the company even announces the successor to it, we know almost all the specifications of it. The launch is imminent, and GFX Benchmark made all the details public already.
The name is a big confusion until what Meizu will call it, because we’re hearing other names like Meizu M1 Note 2, and even Meizu Note 2. Though, M2 Note seems a better option, given how a series should go. An official promo was out, but only showed how the back of the device looks like, with a new place for the power button.
Now, talking of what all specs are known to us, the Meizu M2 Note is going to come with a little bigger 5.6-inch screen, having a 1080p display, and from what is specified on the benchmark site, it will be powered by Mediatek MT6753 chipset (octa-core CPU, Cortex-A53 cores), with Mali-T720 GPU and 2GB of RAM.
The camera details are not known yet, but the rumors claim that the M2 Note will have a 12-megapixel camera on the back, which is capable of recording 4K videos, and on the front will be a 5-megapixel shooter. Flyme OS, Meizu’s interface will be seen running over Android 5.1 Lollipop, and the device is said to be 4G capable.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9277
|
__label__wiki
| 0.638369
| 0.638369
|
by Evan Minsker
BROCKHAMPTON’s Kevin Abstract Shares New Project ARIZONA baby: Listen
Abstract teamed with Jack Antonoff on the three new songs
Kevin Abstract’s ARIZONA baby artwork
BROCKHAMPTON’s Kevin Abstract has dropped three new solo songs. “Big Wheels,” “Joy Ride,” and “Georgia” appear on a new project called ARIZONA baby. Listen to those below. Jack Antonoff is credited on all three songs. Abstract recently teased the new project in the below Instagram post featuring the project title and three numbers: 11th, 18th, and 25th.
The new song follows BROCKHAMPTON’s 2018 album iridescence, which was promoted as the first in a trilogy of albums. The album was the group’s first to go No. 1 on the Billboard chart. Abstract’s last solo album was 2016’s American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9279
|
__label__wiki
| 0.800413
| 0.800413
|
Where does SANDWISCH rank in the most common names in the U.S.?
SANDWISCH is identified by the U.S. Bureau of the Census as a surname with more than 100 occurrences in the United States for the year-2000 U.S. Census. In "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census 2000", the Census Bureau tabulated the surnames of all people who had obtained Social Security Numbers by the year 2000.
SANDWISCH ranks # 124872 in terms of the most common surnames in America for 2000.
SANDWISCH had 127 occurrences in the 2000 Census, according the U.S. government records.
Out of a sample of 100,000 people in the United States, SANDWISCH would occur an average of 0.05 times.
For the last name of SANDWISCH the Census Bureau reports the following race / ethnic origin breakdown:
Search the web for more on the name SANDWISCH :
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9280
|
__label__wiki
| 0.598827
| 0.598827
|
Here’s Some Good News About Journalism
Innovation Abounds.
By Sandy K. Johnson
It’s time for some good news about journalism. Set aside for a moment the self-flagellation about coverage of the 2016 elections and relish what’s good about our profession. The finalists for the National Press Foundation’s two innovation in journalism awards set the standard for the best of American journalism.
These projects will renew your faith in journalism.
Tom Davidson, NPF board member and one of our judges, summed up our thoughts about the entries: “Overall, this was a brutal set of decisions to make, because the finalists were all brilliant examples of discerning storytelling. The methods weren’t ‘looky here!’ shiny objects - they were tools used to unearth and showcase hidden information, to suss out new insights and move beyond the limits of any one organization’s reporting. To my mind, we should celebrate (and learn from) all of these projects.”
To that end, here is a summary of the finalists for NPF’s two innovation awards. Click through the inspiring entrees and select the projects that you think were the award-winners. Or scroll to the bottom, where the winners are listed.
Innovation in Journalism Award finalists
“Last Men Standing” is a searing portrayal of the aging survivors of San Francisco’s AIDS epidemic, supplemented with a feature-length documentary. The San Francisco Chronicle also spearheaded a statewide re-examination of homelessness, a fresh look at an old story presented as a humanitarian crisis. More than 70 news organizations participated; this is gripping reporting, storytelling and video.
The Washington Post’s investigation into police shootings literally changed the arc of an ongoing news story that has exploded since unrest in Ferguson, Mo. By methodically building a nationwide database of shootings, NPF judges said, the Post added facts to the ongoing emotionally charged narrative. “Some of the facts were counter-intuitive (for all the rightful anger about shootings of unarmed African-Americans, ‘the dead were overwhelmingly white men with guns, who had attacked to threatened people.’) On the other hand, the data showed disturbing facts: unarmed African Americans were killed at a rate seven times higher than unarmed whites. A quarter of those killed were mentally ill. More than 50 officers involved in shootings had killed before.” This reporting had impact: the FBI admitted the Post had compiled a more complete database than it had, and it is in the process of replicating the newspaper’s work.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists produced the Panama Papers, by collaborating with hundreds of news organizations across the globe. The reporting showed how offshore companies are used to facilitate bribery, arms deals, tax evasion, financial fraud and drug trafficking.
The Wall Street Journal produced an ambitious exploration of global demographic trends: Where we will work, age and live in the next three decades. Using virtual reality video, the Journal took you inside a chicken farm in Thailand and showed you innovations in Japan to “embrace the golden years” of its senior citizens.
Vox’s Sarah Kliff dove into a massive underutilized federal database to discover a surprising trend: teenagers today smoke less, drink less, and have sex less than any recent generation. A fun interactive underscores the data: For example, if you were born in 1989, Kliff writes, “You were 16 years old in 2005 and we’re sorry to say, chances are relatively high that you and your friends were up to no good.”
NPR employed technology and visual design to re-invent fact-checking of the presidential debates. As the entry said: “Imagine having all of your favorite NPR policy reporters sitting right in your living room, watching the presidential debates alongside you?” Their effort was rewarded with record-breaking audiences across platforms.
Best Use of Technology in Journalism finalists
The Marshall Project used an open-source tool called Klaxon to produce its sobering project, “The Next to Die: Watching Death Row.”
Reporters found the tool so helpful in tracking criminal justice issues that it’s now freely available on Github for other journalists to adapt to their beats.
Bloomberg created an awesome carbon clock that is a real-time estimate of the global monthly atmospheric CO2 level. Fossil-fuel burning and deforestation – the main drivers of global warming – make up more than 75 percent of annual climate pollution, Bloomberg’s analysis found.
The Washington Post produced a multimedia presentation on the tide of refugees washing up on Europe’s shores, titled “The Waypoint.” The NPF judges said, “This was a well-crafted narrative that serves as testament to true human perseverance.” The use of technology lets readers be part, virtually, of the emotional journey of seeking asylum.
The Wall Street Journal took to heart the one-sidedness of the political conversation on social media. Journalists created an original tool that gave readers a side-by-side look at real conversations on Facebook from both sides of the political spectrum.
The winners:
Innovation in Journalism Award: The Washington Post’s police shootings project. Honorable mention: ICIJ’s Panama Papers
Best Use of Technology in Journalism: The Washington Post’s refugee project. Honorable mention: The Wall Street Journal social media tool.
database innovation investigations journalism multimedia
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9281
|
__label__wiki
| 0.882608
| 0.882608
|
Bat Fangs shows its teeth with debut album
Carlos De Loera | Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Cristina Interiano | The Observer
As a fan of hard-hitting rock music, I often hear that rock is either dead or dying. Marilyn Manson once sang, “Rock is deader than dead,” but I refuse to accept this. It is not dying or dead, it just has a new face: women. Rock has long been known as a (white) boys’ club, so naturally people are hesitant to accept that the face of the genre is changing. I get it, change is hard; but also, hey, don’t be so sexist, yeah? With acts like Ex Hex, Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, St. Vincent, Charly Bliss and Margaret Glaspy, just to name of few, there are plenty of female rock acts that have real chops. Bat Fangs can now easily be thrown into this category. With a sound that feels like a mix of the musicality of The Darkness (Re: “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”), Dio/Heaven & Hell and Judas Priest with the vocal work of the Haim sisters, Bat Fangs’ nine-song debut album is 25 minutes of slick guitar licks and thunderous solos.
Band members guitarist/bassist/vocalist Betsy Wright and drummer Laura King come from other successful acts; Wright comes from Ex Hex, King from Flesh Wounds. The duo formed after Ex Hex, with whom Wright played bass, went on hiatus. During this break, Wright decided she wanted to play guitar and write songs that were thematically darker than those she wrote with Ex Hex. Meanwhile, King was on a break from Flesh Wounds. And thank God they found each other.
The standout track of the album is “Bad Astrology,” which at 3:16 in length is the second longest song on the album. The song opens up with a simple but heavy riff, a basic backbeat and lyrics that incorporate the classical cryptic imagery of early heavy rock, “with a skull and crossbones / darkening that door / there was a wicked messenger / on the night that I was born.” By the second verse, Wright adds a second layer to her guitar work, creating a dueling guitar sound that intensifies the build to the chorus. The real highlight of this song lies in the solo that Wright belts out toward the end of the song. It is the type of guitar shredding that would make both Tony Iommi and Zakk Wylde proud.
Bat Fangs is more than just an homage to early hard rock, though. The opening track, “Turn It Up,” comes across as a more glammed-up version of their style, sounding similar to “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” and Motley Crue or Poison. Songs like “Wolfbite” and “Heartbeat” exhibit more of a “riot grrrl” sound mixed with garage rock and surf punk. Their ability to play around with a couple different genres makes for a varied and concise listening experience, making the album easy to play on repeat. If you have half an hour, give it a listen; I’m sure you won’t regret it. If you listen closely, you might be able to hear rock’s heartbeat.
Artist: Bat Fangs
Album: “Bat Fangs”
Label: Don Giovanni
Favorite Track: “Bad Astrology”
If you like: Ex Hex, Superchunk, Sheer Mag, The Darkness
Shamrocks: 4 out of 5
Tags: Bat Fangs, Charly Bliss, Dio, ex hex, The Darkness
About Carlos De Loera
Carlos is a senior majoring in History and pursuing a minor in Journalism, Ethics, and Democracy (JED). He is from the birthplace of In-N-Out Burger, Baldwin Park, California and is glad to be one of the over 18 million people from the Greater Los Angeles area.
Contact Carlos
Ex Hex’s ‘Rips’: a soundtrack from the future
I’m raking leaves. It’s a sunny day on some Virginia hill lit up...
Scene’s Best Albums of 2017
Documentary Presents Portrait of Scandal
‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’ Turns 50
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9283
|
__label__wiki
| 0.951868
| 0.951868
|
Kannada Poll Play world cup Quiz Play Avengers Quiz Play IPL Quiz Play NGK Movie Quiz
Latest Movie Trailers Interviews Anchor Cuts Nettv4u Videos Sillaakki Dumma Videos Shortflims
First 10 Films To Win Filmfare Award For Best Film
Home Articles Kannada Kannada Articles
The Filmfare Awards are one of the first Film Awards introduced to appreciate and encourage the achievements of all the Film Industries. It was started in the year 1954 by The Times Group and was first restricted to Bollywood. Gradually, it expanded, and Sandalwood was added into consideration from the year 1969; fifteen years after it first started. It is regarded as one of the best awards a movie or a person can get for his orher achievement. Artists aim to get this award so that they get more offers and opportunities. Here is a list of the movies which won Filmfare awards in the first decade of the Filmfare awards; 1969-79.
1. Namma Makkalu
This is the first movie in the Kannada Film Industry to have won the Filmfare award for best movie in the year 1969 when it started. It stars K.S.Ashwath and Pandari Bai in the lead roles. The lucky director of this movie was R.Nagendra Rao.
2. Sri Krishnadevaraya
This is one of the oldest historical movies in the history of Sandalwood. It is also the second film which won a Filmfare award in the category best movie in the year 1970, the second year after it was started. It stars Dr.Rajkumar and N.Bharathi among others. It was directed by B.R.Pantulu, a renowned director of that time.
3. 'Sharapanjara'
Sharapanjara is one of the movies which has a very beautiful message inside it. It was directed by Puttanna Kanagal and won the prestigious Filmfare award in 1971. It is still loved by many audiences. It stars Kalpana, the Minugutaare of Sandalwood, in the lead role. It is a women-centric movie.
4. Vamsha Vriksha
This movie was directed by both B.V.Karanth and Girish Karnad in the year 1972. It was a unique movie. It was appreciated by a few audiences but failed to attract many people. It still got a Filmfare award proving its uniqueness in the year 1972.
5. ' Nagarahavu'
Nagarahavu was a movie which showed the life of a rebellious youngster. It was directed by Puttanna Kanagal and was produced by N.Veeraswamy. It starred Vishnuvardhan and Aarathi in the lead roles. It won a Filmfare award in the year 1973.
6. ' Kaadu'
Kaadu was directed by Girish Karnad based on a novel. It was a 1973 film which won a Filmfare award in the year 1974. It starred master G.S.Nataraj and Amrish Puri among others.
7. Chomana Dudi
Chomana Dudi was based on a novel written by Shivram Karanth. It was directed by B.V.Karanth. It is a story on the life of an untouchable laborer, his difficulties, and misery. It was awarded the Filmfare Award for best movie category in the year 1975. It starred M.V.Vasudeva Rao and Padma Kumta in the lead roles.
8. ' Tulasi'
Tulasi was directed by K.S.L.Swamy, famous as Ravi. It is a 1976 film which won the prestigious Filmfare award in the same year. It starred Kalyan Kumar, Manjula, Srinath, and Jayanti in the lead roles.
9. Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane
This was the first Sandalwood film in which a foreigner acted. It is about the life of an Indian man who got married to an American. It stars Naseeruddin Shah and Paula Lindsey in the lead roles. It was directed by none other than Girish Karnad and won the Filmfare award for best movie category in the year 1977.
10. Ondanondu Kaladalli
This film was also directed by Girish Karnad and its star crew include Shankar Nag and Sundar Krishna Urs. It won the Filmfare award in the year 1978. It was produced by G.N.Lakshmipathi and K.N.Narayan.
Top 10 Celebrities Who Have Appeared In Bigg Boss Kannada
Top 10 Actresses In The Kannada Industry
Top 10 Kannada Movies With Maximum Succession
Kannada Top 10 Songs In 2017
Top 10 Mind-blowing Movies In Sandalwood
Top 10 Anant Nag Kannada Films As A Protagonist
Top 10 Guests On Maja Talkies
Top 10 Sandalwood Stars Who Entered Into Politics
Top 10 Kannada Films Of 2016
Actress Rachana Banerjee Ravishing Photos
Actress Saloni Aswani Alluring Images
Actress Gurleen Chopra Gorgeous Stills
Actress Shwetha Chengappa Alluring Pics
Kannada Actress Ramya Pics
Actress Haripriya Pretty Pics
Actress Pallavi Gowda Ravishing Stills
Actress Aasma Rafi Photoshoot Pics
Actress Ashika Ranganath Magnificent Stills
Chithra Kathaa Movie Review
Inthi Nimma Bhaira Movie Review
Operation Nakshatra Movie Review
Full Tight Pathe Movie Review
Yaanaa Movie Review
Rustum Movie Review
Haftha Movie Review
Krishna Garments Movie Review
Saarvajanikaralli Vinanthi Movie Review
Vikram Ravichandran Gets A Heroine!
Diganth’s Role In Yuvaratna Revealed!
Shiva Rajkumar’s Drona Gets A Release Date!
Sudeep Tweets About Ajay Devgan!
Why Sudeep Rejected Dubbing?
Puneeth Gets A Young Music Director For His Nex..
Diganth Joins Appu!
Sruthi Hariharan To Become A Mom Soon!
Sudeep Releases His First Romantic Song In Mult..
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9284
|
__label__cc
| 0.709893
| 0.290107
|
St. Paul's Mission to Greece
Stromata
[...] The Greeks say, that after Orpheus and Linus, and the most ancient of the poets that appeared among them, the seven, called wise, were the first that were admired for their wisdom. Of whom four were of Asia--Thales of Miletus, and Bias of Priene, Pittacus of Mitylene, and Cleobulus of Lindos; and two of Europe, Solon the Athenian, and Chilon the Lacedaemonian; and the seventh, some say, was Periander of Corinth; others, Anacharsis the Scythian; others, Epimenides the Cretan, whom Paul knew as a Greek prophet, whom he mentions in the Epistle to Titus, where he speaks thus: "One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, The Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. And this witness is true." You see how even to the prophets of the Greeks he attributes something of the truth, and is not ashamed, when discoursing for the edification of some and the shaming of others, to make use of Greek poems. Accordingly to the Corinthians (for this is not the only instance), while discoursing on the resurrection of the dead, he makes use of a tragic Iambic line, when he said, "What advantageth it me if the dead are not raised? Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die. Be not deceived; evil communications corrupt good manners." [...]
1.19.91-93
[...] Since, then, the Greeks are testified to have laid down some true opinions, we may from this point take a glance at the testimonies. Paul, in the Acts of the Apostles, is recorded to have said to the Areopagites, "I perceive that ye are more than ordinarily religious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with the inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you. God, that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him; though He be not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we also are His offspring." Whence it is evident that the apostle, by availing himself of poetical examples from the Phenomena of Aratus, approves of what had been well spoken by the Greeks; and intimates that, by the unknown God, God the Creator was in a roundabout way worshipped by the Greeks; but that it was necessary by positive knowledge to apprehend and learn Him by the Son. "Wherefore, then, I send thee to the Gentiles," it is said, "to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith which is in Me." Such, then, are the eyes of the blind which are opened. The knowledge of the Father by the Son is the comprehension of the "Greek circumlocution;" and to turn from the power of Satan is to change from sin, through which bondage was produced. We do not, indeed, receive absolutely all philosophy, but that of which Socrates speaks in Plato. "For there are (as they say) in the mysteries many bearers of the thyrsus, but few bacchanals;" meaning, "that many are called, but few chosen." He accordingly plainly adds: "These, in my opinion, are none else than those who have philosophized right; to belong to whose number, I myself have left nothing undone in life, as far as I could, but have endeavoured in every way. Whether we have endeavoured rightly and achieved aught, we shall know when we have gone there, if God will, a little afterwards." [...]
The Demons
The Church teaches the existence of demons. What are demons? Demons, like the angels, are spirits: immaterial and bodiless, but evil spirits which oppose God and seek the spiritual destruction and annihilation of man, though it is not uncommon to find situations in which they bodily torture man and make man's life on earth sheer tyranny within that measure of freedom allowed them by God. And God allows them this freedom either for the punishment or chastisement of the sinner, or for the trial of the righteous. The demons were not created by God as demons: evil and unclean spirits. In the beginning they were brilliant angels-just as all the heavenly spirits. However, they were overcome and dominated by arrogance and pride. Thus, under the leadership of their capitan Lucifer, Eosphoros (lit the light-bearing angel), who subsequently became Satan, they revolted against God. Lucifer tried to become like God in all things by domineeringly usurping divine authority and glory. "I will go up above the clouds", thought Lucifer, "I will set my throne above the clouds. I will I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14, 13-14). For this reason, God cast him down into Hades, and with him all those angels who believed and followed him. All these became demons, evil spirits, and their leader became the Devil, Satan, the " father of lies", as our Lord so names him. The Tempter, the Dragon of Revelation, the ancient Serpent, who appeared to Eve as a serpent in order to lure her into disobedience and sin, Belial, Beelzebub-as he is called in the New Testament- the Seducer who seduces the universe, possessing deadly hatred for God and blind passion against man. His demons are like him.
Of course there do exist people who deny the existence of demons, people who say that the Devil does not really exist. "And what is the Devil?" they ask. "He is merely the personification of evil". Yet practically every page of the New Testament speaks about Satan and mentions so many people who were possessed by demons and from whom our Lord cast them out. The Evangelist St. John emphasizes that "for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the Devil" (I John 3, 8). It is indeed sad when people and especially Christians deny this truth, so abundantly witnessed to by Holy Scripture. Indeed, such a denial could prove both disastrous and fatal. To deny the Devil's existence is to fall into one of Satan's very own traps, set in order to trap with all certainty his victims, and to lure them first into sin and then to cast them into perdition.
That the demons at their creation were free and immaterial angels and that they made ill use of their freedom, becoming dark and evil, "their uncleanness not being attributed to their creation," that "they are not evil by nature, but good, having been created with good intent and for a good purpose, and having no trace of evil implanted within them by the Creator, but possessing freedom of choice and the power to remain with God or to separate themselves from the good, and that they did not remain where God had created them but reviled Him and fell from heaven", are truths taught by all the Fathers of the Church. Indeed, St. Athanasius underlines the type of evil responsible for Lucifer's being cast out of heaven and transformed into Satan. He clearly and lucidly states that Satan was not cast out from heaven "because of fornication, adultery or theft", but because of his arrogance and pride. And Cyril of Alexandria verifies that the Devil "was banished from the heavenly courts" "because he dared to say: I will be like the Most High, and because he "imagined that he could" though a creature, "ascend to the nature of the Creator". To become "co-ruler with Him Who has the dominion over all", as St. Basil states.
It is quite possible that one might ask the following question: "If the world was created by God and it was created 'very good', then where does evil come from?" Why does evil exist to so great a degree in the world? Did our benevolent God create evil along with good? Did He will that so much evil exist along side so much beneficence? It would be blasphemy for us to accept such a premise, for from the all-good God only goodness can proceed. But for us to understand this better it is necessary that we distinguish between the two forms of evil: i.e. natural or physical evil and moral or ethical evil. Natural evil is all that is sad and painful in nature and in man's life. Such things are for example earthquakes, storms, floods, disasters which strike at man and sweep away the earth's bounties. In this list we may safely include disease, poverty, hunger, unemployment, and so many other things from which many suffer. Does God desire these things? If He doesn't, then why does He allow them to happen? Why does He let His rational creatures suffer and be harmed? We answer: No, God does not desire natural evil, nor does He desire diseases and poverty or destruction. But because these trials and afflictions often restrain man from going down-hill towards evil, and because at other times they give cause for righteous and saintly men to manifest their virtue and to provide a good example for wicked men, for this reason God allows-we can say even desires-natural evil, so that these two salutary purposes may be fulfilled. Thus, through war men cease their depravity and wantoness, they abandon their faithlessness and with faith turn to repentance and prayer. Furthermore, God, in order to advance the cultivation and expression of virtue, allowed such great tragedies to occur to the righteous Job. In the end He sends him a fearful disease, and under such fearful circumstances all the faith and patience of the righteous man shines forth as an eternal example. In like manner, God tries that most holy preacher of the Gospel, St.Paul, with a fearsome disease, "a thorn in the flesh" as the Apostle terms it, and in this way all his faith, his virtue, his love and dedication to God is revealed. Thus we can rightly say that natural evil gives rise to faith and repentance, and brings about virtue and sanctity, and for this reason God desires it, for it brings forth so much good fruit. He wants it and certainly allows it for the great spiritual benefit of man. And now we come to moral or ethical evil. Whence comes moral evil, i. e. sin? This evil (sin), which as we have already pointed out is in and by itself alone evil, true evil which smites and kills man's soul, is the invention of Satan, the progeny and true son of the Evil One. The wicked devil conceived it and put it into circulation first among the angels, and succeeded in beguiling some of them and leading them into evil and transforming them into demons like himself. He also introduced evil to man, who accepted it and became sinful. Even today evil exists, as do men who accept and follow and live according to the dictates of evil. Thus, evil is not the creation of God but the work of the evil devil and evil man. As long as man by his free will has made his choice between good and evil and freely listened to the promptings and inspirations of the Evil One, and preferred evil over good he has become himself evil and wicked: evil in his actions and deeds. Thus, he, too, becomes an evil man, a cause of evil. Hence, it would not be wrong to say that evil secondly, after its inventor, the Devil, springs from the evil man who accepts and espouses it. Evil thus has its origin from the wicked Devil and from evil men. From God who is holy it is impossible for evil to proceed. Holy Scripture states: "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed" (James 1, 13-14). Because each one of us has within him evil desires, it is for this reason that he does evil. The cause of this evil then is man and not God, who is holy. God hates and abhors evil and desires to root it out of the hearts of men and to destroy it from the face of the earth. Indeed, God so hates and punishes evil that He could once and for all destroy it. But He does not do so. Why? Because in so doing He would reduce and set at naught man's free will, for virtue through force and coercion is unthinkable. St. John of Damascus says: "Whatever happens through force is neither logical nor virtuous". Virtue is virtue only when it is the fruit and accomplishment of man's free will and effort. Man has been given free will and self-determination so that through good use of his free will he may achieve real virtue. When this is accomplished, then man becomes an object of wonder and marvel both to angels and men, worthy of every reward and grace, worthy of the kingdom of heaven.
St. Basil, speaking about natural evil and the good that can come of it, says the following: "For this reason epidemics in cities and nations, droughts and the coarse events in the life of each individual limit the increase of evil. So, such natural evils are born of God, and save of the true evil, i e the birth of sin. Hence the woulds of the body and those painful things occurring without, have been devised so that we might refrain from sin". All tribulations in life are allowed by God and sent by Him in order to wound man and thus prevent him from sinning, for it is "chiefly sin that deserves the name evil". True evil is sin and it is sin that ought to be called evil. St. John of Damascus says that God by His benevolence "very often allows misfortunes to befall even the righteous, so that He may in this way manifest to others the latent faith hidden in him. He allows the blessed to suffer badly so that he will not fall away from his right conscience or prevent him, like Paul, from falling into prideful arrogance because of the power and grace given him".
What are the Holy Angels?
The angels are immaterial, spiritual and immortal beings. They do not posses a material body such as ours but are spiritual beings and therefore invisible. They cannot be seen, just as our soul, which is also a spirit, cannot be seen. God created the angels before He created the material word. This derives from the words of God who said to Job: "When the stars were made, all my angels praised me with a loud voice" (Job 38, 7).
That the angels are a creation of God is clearly stated in Holy Scripture: "by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers" (Col. 1, 16). Thrones, dominions, principalities and powers are names of various angelic orders.
As immaterial and spiritual beings the angels transport themselves with ease from place to place; however, they are not omnipresent like God, for they, too, are creatures of God with limited abilities and powers. Though their powers are much greater, indeed, incomparably greater, than those of man, they are nevertheless found infinitely lacking when compared to God's omnipotence. Their knowledge is also great. Much greater than human knowledge; yet it cannot be compared with God's omniscience. Their wills were tested when Lucifer rebelled against God, and through divine grace their will has become firmly rooted in good, towards which it continuously inclines. It is for this reason that they are called the Holy Angels.
At times-whenever God so willed- they have been sent to holy men in order to reveal to them God's will. At such times they took on the form and appearance of young men, occasionally winged, and spoke in human tongue, otherwise it would have been impossible for them to announce to man God's will.
According to the Blessed St. John the Damascene, "an angel is an intelligent essence in perpetual motion, with free will, incorporeal, ministering to God, having obtained by grace an immortal nature". Hence, the angels are spirits-pure spirits-immaterial, heavenly, bodiless and immortal. For this reason, they are also called heavenly and bodiless powers, and are much superior to man, both in knowledge and in power; yet they are neither all-wise nor all-powerful, for only God is such. The angels are divided into three hierarchal orders: Seraphim-Cherubim-Thrones
Dominions-Powers-Authorities
Rulers-Archangels-Angels.
St. John the Damascene further states concerning angels: "They are in perpetual motion, with free will, having obtained by grace an immortal nature". "They are", he continues, "rational and intelligent, and endowed with free will, immortal not by nature but by grace... They are not hemmed in by walls and doors, bars and seals. When they are in heaven they are not on earth, and when they are sent by God down to earth they do not remain in heaven". Three angels are referred to by name in Holy Scripture: Michael, the leader of the people of Israel; Gabriel, the Angel of the New Testament and Raphael. Of the three, two are Archangels.
by Macarius Notaras
18th Century Archbishop of Corinth
HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION?
To receive Communion the usual two or three times a year is good and helpful, but to receive Communion more frequently is far better. Remember, the nearer a person comes to the light, the more light he gets. The closer he draws to the fire, the warmer he is. The nearer he approaches sanctity, the more saintly he becomes.
In the same way, the more often one draws near to God in Communion, the more one receives light and warmth and holiness. My friend, if you are worthy to make your Communion two or three times a year, you are worthy of making it more often, as St. John Chrysostom tells us, by maintaining your own earlier preparation and worthiness.
But what does stop us from taking Communion? The answer is our carelessness and laziness, and we give way to these faults so much that we are not sufficiently prepared to be able to receive Communion.
There is another way of looking at this problem, too. People like this do not, in fact, obey God's commandment as they imagine they do. Where did God, or any one of the saints for that matter, bid us communicate two or three times a year? Nowhere is this found. Therefore we must be very sure that, when we obey a command, it is our duty to see that we are obeying it exactly as it says. That is, we must pay attention to the place, the time, the purpose, the method and all the conditions in which it should take place. Thus the good action that we wanted to perform will be perfect in every detail and well pleasing to God.
You can see that the same thing applies to the case of Holy Communion. It is both necessary and very beneficial to the soul for a person to receive Communion frequently. It is also in obedience to the commandment of God. It is a good deed well done and well-pleasing to God. On the other hand to communicate only three times a year is neither in obedience to a command nor a perfect good deed. Because it is not good in itself, its results are not good.
Therefore, like all the rest of God's commandments, every one requires the right time, as it says in the Book of Ecclesiastes, "For everything there is a season."
This is true also with regard to the command about Holy Communion. We must receive the proper time; and that means the proper time is the moment when the priest exclaims, "In the fear of God and with faith and love draw near."
Is this heard only three times a year? Oh, no. Yet, although everyone must eat two or even three times a day in order that the material body may live, must the unfortunate soul only eat three times a year-or perhaps even once-the food that gives it life in order to live the spiritual life? And isn't this completely absurd? Even if this is not the case, I am very much afraid that we may be deriving no benefit from complying with the commandments, because we water them down and spoil them. So we are not keepers of the law, but breakers of the law.
PRAYERS BEFORE COMMUNION
I believe, Lord and I confess that You are truly the Christ, Son of the living God, who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the greatest. Moreover, I believe that this is in truth Your sacred Body and that this is in truth Your precious Blood. Therefore, I beseech You, have mercy on me and forgive me my offenses, both voluntary and involuntary, whether in word or deed,
willing or unwilling; and render me worthy to partake of Your sacred mysteries without condemnation, for remission of sins and everlasting life. Amen.
Son of God, receive me today as a partaker of Your mystical supper; for I will not speak of the mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You the kiss of Judas. But like the thief I will confess You. Remember me, Lord, in Your kingdom.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
We thank You, loving Master, benefactor of our souls, that again today You have counted us worthy of Your heavenly and immortal Mysteries. Set us a straight path; make us all firm in reverence of You; keep watch over our lives; safeguard our movements; through the prayers and intercession of the glorious Theotokos and ever-virgin, Mary and of all Your saints. Amen.
Jesus Christ the Light and Hope of the World
by Protopresbyter George E. Metallinos
With the year 2000, Christianity completes two millennia of historical presence and witness.Christianity, however, means Jesus Christ, since the God-man is He who entered redemptively into the world at some historical moment, altering the process and meaning of History. The completion of the second Christian millennium calls not only for a celebration, but also for offering an account of the pilgrimage of the Christian world, and of the relation of contemporary Christians to the Founder of the Church.It is primarily, we Orthodox, the authentic-original Christians who, in spite of our sins, remain faithful to the tradition of our Saints, that are called to witness to the world what Christ means for us, and with what mindset we enter into the third Christian millennium. l reasons, reject the Godhead of Christ, but one may not reject the historicity of His Person.
The greater persecution, however, of Christ and the Faith in Christ is that which is derived from within, from the Christians themselves. These are the heretics of all the centuries who deny either the Godhead or the manhood of Christ, distort His word, falsify His Truth and “teach men so” (Matthew 5:19). All these are not able to stamp out Christ, but by weakening Him, they kill human beings because they offer them a counterfeit Christ who can not save. The shrinkage of Christ in some aspect of his identity, then (e.g., great teacher, miracle worker, social innovator, etc.), amounts to a quashing of Christ, and also to a clear denial of Him. Christ saves when He is accepted entirely, as He revealed Himself (i.e., as “the Son of the living God” – Matthew 16:17). This is how His Apostles and Saints accepted Him, and this is how He is received by all those who are saved throughout the ages. For this reason…
9. Orthodox Christology secures salvation.
Christ’s question to His disciples, “who do people say that I am” (Matthew 16:16), has exposed this very problem. If this question is not correctly answered, within the limits of an authentic Christology, there can be no possibility of salvation for any human being. Christ’s Person is often falsely presented. All the Christological heresies offer a non-existing Christ, perfectly unrelated to Him, who became incarnate for our salvation. From Docetism, Arianism, Nestorianism, Monophysitism, Monotheletism and Monoenergism to the current falsifications of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Scientologists, etc., all accept a hypothetical Christ who is not the Christ of history, but of metaphysics and deceit.
The falsification of the Faith in Christ in the sphere of dogma inevitably incurs the falsification of the word of Christ in the sphere of society. The Church as a communion of Saints, on the other hand, unceasingly hands over the One Christ, the true Christ, from generation to generation, over and against the various heretical falsifications of Him. This is achieved with the preaching and the pastoral care of the Holy Fathers, by means of the Ecumenical Synods, the liturgical practice and the spiritual life of the struggling believers.
Multifaceted heretical deceit gives rise to the formation of a Christianity without Christ. This is the result of the tragic confusion, which dominates our times. It is a confusion, which is aggravated by the entry of human society into the insanity of the so-called New Age and New World Order. This is the darkest and, therefore, the most dangerous period of human history, because it is already linked with new mythologies (e.g., the new millennium), apocryphal viewpoints (Aquarius – the Devil – takes the position of Pisces – Christ) and millenarian expectations (visions of universal prosperity), while in essence it is the old world that is being reproduced with all its pathology and pathogenic evolution. The much-advertised globalization of the supporters and propagandists of the new system, in spite of some of its positive aspects, leads to a deceitful society where cultural and ethnic peculiarities are razed to the ground, while this kind of society is shaped by a paideia (educational training) which is being conformed to uniformity, and by the mass media of communication. Development of things leading “towards a common flock,” which could be viewed as fulfillment of the word of Christ (John 10:16), is overshadowed by a spontaneous query: Yes, but under which shepherd? Would this shepherd be Christ himself, as He said, or the pseudo-Christ of the New Age?
Never before has the Person of Christ suffered such diminution, nor has Christianity met with such a threat, as in the context of a so-called universal religion which is being composed by the New Age. The convergence of the New Age movement with a universal religion (Assisi 1,2 and 3, 1986-1994 and 1998) does not leave any doubt, anymore. Through the participation of the representatives of the Christian world, a universal religion gets promoted. This is the religion where the All-holy Person of Christ is leveled to the ground and is literally revoked, as it is mixed in with all the fabricated divinities of a fallen world. Never before has the uniqueness and exclusivity of Christ as Savior of the world been questioned so directly and absolutely. For this reason alone, the New Age, historically speaking, is the greatest challenge to Orthodoxy. What the Devil failed to achieve with the persecutions and heresies is now pursued by the renewed ecumenism of the universal religion. Orthodoxy is called to save the truth about Christ, remaining faithful to the tradition of its saints, so that Christ may remain as the life and the hope of the world.
The Schism of the Roman Catholic Church from the Eastern Orthodox
Exactly nine hundred years have passed since the separation of the two great Churches of Christendom when the Western Church broke away from the Eastern Orthodox. Many still seek the cause of this most unfortunate division. Actually, it can be found in the difference concerning the Primacy of the Pope of Rome.
Until the Fifth Century A.D. there was not even a single instance of dissention or antagonism between the two Churches. The bishop of Rome had always been considered the First in the order of hierarchy. This was a natural consequence of the position of Rome as the capital of the Roman Empire. When Constantinople became the new capital of the Byzantine State its Bishop assumed the second position in the ranks of hierarchy. The third canon of the Second Ecumenical Council (381) designates the position of honor of the Bishop of Constantinople as second only to that of the Bishop of Rome. This decision of the Council is based on the premise that Constantinople is the new Rome, and incidentally, it has been retained among the titles of the Patriarch of Constantinople.
This indicates, as was brought out at the Council, that the political importance of the city defined the honorary status of its hierarchy. The same fact was repeated with emphasis by the now renown 28th Canon of the Fourth Ecumenical Council held at Chalcedon in 451. At that time, the Bishop of Constantinople was acclaimed as equal in honor to the Bishop of Rome.
In the meantime, erroneous beliefs began to circulate in the Church of the West. Of these, the most serious was an addition to the Creed of Nicaea-Constantinople concerning the Holy Spirit. The Church of Rome wanted to say that the Holy Spirit proceeds "and from the Son". In Latin, this addition was accomplished by the word, "filioque".
It should be made clear at this point that the Creed or PISTEVO was compiled and authorized as the Christian Confessions of faith by the First and Second Ecumenical Councils. The first seven articles of the Creed were approved at the First Council and the remaining five were composed at the Second Council which was held in Constantinople. The Eighth article states "and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped..." The addition of "filioque" ("and from the Son") was first heard in Spain during the middle of the Sixth Century. From there, this innovation spread to other western countries. It is most noteworthy however, that during the early part of the Ninth century,Pope Leo III protested against this addition to the Creed. Convinced that it should remain as it has been written and proclaimed by the first two Ecumenical Councils. He ordered that the Creed be inscribed without any change upon two silver plaques. These were placed in St. Peter's at Rome for all to see. This is a historical fact which is accepted by all historians as true.
The first to object strongly to this addition to the Creed, and to other errors of the Western Church, was Photios, the great Patriarch of Constantinople, who flourished in the middle of the Ninth Century. Photios was a brilliant scholar and theologian who held a high position in the Imperial Byzantine Court. He attained great literary fame with his monumental work, "Myrio Biblos", in which he summarized 280 ancient writings of which the majority were subsequently lost. Due to his great ability and exceptional virtues as a layman he was admitted to the priesthood and in a period of six days he was ordained deacon, priest and bishop. On Christmas day of 857, he was enthroned as Patriarch of Constantinople.
The discord between the Eastern and the Western Church continued on a livelier vein even after Patriarch Photios. The Eastern Church, with the Patriarch of Constantinople at its head, protested against the errors in dogma taught by the western Church. Constant appeals were made to Rome to renounce all error and conform with the teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the first eight centuries.Simultaneously, the Western Church, with the Pope as its head, maintained that the entire Christian Church was obliged to adhere without discussion to the pronouncements of the Roman See. They maintained that the primate of the Church of Rome was the vicar of Christ on earth, because he was supposedly the heir to the primacy of St. Peter whom Christ our Lord had installed as head of the universal Church and who founded the Christian Church of Rome.
Now let us see what we can learn from the original account of the events in question:
a) We should first consider that passage from the Gospel according to St. Matthew upon which the Roman Catholics base the primacy of St. Peter. Our Lord was at Caesarea of Philippi (Matt.16) when he asked His Disciples, "Whom do men say that I am?" And they said, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets". He saith unto them, "but whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God". And Jesus answered and said unto him,"Blessed art thou, Simon Bar Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt.IΣΤ¨13-18).
It is quite evident from these words of our Lord that He built His Church not upon Peter for then He would have clearly said,"Thou art Peter and upon thee I will build my Church," but upon the rock of the true Faith which Peter confessed.Christ our Lord clearly said that His Church is built upon the truth which Peter declared that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God. Only through considerable distortion of the text can one draw the conclusion of the Roman Catholics, that Christ built the Church upon Peter.
b) It is also clear from the Scriptures that St. Peter had no authority over the Apostles. In his Epistle to the Galatians, St. Paul states that when he saw Peter was not thinking correctly, he corrected him in the presence of others, "But when Peter was to come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed" (Gal B:11).Further down, St. Paul elaborates by saying, "...when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, "if thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" (Gal B:14). On the basis of these words of St. Paul we may justly question, "Is there even a trace of recognition here of Peter's authority to teach without the possibility of errors?".
c) Concerning the foundation of the Christian Church in Rome there is authoritative testimony that it was not accomplished by St. Peter. It was established by Christians who settled in Rome. Moreover, St. Paul considered it his Church He mentioned this in his epistle to the Romans "....from Jerusalem and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation...for which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you. But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you. Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to You: for I trust to see you in my journey" (Gal.IE:19-20,22-23).
From this passage, therefore, we clearly see that St. Paul had no knowledge that St. Peter was in Rome or that Peter had founded the Church there. On the contrary,he says that he feels obliged to preach the gospel where no other Apostle taught so that he would not build upon the foundation laid by another. Surely this is an explicit testimony that St. Peter was in no way connected with the foundation of the Church of Rome. Actually, St. Peter served the Church for many years in Antioch, as verified by St. Jerome, and then went to Rome where he suffered martyrdom with St. Paul.
d) In conclusion, it should be pointed out that the order of precedence given to the Apostolic Sees was determined exclusively by the political importance of various cities. The Bishop of Rome was recognized as first because Rome was capital of the empire. Originally, the Bishop of Constantinople was designated as second by the Second Ecumenical Council. Subsequently, when Constantinople became the capital of the Byzantine Empire and was referred to as New Rome, the Fourth Ecumenical Council proclaimed the Bishop of Constantinople equal in rank with the Bishop of Rome.
The Bishop of Alexandria was designated third, because his city was then the great center of learning; and following him were the Bishop of Antioch and Jerusalem. If the position of honor were determined not by the political but by the religious significance of the city, does it not stand to reason that the primacy of honor would be reserved for Jerusalem,the Mother Church of Christendom? There would be no dispute in that case, for our Lord lived there, was crucified there and arose from the tomb there. Moreover, the first Christian Church was founded in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
These are the true and accurate facts as they are brought to light by the authentic documents which make up Ecclesiastical History. It is very unfortunate that the Western Church insists on its viewpoint for so many centuries.
We Orthodox are deeply grieved that our Roman Catholic brethren distort the facts. We are praying daily and will continue to pray that the Roman Catholic Church will again embrace the truth, as many learned laymen of that faith have done already. That event will be one of the most momentous in the entire history of mankind. It will mark the beginning of the fulfillment of the prayer of our Lord on the night of His betrayal, "Father, I pray that they all may be one; as thou Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me".
Archbishop Michael
Papacy is a heresy
" The papacy is included among the heretical weeds forever appearing in the church of God which is very often plagued and continues to plague the salvation of mankind in Christ; in being bad seeds and rotten members they are justly cut off from the healthy body and the Orthodox Catholic Church of Christ".
(Ecumenical Patriarch Anthimos 1895)
Infallibility is a heresy
"Through the dogma of "Infallibility" the Western church lost its spiritual freedom. It lost its beauty and balance, and was deprived of the wealth of the grace of the Holy Spirit, the presence of Christ ,so that, from spirit and soul ended up a dead body. We are truly grieved for the injustice done to the church and we pray from the bottom of our hearts that the Holy Spirit illumine the mind and the heart of the Most Blessed Pontiff to have him return to the ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH that which he took from her, something that should never have taken place".
(St. Nektarios)
The "Third Fall"
"In the history of mankind there are 3 falls : The fall of Adam, of Judas the Iscariot and that of the Pope. The essence of falling into sin is always the same: the desire to become God by oneself. In this manner, a man insensibly equates himself with the devil, because he also wants to become God by himself to replace God with himself...The fall of the Pope lies exactly in this very thing: to want to replace the Godman with the man..."
(Justin Popovich of Serbia)
"It is impossible to recall peace without dissolving the cause of the schism-the primacy of the Pope exhalting himself equal to God".
(St. Mark the Evgenikos)
"My brothers, I studied for forty and fifty years. I read many books about the Jews, the idolaters, and about the impious and heretics. I studied the depths of wisdom. All the other faiths are false and counterfeit. Only our own faith, the Orthodox Christianity,is True and Holy.
(St.Kosmas the Aitolos)
"The Latins are not only schismatics but heretics...we did not separate from them for any other reason other than the fact that they are heretics. This is precisely why we must not unite with them unless they dismiss the addition from the Creed "filioque" and confess the Creed as we do"
"Neither the Papist nor the Protestant church can be considered as the True church of Christ. The first was altered by a number of innovations and the accursed despotism (Primacy) due to which resulted the schism from the Orthodox. The same goes for the Protestants whose innumerable innovations lead to total anarchy and chaos. Only the Orthodox church maintained the teachings of Christ flawlessly without a single innovation. Only in the Orthodox church does unity exists. The unity which the Savior was petitioning from the Father saying, "Holy Father keep them in your Name those that you gave me so they can be one just like we are one. John IZ:11.
(St. Nectarios of Aigina)
"Those that are not reborn by the divine grace in the only ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH, they do not consist of (comprise) any church, neither visible nor invisible".
"As long as the main causes of the schism remain the same...union is impossible".
"All those of you that are genuine children of Orthodoxy, leave as quick as possible from the priests who succumbed to Latin rule (Uniads), and neither congregate with them nor accept a blessing from their hands".
(St. Germanos of Constantinople).
"The Latins are unbaptized because they do not keep the three immersions while baptizing...let them learn that a baptism is not complete by petitioning the Holy Trinity only, byt what is also needed is the likeness (typos) of the death, the burial and the resurrection of the Lord...for us to be participants in the likeness of the death of Christ and His three-day burial; it is imperative that the three immersions take place otherwise this is impossible..."
(St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite).
Ecumenism is heresy
by Athanasios S. Fragopoulos
We should define Ecumenism and what it means to be an Ecumenist.
Ecumenism is a new heresy which has appeared in our days, and Ecumenists are the followers and expounders of this movement. Ecumenism is a fearful and dangerous heresy from which we Orthodox must stand far apart. Indeed, we ought to fight against it by enlightening those Orthodox who are ignorant of Ecumenism and what it entails.
Ecumenism maintains that: the truth and Grace of Christ is not to be found in any one single Church, but partially in all Churches. A little bit of it is to be found in the Orthodox Church, a little bit in the Papal, and a little bit in the Protestant Churches. Now if we put all these Churches together and create an Ecumenical Church we also unite all the pieces of the faith and the truth, and come up with the whole truth of Christ. The Ecumenical Church, the Ecumenists claim, is a tree with many branches. (This is the so-called "Branch Theory"). In this way they try to deceive the simple-minded. Each branch is a Church. Orthodoxy is one branch, Papalism another, Protestantism yet another, and so on. Put all the branches together as composing one tree and you come up with the Church of Christ-which of course is a "Church" of all the heresies and false teachings.But if this is so, then one ask, where is the one Church which Lord Jesus Christ established? Where is the one and only truth, the one body, the one Spirit, the one Lord, the one faith, the one baptism of which St. Paul speaks (Eph. 4, 4-6)? How can Orthodoxy stand side by side with heresy, faith with unbelief, truth with error? It is impossible.
Ecumenism was invented supposedly to do away with division and unite divided Christianity. But that which is divided cannot be joined, and the Ecumenists shall never achieve the "union of the Churches" because there are not many Churches but only one Church of Christ: The Orthodox Catholic Church which all may join by repenting of their errors and by renouncing their false doctrines.
Then shall we have the wondrous union of all in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ. This is the universality and ecumenicity of the Church. This, and not Ecumenism.
Anti-Ecumenism
Ecumenism in the true sense, is having all of humanity embrace the truth of the gospel, having every person on this planet come to the Truth Himself, The Christ.
However, the type of ecumenism that accepts all Christians confessions as equal (Branch Theory), that is equally sharing bits and pieces of the truth and teaches love above truth, ignorance of dogma for the sake of peace, and disregard of differences which tend to divide, this type of ecumenism is the latest child of Free Masonry and the great-grandfather of the Antichrist, a true menace of the Church.
The Church is in imminent threat of being overcome by a storm of compromise and capitulation to heterodox doctrine and practice, and no sincere Orthodox Christian, layman or otherwise, can blamelessly remain idle while his path to salvation is washed away.
We call you to follow the Holy Fathers' direction and turn away from that dangerous and false ecumenism which fills our souls with self-importance and the soul-numbing and worldly subjectivity unfortunately so prevalent in post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism.
Let us heed the guidance of the Holy Fathers, who direct us to seek the union that Christ wishes: far from every worldly purpose and every compromise.
By remaining rooted and immovable in our Orthodoxy, we also give an opportunity to any of the heretics to awaken and to be incorporated into the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, so that they might find salvation.
Ecumenism is heresy! That is quite clear. Moreover, it is the heresy of heresies.
Of all the errors that so-called "Ecumenism" comprises, the most fundamental and profound is its error concerning the very nature of the Church itself. This is an ecclesiological heresy. It is contrary to the Nicean-Constantinopolitan confession of faith, for it asserts that there is no "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
(From the Monastery of Saint Shio of Mghvime: An Open Letter To The Patriach Of Georgia April 14/27, 1997)
The Orthodox Church teaches that she has no need to search for a "lost unity", because her historic consciousness dictates that she is the Una Sancta (=The One Holy Catholic And Apostolic Church) and that all Christian groups outside of the Orthodox Church can recover their unity only by entering into the bosom of that Church which preserved its identity with early Christianity.
(Statement of the Delegates of the Orthodox Church delivered at the N.A. Faith and Order study conference, Oberlin, Ohio, Sept. 1957).
As a member and Priest of the Orthodox Church, I believe that the Church in which I was baptized and brought up in is in very truth the Church, that is, the true Church and only true Church. I believe this for many reasons: by my personal conviction and by the inner testimony of the Spirit which breathes in the sacraments of the Church and by all that I could learn from Scripture and from the universal tradition of the Church. I am therefore compelled to regard all other Christian churches as deficient, and in many cases I can identify these deficiencies accurately enough. Therefore, for me, Christian reunion is simply universal conversion to Orthodoxy. I have no confessional loyalty, my loyalty belongs to Una Sancta. (Father Georges Florovsky: Ecumenism I: A Doctrinal Approach p. 134)
Contemporary ecumenism is built on supposition, on a human supposition, that the Church is not one, but many. The Church cannot be divided. From the Church it is possible only to fall away. In truth, the Church is an organism of the God-man, His Body, His Personality, and thus the Church is One, in all worlds. Contemporary ecumenism offers false christ, false messiahs and false prophets. Contemporary ecumenism is clearly secular, communistic and papal, because these share with ecumenism a high regard for the "social", temporal and worldly. For contemporary ecumenism the God-man does not occupy the center, from where we must look first of all for the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. True unity is not possible through "dialogue", but only by repentance before the God-man and His Body, the Church. Without the God-man Christ, the so-called churches are the abode of Satan (Rev.B:9)
(Father Justin Popovich:The Hidden Conscience Of Orthodoxy: An Interview With Father Peter Milosevich).
«Ο μη πιστεύων κατά την παράδοσιν της Εκκλησίας άπιστος έστιν»
(Αποσπάσματα από τον ένθρονιστήριον λόγον του Γέροντος Εφραίμ Φιλοθεΐτου, 1974)
Εκείνοι που ομιλούν πληθωρικά περί αγάπης νοθεύουν το περιεχόμενο της για να περιπτυχθούν όλους τους αιρετικούς όλων των αποχρώσεων. Είναι τόσο ψεύτικη αυτή η αγάπη όσο και τα ψεύτικα λουλούδια....
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9285
|
__label__wiki
| 0.520922
| 0.520922
|
Hicks, The Wars of the Roses and a whole bunch of questions
Posted: November 29, 2010 in Hicks
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading Michael Hicks’s new book The Wars of the Roses. He’s been my go to guy for a while now, though that certainly hasn’t precluded me from reading, enjoying and getting a great deal from the work of others. This new take on this turbulent time is not a disappointment. This, however, isn’t a review of the book. Rather it’s a brief look at some questions that have been thrown up – questions that I need to find a way to answer. It’s important to point out that whatever answers I come up with won’t be the right ones. They can’t be. If that had been a possibility, someone else – more academically qualified, with access to the primary sources and quite possibly with a better brain than mine would have found them.
This book has made me question a lot of the things I thought I knew. Not the facts, the events, but the people. The subtitle of this blog is An Antidote to Literary Cardboard Cutouts – the stereotypes, some of which I’ve battled against and some of which I’ve embraced over more decades of reading about (and attempting to write about) the Wars of the Roses than I care to admit to (in my defence, can I say I started young?). Hicks has thrown me some loops and I’m trying to sort out the Nevills I know and love from the residue of those other Nevills that writers of historical fiction have used to plague and enrich the lives of their real characters. To my relief, I’m finding that a lot of the things I know I can go on knowing. The rest of it consists of barely formed questions that will lead – inevitably – to other questions.
The more I think about the task I’ve taken on, the more daunting it is. Not just because of the size and scale, but because – if I get it right – these could prove to be quite important books in the universe of historical fiction. Not, I must stress, because of any amazing talent on my part, but because (recent historical romance attempts notwithstanding) it will be the first, real comprehensive attempt to fictionalise the lives of people who, if they appear in historical fiction at all, are almost peripheral characters. The gods in the machinery of other people’s lives. So, I have to get them right, and not just historically right.
Hicks takes the revolutionary approach in his new work of looking at the Wars not as something with a start (say 1455) and an end (maybe 1485, possibly 1487), but as a time and a series of events that were lived through, influenced and caused by the people who lived through them. No-one was muttering “Can’t wait for 1485, then these bloody wars will be over!” Hicks contends that there were several times when people quite legitimately thought they were over. And this is where the questions come in.
1. Why did the Nevills (Salisbury and Warwick in particular) remain associated with the duke of York between the collapse of the 2nd protectorate (1456) and the flight from Ludlow (1459)? That neither York nor Warwick was prepared to abandon Salisbury and his countess after the battle of Blore Heath – they could have taken advantage of an offer of pardon, the Salisburys weren’t included in it – is understandable. By that time, there must have been a sense that they were all in it together. Salisbury was Warwick’s father, after all. But before then? Leading up to that almost penultimate bout of plotting against the king and his government – why did the Nevills join him? York had tried three times previously, had had shortlived success once, legitimate power once and failed to the point of (at least in his eyes) exile and humiliating back down on at least three occasions.
Easy answers I’ve dismissed (at least as single-causes):
• Family loyalty . Salisbury wasn’t York’s only brother-in-law. He had others who didn’t associate themselves with him quite so closely. Though his sister’s Bourchier in-laws did from time to time, they weren’t consistent. Other writers have gone with the “the Duchess of York was Salisbury’s favourite sister” line, but for me it’s neither logical nor sufficient reason, even if it could be verified.
• Anticipation of rewards. The Nevills have been described as ‘greedy’ by a number of historians, and this might be a reason why they’d be prepared to hang out with York, especially if they thought (despite their low numbers and despite their lack of sustained success) that he had a chance of winning. But they already a a bunch of stuff, either courtesy of their ability and/or sphere of influence (the wardenships of the Scottish marches, for instance) or their previous association with a York led government (Warwick’s Captaincy of Calais).
• Isolation from court. There is simply no evidence of this.
• The growing enmity of queen Margaret. This doesn’t seem to have been much in evidence until after the Act of Accord.
• The Nevills thought that York was the right person to lead the government. This is conceivable, but if it’s the case it requires a whole new look at the Nevills. From ‘greedy’ and ‘self-serving’ we’d need to make a radical shift, probably not quite to ‘altruistic’ but somewhere closer to it than they’ve traditionally been situated. It may well be that they thought themselves, what with that royal blood they seem to have been so conscious of, as the natural holders of government. Warwick certainly seemed to later on in the Wars. And York might have been their best chance of getting there. This also necessitates a belief that they thought him capable (despite evidence to the contrary) of gaining and holding onto power and authority.
I suspect this is a far more complex issue than any of the possibilities above and may well be a combination of some/all of them and more. But if I want to present an argument more convincing than “Cecily was Salisbury’s favourite sister”, I have to get to grips with this question and try and figure out an answer that not only has a logic within its historical context, but matches the internal logic of the story I’m telling.
None of these reasons on their own will do. While I firmly believe that very little is done for a single reason alone, frequently there’s one that proves to be the tipping point. That’s what I need to put my finger on. I haven’t found it … yet.
2. Why did Warwick’s daughters marry as they did?
I’ve said before that I reject the view of Warwick’s daughters as his ‘pawns’. This seems to me to be a very modern view of what must, for a lot of us, look to be the lives of young women very much in the control of others. It’s hard to know just how much power women had/felt they had within what we view as quite narrow boundaries. There’s strong evidence to suggest that individual women operated quite successfully and autonomously, without overwhelming restraints from their husbands. Others certainly didn’t and not all marriages were either successful or joyously happy, especially for women. The Salisburys, Warwicks and Yorks do seem to fit into the first category rather than the second – as in fact do Warwick’s sisters and, from the scant evidence I’ve found, his two married brothers. The Nevills seemed to have been good at marriage. At some point in his life, Warwick must have realised that there would be no son. I’m not suggesting that he then turned his attention to his daughters in a ‘make do with what I’ve got’ capacity. But his future, and the future of his line (whether they carried his name or not) depended on them. The matches he made for both Isobel and Anne were contracted in order to achieve one thing – to make one of them queen. A lot of the time, we focus on what this might have meant for Warwick. Inheritance – and its flipside, the future – were hugely important to people at this time. I believe he was thinking at least as much of what these marriages might mean to the Nevill line and the Warwick line as he was for himself. He was treating his daughters’ contributions to the future of the family much as he’d have treated his sons’.
For Isobel, the question was very quickly moot. The Clarence option was fairly hastily abandoned. Clarence’s betrayal before Barnet must have hurt Warwick a great deal, though there was enough residual respect and, dare I say, affection for his father-in-law for the young duke to persuade Edward IV to offer one last pardon. Perhaps this was for the sake of Isobel. It must have been difficult for Warwick to contemplate the loss of his daughter at this point. Despite the awful consequences in the channel, with the loss of her son, he hadn’t left her behind in hostile territory. I think this is another important point that’s often missed – the importance his wife and daughters had in his life. So, there’s a kind of sub-question here:
• How was the loss of Isobel coped with when Clarence defected to his brother? Especially if, as I believe, she played a substantial role in the reconciliation. What was her thinking? And did her father understand?
While later, after the death of her first husband, queenship must have been far from Anne Nevill’s mind, her marriage to the duke of Gloucester suggests that she shared her father’s way of thinking. Whatever it might have meant personally, dynastically it was the best match she could have made. Which leads me to another question:
3. How much, if any, did Anne Nevill influence her husband’s thinking with regard to his own chances of kingship? I mean, we’re talking here of a young woman who was brought up to believe that she had an important and significant role to play in the family’s future. Her children and her sister’s – even without the Nevill name – were to fulfill all the requirements of grandchildren for both their parents. For a few months, she was the wife of the rival heir to the throne – a throne her father was trying to secure for her. At 15, newly widowed, essentially orphaned by her father’s death and her mother’s retreat to sanctuary, a prisoner of her sister and brother-in-law, she negotiated a marriage between herself and the most powerful available bachelor in England. The best match she could possible make, someone who would look after her, her inheritance, her father’s legacy in the north of England and (she had to presume) the future of both the Nevill and Beauchamp blood, if not the names. I doubt she faced the prospect of being Richard III’s queen with any qualms or fear. Her son was to be king. Finally, she was to achieve for her father the dreams he had and must surely have passed onto her. Did she have any role to play in Gloucester’s decisions?
4. What really made Warwick make that alliance with Margaret of Anjou?
I’ve never been convinced that Edward IV’s marriage alone turned Warwick away from the king, as much as I agree with both Hicks and Warwick that it was disastrous. Foreign policy, a feeling that he was being shunted aside, loss of control of so much of what he’d held in the early years of Edward’s reign – all these (as well as his views of the Wydevilles) would have had some bearing very much on his relationship, and the break, with Edward. But that’s not the question. Why did he make the decision to restore Henry VI? The pathetic picture of the archbishop of York parading Henry through the streets of London in a shabby gown has coloured a lot of the way we think about the readeption. It was only shortlived, but it needn’t have been. Henry’s return was quite popular, both with the nobility and the commons. Had Warwick won at Barnet (and therefore perhaps Tewkesbury wouldn’t have been fought, or at least not a battle in that particular place with those particular outcomes), especially if the York brothers had been killed or captured, Henry would have remained on his throne, Warwick’s son-in-law and daughter, Anne, would have succeeded and Edward IV’s first reign would have been an interesting footnote to history. Of course, we can’t say all would have been peaches and cream – we’re talking about the earl of Warwick and Margaret of Anjou here!
I wonder if Warwick (besides the whole turning daughters into queens thing) might have started questioning – genuinely – the rightness of what he’d helped do in 1460/61. Did he perhaps, as well as everything else, start to think that maybe Edward IV had been a bad choice as king? Not for his dissolute life, or his bad marriage, or his quarrels with Warwick, or his sacking of the archbishop – or at least not solely – but because it hadn’t been the right thing to do and the king, the real king, was in exile and all would be well if he was brought back. Especially if he was brought back under Warwick as chief counsellor. Especially especially if he had a young son married to Warwick’s daughter so that his chief counsellorship could continue well into Warwick’s old age. As I said, I’m not a huge fan of single-cause answers. There’s a commonality runs through the manifestoes written between 1455 and 1470. Bad government, wicked counsel, economic woes, a suffering commons… Warwick authored (or at least co-authored) them all. Maybe he found a formula early in his career and stuck with it, or maybe he believed this stuff to a greater extent than the label Yorkist propaganda has allowed us to believe. That might be something else that balances out the ‘greedy Nevills’ side of the scale. I’m not saying they weren’t, they certainly hoovered up every position, honour and advantage that came their way – especially Warwick, but I don’t think he was an advocate of the something-for-nothing school. The world didn’t so much owe him the rewards as a monopoly on the chance of winning them. It’s a subtle difference, but I think it’s an important one.
4. Related to this – was John Wenlock (Warwick’s right hand in Calais) working on him? This is a brand new question. The assumption has always been that Wenlock fought for Henry because Warwick did. But there’s a vast and convoluted conspiracy Hicks mentioned (that I’m going to have to read over again – slowly) that might suggest it was the other way around. I need to know more about what was going on in Calais. What was it like there? How English did it feel? How ‘Warwick’ did it feel? I knew there was Calais research in my future, but I’m thinking now that it needs to be a little deeper than I’d assumed.
5. Just getting off the Warwick train for a moment, I’ve alluded to this next question on facebook. It’s the one about the marriage between Maud Stanhope, Lady Willoughby (widow of Thomas Nevill) and Gervase Clifton, a staunch Lancastrian executed after Tewkesbury. Why did Maud marry him? Was she, in fact, a dyed in the wool Yorkist widow who was encouraged to marry a man she would have known (Clifton lived within a day’s ride of Maud and Thomas in Nottinghamshire) in order to keep or get him on side? Or was Maud a secret Lancastrian? (Her first mother-in-law, the elder Lady Willoughby, had lent her house to the Exeter/Percy plotters in 1453/4.) Or was she totally apolitical and married Clifton solely for personal reasons? I’d rather like to get a handle on that one!
6. Henry Fitzhugh. You knew he was coming up, don’t pretend otherwise! Up till now (and this may well continue) I’ve credited Fitzhugh’s actions during Warwick’s rebellion to a personal sense of loyalty to Warwick himself. Fitzhugh didn’t join his his brother-in-law’s side till after Towton. He didn’t take the field at that battle, or any of the previous ones, for either side, but he does seem to have been with the king’s army from first St Albans to Towton. Did he not fight because he wasn’t allowed to? The commanders feeling that he represented too high a risk of betrayal. Or did he manage to avoid it? How comfortable was he as a supporter of Edward IV? Did he support Warwick’s rebellion because he saw it as his chance to help bring about the return of Henry VI? Or was I right all along – his loyalty was to Warwick, very strongly and very personally? He fled to Scotland while Warwick was fleeing to France. He returned home, pardoned along with almost his entire family, didn’t fight on either side at Barnet and Tewkesbury and died in the middle of 1472. I think he was probably already quite ill by April 1471, though there’s nothing anywhere that tells me the cause of his death. It just makes more sense than him staying home and refusing to fight either on the side of the brother-in-law he’d risked so much for, or the king who’d just pardoned him. There might have been a good deal of pressure from a number of sides, and there may have been letters explaining why he couldn’t fight. Someone needs to find the Fitzhugh Letters, I think they’d prove extraordinarily interesting. I’d really really like it to be me!
7. Moving on to 1483 now. Two questions, one I’ve discussed earlier. What, if any, influence did the duchess of Gloucester have on her husband’s decision to take the crown? Which partly depends on my answer to the second question: When did Gloucester actually make the decision? And what was his tipping point? I’ve long suspected it had a great deal to do with the Wydevilles, rightly or wrongly, and his view of their potential rule through the young king. Again, I’m not sure that that’s enough on its own. And: why Hastings? I’m going to table these questions, as I haven’t drilled down very deeply into this yet. But I don’t feel I can write the story of Anne Nevill without it.
There are more questions about the Fitzhughs and the Lovells. (Again the Fitzhughs are almost criminally underrepresented in this book, but as I may be one of the few people in the universe who routinely turns to F in the index in order to rate a book’s soundness, this may be a tad unfair.) They were walking a tightrope under Henry Tudor, at least until the (sadly way too early at 30) death of sir Richard Fitzhugh – son of Alice Nevill and Henry Fitzhugh – who fought for Richard III at Bosworth, submitted to Henry Tudor and acted as his lieutenant in the north (or at least parts of it). That he was brother-in-law to the new king’s Most Wanted Man must have made life difficult for him, especially as his mother and sister (Lovell’s wife) didn’t abandon Francis Lovell, or hopes of his pardon and rehabilitation. With stirrings and risings in the north, I’m left with the intriguing question (that matters not, as Richard was dead) of whether he might have finally joined some group of rebels or another – Perkin Warbeck’s lot, for instance, had he lived a little longer.
So, that’s it, at least for the moment. I’m fairly sure I’ll be reading this book again when I get to a) 1468/9 b) 1483-5 and c) beyond. It’s so very very nice to feel like I’m looking at some of this with fresh eyes. I really do want to do the best job I can with these books, I think Hicks’s new work will help me with that enormously!
I’m glad I read it and I’m glad that the months I waited since I pre-ordered it in May and received it finally in October, months of metaphorically jumping up and down with impatience, weren’t wasted. It’s essential reading for anyone interested in the Wars and, I think, will be for some time.
Happy Birthday Richard Nevill, Earl of Warwick
Posted: November 21, 2010 in Richard Nevill, Earl of Warwick
Birth of Richard Nevill
to Alice Montacute, Countess of Salisbury
Richard Nevill, Earl of Salisbury
Image of Warwick from the Rous Rolls
Richard was the oldest son and third child of the countess and earl of Salisbury. Joan, whose birthdate is unknown, seems to have been the oldest child, followed by Cecily. There is a possibility, given that 22 November is St Cecelia’s Day, that Richard and Cecily were twins but, given that Salisbury’s younger sister was also named Cecily, this is pure speculation. His mother was 21 and his father 28 at the time of his birth. Some sources place his birth at Bisham, a property of his mother’s, or somewhere in ‘Wessex’, though I’ve seen nothing more specific than this.
Richard married Anne Beauchamp in 1436 and became earl of Warwick in her right in 1449. They had two children, Isobel (born 1451) and Anne (born 1456). Warwick was killed at the battle of Barnet on 14 April 1471. He was 42 years old.
Scraps on the cutting room floor 3
Posted: November 19, 2010 in Anne Duchess of Exeter, Cecily Nevill, Duchess of York, Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter
Both these bits are definitely slated for recycling. First, I need to make it clear that I have no idea whether the young duchess of Exeter joined her husband in sanctuary at Westminster in 1454. Their daughter was born the following year and if I had a clue as to when I might be able to work out when and where she was conceived. However, given that the duke of Exeter spent much of 1454 either in sanctuary or imprisoned in Pontefract castle (and 1455 in Wallingford) or gallivanting round the north of England with the Percies; and given there’s no mention of his wife being with him in either castle, I’ve plumped for her being in sanctuary with him. (If anyone knows anything different, don’t hesitate to let me know!)
The second snippet is a brief conversation between Elizabeth of York (later duchess of Suffolk) with her mother. I want to establish right from the start that she and her future husband, John de la Pole, had a trouble free betrothal and marriage – well, as trouble free as possible, given the circumstances. There’s no evidence to suggest that they were anything but happy with each other and it makes a nice contrast to the Exeters.
He came in while she was sleeping, his hands on her waking her up. Anne stifled a cry but he covered her mouth with his hand anyway. With the other, he pulled at her shift. She made no move to resist, past experience having taught her the futility of that. She looked him full in the face, the flickering candlelight throwing his eyes into shadow. He didn’t look at her.
Anne was sure this should be a pleasurable act, mutual and tender, but his fingers dug into her and the weight of his hand on her mouth made breathing difficult. She feared that one night he would kill her without meaning to, without even noticing. What pleasure he got from this she didn’t know, unless it be the pleasure of dominance and control.
It was always quickly done, for which she was grateful. Wordless, violent, quick. He’d turn his head away as he came close, not even wanting to share that with her. Then he was gone, rolling away from her and off the bed, angry with her and with himself. Anne lay still, breathing slowly.
Outside she could hear them, Exeter laughing at something Robert said, and she felt a deep sense of shame. She needed the privy. She lay still for as long as she could hoping that it would go away. It didn’t. Straightening her clothes, she got up, picked up the robe she’d tossed onto the floor and wrapped it around herself. She’d have to walk past them, brave their eyes.
“Tall trees,” Robert said as she went into the parlour. “They must be hard to climb.”
“Not if you cut them down,” Exeter said. “Once they’re on their backs they’re all the same size.”
She walked through the room with as much dignity as she could. There was no chance that Robert was unaware of what had just happened in the bedchamber. The way he watched her – imagining, she thought, what his brother had felt – made her feel sick and dirty. A burst of laughter followed her from the room.
She closed the door of the privy and sat down. How dare he treat her like a common slattern? No, she thought bitterly, even a whore would be treated better than she was. She buried her face in her hands, but the tears she was expecting didn’t come. A new emotion gripped her, one she hadn’t thought to feel. She was angry. Angry with her husband, angry with her parents for giving her to him, angry for a world that let husbands treat their wives so.
It made her feel better, like none of this was her fault. She would go back into that room and pour herself a cup of wine. Then she would sit and drink it, slowly. Let them mock her all they would, Anne would meet their scorn with quiet dignity and, if she could muster it from somewhere, defiance.
“… like your mother,” Exeter was saying.
Anne found a cup, found the wine, poured herself a generous measure and sat down.
“My mother was a saint,” Robert said. “Lured into bed by our reprobate father. Now, you’d never do such a thing, would you Henry? Not with that tall piece of timber close at hand.”
“You know, she doesn’t bring me as much comfort as you might think. Keeps me occupied though. Keeps me from boredom. Don’t you, wife?”
“Your comfort isn’t why I’m here,” Anne said, her voice shaking a great deal more than she liked. “I am your wife and, more to the point, your duchess. I am tied to you, eternally and irrevocably, and if you fall I shall go down with you. I ask for no rescue.”
“Is that meant to move me?” Exeter said.
“It might if I spoke from affection and regard. But this is my lot and I must, as my mother tells me, make the best of it.”
Robert laughed heartily and Exeter turned to him with a scowl. “Like I said, she brings me no comfort.”
Anne allowed herself a private smile, hidden behind her wine cup. It was time he learned that she was not only her father’s daughter, she was also her mother’s.
If Bess knew how much comfort her mother drew from her, she gave no sign, but sat with her head in Cecily’s lap, the older woman’s hands soft on her hair.
“Why did she go, if he’s so unpleasant?” she said.
“Because he commanded it,” Cecily said.
“John never commands me to do anything.”
“That is because he is not yet ten years old.”
Bess lifted her head and looked at her mother. “He won’t command me, even when we’re married.”
There was something about the child’s certainty that caught at Cecily’s heart. Marriage, she knew, was a game of chance. There always seemed to be more losers than winners. Not all unions could be judged by her own. Anne was unhappy, Bess was determined that she would be anything but.
“Anne’s done nothing wrong,” Bess said. “Why should she be locked up?”
“Wouldn’t you choose to be with John, if he were to seek sanctuary?”
“But I like John.” Bess laid her head down again. “It’s easy being locked up with someone you like.”
He’d be going to Ludlow soon, to join Edward and Edmund, and Cecily worried how Bess would deal with the loss of her friend. They’d be tied together soon enough and Cecily hoped with all her heart that marriage would be everything that Bess hoped.
Posted: November 17, 2010 in The WIPs - Nevill
Though this one might find it’s way into The Duchesses.
The pile of cushions was cleared with ease and Meg thought she should take her sister’s from the bed while she wasn’t looking to make the jump a little higher. It was the chest that once again proved George’s undoing. Last time round, he’d swerved at the last second, but this time she made him go back and try again. He was too little – his legs too short – to jump it, but Meg had been taught that there was no challenge to life if you just kept on doing the things you knew you could. His hobbyhorse in one hand, George scrambled over the top of the box and fell down in a heap on the other side. Meg thought he might cry, so loud had been the bump when his head hit the floor, but her laughter distracted him and soon he was giggling as well.
On the windowseat, Richard all but forgotten in his well of cushions beside her, Bess sighed heavily. Bess was always sighing about something.
“I’m trying to concentrate,” she said. “Why don’t you go outside?”
“It’s still raining,” Meg said. “You wouldn’t want George to catch a chill.”
She got up and began to rearrange the obstacle course, snatching Bess’s pillows and adding them to the pile. She turned around to deliver the most brilliant insult to Bess when she noticed their mother standing in the doorway.
Taking George by the arm as he careered past, she pulled him, protesting loudly, to the door and stood quietly, her hands folded demurely at her waist as she’d been taught. Bess put down her book, picked up her baby brother and did her best to set him in order, cleaning his grimy face with the hem of his smock and running her fingers through his soft brown hair.
Cecily cast her eye over each of the children, then bent down to be kissed by first Meg then George.
“Your father and I are going to London in the morning,” she said. “I hope you’ll be good while we’re gone.”
“Are we not go come with you?” Meg said, struggling to keep the whine of disappointment from her voice.
She’d been to London before and had vague fractured memories of grandeur, crowds and noise. There’d been an air of menace that had thrilled her but the rows of rotting severed heads on London bridge, glimpsed no more than in passing, had spoiled her dreams for weeks.
“I don’t know how long we’re going to be there,” Cecily said. “It may only be for a few days. Your father’s been called to a meeting. We’ll see what happens after that. If we’re still there, maybe you can come down for Christmas.”
“Will the king be there?” George said.
“No,” Cecily said. “He’s not well and we must pray for him. Your father’s going to see what he can do to help. Someone has to look after England while the king’s getting better.”
“Is Daddy going to be king?” George said, his face screwed up into a frown.
“No,” Cecily said firmly. “He’s just going to do his duty.”
Again Meg pictured the row of heads and shuddered. Their grandfather had been accused of treason, his head struck off on Southampton Green when his son was just a boy. Meg knew it was foolish, but every time their father rode away, she worried that she’d never see him again. The whispers of adults, which they fancied they kept from the ears of children, gave her an image of a dark dangerous world where one’s life could be ended on a malicious word.
“He’ll need us!” she said. “If we’re there, they won’t… they won’t…”
“They won’t do anything,” Bess said. She slid down from the windowseat, Richard now wriggling impatiently in her arms. “They don’t, you know, unless you commit treason.” She stopped, a look of horror on her face. “John’s father. He was…”
“That was madmen,” Cecily said quickly, “who blamed him for all that was ill and took matters into their own hands. No-one’s going to hurt your father. I shall make sure of that.”
George, who’d clearly grown tired of the whole conversation, caught hold of her hand.
“Mummy, Mummy!” he said excitedly, jumping up and down. “Guess what’s under my bed?”
Her hands on his shoulders, Meg tried to draw him away. So like him, she thought, to behave like a baby!. George’s world might contain at its edge kings and fathers, but mostly it was centred around George.
Bess put Richard down onto the rug, flopped down beside him and reached for the toys he pointed to in mute expectation.
“I don’t know, George,” Cecily said. “What’s under your bed?”
“Guess!”
“The shirt you can’t find. The one Anne made you.”
George shook his head emphatically, his blond curls bouncing and flicking across his face.
“An angel.” Again the shake of the golden head. “The shoe your father lost last week. The doorway to the kingdom of the fairies.”
“Puppies!”
“Mab had puppies under George’s bed,” Meg said. “He hasn’t stopped pestering her. I told him: she’ll bite you if you don’t watch out.”
“He’s hardly going to listen to you,” Bess said.
George grabbed his mother’s hand and pulled as hard as he could. Cecily stood up and let him lead her to his bed. He dropped to the floor, lifting the bedcovers with one hand, and peered into the dusty shadows. Cecily joined him.
There were vague shapes, small movements deep in the shadows; the squeals of the pups, the soft warning growl of their mother.
“See?” George said. “Puppies!”
Cecily sat up on her haunches, grabbed her son and gave him a fierce hug. He struggled to get away, but she held him firmly and showered his face with kisses. Meg waited patiently nearby for her turn. Little brothers were good for some things, she conceded.
Edmund couldn’t sleep, though he was tired to his bones. Wrapping himself in a robe, he crept out of his room, his bare feet stinging on the cold stone, and to his brother’s. Though not even a year older, Edward seemed to know so much more than he did. He stopped outside the door and listened. There was no sound within. He was probably asleep, as Edmund himself should be at this hour.
He pushed the door open and went in. In the darkness, he saw a faint lump on the bed, his brother huddled beneath the blankets.
“Ned,” he whispered. “Ned!”
Edward didn’t stir, so Edmund climbed onto the bed and shook him. “Ned.”
With a kind of snuffling noise and a shake of his great golden mane, Edward lifted his head and opened his eyes.
“Ned,” Edmund said again. “Wake up!”
“It’s Father.”
“He’s here!” Edward sat up, wide awake now. “He was going to London. Where is he?”
“No, he’s not here. Why would he be here? No, I’ve just been thinking.”
Edmund sat huddled on the edge of the bed, shivering. Edward lifted up the blankets and he slid underneath. The two boys lay together, face to face, talking softly into the dark.
“What do you think it would be like,” Edmund said, “to be the son of a king?”
“You’d have the finest horses. Swans and peacocks every night for dinner. The best wine, the softest furs…”
“You’d march at the head of an army and no man would dare bar your way.”
“Oranges from Spain every day for breakfast.”
“No, they’d bow when they saw you coming. They’d fall to their knees and beg you to spare their miserable lives!”
“And no-one could keep you at your lessons. No Latin, no French. And Master Richard Croft had best beware, for we would brook no slight from him!”
Edmund yawned. “No-one to wake you up on cold mornings.”
“We’re not though,” Edward said a little sadly. “We’re not sons of a king.”
“No, we’re better than that. We’re the sons of the Duke of York!”
“When we go to London, they’ll know who we are. There go the sons of my lord of York, they’ll say and throw their bonnets in the air. The Earl of March and the Earl of Rutland come, see? they’ll cry and they’ll strew our path with roses. As fair as their mother and as brave as their father, is what they’ll say. And we shall bow, just little bows, and give our blessings to the crowd.”
Edmund’s eyes were closed and he breathed softly through his mouth. A stray strand of hair fell across his eyes. Edward yawned.
“You’re the best brother I could wish for, Ed,” he said softly. “And we will ride at the head of an army one day. You and me.”
The words drifted into Edmund’s half asleep mind and filled him with warmth. He wished he could respond, but his mouth didn’t seem to be working. You and me at the head of an army, he thought. The sons of the Duke of York…
A general update
I’ve been so busy with other things (finishing the rewrite on Dissolution being the main one, a little bit of paid work being the other) that I haven’t posted anything substantial to the Feast for some time. And I know that there are some poor souls out there anxious to see how The Daisy and the Bear is going to end! I think there’s only a few more chapters to go, which news surely comes as a relief to all involved.
As for Nevill, it has (by necessity) been bubbling away on the backburner. I can’t delve much deeper until I have some funds to buy books and, even more important in many aspects, some of the articles that are stacking up in my research file. As I’m currently not affiliated with a university, I’m having to pay full price for these, and it’s usually quite a chunk!
I had a look at what I’d written so far for the first time in months the other day and it struck me (again) that there are too many characters. This was never going to be a one book exercise, and I think I have the big picture in my head now.
Book 1 – Nevill – covering 1453-71
Book 2 – The Duchesses – covering whenever I decide to start various bits to 1485
Book 3 – Fitzhugh – covering 1448-1503 [I know this sounds like a long time – Alice Fitzhugh’s fault, not mine – but I think it might be manageable if I stay focussed on what’s important]
and possibly, if I live that long and get any of the others finished:
Book 4 – Percy – covering I have no idea at this point
As The Duchesses will tell the stories of 5 prominent women of the time (the duchesses of Exeter, Suffolk and Burgundy, Clarence and Gloucester) I can delete anything written so far – or at least save it to another file for future cannibalistion. That immediately culls the horde in Nevill (and a couple of chapters!). The other thing I’m planning to do is cut all the York bits, thus tightening the focus. This will cut out a lot of Cecily Nevill scenes, but she’ll just have to cope with that.
There’s a lovely scene between the young earls of March and Rutland that I am loathe to part with, but it no longer has a place in Nevill, based on the new structure. I might share it in the next few days, just so it doesn’t entirely go to waste.
I will finish Daisy in the next week or so as well.
Another Catesby who got himself into a bit of a pickle
Posted: November 4, 2010 in Trivialities, rants & other ephemera
This time it’s Robert Catesby (1575-1605), one of the gunpowder plotters.
Apart from it not being my field, there are far better summaries of the Gunpowder Plot on the web than I could manage. Like this one, for instance.
Catesby died on 7 November, but no-one remember remembers that date!
Robert was a descendant of William ‘the Cat’ Catesby, who was executed after the battle of Bosworth.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9289
|
__label__cc
| 0.655815
| 0.344185
|
This is NPR. NPR is an independent, non-profit media organization that was founded on a mission to create a more informed public.
This is NPR.
February 12, 20199:40 AM ET
Stephen Voss/NPR
NPR's rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connects with millions of Americans every day — on the air, online, and in person.
NPR strives to create a more informed public — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures.
With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists, 17 international bureaus, and hundreds of NPR Member Stations, NPR is never far from where a story is unfolding. Relying on hundreds of skilled journalists in the United States and abroad — from Washington, D.C., and New York City, to Beijing and Dakar — NPR stays on top of breaking news, follows the most critical stories of the day, and tracks complex issues over the long term. In a time of media fragmentation and sound bites, listeners come to NPR for fact-based, independent journalism and civil conversation that examines and respects diverse perspectives.
Of the major U.S. news brands, research shows1 that NPR ranks #1 in being "credible" and "honest," rising above the major television and cable news networks and media outlets including The New York Times, MSNBC, and Fox News in both categories.
NPR's journalists strive for mastery of the narrative form, with reporting that transports you to the places where news is happening and connects you with the people at the heart of every story.
You can find NPR programming on broadcast radio, mobile devices, smart speakers, and other evolving platforms.
NPR connects with you, wherever you are and wherever the news takes us.
1. E-Score Brand, E-Poll Market Research, 2018
Looking for a quick view of key facts about NPR?
Check out the NPR Fact Sheet.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9293
|
__label__wiki
| 0.715651
| 0.715651
|
The Lafayette Symposium
President Byerly announces new lecture series Twitter
To the Lafayette Community:
The College’s mission statement calls on Lafayette to provide “an environment that fosters the free exchange of ideas.” Achieving this ideal requires that diverse viewpoints concerning intellectual, political, moral, and legal issues are regularly made available to students.
As I mentioned at the December Faculty Meeting, this spring we will be launching a new lecture series, The Lafayette Symposium, which will offer talks, panel discussions and debates by speakers who follow contrasting approaches, advocate opposing policies, or come from differing ideologies.
The Symposium will explore different conceptions of justice, freedom, individual rights, and communal responsibilities; focus on particular topics around which there are contrasting views, such as the proper size and role of government, the tension between national security and open borders, the importance of family or religion, and free speech; and aim to involve speakers from all serious intellectual and social traditions. We hope to hold at least two Symposium events each semester.
I am delighted to introduce our first two speakers. Both lectures are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Colton Chapel on their respective dates.
On Jan. 25 we will welcome University of Pennsylvania Professor Sigal Ben-Porath. She will lecture on the theme of her 2017 book, Free Speech on Campus, in which she “writes about the concept of ‘inclusive freedom,’ in which colleges affirm not only free speech, but also ‘an inclusive environment,’ in which people from all perspectives and groups are respected,” reports Inside Higher Education.
On Feb. 8 we will welcome Keith E. Whittington, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University, who will speak on the topic: “Why We Should Value Campus Free Speech.” He is the author of the forthcoming book Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech, in which he argues that universities must protect and encourage free speech because vigorous free speech is the lifeblood of the university. Without free speech, he writes, a university cannot fulfill its most basic, fundamental, and essential purposes, including fostering freedom of thought, ideological diversity, and tolerance.
Our first two Symposium speakers were selected by Provost Abu Rizvi for their work on the issue of campus free speech specifically. In the months ahead we will convene a group of community members to help us identify topics of interest and speakers to invite to campus.
In another matter related to free speech, we will also be convening discussions on campus that may lead to the formulation of a statement of community values around free speech and inclusivity. While our mission statement and handbooks for faculty and students do address topics such as the free exchange of ideas, academic freedom, and rights and responsibilities, I believe that community dialogue on these issues will be valuable. Please watch for further notices about such conversations.
Lafayette is well positioned to engage in thoughtful discussion of difficult and complex issues. Last spring, I and the other presidents who belong to the Pennsylvania Consortium for the Liberal Arts (PCLA) posted a paper in which we noted that “liberal arts colleges offer a distinctive opportunity to develop a dialogic sensibility that is fundamental to life in a free society.”
We wrote: “The capacity to enter, shape, and hold a ‘conversation’ is the lifeblood of liberal learning and democratic participation alike. Liberal education offers a crucial opportunity for young people to reverse what Sherry Turkle calls ‘the flight from conversation’ in modern society caused by the isolating effects of both ideological groupthink and digital media addiction. Residential liberal arts colleges provide exchanges in classes, mentors’ offices, dining halls, dorms, and public forums––all places where students can cultivate the art of conversation, gradually enlarging their capacities for imaginative, empathetic engagement.”
I look forward to the opportunity to engage these issues together. Best wishes for a good start to the spring semester.
Alison R. Byerly
Categorized in: Presidential News
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9294
|
__label__wiki
| 0.678452
| 0.678452
|
inSITE Blog on Terrorism and Extremism
Right/Left Extremism
As the Caliphate Crumbles, a Female American ISIS Member Makes a Pitch for Redemption
Rita Katz
As the Islamic State's (IS/ISIS) territory in Syria shrinks to a final pocket of small villages in Deir al-Zour, many of its Western members are coming out of the woodwork: Fighters, wives, and media workers from America, Canada, Germany, the UK, and elsewhere. Some captured or surrendered, others escaped—some pleading for forgiveness and better lives for their children, others expressing little remorse.
Among the latest stories is Hoda Muthana, a 24-year-old American ISIS member from Alabama who, after leaving for Syria in November 2014, was captured less than two months ago with her one-year-old son. Her case thus far is getting more tone-deaf by the day. When asked what a “reasonable form of punishment” would be for actions, she suggests, “Maybe therapy lessons, maybe a process that will ensure us that we’ll never do this again.”
The US government has announced it won’t allow Muthana back, something President Trump has touted and that her family plans to fight with a lawsuit.
But beyond the more sensational elements to her case, there is also a striking disconnect between the story she tells now and the online diary of crimes she once advertised to the world. She told The Guardian, “…when I came here and saw everything with my own eyes, I realized I’ve made a big mistake…”
“It was like a movie,” she says. “You read one book and think you know everything. I’m really traumatized by my experience.”
Muthana’s appeal follows a similar theme as other regretful ISIS members: the disillusioned victim, promised an Islamic paradise only to be trapped in a hell of violence and hypocrisy. However, also like other repentant ISIS members, Muthana’s history on social media says otherwise.
For someone claiming instant remorse upon arrival, Muthana’s tweets, under the alias “Umm Jihad,” seemed joyous off the bat. In a tweet on December 1, 2015, no more than a month after her arrival Syria, she had no problem disowning her American citizenship. Along with a picture implied to be her and her follow Western ISIS migrants’ passports, she stated, “Bonfire soon, no need for these anymore.”
In the months that followed, Muthana’s tweets were a feed of dangerous messages, including instructions for attacks in America, assistance with migration to the so-called caliphate, and even fundraising for the group. Nothing to be found of a penitent young soul.
One tweet made a month after her arrival to Syria reads unignorably similar to a freshman college student’s letter home: “once u settle down you only gain a few (837439) pounds bc of how much the ansaar [locals] feed you.” In the same spirit, after marrying Australian ISIS fighter Suhan Rahman (AKA Abu Jihad Al-Australi), she tweeted on January 7, 2015:
Who knew my fate would be living among a bunch of Australians, full on m8. Love my Aussie family xo
Though her tweets often seemed lighthearted, they weren’t mere musings of a young woman going about her day. Muthana was a recruiter now, promoting fighters and fellow brides online while shaming “cowards” who had not yet migrated.
“Don't be stingy with your opportunities,” she stated in a series of tweets on December 31 of 2014. “Others are dying for a chance while the doors are open for you. Come, we want to see you here.” She would also assure others that she was at peace with her move to ISIS, stating, “If you want genuine guidance, come to jihad.”
That following March, Suhan died in the battles in Kobani. Nonetheless, Muthana deemed his demise on the battlefield “the best of deaths,” and continued her recruitment efforts. “How could you sit in the West and succumb to comfort in the land of the enemy?” she tweeted on March 19, 2015.
“How could you sit and debate whether this is an obligatory jihad or not?” another from the same day asked. “How could u let ur emotions play a part in your decisions?”
While the migration calls of one woman on Twitter might not seem like the most dangerous threat dealt by ISIS, they were integral components of the group’s recruitment machine—digital bait to lure others over. To that point, Muthana provided ISIS-supporting women “advice” in private discussions on Kik messenger, a standard practice among ISIS recruiters during that time.
But her role with ISIS wasn’t just limited to recruitment. A March 19, 2015 series of tweets by Muthana stressed that Muslims “are commanded to use your wealth on Jihad,” and solicited direct-messages by willing donors.
Among the most dangerous of Muthana’s work as an ISIS recruiter were her celebrations of terrorist attacks and incitements for more. Like other ISIS terrorists, Muthana had a cold lack of hesitation in calling for innocents to be killed. On January 7, 2015, the day of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, which killed 12 and injured 11, Muthana tweeted, “Hats off to the mujs in paris." The same day, she tweeted, “If one doesn't have the means to get here then the state advises you to follow their footsteps, strike fear in them.”
On March 19, 2015, the same day she tweeted not to “succumb to comfort in the land of the enemy,” she exclaimed: “If you can’t come here then terrorize the kuffar at home. Form and expand the Khilafah where you are.”
Likewise, in a series of incitements, she called for “drive by’s” and vehicular attacks in America, the country she now asks to take her back:
Americans wake up ! Men and women altogether. You have much to do while you live under our greatest enemy, enough of your sleeping !
Veterans,Patriot,Memorial etc Day parades..go on drive by's + spill all of their blood or rent a big truck n drive all over them. Kill them.
When another user asked if she really meant it, she replied callously, “Yep.”
Another tweet even called to assassinate then-President Barack Obama, stating, “look up Obamas schedule on the white house website. Take down that treacherous tyrant!”
According to the aforementioned Guardian article, she claims to have left her zealotry behind a year into her stay with ISIS, and that others had at some point taken over her Twitter account. However, this first year of incitements and other terrorist activity alone seems starkly inconsistent with the supposed change of heart she underwent “when I came here and saw everything with my own eyes.”
That said, Muthana’s case underscores a new variable in the way terrorists will be held accountable: with this new age of social media-fueled terrorist outreach comes unprecedented documentation of terrorist activities and war crimes, regardless of when one decides to give it all up—a fact that seems lost on Muthana.
“I believe that America gives second chances,” she says to the Guardian. “I want to return and I’ll never come back to the Middle East. America can take my passport and I wouldn’t mind.”
Muthana’s lawyer even presented her as a future counterterror asset, stating, “She wants to come back to the United States to be accountable for her mistakes and then be a powerful voice to make sure others don’t repeat those same mistakes.”
It’s troubling to see deradicalization efforts, an extremely difficult and noble undertaking, used like a bargaining chip this way. And of course, there is the more apparent problem with this suggestion: after her assisting of others to join ISIS, disowning her American citizenship, and inciting for attacks, her lawyer suggests we should disregard the major risk of re-offense by terrorists and actually elevate her voice? Why should we expect different results from these ISIS fighters and “citizens” than we did from the al-Qaeda militants, some of whom migrants, that were captured in Afghanistan after 9/11 and went right back to militant jihad after their release?
The question of what to do with Western ISIS members is a complicated issue that many governments still haven’t prepared for. But the evidence of Muthana's case is clear: She joined a terrorist group, acted on behalf of a terrorist group, and should thus be treated as one, wherever she ends up. And as mounting stories of disillusionment and regret emerge this late in the game—no less from the same individuals who so loudly broadcasted their war crimes across the Internet—an important question emerges: would these individuals be begging for forgiveness if ISIS was still comfortably controlling Raqqah?
How Europe’s Most Notorious Jihadi Still Wasn’t Ex...
Rita Katz is the Executive Director and founder of the SITE Intelligence Group, the world’s leading non-governmental counterterrorism organization specializing in tracking and analyzing online activity of the global extremist community. Ms. Katz has tracked and analyzed global terrorist and jihadi networks for over two decades, and is well-recognized as one of the most knowledgeable and reliable experts in the field.
Ms. Katz has infiltrated terrorist fronts undercover, testified before Congress and in terrorism trials, and briefed officials at the White House and the Departments of Justice, Treasury, and Homeland Security. Her investigations and testimony have driven action by several governments against terror-linked organizations and individuals. She has provided counterterrorism training sessions to military leadership, intelligence analysts and law enforcement agents from numerous government agencies in the U.S. and abroad. She has led numerous workshops for non-governmental organizations and academic audiences.
For her unique contributions to FBI counterterrorism investigations, Ms. Katz received special recognition from FBI Director Robert Mueller for her "outstanding assistance to the FBI in connection with its investigative efforts."
Outlets to profile Ms. Katz have included the New Yorker, the New York Times, and 60 Minutes. Her commentary on the recruitment, financing, and operations of terrorist organizations regularly appears in leading media outlets such as The New York Times. Reuters, CNN, and The Huffington Post. She is also a regular contributor to The Washington Post, VICE News, The International Business Time, and other publications.
Ms. Katz is the author of Terrorist Hunter: The Extraordinary Story of a Woman who Went Undercover to Infiltrate the Radical Islamic Groups Operating in America (Harper Collins, 2003).
Born in Iraq and a graduate of Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University, Ms. Katz is fluent in Arabic.
Thursday, 21 February 2019 As the Caliphate Crumbles, a Female American ISIS Member Makes a Pitch for Redemption
Friday, 30 November 2018 How Europe’s Most Notorious Jihadi Still Wasn’t Extreme Enough for ISIS
Wednesday, 10 October 2018 ISIS is Doubling Down on The Philippines
What If Baghdadi Is Incapacitated?
The Power of a Tweet: Elton Simpson and the #TexasAttack
The Convergences of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State
How the Islamic State is still Thriving on Twitter
The Tunisian Terrorist Attack: What Does It Mean?
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9295
|
__label__wiki
| 0.83326
| 0.83326
|
Wherever you are, wherever you're going, we have you covered.
Getting countries ...
Select countries and read reports below or BROWSE COUNTRIES BY CONTINENT
Africa (1 of 54)
Algeria Angola Benin Botswana British Indian Ocean Territory Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Congo X Congo, DRC Cote d'Ivoire Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Sao Tome & Principe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa St. Helena Sudan Swaziland Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Antarctica (NONE of 4)
Antarctica Bouvet I. French Southern & Antarctic Lands Heard I. & McDonald Is.
Asia (NONE of 48)
Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China Christmas I. Cocos Is. Gaza Strip Georgia India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal North Korea Oman Pakistan Philippines Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore South Korea Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen
Europe (2 of 48)
Albania Andorra Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Faroe Is. Finland France Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Jan Mayen Latvia X Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg X Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Reunion Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom
North America (1 of 36)
Anguilla Antigua & Barbuda X Aruba Barbados Belize Bermuda British Virgin Is. Canada Cayman Is. Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Martinique Mexico Montserrat Netherlands Antilles Nicaragua Puerto Rico St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre & Miquelon St. Vincent & the Grenadines The Bahamas Trinidad & Tobago Turks & Caicos Is. United States Virgin Is.
Oceania (NONE of 26)
American Samoa Australia Cook Is. Fiji French Polynesia Guam Jarvis I. Kiribati Marshall Is. Micronesia Nauru New Caledonia New Zealand Niue Norfolk I. Northern Mariana Is. Palau Papua New Guinea Pitcairn Is. Samoa Solomon Is. Timor-Leste Tokelau Tonga Vanuatu Wallis & Futuna
South America (NONE of 14)
Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Falkland Is. French Guiana Guyana Paraguay Peru South Georgia & the South Sandwich Is. Uruguay Venezuela
Unassigned (NONE of 6)
Panama Suriname Tanzania The Gambia Tuvalu Western Sahara
Antigua and Barbuda - US Consular Information Sheet
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION:
Antigua and Barbuda is a dual island nation known for its beaches, and is a favorite destination for yachtsmen.
Tourist facilities are widely avai Read More Show Less
able.
English is the primary language.
Banking facilities and ATMs are available throughout the island.
Read the Department of State Background Notes on Antigua and Barbuda for additional information.
ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS:
All Americans traveling by air outside the United States are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.
This requirement will be extended to sea travel (except closed loop cruises), including ferry service, by the summer of 2009.
Until then, U.S. citizens traveling by sea must have government-issued photo identification and a document showing their U.S. citizenship (for example, a birth certificate or certificate of nationalization), or other WHTI compliant document such as a passport card for entry or re-entry to the U.S.
Sea travelers should also check with their cruise line and countries of destination for any foreign entry requirements.
Applications for the new U.S. Passport Card are now being accepted.
We expect cards will be available and mailed to applicants in spring 2008.
The card may not be used to travel by air and is available only to U.S. citizens. Further information on the Passport Card is available at http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html and upcoming changes to U.S. passport policy can be found on the Bureau of Consular Affairs web site at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html.
We strongly encourage all American citizen travelers to apply for a U.S. passport well in advance of anticipated travel.
American citizens can visit travel.state.gov or call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778) for information on how to apply for their passports.
Immigration officials are strict about getting exact information about where visitors are staying, and will often request to see a return ticket or ticket for onward travel, as well as proof of sufficient funds to cover the cost of the visitor’s intended stay.
There is a departure tax payable when departing the country.
For further information on entry requirements, travelers can contact the Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda, 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20016, telephone (202) 362-5122, or consulates in Miami.
Additional information may be found on the home page of the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Tourism at http://www.antigua-barbuda.org.
Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our web site.
For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information sheet.
SAFETY AND SECURITY:
For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs’ web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found.
Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada, or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444.
These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
The Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their own personal security while traveling overseas.
For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State’s pamphlet A Safe Trip Abroad.
CRIME:
Petty street crime does occur, and valuables left unattended on beaches, in rental cars or in hotel rooms are vulnerable to theft.
There has been an increase in crime in Antigua, including violent crimes, in the last six months.
However, this increase has not, for the most part, affected visitors to the island.
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has taken steps to improve the effectiveness of the police in responding to crimes.
As everywhere, visitors to Antigua and Barbuda are advised to be alert and maintain the same level of personal security used when visiting major U.S. cities.
INFORMATION FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME:
The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, in addition to reporting to local police, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for assistance.
The Embassy/Consulate staff can, for example, assist you to find appropriate medical care, contact family members or friends and explain how funds could be transferred.
Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed.
See our information on Victims of Crime.
MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION:
There are many qualified doctors in Antigua and Barbuda, but medical facilities are limited to a public hospital and a private clinic and are not up to U.S. standards.
The principal medical facility on Antigua is Holberton Hospital, on Hospital Road, St. John's (telephone (268) 462-0251).
There is no hyperbaric chamber; divers requiring treatment for decompression illness must be evacuated from the island, to either Saba or Guadeloupe.
Serious medical problems requiring hospitalization and/or medical evacuation to the United States can cost thousands of dollars.
Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services, and U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States.
U.S. Medicare and Medicaid programs do not provide payment for medical services outside the United States.
Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC’s web site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx.
For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad consult the World Health Organization’s (WHO) web site at http://www.who.int/en.
Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith/en.
MEDICAL INSURANCE:
The Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation.
Please see our information on medical insurance overseas.
TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS:
While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States.
The information below concerning Antigua and Barbuda is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.
Traffic in Antigua and Barbuda moves on the left.
Major roads are generally in good condition, but drivers may encounter wandering animals and slow moving heavy equipment.
There is relatively little police enforcement of traffic regulations.
Buses and vans are frequently crowded and may travel at excessive speeds.
Automobiles may lack working safety and signaling devices, such as brake lights.
Please refer to our Road Safety page for more information.
For specific information concerning Antigua and Barbuda driving permits, vehicle inspection, road tax, and mandatory insurance, contact the Antigua and Barbuda national tourist organization offices in New York via e-mail at info@antigua-barbuda.org.
AVIATION SAFETY OVERSIGHT:
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assessed the Government of Antigua and Barbuda’s Civil Aviation Authority as being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards for oversight of Antigua and Barbuda’s air carrier operations.
For more information, travelers may visit the FAA’s web site at http://www.faa.gov/safety/programs_initiatives/oversight/iasa.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES:
Like all Caribbean countries, Antigua can be affected by hurricanes. The hurricane season normally runs from June to the end of November, but there have been hurricanes in December in recent years.
General information about natural disaster preparedness is available via the Internet from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at http://www.fema.gov/.
Please see Customs Information.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES:
While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law.
Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses.
Persons violating Antigua and Barbuda laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned.
Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Antigua and Barbuda are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.
Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States.
Please see information on Criminal Penalties.
CHILDREN'S ISSUES:
For information see our Office of Children’s Issues web pages on intercountry adoption and international parental child abduction.
REGISTRATION / EMBASSY LOCATION:
Americans living or traveling in Antigua and Barbuda are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration web site, https://travelregistration.state.gov/, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Antigua and Barbuda.
Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.
The U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown in located in the Wildey Business Park in suburban Wildey, south and east of downtown Bridgetown.
The main number for the Consular Section is (246) 431-0225; after hours, the Embassy duty officer can be reached by calling (246) 436-4950.
The web site for Embassy Bridgetown is http://barbados.usembassy.gov/. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday, except local and U.S. holidays.
The U.S. Consular Agent, Rebecca Simon, in Antigua provides passport, citizenship and notarial services, and assists Americans in distress.
The Consular Agency is located in Suite #2, Jasmine Court, Friars Hill Rd, St. John’s, Antigua.
Contact information is as follows: telephone 1-268-463-6531, cellular 1-268-726-6531, or e-mail ANUWndrGyal@aol.com. The mailing address is P.O. Box W-1562, St. John’s, Antigua. The Consular Agent is available by appointment only.
The office is closed for local and U.S. Holidays.
This replaces the Country Specific Information for Antigua and Barbuda dated April 2, 2007, to update sections on Entry/Exit Requirements, Safety and Security, Medical Facilities and Health Information, Traffic Safety and Road Conditions, and Crime.
Travel News Headlines WORLD NEWS
Antigua and Barbuda voters head to polls after hurricane
Miscellaneous Antigua and Barbuda - 1 year ago
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2018 18:14:27 +0100
By Gemma Handy
St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda, March 21, 2018 (AFP) - Voters in the hurricane-wracked twin island nation of Antigua and Barbuda headed to the polls Wednesday to elect a new government after Prime Minister Gaston Browne called snap elections. Browne's Antigua Barbuda Labour Party, which has led the eastern Caribbean country since 2014, is widely expected to secure a second consecutive term. The prime minister announced general elections on February 24, 15 months before a constitutionally mandated deadline, giving opposition parties less than four weeks to prepare.
And there will be no polling stations on Barbuda, which was battered by Hurricane Irma in September. As a result, the estimated 400 Barbudans who have since returned home will have to travel to Antigua to cast their ballot. The government has promised to pay for related transport, accommodation and meal expenses. Just over 51,000 Antiguans and Barbudans are eligible to vote. Voter turnout was around 90 percent in 2014.
Browne says the government wants to protect half a billion US dollars worth of developments currently under construction in the tourism-dependent country, and provide investors with stability. One of the most prominent -- and controversial -- projects is a $250 million mega resort being built by Hollywood star Robert De Niro on Barbuda which was devastated by Hurricane Irma in September. Lowering the cost of living in the country of 100,000 people is high on the
agenda.
- Ruling party dominates -
Browne, a former businessman and banker, has pledged to reduce electricity bills, along with the cost of land, and provide more affordable housing, under the slogan "Rebuilding Together." His wife Maria is also running for a seat on an ABLP ticket. On Sunday, thousands of Browne's supporters donned the party's red colours and walked alongside a motorcade in an event that culminated in a public rally. The "Delivering Hope" campaign of the main opposition group, the United Progressive Party (UPP), cites revitalization of the tourism and agricultural sectors as key priorities.
Fifty-three candidates will vie for seats in the 17 single-member constituencies -- of which the ABLP currently holds 14 -- in a first-past-the-post system. The ruling party is alone in presenting a full slate of 17 candidates. The UPP, led by former finance minister Harold Lovell, has put forward 16. A new party, the Democratic National Alliance, headed by current lawmaker and former UPP representative Joanne Massiah has registered 13 candidates. There is a handful of smaller parties, a single independent runner and one representing the Barbuda People's Movement (BPM) contesting the small island's sole seat.
Polling stations opened at 6:00 am (1000 GMT) and are due to close at 6:00 pm. Alcohol sales are restricted during those hours and all public schools are closed, as many are serving as polling stations. Teams representing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are observing the elections. On its path through the Caribbean in September, Irma caused "absolute devastation" on Barbuda where up to 30 percent of properties were demolished, and 95 percent damaged, Browne had said at the time. After a 10-year hiatus, voters returned Browne's Labour Party to power during the last ballot four years ago, when he pledged to economically transform the country. The country became fully independent from Britain in 1981.
Hurricane-hit Antigua and Barbuda to vote early
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2018 08:04:27 +0100
Georgetown, Guyana, Feb 25, 2018 (AFP) - Antigua and Barbuda, a hurricane-ravaged Caribbean tourist destination, will go to the polls next month more than a year earlier than scheduled, the prime minister said on Saturday. The two-island nation's parliamentary elections were scheduled for June 2019, but will now be held on March 21, Gaston Browne said. Voters will select the 17 members of Antigua and Barbuda's House of Representatives, its lower house. Members of the Senate are appointed. "Our primary focus for calling elections early is not about politics but is about your development. God forbid for there to be change in government," Browne said on radio.
After a 10-year hiatus, voters returned Browne's Labour Party to power during the last ballot in 2014, when he pledged to economically transform the country. On Saturday, Browne said there had been "significant gains" since and that the government wanted to guard against unpredictability in the investment climate. He cited cheaper housing for ordinary people, better roads, two Marriott-branded hotels, as well as a new airport on the island of Barbuda, which was battered last year by Hurricane Irma. On its path through the Caribbean in September, Irma caused "absolute devastation" on Barbuda where up to 30 percent of properties were demolished, and 95 percent damaged, Browne had said at the time. Labour has ruled Antigua and Barbuda almost continuously since 1949. The country became fully independent from Britain in 1981.
Barbuda devastated after hit by Hurricane Irma
Natural Disaster Antigua and Barbuda - 2 years ago
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2017 18:35:21 +0200
Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda, Sept 9, 2017 (AFP) - Homes, shops and government buildings were destroyed when Hurricane Irma slammed the Caribbean island of Barbuda this week, while a huge stretch of its once glorious 11-mile west coast beach has been wiped out. Destruction was so widespread that authorities have ordered the entire population of 1,800 to evacuate as Hurricane Jose approached the island over the weekend.
By mid-day Saturday Jose, a Category Four hurricane, was tracking towards the north-west and no longer expected to hit Barbuda, but it remained under a Tropical Storm warning. Authorities on Barbuda -- one of the two islands that make up the nation of Antigua and Barbuda -- have only begun to measure the damage caused when Irma struck the island as a powerful Category Five hurricane overnight Tuesday to Wednesday. "Terrifying," "horrific" and the "worst damage seen in a lifetime" were some of the descriptions from residents as they emerged from their shelters after Irma's passage. A child died when Irma, the strongest storm ever recorded to form in the Atlantic, struck the island. Authorities said 30 percent of properties were demolished by the monster storm.
- Surviving in a wardrobe -
Barbudans swapped tales of hiding in wardrobes and showers as 157 mile (252 kilometer) per hour wind from Irma ripped off roofs, uprooted trees and knocked down walls. Sira Berzas, 40, spent more than an hour huddled in a wardrobe with a friend after Irma tore the roof off the home they were hiding in. "I have never been so scared in my life. Jackie and I were holding on to each other and basically saying our goodbyes," Berzas told AFP.
When the eye of the hurricane came, she said, "we ran outside in our underwear screaming for help. Luckily there was a police truck which took us to a safer building." In the rush to safety "we had to leave Jackie's kitten behind," said Berzas, who lost her Pink Sand Beach home, bar and restaurant to the disaster. Thankfully Houdini lived up to his name. The kitten was later found crouched in a corner of the ruined house, trembling but alive.
- Fleeing Hurricane Jose -
Hundreds of Barbudans were transported on Friday to Antigua via a Venezuelan military plane for safety ahead of Hurricane Jose. Many have family to visit on the sister island, but others had no idea where they would stay when they arrived. "I don't know where we are going when we get to Antigua -- or how we will get there," said Beautymey John, who was on a dock waiting to board a boat to safety with her five children. "I would rather stay here, it doesn't feel right to leave. We have to try and start again," she told AFP.
Other Barbudans also said they were determined to rebuild their homes and livelihoods. Teacher Maurice George, 30, said the small bag he was taking to Antigua contained the bare essentials, but vowed to return as soon as the secondary school he works in reopens. "It is heart-breaking to see our island looking like this," he said. "But where some people see devastation, I see an opportunity to rebuild," he added.
6.0-magnitude earthquake hits Antigua and Barbuda
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2016 13:18:00 +0100
Washington, March 19, 2016 (AFP) - A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda Saturday, US experts said, but caused no tsunami warning or immediate reports of damage or injury. The strong quake, which hit at 1126 GMT, struck at a depth of 24 kilometres (15 miles) with its epicentre located 153 kilometres northeast of the capital of Saint John's, according to the US Geological Survey.
Chicken pox outbreak reported in Her Majesty's Prison in Antigua and Barbuda
Disease ChickenPox Antigua and Barbuda - 4 years ago
Date: Mon 14 Dec 2015
Source: Antigua Observer [edited]
<http://zizonline.com/steps-should-be-taken-to-contain-hmp-chickenpox/>
Prison sources are still complaining that, despite the alleged outbreak of chicken pox at Her Majesty's Prison (HMP), not much has been done to ensure that the virus does not affect more people who either work there or are in custody. A source said since Observer media reported on the incident, last Thu 10 Dec 2015 that there has been another suspected case, bringing the number of affected persons to 19.
The source explained that this occurred even while the other 18 infected persons were already in isolation in the chapel in the prison yard. That source is suggesting that health authorities should to go into the jail to "clean it and spray out the cells" because the virus, according to research, can be picked up from contaminated surfaces.
An official at HMP, who is not authorized to speak with the media, said although the affected inmates are being housed in the chapel away from the rest of the prison population, they are still able to come and go to other parts of the jail, including the washroom and for breaks. Another source indicated that most of the affected persons are on remand and it is highly likely they will be released at any time, and then the virus would likely spread to communities outside the prison walls.
Observer media was unable to reach the prison boss, Superintendent Albert Wade, for comment.
In the meantime, Attorney General Steadroy "Cutie" Benjamin, who has responsibility for the prison, has given assurance that prison authorities have taken adequate steps to control the spread of chickenpox.
[Outbreaks of chickenpox are not uncommon in closed communities where contagious virus can spread rapidly. Chickenpox is a very contagious disease caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a herpes virus. It causes a blister-like rash, itching, tiredness, and fever. Chickenpox can be serious, especially in babies, adults, and people with weakened immune systems. It spreads easily from infected people to others who have never had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox spreads in the air through coughing or sneezing. It can also be spread by touching or breathing in the virus particles that come from chickenpox blisters and can be transmitted by touching surfaces that have recently be contaminated by open lesions as well. Chickenpox most commonly causes an illness that lasts about 7-10 days.
The classic symptom of chickenpox is a rash that turns into itchy, fluid-filled blisters that eventually turn into scabs. The rash may 1st show up on the face, chest, and back, then spread to the rest of the body, including inside the mouth, eyelids, or genital area. It usually takes about a week for all the blisters to become scabs. Some people who have been vaccinated against chickenpox can still get the disease. However, the symptoms are usually milder with fewer blisters and mild or no fever. About 25 to 30 percent of vaccinated people who get chickenpox will develop illness as serious as chickenpox in unvaccinated persons.
Chickenpox vaccine is safe and effective at preventing the disease. Most people who get the vaccine will not get chickenpox. If a vaccinated person does get chickenpox, it is usually mild -- with fewer blisters and mild or no fever. The chickenpox vaccine prevents almost all cases of severe disease (for further information, see: <http://www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/index.html>). - ProMed Mod.LL]
[A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at:
<http://healthmap.org/promed/p/30>.]
Republic of Congo US Consular Information Sheet
The Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) is a developing nation in central Africa. The official language is French. The largest cities are the capita Read More Show Less
, Brazzaville, on the Congo River, and Pointe Noire on the coast. Civil conflict in 1997 and again in 1998-99 damaged parts of the capital and large areas in the south of the country. The last rebel group still engaged in armed struggled signed a cease-fire accord with the government in March 2003. Facilities for tourism are very limited. Read the Department of State Background Notes on the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) for additional information.
ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: A passport, visa and evidence of yellow fever vaccination are required for entry. Additional information on entry requirements may be obtained from the Embassy of the Republic of the Congo, 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011, telephone (202) 726-5500, or from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Congo to the United Nations, 14 E. 65th St., New York, NY, 10021, telephone (212) 744-7840. Overseas, inquiries should be made at the nearest Congolese embassy or consulate.
Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our web site. For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information sheet.
As a result of past conflicts, there is extensive damage to the infrastructure in Brazzaville and in the southern part of the country, and the government is working to reconstruct roads and buildings. Fighting broke out in March and June of 2002 when rebel groups launched attacks first in the Pool region, and later, at the Brazzaville airport. The fighting in Brazzaville was quickly contained and the rebels were repulsed. In March 2003, the rebels and the government signed a cease-fire accord, which remains in effect, although there was some violence in Brazzaville in December 2003.
Occasionally, political unrest in neighboring Kinshasa can affect Brazzaville on the other side of the Congo River. For example, in 2007, stray small arms fire originating in Kinshasa landed in Brazzaville.
Continued security awareness remains a key consideration for all visitors. Night travel outside of cities should be avoided. U.S. citizens should avoid political rallies and street demonstrations and maintain security awareness at all times.
In the event of a fire, call the fire brigade at 81-53-87.
The Department of State suspended operations at the U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville in 1997. The Brazzaville U.S. Embassy interim offices are located in the B.D.E.A.C (Central African Development Bank) building in Brazzaville. A new embassy compound is under construction and slated to open in 2009. While Brazzaville is still not fully open for normal operations, Embassy personnel are present in Brazzaville to provide information and guidance to American citizens. Staff can be contacted through the Embassy’s interim offices (see Registration/Embassy Location section below). The reduced staff in Brazzaville has limited ability to provide emergency services and non-emergency services generally take a few days to coordinate through Embassy Kinshasa.
For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs’ web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts, as well as the Worldwide Caution, can be found.
Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada, or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
The Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their own personal security while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State’s pamphletA Safe Trip Abroad.
CRIME: In the Congo, petty street crime targeting foreigners is rare. Incidents of mugging and pick pocketing happen frequently near the ports in Pointe Noire and Brazzaville, and sometimes in the Congolese neighborhoods surrounding Brazzaville's city center.
Criminal elements are known to target middle-class and affluent residences without 24-hour guards for burglary. Roadblocks and robberies by armed groups targeting travelers occur in the Pool region south of Brazzaville. Travel to the Pool region is discouraged due to these elements.
Travelers should note that in the case of theft and robbery, legal recourse is limited and therefore, they may wish to leave all valuable items at home.
INFORMATION FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME: The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, in addition to reporting to local police, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for assistance. The Embassy/Consulate staff can, for example, assist you to find appropriate medical care, contact family members or friends, and explain how funds could be transferred. Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed.
While there is no local equivalent to the “911” emergency line in Republic of the Congo, the Rapid Response Police Team can be reached at 665-4804. However, police resources are limited and response to emergency calls is often slow (15 minutes or longer).
MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION: Medical facilities are extremely limited. Some medicines are in short supply, particularly outside the larger cities. Travelers should carry their own supply of properly labeled medications.
Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease. Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the type that predominates in the Congo, is resistant to the antimalarial drug chloroquine. Because travelers to the Republic of the Congo are at high risk for contracting malaria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that travelers should take one of the following antimalarial drugs: mefloquine (Lariam™), doxycycline, or atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone™). Travelers who become ill with a fever or flu-like illness while traveling in a malaria-risk area and up to one year after returning home should seek prompt medical attention and tell the physician their travel history and what antimalarials they have been taking. For additional information on malaria, including protective measures, see the CDC Travelers’ Health web site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-Malaria.aspx/.
The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of the DRC.
Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC’s web site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad consult the World Health Organization’s (WHO) web site at http://www.who.int/en. Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith/en.
MEDICAL INSURANCE: The Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation. Please see our information on medical insurance overseas.
TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning the Republic of the Congo is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.
Road conditions are generally poor and deteriorate significantly during the rainy season, November-May. Maintenance of the few paved roads is limited. Overland travel off the main roads requires a four-wheel drive vehicle. Poorly marked checkpoints, sometimes manned by undisciplined soldiers, exist in many areas of the countryside.
Taxis are considered an acceptable mode of transport due to availability and low cost. Registered public transportation vehicles are painted green with white roofs and striping. Security is not generally an issue with taxis but buses are often overcrowded and thus less secure. Mechanical reliability of both vehicle types remains in question.
Traffic safety in general is hazardous due to high speeds, aggressive driving, poorly maintained vehicles and general apathy for pedestrians and cyclists.
Roads are narrow, dangerously potholed, frequently wash out during rainy season and are often full of debris, and pedestrians.
Emergency services are limited. Please refer to the medical section above.
AVIATION SAFETY OVERSIGHT: As there is no direct commercial air service to the United States by carriers registered in the Republic of the Congo, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed the Republic of the Congo’s Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards. For more information, travelers may visit the FAA web site at http://www.faa.gov/safety/programs_initiatives/oversight/iasa.
Ferry service between Brazzaville and Kinshasa normally operates from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. Monday through Saturday and 8 A.M. to 12 P.M. Sunday, but it may close completely with minimal notice. A special exit permit from the Republic of the Congo’s Immigration Service and a visa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s embassy/consulate are required to cross the Congo River from Brazzaville to Kinshasa. Passenger travel on the railroad is discouraged, as there are frequent reports of extortion by undisciplined security forces and robberies by criminal elements along the route.
The Congo is primarily a cash economy and uses the Central African Franc (CFA), a common currency with Gabon, Chad, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea. U.S. dollars may be exchanged for local currency. Traveler’s checks can be cashed for a fee at some hotels. Two hotels in Brazzaville, and several in Pointe Noire, accept major credit cards, but prefer payment in cash. Prices are usually quoted in CFA or Euros. Other businesses do not normally accept credit cards. Personal checks drawn on foreign accounts are not accepted. Western Union has offices in Brazzaville and Pointe Noire, and one bank in Brazzaville has an ATM.
Airport police and customs officials routinely inspect incoming and outgoing luggage, even for internal travel. For a complete list of prohibited items, please contact the nearest Congolese embassy or consulate. Please see our Customs Information.
Local security forces in areas outside Brazzaville and Pointe Noire may detain foreigners to solicit bribes. Detention of U.S. citizens, particularly in remote areas, may not always be promptly reported to the U.S. Government by Congolese authorities. U.S. citizens are encouraged to carry a copy of their passports with them at all times so that, if questioned by local officials, proof of identity and U.S. citizenship is readily available. If detained or arrested, U.S. citizens should always ask to be allowed to contact the U.S. Embassy. Please see the Registration/Embassy Location section below.
In general there are no restrictions on photography; however photographs of government buildings or military installations, port facilities or the airport should not be taken. When photographing human beings in remote areas where populations adhere to traditional beliefs, it is best to request permission first. If permission is refused, the photo should not be taken.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating Republic of the Congo’s laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Republic of the Congo are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States. Please see our information on Criminal Penalties.
CHILDREN'S ISSUES: For information see our Office of Children’s Issues web pages on intercountry adoption and international parental child abduction.
Americans living or traveling in Republic of the Congo are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration web site so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security within Republic of the Congo. Americans withoutInternet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.
The U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville has interim offices located in the B.D.E.A.C Building, 4th Floor, Place du Gouvernement, Plateau de Centre Ville, Brazzaville. The web site is http://brazzaville.usembassy.gov. The telephone number during regular business hours (7:30 am until 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday) is 242-81-14-81; email is Consular.Brazzaville@state.gov. For after-hours emergencies, call the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa (see below).
The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is located at 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Gombe; tel. 243-(0)81-225-5872 (do not dial the zero when calling from abroad into the DRC). Entrance to the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa is on Avenue Dumi, opposite Ste. Anne residence. The Consular Section of the Embassy in Kinshasa may be reached at cellular tel. 243-(0)81-884-4609, 243-(0)81-884-6859 or 243-(0)81-225-5872; fax 243-(0)81-301-0560. For after-hours emergencies, use 243-81-225-5872. (Cellular phones are the norm, as other telephone service is often unreliable).
This replaces the Country Specific Information for Republic of the Congo dated August 20, 2008 to update the section on Safety and Security.
Yellow Fever vaccination programme starts in Pointe Noire and surrounding areas in Republic of Congo
Disease Yellow Fever Congo, Republic of the - 10 months ago
Date: Wed 26 Sep 2018
Source: WHO Relief Web [edited]
<https://reliefweb.int/report/congo/republic-congo-vaccinate-more-one-million-people-against-yellow-fever>
The Republic of Congo, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, started today [26 Sep 2018] a vaccination campaign to control the spread of yellow fever in the port city of Pointe Noire and surrounding areas. More than one million people from 9 months of age are expected to be vaccinated in this 6-day campaign.
The vaccination campaign uses doses from the global emergency yellow fever vaccine stockpile managed by the International Coordination Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG) and funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The ICG coordinates the timely and equitable provision of vaccines during outbreaks and maintains an emergency stockpile of 6 million doses of yellow fever vaccine, which is continually replenished. Gavi will also cover operational costs for this campaign.
The immunization drive is a response to a laboratory-confirmed yellow fever case, which tested positive on 21 Aug 2018, after the person visited a rural area. Since then, no other case has been confirmed in the country, but more than 200 suspected cases have been reported since the beginning of the year [2018], with most of these notified by the health authority in Pointe Noire. It is possible that there are also undetected cases, as a large proportion of the Pointe Noire population seeks care in the private system; therefore, the national surveillance system may not be receiving notification.
Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes that can be deadly but is prevented by an extremely effective vaccine. Urban outbreaks are of particular concern, and Pointe Noire is the country's economic capital, with a population of more than one million people. After declining for many years, yellow fever outbreaks are on the rise globally. The ease and speed of population movements, rapid urbanization and a resurgence of mosquitoes because of global warming have significantly increased the risk of urban outbreaks with international spread.
"Yellow fever has re-emerged as a public health threat in recent years in the African region," said Dr. Ibrahima Soce Fall, WHO's Emergencies Director for Africa. "However, the vaccine is safe and provides life-long immunity. This reactive vaccination campaign is focusing on people who are most at risk and will set up a firewall which will prevent the virus from spreading further."
The neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo has shown solidarity with the Republic of Congo by lending more than 700 000 syringes for the vaccination campaign while Pointe Noire health authorities wait for syringes to arrive from the international stockpile next month [October 2018].
The response to this outbreak is part of a comprehensive strategy to eliminate yellow fever epidemics (EYE) globally by 2026. WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and more than 50 partners are supporting the Government of Congo and 39 other high-risk countries to assess epidemic risk, roll out vaccination campaigns, engage with communities and deliver other response activities, including surveillance and laboratory diagnosis.
Nationwide preventive actions are also needed to ensure the protection of the entire population at risk. Rapid outbreak detection and response and long-term prevention are integral to a sustained control of yellow fever. As part of the EYE Strategy, more than 4 million additional people are expected to be vaccinated in preventive mass campaigns in the Republic of Congo over the few next years.
[It is encouraging to see that components of a large yellow fever (YF) vaccination campaign have come together to start the effort 2 days ago [26 Sep 2018]. Although there is only one confirmed YF case, considering the 200 suspected cases and the risk of rapid YF virus spread in Pointe Noir, a city with a dense and susceptible human population and abundant mosquito vectors, the vaccination campaign is prudent. A recent report indicated that entomological surveys in the affected area have revealed high densities of mosquito vectors (_Aedes aegypti_) responsible for urban YF transmission, signaling the potential for human-to-human transmission via _Aedes aegypti_ and rapid amplification. Larval sites have been found around the homes of suspected cases, and this situation could worsen with the arrival of the rainy season. WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health and Population in implementing targeted vector control activities for adult mosquitoes and larvae within a 200-metre [660-foot] perimeter of areas where the confirmed case-patient lives and works. YF outbreaks under conditions like these can spread rapidly and get out of control, as occurred in Angola with spillover into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. - ProMED Mod.TY]
[HealthMap/ProMED map available at:
Republic of Congo: <http://healthmap.org/promed/p/166>]
Authorities in Republic of Congo about to begin 'robust' vaccination programme against Yellow Fever
Date: Tue 25 Sep 2018
Source: Africa News [edited]
<http://www.africanews.com/2018/09/25/congo-to-launch-immunization-against-yellow-fever-outbreak-the-morning-call/>
On Thursday [27 Sep 2018], the government of the Republic of Congo will begin what it calls a robust and coordinated response against the yellow fever outbreak recorded in some parts of the country. The planned response follows the health ministry's warning last month [August 2018] of "an emerging event of epidemic proportions." According to the head of the government's epidemics unit, Lambert Kitembo, 186 suspected cases of yellow fever have been detected this year [2018], many of which were reported in the western commercial hub of Pointe Noire. [Byline: Jerry Bambi]
[The numbers of reported yellow fever cases in the Republic of the Congo (RC) is growing, especially in the Pointe-Noire area. Pointe-Noire is a port city and oil industry hub with an international airport and links to other large cities. A previous report indicated that a retrospective search in 16 health centre registers in Pointe-Noire found 69 additional suspected cases during 2018 that meet the clinical case definition for yellow fever; 56 of the suspected cases were already recorded in the national surveillance system. Of these, 2 of the suspected cases reported staying in Angola.
The above report indicates that there are now 186 suspected cases. A recent WHO risk assessment reported that the overall public health risk at the national level is high due to the confirmation of a yellow fever case in the densely populated urban city of Pointe Noire (‎1.2 million inhabitants), with suboptimal immunization coverage in the affected community and the potential risk of spread within the Congo, especially to the capital city of Brazzaville.
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) declared a yellow fever outbreak in Pointe Noire on 22 Aug 2018, and the national committee for outbreak management was promptly activated. WHO was notified on 23 Aug 2018, in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). A recent report indicated that entomological surveys in the affected area have revealed high densities of mosquito vectors (_Aedes aegypti_) responsible for urban yellow fever transmission, signalling the potential for human-to-human transmission and rapid amplification. Larval sites have been found around the homes of suspected cases, and this situation could worsen with the arrival of the rainy season.
WHO is supporting the MoHP in implementing targeted vector control activities for adult mosquitoes and larvae within a 200-metre [660 foot] perimeter of areas where the confirmed case-patient lives and works. It is difficult to assess the risk of an ongoing outbreak without knowing the proportion of the unvaccinated population in the areas where the cases occurred. One hopes that the planned vigorous vaccination campaign will be initiated as planned this week. Yellow fever outbreaks can quickly get out of hand, as occurred in Angola and the DRC in 2016-2017.
Frequent movement of individuals across borders of neighbouring countries and beyond underscores the need for prompt action to prevent spread. - ProMED Mod.TY]
[HealthMap/ProMED map available at: Republic of Congo: <http://healthmap.org/promed/p/166>]
WHO report on Yellow fever situation in Republic of Congo
Disease outbreak news
On 5 July 2018, a 20-year-old male living in Bissongo, Republic of the Congo, visited Bissongo health centre in the Loandjili District of Pointe-Noire City, with a fever he had developed the previous day. On 9 July, due to the onset of jaundice and persistent fever, he returned to the same health facility. The patient did not have a history of yellow fever vaccination or haemorrhagic symptoms. The patient had previously travelled to Ngoyo and Tchiamba Nzassi districts two weeks prior to symptom onset; Tchiamba Nzassi is a rural district in Pointe-Noire located along the border with Angola.
He was admitted to the health facility and received antimalarial and antibiotic treatments. As yellow fever was also suspected as a differential diagnosis, a blood sample was collected on 10 July and sent to Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, for testing; on 26 July, the sample tested positive for yellow fever by serology. On 30 July, INRB sent a sample to Institut Pasteur de Dakar for confirmation; on 21 August, the sample tested positive for yellow fever by seroneutralization with a high titre.
Following the confirmation of yellow fever, an investigation was conducted in the affected area. A retrospective search in 16 health centre registers in Pointe-Noire found 69 additional suspected cases during 2018 which meet the clinical case definition for yellow fever; 56 of the suspected cases were already recorded in the national surveillance system. Two of the suspected cases reported staying in Angola. Samples were collected from 43 of these cases and sent to INRB; all samples tested negative for yellow fever. Entomological surveys in the affected area have revealed high densities of mosquito vectors (Aedes aegypti) responsible for urban yellow fever transmission, signalling the potential for human-to-human transmission and rapid amplification. Larval sites have been found around the homes of suspected cases, and this situation could worsen with the arrival of the rainy season.
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) declared a yellow fever outbreak in Pointe-Noire on 22 August 2018 and the national committee for outbreak management was promptly activated. WHO was notified on 23 August 2018 in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005).
WHO is supporting the country in the preparation of an emergency response plan and an International Coordinating Group (ICG) request for supplies for a reactive mass vaccination campaign targeting the Pointe-Noire area, which has a population of approximately one million people. WHO is also supporting resource mobilization activities, as the country is not eligible for Gavi support.
WHO is supporting the MoHP in implementing targeted vector control activities for adult mosquitoes and larvae within a 200-metre perimeter of areas where the confirmed case-patient lives and works. WHO is also providing technical support to strengthen surveillance at points of entry, case management, and public awareness, as well as recommending the use of mosquito nets during the day time.
WHO risk assessment
The overall public health risk at the national level is high due to the confirmation of a yellow fever case in a densely populated urban city of Pointe-Noire (1.2 million inhabitants), with suboptimal immunization coverage in the affected community and the potential risk of spread within the Congo, especially to the capital city of Brazzaville. Entomological surveys in the affected area revealed high densities of Aedes aegypti, responsible for urban transmission of yellow fever, signalling the potential for rapid amplification. The approaching rainy season may potentially increase this risk. Thus, the risk of an urban epidemic needs to be mitigated urgently, although there is no indication of active urban transmission according to the information available.
The risk at the regional level is considered to be moderate due to the lack of information to describe the scope and the dynamics of the outbreak, as well as because of cross-border movements, particularly between to and from Gabon and Cabinda in Angola. Pointe-Noire is a port city and oil industry hub with an international airport and links to other large cities. Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have recently conducted mass preventive and reactive yellow fever vaccination campaigns, respectively. However, population immunity levels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are low in the zones not targeted by the 2016 reactive campaigns, such as the areas neighbouring Pointe-Noire. No other yellow fever cases related to the outbreak in Pointe-Noire have been reported outside the country at this stage.
The risk at the global level is considered low. Risks need to be closely monitored and regularly reassessed.
WHO Recommendations
Vaccination is the primary means for prevention and control of yellow fever. In urban centres, targeted vector control measures are also helpful to interrupt transmission. WHO and partners will continue to support local authorities to implement these interventions to control the current outbreak.
WHO recommends vaccination against yellow fever for all international travellers above nine months of age going to the Republic of the Congo, as there is evidence of yellow fever virus transmission. The Republic of the Congo also requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate for all travellers aged 9 months or older . Yellow fever vaccination is safe, highly effective and provides life-long protection. In accordance with the IHR (2005), the validity of the international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever extends to the life of the person vaccinated. A booster dose of yellow fever vaccine cannot be required of international travellers as a condition of entry.
WHO encourages its Member States to take all actions necessary to keep travellers well informed of risks and preventive measures including vaccination. Travellers should also be made aware of yellow fever symptoms and signs and instructed to rapidly seek medical advice when presenting with these. Viraemic returning travellers may pose a risk for the establishment of local cycles of yellow fever transmission in areas where the competent vector is present.
WHO advises against the application of any restrictions on travel or trade to the Republic of the Congo in relation to this outbreak, based on the information currently available.
Update on Yellow Fever outbreak on Congo Republic - Angolan border
Date: Fri 31 Aug 2018
Source: Business Insider [edited]
<http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-congo-republic-says-to-launch-vaccination-drive-after-yellow-fever-outbreak-2018-8>
Congo Republic will launch a country-wide vaccination campaign to control an outbreak of yellow fever near the border with the Angolan enclave of Cabinda, the health ministry said on Friday [31 Aug 2018].
Earlier this week, the authorities said over 180 suspected cases and one confirmed case of the sometimes deadly mosquito-borne virus had been identified this year [2018], many in the western commercial hub of Pointe Noire.
"Congo (Republic) declared a yellow fever epidemic at Pointe Noire on 24 Aug [2018]," the ministry said in a statement.
In response, it said: "The Health and Population Ministry will organize, in collaboration with partners, a national vaccination campaign." It did not specify when the campaign would begin. The vaccinations will be free of charge. Only children under 9 months, pregnant women and mothers breastfeeding infants under 6 months will not be vaccinated, the statement added.
No deaths have yet been reported in the outbreak.
The disease causes fever, body aches and nausea and can quickly spread in areas with large unvaccinated populations.
A major outbreak in 2016 in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo killed more than 400 people and was believed to have infected thousands more before it was brought under control through an extensive vaccination campaign. [Byline: Alessandra Prentice]
[The case numbers and locations are essentially the same as reported in the earlier ProMED-mail post, with no increase in the numbers of suspected cases. A country-wide vaccination campaign is planned in response to these cases. As noted in previous posts, this outbreak is fairly widely distributed geographically across 5 health districts. The dates on which these suspected cases were diagnosed are not given, so we do not have a picture of the timeframe of this outbreak. None of these cases resulted in deaths.
It is difficult to assess the risk of an ongoing outbreak without knowing the proportion of the unvaccinated population in the areas where the cases occurred. One hopes that the planned vigorous vaccination campaign will be initiated as soon as possible. Yellow fever outbreaks can quickly get out of hand, as occurred in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2016-2017. - ProMED Mod.TY]
Concern over possibility of major Yellow Fever outbreak in Republic of Congo
Date: Tue 28 Aug 2018
Source: Reuters [edited]
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-yellowfever-congorepublic/congo-republic-confirms-yellow-fever-near-angolan-enclave-idUSKCN1LD1KN>
Congo Republic has confirmed a case of yellow fever near the border with an Angolan enclave, the health ministry said on Tuesday [28 Aug 2018], and has warned of "an emerging event of epidemic proportions."
In all, 186 suspected cases have been detected this year [2018], many of which were in the western commercial hub of Pointe Noire, the head of the government's epidemics unit, Lambert Kitembo told Reuters.
He said 8 blood samples were sent to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for testing last month [July 2018], one of which came back positive. It was then officially confirmed last week at a laboratory in Senegal.
The sometimes deadly mosquito-borne virus causes fever, body aches and nausea and can quickly spread in areas with large unvaccinated populations.
A major outbreak in 2016 in Angola and the DRC killed more than 400 people and was believed to have infected thousands more before it was brought under control through an extensive vaccination campaign.
The confirmed victim in the case of yellow fever in Congo Republic had traveled in Tchiamba Nzassi district, which lies along the border with the Angolan enclave of Cabinda, 2 weeks prior to the onset of his symptoms, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a weekly report.
No deaths have been reported, but the situation is being taken seriously by health officials, Kitembo said. He did not say whether authorities had plans to test other blood samples.
"Congo, in general, and the departments of Pointe Noire and Koulou in particular are experiencing since the start of 2018 an emerging event of epidemic proportions," the health ministry said in a statement dated last week.
The WHO said that the confirmed case was detected early last month [July 2018] at a health centre in Pointe Noire, where the patient with fever and jaundice was admitted for treatment.
[The number of suspected cases has gone up from 70 yesterday [27 Aug 2018] to 186 mentioned above. There is now one laboratory confirmation. As noted in the previous post, this outbreak is fairly widely distributed geographically across 5 health districts. The dates on which these suspected cases were diagnosed are not given, so we do not have a picture of the time frame of this outbreak. None of these cases resulted in deaths.
It is difficult to assess the risk of an ongoing outbreak without knowing the proportion of the unvaccinated population in the areas where the cases occurred. One hopes that a vigorous vaccination campaign will be initiated as soon as possible. Yellow fever outbreaks can quickly get out of hand, as occurred in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2016-2017. - ProMED Mod.TY]
Luxembourg - US Consular Information Sheet
Luxembourg is a highly developed, stable constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. Tourist facilities are widely available.
Read the Departmen Read More Show Less
of State Background Notes on Luxembourg for additional information.
ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: A passport is required. Luxembourg is a party to the Schengen agreement. As such, U.S. citizens may enter Luxembourg for up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a visa. The passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay. Sufficient funds and a return airline ticket are required. For further details about travel into and within Schengen countries, please see our fact sheet. No immunization is necessary. For further information concerning entry requirements for Luxembourg, travelers may contact the Embassy of Luxembourg at 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008, phone: (202) 265-4171 or 4172, or the Luxembourg Consulate General in New York, phone: (212) 888-6664 or in San Francisco, phone: (415) 788-0816. Visit the Embassy of Luxembourg web site at http://www.luxembourg-usa.org for the most current visa information.
Find more information about Entry and Exit Requirements pertaining to dual nationality and the prevention of international child abduction. Please refer to our Customs Information to learn more about customs regulations.
Terrorist incidents are rare in Luxembourg. However, like other countries in the Schengen area, Luxembourg’s open borders with its Western European neighbors could allow the possibility of terrorist groups to enter/exit the country unnoticed.
Prior police approval is required for public demonstrations in Luxembourg, and police oversight is routinely provided to ensure adequate security for participants and passers-by. Nonetheless, situations may develop which could pose a threat to public safety. U.S. citizens are advised to avoid areas where public demonstrations are taking place.
CRIME: The crime rate in Luxembourg is moderate compared to other European countries. The predominant form of crime in Luxembourg is non-violent theft of valuables through the snatching of purses/bags or more sophisticated breaking and entering of unoccupied homes. Travelers should take common-sense precautions while in Luxembourg. In particular, travelers should be especially cautious in public areas, the airport and train terminals, where pickpockets can be a problem. Luxembourg has many public parks that are safe during the daylight hours, though the volume of low-level drug vending has increased in some of the city parks. Tourists should avoid these parks after dark due to the higher risk at night. During the summer season, Americans should be particularly alert to purse snatchings and confidence scams against tourists. Incidents of petty crime spike during the annual “Schueberfoire”, a traveling fun fair that visits the country every year for 3 weeks in the summer.
INFORMATION FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME: The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, in addition to reporting to local police, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for assistance. The Embassy/Consulate staff can, for example, assist you in finding appropriate medical care, contacting family members or friends and explaining how funds could be transferred. Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed. Luxembourg judicial authorities provide information, legal advice and psychological counseling at no charge to victims of crime (adults and children). Address: Service d’aide aux victimes, Parquet General, Galerie Kons, 24-26, place de la Gare, L-1616 Luxembourg. Phone: (352) 475821, extension 625, 627 or 628 Monday-Friday 8am-12pm and 2pm-6pm, in an emergency call (352) 621326595 Monday-Friday 8am-7pm.
The local equivalent to the “911” emergency line in Luxembourg is: 113
MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION: Medical facilities are widely available. In an emergency, dial 112 for an ambulance or in case of fire; dial 113 for the police. Hospitals in Luxembourg operate on a 24-hour rotation system. The on-call emergency room can be determined by calling 112. Patients may self-refer to any clinic Monday-Friday between 8am-5pm. In Luxembourg City, three major hospitals offer comprehensive general medical and surgical treatment, as well as specialized care in orthopedics, cardiology and psychiatry. In addition, there are two pediatric clinics and two obstetric clinics in Luxembourg City. Hospitals also exist in the south of the country (Esch-sur-Alzette) and in the north (Wiltz). For more specialized care, including major burns, transfer to a regional burn center in Belgium or France is necessary.
Most drugstores are located in the city of Luxembourg but can also be found throughout the country in all major communes. Drugstores operate on a 24-hour rotation system for after-hours services, including emergency prescriptions. The on-call pharmacy is listed daily in the local newspaper or can be determined by calling 112. A doctor's prescription is sometimes necessary for drugs that are sold over the counter in the United States.
The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Luxembourg.
Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC’s web site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad consult the World Health Organization’s (WHO) web site at http://www.who.int/en. Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith/en/
TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Luxembourg is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.
Luxembourg has a modern, well-maintained system of highways and secondary roads. Road signs and markings are clear and, as applicable, worded in French. Streets in the city, construction sites and crossroads are well illuminated at night. On highways, a digital alert system warns drivers of incidents or detours. Roads towards and out of Luxembourg City are congested during the morning and evening rush hour. Visitors should drive defensively in high-volume commuter traffic. During the fall and winter, fog and ice can cause sudden slowdowns on highways and secondary roads.
In case of a car accident involving injury or dispute, it is advisable for a foreigner to call the police at 113. The police will make an official assessment of the accident’s circumstances that can consequently be used if further legal action becomes necessary.
The daily mix of drivers from Luxembourg and its three neighboring countries results in a variety of driving practices and courtesies. While most drivers respect speed limits, traffic signals, and rules, others do not. Vehicle maintenance for cars registered in Luxembourg is controlled by the mandatory yearly car inspection; police can perform random road checks at any time. The possibility of encountering an intoxicated driver increases on weekends, especially during the late evening hours. Driving while intoxicated may result in penalties including imprisonment from 8 days up to two years plus a fine of 251 to 5000 Euros (approximately US$300 to US$6,000).
Public transportation throughout the country, including bus services and taxis, is highly developed and is considered very safe.
Emergency road services in Luxembourg are excellent. For breakdown and towing service call the ACL (Automobile Club Luxembourg) at 26000, www.acl.lu. In case of an accident, call 112 for a medical emergency and 113 for the police.
Please refer to our Road Safety page for more information. Visit the web site of Luxembourg’s national tourist office at www.ont.lu and national authority responsible for road safety at www.police.public.lu
AVIATION SAFETY OVERSIGHT: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assessed the Government ofLuxembourg’s Civil Aviation Authorityas being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards for oversight of Luxembourg’s air carrier operations. For more information, travelers may visit the FAA’s web site at http://www.faa.gov/safety/programs_initiatives/oversight/iasa.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: Luxembourgcustoms authorities may enforce strict regulations concerning temporary importation into or export from Luxembourg of items such as live animals, plants, endangered species, medication (except for personal use), firearms and ammunition, cultural artifacts, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. It is advisable to contact the Embassy of Luxembourg in Washington or one of Luxembourg’s consulates in the United States for specific information regarding customs requirements. The amount of imported currency is not limited. The euro is the official currency in Luxembourg. Please see our information on customs regulations.
Luxembourg does not yet allow dual nationality. When obtaining Luxembourg nationality either through option or naturalization, the former nationality must be renounced.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating Luxembourg’s laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Luxembourg are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States. Please see our information on Criminal Penalties.
CHILDREN'S ISSUES: For information on international adoption of children and international parental child abduction, see the Office of Children’s Issues web pages.
Americans living or traveling in Luxembourg are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration web site, https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Luxembourg. Americans withoutInternet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency. The U.S. Embassy is located at 22, Blvd Emmanuel Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City, phone: (352) 46 01 23 (available 24/7), fax: (352) 46 14 01. Consular Section phone: (352) 46 01 23 -22 13, Consular Section fax: (352) 46 19 39, email: LuxembourgConsular@state.gov.
The U.S. Embassy’s web page is http://luxembourg.usembassy.gov
This replaces the Consular Information Sheet dated March 17, 2008 to update the sections on Entry/Exit Requirements, Safety and Security, Crime, and Medical Facilities and Health Information.
Tuna from Sri Lanka linked to recent poisoning in Luxembourg
Poisoning Luxembourg - 1 year ago
Source: Food Navigator [edited]
<https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2018/05/28/Tuna-linked-to-foodborne-outbreak-in-Luxembourg>
Five people were sickened in Luxembourg last month [April 2018] by sashimi tuna fillets from the Netherlands, with raw material from Sri Lanka. Cactus, a supermarket in the country, recalled 2 tuna products and informed authorities following the suspicion of histamine. L'Administration des Services Vatarinaires (ASV) told us that initially 2 people fell sick, and investigations revealed 3 more illnesses.
The link was made as all people with symptoms had eaten tuna from the same Cactus store. High levels of histamine in fish may cause an allergic reaction after consumption. In the product, histamine can be detected and quantified by laboratory analysis, and in people, it is mainly based on symptoms.
ASV said such poisoning is rare but sporadic and unpredictable, which makes it difficult to exclude future outbreaks. Filet de Thon sashimi and brochettes de poisson mixte nature et marinées were sold in bulk or packaged trays between 12 and 14 Apr 2018 with expiry dates of 14, 15 or 16 Apr 2018. Products were distributed in Luxembourg in Cactus stores. ASV analysed some of the remaining tuna from the same batch sold in the store that customers complained about and from another Cactus store from the same lot, and analyses were mostly compliant. The agency said the presence of histamine was not due to poor quality, but concentration at high levels was limited to a specific location of the tuna. It added that previous analysis on the supplier confirmed the compliance of tuna delivered to Cactus.
There is no connection between the Luxembourg outbreak and the EU investigation involving 11 countries of tuna intended for canning being sold as fresh. Europol, Interpol, and the EU Food Fraud Network discovered that Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, UK, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland were involved. More than 51 tons of tuna was seized.
Tuna for canning was illegally treated with vegetable extracts containing a high concentration of nitrites to alter colour and to give the impression of freshness. This can represent a risk to health, as modification of colour can mask spoilage, allowing development of biological amines (histamine) responsible for scombroid syndrome. In 2017, more than 150 people in Spain were affected after consuming illegally treated tuna. Spain and France are continuing to investigate tuna destined for canning and sold as fresh and the illegal use of additives. [Byline: Joseph James Whitworth]
[There seem to be 2 situations at play here. One is the scromboid poisoning from tuna, the 2nd is a high concentrations of nitrates, possibly masking spoilage allowing the development of biological amines (histamine) responsible for scrombroid syndrome. While these appear to be 2 situations, the result is the same: scrombroid syndrome.
Two good reviews on the subject can be found at:
1. Taylor SL, Stratton JE and Nordlee JA: Histamine poisoning (scombroid fish poisoning): an allergy-like intoxication. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1989;27(4-5):225-40.
"Histamine poisoning results from the consumption of foods, typically certain types of fish and cheeses that contain unusually high levels of histamine. Spoiled fish of the families, Scombridae and Scomberesocidae (e.g. tuna, mackerel, bonito), are commonly implicated in incidents of histamine poisoning, which leads to the common usage of the term, "scombroid fish poisoning", to describe this illness. However, certain non-scombroid fish, most notably mahi-mahi, bluefish, and sardines, when spoiled are also commonly implicated in histamine poisoning.
Also, on rare occasions cheeses, especially Swiss cheese, can be implicated in histamine poisoning. The symptoms of histamine poisoning generally resemble the symptoms encountered with IgE-mediated food allergies. The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, an oral burning sensation or peppery taste, hives, itching, red rash, and hypotension.
The onset of the symptoms usually occurs within a few minutes after ingestion of the implicated food, and the duration of symptoms ranges from a few hours to 24 h. Antihistamines can be used effectively to treat this intoxication. Histamine is formed in foods by certain bacteria that are able to decarboxylate the amino acid, histidine. However, foods containing unusually high levels of histamine may not appear to be outwardly spoiled.
Foods with histamine concentrations exceeding 50 mg per 100 g of food are generally considered to be hazardous. Histamine formation in fish can be prevented by proper handling and refrigerated storage while the control of histamine formation in cheese seems dependent on insuring that histamine-producing bacteria are not present in significant numbers in the raw milk."
2. Hungerford JM: Scombroid poisoning: a review. Toxicon. 2010;56(2):231-43. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2010.02.006.
"Scombroid poisoning, also called histamine fish poisoning, is an allergy-like form of food poisoning that continues to be a major problem in seafood safety. The exact role of histamine in scombroid poisoning is not straightforward. Deviations from the expected dose-response have led to the advancement of various possible mechanisms of toxicity, none of them proven. Histamine action levels are used in regulation until more is known about the mechanism of scombroid poisoning. Scombroid poisoning and histamine are correlated but complicated. Victims of scombroid poisoning respond well to antihistamines, and chemical analyses of fish implicated in scombroid poisoning generally reveal elevated levels of histamine.
Scombroid poisoning is unique among the seafood toxins since it results from product mishandling rather than contamination from other trophic levels. Inadequate cooling following harvest promotes bacterial histamine production and can result in outbreaks of scombroid poisoning. Fish with high levels of free histidine, the enzyme substrate converted to histamine by bacterial histidine decarboxylase, are those most often implicated in scombroid poisoning. Laboratory methods and screening methods for detecting histamine are available in abundance but need to be compared and validated to harmonize testing.
Successful field testing, including dockside or on-board testing needed to augment HACCP efforts will have to integrate rapid and simplified detection methods with simplified and rapid sampling and extraction. Otherwise, time-consuming sample preparation reduces the impact of gains in detection speed on the overall analysis time." Thanks to my ProMED colleague Mod.LL for portions of this comment. - ProMED Mod.TG]
[HealthMap/ProMED-mail map: Luxembourg: <http://healthmap.org/promed/p/103>]
EU ministers in Luxembourg tackle Ebola response
Disease Ebola Virus Luxembourg - 5 years ago
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 11:14:02 +0200 (METDST)
by Bryan McManus
LUXEMBOURG, Oct 20, 2014 (AFP) - European Union foreign ministers thrashed out measures to help halt Ebola's deadly spread on Monday, as Nigeria -- Africa's most populous country -- was expected to be declared free of the disease. The meeting in Luxembourg underlined the heightened concern in Europe about the virus.
A Spanish nurse who was the first case of transmission outside Africa has been shown by tests to apparently be finally clear of her Ebola infection. A civilian EU mission was one of the options being discussed by the EU ministers to aid the worst affected countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, as diplomats talked of a "tipping point" in the crisis, which has claimed more than 4,500 lives so far. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf warned Sunday that a generation of Africans were at risk of "being lost to economic catastrophe" because of the crisis.
The "time for talking or theorising is over," she said in an open letter published by the BBC. "This fight requires a commitment from every nation that has the capacity to help -- whether that is with emergency funds, medical supplies or clinical expertise." The EU foreign ministers will look closely at current efforts and what more needs to be done, not least in getting more skilled staff on the ground in Africa.
One proposal is to reassure medical workers on the Ebola frontline that they will get the back-up and, crucially, Western-level care if they fall sick with a disease for which there is no vaccine nor marketed cure. Another priority was to ensure that the scattered cases reported so far in the United States and Europe are quickly contained, to prevent Ebola getting a foothold outside of west Africa. "This is a serious and significant problem that we should not underestimate. It's not a problem that will stay in one part of the globe," EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton told reporters on the way into the meeting in Luxembourg.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the bloc should consider setting up "a civilian EU mission" to west Africa, which would serve as a platform for sending medical staff. Another diplomat said there were plans for three nations to spearhead global aid to the worst-hit countries: the United States for Liberia, Britain for Sierra Leone and France for Guinea.
A global UN appeal for nearly $1 billion (780 billion euros) has so far fallen short, with only $386 million given by governments and agencies, and a further $226 million promised. "This is a major health crisis. We have only a short time to get on top of it," British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said. "The only way to stop its spread is to make sure people are isolated and treated earlier."
- Spanish nurse tests negative -
The Spanish authorities said Sunday that Teresa Romero, a nurse hospitalised on October 6, had now tested negative but must take a second test before she can be declared free of Ebola. Romero fell ill after caring for two Ebola patients who died of Ebola at Madrid's Carlos III hospital, in the first known case of transmission outside Africa. "I am very happy because we can say Teresa beat the disease," Romero's husband Javier Limon said.
In Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, authorities are expected to declare the country free of the disease on Monday after 42 days without any new case. The Nigeria cases sparked huge alarm amid fears the highly contagious Ebola virus would spread quickly in its teeming cities, making the apparent success in containment even more significant. US President Barack Obama has cautioned about the danger of panic in Western countries following a series of false alarms in America in the wake of two nurses at a Texas hospital falling ill after treating a Liberian patient who died.
France and Belgium have joined the United States, Britain and Canada in screening air passengers from Ebola-hit countries. For the moment, however, they have no plans to halt flights, fearing it would be counter-productive as travellers would seek other means of going abroad and possibly hide any exposure, making it harder to monitor and control the virus's spread.
Staphylococcal food poisoning in Luxembourg linked to pesto pasta salad
Disease Staphylococcal Infection Luxembourg - 5 years ago
Date: Thu 24 Jul 2014
Source: Luxemburger Wort [edited]
<http://www.wort.lu/en/luxembourg/food-poisoning-investigation-pesto-pasta-salad-left-diners-poorly-53d11743b9b398870804a0e6>
A pesto pasta salad has been officially blamed for a food poisoning outbreak at a horse-riding event in Roeser [Luxembourg District]. The conclusion was drawn by Luxembourg's Health Ministry following an investigation into the foodborne infection, which spread among people who ate from the buffet of a VIP area at the event from 12 to 13 Jun 2014.
Analysis of the stools of 10 people admitted to emergency services were found to contain _Staphylococcus aureus_ bacteria. The bacterium can grow on food which is not refrigerated and, in sufficient concentrations, causes acute abdominal cramps, vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea in humans. Food hygiene inspections of the caterers who prepared the buffet showed minor deficiencies in procedures for producing and storing food at the event.
Initially, the smoked salmon was blamed for the food poisoning outbreak. But the investigation found that among those who fell ill, 82 per cent reported having eaten the pesto pasta salad. At the time of the investigation, however, no sample of the actual food served was available for testing.
[Classical food poisoning due to _Staphylococcus aureus_ presents with a short incubation period of 4-6 hours as acute nausea and vomiting usually without fever or diarrhoea. The illness generally lasts less than 24 hours.
The following information regarding this entity is extracted from the US Food and Drug Administration's Bad Bug Book at
<http://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/causesofillnessbadbugbook/ucm070015.htm>:
"In the diagnosis of staphylococcal foodborne illness, proper interviews with the victims and the gathering and analysing of epidemiological data, are essential. Incriminated foods should be collected and examined for staphylococci. The presence of relatively large numbers of enterotoxigenic staphylococci is good circumstantial evidence that the food contains toxin. The most conclusive test is the linking of an illness with a specific food, or, in cases where multiple vehicles exist, the detection of the toxin in the food sample(s).
"In cases where the food may have been treated to kill the staphylococci, as in pasteurization or heating, direct microscopic observation of the food may be an aid in the diagnosis. A number of serological methods for determining the enterotoxigenicity of _S. aureus_ isolated from foods, as well as methods for the separation and detection of toxins in foods, have been developed, and used successfully, to aid in the diagnosis of the illness. Phage typing may also be useful when viable staphylococci can be isolated from the incriminated food, from victims, and from suspected carriers, such as food handlers.
"A toxin dose of less than 1.0 microgram in contaminated food will produce symptoms of staphylococcal intoxication. This toxin level is reached when _S. aureus_ populations exceed 100 000 per gram.
"Foods that are frequently incriminated in staphylococcal food poisoning include meat and meat products; poultry and egg products; salads such as egg, tuna, chicken, potato, and macaroni; bakery products such as cream-filled pastries, cream pies, and chocolate éclairs; sandwich fillings; and milk and dairy products. Foods that require considerable handling during preparation, and that are kept at slightly elevated temperatures after preparation, are frequently involved in staphylococcal food poisoning." - ProMed Mod.LL]
<http://healthmap.org/promed/p/103>.]
Luxembourg says meat in lasagne scandal falsely marked beef
Pollution Luxembourg - 6 years ago
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 19:50:23 +0100 (MET)
CAPELLEN, Luxembourg, Feb 08, 2013 (AFP) - Horsemeat discovered in lasagne meals sold in Britain was of French origin and was falsely labelled beef, according to health authorities in Luxembourg where the dishes were prepared. Luxembourg company Tavola, which makes the products for the Findus brand, imported the meat from France but it was "fraudulently labelled" as beef, the country's director of veterinary services Felix Wildschutz told AFP. "It was clearly fraudulently labelled since we sold (Tavola) horsemeat that should have been beef," Wildschutz said. "We were not able to ascertain the country of origin from the labelling, which should be very precise. It was only marked as originating from the European Community but that is insufficient," he added. Wildschutz declined to give the name of the supplier but said that Luxembourg had asked French authorities to launch an inquiry. He said no action had been taken against Tavola, who had blocked "the rest of the incriminating meat" and recalled meals from stores.
Leptospirosis at scout camp in Luxembourg
Disease Leptospirosis Luxembourg - 7 years ago
From: Marcella Mori <Marcella.Mori@coda-cerva.be> [edited]
On Mon 20 Aug 2012, the Veterinary and Agrochemical Research Centre in Brussels (CODA-CERVA) was contacted by the official Health Inspectorate (Control of infectious diseases) of the Walloon region to investigate an outbreak of leptospirosis in boys attending a scout camp. The camp was located on the banks of the Semois River, in the province of Luxembourg. 10 out of 25 boys participating developed clinical symptoms. The diagnosis of leptospirosis was confirmed by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) in the 3 boys that were hospitalized.
Contamination from an infected wildlife reservoir was immediately suspected because boy-scouts deemed to have played with a rat, most probably a muskrat considering the dimensions (information is scarce due to the discomfort of the patients). On site investigations were conducted by CODA-CERVA in association with the environmental unit of the Walloon region to collect water samples and muskrats. Animals were captured from 2 nests in the vicinity of the scout camp.
Pathogenic _Leptospira_ spp. was found in the liver and kidney of these animals and antibodies against _Leptospira_ were demonstrated by MAT in the body fluids. Water samples were negative, which could be explained by the absence of stagnant water. The definitive link between the human infections and the infected animals requires further investigations.
Leptospirosis is a pandemic zoonosis and may affect various species, including domestic animals and humans. The natural hosts are wild animals particularly rats where the pathogenicity is not manifested but whose role is expressed as carriers. Those animals are important determinants for leptospirosis and their control can positively impact the wellness at veterinary and public health levels.
In Belgium, leptospirosis is present in domestic animals (particularly dogs and horses) but it is infrequent in humans. The human cases are the result of direct contact with animal reservoirs or contaminated water sources in Belgium or result from recreational activities in (sub)tropical regions.
Combination of both climate change and increased uncontrolled water sports is certainly playing a role in driving favorable conditions for leptospirosis spreading worldwide. Under beneficial weather conditions the rodent population is growing fast. These premises suggest rodent surveillance programs to complement the control of leptospirosis, particularly in regions with opportunities for water sports and recreation.
Dr Marcella Mori
Dr David Fretin
Belgian Reference Laboratory for Leptospirosis in animals
CODA-CERVA, Brussels
Dr Sylvia Depoorter
Pediatrics Department in AZ-Sint Jan, Brugge
Dr Marjan Van Esbroeck
Belgian Reference Laboratory for Leptospirosis in humans
Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp
Dr Carole Schirvel
Directeur Generale de la Sante,
Direction Surveillance et Protection de la Sante
Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles
[ProMED very much appreciates this outbreak report direct from the Belgium authorities. It serves as a warning to people who operate campsites that may be contaminated with bat guano in any country. - ProMed Mod.JW]
[Leptospirosis is a zoonotic spirochetal infection that is distributed throughout the world in warm climates and is transmitted to humans by direct contact of abraded skin or mucous membranes with the urine of infected animals or by contact with wet soil, vegetation, or water that has been contaminated with infected animal urine. These animals are mostly asymptomatic, but chronically infected with one of the several hundred serovars of pathogenic _Leptospira_. Different leptospiral serovars are prevalent in particular geographical regions. In carrier animals with chronic renal infections, leptospiruria persists for long periods or for life. _Leptospira_ bacteria shed in urine may survive in water or moist soil for weeks to months. Many species of wild and domestic animals (including dogs, cattle, swine, and especially rodents) are susceptible to chronic urinary infection with pathogenic leptospira. Outbreaks of leptospirosis frequently follow heavy rainfall, flooding with fresh water, and increasing rodent numbers.
Leptospirosis is an occupational hazard for people who work outdoors or with animals -- for example, farmers, sewer workers, veterinarians, dairy farmers, rice and sugarcane field workers, and military personnel. It is a recreational hazard for those who participate in outdoor water sports such as swimming, rowing, or whitewater rafting in contaminated lakes and rivers.
Because of the relatively nonspecific nature of the clinical presentation of leptospirosis, its diagnosis cannot be made confidently without laboratory confirmation. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can provide _Leptospira_ Dip-S-Tick (DST) IgM dot-ELISA test kits (PanBio Integrated Diagnostics) to local laboratories for serological testing of suspected leptospirosis cases in support of the response to a disaster. The DST is suitable for in-the-field testing of suspected patients. Confirmatory testing uses the microscopic agglutination test (MAT).
The muskrat, the apparent wildlife reservoir for this leptospirosis outbreak in Belgian boy scouts, is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat>).
Belgium is a federal state with 3 regions: the Brussels-Capital Region, the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north, and the landlocked French-speaking region of Wallonia in the south (for a map showing these 3 regions of Belgium, see <http://ssy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/belgium.gif>.) Wallonia consists of the provinces of Walloon Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Luxembourg, and Namur (<http://www.yurtdisiegitimim.net/sites/default/files/belgium_regions_map.jpg>). The source of the Semois River, where this leptospirosis outbreak occurred, is in the province of Luxembourg, close to the border with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; it flows westerly to France and joins the Meuse River (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semois>). For a map of Semois River see <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KaartSemois.jpg>.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Belgium is available at
<http://healthmap.org/r/3wCR>. - ProMed Mod.ML]
[Muskrat photo at:
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Muskrat_swimming_Ottawa.jpg>. - ProMed Mod.JW]
Latvia US Consular Information Sheet
Latvia is a stable democracy with a developing economy. Most tourist facilities found in a western European city are available in the capital city of Riga. However, Read More Show Less
some of the goods and services taken for granted in other countries are not yet available in other parts of the country. Read the Department of State Background Notes on Latvia for additional information.
ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: Latvia is a party to the Schengen agreement. As such, U.S. citizens may enter Latvia for up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a visa. The passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay. For further details about travel into and within Schengen countries, please see our fact sheet. Travelers remaining in Latvia for more than 90 days, including 180 day periods that cross over two half-calendar years, must apply for temporary residence. All travelers must have a valid insurance policy, covering medical expenses while in Latvia. Repatriation costs, including funeral and disposition of remains costs also have to be covered by the policy. In addition, upon entering or exiting the country, travelers must declare cash in excess of 10,000 euros to Latvian customs. For more information, travelers may contact the Latvian Embassy, at 2306 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008, tel. (202)328-2840, fax (202) 328-2860. For further information, visit http://www.latvia-usa.org. Within Latvia, contact the Ministry of Interiors Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs at Ciekurkalna 1, linija 1,k,3,Riga, LV 1026. Tel. (371)67219645, (371)67219679, (371)80007657, fax (371)67219654, e-mail: pmlp@pmlp.gov.lv, web site http://www.ocma.gov.
Any traveler to Russia, even in transit, is advised to obtain a visa prior to entry into Latvia. The process of obtaining a visa at the Russian Embassy in Riga can be lengthy, and involve surrender of the passport for an undetermined period of time. Visit the Embassy of Latvia web site at http://www.latvia-usa.org for the most current visa information.
Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our web site. For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information.
Civil unrest is not a problem in Riga. Nonetheless, in the past, Riga has seen large, peaceful demonstrations related to internal political issues. While demonstrations have been peaceful, American citizens are nevertheless cautioned to avoid any large public demonstrations. There have been no incidents of terrorism directed toward American interests. Incidents of anti-Americanism are rare. However, instances of racially motivated verbal harassment, and on occasion, physical assaults on non-Caucasian foreigners, have occurred in Riga. There have also been reports of non-Caucasian foreigners being subjected to extra scrutiny by security guards in shops and malls in Riga. Additionally, individuals displaying alternative lifestyles have experienced harassment.
For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts, as well as the Worldwide Caution can be found.
Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
The Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their own personal security while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State’s notice A Safe Trip Abroad.
CRIME: Crime in Riga is generally non-violent. The majority of non-violent crime tends toward acts of pickpocketing, identity theft, and personal scams. However, there have been instances of serious violent assaults and robberies. Street crime is a serious problem, particularly for tourists. In addition to pickpockets in all public areas, there are numerous scam artists targeting foreigners in the tourist pubs and restaurants. There have been a number of reports recently of foreign tourists being charged xorbitant prices for drinks in bars. Some have then been assaulted or forced to withdraw money from an ATM to pay the bill. You can avoid situations like this by ensuring that you check the price of drinks before ordering, pay for one round at a time and seek recommendations for bars from trustworthy sources. There have also been a few cases of tourists and residents being drugged in bars and restaurants and then taken outside or to their residences and robbed. In any public area, one should always be alert, particularly to being surrounded by two or more people at once. It is not uncommon for groups of pickpockets to attempt to overwhelm their victim. Gangs of professional pickpockets are specifically targeting foreigners, particularly those carrying backpacks. In addition, Riga has one of the highest rates of car theft in the world.
Internet crime is a growing concern in Latvia. Common fraudulent schemes involve both Internet auction sites and Internet job search sites. In the first scam, criminals offer valuable items for sale at low prices on Internet auctions and request that payments be sent by wire transfer to a bank in Latvia or through a fraudulent escrow site that they have created themselves. In this scheme, the money passes through a bank in Latvia and is quickly withdrawn by ATM or transferred to a bank in another country. It is very difficult in these cases to discover the identities of the account holders or recover the funds.
The second common scam involves identity theft through false job offers. In this scheme, a company claiming to be located in Latvia, but which has a non-existent address, offers the victim employment as a U.S. – based agent or freight forwarder. When the victim responds to the job offer, commonly posted on one of several popular Internet job sites, a Social Security Number and other identifying information needed for the identity theft is required under the guise of conducting a background check.
INFORMATION FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME: The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, in addition to reporting to local police, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for assistance. The Embassy or Consulate staff can, for example, assist you to find appropriate medical care, to contact family members or friends and explain how funds could be transferred. Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed. For more information, see Victims of Crime.
MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION: Medical care in Latvia is steadily improving, but remains limited in several important respects. There are a few private clinics with medical supplies and services, including disposable needles and basic modern diagnostics, which are nearly equal to Western Europe or U.S. standards. However, because of the lack of equipment and resources, most major invasive procedures or surgeries in Latvia are not recommended. Hospital services have shown good progress but are still not equal to Western standards. Elderly travelers and those with existing health problems may be at risk due to inadequate medical facilities. Most, but not all, antibiotics and prescription medications are available but as they are generally produced in Europe or Latvia, they often have different names and instructions are usually not printed in English. Diphtheria, hepatitis and tick-borne encephalitis are present. According to the World Health Organization, tuberculosis is a significant problem in Latvia, with 9% of all cases being multi-drug resistant. For further information, please consult the CDC’s Travel notice on TB at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-TB.aspx. State ambulance service for emergencies is available by dialing 112 anywhere in Latvia. However, response time is poor in rural areas. Air ambulance service is available for medical evacuations. In general, private air ambulance services are very expensive and require advance payment before the patient is transported.
Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC’s web site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad consult the World Health Organization’s (WHO) web site at http://www.who.int/en. Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith
TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Latvia is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.
Foreign visitors to Latvia planning to operate a motor vehicle are required to obtain an International Driving Permit. These may be obtained through the American Automobile Association (AAA) or the American Automobile Touring Alliance for a small fee. A U.S. state driver’s license is not sufficient. These requirements apply to those operating rental cars as well, whether or not the rental company chooses to enforce the requirement as a condition of rental. Individuals driving without an International Driving Permit may have their vehicle confiscated by the police. Americans resident in Latvia for more than six months are required to apply for a Latvian driver’s license. Upon receipt of a Latvian driver’s license, American citizens are required to surrender their US driver’s license to the Latvian authorities. The licenses are then returned to their respective states of issuance. For more information, visit the Latvian Road and Traffic Safety Department at http://www.csdd.lv
Latvia has one of the highest rates of automobile accidents and fatalities in Europe. While recent reports show a decrease in the number of traffic accident fatalities, there are still a number of hazards to watch out for. Drivers should be alert for pedestrians and slow moving vehicles in traffic. Additionally, violation of traffic rules is common, and it is not unusual to be overtaken by other automobiles traveling at high speeds, even in crowed urban areas. Drivers do not always yield to pedestrians, even at marked intersections. During winter, most major roads are cleared of snow. However, drivers should be alert for fog, snow, and ice while driving. Driving while intoxicated is a very serous offense and carries heavy penalties. Local authorities use roadblocks and Breathalyzer tests as enforcement tools. Drivers and pedestrians should be alert to the possibility of drunk drivers and drunken pedestrians wandering on the road. Drivers must use their headlights at all times. Speed limits are usually 50 km/hr in the city and 90 km/hr on the highways. Public transportation is generally considered safe, but travelers are encouraged to select well-marked taxis. Emergency services are fair but improving (See section on Medical Facilities above); response time may be especially slow in traffic or in rural settings. Dial 112 for ambulance service.
Please refer to our Road Safety page for information. Visit the website of Latvia’s national tourist office at http://latviatourism.lv/info.php and the national authority responsible for road safety at http://www.csdd.lv/
AVIATION SAFETY OVERSIGHT:As there is no direct commercial air service to the United States by carriers registered in Latvia, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed Latvia’s Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards. For more information, travelers may visit the FAA’s web site at www.faa.gov/safety/programs_initiatives/oversight/iasa
Banks and currency exchange counters may refuse to accept U.S. currency that is crumpled, torn, discolored or defaced (even small pen stokes, hand written numbers and letters are considered defacing). If such notes are accepted for exchange, an additional processing fee, based on the size of the transaction, may be charged. ATMs are widely available in Riga and in major towns. For security purposes, it is recommended that visitors use ATMs located inside major hotels or shopping malls, versus those located on the street, in high-volume tourist areas. Telephone connections with the United States are reliable. However, 1-800 numbers cannot be accessed from Latvia. Please check with your long distance carrier before departure to see if they offer service in Latvia. Local Internet cafés offer computer access, and fax machines are widely available.
Latvian customs authorities may enforce strict regulations concerning temporary importation into or export from Latvia of items such as firearms, religious materials, antiquities, medications, business equipment, drugs, etc. It is advisable to contact the Embassy of Latvia in Washington or one of the Latvian consulates in the United States for specific information regarding customs requirements at http://www.latvia-usa.org.
Please see our information on Customs Information.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating Latvian laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Latvia are strict and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and heavy fines. Engaging in illicit sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States.Please see our information on Criminal Penalties.
CHILDREN'S ISSUES: For information see our web pages on intercountry adoption and international parental child abduction.
REGISTRATION/EMBASSY AND CONSULATE LOCATIONS: Americans living or traveling in Latvia are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy of Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Latvia. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.
The U.S. Embassy is located at 7 Raina Blvd. Riga, LV-1510, and may be reached by dialing +371-703-6200. The fax number for the Consular American Citizen Services section is+371-781-4088. You can find the ACS section online at http://riga.usembassy.gov/
This replaces the Consular Information Sheet dated March 12, 2008 with updated information on Entry Requirements.
Albanian soldier dies after Latvia WWII landmine blast
Explosion Latvia - 2 months ago
Date: Wed, 15 May 2019 19:20:02 +0200
Riga, May 15, 2019 (AFP) - A second Albanian soldier has died of his injuries from a World War II landmine blast last week during a NATO exercise in Latvia, the Baltic state's defence minister said Wednesday. Klodian Tanushi, who held the rank of major, died following surgery at a Riga hospital over the weekend, days after the landmine explosion that also killed another soldier. "I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the soldiers' relatives and friends, to their fellow service members and to the people of Albania," Latvian Defence Minister Artis Pabriks told AFP. "Latvia is very grateful to our ally Albania for contributing to NATO's expanded presence in Latvia."
In 2016, NATO deployed four multinational battalions to Poland and the Baltic states to guard against possible Russian adventurism. The defence group's rotating battalion in Latvia is led by Canada and also includes soldiers from Albania, the Czech Republic, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. Tanushi, a father-of-three, was the commanding officer of the Albanian contingent stationed at the NATO base in the central village of Adazi. Both world wars left Latvia littered with many unexploded sea and landmines as well as artillery shells, which continue to be found on a daily basis. Clearing areas of such explosives is a frequent focus of NATO military exercises in the region.
Forest fires destroy 800 hectares in Latvia
Natural Disaster Latvia - 12 months ago
Riga, July 22, 2018 (AFP) - Fires raging for five days have destroyed more than 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of western Latvia, authorities said Sunday, with continuing extreme temperatures hampering firefighters' efforts. Satellite images showed the fires have wiped out 170 acres of forest, 257 hectares of scrubland and nearly 400 hectares of peatland.
A peat fire in the Courland region broke out last Tuesday and spread eastwards, with the smoke noticeable in the resort town of Jurmala, more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) away in the neighbouring Riga region. "Peatland fires burn downward, but when there's wind, which brings oxygen, the fires can erupt into flames," Latvian fire services spokesman Inta Palkavniece told reporters. "The main goal is to prevent the fires from spreading," he added. The fire services said on its website that firefighting efforts would be "long and troublesome". "The weather is unfavourable to firefighting and will remain so over the next days," it said.
The Courland region is sparsely populated, with few roads and many areas inaccessible because of its vast marshes. Residents of Stikli, a village that was evacuated because of the fire, began to return home after the wind changed "of their own accord", the mayor of its municipality Ventspils, Aivars Mucenieks, told reporters. Pupils of a school for disabled children in Stikli will not return until the situation is fully under control, he added.
Meteorologists warned that the high temperatures are persisting and no rain is expected for the next two weeks. Latvia has experienced severe drought over the last few months, prompting authorities to declare a natural catastrophe in the agricultural sector. The Baltic country has not yet asked for help from other European countries and has no proposals to do so for the time being. But other countries in Europe have been in the grip of an unusually long heatwave for recent weeks with little prospect of rain for the time being.
In Sweden, where temperatures are the highest for a century, farmers are even sending their animals to slaughter because there is no hay left to feed them. It has asked for help from other European countries, because of the lack of manpower and capacity to tackle such natural catastrophes. Poland has asked the EU for financial aid after more than 91,000 farms were affected by an unusual spring drought, according to the agriculture ministry. In Germany, which suffered a drought in May and June, agricultural producers warned the harvest this year will be down by between 20 and 50 percent.
Huge wildfire in Latvia forces evacuation
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2018 19:41:17 +0200
Riga, July 18, 2018 (AFP) - Latvian authorities on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of a village threatened by a wildfire in the west of the Baltic state as firefighters struggled to control the blaze. Clouds of smoke and ash from the fire choked the small community of Stikli, forcing the evacuation of dozens of residents including handicapped children from a boarding school, the state fire and rescue service said. The fire broke out in a peat bog in the Kurzeme region on Tuesday before quickly engulfing bone-dry forests nearby.
The blaze covers an area of nearly 200 football pitches (180 hectares, 444 acres), according to firefighters. "Firefighting is very problematic, as this part of Kurzeme is only sparsely populated, the roads are few and narrow and many areas are inaccessible due to vast marshlands," said Zigmunds Jaunkirkis, an official with the State Forestry Department. The army and national guard deployed a specialised helicopter on Wednesday to help firefighters fight the flames.
Neighbouring Lithuania has also sent a helicopter while residents from the nearby port city of Ventspils have started to form volunteer units. Daytime temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and strong winds have fanned the flames amid a long heatwave. No substantial rain is forecast for the next two weeks. An EU and NATO member of 1.9 million people, Latvia has suffered from severe drought in recent months, forcing its government to declare a national disaster in the farm sector in June.
Authorities in Latvia declare state of disaster over drought
Climate Changes Latvia - 1 year ago
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2018 18:23:31 +0200
Riga, June 26, 2018 (AFP) - Latvia's government on Tuesday declared a national state of disaster in its agricultural sector as a result of a prolonged drought that has affected most of the Baltic state and which some call the worst in decades.
The westernmost region of Kurzeme has been hit hardest, though several areas have not seen proper rain since April, resulting in burnt-up fields and lost crops. "Last year we had heavy rainfall and a flood. My fields were submerged, and I wasn't able to harvest crops. This year: the complete opposite. I worry about my bank loans," said Dainis Rutenbergs, a farmer near the central town of Dobele.
"My red beet seeds didn't even sprout. There's an empty field where there should be beetroots right now," he told AFP. Rutenbergs said his losses could reach 10,000 euros, ($11,700) -- a considerable amount for a small family-owned farm -- adding that he hopes to make up some of the difference on autumn berries, which have not been affected.
Because of the state of disaster declaration, banks will be forbidden from foreclosing on farms, and farmers will get some leeway to finish development projects in time to secure EU funding. Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs told reporters that the financial losses incurred by farmers "will not be directly compensated by the state budget".
However he added that the government has already asked the European Commission to provide its promised farming subsidies ahead of schedule. "This is the worst drought in 40 years," Gundega Mertena, editor-in-chief of the regional newspaper Ventas Balss, said of the situation in Kurzeme. "Last weekend we had some raindrops, but it was insufficient for the fields. Crops have died out along with cattle fodder," she told AFP, adding that farmers have been forced to butcher some of their animals.
Cases of Tick Borne Encephalitis reported in Latvia
Disease Tick Borne Encephalitis Latvia - 2 years ago
Date: Mon 22 May 2017
Source: The Baltic Course [edited]
<http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/baltic_news/?doc=17925>
The Latvian Infectology Center has received this season's 1st 2 patients with alleged tick-borne encephalitis, Riga Eastern Hospital Representative Aija Lietina said.
This year [2017] 343 ticks have been removed from patients and inspected, and 17 of them were infected with encephalitis [virus].
The 1st tick this year was brought for inspection on 18 February [2017], and the next one on 8 March [2017].
Tick season usually lasts from March to October, but could be longer during a warmer autumn.
Persons are asked to be careful when walking through forests and fields. Experts remind that in order to avoid tick bite, clothes must be adjusted so that ticks could not get under the clothes - trousers must be tucked into socks, shirt - in trousers, the cuffs and the collar must be tight. It is advisable to wear light clothes while outdoors so as to notice the tick and flick it off in time.
[Discovery of active ticks reported above is early in the season. Finding tick-borne encephalitis virus in these ticks is a warning that the transmission season is beginning. Tickborne encephalitis is a viral infection caused by one of 3 tickborne encephalitis virus (TBEV) subtypes belonging to the Flaviviridae family: Central European, Siberian, and Far Eastern (formerly known as Russian spring-summer encephalitis). The Central European subtype is found in Latvia. It is transmitted to humans there through the bite of infected sheep ticks, _Ixodes ricinus_. The WHO states, "Approximately 10 000-12 000 clinical cases of tick-borne encephalitis are reported each year, but this figure is believed to be significantly lower than the actual total. Immunization offers the most effective protection. Currently, there are 4 widely used vaccines of assured quality: FSME-Immun and Encepur, manufactured in Austria and Germany respectively, and based on European strains of the virus; and TBE-Moscow and EnceVir, manufactured in the Russian Federation and based on Far-Eastern strains. The 4 vaccines are considered to be safe and efficacious." (<http://www.who.int/immunization/topics/tick_encephalitis/en/>). - ProMED Mod.TY]
World Travel News Headlines
Thousands flee forest fire on Croatia party island of Pag
Natural Disaster Croatia - 2 days ago
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2019 10:44:51 +0200
Zagreb, July 16, 2019 (AFP) - Some 10,000 tourists were evacuated from a popular party beach on a Croatian island after a forest fire erupted early Tuesday, police said.
Police ordered visitors to night clubs on Zrce beach on the northern island of Pag to leave after the blaze erupted in a pine forest at around 1:00 am (2300 GMT Monday), a police statement said. No one was injured in the fire which was brought under control, the mayor of the nearby town of Novalja, Ante Dabo, told national radio. The cause was not immediately known. Three firefighting planes were rushed to the scene to help extinguish the blaze which spread to a local road that had to be closed.
The island of Pag and its Zrce beach are popular with young tourists, notably British, who party there. Tourism is a pillar of Croatia's economy, with visitors flocking to hundreds of islands and islets along its stunning Adriatic coast. Last year the country of 4.2 million people welcomed more than 19 million tourists.
Ebola case confirmed in eastern DR Congo city of Goma
Disease Ebola Virus Congo, Democratic Republic - 2 days ago
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2019 01:09:24 +0200
Kinshasa, July 14, 2019 (AFP) - The first case of Ebola has been confirmed in Goma, now the biggest city to have been affected by the disease since its outbreak in eastern DR Congo last August, the health ministry said on Sunday. A sick man had arrived in Goma early Sunday by bus with 18 other passengers and the driver from Butembo, one of the main towns touched by Ebola in Nord-Kivu province.
The man was tested "and the results of the laboratory test confirmed that he was positive for Ebola," the ministry said in a statement. It added that his trip began on Friday after "the first symptoms appeared on July 9 (Tuesday)". "Given that the patient was quickly identified, as well as all the passengers on the bus from Butembo, the risk of the disease spreading in the city of Goma is low," the ministry said. The passengers and the bus driver will begin getting vaccinations on Monday, it added.
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has so far killed 1,655 people and 694 have been cured, according to a health ministry bulletin on Saturday. And 160,239 people have been vaccinated, it added. But efforts to tackle the crisis have been hampered both by militia attacks on treatment centres, in which some staff have been killed, and by the hostility of some local people to the medical teams.
Spanish bull run festival ends with more gorings
Animal Attacks Spain - 4 days ago
Pamplona, Spain, July 14, 2019 (AFP) - Three men were gored Sunday during the eighth and final bull run of Spain's San Fermin festival, bringing to eight the total number of daredevils injured during this year's fiesta. Among those who were hospitalised this year after being injured by a bull's horns was an American who was wounded in the neck while taking a selfie. In the last run, two Australians aged 27 and 30 as well as well as a 25-year-old Spaniard from Madrid were gored by the half-tonne fighting bull, "Rabonero", regional health authorities said.
The three men suffered injuries to the armpit, arm and leg from the bull's horns. Another two men were taken to hospital with bruises. During Sunday's run in the northern city of Pamplona, Rabonero, the heaviest of the six bulls used in the event, became separated from the pack moments into the run and began charging people in its way. Isolated bulls are more likely to get disoriented and start charging at people.
The bulls from the Miura ranch in the southwestern province of Seville completed the 848.6-metre (928-yard) course from a holding pen to the city bull ring in two minutes and 45 seconds. Each morning from July 7 to 14, hundreds of daredevils, many wearing traditional white shirts with red scarves tied around their necks, tested their bravery by running ahead of a pack of bulls through the course set up in the narrow, winding streets of the medieval city.
- Like getting hit by a truck -
The bulls face almost certain death in afternoon bullfights, and earlier this month animal rights activists staged a "die-in" protest in the streets of the city to protest the tradition. At the end of the festival's first run, a bull ran over and sunk one of its horns deep in the neck of a 46-year-old American from San Francisco, Jaime Alvarez, narrowly missing key arteries. He was injured as he was trying to take a video-selfie with his mobile phone. "It was like a truck or car just hitting me in the side of the head. I put my hand on my neck and I saw blood," he told US television from a Pamplona hospital. His wife had asked him not to take part in the bull run, he added. He was released from hospital two days later.
Another 23-year-old American from Kentucky and 40-year-old Spaniard were also gored that day. In addition to the eight men who were gored, another 27 people were taken to hospital for broken bones and bruises suffered during the bull runs. About 500 more people were treated at the scene for more minor injuries, according to the Red Cross. The festival dates back to medieval times and was immortalised in Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises". It claims scores of casualties every year although last year just two men were gored.
Although the runs are over, the festival's closing ceremony takes place at midnight Sunday. People from around the world flock to the city of 200,000 residents to test their bravery and enjoy the festival's mix of round-the-clock parties, religious processions and concerts. Sixteen people have been killed in the bull runs since records started in 1911. The last death was in 2009 when a bull gored a 27-year-old Spaniard in the neck, heart and lungs.
Major 7.3 quake hits remote Malukus in eastern Indonesia
Natural Disaster Indonesia - 4 days ago
Labuha, Indonesia, July 14, 2019 (AFP) - A major 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the remote Maluku islands in eastern Indonesia Sunday, sending panicked residents running into the streets, but no tsunami warning was issued. The shallow quake struck about 165 kilometres (100 miles) south-southwest of the town of Ternate in North Maluku province at 6:28 pm (0928 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey.
"The earthquake was quite strong, sending residents to flee outside. They are panicking and many are now waiting on the roadside," said local disaster mitigation official Mansur, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. Officials were assessing the situation but there were no immediate reports of casualties, he told AFP.
In the town of Labuha, one of the closest to the epicentre, panicked residents took to motorcycles in a bid to flee to higher ground, according to an AFP photographer in town when the earthquake hit. Local disaster official Ihsan Subur told Metro TV that no damage or casualties had been reported there so far, but residents took to the streets and many evacuated to higher ground. "Electricity went of during the earthquake, but now it's back to normal," ubur said, adding that at least seven big aftershocks were felt after the initial quake.
The province was also hit by a 6.9-magnitude tremor last week. Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide. Last year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island killed more than 2,200 people, with another thousand declared missing. On December 26, 2004, a devastating 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 across the Indian Ocean region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia.
Strong 6.6 quake hits off northwest Australia
Natural Disaster Australia - 4 days ago
Sydney, July 14, 2019 (AFP) - A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off northwest Australia Sunday, shaking buildings over a wide area but causing no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The shallow quake hit early Sunday afternoon 10 kilometres under the Indian Ocean 203 kilometres (126 miles) west of the West Australian beach resort of Broome, the US Geological Survey said. No tsunami alert was issued. Sergeant Neil Gordon of the Broome police department said the quake rattled the city for more than a minute. "The building here was shaking for about a minute and a half ... a steady shaking for that period of time," he told AFP by telephone. He added that there had been "no reports of any injuries or any damage throughout the district," following the tremor. The national broadcaster ABC said there were some reports of minor damage from the quake, and no injuries. Australian media said the tremor was felt across a long stretch of the northwestern coast of Australia, from the West Australian capital of Perth and the mining centres of Karatha and Port Hedland to the south and as far as Darwin to the north.
Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
https://www.who.int/csr/don/11-july-2019-ebola-drc/en/
The outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, Democratic Republic of the Congo continues this past week with a similar transmission intensity to the previous week. While the number of new cases continues to ease in former hotspots, such as Butembo, Katwa and Mandima health zones, there has been an increase in cases in Beni, and a high incidence of cases continues in parts of Mabalako Health Zone. In addition to these re-emerging hotspots, there are a large number of people with confirmed and probable infections moving to other health zones, with the greatest number coming from Beni Health Zone. The movement of cases causes the outbreak to spread to new health zones and re-emerge in health zones with previously controlled infections. Overall, this underscores the importance of robust mechanisms for listing and following up contacts and understanding the motivations for peoples’ decisions to move.
After the first reported case in the Ariwara Health Zone on 30 June, no new cases have been observed in that health zone. A response team deployed to that zone continues to identify contacts, engage the community, and vaccinate individuals at risk. Response personnel from the bordering countries of Uganda and South Sudan continue to support operational readiness activities. Resources are being dedicated to monitoring the Uganda-Democratic Republic of the Congo border in that area.
In the 21 days from 19 June through 9 July 2019, 72 health areas within 22 health zones reported new cases, representing 11% of the 664 health areas within North Kivu and Ituri provinces (Figure 2). During this period, a total of 247 confirmed cases were reported, the majority of which were from the health zones of Beni (41%, n=101), Mabalako (19%, n=48), Lubero (6%, n=16), and Mandima (5%, n=13). As of 09 July 2019, a total of 2437 EVD cases, including 2343 confirmed and 94 probable cases, were reported (Table 1). A total of 1646 deaths were reported (overall case fatality ratio 68%), including 1552 deaths among confirmed cases. Of the 2437 confirmed and probable cases with known age and sex, 57% (1384) were female, and 29% (704) were children aged less than 18 years.
Cases continue to increase among health workers, with the cumulative number infected rising to 132 (5% of total cases). Of the 128 health workers with information available, the greatest proportion is among health workers at health posts [poste de santé] (20%, n = 26) and private health facilities (35%, n = 45). The majority (68%, n = 87) of health worker infections were among nurses.
No new EVD cases or deaths have been reported in the Republic of Uganda since the previous EVD Disease Outbreak News publication on 13 June 2019. As of 3 July, 108 contacts exposed to those cases were identified, and they all completed the 21-day follow-up period. All contacts were asymptomatic. Arua district, located in the north-western part of Uganda near the Uganda-Democratic Republic of the Congo border, is currently stepping up its response readiness to prevent imported cases of Ebola following the case that died on 30 June 2019 in Ariwara Health Zone in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, located 8 kilometres from the Uganda border. This case is known to have over 200 contacts, some of whom are in the communities bordering the Arua district. As of 9 July 2019, two suspected cases in the Arua district were reported and both tested negative. As of 9 July 2019, the cumulative number of individuals vaccinated in Arua district is 811 out of 1092 targeted front line and healthcare workers.
More information here: https://www.who.int/csr/don/11-july-2019-ebola-drc/en/
Dutch tourist killed in Malaysia cave floods in Mulu National Park
Accident Malaysia - 5 days ago
Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2019 10:41:55 +0200
Kuala Lumpur, July 13, 2019 (AFP) - Flash floods killed a Dutch tourist in a popular cave located in the rugged Mulu National Park on Malaysia's Borneo island, an official said Saturday, as a search continues for a missing guide. Local fire and rescue chief Law Poh Kiong identified the dead man as 66-year-old Peter Hans Hovenkamp from Utrecht in the central Netherlands. "He died due to drowning following flash floods in the caves. His body was found in a river inside the cave and was taken to the Miri public hospital for a post-mortem on Saturday," he told AFP. Law said a search-and-rescue operation involving 16 officers had been launched to locate 20-year local tour guide Roviezal Robin. Eight other tourists in the same group "almost become victims" but fled to higher ground and escaped from being washed into the river, Law added.
Hovenkamp was reported missing on Friday while the group was touring the popular "Deer Cave", home to an estimated three million bats which form amazing patterns in the sky when they leave each dusk. Mulu park, located in the remote Borneo jungle of Sarawak state and famous for its caves, cliffs and gorges, is a UNESCO world heritage site. It sees thousands of visitors annually, particularly for its cooling rains during the summer months. Law described the death as "a freak tragedy."
Over three dozen killed in monsoon rains in South Asia
Climate Changes Nepal - 5 days ago
Kathmandu, July 13, 2019 (AFP) - Floods and landslides triggered by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 40 people across South Asia in the last two days, officials said Saturday. The monsoon, which lasts from June to September, causes widespread death and destruction across South Asia each year. In Nepal, 27 people have died in floods and landslides after heavy rains hit the country's eastern region and the southern plains.
Bishwaraj Pokharel, spokesperson for Nepal Police, added that another 11 people were injured and 15 others reported missing. Three of the victims were killed when a wall collapsed in the capital Kathmandu. "Our first priority is life saving rescue and all our resources have been deployed," Home Ministry official Umakanta Adhikari told AFP.
Police used boats to bring people to safety as rivers swelled, inundating their settlements, while parents were seen wading across chest-high waters carrying children on their shoulders. Nepal's weather department issued a high alert for the southern Sapta Koshi river on Saturday and sent SMS warnings to people in the area.
In neighbouring India 11 deaths have been recorded in the north-eastern states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, officials said Friday. Monsoon floods have inundated 21 districts in Assam, affecting thousands, officials said Friday.
In Bangladesh aid groups were providing rations to Rohingya refugees in the southeast of the country with the UN World Food Programme saying Friday that two people including a child had died. Last year, more than 1,200 people were been killed across South Asia in monsoon storms with India's Kerala suffering its worst floods in nearly 100 years.
Water express delivers emergency supplies to drought-hit Indian city of Chennai
Climate Changes India - 5 days ago
Chennai, India, July 12, 2019 (AFP) - A special 50-wagon train carrying 2.5 million litres of water arrived in the Indian city of Chennai Friday, as the southern hub reels under one of its worst shortages in decades. The wagons were hauled by a special locomotive, decorated with flowers and with a "Drinking Water for Chennai" banner on its front. Four special trains a day have been called up to bring water to Chennai -- India's sixth most populous city -- from Vellore, some 80 miles (125 kilometres) away, to help battle the drought. The first consignment will be taken to a water treatment centre, and then distributed in trucks to different parts of the metropolis on Saturday. Chennai has seen only a fraction of the rain it usually receives during June and July. The city of 4.9 million people also needed trains to bring water in when it suffered a similar crisis in 2001.
The bustling capital of Tamil Nadu state normally requires at least 825 million litres of water a day, but authorities are currently only able to supply 60 percent of that. With temperatures regularly hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), reservoirs have run dry and other water sources are dwindling further each day. The Chennai metro has turned off its air conditioning, farmers have been forced to stop watering their crops, and offices have asked staff to work from home. The city's economy has also taken a hit as some hotels and restaurants shut shop temporarily, and there have been reports of fights breaking out as people queue for water.
Tourist rush at Australia's Uluru before climb ban
Tourism Australia - 5 days ago
Sydney, July 12, 2019 (AFP) - A looming ban on climbing Australia's Uluru rock, intended to protect the sacred site from damage, has instead triggered a damaging influx of visitors, tourism operators said Friday. Clambering up the giant red monolith, also known as Ayers Rock, will be prohibited from October -- in line with the wishes of the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land, the Anangu. But a rush to beat the ban has led to a sharp increase in tourists and is causing its own problems for the World Heritage Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Families arriving in campers vans and RVs are a particular problem, chief executive of Tourism Central Australia Stephen Schwer told AFP. "We have got so much of one particular market coming, we don't have enough infrastructure to handle the number of drive travellers."
While most visitors are doing the right thing, camping venues in the area are at capacity with advance bookings, leaving many less organised arrivals to set up illegally. "People don't realise when they go off the road they are actually trespassing on pastoral land, or Aboriginal land, or protected land," Schwer said. "We are getting people that are leaving their rubbish behind and lighting fires," he added. "Sadly, people are also emptying their toilet waste out of their vans on what they think is unpopulated land, but is actually private land." In the 12 months to June 2019, more than 395,000 people visited the Uluru-Kata National Park, according to Parks Australia, about 20 percent more than the previous year. Yet just 13 percent of those who visited also climbed the rock, the government agency said. Tourism operators say that Australian and Japanese tourists most commonly seek to climb Uluru.
The Aboriginal connection to the site dates back tens of thousands of years and it has great spiritual and cultural significance to them. "Since the hand back of Uluru and Kata Tjuta to traditional owners in 1985, visitors have been encouraged to develop an understanding and respect for Anangu and their culture," a spokesperson for Parks Australia said. "This is reflected in the 'please don't climb' message," they added. Lyndee Severin from Curtin Springs station and roadhouse, one of just a few camping venues within 100 kilometres of Uluru, said "the vast majority of people are doing the right thing" but hundreds were setting up illegally by the side of the road or down a bush track. "So we have some people that think that the rules don't apply to them," she told AFP.
00-353-1-2715-200
dunlaoghaire@tmb.ie
Dundrum
dundrum@tmb.ie
00-353-91-547-553
galway@tmb.ie
Grafton Street
graftonstreet@tmb.ie
Blackrock (Louth)
00-353-42-9321-424
louth@tmb.ie
Blanchardstown
00-353-1-820-8233
blanchardstown@tmb.ie
00-353-59-913-0357
carlow@tmb.ie
Clarehall
clarehall@tmb.ie
cork@tmb.ie
Cork (Little Island)
00-353-21-4355950
info@bhi.ie
Farranfore
kerry@tmb.ie
00-353-1-6347007
grandcanal@tmb.ie
limerick@tmb.ie
Maynooth
maynooth@tmb.ie
naas@tmb.ie
ongar@tmb.ie
sligo@tmb.ie
walkinstown@tmb.ie
waterford@tmb.ie
Home | Clinics | Destinations | News | Services | About | Legal | Privacy Policy | © Copyright 2015 Tropical Medical Bureau
core by dreamsedge.ie
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9296
|
__label__wiki
| 0.880462
| 0.880462
|
Ben ShapiroBen Shapiro
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Hobbit’ Breaks December Records
Was there ever any doubt that 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' was going to dominate this weekend? Heck, it's probably going to dominate next weekend, too. If audiences embrace it like they did 'Lord of the Rings,' it may even dominate the week after that. The big question now is whether or not Peter Jackson's return to Middle Earth will make a bunch of money, but exactly how many bunches.
Film Weekend Per Screen
1 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey $84,775,000 $20,958 $84,775,000
2 Rise of the Guardians $7,420,000 (-28.7) $2,191 $71,362,000
3 Lincoln $7,244,000 (-18.8) $3,170 $107,898,000
4 Skyfall $7,000,000 (-35.1) $2,394 $272,366,000
5 Life of Pi $5,400,000 (-35.2)
$2,119 $69,559,000
6 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 $5,175,000 (-43.5) $1,701 $276,865,000
7 Wreck-It Ralph $3,273,000 (-32.6) $1,455 $168,779,000
8 Playing For Keeps $3,247,000 (-43.5) $1,143 $10,838,000
9 Red Dawn $2,394,000 (-43.5) $1,064 $40,889,000
10 Silver Linings Playbook $2,084,000 (-4.0) $5,617 $16,954,000
The $84 million opening of 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' is a new December record, breaking the $77 million record set by 'I Am Legend' a few years back. It's also a bigger opening than any of the 'Lord of the Rings' films ('Return of the King' opened to $72 million in 2003), but the combination of regular 'ol inflation and 3D surcharges suggests that it's really just about in line with Jackson's other Middle Earth adventures in terms of actual tickets sold. Still, this kills any lingering doubt that audiences were no longer interested in movies abouts Hobbits and wizards. The film will need legs if it wants to hit the $300 million plus grosses of its predecessors, but it's not going to have much in the way of direct competition for a few weeks. Things look good for Mr. Frodo Baggins.
Naturally, the huge numbers of 'The Hobbit' are at the expense of everything else in the top ten. Surprisingly, 'Rise of the Guardians' held onto the number two spot, taking advantage of the holiday season to scrape up a few more tickets. $7.4 million for the weekend isn't great (and that $71 million total is pretty dismal), but the fact that it's hanging on tooth and nail suggests that positive word about the film is spreading...but it's too little too late.
In the number three spot, 'Lincoln' continued to show that it's a marathon runner, not a sprinter. With the $100 million mark crossed, the film is a bonafide, no-questions-asked hit and one of the few serious awards contenders to have made serious bank. If it continues at this pace and keeps its percentage drops this low, it could scrape up $130 million or so.
After weeks of kicking butt in the top few slots, 'Skyfall' fell to fourth place, grossing $7 million for a $272 million total. $300 million is probably no longer an option, but when you're the highest grossing film in a fifty year old franchise, traditional benchmarks don't matter. Still, 'Skyfall' will probably play until January, so we'll wait this one out and see if the audiences keep on coming.
Can 'Life of Pi' become a surprise hit after all? It's spent a month hovering around the middle of the top ten, make modest to respectable amounts of money every week, but never really blowing anyone's socks off. But look at it now: all of those modest weeks have led to a $70 million gross. That still doesn't pay for the movie, but it's evidence that audiences are being pretty to a film that has divided so many critics.
Here's the thing about the 'Twilight' movies: they burn hot for a few weeks and quickly peter out. Unlike 'Lincoln' and 'Skyfall,' this is a franchise that makes the vast majority of its money in the first two weeks. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2' is just about ready to follow suit and shut down. Some of its competition will play through New Year's, but 'Twilight' is just about out of steam.
What can we expect from next week? Eh, more 'Hobbit.' In fact, get used to seeing that at the top of the box office for awhile.
Source: Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Hobbit’ Breaks December Records
Filed Under: Lincoln
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9297
|
__label__cc
| 0.661914
| 0.338086
|
Syria - previous reports and resources
Syria Index
Presbyterian response to Syria (archive)
Updates and Reports
PDA continues to respond to violence impacting Syrians. Zaatari is now the second largest refugee camp in the world and Jordan's fourth largest city. - August 2013
Syria crisis deepens - especially for children. Millions are displaced, and humanitarian assistance is being shared, including in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, where more than half the population is children. School kits have been sent. - August 2013
The ongoing conflict in Syria continues to displace families. PDA is supporting the refugees in the the Za'atari refugee camp. - January 2013
Syrian refugees in Jordan seek to recover and return: families in the Za'atari refugee camp in northern Jordan receive assistance – photos by Magnus Aronson, LWF/ACT. - November 2012
In the midst of unspeakable violence. Story from Presbyterian New Service (PNS) on the effect the Syrian crisis has on the Christian community. - August 2012
PDA responds to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Syria. Increased fighting in the cities of Aleppo and Damascus has led to the additional displacement of Syrian families. - August 2012
Stand in the Gap for Syria – initial report. One Great Hour of Sharing funds are providing humanitarian assistance. - February 2012
Background to the situation in Syria – Brief explanation of events that have led to the current crisis. - February 2012
The Presbyterian Response to the Conflict in Syria: pdf version of the powerpoint presentation prepared for the spring 2014 Ecumenical Advocacy Days.
Crisis in Syria: The Presbyterian Mission Agency's Response: These presentations were made at the September 2013 Presbyterian Mission Agency Board Meeting on the crisis in Syria.
Participating in God's Mission In Syria - history (PDF slideshow)
Humanitarian & Advocacy Efforts in Syria (PDF slideshow)
Peacemaking and PDA are working collaboratively in response to the crisis in Syria. Find bulletin inserts and a service of prayer for peace on the Peacemaking web page.
Letter from the Reverend Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, and more than 20 ecumenical colleagues, calling on the United States government to keep its attention on the Syrian Civil War and act accordingly to bring stability and peace to the region. July 2013
Call to prayer for Syria from the 220th General Assembly. August 2012
Statement by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Syria. August 3, 2012
World Mission Call to prayer and action and a prayer for the people of Syria – information on how you can help address some of the needs related to Syria. March 2012
Current Syria responses and updates
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9298
|
__label__cc
| 0.564059
| 0.435941
|
Penman No. 193: Knowledge as Capital
Posted on March 30, 2016 by penmanila
Penman for Monday, March 28, 2016
THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) campus in Cebu City hosted the second presidential debate a couple of Sundays ago, and with education on the debate agenda, the setting couldn’t have been more appropriate. UP—so far, our only “national university” so designated—may be more than a hundred years old, but it continues to grow, particularly in places like the Visayas, Mindanao, and Central Luzon, where the demand for quality higher education is as great as ever.
Not too many people may have been aware of it, but in preparation for the debate—and indeed for the next national administration—UP President Alfredo E. Pascual commissioned a study by the university’s think tank, the Center for Integrative Development Studies (CIDS), to look into where we are in the regional scheme of things and how we can expect to catch up and compete with our more advanced neighbors.
Copies of the paper—titled “Knowledge-Based Development and Governance: Challenges and Recommendations to the 2016 Presidential Candidates”—were provided by UP to the staffs of the presidential candidates in advance of the Cebu debate. But knowing most politicians’ propensity to go for the sound bite and dwell on the personal, I tend to doubt if more than one or two of the candidates or their staffs found the time and the focus to read it.
It would be a pity if that indeed were the case, not only because of all the work that UP put into the paper (CIDS was backstopped by the offices of the President and the Vice President for Academic Affairs), but because of all the opportunities for development that we will likely miss, again, if our political leaders don’t heed what our top academic minds are saying.
The full text of the paper can be found here: http://www.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/20160315-UP-Knowledge-Paper-Final.pdf. For the benefit of our readers (and maybe the odd politician who will read this), I’ll unpack the technical jargon and get to the core of what the paper says and proposes.
It opens with an indisputable premise: Education is indispensable for economic development. More education means less poverty and income inequality, because it drives innovation and productivity, and helps people adjust to new challenges and opportunities.
But of course we already knew that. In a society like ours, we all look to education as the way out and the way forward, which is why our people slave for years overseas to put their kids through college. So sacred is education to the Filipino family that every candidate for public office, especially the Presidency, feels duty-bound to extol its virtues.
To be fair to the present administration, it’s put its money where its mouth is, for the most part. The study notes that “Since Benigno S. Aquino III assumed the presidency, government expenditure on public education has enjoyed annual increases. Out of the education sector‘s PHP364.9 billion budget for 2015, PHP43.3 billion was given to state universities and colleges—a 13.8 percent increase over the 2014 allotment…. Over PHP3 billion was made available for scholarships under SUCs and more than PHP2 billion for scholarships administered by the Commission on Higher Education. A total of PHP316 million (roughly 0.09 percent) was earmarked to fund research.”
That sounds good, but sadly it’s still not enough. The rest of our ASEAN neighbors spend an average of 5 to 6 percent of their GDP on education, but we try to make do with 3 percent. That’s why even our best universities lag behind their global and regional counterparts. The study notes that “In 2014, the University of the Philippines ranked only 8th out of the top 10 universities in ASEAN. In 2010, the Philippines ranked 89th in the global Knowledge Economy Index, far behind Singapore, which placed 19th.”
With all the new phones, computers, and call centers we see around us, we might be led to believe that the Philippines has become a high-tech haven, but that just isn’t so. (“We may be No. 1 in voice operations,” I once heard President Pascual say in relation to BPOs, “but were just around No. 9 in non-voice, which is where there’s more value-added. We need not just call center agents, but software engineers!”)
In its summary, the study observes that “Our level of technology remains low in quality and scale, and concentrated in low-productivity sectors. To catch up and move ahead faster, we need to raise our scientific and technological skills, which only better and more focused education can achieve.
“This calls for massive government investments in high-level knowledge capital—the so-called ‘suprastructure’ of economic growth. This human capital will create a knowledge-based economy driven not just by brawn but brains, tapping into one of our richest but least developed resources.”
In other words, and to put it plainly, we need more brainpower—more nerds, if you will—of the kind who can innovate, produce, do trailblazing research, and network with their global peers. That kind of knowledge can reap sizeable benefits for our economy, as it’s done for Singapore, China, Korea, and a host of other countries who’ve invested in their “suprastructure.”
But PhDs don’t come easy and don’t come cheap. UP argues that our government should have a plan to produce them systematically. The object of our educational system shouldn’t just be producing hordes of college graduates who can’t find good jobs, but graduates in fields and with skills that the economy actually needs. The best of them should be sent abroad for advanced degrees, and then brought home with sufficient incentives and an environment conducive to research. The UP paper goes even farther and recommends that in areas where we lack expertise, world-class professors and researchers should be enticed to teach here and work with their local counterparts, in the same way that Singapore was able to considerably shorten its learning curve.
While much of this will occur in science and technology, the paper wisely notes that “Because values are important in setting the right path to growth, the promotion of science and engineering should be closely integrated with the social sciences, the arts, and the humanities to ensure the holistic development of the Filipino.”
To spread the work and its benefits, the UP paper envisions a hubs-and-spokes model of development anchored on regional centers of excellence in certain fields—possibly even other national universities beyond UP.
There’s a lot more to be found in the study that was UP’s gift to the candidates—and thereby to the nation—but whether any practical good comes out of it will depend on the political leaders who govern our fortunes, and, ultimately, on us who vote them into office.
(Kindly note that as a “think paper” subject to further discussion, the study mentioned here does not necessarily reflect the position of the UP academic community as a whole, but rather of the researchers and offices involved.)
This entry was posted in Art & Culture, Business, Education, Pinoys, Science & Technology, Society and tagged education, research, science, UP by penmanila. Bookmark the permalink.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9299
|
__label__cc
| 0.663573
| 0.336427
|
Emma Meyer
Work at its smartest
I came across a very cool idea in Kevin Kelly's chapter in the End Malaria book. Kevin Kelly is the founder of Wired Magazine, and End Malaria is another awesome publication from Seth Godin's Domino Project.
Kevin's chapter is about the stories that he ended up writing while he was the editor of Wired. Stories he'd try to get other people to write, but for one reason or another, they couldn't. Stories that, as it turned out, only he could write.
He said "work at its smartest means doing work that no one else can do." Very cool.
At its most basic this means don't do work that other people around you can do better. It is very easy to find someone who can do bookkeeping better than you – you shouldn’t be doing the bookkeeping.
At a higher level it means doing the work no one else in your practice can do. We say that your job is to think, sell and deliver. Sub white belt you do everything. However from white belt to blue belt you build your team so all you do is think, sell and deliver. This is working smart - doing the work that only you can you.
The ultimate conclusion of this idea is doing work that no one else on the planet can do … or at least do as well.
Pretty daunting concept. What can I do that no one else on the planet can do? It's very easy to conclude that there's nothing that I can do that someone else couldn't do better. But it's worth trying to find out if there is something, and putting as much of yourself as possible into that.
Within Thought Leaders the methodology and intellectual property that Matt Church put together for growing a million dollar practice is way better than what I could have come up with. I think that piece is something that only he could have done. However creating some of the structures and processes is work that no one else could have done.
Work that no one else could do doesn't mean work that no one else has the ability to do. Of course there are lots of people who if they were in my place could have created this stuff. But actually I was the only person in the world with the skills, knowledge, information, resources, location and relationships to be able to do that work.
The ultimate positioning for a thought leader is being recognized for doing work (or thinking) that no-one else could do.
What work have you done that no one else on the planet could have done? And what work like that do you want to do?
Newer PostWhy rules are like noses
Older PostBuying Dad a car for his birthday
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9300
|
__label__wiki
| 0.992375
| 0.992375
|
Philippines rushes aid as floods kill 66
AFP News 11 August 2012
The Philippines endures about 20 major storms or typhoons each rainy season
A family gathers on the roof of their home in Calumpit town, north of Manila. Philippine authorities have scrambled to provide food and other emergency provisions to more than two million people affected by widespread flooding, as the death toll rose to 66
Philippine authorities scrambled to provide food and other emergency provisions Saturday to more than two million people affected by widespread flooding, as the death toll rose to 66, officials said.
The flooding that submerged 80 percent of Manila early in the week has largely subsided, allowing people to return to their homes, but more than 100 low-lying towns and cities to the north remain under water.
Civil defence chief Benito Ramos said the huge displaced population, including 441,000 people crammed in crowded evacuation camps, would need to be fed and taken care of for at least another seven days.
"The bulk of our operations involves relief, but also clean-up," Ramos told AFP.
"Volunteers are packaging 100,000 food packs for immediate distribution."
The government's disaster co-ordination council said it was serving nearly 758,000 people displaced by floods on Saturday, significantly more than the previous day as tens of thousands trickled into evacuation centres overnight.
But with 2.68 million people affected, up from 2.44 million on Friday, many are having to fend for themselves.
In Calumpit, a farming town about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Manila, unmarried construction worker Ronaldo Cruz stepped out of his house, stuck in waist-deep floods, to ask for food from better-off neighbours and relatives.
"We've been waiting for relief aid, but none has arrived," said the 32-year-old, who lives with seven other relatives.
"Perhaps there isn't enough to go around," he told AFP.
With evacuation centres packed to capacity and houses inundated by flood water, many residents of Calumpit are forced to live on their rooftops.
The UN World Food Programme said it was providing 52.5 tonnes of high-energy biscuits and hiring trucks to help the government transport other relief supplies.
"WFP is saddened by the humanitarian impact of the non-stop rains over the last week in the Philippines," its country chief Stephen Anderson said in a statement.
The UN body said it also plans to distribute supplementary food to about 77,000 children in the flooded areas.
The government said Saturday that 66 people had been confirmed killed, up from 60 on Friday.
The Philippines endures about 20 major storms or typhoons each rainy season. But this week's rains were the worst to hit Manila since Tropical Storm Ketsana killed 464 people in 2009.
No days off? Manny Pacquiao taking opposite approach to training in his 40s
Iran Guards seize 'foreign tanker' accused of smuggling fuel
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9301
|
__label__cc
| 0.581171
| 0.418829
|
Plot and Theme
Long-Form Reviews and Essays on Film
Signup & Support
Stanley Kubrick’s “Paths of Glory”, the Abuse of Power, and the Inevitable Absurdity of War
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow’r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave,
Awaits alike th’ inevitable hour.
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
-Thomas Grey, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,1751
Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory is often celebrated as the director’s first true masterwork. Adapting a novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb, Kubrick’s film contemplates power struggles, justice, and the wastefulness of war. The crux of the story involves three French soldiers who are court-martialed for cowardice after retreating from an impossible attack, but Kubrick’s story is not a mere anti-war film. The trite idea that “war is bad” is taken as a given, and augmented by multiple impressive cinematic and storytelling techniques into an even more powerful statement: there is an utter absurdity to war, one that incentivizes an habitual abuse of power and a routine miscarriage of justice.
Classifying Paths of Glory as an “anti-war” film isn’t technically wrong, but it would be like saying 2001: A Space Odyssey is about space travel. Kubrick moves beyond simple statements and instead seeks to exploit war as a dramatic entity. He sees the arena of war as a unique way to contrast the desires of the individual with society’s solid framework of the “accepted” value. Simultaneously, war accelerates and heightens the drama, as life and death hang in the balance. On this structure, Kubrick builds a cinematic treatise on the fallibility power structures, and all the values that a man is prepared to sacrifice to climb the ladder.
One of the more obvious techniques Kubrick employs in Paths of Glory to indicate ideological struggle is a kind of mental chess match that occurs between two or more people. At the beginning of such scenes, there is clear disagreement between the characters, and at the end one of the characters has cajoled or convinced the other to come around to his way of thinking. Throughout the film, there are isolated moments when two (or three) characters enter the scene, and one leaves victorious.
The first “chess match”, this one between the two Generals. Note the opulence of the palace, and the continuous presence of alcohol as a symbol of corruption.
The first of these scenes dramatizes the two generals discussing the need for taking “The Anthill”, a paltry piece of land which is characterized as small and unimportant by its very name. Already the absurdity of wartime is front-and-center, as General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) convinces General Mireau (George Macready) that by taking The Anthill, he will advance in rank. Though Mireau initially dismisses the idea as ludicrous, his thirst for advancement gets the better of him. From this point forward, he is the clear villain of the story.
Mireau’s first meeting with Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) follows a similar dramatic structure. He first explains the assault on The Anthill and Dax balks at Mireau’s casual death calculus. The two butt heads, with Dax volleying some key witticisms before Mireau pulls out a trump card. He claims that Dax has been working too hard and should be relieved of his duty for the immediate future. Loathe to abandon his men to the command of another, Dax relents and agrees to the suicidal assault.
Once that assault fails, we’re treated to another succession of such “chess matches”. First, there is the macabre haggling between Dax, Mireau, and Broulard about how many men should be tried for cowardice and placed in front of a firing squad. This ends in a stalemate, as no one is particularly happy about killing three men. It’s too few for Mireau and too many for Dax; Broulard simply seems pleased that a compromise has been reached. The trial itself could be considered another of these matches, though the railroading is obvious, robbing the sequence of any semblance of fairness (more on that later).
The last of these strategic battles occurs after Dax learns of Mireau’s order to fire the artillery on his own troops and takes his case before General Broulard. The scene in the library between Dax and Broulard is charged with energy, as Broulard darts through the dialogue in an almost sing-song fashion. He has a casualness with the way he talks about the deaths of Dax’s men, and the execution set to take place tomorrow. He’s comfortable throughout the scene, and always in control.
Except he’s not.
We know the silver bullet that Dax holds – in Mireau’s fury over the failing attack, he ordered Captain Rousseau to fire on his own position, a much greater crime than trumped-up cowardice. If you watch the scene with Dax’s intentions in mind, it is clear that he is just toying with Broulard. Dax goes so far as to open the door for Broulard, before casually mentioning Mireau’s absurd order. This earns an abrupt slam from the general. Then, turning back into the room, Dax provides sworn affidavits from everyone involved, finally winning the day.
Keeping in line with the general absurdity of the narrative and the miscarriage of justice found throughout Paths of Glory, the execution of the three men continues unabated the next morning, despite Broulard’s knowledge of Mireau’s crimes. It is only later revealed that the general believed that Dax was manipulating the events for his own personal gain that he realizes that Dax actually cared about the lives of his men.
The strategic and ideological conflicts in Path of Glory also bookend the film musically, with an astounding parallelism. The opening credits run on top of military drums that practically drown out La Marseilles, the French national anthem. There is a sense of national pride here, but the military march-like percussive elements obscure and alter the mood of the song. This isn’t a pure battle of ideologies, like when Victor Laszlo champions the anthem in Casablanca against the Germans. This is a damaged, perverted version, suggesting to the audience that the ideas of liberté, égalité, fraternité, are negotiable in deference to the true goal: military victory.
At the other end of the film, we see the exact same pattern, but with the German folk song, The Faithful Hussar, which is also the song sung by the German woman at the end (which we will discuss in full later). For now, it is simply worth recognizing that the two songs, which should be cast as opposites, instead are arranged into a sameness. One is French, one German; one is an anthem, one a folk song; one decidedly pro-war, and one anti-war. And yet, Kubrick’s composer Gerald Fried arranges them both similarly: drowned out by the marching sounds of battle. When the film opens with this quizzical statement about the dangers of militarism, and closes with a suggestion that even the specific side you’re on matters very little, where is the audience to look for hope?
Another instance of parallelism offers some respite from the drudgery in the character of Colonel Dax. He is contrasted by General Mireau. The cinematographic characterization of these two characters is accomplished with parallel long tracking shots through the trenches, innovative camerawork for the time. For Mireau, the camera retreats as the general skirts through the trenches, always ducking and dodging for fear of soiling his clean uniform. He stops three times to blather absurd small talk at his troops, asking them if they’re ready to kill more Germans. There is strong foreshadowing, as Mireau speaks to two of the men that will be on trial for their lives later in the film. He would have spoken to the third, but was distracted by shell-shocked soldier who must be sent away, lest he poison the morale of the other troops.
Mireau asks Paris whether he is, “ready to kill more Germans”, as the snake Roget occupies the middle of the screen in the background, explosions punctuating the absurdity.
Through this astounding tracking shot, Mireau’s hollow words of bravery and heroism are punctuated by explosions and gunfire and Mireau is often the only man to duck. Sometimes wounded men are carried through the foreground, interrupting Mireau’s bromides. By the time this sequence has ended, Kubrick has visually taught the audience all that we need to know about Mireau: he is a cocksure hypocrite, dismissive of the realities that his men face every day and intent on exploiting their deaths for his own gains.
Colonel Dax gets a similar tracking shot through the trenches prior to the assault on the Anthill. Here, the shots alternate between POV shots from Dax and the same long tracking shots we saw with Mireau. With Mireau, the camera was almost always focused on him, as he draws the attention of the men and the cameras selfishly and for his own foul intentions. By contrast, Dax’s march through the trenches is focused away from him, towards the faces of the men that he needs to lead into battle. It is fantastic characterization, accomplished through contrasting camera techniques. Finally, where Mireau’s stroll through the trench was chatty and inconsequential, Dax’s is taciturn and purposeful. When the bombs explode and rain dirt on everyone, Dax is the lone man not to flinch. In a short two minutes, Kubrick again teaches us everything we need to know about Dax, and just how different he is from Mireau.
There are also parallels in the abuses of power by General Mireau and Lieutenant Roget (Wayne Morris). Kubrick shows us here that the abuse of power occurs at all levels of command, and that justice is indiscriminate, as neither Mireau nor Roget really get their just desserts.
Both men’s arcs begin with a transgression. For Mireau it is the decision to order the artillery to fire on his own men, and for Roget it is when he kills Lejuene during the recon mission. Both men are also drinking alcohol shortly before these acts, and alcohol in general seems reserved for the higher-ups in command, and may serve as a symbol of opulence and corruption throughout the film.
Each man’s deed is noticed by an underling, and then each man attempts to cover it up. Mireau is a bumbling fool here, as there are many witnesses to his order, but the main one is the artillery commander Captain Rousseau. The only witness to Roget’s crime is the other man that was out on the patrol with him, Corporal Paris (Ralph Meeker). Both Mireau and Roget browbeat the witnesses into silence, claiming that their ranks make them untouchable. But this is not enough. To protect himself, Mireau discredits Rousseau in front of Broulard and suggests that the man be sent away. Of course, Roget’s cowardly solution is much more atrocious; as the lieutenant of his company, he gets to choose the man to be tried for cowardice. He choice of Paris is a transparent and craven attempt to save his own skin.
Paris attempts to plead his case to Dax, but at this point it doesn’t matter. Similarly, when Rousseau finally gets to reveal to Dax what happened during the attack, though it seems like Dax is going to effect the salvation of the men after his discussion with General Broulard, nothing really comes of it. We’re aware that the protestations should matter, but they simply don’t. The direct parallels don’t extend much further, as from this point the fates of the two knowledgeable men diverge: Paris dies, and Captain Rousseau continues with his position.
These parallel abuses of power signify a major theme of Paths of Glory. During war, it is frightening how easily incentives can be perverted and how absurd the choices can become. Here, a General decides that ascending in rank is more important that the lives of his men, and when his ambition is thwarted he is prepared to punish indiscriminately. This is a man with extreme control and power over others, and so the damage he can do is practically unimaginable. At the other end of the spectrum is a drunken coward who somehow manages to rise to the rank of lieutenant. Even this modicum of power is enough to lord over an underling in an effort to excuse an unforgivable mistake. Paths of Glory again shows not simply that “War is Hell”, but that it creates an environment where perverse incentives and power can be exploited.
Injustice is the centerpiece of Paths of Glory. The most pristine example involves the three men put on trial for cowardice. From beginning to end, their actions have no practical effect on the judgment passed on them. They are not seen during the attack, they are chosen for the trial off-screen, and are all chosen for different unfair reasons. Their trial is a railroading, evident from beginning to end and perfectly communicated by Kubrick’s cinematic language during the sequence. And there are final absurdities in the jail scenes and the execution sequence, making clear the ridiculousness of war.
The three men tried for cowardice, one from each company, are chosen off-screen and for three different unjust reasons. As mentioned before, Paris has been chosen by Roget in an effort to silence him, so there is a revenge factor to this choice. Private Ferol is chosen because he was deemed, “a social undesirable” by his commander. Private Arnaud’s company drew lots, and he was the unfortunate loser. These are three different methods of choosing a scapegoat for the entire company, and each of them finds a new way to be unfair and illogical. Paris is the victim of a personal vendetta, Ferol is simply disliked, and Arnaud is unlucky. None of these things have anything to do with the bravery or cowardice of the individual men.
None of these characters were shown during the assault on The Anthill, but it is revealed during the trial that Ferol and Arnaud participated in the attack, and Paris was knocked out in the opening moments. This plot element is an example of a director making the most out of a poor situation, as the three men were initially supposed to be shown during the charge, in an effort to establish their bravery. But, Timothy Carey, who played Ferol, was a notoriously difficult actor and had to be fired before Kubrick shot the battle sequences. As a result, instead of the audience reacting to the unfairness of these three brave men being tried for cowardice, we react to the senseless randomness of it all, as we don’t even get to see them during the battle.
The injustice reaches an absolute peak during the trial of these three men, with Dax acting as their lawyer. The trial is an absolute railroading, indicated throughout by the cinematic language of Kubrick. The very setting of the trial is important, as the opulence of the palace directly contrasts the dingy trenches and dark prison, and isolates the men. The sprawling floor is checkered like a chess board, suggesting that this is to be the ultimate battle of wits between Dax and Mireau. But key details indicate that this is not to be a fair fight. The defendants sit on small, rickety chairs while Mireau lay languid on a fancy sofa. The camera looks down on the defendants as they give their testimonies, and up on the judge as he questions them. This is despite the fact that the defendants stand while the judge sits. This visual reversal conveys the power structure at work here, and suggests that the defendants have no chance.
The large, pristine palace dwarfs the defendants, who march along a chessboard and sit in rickety chairs.
Similarly, when the prosecutor walks around the defendants asking questions, he ducks in and out of shadows. There is no purity or innocence associated with this man, he is a pawn of the higher-ups. This interpretation is confirmed in other shots where the heads of the judges block out the prosecutor. We do not see the judges in this way when Dax talks, nor when the defendants are giving their testimonies. It appears as though the judges are allied with the prosecutor, ganging up on the defendants to effect their execution.
This shot looks down on the three defendants, from a strange angle that is above the heads of the judges. The cinematography itself judges the men guilty already.
Dax has his moments, but his attempts to introduce relevant evidence into the case is rebuffed at every opportunity. The fix is in, and Kubrick concludes this all in a single, simple choice at the end of the sequence. One of the most obvious stylistic techniques used throughout Paths of Glory is the abrupt cut as a means for transitioning between different scenes. But at the end of the trial, Kubrick subverts our expectation by employing a fade out / fade in as transition, and picks up the other end by matter-of-factly informing us that the three men have been condemned to death. By placing the “judgment” in between FADE OUT and FADE IN, Kubrick communicates the inevitability of the decision.
The final, horrible absurdity follows. In the prison the night before the execution, the three men argue about religion, worry that the last meal might be poisoned, and contemplate the unfairness of everything, to no avail. The priest is utterly impotent, and his preaching only angers Arnaud. As he fights with Paris, he is knocked to the ground and gets a fractured skull. Thus, in the final march towards the firing squad, Arnaud is tied to a stretcher and must be awoken just before he is killed. Meanwhile, Ferol screams for justice from God or anyone else, and Paris is courageous and silent in the face of death, even to the point of refusing the blindfold offered by his nemesis Roget. The sequence is bare, unflinching, and brutal. One quick-cut later, and Mireau and Broulard are munching croissants and discussing the glorious way the men died. It is sickening, and utterly ridiculous.
We can’t let Arnaud die of a head wound! He has to be shot to death!
Kubrick’s brilliance in Paths of Glory lay in his ability to leverage parallelism in character, cinematography, power abuse, and even music to convey an utter miscarriage of justice and the inherent absurdity of war. There’s no glorification of battle, no fanfare, and no obvious potshots at the enemy. During the battle, only Dax is recognizable, and we see no German soldiers in the whole film. In fact, there is only a single German in Paths of Glory, the woman who sings in the beautiful closing sequence. The Faithful Hussar, sung by Susanne Christian, who would later marry the director, collects and concretizes all these ideas and more in one of the most stirring sequences in cinematic history:
“The Faithful Hussar”, translated from German (full lyrics, but the girl sings a slightly different version of the song)
(Bold is repeated)
A faithful soldier, without fear,
He loved his girl for one whole year,
For one whole year and longer yet,
His love for her, he’d ne’er forget.
And when the youth received the news,
That his dear love, her life may lose,
He left his place and all he had,
To see his love, went this young lad…
Oh Mother, bring forth a light,
My darling dies, I do not see,
That was indeed a faithful hussar,
He loves his girl a whole year.
Kubrick ends the film with this lyrical masterstroke, impressive even for him. There is rampant repetition – the ending couplets are repeated, and we hear only three unique verses of the popular folk song: 1-2-3-1. There is also a profound sense of loss and injustice. As the men begin to recognize the song and hum along, they realize that the sadness and beauty that the “enemy” girl is singing rings all too true. They begin to understand that they will likely never see those waiting at home for them, and that they will die in this absurd war over barren and worthless plots of land. For Kubrick, the utter absurdity of war is fully realized by placing the most poignant thematic statement of the film in the tongue of the enemy. As the men hum along in an understanding that such beauty is not meant for them any longer, Dax is told that the company is scheduled to go back to the front, and the film ends.
Paths of Glory is much more than an anti-war film. Such banality is beyond Kubrick. The director goes further, describing how war creates an environment where power, class, command, and irrationality are allowed to pervert any sense of justice or morality. In Kubrick’s first true masterpiece, the absurdity of war completely poisons whatever justice or beauty exists in the realm of humanity, and offers no respite.
Published by Derek Jacobs
I am a molecular biologist who loves movies and wants to think about them and discuss them from the perspective of romantic realism, a reason-based school of aesthetics championed by novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand. View all posts by Derek Jacobs
Essays, Single Film Essay
Adaptation, Adolphe Menjou, Anti-War, Black and White, Christianne Kubrick, Drama, Film, George Macready, Gerald Fried, Historical, Humphrey Cobb, Kirk Douglas, La Marseilles, Paths of Glory, Stanley Kubrick, The Faithful Hussar, War Film
A Pair of Afterlife Trailers: “The Discovery” and “The Void”
“Alien: Covenant” Seems to Seek Cheap Alchemy
2 thoughts on “Stanley Kubrick’s “Paths of Glory”, the Abuse of Power, and the Inevitable Absurdity of War”
Pingback: A Year of Masterpieces – Analyzing the Filmography of Stanley Kubrick – Plot and Theme
Pingback: “Dr. Strangelove” and the Folderol of Fallout – Plot and Theme
PayPal Donations Accepted
Monthly Archives Select Month February 2019 (3) January 2019 (2) December 2018 (4) October 2018 (1) July 2018 (1) June 2018 (1) May 2018 (8) April 2018 (7) March 2018 (8) January 2018 (3) December 2017 (1) November 2017 (3) October 2017 (5) September 2017 (11) August 2017 (3) July 2017 (5) June 2017 (14) May 2017 (22) April 2017 (18) March 2017 (14) February 2017 (8) January 2017 (10) December 2016 (11) November 2016 (8) October 2016 (6) September 2016 (9) August 2016 (12) July 2016 (5) June 2016 (9) May 2016 (6) April 2016 (5) March 2016 (6) February 2016 (10) January 2016 (10) December 2015 (9) November 2015 (7) October 2015 (9) September 2015 (10) August 2015 (21) July 2015 (12) June 2015 (29) May 2015 (29) April 2015 (3) March 2015 (2)
Recent Amazing Posts
“Widows”: a Pulp Fiction with Class February 6, 2019
“BlacKKKlansman” and its Multi-layered Performances Pop Off the Screen February 4, 2019
“They Shall Not Grow Old” and Peter Jackson’s Recreation of the Western Front February 1, 2019
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse is Magnificent Movie-Making January 30, 2019
“Eighth Grade” and Adolescence as Performance January 30, 2019
Quotes on Film
If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed.
-Stanley Kubrick
Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.
-Alfred Hitchcock
There is something that might be called cinematic beauty. It can only be expressed in a film, and it must be present for that film to be a moving work.
-Akira Kurosawa
Film has dream, film has music. No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul.
-Ingmar Bergman
Art is realistic when it strives to express an ethical ideal. Realism is striving for truth, and truth is always beautiful.
-Andrei Tarkovsky
Some Pretty Okay Posts
The Xenomorph and the Perversion of Sex in "Alien"
The Basics of Film Aesthetics
"The Silence of the Lambs" Script Analysis: Scene-by-Scene Breakdown
"San Andreas" Something Earthquake Pun
Taika Waititi's "Hunt for the Wilderpeople": A Farcical Coming-of-Age Film with Surprising Heart
Plot and Theme Patreon Page
Plot and Theme RSS Feed
559,381 Site Views
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9303
|
__label__cc
| 0.650036
| 0.349964
|
Precise Business Solutions Success Story – Epicor ERP & Advanced Requisition Management (ARM) – “West Australian Newspaper case study”
Western Australia media outlet WA Newspapers recently commissioned Precise Business Solutions to help them implement Epicor ERP as part of its drive to realize new cultures, efficiencies and technologies to support the challenges of today’s fast moving business environment.
Robert Ingley has seen a thing or two in his time with Western Australia Newspapers.
Mr Ingley, who serves as Group Management Accountant at the publication, quips that the media outlet was using green screen computers when he joined the company more than 25 years ago, and continued to do so for decades after.
Over that time, WA News has about grown to 40 mastheads, ranging from regional and local papers to radio stations across the huge state of Western Australia – making it one of the most geographically dispersed media outlets in the world, creating some unique business management challenges over the years. Combined with that, media outlets around the world have had to come to grips with the realities of the digital age. In recognising these challenges, the company knew it had to modernise, to be better prepared for the next evolution of its model. From Mr Ingley’s perspective, nothing moved the company into that next generation like its recent adoption of Epicor’s flagship mid-market ERP solution.
Big company, big results
Mr Ingley states that one of the best results to come from Epicor has been improved efficiency across the business. Before Epicor, the paper had 30 people on staff to handle all the transactions. In the three years since implementing the solution, it has cut this number down by more than a third…
To read more about WAN case study, download the Case Study
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9306
|
__label__wiki
| 0.73792
| 0.73792
|
Home Survival Guide Vivian Stringer: From the Sidelines To Center Court
Vivian Stringer: From the Sidelines To Center Court
Barbara Figge Fox
C. Vivian Stringer, the celebrity coach of Rutgers’ women’s basketball team, lives and breathes basketball. But as a single mom with two sons and a special-needs daughter, she knows about struggling for work/life balance. As an African American from an Appalachian coal-mining town, she knows about discrimination in the workplace. Yet she came from a close-knit family where excellence was expected, so she also knows how to instill those values in an ever-changing family, her team of Scarlet Knights.
Stringer talks about her new book, “Standing Tall: A Memoir of Tragedy and Triumph” (co-authored with Laura Tucker, Random House, $24.95) and will have a signing party on Thursday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at 869 Route 1 South, in her home town of North Brunswick. 732-545-7966.
Stringer was the first coach, man or woman, to take three teams from different schools — Cheyney State, the University of Iowa, and Rutgers — to the NCAA Final Four. At dirt-poor Cheyney, the team started out owning only two regulation basketballs and went on to make sports history. Meanwhile Stringer was keeping vigil at the bedside of her toddler daughter, whose meningitis had gone undiagnosed and who would never be able to walk or talk.
With each successive triumph came tragedy. In Iowa Bill Stringer, the love of her life and her rock solid support, dropped dead at age 47. And no sooner did she get to Rutgers than she learned she had breast cancer. To protect her children, who were mourning the loss of their father, she kept that a secret. Only for this book does she reveal why she acquired a reputation of being unfriendly to the media; she had shut herself off from nearly everything but her job. And then, after her 2006-2007 team covered itself with glory at the NCAA championships, along came the notorious racist/sexist Don Imus quip that shone harsh fame on the young players.
Almost anything that has happened to anybody has happened to Stringer. She made all the mistakes that a kid can make, from failing to practice what she didn’t like (piano) to playing pranks that went horribly wrong (chopping down a neighbor’s 100-foot pine tree). When she flunked out in her freshman year at Slippery Rock she felt humiliated. “I was a fool,” she writes. “I had it all, and I’d thrown away every last bit of it.”
To earn credits and retrieve her scholarship, she went to summer school, sneaking after dark into her sister’s dorm room to sleep because she had no money to rent a room. She got benched by a coach who didn’t like her political position during the Vietnam War. Most painful is her recalling how, when her parents had to bail her out of credit card debt, they had to cash in her father’s life insurance policy, never to be replaced.
Because Stringer has made every mistake in the book and suffered multiple personal tragedies, her players can’t say “You don’t understand,” and her readers can find themselves on every page, if only by saying, “There but for the grace of God go I.”
Stringer draws on these experiences to motivate, persuade, and pressure her players into doing their very best. This story trove also offers valuable inspiration for the workplace.
Work/life family balance. As a single mom, with a special-needs child, Stringer says she sometimes felt like she was drowning, at home and at work. Coaching “is a harder job than most to balance with a young family,” she says. “My own mom’s presence was so warm and comfortable to me. There’s that guilt of, why don’t you just stay at home. But I’m not my mom, and I have to provide for my family.”
She treasures — and passes on to others — some early advice she received from the late track star Willye White, a five-time Olympian: One can’t be the best coach all the time, nor the best mom all the time. All you can do is your best, and then forgive yourself for the rest. “It was simple advice, but it took the weight off my shoulders that day and in the years afterward. It allowed me to know that it is OK when we, as parents, fall short.”
Now, at age 60, she makes light of her hectic travel schedule, which on this day involved a recruiting trip to Iowa and a plane delay. “But I sometimes wonder at the end of the day if I can get through next Tuesday. I’m used to running, and I usually see the light at the end of the road. If I don’t, we’re in trouble.”
Communication. “My family didn’t give me riches. They gave love and security and confidence and the things that you can’t put a finger on,” she says. From her mother, she learned how to elicit hard work: “My mom was born knowing everything there was to know about getting people to work for her,” she writes.
From her father, she adopted his method of family meetings, where each of the five siblings had the chance to speak up about what was good and what could be better. “Team together” is her term for letting everyone have their say, from the star senior to the raw recruit. “Everyone is entitled to an opinion, if she has worked hard and done the best she can possibly do. We’re all equal in the family that is our team.”
One of her assistants who had played in the pros commented he had never heard truth spoken so plainly as in those meetings. “The truth may hurt, but I will always give you the tools you need to overcome and become what you want to be,” she writes.
Quality standards. She can’t abide slackers and thinks anyone who doesn’t do their very best is poisonous to a sports or workplace team. “Going halfway is disrespectful to me, to your teammates, to your opponents, and to the game. Winning and losing will never mean as much to me as making sure you honor the game and the people who worked alongside you,” she tells her players. “Anything less than your greatest effort will not be tolerated, and I don’t care how talented you are.”
Determination to succeed. At Cheyney she loved going up against a Penn State or a Maryland, “knowing that my little old school of 1,500 kids, with barely a nickel or dime to rub together, was their equal on the court. I had always felt it was my calling to rise and give to the have-nots of the world, and for me Cheyney was as good as it could get. We were the underdogs, the giant-killers. My teams are known for finding another way to get it done,” she says. “It is unacceptable to do anything less than that, to find another way to get around the corner.”
Discrimination in the workplace. Stringer grew up in a color-blind mining community and encountered racism for the first time when she was obviously the best at the cheerleading tryouts but didn’t make the team. Someone from the NAACP wanted to make an issue of it. She was afraid, but her father told her that she needed to think about future generations: “There comes a time in your life when you must stand, because if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything,” he said.
At the almost-all white Slippery Rock College, she rose at 4:30 a.m. for a job, sweeping the dorm lounges, so none of her fellow students would see her with a broom in her hand. And as an adult, when she arrived in a cream-colored suit to interview for a coaching job at Syracuse University, the personnel officer thought she was the cleaning woman and directed her to a broom closet. “I am more likely in my own mind to be successful when people tell me I can’t do something. I am not the person who will say woe is me,” she says. “I am going to be angry and get fired up.”
New Jersey seemed a refuge from all that. Part of her reason for moving from Iowa was because she didn’t want her sons growing up in a nearly all-white community.
Then the Imus comment roiled the 2006-2007 team that won the Big East and stopped just one game short of the national championship. Stringer realizes that neither she nor the students’ parents had prepared them for the shock and stigma of discrimination. She writes, “The team demanded the respect that was owed to them, and in so doing, they stood up for the dignity of all people. It takes a great deal of confidence to hold your head high after you’ve been humiliated. It takes a great deal of fortitude to answer hate with compassion. It takes strength to keep your moral compass when faced with derision and contempt. But that is what this team did, and that is how they inspired the country.”
In spite of all her successes, and though she has a strong Christian faith, Stringer wrestles with the past. Just as she pores over the game tapes, she revisits her decisions. At her daughter Nina’s bedside she had prayed for Nina just to be able to smile again. Nina now has a beautiful smile but needs 24/7 care. “To this day I wonder if I should have prayed for more,” Stringer writes.
In the telephone interview she focuses on the last game of the championship season, against Connecticut, and on a player who never did meet her conditioning standards. In the last four minutes of the game, when the starters had fouled out or were injured, this player could not step up to her challenge. “There was one player I felt never gave it all. She always came up short. Did she realize how much she could have helped us in four minutes? I hope that she knows that all we needed was four minutes, that every time we did this one drill she didn’t mind coming up short because she was too absorbed in herself.”
At this point in the interview Stringer ruminates on whether, next season, she can motivate that player more effectively. “So many people depend on one another. I have to be clear what I say. I will explain to her what she needs to do, and I’m hoping and praying that she won’t make excuses, that she will make the ultimate sacrifice for the team. Basketball is a discipline, and if each person must make a sacrifice in order for them to reach the Promised Land, then they must make that sacrifice.”
“If we lose but I know that we played the game right — that we were prepared, that we were intense, that we executed what we said we were going to execute — then I can sleep. If you don’t, then I can’t, and you won’t,” she says. “At the end of the day, while we don’t ever accept defeat, we can be at peace with having done our best.”
Previous articleNovo Nordisk Moves Across Route 1
Next articleStraightforward Answers for Everyday Life
Fighting Back Against ‘Unemployed’ Prejudice
Volunteer Work Can Pay Off for Job Seekers
Getting Bike Share Right Is a Balancing Act
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9307
|
__label__wiki
| 0.986823
| 0.986823
|
James Blake Angelique Kerber Billie Jean King Serena Williams Naomi Osaka Stephen M. Ross Dan Marino Novak Djokovic Roger Federer Sports Men's sports Men's tennis Tennis NFL football Professional football Football Women's tennis Women's sports
Changeover: Miami Open tennis moves to Dolphins' home
By STEVEN WINE - Apr. 11, 2019 08:55 AM EDT
Novak Djokovic practices on center court for the Miami Open tennis tournament at Hard Rock Stadium, Monday, March 18, 2019, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Miami Open has moved north from its home since 1987, the picturesque island of Key Biscayne, and will begin Tuesday at the home of the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Hurricanes. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — At the main entrance to the Miami Dolphins' stadium stands a statue of Dan Marino as a witness to a game-changing completion.
A remarkable transformation is done, and the complex is ready for tennis.
The Miami Open has moved 18 miles north from its location since 1987, the picturesque island of Key Biscayne, and will begin Tuesday at the home of the Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes. Matches showcasing tennis' best players will be held in the stadium, with a temporary hardcourt covering the field and the net hanging above the 50-yard line.
"I wouldn't say it's better than a football team, but it's something that's very exciting," said Stephen Ross, who owns the Dolphins and the stadium. "I'm excited to see people's reaction. There are so many skeptics out there."
That includes some players wary of the atmosphere in a cavernous building where more seats will be empty than full, even for the finals at the end of the month.
But as players trickle in, early reviews are favorable. Fabric screens and temporary stands on three sides obscure most of the unused seats, creating a surprisingly cozy feel in the 65,000-seat stadium, where the capacity for tennis will be 13,800.
"It's like nothing I've ever seen," said tournament director James Blake, a former top-five player. "To put a tennis court inside a football stadium is something a lot of players didn't really wrap their heads around. Now that they're here and see it, I think they're very positive."
There has also been a major makeover in the parking lot south of the stadium, where a spacious, modern tournament setting will include the outer courts, handsome hospitality areas, music, an art tent and the largest video board in tennis, along with the slightly incongruous Marino statue.
There are more lighted courts, practice courts and parking spaces than on Key Biscayne, and better player facilities. Even so, a sentimental attachment to the old location lingers.
"Key Biscayne was always, like, the traditional drive over the bridge, and you are on the water," reigning Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber said. "So I will miss it, for sure."
The former site was across the street from the beach, and the scenic setting helped the tournament become the largest in tennis aside from the Grand Slams, before it began to lose luster. IMG, which owns the Miami Open, decided to move after a 2015 court decision prevented badly needed upgrades to the complex.
"It was a great event, a lot of history," said Roger Federer, a three-time tournament champion who first played on Key Biscayne as a junior in 1998. "You know, it was considered the fifth slam back in the day.
"So I have clearly mixed feelings about the change. I hope it's all for the better, and I understand the logic behind it. But of course I will miss the place."
He'll be in Miami this week to check out the new digs, as will most of the sport's other champions, from Serena Williams to Naomi Osaka to Novak Djokovic. Sponsors are enthusiastic, according to IMG, and ticket sales are up 25 percent over last year.
"The future of this event is incredible to think about," Blake said. "The only limit is our imagination."
When the tournament began considering a new home, speculation about potential sites ranged from South America to China. Fears rose that South Florida might lose the Miami Open, and Ross proposed the Dolphins' suburban setting.
Williams, an eight-time Key Biscayne champion who owns a small share of the Dolphins, thought the idea was crazy. So did IMG. But the company eventually agreed to partner with the persuasive Ross, and construction began a year ago.
"For anyone who has ever built a house, to think this could be built in just one year is absolutely amazing," Blake said.
"In Miami, we know how to put on a great event," Ross said. "And this will be a great home for the Miami Open."
Much of the makeover is Ross' handiwork — he even picked out bathroom tile. For the upscale tennis crowd, the site should hold plenty of appeal, from luxury stadium seats and suites to newly planted $35,000 palm trees ushering spectators to the outer courts.
For fans on a budget, grounds passes start at $15. The cost is higher for admission to the multisport mashup that will take place on center court.
Billie Jean King's celebrated 1973 victory over Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes packed the Houston Astrodome. An ATP Tour tournament was held in Toronto's SkyDome in 1990. The soccer stadium in Lille, France, recently hosted the Davis Cup.
But for this generation of players, tennis in an NFL stadium is something different.
"Never played in one," Federer said with a smile. "I'm sure it's going to be exciting, though."
Beth Harris in Indian Wells, California, contributed to this report.
More AP tennis coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-Tennis
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9308
|
__label__cc
| 0.669057
| 0.330943
|
Home > Authors>N-P>Conor O'Clery>May You Live in Interesting Times
The acclaimed bestseller Features new chapter on President Obama
As a pioneering foreign correspondent, Conor O’Clery has been
witness to some of the major world events of the past thirty years, including the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, the Iran–Iraq war, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Clinton years in the White House, the opening up of China, the fall of Indonesia’s Suharto, and the
liberation of East Timor and global warming in the Arctic.
He was named journalist of the year for his reporting of the end of the Cold War, and journalist and reporter of the year for his vivid eye-witness accounts of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
In his career with The Irish Times he opened the newspaper’s first Moscow bureau, and went on to establish and run staff offices in Washington, Beijing and New York before returning to live in Dublin.
In May You Live in Interesting Times, O’Clery looks back at events then and now in the overseas countries where he worked, and reveals some of the exciting, dangerous and humorous aspects of life as a journalist on the cutting edge of history. This updated edition features a new chapter on the challenges facing President Barack Obama in what are increasingly “interesting times”.
This is an essential book for anybody interested in the
ever-changing, restless chaos of modern global history.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9310
|
__label__cc
| 0.672115
| 0.327885
|
Instructor Raul Nunez (second from left), works with a Tools of the Trade student to properly measure and cut a PVC pipe for the framework of a house at ComEd’s Chicago Training Center.
Energy Trades Student Becomes the Teacher
Raul Nunez, from Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, last year completed a program that prepares teens for careers in energy management and other trades. Now, as a program intern, he plays the role of instructor and mentor to current students. One of his jobs is to create activities that will educate and engage.
The Tools of the Trade program is designed to help address the shortage of workers in the skilled trades and connect young adults from diverse communities with employment opportunities. Students get hands-on experience by observing linemen in the field, networking with ComEd employees, and learning about topics such as safety and how to apply mathematics in the energy industry.
When his internship ends, Nunez hopes to keep working for ComEd by pursuing a career as a transmission substation worker. He is motivated by knowing that it is one of the most challenging jobs in the field.
Nunez grew up in a family that valued hard work. At a young age he was exposed to construction work. “My dad would teach me about construction, tell me what he was doing, showing me the tools he would use, and what they did,” Nunez said. “I want to expand my skills and knowledge. I want to learn how to manage, how things function, and work with transformers. My dad taught me to be ambitious about working.”
When he got older, Nunez started working with his dad in construction doing jobs such as demolishing rooms and putting up walls. “I loved doing it, and helping my dad out. The more I learned, the more I realized I could do anything I wanted.”
Nunez also uses the skills he learned from his dad to help his community. As a freshman at Benito Juarez High School he visited Haiti to help build a school there. By the time he graduated high school in 2017, he had accumulated 350 hours of community service.
ComEd partnered with Chicago non-profit After School Matters to create the Tools of the Trade program to provide students opportunities to kick off their careers early. The program is designed for Chicago high school students ages 16 through 18.
lhall
More Posts by lhall »
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9311
|
__label__wiki
| 0.867533
| 0.867533
|
Journey to Justice Bristol
Visualising Bristol’s history of activism and struggles for social justice
Bristol Activists – Mugs and Prints – Exhibition ‘Voice from the Past’
The Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) and Journey to Justice Bristol (JToJ) are participating in a project to visualise Bristol’s history of activism and struggles for social justice.
As part of a variety of exciting and innovative activities for the JToJ event throughout October 2017, PRSC is working with JToJ to celebrate and honour key activists in Bristol that have contributed to and inspired the social movement but have not been recognised for their actions. To raise awareness about these people, we will feature their likeness and ideas on fine bone china mugs and screen prints.
Scroll down to see all our projects, including mugs, prints, and the outdoor exhibition in the Bearpit.
Bristol activists
Walter Ayles (1879 - 1953)
Trade Unionist and women’s rights advocate. He came to Bristol in 1910 as secretary of the Independent Labour Party and was later elected a City Councillor for the Easton Ward, urging municipal ownership of energy and transport. Imprisoned as a Conscientious Objector during the first World War, he became a Quaker and served as Labour MP for Bristol in 1923 and in 1929-1931.
Artist: Marcus Bo Lanyon
No. 1 in a series of 12
Buy the mug – buy the print
Dorothy Brown (1927 - 2013)
The ‘unstoppable guardian’ of historic Bristol, Dorothy Brown saved over 400 of the city’s historic buildings from demolition and helped to preserve the Avon Gorge and other public spaces from concrete, cars and vested interests. She died in Redland Library whilst working on her last campaign at the age of 86.
Artist: Patch Plummer
Princess Eldoris Campbell (1939 - 2015)
Arriving from Jamaica in 1962, Princess Campbell successfully challenged the discrimination she encountered as a nurse to become Bristol’s first Black Ward Sister at Glenside Hospital. Princess helped to pioneer multi-cultural sheltered housing for the elderly in the 1980s. She continued as a community activist throughout her life, urging all to ‘stay and fight if you want to change things.’
Artist: Rachel Gadsden
Mary Carpenter (1807 - 1877)
A champion of destitute children, committed Unitarian, and a leading light of the ‘ragged school movement’ in Bristol, Carpenter campaigned tirelessly for the more humane treatment of young offenders and child workers. She hosted African-American anti-slavery activists in Bristol from the 1840s and, inspired by Ram Mohan Roy, later travelled to India to promote women’s education there.
Artist: Brook Tate
Ellen Craft (1826 - 1891) and William Craft (1824 - 1900)
The Crafts escaped from slavery in Georgia in 1848. The light-skinned Ellen posed as a white male planter with her husband William as her slave, as they travelled by train and steamship to the North. In 1850, Bristol Unitarian John Estlin helped them flee to England to escape Southern bounty hunters and Mary Carpenter hosted them on subsequent visits to Bristol to address anti-slavery campaigners.
Artist: Katraz
James Crosby (1838 - 1901)
In 1884, James Crosby’s pioneering series in the Liberal Bristol Mercury ‘The Homes of the Bristol Poor’ caused a sensation. The son of a Bristol mariner, his passionate and detailed depiction of the misery caused by the bad conditions in which so many Bristolians lived, helped to change government attitudes about the need for decent housing for the workers.
Artist: object…
Owen Henry (1928 - 1989)
Jamaican-born, Owen Henry came to Bristol in 1956 braving Teddy Boys and slum housing to co-found the West Indian Development Council which, in 1963, spearheaded the Bristol Bus Boycott Campaign against racial discrimination. By 1967 he was a major force behind the St. Paul’s Carnival and throughout his life challenged the unfair treatment of Black Bristolians.
Artist: DNT Matchbox Gallery
Batook Pandya MBE (1945 - 2014)
At 17, Batook Pandya came to Britain, nearly a decade before other East African Asians arrived as refugees. A British Aerospace engineer who worked on Concorde, he left engineering in 1991 to become Director of SARI (‘Stand Against Racism and Inequality’) where until his death, he braved personal threats and violence to fight hate crime in Bristol.
Artist: Micha Libert
Ram Mohan Roy (1774 - 1833)
Roy, a high caste Bengali Hindu, defied traditional taboos to travel to England, becoming friends with Bristol Unitarians who, like him, championed humanitarian causes. Revered today as the ‘Father of Modern India’, he campaigned against rigid caste distinctions, child marriage, purdah, widow burning (sati) and for the education of both women and men. He was buried after a short illness at Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol.
Artist: Zamzam
Jessie Stephen, MBE (1893 - 1979)
In her youth, Scottish-born Stephen was a suffragette and socialist organiser of her fellow domestic servants. She came to Bristol in her forties, where she worked for the Co-op, served as a City Councillor and in 1952 was elected the first woman president of the Bristol Trades Council. By 1971, she became a founding member of Bristol’s Women’s Liberation Movement.
Artist: Luke Carter
No. 10 in a series of 12
Ada Vachell (1866 – 1923)
Suffragist, ‘spinster’ and ardent Christian, Vachell was the first to set up a social centre for Bristol’s destitute disabled children in 1905. Its name ‘Guild of the Poor Brave Things’ (later ‘Guild of the Handicapped’) may now jar, but Vachell was visionary in choosing to see disabled people as individuals whose potential was suppressed by poverty and prejudice.
Artist: Carmen Garaghon
Ann Yearsley (1753 - 1806)
The self-taught and impoverished wife of a Clifton small-holder, ‘the milk maid poetess’ of Bristol published “A Poem on The Inhumanity of the Slave Trade” in 1787 under the patronage of the writer Hannah More. A mother of 6, her star waned after her break with More and in the backlash against the French Revolution, but she survived as a radical bookseller in the Hotwells.
Artist: Jono Boyle
Mugs and prints
PRSC commissioned local artists to design a commemorative range of mugs and prints featuring 12 of Bristol’s social justice campaigners over the past 300 years. The mugs and prints can be found in our Stokes Croft China shop.
Exhibition “Voice from the Past”
“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting”. (Milan Kundera)
The Bearpit Outdoor Gallery, Central Bristol. 6pm-9pm. Working with Bristol artists and the students of the Creative Youth Network, Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft offer an outdoor exhibition of Bristol’s political heroes of the past in the struggle for justice.
The exhibition was built in the Bearpit from 10-18th October, when passers-by could see artists and students at work in this extraordinary public space where the city finds its political voice.
The outdoor exhibition was there from 19th October until December 2017.
Painting in progress.
Mind the paint.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9313
|
__label__cc
| 0.620358
| 0.379642
|
Cooperation at the heart of the Quartier
Jean-Addlaire Gaëtan
Little Burgundy Coalition
Friday, 16 March, 2018 (All day)
By Isabelle Langlois
The Little Burgundy housing co-operatives are changing the face of the Quartier de l’Innovation. Not only do they offer affordable housing, but even more importantly, they create space for social development. The organizations and issue tables surrounding these low-rent housing units are involved in efforts to improve the well-being of residents, and in recent years, the spirit of collaboration has been at the heart of their initiatives.
Jean-Addlaire Gaëtan, member of the Bassins du Havre cooperative, remembers a time when Little Burgundy had a completely different image: “There was a stereotype that this area was dangerous and that murders were not uncommon. Stories about stray bullets became the norm.”
By mobilizing against crime and violence, citizens initiated a paradigm shift. “The organizations in the area and the authorities rallied together, and as a result, we now have a neighborhood where life is good. Little Burgundy is a symbol of resilience.”
Today, Jean-Addlaire says he is proud to live in Little Burgundy and contribute to the community.
For the past year, he has been President of the Little Burgundy Coalition, which also serves Griffintown. This round table association has been bringing together different stakeholders since the 1980s. The police department, municipal representatives, and youth and family organizations meet to help improve the quality of life for local residents. “The Coalition is a place where we can combine all our strengths. That’s why it generates so many interesting projects,” says Jean-Addlaire.
The Coalition has done good work in recent years, leading to the acquisition of a new soccer field, the beautification of the Burgundy Path, and the creation of collective murals by citizens, among other initiatives. Events such as the Little Burgundy Festival and the Burgundy Awards, which highlight academic success in the broadest sense, are the result of this collaboration.
Special attention is also paid to young people. “In disadvantaged areas, young people often express the need to learn outside the context of the traditional system.” Certain initiatives therefore aim at stimulating them through culture and the discovery of different professions. “We keep in mind that young people are the future.”
Outside the Coalition, there are many groups providing opportunities to get involved in the neighbourhood. Residents can join a range of different action committees, including the Table des Leaders. This group brings together different residential high-rises, allowing members to consolidate the buildings’ purchases or plan their advocacy efforts before approaching the city.
These forums provide great support in bringing together the neighbourhood’s various communities. They promote better integration and healthy citizen participation, allowing everyone to “get to know their neighbours.”
The President of the Coalition expects that cooperation between the various organizations will experience new growth as result of Quartier de l’innovation. The QI will create bridges between citizens and the corporate world, which will mean greater inclusion in community life of private businesses in Little Burgundy and Griffintown. “The goal is to break down some barriers. If the ties are made, I think that some interesting collaborations could emerge. I’m Haitian, and as we often say, there is strength in unity,” says Jean-Addlaire with confidence.
Contest - Startup of the month 2018/2019
Mr. Young - Artificial intelligence at the service of mental health
Combining social innovation, humanitarian action, and a circular economy
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9317
|
__label__wiki
| 0.745605
| 0.745605
|
Quiz: Do You Know if These Statements About Common Cars Are True or False?
Do You Know if These Statements About Common Cars Are True or False?
By: John Miller
Our highways are teeming with millions of zooming cars, all of which come equipped with specific features, capabilities and histories. Can you figure out whether these statements about common cars are true or false?
True or false: Has the Toyota Camry been the best-selling vehicle in America since 1981?
False, the Camry has had a great run in the U.S. But since 1981, the Ford F-Series pickups have been the country's best-selling vehicle. The F-Series has been in production since 1948.
True or false: Subaru is known for making popular "boxer" engines in its cars.
True, Subaru's "boxer" engines have pistons that look like boxers pounding each other in the ring. That's because they have a horizontal configuration (as opposed to the common V-style engines).
True or false: The always-popular Honda Accord has been sold in a two-door version.
The Accord first hit the market in '76 as a hatchback. Since then, it's appeared in a variety of manifestations, including a coupe. In 2017, though, Honda decided to shelve these models for at least the time being.
True or false: The Toyota Tacoma is a popular sedan?
False, the Tacoma is a mid-size pickup truck that's been around since the mid-'90s. It's currently one of the most popular trucks in the U.S.A.
True or false: Chevy manufactures a popular truck called the Silverado.
It's an epic old Western movie, and it's a truck, too! And it just so happens that the Silverado really is a Chevy product. It's one of the more popular trucks in America.
True or false: The Toyota Corolla was first introduced in 1946.
In the wake of WWII, Japan wasn't manufacturing much of anything, and definitely not the Corolla. This popular car made its debut in 1966.
True or false, does the 2017 F-150 have an aluminum-alloy body?
True. In 2015, Ford began switching to an aluminum-alloy for the F-Series body. The idea is to cut down on weight while still retaining high strength.
True or false, is the Ford Escape a type of crossover SUV?
The crossover SUV market is still red hot, as evidenced by the popularity of vehicles like the Escape. The Escape was introduced back in 2000, when it was based largely on the same design as the Mazda Tribute.
True or false, does Lexus make a rugged vehicle model named after a famous, huge, arid area in Australia?
False, Lexus makes mostly city-centric vehicles. Subaru makes the Outback, which is named for the rugged, remote area in Australia. The Outback is renowned for its ability to tackle terrain that stops most street-legal wagons.
True or false, does the "CR-V" in Honda's lineup stand for "Confident Rugby Vehicle"?
Although we'd love to see you try to squeeze a rugby team into the CR-V, you might be better off with a bus. "CR-V" stands for "Comfortable Runabout Vehicle," and you know they threw the hyphen in there just to make it look fancier.
True or false, does the Toyota Tacoma TRD supercharger increase this truck's horsepower rating to more than 300hp?
The TRD program was discontinued in 2015. But Toyota buyers who snapped up Tacoma TRDs saw their horsepower jump from about 236hp to more than 300hp.
True or false: Based on new car registrations, the Nissan Rogue was the most popular in California in 2016.
The Honda Civic is fuel efficient, fun to drive … and it lasts forever. And if you add roof racks, you can throw your surfboard or mountain bike on top. It's always a hot seller in California.
True or false: Chevy offers a special DuraTec engine for some of its vehicle models.
False. Ford, however, does offer DuraTec engine technology in many of its vehicles. The name most commonly applies to 4-cylinder engines.
True or false: Does Land Rover manufacture a truck called the Sierra 1500?
The Sierra 1500 is a fabulously popular pickup truck in the States. But it's not made by Land Rover, which specializes in ultra-expensive rigs -- it's made instead by GMC.
True or false, is a CVT transmission available for the 2018 Honda Accord?
True. The 2018 Accord has three transmission flavors: 10-speed automatic, CVT or the 6-speed manual.
True or false: Chevy makes a popular SUV called the RAV4.
False. There is indeed an incredibly popular SUV called the RAV4. But it's made by Toyota, not Chevy.
True or false: Is the Ford SVT Raptor a high-performance sports car?
False, the SVT Raptor is a heavy-duty pickup made specifically for off-road use. The trucks include dedicated Off-Road Mode that optimizes braking and traction in hard driving conditions.
True or false: Is the Ford Model T one of the top ten best-selling cars of all time?
Staggeringly, it's true -- Ford sold so many Model Ts in the early 20th century that it is still the eighth best-selling car ever. The company sold roughly 16.5 million of the T.
True or false: Has the Honda CR-V ever been offered with a 6-cylinder engine?
The CR-V is yet another eternally popular Honda vehicle. But these little SUVs do just fine with 4-cylinder engines, thank you very much.
True or false: The VW Beetle was once the best-selling vehicle of all-time.
The VW Beetle was revolutionary in design and easy on the wallet. Built since 1938 -- to the tune of more than 23.5 million cars -- it was once the best-selling vehicle ever.
True or false: Ford offers a driver assist technology called EyeSight.
It's actually Subaru that offers EyeSight, which keeps tabs on the road in front of you. If an obstacle suddenly appears, the car will automatically apply the brakes.
True or false: Based on 2016 new vehicle registrations, the Ford F-150 was the most popular vehicle in most states.
The Ford F-150 tops new vehicle registrations in most areas, except coastal states. So when you need to move a couch, it should never be too hard to find help.
True or false: Did Adolf Hitler have a hand in the creation of the Volkswagen Beetle?
True, as he began his rise to power, Hitler envisioned a small, cost-efficient vehicle that would revolutionize German society and propel his people to the top of the food chain. The result: the Beetle.
True or false: In total sales, has Honda's Accord outsold the Honda Civic?
False, the Accord is always a hot seller. But the smaller Civic has bigger sales -- Honda has sold roughly 19 million of these reliable cars since 1972.
True or false: The Toyota Camry is the best-selling car ever.
False, the Camry is indeed a top seller, but it pales in comparison to the best-selling car of all time: Corolla. Toyota has sold more than 43 million of these babies.
True or false: Does the "SHO" in Ford's SHO V8 engine refer to "Super High Output"?
It's true, the SHO does stand for Super High Output, and it was first built for the 1996 Ford Taurus. The engine produced more than 235 horsepower but is no longer produced.
Of Nissan's models, was the Rogue the first to offer Siri Eyes Free, which helps drivers interact with their iPhones?
The Maxima might be further up the Nissan food chain. But the 2016 Rogue was the first Nissan model to offer Siri Eyes Free, which helps drivers use iPhones without being completely distracted from the road. Hopefully.
True or false: Following its 1966 debut, it took the Toyota Corolla less than a decade to take the title of world's best-selling car.
In about eight years, Corolla went from zero sales to the best-selling car on the planet. Why? It's affordable and extremely reliable.
True or false: Is the "Super Duty" name used for a type of Toyota vehicle?
False. "Super Duty" is a phrase associated with Ford F-Series pickups, notably the F-250 and F-350, which feature heavy-duty parts and powerful engines that outperform light-duty trucks.
True or false: The Dune version of the 2016 VW Beetle comes with optional four-wheel drive.
False, the Dune Beetle's "off-road" package simply has a (very) slightly raised suspension that adds half an inch to the car's ground clearance. There is no four-wheel drive capability.
True or False: Engine Edition
Answer These True/False Questions and We'll Guess What Your Job Is
Employment 5 Minute Quiz 5 Min
True or False: Trucks Edition
Are You a True Car Buff?
How Many 1950s Cars Can You Identify?
Test Your Knowledge of ’50s Cars!
Can You Name These Unpopular Cars From the '70s?
True or False: Manual and Automatic Transmissions Edition
Can You Pass This 1970s TV "True Or False" Quiz?
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9318
|
__label__wiki
| 0.826891
| 0.826891
|
RAISE Story
The RAISE Way
The RAISE Process
RAISE Directors
Local Care
RAISE Trips
History of Jamaica
RAISE Promo Videos
The history of Jamaica is a rich and vibrant one, which inspires us to move forward as a nation. Our history speaks to experiences of hardships and prosperity; and the growth and determination of a people. Jamaica’s history has been poetically composed by Howard Pyle, who states:
Jamaica, like many another of the West Indian Islands, is like a woman with a history. She has had her experiences and has lived her life rapidly. She has enjoyed a fever of prosperity founded upon those incalculable treasures poured into her lap by the old time buccaneer pirates. She has suffered earthquake, famine, pestilence, fire and death: and she has been the home of cruel merciless slavery, hardly second to that practiced by the Spaniards themselves. Other countries have taken centuries to grow from their primitive life through the flower and fruit of prosperity into the seed time of picturesque decrepitude. Jamaica has lived through it all in a few years.
– Howard Pyle, “Jamaica New and Old” in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, January 1890
Original Inhabitants
The original inhabitants of Jamaica are believed to be the Arawaks, also called Tainos. They came from South America 2,500 years ago and named the island Xaymaca, which meant ““land of wood and water”. The Arawaks were a mild and simple people by nature. Physically, they were light brown in color, short and well-shaped with coarse, black hair. Their faces were broad and their noses flat.
They grew cassava, sweet potatoes, maize (corn), fruits, vegetables, cotton and tobacco. Tobacco was grown on a large scale as smoking was their most popular pastime.
They built their villages all over the island but most of them settled on the coasts and near rivers as they fished to get food. Fish was also a major part of their diet.
The Arawaks led quiet and peaceful lives until they were destroyed by the Spaniards some years after Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1494.
The Discovery of Jamaica
On May 5, 1494 Christopher Columbus, the European explorer, who sailed west to get to the East Indies and came upon the region now called the West Indies, landed in Jamaica. This occurred on his second voyage to the West Indies. Columbus had heard about Jamaica, then called Xaymaca, from the Cubans who described it as “the land of blessed gold”. Columbus was soon to find out that there was no gold in Jamaica.
On arrival at St Ann’s Bay, Columbus found the Arawak Indians inhabiting the island. Initially, Columbus thought these Indians were hostile, as they attacked his men when they tried to land on the island. As he was determined to annex the island in the name of the king and queen of Spain, he was not deterred. Columbus also needed wood and water and a chance to repair his vessels. He sailed down the coast and docked at Discovery Bay. The Arawaks there were also hostile to the Spaniards. Their attitudes changed however, when they were attacked by a dog from one of the Spanish ships and Columbus’ cross-bow men. Some of the Arawaks were killed and wounded in this attack. Columbus was then able to land and claim the island.
The Spaniards, when they came, tortured and killed the Arawaks to get their land. They were so overworked and ill-treated that within a short time they had all died. The process was aided by the introduction of European diseases to which the Arawaks had little or no resistance.
The island remained poor under Spanish rule as few Spaniards settled here. Jamaica served mainly as a supply base: food, men, arms and horse were shipped here to help in conquering the American mainland.
Fifteen years later in 1509, after their first visit to the island, the first Spanish colonists came here under the Spanish governor Juan de Esquivel. They first settled in the St. Ann’s Bay area. The first town was called New Seville or Sevilla la Nueva.
Towns were little more than settlements. The only town that was developed was Spanish Town, the old capital of Jamaica, then called St. Jago de la Vega. It was the center of government and trade and had many churches and convents.
The little attention the colony received from Spain soon led to a major reason for internal strife. This contributed to the weakening of the colony in the last years of Spanish occupation. The governors were not getting proper support from home and quarrels with church authorities undermined their control. Frequent attacks by pirates also contributed to the colony’s woes.
The English Attack
On May 10, 1655, Admiral William Penn and General Robert Venables led a successful attack on Jamaica. The Spaniards surrendered to the English, freed their slaves and then fled to Cuba. It was this set of freed slaves and their descendants who became known as the Maroons.
The early period of English settlement in Jamaica, drew much attention to the buccaneers based at Port Royal. Buccaneering had begun on the islands of Tortuga and Hispaniola. They were a wild, rough and ruthless set of sea rovers. They took their loot of gold, silver and jewels to Port Royal.
Port Royal prior to this time was an insignificant town in Jamaica. Under the buccaneers’ leadership the town, within a decade and a half, grew to become known as one of the “wealthiest and wickedest city in the world”.
The greatest buccaneer captain of all was Henry Morgan. He started out as a pirate and later became a privateer. Morgan mercilessly raided Spanish fleet and colonies. He kept the Spaniards busy defending their coasts that they had little time to attack Jamaica. Morgan was knighted by king Charles II of England and was appointed Lieutenant governor of Jamaica in 1673. Morgan died in 1688.
A violent earthquake destroyed Port Royal on June 7, 1692. The survivors of the earthquake who re-settled in Kingston abandoned the Port. Port Royal became an important naval base in the eighteenth century.
The Slave Trade
The English settlers concerned themselves with growing crops that could easily be sold in England. Tobacco, indigo and cocoa soon gave way to sugar which became the main crop for the island.
The sugar industry grew so rapidly that the 57 sugar estates in the island in 1673 grew to nearly 430 by 1739.
Enslaved Africans filled the large labor force required for the industry. The colonists were impressed with the performance and endurance of the Africans, as well as the fact that African labour was cheaper and more promising. They continued to ship Africans to the West Indies to be sold to planters who forced them to work on sugar plantations.
The slave trade became a popular and profitable venture for the colonists. In fact the transportation of slaves became such a regular affair that the journey from Africa to the West Indies became known as the ‘Middle Passage’. The voyage was so named because the journey of a British slaver was 3-sided, starting from England with trade goods, to Africa where these were exchanged for slaves. Afterwards, the journey continued to the West Indies where the slaves were landed and sugar, rum and molasses taken aboard for the final leg of the journey back to England.
The slaves, however, were unhappy with their status, so they rebelled whenever they could. Many of them were successful in running away from the plantations and joining the Maroons in the almost inaccessible mountains.
Several slave rebellions stand out in Jamaica’s history for example, the Easter Rebellion of 1760 led by Tacky; and the Christmas Rebellion of 1831 which began on the Kensington Estate in St. James, led by Sam Sharpe. He has since been named a National Hero.
The Maroons also had several wars against the English. In 1739 and 1740 after two major Maroon Wars, treaties were signed with the British. In the treaty of 1740, they were given land and rights as free men. In return they were to stop fighting and help to recapture run-away slaves. This treaty resulted in a rift among the Maroons as they did not all agree that they should return run-away slaves to the plantations.
The frequent slave rebellions in the Caribbean was one factor that led to the abolition of the slave trade and slavery. Other factors included the work of humanitarians who were concerned about the slaves’ well-being. Humanitarian groups such as the Quakers publicly protested against slavery and the slave trade. They formed an anti slavery committee which was joined by supporters such as Granville Sharp, James Ramsay, Thomas Clarkson and later on, William Wilberforce.
On January 1, 1808 the Abolition Bill was passed. Trading in African slaves was declared to be “utterly abolished, prohibited and declared to be unlawful”. Emancipation and apprenticeship came into effect in 1834 and full freedom was granted in 1838.
The immediate post slavery days were very difficult for the poorer classes. Though most of the English planters had left the islands and new owners were running the plantations, the old oligarchic system still remained. The will of the masses was not deemed important and hence ignored. To add fuel to the already burning flame, the American Civil War resulted in supplies being cut off from the island. A severe drought was also in progress and most crops were ruined.
In October 1865, an uprising in St. Thomas, called the Morant Bay Rebellion, was led by Paul Bogle. Bogle and his men stormed the Morant Bay Courthouse while it was in session. A number of white people was killed including the custos of the parish. The rebellion was put down by the Governor, Edward John Eyre. More than 430 people were executed or shot, hundreds more flogged and 1,000 dwellings destroyed.
Paul Bogle and George William Gordon, now National Heroes, were hanged. George Gordon was a prominent colored legislator who was sympathetic to the problems of the poor people and was blamed for the trouble caused by the masses.
Eyre was subsequently recalled to England but not before exchanging the ancient Constitution for the Crown Colony system. The succeeding years saw the island’s recovery and development – social, constitutional and economic, and its evolution into a sovereign state.
Education, health, and social services were greatly improved. A proper island-wide savings back system was organised. Roads, bridges and railways (railways became government owned in 1845) were built and cable communication with Europe established (1859). The island’s capital was moved from Spanish Town to Kingston (1872).
The 1930s saw Jamaica heading towards another crisis. The contributing factors were discontent at the slow pace of political advance. For example, the distress caused by a world-wide economic depression, the ruin of the banana industry by the Panama industry Disease, falling sugar prices, growing unemployment aggravated by the curtailment of migration opportunities and a steeply rising population growth rate. In 1938 things came to a head with widespread violence and rioting.
Out of these disturbances came the formation of the first labor unions and the formation of the two major political parties.
These were the Bustamante industrial Trade Union (BITU) named after the founder, Sir Alexander Bustamante. He was also the founder and leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), the political party affiliated with the BITU. Norman Manley was the founder of the National Workers’ union and the political party the People’s National Party (PNP).
Both Sir Alexander Bustamante and Norman Manley were instrumental in Jamaica’s move towards self-government. The first general elections under Universal Adult Suffrage was held in December 1944.
In 1958, Jamaica and ten (10) other Caribbean countries formed the Federation of the West Indies. The concept of Caribbean unity was soon abandoned in 1961 when Jamaicans voted against the Federation of the West Indies.
On August 6, 1962, Jamaica was granted its independence from England. Jamaica now has its own constitution which sets out the laws by which the people are governed. The constitution provides for the freedom, equality and justice for all who dwell in the country.
The Jamaican Constitution
The Jamaica Constitution 1962 is the most fundamental legal document in the country, guaranteeing the freedom, rights and privileges of every Jamaican citizen. The Constitution reflects the country’s independence as a nation state and, to this day, remains the cornerstone of the island’s legal systems and institutions.
The Constitution took effect on August 6,1962 when Jamaica gained political independence from Britain, after more than 300 years of British colonial rule. While being the first constitution for the politically independent nation, it was not the first legal framework for the island…Read More
RAISE International
274 E. Eau Gallie Blvd. #337Indian Harbour Beach, FL 32937email: info@raise.internationalPhone: 888.511.0118
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9319
|
__label__wiki
| 0.85163
| 0.85163
|
Geoff Collins
Year At Tech 1st
Alma Mater Western Carolina, 1994
Geoff Collins was named the 20th head coach in Georgia Tech football history on Dec. 7, 2018. He is widely regarded as one of college football’s top young coaches and recruiters.
A metro-Atlanta native, Collins came to Georgia Tech after recording 15 wins in two seasons as head coach at Temple. He returns to The Flats after having previously served as a graduate assistant, tight ends coach and director of player personnel at Tech.
Prior to becoming head coach at Temple, Collins was one of the nation’s most respected defensive coordinators, serving in the role at Florida, Mississippi State, FIU and his alma mater, Western Carolina. He is the only coach to ever be nominated for the Broyles Award, given to college football’s top assistant coach, at three different schools.
Collins played outside linebacker and defensive back at Western Carolina. He is married to the former Jennifer Haynes and they have a daughter, Astrid (2).
THE GEOFF COLLINS FILE
Hometown Conyers, Ga.
Family Wife: Jennifer;
Daughter: Astrid
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
1989-92 Western Carolina (OLB/DB)
COACHING EXPERIENCE
1993-94 Western Carolina Student Assistant
1995 Franklin (N.C.) H.S. Assistant Coach
1996 Fordham Linebackers
1997-98 Albright Defensive Coordinator
1999-2000 Georgia Tech Graduate Assistant
2001 Georgia Tech Tight Ends
2002-05 Western Carolina Defensive Coordinator
2006 Georgia Tech Recruiting Coordinator
2007 Alabama Director of Player Personnel
2008-09 UCF Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator
2010 Florida International Defensive Coordinator
2011-12 Mississippi State Co-Defensive Coordinator
2013-14 Mississippi State Defensive Coordinator
2015-16 Florida Defensive Coordinator
2017-18 Temple Head Coach
2019- Georgia Tech Head Coach
Geoff Collins, an Atlanta area native and a former Georgia Tech football staff member who led Temple to two bowl games in two seasons as the Owls’ head coach, was named the 20th football head coach in Georgia Tech history on Dec. 7, 2018.
Collins compiled a 15-10 record in his two seasons at Temple, including an 8-4 record and 7-1 mark in the American Athletic Conference in 2018, when the Owls’ only conference loss came at No. 8-ranked and undefeated UCF. His 15 victories at Temple are the most ever by a head coach in his first two seasons at the school.
In his first season at TU, Collins’ Owls won the 2017 Gasparilla Bowl with a 28-3 victory over Florida International, good for Temple’s first bowl win since 2011. In 2018, the Owls earned a berth in the Independence Bowl.
Prior to becoming head coach at Temple, Collins was one of the nation’s most respected defensive coordinators, serving in the role at Florida (2015-16), Mississippi State (2013-14, co-DC: 2011-12), FIU (2010) and his alma mater, Western Carolina (2002-05). He is the only coach to ever be nominated for the Broyles Award, given to college football’s top assistant coach, at three different schools (FIU – 2010, Mississippi State – 2014 and Florida – 2015).
Collins’ 26-year career also includes a pair of stints at Georgia Tech, as a graduate assistant (1999-2000), then tight ends coach (2001) under head coach George O’Leary from 1999-2001 and as recruiting coordinator under head coach Chan Gailey in 2006. During his first three-season stint as a G.A. at Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets were 25-12 with three-consecutive bowl appearances. As the Jackets’ recruiting coordinator in 2006, he led the efforts to land a recruiting class that included Derrick Morgan (all-American, first-round NFL Draft pick), Morgan Burnett (all-American, third-round NFL Draft pick), Joshua Nesbitt (quarterbacked GT to two ACC Championship Games) and Jonathan Dwyer (the sixth-leading rusher in GT history).
Collins’ coaching career also includes stops at Western Carolina (student assistant – 1993-94), Franklin (N.C.) H.S. (assistant coach – 1995), Fordham (linebackers coach – 1996), Albright (defensive coordinator – 1997-98), Alabama (director of player personnel – 2007) and UCF (linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator – 2007).
In addition to helping Georgia Tech land the highest-rated recruiting class in program history in 2006-07, he helped Alabama sign the No. 1 class in the nation in 2007-08. Alabama’s 2008 signing class included running back Mark Ingram, who went on to become the first Heisman Trophy winner in Crimson Tide history in 2009.
As a student-athlete, Collins totaled 194 career tackles as an outside linebacker and defensive back at Western Carolina (1989-92). He had 68 tackles and six tackles for loss as a junior and helped lead WCU to a 7-4 record with 62 stops, including five behind the line of scrimmage, as a senior.
Originally from Conyers, Ga. in the Atlanta metro area, Collins, 47, is married to the former Jennifer Haynes. They have a daughter, Astrid (2).
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT GEOFF COLLINS
“I am really happy for Geoff and his entire family. When you look at a guy like Geoff and the energy that he brings, the excitement he brings to the sidelines, the juice he has on a daily basis, he will do a great job. I think he will do an amazing job and I think it’s a great hire for Georgia Tech.”
– Dan Mullen, Head Coach, University of Florida
“I’m thrilled for Coach Collins to get this opportunity at Georgia Tech. I learned a lot playing under him at the University of Florida as he helped mold us into one of the top defensive units in the country. It will be good to have him in Atlanta and I know he’ll put together a strong program.”
– Brian Poole, Cornerback, Atlanta Falcons
“Congratulations to Georgia Tech on a great hire! Geoff Collins is not only an innovative mind but he relates to today’s players as well as any coach in the country. With the recruiting base around Atlanta and the incredible academics that Georgia Tech has to offer, the Jackets are poised to build on their football tradition with Coach Collins at the helm!”
– Kirk Herbstreit, College Football Analyst, ESPN
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9320
|
__label__cc
| 0.525643
| 0.474357
|
Theoretical Approaches to Multi-Cultural Positive Psychological Interventions
Theoretical Approaches to Multi-Cultural Positive Psychological Interventions pp 523-544 | Cite as
Brief Positive Psychological Interventions Within Multi-cultural Organizational Contexts: A Systematic Literature Review
Lara Christina Roll
Llewellyn Ellardus Van Zyl
Yannick Griep
Applications of brief positive psychology interventions (BPPI) within organisational contexts have soared within the last decade; yet academic literature on its effectiveness is limited. However, critics have raised concerns about the applicability, replicability and generalizability of those BPPIs published within academic literature; especially when applied within multi-cultural contexts. Given the ever-increasing diversity of the workforce due to factors such as globalization, migration and immigration, it is imperative to consider cultural context to design effective and meaningful BPPIs. While present literature addresses specific BPPIs in clinical samples and monocultural contexts, limited research exists with respect to the design of BPPIs applicable to multi-cultural organisational contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to provide a systematic literature review on multi-cultural BPPIs within organisational contexts and to present an overview of advances to date. We conducted a systematic literature review in Medline and PsycINFO using a comprehensive list of relevant search terms (2000–2018) to identify studies on multi-cultural BPPIs within organisational contexts. Findings provide support for the short-term effectiveness of various types of BPPIs in multi-cultural organisational contexts, however, the statistical power and long-term effects of these studies are questionable. Specifically, it seems that workplace mindfulness-based training, (web-based and multi-modal) stress management, and acceptance and commitment therapy mitigate consequences like stress and burnout, though more evidence is needed to support that BBPIs actively promote positive psychological outcomes. This chapter presents an overview of advances made to-date and aims to encourage researchers to consider multi-cultural aspects when developing BPPI interventions.
Brief positive psychological interventions Multi-cultural contexts Intervention research Systematic literature review
Barbaranelli, C., Petitta, L., & Probst, T. M. (2015). Does safety climate predict safety performance in Italy and the USA? Cross-cultural validation of a theoretical model of safety climate. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 77, 35–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bergsma, A. (2008). Do self-help books help? Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(3), 341–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bolier, L., Haverman, M., Westerhof, G. J., Riper, H., Smit, F., & Bohlmeijer, E. (2013). Positive psychology interventions: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. BMC Public Health, 13, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christensen, H., Griffiths, K. M., & Farrer, L. (2009). Adherence in internet interventions for anxiety and depression: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 11(2), e13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuijpers, P., Donker, T., van Straten, A., Li, J., & Andersson, G. (2010). Is guided self-help as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy for depression and anxiety disorders? A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative outcome studies. Psychological Medicine, 40(12), 1943–1957.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dickerson, K., Scherer, R., & Lefebvre, C. (1995). Identifying relevant studies for systematic reviews. In I. Chalmers & D. Altman (Eds.), Systematic reviews (pp. 17–36). London: BMJ Publishing.Google Scholar
Earley, P. C., Gibson, C. B., & Chen, C. C. (1999). “How did I do?” versus “How did we do?” Cultural contrasts of performance feedback use and self-efficacy. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 30(5), 594–619.Google Scholar
Eisen, K. P., Allen, G. J., Bollash, M., & Pescatello, L. S. (2008). Stress management in the workplace: A comparison of a computer-based and an in-person stress-management intervention. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(2), 486–496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1972). Hand movements. Journal of Communication, 22(4), 353–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, E., Foulk, T., & Bono, J. (2018). Building personal resources through interventions: An integrative review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(2), 214–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gelfand, M. J., Aycan, Z., Erez, M., & Leung, K. (2017). Cross-cultural industrial organizational psychology and organizational behavior: A hundred-year journey. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harvey, J., Bolino, M. C., & Kelemen, T. K. (2018). Organizational citizenship behavior in the 21st century: How might going the extra mile look different at the start of the new millennium?. In M. R. Buckley, A. R. Wheeler, & J. R. B. Halbesleben (Eds.), Research in personnel and human resources management (Vol. 36, pp. 51–110). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group.Google Scholar
Haynes, E., Kramer, D. M., Strahlendorf, P., Holness, D. L., Kushner, R., & Tenkate, T. (2018). A cross-Canada knowledge transfer and exchange workplace intervention targeting the adoption of sun safety programs and practices: Sun Safety at Work Canada. Safety Science, 102, 238–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heine, S. H., Lehman, D. R., Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1999). Is there a universal need for positive self-regard. Psychological Review, 106, 766–767.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hersch, R. K., Cook, R. F., Deitz, D. K., Kaplan, S., Hughes, D., Friesen, M. A., et al. (2016). Reducing nurses’ stress: A randomized controlled trial of a web-based stress management program for nurses. Applied Nursing Research, 32, 18–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, K., & Wang, K. Y. (2011). How is guanxi related to social capital? A psychological perspective. Journal of Social Sciences, 7, 120–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ivandić, I. (2018). Mental health and well-being in the workplace (Doctoral thesis). Retrieved from https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/22639/1/Ivandic_Ivana.pdf.
Ivandic, I., Freeman, A., Birner, U., Nowak, D., & Sabariego, C. (2017). A systematic review of brief mental health and well-being interventions in organizational settings. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 43(2), 99–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jennings, P. A., Frank, J. L., Snowberg, K. E., Coccia, M. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2013). Improving classroom learning environments by Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE): Results of a randomized controlled trial. School Psychology Quarterly, 28(4), 374–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kemper, K. J. (2017). Brief online mindfulness training: Immediate impact. Journal of Evidence-based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 22(1), 75–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kitayama, S., Markus, H. R., & Kurokawa, M. (2000). Culture, emotion, and well-being: Good feelings in Japan and the United States. Cognition and Emotion, 14, 93–124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koncz, R., Wolfenden, F., Hassed, C., Chambers, R., Cohen, J., & Glozier, N. (2016). Mindfulness-based stress release program for university employees: A pilot, waitlist-controlled trial and implementation replication. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 58(10), 1021–1027.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kupperbusch, C., Matsumoto, D., Kooken, K., Loewinger, S., Uchida, H., Wilson-Cohn, C., et al. (1999). Cultural influences on nonverbal expressions of emotion. The Social Context of Nonverbal Behavior, 17–44.Google Scholar
Mackenzie, C. S., Poulin, P. A., & Seidman-Carlson, R. (2006). A brief mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention for nurses and nurse aides. Applied Nursing Research, 19(2), 105–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mesquita, B., & Karasawa, M. (2002). Different emotional lives. Cognition and Emotion, 16, 127–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyers, M. C., van Woerkom, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2013). The added value of the positive: A literature review of positive psychology interventions in organizations. European Journal of Work and Organisational Psychology, 22(5), 618–632.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 151(4), 264–269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (UK). Drug misuse: Psychosocial interventions. Leicester (UK): British Psychological Society; 2008. (NICE Clinical Guidelines, No. 51.) Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53227/.
NICE. The guidelines manual. Process and methods guides; 2012. http://publications.nice.org.uk/pmg6/.
Norem, J. K., & Chang, E. C. (2002). The positive psychology of negative thinking. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(9), 993–1001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
OECD. (2015). Fit mind, fit job: From evidence to practice in mental health and work. Paris: OECD Publishing.Google Scholar
Paul-Ebhohimhen, V., & Avenell, A. (2009). A systematic review of the effectiveness of group versus individual treatments for adult obesity. Obesity Facts, 2(1), 17–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rothmann, S. (2013). From happiness to flourishing at work: A Southern African perspective. In Well-being research in South Africa (pp. 123–151). Dordrecht: Springer.Google Scholar
Sanchez-Burks, J., Lee, F., Choi, I., Nisbett, R., Zhao, S., & Koo, J. (2003). Conversing across cultures: East-West communication styles in work and nonwork contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), 363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schimmack, U., Oishi, S., & Diener, E. (2002). Cultural influences on the relation between pleasant emotions and unpleasant emotions: Asian dialectic philosophies or individualism-collectivism? Cognition and Emotion, 16, 705–719.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., Drossaert, C. H., Pieterse, M. E., Boon, B., Walburg, J. A., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2017). An early intervention to promote well-being and flourishing and reduce anxiety and depression: A randomized controlled trial. Internet Interventions, 9, 15–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schueller, S. M. (2010). Preferences for positive psychology exercises. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(3), 192–203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schueller, S. M. (2011). To each his own well-being boosting intervention: Using preference to guide selection. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(4), 300–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schueller, S. M. (2014). Person-activity fit in positive psychological interventions. In A. C. Parks & S. M. Schueller (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell handbook of positive psychological interventions (pp. 385–399). Chichester, UK: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seligman, M. E. (2012). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Simon and Schuster.Google Scholar
Shankland, R., & Rosset, E. (2017). Review of brief school-based positive psychological interventions: A taster for teachers and educators. Educational Psychology Review, 29(2), 363–392.Google Scholar
Sin, N. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Enhancing well-being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: A practice-friendly meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65(5), 467–487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spencer-Rodgers, J., Williams, M. J., & Peng, K. (2010). Cultural differences in expectations of change and tolerance for contradiction: A decade of empirical research. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14, 296–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stafford-Brown, J., & Pakenham, K. I. (2012). The effectiveness of an ACT informed intervention for managing stress and improving therapist qualities in clinical psychology trainees. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(6), 592–613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stander, E., & Van Zyl, L. E. (In Press). The Talent Development Centre (TDC) as an integrated leadership development and succession planning tool. In L. E. van Zyl & S. Rothmann (Eds.), Positive psychological intervention design and protocols for multi-cultural contexts. New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
Taris, T. W., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2015). Individual well-being and performance at work: A conceptual and theoretical overview. In M. van Veldhoven & R. Peccei (Eds.), Well-being and performance at work: The role of context (pp. 24–43).London: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Tran, T. T. Q., Admiraal, W. F., & Saab, N. (2017). Cultural distance in the workplace: Differences in work-related attitudes between Vietnamese employees and Western employers. International Journal of Business and Management, 12, 91–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uchida, Y., & Kitayama, S. (2009). Happiness and unhappiness in east and west: Themes and variations. Emotion, 9, 441–456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uchida, Y., Norasakkunkit, V., & Kitayama, S. (2004). Cultural constructions of happiness: Theory and empirical evidence. Journal of Happiness Studies, 5, 223–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Zyl, L. E., Efendic, E., Rothmann, S., & Shankland, R. (In Press). Best practice guidelines for positive psychological intervention experimental designs. In L. E. van Zyl & S. Rothmann (Eds.), Theoretical approaches to multi-cultural positive psychological interventions. New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
van Zyl, L. E., Motschnig-Pitrik, R., & Stander, M. W. (2016). Exploring positive psychology and person-centred psychology in multi-cultural coaching. In Coaching psychology: Meta-theoretical perspectives and applications in multicultural contexts (pp. 315–355). Cham: Springer.Google Scholar
Van Zyl, L. E., & Rothmann, S. (2014). Towards happiness interventions: Construct clarification and intervention methodologies. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 24(4), 327–341.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Zyl, L. E. & Stander, M. W. (2013). A strengths-based approach towards coaching in a multicultural environment. In J. White, R. Motchingm & M. Lux (Eds.), Theory and practice of the person-centred approach—Interconnections beyond psychotherapy (pp. 245–257). New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
Ward, D. S., Vaughn, A. E., Hales, D., Viera, A. J., Gizlice, Z., Bateman, L. A. … & Linnan, L. A. (2018). Workplace health and safety intervention for child care staff: Rationale, design, and baseline results from the CARE cluster randomized control trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 68, 116–126.Google Scholar
Winkelman, M. (2005). Cultural awareness, sensitivity, & competence. Peosta, IA: Eddie Bowers Publishing Co., Inc.Google Scholar
Wong, P. T. P., & Roy, S. (2017). Critique of positive psychology and positive interventions. In N. J. L. Brown, T. Lomas, & F. J. Eiroa-Orosa (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of critical positive psychology. London, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Zaira, M. M., & Hadikusumo, B. H. (2017). Structural equation model of integrated safety intervention practices affecting the safety behaviour of workers in the construction industry. Safety Science, 98, 124–135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
1.Optentia Research Focus AreaNorth-West UniversityVanderbijlparkSouth Africa
2.Eindhoven University of TechnologyEindhovenThe Netherlands
3.Department of PsychologyUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryCanada
4.Stress Research CentreStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
Roll L.C., Van Zyl L.E., Griep Y. (2019) Brief Positive Psychological Interventions Within Multi-cultural Organizational Contexts: A Systematic Literature Review. In: Van Zyl L., Rothmann Sr. S. (eds) Theoretical Approaches to Multi-Cultural Positive Psychological Interventions. Springer, Cham
eBook Packages Behavioral Science and Psychology
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9322
|
__label__cc
| 0.73485
| 0.26515
|
All posts tagged grow
Apparently, I am a conspiracy theorist.
At least, that’s what I’ve been called when trying to inform friends, family, acquaintances, and just about anybody who believes that it can’t happen here that we as American citizens are in serious trouble.
What does this phrase mean anyway? And why does it have such negative connotations?
“At this point it seems that anyone who chooses to educate themselves outside of the established system of education ends up a conspiracy theorist.” –from the book ‘Human?’
Conspiracy – According to Dictionary.com the word conspiracy is defined as:
An agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful, or subversive act.
A group of conspirators.
An agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action. This is the ‘law version’.
A joining or acting together, as if by sinister design: a conspiracy of wind and tide that devastated coastal areas.
Theory – (Again from Dictionary.com):
A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.
“Diet, injections, and injunctions will combine from a very early age, to produce the sort of character and the sort of beliefs that the authorities consider desirable. And any serious criticism of the powers that be will become psychologically impossible.” -Bertrand Russell
First, lets talk about the word theory. Without theories, there would be no presumptions of guilt and therefore, no court cases. In medicine, there would be no need for experiments and likely no cure for disease. We’d still be wondering why we don’t just float away from the Earth, since no theory of gravity would have ever been tested, let alone suggested in the first place. There would be no science, and no scientific method without theory. The Earth would still be perceived as flat. And… I suppose there would be no humans around if it were never so sensually theorized that a man and woman are different for a reason. Conspiracies would go unchecked, and Kings would rule the land.
What I can’t understand is that the stuff I talk about usually comes accompanied with documented evidence, visual proof, official government documents or quotes, historical record, or just downright indisputable fact. I can’t quite figure out the average American’s general aversion to reality. And I’ve never understood how an individual belief in institutions like the mainstream media and religion could trump reality, evidence, and downright truth. How can television make the average person believe evil is in fact good.
“We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order.” -David Rockefeller
“… we are in process of developing a whole series of the techniques which will enable the controlling oligarchy who have always existed, and presumably always will exist, to get people actually to love their servitude. People can be made to enjoy a state of affairs, which by any decent standard, they ought not to enjoy.” -Aldous Huxley – March 20, 1962 – in a speech about his book: ‘Brave New World’
While 9/11 is the mother of all conspiracies, I’d like to focus on the bills (conspiracies) that are now becoming law. These are the ones that are now in Congress and the Senate. Some have passed. Some sit in committee, and some are just drafts awaiting sponsors. All of them turn conspiracy theory into fact. In some ways this is a relief to people like me. I no longer have to prove myself. And you who doubted before can no longer call me a conspiracy theorist. And unfortunately, we crazy people can finally say we told you so…
H.R. 645 – National Emergency Centers Establishment Act:
This is a bill that establishes no less than two F.E.M.A. prison camps for civilians in each of the six F.E.M.A. zones in the United States on abandoned or active military bases and to be at full ready operation status at all times, with a second half on standby. One purpose of these camps would be as stated in section 2(b) – (4) to meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security. This should disturb you.
Incidentally, a recent Army job posting on the Army’s GoArmy.com website is seeking applications for “Internment/Resettlement Specialist”. Some of the job descriptions are as follows:
…Responsible for day-to-day operations in a military confinement/ correctional facility or detention/internment facility.
Provide command and control, staff planning, administration/logistical services, and custody/control for the operation of an Enemy Prisoner of War/Civilian Internee (EPW/CI) camp
Provide command and control, staff planning, administration/logistical services, and custody/control for the operation of detention facility or the operation of a displaced civilian (DC) resettlement facility
Look for yourself, here. (http://www.goarmy.com/JobDetail.do?id=292)
S. 787 – Clean Water Restoration Act:
Don’t let the name fool you. This bill would put all water in the United States into the hands of the Federal government. Rivers, puddles, wells, raindrops, and probably tears. Here is the nightmarishly tyrannical statement in section 4 of the bill:
(3) DEFINITION OF WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES. (25) WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES- The term ‘waters of the United States’ means all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting these waters, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution.’
Also, in section 5 – (1) by striking ‘navigable waters of the United States’ each place it appears and inserting ‘waters of the United States’.
In other words, navigable waters now include puddles and underground aquifers, meaning you have no rights to the water on your land, or to the rain that happens to fall in a “pothole” on your land, or even into a bucket on your front porch.
H.R. 146: Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009:
This bill passed both Congress and Senate in March 2009, and was signed by president Obama on March 30, 2009. This act is actually a bundle of 164 differently sponsored bills, some having nothing to do with “land management”. It authorizes President Obama to ‘evacuate’ by use of the law of eminent domain all American citizens from what are now being called United Nations Biosphere Reserves and Corridors by ‘no later than’ April, 2011. This depopulation of “wilderness areas” is not for the purposes of conservation as it sounds, but is in reality a massive land grab by this rouge government of more than 2 million square acres over 9 of our United States.
To understand more about this, look into a conspiratorial plan called Agenda 21, which was hatched up in the United Nations in the early 90’s here –
(http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=52)
(http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/la21_198.html)
The interesting thing about bills like this is that they can be amended, changed, added to, and completely rewritten by future bills and similar acts. These amendments can appear in any future bill as an added on paragraph or two changing one or two words or phrases. (i.e. “navigable waters of the United States” has now been changed to just “waters of the United States” in the above S. 787) These tiny semantic changes completely evolve these innocent looking bills into nightmarish, tyrannical, and unconstitutional directives that become law. This bill is no different, as it gives the federal government the ability to create environmental conditions and threats as an excuse to grab or “acquire” any land it wishes under false pretenses. Check to see whom the founders of your favorite environmental group, charity, or cause are. Chances are it’s someone very rich, very devious, very connected, and very much a believer in eugenics and population reduction policies.
H.R. 875: Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009
This bill establishes a “Food Saftey Administration”, a “Food Safety Administrator”, and will transfer all powers of the FDA to this new administration. Nothing about this is what it seems. In fact, this bills language with regards to fines, legal actions, contaminants, and food “safety” would have consequences that can barely be put into words. Not only would it give the federal government the power to put any farmer or rancher out of business at the stroke of a pen through fines, food detention, seizure, and condemnation, but it would also make it essentially illegal to sell your own homegrown food to neighbors or at farmers markets.
Translation: no more organic farmer’s markets. They would be outlawed.
It would require farms to use “federally approved” pesticides and GMO seeds, and would require ranches to use “federally approved” chemicals, anti-biotics, and growth hormones in their milk producing and meat growing livestock. Monsanto has big stakes in this bill. If the farms and ranches don’t comply, declared contaminated (with wholesome food), they would be quarantined, and be forced to pay fines until they closed down.
Translation: no more organic meat, fruits, or vegetables.
There are many more aspects to this bill that boggle the mind, but most important in my opinion is the presidential signing statement, which states:
SEC. 501. REORGANIZATION PLAN. Sub-section (c) – Modification of Plan- The President may, on the basis of consultations with the appropriate congressional committees, modify or revise any part of the plan until that part of the plan becomes effective in accordance with subsection (d).
Translation: The president may change this bill in any way he sees fit after it is voted on and approved. He would conspire with congressional committees (consultations with the appropriate congressional committees – meaning corporate sponsors and contributors who lobby their legislature) to make the policies best suit the corporations of big agriculture and big pharmaceuticals and ensure complete control of the food industry.
*** This one sentence alone is enough to burn this bill where it sits. If you don’t understand why, this is another way of looking at it:
Translation #2: This bill in its present form can be completely re-written by the president before it’s implementation… Why not just do away with the legislature and have a king?
Many other versions of this bill have been pushed through to committee since this one was introduced and so many activist groups opposed it. Different number, same B.S. As stated before, if one bill passes… all of the things we fought against will just be slowly added on in the future, in the form of amendments attached to other non-related bills. This is the game we must play, and against all odds… win.
There are more of these… Many more. The Mothers Act, The Cyber-securty Act (thought crimes bill), The Hate Crimes Bill, Cap and Trade, Health Care Reform, and on and on and on…
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
So, am I a conspiracy theorist?
Well, if by this disrespectful insult (which was no doubt placed ever so delicately into your brain through mass media brainwashing) you mean that I know – not believe – but know these men and women of the Senate and Congress, the executive branch and its multitude of unelected appointees, the corporations and bankers which fund their campaigns, and the media which distorts the truth, misleads the public, and outright lies to you… I know they are conspiring to set up a police state, a tyrannical world government through the U.N, a complete corruption of the Constitution, and a total Homeland Security biometric control grid, simply because I can read these bills, legislation and countless declassified documents on the official government websites.
If this is the definition of a conspiracy theorist than I am guilty. But believe me, the conspiracy is no theory.
I do have one theory though, and perhaps you can relate my little sheep…
I believe that while this type of legislation is being passed under everyone’s nose, taking away the rights and freedoms of everyone in this country, the majority of the dumbed down citizens out there will pay a fee to phone in and vote for their favorite American Idol, while the legislative phone lines remain silent.
“And Caesar’s Rome began proposing how many children anyone may have under their disguise of “Responsibilty.” for the Environment. They used words like “Carbon Footprint.” All a part of their Freemason globalist agenda for a New World Order that was just more of the Same Old Same Old of their Freemason Pyramid world where they at the top of the Dictatorial Pyramid dictated down through the Pyramid the rules to everyone even though they seldom followed their own rules.” –Unknown author.
Posted in congress, conspiracy, depopulation, eugenics, Food Shortage, Globalism, legislature, new world order, politics, senate, society, sovereigncy, united nations, united states, War on Terror
Tagged 9-11, 911, agenda 21, air force, army, bill of rights, congress, conservation, conspiracy, conspiracy theory, constitution, corrupt, crisis, depopulation, economy, eminent domain, farm, farmer, farmers market, fema, food, food riot, food safety, Food Shortage, government, grow, land management, law, legal, legislature, monsanto, navy, new world order, obama, oil, omnibus, organic, protest, ranch, rights, seed, senate, storable food, terror, terrorist, vegetable, vote, war, War on Terror, water
https://realitybloger.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/apparently-i-am-a-conspiracy-theorist/
How Congress Created Californias’ Dust Bowl
I’ve driven the almost 400 mile stretch of Interstate 5 from L.A. to Sacramento dozens of times. Quite honestly, it’s as boring as it gets… with only the usual gas stations, mini-marts, fast-food, home-cookin’ restaurants, and strangely enough a newer batch of Starbuck’s Coffee shops sprouting up everywhere, yet in the middle of nowhere. In between… farms, orchards, cattle, and dirt.
On July 15th, as I began my trip to Sacramento, I came off the Grapevine decline and hit the flat 250 or so mile stretch of interstate which begins the farming belt in the valley – the bread basket of America. Almost immediately I noticed what I had only heard about on the radio and in the papers, and had dismissed. Where once there were vast fields of green, now there where empty, barely recognizable rows of un-planted dirt and growing weeds: only sporadically at first, but once I passed Bakersfield and for about a 200 mile stretch going north, I could not believe my eyes. Field after field lay fallow: yet not really fallow, but unattended and full of weeds… as if they were not going to be planted in the near future either.
Signs were staked in the ground on almost every patch of barren farmland, quite visible to passing traffic. These were but small, silent protests by these silenced farmers. The most common one, which was yellow and obviously a group effort to wake up the sleeping travelers of their future plight, read:
“CONGRESS CREATED DUST BOWL”
Others, which looked more homemade, were staked and also posted on non-operational farm equipment parked as close to the freeway as possible, stated things like:
“FOOD ONLY GROWS WHERE WATER FLOWS” -and-
“NO WATER = NO JOBS = NO FUTURE”
At one point, after 100 miles or so of seeing this horror, I broke down in tears and had to pull over to the side of the road. I saw the aqueduct – which followed Interstate 5 most of the way on its desolate path through central California – and the large fields of dead trees which were planted just a few feet from the flowing cement river. I imagined how those trees would feel, imprisoned in the dying dirt by their own roots, if they could indeed comprehend that their source of life was just a seeds throw away. It was like some horrific storybook come to life: science fiction in real time. I was thinking of the farmers and their families and wondering what would become of them and their land. I was thinking about the consequences of hundreds of miles, perhaps millions of acres of food no longer being grown, and adding together other states and cities like Campo, Colorado which have the same situation… only planting about 60% of their crops this year.
This deadness went on until the brink of civilization once again began to show. When I approached the Stockton/Modesto highway interchange area the carnage seemed to stop, and the fields appeared to be healthy and bountiful again. I can only guess that this is because more people drive on that stretch of the freeway, and so the powers that be are trying to keep up appearances. No other explanation came to mind.
To the readers of this, I can only say that living in the city has literally blinded me to the truth, even though I knew it was happening. I wonder how many other things I inadvertently ignore thanks to our medias corruption and lack of true investigative reporting? Many economists and trends predictors foreign and domestic have called for food shortages and food riots in the fall. And with what I saw last week, I have new reason to believe them.
But then, that’s the real problem isn’t it? Belief…
If you believe that the food will continue to flow (magically appearing on store shelves in a grocery store near you) and just dismiss the very real claims of shortages worldwide, including a severe wheat shortage in this country due to a harmful fungus, then I might boldly say that you deserve whatever fate befalls you.
I challenge you all to take a drive up the 5 and see this for yourself. Please! Don’t let this go unseen. If you are camera or video savvy, I think it would be a really great photo exhibit or website showing the true nature of our common problem. And you better believe as you take your daily shower, flush your toilet, and water your fertilized-non-edible grassy yards, that this is indeed a Congress created crisis. So please tell as many people about it as possible.
Lastly, if you haven’t already… buy storable food! Go to the dollar store and buy rice and beans. Buy pasta, caned and jarred foods, or anything with a shelf life of more than 6 months.
What’s the worse that can happen? You’ll have food in 6 months.
What’s the best that can happen? You’ll have food in 6 months.
Take care. Spread this information. Get mad. Fight tyranny. And…
Don’t be a sheep!
Clint Richardson
Update: How Congress Actually Did Create This California Dust Bowl And A Soon-To-Be Realized Future Food Shortage.
I had a bunch of unexpected responses to this article… a few that knew what was going on, and most who didn’t. Honestly, I didn’t know the cause until I received the following information through a few email responses. Here’s a few video’s related to why this is a California, or more specifically a “Congress Created Drought”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twd59PrqCNg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v4HPFWfODk&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAT_uUlqUIM&feature=related
Doubt and skepticism are not an option here, I’m afraid…
Also, this is what someone else sent to me in an email, which tells me that this is not a lone incident – more part of a continuing plan or “conspiracy”: a plan for lobbying corporations (like Monsanto for instance) to purchase or take over the land for pennies on the dollar once farmers go out of business and abandon the dead fields (which would be desolate, worthless land without the government contracts for aqueduct water). The water might then be turned on again, and GMO crops planted instead. Just my opinion… Here’s the excerpt:
——-> “They used the same strategy in the Modesto area to rob farmers of water as they did in Klamath Falls, OR. First it was the Sucker Fish, then it was the Salmon. When people started waking up to the fact that Sucker Fish don’t like high water levels, and that they actually killed off more (Sucker Fish) by taking water from the farmers for them (Sucker Fish), they switched to saying it was because of the endangered Salmon. The Salmon statistics were manipulated to further the cause of stealing the water and getting rid of small farmers.”
So, by wiping out small farmers, mega chemical companies like Monsanto, which only produce non-organic Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) foods and seeds, using highly poisonous pesticides (Round-Up Ready) and experimental gene-spliced crops (like spider-corn to produce spider silk with the corn, and trout-corn to make corn crops resistant to cold weather) will then buy the farms or farming land, passing legislature to force farms to use these (deadly disease causing) seeds and pesticides, and yet still use these crops as food. This coincides with both congressional bills H.R. 759, H.R. 875, and bill H.R. 2749, which basically outlaw organic farming, outlaw farmers markets and public gardens, and takes over the FDA (along with all of its regulatory powers) and replaces it with the new Federal “Food Safety Administration”.
*** Oh… and in July, President Obama stated in a speech to Africa, that he promised 3.5 billion dollars to Ghana, Africa – for the purposes of producing and EXPORTING food to America. The powers that be are destroying by design the agriculture and manufacturing industry in this county, while promising and delivering taxpayer money to foreign countries, forcing businesses to fold and turning this country into a totally import dependent, consumer based market.
This is why we have little economy or industry left in America, and nothing to support our own people except conglomerate mega-stores, which sell poorly manufactured, often toxic foreign imported goods, while putting local shops out of business.
How long will we stand for this?
How much will we take?
How long will we ignore the problem, which is our absolutely corrupt government?
And, how long will we be able to retain our independence from that government?
Here is a famous quote which should answer this last question:
“He who controls the food, controls the world.” – Henry Kissinger
-Clint Richardson (realitybloger.wordpress.com)
Posted in Food Shortage
Tagged california, congress, corrupt, crisis, dissent, drought, dust bowl, farm, food, food riot, Food Shortage, fruit, gmo, government, grow, legislature, monsanto, new world order, obama, protest, ranch, seed, senate, storable food, vegetable, water
https://realitybloger.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/how-congress-created-californias-dustbowl/
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9323
|
__label__wiki
| 0.664241
| 0.664241
|
Central ministries differ on rules allowing FDI in retail food products
Policymakers have been gradually becoming wary of including sectoral conditions in the FDI policy that they say only burden it.Deepshikha Sikarwar | ET Bureau | May 19, 2016, 08:37 IST
Finance minister Arun Jaitley had in the budget for this fiscal announced that 100% foreign direct investment would be allowed through the approval route in marketing of food products produced and manufactured in India.
NEW DELHI: The government’s proposed move to allow foreigners to retail food products is caught in interministerial differences on whether conditions need to be imposed for such investments and market access.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley had in the budget for this fiscal announced that 100% foreign direct investment would be allowed through the approval route in marketing of food products produced and manufactured in India. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and the finance ministry are not keen on sectoral conditions, which are difficult to monitor and often act as a deterrent.
However, the food ministry is keen on imposing conditions on the lines of those for multi-brand retail, an official privy to the deliberations said on condition of anonymity. Multi-brand retail faces numerous conditions including mandatory 30% sourcing from local micro, small and medium industries. A formal note has been moved by the DIPP that will be taken up by the Cabinet once these differences are resolved. “It should be taken up soon,” another official said.
The government wants to open up retail of food products to provide a boost to farming and the rural economy. “Our FDI policy has to address the requirements of farmers and food processing industry,” Jaitley had said in his budget speech in February. “A lot of fruits and vegetables grown by our farmers either do not fetch the right prices or fail to reach the markets. Food processing industry and trade should be more efficient. 100% FDI will be allowed through FIPB route in marketing of food products produced and manufactured in India,” he had said.
This will benefit farmers, give impetus to food processing industry and create vast employment opportunities, Jaitley had said. Policymakers have been gradually becoming wary of including sectoral conditions in the FDI policy that they say only burden it, favouring instead stringent regulation by sector regulators or administrative departments. As part of the gradual opening up of the foreign investment policy in the country, sectoral conditions are being knocked off to make the policy less cumbersome.
Conditions in sectors being opened up are not finding many takers within the government. The multi-brand retail sector, which is open for up to 49% FDI, has conditions including opening up of retail outlets only in cities with a population of more than 10 lakh as per 2011Census, 50% of total FDI be brought in the first tranche with a minimum capital of $100 million and mandatory sourcing.
The ruling BJP has strong opposition to FDI in multi-brand retail but food retail is seen as a game changer for country’s farmers since as much as 50% of vegetables produced go waste. Higher investment in food processing is seen as crucial to ensuring better incomes for farmers. The government has set itself a target of doubling farmers’ incomes in the next five years.
Tags : Industry, FDI, DIPP, cabinet, Arun Jaitley, India, budget
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9324
|
__label__wiki
| 0.631505
| 0.631505
|
Lecture 8.3 The 2nd Half of the Authorship and the Attack on the Church
Сёрен Кьеркегор - субъективизм, ирония и кризис современности
Копенгагенский университет
It is often claimed that relativism, subjectivism and nihilism are typically modern philosophical problems that emerge with the breakdown of traditional values, customs and ways of life. The result is the absence of meaning, the lapse of religious faith, and feeling of alienation that is so widespread in modernity. The Danish thinker Søren Kierkegaard (1813-55) gave one of the most penetrating analyses of this complex phenomenon of modernity. But somewhat surprisingly he seeks insight into it not in any modern thinker but rather in an ancient one, the Greek philosopher Socrates. In this course created by former associate professor at the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Jon Stewart, we will explore how Kierkegaard deals with the problems associated with relativism, the lack of meaning and the undermining of religious faith that are typical of modern life. His penetrating analyses are still highly relevant today and have been seen as insightful for the leading figures of Existentialism, Post-Structuralism and Post-Modernism.
The "how this is meaningful to you" message felt a little odd and sometimes a little insulting. Still, a very special thanks to Dr. Stewart and anyone else responsible for sharing this material.
Excellent overview of Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard's own writing, approached on its own, can be nigh-impenetrable but the lectures really help in figuring out how to approach Kierkegaard's writing.
The 2nd Half of the Authorship and the Attack on the Church
The last decade of Kierkegaard’s life was in many ways the most dramatic. This was the time of the Revolution of 1848 and of Kierkegaard’s public attack on the Danish state church in his final years. This period represents what Kierkegaard scholars refer to as the second half of the authorship, namely, the period from 1846 after the Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Kierkegaard’s death in 1855. In this lecture we explore some of Kierkegaard’s main works from these years, such as A Literary Review of Two Ages, Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits, The Sickness unto Death, Practice in Christianity and The Moment. We will see how some of the themes and motifs that we have examined re-appear in these works. In our exploration of these texts it will become evident that even as Kierkegaard grows older, he continues to return to the figure of Socrates as a source of inspiration. Indeed, he never abandons the great hero of his youth. Even in the last text that he ever completed before his death, he explicitly states that Socrates was the only model that he used for his work. Our goal in this lecture is, among other things, to try to understand what he means by this. The lecture ends with a biographical account of Kierkegaard’s attack on the Danish State Church, his final illness and death.
Lecture 8.1 The 2nd Half of the Authorship and the Attack on the Church21:25
Jon Stewart, PhD, Dr theol & phil
Former Associate Professor
Выбор языкаАнглийскийНемецкийПортугальский (бразильский)Чешский
While Kierkegaard was writing the articles for The Fatherland and The Moment,
he lived here in this building across the street called
right across from the Church of Our Lady and the Bishop's Palace.
He was living literally just a stone's throw away
from Bishop Martensen's residence.
While he was here, he published nine issues of The Moment and
had just completed the tenth and final issue when he fell ill.
So this was the last text that he ever completed in his life.
The Moment Number 10 is an interesting work since Kierkegaard reflects
on his own strategy and his attack on the church, and here
once again we can see some interesting hints of the figure of Socrates emerge.
In the section called My Task,
Kierkegaard reminds his readers that he's not called himself a Christian and
that this is of the utmost importance that people bear in mind.
This might come as a surprise to some people since every introductory text or
encyclopedia article on Kierkegaard begins by saying that he is a Christian writer.
What then can he mean to say that he never called himself a Christian?
In the history of the Christian church, there have always been different sects and
factions which claim to know about the truth of Christianity and
criticized others for not knowing it.
They thus took a kind of moral high ground by claiming to be the true Christians
while others fell short of the mark.
Kierkegaard is anxious to avoid this kind of relation where he props himself up
as the moral authority, claiming to be the true Christian and
criticizing his enemies for being false Christians.
If he were to assert that he were the true Christian, then he would open himself up
to criticisms of his opponents who could claim that he was a hypocrite.
In order to avoid this, he simply says that he doesn't call himself a Christian.
However, he paints a picture of New Testament Christianity that's so difficult
to live up to that it ends up being a kind of ideal that no one can attain.
This ideal allows him to criticize what he takes to be the corrupt and
false Christianity of his contemporaries without him having to commit himself
to saying that he personally embodies the idea.
In short, the ideal does the critical work for him, and
he simply has to point it out to people.
This is similar to the strategy of Socrates
who never claims to know the truth.
On the contrary, he claims to know nothing.
He then goes around and asks others what they know just as Kierkegaard explores
the Christianity of other people in Golden Age Copenhagen.
Socrates then discovers that although other people claim to know certain things,
they are in fact ignorant.
Just as Kierkegaard sees that although his contemporaries claim to be
pious Christians, they have, in fact, a mistaken understanding of Christianity.
Socrates, however, keeps driving at the truth and
continues to ask people what they know in the hope of one day finding it.
It's as if he has a conception or
ideal of the truth that he can never manage to attain, just as Kierkegaard has
an ideal of Christianity but yet says that he does not call himself a Christian.
Neither Socrates nor Kierkegaard claim that they have reached this ideal, but
the critical part of their task demonstrates clearly
that other people have not attained it either.
Even though these same people probably boast that they have done so.
Thus, Kierkegaard writes, the only analogy I have before me is Socrates.
My task is a Socratic task,
to audit the definition of what it is to be a Christian.
I do not call myself a Christian (keeping the ideal free), but
I can make it manifest that the others are that even less.
This makes it clear that Kierkegaard used Socrates,
a pagan philosopher, in his attempt to criticize what he took
to be the mistaken conceptions about Christianity in his own time.
When Socrates was confronted with the words of the oracle that there was no one
wiser than he, he interpreted this to mean simply that while everyone else claimed to
know something and yet was ignorant, he knew at least that he was ignorant.
And on this sole point he was wiser than the others.
Similarly, Kierkegaard can point out that the version of Christianity
that the others are following is mistaken,
although everyone else believes that they are pious Christians.
The difference between Kierkegaard and them is simply that he realizes that
he's not a Christian while the others continue to believe themselves to be so.
Thus, like Socrates,
he avoids making the positive claim about his own status, but instead his
project is the negative one of exposing the problems with the views of others.
The analogy goes even further.
Socrates struggled against the sophists in his own time.
They taught for money, and they had no problem in presenting something as true.
Kierkegaard sees a pendant to the sophists in his own day in the clergy and
professors of theology.
They, too, teach for a fee, and they're financially supported by the state.
They claim to teach the truth of Christianity,
but according to Kierkegaard,
the conception of Christianity that they produce is deeply problematic.
So for Kierkegaard, these are the modern sophists while he is the modern Socrates.
The public conflict with the Danish church doubtless took it's toll on Kierkegaard
who never really enjoyed robust health even in his best days.
Perhaps due to stress and overwork, Kierkegaard became seriously ill and
after collapsing was admitted to Frederick's Hospital on October 2, 1855.
Today, this is the Danish Museum for Design.
Kierkegaard apparently suffered from a paralysis that immobilized his legs and
lower body.
His condition gradually worsened to the point that
he could hardly hold up his head or even move on his own.
He was visited regularly by some of the members of his extended family, for
example his nephews.
But he refused to see his elder brother Peter Christian when he came to visit him.
Kierkegaard was angry with his brother who had given a speech at
the Roskilde Ecclesiastical Convention on July 5,
1855 in which he took a critical stance toward Kierkegaard's attack on the church.
Kierkegaard was however regularly visited by his friend Emil Boesen
who left behind an account of Kierkegaard's final days.
As Kierkegaard's condition continued to deteriorate, hope began to slip away.
Boeson asked if he would take holy communion, but Kierkegaard refused.
He claimed that he would only take it from a layman but
not from a pastor, but this was of course not legal in Denmark at the time
since only ordained pastors were permitted to perform such ceremonies.
So Kierkegaard declared that he would die without the communion.
He rejects receiving the communion from a pastor since he tells Boesen,
quote, the pastors are civil servants of the crown and
have nothing to do with Christianity.
Kierkegaard became weaker and weaker with each day, and towards the end he fell into
a comatose state, not being able to recognize anyone or even to speak.
Finally, he died here on the evening of November 11, 1855.
Kierkegaard's funeral took place on Sunday, November 18, 1855,
here in the Church of Our Lady.
The situation was an awkward one
given Kierkegaard's violent attack on the church.
For this reason, none of the clergy dared to show up for
fear of being perceived to be sympathetic to Kierkegaard's cause.
The only exceptions were Kierkegaard's elder brother,
Peter Christian Kierkegaard,
who is the only remaining relative in Kierkegaard's immediate family.
And second the Archdeacon Eggert Christopher Tryde,
who was the presiding pastor.
It was a difficult proposition for Tryde, since,
on the one hand, he could hardly criticize Kierkegaard's attack on the church, but
then, on the other hand, he could hardly ignore it completely since it was
an ongoing controversy that had attracted a great deal of public attention.
Kierkegaard's brother Peter Christian took up the difficult task and gave the eulogy.
He began by explaining the sad family background, recounting the life
of his father, the loss of his siblings such that only he and Soren remained.
He could not avoid completely the issue of the controversy surrounding the attack on
the church,
although he said that the funeral was not the appropriate place to discuss it.
Nonetheless, he emphasized that he thought that his brother had gone too far in his
criticism, and he emphasized that much of what Soren Kierkegaard said in the context
of the articles in The Fatherland and The Moment could not be accepted.
A large number of people came to Kierkegaard's funeral.
Indeed, there was standing room only in the church, but
it was said that there were only a few members of distinguished society present.
But rather, most of the people who came were from the lower social classes.
This might be taken to imply that Kierkegaard's works were
popular among ordinary people who weren't trained scholars or academics.
Or it might be explained by the fact that Kierkegaard was a well known public figure
who was seen regularly on his daily walks through Copenhagen.
There was also doubtless an element of sensationalism involved
since people were keen to see how the official church
establishment would deal with this awkward and sensitive situation.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9328
|
__label__cc
| 0.687176
| 0.312824
|
#TFImoments: Andrés McKinley on the impact
of Laudato si' on the anti-mining struggle
in El Salvador
Pope Francis’ words and actions have had a profound impact on countless people of various backgrounds, interests, and beliefs. In the interviews for my upcoming documentary, The Francis Impact, I’ve heard some beautiful and concrete testimonies of this. So I created #TFIMOMENTS, a web series to share some of these profound and personal moments of connection with the pope.
Andrés McKinley slowly leaned forward and looked up at me. “El Salvador is a country of great contrasts, a country of negative superlatives,” he said. “On the one hand it’s been described as the most violent, dangerous country in the world. And on the other hand,” he begins to tear up, “El Salvador has the finest people in the world.”
From 1979 to 1992, El Salvador experienced a brutal civil war that left 80,000 people dead. The peace accords of the early nineties stopped the bloodshed but did little to reconcile a people divided, a country impoverished, and an exploited natural environment rapidly deteriorating.
This complex history is the reason why McKinley, an American, and other environmental activists living in El Salvador are so proud of their 2017 legislative victory to ban all metallic mining in the country. El Salvador is the first country in the world to achieve this feat.
The anti-mining movement grew from the poor communities in the northern part of the country where transnational mining companies were expanding in the early 2000s. The strategy was always to confront the companies and their political backers with verifiable data and cost-benefit analyses. “This was a process of gradual accumulation: accumulation of organization, of knowledge about mining, of awareness, of social force, and of political will,” McKinley said.
It was a David versus Goliath scenario until a series of events began to tilt the balance of power into the hands of the little guys. When, in 2015, Pope Francis beatified national icon Archbishop Óscar Romero and issued his landmark encyclical Laudato si’, the Catholic Church became a key player.
Led by the hierarchy, including Romero’s successor Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas, the Catholic Church took to the streets alongside environmental activists and thousands of citizens. They marched to the National Assembly and demanded an immediate vote on legislation that would ban all metal mining in the country.
“I think that Monsignor Romero is with us, interceding for us. It is because of him that we have been so successful in our struggle,” says Archbishop Escobar Alas. “I must also say that Pope Francis, with his encyclical Laudato si’, has awakened consciences, even the most unshakeable, to respect the opinion of the people.”
In this #TFImoment, one of the strategic minds behind the anti-mining movement in El Salvador, Andrés McKinley, shares the impact of Pope Francis as he experienced it on the ground, among the people, on the periphery…where Francis wants the Church to be present.
For more information about The Francis Impact visit the official webpage.
Next #TFImoment: Journalist and Author Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service in Rome
#TFImoments
Andrés McKinley
Pope Francis’ homily for the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul 2019
Read the full text of the homily given by Pope Francis on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. ...read more
Pope Francis’ homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi
Read the full text of Pope Francis' homily during Mass at Santa Maria Consolatrice parish in Rome for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi on June 23, 2019. ...read more
Pope Francis addresses youth forum in Rome, June 2019
On June 22, Pope Francis met with participants in the International Youth Forum in Rome. Read the full text of his address here. ...read more
Pope Francis’ Message for World Day of the Poor 2019
"The hope of the poor shall not perish for ever." Read Pope Francis' message for the third World Day of the Poor. ...read more
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9332
|
__label__cc
| 0.710041
| 0.289959
|
Santiago de Compostela, we arrived to the end of the way!
Home > Santiago de Compostela, we arrived to the end of the way!
The capital of Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, is the final destination that the piligrins dream of. Nevermind if they’re coming from the Camino Portugués, the Camino Francés or the Camino Primitivo. But being the end of the Camino doesn’t mean it cannot be the begining of a wonderful journey.
In Santiago Ways, we understand that you’ll arrive tired after walking lots of km on foot or riding a bicycle. But we can’t imagine a better city to take a break! Compostela is full of wonderfull monuments beyond its impressive cathedral.
Discover the end of the Camino!
Join us on a tour around Santiago!
Congrats, piligrim! You’ve reached Compostela, a city that was touristic before the tourism was invented, from the Middle Age.
Are you hangre already? Come with us to find out the galician cuisine! You’ll love the octopus, the shellfish, the empanada and the tradicional cake of Santiago, made with almonds.
In case you’re still doubting about staying a few days in Santiago or not, we’re giving you some more details: the old city is a World Heritage Site by Unesco from 1985 and its University has more than 500 years of history.
5 essential visits in Santiago de Compostela
In this section we’re not going to tell you that you have to see the amazing Plaza del Obradoiro, the cathedral of Santiago or the four majestic squares around the cathedral. We’re not telling you either that you should walk around the Alameda, nor that you have to try the tapas of the bars around the old city. Because you already know that!
What we really want in Santiago Ways is to offer you 5 alternative plans that are also magical and basic in order to understand the city that is placed in the end of the Camino.
#1 Santo Domingo de Bonaval Park
It’s located in a hill over the San Pedro neighbourhood, next to the traditional access to the city by the Camino Francés and surrounded by monuments as the Santo Domingo Convent and the Galician Center of the Contemporary Art, creating a delightful contrast between the ancient and the contemporary. In the entrance you’ll be able to admire an old cemetery next to a huge green area.
You are going to fall in love with the precious views over the cathedral and the old city!
#2 Galician Center of the Contemporary Art, CGAC
After going for a walk around the most picturesque park of Santiago de Compostela, we want to give you the next advice: visit this museum just a few steps away from the park, free entrance! The architecture (inside and outside) and the expositions are really worth it!
#3 Belvís Park
It’s a huge green area to have fun! In Belvís you’ll find laberynths, walls, paying zones, trees, a stream and, if you visit it on Tuesday, you’ll also find an ecologic products market. It’s the frontier between the old town and two historical buildings: the Belvís convent and the Minor Seminary. As if that were not good enough, on the top of this park you can find another of the best viewpoints of Santiago de Compostela.
#4 Hiking rout “De Ponte a Ponte”
About 5 minutes walking from the cathedral, you can start a fascinating hiking rout around the Sarela rivel. This city is rich in rivers and streams, that’s why the locals have this saying: “Between the Sar and the Sarela, you got Santiago de Compostela”. This outing is like another worls, divorced from the city, that goes deep into the forest.
It evokes adventure, discovery and direct contact with nature.
#5 Oak groves of San Lourenzo
Attention, this is a secret! Well, it’s an open secret, but the reality is that not all the locals know this wonderful ancient grove that’s also really close to the city center. In the XII century, in this wood on the banks of the Sarela river, it’s built the San Lourenzo de Trasouto convent. Nowadays, this convent has become a palace (“pazo” in Galician) and inside there is a fancy restaurant. Among the ancient trees it’s possible to find a font and two “cruceiros”, stone crosses that are a symbol of the Galician culture.
Finally, in order to put an end to this article about everything you can’t loose of Santiago de Compostela, we wanted to tell you a mysterious curiosity: the shadow of the piligrin in the Quintana square. Ready? In one of the corners of this square, there is a kind of pillar which, in the night, if you look at it from the right angle, projects a shadow with the shape of a piligrin, even with his walking stick!
So… what do you think about all of this curiosities about Santiago? Are you up to stay a few days in the city? Tell us about your impressions!
Valora esta página
TOP5 SALES CAMINOS
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9335
|
__label__cc
| 0.672376
| 0.327624
|
Justia Patents Analysis (e.g., Of Output, State, Or Design)US Patent Application for NETWORK ADVISOR Patent Application (Application #20090019314)
NETWORK ADVISOR
Oct 4, 2007 - PureNetworks, Inc.
A system for diagnosing the configuration and use of devices in an interconnected network. The system may be used to analyze a network and/or discrete network devices, and then suggest steps that a user may take to improve the performance or usability of the network and/or device.
Latest PureNetworks, Inc. Patents:
NETWORK CONFIGURATION DEVICE
HOME NETWORK OPTIMIZING SYSTEM
NETWORK METRIC REPORTING SYSTEM
OPTIMAL-CHANNEL SELECTION IN A WIRELESS NETWORK
PRIORITY CLAIM
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/949,610 (Atty. Docket No. PURE-1-1006), filed Jul. 13, 2007, entitled “NETWORK ADVISOR,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
Aspects of the present invention are directed toward a system for providing information of interest to users of a network. Various aspects of the invention are particularly suitable for monitoring the configuration and usage of devices in a small network, and then providing information relevant to the network.
Computers have become commonplace tools in modern society, and many businesses and residences now have one or more computing devices. In a small business, for example, some employees may each use a desktop computer or laptop computer. Some employees may even use more portable computers such as personal digital assistants or “smart” wireless telephones. Similarly, with a family sharing a residence, each family member may have his or her personal computer, or the family members may share one or more computers. Further, both small businesses and personal residences may include various computing appliances that incorporate or otherwise interact with computers. For example, a home residence may include a refrigerator, a “Voice over Internet Protocol” telephone, a digital music server, a digital camera, or an environmental control system that includes or interacts with a computer.
In order to optimize the use and flexibility of these computing devices, a business or family may link them together to form a small private network. Typically, each of the computing devices is connected to a router through a network adapter. The router then “routes” packets of data to and from each computing device. With this type of small private network, the router can in turn be connected to one or more larger private networks or a public network, such as the Internet. By sending and receiving messages through the router, each networked computing device may then communicate with computing devices outside of the private network. In this arrangement, the router serves as a “gateway” device that provides a gateway to the electronic world outside of the private network.
While this type of small or “home” network can provide enhanced utility for its member computing devices, even a small network can be very difficult for a non-technical person to set up and maintain. Accordingly, various software developers have created tools to assist novice users in setting up or managing a small network. Conventionally, these tools were embedded in a larger software product, such as an operating system or a utility application. More recently, however, Pure Networks of Seattle, Wash. has developed a dedicated software application tool for managing small networks. This software application tool, available from Pure Networks under the name NETWORK MAGIC™, is described in detail in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/634,432, filed Dec. 7, 2004, entitled “Network Management” and naming Steve Bush et al. as inventors, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/297,809, filed on Dec. 7, 2005, entitled “Network Management” and naming Steve Bush et al. as inventors, which applications, along with U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/789,522, filed Apr. 4, 2006, entitled “Network Management,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/916,642, filed on Aug. 10, 2004, entitled “Service Licensing And Maintenance For Networks,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/457,783, filed on Jul. 14, 2006, entitled “Network Device Management,” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/457,763, filed on Jul. 14, 2006, entitled “Network Device Setup Utility,” are incorporated entirely herein by reference.
Because small network users may often be unsophisticated regarding computing devices, they may not be obtaining the most utility from their network. For example, while a network owner may employ a wireless router to establish the network, he or she may not fully appreciate the need for encryption to maintain the security of the network. Similarly, the network owner may not appreciate the need for virus protection or a firewall for the network.
An embodiment includes a system for diagnosing the configuration and use of devices in an interconnected network. The system may be used to analyze a network and/or discrete network devices, and then suggest steps that a user may take to improve the performance or usability of the network and/or device.
Preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following figures:
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a network operating environment in which an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented;
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an operating environment in which an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented;
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a component of an embodiment of the present invention in the operating environment of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention implemented in a network operating environment;
FIG. 5 is an illustrative view of a user interface generated according to an embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to an embodiment of the invention.
An embodiment of the invention includes the power to gather information from a home network about the software and hardware environments therein and then dynamically apply on a server side filtering and heuristics that are very flexible and can be adjusted at any time, to render personally relevant results to the home-network user.
Network Environment
As previously noted, various aspects of the invention may be employed with a small network. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of this type of small network. The network 101 may include a variety of different computing devices or “nodes”. For example, the network 101 may include one or more laptop computers 103A, one or more desktop computers 103B, and one or more personal digital assistants 103C. In addition to these computers, the network 101 may also include one or more computing appliances, which are not as versatile as a conventional programmable computer, but which nonetheless may be configured to exchange data over a network. Such network appliances may include, for example, one or more printers 103D and one or more cameras 103E, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Other small networks that can be used with various aspects of the invention may include any suitable computing devices, such as telephones that exchange voice information in data packets (sometimes generically referred to as “Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephones), digital video recorders, televisions, streaming media players, and digital music servers, among others.
Each of these networked devices 103 communicates, either directly or indirectly, with a gateway device 105. In turn, the gateway device 105 typically can communicate with an external device or network. An external network may be another private network, or it may be a public network, such as the Internet 107. Thus, a gateway device is a device that can steer electronic data from one network to another network. Typically, a gateway device serves as a node on two incompatible networks (i.e., networks that use different communication protocol formats) and it can convert data from one network's communication protocol format into the other network's communication protocol format. As used herein, the term “small network” refers to a network made up of networked devices that each employ the same network address to communicate with the same gateway device, together with the gateway device itself.
The network devices 103 may be connected to the gateway device 105 using any suitable communication medium. For example, in the illustrated network 101, the desktop computers 103B are connected to the gateway device 105 through a hard-wired connection 109A (such as an Ethernet cable), while the laptop computer 103A is connected to the gateway device 105 through a IEEE 802.11 wireless connection 109B and the personal digital assistant 103C is connected to the gateway device 105 through a Bluetooth wireless connection 109C.
It should be appreciated that, as used throughout this application, the term “connect” and its derivatives (e.g., connection, connected, connects) includes both direct and indirect connections. Thus, with the network illustrated in FIG. 1, the laptop computer 103A may be connected to the gateway device 105 using a wireless transceiver incorporated into the laptop computer 103A and a wireless transceiver incorporated into the gateway device 105. Alternately, the laptop computer 103A may be connected to the gateway device 105 using a wireless transceiver external to the laptop computer 103, the gateway device 105, or both.
Typically, the gateway device 105 can be a router. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, a router routes data packets from the networked devices 103 to an external device or network. With some networks, however, the gateway device 105 alternately may be a computer performing router functions, a hub, a bridge, or “layer-3” switch. As will also be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the computing devices or “nodes” making up the network 101 can communicate with the gateway device 105 using one or more defined communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP).
With these communication protocols, each computing device 103 and gateway device 105 in the network 101 can be assigned a logical address. For example, if the network 101 is connected to the Internet 107 through an Internet service provider, the Internet service provider can assign the gateway device 105 a logical Internet Protocol (IP) address. The Internet service provider may also provide the gateway device 105 with a block of logical Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for the gateway device 105 to reassign to each network device 103. Alternatively, the gateway device 105 can itself assign a range of logical Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to each network device 103, and then use a translation operation (e.g., a Network Address Translation (NAT) operation) to route data packets that it receives to the appropriate network device 103. This type of logical address typically is unrelated to the particular computing device to which it is assigned. Instead, a logical address identifies the relationship of that computing device to other computing devices in the network.
In addition to a logical address, each network device typically can also have a physical address. For example, most computing devices capable of communicating over a network, including routers, employ a network adapter with a media access control (MAC) address. This type of physical address is assigned to a network adapter according to standards (referred to as Project 802 or just 802 standards, which are incorporated entirely herein by reference) set forth by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). More particularly, these standards define a 48-bit and 64-bit physical address format for network devices. The first 14 bits of the address are assigned by the IEEE Registration Authority, and uniquely identify the manufacturer of the network adapter. The remaining bits are then assigned by the manufacturer to uniquely identify each network adapter produced by the manufacturer. Consequently, the physical address of a network adapter is unique across all networks unless manually changed by the user. The physical address is unique to the network adapter, and is independent of a computing device's relationship to other computing devices in a network. Thus, the physical address does not change over time or between uses in different networks.
Network Device Environment
A network may include both virtual devices and physical devices. Physical network devices can then include both computer devices and computing appliance devices. A “computer” may generally be characterized as a device that can be programmed to perform a number of different, unrelated functions. Examples of computers can thus include programmable personal computers, such as desktop computers and laptop computers. In addition, programmable media-purposed computers (e.g., “media adapters and servers”), network attached storage devices, programmable entertainment-purposed computers (e.g., video game consoles), some programmable personal digital assistants and some telephones (such as wireless “smart” telephones) may be characterized as computers in a network. A “computing appliance” then may generally be characterized as a device that is limited to primarily performing only specific functions. Examples of a computing appliance may thus include, for example, printers, cameras, telephones that exchange voice information in data packets (sometimes generically referred to as “Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephones or telephone adapters), digital video recorders, televisions, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) adapters, print servers, media adapters, media servers, photo frames, data storage servers, routers, bridges and wireless access points.
As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, there may be no clear defining line between “computer” network devices and “computing appliance” network devices in a network. For example, a sophisticated print server may be programmable to additionally or alternately function as a data storage server, while a programmable media-purposed computer or programmable personal digital assistant may have restricted functionality due to limited memory, input devices or output devices. Accordingly, as used herein, the term “computer” can refer to any network device that is capable of implementing a network management tool according one or more aspects of the invention, such as a personal programmable computer. The term “computer appliance” then can refer to a network device that typically cannot implement a network management tool according to at least one aspect of the invention without additional augmentation. The term “computing device” is then used herein to include both computers and computing appliances.
With conventional networks located in a home, small office or other local environment, a network management tool according to various aspects of the invention can be implemented on a programmable personal computer, such as a desktop or laptop computer. A general description of this type of computer will therefore now be described.
An illustrative example of such a computer 201 is illustrated in FIG. 2. As seen in this figure, the computer 201 has a computing unit 203. The computing unit 203 typically includes a processing unit 205 and a system memory 207. The processing unit 205 may be any type of processing device for executing software instructions, but can conventionally be a microprocessor device. The system memory 207 may include both a read-only memory (ROM) 209 and a random access memory (RAM) 211. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, both the read-only memory (ROM) 209 and the random access memory (RAM) 211 may store software instructions for execution by the processing unit 205.
The processing unit 205 and the system memory 207 are connected, either directly or indirectly, through a bus 213 or alternate communication structure to one or more peripheral devices. For example, the processing unit 205 or the system memory 207 may be directly or indirectly connected to additional memory storage, such as the hard disk drive 215, the removable magnetic disk drive 217, the optical disk drive 219, and the flash memory card 221. The processing unit 205 and the system memory 207 also may be directly or indirectly connected to one or more input devices 223 and one or more output devices 225. The input devices 223 may include, for example, a keyboard, touch screen, a remote control pad, a pointing device (such as a mouse, touchpad, stylus, trackball, or joystick), a scanner, a camera or a microphone. The output devices 225 may include, for example, a monitor display, television, printer, stereo, or speakers.
Still further, the computing unit 203 can be directly or indirectly connected to one or more network interfaces 227 for communicating with a network. This type of network interface 227, also sometimes referred to as a network adapter or network interface card (NIC), translates data and control signals from the computing unit 203 into network messages according to a communication protocol, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the Internet Protocol (IP), and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). These protocols are well known in the art, and thus will not be described here in more detail. An interface 227 may employ any suitable connection agent for connecting to a network, including, for example, a wireless transceiver, a power line adapter, a modem, or an Ethernet connection.
It should be appreciated that one or more of these peripheral devices may be housed with the computing unit 203 and bus 213. Alternately or additionally, one or more of these peripheral devices may be housed separately from the computing unit 203 and bus 213, and then connected (either directly or indirectly) to the bus 213. Also, it should be appreciated that both computers and computing appliances may include any of the components illustrated in FIG. 2, may include only a subset of the components illustrated in FIG. 2, or may include an alternate combination of components, including some components that are not shown in FIG. 2.
It should be noted that, while a general description of a programmable personal computer was provided above, various aspects of the invention may be implemented on any desired device capable of supporting the invention. For example, with some aspects of the invention, the network management tool may be implemented on special purposed programmable computers, such as a programmable media or entertainment-purposed computers, or personal digital assistants. Accordingly, the above description of a programmable personal computer should be understood as illustrative rather than limiting.
A computing appliance may have any combination of the components of the computer 201 discussed above. More typically, however, a computing appliance can be simpler to optimize the performance of a specific function, and thus may have only a subset of these components. For example, a computing appliance may have only a computing unit 203, an input device 223 or an output device 225, and a network interface 227. As will be apparent from the following description, however, a computing appliance can have sufficient computing resources to implement a desired embodiment of the invention in order to provide information to or receive information from a client operating on a separate computing device.
Network Management Tool
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a network management tool that may be employed according to various aspects of the invention. In the illustrated example, the tool 301 is hosted by a programmable personal computer 201 of the type illustrated in FIG. 2. The network management tool 301 includes a gateway service module 303, a network management services module 305, and network management application module 307. Both the gateway service module 303 and the network management services module 305 are connected, either directly or indirectly, to the network interface 227 of the computer 201. As will be described in detail below, the gateway service module 303 and the network management services module 305 communicate with various network devices through the network interface 227. The network management services module 305 provides a set of network services that are used by the network information service module 1004 and the network application module 307. The network management application module 307 is then connected, either directly or indirectly, to the input device 223 and the output device 225 of the computer 201.
As will be described in further detail below, the network management tool 301 allows a user to monitor the status of devices on an electronic network, such as a network employing the Ethernet protocol located in a home or small business. The network management tool 301 may also allow a user to administer various tasks associated with the network or devices in the network. To perform these functions, the gateway service module 303 detects and identifies the gateway, which typically is a router, through which the network is connected to other networks. The gateway service module 303 also generates a unique name for the gateway.
Once the gateway for the network has been detected, identified and named, the network management services module 305 obtains and stores information relating to the various devices in the network. More particularly, the network management services module 305 detects each device in the network. For example, the network management services module 305 can identify and detect other computers, networked printers and print servers, networked scanners, networked cameras, VoIP telephones and VoIP telephone adapters, networked digital video recorders, networked televisions, data storage servers, bridges, networked game consoles, media adapters, networked photo frames, wireless access points and network adapters for each of these other devices. It then queries those devices, to identify each network device and to collect information relating to each device. For example, the network management services module 305 may determine one or more properties for a network device, such as its Media Access Control (MAC) address, its Internet Protocol (IP) address, and the other network devices to which it is connected. The network management services module 305 also detects and identifies devices locally connected to the computer 201, such as local printers, local cameras, local scanners, and local storage devices.
After collecting this network information, the network management services module 305 constructs a network information data structure to organize and store the information collected by both the gateway service module 303 and the network management services module 305. The network management services module 305 can use the network services in the network information services module 1004 to interact with the services provided by the local operating system for gathering device, network, and operation system status and other statuses. For example, with some aspects of the invention, the network management services module 305 creates a markup language file storing the collected network information. More particularly, the network management services module 305 can create a data object for each network device. The data object may be represented in a markup language, such as the extensible markup language (XML). A data object for a device may include an identifier for the device and the determined properties for that device. The data objects for each device can then be organized in a hierarchical fashion into a single data file.
In addition to determining and storing the properties of network devices, the network management services module 305 also communicates with implementations of the network management tool 301 on other computers in the network. More particularly, the network management services module 305 detects instances of the network management tool 301 running on other computers in the network. The network management services module 305 then establishes a communication channel with those instances of the network management tool 301 that have the proper credentials. In this manner, the instances of the network management tool 301 sharing the proper credentials form an association of trusted network management tools 301. The network management services modules 305 can then exchange determined device properties over the communication channels. By exchanging the device properties, each instance of the network management tool 301 can maintain a current copy of a data structure containing the device properties of all of the devices in the network.
The network management application module 307 then coordinates the information managed by the gateway service module 303 and the network management services module 305. More particularly, the network management application module 307 initiates a call to both the gateway service module 303 and to the network information service module 305 to begin their services. The network management application module 307 also provides one or more user interfaces displaying the information obtained and stored by the network management services module 305. These services may or may not also be made available to other applications through programming interfaces.
A user may employ such an interface to monitor the status of the network and the network devices. For example, with some aspects of the invention, the network management application module 307 employs the connection information stored in the network information data structure to create a graphical map of the network. The map may include a graphical icon representing each device, and another graphic to represent connections between the devices. It may, for example, use one type of icon to indicate a wired connection, and another type of icon to indicate a wireless connection. The map may also show the status of the various devices in the network, such as whether a device is presently connected to the network.
With some aspects of the invention, the network management application module 307 may provide interfaces that allow the user to administer one or more functions related to the operation of the network. For example, the network management application module 307 may provide a user interface that permits a user to modify the contents in the network information data structure maintained by the network management services module 305. As noted above, this change may subsequently be shared with other instances of the network management tool 301 in a trusted association, thereby propagating the change throughout the network. The network management application module 307 may also provide a user interface that allows a user to share one or more resources on the computer 201 with other computers in the network. For example, a user interface provided by the network management application module 307 may allow a user to share a data resource, such as a folder or data file. Alternately or additionally, a user interface provided by the network management application module 307 may allow a user to share a physical resource, such as a printer, scanner, or a storage device.
With some aspects of the invention, the various monitoring and administration functionality available to the user may be provided through a single user interface, such a map of the network. Alternately, the network management application module 307 may provide this functionality through multiple user interfaces that can be selected by a user.
Examples and aspects of network management tools that may be employed according to various implementations of the invention are discussed in more detail in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/467,534 filed on Aug. 25, 2006, entitled “Network Administration Tool Employing A Network Administration Protocol” and naming Brett Marl as inventor, which application in turn claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/297,809 filed on Dec. 7, 2005, entitled “Network Management” and naming Steve Bush et al. as inventors, which application in turn claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/634,432, filed Dec. 7, 2004, entitled “Network Management” and naming Steve Bush et al. as inventors, each of which applications are incorporated entirely herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/457,783, filed Jul. 14, 2006, entitled “Network Device Management” and naming Brett Marl as inventor is incorporated entirely herein by reference as well.
Advisor Module
As shown in FIG. 4, with various embodiments of the invention a diagnostic system may include an advisory tool 401 that includes an advisor module 403 and a receiving module 405 implemented on a server computer 407 remote from the network 101.
As will be discussed more fully hereinafter, or as otherwise discussed in the patent applications incorporated by reference herein, one or more instantiations of a network management tool 301 implemented on computing devices (not shown in FIG. 4) in the network 101 can provide network information to remote devices or entities, such as the reporting tool 401. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the tool 301 may include an information collection module 409 and an information transmission module 411, the functionality of each of which is provided by one or more of the gateway service module 303, network management services module 305 and network management application module 307. Using the techniques described herein, or otherwise in the patent applications incorporated by reference herein, the information collection module 409 of the network management tool 301 of a computing device can collect a wide variety of information from which useful reports and/or diagnostics can be prepared.
In response to receiving information from the transmission module 411, the advisor module 403 provides a set of services for recommending new products or services to the proprietor of the home or other small network 101. Specifically, the advisor module 403 employs heuristics to recommend, via email, secure web site, or other appropriate presentation mode, new products or services based on the configuration and usage of resources within the network 101. The heuristics utilized by the advisor module to recommend products or services may be downloaded by the advisory tool 401 from a third party on the Internet 107.
For example, the advisor module 403 may employ a set of heuristics to decide whether or not to provide the network owner with a recommendation to add a network media adapter to the network 101. As known in the art, a network media adapter enables viewing and listening to music, photos, and videos located on a network device on the user's television or stereo. The advisor module 403 may execute one or more heuristics to analyze the network information collected and provided by the network management tools 301 and to determine whether or not the network 101 already includes a media adapter. Further, the advisor module 403 may analyze the collected network information to count the number of files the user has shared on the network 101. If the user has a predetermined threshold number of files shared, and no media adapter exists on the network 101, then the advisor module 403 may provide the network owner (via, e.g., a user interface 501 (FIG. 5) generated by the network management tool 301) with a recommendation to add a media adapter to the network.
Additionally, the advisor module 403 may analyze the product versions of the network devices (FIG. 1) hosted on the network 101. If there are newer versions of the network devices, then the advisor module 403 may employ heuristics to provide the network owner with a recommendation for upgrading the network device. The upgrade recommendation may also include instructions or computer code that displays the user interface 501 to assist the user in upgrading the network device.
By way of further example, and as described in Table 1 below, the collection module 409 can determine real-time performance characteristics of the network 101 to enable the advisor module 403 to suggest hardware improvements to the network, determine existing software inventory installed on network devices to enable the advisor module to recommend supplementary/complementary software packages or services, determine an inventory of hardware devices on the network to enable the advisor module to recommend supplementary/complementary hardware devices, and/or determine local disk, resource or file system information associated with the network to enable the advisor module to recommend corresponding solutions.
TABLE 1 Information Input to Advisor General Exemplary Scenario Module 403 Recommendation
If advisor module 403 WAN connection Upgrade to a better determines that the internet speed ISP connection. download speed associated with network 101 is slow and the network employs a DSL connection, advisor module may suggest a switch to a cable connection. If advisor module 403 Network Card Upgrade Router and/or determines that a network Speed Network Card card is running on the older Router Speed 802.11b standard and a router running on the 802.11n standard, advisor module can suggest a hardware upgrade. If advisor module 403 Devices (or lack Acquire a printer if determines that there is no thereof) on none found. printer associated with Network network 101, advisor module may suggest a printer be added. If advisor module 403 Files on hard Acquire a photo determines that one or more disks printer to optimize devices on the network 101 Devices on enjoyment of have stored thereon a large Network multimedia assets. number of photos but there is no photo printer associated with the network, suggest a photo printer be added. If advisor module 403 Devices on Recommend purchase determines that network 101 Network of supplementary/ includes an XBOX, but no complementary Media PC, suggest a Media hardware devices. PC be added (or vice- versa). When the iPhone launches, Devices on Recommend purchase advisor module 403 can Network of supplementary/ inform people who have complementary Macs on their network, and hardware devices. thus may be interested, of this event. If the user associates an Devices on If new device added to iPhone with network 101, Network network, recommend advisor module 403 corresponding recommends “cool” accessories. accessories If advisor module 403 Network-device Recommend NAS determines the network 101 Status (network has a large number of files attached storage). on constituent disks and available space is low, recommend more storage. If advisor module 403 Software Recommend determines that network 101 Inventory Backup Software has NAS device but no Devices on backup software, Network recommend a NAS backup solution If advisor module 403 Software Recommend protection determines no PC Inventory software protection software present on one or more devices on network 101 (e.g., Anti- Virus, Anti-Spyware, Anti- Spam, Firewall) If advisor module 403 File System Info Suggest mobile access determines a large number Devices on service. of music or picture files Network present on devices of network 101, suggest a mobile solution for remote access via device. If advisor module 403 File System Info Inform user how to determines that there are no create/access mp3 files stored on network certain file types 101, recommend methods of potential interest. of mp3-file creation.
In an embodiment, the advisory tool 401 stores the heuristics information on the server 407 in an SQL database. This enables the advisor module 403 to build recommendation rules on the fly, which may involve construction of complex SQL queries to extract the data.
In an embodiment of the invention, the user interface 501 providing the recommendation information may include branding of one or more manufacturers offering products that may be part of a solution to any deficiency in the network 101 diagnosed by the advisory tool 401. Additionally, the recommendations may include the brand of the distributor of the network management tool 301. Additionally, the advisor module 403 may track metrics pertaining to the effectiveness of a recommendation displayed to the proprietor of the network 101. The metrics may include, for example, the number of impressions (i.e., views of the recommendation), the amount of time the user spent viewing the recommendation, and the number of times the user clicked on the recommendation.
In addition to specific recommendations for products or services, the advisor module 403 may also provide more general information that may be of interest to the user of the network. For example, if the advisor module 403 determines that the network 101 does not include a wireless router, then the advisor module 403 may provide the user with one or more RSS feeds, online articles, or other information discussing the pros and cons of the use of wireless routers, and/or instructions for setting up a wireless router. Alternately or additionally, the advisor module 403 may provide the user with a link to one or more online catalogs that sell a recommended product or service.
An embodiment of the interface 501 includes featured articles, related purchases, general RSS feeds and specific RSS feeds. When the interface 501 is being viewed, it may have a “keyword context.” This keyword may be the result of a user-supplied query, may have come from user selection of a featured article, or may pertain to one or more components that the advisor module 403 determines are included in or absent from the network 101. For example, in the case where a user switches to the interface 501, the advisor module 403 can select one of the recommendations in random rotating order (i.e., rotating recommendations). The interface 501 may thus display a featured article and/or some associated keywords pertaining to the recommendation. Alternatively or additionally, in the case where the user enters a search term into the search box, such as “printer” or “wireless network”, these keywords can be relevant for the context such that a featured article and/or some associated keywords are displayed. In addition to offering the user rotating recommendations based on their network, the advisory tool 401 has the ability to aggregate content from multiple online locations and show that content in the context in which the user is searching.
This keyword context can then be applied to other content feeds, and these feeds can then be filtered on that context for relevant search results. For example, if the context is “network storage devices,” then the “Related Purchases” section can show a selection of products available for purchase; the General RSS Feeds section can show relevant industry articles or blog posts about network storage devices and such reviews; and finally the Specific RSS feeds can show content authored by a blog and/or support team associated with provision of the advisor module 403 and that may be relevant (e.g., in this case—how does the advisory tool 401 function with network storage devices).
FIG. 6 illustrates a process 600, according to an embodiment of the invention. The process 600 is illustrated as a set of operations shown as discrete blocks. The process 600 may be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. As such the process 600 may be implemented in computer-executable instructions that can be transferred from one computer, such as server 407, to a second computer, such as a device on network 101, via a communications medium, such as Internet 107. The order in which the operations are described is not to be necessarily construed as a limitation.
At a block 610, information characterizing a remote network is collected from the remote network. The remote network includes at least one electronic device, such as a computer. In an embodiment, this information collection involves providing to the remote network a network management tool executable on at least one electronic device of the remote network. For example, the administrators of the server 407 may provide the tool 301 to the user of the network 101. As such, the tool 301 may cooperate with devices on the network 101 to collect data and information (e.g., network devices, software inventory, etc.) described herein.
At a block 620, a deficiency associated with the remote network is automatically determined based on the collected information. For example, and as discussed above, upon receiving data from the tool 301, the advisor module 403 can determine hardware and/or software missing from the network 101 that would otherwise optimize the performance and/or utility of the network.
At a block 630, a report suggesting a remedy to the deficiency is automatically generated. For example, upon ascertaining any deficiencies in the network 101, the advisor module 403 can prepare a report recommending hardware and/or software that would optimize the performance and/or utility of the network. In generating the report, the advisor module 403 may apply a set of heuristics to the collected information.
At a block 640, the report is automatically provided to a user. For example, once the report is prepared, the advisory tool 401 may send the report to a user's email address. In an embodiment, this report provision may involve providing the report to the user via a web page accessible by the user. In another embodiment, this report provision may involve providing the report to the user via a window generated by a desktop application, such as, for example, an interface similar to the interface 501 illustrated in FIG. 5.
While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein.
1. A diagnostic system, comprising:
(a) a first network-management tool executable on a first computer device and comprising: a first device-information collection module configured to collect information relating to the first computer device, and an information-transmission module configured to transmit collected information to an electronic device remote from the first computer device; and
(b) an advisory tool executable on a server computing device and comprising: an information-receiving module configured to receive the collected information, and an advisor module configured to determine, based on the collected information, a deficiency associated with the first computer device and generate a report suggesting a remedy to the deficiency.
2. The diagnostic system recited in claim 1, further comprising:
a second network-management tool executable on a second computer device and comprising: a second device-information collection module configured to collect information relating to the second computer device, and an information-sharing module configured to share the information relating to the second computer device with the first computer device; and
wherein the first network-management tool further includes a synchronization module configured to receive the information collected by the first device-information collection module, receive the information collected by the second device-information collection module, synchronize the information collected by the first device-information collection module with the information collected by the second device-information collection module, and provide the synchronized collected information to the information transmission module.
3. The diagnostic system recited in claim 2, wherein the first computer device and the second computer device are members of the same network.
4. The diagnostic system recited in claim 1, wherein the information collected by the first device-information collection module relates to software applications run by the first computer device.
5. The diagnostic system recited in claim 4, wherein the suggested remedy generated in response to the collected information comprises a recommendation that a particular software application be installed on the first computer device.
6. The diagnostic system recited in claim 1, wherein the information collected by the first device-information collection module relates to wide-area-network connection speed of the first computer device.
7. The diagnostic system recited in claim 6, wherein the suggested remedy generated in response to the collected information comprises a recommendation that a higher-quality network connection be applied to the first computer device.
8. The diagnostic system recited in claim 1, wherein the information collected by the first device-information collection module relates to devices on a network of which the first computer device is a member.
9. The diagnostic system recited in claim 8, wherein the suggested remedy generated in response to the collected information comprises a recommendation that a particular device be added to the network.
10. The diagnostic system recited in claim 1, wherein the information collected by the first device information collection module relates to types of files stored on the first computer device.
11. The diagnostic system recited in claim 10, wherein the suggested remedy generated in response to the collected information comprises a recommendation that a particular device be coupled to the first computer device.
12. The diagnostic system recited in claim 1, wherein the information collected by the first device information collection module relates to product versions of network devices on a network of which the first computer device is a member.
13. The diagnostic system recited in claim 12, wherein the suggested remedy generated in response to the collected information comprises a recommendation of an upgrade to the network device.
14. The diagnostic system recited in claim 1, wherein the report comprises a user interface configured to assist a user in obtaining the remedy.
15. The diagnostic system recited in claim 14, wherein the user interface includes an aggregation of content describing a product associated with the remedy.
16. The diagnostic system recited in claim 14, wherein the user interface includes a link to an online source for a remedial object.
17. A method, comprising the steps of:
collecting from a remote network information characterizing the remote network, wherein the remote network comprises at least one electronic device;
automatically determining, based on the collected information, a deficiency associated with the remote network;
automatically generating a report suggesting a remedy to the deficiency; and
automatically providing the report to a user associated with the network.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein collecting information comprises providing to the remote network a network management tool executable on at least one network device of the remote network.
19. The method of claim 17 wherein generating a report comprises applying a set of heuristics to the collected information.
20. The method of claim 17 wherein providing the report comprises providing the report to the user via a web page accessible by the user.
Filed: Oct 4, 2007
Publication Date: Jan 15, 2009
Applicant: PureNetworks, Inc. (Seattle, WA)
Inventors: Lauren Younger (Seattle, WA), Caleb Jones (Seattle, WA), Greg Vandenberg (Seattle, WA), John-Anthony Owens (Seattle, WA)
Current U.S. Class: Analysis (e.g., Of Output, State, Or Design) (714/37); Client/server (709/203); Recording Or Statistical Evaluation Of Computer Activity, E.g., Of Down Time, Of Input/output Operation, Etc. (epo) (714/E11.189)
International Classification: G06F 11/34 (20060101); G06F 15/173 (20060101);
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9342
|
__label__wiki
| 0.510415
| 0.510415
|
Justia Patents Electric Control And/or Sensor MeansUS Patent for Vehicle interior identification and monitoring system Patent (Patent # 5,829,782)
Vehicle interior identification and monitoring system
Apr 30, 1996 - Automotive Technologies International, Inc.
This invention is a system to identify and monitor contents and/or parts of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, such as an automobile or truck, by processing the signal received from the contents or parts using one or more techniques, including neural networks or other pattern recognition systems, and technologies including ultrasonic and electromagnetic radiation. The received signal may be a reflection of a transmitted signal, the reflection of some natural signal within the vehicle, or may be some signal emitted naturally by the object. Information obtained by the identification and monitoring system is then used to affect the operation of some other system in the vehicle such as the airbag, entertainment system, heating and air conditioning system, or the system to darken portions of the mirrors or windshield, among others.
Latest Automotive Technologies International, Inc. Patents:
High Speed Valve
Steering wheel mounted aspirated airbag system
Crash sensor systems utilizing vehicular inertial properties
Film airbags made from ribbons
In 1984 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a requirement for frontal crash protection of automobile occupants. This regulation mandated "passive occupant restraints" for all passenger cars by 1992. A more recent regulation requires both driver and passenger side airbags on all passenger cars and light trucks by 1998. In addition, the demand for airbags is accelerating in both Europe and Japan and it is expected that, within a few years, all vehicles produced in these areas (36 million vehicles) and eventually worldwide (50 million vehicles) will be equipped with airbags as standard equipment.
Whereas thousands of lives have been saved by airbags, significant improvements can be made. As discussed in detail in copending patent application Ser. No. 08/040,978 cross-referenced above, and included herein by reference, for a variety of reasons vehicle occupants can get too close to the airbag before it deploys and can be seriously injured or killed.
Also, a child in a rear facing child seat which is placed on the right front passenger seat is in danger of being seriously injured if the passenger airbag deploys. This has now become an industry wide concern and the US automobile industry is urgently searching for a solution which will prevent the deployment of the passenger side airbag if a rear facing child seat is present. An improvement on the invention disclosed in the referenced copending patent application as will be disclosed in greater detail below, includes more sophisticated means to identify objects within the passenger compartment and will solve this problem.
Initially these systems will solve the out-of-position occupant and the rear facing child seat problems related to current airbag systems and prevent unneeded deployments when a scat is unoccupied. Airbags are now under development to protect rear seat occupants in vehicle crashes. A system will therefore be needed to detect the presence of occupants, determine if they are out-of-position and to identify the presence of a rear facing child seat in the rear seat. Future automobiles can be expected to have eight or more airbags as protection is sought for rear seat occupants and from side impacts. In addition to eliminating the disturbance of unnecessary airbag deployments, the cost of replacing these airbags will be excessive if they all deploy in an accident. The improvements described below minimize this cost by not deploying an airbag for a seat which is not occupied by a human being. An occupying item of a seat may be a living occupant such as a human being or dog, another living organism such as a plant, or an inanimate object such as a box or bag of groceries.
A device to monitor the vehicle interior and identify its contents is needed to solve these and many other problems. For example, once a Vehicle Interior identification and Monitoring System (VIMS) for identifying and monitoring the contents of a vehicle is in place, many other products become possible including the following:
Inflators now exist which will adjust the amount of gas flowing to the airbag to account for the size and position of the occupant and for the severity of the accident. The vehicle identification and monitoring system of this invention will control such inflators based on the presence and position of vehicle occupants or of a rear facing child seat.
Side impact airbag systems began appearing on 1995 vehicles. The danger of deployment induced injuries will exist for side impact airbags as they now do for frontal impact airbags. A child with his head against the airbag is such an example. The system of this invention will minimize such injuries.
Future vehicles may be provided with a standard cellular phone as well as the Global Positioning System (GPS), an automobile navigation or location system which is scheduled to be available on at least one vehicle model in 1998. In the event of an accident, the phone may automatically call 911 for emergency assistance and report the exact position of the vehicle. If the vehicle also has a system as described below for monitoring each seat location, the number and perhaps the condition of the occupants could also be reported. In that way, the emergency service (EMS) would know what equipment and how many ambulances to send to the accident site.
Vehicle entertainment system engineers have stated that the quality of the sound in the vehicle could be improved if the number, size and location of occupants and other objects were known. This information can be provided by the vehicle interior identification and monitoring system of this invention.
Similarly to the entertainment system, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) could be improved if the number, attributes and location of vehicle occupants were known. This can be used to provide a climate control system tailored to each occupant, for example, or the system can be turned off for certain seat locations if there are no occupants present at those locations.
In some cases, the position of a particular part of the occupant is of interest such as: (a) his hand or arm and whether it is in the path of a closing window so that the motion of the window needs to be stopped; (b) the position of the shoulder so that the seat belt anchorage point can be adjusted for the best protection of the occupant; or, (c) the position of the rear of the occupants head so that the headrest can be adjusted to minimize whiplash injuries in rear impacts.
The above applications illustrate the wide range of opportunities which become available if the identity and location of various objects and occupants, and some of their parts, within the vehicle were known. Once the system is operational it would be logical for the system to also incorporate the airbag electronic sensor and diagnostics system (SDM) since it needs to interface with SDM anyway and since they could share computer capabilities which will result in a significant cost saving to the auto manufacturer. For the same reasons, it would be logical for VIMS to include the side impact sensor and diagnostic system. As the VIMS improves to where such things as the exact location of the occupants ears and eyes can be determined, even more significant improvements to the entertainment system become possible through the use of noise canceling sound, and the rear view mirror can be automatically adjusted for the driver's eye location. Another example involves the monitoring of the driver's behavior over time which can be used to warn a driver if he or she is falling asleep, or to stop the vehicle if the driver loses the capacity to control it.
Using an advanced VIMS, as explained below, the position of the driver's eyes can be accurately determined and portions of the windshield can be selectively darkened to eliminate the glare from the sun or oncoming vehicle headlights. This system uses electro-chromic glass, a liquid crystal coating on the glass, or other appropriate technology, and detectors to detect the direction of the offending light source. In addition to eliminating the glare, the sun visor can now also be eliminated.
The present invention adds more sophisticated pattern recognition capabilities such as fuzzy logic systems, neural network systems or other pattern recognition computer based algorithms to the occupant position measurement system disclosed in the above referenced copending patent application and greatly extends the areas of application of this technology. An example of such a pattern recognition system using neural networks using sonar is discussed in two papers by Gorman, R. P. and Sejnowski, T. J. "Analysis of Hidden Units in a Layered Network Trained to Classify Sonar Targets", Neural Networks, Vol. 1. pp 75-89, 1988, and "Learned Classification of Sonar Targets Using a Massively Parallel Network". IEEE Transactions on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, Vol. 36, No. 7, July 1988.
"Pattern recognition" as used herein will mean any system which processes a signal that is generated by an object, or is modified by interacting with an object, in order to determine which one of a set of classes that the object belongs to. Such a system might determine only that the object is or is not a member of one specified class, or it might attempt to assign the object to one of a larger set of specified classes, or find that it is not a member of any of the classes in the set. The signals processed are generally electrical signals coming from transducers which are sensitive to either acoustic or electromagnetic radiation and if electromagnetic, they can be either visible light, infrared, ultraviolet or radar.
"To identify" as used herein will mean to determine that the object belongs to a particular set or class. The class may be one containing all rear facing child seats, one containing all human occupants, or all human occupants not sitting in a rear facing child seat depending on the purpose of the system. In the case where a particular person is to be recognized, the set or class will contain only a single element, the person to be recognized.
Some examples follow:
In a passive infrared system a detector receives infrared radiation from an object in its field of view, in this case the vehicle occupant, and determines the temperature of the occupant based on the infrared radiation. The VIMS can then respond to the temperature of the occupant, which can either be a child in a rear facing child seat or a normally seated occupant, to control some other system. This technology could provide input data to a pattern recognition system but it has limitations related to temperature. The sensing of the child could pose a problem if the child is covered with blankets. It also might not be possible to differentiate between a rear facing child seat and a forward facing child seat. In all cases, the technology will fail to detect the occupant if the ambient temperature reaches body temperature as it does in hot climates. Nevertheless, for use in the control of the vehicle climate, for example, a passive infrared system which permits an accurate measurement of each occupant's temperature is useful.
In a laser optical system an infrared laser beam is used to momentarily illuminate an object, occupant or child seat in the manner as described, and illustrated in FIG. 8, of the co-pending patent application cross referenced above. In some cases, a charge coupled device (a type of TV camera also referred to as a CCD array) is used to receive the reflected light. The laser can either be used in a scanning mode, or, through the use of a lens, a cone of light can be created which covers a large portion of the object. In each case a pattern recognition system, as defined above, is used to identify and classify, and can be used to locate, the illuminated object and its constituent parts. This system provides the most information about the object and at a rapid data rate. Its main drawback is cost which is considerably above that of ultrasonic or passive infrared systems. As the cost of lasers comes down in the future, this system will become more competitive. Depending on the implementation of the system, there may be some concern for the safety of the occupant if the laser light can enter the occupant's eyes.
Radar systems have similar properties to the laser system discussed above. The wave length of a particular radar system can limit the ability of the pattern recognition system to detect object features smaller than a certain size. Once again, however, there is some concern about the health effects of radar on children and other occupants. This concern is expressed in various reports available from the United States Food and Drug Administration Division of Devices.
The ultrasonic system is the least expensive and potentially provides less information than the laser or radar systems due to the delays resulting from the speed of sound and due to the wave length which is considerably longer than the laser systems. The wave length limits the detail which can be seen by the system. In spite of these limitations, as shown below, ultrasonics can provide sufficient timely information to permit the position and velocity of an occupant to be accurately known and, when used with an appropriate pattern recognition system, it is capable of positively determining the presence of a rear facing child seat. One pattern recognition system which has been used to identify a rear facing child seat uses neural networks and is similar to that described in the above referenced papers by Gorman et al.
A focusing system, such as used on some camera systems, could be used to determine the initial position of an occupant but is too slow to monitor his position during a crash. This is a result of the mechanical motions required to operate the lens focusing system. By itself it cannot determine the presence of a rear facing child seat or of an occupant but when used with a charge coupled device plus some infrared illumination for night vision, and an appropriate pattern recognition system, this becomes possible.
From the above discussion, it can be seen that the addition of sophisticated pattern recognition means to any of the standard illumination and/or reception technologies for use in a motor vehicle permits the development of a host of new products, systems or capabilities heretofore not available and as described in more detail below.
This invention is a system to identify and monitor occupants and their parts and other objects in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, such as an automobile or truck, by processing the signal received from the occupants and their parts and other objects using one or more of a variety of pattern recognition techniques and illumination technologies. The received signal may be a reflection of a transmitted signal, the reflection of some natural signal within the vehicle, or may be some signal emitted naturally by the object. Information obtained by the identification and monitoring system is then used to affect the operation of some other system in the vehicle.
The principle objects and advantages are:
1. To recognize the presence of a human on a particular seat of a motor vehicle and to use this information to affect the operation of another vehicle system such as the airbag system, heating and air conditioning system, or entertainment system, among others.
2. To recognize the presence of a human on a particular seat of a motor vehicle and then to determine his/her position and to use this position information to affect the operation of another vehicle system.
3. To recognize the presence of a human on a particular seat of a motor vehicle and then to determine his/her velocity relative to the passenger compartment and to use this velocity information to affect the operation of another vehicle system.
4. To determine the position of a seat in the vehicle using sensors remote from the seat and to use that information in conjunction with a memory system and appropriate actuators to position the seat to a predetermined location.
5. To determine the position, velocity or size of an occupant in a motor vehicle and to utilize this information to control the rate of gas generation, or the amount of gas generated, by an airbag inflator system.
6. To determine the fact that an occupant is not restrained by a scatbelt and therefore to modify the characteristics of the airbag system. This determination can be done either by monitoring the position of the occupant or through the use of a resonating device placed on the shoulder belt portion of the seatbelt.
7. To determine the presence or position of rear seated occupants in the vehicle and to use this information to affect the operation of a rear seat protection airbag for frontal impacts.
8. To determine the presence or position of occupants relative to the side impact airbag systems and to use this information to affect the operation of a side impact protection airbag system.
9. To determine the openness of a vehicle window and to use that information to affect another vehicle system.
10. To determine the presence of an occupant's hand or other object in the path of a closing window and to affect the window closing system.
11. To remotely determine the fact that a vehicle door is not tightly closed using an illumination transmitting and receiving system such as one employing electromagnetic or acoustic waves.
12. To determine the position of the shoulder of a vehicle occupant and to use that information to control the seatbelt anchorage point.
13. To determine the position of the rear of an occupant's head and to use that information to control the position of the headrest.
14. To recognize the presence of a rear facing child seat on a particular seat of a motor vehicle and to use this information to affect the operation of another vehicle system such as the airbag system.
15. To determine the total number of occupants of a vehicle and in the event of an accident to transmit that information, as well as other information such as the condition of the occupants, to a receiver remote from the vehicle.
16. To affect the vehicle entertainment system based on a determination of the size or location of various occupants or other objects within the vehicle passenger compartment.
17. To affect the vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning system based on a determination of the number, size and location of various occupants or other objects within the vehicle passenger compartment.
18. To determine the temperature of an occupant based on infrared radiation coming from that occupant and to use that information to control the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
19. To provide a vehicle interior monitoring system for determining the location of occupants within the vehicle and to include within the same system various electronics for controlling an airbag system.
20. To determine the approximate location of the eyes of a driver and to use that information to control the position of the rear view mirrors of the vehicle.
21. To monitor the position of the head of the vehicle driver and determine whether the driver is falling asleep or otherwise impaired and likely to lose control of the vehicle and to use that information to affect another vehicle system.
22. To monitor the position of the eye lids of the vehicle driver and determine whether the driver is falling asleep or otherwise impaired and likely to lose control of the vehicle and to use that information to affect another vehicle system.
23. To determine the location of the eyes of a vehicle occupant and the direction of a light source such as the headlights of an oncoming vehicle or the sun and to cause a filter to be placed in such a manner as to reduce the intensity of the light striking the eyes of the occupant.
24. To determine the location of the eyes of a vehicle occupant and the direction of a light source such as the headlights of a rear approaching vehicle or the sun and to cause a filter to be placed in such a manner as to reduce the intensity of the light reflected from the rear view mirrors and striking the eyes of the occupant.
25. To determine the location of the ears of a vehicle occupant and to use that information to control the entertainment system so as to improve the quality of the sound reaching the occupant's ears through such methods as noise canceling sound.
26. To recognize a particular driver based on such factors as physical appearance or other attributes and to use this information to control another vehicle system such as a security system, seat adjustment, or maximum permitted vehicle velocity, among others.
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the vehicle interior identification and monitoring system of this invention.
FIG. 1 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a rear facing child seat on the front passenger seat and a preferred mounting location for an occupant and rear facing child seat presence detector.
FIG. 1A is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a rear facing child scat on the front passenger seat having a resonator placed onto the forward most portion of the child seat.
FIG. 2 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed showing schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention and the vehicle cellular communication system.
FIG. 3 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed showing schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention and the vehicle heating and air conditioning system.
FIG. 4 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed showing schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention and the vehicle airbag system.
FIG. 5 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed showing schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention and the vehicle entertainment system.
FIG. 6 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a driver and a preferred mounting location for an occupant identification system.
FIG. 7A is a functional block diagram of the ultrasonic imaging system illustrated in FIG. 1 using a microprocessor.
FIG. 7B is a functional block diagram of the ultrasonic imaging system illustrated in FIG. 1 using an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).
FIG. 8 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a box on the front passenger scat and a preferred mounting location for an occupant and rear facing child seat presence detector.
FIG. 9 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a driver and a preferred mounting location for an occupant position sensor for use in side impacts and also of a rear of occupant's head locator for use with a headrest adjustment system to reduce whiplash injuries in rear impact crashes.
FIG. 10 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a front passenger and a preferred mounting location for an occupant head detector and a preferred mounting location of an adjustable microphone and speakers.
FIG. 11 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a subject vehicle and an oncoming vehicle, showing the headlights of the oncoming vehicle and the passenger compartment of the subject vehicle, containing detectors of the driver's eyes and detectors for the headlights of the oncoming vehicle and the selective filtering of the light of the approaching vehicle's headlights through the use of electro-chromic glass in the windshield.
FIG. 12 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle and a following vehicle showing the headlights of the following vehicle and the passenger compartment of the leading vehicle containing a driver and a preferred mounting location for driver eyes and following vehicle headlight detectors and the selective filtering of the light of the following vehicle's headlights through the use of electro-chromic glass in the rear view mirror.
FIG. 13 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a driver, a shoulder height sensor and a seatbelt anchorage adjustment system.
FIG. 14 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a seat in the passenger compartment of a vehicle showing the use of ultrasonic resonators to determine the position of the seat.
FIG. 15 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of the passenger compartment of a vehicle showing the use of ultrasonic resonators to determine the position of the driver seatbelt.
FIG. 16 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of the passenger compartment of a vehicle showing the use of an ultrasonic resonator to determine the extent of opening of the driver window and of a system for determining the presence of an object, such as the hand of an occupant, in the window opening.
FIG. 16A is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of the passenger compartment of a vehicle showing the use of an ultrasonic resonator to determine the extent of opening of the driver window and of another system for determining the presence of an object, such as the hand of an occupant, in the window opening.
FIG. 17 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of the passenger compartment of a vehicle showing the use of an ultrasonic resonator to determine the extent of opening of the driver side door.
FIG. 18 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed showing schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention and the vehicle security system.
FIG. 19 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed showing schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention and an instrument panel mounted inattentiveness warning light or buzzer and reset button.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1 a side view, with parts cutaway and removed, of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a rear facing child seat 110 on the front passenger seat 120 and a preferred mounting location for an occupant and rear facing child seat presence detector is illustrated. In this implementation, three ultrasonic transducers 131, 132 and 133 are used. Transducer 132 transmits ultrasonic energy toward the front passenger seat which is reflected, in this case by a rear facing child seat 110, and the reflected waves are received by the transducers 131 and 133. The signal received by transducers 131 and 133 varies with time depending on the shape of the object occupying the passenger seat, in this case a rear facing child seat 110. Each object will reflect back a signal having a different pattern. Also, the pattern received by transducer 131 will differ slightly from the pattern received by transducer 133. Through the use of two transducers a sort of stereographic image is received by the two transducers and recorded for analysis by processor 101, which is coupled to the transducers 131,132,133. This image will differ for each object which is placed on the vehicle seat and it will also change for each position of a particular object and for each position of the vehicle seat.
The "image" recorded from each ultrasonic transducer/receiver is actually a time series of digitized data of the amplitude of the received signal versus time. Since there are two receivers, two time series are obtained which are processed by the processor 101. When different objects are placed on the front passenger seat the two images are different but there are also similarities between all images of rear facing child seats, for example, regardless of where on the vehicle seat it is placed and regardless of what company manufactured the child scat. Alternately, there will be similarities between all images of people sitting on the scat regardless of what they are wearing, their age or size. The problem is to find the "rules" which differentiate the occupant images from the rear facing child seat images. The similarities of these images for various child seats are frequently not obvious to a person looking at plots of the time series and thus computer algorithms are developed to sort out the various patterns.
The determination of these rules is central to the pattern recognition techniques used in this invention. In general, three approaches have been useful, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic and artificial neural networks. In some implementations of this invention, such as the determination that there is an object in the path of a closing window as described below, the rules are sufficiently obvious that a trained researcher can look at the returned acoustic signals and devise a simple algorithm to make the required determinations. In others, such as the determination of the presence of a rear facing child seat or of an occupant, artificial neural networks are used to determine the rules. One such set of neural network software for determining the pattern recognition rules is available from the NeuralWare Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The system used for the determination of the presence of a rear facing child seat, of an occupant or of an empty seat was the artificial neural network. In this case, the network operates on the two returned signals as sensed by transducers 131 and 133. Through a training session, the system is taught to differentiate between the three cases. This is done by conducting a large number of experiments where all possible child seats are placed in all possible orientations on the front passenger seat. Similarly a sufficiently large number of experiments are run with human occupants and with boxes, bags of groceries and other objects. As many as 1000 such experiments are run before the neural network is sufficiently trained so that it can differentiate among the three cases and output the correct decision with a very high probability.
Once the network is determined, it is possible to examine the result using tools supplied by NeuralWare, for example, to determine the rules which were finally arrived at by the trial and error techniques. In that case, the rules can then be programmed into a microprocessor resulting in a fuzzy logic or other rule based system. Alternately, a neural computer can be used to implement the net directly. In either case, the implementation can be carried out by those skilled in the art of pattern recognition. If a microprocessor is used, a memory device is also required to store the data from the analog to digital converters which digitize the data from the receiving transducers. On the other hand, if a neural network computer is used, the analog signal can be fed directly from the transducers to the neural network input nodes and an intermediate memory is not required. Memory of some type is needed to store the computer programs in the case of the microprocessor system and if the neural computer is used for more than one task, a memory is needed to store the network specific values associated with each task.
An alternate system is shown in FIG. 2 which is a side view showing schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention and the vehicle cellular communication system. In this view, an occupant 210 is shown sitting on the front passenger seat 220 and two ultrasonic transducers 231 and 232 are used. One of the transducers 232 in this case acts as both a transmitter and receiver while transducer 231 acts only as a receiver. Alternately, transducer 231 could serve as both a transmitter and receiver or the transmitting function could be alternated between the two devices. As was also the case in FIG. 1, the transducers 231 and 232 are attached to the vehicle buried in the A-pillar trim, where their presence is disguised, and are connected to processor 101 which is also hidden in the trim. The A-pillar is the roof support pillar which is closest to the front of the vehicle and which, in addition to supporting the roof, also supports the front windshield and the front door.
The interface between the monitoring system and the cellular phone system is shown schematically by box 240 which outputs to an antenna 250A. The transducers 231 and 232 in conjunction with the pattern recognition hardware and software, which is implemented in processor 101 and is packaged on a printed circuit board or flex circuit along with the transducers 231 and 232, determine the presence of an occupant within a few seconds alter the vehicle is started. Similar systems located to monitor the remaining seats in the vehicle, also determine the presence of occupants at the other seating locations and this result is stored in the computer memory which is part of each monitoring system processor 101. In the event of an accident, the electronic system associated with the cellular phone system interrogates the various interior monitoring system memories and arrives at a count of the number of occupants in the vehicle, and in more sophisticated systems, even makes a determination as to whether each occupant was wearing a seatbelt and if he or she is moving after the accident. The phone system then automatically dials the EMS operator and the information obtained from the interior monitoring systems is forwarded so that a determination can be made as to the number of ambulances and other equipment to send to the accident site. Vehicles having this capability are not yet in service but are planned for the late 1990's. Such vehicles will also have a system, such as the global positioning system, which permits the vehicle to determine its exact location and to forward this information to the EMS operator.
The control of the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system alone would probably not justify the implementation of an interior monitoring system at least until the time comes when electronic heating and cooling systems replace the conventional systems now used. Nevertheless, if the monitoring system is present, it can be used to control the HVAC for a small increment in cost. The advantage of such a system is that since most vehicles contain only a single occupant, there is no need to direct heat or air conditioning to unoccupied seats. This permits the most rapid heating or cooling for the driver when the vehicle is first started and he is alone without heating or cooling unoccupied seats. Since the HVAC system does consume energy, an energy saving also results by only heating and cooling the driver when he is alone.
FIG. 3 shows a side view of a vehicle passenger compartment showing schematically the interface 260 between the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention and the vehicle heating and air conditioning system. Like numbers in FIG. 3, and the other figures herein, have the same meaning. In addition to the acoustic transducers 231 and 232, an infrared sensor 234 is also shown which monitors the temperature of the occupant. The output from each of the transducers is fed into processor 101 which is in turn connected to interface 260. In this manner, the HVAC control is based on the occupant's temperature rather than that of the ambient air in the vehicle. This also permits each vehicle occupant to be independently monitored and the HVAC system to be adjusted for each occupant either based on a set temperature for all occupants or, alternately, each occupant could be permitted to set his own preferred temperature through adjusting a control knob shown schematically as 250 in FIG. 3. Since the monitoring system is already installed in the vehicle with its own associated electronics including processor 101, the infrared sensor can be added with little additional cost and can share the processing unit.
The use of the vehicle interior monitoring system to control the deployment of an airbag is discussed in detail in the co-pending patent application cross referenced above. In that case, the control is based on the use of a simple pattern recognition system to differentiate between the occupant and his extremities in order to provide an accurate determination of the position of the occupant relative to the airbag. If the occupant is sufficiently close to the airbag module that he is more likely to be injured by the deployment itself than by the accident, the deployment of the airbag is suppressed. This process is carried further by the interior monitoring system described herein in that the nature of the object occupying the vehicle seat is used to contribute to the airbag deployment decision. FIG. 4 shows a side view illustrating schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention and the vehicle airbag system 270.
In this embodiment, an ultrasonic transducer 232 transmits a burst of ultrasonic waves which travel to the occupant where they are reflected back to receptors/receivers 231 and 232. The time period required for the waves to travel from the generator and return is used to determine the distance from the occupant to the airbag as described in the aforementioned co-pending patent application. In the case of this invention, however, the portion of the return signal which represents the occupants head or chest has been determined based on pattern recognition techniques such as a neural network. The relative velocity of the occupant toward the airbag can then be determined, from successive position measurements, which permits a sufficiently accurate prediction of the time when the occupant would become proximate to the airbag. By comparing the occupant relative velocity to the integral of the crash deceleration pulse, a determination as to whether the occupant is being restrained by a scatbelt can also be made which then can affect the airbag deployment initiation decision. Alternately, the mere knowledge that the occupant has moved a distance which would not be possible if he were wearing a seatbelt gives information that he is not wearing one.
A more detailed discussion of this process and of the advantages of the various technologies, such as acoustic or electromagnetic, can be found in SAE paper 940527, "Vehicle Occupant Position Sensing" by Breed et al, which is included herein by reference. In this paper, it is demonstrated that the time delay required for acoustic waves to travel to the occupant and return does not prevent the use of acoustics for position measurement of occupants during the crash event. For position measurement and for many pattern recognition applications, ultrasonics is the preferred technology due to the lack of adverse health effects and the low cost of ultrasonic systems compared with either laser or radar. The main limiting feature of ultrasonics is the wave length which places a limitation on the size of features which can be discerned. Optical systems, for example, are required when the identification of particular individuals is required.
It is well known among acoustics engineers that the quality of sound coming from an entertainment system can be substantially affected by the characteristics and contents of the space in which it operates and the surfaces surrounding that space. When an engineer is designing a system for an automobile he has a great deal of knowledge about that space and of the vehicle surfaces surrounding it. He has little knowledge of how many occupants are likely to be in the vehicle on a particular day, however, and therefore the system is a compromise. If the system knew the number and position of the vehicle occupants, and maybe even their size, then adjustments could be made in the system output and the sound quality improved. FIG. 5, therefore, illustrates schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention and the vehicle entertainment system 280. The particular design of the entertainment system which uses the information provided by the monitoring system can be determined by those skilled in the appropriate art.
The maximum acoustic frequency which is practical to use for acoustic imaging in the systems is about 40 to 60 kilohertz (KHz). The wave length of a 50 KHz acoustic wave is about 0.6 cm which is too coarse to determine the fine features of a person's face, for example. It is well understood by those skilled in the art that features which are smaller than the wavelength of the illuminating radiation cannot be distinguished. Similarly the wave length of common radar systems varies from about 0.9 cm (for 33,000 MHz K band) to 133 cm (for 225 MHz P band) which is also too coarse for person identification systems. In FIG. 6, therefore, the ultrasonic transducers of the previous designs are replaced by laser transducers 231 and 232 which are connected to a microprocessor 101. In all other manners, the system operates the same. The design of the electronic circuits for this laser system is described in some detail in the co-pending patent application cross-referenced above and in particular FIG. 8 thereof and the corresponding description. In this case, a pattern recognition system such as a neural network system is employed and uses the demodulated signals from the receptors 231 and 232.
The output of processor 101 of the monitoring system is shown connected schematically to a general interface 290 which can be the vehicle ignition enabling system; the entertainment system; the seat, mirror, suspension or other adjustment systems; or any other appropriate vehicle system.
There are two preferred methods of implementing the vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention, a microprocessor system and an application specific integrated circuit system (ASIC). Both of these systems are represented schematically as either 101 or 601 herein. A block diagram illustrating the microprocessor system is shown in FIG. 7A which shows the implementation of the system of FIG. 1. An alternate implementation of the FIG. 1 system using an ASIC is shown in FIG. 7B. In both cases the target, which may be a rear facing child seat, is shown schematically as 110 and the three transducers as 131, 132, and 133. In the embodiment of FIG. 7A, there is a digitizer coupled to the receivers 131,133 and the processor, and an indicator coupled to the processor. In the embodiment of FIG. 7B, there is a memory unit associated with the ASIC and also an indicator coupled to the ASIC.
In FIG. 8 a view of the system of FIG. 1 is illustrated with a box 295 shown on the front passenger seat in place of the rear facing child seat. The vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention is trained to recognize that this box 295 is neither a rear facing child seat nor an occupant and therefore it is treated as an empty seat and the deployment of the airbag is suppressed. This training is accomplished using a neural network with the commercially available software disclosed above and provided by NeuralWare of Pittsburgh. The system assesses the probability that the box is a person, however, and if there is even the remotest chance that it is a person, the airbag deployment is not suppressed. The system is thus typically biased toward airbag deployment.
Side impact airbags are now beginning to be used on some vehicles. These initial airbags are quite small compared to the driver or passenger airbags used for frontal impact protection. Nevertheless, a small child could be injured if he is sleeping with his head against the airbag when it deploys and a vehicle interior monitoring system is needed to prevent such a deployment in that event. In FIG. 9 a single ultrasonic transducer 330 is shown mounted in the vehicle door adjacent to the airbag system. This device is not used to identify the object which is adjacent the airbag but merely to measure the position of the object.
A rear-of-head detector 334 is also illustrated in FIG. 9. This detector is used to determine the distance from the headrest to the rear most position of the occupant's head and to therefore control the position of the headrest so that it is properly positioned behind the occupant's head to offer optimum support in the event of a rear impact. Although the headrest of most vehicles is adjustable, it is rare for an occupant to position it properly if at all. Each year there are in excess of 400,000 whiplash injuries in vehicle impacts approximately 90,000 of which are from rear impacts (source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA)). A properly positioned headrest could substantially reduce the frequency of such injuries which can be accomplished by the head detector of this invention. The head detector 334 is shown connected schematically to the headrest control mechanism and circuitry 340. This mechanism is capable of moving the headrest up and down and, in some cases, rotating it fore and aft.
When the driver of a vehicle is using a cellular phone, the phone microphone frequently picks up other noise in the vehicle making it difficult for the other party to hear what is being said. This noise can be reduced if a directional microphone is used and directed toward the mouth of the driver. This is difficult to do since position of drivers' mouths varies significantly depending on such things as the size and seating position of the driver. By using the vehicle interior identification and monitoring system of this invention and through appropriate pattern recognition techniques, the location of the driver's head can be determined with sufficient accuracy even with ultrasonics to permit a directional microphone having a 15 degree cone angle to be aimed at the mouth of the driver resulting in a clear reception of his voice. Such a system can also be used to permit effortless conversations between occupants of the front and rear seats. Such a system is shown in FIG. 10 which is a system similar to that of FIG. 2 only using three ultrasonic transducers 231, 232 and 233 to determine the location of the driver's head and control the pointing direction of microphone 355. Speaker 357 is shown connected schematically to the phone system 359 completing the system.
The transducers 231 and 232 are placed high in the A-pillar and the third transducer 233 is placed in the headliner and displaced horizontally from transducers 231 and 232. The two transducers 231 and 232 provide information to permit the determination of the locus of the head in the vertical direction and the combination of one of transducers 231 and 232 in conjunction with transducer 233 is used to determine the horizontal location of the head. The three transducers are placed high in the vehicle passenger compartment so that the first returned signal is from the head. Temporal filtering is used to eliminate signals which are reflections from beyond the head and the determination of the head center location is then found by the approximate centroid of the head returned signal. That is, once the location of the return signal centroid is found from each of the three received signals from transducers 231, 232 and 233, the distance to that point is known for each of the transducers based on the time it takes the signal to travel from the head to each transducer. In this manner, by using the three transducers plus an algorithm for finding the coordinates of the head center, using processor 101, and through the use of known relationships between the location of the mouth and the head center, an estimate of the mouth location can be easily determined within a circle having a diameter of about five inches (13 cm). This is sufficiently accurate for a directional microphone to cover the mouth while excluding the majority of unwanted noise.
The headlights of oncoming vehicles frequently make it difficult for the driver of a vehicle to see the road and safely operate the vehicle. This is a significant cause of accidents and much discomfort. The problem is especially severe during bad weather where rain can cause multiple reflections. Visors arc now used to partially solve this problem but they do so by completely blocking the view through a large portion of the window and therefore cannot be used to cover the entire windshield. Similar problems happen when the sun is setting or rising and the driver is operating the vehicle in the direction of the sun. The vehicle interior monitoring system of this invention can contribute to the solution of this problem by determining the position of the driver's eyes. If separate sensors are used to sense the direction of the light from the on-coming vehicle or the sun and through the use of electro-chromic glass or a liquid crystal film, a portion of the windshield can be darkened to impose a filter between the eyes of the driver and the light source. Electro-chromic glass is a material where the color of the glass can be changed through the application of an electric current. By dividing the windshield into a controlled grid or matrix of contiguous areas and through feeding the current into the windshield from orthogonal directions, selective portions of the windshield can be darkened as desired.
FIG. 11 illustrates how such a system operates. A sensor 410 located on vehicle 402 determines the direction of the light 412 from the headlights of oncoming vehicle 404. Sensor 410 is comprised of a lens and a charge coupled device (CCD) with appropriate electronic circuitry which determines which elements of the CCD are being most brightly illuminated. An algorithm stored in processor 101 then calculates the direction of the light from the oncoming headlights based on the information from the CCD. Transducers 231, 232 and 233 determine the probable location of the eyes of the operator 210 of vehicle 402 in a manner such as described above in conjunction with the determination of the location of the driver's mouth in the discussion of FIG. 10. In this case, however, the determination of the probable locus of the driver's eyes is made with an accuracy of a diameter for each eye of about 3 inches (7.5 cm). This calculation sometimes will be in error and provision is made for the driver to make an adjustment to correct for this error as described below.
The windshield 416 of vehicle 402 is made from electro-chromic glass or comprises a liquid crystal film and is selectively darkened at area 418 due to the application of a current along perpendicular directions 422 and 424 of windshield 416. The particular portion of the windshield to be darkened is determined by processor 101. Once the direction of the light from the oncoming vehicle is known and the locations of the driver's eyes are known, it is a matter of simple trigonometry to determine which areas of the windshield matrix should be darkened to impose a filter between the headlights and the driver's eyes. This is accomplished by processor 101.
A separate control system, not shown, located oil the instrument panel, or at some other convenient location, allows the driver to select the amount of darkening accomplished by the system from no darkening to maximum darkening. In this manner the driver can select the amount of light which is filtered to suit his particular physiology. The sensor 410 can either be designed to respond to a single light source or to multiple light sources to be sensed and thus multiple portions of the vehicle windshield to be darkened.
As mentioned above, the calculations of the location of the driver's eyes using acoustic systems may be in error and therefore provision must be made to correct for this error. One such system permits the driver to adjust the center of the darkened portion of the windshield to correct for such errors through a knob on the instrument panel, steering wheel or other convenient location. Another solution permits the driver to make the adjustment by slightly moving his head. Once a calculation as to the location of the driver's eyes has been made, that calculation is not changed even though the driver moves his head slightly. It is assumed that the driver will only move his head to center the darkened portion of the windshield to optimally filter the light from the oncoming vehicle. The monitoring system will detect this initial head motion and make the correction automatically for future calculations.
Electro-chromic glass is currently used in rear view mirrors to darken the entire mirror in response to the amount of light striking an associated sensor. This substantially reduces the ability of the driver to see objects coming from behind his vehicle. If one rear approaching vehicle, for example, has failed to dim his lights, the mirror will be darkened to respond to the light from that vehicle making it difficult for the driver to see other vehicles which are also approaching from the rear. If the rear view mirror is selectively darkened on only those portions which cover the lights from the offending vehicle, the driver is able to see all of the light coming from the rear whether the source is bright or dim. This permits the driver to see all of the approaching vehicles not just the one with bright lights.
Such a system is illustrated in FIG. 12 where rear view mirror 460 is equipped with electro-chromic glass, or comprises a liquid crystal film, having the capability of being selectively darkened, e.g., at area 419. Associated with mirror 460 is a light sensor 462 which determines the direction of light 412 from the headlights of rear approaching vehicle 405. In the same manner as above, transducers 231, 232 and 233 determine the location of the eyes of the driver 210. The signals from both sensor systems, 231, 232 plus 233 and 462, are combined in processor 101, where a determination is made as to what portions of the mirror should be darkened, e.g., area 419. Appropriate currents are then sent to the mirror in a manner similar to the windshield system described above.
Seatbelts are most effective when the upper attachment point to the vehicle is positioned vertically close to the shoulder of the occupant being restrained. If the attachment point is too low the occupant experiences discomfort from the rubbing of the belt on his shoulder. If it is too high, the occupant may experience discomfort due to the rubbing of the belt against his neck and the occupant will move forward by a greater amount during a crash which may result in his head striking the steering wheel. Women in particular experience discomfort from an improperly adjusted seatbelt anchorage point. For these reasons, it is desirable to have the upper seatbelt attachment point located slightly above the occupant's shoulder. To accomplish this for various sized occupants, the location of the occupant's shoulder must be known which can be accomplished by the vehicle interior monitoring system described herein. Such a system is illustrated in FIG. 13 which is a side view of a seatbelt anchorage adjustment system. In this system, a transmitter and receiver 520 is positioned in a convenient location such as the headliner located above and to the outside of the occupant's shoulder. A narrow elliptical beam 521 of energy is transmitted from transducer 520 in a manner such that it illuminates the occupant's shoulder and headrest. An appropriate pattern recognition system as described above is then used to determine the location and position of the shoulder. This information is fed to the seatbelt anchorage height adjustment system 528, shown schematically, which moves the attachment point 529 to the optimum vertical location.
Acoustic resonators are devices which resonate at a preset frequency when excited at that frequency. If such a device which has been tuned to 40 kHz is subjected to ultrasonic radiation at 40 kHz, for example, it will return a signal which is much stronger than the reflected radiation. If such a device is placed at a particular point in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, the returned signal can be easily identified as a high magnitude narrow signal at a particular point in time which is proportional to the distance from the resonator to the receiver. Since this device can be easily identified, it provides a particularly effective method of determining the distance to a particular point in the vehicle passenger compartment. If several such resonators are used they can be tuned to slightly different frequencies and therefore separated and identified by the circuitry. Using such resonators the positions of various objects in the vehicle can be determined. In FIG. 14 for example, three such resonators are placed on the vehicle seat and used to determine the location of the front and back of the seat and the top of the seat back. In this case, transducers 231 and 232, mounted in the A-pillar 662, are used in conjunction with resonators 641, 642 and 643 to determine the position of the seat. This information is then fed to the seat memory and adjustment system, not shown, eliminating the currently used sensors which are placed typically beneath the seat adjacent the seat adjustment motors. In the conventional system, the seat sensors must be wired into the seat adjustment system and are prone to being damaged. By using the vehicle interior monitoring system alone with inexpensive passive resonators, the conventional seat sensors can be eliminated resulting in a cost saving to the vehicle manufacturer.
Resonators of the type described above can be used for making a variety of position measurements in the vehicle. These resonators are made to resonate at a particular frequency. If the number of resonators increases beyond a reasonable number, dual frequency resonators can be used. A pair of frequencies is then used to identify a particular location. Alternately, resonators tuned to a particular frequency can be used in combination with special transmitters, which transmit at the tuned frequency, which are designed to work with a particular resonator or group of resonators. The cost of the transducers is sufficiently low to permit special transducers to be used for special purposes.
Another application for a resonator of the type described is to determine the location of the seatbelt and therefore determine whether it is in use. If it is known that the occupants are wearing scatbelts, the airbag deployment threshold can be increased since the airbag is not needed in low velocity accidents if the occupants arc already restrained by seatbelts. This will reduce the number of deployments for cases where the airbag provides little or no improvement in safety over the sealbelt. FIG. 15, for example, shows the placement of a resonator 602 onto the front surface of the seatbelt where it can be sensed by the transducers 231 and 232. Such a system can also be used to positively identify the presence of a rear facing child seat in the vehicle. In this case the resonator 603 is placed onto the forward most portion of the child seat, or in some other convenient position, as shown in FIG. 1A.
Other uses for such resonators include placing them on doors and windows in order to determine whether either is open or closed. In FIG. 16A, for example, such a resonator 604 is placed onto the top of the window and is sensed by transducers 611 and 612. In this case, transducers 611 and 612 also monitor the space between the edge of the window glass and the top of the window opening. Many vehicles now have systems which permit the rapid opening of the window, called "express open", by a momentary push of a button. For example, when a vehicle approaches a toll booth, the driver needs only touch the window control button and the window opens rapidly. Some automobile manufacturers do not wish to use such systems for closing the window, called "express close", because of the fear that the hand of the driver, or of a child leaning forward from the rear seat, or some other object, could get caught between the window and window frame. If the space between the edge of the window and the window frame were monitored with an interior monitoring system, this problem can be solved. The presence of the resonator 604 on the top of the window glass also gives a positive indication of where the top surface is and reflections from below that point can be ignored.
Various design variations of the window monitoring system are possible and the particular choice will depend on the requirements of the vehicle manufacturer and the characteristics of the vehicle. Two systems will be briefly described here.
In the first example shown in FIG. 16, a single transnmitter/receiver (transducer) 613 is used in place of and located centrally midway between the transducers 611 and 612 shown in FIG. 16A. A recording of the output of transducer 613 is made of the open window without an object in the space between the window edge and the top of the window frame. When in operation, the transducer 613 receives the return signal from the space it is monitoring and compares that signal with the stored signal referenced above. This is done by processor 601. If the difference between the test signal and the stored signal indicates that there is a reflecting object in the monitored space, the window is prevented from closing in the express close mode. If the window is part way up, a reflection will be received from the edge of the window glass which, in most cases, is easily identifiable from the reflection of a hand for example. A simple algorithm based on the intensity of the reflection in most cases is sufficient to determine that an object rather than the window edge is in the monitored space. In other cases, the algorithm is used to identify the window edge and ignore that reflection and all other reflections which are lower (i.e. later in time) than the window edge. In all cases, the system will default in not permitting the express close if there is any doubt. The operator can still close the window by holding the switch in the window closing position and the window will then close slowly as it now does in vehicles without the express close feature.
In the second system, two transducers 611 and 612 are used as shown in FIG. 16A and the processor 601 comprises a neural network. In this example the system is trained for all cases where the window is down and at intermediate locations. In operation, the transducers monitor the window space and feed the received signals to processor 601. As long as the signals are similar to one of the signals for which the network was trained, the express close system is enabled. As before, the default is to suppress the express close.
The use of a resonator to determine whether the vehicle door is properly shut is illustrated in FIG. 17. In this case, the resonator 702 is placed in the B-pillar in such a manner that it is shielded by the door, or by a cover or other inhibiting mechanism (not shown) engaged by the door, and prevented from resonating when the door is closed. Resonator 702 provides waves 704. If transducers such as 231 and 232 in FIG. 3 are used in this system, the closed door condition would be determined by the absence of a return signal from the B-pillar 702 resonator.
This system permits the substitution of an inexpensive resonator for a more expensive and less reliable electrical switch.
The use of an acoustic resonator has been described above. For those cases where an infrared laser system is used, an optical mirror would replace the mechanical resonator used with the acoustic system. In the acoustic system, the resonator can be any of a variety of tuned resonating systems including an acoustic cavity or a vibrating mechanical element.
A neural network, or other pattern recognition system, can be trained to recognize certain people as permitted operators of a vehicle. In this case, if a non-recognized person attempts to operate the vehicle, the system can disable the vehicle and/or sound an alarm as illustrated in FIG. 18. In this figure the sensing transducers are shown as before as 231A, 232A and 233A, the alarm system schematically as 708 and the alarm as 705. Since it is unlikely that an unauthorized operator will resemble the authorized operator, the neural network system can be quite tolerant of differences in appearance of the operator. The system defaults to where a key must be used in the case that the system doesn't recognize the driver or the owner wishes to allow another person to operate the vehicle. The transducers 231A, 232A and 233A are sensitive to infrared radiation and the operator is illuminated with infrared waves from transducer 231 A. This is necessary due to the small size of the features which need to be recognized for high accuracy of recognition. An alternate system uses an infrared laser, which can be 231A in FIG. 18, to illuminate the operator and a CCD device, which can be represented as 232A in
FIG. 18, to receive the reflected image. In this case the recognition of the operator is accomplished using a pattern recognition system such as described in Popesco, V. and Vincent, J. M. "Location of Facial Features Using a Boltzmann Machine to Implement Geometric Constraints", Chapter 14 of Lisboa, P. J. G. and Taylor, M. J. Editors, Techniques and Applications of Neural Networks, Ellis Horwood Publishers, New York, 1993. In the present case a larger CCD element array containing 1000 or more elements would in many cases be used instead of the 16 by 16 or 256 element CCD array used by Popesco and Vincent.
Once a vehicle interior monitoring system employing a sophisticated pattern recognition system, such as a neural network or fuzzy logic system, is in place, it is possible to monitor the motions of the driver over time and determine if he is falling asleep or has otherwise become incapacitated. In such an event, the vehicle can be caused to respond in a number of different ways. One such system is illustrated in FIG. 19 and consists of a monitoring system having transducers 231, 232 and 233 plus microprocessor 101, such as shown in FIG. 7A, programmed to compare the motions of the driver over time and trained to recognize changes in behavior representative of becoming incapacitated. If the system determines that there is a reasonable probability that the driver has fallen asleep, for example, then it can turn on a warning light shown here as 805 or send a warning sound. If the driver fails to respond to the warning by pushing a button 806, for example, then the horn and lights can be operated in a manner to warn other vehicles and the vehicle brought to a stop. Naturally other responses can also be programmed.
An even more sophisticated system of monitoring the behavior of the driver is to track his eye motions using such techniques as are described in: Freidman et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,052 "Eye Tracker Communication System"; Heyner et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,189 "Eye Position Sensor"; Hutchinson U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,670 "Eye Movement Detector"; and, Hutchinson U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,069 "Eye Movement Detector With Improved Calibration and Speed", all of which are included herein by reference. The detection of the impaired driver in particular can be best determined by these techniques. Also, in a similar manner as described in these patents, the motion of the driver's eyes can be used to control various systems in the vehicle permitting hands off control of the entertainment system, heating and air conditioning system or all of the other systems described above.
In most of the applications described above, a single frequency energy was used to illuminate various occupying items of the passenger compartment. This was for illustrative purposes only and this invention is not limited to single frequency illumination. In many applications, it is useful to use several discrete frequencies or a band of frequencies. In this manner considerably greater information is received from the reflected illumination permitting greater discrimination between different classes of objects. In general each object will have different reflectivities at each frequency. Also, the different resonators placed at different positions in the passenger compartment can now be tuned to different frequencies making it easier to isolate one resonator from another.
Although several preferred embodiments are illustrated and described above, there are possible combinations using other geometries, sensors, materials and different dimensions for the components that perform the same functions. This invention is not limited to the above embodiments and should be determined by the following claims.
1. In a motor vehicle having an interior passenger compartment containing at least one occupying item having surfaces, said at least one occupying item being of a certain class, an interior monitoring system comprising:
a) means for irradiating a portion of said vehicle interior passenger compartment in which the at least one occupying item is situated;
b) receiver means for receiving reflected radiation from said surfaces of the at least one occupying item within said vehicle interior passenger compartment;
c) processor means coupled to said receiver means for processing said received radiation in order to create an electronic signal characteristic of the at least one occupying item within said vehicle interior passenger compartment based on said received radiation, said signal containing a pattern representative and characteristic of the at least one occupying item;
d) categorization means coupled to said processor means for categorizing said electronic signal, said categorization means comprising pattern recognition means for recognizing and thus identifying the class of the at least one occupying item by processing said signal based on said received radiation from said surfaces of the at least one occupying item into a categorization of said signal characteristic of the at least one occupying item based on data corresponding to patterns of received radiation stored within said pattern recognition means and associated with possible classes of occupying items of the vehicle; and
e) output means coupled to said categorization means for affecting at least one other system within said vehicle based on the categorization of said electronic signal characteristic of the at least one occupying item.
2. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one occupying item is a rear facing child seat.
3. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said output means produce an output representative of the number of occupants in said vehicle and said at least one other system is a vehicle communication system.
4. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said output means produce an output representative of specific seat occupancy and said at least one other system is a vehicle entertainment system.
5. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said output means produce an output representative of seat occupancy and said at least one other system is a vehicle heating and air conditioning system.
6. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one occupying item is at least an occupant, said invention further comprising measurement means for measuring the temperature of said vehicle occupant, said occupant temperature being output by said output means to said at least one other system.
7. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said irradiating means are selected from the group consisting of means for producing acoustic radiation and means for producing electromagnetic radiation.
8. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one occupying item is an occupant, further comprising determining means coupled to said processor means for receiving said electronic signal and determining the attentiveness of said occupant from said electronic signal; and
second output means coupled to said determining means and to one of the systems in the vehicle for affecting said one of the systems in the vehicle in response to the determined attentiveness of said occupant.
9. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said receiver means generate a signal which varies over time depending on the shape of the at least one occupying item.
10. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one other system within said vehicle is selected from the group consisting of (i) an entertainment system, (ii) a distress notification system, (iii) a heating and air-conditioning system, (iv) a vehicle safety system, (v) a light filtering system, and (vi) an unauthorized user/ignition enabling system.
11. The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said pattern recognition means comprise a trained neural network.
12. The invention in accordance with claim 1, further comprising location determining means coupled to said processor means for determining the location of the at least one occupying item within said passenger compartment; said output means being coupled to said location determining means and affecting said at least one other system within the vehicle based on the determined location of the at least one occupying item and the categorization of said electronic signal characteristic of the at least one occupying item.
13. In a motor vehicle having an interior passenger compartment having a front seat, said compartment having contents comprising objects and at least one occupant, said contents being of certain classes, an interior monitoring system comprising:
(a) recognition and identification means for recognizing and identifying at least one of said contents, said recognition and identification means comprising:
means for irradiating said at least one of said contents of said compartment, receiver means for receiving reflected radiation from said at least one of said contents in the compartment and generating a signal corresponding to the received radiation, and
pattern recognition means for recognizing and thus identifying the class of said at least one of said contents by processing said signal corresponding to the received radiation into an identification of the class of said at least one of said contents based on data corresponding to patterns of received radiation stored within said pattern recognition means and associated with possible classes of contents of the vehicle;
b) location determining means coupled to said recognition and identification means for determining the location of said at least one of said contents within said passenger compartment; and
c) output means coupled to said location determining means for affecting at least one other system within the vehicle based on (i) the determined location of said at least one of said contents within said vehicle and (ii) the identification of the class of said at least one of said contents within said vehicle.
14. The invention in accordance with claim 13, wherein said at least one of said contents comprises an occupant.
15. The invention in accordance with claim 14, wherein said vehicle further comprises a rear seat and said at least one other system is selected from the group consisting of an airbag system for frontal impact protection of an occupant of the front seat of the vehicle when the occupant is seated in the front seat, an airbag system for frontal impact protection of an occupant of the rear seat of the vehicle when the occupant is seated in the rear seat and an airbag system for side impact protection of an occupant.
16. The invention in accordance with claim 14, further comprising comparison means to compare the position of the occupant at different times after an accident and to thereby determine motion of the occupant and wherein said at least one other system is a vehicle communication system.
17. The invention in accordance with claim 14, wherein said at least one other system is an airbag system and means are further provided to determine the velocity of the occupant from successive location measurements.
18. The invention in accordance with claim 14, wherein said at least one other system is an airbag system including a gas generator having a variable inflation rate, further comprising means to control the inflation rate of said gas generator based on the determined location of the occupant.
19. The invention in accordance with claim 14, wherein said at least one other system is an airbag system including an electronic crash sensor having a sensor threshold triggering level and means for setting the sensor threshold triggering level, further comprising means to determine seatbelt usage of the occupant, said means for setting the sensor threshold triggering level of the electronic crash sensor being coupled to said seatbelt usage determining means and being structured and arranged to consider the seatbelt usage to set the sensor threshold triggering level.
20. The invention in accordance with claim 13, wherein the contents constitute at least one occupant, said pattern recognition means being structured and arranged to recognize and identify at least one part of the at least one occupant and said location determining means being structured and arranged to determine the location of said at least one identified part of the at least one occupant within said passenger compartment.
21. The invention in accordance with claim 20, wherein said at least one part of the at least one occupant is the head, said output means affecting said at least one other system based at least in part on the determined location of said head of the at least one occupant.
22. The invention in accordance with claim 20, wherein said at least one part of the at least one occupant are the eyes.
23. The invention in accordance with claim 20, wherein said at least one other system is selected from the group consisting of an adjustable seatbelt anchorage system, an adjustable headrest system and a window closing system.
24. The invention in accordance with claim 13, wherein said signal comprises a plurality of data, all of said data being compared to the data corresponding to patterns of received radiation stored within said pattern recognition means and associated with possible classes of contents of the vehicle.
25. In a motor vehicle having an interior passenger compartment, an interior monitoring system comprising:
a) means for irradiating at least one portion of said vehicle interior passenger compartment;
b) receiver means for receiving reflected radiation from said at least one irradiated portion of said vehicle interior passenger compartment;
c) processor means coupled to said receiver means for processing said received radiation in order to create an electronic signal characteristic of said at least one irradiated portion of said vehicle interior passenger compartment based on said received radiation;
d) categorization means coupled to said processor means for categorizing said signal, said categorization means comprising pattern recognition means for recognizing the presence or absence of an occupying item in said vehicle interior passenger compartment by processing said signal into a categorization of said signal based on data corresponding to patterns of received radiation stored within said pattern recognition means and associated with possible occupying items of the vehicle and the absence of such occupying items; and
e) output means coupled to said categorization means for affecting at least one other system within said vehicle based on the categorization of said signal.
5071160 December 10, 1991 White et al.
5118134 June 2, 1992 Mattes et al.
5330226 July 19, 1994 Gentry et al.
5398185 March 14, 1995 Omura
5413378 May 9, 1995 Steffens, Jr. et al.
5446661 August 29, 1995 Gioutsos et al.
5482314 January 9, 1996 Corrado et al.
40 23 109 January 1992 DEX
3-533 January 1991 JPX
94/22693 October 1994 WOX
Date of Patent: Nov 3, 1998
Assignee: Automotive Technologies International, Inc. (Boonton Township, NJ)
Inventors: David S. Breed (Boonton Township, NJ), Wendell C. Johnson (Topanga, CA), Wilbur E. Duvall (Kimberling, MO)
Primary Examiner: Peter C. English
Attorney: Samuel Shipkovitz
Application Number: 8/640,068
Current U.S. Class: Electric Control And/or Sensor Means (280/735); Responsive To Absence Or Inattention Of Operator, Or Negatively Reactive To Attempt To Operate Vehicle By Person Not Qualified Mentally Or Physically To Do So (180/272); With Control Of Safety Device (e.g., Air Bags) (342/72); Control Of Vehicle Safety Devices (e.g., Airbag, Seat-belt, Etc.) (701/45); Vehicle Equipment Position Control (e.g., Seat, Mirror, Door, Window, Headrest, Or Headlamp) (701/49)
International Classification: B60R 2132;
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9343
|
__label__cc
| 0.691538
| 0.308462
|
Paulosophical Vimplications
Why My Colleagues are Idiots
Notes from the Curmudgeon
Everything You Wanted to Know About What’s Going On in the World But Were Afraid to Ask
Papers my Wife Tells Me I Should Have Sent for Publication Years Ago
FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE SOCIALISTS
March 31, 2017 March 31, 2017 / paulosophicalvimplications
Martin Niemoller (1892-1984) spoke these words in 1946. In an interview many years later he confessed with regret that he hadn’t thought to write it down. So it’s not surprising that versions of it have since proliferated. Nevertheless, as good a version as any is this one:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.
But speaking out is not a straightforward matter, is it? By the time they started coming for the Jews it was too late to speak out. So it had to be when they came for the socialists, or not at all.
But hold on. Maybe they were right to come for the socialists. Or, in the present context, for the revisionists. Or the Creation Scientists. Or the global warming deniers. After all, these are all people who are clearly wrong. And surely it’ll be granted that some wrongs are dangerous. If this weren’t so they’d have never come for the socialists in the first place. Besides, we’re in no danger that they’ll end up coming for the Jews, because we know where to draw the line. It’s somewhere between … Well, we may not know where it is exactly, but we know it’s out there somewhere.
And besides, we’re not Jesus. We can’t be asked to die on every hill. If we spread ourselves too thin we just make ourselves ridiculous. The knee-jerk social justice warrior is a cross between Sisyphus and Prometheus, forever condemned to rolling the rock up the hill, and then, for his troubles, having his liver pecked out daily by an eagle. As with Sisyphus, justice is forever just one campaign out of reach; and as with Prometheus, the cost of campaigning can be one’s friends, one’s family, even one’s livelihood. So we are morally entitled to pick our battles, including no battle at all.
Not so, say I. It’s your baby on the doorstep because it’s your doorstep. I didn’t ask for that idiot as a colleague. But he’s the idiot down and around two corners in my hallway. And that puts him on my watch.
But it’s not that simple, is it? In the current so-called War on Terror the Americans aren’t worried about their own soldiers being tortured. Why not? Because they’re dropping their Daisy Cutters from 50,000 feet. So Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay are for them complete freebies. Likewise, then, most of the professors in Management and the so-called hard sciences aren’t worried about being suspended for expressing an opinion, because they have no opinions to express. So it’s largely people in the Humanities and Social Sciences who sign the petitions when one of their own – one of their own notwithstanding he’s an idiot – is under attack. Somewhere in the back of our minds we worry that some day we might ourselves want to say something idiotic. And even if we never do, the fact that we dare not reveals ourselves to ourselves as frauds.
But the would-be little Adolfs who run our university aren’t worried about our having this niggle, because they’ve taken pains to ensure we’re too busy worrying that it might be, as it was for Niemoller, too late to speak out. So I can’t condemn my colleagues as moral cowards. They have friends and families and livelihoods to worry about. And the only reason I don’t worry is that I’m so close to retirement now that walking away a few months or a year earlier than planned is no longer a deterent.
But I’m sad. In fact I’ve been sad pretty much for the two decades I’ve been at this university. I’m sad because it’s a sad university. It’s a sad university – always has been – because from the outset it’s had a culture of administrative fiatism, and among its faculty a culture of keeping one’s head down instead of thrusting it forward.
I’m not unmindful that this is a First World problem. We walk away with our pensions. Elsewhere in the world people don’t walk away with their lives. If I walk away I’ll be sitting on my balcony overlooking the Amalfi Coast. This summer, like each of the last six summers, two hours down the coast there’ll be lungs filling up with salt water. Neither of us, neither you nor I, can do anything about that. But it makes me sad that we can but won’t do anything about the (albeit by comparison trivial) tragedy unfolding on our doorstep.
Martin Niemoller, moral cowardice, Prometheus, Sisyphus, social justic warriors, speaking out, university administration
← CULTURAL APPROPRIATION
THE TRUTH-ABOUT-SNEEZING MOVEMENT →
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9344
|
__label__cc
| 0.536078
| 0.463922
|
Five Foot One Teacher
Finalist in Education
About Five Foot One Teacher
A survivor of the Parkland, Florida school shooting, Brittany Sinitch is fostering hope and change through social media. After her world was turned upside down in February 2018, the educator’s classroom that was once her “favorite place in the world” became a crime scene she never wanted to revisit. She set upon a path to inspire through uplifting teacher vlogs, to sobering “Reality of Losing my Classroom” YouTube video #MarchForOurLives and #LoveIsLove Instagram advocacy. Now with nearly 200K subscribers, Brittany’s “small human with big dreams” efforts are reawakening her classroom to cultivate new dreams. Her vlogs are now a haven for positivity and joy.
Five Foot One Teacher's best work on social
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGa16N3lrQo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf2CNNb7O3k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gbimzzgSPo
fivefootoneteacher
Share Five Foot One Teacher's Shorty Awards page
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9347
|
__label__wiki
| 0.742808
| 0.742808
|
(Redirected from Brazilian people)
da mucha informacion esta pa
For the city in the U.S. state of Indiana, see Brazil, Indiana.
Federative Republic of Brazil
República Federativa do Brasil (Portuguese)
Motto: "Ordem e Progresso"
(Portuguese)<br / Progress"
Anthem: Hino Nacional Brasileiro
"Brazilian National Anthem"
National seal
Selo Nacional do Brasil
15°47′S 47°52′W / 15.783°S 47.867°W / -15.783; -47.867
Official languages
Portuguese[1]
(2010[2])
47.73% White
43.13% Brown (Multiracial)
7.61% Black
1.09% Asian
0.43% Amerindian
Federal presidential constitutional republic
Jair Bolsonaro ([[Social Liberal Party (Brazil)|PSL]])[3]
• Vice President
Hamilton Mourão
• President of the Chamber of Deputies
Rodrigo Maia (DEM)
Eunício Oliveira (PMDB)
• Chief Justice
Cármen Lúcia
Federal Senate
Chamber of Deputies
from Portugal
• Declared
• Recognized
• Republic
• Current constitution
8,514,877 km2 (3,287,612 sq mi) (5th)
• Water (%)
• 2016 census
205,823,665 [4] (5th)
23.6/km2 (61.1/sq mi) (182nd)
$3.081 trillion[5]
$14,800[5]
$1.77 trillion[5]
high · 79th
Real (R$) ([[ISO 4217|BRL]])
UTC-2 to -5[9] (BRT[9])
UTC-2 to -5 (BRST)
dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Brazilian National Congress
Brazil (officially called Federative Republic of Brazil; how to say: IPA: [bɾɐˈziw]) is a country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country. The country has about 209 million people. The capital of Brazil is Brasília. Brazil was named after brazilwood. Brazilwood is a tree that once grew very well along the Brazilian coast.[10]
2 Languages
4 People/culture
5 Related pages
History[change | change source]
This section needs more information.
The first people to come to Brazil came around 9,000 B.C.[11] That group of people is often called the South American Indians. They probably came from North America. Some of them were hunters and gatherers, but others were farmers.[12]
Flag of Brazil, 1500.
Pedro Álvares Cabral was the first European to see Brazil. He saw it in 1500. He was from Portugal and the Portuguese government claimed Brazil. Soon, explorers explored the whole coastline of Brazil and colonies were set up. In the late 1500s and early 1600s, the Dutch and the French would sometimes try to take land in Brazil. Brazilians started moving inland farther than the Treaty of Tordesillas said they could. This caused some fights with the Spaniards and native people in the area.[12]
In 1822, Brazil claimed to be its own country and not a part of Portugal anymore. Soon there was civil war. But the emperor Pedro II improved the economy, and in 1888, he freed the slaves. In 1889, there was a military coup, and Pedro II had to leave the country.[12]
In 1889, Brazil became a republic. It was not very democratic, because the only people who could vote were people who owned land. There were some uprisings in the 1920s because some people thought the government was unfairly helping coffee growers. Brazil joined the Allies during World War II.[12]
During the 1960s, the leader Castelo Branco made the government like a dictatorship. Since then, the country has become more democratic, but some people feel that there are still big problems in health, education, crime, poverty and social inequality.
In September 2016, then-president Dilma Rousseff was removed from office because of impeachment.[source?]
Languages[change | change source]
Most people in Brazil speak Portuguese. Brazil is the only country in South America that speaks Portuguese.
Some people in Brazil speak German dialects. That came from German immigrants. 2% of Brazilians speak German as their first language. Yiddish is spoken by the elders of the Jewish community.
Other people in Brazil speak their ancestors' languages like Italian, Japanese, Polish, Ukrainian, French, Russian, Lithuanian, Chinese, Dutch and Korean. Spanish or "Portunhol", a mix of Portuguese and Castilian (Spanish) is spoken at some of the borders. Indigenous languages as Guarani and Aymará are the first languages of a small number of Brazilians.
Geography[change | change source]
Brazil has the world's largest rainforest, the Amazon Rainforest. It makes up 40% of the country's land area. Brazil also has other types of land, including a type of savanna called cerrado, and a dry plant region named caatinga.
The most important cities are Brasília (the capital), Belém, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Goiânia, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, São Paulo (the biggest city) and Vitória. Other cities are at List of largest cities in Brazil.
Brazil is divided into 26 states plus the Federal District in five regions (north, south, northeast, southeast and centre-west):
North: Acre, Amazonas, Rondônia, Roraima, Pará, Amapá, Tocantins
Northeast: Maranhão, Pernambuco, Ceará, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia
Centre-West: Goiás, Mato grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Distrito Federal/ Federal District
Southeast: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais
South: Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul
The country is the fifth largest in the world by area. It is known for its many rainforests and jungles. It is next to every country in South America except Chile and Ecuador. The name Brazil comes from a tree named brazilwood.
People/culture[change | change source]
Brazil is the largest country in South America and fifth largest in the world.[13] Its people are called Brazilians or Brasileiros (In Portuguese). The people include citizens of Portuguese or other European descent who mainly live in the South and Southeast, Africans, Native Americans, Arabs, Gypsies and people of Mixed ancestry. Brazil also has the largest Japanese community outside Japan.[14] Other East Asians follow the Japanese group.The Amazon River flows through Brazil, it is the 2nd longest river in the world (after the Nile).he current President of Brazil is Michel Temer. Two major sporting events were held in Brazil recently: the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Related pages[change | change source]
Civil Police (Brazil)
Political subdivisions of Brazil
CIA World Factbook
↑ "Demographics". Brazilian Government. 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-08. (English)
↑ Caracteristicas da População e dos Domicílios do Censo Demográfico 2010 — Cor ou raça
↑ "Brazil President Dilma Rousseff removed from office by Senate". BBC. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
↑ "The World Factbook". Retrieved 2017-07-11.
↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Brazil". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
↑ "Brazil - Economic Indicators". TRADING ECONOMICS. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
↑ Caracteristicas da População e dos Domicílios do Censo Demográfico 2010 — Rendimento
↑ "The Human Development Index 2016". Retrieved 2017-07-11.
↑ 9.0 9.1 "Hora Legal Brasileira". Observatório Nacional. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
↑ Fausto, Boris (1999). A Concise History of Brazil. Cambridge University Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-521-56526-4.
↑ Fagan, Dr. Brian; Durrani, Nadia (2015). People of the Earth: An Introduction to World Prehistory. Routledge. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-317-34682-1.
↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "Brazil". Britannica School. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
↑ "The 50 largest (area) countries in the world". GeoHive. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
↑ Veselinovic, Milena (July 24, 2013). "Mixing sushi and samba - meet the Japanese Brazilians". CNN. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
Other websites[change | change source]
Media related to Brazil at Wikimedia Commons
Brazil travel guide from Wikivoyage
Countries and territories of South America
Argentina · Bolivia · Brazil · Chile · Colombia · Ecuador · Guyana · Paraguay · Peru · Suriname · Uruguay · Venezuela
Governed by other countries
Falkland Islands · French Guiana · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Timeline of Brazilian history
Portuguese Colony (1500–1815)
Old Republic (1889–1930)
Second Republic (1946–1964)
Military rule (1964–1985)
New Republic (post 1985)
National Congress (Chamber of Deputies and Federal Senate)
President of the Republic
Real (currency)
Malandragem
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brazil&oldid=6613709"
Portuguese-speaking countries
1825 establishments in South America
Articles containing Portuguese-language text
Pages using infobox country or infobox former country with the symbol caption or type parameters
Articles to be expanded
This page was last changed on 17 July 2019, at 13:24.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9351
|
__label__cc
| 0.583749
| 0.416251
|
Understanding Powell v. Alabama
Far from a radical expansion of the right to counsel, the Supreme Court’s decision in Powell v. Alabama was rather narrow. In Alabama, trial courts were obliged, under state statute, to appoint counsel in capital cases whenever the defendant is incapable of hiring an attorney on his own. By assigning two lawyers to represent the nine Scottsboro Boys, the trial judge complied with the letter of the law. To the U.S. Supreme Court, it wasn’t Alabama’s statute that was the problem. Rather it was the trial court’s failure to grant a fair hearing: the attorneys appointed to the Scottsboro Boys’ defense were so unqualified that the representation the defendants received was effectively the same as if they had received no representation at all.
The Supreme Court held:
The right to be heard would be, in many cases, of little avail if it did not comprehend the right to be heard by counsel. Even the intelligent and educated layman has small and sometimes no skill in the science of law. . . . Left without the aid of counsel, he may be put on trial without a proper charge, and convicted upon incompetent evidence, or evidence irrelevant to the issue or otherwise inadmissible. He lacks both the skill and knowledge adequately to prepare his defense, even though he have a perfect one. He requires the guiding hand of counsel at every step in the proceedings against him. Without it, though he be not guilty, he faces the danger of conviction because he does not know how to establish his innocence.
Therefore, in order to protect an individual’s constitutional right to a fair hearing, the Court held that in capital cases, state trial courts have an obligation under the Fourteenth Amendment to appoint counsel.[1] Looking back to the 1926 case, Hebert v. Louisiana, the Court justified its decision by saying: “. . . To hold otherwise would be to ignore the fundamental postulate . . . ‘that there are certain immutable principles of justice which inhere in the very idea of free government which no member of the Union may disregard’.” The Scottsboro Boys had been provided with representation, but it was so superficial as to be meaningless. They would be granted a new trial, and this time with the assistance of effective defense counsel.
The immediate impact of Powell v. Alabama was fairly limited, because every state already required courts to appoint counsel in capital cases. Instead, Powell‘s lasting legacy is that it established a test, based on the idea of “fundamental fairness,” that would guide the Court over the next 50 or so years as it continued to explore the constitutional obligations of government to provide counsel to defendants who couldn’t otherwise afford it. And it wouldn’t be very long before this fundamental fairness test came into use.
[1] See Powell: “All that it is necessary now to decide, as we do decide, is that, in a capital case, where the defendant is unable to employ counsel and is incapable adequately of making his own defense because of ignorance, feeble mindedness, illiteracy, or the like, it is the duty of the court, whether requested or not, to assign counsel for him as a necessary requisite of due process of law, and that duty is not discharged by an assignment at such a time or under such circumstances as to preclude the giving of effective aid in the preparation and trial of the case.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9356
|
__label__wiki
| 0.857567
| 0.857567
|
Gut Feeling: Sensory cells of the mouse intestine let the brain know if certain compounds are present by speaking directly to gut neurons via serotonin.
Mouse intestineWIKIMEDIA, KELVINH88
The intestine tells the brain about the contents of the gut. But insights into the molecular mechanics of this gut-brain conversation have been stalled by technical limitations. Now, examinations of a key type of gut sensory cell within mouse intestinal organoids and tissue sections have revealed which molecular signals activate these so-called enterochromaffin cells, and how the cells relay the compounds’ presence to the central nervous system. The findings are reported today (June 22) in Cell.
“It really is stellar work,” says anatomist and neuroscientist John Cryan of University College Cork in Ireland who was not involved in the work. “It’s asking a big question, and using state of the art tools [to find answers] . . . It’s a tour de force.”
The big question to which Cryan refers is, what is the function of enterochromaffin cells? “We’ve known that these cells are really important but we’ve lacked the tools to study them,” he says, “They’ve been a real black box.”
Enterochromaffin cells are a type of intestinal epithelial endocrine cell. They are very rare—making up less than one percent of the intestinal epithelia—and yet are responsible for the production of 90 percent of the body’s serotonin. It has been proposed that these cells act as chemical sensors, detecting molecules in the gut lumen and, in response, secreting serotonin to trigger neuron-controlled gut motility, contractility, and pain. But what those luminal molecules might be, and how serotonin exerts its effects on neurons, was a mystery.
“The question is, does serotonin just spill out and interact with neurons at a distance—which almost certainly happens—or is there also a more point-to-point connection” between neurons and enterochromaffin cells, says neuroscientist David Julius of the University of California, San Francisco, who led the research. There is a precedent for such synaptic connections, he says, explaining that a related set of gut epithelial cells—called enteroendocrine cells—has recently been reported to make direct neuronal contacts.
Because of the scarcity of enterochromaffin cells they “are very difficult to play with in vivo,” says Cryan. Therefore, Julius and colleagues employed a recently developed in vitro organoid approach to recapitulate the complexity of intestinal tissue in the accessibility of a dish.
In intestinal organoids derived from mice, the team examined enterochromaffin electrophysiology, protein expression, serotonin secretion, and more. They found that these cells express voltage–gated ion channels and are electrically excitable—a hallmark of sensory cells.
Then, from a screen of 30 possible gut lumen compounds, they found several that could trigger enterochromaffin excitation. These were allyl isothiocyanate (the irritant found in wasabi and other mustards), isovalerate (a fatty acid produced by gut microbes), and the catecholamines dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
The team went on to show that enterochromaffin cells expressed relevant receptors for these compounds and that compound-induced activation of the cells prompted the release of serotonin.
Next, using mouse gut tissue samples from mice with fluorescently labeled enterochromaffin cells, the team examined these cells’ relationships to neurons. The researchers found that innervating neurons expressing serotonin receptors frequently appeared to make contact with enterochromaffin cells and that enterochromaffin cells expressed presynaptic proteins, while adjacent neurons expressed postsynaptic proteins. These results all pointed to these cells directly talking with one another. Moreover, stimulation of gut epithelium with norepinephrine or isovalerate triggered the activity of these innervating cells.
The finding that enterochromaffin cells form synapses with neurons “indicates there is a direct link to the brain,” says gastroenterologist Rodger Liddle of Duke University who found the previous link between enteroendocrine cells and neurons, but who was not involved with this work.
Such a link would allow transmission “in milliseconds rather than minutes,” Liddle explains. One role of the gut-brain axis is thought to be as protection against disagreeable substances, where a rapid response may be critical, he says. “If you ingest a toxin or something that is detrimental, then these cells, because they are chemosensors, will respond and may send signals to induce vomiting or diarrhea, for instance,” Liddle suggests.
There is still a lot to learn about how the gut talks to the brain, says Cryan, and about what happens to the brain, gut, or both when the system goes awry. The work of Julius and colleagues has certainly “filled in some pieces of the puzzle,” he says. It has also identified key molecules and mechanisms “that would be nice to now investigate in vivo,” he adds.
N.W. Bellono et al., “Enterochromaffin cells are gut chemosensors that couple to sensory neural pathways,” Cell, doi:10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.034, 2017.
We selected this news from the-scientist.coom
Athletes’ Microbiomes Differ from Non athletes
Methylene Blue reduced wrinkles and slowed skin ageing for women in their 80s, study reveals
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line9357
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.