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Texas Legislators: Past & Present
Orlando Bacon Black
Full Name: Orlando Bacon Black
Birth date: August 11, 1886
Death date: May 6, 1933
House, 37th (1) Legislature
House, 36th (2) (3) Legislature
(1) E. Guy LeStourgeon, sworn 7/18/1921, succeeded O. B. Black, resigned after Regular Session. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004 2005.
(2) O.B. Black, in special election 2/6/1919, sworn 2/13/1919, succeeded Otto Wahrmund, member-elect, resigned 1/14/1919. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004 2005.
(3) Democrat in 36th and 37th Legislatures. Texas Legislative Manual .
Biographical Notes and Resources
Resolutions and Journal entries
43rd Legislature, R.S., 5/8/1933, p. 2089. Also served as Mayor of San Antonio. Resolutions - Memorial .
United States Army, Lieutenant Colonel, World War I. 43rd Legislature, R.S., 5/8/1933, p. 2089. Resolutions - Memorial .
Photograph. O.B. Black, State Preservation Board
Death notice, O.B. Black, member of the 37th Legislature, 1/16/1934, p. 5. Black "later became mayor of Alamo City." Big Spring Daily Herald .
Historical Portraits of Mayors of the City of San Antonio, Portrait, O.B. Black (1921-1923). City of San Antonio, Texas .
O.B. Black, birth date 8/11/1886, death date 5/6/1933 in Gonzales, father Dr. C.C. Black, spouse Josephina Pack Black. FamilySearch Texas Deaths, 1890-1976 .
Orlando Bacon Black, birth date 8/11/1886, death date 5/6/1933, interment in Gonzales Masonic Cemetery, Gonzales, Gonzales County. Find a Grave .
Mentioned in CRUZ AZUL MEXICANA. Handbook of Texas Online .
Photo and biographical sketch from San Antonio Mayoral election, 5/10/1921. "Our New Mayor" - born in Georgetown, Williamson County; married Miss Josephine Peek, of Gonzales, Texas, on 12/11/1920. "Anti-Administration Mayoralty Candidate Wins Close Contest," 5/10/1921, p. 1. San Antonio Evening News .
Obituary, "Ex-Mayor Black Dies at Gonzales," 5/7/1933, p. 1. "Black had been ill since the 1932 Democratic primary." San Antonio Express .
United States Army and United States Army Air Corps, World War I. Obituary, "Ex-Mayor Black Dies at Gonzales," 5/7/1933, p. 1. San Antonio Express .
Obituary, "Death Claims O.B. Black, S.A. Mayor in 1921," 5/7/1933, Part One, p. 2. San Antonio Light .
United States Army, World War I. "On December 6, 1917, he resigned his position [First Assistant District Attorney] to enter the U.S. Army, completing the Adjutant's course at the University of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, and was commissioned Lieutenant in the Signal Reserve Corps. He was later transferred to the air service of the U. S. Army and stationed at Kelly Field, where he acted as Adjutant to Kelly Field No. 1 for the air service mechanics school, which prepared and sent across each month a large number of men skilled in the use and upkeep of airplanes. Upon the signing of the armistice and his discharge he formed a partnership . . . for practice of law in San Antonio . . . " Biographical sketch, April 1919, pp. 380-381. Texas State Journal of Medicine 1905.
Photo and biographical sketch, April 1919, pp. 380-381, age 32 in 1919. Son of Dr. C.C. Black. Texas State Journal of Medicine 1905.
37th R.S. - 1921
Insurance (Chair)
Privileges, Suffrage and Elections
Municipal and Private Corporations
LRL Home | View full site
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CategoryPolitics
Posted January 7, 2019 2019
Government Shutdown; What we as citizens should know
By: Keidra Ponder
As the New Year begins, so does the drama and no I’m not referring to the R. Kelly accusators’ series, I’m talking about the Government shutdown. A government shutdown tends to occur when the President refuses to sign into law necessary bills and resolutions to fund federal government operations and agencies, or if Congress fails to pass sufficient appropriation bills or continuing resolutions. As the government shuts occurs federal agencies continue to operate while nonessential agencies leave on furlough. Some departments are expected to continue to work through the government shutdown without pay.
http://www.actionnewsnow.com
The current shutdown is in effect to enforce to the funding of the border wall, which many are imposed to. Trump speculates that the shutdown can continue months or evens years or a national emergency may be declared to build the wall without approval from Congress. As a result, many national parks and historical museums are closed until further notice. As a consequence, the IRS is closed along with many other government agencies. It has been speculated that even though the IRS has stopped a lot of its services, the agency will continue to issue tax refunds. Many Americans could lose their SNAP and WIC benefits as a result of the shutdown. Sadly, small business owners aren’t able to get funding and even those looking to get married will have to wait, those departments are closed as well. Many workers are calling out sick because they aren’t being paid and many checkpoints are unguarded leaving room for smuggling across waters.
We don’t know how long the shutdown will last but we do know that we are a resilient people. This isn’t the first government shutdown and it won’t be the last. Keep your eye on the prize and not the price, let that sink in.
Posted November 7, 2018 2018
7 takeaways from a wild midterm election
By: Steven Shepard
The suburbs were brutal for Republicans.
Driven by massive voter turnout, the 2018 midterm election was both a blue wave and a red wave. It just depended on which map you were looking at.
Democrats blazed a suburban trail to wrest control of the House from Republicans, easily winning the popular vote in a national rebuke of President Donald Trump that is likely to yield a gain of more than 30 seats.
And yet, the party lost ground in the Senate, giving Trump and GOP leader Mitch McConnell more breathing room for the next two years — and possibly even longer. Democrats also fell short in some of the most sought-after gubernatorial races, including the biggest prize of the night in Florida.
Turnout was off the charts for a midterm election: In the last midterm, in 2014, fewer than 79 million voters cast ballots for the House of Representatives. As of early Wednesday morning, 97 million votes had been counted solely for Democratic and Republican candidates, according to The New York Times, with millions more left to be tallied.
But just because the waves ran in opposite directions on the two maps doesn’t mean they weren’t driven by the same undertow. Democrats continued to draw increasing support from white college-educated voters that were once the core of the GOP. On the national House map, Democrats won white voters with a college degree by about 8 percentage points, according to the exit poll conducted for the National Election Pool — including white, college-educated women by roughly 20 points.
Republicans, however, continued to surge among the non-college-educated white voters that have powered the party in the Trump era. White voters without a college degree went for GOP candidates by nearly 25 points. (Democrats also won more than three nonwhite voters for every one that voted Republican.
In some races, that was a trade Republicans were willing to make. Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson — the Democrats running for Florida governor and Senate, respectively — won Florida’s urban and suburban counties, including around Jacksonville, which was once GOP territory. But both were swamped by strong Republican margins and turnout in rural and inland counties that drove former GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis’ victory in the governor’s race and Gov. Rick Scott’s lead in the current vote count.
Here are seven takeaways from Tuesday’s Trump-powered midterms:
1. Suburban Republicans were swept away.
Democrats won suburbs from the Eastern Seaboard all the way to Nevada. But they didn’t just pick off the low-hanging fruit — the GOP members long seen to be vulnerable — they expanded into more challenging terrain near Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City and Richmond.
Republicans like Barbara Comstock in Northern Virginia, Mike Coffman in suburban Denver, Kevin Yoder outside Kansas City and Erik Paulsen in the Twin Cities were easy pickings for Democrats. But few Democrats were as confident they could oust Reps. Steve Russell in Oklahoma, or Karen Handel in suburban Atlanta.
Democrats won both toss-up races in Virginia, beating Reps. Scott Taylor in the Tidewater area and Dave Brat around Richmond. They knocked off both suburban Texas members: John Culberson in Houston and Pete Sessions in Dallas. Incumbent Carlos Curbelo crashed and burned in South Florida. So did Randy Hultgren in outer Chicagoland.
Republicans kept only a handful of suburban seats, with Brian Fitzpatrick narrowly hanging on in Bucks County, Pa., and Troy Balderson winning a re-run of this year’s special election near Columbus, Ohio.
But, for the most part, it was a suburban bloodbath.
2. How big is the wave? Wait for California.
For almost two years, California was seen as the key to Democrats’ quest for the House majority. Turns out, they didn’t need it.
The party will likely have flipped roughly 30 House seats — it needed 23 to win control — without posting any gains in California at all. But Democrats seem likely to add to that total once California counts all its votes.
How many more seats will Democrats win? It could be awhile before we know for sure. Voters in California could postmark their ballots as late as Tuesday, and it will take weeks for all those votes to be tallied.
As of Wednesday morning, Democratic candidates are only leading in three of the seven targeted California races. But late ballots in California tend to trend Democratic, so more could pull ahead in the coming days.
There’s one specific Californian that will be watching the returns with intense interest: House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Given the large number of Democratic candidates who won Tuesday night that have said they won’t support Pelosi to be the next speaker, she could use all the votes she can get — especially from California, where she’s more popular than she is nationally.
3. Democrats may have lost the Senate until 2022.
If GOP leads in Arizona and Florida hold, Republicans will hold 54 Senate seats. That’s three more seats than the GOP holds now, and it may be enough to insulate the party against Democratic attacks in the next election.
The 2018 map was awful for Democrats — 10 incumbents running in states Trump carried in 2016, including five by double-digit margins — and while the 2020 map is better, there are few slam dunks for the party.
First, Democrats will struggle to hold Alabama Sen. Doug Jones’ seat. Jones, who won a special election last year against an extremely flawed GOP candidate, will have to choose whether to seek a full term in a state Trump carried with 62 percent of the vote in 2016.
If Democrats lose the Alabama seat, they’ll need to pick up five seats to flip the chamber (six if they don’t win the presidency). It’s hard to find that many solid opportunities on the 2020 map. The only Republicans up for reelection in states Hillary Clinton won in 2016 are Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine. Democrats could also target Sens. David Perdue (R-Ga.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) — but those are more difficult.
That’s why — even if Democrats weren’t going to win the Senate on Tuesday — it was so important for the party to limit its losses. Some races are still uncalled, but it appears Democrats failed to keep the Senate within arm’s reach two years from now.
4. Republicans held some big governorships.
Democrats flipped seven governorships on Tuesday: Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Wisconsin. The Wisconsin victory, ousting longtime nemesis Scott Walker, might have been the most satisfying for Democrats.
But there are a handful of close-but-no-cigar races where Republicans emerged ahead that will sting. At the top of the list: DeSantis’ 1-point victory over Gillum, who appeared to energize Florida Democrats and had a modest lead in most public polls. Democrats haven’t won a governor’s race in Florida since 1994.
The closely watched race in Georgia hasn’t been called, and while Brian Kemp is ahead, Democrats hope his vote share falls under 50 percent, forcing a December 4 runoff with Democrat Stacey Abrams. But even if Kemp fails to secure a majority, he’d be the favorite in a head-to-head race with Abrams.
Republicans also held on in a couple of smaller states with outsized national implications — Iowa and New Hampshire — where a number of Democrats will soon be flocking to kick off their 2020 presidential campaigns.
5. Democrats patched the Blue Wall, but it’s still vulnerable.
Two years after Trump crashed through the Midwestern Blue Wall, Democrats made gains in a number of states that the now-president turned red. In Pennsylvania, the incumbent Democratic governor and senator were reelected easily, and Democrats won half of the state’s 18 House seats, up from only five after the previous election.
In Michigan, Democrats won the governor’s race, the incumbent senator was reelected and the party picked up a House seat (and a second seat is leaning their way, though it’s too close to call as of Wednesday morning). In Iowa, Dems picked up two House seats, though they lost the governor’s race. In Wisconsin, Walker went down, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin won reelection.
But none of this means these states will reject Trump in two years. In 2010, Republicans won governorships in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa — and senators in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois. Then-President Barack Obama still won them all in 2012.
Moreover, while Democrats made gains in some states, Ohio and its 18 electoral votes still look challenging for the party. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown defeated a poorly-funded Rep. Jim Renacci by a little more than 5 points on Tuesday, and Republicans held the governorship when former Sen. Mike DeWine defeated Democrat Richard Cordray.
6. Women won in record numbers.
A record number of women will serve in the next Congress.
The previous record of women serving in the House and Senate at one time — 107 in the current Congress — was shattered Tuesday night. Some races are uncalled, but it’s likely that more than 100 women will be serving in the House alone for the first time.
Most of the growth in women members comes from Democrats. Eighteen of the 29 seats Democrats picked up on Tuesday night were won by women, and more are likely to declared victors in the coming days.
One telling example: All 20 members of Pennsylvania’s current congressional delegation are men. But the state elected four women to Congress on Tuesday.
Women also drove Democratic successes in other races. Trump is fond of saying, wrongly, that he carried the female vote in 2016, but the result was even more decisive this time around. Women tilted Democratic by nearly 20 points, and white women were split evenly between the parties, according to exit polls.
7. Beto didn’t win, but other Texas Democrats did.
Sen. Ted Cruz defeated Rep. Beto O’Rourke on Tuesday by less than a 3-point margin — a closer race than many expected, and closer than some thought was even possible.
No, O’Rourke’s army of dedicated voters inspired by his candidacy didn’t overcome Texas’ partisan lean. And, yes, he may have left some voters on the table by running hard to the left.
But there are reasons not to be too dismissive of his campaign.
First, turnout spiked. As of Wednesday morning, 8.3 million votes had been tallied in the race. That’s only slightly fewer than the just under 9 million votes in the 2016 presidential race, and close to double the 4.6 million in the last Senate race in 2014.
That sharp increase may have helped other Democrats. Lizzie Fletcher beat Culberson in Houston, and Colin Allred unseated Sessions in Dallas. GOP Rep. Will Hurd leads his Democratic opponent in another battleground district by fewer than 700 votes.
There were also a number of Republican close shaves — seats that stayed red, but were much closer than expected. Seven-term Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, won by just four points, down from a 19-point win in 2016. Rep. Kenny Marchant, also seeking an eighth term, won by just three points, down from 17 points. Rep. John Carter, who won by 22 points in 2016, only edged Democrat MJ Hegar — whose candidacy is best-known for viral campaign ads that highlighted her service as an Air Force combat pilot — by only three points.
Via apple.news/AqaCDxkSRQ7yxlKp_R4MhWg
Posted December 12, 2016 2016
How Did African Americans Fare In The Obama Era? — News One
Many African-Americans have expressed disappointment in President Barack Obama, even those who voted whole-heartedly for him twice. In an October interview, Sean “Diddy” Combs, in an interview on PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton, said the Black community “got a little bit shortchanged.” P Diddy says Obama has ‘shortchanged’ black people on Al Sharpton’s talk show…https://t.co/W52zIQVpqT —…
via How Did African Americans Fare In The Obama Era? — News One
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4th January 2016 Leslie Tate 3 Comments
Emma and Lou.
Our attitudes to disability touch us personally. Quoting the disability rights slogan ‘Nothing about us without us’ Emma Claire Sweeney guest blogs about her sister Lou, looking at the whole person, not the label. Emma, who has a Creative Writing MA from UEA and writes for The Guardian, The Independent and The Times, also reflects on her own struggle to find words that truthfully represent Lou’s experience…
‘Some of my most prominent memories of my grammar school days in Birkenhead relate to my sister, Lou, even though she attended the special school across the other side of town. After a swimming lesson in the early nineties, for example, an older boy referred to Lou as a ‘spaz’. I still remember the sudden strength I acquired when I pinned him against the wall, seeing it as my role to speak up on her behalf.
Not long after this, I complained to my first year English teacher about the use of the term ‘idiot’ in Nina Bawden’s Carrie’s War. Mrs Nuttall generously responded by devoting one class to a debate on the subject. It is only in writing this that I realise the extent to which I am indebted to my former teacher. She legitimised and focused my fierce (and, in hindsight, somewhat misplaced) sense of injustice at the inadequacy of literary representations of learning disability.
I had yet to find in the novels and poems I devoured a portrait of a family that resembled mine, and so, with the help of Mrs Nuttall, my inarticulately angry response to that boy at the baths was now being funnelled into a creative process that allowed me to speak up on behalf of those who, like Lou, lacked the language or comprehension to tell their own stories. My first ever secondary school creative writing assignment, for instance, was about a girl trying to decipher a phrase that her sister kept repeating indistinctly.
Even back then, I suspected that most people had misconceptions about learning disability, and that fiction and poetry could help to subvert them. Have you ever assumed that, deep down, a sibling must inevitably resent his sister or brother with learning disabilities? That the life of someone with learning disabilities must be overwhelmingly bleak and is therefore deserving of pity? That families who raise their disabled child at home are somehow saintly in their powers of endurance?
Available for £4.99 (all profits to Sunnyside) by emailing publicity@sunnysideruraltrust.org.uk
When I mention Lou’s cerebral palsy and autism, I am usually offered sympathy on the assumption that her life must be miserable and my childhood must have been tough. This is hardly surprising given that as recently as 1983, when Lou was diagnosed, the doctor told my parents to focus their love on her twin, Sarah, and on their eldest daughter, me; put Lou in an institution; forget there had ever been three.
If only he could see us now: Lou leading the way onto the dance floor, throwing back her head in laughter, singing along to the lyrics; Sarah and me and our parents following in her wake, looking on – half in apology, half in admiration – as she elbows her way between couples, getting the men to dance with her. Her lack of inhibition gives us an excuse to join her on the dance floor: she’s always the first to get up and the last to leave.
Keenly aware that I was in the early days of studying my craft and alert to the importance of a sensitive representation of learning disability, throughout my twenties I wrote about other subjects. And yet, I never doubted that my pen would one day return to this.
As a schoolgirl, I had failed to comprehend the moral minefield of “Nothing About Us Without Us”, which had not yet become the slogan of the disability rights movement. But when I returned to the subject of learning disability as a professional author in my thirties, I began to feel uneasy about my early notions of speaking up on behalf of someone else. My early attempts to give voice to a fictional character with learning disabilities in my novel-in-progress, Owl Song at Dawn, had resulted in the kind of patronising, infantile qualities that I was trying to undermine. Could this not disempower the very people I was trying to help?
When I was awarded an Arts Council residency at Sunnyside Rural Trust to work with a group of adults with learning disabilities to compile an anthology of life stories, I had no idea what form the vignettes would take. It was only when I listened to the recordings I had made during the year that I realised I was listening to poetry – a new kind of poetry, but one I found half-familiar because it shared some of the qualities of my sister’s language: a language I have spent a lifetime trying to learn. I realised that I could write poems using only the words and experiences of the participants, that through repetition and placement even a narrow range of phrases could take on diverse meaning, and, that by listening with the heart, readers might feel as if they have understood something that has been expressed through fracture and lacunae as well as through coherence.
And, so, the poets at Sunnyside helped me to find a solution to the voices I was struggling to render in my novel. I began transcribing all the things my sister said to me during our nightly phone-calls:
Cheeky pie and custard don’t forget the mustard. What’s your name? My name’s Louise Katherine Sweeney, 31 Grange Road East, Claughton, Merseyside. Where’s Sarah? Sarah’s in Leeds. Where’s Seth? My nephew. Seth’s laughing at me! You’re drunk! That’s not funny. What noise does a cow make? Moooo. Who do you love the best, Mum or Dad? You’re stupid. You stink! I like tractors. I like owls. Twit-twoo, I love you true. More than words can say. Tiger, tiger burning bright, in the forest of the night. Night, night, sleep tight, make sure the bugs don’t bite.
In my revised novel, I have attempted to capture something of Lou’s language in the voice of Edie, my character with learning disabilities. Of course, I have simultaneously adapted it for the character who was born in the 1930s in Morecambe and whose seminal life experiences are radically different from Lou’s.
This redrafting trajectory of Owl Song at Dawn took me closer to an appreciation of the kinds of stories that Lou is already expressing with her melodic and quirky turns of phrase. Lou and the Sunnyside poets together taught me to avoid speaking up on behalf of people with learning disabilities, and instead to attempt to narrate with them.’
Emma Claire Sweeney has a PhD on literary representations of learning disability and currently teaches on City University’s Novel Studio and at New York University in London. With her writer friend and colleague Emily Midorikawa, Emma runs the website Something Rhymed, which shines a light on the forgotten friendships of the world’s most famous female authors. Emma’s novel, Owl Song at Dawn, is now published and can be bought here. It has been longlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker Prize and Emma has appeared in The Guardian and on Woman’s Hour talking about her book.
Previous PostA CRIME NOVELIST TELLS ALLNext PostTHE CREATIVE SPIRIT BEHIND HEMEL HEMPSTEAD’S OLD TOWN GHOST WALKS
3 thoughts on “Speaking Up”
Tracey West says:
Excellent piece again Leslie – I don’t know where you find the time to pen such vibrant pieces!
Love it – T x
Thank you Wonder Woman Tracey! L x
Ruth F Hunt says:
Very interesting. As someone with serious physical disabilities I’ve been aware of the lack of disabled people’s voices and misrepresentation of disability issues in fiction, and I knew it was even worse when it came to learning disabilities.
To address the lack of severely disabled protagonists I eventually wrote The Single Feather, and set it in the current day, so the ‘scrounger’ abuse directed at those with disabilities could be included.
I will be buying both the poetry and novel, it needs more people to think about diversity and for that to include disability including learning disabilities. So, all that’s left is to wish her (and her sister) the best of luck,
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Posted by Java Joe on Monday, March 11, 2019 · Leave a Comment
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.
The F-35 variant used by the US Navy passed a major milestone last week, reports the Dallas Business Journal, when it achieved Initial Operational Capability, becoming the final variant of the jet to pass the requirements. The two other variants of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet — the Air Force’s F-35A and the Marine Corps’ F-35B — have already achieved IOC.
The Naval Air Systems Command said last week that the Navy’s new BQM-177A Subsonic Aerial Target achieved IOC, reports IHS Jane’s 360. Testing was done at Point Mugu in California.
The Air Force needs more jets, reports Breaking Defense, so will it be more F-35s or the newly constructed legacy fighter, the F-15X?
Reduction of the physical caliphate is a monumental military accomplishment, but the fight against ISIS and violent extremism is far from over,” US Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel told lawmakers, reports Defense News. “We will need to maintain a vigilant offensive against this now widely dispersed and disaggregated organization that includes leaders, fighters, facilitators and, of course, their toxic ideology,” Votel said.
The Washington Post reports that as the “caliphate crumbles,” the Islamic State is seeding a new insurgency.
The commander of US forces in Africa has cast doubt on whether the Pentagon will complete plans to cut forces in Africa by 10 percent as the DoD announced in November, reports Voice of America. Officials had said they would cut roughly 700 of the 7,200 US troops on the African continent by June 2020.
Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin says the Pentagon is planning to tap $1 billion in leftover funds from military pay and pensions accounts to help pay for the US-Mexico border wall, reports The Associated Press. President Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly said the idea of a full border wall is “a waste of money,” reports Washington Examiner. Mr. Kelly was speaking to a group at Duke University.
Martin-Baker has developed new technologies, including an advanced sequencer and a new parachute, for its US16E ejection seat found on the F-35 Lightning II and its new Mk18 seat, reports IHS Jane’s 360.
Airbus, Leonardo SpA, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin are among the companies expressing interest in providing Australia with high-altitude, solar-powered drones, reports Reuters.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday, reports the Los Angeles Times. This after the spaceship launched March 2 and had carried cargo to the International Space Station, and completed its first successful uncrewed trip to and from orbit, reports The New York Times.
Lockheed Martin’s design for a deep space astronaut habitat has been finalized, reports Military & Aerospace Electronics. It is one of five in production under NASA’s NextSTEP contract.
Chief of Naval Operations ADM John Richardson visited NAS Patuxent River last week, reports dcmilitary.com. “We’re most effective if a small team is firing on all cylinders,” he told about 300 military members and civilian employees. “Building trust and confidence leads to warfighting effectiveness. Let’s be the most effective partner to our friends and allies, and the worst nightmare to our enemies.”
A new high-level task force on preventing veterans suicide is being created, reports Military Times. The plan includes new community outreach grants aimed at former service members and expanded projects across several government agencies to coordinate research and prevention efforts.
Contracts:
Web Business Solutions Inc., Fredericksburg, Virginia, is awarded a $9,595,573 task order (M67854-19-F-7822) under previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (M67854-18-D-7821) for support services to the Command and Control Training and Education Center of Excellence (C2TECOE). The C2TECOE main effort is to provide a continuum of standards-based C2 systems instruction and home station training. Work will be performed at Camp Pendleton, California (27 percent); Quantico, Virginia (23 percent); Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (17 percent); Okinawa, Japan (16 percent); Twentynine Palms, California (10 percent); and Marine Corps Base Hawaii (7 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 10, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $9,595,573 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will expire the end of the current fiscal year. The base contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with four offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contract activity.
Guidehouse LLP, McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a maximum $12,473,349 labor hour contract modification to previously awarded contract HQ042318F0055 to exercise an option for audit finding remediation support services. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia, with an expected completion date of March 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 Defense-wide operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $12,473,349 are being obligated at the time of this option award. This award brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $24,537,771. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity (HQ0423-18-F-0055).
Tactical & Survival Specialties, Harrisonburg, Virginia (SPE8EJ-19-D-0001); W.S. Darley & Co., Itasca, Illinois (SPE8EJ-19-D-0002); Atlantic Diving Supply Inc., doing business as ADS, Virginia Beach, Virginia (SPE8EJ-19-D-0003); Federal Resources Supply Co., Stevensville, Maryland (SPE8EJ-19-D-0004); Unifire Inc., Spokane, Washington (SPE8EJ-19-D-0005); and Quantico Tactical, Aberdeen, North Carolina (SPE8EJ-19-D-0006), are sharing a maximum $4,000,000,000 bridge contract under solicitation SPM8EJ-13-R-0001 for special operations equipment. These are firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, 365-day bridge contracts. These were sole-source acquisitions using justification 10 US Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Locations of performance are Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, Washington and North Carolina, with a March 6, 2020, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, was awarded a $20,889,135 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-only modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-18-C-5218 to exercise an option and provide incremental funding in support of the continued development, integration and production of the Navy’s AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship Undersea Warfare System. The AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 is the Surface Ship Undersea Warfare combat system, with the capability to search, detect, classify, localize and track undersea contacts, and to engage and evade submarines, mine-like small objects and torpedo threats. The contract is for development, integration and production of future advanced capability build and technical insertion baselines. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (83 percent); Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania (10 percent); Syracuse, New York (6 percent); and Hauppauge, New York (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2020. Fiscal 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and foreign military sales (Australia) funding in the amount of $20,889,135 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 6, 2019)
G-W Management Services LLC, Rockville, Maryland, is awarded a $19,754,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the improvement of Fuller Road at Marine Corps Base Quantico. The work includes the reconstruction, widening and minor realignment of existing Fuller Road from each of US Route 1 to Mason Drive, and new entry control facility/access control point with entrance security building(s). The security facilities include new gate house, two sentry houses, inspection shelters, a canopy structure, and personnel weather shelters. The work includes: forest clearing, demolition and removals, grading, retaining walls, utility relocations, site utilities (storm drain, sanitary sewer, telecom, and power), buildings structures, vehicle inspection canopy, active vehicle barrier, and incidental related work. Work will be performed in Quantico, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by November 2020. Fiscal 2018 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $19,754,000 are obligated on this award and will expire on March 8, 2019. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with five proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N40080-19-C-0010).
Tribalco LLC, Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded a $12,043,813 modification (P00010) to contract W912DY-16-D-0021 for radio systems and services. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 12, 2020. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Angayut LLC, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity/indefinite-delivery contract (HU000119D0001) with a minimum award amount of $100,000 and a maximum ceiling/face value of $20,000,000 for professional, scientific, and administrative support services. Performance will occur in Bethesda, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas, from March 5, 2019, to March 4, 2024. The contract does not include options. Angayut is an 8(a) Alaskan Native Corporation in the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program. Operations and maintenance funds will be applied at the task order level. In accordance with Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (15 US Code 637(a)(1)) and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 19.8, and the executed partnership agreement between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Defense. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 5, 2019)
QBase LLC, Reston, Virginia (HT0015-19-F-0036), was awarded a firm-fixed-price $7,546,347 contract for non-personal information technology (IT) services in support of the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Health Information Technology (HIT), Infrastructure and Operations Division (I&O), Enterprise Systems Branch. These support services include virtual and physical server administration; database administration; IT system patching and mitigation of system vulnerabilities; application deployment, data at rest; technical writing; security scanning; Tiers 2 and 3 system administration services; operating system deployments; backup and storage services; and network and application vulnerability scanning. The award was made as a small business competitive solicitation in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 8.405, using General Services Administration eBuy Schedule 70, Special Item Number 132-56. Seventeen quotes were received in response to the solicitation. The contractor place of performance is Falls Church, Virginia. The contract provides for four option periods, if exercised. This contract is funded with fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance appropriations in the amount of $7,546,347. The Defense Health Agency, Contracting Office – Health Information Technology, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Feb. 28, 2019)
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Posts Tagged mickey rourke
Iron Man 2 Now Available on DVD & Blu-Ray
Posted by Cindy Robinson, Life on the Scene in DVD/Blu-Ray Review, On The Red Carpet, Photography on September 28, 2010
Paramount Pictures & Marvel Entertainment’s Iron Man 2 starring Robert Downey Jr is out on DVD and Blu-Ray today! Look for an alternate beginning to the film and nearly three hours of bonus features.
Iron Man 2 DVD courtesy of Marvel
Follow up to Marvel’s 2008 smash hit Iron Man, the sequel also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson , Don Cheadle and Sam Rockwell. The sequel wasn’t quite as great as the first film, feeling a bit choppy in places but there’s no denying that Robert Downey Jr put on a stellar performance with his usual sarcastic wit & charm. Mickey Rourke’s brief appearance as Whiplash was strong.
Iron Man 2 picks up six months after the end of the first movie, where Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has used his Iron Man armor to bring about a negotiated peace treaty between the major super powers of the world, and his immense popularity with the general public is only furthered when he fulfills his father’s dream by opening the “Stark Expo”, to showcase all the latest inventions that will benefit the world. Stark is, however, still vilified by the United States government, and Senator Stern (Gary Shandling) in particular, who demands that he hand his armor technology over for military application. Stark refuses, publicly shaming rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) in the process by highlighting his own failed attempts at recreating the technology. All is not well in Stark’s life, however: he has discovered that the palladium in the arc reactor keeping shrapnel from penetrating his heart has begun to poison his body, slowly killing him, and all attempts to find a substitute element have failed. Slowly going off the rails as a consequence of what he believes to be his impending death, he appoints his former personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) CEO of Stark Industries, replacing her with Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson).
Robert Downey Jr premieres Iron Man 2 in Hollywood
We’ll next see Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson’s character, Natasha Romanoff (the Black Widow) in the upcoming Joss Whedon directed Marvel mastermind, the Avengers due out in 2012.
Arts, Black Sabbath, Black Widow, Blu-ray, Blu-ray and HD, Blu-ray Disc, cindy robinson, don cheadle, DVD, gwyneth paltrow, Home video, iron man, iron man 2, jon favreau, Joss Whedon, life on the scene, marvel, marvel comics, marvel entertainment, marvel studios, mickey rourke, Movie, Movies, Ozzy, Paramount, Paramount Pictures, Pepper Potts, Robert Downey, robert downey jr, scarlett johansson, sequel, Tony Stark
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CelebritiesDisneyEntertainmentGuardians of the GalaxyInterviewsNew
Zoe Saldana Dishes On Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is in theaters everywhere May 5th
photo: Louise Bishop/Momstart
Zoe Saldana was so excited to see a room full of successful women as we applauded her performance as Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. She walked in beaming (and looking flawless I might add) and we knew this was going to be a great interview.
Check out my spoiler-free review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
photo: Disney
Zoe Saldana reprises her role as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (in theaters May 5th) and couldn’t be happier with the new story, especially around Gamora’s relationship with her sister Nebula (Karen Gillan), along with all of the “girl power” with new characters. She also had a bit to say about her co-star Chris Pratt (check out my interview with Star-Lord).
On Girl Power
“I was very excited, there were three female characters in this movie, and they all were going to provide three different essences. Like, ’cause Mantis (Pom Klementieff) is such an innocent creature, and Nebula’s so angry… she’s so angry…. And Gamora is so maternal. She’s turned over this new leaf. In the first movie, she was so selfish. It was about running away from her father. And now it’s about keeping this family together, you know, and keeping them always on track. So she went the opposite of who she was in the first movie.”
On Icons and Being an Icon
“I was little, I only had two icons that I can reference (as inspiration for Gamora), and I’d watch those movies until my tape would break. It was Ellen Ripley from Aliens, and Sarah Connor from Terminator. And I would watch these movies endlessly. And then it was Jamie Lee Curtis, when Katherine Bigelow (director) did that movie, Blue Steel, and James Cameron also did that movie, True Lies. I had her as a reference. But other than that, I was always like, watching action movies told through the eyes of males, but always feeling that gap, that void. And I feel like I did take it upon myself to just be happy with the fact that I took a gamble on these movies for a first time, they ended up being super special, and they went into, into sequels. I had my responsibility to fulfill them. But once I was there, I didn’t want to be better about it. I wanted to acknowledge that maybe, maybe it means something. Maybe it is important that I’m a part of those women that are filling in that gap, so that women can have more options, more references to look into.”
On Stunt Work
“There is a jump that I did. They made me jump from like, three stories or something. I was on wires. I still can’t remember if somebody told me or somebody forgot to tell me that I was going to free fall. I was not going to feel the tension on the wires. So when they said action, and I jumped, because obviously I don’t like to take my time, there’s so many men watching you. I jumped. I jumped, and thought I was dying. And then James Gunn was like, ‘yeah, your face was kind of awful there. You have to do it again.’ And I was just like, oh my god. So I did it again. But as soon as I land, I was like, I don’t want to do this again. It was awful, but super fun.”
That time James Gunn made me jump from a super high place and forgot to tell me I wouldn’t feel tension from my wires. Will this make it into the movie?? #gotg #gotgvol2 #setlife #humbled #blessed to be living my dreams. @jamesgunn @guardiansofthegalaxy
A post shared by Zoe Saldana (@zoesaldana) on Apr 9, 2017 at 4:02pm PDT
On Gamora and Peter Quill
So, Gamora and Quill are, they’re best friends. The bond that they have is so spiritually dynamic, I feel like it lives better, and it’s stronger, in the way that they communicate, and the way that they counsel each other, and the way that they think and protect each other. And then the way that they cover up for each other. The fact that he has never exposed her to the rest of the Guardians, that she dances with him, is awesome. He’s protecting her dignity. And he also knows that she’ll kill him.
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D.W. Winnicott
Writing towards her light
When I entered the world of writing, if I entered that world at all, I wanted it to be the world of Virginia Woolf, the artist whose way of being in writing was so delicately lit that I knew it would allow me to find my way – alone – to where I was going. In her memoir, ‘Sketch of the Past’, Woolf wrote: “If I were a painter I should paint these first impressions…I should make a picture of curved petals; of shells; of things that were semi-transparent…showing the light through, but not giving a clear outline.”(Moments of Being, 2002)
As a new writer I’ve needed a private conversation with such a writer; a place where I could practise, and begin to make my practice. I wasn’t consciously aware of Woolf as I wrote my first shy short story. But I was lucky to encounter To the Lighthouse (1927) in my first year of a BA English Honours. I didn’t even know then that I was becoming a writer. It was just a matter of me, an undergraduate student and that novel, with an essay to write. I still think the best way to learn about writing is by reading writing. Susan Sontag says in Writing As Reading, “to write is to practice, with particular intensity and attentiveness, the art of reading”(Where the Stress Falls, 2001). This is why universities must fund and refund the Humanities discipline of English.
It’s a radically personal thing, finding your path to practicing as a writer. It’s noticeable that people, institutions, superegos in both these forms, will try to organize you into shutting that pathway down. There’s a fear of such play that goes on outside of time structures. People fear your need to be alone, the ordinary days spent wandering outside on the lawn of the summer-house, and that look you get of doing nothing, as Clive James puts it so well. I remember a bloke bailing me up on the forest path once. He wasn’t interested in my research, only in verballing me over the amount of the time it had taken me to write my thesis, once he’d extracted that private information. I advise every becoming writer to take out shares in a knitting mill, because you’re going to need a lot of thick socks for those big clock mouths.
Finishing something is just one thing, an End. The process of making up the writing: that’s about being in a state of achievement.
In To the Lighthouse Virginia Woolf writes of artists-as-children in various states of making up stuff, under the present or non-present gaze of Mrs Ramsay, the mother: “…Mr Carmichael, who was basking with his yellow cat’s eyes ajar, so that like a cat’s they seemed to reflect the branches moving or the clouds passing”; “…Lily Briscoe went on putting away her brushes, looking up, looking down. Looking up”. Woolf’s interest in such ordinary play is about writing “moments of being”(2002). As a writer/publisher with a unique connection to Freud [Freud escaped to London from Nazi-occupied Vienna in 1938; the Woolf’s Hogarth Press in Tavistock Square went on to purchase and publish Freud’s works] Virginia Woolf’s visionary reach is far ahead of her own time in terms of the history of psychoanalysis. By this I mean the shift from Freud’s focus on the phallus in human sexuality, to the importance of the infant and mother pre-Oedipal relationship. Woolf’s novel articulates the imaginary life of Mrs Ramsay and all her subsequent ‘children’ playing on the lawn, fiction straight after Melanie Klein’s Object Relations. Beyond Klein, you could say that D.W. Winnicott’s theory of Playing and Creativity and its relation to re-making the first object, the mother (The Mrs Ramsay) in her wake, is also of particular interest concerning To the Lighthouse. Woolf lost her mother when she was 13.
Milan Kundera says that we’re always forgetting stuff and therefore “Beauty in art: the suddenly kindled light of the never-before-said” of the “novelists’ discoveries, however old they may be, will never cease to astonish us” (The Art of the Novel, 1986).
To write something beautiful, light-tender, I think one needs a paradox: space alone, and another writer, even if she’s a completely unconscious presence. The presence of a non-present mentor, if that makes sense, offering you her hand as light.
Tagged Clive James, D.W. Winnicott, Emerging writer, Melanie Klein, Milan Kundera, Moments of Being, Sigmund Freud, Susan Sontag, The Art of the Novel, To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf, Where the Stress Falls
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Dream Jobs: An Interview With Manager/Film Producer Miles Anthony
October 14, 2015 by MissMavrodaphne Leave a comment
Miles Anthony
Miles Anthony works as an agent and manager of actors and started his successful company Marlowes Agency eight years ago. High profile actors Eric Roberts, Alison Eastwood and Bill Cobbs are among his impressive list of clients. The Englishman has such a love and drive for his profession, that he works seven days a week in the movie business. Miles explains why being a manager is his dream job, the skills you need for this profession and the fierceness of the competitive movie industry.
Miles started his career as an actor, but discovered his passion for being a manager nine years ago. “I worked for an agent in London for a year and I absolutely loved it. After that I started my own agency. Officially I’m an agent, but practically I’m more of a manager, as I manage people’s careers,” Miles explains. “As a manager I decide what is best for their career and which jobs and projects they should take. I like to call it being a ‘king- or queen maker’. Nothing gives me more pleasure than calling my clients to inform them that they’ve got the job. Recently one of them secured a role in a feature film and after I told her the good news, she was just screaming down the phone in the middle of a store, because she was so happy. That is such a great feeling. I wouldn’t want to do anything else. To me, actors are the most wonderful people in the world and I love my clients.”
A typical workday… Does such a thing even exist in the life of a manager? “Not really,” he laughs. “Sometimes I get phone calls quite early in the morning from American based clients. But in the mornings I usually look for various castings in different sources, platforms where people place their jobs for actors. The morning routine also involves phone calls with various casting directors to discuss my clients. The afternoons often consist of meetings, doing deals and working on films, while the evenings are spent watching movies. Not for pleasure, but for research. Most of the time I look at films with a professional eye. It’s about familiarizing myself with different directors, actors, writers and other people working on that movie and the work they do. When it comes to making my own movies, I also enjoy the creative side. It’s beautiful to see a story come to life, from the script to the storyboards and then to the actual shooting on set. Afterwards it’s great to see the progress and development during the post-production in which the sound, music and grading gets done.”
Fierce competition
As much as Miles loves his job, there are of course less enjoyable aspects… In the world of movies and glamour, competition is tough and can be a source of frustration for the many people involved in this industry. “That’s why it’s so important to have good networking skills and knowledge of the business,” he emphasizes. “You’ll learn about legal aspects of contracts and stuff as you go along, but it’s predominantly about who you know. Because the odds are extreme. There are hundreds of agents and managers, just in London, and there are thousands of actors. It’s a cutthroat business. As an agent you only earn money when your clients are working. Those are the downsides of this line of work.”
Advice on handling rejection
To make sure the right actor gets cast for a certain role, Miles also decided to make his own movies, such as Blue Moon, a horror film about a werewolf, which comes out in November 2015. “This way I’m in control of who plays which part. Because in the movie business it’s not always the best actor or actress that gets the part. It could be that the casting directors are looking for someone with a specific physical appearance, or the person who gets the part has very good and influential connections high up in the business… It’s not always about acting ability. That’s why I tell my clients to not take rejection personally, because you don’t always know what goes on behind the scenes. And be nice to people on your way up, because you will pass them on your way down! You just have to keep going and do what you enjoy doing. You never know when the phone is going to ring, to bring you the news that you just landed your dream role.”
Do what you love to do
Miles always encourages people to follow their dreams. “You’re only here for a quick visit. It’s no good working at a mediocre job you hate, just to get a pension, because then you might be too old to do what you really want to do… Obviously some people don’t have a choice in life, but if you have a choice, just do what you love to do…”
I know I’m going to take this advice to heart! I like to thank Miles Anthony for this interview. If you want to know more about Marlowes Agency, please visit www.marlowes.eu and follow Miles Anthony on Twitter: @MilesMarlowes.
Categories: Dream Jobs | Tags: actors management, Blue Moon, London, Marlowes Agency, Miles Anthony | Permalink.
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Richie Sambora
Married Biography / Biography / Richie Sambora
Richie Sambora Bio
Facts of Richie Sambora
Perth Amboy, New Jersey, United States
Father's Name:
Adam C. Sambora
Mother's Name:
Joan Sambora
guitarist, singer, producer, and songwriter
6 feet 0 inches (1.84m)
$ 100 million
Facebook Profile/Page:
Instagram Profile:
Wikipedia Profile:
IMDB Profile:
Relationship Statistics of Richie Sambora
What is Richie Sambora marital status ? (single, married, in relation or divorce):
How many children does Richie Sambora have ? (name):
One (Ava Elizabeth Sambora)
Is Richie Sambora having any relationship affair ?:
Is Richie Sambora gay ?:
Richie Sambora was previously married to actress Heather Locklear. They married on December 17, 1994. The pair has a daughter from this relationship named Ava Elizabeth Sambora. Heather filed for divorce in February 2006 and the divorce was finalized on April 11, 2007.
Richie also dated fellow guitarist Orianthi from 2014 until 2018. At present, he is believed to be single.
1 Who is Richie Sambora?
2 Richie Sambora: Age, Parents, Siblings, Family
3 Richie Sambora: Education, School/College University
4 Richie Sambora: Professional Life, Career
5 Richie Sambora: Awards, Nominations
6 Richie Sambora: Net Worth ($ 100 million), Income, Salary
7 Richie Sambora: Rumors and Controversy/Scandal
8 Richie Sambora’s Body Measurements: Height, Weight, Body Size
9 Richie Sambora’s Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Who is Richie Sambora?
Richie Sambora is an American guitarist, singer, producer, and songwriter. People mostly know him as the lead guitarist of the rock band ‘Bon Jovi.’ Additionally, he has also released three solo albums. As a member of Bon Jovi, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
Richie Sambora: Age, Parents, Siblings, Family
Sambora was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey as Richard Stephen “Richie” Sambora on July 11, 1959. He was born to parents Joan and Adam C. Sambora. Richie began playing the guitar at the age of 12 and his first instrument was the accordion. Additionally, he also played basketball in high school. He is of American nationality. Furthermore, he belongs to the Polish ethnic background.
Richie Sambora: Education, School/College University
Talking about his education, Sambora attended Woodbridge High School. In addition, he has also received Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Kean University.
Richie Sambora: Professional Life, Career
Sambora initially performed for the first time in stage at a Catholic Youth Organization dance. Later, he was a guitarist for the band ‘Message.’ In addition, his first professional tour was as an opening act for Joe Cocker. Richie replaced original lead guitarist Dave Sabo after Bon Jovi impressed him in one of the live shows. He has released several albums with Bon Jovi including ‘7800° Fahrenheit’, ‘Slippery When Wet’, ‘New Jersey’, ‘Keep the Faith’, ‘These Days’, ‘Have a Nice Day’, and ‘What About Now’ among others.
Furthermore, Sambora also released three solo albums, ‘Stranger in This Town’, ‘Undiscovered Soul’, and ‘Aftermath of the Lowdown.’ Additionally, with RSO, he released ‘Rise’, ‘Making History’, and ‘Radio Free America.’ Apart from his career in music, Richie has also been involved in numerous fundraisers and charities.
Richie Sambora: Awards, Nominations
Sambora received the Grammy Award in 1997. Additionally, he has received other 9 Grammy nominations. On June 18, 2009, he and Jon Bon Jovi were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Richie Sambora: Net Worth ($ 100 million), Income, Salary
Sambora has not revealed his current salary. However, he has an estimated net worth of around $ 100 million at present.
Richie Sambora: Rumors and Controversy/Scandal
Sambora’s departure from the band ‘Bon Jovi’ was controversial. There were rumors of an alleged dispute between him and Jon Bon Jovi. Furthermore, Richie made the news recently after his ex-wife Heather was placed on psychiatric hold. He has also been part of several controversies due to substance abuse. Authoritiesarrested him for drunk driving in Laguna Beach, California on March 26, 2008.
Richie Sambora’s Body Measurements: Height, Weight, Body Size
Talking about his body measurement, Sambora has a height of 1.84 m. Additionally, his hair color and eye color is dark brown.
Richie Sambora’s Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Sambora is active over social media. He has a huge number of followers on social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. He has more than 165k followers on Twitter. In addition, he has over 79k followers on Instagram. Similarly, his Facebook page has more than 365k followers.
Also know more about the early life, career, net worth, relationships, and controversies of other singers like David Bowie, John Taylor, Iggy Pop, Don Most, and Tom Parker.
References: (rollingstone, Imdb, usmagazine)
Emma Fitzpatrick
Tags : American Guitarist Bon Jovi Singer
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EDHEC ranked in the world’s top 3 business schools for Finance by the Financial Times
Written on 18 Jun 2018.
EDHEC Business School has consolidated its standing in the Financial Times global ranking of the best pre-experience Masters in Finance published today. The Financial Times once again rates EDHEC in the top three worldwide, thereby confirming the School’s global leadership and excellence in finance.
“Today’s ranking once again places EDHEC among the top three business schools worldwide for finance, cementing our leadership among the best global institutions,”, underlines Emmanuel Métais, Dean of EDHEC Business School.
The result further confirms EDHEC’s international high-impact strategy on the global finance industry and its status as the go-to academic institution in the field. Scientific Beta, EDHEC-Risk Institute and EDHEC’s cutting-edge finance programmes are perfect illustrations of this strategy in practice.
$25 billion invested worldwide on Scientific Beta indices
Scientific Beta, the supplier of smart-beta indices set up by the EDHEC-Risk Institute in 2012, produces and commercialises indices constructed from methodologies originating from EDHEC research. Numerous investors and asset managers around the world use these indices. Scientific Beta has signed partnership agreements allowing large asset managers to list managed-risk financial products (ETFs) replicating Scientific Beta indices on the London, Milan, Frankfurt, Paris and New York markets. As of 31 December 2017, Scientific Beta indices served as benchmarks for $25 billion of long-term investments.
EDHEC-Risk Institute (ERI) has teamed up with Princeton University (Operations Research and Financial Engineering Department -ORFE) and the Yale School of Management (SOM) in order to better cater to financial industry expectations
Deepening its commitment in favour of finance that benefits society, EDHEC has teamed up with the department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering at Princeton University to develop innovative research projects, training and tools of real practice use for the industry. One tangible product of this collaboration was this May’s launch by EDHEC-Risk Institute and Princeton of a Goal-Based Investing Index Series designed to serve as benchmarks for a new-generation of investment solutions for pensions, an initiative that caps the joint research efforts conducted in this area with the support of Merrill Lynch.
In parallel, ERI and Yale SOM have also trained since 2013 over 560 participants through a Certificate in Risk and Investment Management that equips them to handle tomorrow’s challenges in the financial industry.
EDHEC’s third-place ranking underscores the excellence of its portfolio of finance programmes
This latest Financial Times ranking once again distinguishes EDHEC’s Master of Science in Financial Markets. The criteria analysed by the Financial Times, notably via a questionnaire sent to EDHEC graduates, coincide with the pillars underpinning the programme, namely excellence in education and diversity of student experience, graduate career satisfaction and development, and international exposure (“alumni career progress”, “school diversity” and “international experience and research” in FT terminology). EDHEC’s student placement performance confirms the recognition earned by the programme over time, with EDHEC ranked first among French institutions in the ranking of the top schools worldwide for jobs in investment banking and displaying a strong track record year-after-year of placing graduates of the programme with top financial institutions (BofAML, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JP Morgan, Barclays, Glencore, Lazard, Morgan Stanley, PIMCO, Rothschild & Cie, UBS, etc.).
EDHEC is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its PhD in Finance this year. This doctoral programme prepares students for academic careers and the highest responsibilities in the financial industry. It applies an innovative pedagogical format that responds to the demands of top executives and attracts graduates from Wharton, Hong Kong University, Stanford and MIT, keen to join an exceptional programme with a strong reputation for both excellence and industry pertinence.
Please find the full ranking here.
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#U.S
Thu Oct 12, 2017 / 12:56 PM EDT
Women claim Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted them: report
FILE PHOTO - U.S. film producer Harvey Weinstein arrives to attend the presentation of the Burberry Autumn/Winter 2014 collection during London Fashion Week February 17, 2014.
Reuters/Olivia Harris
Louisette Geiss (L) sits with lawyer Gloria Allred as she speaks at a news conference to allege that Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed her, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 10, 2017.
Reuters/Lucy Nicholson
Louisette Geiss speaks at a news conference about Harvey Weinstein in Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 10, 2017.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New Yorker reported on Tuesday that 13 women have claimed that movie producer Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them, including three who told the magazine they had been raped.
Weinstein's spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister was quoted in the article saying, "Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein."
Weinstein and the women for whom contact information was available did not reply to Reuters requests for comment. Reuters was unable to independently confirm any of the claims.
"Mr. Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual," Hofmeister was quoted as saying.
Weinstein's wife of 10 years, Marchesa label fashion designer Georgina Chapman, said late on Tuesday that she was leaving him, according to a report in People magazine.
"My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband," Chapman was quoted as saying.
Her representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
The New York City Police Department and Manhattan District Attorney's office said in separate statements on Tuesday that Weinstein was investigated in 2015 over an allegation that he sexually abused one of the women, who was named in the article. The district attorney's office said there was insufficient evidence to charge him.
Separately, the New York Times reported on Tuesday that actress Gwyneth Paltrow said she was sexually harassed by Weinstein more than 20 years ago and that Angelina Jolie said she "had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth and as a result chose never to work with him again."
Jolie and Paltrow did not reply to requests for comment.
The New Yorker reported that Italian actress Ambra Battilana Gutierrez went to police in 2015 claiming that Weinstein had sexually assaulted her.
She was asked by police to arrange another meeting with Weinstein during which she would wear a recording device, the New Yorker reported.
Manhattan Chief Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman- Agnifilo said on Tuesday, referring to the wire, "While the recording is horrifying to listen to, what emerged from the audio was insufficient to prove a crime under New York law."
Actress Gutierrez could not be reached for comment.
The New York Times published an article last week in which it was alleged that Weinstein had sexually harassed several women over 30 years. After a statement in which Weinstein apologized for his behavior, his attorney Charles J. Harder said the newspaper's story was defamatory because it relied on “mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report.”
Weinstein, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood who produced and distributed movies like "Shakespeare in Love" and "Chicago," was fired over the weekend from his job as co-chairman of The Weinstein Company.
The Democratic National Committee and several Democratic politicians who received political contributions from Weinstein said they would reroute the money to women's rights groups.
On Tuesday, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she was "shocked and appalled" at the reports about Weinstein. She did not mention any contribution but said "the behavior described ... cannot be tolerated."
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Karen Freifeld; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
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Tom Tangney’s top 10 films of 2018
By Tom Tangney
After a year of watching movies, KIRO Radio’s Tom Tangney has painstakingly compiled his list of the top 10 films of 2018, though there are technically 13 films on this list because he cheated.
1. The Death of Stalin
Scottish writer/director Armando Iannucci has crafted another brilliant biting satire, this time about the power struggles in the Soviet Union following Stalin’s death. We may never have to live through another Stalinist regime but the ridiculous jockeying for power is ever relevant. And despite the onslaught of hilarious one-liners in the midst of the most farcical of scenarios, the film never loses sight of the tragedies just outside the camera frame. Black humor at its best.
A stunningly gorgeous black-and-white reminiscence of Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron’s childhood in Mexico City in the 1960s. Focusing on his family’s nanny but encompassing all the members of the relatively well-to-do family, “Roma” reveals the profundity of the mundane and revels in the richness of life, whether bitter or sweet. A classic that will never show its age.
The ingeniously perverse Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos turns his sights to 18th century British royalty, with a scathing account of a vicious rivalry for the affections of a sad-sack Queen Anne. That these suitors are both women only provides added dimensions to the nastiness of the milieu. The anachronistic vulgarities and the occasional distorted lenswork also slyly undercut the supposed propriety of the upper crust. The sharp-tongued script is well served by Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone, all Oscar-worthy.
4. Isle of Dogs
Quite likely my favorite dog movie ever, seeing how it eschews sentimentality, this Wes Anderson film is just what you’d expect from Wes Anderson: a defiantly quirky, charming, and wholly original story, done with stop-motion animation just to amp up the degree of difficulty (and twee-ness.) It may trod well-worn ground – man’s relationship with dogs – but it does so with such off-beat flair that you may find yourself grinning throughout the entire movie. A voice-cast that includes the likes of Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, and Scarlett Johansson serves the clever script well.
5. Eighth Grade
What Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” did for high school, Bo Burnham’s first film does for middle school, recreating the personal humiliations that help define adolescence. Actress Elsie Fisher could not be better as 13-year-old Kayla who must endure an excruciating 8th grade in order to come out the other side. Social media makes her journey all the more perilous, and heartbreakingly funny.
6. Blindspotting/Blackkklansman
Two films that deal with the tricky state of race relations in this country, the first by a first-time director, the latter by longtime veteran Spike Lee. “Hamilton”‘s Daveed Diggs and his lifelong friend Rafael Casal both wrote and star in this semi-autobiographical film about the tensions in their own interracial friendship, with an ever gentrifying Oakland as the backdrop. And “Blackkklansman” is based on an actual, decades-old infiltration of the KKK by a black Colorado police officer. Lee’s footage of Charlottesville and Trump at the end is as incendiary as it’s meant to be.
I love how actor/director John Krasinski can have fun with a clever premise – making a sound could cost you your life – without sacrificing all the delights a genre picture can deliver. A very successful commercial film with an art-film idea. (See avant-garde director Guy Maddin’s 1992 “Careful.”) Sure to be a classic horror film.
8. First Reformed
Ethan Hawke plays a minister suffering a crisis of conscience about his role in this fallen world, both on a personal and philosophical level. Written and directed by Paul Schrader, this challenging and rather jarring film seems a perfect counterpoint to Schrader’s screenplay for his 40-year-old masterpiece, “Taxi Driver.”
9. The Greenaway Alphabet
One of the delights about putting together’s one’s own Top Ten list is that you can include personally idiosyncratic fare like this documentary about a favorite, albeit obscure, filmmaker. Quite possibly the most cerebral director alive, Peter Greenaway allows his teenage daughter to quiz him about the singularities of his own films, using a favorite technique of his own, the alphabet as an organizing principle. A playful and insightful doc about an aesthetic genius (in my opinion.)
10. Black Panther / The Avengers:Infinity War / Deadpool 2
The superhero genre doesn’t get much critical respect, but if the powers that be could ever figure out how to combine the sociological grounding of “Black Panther,” the existential ruminations at the end of “Infinity Wars,” and the genre-subverting wit and sarcasm of “Deadpool 2” into the same movie, they’d have a film that might top this list, instead of coming in at #10.
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Tag Archives: schizophrenia
An Apology of Enclaves – NYTimes.com.
Obscure examples, and the concomitant thrill of discovery, are part of the attraction of scouting for border anomalies, a few of which Simon suggested: “Haven’t seen much in the literary record on the Malaysian railway in Singapore … used to be Malaysian territory once you got on the train.” He likewise suggested “the little back door leading into Guantánamo Bay solely for the Cuban pensions officer.”`
My own favorite obscure border anomalies include the Drummully Polyp, a pene-enclave [2] on the intra-Irish border, and the omelet-shaped enclave complex of Madha and Nahwa — Madha being a small Omani enclave inside the United Arab Emirates, and Nahwa in turn a tiny emirates enclave inside Madha [3]. And there are plenty of river/border asynchronicities [4] around the world to get excited about.
Baarle and Cooch Behar have often been mentioned in the same breath, but have hardly ever been compared. Beyond the obvious formal similarities and practical differences, both complexes share a few surprising traits, and are marked by at least one glaring divergence.
Cooch Behar is often called the world’s most complex enclave complex, with Baarle a close second. But both have totally different outcomes on the ground. Baarle is a best-case scenario: a money-spinning tourist attraction; Cooch Behar a worst-case scenario: a continuing source of poverty and misery for the locals.
Before we attempt to find a moral in that story, let’s find a definition for the main ingredient on either map: those geopolitical islands stranded inside another territory. The most common term is “enclave”; a related, seemingly opposite one is “exclave.” Both are often used interchangeably, and indeed, enclaves often are also exclaves. In spite of that overlap in practice, in theory they are each other’s semantic opposites. Prepare to have your mind slightly boggled.
An enclave is a piece of sovereign territory (that may or may not be part of country X), wholly enclosed by country Y. For example, the Vatican is an enclave within Italy, even though it is not the dependence of a third country. Yet Monaco is not an enclave within France, because it also borders the sea.
An exclave is a piece of sovereign territory that is separated from its “mainland” (country X), possibly but not necessarily by country Y. So Lesotho, entirely surrounded by South Africa, is not an exclave, because it is sovereign and does not “belong” to a third country. But Llivia, a Spanish village north of the Pyrennees, is an exclave of Spain (as well as being an enclave within France). Ceuta and Melilla, tiny Spanish territories on the Moroccan coast, are exclaves of Spain, even though they sit on the Mediterranean Sea.
So even if both definitions sound similar, their point of view is opposite: enclaves imply total encirclement by country Y, exclaves imply non-contiguity with country X.
Baarle, on the Dutch side of the border with Belgium, is a Siamese twin of a town, one part Belgian and one part Dutch. Each part has its own mayor, town administration and police force, each is beholden to a different set of national laws. The Belgian part, called Baarle-Hertog, is a collection of 26 separate parcels, four of which are on the Belgian-Dutch border (therefore technically not ’claves) and 22 within Baarle-Nassau, the Dutch part of town [5]. The largest of those Belgian ’claves contains six Dutch ones, with a seventh one ensconced in the second largest Belgian ’clave. These Dutch ’claves within Belgian ’claves are called “counterenclaves” [6]. An eighth Dutch territorial splinter is located within Zondereigen, the largest of Baarle-Hertog’s 26 parcels and one of the four on the Belgian-Dutch border. As this is not a Belgian ’clave, the Dutch splinter it contains is not a counterenclave, merely an enclave (within Belgium), but also an exclave (of the Netherlands).
Whereas Baarle mainly consists of Belgian enclaves within the Netherlands, the Cooch Behar complex is more evenhanded — except in its name. “Cooch Behar” describes only one half of the equation: the former Indian principality that now is a district in the Indian State of West Bengal. That district possesses 106 enclaves in Bangladesh, but conversely, Bangladesh has 92 enclaves in that part of India. To muddy the waters, Bangladesh has 21 counterenclaves (i.e. located within Indian exclaves inside Bangladesh). India has three of those, and a single counter-counterenclave (i.e. Indian territory, located within one of Bangladesh’s counterenclaves).
The Baarle complex is dwarfed by Cooch Behar, which is the world’s largest archipelago of ’claves. Baarle-Hertog’s assorted bits of land total just under three square miles, and have a mere 2,500 inhabitants [7]. Both Baarles form a compact whole. Cooch Behar, on the other hand, is an approximately 200-mile-long confused concatenation of ’claves, the combined area of which is 37 square miles with a combined population of around 70,000.
Remarkably, both complexes’ territorial splinters have similar origins, in what were essentially self-sufficient agricultural units. As was standard in pre-modern times, even neighboring and interdependent farms and estates often owed allegiance to different overlords. In the case of both Baarle and Cooch Behar, these allegiances hardened over centuries, as local lords were succeeded by national governments. The Baarle split in its earliest form dates from the 15th century, when the Duke of Brabant competed with the counts of Breda for local loyalty. Cooch Behar finds its origin in the motley border drawn up in the 18th century, between the local principality and the advancing Mogul Empire.
That some survive, and resplendently so in the cases of Baarle and Cooch Behar, is a testament to a combination of factors: international unwillingness, administrative inertia, local pride, and the ’claves’ general inobtrusiveness to the affairs of state.
In Baarle, the peculiarities of the border are now part of the local folklore. For example, as taxes are paid in the country where the front door is situated, houses on the border would move their main entrance in accordance to the country where taxes were, for the moment, more advantageous. House numbers are marked in the respective national colors, and a line marking the border heightens the tourist appeal of Baarle’s town center. And shops and restaurants on the border will have different closing times, serving rules and/or sales periods on either side of the line, with interesting consequences for their customers.
In contrast, in Cooch Behar, the grim imposition of borders on daily life is still a regular occurrence. Inhabitants of the enclaves are caught in a classic Catch-22: They are unable to obtain a visa, as this would require them to go to the “mainland,” which is impossible without a visa. For these people, leaving their ’claves constitutes an illegal border crossing. Adding to a general sense of despair is a criminal element, which has learned to exploit the legal limbo of the ’claves to find a safe haven.
There’d be plenty of interesting things to see. Like Upan Chowki Bhaini (Bangladesh), at 570 square feet, the size of a large living room, the world’s smallest international enclave. Or Dahala Khagrabari (India), the world’s only international counter-counterenclave [9]. Or the quadripoint, reputedly near the Patgram police station, where four international borders (two for each country) meet (Baarle has a similar quadripoint).
This entry was posted in Main and tagged architecture, borders, bureaucracy, geography, law, schizophrenia, urbanism on 25/06/14 by russi4nblue.
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Category #9/11
September 11, 2016 n2pax Leave a comment
Pentecost 103
Today is September 11th. It is a day that, to quote President Franklin D Roosevelt speaking about a day in the early 1940’s, “will live on in infamy. It is the anniversary of the attacks on the two identical towers that comprised what was called the World Trade Center in New York City. It was an attack on citizens of the world because not just Americans were killed but many nationalities. It was a day in which honor was lived in both misguided and wonderful presence.
Honor is an interesting word, one that illustrates how culture and time can define a word. In the 1600’s ACE, the word “honor” meant a particular gift of great value or a legion of the highest ability. Visiting dignitaries were often bestowed with something of great honor that was significant to the area being visited, such as the key to the city. Soldiers strived to become part of an “honor platoon” which often would be chosen to guard such a dignitary or perhaps the ruler.
Also in the 1600’s the word was associated with women and female purity. One seldom hears male purity being discussed. Even the celibacy of Roman Catholic priests and other spiritual leaders is encouraged as a way to staying focused, not for purity reasons. The term “honor” was connected with a chaste woman and so it is no surprise that it soon came to be defined as respectable.
The word, however, dates back four hundred years. Spelled “oner” it was a word used to signify welcome or present in the 140’’s ACE. However, in the 1200’s we have the original meaning of the word, “onor” – dignity. Today there are at least eight definitions of the word, Honor, the “h” being added by the French sometime before its use by William Shakespeare. Use in the 1200’s to mean respect, it is easy to see the connection to dignity.
Today in many places, homes, and nations, there will be remembrances for those who perished during the flying of two airplanes into the World Trade Towers and also the flying of an airplane into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and into a field in western Pennsylvania. A group of men claiming falsely to honor Allah undertook four suicide missions and in the process lost all respect for human life and defied the dignity of their supposed religion. They showed no honor nor faith. All they showed the world was the loss of intelligent thought and how blindly following evil will lead to destruction and death.
The names of these lost souls are not the named of dignity to remember. Those names of honor are the names of the people who lost their living that day and their families and survivors. All were a part of a family unit at some point in their life. All were part of the family of man. None considered themselves a hero to the world but that day they showed us true honor and dignity by living their lives up to the very last second that those lives were taken from them.
We do not honor those dignified citizens of the world, those honorable members of the family of man by hating others. We best honor them by living to the highest degree possible, by welcoming other members of the family of man, by being present in our living. We best show them respect by being the best we can be, not by continuing the hatred that led those who perpetrated these crashes down such a horrific journey.
The morning of September 11, 2001 found the children of New York City in school. Suddenly, however, their world shifted on its axis and the air in the general areas of the World trade Center was filled with the chaotic remnants of construction materials, fires, cries of agony, and metal crashing down. Pictures drawn by children began appearing around the city and at the other two crash sites. Robin F. Goodman and Andrea Fahnestock gathered many of these in a book they published entitled “The Day Our World Changed: Children’s Art of 9/11”.
My favorite picture was drawn by Tamara Obradovic who was nine years old at the time. It shows the two tall twin towers with fire behind them and the flying debris all around them. Miniscule people, little tiny stick figures are at the bottom of the scene. The two towers each have one eye drawn on them near the top and from the eyes, red tears fall.
Matthew Sussman drew a picture of stick figures walking on broken concrete, reaching out to each other. His figures are of different colors, the colors of the family of man. He entitled his picture “Coming Together”. What a glorious way to honor those who died. What a wonderful way to make the ordinary process of grief something extraordinary. What a grand way to live honorably.
Someone asked what I wanted my readers to do after reading these postings. Playing on my penchant for things in groups of threes, they asked I limit my answer to just three words. This is my response: “Impact your world.” And, if I may, I will give a total of three responses: “Impact your living.” Impact with Positivity.”
Yesterday I was asked for an opinion. I have never met the person who was requesting opinions. We are part of a large group of entrepreneurs and creative people and the group is to encourage an exchange of ideas and to receive feedback in a beta testing sort of way. Members are from all over the globe and include a diverse field of expertise and businesses. The likelihood of me ever meeting the person requesting the response is quite small, so minimal that I would say it will never happen. There is a type of freedom in that and that fact is what guarantees that you will get an honest opinion.
I gave my opinion, the fourth in a series of what ended up being over thirty responses. At the time I posted my opinion, all of the others were “Great!”; “Good for you!”; “Looks great!” Mine was couched in positive terms but mentioned a typo (Yes, I can catch them in others’ work; not my own, though!) and some confusing verbiage. Mine was more like a paragraph than a clichéd “Atta boy” response. Mine was also the only one the owner of the post thanked. Why? Because, I think, I took the time to give a complete opinion and explain how the issue had impacted me, whether or not it accomplished its purpose.
The word impact is not often used and yet, we all live it every day. One seldom visits Greece without visiting the remains of the Greek mythologies and the temples they inspired. There is even a replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee, halfway around the world. One cannot read a comic book or play a video game without seeing some character based upon ancient mythology. The impact of these legendary stories may not convert you to a particular belief system or faith but they still have had an impact on you.
From the Latin word “impingere” we have the English word impinge. The literal translation of “impingere” is “driven in” and is based on an older word which meant to “press firmly or restrict” but a much easier definition of impinge is something that pinches, interrupts, or affects. It is not surprising that from this same Latin word we also get the noun and the verb “impact”. As a noun, impact refers to an action of one object making contact, usually forcibly, with another object. As a verb, it is the action of that forcible contact, the bumping, colliding, altering.
Fourteen years ago the sun was rising just like it seemed to do on any other day. Dogs barked, stray cats rooted through garbage cans, and somewhere in the alleys of New York City, rats scurried near the docks. People crowded onto subways, busses, and ferries to begin their commute while others were already at their offices, exchanging greetings at the water cooler, recovering overnight voice mails, and plugging in coffee makers. Children searched for homework papers to put in their backpacks and morning news programs’ started rolling. Throughout the city life illustrated the cry of the television directors in control rooms of all the major networks: “We’re Live!”
Within two hours, the impact of a belief system held hostage by hatred and greed, in direct opposition to the teachings of the religious mythologies which claimed to be their reason, made those words a lie for almost three thousand people, their families, and their rescuers. A group of men, who spent their last hours not living according to their faith or its rituals but rather engaging in superfluous drinking and gambling, impacted the world. At a location where the world came to America, at a place so aptly named the World Trade Towers, death overtook life and impacted us all.
On this day fourteen years later, many are still in agony. New construction is evidence of the need and desire to proclaim “we’re Live!” and beautiful memorials guarantee that those lost will never be forgotten. The impact of their loss, however, can never be and should never be forgotten. The delirious rantings and actions of deranged egos impinged the chance of the world to realize the potential of those lives lost. Our naiveté was impacted by the hatred and loss of humanity when the unthinkable became a reality of death and destruction.
The task ahead for us is to pay honor to those whose lives were taken without letting the actions of the misguided and inhumane group of men impinge our own humanity and beliefs. Without a choice, we all became victims. Those who perished were from over eighty countries in the world and all of the world became a target on that day. However, to really honor those who awoke that day and began to live, we must continue living. We are lucky we have that choice – whether to remain a victim and live in fear and hatred or to live with compassion, understanding, and humanity towards all.
Violence can beget violence. The mythologies of every culture reflect this. Our job is to take those myths one step further and learn from them, eliminating the violence. We need to leave positive impacts that will overwrite the negative impacts of such days as September 11, 2001. Today, we need to do what those brave souls who began the day as ordinary citizens and ended it as heroes were doing. Today we need to live. In the words of the brave men who prevented further disaster by taking action on a flight which ended in a field in Pennsylvania, echoing the words that were also often repeated in the halls of the third battle field that day, the Pentagon….”Let’s roll” with life and make today a glorious example of living. It is the best impact we can leave the world.
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Where does SAVERINO rank in the most common names in the U.S.?
SAVERINO 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.
SAVERINO ranks # 55971 in terms of the most common surnames in America for 2000.
SAVERINO had 342 occurrences in the 2000 Census, according the U.S. government records.
Out of a sample of 100,000 people in the United States, SAVERINO would occur an average of 0.13 times.
For the last name of SAVERINO the Census Bureau reports the following race / ethnic origin breakdown:
1.46 percent, or 5 total occurrences, were "Hispanic Origin"
Search the web for more on the name SAVERINO :
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This is an intelligent piece of cinema that engages with a pressing contemporary issue. The film invites you to be the decision-maker as to whether or not the trigger is pulled. I saw it with a bunch of friends and the debate over pizza afterwards was intense.
Filmed in South Africa but set mainly in Kenya the story follows a British led drone surveillance operation tracking some of Al Shabab's most wanted in the hope of capturing them alive. Among their number are both British and American nationals. The mission changes and the film tracks, in real time, the chain of decision-making that tries to integrate military, intelligence and political imperatives to deliver an outcome. The plot offers an exploration of normative ethics in a real-life situation as utilitarianism is employed to justify certain actions.
The military imperative is clear but the potential for collateral damage means that political decisions are not easy. Meanwhile, a drone pilot in a cabin in the Nevada desert sits with his finger poised on the trigger taking orders from a UK Colonel in Northwood in North London while she is receiving intelligence from Hawaii and liaising with troops on the ground in Nairobi. Her General is in a COBRA meeting in Whitehall with the politicians ensuring that any proposed action is legal. Going into the meeting the General is preoccupied with buying the right doll for a little girl. It is another little girl and her playful activities that come to be the centre of the plot.
The acting is tight. The way the edits jump between the different locations demonstrate how global, warfare now is. The film also drives home how clinical and focused warfare today has become and how sci-fi has become mainstream as a man in Las Vegas targets people in one room of a house in a Nairobi suburb. In a way it makes it even more detached from my reality than 'old-fashioned' warfare with fronts and armies and arrows on maps. If we live in a democracy we are in effect asking these people to carry out these killings on our behalf. The alternative is equally distressing. The morals of war are being muddied as new technologies make surgically precise missions more possible. That surely is a good thing - isn't it?
Helen Mirren is in the lead role as Colonel Katherine Powell and in his final performance Alan Rickman gives full force to his character Lieutenant General Frank Benson. His voice as he delivers the final speech to the simpering politician Angela Northman "Never tell a soldier that he does not know the cost of war."(Monica Dolan) could cut through plate steel like a laser!
The screenplay offers a contrasting view of how men and women, politicians and military, Americans and Brits all approach the same difficult question. The part of Powell had originally been cast for a male actor but Mirren makes it all her own in her combat fatigues in her underground bunker barking orders at her subordinates. Had it not been for Northman's early intervention the film would have been a lot a shorter. The British politicians are depicted as being impotent and facile whilst the Americans are shown to be decisive and unwavering. For those with an interest in personality types, the main debate explores the tension between those who have a preference for being 'Feelers' and those whose preference is to be a 'Thinker'!
The film is not without its flaws but these are more than compensated for in the bravery of tackling this subject in such a direct and engaging way. I really liked it and will be adding it to my collection of discs when it becomes available. Do go and see it - and think about how happy you are that people in the Nevada Desert are protecting your safety by killing people in Kenya. Sadly a scenario becoming increasingly common around our shrunken globe. I'll give it 8/10.
Labels: life, morals, theology
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Posts Tagged "Tony stewart"
Tony stewart Tag
Posted On July 6, 2019By Luis TorresIn Breaking News, Headline News, Monster Energy Cup
Harvick, Stewart and Gordon Represent NASCAR Heat 4 Cover
By Luis Torres, Staff Writer A combined eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships represents this year’s covers of 704 Games newest game, NASCAR Heat 4. The cover boys were unveiled at Daytona International Speedway Saturday afternoon as the main cover will feature Kevin Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing owner Tony Stewart, who will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020. It’s Harvick’s first cover appearance since EA Sports’ NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup and Stewart’s first since Eutechnyx’s NASCAR ’14. “For me it’s pretty cool becauseRead More
Posted On May 22, 2019By Seth EggertIn Breaking News, Headline News, Monster Energy Cup
Stewart Leads Class of 2020 Inductees for NASCAR Hall of Fame
By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Five more legends of NASCAR will be immortalized in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The five that will be inducted in 2020 are Buddy Baker, Joe Gibbs, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, and Waddell Wilson. Edsel Ford II was named the winner of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Achievements to NASCAR. Buddy Baker ‘The Gentle Giant,’ Baker never earned a Premier Series Championship, coming closest in 1977, but scored 19 victories during his time on the circuit, which included several of NASCAR’s crownRead More
Posted On March 14, 2019By David MorganIn Breaking News, Headline News, Monster Energy Cup, Throwback Thursday Theater, Videos
Throwback Thursday Theater: Auto Club Speedway Turns into the Wild West
By David Morgan, Associate Editor Racing at Auto Club Speedway has had its ups and downs over the years, but the annual trek to California in 2013 became one of the best races in the track’s history. Due to the worn out track surface, drivers were racing from the very bottom of the track all the way to the outside wall, creating three and four wide racing throughout the event, especially on restarts. All just an appetizer for the main event at the end of the race. With the race windingRead More
Posted On March 13, 2019By Motorsports TribuneIn Breaking News, Headline News, Monster Energy Cup
Tony Stewart and Neil Bonnett Join List of NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominees
By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart and the late Neil Bonnett are among the list of new nominees eligible for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Five inductees from a list of 20 nominees will be chosen for the 2020 induction class on Voting Day, Wednesday, May 22 – the list of new honorees decided on by both the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel and a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.com Stewart may join one of his former rivals andRead More
Posted On February 15, 2019By Luis TorresIn Breaking News, Headline News, Xfinity
Briscoe Making the Most of Full-Time Opportunity at SHR
By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Winning can provide the biggest opportunity for a driver, more so when the competitor is part-time. That’s been the case in the NASCAR Xfinity Series all of last season when drivers such as Ross Chastain and John Hunter Nemechek won for Chip Ganassi. For one driver, it turned into a full-time gig at Stewart-Haas Racing and that driver was Chase Briscoe. At age 24, Briscoe has dreams of someday running the Knoxville Nationals, but for now, it’s making the most of an opportunityRead More
Posted On February 1, 2019By Luis TorresIn Breaking News, Headline News, IndyCar, Opinion
TORRES: An Agonizing History of the No. 1 Plate in IndyCar
By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Let’s face the music. As much as I prefer seeing the NTT IndyCar Series champion represent the No. 1 in their car, history has been against them due to various shortcomings. Over the past two seasons, the reigning INDYCAR champion have carried the No. 1 banner, but weren’t able to retain it. Heading into 2019, five-time champion Scott Dixon did a photo shoot standing next to his PNC Bank Honda. What stood out was the No. 1 appearing on his car instead of the iconic No.Read More
Posted On January 19, 2019By David MorganIn Breaking News, Headline News, Monster Energy Cup
2019 Cup Series Season Preview: Daniel Suarez
By David Morgan, Associate Editor Editor’s note: Motorsports Tribune will be previewing the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season for the full-time drivers in the series leading into February’s running of the Daytona 500. Age: 27 Years in Cup: Two Career Wins: Zero Cup Wins, Three Xfinity Series Wins, One Truck Series Win Biggest Accomplishment: 2016 Xfinity Championship Joe Gibbs Racing has served as the base of operations for Daniel Suarez since he first entered NASCAR national series competition full-time back in 2015 and it’s been a wild ride for theRead More
Posted On January 12, 2019By Luis TorresIn Breaking News, Headline News, Monster Energy Cup
Joe Gibbs Racing Co-Founder J.D. Gibbs Passes Away at 49
By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Co-founder of Joe Gibbs Racing and former NASCAR driver Jason Dean “J.D.” Gibbs, 49, passed away Friday evening from complications after a long battle with a degenerative neurological disease. The oldest son of Joe Gibbs became an instrumental force of propelling JGR as one of NASCAR’s elite team, kickstarting the career of Denny Hamlin and bringing Kyle Busch to the team. Before making his mark in the sport, J.D. played both defensive back and quarterback at William & Mary from 1987-90, looking to follow his dad’sRead More
Posted On January 7, 2019By David MorganIn Breaking News, Headline News, Monster Energy Cup
Suarez Lands on His Feet at Stewart-Haas Racing for 2019 Season
By David Morgan, Associate Editor Daniel Suarez has long been rumored to be headed to Stewart-Haas Racing and on Monday, the team made it official. The Monterrey, Mexico native will be driving the No. 41 Ford for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series campaign, taking over for Kurt Busch. Suarez will be joining the already stout lineup at the team, which includes Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Aric Almirola. Last season, the four SHR drivers combined for 12 wins en route to each of them making it into the playoffs, aRead More
Posted On November 27, 2018By Seth EggertIn Breaking News, Headline News, Xfinity
Briscoe to Campaign Full Xfinity Schedule in 2019 for SHR
By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer Ford Performance development driver Chase Briscoe will have a full-time home in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019. He joins Cole Custer as Stewart-Haas Racing expands its’ Xfinity Series program to two full-time cars. Briscoe competed in five races for the team last season. The second-year driver will drive the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Racing. Nutri Chomps will be the primary sponsor of the first 13 races with further sponsorship to be announced later. “I got a tasteRead More
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Football High School
Dillard Hires Toriano Morgan, Boyd Anderson Promotes Darion Gray
Posted on February 2, 2018 February 12, 2018 Author J.T. Wilcox Comment(0)
While it seems as though South Florida high school football programs are losing coaches on what feels like a daily basis, the schools must adhere to the classic coach’s cliché: “next man up”.
Two schools got their next man up Friday – the Miami Sports Tribune confirmed that Dillard hired Toriano Morgan to be its next head coach and learned that Boyd Anderson has promoted offensive line coach Darion Gray to be its new head coach.
Morgan replaces Ricky Hemingway, who led the Panthers for just one season. Hemingway became Dillard’s full-time head coach after longtime head coach Lorenzo Davis stepped down before the start of the 2017 season. Hemingway guided the Panthers to a 6-5 record and a first-round playoff exit this past season.
Morgan spent the past four years at Virginia Union University, where he served as offensive coordinator under his former teammate and former Dillard coach Mark James.
Morgan is no stranger to the South Florida area though, having coached at Hollywood McArthur and Boyd Anderson. But this latest move is a homecoming for Morgan, who graduated from Dillard and was an assistant coach at the school before he took his talents to the college ranks.
Known for installing and piloting potent offensive attacks, Morgan could be just what the doctor ordered for Dillard – which scored just 16 points per game this past season.
During his time at Virginia Union, Morgan’s offenses averaged over 400 yards and 30 points per game while enabling VUU to become the first CIAA program to amass over 2,000 yards rushing and passing in the same season in 2015.
Gray Promoted To Lead Cobras
For the fourth time in five years, Boyd Anderson will have a new head football coach.
The Cobras chose to hire from within, promoting former offensive line coach Darion Gray to the head coach spot.
Gray replaces Quincy Woods, who led Boyd Anderson for two seasons – amassing an 11-8 record and failing to make the postseason in both years.
It is the second time that Boyd Anderson has decided to hand the reins of the program to an assistant coach. It was Woods – the former offensive coordinator – that took over for Eddie “Rabbit” Brown, who coached the team for one season (2015) and led the Cobras to a district championship just one year after the team went winless. Brown abruptly resigned before the start of the 2016 season.
Gray has never been a head coach on the high school level, but he has coached at the Youth Level for the past 10 years with the Fort Lauderdale Hurricanes program. Over that time, Gray helped the 14U team win five championships.
“I’m excited,” Gray said in an interview with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “Basically, I’m going to try and take off where Coach [Quincy] Woods and Coach [Eddie] Brown left off.”
Tagged Boyd Anderson High School, Darion Gray, Dillard High School, Eddie "Rabbit" Brown, High School Football, Lorenzo Davis, Quincy Woods, Ricky Hemingway, Toriano Morgan, Virginia Union University
Football High School Other Sports
Schedules, Playoffs Point System Will Remain When Play Resumes
Posted on September 13, 2017 December 21, 2017 Author J.T. Wilcox
Hurricane Irma’s impact began the week of September 6th, when South Florida schools shut down all operations – academic and extracurricular – in anticipation of the storm. What would’ve been week three of the high school football was washed out.
Sedrick Irvin Hired As Southridge Head Coach
Posted on January 31, 2018 February 9, 2018 Author J.T. Wilcox
The Miami Sports Tribune learned Tuesday night and confirmed Wednesday morning that Miami Southridge has hired Sedrick Irvin to be its next head football coach.
Football High School Miami Dolphins/NFL
Miami Jackson quarterback T.J. Craig threw a touchdown pass and ran for another in the second half to lead the Miami-Dade County All-Stars’ rally as the team from the 305 took down the Broward County All-Stars 17-8 Friday night in the Seventh Annual Miami Dolphins Dade vs. Broward All-Star game at Western High School. Craig […]
Heat’s Dragic Named To All-Star Team For Injured Love
Johnson, Quarterman Among College Football’s Top Returning Players
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Religious Belief And Advocacy To End Gun Violence Meet Here.
Posted on November 14, 2018 by mikethegunguy
Progressive political movements have always attracted a fair share of faith-based groups and religious leaders. I’m thinking, for example, of the Berrigan brothers, Dan and Phil, who were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998; or Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker’s Movement, or the Society of Friends, a.k.a. the Quakers, or as we referred to them during the anti-war days, the Quakes.
The intertwining of religion and progressive social protest has reaffirmed itself again in the growth and strength of the movement to end gun violence, or what I am going to start calling it – the anti-gun movement. Because that’s what it is. If you are against gun violence ultimately you are against guns. Yea, yea, I know all about 2nd-Amendment ‘rights.’ But the fact that someone has the ‘right’ to own a gun doesn’t mean he or she has to own a gun, okay? Anyway, back to the issue of faith-based organizations and gun violence.
One of the religious groups that has moved into focus as regards gun violence is Rabbis Against Gun Violence, which describes itself as “a national grassroots coalition of Jewish American leaders and faith activists from across the denominational spectrum mobilized to curb the current gun violence epidemic plaguing our country.” That’s a fairly standard approach for faith-based advocacy, wouldn’t you say? And in this respect, the RAGV group is a valuable addition to the anti-gun organizational lineup, particularly given the fact that the list of mass shootings in houses of worship now includes the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA.
On the RAGV website, you can find a nice, 50-page primer which can be used to explain a proper Jewish response to gun violence. The resource is built around the holiday of Shavuot which is celebrated in late Spring and commemorates the transfer of Jewish law – the Talmud – on Mount Sinai. Since Torah is the fundamental guide to Jewish belief, Shavuot is an important yearly event.
The Shavuot guide to gun violence opens with the following list:
Childproof caps on medicine bottles • Seat belts and airbags in cars • Bike helmets • Fences around swimming pools or construction sites • Smoke detectors • Drivers’ license tests • Designated drivers • Banning food additives • Standards for bars on cribs.
Here’s the answer: “As a modern society, we have decided that there are times it is appropriate to have laws and regulations designed to safeguard ourselves and others from injury or death, for reasons of health and safety.”
The guide then goes on to list things that Jews (and everyone) can do to protect themselves from injury and death, safety procedures, including safe storage, that are explained with reference to Biblical texts. So gun safety thus becomes justified through religious belief. Fine.
There’s only one little problem. The list of various safety measures such as childproof caps, seat belts, helmets, et. al., happens to be comprised of products in which design features had to be changed because otherwise the way these products were used resulted in unacceptable levels of injury and deaths.
That being said, let me break the news gently to my rabbinical friends and, for that matter everyone else in the gun-control community. Guns, particularly handguns, are perfectly designed to do only one thing: injure or kill someone else. Wane to make a design change to prevent such injuries? You no longer have a gun.
I don’t understand why well-meaning gun-control advocates like members of RAGV won’t accept a very common-sense idea that there is simply no way to pretend that a handgun could ever be used except to do what it is designed to do. Isn’t it about time that we stopped all the nonsense about ‘safe’ gun ownership and simply promote the idea that we need to get rid of guns?
Such an idea might be anathema to my friends in Gun-control Nation. But it happens to align perfectly with part of the most important religious text of all: Thou Shalt Not Kill. If we really want to align religious faith with advocacy against gun violence, shouldn’t we begin right there?
This entry was posted in Blogs and tagged guns and religion, Jews and guns, rabbis and guns, RAGV by mikethegunguy. Bookmark the permalink.
1 thought on “Religious Belief And Advocacy To End Gun Violence Meet Here.”
khal spencer on November 14, 2018 at 11:54 am said:
With all due respect to the rabbinical council, the analogy to bike helmets and air bags misses a point: these are “last line of defense” equipment designed to mitigate a crash after it happens rather than prevent the crash from happening. I suppose the analogy would be issuing school kids bulletproof vests and adding more metal detectors.
I witnessed a head on crash between a motorcyclist and his partner vs. a confused 89 yr old woman in a Buick, who was driving on the wrong side of a divided highway. Her air bag deployed and she was fine but had no idea what she had done. Their full coverage motorcycle helmets were ripped off by the force of impact and they died of massive body trauma. I’ve not seen someone shot, but when the EMTs tried to give the motorcyclist CPR, there were fountains of blood shooting out of his mouth and nose. They stopped.
One does have to go to the root cause–a largely voluntary safety paradigm that largely relies on individual responsibility to avoid traffic crashes; a stop sign is like a “gun free zone” sign. Hence there is a very obvious failure mode. If guns are as ubiquitous as cars and safety relies on you and me being “responsible gun owners” it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that some people will fail the personal responsibility contest. Especially since guns are designed to shoot things. At least cars are designed for transportation and crashes are a secondary effect. But like the lady who ran a stop sign at 35 mph on Sunday as we left a breakfast nook (I saw it coming and avoided being t-boned), someone will pull the trigger inappropriately. Because they can.
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Home Events 12 July First women's trade union formed
Women workers stand at machines in the Roslyn Woollen Mills, Otago, in 1907 (Te Ara)
The first women’s trade union in New Zealand emerged in the late 19th century in response to the poor working conditions in the clothing industry. Tailoresses were not the only wage-earning women experiencing hardship in their occupations, but they were by far the largest group. Despite the introduction of the Employment of Females Act 1873, an early attempt to protect women workers, an increasing number of tailoresses, particularly young single women, began to call for fairer treatment and regular inspections of conditions in the clothing trade.
What was known as the ‘sweating system’ attracted the interest of politicians, the public and the press. Presbyterian minister Rutherford Waddell highlighted the existence of sweated labour in Dunedin in his sermons in 1888, and the Otago Daily Times conducted an investigation into sweating in local clothing factories.
Differences in opinion about working conditions for tailoresses led to a ‘large and enthusiastic’ meeting, held in Dunedin on 7 June 1889. While proposals to set a minimum standard of wages were denied by warehousemen, the meeting resolved to form the first tailoresses’ union of New Zealand – the Dunedin Tailoresses' Union (DTU). Established on 12 July, it became one of New Zealand’s most successful women’s unions, ultimately boasting a membership of up to 1400.
The union lasted until 1945. Its achievements included increased wages and reduced hours for tailoresses; the appointment of female factory inspectors by the Department of Labour; support of other provincial and federal tailoresses unions; and close scrutiny of legislation that would impact women workers.
Many of the members of the DTU were also leading figures in the campaign for women’s suffrage. The women’s suffrage petition of 1891 received 4000 signatures from Dunedin, and two-thirds of those were from working women. The numbers are largely accredited to the efforts of the DTU in raising the political awareness and determination of Dunedin's clothing workers.
Read more on NZHistory
Dunedin Tailoresses' Union
Clothing factories (Te Ara)
Tailoresses’ unions (Te Ara)
Harriet Morison (DNZB, Te Ara)
'The Sweating System' (Auckland Star, Papers Past)
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Nursing Community Monthly Roundup - April 2018
HomeNewsWorkforce NewsNursing Community Monthly Roundup - April 2018
Below is a summary of the Nursing Community Coalition’s (NCC) activity for the month of April.
Comments on The Opioid Crisis Response Act
Forty organizations signed on to comments submitted to Senate HELP Committee Chairman, Lamar Alexander (R-TN), on the draft of The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018. Citing the coalition's previous support of similar legislation, the comments request that this bill include a provision to allow all APRNs to provide Medication Assisted Treatment when treating patients with opioid addictions.
Funding Requests for Fiscal Year 2019
Fifty-six nursing organizations signed on to a funding request to the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education for Fiscal Year 2019. The coalition requests $266 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and $170 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research.
Letter to the Office of the National Coordinator
Forty-one Nursing Community Coalition members signed on to a letter sent to Dr. Donald Rucker, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, requesting the appointment of a new Chief Nursing Officer to represent the nursing voice at the Office of the National Coordinator.
Letter on the United States Nurse Corps Equity Act
Forty-five organizations signed on to a letter to Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) thanking her for introducing the United States Nurse Corps Equity Act (H.R. 1168). This legislation would provide recognition to the nurses who served as members of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II.
Letter on CARA 2.0
Forty-one organizations signed on to a letter to Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) thanking them for introducing the CARA 2.0 Act of 2018. Section 7.0 would create a permanent solution so that all APRNs would be able to use their clinical training to combat the opioid crisis.
Letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee
Forty-one organizations signed on to a letter sent to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health regarding their markup of opioid legislation. The letter requested the Subcommittee support the inclusion of the Addiction Treatment Access Improvement Act (H.R. 3692) in their final opioid package.
Testimony to House Appropriations Committee
Fifty-six organizations signed on to written testimony submitted to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The testimony featured the coalition's funding requests of $266 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and $170 million for the National Institute for Nursing Research for Fiscal Year 2019.
The NCC held their monthly meeting on April 3, 2018 and 27 NCC organizations were present for the discussion.
External Presence
Nursing Community Website: Site Visits: 589 Top Page Visited: News
Twitter: @RN_Community New Followers: 18 Total Followers: 593
Profile Visits: 197 Tweet Impressions: 5K
Top Tweet: 56 NCC Orgs signed on to a letter requesting $266 mil for Title VIII and $170 mil for NINR in FY 2019. Read the letter: bit.ly/2qrsDKF
For more information on the Nursing Community please visit: https://www.thenursingcommunity.org/
« 2017 Nursing Community Addresses Title VIII of the Public Health Services Act Nurses Are Again in Demand »
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Search All of NJ This Site select
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Home > News Room > Press Releases > 2011 > September-16-2011 DCA Awards Grants to Community Organizations for Back-To-School Supplies
September-16-2011 DCA Awards Grants to Community Organizations for Back-To-School Supplies
DCA Awards Grants to Community Organizations for
Back-To-School Supplies
$12,500 in Federal Funding Will Help Disadvantaged Students in Camden and Trenton
TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Lori Grifa today announced that $12,500 in federal funding was awarded to community development organizations in Camden and East Trenton to provide backpacks and other back-to-school supplies for disadvantaged students.
"The Department is happy to partner with community groups to serve children in need and help them prepare for the upcoming school year," said Commissioner Grifa. "Making small investments in backpacks and school supplies at the beginning of the school year can help students flourish and build a foundation for future educational success."
The funding is made available through the DCA Division of Housing and Community Resources' administration of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), a federal, anti-poverty block grant that awards funds to agencies for health, education, employment, housing and other services for low-income families. Five percent of the state's allocation is reserved for state priorities and special initiatives determined by the DCA Commissioner.
The DCA awarded $10,000 to Woodland Community Development Corporation in Camden, which will use the grant to supply approximately 422 low-income Camden elementary school students with new backpacks and school supplies for the 2011 school year. Each student will receive mechanical pencils, two one-subject notebooks, a pencil case, a 24-pack of Crayola crayons, Crayola color pencils, erasers, glue sticks, school glue, and composition books.
Another $2,500 grant went to Cityworks in Trenton, which will provide approximately 125 backpacks to school-aged children in East Trenton.
The DCA Division of Housing and Community Resources is committed to building neighborhoods and to providing financial and technical assistance to municipalities, community action agencies and other nonprofit organizations for community and economic development projects that improve the quality of life for low-income, disabled and disadvantaged residents.
For more information on the Department's administration of the CSBG grant program, log on to www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/comact.html.
DCA: Home | About DCA | Divisions | Affiliates | News Room | Announcements | Contact Us | Grants and Resources | Publications | Services | DCA Employees
Copyright © State of New Jersey,
Department of Community Affairs
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Promotion season sees Cardiff increase operating losses by 85 per cent
Photo: Getty Images Cardiff-players, in blue, fighting away from home against high-flying Wolverhampton.
Cardiff City FC’s operating losses increased by 85 per cent to £34 million in the 17/18 Championship season when the club achieved promotion to the English top division.
Club performing well in the commercial area as commercial turnover increased by 83 per cent.
Emil Gjerding Nielson contact@offthepitch.com
Welsh football club Cardiff City FC almost doubled its operating losses in the 17/18 season as the club paid out bonuses related to the club’s promotion to the English top division, the club revealed.
The club said its operating losses increased to £34 million, an 85 per cent increase from the year before, with extraordinary costs in terms of bonuses and other contractual commitments following the Premier League promotion amounting to £23 million.
Revenue increased by £6 million to £35 million, driven by commercial income which increased by 83 per cent to £8.5 million. Match day income increased by 37 per cent to £4.8 million as the club saw its average attendance rise to 20,164, up from 16,564 the year before.
The Welsh side is owned by Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan who took control of the club in 2010 along with a consortium. Tan is the founder of the Berjaya Corporation, a Malaysian conglomerate controlling businesses in consumer marketing, property development and investment amongst other things.
Cardiff owns Tan £72 million
Tan said he aims to have Cardiff debt free by 2021 and has been reducing the loans owed to him by the club. In the 17/18 season, Tan wrote off £79 million of loans, in part by buying ordinary shares and converting the loans into equity.
Cardiff’s total debt to Tan now stands at around £72 million.
Cardiff bought players worth £14.3 million in the period compared to £6 million the previous season. Before the start of the 18/19 Premier League season, Cardiff player purchases rose to £35.4 million.
Uncertainty surrounds the club as to what will happen to the outstanding amount owed to Sala’s previous parent club
An unrelated third party provided the club with a loan of £28.3 million to help fund new player registrations.
Following the plane crash which caused the death of Argentinian striker Emiliano Sala, who was set to join Cardiff in the 2019 January transfer window, uncertainty surrounds the club as to what will happen to the outstanding amount owed to Sala’s previous parent club, French side Nantes.
In February, Nantes filed a complaint to FIFA claiming Cardiff had not paid the first instalment of Sala’s £15 million transfer fee. Cardiff said they remain committed to ensuring fairness with respect to the agreement but that they would wait for the authorities to determine the facts surrounding the tragedy.
FIFA said they are looking into the matter.
Annual accounts FIFA
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Century Club connects alumni, CEOs, and community
For more than three decades, the Century Club speaker series has brought business leaders to the school to share their insights and knowledge with the Olin community. According to Sandy Jurgenson, “The Century Club name derived from the fact that the invited guests had donated $100 or more to the business school.” Jurgenson, a longtime member of the Alumni & Development staff, possesses priceless institutional knowledge of all things Olin. Not only is she an Olin alumna (BSBA ’81), but as the producer and director of the annual Distinguished Alumni Dinners for the past 23 years, she really does know everyone at the school, past and present.
The speaker series launched in 1979 with a talk by Bill Emory, a marketing professor who also served as the first director of Olin’s Executive MBA program. Only 50 Century Club members attended that first gathering, but over the decades the audience has steadily grown. Originally held in the living room at the Alumni House, Century Club moved to Simon Hall’s May Auditorium for many years before relocating to Knight Hall’s Emerson Auditorium in 2014.
“I remember in the early 1980s when Sam Fox (BSBA ’51) and John Wallace (MBA ’62) were leading the Century Club committee. They challenged, ‘We can do better. Instead of vice presidents and division heads, let’s make these meetings a forum for CEOs.’ You know what happens when Sam Fox and John Wallace issue a challenge? You meet it!”
– Dean Emeritus Bob Virgil
William Webster, Director of the FBI
On several occasions, Century Club events have been held in Graham Chapel to accommodate extraordinarily large crowds. When Carlos Brito, the new CEO of AB InBev, came to speak in 2010, it was standing room only in Graham Chapel, with more than 700 in the audience.
According to the official records, there have been more than 200 Century Club speakers over the years, including annual State of the School presentations by the dean. Many of these speakers have been notable alumni, corporate leaders from a wide range of industries, and CEOs of top companies in St. Louis.
One speaker, who attracted some of the largest audiences in Century Club’s history, does not fit the typical CEO profile. Intelligence was the coin of his realm and the topics he addressed in his first appearance in 1983 sound very familiar today: computer-assisted crime, technology transfer, and industrial espionage. The speaker was William H. Webster, then Director of the FBI. Webster was a graduate of WashU Law School and member of the University’s Board of Trustees. In 1987, Webster was appointed Director of the CIA by President Ronald Reagan.
Webster warned the business school audience about threats to corporate security and gave several examples of cases the FBI had worked on, including one involving a new breed of criminal, called a “hacker”—a new term in 1983.
Joel Siegel, BSBA ’51 (L), partner, Laventhol and Horwath, and Frank Spinner (R), chairman and president of Tower Grove Bank and Trust, talk with guest speaker August Busch III (C), chairman and president of Anheuser Busch, at the October 12, 1982 Century Club Breakfast.
The list of Century Club speakers is long and distinguished. Here are just a few names of the top executives who have spoken over the past three decades:
Margaret Bush Wilson, St. Louis attorney, WashU Emeritus Trustee (1981)
August A. Busch III, Chairman and President, Anheuser-Busch (1982)
Richard J. Mahoney, Chairman and CEO, Monsanto (1989)
John S. Reed, Chairman and CEO, Citicorp and Citibank (1994)
Herb Kelleher, Chairman, President and CEO, Southwest Airlines (1994)
W. Marriott Jr., Chairman and President Marriott International, Inc. (1996)
Jerry Kent, President and CEL, Charter Communications, Inc. (2000)
Maxine Clark, Founder and then-CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop (2001)
Century Club’s Centennial Year series launched Oct. 4, 2016 with Sharon Price John, President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Photos courtesy of WashU Archives.
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German Settlers
by Laura Young Baxley, 2006
See also: Swiss and Palatine Settlers; Settlement of the Mountains, 1775-1838 (from Tar Heel Junior Historian); Settlement of the Piedmont (from Tar Heel Junior Historian); Moravians; Salem
German settlers first came to what is now North Carolina as part of the second expedition sent to the Roanoke area by Sir Walter Raleigh in the 1580s. The largest influx of German people to North Carolina, however, occurred in the eighteenth century, beginning with a joint effort between a Swiss land company and the British Crown to settle 100 families of German Palatines in the town of New Bern on the Neuse and Trent Rivers in 1710. The colony flourished and prospered for 18 months, but in 1711 the colony was virtually destroyed after suffering an attack by Tuscarora Indians.
Despite such setbacks, German settlers continued to come to North Carolina throughout the eighteenth century. As unoccupied land became harder to find in the populous Pennsylvania region where they had originally settled, many Germans migrated south and settled mainly in the backcountry, or modern-day Piedmont, of North Carolina, the first arriving in the colony by 1747. Because they were migrating from Pennsylvania and because their own word meaning German-"Deutsch"-was not translated very well by English settlers, the newcomers into North Carolina were sometimes termed the "Pennsylvania Dutch." There were four primary religious groups among these people: German Protestants, Lutherans, German Reformed, and Moravians. Because of language and cultural barriers, the Germans kept mainly to themselves, and many continued to speak German even into the mid-1800s.
Most of the Germans were farmers who settled near lakes and streams, where the land allowed them to produce successful crops as well as to keep livestock. Because the region was sparsely populated during that era, land was plentiful; farmers could take fresh land each year instead of refertilizing farmed land, a practice that increased the size of farms but also caused damage to forest lands. Most German families lived in traditional pioneer cabins built of logs and consisting of one large room with a smaller loft above. Later, as the colonists became more prosperous and better adjusted, these cabins were replaced with wooden and stone houses.
Some of North Carolina's German settlers, in particular the Moravians, held different views of society from most of their neighbors. According to meticulous records still preserved today, the Moravians arrived in 1753 to settle a piece of land-the Wachovia Tract in what is now Forsyth County-acquired from Earl Granville. All of the land was owned and controlled by the church for use by all residents. Land for homes, farms, and businesses was used by individuals but belonged to the community. The settlement was self-sufficient, and all residents and visitors were welcomed, served, and honored without respect to race or creed. Because their religion condemned the use of military force, the Moravians remained neutral during the Revolutionary War, paying rent to their British landlord Granville as well as taxes to the newly formed U.S. government.
Although the language barrier kept many German settlers relatively isolated from other settlers for their first few decades in North Carolina, the barrier eventually fell away and Germans actively joined the greater society. Until this breakthrough occurred, most Germans found careers in either the schools or churches of their community. Once the language barrier disappeared, however, they were able to find careers in all areas of society. People of German descent participated in the Civil War primarily as common soldiers. Though some Germans did own slaves, most worked their own land and felt removed from the slavery issue. Nonetheless, many Germans did fight and die in the nation's bloody conflict.
Although the German population eventually blended into a common North Carolina culture, German influences have had an important impact in the state that continues even today. The religious influences of Germans are notable, for example, and the Moravian village of Old Salem remains as a reflection of their impact. Education is another arena in which North Carolina's German settlers left their mark, establishing Catawba College in Newton in 1851, the Western Carolina Male Academy (which became North Carolina College) in 1852 in Mount Pleasant, and the Mont Amoena Female Seminary in Cabarrus County in 1859.
Carl Hammer Jr., Rhinelanders on the Yadkin (1965).
Hugh T. Lefler and Albert Ray Newsome, North Carolina: The History of a Southern State (1963).
William S. Powell, North Carolina through Four Centuries (1989).
Hendricks, J. Edwin, and Christopher E. Hendricks. "Expanding to the west: Settlement of the Piedmont region, 1730 to 1775." Tar Heel Junior Historian, 34, no. 2 (Spring 1995). In ANCHOR, https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/expanding-west-settlement
Bernheim, G. D. 1872. History of the German settlements and of the Lutheran church in North and South Carolina, from the earliest period of the colonization of the Dutch, German ans Swiss settlers to the close of the first half of the present century. https://archive.org/details/historyofgermansin00bern/page/n6 (accessed January 23, 2019)
A Condensed History of the Early Settlers of Catawba County, Prepared by Colonel George M. Yoder, Catawba County Library.
Low's Lutheran Church, NC Historical Marker J-61, North Carolina Office of Archives & History.
Grace or Lower Stone Church, NC Historical Marker L-45, North Carolina Office of Archives & History.
Old Stone House, NC Historical Marker L-60, North Carolina Office of Archives & History.
Samuel Suther, NC Historical Marker L-76, North Carolina Office of Archives & History.
Old Brick Church, NC Historical Marker J-57, North Carolina Office of Archives & History.
Home Moravian Church, built 1800, previously called the Gemein Haus in Old Salem, now Winston-Salem. Created by Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952, photographer; and published between 1935 and 1938. Image courtesy of Library of Congress, call #: LC-J7-NC- 2457. Available from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/csas200802700/ (accessed August 14, 2012).
Precolonial period (pre-1600)
Early Statehood (1789-1820)
Moravians
Baxley, Laura Young
1 January 2006 | Baxley, Laura Young
I love the search function!
Permalink Submitted by Glenn Manning (not verified) on Sat, 12/10/2016 - 16:25
I love the search function! Recommend expanding daya base.
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YMCA and YWCA
by Max P. Rogers, 2006
Additional research provided by Wiley J. Williams.
Both the Young Men's Christian Association and the Young Women's Christian Association were founded in London-in 1844 and 1855, respectively. The YMCA arrived in the United States in Boston in 1851; the YWCA was first established in New York City in 1858. The first YMCA in North Carolina was formed in Wilmington in 1857, followed by pre-Civil War associations in Charlotte, Raleigh, Salisbury, and Washington and on the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. North Carolina's YMCA movement was completely halted by the Civil War, but associations were reorganized in such places as Raleigh and Charlotte in the late 1860s. By 1876 nine associations, either new or reorganized, were in existence. By 1922 there were 22 YMCAs in the state, including some at colleges and universities.
While the early YMCAs in North Carolina had ladies' auxiliaries, it was not until the early decades of the twentieth century that the YWCA movement reached the state. It is known that there were YWCAs in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem before the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, as well as student associations at a number of colleges and at the School for the Blind in Raleigh. (The YWCA at UNC was not organized until 1935.)
Particularly after World War I, young girls and women moved in large numbers from farms and small towns to jobs in the textile mills and offices of cities. In such a new environment, women needed a safe, inexpensive, and comfortable place to live, wholesome recreation, and a chance to learn new skills-in short, opportunities to develop their full potential as women. The YWCA was one of the organizations to which they turned to help them realize that goal.
Organizationally, YMCAs and YWCAs are independent agencies, and each local Y exercises a high degree of autonomy in developing its programs. Through the years Ys have shared many common concerns and offered many similar services (housing, educational/vocational programs, camping, counseling, child care, citizenship activities, etc.)—services that local boards of directors and volunteer and professionally trained staff consider appropriate for their communities. For instance, not all Ys offer lodging, and in some communities a YMCA serves both girls and boys, as in Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Burlington, Durham, Fayetteville, and Sanford. The greater Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem areas all have one or more YMCAs and YWCAs.
YMCA summer camps in North Carolina began in 1912 when Camp Greenville, a coeducational camp, was established by the Greenville, S.C., YMCA at Cedar Mountain in Transylvania County. Various organizations followed suit, until by the 2000s there were dozens of summer camps in the state. The YMCA ran the largest number of these camps, while private owners, churches, the 4-H Club, the Boy Scouts, and other groups ran several each.
Camp Sea Gull and Camp Seafarer are two of North Carolina's most successful YMCA summer camps. Camp Edgerton near Raleigh was the first camp of the Raleigh YMCA. Small and inadequate, Edgerton may have been the spur for visionary Wyatt Taylor, then general secretary of the YMCA, to turn his attention toward the coast, where he dreamed of establishing a camp that would change the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of young people.
Camp Sea Gull was opened in 1948 on the banks of the Neuse River at Minnesott Beach. The camp grew rapidly, offering two camping sessions for boys and one precamp for girls. In response to popular demand, Camp Seafarer for girls was opened in 1961, with each camp located on 350 wooded acres with excellent access to the river and the ocean. Each year children ages 6 to 16 from all over the United States and several foreign countries enroll. In 1997, 37 states and 12 foreign countries were represented, with a total of 2,700 campers. The Capital Area YMCA's metro business office reports that an estimated $1.2 million is spent annually in Pamlico, Craven, and Carteret Counties as a result of these camps. The annual payroll for year-round camp employees, exclusive of summer staff, is approximately $1 million. These employees include electricians, plumbers, landscapers, and caretakers.
Heriot Clarkson, A Story of the Progress of the Kingdom through the Young Men's Christian Association of the Carolinas [1936?].
Stephen Beauregard Weeks, A History of the Young Men's Christian Association Movement in North Carolina, 1857-1888 (1888).
Randy Young, "YMCA Brings All Parts of Community Together," Chapel Hill News, 11 Apr. 2001.
A Joint Resolution Honoring the 125th Anniversary of YMCA Camping, North Carolina General Assembly: https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Resolutions/PDF/2009-2010/Res2010-29.pdf
Weeks, Stephen B. "A history of the Young Men's Christian Association movement in North Carolina, 1857-1888 : read before the twelfth annual state convention in Charlotte, N.C., April 21, 1888, and published by the executive committee at the request of the convention." Raleigh, N.C.: Observer Printing Company. 1888. https://archive.org/details/historyofyoungmeweek (accessed May 16, 2013).
"The Iron Duke," 1941. Courtsey of Duke University Archives. Durham, NC. Available from https://www.flickr.com/photos/dukeyearlook/2075654509/ (accessed September 28, 2012).
"Members of the campus YMCA chapter assisted incoming freshmen with the move-in process." Courtesy of Duke University Archives. Durham, NC. Available from https://www.flickr.com/photos/dukeyearlook/1923274296/ (accessed September 28, 2012).
YWCA Nurse's Aid Training, probably in Raleigh, NC, September 1, 1944. From the Albert Barden Collection, North Carolina State Archives, call #: N_53_16_5928. Available from https://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/2655024535/ (accessed September 28, 2012).
Societies, clubs, and organizations
Rogers, Max P.
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Library Services Toggle Dropdown
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Paul Horwich
From a Deflationary Point of View
Paul Horwich, From a Deflationary Point of View, Oxford University Press, 2005, 184pp, $24.95 (pbk), ISBN 0199251266.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Ketland, University of Edinburgh
Horwich's new book brings together ten articles, previously published over the period 1982-2004. These articles cover a diverse body of topics: truth, meaning, realism, scientific theory choice, norms, art and meta-philosophy. Binding the articles together is a central theme -- deflationism -- and hence the book's title. As Horwich states in the introduction, these reprinted essays "represent some of my efforts to develop and implement the deflationary outlook and they make a good case, I believe, for its power and fertility" (p. 1).
As normally understood, the term 'deflationism' denotes a collection of views concerning the notion of truth. Such views aim to deflate more substantial or robust views about truth, such as the correspondence conception, the semantic conception, and various epistemic conceptions (the coherence theory, verificationism, and pragmatism). The deflationary conception begins from the appreciation that any analysis of the notion of truth must be constrained by some version of the T-scheme: the equivalence of A and "A is true". In itself, this demand is not deflationary. Rather, it is, as Tarski noted in Der Wahrheitsbegriff, an adequacy condition on a proposed truth definition (and indeed this constraint requires careful formulation so as to avoid inconsistency). Rather, the deflationary thesis is that there is nothing more to the notion of truth than what is stated by the T-scheme. From this aperçu, a variety of deflationary conclusions are drawn, such as:
-- truth is not a property;
-- the notion of truth is implicitly defined by the T-scheme;
-- a truth predicate is merely a "device of disquotation";
-- a truth predicate is a device of indirect endorsement;
-- the raison d'être of a truth predicate is to permit the re-expression of possibly infinite sets of statements as a single statement.
Deflationism is the main theme of the first, second, and fourth essays, "Three Forms of Realism" (1982), "Realism and Truth" (1996), and "Meaning, Use and Truth" (1995). I shall return to this group of essays at the end.
The third and fifth essays, "How to Choose Between Empirically Distinguishable Theories" (1982) and "The Nature and Norms of Theoretical Commitment" (1991), discuss the topic of scientific theory choice. The former essay develops a position Horwich calls Global Conventionalism (a position similar to what is known as Conceptual Role Semantics). Horwich analyses the notion of the conceptual role of a theoretical predicate via the theory's Ramsey sentence (after the logician Frank Ramsey; converting a theory formulation to its Ramsey sentence is sometimes called ramsification). I found Horwich's line of argument here somewhat hard to follow, but it seems to be that the correct representation of the content of a scientific theory T is given by its Ramsey sentence R(T). In particular, Horwich argues that the conditional R(T) → T, which measures what Popperians called the "excess content" of T over R(T), is "known a priori":
Our fundamental thesis is that, if S1 is our total theory-formulation, then we know a priori that, if a Ramsey sentence derived from S1 is true, then S1 is true -- that is,
(1¢) R(S1) → S1 (p. 60)
Proposals to analyse theoretical content in terms of Ramsey sentences have a long history (Ramsey, Carnap, Maxwell, Lewis and others), and have been advanced by several recent "structural realists", such as Worrall, Zahar, and Redhead. In my view, the major problem with any such conceptual-role view of the semantics of theoretical terms is the "Newman Problem", identified by M.H.A. Newman in a 1928 Mind review of Russell's Analysis of Matter (1927), where Russell had presented a structuralist account of knowledge claims. Structural knowledge claims are Ramsey sentences. That is, they have the form "there are relations R1, …, Rn on the domain D such that φ(R1, …, Rn) holds". Newman criticized this view on the grounds that such structural knowledge claims about the external world are, if satisfiable at all, mathematically equivalent to claims about the cardinality of the domain D. More generally, if only theoretical predicates are ramsified and the second-order quantifiers are given their standard semantics, then it can be shown that the truth of a Ramsey sentence R(T) is equivalent to T's possessing an empirically correct model of the right size (see William Demopoulos, "On the Rational Reconstruction of our Theoretical Knowledge" (2003) and Jeffrey Ketland, "Empirical Adequacy and Ramsification" (2004), both in British Journal for the Philosophy of Science). Thus someone who asserts R(T) is asserting little more than that the theory T is empirically adequate (its observational consequences are all true). So, Horwich's view collapses to an instrumentalist view of theory acceptance, similar to van Fraassen's. Ironically, this is precisely what Horwich intends to avoid.
Of course, if the truth of R(T) is tantamount to T's empirical adequacy, and truth goes beyond empirical adequacy (as it surely does), then the conditional R(T) → T cannot be known a priori, as Horwich claims.
There is more work to be done clarifying this matter. The most obvious proposal insists that second-order variables appearing in Ramsey sentences must be taken to range over only some special collection of real properties and relations. Of course, this requires an independent explanation of what distinguishes these "real" relations from the "artificial" ones.
The fifth essay, "The Nature and Norms of Theoretical Commitment" (1991), is an interesting argument against scientific instrumentalism, van Fraassen-style. The instrumentalist insists upon a distinction between accepting a theory and believing it. If a theory has the appropriate epistemic credentials, the instrumentalist recommends only acceptance, while demurring from belief. Bas van Fraassen in The Scientific Image (1980) argued that observable empirical support can only ever warrant acceptance of a theory (i.e., believing it to be empirically correct), but can never warrant believing the theory (i.e., believing it to be true). Most realists accept the distinction in some form or another, but argue that belief in a theory's approximate truth is often justified (usually by a no-miracles argument of some sort). Horwich's aim in his essay is to argue that the very distinction between belief and acceptance cannot be maintained: "believing a theory is nothing over and above the mental state responsible for using it; and so the attitude urged by instrumentalism is impossible" (p. 87).
According to van Fraassen's characterization of the instrumentalist's posture, acceptance consists in believing just the observable consequences of a theory (including those observation statements that derive from the theory in conjunction with other accepted theories), and using the theory to make predictions, give explanations (without being committed to their truth), and design experiments. No wonder Vaihinger called this the philosophy of 'as if'. For these are precisely the things that a believer would do. Yet it is suggested that we might accept our theories without believing them! This is a distinction without a difference (pp. 88-89).
For good or ill, there is a whiff of behaviourism about this argument. Horwich goes on to argue that a psychological theory would characterise beliefs "as states with a particular causal role" which would "consist in such features as generating predictions, prompting certain utterances, being caused by certain observations, entering in characteristic ways into inferential relations …" and concludes "but that is to define belief in exactly the way instrumentalists characterise acceptance" (p. 89).
This is an empirical indistinguishability argument: belief and acceptance are behaviourally indistinguishable. This may be true, but it does not establish the identity of belief and acceptance unless one adds the behaviourist premise that beliefs should be defined in terms of behaviour. So, I am not sure that Horwich makes a good case for identifying belief and acceptance. But I suspect that arguments like this lend credence to the conclusion that the boundary between acceptance and belief is fuzzier that those who urge instrumentalism would care to admit.
The sixth essay "Wittgensteinian Bayesianism" (1993) is a standard account of the Bayesian approach to epistemology and scientific method. The seventh essay "Deflating the Direction of Time" (1993) is a short review of J.R. Lucas, The Future (1987). Lucas there defended the common-sense idea of a moving NOW, which trichotomizes events into the absolute past, present, and future. Against this, Horwich defends a space-time block-universe view (Minkowski, Einstein, Russell, Carnap, Quine, Lewis and others). On this view, the spatio-temporal structure of the universe, represented in our best physical theories as a manifold with a metric, does not involve a special moving NOW; indeed, attempting to add such a feature faces severe problems. Horwich's article is well-argued, and makes a good case against the moving NOW view.
The eighth essay, "Gibbard's Theory of Norms" (1993), is a review of Alan Gibbard's Wise Choices, Apt Feelings: A Theory of Normative Judgement (1990). Horwich aims to blend his own deflationism with Gibbard's expressivism. Horwich argues that meta-normative questions concerning the factuality of normative claims can be deflated by insisting on the equivalence of "it is a fact that p" and "p". Horwich concludes that expressivists have no need to claim that normative assertions do not express facts, or are not true, or do not attribute properties:
Norm-expressivism has no need for these theses and would be better off without them. Its real substance lies in a distinctive semantic view of the indirect way in which the term 'rational' is defined (namely, that the meaning of 'rational' is specified implicitly by means of an explicit definition of 'Y believes that x is rational'), and a distinctive metaphysical claim about the non-explanatory nature of normative facts (namely, that beliefs about what is rational are not consequences of what is in fact rational). (p. 143).
I find little to recommend in all this. Presumably, the phenomenon of rationality is inseparable from truth-seeking, valid reasoning, and assigning probabilities coherently, in relation to evidence. It seems to me that the expressivist is changing the subject from the substantive issue of what constitutes rationality to analyses of linguistic phrases, such as 'Y believes that x is rational'.
In the ninth essay, "Science and Art" (2001), Horwich defends a form of aesthetic non-cognitivism which holds that are no norms relative to which one might correctly judge art to have progressed: "aesthetic value is attributed on the basis of aesthetic pleasure; but what will produce that desired effect varies enormously across individuals, times, and cultures" and "there is no established context-independent norm by which the correctness of such choices may be settled" (p. 158). De gustibus non est disputandum. This emotivist view is suitably deflationary. I am not quite sure what "aesthetic pleasure" is. Might one not appreciate a piece of art which does not produce a sense of aesthetic pleasure? How is aesthetic pleasure to be distinguished from other kinds of pleasure? Do chimpanzees experience aesthetic pleasure?
In the final essay, "Wittgenstein's Meta-Philosophical Development" (2004), Horwich begins by discussing the inconsistency between Wittgenstein's various aphorisms enunciated throughout the Tractatus and the final self-refuting aphorism, at Tractatus 6.54, where Wittgenstein says that his propositions are "elucidatory", and that he who understands them "finally recognizes them as senseless". There is a scholarly debate concerning the relationship between Wittgenstein's early and later works. A view that appears to be gaining currency is some sort of Continuity Thesis, of which Horwich advocates a version:
[H]is meta-philosophy is what is central and revolutionary. It does change somewhat -- an incoherent element is removed from it … [B]ut the correction in his core meta-philosophical position is small in relation to all that is retained: namely that philosophical questioning is provoked by linguogenic confusion, that it should not be straightforwardly answered, and that it cannot yield philosophical knowledge. Thus the Tractatus and the Investigations represent improving expressions of one and the same hyper-deflationary insight. (p. 171).
As Wittgenstein exegesis, the Continuity Thesis is probably right. But what insight, I ask? "Insight" is a success word. I would argue, along with Russell, Turing, Gödel and Popper, that philosophical questioning does yield philosophical knowledge. For example, philosophical questioning has led to quite specific and important knowledge, concerning for example the nature of infinity, the nature of number, the nature of computation, the nature of formal systems and their properties of completeness and incompleteness, the properties of truth, the applicability of mathematics, the nature of liberal democracy (and its antithesis, totalitarianism), the notion of human rights, of law, and so on. In short, the relevant inquiries have led to a good deal of philosophical knowledge, concerning abstract, cosmological, ethical, and political topics. Horwich may be right in saying that Wittgenstein's outlook from early to late can be understood as "hyper-deflationary", but that provides us with even more reason for rejecting such an outlook.
I now return to the essays on realism and deflationism about truth. In the first essay, "Three Forms of Realism" (1982), Horwich provides a detailed analysis of a variety of different ways in which the doctrine of realism has been formulated. He first distinguishes epistemological, semantic, and metaphysical realism; sympathetic to the first two, he is keen to reject the latter. He discusses eight further formulations of realism: "external world formulation", "autonomy formulation", "inaccessibility formulation", "modal formulations", "correspondence formulation", "Tarskian formulation", "empirical formulation", "Dummett's meaning-theory formulation". This article is impressively clear and succinct. Tucked inside, we find a defence of the deflationary view of truth and a sympathetic account of the use-theory of meaning. The second and fourth essays are both admirable in their clarity. The second essay "Realism and Truth" (1996) defends the deflationary conception of truth, and argues that debates about truth are, properly understood, independent of debates about realism. Actually, Alfred Tarski made a similar point in his 1944 essay, "The Semantic Conception of Truth and the Foundations of Semantics". The fourth essay, "Meaning, Use and Truth" (1995), again defends deflationism, but also contains a detailed defence of the use-theory of meaning. I lack the space to examine the arguments given there in defence of that view.
I conclude with some remarks about Horwich's deflationism about truth. For twenty years or so, deflationism has been widely defended and widely criticised. Horwich's Truth (1990; 1998) contains a detailed and useful response to a variety of criticisms. I mention one further criticism. This was introduced recently by Stewart Shapiro ("Truth and Proof -- Through Thick and Thin" (1998), Journal of Philosophy) and myself ("Deflationism and Tarski's Paradise" (1999), Mind).
This criticism concerns the alleged (non-)explanatory role of the notion of truth. Several deflationists, Horwich included, have insisted that the notion of truth has no explanatory role. I take this to be the central claim of deflationism. Analysing this claim, Shapiro and I first argued that, on a deflationary view of truth, one's theory of truth should be conservative over non-semantical base theories. If a theory of truth is deflationary, one should not be able to deduce new results about the non-truth-theoretic domain by using one's truth theory. Second, Shapiro and I also argued that a reasonable further condition on a theory of truth is that it should explain reflective reasoning, which is (roughly) reasoning from a theory T to its soundness, "All theorems of T are true" (when T is a mathematical theory, such statements are called reflection principles).
However, Shapiro and I noted that Gödel's incompleteness results imply that these two conditions are inconsistent. Reflective truth theories are non-conservative; and thus reflective truth theories are non-deflationary. To illustrate, Shapiro and I considered a number of formalized truth theories, which are added to Peano Arithmetic (PA). The truth theory based on the unrestricted T-scheme, "A is true iff A", is inconsistent when added to PA in classical logic, for one obtains a liar sentence. So, the full disquotational truth theory is non-deflationary. If we restrict the T-scheme, so that the formula A does not contain the truth predicate, then adding this restricted principle to PA is indeed conservative. However, it is also non-reflective.
Finally, if we formulate the axioms of Tarski's theory of truth for arithmetic, and add them to PA, we obtain a much stronger theory, denoted Tr(PA) (see Solomon Feferman 1991, "Reflecting on Incompleteness", Journal of Symbolic Logic). This truth theory is reflective, as it proves the reflection principle "All theorems of PA are true". From this, it follows that Tr(PA) proves both Con(PA) and the Gödel sentence G. However, this means that Tr(PA) is non-conservative; and thus, non-deflationary.
In a nutshell, reflective truth theories are non-conservative. So, one cannot have both conservation and reflection. Given the mathematical incompatibility of conservation and reflection, a deflationist about truth is faced with two options. First, he may reject the conservation condition, which requires that a deflationary truth theory should be conservative. Second, he may drop the demand that a truth theory be reflective. There has, in fact, been some discussion of these possibilities in the subsequent literature. But it is unclear to me which of these options Horwich would take.
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Sanford Budick
Kant and Milton
Sanford Budick, Kant and Milton, Harvard University Press, 2010, 330pp., $49.95 (hbk), ISBN 9780674050051.
Reviewed by Stephen M. Fallon, University of Notre Dame
You may be one of the many readers who do a double-take when encountering the title of Sanford Budick's Kant and Milton. I predict that Kant scholars will put down the book convinced that Milton is a seminal figure for Kant, and Miltonists will put it down heartened by this evidence of the poet's influence and armed with a new way of thinking about one of the central debates in Milton studies today, concerning the meaning of Samson Agonistes. (A preliminary word to philosophers: caveat emptor; as a Milton scholar with an interest in the history of philosophy, I cannot claim anything like Budick's intimate knowledge of Kant.)
Budick, a prominent, highly regarded Milton scholar, demonstrates an impressive philosophical sophistication. The second surprise, after the title, is that Budick, a professor of English at Hebrew University, engages intensively with Kant scholarship and only minimally with Milton scholarship. He argues that Kant, who along with other eighteenth-century German intellectuals knew Milton well and valued him highly, singles out the poet as the preeminent poet of the sublime and, as such, as a crucial predecessor making possible Kant's understanding and articulation of the attainment of freedom and moral autonomy. For Budick's Kant, aesthetics and ethics are closely related. If Budick's arguments are right, then Kant's readers will have a new resource for tracing the development of the categorical imperative, and Miltonists will have a new and powerful lens to understand Milton.
In six chapters Budick traces the development of Kant's moral and aesthetic thought as it develops out of the crucible of the constellation of German Miltonism (Budick employs a methodology of Konstellationsforschung pioneered by Dieter Heinrich), particularly in agonistic dialogue with Herder. (Budick argues not only for Kant's knowledge of Milton in the original English but also for the central importance of Milton for eighteenth-century German philosophers of aesthetics, who quoted and paraphrased Milton in their writings, apparently confident that their readers would recognize the allusions.) The book poses as its goal an account of Kant's understanding of genius as articulated in §49 of the Critique of Judgment, "Of the Faculties of the Mind that Constitute Genius." Through six chapters informed by acute reading of the Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, the Critique of Practical Reason, and the Critique of Judgment, as well as recently published lectures, Budick works steadily and, given the difficulty of the material, with admirable lucidity toward that goal. While genius characterizes central figures in the intellectual tradition, and thus draws them together into a community, it is incompatible with mere imitation. Budick points to Edward Young, whose 1759 Conjectures on Original Composition was translated into German in 1760, for the distinction between imitation, which does not require genius and which can be achieved by following rules, and emulation, the mark of the genius which cannot arise from or be replicated by following rules. Young's emulation supplies the seed for Kant's conception of succession (Nachfolge).
In Milton, Budick argues, Kant found a predecessor to emulate. Kant was drawn to Milton in part because both were advocates of political liberty. More essential, though, was Kant's judgment that Milton is the preeminent poet of the sublime. In Milton Kant found many examples of the purest expression of what Kant saw as essential to the sublime, the so-called "aesthetic idea," that is to say, an image (1) that sets the mind in motion by suggesting an excess of thoughts without being comprehended by any one concrete thought, (2) that through a play of light and dark both represents and enacts an eclipse of representation in the face of that which exceeds our comprehension, and (3) that as a result draws after it an infinite succession of thoughts. The surfeit of thought and the repeated negation of representation induce the "momentary blackout" (36) that is the hallmark of the sublime. For Kant Milton's description in Paradise Lost of the flight of Raphael to Earth (5.247-87) exhibits the purest form of the aesthetic idea. The experience of the sublime in the aesthetic idea can produce, through the process of emulation or succession (Nachfolge), precisely that freedom and moral feeling at which Kant aims (44).
Budick distils from Kant's comments on "Nachfolge" in the Critique of Judgment and the Critique of Pure Reason a dynamic he dubs the "succession procedure." It unfolds when, in the presence of the sublime as captured by genius, one's own mind "swings" into motion and, in emulation of that prior genius, one can experience in one's own thoughts a pattern of succession of representations, each containing a negation of representation, and thus be drawn into the sublime. In that moment, any one of us can be drawn out of his or her individual and limited perspective, view the world through universal eyes, and in the resulting autonomy and moral freedom make one's own the categorical imperative. In this way, the experience of the sublime in art can have the most fundamental effect on one's moral life; aesthetics and ethics become mutually implicated. In the more rare mind of the genius, the result can be artistic emulation (not imitation, which is no part of genius) and the creation of sublimity in his or her own art. The experience of the sublime in the heteronomous aesthetic idea (an "example" drawn from a narrative and thus involved in or reflective of the contingency of experience) prompts and discloses an isomorphic, autonomous succession procedure that discloses freedom and moral feeling. Just as one moves from succession prompted by the aesthetic idea to an autonomous succession, so in the sublime a transfer takes place between the sensible and the supersensible, or between the particular and the universal.
Budick makes a strong case that Milton's sonnet on his blindness, "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent," informs Kant's thinking and even his language in the Groundwork. What Kant found in the sonnet is the transfer of "standpoints" or perspectives central to the categorical imperative, i.e., the transfer from the heteronomous perspective of the world of sense and particularity, which takes its bearings and laws from outside itself, to the autonomous perspective of the supersensible and universal, which internalizes and thus endorses and owns laws. In a remarkable reading Budick demonstrates in great detail Kant's knowledge of the poem and his close succession to it in his definition of the categorical imperative. As with much of the argument of the book, I don't have space here to do justice to the complexity of his demonstration, but I can say that Budick earns his conclusion that the elements of Kant's elaboration of the categorical imperative "follow every significant element of Milton's sonnet, [and that] Kant's way of explaining their integration constitutes a full and profound interpretation of that sonnet, especially of its transfer between standpoints" (158).
Budick lends an initial plausibility to his argument for Milton's influence by making clear the importance of Milton in eighteenth-century Germany. Kant was far from the only German philosopher to draw from Milton for an articulation of aesthetic principles and of the sublime in particular. One of the most engaging stories of the book is that of the hostile rivalry of Kant and Herder. While Kant and his younger contemporary traded barbs on their conceptions of the sublime and on their understanding of Milton, Budick shows that Herder served as a useful irritant, spurring him toward a sharper articulation of his thinking on aesthetics and pointing the way to a fundamental shift in his thinking. At issue is the role of analogy in philosophy. Herder accused Kant's philosophy of abstraction to the point of complete disconnection from the world; Kant accused Herder of pulling down philosophy by tying it to analogy and literary figures, images from the sensory world that would inevitably bog one down in the heteronomous and prevent progression to the autonomous and freedom. To each, the other's reading of the Miltonic sublime is an unwitting reiteration of the sublime of Milton's Satan. (Budick's identification of traces of Milton's allegory of Sin and Death in Kant's 1785 review of Herder's Ideen zur Philosophie der Geschichte der Menschheit is a philological tour de force.)
Nevertheless, over time, Budick suggests, Kant came to view analogy and literary figures as legitimate instruments through which one could pass to the autonomous without being captured in the heteronomous. The breakthrough for Kant came with his adoption of "storytelling" and its potential to make available for the "succession procedure" "tragic form." This, as Budick articulates Kant's formula in the Critique of Practical Reason, involves "the honest person in extremis" who, though having lost the incentive to live and the taste for living, "reject[s] suicide by regarding duty alone," and "achieves an inner tranquility that is the effect of a transfer of consciousness across the verge of sensible existence or life, which is to say beyond the limit of any sensible incentive or reason to go on living"; the person's attained "respect for the purely intelligible moral obligation" is "more valuable than life itself."
Tragic form, Kant believed, can be found in Milton's Samson Agonistes, which as a result can be employed as "preparation" for the succession procedure to autonomy and moral feeling. Where earlier Kant had scoffed at Herder's tying himself to analogy and story as limiting himself to the heteronomous, now tragic storytelling becomes a propaedeutic to attainment of the autonomous. There is an isomorphism between the protagonist's experience and that of the reader for whom the text offers itself for emulation in the procedure of succession. In each there is a "transfer from (a) the first standpoint in the realm of the sensible, where we see outwardly to (b) the second standpoint in the realm of the supersensible or intelligible where we do not see outward things" (244). That is to say, as Samson himself moves from self-regard through the emptying out of pride in his strength and through the loss of the will to live before achieving, in Kant's (and Budick's) view, the transfer from the standpoint of the sensible world and physical blindness to the standpoint of inward seeing of the categorical imperative, so for the reader the experience of Samson's breakthrough from the heteronomous to the autonomous can be the occasion, and the aesthetic image (recall Samson's darkness), for the reader’s own succession to (or achievement of ) autonomy.
Milton scholars will see that Budick's reading falls firmly on one side of current debates, placing Samson's final action unambiguously on the side of morality and integration with the divine will. Those committed to the revisionist reading that argues that Milton does not endorse Samson's destruction of the Temple of Dagon and killing of thousands of Philistines may be resistant to Budick's reading; Budick is certainly resistant to theirs ("Milton's representation provides no persuasive reason to doubt that Samson's final … act in the tragedy is in the service not of his own but of God's 'glory'" [221]). Budick's Kant endorses the majority "regenerationist" reading of the play. But this raises a large question. Does the fact that Kant took up Milton's poem and fit it so tightly to his own understanding of tragic form and its relation to the categorical imperative have any cash value in the argument among Milton scholars concerning the meaning and tendency of the poem? The answer would have to be, not necessarily. On the other hand, I take from the book a sense that the bar has been raised higher for the revisionist argument. My own reading of the poem has been altered by the powerful readings of Kant (and Budick).
In the final chapter, Budick offers a reading of §49 of the "Analytic of the Sublime" in the Critique of Judgment that picks up and weaves together the earlier chapters by way, in part, of an acute reading of Paradise Lost and, in particular, of the image of Jupiter and Juno in Book 4 and of the image of Jupiter's eagle and Juno's peacocks in Book 11. As in the earlier chapters, Budick ties down his argument for influence by identifying passages in Kant's text clearly alluding to Milton's poem. Readers of Milton, whether or not they are prepared to be interested in Kant, will not want to miss Budick's penetrating and subtle comments on Milton's epic.
Kant and Milton is clearly thesis driven in its reading of Milton's works. Even if one is not inclined to agree with Budick's readings of Milton, his book is of immense value for its definitive demonstration of Kant's reading of Milton and of Milton's seminal importance for Kant. I find myself inclined to agree, and the book makes good on its promise to demonstrate that Kant is one of Milton's most penetrating readers (Budrick explains, for example, why Milton famously exhibits no "anxiety of influence"). After putting down Kant and Milton, it is hard to disagree that "only a handful of philosophers of the first rank have left us such a rich collection of reflections on any poet" (5). Allow me to say for Budick what he cannot say for himself: only a handful of literary critics could have knowledge and penetration to mine that rich but ignored and largely hidden collection and make it available to us. This is scholarship and criticism of the first rank.
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The 1.2m Kryoneri telescope at Kryoneri Observatory (established in 1972), located in the district of Corinth in the northern Peloponnese, was selected for the NELIOTA system. The telescope, in its original configuration, was a Cassegrain reflector with a primary parabolic mirror (1.2 m in diameter) and a secondary hyperboloid mirror (0.27 m in diameter) and a focal ratio f/13, manufactured and installed in 1975 by the British company Grubb Parsons Co., Newcastle. The mirrors were manufactured by Zerodur.
In May 2016, the telescope was upgraded by DFM Engineering Inc. by the NELIOTA project. This upgrade included the replacement of some mechanical parts of the telescope, a new control system, dome automation and the installation of a Prime Focus Instrument (PFI) able to provide a large field-of-view as required for NELIOTA. The optics yield a focal ratio of f/2.8.
The PFI includes a dichroic beam splitter which directs the light into two paths and provides simultaneous imaging in two channels (R and I-bands). Two fast-frame sCMOS cameras are attached to the backend of PFI. The final field-of-view is 16.6 x 14.0 arcminutes (21.7 arcminutes in diagonal). On June 27th, 2016, first light images of the Moon were obtained through the PFI with the cameras.
The design of the PFI can accommodate another option for imaging, hosting a “direct imaging” Apogee Aspen CCD where the light path is directed directly to the prime focus. With this option the field-of-view can be as large as 1 square degree (depending on the detector used). In this configuration, the field-of-view is 12.3 x 12.3 arcminutes (17.4 arcminutes in diagonal). The camera has a 1024 x 1024 format giving a pixel scale of 0.72 arcseconds/pixel. On June 27th, 2016, first light images were obtained, imaging the globular cluster M13 (left), the galaxy M51 and its companion (middle) and Trifid Nebula (right).
Lunar Observing Optical Path
Camera slider plate and drive mechanism in Lunar imaging position
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CONNECTING HOMES. IMPROVING LIVES.
30 Million Americans are Disconnected
A digital divide remains in the United States where 30 million Americans still do not have consistent high-speed internet at home.
“Whether we’re talking about education, healthcare management, or career development, there is an increasing need to have ready access to the internet. And those who don’t have it risk being left behind, ” says Marlin Jenkins, Neture Founder and CEO.
Neture’s mission is to provide access to opportunity one community at a time.
The lack of reliable broadband limits career readiness and ultimately exacerbates income disparities. For example, 70% of teachers assign homework that requires access to the internet. It is critical that schools incorporate evolving technology into the curriculum. However, in many districts, this means that some students are automatically at a disadvantage.
Spotlight on the South Bronx
Neture is pleased to partner with community development non-profit Nos Quedamos to establish a network to expand broadband access in Melrose Commons. This one of 12 projects approved by New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo as part of the South Bronx Downtown Revitalization initiative.
“These projects will advance the Borough by leaps and bounds, increasing amenities to existing South Bronx residents and bringing further investment and community pride to the Bronx,” said Governor Cuomo in a statement released July 2018.
Our alliance with Nos Quedamos will provide free Wi-Fi in select public spaces and low-cost broadband service for residents within the community.
Stay tuned for our service which will begin to roll-out in early 2019.
NETURE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
© 2019 Neture – All rights reserved
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Home/Celebrity Net Worth/Actresses/Freida Pinto Net Worth
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Freida Pinto Net Worth
Freida Pinto Net Worth 2019: Wiki Biography, Married, Family, Measurements, Height, Salary, Relationships
Freida Selena Pinto net worth is
Freida Selena Pinto Wiki Biography
Freida Selena Pinto was born on 18 October 1984, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, to Sylvia, a high school principal, and Frederick Pinto, a banker, of Mangalorean descent. She is a former model and TV presenter, and an actress best known for starring in the films “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”.
So just how rich is Freida Pinto now? According to sources, Pinto’s net worth reaches $8 million, as of late 2016. Her fortune has been amassed during her modeling and acting career which bgan in 2005.
Freida Pinto Net Worth $8 Million
Pinto grew up in a middle class family in Malad, Mumbai, along with her sister, where she attended the Carmel of St. Joseph School. She later enrolled in St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai, majoring in English literature.
Upon graduating in 2005, she pursued both modeling and acting careers. She spent over two years working for Elite Model Management India, appearing in a number of television and print ads, such as for Wrigley’s Chewing Gum, Vodafone India, eBay and Visa. In the meantime, she began auditioning for television and films, being hired to host the travel show “Full Circle” in 2006-2007. Hwr net worth was well established.
In 2007 Pinto and several other models from her agency got an opportunity to audition for the leading role of Latika in the 2008 British drama “Slumdog Millionaire”. The film became a massive box office success, grossing over $377.9 million worldwide and winning a number of awards, and Pinto’s performance as Latika earned her the Breakthrough Performance Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. It also enabled her to achieve needed recognition in the acting world, and a significant rise in her net worth.
After her work on “Slumdog Millionaire”, Pinto went on to take an acting course at the Barry John Acting Studio in Mumbai. In 2010 she got a smaller part in Woody Allen’s comedy-drama “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”, and then the starring title role in Julian Schnabel’s biographical political film “Miral”. The year 2011 was very productive for Pinto; she was cast in the role of primatologist Caroline Aranha in the science fiction film “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, a great box-office success, grossing $481.8 million worldwide, more that any other project Pinto has appeared in. She then played the title role as a teenage Rajasthani peasant in the drama film “Trishna”, and her other roles of the year include playing Princess Lailah in the historical war film “Day of the Falcon”, and oracle priestess Phaedra in the fantasy/action film “Immortals”, the latter film grossing over $226.9 million worldwide. Although Pinto’s performances in all of these projects gained mixed reviews, her popularity significantly rose, considerably improving her wealth.
In 2013 the actress appeared in the popular music video for Bruno Mars’ single “Gorilla”, which brought a lot of negative criticism from Indian media. The following year she played the drug addict Elaheh in the biographical drama “Desert Dancer”. Pinto’s most recent film appearance was in the 2015 experimental drama “Knight of Cups”, and the action film “Blunt Force Trauma”. She is currently filming the live-action adventure fantasy film “Jungle Book”, which is set to be released in 2018. Her net worth should continue to rise.
Pinto has frequently been featured in various magazines lists, such as “World’s Most Beautiful People”, “World’s Best Dressed Women” and “Most Beautiful at Every Age” by People magazine, “Top Ten Most Stylish Women” by Vogue and “Top 99 Most Desirable Women” poll by AskMen.
Speaking about her private life, Pinto hasn’t married; sources believe she is single at present.
The actress is a devoted philanthropist, involved in various humanitarian causes. She has supported charities focused on enhancing the status of women and underprivileged children, such as the Agassi Foundation, as well as Plan International’s “Because I am a Girl” and Gucci’s “Chime for Change” campaigns. She has recently publicly criticized the Indian government’s ban on the documentary “India’s Daughter”, portraying the Delhi gang rape in 2012.
Full Name Freida Pinto
Date Of Birth October 18, 1984
Place Of Birth Mumbai, India
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.66 m)
Weight 123.5 pounds
Profession Model, Actress, Presenter
Education Carmel of St. Joseph School, St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, Barry John Acting Studio, Mumbai
Parents Frederick Pinto, Sylvia Pinto
Siblings Sharon Pinto
Nicknames Freida Selena Pinto , Fro
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/freidapinto
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/becauseimfreida
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/freidapinto/
IMDB http://imdb.com/name/nm2951768
Awards Breakthrough Performance Award, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast
Nominations Teen Choice Awards, BAFTA Awards, Black Reel Awards, MTV Movie Awards, Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards for Best Ensemble (2009)
Movies "Slumdog Millionaire" (2008), "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" (2010), "Miral", "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011), "Jungle Book" (2018)
TV Shows "Full Circle" (2006-2007), "Gorilla" (2013), "India's Daughter"
1 I call upon women to raise each other up, to make each other's welfare a priority and to never shame a woman for the choices she makes
2 [on preparing to play a primatologist in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)] Like most people, I only knew what I'd been taught in school about chimps, and that's not enough. So I watched a ton of videos about Jane Goodall, who I'd love to meet. All her research was fascinating and so useful, especially in how she studied human behavior in comparison to chimp behavior.
3 I'm just so used to calling it Bombay. I know everything has changed. It's India's way of trying to brush off colonialism and make it what it originally was, but unfortunately for me I called it Bombay for 16 years, and I think that's a long time in a 26-year-old's life to automatically start calling it Mumbai. It's very confusing for a lot of people. My agent thought Bombay and Mumbai were two different places. And I was like, "No, it's the same thing."
4 This industry is for fighters and those who do not give up! It is very important to believe in yourself. Even when a hundred people rejected me, I did not lose hope and, finally, one of the biggest directors of all times [Danny Boyle] believed in me! Also working in this film [Slumdog Millionaire (2008)] has taught me a lot, not just in terms of acting but also about myself, which is an integral part of being a good actor!
1 Member of the 'Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)' since 2016.
2 She appeared in the music video of the song " I Promise You" by the band Dal Dil Vog, featuring Dal Hothi. The video was shot in Mumbai, India. Dal is an Indo Canadian singer, who has been singing since the early 1990s. Freida Pinto did the music video before the release of Slumdog Millionaire (2008).
3 Audition for the Indian film Chak De India.
4 Her favorite actors are Jack Nicholson and Johnny Depp and her favorite actresses are Marilyn Monroe and Nicole Kidman.
5 Was considered to replace Emma Stone in Sucker Punch (2011), but lost out to Jamie Chung.
6 Was formerly in a relationship with Dev Patel (from February 2009 to December 2014). The two met on the set of Slumdog Millionaire (2008).
7 She studied at Carmel of St. Joseph School in Malad and completed her bachelor of arts (BA) degree in English literature at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.
8 The surname Pinto is a Portuguese name meaning "Chick" (little bird). The first European colonizers and settlers of India, the Portuguese arrived in 1497.
9 Auditioned for the part of Bond Girl Camille in Quantum of Solace (2008), but lost the role to Olga Kurylenko.
10 Was engaged to Rohan Antao from 2007 until January 2009. They were in a relationship from 2003 to 2009.
11 Trained in some forms of Indian classical dance as well as salsa.
12 Freida's parents are from Mangalore, a coastal town in southern India.Her father is a banker; her mother is the principal of a high school. Her sister, Sharon, is a producer with an Indian news channel, NDTV.
Jungle Book 2018 post-production
Love Sonia 2017 post-production Rashmi
Yamasong: March of the Hollows 2017 completed Geta
Guerrilla 2017 TV Mini-Series Jas Mitra
Past Forward 2016 Short Woman #2
Two Bellmen Two 2016 Short Leila Patel
Black Knight Decoded 2015 Video short Ahna
Blunt Force Trauma 2015 Colt
Knight of Cups 2015 Helen
Desert Dancer 2014 Elaheh
Gorilla, Bruno Mars 2013 Video short Isabella
Immortals 2011 Phaedra
Day of the Falcon 2011/II Princess Leyla
Trishna 2011 Trishna
Rise of the Planet of the Apes 2011 Caroline Aranha
Miral 2010 Miral
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger 2010 Dia
Slumdog Millionaire 2008 Older Latika
I Promise You 2007 Short
Aakrosh 2010 acknowledgment
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors 2017 TV Series Herself
Harry 2017 TV Series Herself
Off Camera with Sam Jones 2017 TV Series Herself
Late Night with Seth Meyers 2017 TV Series Herself
Today 2015-2017 TV Series Herself - Guest / Herself
32nd Film Independent Spirit Awards 2017 TV Special Herself / Presenter
We Will Rise: Michelle Obama's Mission to Educate Girls Around the World 2016 TV Movie documentary Herself
The Meredith Vieira Show 2015-2016 TV Series Herself
Made in Hollywood 2011-2016 TV Series Herself
Good Morning America 2016 TV Series Herself
The Late Late Show with James Corden 2015-2016 TV Series Herself
The Mindy Project 2015 TV Series Herself
Tavis Smiley 2015 TV Series Herself
Unity 2015 Documentary Narrator (voice)
Extra 2014 TV Series Herself
The Sound of Change Live 2013 TV Special Herself
Girl Rising 2013 Documentary Narrator (voice)
44th NAACP Image Awards 2013 TV Special documentary Herself
Conan 2012 TV Series Herself - Guest
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 2011-2012 TV Series Herself - Guest
The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards 2012 TV Special Herself - Presenter
Janela Indiscreta 2011 TV Series Herself
Jimmy Kimmel Live! 2011 TV Series Herself - Guest
Up Close with Carrie Keagan 2008-2011 TV Series Herself
The Ellen DeGeneres Show 2009-2011 TV Series Herself
55th BFI London Film Festival 2011 TV Special Herself
Charlie Rose 2011 TV Series Herself - Guest
The Daily Show 2011 TV Series Herself
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 2008-2011 TV Series Herself
HBO First Look 2011 TV Series documentary short Herself
The Fabulous Picture Show 2011 TV Series Herself
Daybreak 2010 TV Series Herself
Moving Pictures Live! 2009 TV Series Herself
Xposé 2009 TV Series Herself
Gomorron 2009 TV Series Herself
Entertainment Tonight 2009 TV Series Herself
Star Movies: Live from the Red Carpet 2009 TV Movie Herself
The Oprah Winfrey Show 2009 TV Series Herself - Guest
The 81st Annual Academy Awards 2009 TV Special Herself - Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film
Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & the Making of 'Slumdog Millionaire' 2009 TV Short documentary Herself
The Tyra Banks Show 2009 TV Series Herself
Larry King Live 2009 TV Series Herself
This Morning 2009 TV Series Herself - Interviewee
The Orange British Academy Film Awards 2009 TV Special Herself - Presenter
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 2009 TV Series Herself
15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards 2009 TV Special Herself - Winner
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards 2009 TV Special Herself
2009 Britannia Awards 2009 TV Special Herself
Late Show with David Letterman 2008 TV Series Herself - Waits in the Green Room
The Frame 2013 TV Series Caroline Aranha
Won Awards
2009 Breakthrough Performance Award Palm Springs International Film Festival Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
2009 Actor Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Nominated Awards
2009 BAFTA Film Award BAFTA Awards Best Supporting Actress Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
2009 MTV Movie Award MTV Movie Awards Breakthrough Performance Female Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
2009 MTV Movie Award MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
2009 Teen Choice Award Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress: Drama Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
2009 Teen Choice Award Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Fresh Face Female Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
2009 Teen Choice Award Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Liplock Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
2nd Place Awards
2009 COFCA Award Central Ohio Film Critics Association Best Ensemble Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
as Older Latika
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
as Caroline Aranha
Immortals (2011)
as Phaedra
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)
as Dia
"Full Circle" (2006-2007) "Gorilla" (2013) "India's Daughter" "Jungle Book" (2018) $8 Million 1984 5 ft 5 in (1.66 m) Actor Actors BAFTA Awards Black Reel Awards Carmel of St. Joseph School Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards for Best Ensemble (2009) Frederick Pinto Freida Pinto Freida Pinto Net Worth Freida Selena Pinto Fro India Miral Model MTV Movie Awards Mumbai October 18 Presenter Rise of the Planet of the Apes Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Sharon Pinto Slumdog Millionaire (2008) St. Xavier's College Sylvia Pinto Teen Choice Awards You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)
Erika de la Vega Net Worth
Holly Wolf Net Worth
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Lincoln City Community Days coming soon
Alexis Mather, 2016’s Miss Oregon, stands in front of the Lincoln City Cultural Center during her visit for Lincoln City Community Days in 2017. (Courtesy photo)
By: Stephanie Blair - Updated: 3 months ago
Events celebrate citizens, fundraise for local causes
LINCOLN CITY — The annual celebration of all things Lincoln City is returning April 19: Lincoln City Community Days.
The nine-day series of events will include new delights for locals to enjoy, as well as long-honored traditions. Though the heart of the event has been kept intact, the structure of it looks quite different from its inception.
As organizer Shirley Hill explained, the community days event has existed in one form or another for 59 years.
“When it started out, it started out really small,” said Hill, who has spearheaded planning for 20 years. “And it started out before Lincoln City was even Lincoln City — Lincoln City was Wecoma, Nelscott, Neotsu, Taft, Cutler City … it was before it incorporated.”
The event also started out as just a day or two, and now stretches across more than a week. The key to its endurance over the decades, Hill explained, is two pronged: perseverance and the firm communal belief in saying ‘thank you.’
That belief is showcased at the Community Days Awards Banquet, where people and businesses in Lincoln City are recognized for the difference they make in the lives of others.
Other longtime events include the Kiwanis pancake breakfast, mudflat golf, radio days and the food drive — which is held on Thursday of Community Days each year. In addition, Miss Oregon will be making her way to various events throughout the celebration, as Community Days has hosted Miss Oregons for many years. Family traditions of attending these events will carry on this year.
But for those looking to experience something new, there are plenty of first-time events planned: like the “egg-speriments” that Driftwood Public Library will be conducting at Black Squid on Easter Sunday and the Celebrity Story Time at Book Warehouse, which will feature this year’s Miss Oregon, among others.
What all these happenings have in common is their goal: to bring people together.
“Everything on (the schedule) is worked as a fundraiser,” said Hill, “and maybe not (raising) funds as much as community involvement; to get people in to take part with the Girl Scouts and part of Oceana Family Literacy.”
The tradition of local supporting local will carry on, and with a lineup of over 30 events, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. However, there is one event that is a part of community days, though it won’t take place within the week of April 19-27.
The SOS Indoor Kite Flying Gala will take place on April 6 and 7 at Taft High School, and serves as a fundraiser for Northwest Coastal Housing — a local non-profit which works to provide affordable housing to those in need. This event needed different timing, but the Community Days committee still promoted the event and included it in their social media coverage. Because the process of the committee is to simply promote and draw together attention for the events that other organizations put on, this worked splendidly. Ultimately, it all pulls back to appreciating the human connections in the town.
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The annual celebration of all things Lincoln City is returning April 19: Lincoln City Community Days. The nine-day series of events will include new delights for locals to enjoy, as well as long-honored traditions. Though the heart of the event has been kept intact, the structure of it looks quite different from its inception.
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R.I.P. Alan Thicke
(Photo: Phillip Chin/Getty Images)
ABC News reports that Alan Thicke has died. The songwriter, talk show host, and TV star—best known for his role as kind-hearted, sarcastic father Jason Seaver on ABC’s long-running Growing Pains—apparently had a heart attack while playing hockey with his son, Carter.
A TV polymath, Thicke got his start in the business as a writer, penning scripts for Paul Lynde, Richard Pryor, and Norman Lear, who tapped him as the head writer for his talk-show send-up Fernwood 2 Night. The series—which starred Martin Mull and Fred Willard as parodies of talk show host and sidekick, respectively—turned out to be prophetic; Thicke would later get his first taste of on-camera fame when he returned to his native Canada, hosting the daytime talk series The Alan Thicke Show. Introducing audiences to his dry wit and low, rolling voice, the series was a hit, paving the way for a similar (if more ill-fated) venture into American late night.
Cursed with an awkward, punny title, an instantly dated “casual” aesthetic, and the nervous laughter of a host clearly trying to make the best of things, 1984’s Thicke Of The Night has gone down in TV history—along with The Chevy Chase Show and Magic Johnson’s The Magic Hour—as one of the major missteps of late night talk. Thicke himself openly mocked the show after its nine-month run, saying, “Thicke of the Night was supposed to challenge Johnny Carson. They said it couldn’t be done and I was the guy they chose to prove it. The show was ahead of its time…It should’ve been on in 2084, when all of us are dead.”
Still, Night’s failure opened the door to Thicke’s most remembered role as an actor, stepping into the suit jackets and comfortable TV dad sweaters of psychiatrist Jason Seaver on Growing Pains. The show’s focus was often dominated by its young stars—including Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold, and, later, Leonardo DiCaprio—but Thicke took frequent opportunities to break out of rote lesson-teaching and moralizing in order to unleash his slapstick, comic side. (He’d walk a similar balance as the inventor/father in Disney’s Not Quite Human series of TV films, from the same era.) Growing Pains would end up running for seven years—tying its frequently cited rival, NBC’s Family Ties—and enshrine Thicke in the hall of great ’80s TV dads.
But acting was only one of Thicke’s passions: he also worked frequently as a successful songwriter, often within the medium of TV. His theme songs for Diff’rent Strokes, The Facts Of Life, and game show The Joker’s Wild aren’t just interesting pieces of “Did you know who wrote that?” trivia: they’re iconic, infectious pieces in their own right.
After Pains ended in 1992, Thicke continued to work steadily, serving as a fixture of the American talk show circuit, and gamely poking fun at his own smooth-voiced, patrician demeanor. (See his appearance on the first season of Scream Queens, for instance, or a turn on Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, in which he perfectly captures that series’ standard turn from calm, straight-faced authority into scatological madness.) The success of his son, “Blurred Lines” star Robin Thicke, continued to keep the family name in headlines, and Thicke and his family starred in a short-lived reality series, Unusually Thicke, for the TV Guide Network in 2014.
In many ways, Thicke was the consummate 1980s sitcom performer. He carried within him the ability to deploy end-of-episode lessons and punchlines with equal skill, delivering with a semi-soporific dependability that reassured viewers that everything would be back to normal by the time the next episode came along. But focusing solely on that aspect of his career—to breeze past his contributions as a writer, composer, and that strange hybrid of vulnerability and showmanship that is the talk show host/guest—is to ignore the width of his talents, and a life that was spent digging into every creative aspect of what television had to offer.
Thicke was 69.
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NEW:Mutlimedia Guide
NEW: Mutlimedia Guide
The multifunctional app offers a multimedia-based and personal experience of the 75-year-history of the Olympiastadion Berlin and the Olympiapark Berlin through 13 different stations throughout the grounds. Through the symbiosis of audio and video files as well as 200 selected historical photographs, you can delve into the stadium’s history: from hosting the 1936 Olympic Games, the DFB Cup Final, the FIFA Men’s World Cup (1974 and 2006) and FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2011 to European and World Championships in Athletics including the world record of Usain Bolt in 2009. But also the Pyronale, rock and pop concerts from greats such as U2 and the Rolling Stones to the visit of the Pope and last but not least the upcoming UEFA Champions League Final in 2015 – everything is included.
An integrated aerial offers you the best possible orientation on the spacious grounds of the Olympiastadion Berlin and the Olympiapark Berlin. The app can be used in offline mode, being online is not required! On site, we provide you with Samsung mobile devices including headphones for an extraordinary tour experience.
From now on the world of the Olympiastadion Berlin fits into your pocket!
You can download now the Olympiastadion Berlin App directly here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.panoramab.olympiaber&hl=de
https://itunes.apple.com/de/app/olympiastadion-berlin-app/id725416235?mt=8
More informations on our official facebook page Olympiastadion Berlin.
Helene Fischer to playat the Olympiastadion Berlin in 2015
No question, Helene Fischer currently is the most successful live artist in Germany. To no surprise, the 300.000 tickets available to her arena tour ‘Farbenspiel – LIVE’ in the fall of 2014 were sold out within a few weeks.
Olympiastadion Berlinsupports BigShoe initiative
BigShoe is back on the ball. The initiative with their symbolic BigShoe celebrated their official kick-off event on Friday, April 4 at the Olympiastadion Berlin in light of the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil.
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Solar Bears to Raise The Turner Cup Banner
SOLAR BEARS TO RAISE TURNER CUP CHAMPIONSHIP BANNER
Orlando, Fl. – The Orlando Solar Bears announced today that they will honor the 2001 (IHL) Championship team by raising the Turner Cup Championship banner during this year’s Out of Hibernation season. The banner is scheduled to be raised during a special pre-game ceremony on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at the Amway Center before the Solar Bears take on the Trenton Titans.
In 2001, the Orlando Solar Bears defeated the Chicago Wolves 5-1 in Game 5 of the best of seven series to win the Championship series 4 games to 1. The Solar Bears were the last IHL team to win the Turner Cup before the IHL ceased operations that summer.
“From ‘Day One’ of our existence we have had every intention of honoring the past as we celebrate our future. This is unfinished business,” stated Solar Bears Managing Partner Jason Siegel. “For the players and coaches, front office staff, Amway Arena staff, and fans of the 2001 Championship team this ceremony is long overdue and we are honored to play a small role in assuring it happens.”
The banner raising pregame ceremony will include special appearances by members of the Solar Bears’ championship team. Arrangements have been made with the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto to have the Turner Cup on hand and the current Solar Bears team will wear commemorative throw-back jerseys that night. Fans in attendance on February 2 will take home commemorative mini-banners as a keep sake.
Over the next 2-6 weeks the Solar Bears expect to announce a number of player signings, our new radio broadcast partner, details for our OSB Training Camp dates and Open Invitation Try-Out, Single Game Ticket “On Sale” date, details regarding the formation of the OSB Alumni Association, details about two trophies that will be awarded annually to a current Solar Bears player in honor and memory of both Dan Snyder and Rob Kenny, and a number of exciting promotional events. In addition, the Solar Bears will unveil a commemorative “Out of Hibernation” logo that will be affixed to the team’s home and road jerseys for the 2012-13 season. The team also plans to unveil its 3rd jersey during the early portion of the season. Follow the Solar Bears at OrlandoSolarBearsHockey.com,Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news and updates.
The Orlando Solar Bears, the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and AHL’s Houston Aeros, are coming Out of Hibernation and will play 36 regular season home games at the 2012 Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal Sports Facility of the Year, the Amway Center, beginning October 20, 2012.
Season ticket plans are available now. Everyone is invited to take advantage of the Orlando Solar Bears season ticket pre-sale offer by placing a $50 deposit per ticket now to receive seat selection priority. Full and half season ticket plans range in price from $225-$1480 per season ticket (includes facility fee), reflecting a savings of up to 42% off box office pricing. Call the Solar Bears at 407-951-8200 or visit OrlandoSolarBearsHockey.com.
Group tickets are a great way to entertain employees, co-workers, clients, friends and family. For more information on discounted group tickets and a list of group benefits, call 407-951-8200.
Orlando Solar Bears merchandise can be purchased online at: http://shop.orlandosolarbearshockey.com/.
Author AuroraPosted on August 9, 2012 August 8, 2012 Categories Amway Center, Amway Center, Orlando Solar BearsTags 2001 Champions, Amway Center, Hockey, IHL, Orlando, Solar Bears
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Home / Articles / Ever-larger Cities
Ever-larger Cities
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06.12.2017, by
Laure Cailloce
Some geographers argue that Shanghai, with its 80 million inhabitants, is now the biggest city in the world.
SIEPHOTO/MASTERFILE
The world now hosts more than thirty megacities—cities with more than 10 million inhabitants—a figure expected to reach fifty by 2050. CNRS researchers look at this important trend and its effects on our ways of life.
Is the city the future of humankind? Over the last fifty years, the urbanization of the planet has markedly accelerated and the number of city-dwellers now officially exceeds half of the world’s population. At the same time, a new kind of city has emerged: the megacity, an urban behemoth with 10 million people… or more. While Paris and London near 12 million souls, a conurbation like Shanghai is now approaching 80 million, thereby becoming—according to some geographers—the most populous city in the world, ahead of Tokyo. Although researchers do not agree on the order of the ranking, the world’s ten largest cities, which are home to dozens of million people, includes Shanghai, Guangzhou (Canton), Tokyo, Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), New York with its 25 million inhabitants, as well as Rio and São Paulo in Brazil.
Size is a problem
“Urbanization is so intense that it has clouded the issue,” says Michel Lussault, a geographer at the Environment, City, Society1 laboratory. “We no longer know where places like Mexico City, Tokyo, or Shanghai—which bear no resemblance to what they used to be—begin and end…” Not to mention the fact that some countries overestimate or deliberately underestimate their size, whether for geopolitical reasons or to obtain international aid. In theory, the city is defined by the continuity of the built environment—the general consensus being that there should be a maximum of 200 meters between two buildings. Yet administrative divisions and the official statistics provided by countries follow an entirely different logic… Administratively speaking, for example, Paris is confined to the area situated inside the city’s périphérique ringroad, and is home to only 2 million inhabitants.
Urban centers with more than 10 million inhabitants (2010).
F. MORICONI-EBRARD/GEOPOLIS DATABASE,2017
To circumvent this problem, the geographer François Moriconi-Ebrard and his colleagues at the Espace2 laboratory have developed a universal calculation method, applicable to all cities on the planet: “We use satellite images to delineate the perimeters of the city and we compare this with the census cartography, using the smallest units provided by each state,” explains the researcher, who has thus put Shanghai at the top of the list. All the data is stored in the Géopolis global database, which already heralds the megacities of tomorrow. Indeed, the trend towards urban gigantism is only just beginning! Numbering thirty today, megacities are likely to hit the fifty mark by 2050.
There is little point in looking for this next generation of leviathans in Europe or on the American continent. Asia and Africa are the places to watch. “China is the most populous country in the world, and it stands to reason that it will have megacities in proportion to its population,” predicts Denise Pumain, a geographer at the Géographie-Cités3 laboratory. Especially since the country is “catching up:" the requirement of holding an “urban passport” has been made more flexible, and Chinese citizens can now settle (more or less) where they want. “India and Africa are likely to be the next regions to witness an explosion of the urban population,” Moriconi-Ebrard adds. Already classified as megacities, Lagos (Nigeria) and Cairo (Egypt) will continue to expand, while cities like Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Onitsha (Nigeria) could soon go over the 10-million mark… “This is also the case of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, which is literally exploding as a result of Chinese investments,” the geographer points out.
An economic and social innovation factor
As for knowing whether this urban explosion is a good or bad thing… Synonymous with pollution and insecurity in the eyes of the general public, megacities are viewed less severely by geographers, who prefer to highlight their undeniable advantages. “The days of the man-eating megalopolis are gone. In the poorest countries, they offer improved living conditions,” states Pumain. “Sanitary facilities are better than in the countryside, and infant mortality is lower. Similarly, the level of qualification of populations tends to increase as cities grow in size.”
Along with Cairo, Lagos in Nigeria is one of Africa’s two megacities. It is predicted that Africa and India will be the next regions to rapidly urbanize.
GEOEYE/SPL/COSMOS
“As the epitome of innovation—whether economic, technological, cultural, or social—megacities are true hubs for the advancement of rights,” stresses Lussault. The urbanization of women, for example, often lowers their fertility rate and increases school enrolment; more open spaces make it easier for them to escape the patriarchal order. And even if poverty remains high in cities—as illustrated by Rio's favelas—absolute poverty does nevertheless tend to decline thanks to the many opportunities that the city affords: casual work of all kinds, street hawking, etc.
Increasing inequalities
More worrying, however, is the worsening of social inequalities and the growing tensions they create within urban centers. “The larger the city, the greater the income disparity,” emphasizes Pumain. “International capitalism opens offices but simultaneously creates a large number of low-qualified maintenance and cleaning jobs, etc.” This phenomenon also manifests itself spatially, with an ever-starker divide between rich and poor neighborhoods. The rise in the number of “gated communities,” wealthy areas entirely closed to the rest of city, is the strongest expression of this trend—as typified by the famous towers of Alphaville in São Paulo or the lakeside villas of Palm Springs Garden in Chongqing (China), to name just a few examples.
Palm Springs Garden in Chongqing (China). The increasing number of “gated communities,” wealthy neighborhoods closed to the rest of the city, signals the ever sharper divide between rich and poor.
CHINA PHOTOS / GETTY IMAGES ASIAPAC / GETTY IMAGES/AFP
Yet growing inequalities are far from being the only challenge posed by this change in scale. The transport flows and pollution generated by daily traffic congestion has become the main concern of these huge urban clusters—in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, or Mexico City, emissions are such that the sky is now constantly a milky white color. Climate change is another major challenge, and a particularly important one for megacities due to the "heat island" phenomenon. “The mineral heart of cities is much hotter than their outskirts, and that looks set to worsen as the planet continues to warm," explains Lussault. "A city like Paris, for example, is 2°C warmer on average than its suburbs, but this differential can reach 5°C in a heat wave.”
A diplomatic system involving the planet's largest cities is now emerging, bypassing traditional transnational discussions.
Although the problems they face are commensurate with their size, megacities are also seeking to become places where solutions are found. A diplomatic system involving the planet's largest cities is now emerging, bypassing traditional discussions at the transnational level. On the issues of climate change and ecology, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, initiated in 2007 by the then mayor of London Ken Livingstone, brings together the 90 largest megacities in the world. The elected representatives of this network, which is currently chaired by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, convene several times a year to look at issues including transport, food, motorways, migrations, etc. After the COP21 in Paris in late 2015, the C40 cities made a firm commitment to go beyond the emission thresholds to which countries had signed up. “Megacities claim that they can do better than the states they are part of, because they are not tied by diplomatic constraints,” notes Lussault.
With megacities, a new geopolitical order is emerging. Increasingly interdependent—their ways of life tend to converge and their inhabitants to migrate from one to another—these city-worlds are real hubs of stability, partially escaping the diplomatic tensions that exist between countries. “This is undeniably a driving force for peace. But there is a serious risk that they could become completely cut off from the rest of the country,” Lussault warns. And that Paris for example might interact more with London, Frankfurt, or New York than with other French cities like Lille or Tours…
1. CNRS/ENS Lyon/Univ. Jean-Moulin/Univ. Lumière/Univ. Jean-Monnet/ENTPE/Ensal/École des mines de Saint-Étienne/Insa Lyon
2. Études des structures, des processus d’adaptation et des changements de l’espace (CNRS / Université Sophia-Antipolis / Aix-Marseille Université / Université d'Avignon-Pays de Vaucluse).
3. CNRS / Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne / Université Paris-Diderot.
Megacities Urbanisation World city
Laure Cailloce is a scientific journalist for CNRS Lejournal/News.
See author's bio
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Malaysia Airlines Awards Pratt & Whitney $550 Million Fleet Management Program
Pratt & Whitney Feb 21, 2014
SINGAPORE – SINGAPORE AIRSHOW – Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company, announced today that it has signed an exclusive, 10-year Fleet Management Program (FMP) agreement with Malaysia Airlines to maintain the airline's fleet of 43 PW4170 installed engines and spare engines. The agreement, which includes an option to extend the contract for up to five additional years, is valued at approximately $550 million.
"Pratt & Whitney's maintenance program will maximize the performance and reliability of our engines while providing predictable maintenance costs to us," said Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, Malaysia Airlines Group chief executive officer. "This will allow MAS to fly without disruption and continue providing superior service to our valued customers."
"We are delighted that Malaysia Airlines selected Pratt & Whitney to maintain its fleet of PW4170 engines," said Matthew Bromberg, president, Pratt & Whitney Aftermarket. "Our maintenance solutions help airlines operate efficiently with exceptional quality."
The Pratt & Whitney engines power Malaysia Airlines' fleet of A330 aircraft.
Malaysia Airlines, the country's national carrier, flies around 47,000 passengers daily to 60 destinations worldwide, and holds a lengthy record of service and best practice excellence. It is rated a 5-star carrier by Skytrax.
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, auxiliary and ground power units, and small turbojet propulsion products. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC.
Robin Salisbury
Int'l Cell + 1-860-970-5712
robin.salisbury@pw.utc.com
Web Site: http://www.pratt-whitney.com
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Trilliant and Siemens Partner to Deliver Smart Energy Networks for Distributed Automation and Advanced Metering Infrastructure for Mexico's CFE
Trilliant Holdings, Inc. Nov 14, 2016
Three projects are latest global collaboration of Siemens and Trilliant as utilities worldwide lay communications foundation for modernizing infrastructure, engaging customers
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 10, 2016 - Trilliant, the global provider of secure, enterprise-wide smart energy communications, and Siemens have partnered to deliver smart energy communications for three projects for the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) in Mexico City and the State of Mexico. The enterprise-wide communications network includes both AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) and DA (distribution automation) elements designed to reduce energy losses, engage consumers with energy choices, and modernize the nation's power grid.
The three projects are the latest collaboration under a global partnership agreement that provides Siemens access to the Trilliant Smart Communications Platform which, combined with Siemens digital grid offerings, provides a comprehensive solution to help utilities worldwide to modernize grid infrastructure and performance.
Trilliant's multi-tier network, including both wide area and near area networking (WAN and NAN), will connect the utility to 634,000 Siemens advanced meters across seven districts of Mexico City as well as providing communication with nearly 12,900 distribution transformers across more than 1,185 kilometers-circuit lines (736+ miles).
The enterprise-wide approach is possible on a single network because Trilliant provides the industry's broadest portfolio of diverse technologies (including 5GHz Secure Mesh WAN, 2.4GHz Secure Mesh NAN, LTE/GPRS and 2.4GHz RPMA) on a unifying Smart Communications Platform. This approach streamlines management and monitoring of the AMI network today and provides a platform for seamless addition of future applications or devices.
"Trilliant's globally compliant solution is an integral part of Siemens' offering to CFE," said Thomas Zimmermann, CEO Digital Grid Business Unit, Siemens Energy Management Division. "It provides the secure communications foundation our energy customers require to prepare for a future in which they will manage and monitor an increasing number of connected devices and applications for distribution automation, efficiency, customer engagement or load-side management."
Siemens has been active in Mexico since 1894. This project supports Mexico's modernization of its energy infrastructure through smart grid and internet of things (IoT)-enabling technologies to ensure safe, reliable electricity for its growing economy. According to a CFE press release of September 1, 2016, it "aims to diminish technical and non-technical losses associated to the lack of measurement of electric power consumption, as well as the lack of maintenance and modernization of distribution networks."
"It's been a privilege to partner with Siemens in our common vision to equip energy providers worldwide with the communications foundation to meet the energy needs of the future," said Andy White, Trilliant chairman and CEO.
For more information about Siemens Smart Grid, see: http://w3.siemens.com/smartgrid/global/en/pages/Default.aspx.
About Trilliant
Trilliant offers the energy industry's only enterprise-wide Smart Communications Platform for connecting the internet of things (IoT) through a secure, standards-based, multi-technology, open spectrum solution. With three decades' experience and the most field-proven and globally compliant solution, Trilliant maximizes smart grid and smart city investments and makes operations future-ready. www.trilliantinc.com
About Siemens
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of gas and steam turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2015, which ended on September 30, 2015, Siemens generated revenue of €75.6 billion and net income of €7.4 billion. At the end of September 2015, the company had around 348,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
SOURCE Trilliant
Nancy Broe,
nancy@themcdonnellgroup.com,
+1-404-583-0003 Ext.105
Web Site: http://www.trilliantinc.com
ODVA publishes specifications for CIP Networks.
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UT Geologists Explore Clues to Earth’s Formation in Diamonds
View all the posts from November 7, 2011
KNOXVILLE—When jewelers inspect diamonds, they look for cut, clarity, color, and carat. When University of Tennessee, Knoxville, geologists Larry Taylor and Yang Liu inspect diamonds, they look for minerals, inclusions jewelers hate, but whose presence could be clues for how parts of earth formed.
Taylor, distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences, and Liu, research assistant professor, have been awarded $380,000 by the National Science Foundation. The UT geologists will partner with researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences to study diamond deposits in northern Siberia.
Diamonds in that region are veritable time capsules, giving researchers a window into how the continent of North Asia formed.
“These diamonds are carrying information that goes back 3.5 billion years,” said Yang. “It helps us piece together how the deep mantle beneath the Asian continent formed and how it evolved.”
These diamond deposits are some of largest in the world. They are also some of the most well-preserved, thanks to the cold climate, which protects against weathering by encasing the diamonds in permafrost. Also, Siberia contains thousands of unique volcanoes, called kimberlites, that carry diamonds to the surface from hundreds of miles deep within the earth, unlike ‘normal’ volcanoes which carry them from a few miles deep.
“The diamonds are brought up through a conduit called a pipe by this strange volcanic magma called a kimberlite,” Taylor said. “These kimberlites are the sources of the major diamonds of the world and are the carriers of these prizes from the mantle, where they have formed in high-pressure and high-temperature environments.”
The researchers’ goal is to determine how Asia’s craton—the part of a continent that is stable and forms the central mass of the continent—formed and built upon itself over billions of years. By examining the chemical isotopes of the minerals inside the diamonds, the researchers are able to date the minerals and diamonds and trace their evolutionary history.
“In order to obtain the important chemical information, we polish the diamonds and expose the mineral inclusions,” Yang said. “There are no natural materials harder than diamonds, so they are very difficult to polish. We are the only group in the United States that polishes diamonds for scientific purposes.”
Through this project, the scientists have access to samples from across the Siberian craton that will enable them to reconstruct the complete life of the craton’s early formation, which eventually led to the consolidation of the Asian continent.
The three-year collaboration between UT and the Russian Academy of Sciences was established with a formal agreement for an exchange of scholars. The agreement was signed by Taylor and academician Nikolai Pokhilenko in Novosibirsk, Siberia, this August.
C O N T A C T :
Whitney Heins (865-974-5460, wheins@utk.edu)
Larry Taylor (865-974-6013, lataylor@utk.edu)
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Rob Thomas announces special performance at Chumash Casino Resort
Special performance to benefit Sidewalk Angels Foundation, the nonprofit organization founded by Rob and wife Marisol
Chumash Casino Resort
Multiple Grammy-winning recording artist Rob Thomas has announced plans for a special performance to benefit Sidewalk Angels Foundation, the nonprofit organization founded by Rob and his wife Marisol, at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 29, 2019, at the Chumash Casino Resort’s Samala Showroom.
Tickets for the show are $99, $119, $129, $139 & $149, and they will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 17 at the Club Indulge desk at the Chumash Casino Resort and online at www.chumashcasino.com. Fan club members will have access to tickets beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 14. For more details on the fan club, visit www.robthomasmusic.com.
This is Thomas’ first time playing at the Chumash Casino Resort. The show will offer the rare and unique opportunity to catch the superstar performing in more up-close and personal setting, playing a career-spanning set.
Thomas is one of modern music’s most compelling and commercially successful artists. For 20 years, he has been the front man and primary composer for Matchbox Twenty, leading the band to multiplatinum success over the course of four albums and a string of No. 1 hits that include “Push,” “3AM,” “Bent,” “If You’re Gone,” and “Unwell.” Thomas’ first two solo albums, 2005’s platinum-certified No. 1 album “…Something to Be” and 2009’s “Cradlesong,” generated the hit singles “Lonely No More,” “This is How A Heart Breaks,” “Her Diamonds” and “Someday.” Thomas made history with “…Something to Be” as having the first album by a male artist from a rock or pop group to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since the chart had debuted. With “Cradlesong,” he made history once again as the only male artist with multiple No. 1 hits at Adult Top 40, tying Pink with most No. 1s by a solo artist in the chart’s history. His most recent release, 2015’s “The Great Unknown,” was praised by the likes of Rolling Stone, which celebrated Thomas as “still the consummate pop-rock craftsman who has been making it all sound so smooth for years.”
Throughout his career, Thomas has collaborated with iconic artists, including Mick Jagger on the No. 1 single “Disease,” Willie Nelson and Santana, with the latter resulting in 1999’s “Smooth” — the Latin-tinged blockbuster that earned Thomas three Grammy Awards and spent 12 weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. It was also named the No. 2 Hot 100 Song of All Time and No. 1 of the Rock Era.
Overall, Thomas has contributed to sales of more than 80 million records. In 2004, he was the first-ever honoree of the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s prestigious Hal David Starlight Award, created to recognize a composer in the early years of his or her career who has already made a lasting impact. He has won numerous BMI and ASCAP Awards, and has earned the Songwriter of the Year crown from both Billboard and BMI.
Thomas is credited for being an electrifying live performer, drawing fans of all ages to Matchbox Twenty’s concerts as well as to his solo shows around the globe. His 2016 critically acclaimed summer solo tour featured an innovative industry-first hologram karaoke backstage experience, where radio station winners and VIPs got a one-of-a-kind interactive “Hollagram” duet.
In 2017, Thomas and his band Matchbox Twenty toured to celebrate their 20th anniversary of their first album, the diamond award-winning “Yourself or Someone Like You.” “A Brief History of Everything Tour” was played to sold-out venues around the world. Currently, Thomas recently completed his fourth solo album which is slated for release in the spring of 2019.
The Sidewalk Angels Foundation, established by Rob and Marisol Thomas, is a New York based non-profit organization dedicated to providing critically needed funds and support to grassroots groups across the country. It is the primary supporter and sponsor of a number of no-kill animal shelters and animal rescues, reflecting the passion of the foundation’s co-founders to fight for the rights and fair treatment of those with no voice. Additionally, the foundation also supports a myriad of other causes, from childhood health and wellness to the fight against homelessness.
The Sidewalk Angels Foundation functions like an umbrella organization that provides funds and resources to smaller local and regional entities that are doing vital work. The world can move so fast that those in need are often passed by. From animals that have been abandoned and abused to those who are destitute, homeless, or cannot afford proper medical these- these are universal problems that Sidewalk Angels Foundation, through its efforts encourages people to address locally. For more information on the nonprofit, visit www.sidewalkangelsfoundation.com.
Don’t miss an opportunity to see this legendary performer live in one of the most popular music venues in Santa Barbara County.
Located on Highway 246 in Santa Ynez, California, the Chumash Casino Resort is an age 21-and-older venue. Tickets for all events are available at the Chumash Casino Resort’s Club Indulge or online at www.chumashcasino.com.
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Melissa McCarthy to Receive Honorary Degree from SIU
Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Turner
Honorary degrees are usually bestowed on famous alumni from his or her college. Did you know actress Melissa McCarthy attended Southern Illinois University? Yep, she's a Saluki.
The two-time Oscar nominee and two-time Emmy winner will receive an honorary doctorate of performing arts degree from SIU at their Spring Commencement this Saturday evening. The College of Mass Media and Media Arts degrees will be also be awarded during the evening ceremony.
Here's a glimpse into what the actress's first roommate was like, hilarious.
McCarthy studied fashion design and merchandising at SIU, then left after two years to continue her studies in New York. She started doing stand-up comedy in New York and the rest is history. Her husband, actor/director/writer Ben Falcone is from Carbondale but they didn't meet until they both became involved with the renowned comedy improv group The Groundlings in Los Angeles.
McCarthy and Falcone have teamed up to write and produce, with Falcone directing, four movies, including Tammy, which was set at the beginning in Murphysboro, Illinois. Parts of the film were also shot in Louisville. Their next collaboration, Super Intelligence, will be in theaters in December.
The actress put her fashion studies to use with her Seven7 plus-size line which debuted in 2015.
Filed Under: tri-state
Categories: Newsletter, Regional News, What's New
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Press Release -- March 7th, 2013
Source: Alcatel-Lucent
[BIO Intelligence Service press release] ICT Sustainability Outlook: An Assessment of the Current State of Affairs and a Path Towards Improved Sustainability for Public Policies
In 2012, BIO Intelligence Service carried out a study with Alcatel-Lucent to develop this forward-looking study that assesses the current state of the ICT sector’s sustainability and anticipates how it will evolve between now and 2020.
To read the press release, click here
About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU)
The long-trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments around the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a leading innovator in the field of networking and communications technology, products and services. The company is home to Bell Labs, one of the world's foremost research centers, responsible for breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry
Alcatel-Lucent innovations are regularly recognized by international institutions for their positive impact on society. In 2012 and for the second year running, Alcatel-Lucent was named one of the Thomson Reuters Top 100 Global Innovators, recognition for the company's continued addition to its world-class patent portfolio, one of the largest in the telecom industry. Alcatel-Lucent has also been recognized for its sustainability performance. In 2012 the company was ranked Technology Supersector Leader by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Through its innovations, Alcatel-Lucent is making communications more sustainable, more affordable and more accessible as we pursue our mission of Realizing the Potential of a Connected World
With operations throughout the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The Company achieved revenues of Euro 14.4 billion in 2012 and is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris
For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the Alcatel-Lucent blog: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow the Company on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.
Previous: Internet of Things World Forum Event Aims to Accelerate Innovation, Inspire New Ways to Transform Governments, Industries and Lives
Next: Acme Packet and CallMiner provide cloud-based speech analytics to Clearwire
[Symmetricom press release] Symmetricom Adds Microwave Backhaul Segment to SyncWorld(TM) Ecosystem Program
[Orange press release] Orange announces the launch of Ultra-broadband for Mobile
[Greentouch press release] Fiber-to-the-Home Goes Green: New Technology Dramatically Reduces Energy Need
[Sprint release] Sprint Accelerates Discovery and Development of New Mobile Technology
Alcatel-Lucent revises financial outlook
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Taoism (or Daoism) is one of the main strands of traditional Chinese philosophy. It gets its name from the idea of the Dao, which means “the way,” which is the reality beyond human perception, a reality that Taoists strongly associate with the natural world. For Taoists, the ultimate goal of human life is to understand this reality and learn to live in harmony with it.
One of the main beliefs of Taoism is wu-wei, or “not doing.” Taoists believe that the path to wisdom and happiness involves emptying the mind and settling into a deep stillness. Like Buddhists and Hindus, Taoists practice intensive spiritual meditation as a method for understanding the world and living a better life.
Taoism is strongly associated with the yin-yang sign, which symbolizes the Taoist belief in matched opposites: light and dark, hot and cold, wet and dry, masculine and feminine. However, the real point of a yin-yang symbol isn’t just the black and white halves – it’s also the fact that each half contains part of the other! The black side has some white in it, and the white side has some black. This is a central belief in Taoism: that even though the world is made up of matched opposites, it’s not a simple matter of “this vs. that.” Moreover, there is no ethical dimension here: light is not “better” than dark just as summer is not “better” than winter; they are just different. In Taoism, good and evil are illusions.
Taoism is often listed as one of the major world religions, but many of its adherents don’t consider themselves to be followers of a “religion.” This has caused some debate about whether Taoism should be considered a philosophy or a religion – a debate that doesn’t really make sense in the context of Chinese culture (see section 7).
II. Taoism vs. Confucianism
There are two major strands in Chinese traditional philosophy: Taoism and Confucianism. They’re very closely related, and some people adhere to a mixture of both. The main difference between them is that they focus on different questions:
Confucianism Taoism
How can justice and social order be preserved?
What are our duties and responsibilities in life?
What does it mean to be a good parent/student/friend, etc.?
What is the true nature of existence?
How can we find inner peace?
What can people do to be happy?
So Taoism and Confucianism are not competing philosophies. Rather, they are different viewpoints that focus on different problems. Traditional Chinese culture has been richly influenced by both of these traditions.
Historically, there has been some conflict between Taoism and Confucianism – at various periods, Confucian reformers tried to change the Taoist religious practices of the Chinese empire. Where Taoists believed in a wide range of rituals, gods and goddesses, and mystical ideas, Confucians tended to be more rational (or more narrow-minded, depending on your perspective) and suspicious of traditional rituals and the priestly class of religious Taoists.
III. Quotes about Taoism
“A bowl is most useful when it is empty.” (Laozi)
This is one of the most famous lines from the Dao De Ching or Tao Te Ching, (see section 7). Like many of the lines from this book, it uses a simple image from everyday life – something everyone can relate to. But its philosophical message is profound, and not easy to understand if all you do is look at it on a page. Instead, you have to live this idea. In everyday life, try to be an empty bowl, and over time you may come to understand the wisdom of the idea.
“The clouds above us join and separate.
The breeze in the courtyard leaves and returns.
Life is like that, so why not relax?” (Lu Yu)
Taoists believe that the deepest wisdom is to be found in nature. As human beings, we should strive to be more like the natural world, rather than striving to conquer it or protect ourselves from it. Here, the Chinese scholar Lu Yu is drawing an important lesson from nature: it ebbs and flows. Everything changes. Therefore, since change is part of nature, we should not feel pain during times of change, but should try to understand and accept what comes. (This quotation could just as easily have come from a Buddhist or a Stoic!)
IV. The History and Importance of Taoism
Taoism was founded by a philosopher named Laozi (LAO-dzuh) who lived in China some time around 400 BC, right around the same time that Aristotle and Plato were laying the foundations for Western philosophy. Or did he? Many historians argue that there was no historical figure named Laozi: the name means “Old Master” or “Wise One,” and it’s possible that the early Taoists simply attributed their philosophy to a fictional or metaphorical figure named Laozi. On the other hand, there are other historians who argue that Laozi was a real person.
A wise Taoist, however, would never get distracted by such questions. To a Taoist, what matters is the essence of the thing – and whether Laozi was real or fictional, his essence is in his ideas. Laozi’s ideas were written down in the Dao De Ching, which means something like “The Way of the Virtues.” This ancient text deals with a wide range of philosophical and moral issues, but one of its central themes is humility and the limits of knowledge. Taoists recognize that the human mind is finite, and there are many aspects of reality that we can never understand. Knowing this, we should always seek knowledge with humility and with an awareness that some amount of error is inevitable. (There are a few professional philosophers in the West who might need to hear this lesson!)
The Dao De Ching was an important text for the people of classical China, and its ideas were richly integrated with the traditional religions of the region – in fact, they’re so closely linked that there’s a historical chicken-and-egg problem as to whether the religion brought about the book or the book brought about the religion. Either way, the Dao De Ching was treated as an important religious text – even though it doesn’t talk in any detail about gods or goddess, the afterlife, or other important religious topics. Taoism became the official religion of China for over a thousand years, ending in 1911.
Taoism in China suffered a serious blow in 1949, when the Communists came to power. Some Communists (though by no means all) believed that traditional Chinese culture needed to be erased so that China could be reborn for a new age. Remember that China had just suffered the trauma of a brutal invasion by the Japanese, and this pain and shame probably contributed to the desire for a complete break with the past. During this period, many Taoist temples were ripped down, monks were arrested, and ancient copies of the Dao De Ching were burned. Today, however, Taoism is slowly recovering from this violence, and it continues to be influential in traditional Chinese culture.
V. Taoism in Popular Culture
“Empty your mind. Be formless. Shapeless. Like water. When you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot – it becomes the teapot. But water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” (Bruce Lee)
Kung-fu legend Bruce Lee always said that Taoist philosophy was a major influence on him – both in terms of his martial arts and his acting. Like Laozi himself, Bruce Lee used images drawn from nature and everyday life to explain his philosophical ideas. Something as simple as a cup of water can have deep philosophical significance, in this case illustrating the importance of being adaptable and fluid in every situation.
“No, no, there is no why! Nothing more will I teach you today. Clear your mind of questions!” (Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back)
Star Wars shows many influences from Taoism, especially in the teachings of Yoda. Some people have also pointed out that Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader correspond to the yin-yang symbol: they are matched opposites, and yet there is some darkness in Luke (represented by his black-gloved right hand) and some good in Vader. There’s a big problem with seeing Vader and Luke in terms of the yin-yang, though: their conflict is all about good vs. evil, concepts that don’t exist in Taoism!
Is Taoism a religion or a philosophy? This is a very tricky question for several reasons. For one, philosophy and religion are actually quite difficult to separate logically. The problem is especially complicated in non-Western culture, where the idea of “religion” has a very different meaning, if it exists at all. In the West, we tend to view every religion on the template of Christianity: we look for its church institutions, its central prophet, its holy text, its articles of faith, its god(s), etc. But it’s a mistake to assume that every religion has this sort of structure. Religion is a complex combination of faith, culture, philosophy, and personal rituals, and there’s no cut-and-dried definition that works in all cases. Non-Western religions tend to be particularly philosophical in outlook, and their beliefs are more fluid than those of Western religions.
In some books and articles, the author will draw a distinction between “religious Taoism” and “philosophical Taoism.” Religious Taoism consists of the various rituals and spiritual exercises that Taoists (especially Taoist monks) practice; philosophical Taoism consists of the major philosophical works written down by influential Taoists over the years, and the body of ideas that they have developed.
This distinction can help us understand Taoism better from our own perspective by dealing with the religion/philosophy question. However, it’s important to remember that in Chinese culture there is no philosophical or religious Taoism – there’s just Taoism, and the philosophy and rituals are all part of the same ideology.
Taoism was founded by…
a. Confucius
b. Bruce Lee
c. Laozi
d. No one knows who founded Taoism
Which of the following was a Taoist quote?
a. “Honor comes to the man who gives honor to his elders.”
b. “A bowl is most useful when it is empty.”
c. “The way of truth is paved with constant effort.”
One of the central Taoist ideas is wu-wei, meaning…
a. Not doing
b. Hard work
c. Honor
d. Truth
Taoism originated in…
a. China
b. Japan
c. India
d. The Middle East
monica delosreyes September 13, 2018, 8:00 am Reply
i have learned a lot.thank you
Anonymous September 20, 2018, 10:19 am Reply
Very helpful! Thanks.☺☺☺
lynza rabino September 21, 2018, 11:50 am Reply
im so happy ive got 4 over 4
Anonymous September 22, 2018, 9:20 pm Reply
Excellent explaination of taoism.
Anonymous December 4, 2018, 8:45 pm Reply
Anonymous January 11, 2019, 12:25 am Reply
great , thank you for the effort. great help.
Angelika Torner April 8, 2019, 1:35 pm Reply
Denis mataimba May 3, 2019, 6:59 am Reply
Thank you so much… 4 of 4
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Jay Clayton, Chairman, SEC: Meeting Follow-Up Letter (April 26, 2019)
Jay Clayton, Chairman, SEC - Meeting Follow-up Letter (April 26, 2019).pdf
The Honorable Jay Clayton
100 F Street, N.E.
Dear Chairman Clayton:
Thank you for taking the time to meet with us recently to discuss our chief concerns regarding the Commission’s proposed “Regulation Best Interest” regulatory package.[1] As we indicated in that meeting, we agree with public statements you have made suggesting that an important goal of the rulemaking should be to ensure that the standards of conduct that apply to broker-dealers and investment advisers “reflect what retail investors would reasonably expect from these types of financial professionals,” while preserving investor choice with regard to the type of financial adviser they hire, the scope of services they receive, and how they pay for those services. Unfortunately, while we believe it would be possible to adopt standards that meet investors’ reasonable expectations under the Commission’s chosen regulatory approach, the regulatory package as currently drafted does not achieve that goal.
On the contrary, unless the standards for brokers and advisers alike are strengthened and clarified, they will fall well short of investors’ reasonable expectations because:
They won’t require brokers or advisers to recommend the investments they reasonably believe are the best available match for the investor.
They won’t prevent brokers or advisers from placing their own interests ahead of their customers’ interests.
They won’t prevent firms from continuing to create incentives that encourage and reward advice that is not in customers’ best interests.
They will, in some important ways, weaken protections that investors currently receive under state common law fiduciary standards.
And they won’t even provide investors with the information they need, in a form they can understand, to determine which type of relationship or account would best suit their needs.
Our purpose in meeting with you was to explain the basis for these concerns and to identify the key fixes needed to address them.
These proposed fixes do not represent the full range of changes we believe can and should be adopted to improve the rule. Rather, we view these fixes as the minimum necessary to ensure that the proposal meaningfully raises the bar on investor protection. All of them can be adopted working within the Commission’s chosen regulatory approach. As a result, they would not require the Commission to go back to the drawing board or restart its regulatory process from scratch.
Unfortunately, despite your allocation of an hour for the meeting, we were not able to discuss all of the concerns we had hoped to cover. The purpose of this letter is to provide additional content and context regarding both the points we made and those we were not able to discuss. As always, we stand ready to discuss any of these issues in greater detail with members of the Commission and the rule-writing team.
1. Adopt a true best interest standard for brokers that enhances, rather than simply codifies, FINRA’s interpretation and enforcement of its suitability standard.
Investors reasonably expect that the investment professionals they turn to for advice will recommend the investments and investment strategies they reasonably believe would best meet the investor’s needs. Calling the standard that applies to brokers’ recommendations a “best interest” standard reinforces that reasonable expectation. But Reg BI, as drafted and interpreted in the proposing release, imposes no such obligation. Instead, the Release suggests that the intent of the rulemaking is to codify, rather than enhance, protections investors currently receive under FINRA’s suitability standard, which can be satisfied by recommending any of a potentially large number of “suitable” investments. Indeed, the Release explicitly states, in footnote 7, that the proposed rule’s information collection requirement, the fact that the duty can’t be satisfied through disclosure alone, and the requirement to make recommendations that are consistent with the customers’ best interests all “reflect obligations that already exist under the FINRA suitability rule or have been articulated in related FINRA interpretations and case law.”
The impression that Reg BI is intended to codify, rather than enhance, the existing suitability standard is reinforced by the Commission’s failure to provide any concrete examples of how Reg BI would raise the bar over FINRA suitability. Instead, examples provided in the Release of how brokers would be required to weigh a variety of factors and, in particular, how they would be required to consider costs when determining what to recommend, are all consistent with, rather than an enhancement to, FINRA’s interpretation and enforcement of its suitability standard. For example, Reg BI suggests that brokers would have to give greater consideration to costs when determining what to recommend, but the Release suggests that this requirement would only apply when deciding between two otherwise identical securities, such as two different share classes of the same mutual fund. But FINRA has for many years brought enforcement actions against brokers who recommended higher cost options in these limited circumstances.[2]While there may be modest benefits to codifying this standard in federal law, it is misleading to suggest that it meaningfully raises the standard that applies to brokers’ investment recommendations
If the Commission wants to improve protections for investors by adopting a true best interest standard for brokers’ investment recommendations, the following changes to the rule text are essential to achieve that goal.
The Commission must adopt a principles-based definition of best interest that unequivocally raises the bar over the existing suitability standard. In defining the term, it must make clear that brokers are required to recommend the investments they reasonably believe are the best match for the investor from among the reasonably available investment options.[3]
If, as has been suggested, one goal is to ensure that brokers give greater consideration to costs in determining what investments to recommend, the rule should incorporate an explicit requirement to consider costs in the rule text.
In addition to clarifying the definition of best interest in the actual text of the rule, the Commission must make changes to the rule Release to clarify and strengthen its interpretation of the best interest standard. First, if the Commission is serious about wanting to raise the standard, it must delete footnote 7 and scrub the Release of similar statements suggesting that Reg BI is intended to codify, rather than enhance, the existing FINRA suitability standard. Second, the Commission must support its best interest definition with concrete examples of practices that are required under Reg BI that are not required under FINRA suitability as well as practices that are prohibited under Reg BI that are not prohibited under FINRA suitability. For example, if the intent of the Care Obligation is to impose a diligence requirement that goes beyond the existing due diligence requirement under FINRA rules, the Commission must provide clear guidance on what kind of information collection and analysis would be required to satisfy the Reg BI Care Obligation that is not required to satisfy FINRA’s know your customer and suitability rules.
In order to make clear that the standard is not just procedural in nature, however, the Commission must also clarify how it would interpret the obligation to make recommendations in the best interest of the client. Currently, the Release makes clear that brokers are not expected to identify the single “best” option for the investor, but it is considerably less clear on what they arerequired to do. To rectify this problem, the Release must clearly state that, while it may often not be possible to identify a single “best” investment, the pool of investments that satisfy a best interest standard in a particular situation should be significantly narrowed beyond the large number of investments that would typically satisfy the suitability standard. Moreover, the Release should make clear that the analysis to identify the best available options would have to be based on the full range of the investments’ material characteristics, including but not limited to costs, liquidity, and risks, as well as the investor’s circumstances and needs. Finally, if one goal of the proposed regulation is to require brokers to give greater weight to cost in determining what to recommend, the Release must make clear that the obligation to consider costs applies broadly, when considering different investments and investment strategies to achieve a particular investment goal, and not just when comparing otherwise identical securities. While such an approach would not require brokers to always recommend the lowest cost option available, it would require that, before recommending a higher cost option, the broker would have to have a reasonable basis for doing so based on the investor’s best interests.
Hypothetical Example 1: A broker determines that a portion of a client’s assets should be invested in a large cap mutual fund. She can satisfy her obligation under FINRA suitability by recommending any of the large cap funds that the firm has available to sell, as long as she recommends the lowest cost share class of that particular fund. Under a true best interest standard, that same broker would be required to compare the firm’s available large cap mutual funds – considering such factors as cost, past performance, risk, and volatility – in order to identify which of the many suitable funds represent the best available option for the investor. In this case, the obligation to consider costs wouldn’t just apply in determining which share class to recommend, but would also apply to the decision regarding which particular fund to recommend.
Hypothetical Example 2:A client comes to a broker seeking investments to provide a steady stream of income in retirement. The broker can satisfy his obligations under FINRA suitability by recommending any of a variety of investments designed to provide income. He could, for example, recommend a variable annuity, and as long as he recommended the lowest cost share class of that annuity to the investor, he wouldn’t need to compare its costs (including surrender charges), liquidity, risks, and other material characteristics to other available annuities, let alone to other income-producing strategies. Under a true best interest standard, the broker would need to consider the costs and risks and other material characteristics of the various available strategies for producing income in order to determine which strategy is best for the investor. For example, in order to have a reasonable basis for his recommendation, he might have to weigh the costs and benefits not just of the various annuities he has available to sell, but also of a strategy based on a laddered bond portfolio or of an investment strategy that relies on a portfolio of ETFs or mutual funds to provide the potential for long-term growth and a fixed annuity to provide guaranteed income.[4]In this case, the broker would need to weigh the costs, risks, and advantages not just of available investment products, but of available investment strategies to achieve the customer’s goals.
As we discussed in our meeting, applying a best interest standard to brokers whose business model is based on a very limited menu of investment options poses particular challenges. However, we believe it is possible for the Commission to adopt an approach that improves protections for investors without placing the Commission in the position of dictating or banning particular product menus. Specifically, to ensure that its best interest standard can’t be satisfied by recommending the least bad of a limited list of substandard investments, the Commission must make clear in the Release that it will hold firms accountable for developing a product menu that complies with the first prong of the proposed best interest standard, which requires that the recommended investments must be in the best interest of at least some investors. Under such an approach, firms would need to periodically assess their product offerings against other products available in the marketplace in order to ensure that their offerings are competitive. Moreover, the Commission must clarify that, as part of their Care Obligation, brokers will be required to consider a diverse product mix and make sure that their recommendations represent a good faith selection from that mix that best serves the investor’s needs. Adopting this approach would create an incentive for product sponsors to improve their product offerings and for firms to improve their product menus, which has the potential to greatly increase investor benefits from the rule, without putting the Commission in the position of dictating specific outcomes.
If the Commission is not prepared to make the above-outlined changes to its proposed standard, it should stop calling the standard a best interest standard. Continuing the use of the best interest label without strengthening the standard as outlined above is sure to mislead investors into expecting protections the rule does not provide.
2. Revise Reg BI to prevent brokers from placing their own interests ahead of customer’s interests and to prevent firms from creating harmful conflicts that would undermine compliance with the best interest standard.
Investors don’t expect financial professionals to be entirely free from conflicts of interest, but they do reasonably expect that the financial professionals they rely on for investment advice will put their interests first. That is, after all, the essential difference between advice and a mere sales recommendation. Adopting a standard that explicitly states that brokers are prohibited from placing their own interests ahead of the customer’s interests reinforces that reasonable expectation. However, without changes to both the rule text and the accompanying guidance in the rule Release, Reg BI will fail to meet investors’ reasonable expectation in this regard and continue to leave them vulnerable to advice that is tainted by harmful and avoidable conflicts of interest.
The proposed rule doesn’t live up to its promise to prevent brokers from putting their interests ahead of customers’ interests for at least two reasons:
The rule, as drafted, is fully satisfied through compliance with three operational provisions, which effectively form a compliance safe harbor. A requirement to put the customer’s interests first is not included in that safe harbor.
The obligation to mitigate conflicts, which has the potential to give meaning to this obligation, is too vague to do so. And the discussion of this mitigation requirement in the rule Release doesn’t provide the necessary clarity.
As with the best interest standard itself, these fundamental weaknesses in provisions of the rule designed to address conflicts of interest can be addressed through a combination of changes to the rule text and revisions to the supporting guidance, working within the Commission’s chosen regulatory approach. Nothing in our proposed changes would impede the ability of brokers to charge transaction-based payments for their services. On the contrary, these regulatory fixes would make transaction-based services a far more attractive option for investors than is currently the case.
The following changes, which can be achieved without threatening investor access to transaction-based advice, are essential to prevent conflicts of interest from tainting brokers’ investment recommendations.
First, a requirement to place the customer’s interests ahead of the brokers’ interests must be included in the operational provisions of Reg BI. This could be accomplished by requiring that policies and procedures to mitigate conflicts of interest be reasonably designed to ensure that the broker-dealer and its associated persons at all times place the customer’s interests ahead of the brokers’ interests.
Second, the Commission must provide supporting language in the rule Release that makes clear that the broker’s obligation to place the customer’s interests first applies broadly, whenever the broker is considering which investments, investment strategies, accounts, or services to recommend.
Third, the Commission must provide greater clarity regarding how the obligation to eliminate or mitigate conflicts would apply to different types of conflicts. In particular, it must make clear that conflicts cannot be addressed through disclosure alone and that firms would be prohibited from artificially creating harmful incentives that undermine compliance with the best interest standard.
For this approach to work, the obligation to mitigate conflicts would need to apply to all material conflicts of interest, not just those arising from financial incentives. While we appreciate that the Commission has broadly defined the category of conflicts that would have to be eliminated or mitigated under Reg BI, failure to include all material conflicts under the mitigation requirement would suggest that there are certain types of conflicts where brokers would be free to place their interests ahead of customers’ interests and where conflicts could be addressed through disclosure alone. That would undermine the stated intention behind the rule of requiring brokers to place their customers’ interests first at all times when providing investment advice.
As we mentioned in our meeting, CFA has developed a framework for addressing conflicts of interest that could apply equally to conflicts present in the broker-dealer and investment adviser business model. (A copy of that framework is included at the end of this letter.) Under CFA’s suggested approach, firms would be required to adopt conflict mitigation practices that are tailored to the nature and scope of conflicts of interest present in their particular business. Conflicts that are more likely to result in serious investor harm would be subject to more stringent mitigation requirements.
Under this approach, firms would be prohibited from adopting certain incentives that encourage advice based on the financial interests of the firm rather than the best interests of the customer. That includes such practices as:
imposing sales quotas for the sale of proprietary products or basing bonuses on the volume of proprietary product sales;
paying reps more to sell investments that make revenue sharing payments than they pay for the sale of comparable investments that do not make revenue sharing payments;
adopting retroactive ratcheted payout grids that dramatically increase conflicts as the rep approaches the next rung on the grid;
providing certain types of signing bonuses that impose severe penalties on reps who fail to meet production targets; and
providing financial bonuses to encourage reps to steer customers toward the type of account that is most profitable for the firm, rather than the type of account that is best for the investor.
This is intended as a representative, rather than exhaustive, list of the types of harmful incentives that firms ought to be banned from creating. In each case, the conflict of interest created is both potentially harmful and entirely within the control of the firm and, thus, easily avoidable.
Adopting a framework for addressing conflicts along the lines advocated by CFA in its proposed framework would meet the Commission’s goal of preserving investor access to transaction-based advice, minimize the risk that misaligned incentives present in both brokerage and advisory business models would result in investor harm, and create an incentive for brokers and investment advisers alike to adopt investor-friendly practices. We encourage the Commission to adopt this framework as part of its guidance for compliance with both Regulation Best Interest and the IA Guidance.
3. Reg BI must not undermine protections investors currently receive with regard to ongoing account monitoring under state common law fiduciary standards.
While some investors may be equipped to make their own investment decisions, many turn to brokers for advice because they themselves lack the expertise to develop an investment strategy or determine whether a particular investment is in their best interests. In choosing an investment professional, they rely on advertisements and marketing claims that portray brokers as trusted advisers committed to acting in their customers’ best interests.[5]They reasonably expect brokers to live up to the claims they make and the expectations they create when describing and marketing their services. So, when brokers describe their customer relationships as long-term relationships of trust and confidence, investors reasonably expect that the broker will be looking out for their interests, not just when recommending a particular transaction, but also between transactions. They assume, for example, that the advice to buy a particular security will be coupled with advice to sell that security at the appropriate time. Reg BI fails to meet these reasonable expectations. Worse, it actually weakens protections investors may currently receive under state common law.
State common law recognizes that brokers have a fiduciary duty to their customers under certain circumstances, including where the broker has de facto control over an account. This includes circumstances in which the investor routinely approves the broker’s recommendations because the investor lacks the experience or sophistication necessary to exercise her own judgment. Given the generally low levels of financial literacy and the high degree of dependence investors place on their brokers, we believe the circumstances that give rise to a common law fiduciary duty, including a duty to monitor the account, are far more common than the Commission recognizes in this proposal.
In such cases, courts have held that the broker has a duty to manage the account in a manner directly comporting with the needs and objectives of the customer, to keep informed regarding changes in the market which affect the client’s interests, and to act responsively to protect those interests,among other things. In contrast, the Commission proposes in Reg BI to arbitrarily limit a broker’s duty to the customer to the point of transaction, regardless of the nature of the relationship and the extent of customer reliance on the broker’s advice. Customers of dual registrant firms who have both brokerage and advisory accounts will be responsible for remembering which accounts their financial advisor is responsible for monitoring, and for which accounts the customer bears that responsibility. The Commission proposes to rely on unproven disclosures to inform investors of these important differences, with no evidence to point to indicating the disclosures are likely to be effective.
Once Reg BI is adopted, courts and arbitration panels are likely to look at the rule, rather than state common law, to determine what duties a customer is owed in circumstances where the broker exercises significant control over the account. And firms are certain to point to the rule’s explicit lack of any ongoing duty in disputing customer claims arising out of neglect. As a result, claims that are successful today, resulting in recoveries for harmed investors, are likely to fail if Reg BI is adopted as drafted.
Here again, this is a fixable problem, if the Commission has the will to fix it. Specifically, in order to avoid weakening the protections investors receive when they rely on brokers for investment advice, the Commission must take the following actions.
Eliminate the provision in Reg BI that arbitrarily limits the broker’s obligation to the customer to the point of transaction.
In its place, adopt a principles-based obligation to monitor the account, where the nature and extent of the monitoring follows the contours of the relationship.
Under such an approach, whether the broker has an ongoing duty to monitor the customer account, and the nature and extent of that duty, would be appropriately tailored to match the nature of the relationship and the customer’s reasonable expectations.
Hypothetical Example 3: A broker makes a one-time sales recommendation to a customer which is clearly recognized as such by the customer. Under both Reg BI and a true best interest standard, the broker would have no ongoing duty to monitor the customer account. In such circumstances, however, the broker would have a duty not to recommend investments or investment strategies that he knows the customer cannot independently monitor based on his understanding of the customer’s investment experience and financial expertise.
Hypothetical Example 4: A broker works with a customer over many years, making periodic recommendations that are consistent with the customer’s stated investment goals. The investor, who is not financially sophisticated, follows all of the broker’s recommendations, trusting the broker’s expertise and that he will act in her best interests. Under many states’ common law standards, this broker would be held to a fiduciary standard, which would require the broker to manage the account in a manner directly comporting with the needs and objectives of the customer, to keep informed regarding changes in the market which affect the client’s interests, and to act responsively to protect those interests, among other things. Under Reg BI, the broker has fully satisfied his obligations to the client in the context of individual transactions, and has no on-going duty to monitor the account between transactions. Under a true best interest standard, the broker would be required to review the client account at least once a year to ensure that the investments in that account continue to serve the client’s best interests in light of her changing circumstances and changes in the market. If, for example, the client’s asset allocation needs to be adjusted, either because market returns have rendered it out of balance or because the client is approaching retirement and needs a more conservative allocation, the broker would have a duty to inform the client of that fact and recommend appropriate changes.
Hypothetical Example 5: A broker has a long-term, closer than arm’s length relationship with a customer. The broker has recommended an investment strategy that is sensitive to market fluctuations. The market experiences a sudden downturn, slashing the value of a customer’s investments. Under Reg BI, the broker has no obligation to notify the investor or recommend adjustments to the account in response to those events, because the broker’s obligations ended when the recommendations were made. Under many states’ common law standards, the broker is a fiduciary and has an obligation to act responsively to protect the customer’s interests. A true best interest standard would mirror the state common law standard.
One reason this issue arises is because of changes to the broker-dealer business model over the last several decades that have blurred the line between brokerage services and advisory services. We have on many occasions urged the Commission to address that problem by clarifying the broker-dealer exclusion from the Advisers Act. In 2005, for example, CFA wrote to the Commission suggesting a pro-investor definition of broker’s “solely incidental to” exclusion from the Advisers Act, founded on the legislative history of the Act.[6]While we continue to believe this is the appropriate interpretation of the Advisers Act, adopting our proposed approach would cause a broad range of services routinely offered by brokers today to be captured under the Advisers Act, something you have indicated you do not wish to do. Moreover, unless the Commission strengthens its interpretation of the Advisers Act fiduciary duty, which you have repeatedly insisted is not an option, narrowing the Advisers Act exemption would have the unintended effect of more widely applying the Commission’s weak, disclosure-based approach to enforcing the Advisers Act “fiduciary duty” to the conflict-ridden broker-dealer business model, to the detriment of investors.
At the same time, the Commission should notadopt an inaccurate and inappropriate definition of “solely incidental to” in order to achieve its regulatory goals. For example, it should not make ongoing monitoring the basis for regulatory status as an investment adviser, as some have suggested. Such an approach could discourage brokers from adopting responsible monitoring practices out of concern that doing so might trigger an unwanted change in their regulatory status. It would also make a brokerage account an unattractive option for the millions of investors who lack financial sophistication and want a long-term relationship with an investment professional. If that were to occur, firms might find it necessary to convert more customer accounts to advisory accounts in order to provide the ongoing monitoring necessary to serve the customer’s best interests and make the accounts attractive to their clientele.
Instead, we urge the Commission to adopt the less disruptive approach we have outlined above, by adopting a principles-based ongoing duty that follows the contours of the customer relationship. Such an approach would meet investors’ reasonable expectations based on how brokers market and describe their services and preserve brokers’ ability to offer transaction-based services on terms that are beneficial to investors.
4. Reg BI must clearly cover important account-opening recommendations.
Some of the most important decisions investors make, in terms of the impact on their long-term financial well-being, are made either before or at the time an account is being opened. That includes decisions about whether to roll over a retirement account, whether to take a lump sum pension distribution in order to invest the proceeds, whether to transfer assets from one firm to another, and what type of account to open. Because of the way Reg BI is written, it isn’t clear whether or how the best interest standard would apply to these types of recommendations. And because the standards for brokerage and advisory accounts differ, it is particularly unclear what standard would apply to these types of recommendations at dual registrant firms.
We believe the Commission should clarify the rule’s application to such recommendations. Specifically, the Commission should make clear that any such recommendations must be in the best interests of the potential customer, based on a careful review of the customer’s situation. Firms should be required to adopt and enforce policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that these recommendations are not influenced by conflicts of interest. Under such an approach, firms should be prohibited from creating incentives that are designed to encourage account-opening recommendations based on the interests of the firm rather than on the best interests of the customer.
Hypothetical Example 6: An investor approaches a dual registrant firm about opening an investment account. The financial advisor, who receives a financial bonus for steering customers to fee accounts, recommends a fee account, despite the fact that the investor indicates she is a buy and hold investor who expects to do little trading in the account. It is unclear whether or how Reg BI would apply to that recommendation. The Commission should make it explicit as part of this regulatory package that the recommendation of account type must be in the best interests of the investor. Moreover, it should make clear that, as part of their obligation to mitigate or eliminate conflicts of interest, firms are prohibited from creating incentives, such as paying reps a bonus when they recommend the type of account that would be most profitable for the firm, that would undermine compliance with that standard.
Hypothetical Example 7:A broker recommends that a potential customer roll over his 401(k) plan and invest the proceeds in a brokerage IRA at the firm. The broker would clearly have to comply with Reg BI when recommending how to invest the proceeds of the rollover, but it is not clear that Reg BI would also cover the recommendation of whetherto conduct the rollover. The Commission should make clear that brokers would be required to comply with Reg BI (and investment advisers would be required to comply with their fiduciary duty) when determining whether a rollover is in the best interests of the customer and would be prohibited from recommending a rollover when that is not in the customer’s best interests. For example, where the investor is moving from a 401(k) with a poor selection of high-cost investment options, the rollover would likely be in the investor’s best interests. However, where the investor’s money is in a top notch 401(k) with an excellent selection of high-quality, low-cost options, the broker would have a tougher case to make that the transfer is beneficial for the investor.
Hypothetical Example 8:A broker recommends that an investor take early retirement, cash out of their pension fund, and invest the proceeds with the broker. Here again, Reg BI would clearly apply to recommendations regarding how to invest the money once the decision to cash out is made, but it is not clear whether the recommendation to take early retirement and cash out the pension fund would also be covered. This can be vitally important to the investor’s long-term financial well-being, particularly for participants in certain union pension funds who lose their health insurance coverage if they leave the pension. The Commission should make clear that the all-important initial recommendation of whether to take the cash-out would be covered by the best interest standard for brokers (and the fiduciary duty for investment advisers).
Hypothetical Example 9: A dually-registered financial advisor recommends that a new client open both a brokerage account and an advisory account. The financial advisor recommends that municipal bonds be purchased in the advisory account, and structured products be purchased in the brokerage account. The securities recommended are appropriate for the customer, but the financial advisor has placed the securities in different account types based on the compensation the firm would receive from each account. It is not clear whether the financial advisor’s recommendation to separate assets between a brokerage and an advisory account in a manner in which it will be more profitable for the firm, will be prohibited under Reg BI. The Commission should make that clear.
Hypothetical Example 10:A broker that is changing firms recommends that a customer follow him to his new firm, a move that will require her to cash out her investments, potentially triggering certain penalties, such as surrender fees, as well as capital gains taxes. Here again, it is not clear whether Reg BI would apply to this recommendation. The Commission should clarify that such recommendations that occur prior to account opening are nonetheless required to be in the best interests of the customer.
Because the decisions investors make when opening an account may have an even greater impact on their long-term financial well-being than subsequent recommendations regarding how to invest their money, we urge the Commission to make crystal clear that these types of recommendations would be required to be in the investor’s best interests and that firms would have to have policies and procedures in place to support compliance with that standard.
5. The Investment Advisers Act Guidance must be revised to better protect clients from the harmful impact of conflicted advice.
One of the most troubling aspects of this regulatory package is the huge gap between how the Commission characterizes the Investment Advisers Act fiduciary duty and how, as a practical matter, it interprets and enforces that standard. On the one hand, the Commission states that investment advisers, as fiduciaries, are required to avoid conflicts, must always act in clients’ best interests, and must never subordinate clients’ interests to their own. It goes on to state that this duty cannot be disclosed or negotiated away. That is entirely consistent with investors’ reasonable expectations regarding the standard that investment advisers should be held to, as well as the legislative history of the Investment Advisers Act.[7]Unfortunately, the interpretation of that standard in the proposed Guidance directly contradicts every one of those statements.
Specifically, the proposed Guidance regarding investment advisers’ fiduciary obligations makes clear that, in practice:
Investment advisers aren’t required to avoid conflicts or even to manage them to the benefit of the client. They must simply disclose them to be deemed by the Commission to be in compliance with their fiduciary obligations.
Investment advisers are free to place their own interests ahead of their clients’ interests and recommend the investments that pay them more, rather than those that are best for their clients, as long as they disclose that practice.
One problem is that the characterization of the Advisers Act fiduciary duty is grossly misleading; if all the Commission is prepared to do is require disclosure, it shouldn’t pretend otherwise. The more pressing problem is that this approach is entirely inadequate to address harmful practices that result from an increasingly conflicted advisory business model.
The Commission’s disclosure-only approach may have been adequate a few decades ago, when investment advisers were typically paid exclusively by the client and therefore didn’t have a lot of complex incentives to make recommendations that weren’t in their clients’ best interests. Where the adviser is paid a percentage of assets under management, for example, the adviser has an incentive to gather assets, and to avoid recommending investments that would deplete those assets under management. But that’s the kind of conflict that can readily be addressed through disclosure plus some basic policies and procedures to protect against reverse churning and inappropriate asset transfers. In recent years, however, that business model has completely changed with the growing dominance of dual registrant firms. These firms typically bring many of the same complex conflicts associated with brokerage accounts into their advisory accounts. That includes: favoring recommendations of investments that make revenue sharing payments; favoring recommendations of proprietary products even when better options are available; offering financial incentives to steer clients toward the account type that is most profitable for the firm rather than the account that is best for the customer; and more.
As a result of the enormous gap between how the Commission describes the Advisers Act fiduciary duty in theory, and the reality on the ground, investors are being misled into expecting protections that they badly need when dealing with conflicted advisers, but that the Commission’s enforcement of the standard does not provide. This is not an easy problem to solve under the Commission’s chosen regulatory approach.[8]Despite the challenges, there are steps the Commission could take that, while far from a complete solution, would at least help to narrow the gap between theory and reality and, in so doing, impose a standard for investment advisers that comes somewhat closer to meeting investors’ reasonable expectations.
First, the Commission must do more to ensure that investors’ consent to investment advisers’ conflicts of interest is truly informed. The current approach of burying conflict disclosures in a lengthy, legalistic ADV form clearly doesn’t result in informed consent. We understand the Commission is placing its hopes in the CRS disclosures to resolve that problem, but the testing of the CRS makes clear that most investors did not understand either the nature or potential harmful impact of common conflicts, even after a careful review of the proposed disclosures. And it is difficult to see how firms that may fill multiple pages of an ADV form with a description of their conflicts will be able to provide meaningful disclosure of those conflicts in a CRS that is limited to four pages to cover all of the required content.
To address this problem, the Commission must require much more prominent disclosure, not only of the existence of conflicts of interest, but of their potentially harmful impact. It should test those disclosures to ensure their effectiveness. While we remain very skeptical that disclosure can offer a solution to the problem of conflicted advice, the hope is that, if advisers were required to provide the kind of stark disclosures needed to obtain truly informed consent, they would be less likely to engage in practices that are harmful to the investor.
Second, the Commission must recognize that there is an important difference between consenting to the existence of conflicts of interest and consenting to be harmed as a result of those conflicts. Simply put, reasonable investors do not consent to be harmed. Where conflicts result in advisers’ placing their own interests ahead of their clients’ interests – for example, by recommending the investments that pay them the most when they have options available that would be better for the client – this should be taken as prima facie evidence that the consent was not informed, and the Commission should respond accordingly. Finally, the Commission should give meaning to the requirement for investment advisers to avoid conflicts by prohibiting advisory firms from artificially creating incentives that encourage recommendations based on the financial interests of the adviser and the firm, rather than on the client’s best interests. The framework for addressing conflicts of interest that accompanies this letter provides additional details on how this could be accomplished.
Hypothetical Example 11: An investor opens an advisory account at a dual registrant firm that includes proprietary funds on its large menu of fund offerings. Under the IA Guidance, as long as they disclose their practices, the firm would be free to impose quotas for recommendations of proprietary funds or pay advisers more when they recommend the funds, and the individual adviser would be free to recommend those proprietary funds even when other options are available with lower costs, better performance, and lower risks that clearly make them a better option for the investor. Under a true fiduciary standard that is consistent with the Commission’s characterization (but not its enforcement) of the Advisers Act standard, the individual adviser would be required to recommend the investments he reasonably believes are best for the client, and firms would be prohibited from creating incentives that encourage recommendations based on the firm’s financial interest rather than the investor’s best interests. At the very least, in order to ensure that consent to the conflicts of interest is informed, the adviser must be required to prominently disclose, orally and in writing, that he is recommending higher cost, lower quality proprietary funds when the firm has better options are available, that he is making that recommendation because he has a quota he needs to fill, and that the investor can expect to lose out on $X thousands in investment returns over the lifetime of the investment as a result.
If the Commission would take these limited steps, which are well within its authority and achievable within its chosen regulatory approach, it might help to rein in some of the most harmful practices among conflicted advisory firms and thus help to narrow the gap between theory and reality with regard to the Advisers Act fiduciary duty. While far from perfect, it would be a modest improvement over the Commission’s deeply flawed proposed approach.
6. Form CRS needs to be revised and retested to ensure that it supports an informed choice between a brokerage account and an advisory account.
You have identified as one of your key goals for this regulatory package preserving investor choice with regard to the type of financial adviser they hire, the scope of services they receive, and how they pay for those services. But for that choice to be meaningful, investors need to understand what they are choosing between and how that choice might affect them. This regulatory package relies on the Customer Relationship Summary (CRS) to provide investors with the key information they need to make an informed choice between a brokerage account and an advisory account. The problem is that the CRS, as proposed, doesn’t clearly convey the information necessary to support an informed choice. It will require extensive revisions and retesting to arrive at an approach that works.
The testing of CRS that has so far been conducted, both the qualitative interviews conducted by RAND and the separate testing conducted by AARP and others, shows that investors who review the CRS more carefully than is likely to occur in real world circumstances still don’t understand:
key differences in the services offered by brokers and advisers;
the differences in the legal standards that apply to those services;
how much they are likely to pay; or
the nature or potential harmful impact of conflicts of interest.
If investors don’t understand those basic differences, they can’t determine which type of account or relationship would be best for them or otherwise make an informed choice.
We’ve seen reports that the Commission expects to extensively revise the CRS before finalizing its regulatory package. But, even if these reports are true, unless the Commission retests the revised disclosure, it won’t have any way to know whether the revised version solves the problems that earlier testing has identified. When AARP engaged in a second round of testing of the CRS, for example, they found that the changes they made resulted in some improvements in investor comprehension, but didn’t fully resolve other areas of confusion. Clearly conveying information about the legal standard and conflicts of interest proved especially challenging. The Commission has given disclosure too prominent a role in its proposed regulatory approach to rely on wishful thinking, rather than rigorous testing, to determine whether its proposed regulatory approach is likely to be successful.
We have also heard reports that the Commission is likely to give firms greater “flexibility” in implementing the required disclosure. If true, this has the potential to leave investors with the worst of both worlds – a disclosure that fails to clearly convey important information (especially information on conflicts that firms prefer to obscure) that isn’t even comparable from firm to firm. We would strongly oppose such an approach.
Given the important role that the CRS plays in the Commission’s proposed regulatory approach, and the extensive changes needed to ensure the CRS serves its intended purpose, it would be irresponsible for the Commission to finalize a revised CRS without going through that revision and retesting process and making the results of that testing available for public comment.
You have outlined an appropriate goal for Commission rulemaking in this area – to develop a standard that meets investors’ reasonable expectations while preserving investor choice. Unfortunately, your proposed regulatory package fails to achieve that goal. In attempting to understand why, one reason appears to be a reluctance on the part of Commission officials to acknowledge the degree to which the current market for investment advice does not work well for typical, financially unsophisticated investors. Another is the Commission’s apparent reluctance to disrupt even harmful aspects of the broker-dealer business model. The market in its current form is pervaded and driven by conflicts of interest that cause severe harm to investors, costing everyday Americans billions of dollars a year that they need for a secure future. A rule to protect investors needs to be built on a clear recognition of this serious problem and include sufficient specific steps to address it. We urge you to acknowledge, before it is too late, that significant improvements and clarifications are needed for the proposed regulatory package to meet the standard that you have set for it. We believe the changes outlined above are the minimum needed to meet that standard. We stand ready to work with the Commission to achieve that goal.
Heather Slavkin Corzo
Lisa Donner
Americans for Financial Reform
Stephen Hall
Better Markets
Linda Sherry
Barbara Roper
Micah Hauptman
Christine Lazaro
PIABA
cc: Commissioner Robert J. Jackson, Jr.
Commissioner Hester M. Peirce
Commissioner Elad L. Roisman
A Framework for Addressing Broker-Dealer and Investment Adviser Conflicts of Interest When Providing Retail Investment Advice
Conflicts of interest are present in both the broker-dealer and investment adviser business models. Some conflicts are inherent to each business model, the natural outgrowth of commission- and fee-based compensation structures. Other conflicts result from the investment products brokers and advisers recommend and the various payments product sponsors make to encourage their sale. Still other conflicts are artificially created by firms to encourage financial professionals to recommend the products and services that are most profitable for the firm. All have the potential to inappropriately influence recommendations, to the detriment of investors, but the nature and severity of those conflicts varies greatly. How the Commission addresses conflicts of interest will largely determine whether investors benefit from the proposed Regulation Best Interest as well as the Commission’s accompanying interpretation of the Investment Advisers Act fiduciary duty.
The good news is that there is a workable framework for addressing conflicts of interest that can be adapted to both brokerage and advisory business models. Under this approach, firms would be required to adopt conflict mitigation practices that are tailored to the nature and scope of conflicts of interest present in their particular business. Conflicts that are more likely to result in serious investor harm would be subject to more stringent mitigation requirements. This framework for addressing conflicts would preserve the ability of brokers to receive transaction-based compensation, minimize the risk that misaligned incentives present in both brokerage and advisory business models would result in investor harm, and create an incentive for brokers and investment advisers alike to adopt consumer-friendly practices.
I. Conflicts that are inherent to the business model
A. Explanation of the problem
Conflicts of interest are inherent to both the broker-dealer and investment adviser business models. Brokers and advisers alike have an interest in maximizing their compensation, creating incentives that may not always align with investors’ interests.
Commission compensation creates an incentive to maximize transactions.In the brokerage model, the firm and financial professional get paid only if a recommendation results in the completion of a transaction. Therefore, a broker-dealer has an incentive to recommend that an investor complete a transaction, regardless of whether doing so is in the best interest of the customer. This incentive can result in recommendations to roll over a 401(k) to the firm, even when that results in increased costs to the investor, or to churn an account in order to increase the number of transactions, for example.
AUM fees create an incentive to gather assets. Investment advisers who charge a fee based on assets under management get paid only if they are managing a client’s money. The more of the client’s money they manage, the more they get paid. As with brokers, this incentive can result in recommendations to roll over a 401(k) to the firm, regardless of the benefits to the client. It can also cause advisers to avoid financial recommendations, such as paying off debts or investing in real estate, that would reduce assets under management. Because an adviser compensated through AUM fees gets paid the same amount regardless of the level of service provided, that adviser also has an incentive to do the least amount of work necessary to maintain the account (a practice known as reverse churning).
Other payment methods also create conflicts. While AUM fees represent the most common compensation method among investment advisers, some advisers charge hourly fees while others charge engagement or monthly fees. Each comes with its own set of conflicts. When the client pays by the hour, for example, the adviser has an incentive to maximize the time it takes to complete the job. The opposite is true when the adviser is paid by the engagement, and the incentives associated with monthly fees resemble the incentives under AUM fees to engage in reverse churning.
Dual registrants have an additional layer of conflicts.Firms that offer both brokerage and advisory accounts, or different accounts with different payment models, have an incentive to recommend the type of account that is most profitable for the firm, rather than the type of account that is best for the investor.
Conflicts of interest that are inherent to the business model are typically fairly simple and straightforward. They boil down to the fact that the firms and financial professionals have an incentive to maximize compensation, whatever their compensation structure, that may not always result in recommendations that are in investors’ best interests.
B. Framework to appropriately address this problem
Addressing conflicts that are inherent to the business model starts with disclosure and informed consent. The disclosure must be sufficient to ensure that the investor understands the nature of the conflicts of interest associated with the particular business model and how the recommendations they receive could be affected, since without such understanding consent cannot truly be “informed.” It is critically important to recognize, however, that when investors consent to the existence of conflicts, they do not consent to be harmed as a result of those conflicts. Firms and financial professionals must still have an obligation to provide advice that is in the investor’s best interest, even after the conflicts have been disclosed and consented to.
To ensure that conflicts of interest that are inherent to the business model do not taint the advice they offer, firms must adopt strong policies and procedures tailored to the conflicts specific to their business model. So, for example, broker-dealers must have policies and procedures in place to ensure that their reps do not engage in excessive and unnecessary transactions. Advisers who charge AUM fees must have policies and procedures in place to ensure they do not neglect the account. To achieve this, firms must have surveillance mechanisms to identify and curtail recommendations that are the natural result of the business model’s conflicts and that are not in the investor’s best interest. At dual registrant firms, this should include supervisory procedures designed to ensure that their financial professionals recommend the type of account that is best for the investor, rather than the type of account that is most profitable for the firm.
All three types of firms must have policies and procedures in place to ensure that rollover and asset transfer recommendations are in the best interests of the customer, and not just the firm. Under such an approach, firms must require rigorous analysis and documentation showing why their advice or recommendation is in the investor’s best interest. For example, to ensure that any recommendation to roll over a workplace retirement account into an IRA is in the investor’s best interest, a firm’s policies and procedures must require that the professional undertake a rigorous analysis comparing the customer’s current account with reasonably available options at the firm. This analysis would include a comparison of the relative costs, available investments, and different level of services, for example, in order to make an ultimate assessment of the value of the recommended transaction. Further, the firm’s policies and procedures must require that the financial professional document this analysis so that the firm’s compliance department and regulators can review whether the recommendation was in the investor’s best interest and confirm that it was not inappropriately influenced by the desire to charge a commission or capture assets.
Firms that prepared to implement the Department of Labor fiduciary rule before it was over-turned in court should already have designed compliance programs that meet this standard. Moreover, numerous technological tools were brought to market in response to that rule to support such a requirement. In some cases, an objective analysis is going to demonstrate that a rollover is improper, and firms need to be prepared to refrain from recommending a rollover in such instances. For example, few firms can compete with the low costs available to participants in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and thus would find it difficult to justify a rollover that could easily increase the investor’s annual costs by 30 to 40 times for similar products. In other instances, the firm will be able to document the benefits to the investor of a rollover, particularly when the firm has an attractive suite of retirement account options or the 401(k) plan in question is a substandard plan. This approach has the added benefit of creating an incentive for firms to compete based on the cost and quality of their products and services, which in turn has the potential to deliver significant benefits to investors.
II. Investment product-related conflicts
Conflicts of interest can also arise as a result of payments investment products make, and practices product manufacturers engage in, to encourage firms and financial professionals to recommend their products rather than those of their competitors. Some of those conflicts, such as payments made to get on a firm’s investment menu, may be present in advisory as well as brokerage accounts, particularly at dual registrant firms. Others are directly tied to transaction payments, and thus are associated exclusively with brokerage accounts. When financial professionals’ pay and firms’ profits vary significantly based on what investments they recommend, conflicts of interest are multiplied and magnified, and the policies and procedures firms adopt to address those conflicts must be adjusted accordingly.
These product-specific conflicts arise because of the stiff competition that exists among product manufacturers, who seek to encourage sales of their products over their competitors’ by offering the most attractive compensation arrangement to the selling brokers. Such conflicts tend to be much more complex than the basic compensation-related conflicts discussed above, making them difficult for even financially sophisticated investors to understand or guard against. To illustrate, when a product manufacturer creates an investment product, the manufacturer decides whether to embed certain distribution-related costs in the product and how those costs should be structured. With a broker-sold mutual fund, for example, the mutual fund company decides both the amount of the sales load to be charged and how to structure that load; whether and how much to charge in 12b-1 fees; whether and how much to charge for recordkeeping through sub-transfer agency fees; whether and how much the fund’s adviser should pay different broker-dealers in revenue sharing arrangements; and how much to pay to brokers in gross-dealer concessions for distributing their fund. It only gets more complicated from there. Different mutual fund companies adopt different distribution cost structures and varying levels of compensation paid to brokers who sell their products. And other investment products – such as annuities, structured products, and non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and business development companies (BDCs) – have different cost structures from mutual funds, typically with even higher levels of compensation paid to broker-dealers who sell them.
The result is that brokers have a strong incentive to recommend the products that pay them the most, regardless of whether they are the best option for the investor. In practice, this means, for example, that a broker-dealer has an incentive to recommend a mutual fund that pays a higher share of the load rather than an available alternative that offers a lower payout, even if the alternative has a history of better performance or is otherwise a better match for the investor. Similarly, a broker-dealer has an incentive to recommend a variable annuity or structured product instead of a mutual fund, because those products pay so much more, even if a portfolio of mutual funds would achieve the same investment goal at lower cost and with greater liquidity and fewer risks.
Conflicts such as these are a major source of investor harm. Because costs associated with product-specific incentives are ultimately born either directly or indirectly by the investor, the products that are most lucrative for the broker are also typically those that are most expensive for the investor. Similarly, products that are hardest to sell, because they are less liquid or higher risk or suboptimal for other reasons, can overcome those disadvantages by offering higher compensation. As a result, these incentives can expose investors not just to higher costs, but also to higher risks or inferior performance. Because of the complexity of such conflicts, and the potential for investor harm, particularly rigorous policies and procedures are needed to reduce the likelihood that these incentives will taint recommendations.
It should be patently obvious that conflicts of interest of this complexity cannot adequately be addressed through disclosure alone. Experience, and disclosure testing, tell us that most investors will never gain a sufficient understanding of such conflicts to give informed consent. And brokers who have strong incentives to act against their customers’ interests are less likely to comply with a best interest standard. More rigorous policies and procedures are needed to ensure that these product-specific conflicts do not taint investment recommendations.
The good news here is that, while firms do not create these product-specific conflicts of interest, it is possible for them to eliminate or at least significantly reduce such conflicts. Some firms had begun that process in response to the DOL rule through the adoption of “clean shares” and other more product-neutral approaches to broker compensation. By removing all distribution-related costs from the products, clean shares in particular have the potential to eliminate incentives for broker-dealer reps to recommend funds based on their own financial interests rather than the investor’s best interest. (Though some clean shares appear to be “cleaner” than others.) Other approaches to levelizing compensation across products, and basing broker compensation on the nature and extent of services provided rather than on the products sold, have the potential to provide a similar benefit at the individual rep level, though firms may continue to face compensation-related conflicts.
Levelizing compensation for similar products can better align interests of brokers and investors. Where investment products have similar features and serve similar functions, broker-dealer firms could reduce product-specific conflicts by taking steps to ensure that the compensation that flows to the individual rep does not depend on the product recommended. For example, a broker-dealer would ensure that there is no incentive for the rep to recommend one mutual fund over another by providing level compensation for all mutual fund recommendations. One option would be to apply a level commission to load-waived A shares, as LPL announced it planned to do with its Mutual Fund Only Platform, an approach that reduces conflict-related incentives at both the firm and individual rep level. Another option is for firms to continue to distribute products that offer variable compensation, but to offer level compensation at the individual rep level for all similar products. In such cases, the firm neutralizes the conflict at the rep level but retains the conflict at the firm level, as well as the differences in cost to the investor. This approach to levelizing compensation for similar investments would apply equally to recommendations of annuities, for example, or any other class of investments. If firms are required to design policies and procedures to mitigate conflicts that are reasonably designed to ensure that the customer’s interests come first, they may come up with additional approaches that achieve the same objective of minimizing product-specific conflicts.
Ensuring that variations in compensation are justified based on an objective analysis can help to reduce compensation-related conflicts of interest across different product lines. While levelizing compensation for similar products can reduce incentives to recommend one mutual fund over another or one annuity over another based on compensation considerations, it doesn’t eliminate the incentive to recommend those classes of investment products (e.g., variable annuities, non-traded REITs, and structured products) that offer the most generous compensation. Brokers have argued that differences in compensation are warranted by differences in the time it takes to analyze the products and explain their features to investors. But it is unquestionably the case that the higher compensation provided by these products largely explains why they feature so prominently in stories of abusive sales practices. To counteract this problem, broker-dealer firms should take steps to ensure that any variations in the level of compensation for different types of investments that flow to the individual representative are justified based on an objective analysis, in writing.
To the extent firms do not eliminate compensation-related conflicts, recommendations of higher compensating products must be backed by rigorous analysis documenting the basis for concluding that such recommendations are in the customer’s best interest. Firms that retain significant variations in compensation at the individual rep level will need to adopt particularly rigorous policies and procedures to ensure those conflicts don’t inappropriately influence recommendations. Where the rep recommends higher paying products, particularly when those products also impose additional costs on the investor, this must include written documentation of the basis on which the rep determined that a particular recommendation is in the customer’s best interest. The rep should have to explain, for example, how the particular product meets the investor’s goals and needs, why the imposition of any additional costs provides value to the investor, and why the same objective cannot be accomplished more efficiently through other reasonably available investment products or strategies. For example, if a broker-dealer recommends that an investor purchase a variable annuity or a non-traded REIT, the broker-dealer should be required to provide an objective analysis documenting the investor’s need for that particular type of investment and why it is a better option for the investor than other reasonably available investment products and strategies. If the rep can’t support the recommendation, including why any added costs are justified, he should not be permitted to make the recommendation. And the firm should adopt supervisory procedures to ensure compliance.
The benefits to investors of a more product-neutral approach to broker compensation are obvious. If investment products were forced to compete based on their own merits (cost and quality), rather than by compensating the broker, the best products would thrive, to investors’ benefit. And, in a commission account based on clean shares, for example, the costs of brokerage services would be transparent and subject to market forces. These factors have historically led to much lower costs for investors, which likely explains why firms have been so reluctant to adopt clean shares now that the DOL rule no longer provides them with an incentive to do so. But there are benefits to firms as well from approaches that reduce product-specific conflicts. Firms that adopt such approaches are likely to face fewer compliance headaches under a best interest standard if incentives for non-compliance are reduced or eliminated. And firms that minimize product-specific conflicts should find it easier to justify their recommendations and easier to defend against claims that their reps placed their own financial interests ahead of the customer’s best interests.
C. Conflicts that firms artificially create to drive specific conduct
Conflicts of interest also arise when firms themselves create incentives to encourage and reward very specific behavior that is profitable to the firm, but harmful to investors. These types of conflicts aren’t inherent to the broker-dealer or investment adviser business models, nor are they created by outside parties, as product-specific conflicts typically are. Rather, these conflicts arise when firms make a conscious decision to inject a variety of perverse incentives into a business model that, in all too many cases, is already rife with conflicts of interest in order to maximize their profits at customers’ expense.
Artificially created incentives include, but are certainly not limited to, contests, quotas, bonuses, trips, or other special awards that firms use to reward individual reps for meeting certain sales targets. Such incentives may be used, for example, to encourage financial professionals to sell proprietary products over non-proprietary products or, at dual registrant firms, to steer prospective clients to high-cost managed accounts when they would be better served by a brokerage account. Artificially created incentives also include retroactive ratcheted payout grids, which disproportionately increase compensation for incremental increases in sales, creating enhanced risks for investors when reps approach the next level on the grid. What these incentives have in common is that none exist naturally or inevitably within the broker-dealer business model, and all are fully within the control of the firm. While not every such incentive is harmful, these incentives create problems for investors when the conduct that is most profitable for the firm is not in investors’ best interest, because it inappropriately increases their costs, for example, or exposes them to unnecessary risks.
Moreover, these types of incentives are not limited to the broker-dealer business model. They may also arise in advisory accounts in the dual registrant context, where investment adviser affiliates often artificially create many of the same conflicts that are so prevalent in the broker-dealer space. In such cases, the investment adviser affiliate typically buries their various conflict disclosures deep in their Form ADV in legalese that few if any investors will read and even fewer will understand. As discussed above, that type of disclosure does not lead to informed consent and cannot substitute for a true best interest obligation.
As with product-specific conflicts, an approach to these artificially created incentives that relies on disclosure alone would be totally ineffective at protecting retail investors from harm. Research has shown that simply disclosing conflicts does not enable investors to protect themselves from the harmful impact of those conflicts, particularly when the conflicts are complex and opaque, as is often the case here. Moreover, the whole point of many of these incentives is to drive specific behavior that benefits the firm, regardless of whether it harms investors. Where that is the case, the easy, logical solution is simply to eliminate the incentive.
The specific standard that the SEC should adopt to guide firms when deciding what artificially created incentives they must eliminate is whether the incentive would reasonably be expected to encourage recommendations based on factors other than the customer’s best interest. If an objective analysis shows that an incentive would reasonably be expected to encourage recommendations that are not in the customer’s best interest, it must be eliminated. The good news is that, because these incentives are not intrinsic to either the broker-dealer or investment adviser business models, they are the easiest of conflicts to eliminate. All it takes is the will to do so.
In conclusion, the only way to ensure compliance with a meaningful best interest standard is to rein in harmful incentives that would otherwise taint advice. This requires firms to adopt strong anti-conflict policies and procedures that are tailored to the specific risks that different types of conflicts pose to investors’ well-being. This framework for addressing common conflicts of interest among both broker-dealers and investment advisers is rigorous enough to protect investors’ interests and flexible enough to work across a variety of business models.
1. Participants in the meeting included representatives of AFL-CIO, Americans for Financial Reform, Better Markets, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, and PIABA.
2. See, e.g.,FINRA, Improper Sales of Mutual Fund Class B and C Shares—Remediation Information for Investors, https://bit.ly/2GsLGLG; Press Release, NASD Fines Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo and Linsco $19.4 Million For Improper Sales of Class B and C Mutual Fund Shares, December 19, 2005, https://bit.ly/2GsHr2J; Jill Gregorie, FINRA Censures Voya Over Share Class Sales, Ignites, April 25, 2019, https://bit.ly/2PwyJEX.
3. The approach outlined in the SEC Investor Advisory Committee’s recommendation on Regulation Best Interestoffers a good model for how this could be achieved.
4. This example assumes the broker is also licensed to sell insurance annuities, as is often the case.
5. Micah Hauptman and Barbara Roper, Financial Advisor or Investment Salesperson? Brokers and Insurers Want to Have it Both Ways, CFA and AFR, January 18, 2017,https://bit.ly/2vgQtdY; JosephC. Pieffer and Christine Lazaro, Major Investor Losses due to Conflicted Advice: Brokerage Industry Advertising Creates the Illusion of a Fiduciary Duty; Misleading Ads Fuel Confusion, Underscore Need for Fiduciary Standard, Mar. 25, 2015, https://piaba.org/system/files/pdfs/PIABA%20Conflicted%20Advice%20Report.pdf.
6. Letter from Roper to SEC Secretary Jonathan G. Katz, Certain Broker-Dealers Deemed Not To Be Investment Advisers, CFA, February 7, 2005, https://bit.ly/2ISPTer, at 8-11.
7. See SEC,Investment Trusts and Investment Companies: Report of the Securities and Exchange Commission Pursuant to Section 30 of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, 28 (1939) (Representatives of investment counselors recognized that their function was the “furnishing to clients on a personal basis competent, unbiased, and continuous advice regarding the sound management of their investments” and they could not do this “unless all conflicts of interest between the investment counsel and the client were removed.”).
8. Had the Commission relied on its rulemaking authority under Section 913(g) of the Dodd-Frank Act, it could have adopted an explicit requirement for investment advisers to act in the best interests of their clients, without regard to the financial interests of the firm or the individual adviser. This would have strengthened the Commission’s hand in bringing enforcement actions against investment advisers who place their own interests ahead of client interests.
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Pakistan heads for breach of international law after Supreme Court declines to intervene in hanging of mentally ill prisoner
Pakistan’s Supreme Court today dismissed an appeal brought by lawyers for a severely mentally ill prisoner, who now faces execution in as little as a week’s time.
Lawyers for Imdad Ali, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, argued that he should not be executed as to do so would violate both Pakistani and international law. Mr Ali came within hours of execution last week, despite prison doctors having assessed him as being “insane”, including on the night before the execution.
Yet today, Supreme Court justices dismissed the appeal, claiming that a large proportion of Pakistani prisoners suffer from mental illness and they “cannot let everyone go.” The judges conceeded that Imdad was mentally ill but concluded that they would dismiss the appeal because the case had already been considered by the Court and – in their view – nothing had changed.
Mr Ali’s execution received a last-minute stay from the Supreme Court last week, but with that stay now expired, he could receive a new ‘black warrant’ and face execution as early as next Tuesday (4 October). Just hours before his scheduled hanging last week, Mr Ali’s severe mental illness meant he was unaware that he was due to be executed.
The Pakistani Government is now the only body with the ability to halt Mr Ali’s execution. Mr Ali’s lawyers have sent a mercy petition to Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain with testimony from medical experts. The petition provides an array of medical evidence for the President to consider, such as a statement from psychiatric consultant Dr Feroze Khan, who examined Mr Ali’s mental health and recommended that he be transferred to a mental health facility for active psychiatric treatment.
A statement issued by 14 of Pakistan’s leading psychiatrists also warns that executing Mr Ali would run contrary to Pakistani law. The experts, including Dr Malik Hussain Mubbasshar, Professor Emeritus at Lahore’s University of Health Sciences, said that: “[The] Law does not allow such execution of prisoners suffering from this nature of mental disorder in which the prisoner is having a psychotic illness and is unable to know why he is being executed and what will be the consequence of this punishment.”
Mr Ali comes from an extremely poor family. His family began to notice signs of mental illness as long ago as 1998 – but they could not afford to pay for private medical assessments, which could have identified his mental illness, and possible treatments, earlier. Following his initial detention, his mental illness has been exacerbated by 14 years in overcrowded prison cells and lengthy periods of solitary confinement.
Commenting, Harriet McCulloch, Deputy Director of the death penalty team at international human rights charity Reprieve said: “It is indisputable that Imdad suffers from serious mental illness. There is therefore no doubt that, should Pakistan execute him, it will be committing a grave violation of both Pakistani and international law. It is shocking that the system has failed Imdad at every turn – right the way up to the Supreme Court. The Pakistan Government must immediately halt Imdad’s execution, and undertake a comprehensive review into how someone who is clearly mentally unfit to be executed has been allowed to come so near to the noose.”
Reprieve is an international human rights organization. Reprieve’s London office can be contacted on: communications [at] reprieve.org.uk. Reprieve US, based in New York City, can be contacted on Katherine [dot] oshea [at] reprieve.org
2. More information about Imdad Ali is available at the Reprieve website.
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Maryanne Coutts Dress Code : The First Five Years
http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/164497
Text; Visual art work
vital:13040
24th May-30th June 2018. Beginning in 2013, DRESS CODE: The First Five Years is the result of a ritualistic daily drawing practice and series of works, in which the artist's concerns are in response to what she was wearing each day for the last five years. Maryanne Coutts writes, “Dress Code is a project which attempts to harness the ways that the days continue to follow each other, one after the other; unstoppable. It is a journal of what I wear each day – not in a ‘realistic’ or documentary way – but a fluid emotional extension of the creative activity of getting dressed in the morning. Each morning; every morning.” Based in a lively drawing practice, Coutts' work is increasingly an exploration of the relationship between drawing and time. Maryanne Coutts studied at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), The University of Melbourne, 1979 -1981, the University of NSW (UNSW),1984 and achieved a PhD at Federation University Australia in1999. She has exhibited extensively throughout Australia and internationally including UK, Spain and Thailand. Select solo exhibitions include Jostle, Australian Galleries, Sydney, 2017; Black News/White News, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, Coffs Harbour, 2017; Dress Code #2, Slot, Sydney, 2015 and Threads, Articulate Project Space, Sydney, 2014. A major survey exhibition, Telling Tales was presented at the Art Gallery of Ballarat in 2008. Coutts was jointly awarded the Blake Prize in 1982 and won the Portia Geach Memorial Award in 2007. Maryanne Coutts is currently Head of Drawing at the National Art School, Sydney and is represented by Australian Galleries, Melbourne. Image: Maryanne Coutts Dress Code 31.8.14, 2014 collage Courtesy the artist and Australian Galleries, Melbourne.
Post Office Gallery, Federation University Australia, Ballarat
1905 Visual Arts and Crafts
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John Henry Newman 2.21.13 Thought of the Day
“To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often” –John Newman
English: Portrait painting of John Henry Newman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
John Henry Newman was born on this day in London, England in 1801. Today is the 212th anniversary of his birth.
Newman was the oldest of six children, three boys and three girls, born to John Newman and Jemima Fourdrinier Newman. He went to Trinity College, Oxford then attended Oriel College. He received his bachelor’s degree from Oriel in 1820 and became a fellow then tutor at the school.
He had held academic and pastoral assignments simultaneously for several years, serving first as both fellow of Oriel and curate of St. Clement’s and later as both tutor and vicar of St. Mary’s. He remained in his pastoral office until 1843, attracting hundreds of students, university officials, and townspeople to St. Mary’s [this church’s UK site] with his scholarly yet earnest preaching. [The Victorian Web]
He was a leader in the Oxford Movement — a “19th-century movement centred at the University of Oxford that sought a renewal of “catholic,” or Roman Catholic, thought and practice within the Church of England in opposition to the Protestant tendencies of the church.” [Encyclopedia Britannica] .
Newman…was the Movement’s primary spokesman, promoting its doctrinal and moral concerns through his editorship of the British Critic, his contributions to Tracts for the Times, and his weekly sermons at St. Mary’s. [The Victorian Web]
However, “In 1839, Newman began to lose confidence in the cause… and he soon became convinced that Rome, not Canterbury, was the home of the true Church.” [Ibid] He withdrew from Anglican life and left Oxford. He took back anti Catholic and anti Papal statements he’d said and written in his youth. In 1845 he converted to Catholicism and became a preist.
Newman worked just as energetically for the Catholic Church as he had for the Anglican. He was instrumental in the creation of the Catholic University of Ireland, and he wrote…
Cover of Parochial and Plain Sermons
Parochial and Plain Sermons (1868)
The Idea of University (1852)
An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent (1870
Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1864)
The 1870s brought Newman special recognition for his work as both an Anglican and a Roman Catholic. In 1877 he became the first person elected to an honorary fellowship of Trinity College; two years later, Pope Leo XIII awarded him a place in the College of Cardinals.[The Victorian Web]
Cardinal Newman died of pneumonia in August of 1890.
He wrote the lyrics to the hymn Lead Kindly Light. Here’s the Wells Cathedral Choir singing the song…
This entry was posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2013 at 2:08 am and tagged with Catholic Church, Catholic University of Ireland, John Henry Newman and posted in Anglican, Catholic, John Henry Newman, postaday, Religion, Thought of the Day, Today's Birthday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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George Washington 2.22.13 Thought of the Day »
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Philipson’s headed for auction
Mac Bullock
Nine months after declaring bankruptcy under Chapter 11, sporting goods retailer Herb Philipson’s is up for sale in a court-guided auction, according to documents filed in bankruptcy court …
FOR SALE — Sporting goods retailer Herb Philipson’s will auction off its assets, including its six stores, inventory and branding, as part of a deal reached in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, according to court documents filed Wednesday. Owner Guy Viti said the move is an attempt to keep the company operating and in the area.
Posted Thursday, July 11, 2019 11:25 am
Nine months after declaring bankruptcy under Chapter 11, sporting goods retailer Herb Philipson’s is up for sale in a court-guided auction, according to documents filed in bankruptcy court Wednesday.
On July 2, the company made an “emergency motion” in court for “the sale and auction of substantially all the debtor’s assets.” On Wednesday, that motion was approved by a judge.
Owner Guy Viti told the Sentinel he expects the company to sell, and that the process should wrap up by August.
“We’re trying to sell, and there’s somebody interested in buying the company, and probably extending the company back to its (pre-bankruptcy) size,” he said Wednesday. “Closing is the wrong word. We’re trying to restructure this company to remain open in this area.”
He continued: “We’re not trying to go Chapter 7, we’re not trying to go bankrupt ... The company’s really valuable for the community and really successful with the employees. I’m looking for a way to keep this company intact.”
According to Viti, the buyer would assume ownership of all the company’s stores, its name and branding, and employees. “The name’s not going to be any different — everything’s the same,” he added.
Viti said that in the event the company doesn’t sell at auction, he will continue with Chapter 11 restructuring.
“If it doesn’t (sell), I just end up keeping it ... I just put more money into it, to get out of Chapter 11,” he said. “But it’s a strong store, I think I have a buyer.”
Viti declined to name the potential buyer.
He said he filed the motion to sell after having trouble keeping the store’s inventory stocked during the bankruptcy proceedings.
“We’re just not getting enough inventory in there, these people (the potential buyers) have the inventory, but it’s up for auction so I don’t know who’s buying at this point,” he said.
Viti, a long-time Herb’s employee, purchased the company from the Philipson family in March 2018 and held a “grand opening” of the nine store chain in August.
In October, he filed under Chapter 11, citing mounting debts and falling revenue.
The bankruptcy filing came after major lender Second Avenue Capital of Needham, Mass. pulled support in October.
Since then, Second Avenue has maintained in bankruptcy court that Herb’s is unlikely to right its finances, pointing to years of declining revenue and what it calls Viti’s “shocking inability to accurately project the operating performance of the business.”
During the Chapter 11 proceedings, the company paid down “approximately $1,385,000” of its $2 million debt to Second Avenue, closed three of its nine stores and let go about 50 employees, according to court filings and statements by Viti.
The remaining six Philipson’s locations — in Oneida, Herkimer, New Hartford, Liverpool, Watertown, and the flagship store in Rome — are still open, according to Viti, though some reports indicate the Oneida and Watertown stores are not.
Herb Philipson started the company in downtown Rome in the summer of 1951.
It remained in the hands of the Philipson family until 2018, when Gary Philipson said “new energy” and a “fresh vision” were needed to lead the company into the future.
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“The capability that the Carl-Gustaf brought to play was a game changer”
For Sergeant Raymond Miller of the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, the Carl-Gustaf system has been a game changer during operations.
When members of the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division jump out of an aircraft on a mission, it’s crucial that they can depend on their equipment. Sergeant Raymond Miller a small arms master gunner within the division, says the extremely challenging conditions involved in parachute assaults mean that the weapons troops carry must be rugged, durable and easy to operate. It’s one of the reasons he’s a fan of the Carl-Gustaf shoulder-launched weapon system, which after a two-year roll-out period is now being adopted across the division.
“The Carl-Gustaf’s simplicity is one of its biggest strengths,” Miller says. “When you’re in combat, batteries can go flat and screens and lenses can break. But I have never heard of a Carl-Gustaf having any of those kinds of issues.”
A 19-year veteran of the US military who has served in Iraq, Miller has no trouble listing to what he regards as the most outstanding features of the Carl-Gustaf system, starting with its resilience.
“It’s a rugged system that we can use in airborne operations to get to the objective rapidly,” he says. “Other systems aren’t quite as durable and can’t be dropped – they have to be air-landed in – so that right there is a huge benefit.”
Another big plus for the system is that it’s re-usable, greatly reducing the amount of equipment that paratroopers need to carry compared to single use weapons. “You only have the rounds, as opposed to a bunch of disposable tubes,” Miller says. “So, it’s much easier to pack, and it’s much easier to cross load across an organisation that has to carry everything on its back.”
Flexibility crucial for paratroopers
Miller says once on the ground the lightness and versatility of the Carl-Gustaf system makes it well suited to paratrooper operations, such as forced entry missions. “Once we insert, we have to sustain ourselves for 72 hours,” he says. “That means we have to be able to deal with any threat that comes our way. The Carl-Gustaf gives us the capability to deal with light anti-armour threats or entrenched personnel.”
Photo - US Department of Defense
Miller notes that since its introduction the weapon has proved useful for the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan. “It has been used with great success,” he says. “The Taliban had been sending harassing fire out at long distance because previously we did not have effective fires out past 600 metres. The capability that the Carl-Gustaf brought to play was a game changer in that it gave us something to reach out past that and be able to deter them.”
In 2019, Saab announced that a framework contract has been signed to provide the U.S. Army with the Carl-Gustaf M4 – the latest version of the system. The Carl-Gustaf M4 is fully backwards compatible with all ammunition types and prepared to take full advantage of future ammunition, while being significantly lower weight than its M3 predecessor.
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Punditry And Pontification
The Long Road To Reconciliation
With the failure of yet another U.S. effort to broker a permanent, durable peace between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs, the Obama Administration must accept that a deal is not achievable under current conditions. The U.S. leadership must temper its expectations, embrace the long game, and lay the groundwork for a future deal. The best investment of U.S. effort today is bringing an end to incitement and indoctrination; not merely because Israel is entitled to such support by treaty and binding agreement, but because ending incitement and effecting fundamental change in Palestinian Arab culture is the only road to a real and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Oslo process agreements explicitly require the Palestinian side to prevent incitement and reflect the need to reform Palestinian society as a predicate to make peaceful coexistence possible. The 1995 Oslo II Agreement reaffirms the parties’ “mutual commitment to act . . . immediately, efficiently and effectively against acts or threats of terrorism, violence or incitement.” Oslo II also provides that the parties shall “abstain from incitement, including hostile propaganda” and “take legal measures to prevent such incitement by any organizations, groups or individuals within their jurisdiction.” Finally, Oslo II requires the parties to “ensure that their respective educational systems contribute to the peace” and “will refrain from the introduction of any motifs that could adversely affect the process of reconciliation.”
The January 15, 1997 “Note For The Record” that became part of the January 17, 1997, Hebron Protocol repeats the Palestinian obligation to normalize Israel in Palestinian society. The Note For The Record provides that the “Palestinian side reaffirms its commitments to . . . [p]reventing incitement and hostile propaganda.”
The Note For The Record also reaffirmed the Palestinian commitment to “[c]omplete the process of revising the Palestinian National Charter.” Among its many provisions inconsistent with a lasting peace with Israel, the 1968 Palestinian National Charter calls for armed struggle (terrorism) against Israel, declares Israel “null and void” and denies Jewish historical ties to Israel.[1]
The 1998 Wye River Memorandum expands on Oslo II and the Note For The Record. Wye requires the Palestinians to “issue a decree prohibiting all forms of incitement to violence or terror” and act “systematically against all expressions or threats of violence or terror.” Wye again calls for “nullification” of those provisions of the PLO’s charter “inconsistent” with the peace process.
Finally, the September, 1999, Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum provides that “[e]ach side shall immediately and effectively respond to the occurrence or anticipated occurrence of . . . incitement and shall take all necessary measures to prevent such an occurrence.”
Nevertheless, incitement to hatred, anti-Semitism, and indoctrination against normalization and reconciliation with Israel is endemic in Palestinian society. On the very night that Yassir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin signed the Oslo Accords in September, 1993, Arafat appeared on Jordanian television and reaffirmed his Plan of Phases. The Plan of Phases adopted in 1974 calls for the PLO to acquire whatever territory possible through negotiations and to use that land as a base of operations for destroying Israel. Arafat and his successors have since repeated their commitment to the Plan of Phases freely. In January, 2014, Abbas Zaki, a senior PA official and confidante of current PA President Mahmoud Abbas, repeated the Plan of Phases in an interview with Syrian state TV.
In accord with the stated goal of destroying Israel and despite their Oslo obligations, Arafat, Abbas, and Hamas’s leaders since taking over the Gaza Strip in 2007, have comprehensively indoctrinated Palestinian society against any peace with Israel. Textbooks in Palestinian schools operated by the UN’s United Nations Relief and Works Administration, delegitimize and demonize Israel, call for armed struggle, deny Jewish historical connections to Israel, speak of cities within Israel’s 1948 borders as Palestinian and generally fail to acknowledge Israel’s existence at all. Palestinian schools glorify Hitler on Facebook and in publications.
Textbooks used in the Gaza Strip teach that the Torah and Talmud are “fabricated.” Many textbooks quote religious tracts calling for Muslims to fight and kill “the Jews” and likening killing Jews to worship. Hamas recently castigated UNRWA for teaching human rights because human rights are “offensive” to Palestinian culture. Hamas’s Education Minister complained that human rights education would “domesticate the psyche of the Palestinian pupil, fostering negative feelings toward armed resistance.”
The Palestinian political leadership’s public statements are likewise violently anti-Semitic and anti-Israel. In December, 2013, when Israel released twenty-six prisoners convicted of violent crimes (murder or terrorist attacks), the killers were welcomed in Gaza and the West Bank as heroes, including by Mahmoud Abbas himself. In March, 2011, Ramallah renamed a square in honor of Dalal Mughrabi, who participated in a 1978 terrorist attack that killed 37 Israelis, including 13 children. In March, 2014, an Abbas adviser went on PA-run TV to honor and praise Mughrabi on the anniversary of her terrorist attack. When one of the conspirators behind the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972 died in 2010, Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad attended the funeral, which included a PA military honor guard. In February, 2014, PA TV celebrated the anniversary of a “heroic operation” in which a suicide bomber killed eight people on an Israeli bus. In March, 2014, an Abbas confidant and senior PA official told PA TV, “I believe that Allah will gather [the Jews] so we can kill them.”
The Palestinian religious leadership condition Palestinian society against peace by falsely denying any Jewish historical ties to Israel. The Western Wall is so named because it is the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, location of the Judaism’s two great temples of antiquity, and now Judaism’s holiest site. The al-Aqsa mosque was built on the temple mount circa 700 C.E., around 650 years after the destruction of Judaism’s second great temple and some 1,700 years after construction of the first great temple in the same location. In 2014, the PA’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Mahmoud al-Habbash, and the former Chief Justice of the PA’s Religious Court both said that Jews [not Israelis, but Jews] have no right to the Western Wall and “no one besides Muslims will pray in it.” In November, 2013, al-Habbash gave a sermon accusing the Jews of poisoning Muhammad.
In each category discussed above, these are but a few examples of an avalanche of propaganda. And this incitement has been ongoing, festering, for more than a century. In 1929, Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem, spread the false rumor the Jews were plotting to take over the al-Aqsa Mosque, and Muslims murdered 133 Jews in the ensuring riots. On March 26, 2014, the PA’s chief religious authority, Mufti Muhammad Hussein, took to PA TV and broadcast, again, that the Jews pose a “threat of destroying the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” This slander – meant solely to incite hate, fear and violence – has been repeated hundreds and thousands of times.
The inevitable result of comprehensive indoctrination in Palestinian schools, mosques and political discourse is a society steeped in hatred and unprepared to accept Israel as a neighbor. A 2010 Pew Research Center poll found 97% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza view Jews unfavorably.
Undoing this deep-seeded enmity underlay the anti-incitement provisions in the Oslo agreements in the first instance. Yet neither the U.S. nor its international partners have done anything to either enforce the Palestinians’ commitments, or to promote societal change on their own accord and in favor of accepting Israel’s permanence, legitimacy and inviolability. To the contrary, Israeli complaints and concerns about incitement and hate indoctrination are routinely disregarded, and oft as not Israel itself is accused of being a barrier to peace when pointing out Palestinian violations.
Instead of beginning the long, arduous task of de-conditioning Palestinian society, for two decades, U.S. Presidents, Secretaries of State, envoys, special representatives, mediators, negotiators and facilitators have pursued a chimerical stroke-of-the-pen Final Agreement and a place in the history books. The September, 1999, Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum, calls for negotiations in an “accelerated manner” and repeatedly requires a “determined effort” before providing the parties “will achieve” a comprehensive resolution “within one year.” One year on would put the Final Agreement two months before the 2000 election and would put President Clinton in the history books two months before his successor was elected. President Obama and Secretaries Clinton and Kerry have likewise wasted time, political capital and credibility in their own pursuits of immortality, declaring meaningless, arbitrary deadlines for a Final Agreement.
It is time to finally give up this illusion that a final agreement is in the offing, and begin laying the groundwork today for an enduring peace to be concluded sometime in the future. Despite 20 years’ obligations to stop, the PA still actively prevents Palestinian society from acclimating to peace,[2] and the U.S. and the international community should use their enormous leverage to force the PA to end incitement and indoctrination.
There is no Final Agreement in sight. There is no shortcut, no road map, no trick, bribe or inducement to bring peace now. Instead, the U.S. must renounce the dream of a history-making, moment-in-time deal and embrace the hard slog of enforcing Palestinian obligations and reconciling the Palestinian people to the reality the Israel is here to stay.
[1] Available at avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/plocov.asp
[2] As long as Hamas controls Gaza, there is no prospect whatsoever for peace.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Arafat, Hamas, incitement, Kerry, Netanyahu, Obama, Oslo, Palestinian Authority on April 23, 2014 by Jonathan Levin.
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Extinguishing Hell Fire | Universal Salvation
18/03/2018 Markus hell, Salvation, Universal Salvation, universalism Leave a comment
Insider Reveals Their Plans with Chemtrails & How To Survive
26/02/2018 Markus chemtrails, Depopulation, insider Leave a comment
Stinging Nettle — The Most Nutritious Plant On Earth?
22/02/2018 Markus food, nutrition, stinging nettle Leave a comment
Watch “How Real Is Fake News? | Sharyl Attkisson | TEDxUniversityofNevada” on YouTube
Investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson talking about who started the whole ‘fake news’ saga. (Hint: it’s Obama.)
He insisted in a speech that he too thought somebody needed to step in and curate information of this wild, wild West media environment. Nobody in the public had been clamoring for any such thing, yet suddenly the topic of fake news dominates headlines on a daily basis.
It’s as if the media had been given its marching orders. Fake news they insisted was an imminent threat to American democracy.
But as somebody who studied the industry that seeks to manipulate all of us on behalf of paid interests, I know that few themes arise in our environment organically.
A noted propagandist told me, “It’s like a movie,” he said, and it gave me chills at the time.
“Nearly every scene or image that crosses our path in daily life,” he said, “was put there for a reason. Often by someone who paid a lot of money to place it there.”
What if the whole anti-fake news campaign was an effort on somebody’s part to keep us from seeing or believing certain websites or stories by controversializing them or labeling them as fake news?
16/02/2018 Markus Fake news, Media, obama, Sharyl Attkisson Leave a comment
Arteries – Thomas Sydenham (Quote)
A man is as old as his arteries.
Thomas Sydenham, English physician (1624-1689)
29/12/2017 Markus Leave a comment
English translation of Schubert’s Winterreise, poems by W Muller
English translation of Schubert’s Die Winterreise (1821-1822)
Theory of Music
Schubert’s Wanderers consists of English translations of the poems of Franz Schubert’s Die Winterreise and Die schöne Müllerin and the German texts as set by Schubert. The German texts are taken from Series 20 (Leider und Gesänge) of Franz Schubert’s Werke, Kritisch durchgesehene Gesammtausgabe, Brietkopf & Härtel, Leipzig, 1895.
Schubert’s Wanderers includes a Creative Commons Licence which entitles the purchaser of this book to use and adapt the translations and synopses in any context and in any media, commercial or noncommercial. The German texts are in the public domain.
Barry Mitchell was born in Belfast in 1958. He studied music at Queen’s University Belfast where after completing a first degree he studied for an MA in composition. He is also a graduate of The Open University. He has taught music for several colleges and universities in the UK including The Open University and…
Nietzsche on Philosophers (Quote)
[Philosophers] are all advocates who do not wish to be regarded as such, generally astute defenders, also, of their prejudices, which they dub “truths”.
— Friedrich Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future (1886)
30/10/2017 Markus beyond good and evil, Friedrich Nietzsche, philosophy, professional dishonesty Leave a comment
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Category Archives: Human Rights
AOC is Right: Trump is Running Concentration Camps on the Border
Insider the Homestead Concentration Camp, Homestead, FL.
(Cross-posted with Newsweek)
Last December, I was arrested on the border in San Diego while standing with faith leaders to protest, among other things, Trump’s unlawful incarceration of immigrants. My experiences on the border and at immigrant detention centers in my home state of Illinois have left me with no doubt whatsoever that our nation is warehousing humanity in concentration camps—and that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is correct when she refers to them by this term.
As a rabbi, I am compelled to act on behalf of immigrants because my religious faith and historical legacy demands that I do so. And I’m not alone: most American Jews embrace progressive values of social justice—and understand that we ourselves have a history of oppression at the hands of state violence.
Yesterday, AOC stirred something of a hornet’s nest when she retweeted an article in Esquire by an expert on immigrant detention who characterized Trump’s immigrant detention centers as “concentration camps.” Almost immediately, some Republican politicians, the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York pounced, claiming AOC’s “regrettable use of Holocaust terminology to describe these contemporary concerns diminishes the evil intent of the Nazis to eradicate the Jewish people.”
It is deeply problematic, highly partisan—and historically incorrect—to declare that the use of “concentration camps” is to be constrained to the limits of “Holocaust terminology” (itself hardly an academic term.) As scholar Jonathan Katz recently pointed out in the LA Times, the term “was invented by a Spanish official …during Cuba’s 1895 independence war.” FDR, notably, also used the term in reference to his Executive Order to incarcerate Japanese Americans during World War II. And enough people have pointed out in recent days the usage of the term by the British suppressing the Boer rebellion in South Africa for it to be elaborated on here.
We Jews do not own this term. But in fact, I would argue it is imperative that we Jews use this term whenever these dreadful facilities are imposed on groups of people other than ourselves. History has shown us that the concentration of humanity into forced detention invariably leads entire societies to exceedingly dark places. This practice did not begin with Nazi policies against European Jewry—nor did it end there.
The same is true of AOC’s impassioned and all-too familiar call, “Never again.” As a rabbi, a Jew and a person of conscience, allow me to put it as plainly as I can: AOC’s use of this phrase was altogether appropriate. I do not and cannot view this call as “Holocaust terminology.” On the contrary: “Never Again” means never again for anyone, or else it doesn’t mean anything at all.
The fact that we are even debating these terms shows just how twisted the conversation has become. Rather than parsing the words of a human rights champion like AOC for petty political gain, these politicians and Jewish leaders should be directing their criticism where it truly belongs: at a morally depraved national policy that parses out access to human rights according to origin and ethnicity, tears apart families, and cages children in, yes, concentration camps.
This entry was posted in American Jewish Community, Children's Rights, Holocaust, Human Rights, Immigration, Racism, Refugees on June 20, 2019 by Rabbi Brant Rosen.
Confessions of a Wicked Child: A Passover Reflection by Jay Stanton
Here are the remarks that Jay Stanton offered at Tzedek Chicago’s Passover seder last night. Jay was formerly Tzedek’s rabbinical intern – and I’m delighted to announce we’ve just hired him to be part of our staff for the coming year:
In a traditional seder, four children are described: a wise child, who likes learning all the ins and outs of Jewish law, a wicked child, who pokes fun at the whole idea of a seder, a simple child who seeks basic information, and a child who does not know how to ask. These archetypical children help us explore what it means to fulfill the mitzvah of telling our children about the Exodus from Egypt.
I have a confession to make; I am a wicked child. Of course, there are the ways society and the Jewish community in general have cast me as the wicked child: being queer and trans and supporting Palestinian rights not least among them. But I’m also a self-identified wicked child. I am personality-wise and ethically the kind of person that voices my disapproval of standard approaches and doesn’t care what you think of me in response. I’m a contrarian by nature, and I like asking difficult questions. Last year at this time, I asked all of us what we were doing here when we could be somewhere else doing something to make the world better. And here we are this year, doing this peculiar ritual yet again.
I’m a wicked child. I want to know what this means to you and why you think this is the way we should celebrate liberation. Wouldn’t it be better to hear directly from people who have escaped modern slavery and to have real conversations about global abolition of slavery and how to establish reparations to address the ongoing legacies of slavery in America? Plus, the Exodus never happened; the seder is an exercise in remembering alternative facts, which is to say lies.
I told you I’m a wicked child. And I’m guessing I’m not the only one here. Despair not! Wicked children are valued by Jewish tradition. Because the Talmud values contrarians. Because the seder itself values the wicked child. After their question, “What does this ritual mean to you?”, the wicked child is not sent to bed without their supper. Instead, the parent responds in kind.
“This is because of what God did for me when I went free from Egypt. For me, and not for you, because if you had been there, you would not have gone free.” It’s a contrarian response, not a real argument. In our Exodus narrative, more people than the Israelites left Egypt together. In Hebrew this is called ‘erev rav, translated as a very diverse group or coalition. I imagine the wicked children marched out of Egypt as part of the liberation coalition, where they found ample opportunity to critique the choices of the liberatory leaders, like leading the group directly to a body of water while being chased by the Egyptian military. Maybe a frustrated wicked child yelled at Moses, “What are you going to do now? Hold up your staff and just wait for God?!”
Voices of critique and dissent have pushed our conversation toward progress, inclusion, and more ethical behavior for thousands of years. They are enshrined in Talmud and indeed in the Haggadah. Judaism is enriched, not threatened, by a multiplicity of opinions and approaches.
To put it differently, the vital role of wicked children in our Passover seder exemplifies spiritual freedom. Spiritual freedom, one of Tzedek Chicago’s core values, is more than active inclusion of atheists, agnostics, and non-Jews in our midst. It is an affirmation of the ‘erev rav as a diverse, universalist community, and it is an elevation of critique from an obstacle to overcome to a necessary part of collective liberation. We not only allow the wicked child to derail the Passover seder, we need them. Judaism needs its wicked children.
Just as political freedom provides a check against political tyranny, spiritual freedom provides a check against spiritual tyranny. Both human and so-called divine spiritual authority have tendencies toward the coercive and oppressive. We could dismiss this problem as one that only affects the religious right. However, we are also at risk of spiritual tyranny here at Tzedek Chicago. We could give too much power to our spiritual leader and follow Brant even if and when he’s wrong, but spiritual freedom gives every one of us the tools to speak up if Brant starts leading us down the wrong path. We are a community for people who share Tzedek’s specific values, and we say freely that people who object to them can find other Jewish communities. There’s not much distance between that and establishing some kind of review committee to determine whether you faithfully adhere to every line of each of our core values in every aspect of your life. Don’t worry; we’re not going to establish an Inquisition. Spiritual freedom ensures we are universalist not only in our outcomes but also in our process. When our leaders are wrong or when we feel excluded, we get to speak up and remain wicked children at the table.
As a wicked child, I wonder how the rest of the wicked child Passover conversation goes. If I were continuing it, I would caution the parent, saying “Now you sound like the oppressor. Do you want to be like Pharaoh?!”
Mah ha’avodah hazot lakhem? What does this ritual mean to you?
This entry was posted in American Jewish Community, Human Rights, Israel, Jewish Community, Judaism, LGBTQ Issues, Palestine, Passover, Pesach, Religion, Tzedek Chicago, Zionism on April 25, 2019 by Rabbi Brant Rosen.
Bearing Witness to Root Causes at Radio Progreso
The invitation for our Root Causes Pilgrimage to Honduras came from Radio Progreso, a Jesuit-owned radio station based in the city of El Progreso. As one of the few independent media voices in Honduras Radio Progreso does extensive work in advancing human rights, promoting peace, supporting community-based initiatives, and advocating for environmental justice across the country. The station broadcasts its transmissions in nearby San Pedro Sula and the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa to an estimated audience of 1.5 million people.
Radio Progreso is led by Father Ismail Moreno, known to everyone in Honduras as “Father Melo.” Father Melo is one of the most important grassroots leaders in the country and a fierce proponent of human rights. In a time of increasing threats to freedom of speech, Radio Progreso is one of the most fiercely dependable sources of truth in the country.
In 2001, Padre Melo founded a companion project of Radio Progreso — Equipo de Reflexión, Investigación y Comunicación (ERIC), which provides grassroots investigation and reporting of the many forms of injustice and violence that plague Honduran activists and peasants working to reform the political and economic structures that stifle the development of the country’s poor and marginalized people. Melo has been the director of the radio station since 2006.
It’s difficult to understate the courage of institutions like Radio Progreso. In 2011, correspondent Nery Jeremias was gunned down; three years later, marketing manager Carlos Mejia was stabbed to death. The station has also been vandalized repeatedly over the years, After the station was critical of the fraudulent 2017, its antenna was destroyed by vandals. Father Melo himself lives with the constant threat to his life and well-being; his entry into public activism followed the brutal 1989 assassinations of his mentor, Jesuit Fr. Ignacio Ellacuría, and five confreres at the University of Central America in El Salvador.
We also spent the morning touring the station and learning about its work from the staff. As I quickly learned, Radio Progreso understands its work as a radio station in service of its role as an advocacy organization on behalf of the Honduran people. As it was explained to us, RIC plays an important role in researching and conveying news to its listeners on critical issues such as:
Political malfeasance;
The corruption of the electoral system;
The effects of the highly militarized local and national police;
Threats, intimidation and murder delivered against local people, human rights activists, environmentalists and farmers who oppose the ongoing environmental destruction caused by internationally-financed hydroelectric dams, extractive industries, agribusiness and the newly developed tourism industry;
The violence of criminal drug cartels which frequently have links to Honduran government officials or the grieving families whose migrating children who have mysteriously disappeared on the way to the US.
During a presentation by Father Melo and the staff, we participated in a moving ceremony which included an offering of gifts from our delegation. Among others, my friend and colleague Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb brought Father Melo a braid of sweet grass (at right) from the Lakota tribe at Standing Rock as a symbol of friendship and shared resistance.
After visiting the station, our delegation broke up into three groups and boarded buses for trips to different regions throughout the county. My group embarked on a 6 hour ride to Bajo Aguán. We made many stops along the way, however, including \a lovely seaside stop at La Ceiba beach on the northern coast.
We arrived in time for dinner and a briefing on the political situation in Bajo Aguán. It was an unforgettable visit – I’ll go into detail in my next post.
This entry was posted in Central America, Civil Rights, Environmentalism, Honduras, Human Rights, Immigration, Interfaith, Politics on April 2, 2019 by Rabbi Brant Rosen.
Root Causes of Forced Migration from Honduras: Some Background
Honduran street protest against 2009 coup (photo: DH Noticias)
It was my honor last week to travel with 75 delegates representing diverse religious traditions and advocacy organizations on a “Root Causes Pilgrimage” to Honduras. Sponsored by the the Bay Area-based SHARE – El Salvador and Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, we spent seven days traveling throughout the country, meeting with local grass roots groups, indigenous activists and faith leaders to learn about the root causes of forced migration – particularly those driven by US policies and multinational corporate profit.
While there has been a great deal of justified attention paid to the cruel and unjust immigration system in the US, there has been far less public discussion of how our country contributes to the poverty, violence and displacement that causes forced migration from Central America – and other countries across the global south.
Of course empires, nations and corporations have been colonizing and exploiting the natural resources of Central American countries for centuries. Shortly after Honduras gained its independence from Spain in 1821, US corporate influence in the country began with the development of the banana industry. Over the next century, the intervention of the United and Standard Fruit companies in the politics of Honduras would usurp indigenous communal lands to trade for capital investment contracts as the fair rights of Honduran laborers were ignored and exploited. This corporate/political exploitation brought instability, misery and poverty to the people of that country.
However, corporate exploitation is only one side of the story – the other is the courageous resistance of the Honduran people. The general strike of 1954 for instance, was a watershed moment, marking the first time in the history of that a country that a private corporation was pressured to negotiate with protesters to reach a collective agreement. In the 1970s, agrarian land reform reached a peak, in which the campesinos (small farmers) were able to create farm cooperatives. This came to a halt in the 1980s when neoliberal reforms opened the way for the widespread mono-cropping of the African palm tree, which overwhelmed local farms and has created environmental havoc for the region ever since.
By the time of the coup d’etat in 2009, the fortunes of Hondurans were actually starting to improve. President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, who came from the Honduran elite and belonged to one of the two traditional conservative parties, had begun to take more progressive positions, influenced by democratically-elected governments that had come to power in Central America throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2009, Zelaya introduced a non-binding referendum that included the creation of a new constitutional convention that would expand the rights and power of Indigenous people, women, campesinos and other disenfranchised populations in Honduras. The promise of Zelaya’s reforms however, were dashed by a military coup in June 2009, encouraged by the Obama administration.
As a result of the coup, a massive popular protest movement arose throughout the nation of Honduras. Despite widespread grassroots resistance however, the new regime was strengthened by the tacit acquiescence of the US government (Obama and Clinton famously refused to use the phrase “military coup,” which would have legally obligated the US to stop almost all foreign aid to Honduras immediately.) A sham election in late November was likewise supported by the US State Department.
Since the coup, privatization of public lands, the construction of mega-projects on indigenous and campesino land, targeted political repression, and violence has increased throughout the country. Human rights defenders, environmental activists, and others have been targeted by state repression and violence, including the March 2016 assassination of indigenous rights activist Berta Cáceres.
In November of 2017, Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández was reelected with overwhelming evidence of electoral fraud, and in contradiction to the Honduran constitution’s prohibition against multiple terms for presidents. In response, hundreds of thousands of Hondurans again took to the streets to defend their vote and their democracy. In turn, they were met with widespread and systematic human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, forced disappearance, kidnapping, and arbitrary detention. The abuses committed by Honduran security forces that receive U.S. training and funding, amount to crimes against humanity.
I’m sure at this point some readers might be glazing over this all-too-familiar litany of Central American military/corporate interventions. But this history is crucial for so many reasons, not least of which is the US government’s culpability in the forced migration of Hondurans. Indeed, it is impossible to underestimate how our encouragement/acquiescence to the Honduran coup its subsequent regime has normalized the rapid immiseration of the Honduran people and has caused so many of them to migrate northward.
As Professor Joseph Nevins of Vassar College has observed:
Organized crime, drug traffickers and the country’s police heavily overlap. The frequent politically motivated killings are rarely punished. In 2017, Global Witness, an international nongovernmental organization, found that Honduras was the world’s deadliest country for environmental activists.
Although its once sky-high murder rate has declined over the last few years, the continuing exodus of many youth demonstrates that violent gangs still plague urban neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, post-coup governments have intensified an increasingly unregulated, free market form of capitalism that makes life unworkable for many by undermining the country’s limited social safety net and greatly increasing socioeconomic inequality. Government spending on health and education, for example, has declined in Honduras. Meanwhile, the country’s poverty rate has risen markedly. These contribute to the growing pressures that push many people to migrate.
Enough for now. Please consider this your background reading for my next few posts. I encourage you to read the links as well, which contain critical context for the experiences I’ll be sharing over the next few days.
This entry was posted in Central America, Civil Rights, Global Activism, Honduras, Human Rights, Immigration, Labor Justice, Police Violence, Politics, Poverty, Religion, Torture on March 30, 2019 by Rabbi Brant Rosen.
Toward Shabbat Solidarity with Gaza
Tzedakah saves from death. (Proverbs 10:2)
For religious Jews, Friday is typically devoted to spiritual and practical preparation for the Sabbath. Those who are traditionally observant will spend the morning and afternoon doing their shopping, housecleaning and cooking for Shabbat before sundown. Before Shabbat worship, there is a preliminary service known as Kabbalat Shabbat: a series of Psalms and prayers of welcome that serve as a spiritual precursor to the onset of the Jewish Sabbath. As any Shabbat observant Jew will attest, the sense of spiritual preparation and anticipation that takes place on Friday is deeply imbedded in the sacred rhythm of the Jewish week.
Speaking personally, this sacred rhythm has been disrupted – perhaps even profaned – for me for almost a year now. That is because every Friday afternoon, my news feed is regularly filled with reports of Palestinian civilians killed and maimed by the Israeli military during the protests taking place during the Great March of Return.
Every Erev Shabbat, as I prepare for the most sacred day of the week, I invariably learn that Gazans – including young adults and children – have been shot down by Israeli bullets as they protest hundreds of meters from the Gaza border fences. As of January 2019, Israeli soldiers have killed over 250 people and injured 23,000. Among the injured, many are grievously wounded; the Washington Post recently reported that doctors in Gaza are often unable to deal with such traumatic injuries because Israel’s crushing blockade has left hospitals “overwhelmed and understaffed.”
Of course there is rarely a mention of these weekly events in the mainstream media – and when there is, news reports often treat the Palestinian demonstrators as the instigators of “violent clashes.” For its part, the Jewish communal establishment greets these crimes with silence at best and justification at worst – as if it is perfectly justifiable to regularly shoot down unarmed protesters with live gunfire.
I sometimes wonder if there are other Jews out there like me, whose personal preparation for Shabbat is regularly violated by the events transpiring every Friday afternoon along the Gaza border. Who approach Shabbat with an increasing sense of dread, often followed by anguish at the news of Gazans killed and injured by a military that acts in the name of the Jewish people. Who ask: how can we possibly prepare for this sacred weekly occasion as a Jewish army shoots down unarmed civilians for their “crime” of protesting for their human rights?
I have to believe there are other Jews for whom these weekly massacres at the Gaza border represent not only a human rights concern by an inherently spiritual violation and a profound moral/religious challenge. I would go as far as to say it is an aveirah – a religious transgression – for Jews to greet Shabbat without some kind of meaningful acknowledgement of what has been transpiring every week at the Gaza border.
What might this acknowledgement look like? A few thoughts occur to me: Since mourning rituals are traditionally lifted on Shabbat, we might pause before Shabbat candle lighting and mention the names of those who may have been killed or wounded in that week’s protest. Another idea: as it is traditional to give tzedekah before Friday night candle lighting by placing coins in a pushke – a tzedakah collection box – we could make giving tzedakah to a Gazan relief organization part of our weekly preparation for Shabbat. Such organizations might include the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), Doctors with Borders, or American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA).
In the Talmud, there is a famous rabbinic discussion of the line from Proverbs, “Tzedakah saves from death.” According to the plainest meaning of this verse, this means simply that charity has the very real potential to save lives. This kind of attitude, however, represents the noblesse oblige approach to giving: i.e., that those who have more have the responsibility to give to those who are less fortunate than they.
Such a view betrays the very meaning of the word “tzedakah,” which comes from the Hebrew root meaning “justice.” Indeed, if tzedakah has the force of justice behind it, then it cannot simply be left to the whims and choices of those who might be feeling “charitable.” It is rather, an obligation for all people to right the wrongs that abound in our world. All the more so in the case of Gaza, which is not so much humanitarian crisis as an injustice created by one powerful nation state that seeks to control a population by blockading it inside a virtual open air prison.
I have no illusions that giving tzedakah at the onset of Shabbat will on its own save the people of Gaza. And I do not want to endorse it as a kind of “indulgence” to assuage the guilt of those who don’t want to enter into Shabbat burdened by the thought of this terrible and ongoing human tragedy. Rather, I’m suggesting this new weekly practice as a way to do the work of justice as a regular discipline – and to make our final act of the week an act of solidarity with a people who are suffering from injustice committed by those purporting to be acting in our name.
So here’s my suggestion: let’s make justice for Gaza part of our weekly regimen as we prepare for Shabbat. May this act of conscience contribute all the more to Kedushat Hayom (“the holiness of the day”). And may we emerge from this day of renewal that much more inspired to fight for a world in which justice is extended to all who dwell upon it.
This entry was posted in American Jewish Community, Gaza, Human Rights, Israel, Judaism, Palestine, Religion, Spirituality, Tzedakah on February 19, 2019 by Rabbi Brant Rosen.
On Alice Walker and Antisemitism
The Jewish interwebs have been abuzz regarding Yair Rosenberg’s December 17 Tablet article in which he criticized the New York Times Book Review for its interview with Alice Walker. In last Sunday’s “By the Book” column, the Times asked Walker what books she had on her nightstand; among those she cited was a book by British antisemitic conspiracy theorist David Icke entitled, “And the Truth Shall Set You Free.” Walker commented, “In (his) books there is the whole of existence, on this planet and several others, to think about. A curious person’s dream come true.”
In his article, Rosenberg listed a litany of odious excerpts from Icke’s book, including his praise of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” his claims that the B’nai B’rith was behind the slave trade and his belief that the Rothschilds bankrolled Adolf Hitler. He also offered a long list of the numerous times Walker has endorsed Ickes’ ideas, including her posting of his video interview (now blocked by YouTube) with Infowars’ Alex Jones, of which she wrote:
I like these two because they’re real, and sometimes Alex Jones is a bit crazy; many Aquarians are. Icke only appears crazy to people who don’t appreciate the stubbornness required when one is called to a duty it is impossible to evade.
Rosenberg also posted in full, a deeply disturbing poem written by Walker in 2017 entitled “It is Our (Frightful) Duty to Study the Talmud.” This excerpt should give you a good idea about the tone and substance of Walker’s piece:
For a more in depth study
I recommend starting with YouTube. Simply follow the trail of “The
Talmud” as its poison belatedly winds its way
Into our collective consciousness.
I will sadly confess that I was unaware of Alice Walker’s history of antisemitic attitudes, even though this was apparently common knowledge among many on the left. During the Twitter eruption that followed Rosenberg’s piece for instance, Roxane Gay commented:
Those of us who were hearing of Walker’s antisemitic proclivities for the first time were particularly saddened to learn that this eloquent champion of anti-racism had been expressing such poisonous ideas toward Jews and Judaism. Journalist/filmmaker Rebecca Pierce spoke for many of us when she tweeted this response:
In his article, Rosenberg made mention of Walker’s anti-Israel politics, challenging “the progressive left” to call out antisemitism that is “presented in the righteous guise of ‘anti-Zionism.’” Although I don’t share Rosenberg’s conservative Israel politics, I accept his challenge. And yes, it’s painfully true that Walker’s Talmud poem egregiously cites Jewish religious tradition as the root cause of Israel’s oppression of Palestinians (as well as American police brutality, mass incarceration and “war in general”):
For the study of Israel, of Gaza, of Palestine,
Of the bombed out cities of the Middle East,
Of the creeping Palestination
Of our police, streets, and prisons
In America,
Of war in general,
It is our duty, I believe, to study The Talmud.
It is within this book that,
I believe, we will find answers
To some of the questions
That most perplex us.
Walker’s claim that the Talmud is “evil” and “poisonous” – a common antisemitic trope – is worth unpacking here. First of all, what is referred to as “The Talmud” is actually a vast corpus of Jewish civil and ritual law mixed with freewheeling legend and Biblical commentary composed between 200 and 500 CE. Though it is one of Jewish tradition’s foundational texts, Talmudic literature is not, to put it mildly, immediately accessible to the untrained reader. It’s typically studied by traditional Jews in the rarified world of schools known as yeshivot, where students’ primary focus is on the unique pedagogy of Talmudic argumentation.
Like all forms of religious literature, Talmudic tradition expresses a wide spectrum of ideas and attitudes. The contemporary reader would likely find its content to be alternately inscrutable, inspiring, challenging, archaic – and yes, at times even repugnant. It contains passages for example, that are profoundly misogynistic. And as Walker pointed out in her poem, it also contains occasional material that is decidedly anti-Gentile, including a notorious passage that depicts Jesus condemned to suffer in hell in a vat of burning excrement. (Yep, it’s true.) There are also texts that unabashedly claim Jewish lives must take precedence over non-Jewish lives – an idea that was also advocated centuries later by Moses Maimonides.
These texts are undeniably, inexcusably offensive and they must be called out, full stop. At the same time however, it is exceedingly disingenuous to judge a religion on the basis of its most problematic pronouncements. This attitude simplistically accepts these texts at face value, devoid of any context or historical background. It also ignores the fact that almost all faith traditions address the offensive, archaic or inconsistent elements in their sacred literature through the use of hermeneutics – that is, principles and methods that help readers understand their meaning in ever-changing societal contexts.
How for instance, might a contemporary religious feminist read and understand a blatantly misogynist Talmudic text? In an article entitled “When Sages are Wrong: Misogyny in Talmud,” Dr, Ruhama Weiss, of Hebrew Union College offers one hermeneutical approach:
(These Talmudic traditions) caused me a powerful disturbance. They forced me to think and react; to think about mechanisms of power and control and about the ability to be free from them. To make an effort to find and highlight additional voices, earlier voices, buried and hidden in misogynist rabbinic discussions.
Most importantly, these difficult sources teach me a lesson in modesty; from them I learn that unequally talented and wise people with good intentions can bequeath to subsequent generations difficult and bad traditions. I see the moral blind spots of my ancestors, and I am obligated to examine my own moral blind spots. Bad and disturbing sources make me think.
Indeed, this same hermeneutic method can be applied to Talmud’s xenophobic, anti-Gentile content as well. That is to say, these texts can challenge us to see “the moral blind spots of our ancestors and thus to examine our own moral blind spots.” They can help us confront “mechanisms of power and control” and contemplate the ways we might be able to “free ourselves of them.” These bad and disturbing sources can “make us think.”
Of course there are those who will read the texts of their faith through a more literal, fundamentalist hermeneutic. In such cases, it is up to those who cherish their religious tradition and the value of human rights for all to challenge such interpretations, particularly when the lines between church and state power become increasingly blurred.
On the subject of state power, I must add that I find it exceedingly problematic when folks criticize Talmudic tradition for its xenophobic attitudes without acknowledging the fundamentally anti-Jewish attitudes that are embedded deep within Christian religious tradition. It’s also important to note that antisemitic church teachings were historically used to inspire centuries of anti-Jewish persecution throughout Christian Europe, while the Talmud was written and compiled in a context of Jewish political powerlessness.
Today, in this relatively new era of Jewish power, it is certainly important to remain vigilant over the ways Jewish tradition is used to justify the oppression of Palestinians. Indeed, since the establishment of the State of Israel, this subject has been intensely debated throughout Israel and the Jewish Diaspora. As I write these words in fact, I’m recalling a blog post I wrote back in 2009 about then Chief Rabbi of the Israeli Defense Forces Avichai Rontzki, who made a comment, based on Jewish religious texts, that soldiers who “show mercy” toward the enemy in wartime will be “damned”:
How will we, as Jews, respond to the potential growth of Jewish Holy War ideology within the ranks of the Israeli military? How do we feel about Israeli military generals holding forth on the religious laws of warfare? Most Americans would likely agree that in general, mixing religion and war is a profoundly perilous endeavor. Should we really be so surprised that things are now coming to this?
I do not ask these questions out of a desire to be inflammatory. I ask them only because I believe we need to discuss them honestly and openly – and because these kinds of painful questions have for too long been dismissed and marginalized by the “mainstream” Jewish establishment.
In the end, every faith tradition has its good, bad and ugly. And in the end, I would submit that the proper way to confront these toxic texts is for people of faith to own the all of their religious heritage – and to grapple with it seriously, honestly and openly. And while we’re at it, it’s generally a good rule of thumb to avoid using the bad, ugly stuff in any religion’s textual tradition to make sweeping historical or political claims about that religion and/or the folks who adhere to it.
What is not at all helpful is for people such as Alice Walker to cherry-pick and decontextualize quotes from one particular religious tradition and warn that its “poison” is “winding its way into our collective consciousness.”
Like many of my friends who are just now learning about her adherence to antisemitic tropes, I fervently hope she will come to understand, as Rebecca Pierce put it, that the attitudes she endorses “are part of the same white supremacist power structure she so deftly fought through her written work in the past.”
This entry was posted in Anti-Semitism, Books, Christianity, Holocaust, Human Rights, Interfaith, Israel, Judaism, Palestine, Police Violence, Racism, Religion, Women's Issues, Zionism on December 19, 2018 by Rabbi Brant Rosen.
I Witnessed the Horror of Border Militarization, and Vow to Fight It
Cross-posted with Truthout
Interfaith clergy lead demonstrators through Border Field State Park en route to the San Diego – Tijuana border (photo: Steve Pavey, Hope in Focus, stevepavey.com)
I‘ve just returned from the San Diego-Tijuana border where I had the honor of participating in “Love Knows No Borders” — an interfaith action sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and co-sponsored by a myriad of faith organizations from across the country. As a staffer for AFSC and a member of Jewish Voice for Peace (one of the many co-sponsoring organizations), I took a special pride in this interfaith mobilization, in which more than 400 people from across the country gathered to take a moral stand against our nation’s sacrilegious immigration system. I’m particularly gratified that the extensive media from our action could shine a light on the brutal reality at our increasingly militarized southern border.
The date of the action (December 10) was symbolically chosen to take place on the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and served as the kick off to a nationwide week of action that will conclude on December 18, International Migrant’s Day. The action set three basic demands before the US government: to respect people’s human right to migrate, to end the militarization of border communities, and to end the detention and deportation of immigrants.
Over the course of this past weekend, hundreds of participants streamed into San Diego for orientation and training. To conclude our preparation and as a precursor to the upcoming action, an interfaith service was held in the packed sanctuary of University Christian Church. As one of the Jewish leaders of the service, I noted that it was the eighth and final night of Hanukkah and invited the Jewish members of our delegation up to sing the blessings.
Before the lighting, I explained that the final night of Hanukkah is the night in which our light shines the brightest, and I pointed out the wonderful confluence of this Jewish festival with our interfaith action the following day. Rev. Traci Blackmon, a United Church of Christ leader and prominent social justice activist, delivered one of the most powerful messages of the evening, properly placing the issue of immigrant justice within the context of US white supremacy. (You can find the Facebook Live video of the service here. The Hanukkah lighting begins at the 24:30 mark; Rev. Blackmon’s remarks begin at 1:19:16.)
Arrests at the Border
The next morning, we gathered at AFSC’s San Diego office and left in buses to Border Field State Park, located just north of the border with Tijuana. After a press conference, we marched west down the trail to the beach, then turned south and approached the border fence, which snaked across the beach and jutted several hundred feet into the water. As we got closer, we could see a tangle of barbed concertina wire laid out in front of the fence. Behind the wire stood a phalanx of heavily armed border patrol.
When we reached the edge of the wire, some of the clergy formed a semi-circle and offered blessings for the migrants. As the prayers were spoken aloud, border patrol officers used a megaphone to inform us that we were trespassing on federal property and that we needed to move to the back of the wire. I recited the Priestly Benediction in Hebrew and English (“May God bless you and keep you …”), doing my best to articulate the prayer between the voices of border patrol barking out orders (a ceremonial first for me).
When our blessings were over, we went back to the other side of the barbed wire and those of us in front formed a line directly facing the guards. A border patrol officer repeatedly told us to leave, adding that he did not want any violence — an ironic statement considering that he and the rest of the riot-gear clad border patrol officers wielded automatic weapons in front of our faces. We began to chant freedom chants and held the line, even as the border patrol officers inched forward and started to push us back.
While we were careful not to touch any officers, we continued to hold the line as the border patrol pushed us forward. Eventually, protesters who did not yield were grabbed, pulled to the border patrol’s side of the line and arrested. Most men were thrown to the ground and held down with their faces in the sand while their hands were bound together with plastic ties; women were generally allowed to kneel before they were led away from the beach to waiting border patrol vans
As I continued to hold the line on the far west end of the front line, I noticed a commotion at the other end: Officers had broken through the line and were chasing protesters down the beach. I saw one of our protest organizers, AFSC staffer Matt Leber, roughly thrown to the ground by at least five or six border patrol officers, handcuffed and led away. While Leber did not intend to take an arrest, this kind of intentional targeting of organizers is a common law enforcement tactic.
In this video taken of the incident you can see Leber (wearing the red T-shirt and backpack) guiding the protest when he is suddenly attacked, unprovoked, by the border patrol, who lunge at him and yank off his backpack. You can also see AFSC staffer Jacob Flowers (wearing the yellow vest) being thrown to the ground.
Border patrol officers arrest AFSC staffer Matt Leber (photo: Steve Pavey, Hope in Focus, stevepavey.com)
Shortly after Leber’s arrest, I dropped to my knees and was grabbed and pinned down by two border patrol officers. When it became clear that I wasn’t resisting, they allowed me to stand of my own accord and led me to the line of arrested protesters who were arrayed along a fence, waiting to be placed into vans.
According to the border patrol, 32 of us were arrested. We don’t currently have an exact arrest count, but it seems that most of us were charged with the misdemeanor of “nonconformity to the orders of a Federal Law Enforcement officer.” When a day went by with no further word about Leber, AFSC released a statement calling for his immediate release. To our collective relief, he was eventually let out of the Metropolitan Correction Center on Tuesday afternoon.
The True Meaning of Border Militarization
During our debrief, many noted the ferocity of the border guard’s response to our prayerful, nonviolent demonstration. Many of us — in particular the white, privileged members of our delegation — agreed that we had gained a deeper sense of empathy and solidarity with our migrant neighbors, a stronger understanding of the toxic effects of militarization on our border communities, and a more profound conviction than ever that we must all fight for a nation that receives immigrants with open hearts and open doors.
This experience also served to demonstrate what “militarization of the border” truly means. My friend and fellow Jewish Voice for Peace member Elaine Waxman put it well when she wrote about our experience on her Facebook page:
What has stuck with me most in the last 24 hours is a deeply uncomfortable sense of what that border surely looks like when the witnesses are gone, the journalists are not taking pictures, and the encounters are with migrants instead of documented (and often white) community leaders. Because what we saw yesterday looks like a police state.
Indeed, when we stood up to the line of armed border patrol officers, I couldn’t help but flash back to my very similar experience in a direct action with Youth Against Settlements during the summer of 2006 in Hebron. In both cases we faced heavily armed soldiers, the loud screaming of orders, and the use of the threat of violence to intimidate and deter those who do not yield to state control.
Clergy demonstrators hold the line at the San Diego – Tijuana border fence. (photo: Steve Pavey, Hope in Focus, stevepavey.com)
I also noticed another, more specific similarity between these two experiences. When I stood in front of the border guards on the beach, I noticed familiar tear gas canisters belted across their chests. I’d seen the same on soldiers throughout the West Bank and Gaza: silver cylinders with blue writing manufactured by Combined Tactical Systems in Jamestown, Pennsylvania.
Seeing those same canisters at the US-Mexico border reminded me of the multiple intersections between systems of state violence and corporate profit – and of the need for a movement that will expose and dismantle them once and for all.
This entry was posted in American Friends Service Committee, Gaza, Hanukkah, Human Rights, Immigration, Interfaith, Israel, Jewish Voice for Peace, Nonviolence, Palestine, Racism, Religion on December 15, 2018 by Rabbi Brant Rosen.
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Michel Ancel (born March 29, 1972) is a French video game designer for Ubisoft. He is best known for creating the Rayman franchise, for which he was the lead designer for the first two games, and the recent Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. He is also known for the cult favourite Beyond Good & Evil and for the video game adaptation of Peter Jackson's King Kong. He is currently working on a sequel to Beyond Good & Evil with a small team of developers, using development tools specially designed to make game development more accessible to a greater audience.
2 Video game developing career
Michel Ancel was born in Monaco on the 29th of March, 1972. Ancel is currently married to Alexandra Ancel née Steible, with whom he has two children. He is the stepfather of Alexandra's four older children, and has two more children of his own from a previous relationship. His eldest child, Claire, was born when he was sixteen years old. Alexandra worked with Ancel on the first two Rayman games, as well as Beyond Good & Evil and King Kong.
Video game developing career
Ancel met the game developer Nicolas Choukroun in Montpellier at the age of 16. He worked as a graphics artist on several of Choukroun's games, such as The Intruder and Pick'n Pile. Ancel's first demo, Mechanic Warriors, was developed for software house Lankhor. In 1988, Ancel created a computer animation illustrating the effect of CFCs on the ozone layer as part of a competition in a professional journal. The animation, which depicted the Earth being transformed into a vast desert, did not win the competition; however, it attracted the attention of Ubi Soft, who hired him as a graphics artist.
Ancel's first game as both programmer and graphic artist, The Brain Blasters (also known as The Teller) was published by Ubi Soft in 1990. In 1992, he began to work on Rayman, his directorial debut. It was originally released in 1995 for the Atari Jaguar and PC, and in 1996 for PlayStation and Sega Saturn.
Ancel was also heavily involved in the development of Rayman 2: The Great Escape in 1999, but had only an advisory role on Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc. Although he praised its development team, he says that the game is "a bit too concrete for my tastes", and that he "would have made the game differently".
In 2003, he created Beyond Good & Evil, which garnered critical acclaim and a cult following, but was a commercial failure. However, acclaimed film director Peter Jackson's admiration for the game – and his frustration with EA's handling of the The Lord of the Rings license – led to Ancel being given direction of the Peter Jackson's King Kong video game adaptation. In spite of Ubisoft's reluctance to produce a Beyond Good & Evil sequel, Ancel has expressed a clear wish to produce one in the future.
On April 5, 2006, Ubisoft announced Ancel was leading the development of the fourth game in the Rayman series, Rayman Raving Rabbids, for the Nintendo Wii. The game began production in early 2005 and was released on November 15, 2006 for the launch of the Wii. However, Ancel was notably absent from the project after its E3 announcement, and he has made no public appearances regarding the game after the development team switched focus from a free-roaming platformer to the final minigames format shortly after E3. In the final game, Ancel was only credited with storyboarding and character design, while design credits were shared between multiple other people.
On March 13, 2006, Ancel, along with Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Alone in the Dark and Little Big Adventure creator Frédérick Raynal, was knighted by the French Minister of Culture and Communication, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, as a knight of arts and literature. It was the first time that video game developers were honoured with this distinction.
In an interview with Nintendo Power, Ancel confirmed that he was working on a new project which meant a lot to him. He also talked about Jade from Beyond Good & Evil and said that "I really hope that Jade will continue to keep her values and her personality". Ubisoft's CEO, Yves Guillemot, confirmed that Michel Ancel was currently working on several unannounced projects, as of March 2008.
In a 2008 interview with French video game magazine JVM (for Jeux Vidéo Magazine), Ancel stated that a sequel to Beyond Good & Evil has been in pre-production by a small team for about a year, but they still await Ubisoft's approval before moving into full production.
On December 18, 2008, at the VGL event in Paris, Ancel stated that the game has been under development for a year and a half and that the development team have received total freedom from Ubisoft, giving them the opportunity to make the game how they want.
On August 2009, shortly after GamesCom, Ubisoft officially put Beyond Good & Evil 2 on hold, with the future of the game uncertain.
In January 2010, Geoffrey Sardin, CEO of Ubisoft France, confirmed that Beyond Good & Evil 2 was still in production.
In late May 2010, rumours surfaced from French video game website Wootgaming that Beyond Good & Evil 2 had been cancelled, and Ancel had left Ubisoft to found his own independent studio. Ubisoft soon issued denials of this rumour. However, friend of Ancel and game developer Nicolas Choukron left a comment on an unofficial Michel Ancel Facebook fanpage[1] saying that Ancel had formed a new studio which was a subsidiary of Ubisoft, as the Montpellier team was too large. Choukroun also revealed that Ancel and his new studio were working on a new Rayman game. This rumour has been proven correct, after Ubisoft unveiled a new Rayman project, entitled Rayman Origins. In 2010, Ubisoft announced Rayman Origins, first an episodic video game designed by Michel Ancel and developed by a small team of five people, but then it was announced that it transformed into a full game. The title uses the UBIart Framework developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and Ancel. UBIart is a developer platform that allows artists and animators to easily create content and use it in an interactive environment. The engine is optimized for HD resolutions and is capable of running games at 60 frames per second in 1920x1080 resolution. The UBIart tools were set to be released as open-source software in 2011, but at the time of this writing, no such release has occurred.
Speaking at Montpellier in Game conference in June 2010, Ancel revealed that he's developing similar tools to create Beyond Good & Evil 2 with a very small team to preserve its "artistic spirit".[2] Ancel is experimenting with different development techniques and tools. He claims these tools are getting similar to those used by Weta Digital.
Michel Ancel would later have the same role as he did in Rayman Origins in the development of Rayman Legends, which was announced in 2012, and saw release in 2013.
Ancel is also recognized as one of the best game designers in IGN's Top 100 Game Creators, ranking 24th out of 100.[3]
Michel would go on to found an independent game studio, named Wild Sheep Studios. However, he is still working with UbiSoft Montpellier.
On October 12, 2017, Ancel posted on his Instagram account that he is very interested in making the 'fourth' Rayman adventure,[4] suggesting of a future revival of the prototype or the then-planned original fourth game that was cancelled. Though he does mention that it will most likely happen once both Wild and Beyond Good and Evil 2 are done.
Mechanic Warriors (1988 – unreleased) – Graphics
The Intruder (c 1989) – Graphics
Pick 'n Pile (1990) – Graphics
The Teller/The Brain Blasters (1990) – Graphics, Programming
Rayman (1995) – Concept, Design
The Adventures of Valdo & Marie (1997) – Special credits for game design
Tonic Trouble (1999) – Original Concept
Rayman 2: The Great Escape (1999) – Original Concept, Artistic Director, Based on a story by
Rayman M/Arena (2001) – Concept
Rayman Rush (2002) – Concept
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc – Rayman Created By & Special Thanks To
Beyond Good & Evil (2003) – Directed By, Story, Design, Additional Character Design
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (2005) – Creative Director, Game Design
Rayman Raving Rabbids (2006) – Based on an original world by
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (2007) – Character Design
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (2008) – Character Design
Rayman Origins (2011) – A game created and directed by & based on the original creation by
Rayman Jungle Run (2012) - Concept, Design
Rayman Legends (2013) - Concept, Design
Rayman Adventures (2015)
Wild (TBA)
Beyond Good & Evil 2 (TBA)
In an interview of ABC from the GoodGame rubric, Ancel revealed that Big Mama, which appears in the E3 2010 trailer of Rayman Origins was voiced by himself.
Ancel rejects the often held belief that video games of French origin are more original, claiming the problem lies not in the development process, but in risk-averseness at US publishers.
Ancel worked on, but did not design, Tonic Trouble (1999), which features limbless characters in the same mould as Rayman. He shares credit on his Rayman games with Frédéric Houde, while Jacques Exertier contributed many of the cinematic and story elements of Beyond Good & Evil and King Kong. He is also credited in Rayman games not designed by him because he was responsible for the creation of the character.
↑ Michel Ancel unofficial fanpage, Facebook.com
↑ Ancel using small team to make BG&E2, Eurogamer.net
↑ Top 100 game creators, IGN.com
↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BaI0eAwAEPb/?taken-by=michelancel Michel Ancel Instagram post
Retrieved from "https://raymanpc.com/wiki/script-en/index.php?title=Michel_Ancel&oldid=74205"
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Real Estate Listings: Commercial Real Estate Industrial premises
Office spaces 6
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Industrial premises For Sale and For Rent in Spain, p. 0
Premises registration is "a way to locate where livestock or dead animals are kept or congregated."[1] In the United States, it is voluntary according to the USDA, but may be mandatory for each state.[1] As of January 13, 2009 the USDA has entered into the federal register a document which provides for the expansion of implementation of a mandatory national animal identification system to be effective January 2010. Citizens may go here [1] to enter their comments and concerns about the expected effects of such limitations imposed by this action.
Spain (Spanish: España [esˈpaɲa] (listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a country mostly located in Europe. Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula. Its territory also includes two archipelagoes: the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The African enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country (Morocco). Several small islands in the Alboran Sea are also part of Spanish territory. The country's mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and northeast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. With an area of 505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi), Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe, the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the fourth largest country in the European continent. By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union. Spain's capital and largest city is Madrid; other major urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Málaga and Bilbao. Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago. Iberian cultures along with ancient Phoenician, Greek, Celtic and Carthaginian settlements developed on the peninsula until it came under Roman rule around 200 BCE, after which the region was named Hispania, based on the earlier Phoenician name Sp(a)n or Spania. At the end of the Western Roman Empire the Germanic tribal confederations migrated from Central Europe, invaded the Iberian peninsula and established relatively independent realms in its western provinces, including the Suebi, Alans and Vandals. Eventually, the Visigoths would forcibly integrate all remaining independent territories in the peninsula, including Byzantine provinces, into the Kingdom of Toledo, which more or less unified politically, ecclesiastically and legally all the former Roman provinces or successor kingdoms of what was then documented as Hispania. In the early eighth century the Visigothic Kingdom fell to the Moors of the Umayyad Islamic Caliphate, who arrived to rule most of the peninsula in the year 726, leaving only a handful of small Christian realms in the north and lasting up to seven centuries in the Kingdom of Granada. This led to many wars during a long reconquering period across the Iberian Peninsula, which led to the creation of Kingdom of Leon, Kingdom of Castille, Kingdom of Aragon and Kingdom of Navarre as the main Christian kingdoms to face the invasion. Following the Moorish conquest, Europeans began a gradual process of retaking the region known as the Reconquista, which by the late 15th century culminated in the emergence of Spain as a unified country under the Catholic Monarchs. In the early modern period, Spain became the world's first global empire and the most powerful country in the world, leaving a large cultural and linguistic legacy that includes +570 million Hispanophones, making Spanish the world's second-most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese. During the Golden Age there were also many advancements in the arts, with world-famous painters such as Diego Velázquez. The most famous Spanish literary work, Don Quixote, was also published during the Golden Age. Spain hosts the world's third-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Spain is a secular parliamentary democracy and a parliamentary monarchy, with King Felipe VI as head of state. It is a major developed country and a high income country, with the world's fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP and sixteenth largest by purchasing power parity. It is a member of the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the Eurozone, the Council of Europe (CoE), the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), the Union for the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Schengen Area, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and many other international organisations. While not an official member, Spain has a "Permanent Invitation" to the G20 summits, participating in every summit, which makes Spain a de facto member of the group.
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Nearly 2 million Brits sign up for EE 4G, broadband figures continue to grow
EE’s latest results show that nearly 2 million Brits have signed up for superfast 4G.
The company’s 4G customer based swelled by 68 per cent in the last three months, taking the total number of customers using the next-gen mobile service to 1.996 million.
Since launching, EE has consistently cranked up the top speeds possible on its 4G from 40Mbps to 300Mbps.
Olaf Swantee, Chief Executive Officer of EE, commented: “We successfully executed our strategy, growing our pay monthly base, delivering our targeted cost savings and achieving our best margin yet, all while cementing EE’s position as the UK’s best network for consumers and businesses alike.
“2013 was the year of 4G, with two million customers enjoying the benefits of superfast connectivity on Britain’s most awarded network.”
While most people on EE’s 4G network won’t actually get those top speeds due to a number of factors, independent tests have shown that the average speed EE 4G customers experience is around 22Mbps.
This is faster than the UK’s average home broadband speed and faster than the top speed of EE’s own entry-level broadband package (17Mbps).
The faster speeds might explain why take up of EE’s home broadband product has been less enthusiastic.
In the last three months, EE added 12,000 broadband customers, taking the total number of customers to 726,000. While EE hasn’t revealed how many of those customers have taken the superfast FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet), it’s revealed that around 4,000 subscribers are still using dial-up.
Despite 4G grabbing the limelight, EE’s home broadband customer base has continued to grow for eight months running. This still isn’t enough to break the ISP out of fifth position that it’s locked into, so it’s unlikely it’ll be bothering TalkTalk anytime soon.
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Science ⋅
Geology ⋅
What Drives the Process of Plate Tectonics?
••• Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
The Scientist Henry Hess Invented What Kind of Devices?
By Sheri Lamb
Scientists claim the theory of plate tectonics has caused the movement of continents ever since they were formed. The theory of plate tectonics states sections of the Earth's crust are pushing against each other miles below the Earth's surface, causing earthquakes, volcanoes and the movement of the continents. Approximately 30 plates are mapped out throughout the world. The plates consist of the Earth's crust and of the mantle, which is a thick layer of hot rock. Below that lies a sea of magma.
Lava moving underneath the Earth's crust is driving plate tectonics. This lava moves at an extremely slow pace. As the magma boils, it rises to the surface and starts to cool. At that point it sinks back to the pot of boiling lava and is heated again as it rises and then falls again. The process, which is referred to as convective flow, causes the plates to move apart.
The core, mantle and crust were formed billions of years ago when the Earth was formed. Much of the heat that causes this movement is from the energy that was produced by various rocks that collided during the formation. Radioactive material that is found in the Earth's depths are also causing the heat. Uranium and other radioactive elements are releasing heat as they decay. This also contributes to the Earth's surface temperature.
Volcanoes are a direct result of plate tectonics. As the heavier plates move under the lighter plates and plunge toward the center of the Earth, they are heated and become magma. This heating process causes carbon dioxide that forces itself up. When it reaches the Earth's surface, it erupts in a volcano and the gas is released into the atmosphere. The temperature of the lava can reach 9,032 degrees Fahrenheit.
Plate tectonics have caused a former continent known as Pangaea to pull apart. This super continent contained all the continents that are mapped today, though they are in a much different position than 200 million years ago when Pangaea existed. By observing a map, you can see where the continents fit into place. Like a puzzle, South America fit onto the west coast of Africa and North America sat on top along with Europe. Antarctica was with Australia at the bottom and Asia hooked up to the east coast of Europe at the top.
YouTube: The Early Earth and Plate Tectonics
YouTube: Plate Tectonics
Thinkquest: What Causes Volcanoes?
Sheri Lamb has been a reporter since 2006 in community newspapers throughout Canada. While she has covered virtually every beat associated with community newspapers, Lamb specializes in sports. In addition to her skills as a reporter, Lamb holds a certificate in computer programming. She also runs a small catering company.
What Is the Primary Force That Causes the Seafloor to Spread?
Three Types of Boundaries Between Lithospheric Plates
Types of Rocks Found in the Himalayas
What Type of Plate Boundary Is the Aleutian Trench?
The Geology of the Earth's Internal Processes
What Forms in Divergent Boundaries?
Facts About the African Plate
Definition of Tectonic Plates for Kids
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Gravitational-Wave Observations Shine New Light on Universe Expansion
TOPICS:AstronomyAstrophysicsNeutron StarPopularUniversity Of Glasgow
By University of Glasgow November 6, 2014
A newly published study details how scientists developed a new way to use gravitational waves to measure the expansion rate of the universe.
In a paper published in the journal Physical Review X, the international research team outline how they have developed highly advanced computer simulations to use special types of neutron stars to learn more about the fabric of the Universe.
Lead author Dr Christopher Messenger, of the University of Glasgow’s School of Physics and Astronomy, said: “In Einstein’s theory of gravity, acceleration of mass leads to the emission of energy in the form of gravitational radiation – ripples in the very fabric of space-time that travel at the speed of light.
“Gravitational radiation has not yet been directly detected by scientists, as the ripples are extremely weak by the time they reach Earth. However, highly sensitive detectors such as American Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) and the French-Italian-Dutch Virgo project may well soon find the first direct evidence of gravitational waves’ existence.
“Among the most likely sources of waves expected to be detected by LIGO and Virgo are astrophysical binaries consisting of neutron stars – the tiny, extremely dense remainders of suns which have collapsed after reaching supernova.
“These neutron stars lose energy to gravitational radiation over hundreds of millions of years, causing them to spiral in and merge to create a hyper-massive neutron star. We expect that LIGO and Virgo will allow us to detect the spacetime ripples from the last 15 minutes of this inspiral process.”
Physicist Bernard Schutz discovered in 1986 that such merging binaries could be used to accurately measure distances to galaxies billions of light years away.
To measure the expansion rate of the Universe and its dark matter and dark energy content, however, it is necessary to measure not just the distance but also the cosmological redshift of the source, namely how quickly distant galaxies are receding from us. Redshift is the name given to the phenomenon whereby electromagnetic radiation is increased in wavelength with distance. A commonly-known example of redshift is the apparent change in the pitch of an emergency siren as police cars or ambulances move closer and further away from an observer.
Until recently it was believed that gravitational wave observations alone would not determine the cosmological redshifts of their sources.
Dr Messenger added: “What we’ve shown for the first time is that, in the special case where the binary consists of neutron stars, it will be possible to measure both the distance and cosmological redshift using just gravitational waves.
“We’ve used numerical simulations which take months to run on state-of-the-art computing facilities to accurately model the dynamics of such systems and to compute the emitted gravitational radiation. These highly accurate simulations have allowed us to identify characteristic frequencies in the gravitational wave signal from the hyper-massive neutron star.”
The researchers say that they have shown how measurement of the characteristic frequencies before and after merger, together with prior knowledge of their true values from numerical simulations, makes it possible to extract the redshift directly from gravitational wave observations. For the first time they have demonstrated that there is a cosmological application for the post-merger signal and that redshift measurements can be made from binary neutron star merger signals.
Dr Messenger said: “What we have shown is that it will be possible in theory to measure redshifts of cosmological sources. To accomplish this in practice we will need more sophisticated simulations of the merger dynamics of neutron stars. For example, we don’t know yet the internal structure of neutron stars and this has to be understood in detail in order for us to infer redshifts from gravitational wave observations.”
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics and Goethe University in Germany, the California Institute of Technology in the USA, and Cardiff University in Wales also contributed to the paper.
Publication: C. Messenger, et al., “Source Redshifts from Gravitational-Wave Observations of Binary Neutron Star Mergers,” Phys. Rev. X 4, 041004, 8 October 2014; doi:10.1103/PhysRevX.4.041004
PDF Copy of the Study: Host redshifts from gravitational-wave observations of binary neutron star mergers
Image: NASA
LIGO and Virgo Detect Gravitational Waves from Binary Black Hole Merger
Neutron Star Merger Confirms Decades of Predictions
Hubble Observes a Kilonova from Merging Neutron Stars
NASA Scientists Detect First Light from a Gravitational-Wave Event
Fermi Observations Poised to Pin Down Gravitational Wave Sources
Astronomers View Light Show Associated With Gravitational Waves
Astronomers Use Pulsars to Listen for Gravitational Waves
New Model Demonstrates That Stars Can Absorb Gravitational Ripples
Be the first to comment on "Gravitational-Wave Observations Shine New Light on Universe Expansion"
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Erik Blood
Erik Blood creates music that lives in the magic hour. His production is a nuanced secret told only to his co-conspirators (Shabazz Palaces, Moondoggies, THEESatisfaction most notably). After two albums and a film score, Blood is delving further inward, into the dream, and returning with tales and melodies that evoke the warmth between two bodies and the dizziness of love, sex, or other substances
SCIFLYER
Finally located by SETI and transmitted via VALIS to the 3-dimensional world here.
The Shivas are a rock and roll band from Portland, Oregon formed in 2006. In the 10 years since forming they have brought their raucous dance party to almost all 50 states, and over 25 countries worldwide, meanwhile releasing five full-length albums and three EPs on labels such as K Records and Burger Records. With the release of their latest – TURN ME ON (out May 12, 2017 on Burger Records/Annibale Records) they set out on spring/summer tours across North America and Europe, spending a few weeks at home in their time off to finish working on their 6th LP, set to come out in 2018. Keep an eye out for an upcoming Shivas show in your town. Chances are, no matter where you live, they will be coming through soon.
NEW CANDYS (ITALY)
New Candys formed in Venice (Italy) in 2008. Their influences have roots in The Velvet Underground and Syd Barrett. After a self-produced EP, in 2012 they released the album “Stars Reach The Abyss” on Foolica, a UK tour followed. In 2015 they took part in “The Reverb Conspiracy”, compilation curated by Fuzz Club/The Reverberation Appreciation Society (Levitation Austin). Later that year “New Candys As Medicine”, album mixed by John Wills (producer and drummer of Loop), has been released on both Picture In My Ear/Fuzz Club and added to The Committee To Keep Music Evil catalogue, receiving praises from Simone Marie Butler of Primal Scream and Stephen Lawrie of The Telescopes. Three EU/UK tours followed, including festivals like The Secret Garden Party 2015 and Liverpoool Psych Fest 2016. Their third album “Bleeding Magenta” has been released October 6th 2017 on Fuzz Club, songs from it have recently been featured on KEXP’s Music That Matters Podcast and on episodes of Showtime Networks original TV series “Shameless”. Their fourth EU/UK tour and first Australian tour followed (headlining both Sydney and Melbourne Psych Fests) with a US-Mexico tour planned in April-May 2018. They shared the stage with The Warlocks, Dead Skeletons, Crystal Stilts, Slowdive, Savages, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and The Vaccines among others.
HEAVEN(NYC)
Brooklyn-based psych-rock band, Heaven, announce their sophomore album, All Love is Blue, due out on March 2, 2018 via Little Cloud Records. The 10-track LP is produced by the band, engineered by Albert DiFiore (Caveman, Sinkane, Beck) mixed by Al Carlson (Zola Jesus, Widowspeak).
Heaven is Matt Sumrow (vocals and guitar), Mikey Jones (drums) and Liz Lohse (keyboards and vocals). Sumrow and Jones created the band in the wake of touring and recording with artists such as Dean and Britta, Swervedriver, Ambulance LTD, The Comas, Snowden, The Big Sleep and others.
A romantic clash between your Dad’s long-lost favorite psych record and the soundtrack to a John Hughes film, Heaven ride a massive sonic wave in delivering their dear and dreamy tracks. In July of 2013, Heaven released their debut LP Telepathic Love on Goodnight Records. The live lineup came together on the touring of Telepathic Love with the addition of keyboardist Liz Lohse (X-Ray Eyeballs), who has since become a permanent member.
As 2018 sees the release of All Love Is Blue on Little Cloud Records, out of Portland, Oregon, subsequent tour dates for Heaven in support of the album will follow. Their new work is a quantum leap forward for the band, both artistically and sonically, making the protracted wait between albums a huge payoff.
The band formed in 2014, their name inspired by a Chinese bar, called “The Good Luck”, in Silverlake where the two had met in 2006. Loren played drums in April’s previous band, but this time around they wanted to create electronic dance music, but, since they were also grinding away as LA advertising designers by day, the last thing they really wanted to was come home to eachother and be on the computer some more at night. Inspired by Phantogram’s performance on moogmusic.com, they ordered a moog phatty and moog minitaur and dumped the MPC/Abelton/Plugins to began constructing songs with just analogue synths, sequencers and electronic drum pads.
“…Electrowave and synth-wave, blended with cold-wave … an excellent record in hand which music sites and the dedicated “synthetic” media will discover sooner or later. A good band with a good record, and an excellent sound that came to light in acknowledged studios by some really skilled people. ” – Noise Journal
“Electropop … with an early 2000s vibe. Arise from the glorious era of the feminine Electropop movement. Here the musical roots are particularly good to hear. Especially worth mentioning is the very well articulated and transformable voice of April Love.”- Electro Zombies
“the likes of Kraftwerk and humanizes it through lush vocals and hazy electronica … the elegance and aloofness of the Blitz Kid originators…dreamy and sonorous, yet wonderfully lucid and focused … chilled out dance set meets the stoner haze..” – The Swindonian
“They successfully incorporate synth-heavy bass with polyphonic harmonies and crystalline vocals, propelling the music into trance-inducing territory.”-Synthpop lover
“The duo construct darkly tinged analog daydreams.”- Somewhere Cold
“To say that I was impressed with this album would be an understatement. LUCKYandLOVE are synthpop done right…a nod to the past with a wink toward the future.”- Echo Synthetic
Seattle post-punk gazers. Dreamy, dynamic and loud.
née C’est la Mort.
Seattle’s Fotoform create beautiful guitar-based dreamy post-punk. Propelled forward by Kim House’s melodic bass and Garrett Croxon’s (Fleet Foxes, Erik Blood, Moon Dial) swinging backbeat, Kim’s vocals glide over intertwining guitars from Geoff Cox and Stephen Jones (Red Martian).
Taking their name from a mid-century expressionist photography movement, Fotoform recall the gauzy atmosphere of UK alternative (The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Lush, Slowdive, Siouxsie and the Banshees) with the immediacy of US indie and post-punk. A captivating and arresting live band, Fotoform will be releasing their debut LP in early 2017, following an ultra-limited hand-lathed acetate 7” single.
Fotoform draw from the band members’ history in shoegaze/darkwave veterans, C’est la Mort, who enjoyed critical attention in the US and especially Europe. After weathering multiple line-ups (some bordering on the Spinal Tap-esque: one drummer left because of narcolepsy; another moved to Belgium to work for the DEA), C’est la Mort released one album and contributed to a number of compilations (including a tribute to The Smiths, alongside Stars, Doug Martsch, Telekinesis, Wedding Present, etc). C’est la Mort began performing as Fotoform in late 2016
It’s no coincidence the band name was picked from the final and most explosive single by legendary Brit-rock band Ride. Black Nite Crash continues in the same fuzz-drenched tradition of gorgeous melodies and big guitar sounds. The band’s atmospheric, dynamic sound has seen them compared to The Church, The Pixies & The Jesus & Mary Chain. Black Nite Crash formed in 2002 in their adopted hometown of Seattle. Their latest album “Drawn Out Days” features ten tracks of blues-fused and blissful fuzz rock with memorable hooks. The band is actively playing venues around the Northwest and are busy writing and recording new songs with sights on future releases. Stay tuned and watch for the latest one, Nevergreen, the most recent came out in the late Summer of 2017.
Seattle’s VibraGun mixes the hard-driving shimmer of early 90’s british alternative with hips and swagger that would make Marc Bolan proud then slingshots the whole payload heavenward in a blast of cosmic rocketfire. Following the weird noise pop of their first EP, their 2014 eponymous full-length was engineered and produced by Evan Foster (Boss Martians, Dirty Sidewalks). The songs are rife with massive riffing, narcotic lyrics and midnight-drive adrenaline in songs such as “Send Me to Dream,” and was ranked by Huffington Post UK in their top 20 albums of the year.
Vibrissae
The members of Portland’s Vibrissae travel between the worlds of guitar-oriented shoegaze and synth-based electronic music over the course of Somewhere Away, their debut album. Although they explore various moods, the four-piece frequently chooses to dwell on the darker side of things, with haunting vocals floating over walls of guitars and synths. According to TheRevue.ca, Vibrissae’s debut release is “innovative” and “captivating” and the band shows “tremendous range and ability.” Their music is described as “cripplingly lovely” by DKFM Radio and has been compared to Blonde Redhead, Lush, Ladytron, and The Cure. Somewhere Away is currently available from vibrissae.bandcamp.com, as well as several other online vendors.
Started as side project by Jeff McCollough a former founding member of 1990’s Seattle Shoegaze band Lapis. In 1998 the project took a backseat to several other endeavors. After a year Jeff had literally worked on over 25 recordings. He would work long into the night using various vintage technologies to create the sonic atmospheres. After a couple large and painful events he got back to work crafting sonic mayhem and he started to piece together the kind of sonic patchwork he wanted. He added the skills of Ben Madonna on the drums making Blackpool Astronomy a band instead of a solo project. The sound started to veer towards more of a gothic shoegaze with a heavy psych bent. They dumped all the material from the first record to write a new set of songs and in January 2014 they went into studio and created “Tripping The Mortal Coil” which was a collection of song inspired by the events around them including a tragic loss of Jeff’s father to cancer and the grief he was feeling. This record had a much more open sound which has gotten high praise from radio stations,critics and fans. Last year Courtney Ward of Madame Damndable joined the band just a month before the 2017 Seagaze festival. The band continued to play shows with good friend and Furniture Girls drummer Thane Mitchell. Even recording an acclaimed cover of LUSH’s Scarlet with him before his departure in early March for the TBTCI records tribute compilation “Love Life”. In late March of 2018 drummer Joe Jarvis of Sleepwell Citizen joined the band. The band will continue it’s forward progress and 2018 will be the year the band gains a wider audience.
Black Ferns is a three-piece alternative rock band from Seattle WA. Its music is diverse in mood and style with themes that explore addiction, love, and an unknown Orwellian future.
Merging strains of post punk with new wave and pop, Black Ferns wraps a haunting presence of cosmic psychedelia around its angular, riff-oriented heavy rock sound.
Black Ferns’ self titled album was produced by Riley Geare (Unknown Mortal Orchestra). Geare is also featured on drums for the album along with Chris Jordan on bass and Zoran Macesic on vocals and guitar.
Since their first release, the band has been touring and regularly playing shows in the Pacific Northwest. Black Ferns has been billed with great bands such as Wolf Alice, INVSN, Moving Units, My Goodness, Dust Moth, Second Still, Pale Dīan, Honduras, Panda Riot, and more.
Coloring Electric Like
Portland-based Coloring Electric Like combines shoegaze rock with heavily effected guitar, synth-driven sounds and beats from trip-hop and industrial influences, and female lead vocals.
Benjamin Bowman hails from Indianapolis, and came to Portland for the purpose of carving out his musical sound. Mia Chemello has been in several Portland bands, but was always searching for “that sound”…..Bowman and Chemello met musically prior to meeting in person….by writing, recording, file swapping, and mixing what became their first joint effort, the song Bleed it Out. Subsequently meeting and working together made them realize they had both found their other musical half. They have been working on writing and recording what has become a catalog of the sound of Coloring Electric like since 2010.
Layers of guitar evoke the sounds of My Bloody Valentine, Lush, and Curve, while beats from multiple drum and synth loops have the drive and edge of Massive Attack and Nine Inch Nails. A backdrop of lush synth and strings is sublimely orchestral, and creates a large landscape of sound within which provocative female vocals reminiscent of Portishead and Sneaker Pimps intertwine. The duo produces a sound that is surprisingly big, with a haunting feel and danceable groove.
HOLLOW SIDEWALKS
Hollow Sidewalks are Not People, there Ain’t No Way
Dirty Sidewalks
Seattle’s Dirty Sidewalks don’t just take sonic cues from the fuzzy haze of The Jesus and Mary Chain, the honed pop songcraft of Oasis or the rich vocal colors of The Beach Boys and The Everly Brothers—they keep it in the family, too. Formed in 2010 by Erik Foster, older brother (and founder of surf/garage outfit The Boss Martians) Evan Foster and longtime friend Evan O’Neil, the band plays anthemic tunes informed equally by ‘80’s college rock, ‘90’s Britpop and ‘60’s harmonies.
Bolstered sonically by the elder Foster’s crisp, punchy production and the younger’s songwriting and visual talents, Dirty Sidewalks are a force to be reckoned with. Since forming, they’ve played live extensively, opening for bands ranging from Har Mar Superstar and The Moving Units to The Mono Men and Young Fresh Fellows.
In May 2015, the trio released their first track, “It’s Getting Better,” as a digital single on Los Angeles-based label MuSick Recordings. An original yuletide bummer ballad, “It’s Xmas (And Everyone is Miserable),” landed on Soundcloud in December. Now, in 2016, their infectious hooks take physical form, with “It’s Getting Better” set for release as a 7” vinyl single in March, and debut LP Bring Down The House Lights following in the summer. With records in the pipleline, more songs in the quiver and tour dates forthcoming, this band of brothers are all set for a banner year in rock ‘n’ roll.
Newagehealers
New Age Healers is a shoegaze/psych-rock project conceived from the mind of Seattle based multi-instrumentalist Owen Murphy, featuring drummer Scott Matthews (The Piniellas), bass player Aaron Sankin (Dubious Ranger) and guitarist Adam Vernick (Lemuria / Devotion). NAH has two releases, 2016’s Ghosts which NPR’s Jim DeRogatis called “wonderfully dark, hypnotic shoegaze,” and 2017’s Where The Tragic Happens which The Strangers’ Dave Segal described as having “slyly catchy melodies and occasional anthemic flourishes.” As for the future, the band has demoed a number of new songs and will hop into the studio with engineer Barrett Jones in early May. Check them out online at https://newagehealers.bandcamp.com/ or shoot a note to owen at kexp dot org.
GUEST Directors
A Seattle-based 4-piece band residing in the Venn diagram of shoegaze, dream pop, beautiful noise and power pop. Lyrical darkness, feedback and sparkle. Music created with human voices, instruments, tube amplifiers, mics, effects and the harmonic divergence.
TANGIENTS is a post-punk, ambient “gaze-pop” duo based in Los Angeles. Chelsea Ray’s intense, yet dream-like vocals can pierce as well as float over Be Hussey’s (GUIDES, Radar Bros.) thick wall of sonics, resulting in a noisy, aggressive, ethereal sound. The debut single & video will be out on April 13, 2018.
Darkswoon brings light and shadow to new sonic territory with a collection of songs from Jana Cushman who has been writing music under this moniker for four years. Her sound could be considered a cross between shoegaze and darkwave, generating a genre imagined by Cushman to be electrohaze. It’s a musical landscape cultivated by the interplay of dynamic guitar and vocals that reflect visceral emotional depth syncopated by stunning textures and driving rhythms. Death, love, dreams and ghosts are consistent lyrical themes that can be felt in the marrow of the music.
Todavia is the Los Angeles based dream-pop project by Rhyan Riesgo. From writing the words to all elements of sound including lead vocals, guitar, electric drums, and keyboards, to creating soulful, dream soundscapes she commands multi- instrumentalism and insists that all lone sounds are purposefully placed. All music is written and produced In a little room just outside Los Angeles, California
Rhyan Riesgo also composes music to moving images. Using loops and swells, she invites listeners to leave the universe through music. For a selection of her film score work, please use the email listed above.
The Moon is Flat
“Front man and guitarist Kirk Rutherford and drummer Thys Ferwerda have been enmeshed in the Everett scene for years. You may not realize it, but they’ve played Fisherman’s Village Music Festival for several years running, both as TMIF and in their previous band, Shark The Herald. Back in 2014, both Shark The Herald and Soniphone Records popped up on SMI’s radar due to the band’s grungy, heady sound and the sheer audacity that anyone would dare to start a label in Everett. Since that time, Rutherford and label owner Ledford’s visions have morphed and expanded in ways that have cemented their place in Everett’s local scene and beyond.” – Christine Mitchell, Seattle Music Insider
Seattle-based band Close Encounter is chill music for aliens. They use an effectual yet melodic blend of psychedelic, catchy guitar, slow tempo beats, and introspective vocal mood to depict the dawn of a new paranormal age. Since their formation in early 2016, they’ve played the Pacific Northwest and released their debut album First Light in July 2017 on Look Up Records . Close Encounter consists of Bill Darksoft (Guitar/Vocals), Bobby Sydney (Guitar/Vocals), Cameron Lambert (Drums), and Matt Conlen (Bass).
Eggshells
Eggshells is an amalgam of Seattle bands craft psych-tinged indie songs that marry loops, swirling vocals, and soaring guitars.”
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Tag Archives: Jessica Hart
The Changing Face of Beauty.
By Scarlett Harris ¶ Posted in Beauty, Body Image ¶ Tagged Agyness Deyn, Amber Valetta, America's Next Top Model, Axl Rose, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Broadway, Calvin Klein, Christie Brinkley, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Covergirl, Crystal Renn, Daria Werbowy, Dorian Leigh, Elle McPherson, Erin Wasson, fashion, George magazine, George Michael, George Washington, Germany's Next Top Model, Gisele Bundchen, Guns N' Roses, heroin chic, Hollywood, Iman, In & Out, Irving Penn, Jessica Hart, Jezebel, John F. Kennedy Jr., k.d. lang, Karl Lagerfeld, Kate Moss, Laetitia Casta, Lauren Hutton, Life magazine, Linda Evangelista, Lisa Fonssagrives, Lord & Taylor, Madonna, Mark Wahlberg, Miranda Kerr, Modelinia, models, Naomi Campbell, Paulina Porizkova, Playboy, Project Runway, Richard Avedon, Richard Gere, Shalom Harlow, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, Stephanie Seymour, supermodels, Tatjana Patitz, The Fifth Season, Twiggy, Valentino, Vanity Fair, Versace, Victoria's Secret, W magazine, Yves Saint Laurent ¶ 2 Comments
I’ve been meaning to visit Modelinia for a while now, and their History of Models timeline got me thinking about beauty norms across the ages since models became mainstream. Modelinia’s timeline begins in 1928 and follows the top faces (and bodies—hello, Elle “The Body” McPherson), such as Twiggy, Iman and Lauren Hutton, through to today’s most famous faces.
Modelinia’s timeline begins with society girls like Dorian Leigh, who was perhaps the “world’s first supermodel” and appeared on the cover of Vogue seven times in 1944 and earned $300,000, “an amount that was unheard of during that time”. Leigh’s partnership with famed photographer Richard Avedon paved the way for future “model as muse” photographer-model dynamics. Leigh was also one of the models who inspired the classic, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
The late 1940s and ’50s ushered in the age of “Hollywood glamour”, when Leigh appeared on Broadway in The Fifth Season, and “Million Dollar Baby” Lisa Fonssagrives married photographer Irving Penn. These women also proved there was life after modelling, with Fonssagrives “designing a line of leisurewear for Lord & Taylor”, and Leigh opening her own modelling school in Paris, much like Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum today.
The period beginning in 1960 was known as the “awakening” and spawned the births of McPherson, Linda Evangelista, Paulina Porizkova, Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Christie Turlington, and Naomi Campbell, the women who would later become known as the über-models of the ’90s.
The ’60s were the years of Twiggy, whose picture was discovered hanging in a hairdresser’s window, and in 1965 she appeared on the cover of Vogue in three separate countries, landing the American edition thrice. She was also the subject of three separate documentaries that year, following on from her radio debut, with the single “Beautiful Dream” in 1964.
Around this time, Hutton refused to close the gap in her teeth, paving the way for the gap-toothed everywhere, like Madonna and Aussie model Jessica Hart.
It was a period of firsts for Hutton, which carried over into the ’70s, who was the first model to front a fragrance campaign, the first to sign an “exclusive cosmetics contract” and the first to reach $1 million in earnings.
The days of disco saw the birth days of the second wave of ü ber-models, like Klum, Shalom Harlow, Banks, Kate Moss, and Laetitia Casta, and the juxtapositioning of the all-American girl next door, Christie Brinkley, with the exotic beauty of Iman. In 1974, Brinkley signed a cosmetics contract with Covergirl, which resulted in a 20-year partnership. Iman served as muse for Yves Saint Laurent, who released his African Queen collection in 1978. While Brinkley appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition three years in a row (1977–1979), Iman proved she has commercial appeal, fronting “the June cover of Italian Cosmopolitan” in 1978.
The era of the “poster girl” (commencing with Brinkley’s aforementioned Sports Illustrated cover in 1987 and culminating in the permeation of models in the mainstream) sees models on the covers of all major magazines, from Life to Cosmo to Vogue to Playboy.
And if the saturation of popular culture in the ’80s seemed extreme, the ’90s sought to solidify this with “the rise of the supermodel”, coinciding with “the waif” ideal popularised by Moss’s “heroin chic” look (or as we would find out in 2005, cocaine chic), which was perhaps named for Calvin Klein’s Heroin Kids campaign, which Moss fronted in 1994 .
George Michael’s classic Freedom ’90 featured a bevy of supermodels, including Crawford, Turlington, Campbell, Evangelista, and Tatjana Patitz, in 1988. To accompany this, said models appeared on the cover of British Vogue, followed by the iconic group runway walk for Versace in 1989.
The rapid rise of Seymour began in 1989, when she appeared nude in Playboy, began dating Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses and appeared in their “Don’t Cry” video clip, followed by “November Rain”. She became the first major model to sign with lingerie empire Victoria’s Secret in 1990, followed by her runway debut for Valentino.
It is interesting to note that the über-models of this time worked primarily in beauty campaigns and magazines before debuting on the runway, whereas now it’s the other way around. There are a lot of nameless and faceless models who walk on the runways and act solely as “clothes hangers” for the garments. It is rare that a model will move beyond that tag and permeate the zeitgeist, but those who have include Gisele Bündchen, Agyness Deyn, Daria Werbowy and Miranda Kerr.
Crawford’s star also rose even higher during this period, with her marriage to Richard Gere and her constant presence on magazines cover of all kinds, including a sexy 1991 cover of Vanity Fair, in which a bathing suit-clad Crawford shaves k.d. lang in a barbers chair.
But Crawford had some competition rapidly rising alongside her: Moss. In 1991, Moss fronted the Calvin Klein Obsession for Men campaign, as well as the Calvin Klein jeans ad together with Mark Wahlberg.
1992 was also a year for sexy magazine covers, with Seymour gracing Playboy for a second time, and McPherson making her debut for the magazine.
In other mag news, Crawford was asked to posed for the cover of the groundbreaking first edition of John F. Kennedy Jr.’s publication, George, as—who else?—George Washington.
1994–1995 was surely Harlow’s time, as she added to her resume of film roles in In & Out, as well as gracing the cover of February W, March’s Paris Vogue, and June Harper’s Bazaar US in 1994, and March W, and December Vogue with fellow model-turned-actress, Amber Valetta.
That year Banks appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, the first black model to do so solo.
With Bündchen’s appointment to Vogue cover girl in July 1997 the “heroin chic” era allegedly ended, and the championing of healthy bodies like Bündchen’s began. Maybe in the modelling world, but the “heroin chic” movement has wrecked havoc on the notions of beauty, body image and popular culture.
On a side note, recently Playboy.com profiled the changing of women’s breasts over the years, and Jezebel was quick to counter that its not our breasts that have changed, but the media’s—ie. Playboy—belief of what they should look like (NSFW). It is not dissimilar in the case of beauty magazines aimed at women.
By the turn of the millennium, the age of the supermodel subsided, which was noticeable on magazine covers across the world, which began to, and still do, feature actresses and singers on their covers.
With the retirement of the most beautiful faces and bodies in the business, models almost ceased to be relevant, and women who made achievements for something other than their looks were championed. Obviously, there is still a large gap between women on magazines and television and in advertising campaigns and movies in correspondence to how they look rather than what they do, but looking back on the dominance of beauty in the ’80s and ’90s, we are slowly starting to celebrate diversity.
In addition, there’s the whirlwind surrounding plus-sized model Crystal Renn (is she plus-sized, isn’t she plus-sized?), and the model as somewhat of a prop for photographers, magazine editors and designers making a statement, as seen on Evangelista’s November 2009 cover for W magazine’s “The Art Issue”, or Claudia Schiffer (who, interestingly, was not featured in Modelinia’s timeline) and Karl Lagerfeld’s collaboration.
While it’s always nice to look a somethingone beautiful, it’s also nice to realise that there should be more to a model than what she looks like, and in a lot of cases, there is.
You only need to look at the aforementioned Banks and Klum’s careers in television (America’s Next Top Model and The Tyra Banks Show, and Project Runway and Germany’s Next Top Model, respectively), Erin Wasson’s foray into designing, and Kerr’s championing of a healthier life to see this in practice.
But I guess the question is, is this timeline representative of the success of certain types of models in response to our changing attitudes, or are our changing attitudes representative of the success of certain types of models?
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Tag: Michael D. Wilson Sr.
Introducing Michael D. Wilson Sr., author of Caught In Between
“Considering my experience in being a first time in publishing a novel, my Author Representative went far and beyond her responsibility in seeing that my book got published. I thank her for all that she has done in accomplishing the final goal and that is publishing a best seller. Outskirts Press is definitely working on behalf of its authors. Thank You.”
Michael D. Wilson Sr. grew up in a family of five boys, a father and mother. He was very much male orientated. When he was in his thirties, he met a young woman and his thinking concerning certain issues around one’s sexual orientation, changed. They became very good friends and shared many personal secrets. One of her secrets was that she was gay. He was shocked to hear that. You see, his vision of a lesbian was a rough and tough, tomboyish type woman, but she let him know that lesbians come in all shapes, sizes and persuasions, and they love and want to be loved like anyone else. She let this author know with authority that she was all woman, (with great emphasis placed on All). This true friend of the author’s, inspired him to write, Caught In Between.
Caught in Between, is a book which shows not only the physical side of a love relationship, but gives an in-depth view, of the emotional side of true love and a love that is considered to be taboo in today’s society. This ever-growing taboo is becoming so popular, that you will be overwhelmed by who comes out of the closet, without any embarrassment or shame. In Caught in Between, you will see how a pretty boy’s pimp life, is changed with the help and love of a beautiful young lady, who was pursued by a childhood friend; who also wanted to introduce her to the kind of relationship that was forced on her, when she was an innocent child by a close relative. In this superb drama, you will see how a young man, who takes advantage of young women with his charm and good looks, is Caught in Between, when he meets his match and will learn that too much of a good thing, is not so good after all. His life does a complete turn-a-round and he becomes an intricate character in this magnificent novel. We have another character in this thrilling novel that will just chill your bones, when you read about the underhandedness and evil acts he performs. Caught in Between, is a novel that is packed full of suspense and surprises. So, if you are the kind of reader I think you are, this will be one of the most thrilling novels you have read and hopefully fall in love with.
November 10, 2014 November 9, 2014 Caught-In-Between, emotional-love, lesbians, Michael D. Wilson Sr., outskirts press, pimp, relationships, self-publishing, sexual-orientationLeave a comment
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Announcing Alternate Realities Commission Winner
Sheffield Doc/Fest is delighted to announce that the Alternate Realities Commission, worth £20,000, has been awarded to artists Barnaby Francis (aka Bill Posters) and Daniel Howe for Spectre, an immersive installation, which examines and subverts the power of the digital influence industry. Spectre, which will be part of the Alternate Realities Exhibition at Site Gallery during the 26th Sheffield Doc/Fest, is comprised of six 2.5 metre high black monoliths where audiences can, as the artists’ put it, “worship at the altar of dataism with the gods of silicon valley”.
The artwork engages audiences with a personalised journey that tells a cautionary tale of computational propaganda, technology and democracy, curated by an alogorithm, and powered by visitor data.
Says Dan Tucker, Alternate Realities Curator, Sheffield Doc/Fest, “I am thrilled that Spectre has won the commission this year and that the support of Site Gallery, the British Council, and Arts Council England have enabled us to bring this incredibly ambitious project to Sheffield Doc/Fest. It is so prescient and so powerful. A deceptively dark exploration of the power of the digital influence industry, Spectre is an algorithmic alchemy that will keep the audience guessing all the way through”.
Barnaby Francis stated, “we live in unprecedented times and as a result, must strive to work with others to make unprecedented art, that seeks to reveal, interrogate and understand the historic moment of today. The international team of artists, technologists, academics, designers and developers behind Spectre hope to open up a space for interrogating computational forms of propaganda and the wider digital influence industry itself. Both exert powerful forces on ourselves as individuals, but also on collective society: on the democratic processes that are essential for democracies to function.”
Says Daniel Howe, “It’s been amazing to explore the critically important issues surrounding digital surveillance with the diverse group of artists, scientists and researchers that came together for the Spectre project. This type of collaboration wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Sheffield Doc/Fest, Site Gallery, British Council, MUTEK and Arts Council England. Alternate Realities is one of the rare programmes that supports socially-engaged, critical practice on contemporary issues.”
Continues Barney Francis, “We would also like to take the opportunity to extend our gratitude and thanks to our partners at the Psychometrics Centre, Cambridge University, Tactical Technology Collective, Anchor Manufactoring and Futures Venture Foundation for their continued support.”
Barnaby Francis and Daniel Howe will also be speaking at the 2019 Alternate Realities Summit on Sunday 9 June, which this year aims to challenge preconceptions and disrupt narratives to deliver a new vision of documentary making. A day-long event of provocative and artistic debate, with talks, presentations, panel discussions and performances from the world’s leading immersive and interactive storytellers. This year it will focus on the colonialism of the connected world, examine the evolution of query-based narrative and encourage an awakening in relation to personal data and unconscious bias.
Spectre will be exhibited at the Alternate Realities Exhibition at Site Gallery, Sheffield 6-11 June, attended by Barnaby Francis and Daniel Howe. The artists will also attend MUTEK, Montreal (20-25 August, 2019) as part of the Alternate Realities Touring Programme to talk about Spectre.
The Commission, now in its sixth year, is selected from an open-call for a new digital project focussed on non-fiction supported by Arts Council England, Site Gallery, the British Council and MUTEK.
Artist Bios:
Bill Posters
Website: http://www.billposters.ch
Bio: http://billposters.ch/bio/
Instagram: @Bill_Posters_UK
Twitter: @BrandalismUK
Hashtag: #BillPosters
Barnaby Francis, often working under the pseudonym Bill Posters, is an artist whose work spans image-making, intervention, sculpture, video and curation. He works between Manchester, UK and Kampala, Uganda.
A former street artist, he works collectively across diverse interdisciplinary fields to interrogate contemporary forms of propaganda and their impact on justice, democracy, privacy and the environment.
His practice is centred on hacking space and place to reveal power relationships and persuasion architectures that exist between corporate and state level actors and their subjects – citizens.
Over the last few years his praxis has focused on interrogating and subverting computational forms of propaganda that define the digital influence industry, revealing interesting new terrain for the application of detournement theory on contemporary issues concerning computational propaganda, dataism, surveillance capitalism and the ad tech industry.
Bill Posters is co-founder of Brandalism (www.brandalism.ch) and the Subvertisers International (SI). In 2016, Brandalism received Communications Sans Frontiers’ ‘Activist of the Year’ award for their ‘COP21 Paris Climate Talks’ project which saw the hacking of over 600 ads in Paris by 82 international artists with critical public art relating to climate change, consumerism & corporate lobbying.
He is a published author on the subjects of subvertising, protest art and computational propaganda. His latest book is due for release by Laurence King in Spring 2020.
His works have been exhibited at the Artmossphere III Biennale, Moscow; Centre for Contemporary Art, Barcelona; 50th International Poster Biennale, Warsaw; Architectural Association, London; and Design Museum (exhibit removed in protest), London amongst others.
He is an international speaker and guest lecturer. Talks & lectures include London School of Economics, European Parliament, University of Vienna and University of Manchester.
Daniel C. Howe
Website: https://rednoise.org/daniel/
Twitter: @danielchowe
Daniel C. Howe is an artist, writer, musician and computer scientist. His hybrid practice explores the impact of networked, computational technologies on human values such as diversity, privacy and freedom. He has been an open-source advocate and contributor to dozens of socially-engaged software projects over the past two decades. His outputs include software interventions, art installations, algorithmic text and sound, and tools for artists. He currently resides in Hong Kong, where he teaches at the School of Creative Media.
Alternate Realities Exhibition
Venue: Site Gallery
Date: 6 - 11 June
Time: Thursday 12:00 - 20:00
Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday 11:00 - 20:00, Sunday 11:00 - 19:00
Entrance free
Alternate Realities Summit
Venue: Crucible Studio
Date: Sunday 8 June
Early Bird Day Tickets available for £50 from 17 April until May 8
Weblink: https://www.sheffdocfest.com/events/6987/
Sarah Harvey Publicity
sarah@sarahharveypublicity.co.uk
Sheffield Doc/Fest is a world leading festival celebrating the art and business of documentary and non-fiction storytelling across all forms. Each year the festival welcomes over 25,000 festival goers, including approximately 3,500 industry delegates from 55 countries.
Doc/Fest is a creative space for discovery, debate, collaboration and inspiration. We champion and push forward new talent, ideas and interaction for the future of the industry. We are an open, inclusive festival, bringing together veteran creatives, new voices and our city to share, shape and question stories of the world we live in.
The six-day festival and all-year activity consists of events across five programme areas:
FILM – New cinema, film and artist’s moving image, performance and live events
ALTERNATE REALITIES – immersive, interactive digital art
TALKS – Masterclasses, summits and panels
MARKETPLACE - Industry, talent, training and pitching
SOCIAL – Parties and networking
Sheffield Doc/Fest 2019 will take place from 6-11 June https://sheffdocfest.com/
About Arts Council England
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.
About Site Gallery
Site Gallery is Sheffield’s international contemporary art space, specialising in moving image, new media and performance. Pioneering emerging art practices and ideas, Site works in partnership with local, regional and international collaborators to nurture artistic talent and support the development of contemporary art.
Site connects people to artists and to art, inspiring new thinking and debate through exhibitions, talks, events and other public activity. Site works with early career to established artists to commission new work, produce solo and group shows, deliver residencies, performances, events and community programme. Through diverse programming, the gallery reveals the process of making art and invites our audiences to engage, explore and connect. In 2018 Site Gallery re-opened after a building programme which trebled the scale of its public area. It now has a large scale gallery, a dedicated projects space, café (Kollective Coffee and Kitchen) and shop as well as a beautiful new façade and main entrance. In 2019 Site will celebrate its 40th year.
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We work with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we directly reach over 65 million people and more than 660 million people via broadcasts and publications. We make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government.
About MUTEK
MUTEK is a Montréal-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination and development of emerging forms of digital creativity in sound and audio-visual practice. Its main activity is its annual namesake festival, which will hold its 20th edition from August 20-25, 2019. The MUTEK festival is conceived as an environment of discovery and encounters, where artists and audiences are encouraged to meet and exchange. Firmly rooted in the Montréal community, it supports local talent while also presenting exclusive international content, combining music and audio-visual performances, installations, film and video presentations and maintaining activities around the world, incuding yearly festival offshoots in Mexico City, Barcelona, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Dubai, and San Francisco.
MUTEK_IMG, a forum on current practices in digital creation, originally conceived as a complementary off-season conference in Montréal, has been redefined and reconfigured to become a core element of the annual festival’s professional daytime programming. Taking place inside the framework of MUTEK’s 20th edition, the fifth iteration of MUTEK_IMG will begin on Tuesday, August 20 and run until Thursday, August 22.
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Book title: Diana, Princess of Wales
Formats: pdf, text, audio, ebook, android, epub, ipad
Аthor: Sherry Beck Paprocki
Total size: 8.44 MB
Date of placement: 24.09.2012
Diana, Princess of Wales - Wikipedia, the.
On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her boyfriend
Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances; [fn 1] née Spencer ; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29
News about Diana, Princess of Wales. Commentary and archival information about Diana, Princess of Wales from The New York Times.
Diana Princess Of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales News - The New.
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Lady Diana Trauerfeier Lady Diana Princess Diana - Princess Diana of Wales
Facts, photos, news, pictures about Princess Diana, Princess Diana of Wales, Lady Diana Spencer
* Princess-Diana.co.uk is an interrelated sistersite of Princess-Diana.com and Prinzessin-Diana.de. It`s a multimediaproject with many free digital media round
Princess Diana, Princess of Wales:.
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was established within days of the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales on 31 August 1997, in response to the public
Diana Spencer Lebenslauf
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial.
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← Bamboo and Blood: An Inspector O Novel, James Church (Thomas Dunne Books)
Revelation Space, Alistair Reynolds (Gollancz, 2000) →
Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia and Margeret Stohl (Little Brown Books, 2009) {Hachette Audio, 2009; Narrated by Kevin T. Collins, featuring Eve Bianco}
Posted on May 5, 2011 by Thomas Evans
Cover of Beautiful Creatures
Grade: Ε — Readable in genre, but you could probably do better.
In brief: Beautiful Creatures is a YA Paranormal Romance which received sixth place in the 2010 Teens Top Ten Award. The writing flows and is easy to follow, but the story failed on a number of levels, including the lack of authenticity of the narrator and the derivative nature of the tale itself. While it would have made a brilliant short story or novelette, or even a really good novella, coming in at around 600 pages, it drags and wallows in self indulgence like the cliché image of a teenage girl.
Setting: Gatlin South Carolina, Modern Day.
I was initially drawn to this book by its core literary premise: a YA paranormal romance told from the first person point of view (POV) of a teenage boy. In order for that to work, it needed for Ethan, the narrator of this tale, to have true authenticity. Sadly, he didn’t. Even more sadly, that was not the only problem with this story; but we’ll get on to that later.
The story follows a Twilight-esque plot line, with two key changes: It’s about “Casters” (spell casters) not vampires and it reverses the gender roles of the magical creature, with magical girl and a “mortal” boy. Other than that, it is effectively the same tale as Twilight. A new girl comes to town who gorgeous but unusual and a local boy helps her come to grips to her supernatural powers and destiny.
Most of the actual word-smithing of this tale worked well, though at the end there is a sudden change in point-of-view in narration that totally jarred me from the narrative. There were absolutely no precedents for it through the previous 500-sum-odd pages, so to suddenly be hurled from one POV to another was a disappointing, particularly since there were other ways the same plot problem could have been solved. Regardless, this somewhat hackneyed mechanism was not the biggest problem with the text.
What really failed for me was the central narration of Ethan: it did not sound like a teenaged boy. Instead, Ethan’s voice sounded like a woman’s view of what the ideal boyfriend would have been like when she was in high school. Ethan is a rising star of the basketball team, sensitive and understanding, a secret lover of reading (but he hides this from the others since it would ostracize him from the cool clique he hangs with), and an outsider who is still part of the in crowd (though he secretly dislikes them). As such, he is a Polyanna of a character — just too good to be true with no real faults to make him interesting. Neither does he in anyway serve as a protagonist (that would be Lena, the Caster Girl who is really the subject of this story), and in that end I feel he would fail to interest any teen boy reader.[1]
Furthermore, the social environment in which Ethan lived didn’t seem to reflect any aspect of the social world I remember as a teenaged boy. Ethan is popular, not the most popular kid in school, but good looking, good at Basketball, and hangs with the in-crowd (even though he doesn’t like them much). Then the beautiful and mysterious Lena arrives on the scene: the new girl in an unchanging town. She’s different, she’s intelligent, and she’s hot. That’s the term used by the authors, not me. Hot. All his friends agree she is hot. Most beautiful girl Ethan has ever seen. Hot.
Now, Lena’s a bit weird: a kind of goth style of cloths, weird necklace, combat boots, and worst of all: the niece of the town’s never-seen presumed-psycho shut-in. But, you see, she’s hot, and that’s a key problem with one central element of the story. Ethan faces ostracization because he’s strangely drawn to this clearly magical girl. The popular girls in town don’t like her, because she’s weird and the niece of the local version of Boo Radley, and so the popular guy’s cut her out as well…. Only you see there’s this one problem: she’s hot.
Maybe things are different in North Carolina in the early 21st century, but where I grew up (admittedly in the fourth century BC), if a girl was as physically attractive as Lena is supposed to have been, a star basketball player could have gotten away with dating her because… well she’s hot. The other guys on the team may have said, “You’ve got a wack-job as a girlfriend,” but they wouldn’t have cut him out because she was cute, and no matter how weird she was, they could have overlooked it. Oh, maybe someone close to the social edges couldn’t have gotten away with it, but a guy who was part of the central clique could have.
Had Lena not been categorized as “Hot” upon first arrival, she could have beautiful as beautiful-can-be and not recognized as such because of the social bias defining her as NOT HOT would have trumped the reality of hot. The Authors could have gotten away with this, since Lena did dress a bit funny, but that was not the way it played out in the book. Lena was defined as Hot by the boys before they knew who she was, and that, as they say, would have been that. A hot psycho is still desirable to a teen boy (and some adult men too, but that’s another story).
Indeed, this raises another point: for a fifteen to sixteen year old boy, Ethan is remarkably clear of sexual thoughts about this girl. I know that he knows that she can read his mind, but when I was that age? I would have had thoughts about her body no matter what I did. Maybe not as graphic or obsessive as teen boys are stereotyped as always having, but at least a few passages about the glimpse of knee, the shape of a breast, her pert bottom, the way she fills out her jeans… something! It need not have been crass, but the text really needed to be there to make it authentic. It wasn’t.
Beyond Ethan’s lack of authenticity, one must also wonder a bit about Lena. She is a Caster, a girl with magical powers (this is both blatantly obvious from before the start and defined early on in the book: so no spoiler there), but she wants to live the life of a normal teen girl, at least for a little while. Fine. Makes sense in its own way, but if that’s the case, why does Lena go out of her way to dress unlike any other girl in school? I mean, if a girl really wants to have a normal teen life, why go Goth in a town with no Goths? If she was as obsessed with being a normal girl as she says she is, why don’t we see her trying to fit in? Maybe even wear cloths that she thought would fit in but don’t?
Instead, what we see is a girl who is an outsider right from the get-go and dresses that way. That would have been fine, and indeed fairly appealing to me as a reader or a teen, but instead we are then hit over the head time and again with how out of place she feels for the next four hundred pages. “I want to know what it’s like to be a normal girl,” is her whining mantra throughout the book. And yes, she does whine.
She whines all the way through the book, wallowing in self-pity time and time again. She whines about being an outsider, she whines about having no roots, and she whines about the central plot of the book, her cursed predestination. That is all fine and good for a bit, but even after she overcomes certain obstacles in her path, she keeps going back to the whining. No resolution to any of this wallowing, no moving forward or coming to grips; just whinging and cringing self-pity that doesn’t even really get resolved at the end of the book.
Indeed, her whining happens so frequently that one really can’t help but think that dream-date Ethan is actually shallow after all. It’s not like we see an awful lot about her character other than her good looks, her magical power, and her constant whining. Oh, she’s well read and tells a couple of jokes, sure, but mostly she whines. Still, Ethan loves her throughout, and other than because she is magically powerful and “hot,” I can’t figure out why.
Oh god, I’m just warming up… but I guess you get the point. I could go on about a plot line that is derivative of Twilight, and a general lack of cohesive world building, but since in my book failed characterization is fatal, what’s the point?
Sadly, a great premise and solid prose did not save this story for me. I just couldn’t overcome the character and plot holes, and that’s with me only scratching the surface. Having said that, if you love teenaged paranormal romance, you could do worse than this book, but you could do a lot better as well.
Kevin T. Collins, did a fine job of narrating, though at time I found his slipping between a Southern and “Standard” American accent a bit distracting. Still, he did a good job of bringing the text to life. Eve Bianco, who narrated the sudden POV change portion of the book, was also a good talent who was easy to understand. Sadly, however, I feel she was miscast becuase she just did not sound like a teen girl.
Unfortunately, the solid talent of the narrators was crippled by irritating production elements. I have said this before and will say it again: sound effects really don’t belong in a narrated audiobook. Oh, they work great in a dramatization, but not in a reading of the text. They are distracting and not helpful in the least.
This is even more the case when the text is written as first person past tense. After all, if the voice of the text is telling me something happened to them in the past (e.g. “The wind blew by my face,”) why am I hearing the wind in the background? I am not THERE, I am HERE listening to SOMEONE ELSE tell me about events that happened to them in the PAST.
Most irritating of these special effects were the strange dream sequences where the director felt the need to add weird half-heard garbled sounds like someone changing the stations on a analogue radio over static filled background noises. The first few times this resulted in my hitting the replay option in an attempt to understand what was being said. It wasn’t anything. Just noise. How irritating.
Added to this was the second rate computer created music that was used for the parts of the text where music appeared in the novel. It used a different voice, not the narrator’s, so changed POV, and to be honest, didn’t sound very creepy or cool or whatever element each attempt was trying to make. Instead, it sounded like some amateur creating a midi sound file as they tried to make music something that sounded appropriate to the text. It really just would have been better to have the narrator read the words to the music or maybe even sing… though…. No, just read it.
So, result? Good narration and bad production of a mediocre text.
[1] Indeed, when I look back at the stories I enjoyed as a teen (admittedly in a pre-literate society where the use of stone in Henge monuments where still considered to be a fad likely to pass in a couple of years), they were tales that empowered me, not someone else. While they could, and frequently did, have strong female characters, the story was usually about some character (usually a boy) escaping the total lack of self-determination that one’s teen life appears to be. To that end, I can’t help but note that I suspect this book would completely fail to draw in a teenaged male audience. The narrator is nothing more than a shoulder to cry on and someone to push her to find a solution to her problems. Personally, I felt this created a somewhat unappealing helper of a character and served to weaken her as a protagonist, as that she needed constant prompting and hand-holding.
Beautiful Creatures: A Half Review (insertliteraryblognamehere.com)
Beautiful Creatures: A Real Review (minor spoliers) (insertliteraryblognamehere.com)
Audie Awards 2011 Finalist (theibookemporium.com)
Blogaversary and Contest (abookwormshaven.com)
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This entry was posted in Fantasy, Romance, Series, Urban Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, YA and tagged Arts, Beautiful Creatures, Ethan, Ethan Frome, Fiction, Online Writing, Short story. Bookmark the permalink.
6 Responses to Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia and Margeret Stohl (Little Brown Books, 2009) {Hachette Audio, 2009; Narrated by Kevin T. Collins, featuring Eve Bianco}
Thanks for the “Related Articles” mention
Anytime! Besides, it helps my readers and let’s them know I’m interested in other ideas and topics!
Joachim Boaz says:
I’m surprised you managed to read all 600 pages — one of the reasons I like older science fiction is that the bad works rarely have more than 180-200 pages and I can quickly plow through and move on to something else 😉
Ah, its no big thing to go through bad text. First of all, because I’ve read SOOO MANY site reports (boring) and graded who knows how many University students. What is more, I feel I owe it to the author in case there is a last minute reprieve. Classic example, the movie A Boy and His Dog was an OK film, made memorable by the last two to three minutes.
Of course, it is made easier by the fact that I tend to listen to about 2/3rd of the books I review on Audio. It’s easier to bare when you are listening to it and doing something else. Mind you, that didn’t help the aweful version of Oppel’s AirBorn. Text good, reading bad. Besides, the writing wasn’t bad, just the story, characters, etc. Ha ha!
Hahaha — I agree that a bad text is kind of a relief regardless of how bad it is from the daily required readings (i.e. grading way too many university blueblook exams/essays/reading quizzes and reading too many scholarly medieval history works)… Well, I’ve never gotten used to audio books…
Try one next time you’re really really sick, too sick to watch TV, just want to lie there, but need some distraction, try a really good audiobook. After that, you’ll get addicted and want them all the time.
Mind you, I still generally prefer words on a page, but a good audiobook is the next best thing.
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Visit NC Construction News
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Home Economic Development UofSC economists: 2017 SC economy strong and stable amid political uncertainty
UofSC economists: 2017 SC economy strong and stable amid political uncertainty
Another walk down Main Street and downtown Greenville, South Carolina. This is Landmark Building. It was formerly the Daniel Building and housed one of Greenville's home of an internationally known construction company. August 14, 2009.
Steady economic gains are expected for South Carolina in 2017 despite the political uncertainty that comes with new governor and U.S. president. The gains build on positive growth across most of the Palmetto State’s industries and regions, according to University of South Carolina economists at the Darla Moore School of Business.
Doug Woodward, director of research, and Joseph Von Nessen, a research economist, presented their 2017 forecast on Dec. 8 to more than 150 of the state’s business and community leaders at the 36th Annual Economic Outlook Conference (EOC). They reported that the state is poised to build on its existing momentum and to continue generating new jobs and rising incomes for South Carolinians.
They expect job creation — the single best predictor of economic performance — to grow 2.6 percent in 2017.
“South Carolina’s economy is growing at a healthy pace,” said Von Nessen. “And we expect the state to continue to build on this momentum in 2017.”
He said the South Carolina’s economy also is in the midst of a “paradigm shift,” which will bring new challenges for the state in 2017.
“For the last several years our rate of economic growth has been accelerating, but in 2016 it leveled off and is now growing at a constant rate,” Von Nessen said. “In addition, the labor market has strengthened considerably. Our unemployment rate has dropped to 4.7 percent. And although this is good news for workers, it also means that employers are now struggling to find qualified employees to fill new positions. Going forward, if we want to achieve a higher rate of economic growth, this skills gap will have to be addressed.”
Construction played a key role in South Carolina’s economic growth in 2016, especially along the coastal regions of the state. In addition to the overall strengthening of housing demand, which experienced lackluster growth from 2010 to 2015, the construction industry was propelled by rebuilding efforts going toward repairing damage from the historic 2015 flood.
In fact, Woodward and Von Nessen estimate that more than 20,000 temporary S.C. jobs will have been created in the construction and retail sectors by the time the rebuilding process is completed. They also expect a similar, though smaller, stimulus in the construction industry to occur in 2017 as a result of Hurricane Matthew.
Tackling a skills gap will likely be an important part of the next governor’s mission.
“Gov. Haley came into office with a priority to generate employment opportunities for South Carolinians during a period of high unemployment following the Great Recession,” Von Nessen said. “Lt. Gov. McMaster, by contrast, will likely inherit a healthier economy in which unemployment is relatively low, and a skills gap that prevents many workers from being hired.”
The economists said two industry sectors led the broad-based growth in 2016.
The manufacturing sector and the professional and business services sector were the fastest growing industries this year, having driven high-wage job creation throughout the state and supporting high rates of consumer spending.
“We are seeing strong job growth within the professional service sectors as well as within aerospace, automotive and tire manufacturing,” he said. “Each of these industries is creating jobs that pay significantly above the state average. In turn, these workers are spending their wages in South Carolina and thus creating additional economic activity.”
They also identified the construction sector as a bright spot.
The economists anticipate the size of the labor force to continue to grow in 2017 as job opportunities continue to rise, which implies marginal decreases in the unemployment rate over the next year.
The Moore School forecast outlines an unemployment rate over the next 12 months that will drop slightly from its current rate of 4.7 percent to approximately 4.5 percent. However, total personal income is shown to grow at 4.8 percent in 2017 – a rate comparable to its growth rate in 2016.
The daylong Economic Outlook Conference also included a keynote address from Boston University economist Laurence Kotlikoff on how the new Trump administration will likely affect the U.S. economy. The two most significant economic impacts of a Trump presidency on the Palmetto State are a possible renegotiation or elimination of trade deals and changes in military and veteran spending. Manufacturing exports and the state’s military presence play major roles in the state’s economy.
Kotlikoff also addressed the federal budget, debt and other critical issues that will face the new administration in 2017.
The conference also featured presentations on South Carolina’s long-run competitiveness by Meghan Hughes Hickman, executive director of EngenuitySC, and Ann Marie Stieritz, president and CEO of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness.
South Carolina communities at a glance
In 2016, South Carolina experienced gains in employment across most major metropolitan regions of the state (October 2016 employment compared against October 2015).
The largest gains occurred in Rock Hill (+3.4 percent) and Charleston (+3.2 percent). More modest gains occurred in Anderson (+2.2 percent), Columbia (+2.0 percent), Spartanburg (+1.9 percent), Greenville (+1.3 percent), Augusta (+1.0 percent), Myrtle Beach (+0.9 percent), Darlington (+0.9 percent) and Florence (+0.2 percent). Sumter experienced minor employment losses over the past year (-0.3 percent).
Retail trade:
Retail trade employment in South Carolina saw steady gains throughout 2016 culminating in a growth rate of 1.8 percent as of October 2016 (October 2016 compared against October 2015). Additionally, several regions of the state witnessed more sizable gains. Regions of the Palmetto State with gains in retail trade that exceeded the state average occurred in Spartanburg (+5.2 percent), Myrtle Beach (+2.9 percent) and Charleston (+2.3 percent).
Single-family residential building permit activity was up across most of the state over the last year. Comparing single-family residential building permits issued in October 2016 with those issued in October 2015, major gains were seen in Spartanburg (+37.8 percent) and Greenville (+12.9 percent). More modest gains were observed in Myrtle Beach (+7.3 percent), Florence (+5.4 percent), Sumter (+5.4 percent), Columbia (+5.1 percent) and Charleston (+2.0 percent). Small losses occurred in Augusta (-4.9 percent).
Unemployment:
Unemployment rates in October 2016 have declined across all metropolitan areas compared to October 2015. The largest decline occurred in Darlington (-1.3 percent) and Florence (-1.3 percent). This was followed by Columbia (-1.1 percent), Sumter (-1.1 percent), Myrtle Beach (-1.1 percent), Charleston (-0.9 percent), Spartanburg (-0.9 percent), Rock Hill (-0.8 percent), Greenville (-0.7 percent), Anderson (-0.7 percent) and Augusta (-0.5 percent).
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Innovative Machining Technology to build manufacturing facility in Dorchester County
Baldor Electric Company Expanding Anderson County Manufacturing Facility
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How To Watch The Scottish Cup Final 2018 Worldwide
The Scottish cup final is a major match this year. Celtic will be playing against Motherwell in this crucial final match, the match has high expectations and many expect Celtic to be the winners.
In foreign countries it’s difficult to view the match as it’s not viewed for free unlike in UK where you can watch for free. In many foreign countries it cannot even be viewed at all.
The Scottish football league does not command much viewership unlike the English premier league despite even the fact that Stephen Gerard became the new rangers coach not long ago. This article will show how the match can be viewed live on BBC in any country whatsoever.
The following are detailed explanation on how to view the Scottish cup final.
Scottish cup final in foreign countries
It’s easy to view the Scottish cup final in Scotland and as it can be watched on BBC one Scotland and on BBC iPlayer (Official) online. Its however not possible to watch the Scottish league cup final in foreign countries as it’s not accessible outside of the UK environs.
If you try to connect outside UK it would not be accessible.
Despite the barrier foreign countries have its possible to manoeuvre around those preventions on the BBC iPlayer in every geographical region making it possible to view the Scottish cup final and even the FA cup final which would be aired after the Scottish cup final.
The first step to take is to get the VPN app downloaded, it definitely will incur you a little amount of money but it’s a good investment that will give you access to view the match live. The little amount paid will give you access not only for the final alone but it would run for an entire month.
So you would be able to watch different programs that would be showed within the time range.
VPN functions on many devices and operating systems. It’s possible to view the match live also on Smart TV but it must have the BBC iPlayer installed on it. Further details about that will be given in the concluding part of the write up.
To gain viewership access the following steps are needed
Sign up to the HideMyAss Pro VPN , with that you would also have a 30% discount for a 1 year subscription.
Download the VPN app on your device for the from the HideMyAss Pro VPN website.
Click on the app to login and connect.
Make the United Kingdom your location on the apps map
The last step is to connect; you can connect manually if it does not connect automatically.
It takes a short time for the VPN application to start working for live streaming. After connections have been made navigate to the BBC one Scotland to live stream the match and you will be able to view from any geographical region.
The subscription can also be used to watch the champion’s league cup final and also the FA cup final.
If there are further difficulties
There might be some difficulties accessing the Scottish FA cup final. Outlined below are the solutions to common problems people face.
Hide web browsers Identity
Web browsers are designed to recollect information, if you’ve connected to the BBC iPlayer before in another location this time around it’s going to deny you access.
To connect you would have to change your web browsers privacy settings and ensure that that your browsers identity is kept secret by clicking on settings and changing to a secure mode that will not give you away as one from a foreign country.
After that the next step is to
Connect to a different Server
The server you connected with earlier might not have been accessible for that moment so you would have to change to a different server by changing the country to UK after clicking on the HideMyAss Pro VPN app. Then connect to any server available and use a different web browser to access the BBC iPlayer.
View a different program on TV
The next thing to do is to switch to a different program that is also being aired at that moment and watch for a few minutes on the BBC iPlayer and then reconnect back to Scottish FA cup final aired online.
When will the final take place?
The FA cup final 2018 date is scheduled for the 19th of March 2018 by 14:00 BST which is equivalent to 15:00 in Europe.
The FA cup final and the Scottish cup final are scheduled to take place on the same day but at different times, the FA cup final coming after. It’s possible to view both matches on the same day using the VPN app.
The royal wedding will also take place on that same day; the wedding can also be viewed using the HideMyAss Pro VPN which can work on 6 different devices.
Those who don’t really like watching football can connect to watch the royal wedding or any other program of choice.
Celtic will take on Motherwell in the Scottish FA cup final this year as they seek to finish of an already outstanding season by defeating Motherwell to end the season with a treble like they did last year.
Motherwell cannot be underestimated, though they do not seem to be the likely team to win the match.
Celtic defeated rangers and they will come into the match with much confidence, Motherwell is surely going to put of a fight in the final, it’s going to be a showdown.
Motherwell defeated Aberdeen last week; they also come into the match with high morale. Celtic defeated Motherwell earlier in the season and they would hope that it doesn’t happen again in the final.’
VIEW THE SCOTTISH CUP FINAL ON TV
The Scottish cup final can also be watched on Smart TV but to view it the BBC iPlayer would have to be installed on it, else it would not be accessible.
If your Smart TV does not have the BBC iPlayer on it then the information below will help you get it on.
Sign up to the Unlocator VPN service by visiting the provider’s platform.
After signing up the next step is to sign in and go to the members area.
A drop box will be displayed it’s expected that you choose geographical area closest to you.
Take note the set of numbers next to the DNS.
Click on settings and navigate to the DNS settings and enter the numbers gotten from the Unlocator DNS website.
After changing the settings on the SMART TV the final step is to connect to the BBC iPlayer and you will be able to live stream the match.
Reinstating and summarizing the main points mentioned earlier
The Scottish cup final can be viewed anywhere in the world. It’s not as difficult as many as think. The match can be viewed with an English commentary live from the BBC station.
To achieve that the VPN application would have to installed on any device of your choice, the app will enable you to choose the geographical region you want to be identified with. Wherever you are in the world the VPN can be used to connect and watch live.
Tagsfa cup final 2018 date Scottish Cup Final scottish fa cup final scottish league cup
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Australian Open: Drained Novak Djokovic "Not Feeling So Great" After Grind Past Daniil Medvedev
Novak Djokovic came through an almost three-and-a-half hour, four-set grind that extended into the early hours of Tuesday.
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic was made to toil in his fourth round win over Daniil Medvedev. © AFP
Drained Novak Djokovic admitted he "didn't feel so great" after surviving a physical fourth-round examination against 15th seed Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open. The world number one came through an almost three-and-a-half hour, four-set grind that extended into the early hours of Tuesday morning (local time). Djokovic dropped a set for the second match running but won 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-3 at 12:43 am to set up a quarter-final against Japan's eighth seeded Kei Nishikori on Wednesday. Serb Djokovic and Russian Medvedev both needed attention from the trainer during an exhausting encounter liberally sprinkled with punishing rallies of 30 shots or more.
"I didn't feel so great, you know, in the last 20 minutes of the match," Djokovic told reporters.
"So we'll see tomorrow how the body reacts, but I'm confident I can recover and I can be ready for next one," he said.
"It was just, you know, a little bit of fatigue, a little bit of back. Nothing major. But there are a couple of things that have surfaced," said the 14-time Grand Slam champion.
"It was kind of a cat-and-a-mouse game for most of the match.
"We had rallies of 40, 45 exchanges. That's why I think it was physically exhausting.
'Draining match'
"His backhand is very, very solid. He didn't give me much from that side, but, you know, you can't always play on the forehand.
"You have to open up the court and try to be patient and construct the point."
The 31-year-old Serb crucially saved three break points at 1-2, 0-40 in the pivotal third set to break the tenacious 22-year-old's resolve.
"Even though it was three sets to one, it seems like a five-set match, really," said Djokovic.
"It was draining physically a lot, because, you know, you just could not rely on the one-two punch tactics."
Djokovic reached his 43rd Grand Slam quarter-final to stay on course for a record seventh Australian Open title, but will next have to conquer marathon man Nishikori.
The Japanese number one was in trouble at two sets down before winning a third five-setter in four matches to get past Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta.
"Congratulations to him for fighting back from two sets to love down and break down. He's a fighter," said Djokovic.
"He's a very talented player. One of the quickest players on the tour. You know, hard worker. I have lots of respect for him."
The Australian Open is Djokovic's most successful major and a seventh crown would put him clear of six-times champion Roger Federer, who was eliminated on Sunday, and Australian great Roy Emerson, whose six wins all came before the Open era.
Victory at this year's Australian Open would be the Serb's 15th in Grand Slams, putting him third on the all-time winner list -- one ahead of American great Pete Sampras, but behind Rafael Nadal's 17 titles and Federer's 20.
It would be his third major in a row after winning Wimbledon and the US Open and set him up for a crack at the "Novak Slam".
The French Open comes next and victory at Roland Garros would mean he holds all four majors.
Topics mentioned in this article Novak Djokovic Kei Nishikori Roger Federer Tennis
Djokovic admitted he "didn't feel so great" after his 4th round win
Djokovic came through an almost three-and-a-half hour, four-set grind
Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-3
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"Stars Align" As Roger Federer Seeks To Break Novak Djokovic Spell In Wimbledon Final
Wimbledon 2019 Final, Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer: When And Where To Watch Live Telecast, Live Streaming
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strathtelegraph October 8, 2013 News
Scottish Government to increase investment in study abroad programmes
By Kerri MacKenzie
The Scottish Government has unveiled plans to provide funding for up to 500 Scottish students to study in Europe.
250 students will be eligible for funding in 2014/15 and 2015/16 and will have the choice of studying at one of five European universities: The University of Southern Denmark, Malmo University in Sweden, Rhein Waal University in Germany, The University of Groningen and Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
The funding will cover the cost of the entire degree and those choosing to study abroad at one of these Universities will be entitled to the same support as their fellow students who remain in the UK.
Mike Russell, Scottish Education Secretary said: “We already pay tuition fees and provide the best package of support in the UK for Scottish students who study at home.
“This pilot will give Scots who wish to study in Europe a chance to benefit from support and is a first for UK students, showing how decisions taken in Scotland benefit Scots.”
Studying abroad has innumerable benefits. As well as gaining a sense of independence and developing transferable skills in key areas such as communication, research has shown that studying abroad can increase your employability.
In a recent survey conducted by NUS Scotland it was found that 40% of Scottish employers believed that a person with experience of studying abroad had, to some extent, a better chance of employment while 1 in 5 found that it significantly increased the chances of employment.
The proposals have been met with great delight from NUS Scotland who have spent several years campaigning for a scheme like this.
Gordon Maloney, president of NUS Scotland said: “The Scottish Government’s pilot is a real step forward in opening up new opportunities for students to develop the skills that our society and economy needs.
“By providing Scottish students studying at these international universities the same bursary and loan support as those back home, we can build stronger economic ties with the rest of Europe, as studying abroad not only makes for a fantastic learning experience but makes students more employable as well.”
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Strathclyde principal honoured at Inspiring City Awards
Football matches linked to spikes in domestic violence
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September 2, 2015 12:27 PM PT
New Apple TV to debut with universal search
Speaking of John Paczkowski, he reported today that the new Apple TV will cost $149 and offer universal search as a major new feature:
Sources familiar with Apple’s plans say that a cornerstone of the the company’s new set-top box is a universal search feature that will enable searches across multiple streaming video services as well as Apple’s iTunes Store. Instead of searching the catalogs of multiple video services one at a time for a particular movie, you’ll now be able to search all — or most of them — at once and then choose the service on which you’d like to watch it. You’ll also be able to search for actors and directors, and run other more targeted searches as well — all with Siri.
My TiVo has a unified search engine, and it’s quite convenient. Adding universal search to Apple TV, and tying it in with Siri, should make the device a huge improvement over the current model.
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By Glenn Fleishman
October 15, 2014 11:11 AM PT
The Untimely Death of IE6
[Glenn Fleishman is the editor and publisher of The Magazine, which is currently crowdfunding an anthology of the best work of its second year in publication. He writes regularly for the Economist, Boing Boing, and Macworld, and tweets incessantly—oh why won’t he stop?—at @glennf.]
On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog, unless you’re a poodle, and then everyone is talking about you. The latest massive security exploit affecting a large swath of websites is called “Poodle,” and has to do with backwards-compatible support for secure connections between browsers and web servers. An attacker watching browser/server connections can effectively “sidejack” a connection, stealing an authentication cookie that would allow access to an active session.
That dog’s gonna hunt: It may finally be the thing that sends ol’ Internet Explorer 6 to a farm upstate, if you know what I mean.
In March 2012, Microsoft baked a cake for IE6: not to celebrate an anniversary, but cheer at its vastly shrunken marketshare. Arguably the worst version of IE that the company ever released, it remained in broad use many years after its introduction because it was part of Windows XP, which is both the most widely pirated and most heavily used legacy edition of the operating system.
But IE6 won’t die. In China, its usage still represents over 10 percent of web visits; in most other countries, it’s below one percent. Weighted by all desktop users, however, Microsoft (using Net Applications data) pegs IE as 3.8 percent of global use. With hundreds of millions of desktop computer users worldwide, this translates to tens of millions of IE6 users.
In America, despite the very low usage rate of IE6, many companies have clung to Windows XP because they built in-house apps that continue to work and lack the budget, time, or potentially knowledge to upgrade without breaking them. Even though IE8 would be the correct choice for the last-patched version of XP, IE6 is the standard.
Because of the numbers, websites cannot give up on IE6, especially sites that serve global audiences. Ask any web designer about it, and despite tools like Modernizr, they will still throw up their hands about the workarounds they have to employ to keep IE6 users happy. They represent an economic force, even as Microsoft has put Windows XP to its final death, no longer offering ongoing support for most users. (Corporations still have options.)
Poodle may finally put IE6 to death, because IE6 can only use modern web security protocols in a Windows XP system that’s been upgraded to Service Pack 3 or 4.1 You may know the secure web protocol used for HTTPS sessions as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), a technology originally developed by Mosaic Communications (Netscape’s creator), and off patent for a few years now. Its replacement (in 1999!) was called TLS (Transport Layer Security), which has been continuously developed and improved, with the last major release in 2008 (TLSv1.2). Security experts often refer to TLS or TLS/SSL for clarity.
When a browser connects to a server securely, it has to do a little protocol dance, in which the browser and server discuss what kinds of encryption and other methods they have available, and agree on the most-compatible one—i.e., the oldest (or worst) one that both support, as it’s the lowest-common denominator between the two. (I wrote broadly about this problem of crufty old software and hardware with the insight ACLU’s Chris Soghoian for Boing Boing a few weeks ago.)
Despite the introduction of TLS in 1999 and the fact that the last verson of SSL (SSLv3) was released in 1996, web servers generally have continued to support SSLv3 to this day because it’s the latest version that IE6 supports.
The Poodle exploit kills SSLv3. There’s no way to fix it; it can only be disabled in web servers. You can read cryptographer Matthew Green’s technical explanation of how the exploit works, but there’s no mitigation. The protocol has to be abandoned. As he notes, “Note that this entire vulnerability stems from the fact that SSLv3 is older than Methuselah. In fact, there are voting-age children who are younger than SSLv3.”
I immediately disabled SSLv3 as an option on all the servers I operate or help administer. (For Apache users, in the SSL configuration file or section, modify the line that starts SSLProtocol to read in full SSLProtocol All -SSLv2 -SSLv3; if the line doesn’t exist, it needs to be added. If you use another server or have no idea what I mean, get an admin or host’s help. Test your site at Qualys.)
It’s likely that IE6 users around the globe who need to make secure connections to servers outside their control will see a lot of failures today. Government agencies often support the oldest browsers (because they are used internally for far too long or because of marketshare among the public), but given this weakness, have little choice.
Keeping SSLv3 alive renders all IE6 users vulnerable to session hijacking by people in a coffeeshop on the same network or governments or other parties that have access to traffic at higher-level networks. Disabling SSLv3 puts IE6 to its sweet and final rest, and upgrades the Internet’s security by a few notches.
Cloudflare, an attack-resistent content-distribution network, says of all Windows XP connections, 98.8 percent are using TLS. However, because Windows XP SP3 and SP4 can run IE7 or IE8—and all versions can run other browsers—and because pirated copies of XP aren’t always patched, the intersection of IE6 users and older XP users has a strong crossover. ↩
[If you appreciate articles like this one, help us continue doing Six Colors (and get some fun benefits) by becoming a Six Colors subscriber.]
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‘Love and Light and Potential’
Lyric McHenry, ’14
Photo: Courtesy McHenry Family
Lyric McHenry, ’14, raised funds as an intern for Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, studied race and ethnicity at Stanford, and later sought to digest complicated concepts about social and personal identity for mainstream audiences as a media professional.
A producer and an aspiring screenwriter who was admired for her intelligence, compassion and sense of humor, McHenry was found unconscious in New York City on August 14 and later pronounced dead. The medical examiner ruled her death an accident. She was 26.
“The thing that really set her apart was her ability to uplift other people and make them feel special and warm and supported,” says Maya Humes, ’14, MA ’14, who first met McHenry in seventh grade. “I was always so proud to be her friend,” Humes says.
Serena Kerrigan, who interned with McHenry at the media company Refinery29, echoes that sentiment. “There was something about her that was magnetic,” she says. “This environment can sometimes be competitive. Lyric was the antithesis of that. She was someone who picked you up.”
McHenry, a native of Los Angeles, majored in comparative studies in race and ethnicity (CSRE), writing her final paper on theories of visibility in the 2013 film 12 Years a Slave. Her adviser, professor of theater and performance studies Jennifer DeVere Brody, says McHenry had a “spirit of joy” and “the ability to take very complex ideas and translate them for a more general audience.”
“She was very bright—sort of deceptively so in the sense that she was so warm and wore her knowledge and learning lightly,” Brody adds. “She was a very humble person who really cared about people and ideas and social justice.”
McHenry paved her career path with diverse experiences: She worked as an agent trainee for the United Talent Agency; in video production at Refinery29; and as a reality TV producer and personality, appearing on the E! show EJNYC.
At Refinery29, she hosted a video called “Lingo with Lyric,” interviewing New Yorkers about the term “post-race” and discussing the idea with her friend and former roommate Rob Franklin, ’15, and feminist Jamia Wilson.
“She was taking what she learned at Stanford and bringing that to a larger audience,” says Brody, who last saw McHenry in June when her former student came to CSRE’s graduation to support the newest class of alumni. “That’s who she was,” Brody says. “I remain devastated by her loss—someone with so much love and light and potential.”
McHenry’s legacy lives on, says Humes, who recently decided to move from marketing into politics, a change she says McHenry had encouraged her to make. “When she was alive, I didn’t have her voice in my head consciously like I do now.”
McHenry is survived by her parents, Doug, ’73, and Jennifer McHenry, and two sisters, Maya McHenry and Tiffany Woodson.
Letters to the Editor - December 2018
Stanford’s Climbing Team Has High Expectations
The team won its first national championship after only five years in existence.
Meet Derrick Boone Jr.
A former Navy officer reflects on physics, fatherhood, and being a man.
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In on Thursday 28th Apr, 2016
Travel back in time to the lavish hotels of the 1920s
Hotel Kurrajong in Canberra is a place where style and history come alive.
Its story, dating back to 1926 when Canberra’s very foundations were being built, makes it an amazing destination in its own right.
It’s not just a place to stay to enrich the travel experience, but a genuinely compelling reason to make the trip in the first place.
Built 90 years ago, this Heritage-listed building is the product of a unique period in Australian history, when style and grandeur were celebrated; when art deco influences shaped architecture that would well and truly stand the test of time.
Now that magic is back. Hotel Kurrajong has been refurbished and restored to its original magnificence, combining the spectacle and luxury of the 1920s with the modern comforts of today. And it truly is a sight to behold.
Click here for more information, or continue reading to learn more about this beautiful holiday destination.
The Hotel Kurrajong holds a very treasured place in Australia’s history.
Its unique architecture is the work of John Smith Murdoch, the Commonwealth Chief Architect who designed Old Parliament House.
It its early days, it housed staff and officials transferred from Melbourne to Australia’s new capital, helping smooth the transition during a period of enormous change.
It later provided enormous comfort and strength to Australia’s most powerful people. During the dark years of World War II, it provided a home for Prime Minister John Curtin and Treasurer Ben Chifley. When Chifley succeeded Curtin in the top role, the new Prime Minister chose to call it home for the next 11 years, preferring its comforts to those of The Lodge.
Over the years it has lived other lives as a hotel school and a boarding house. Now Hotel Kurrajong has returned to its heritage – and its spectacular style.
From the cosy fireplace to the historic library, every corner of the building is a celebration of days long gone. To walk its halls is to step through history itself.
Click here to ensure your holiday in Canberra is a very special one.
When was your last holiday in Canberra? Does this gorgeous hotel give you the urge to visit?
This post is sponsored by TFE Hotels and written independently by the Starts at 60 team. For more information, please visit the Hotel Kurrajong website.
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Justia › US Law › US Case Law › US Supreme Court › Volume 363 › Kreshik v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral
Kreshik v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral, 363 U.S. 190 (1960)
Kreshik v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the
Russian Orthodox Church of North America
Decided June 6, 1960
Certiorari is granted and a decision of the Court of Appeals of New York, holding that, under the common law of New York, petitioners, as the appointees of the Patriarch of Moscow, may not exercise the right conferred under canon law to use and occupy St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church in New York City, is reversed on the authority of Kedroff v. St. Nicholas Cathedral, 344 U. S. 94, since the constitutional principles there applied forbid the judiciary, as well as the legislature, of a State to interfere with the free exercise of religion.
Pp. 363 U. S. 190-191.
7 N.Y.2d 191, 164 N.E.2d 687, reversed.
ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO
THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NEW YORK
The motion for leave to proceed upon the record in No. 3, October Term 1952, and the petition for certiorari, are granted.
In a prior decision in this litigation, we held that the right conferred under canon law upon the Archbishop of the North American Archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, as the appointee of the Patriarch of Moscow, to the use and occupancy of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York City, owned by respondent corporation, was "strictly a matter of ecclesiastical government," and, as such, could not constitutionally be impaired by a state statute, New York Religious Corporations
Law, McKinney's Consol.Laws, c. 51, Art. 5-C, purporting to bestow that right on another. Kedroff v. St. Nicholas Cathedral, 344 U. S. 94. We reversed a judgment of the New York Court of Appeals against the petitioners' predecessors in office, and remanded the case for "further action . . . not in contravention" of our opinion. Id. at 344 U. S. 121.
The Court of Appeals ordered a retrial of the question of petitioners' right to use and occupancy, on a common law issue assertedly left open by our invalidation of the statutory basis for the former decision. 306 N.Y. 38, 114 N.E.2d 197. After trial, the Court of Appeals directed the entry of judgment against petitioners, holding that, by reason of the domination -- so found by that court to be the fact -- of the Patriarch by the secular authority in the U.S.S.R., his appointee could not, under the common law of New York, validly exercise the right to occupy the Cathedral. 7 N.Y.2d 191, 196 N.Y.S.2d 655, 164 N.E.2d 687.
As the opinions of the Court of Appeals make evident, compare 302 N.Y. 1 at 29-33, 96 N.E.2d 56 at 72-74, with 7 N.Y.2d at 209-216, 196 N.Y.S.2d at 667-673, 164 N.E.2d at 696-700, the decision now under review rests on the same premises which were found to have underlain the enactment of the statute struck down in Kedroff. 344 U.S. at 344 U. S. 117-118. But it is established doctrine that
"[i]t is not of moment that the State has here acted solely through its judicial branch, for, whether legislative or judicial, it is still the application of state power which we are asked to scrutinize."
NAACP v. Alabama, 357 U. S. 449, 357 U. S. 463. See Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U. S. 1, 334 U. S. 14-16, and cases there cited. Accordingly, our ruling in Kedroff is controlling here, and requires dismissal of the complaint.
First Party
Kreshik
Second Party
Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church of North America
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SweMOD
End of Nations - Game preview
Christopher Fredriksson
You may have seen it from elsewhere on the web, but we were there as well. We visited the press meeting where we got some first-hand preview of the game End of Nations. A game that very well may be the "real" follow up to the older Command and Conquer series we've wanted to play for quite some time.
End of Nations is actually created by the people who worked at Westwood some years ago, the loveable geeks that once created the original Command and Conquer game. They formed Petroglyph some time ago and they've worked hard on creating this new real time strategy game that makes Command and Conquer look like kindergarten. (Don't worry, I still love C&C, no matter what!)
Together with Trion Worlds, who created the very popular game Rift, this game sure has some interesting features behind the curtains.
Coming out big, for now, with 26 versus 26 players on a single map, each carrying a maximum of 20 units, totaling 1040 units which could give some serious fire power. The "small" maps of a total of 52 players are just a small part of the whole picture, each map is part of the whole planet Earth. You're fighting for a territory which might be Australia, France or the UK.
Each territory gives a different scenario in which you might have to keep your own defense line while in some scenarios you should speed off to various destinations to capture valuable resources. For those who are familiar with PvP battles in World of Warcraft, such as Arathi Basin, knows that you need to capture specific points in order to capture resources which ticks up faster the more resource points you have.
The same goes for EoN where you capture points to get resource points and the team that reaches the set score will win that round. Some resource points however might be factories that give you special weapons and those special weapons might be EMP or nuclear warheads.
In the morning after we had our press meeting we got to play the game just 1on1 to get to know and get a feel for the game. I must be honest, I haven't played an RTS game like this for a few years so I surely was a bit rusty, I easily got kicked by my fellow journalist opponents, what a defeat!
At this point, there was quite a bit to take in about how the game works, how you can control your units and all such. But what I can say, if you have played games like C&C and similar in the past the pieces fall in place quite quickly. However when I had all the pieces in the correct places, I realized that my opponent had his pieces figured out quite some time ago.
What a rush! The graphics, which aren't completely final yet, are still very nice and high quality. You can also zoom in and out to either get a better view of the field (not as far as I would have liked though) and also zoom in to get more of the fantastic details.
After my defeat I was eager to sneak up on my opponents to have a look on their tactics to see how I could defeat them in the near future. I watched them for a while and figured I would go a bit more offensive then the last time.
When we got ready for the 4on4 match I surely was more prepared and during the break I got shown a nifty feature which I thought I would use. One of the developers showed me that you can actually have several companies configured with different units. So if you find out that you're not prepared for the competition and need perhaps a few more tanks, you can switch companies. This actually makes it possible to have up to 60 different units fighting for you, not at the same time however.
When you switch company, your units on the battlefield disappears and the new ones reappear at the nearest spawnpoint.
Prepared with that, I actually got a bit further with my action. The overall experience from the 4on4 compared to the 1on1 was a huge difference. You easily got more help and you could as easily help others who were taking fire, making the hostile takeover of resource points much easier, and way more fun.
We didn't quite finish as we wanted as we ended in defeat that time as well.
What most of us figured out this far was that we were missing voice chat, it was hard to communicate between the members of the team both because we didn't really know who was on which team but also because the other team was in the same room as us.
After that match we got informed that there are actually several different chat channels that we could have used to communicate, but we all felt that in an RTS, if you stop the action to type as fast as you can to tell others where you are and that you need help, it most often will end in a cryptic message and loss of action, making you end up in a pool of goo.
Alright, so the devs came with another solution, you can send out pings on the minimap to where you want your fellow teammembers to go to help you out, or to inform them where you're going. Well that surely speeds up the communication, but that's still a bit not as good as we would have liked.
We still pushed on the voice chat feature and the devs told us that they've thought about it and it may come in a later release, perhaps in the full version, maybe a bit later. They also thought that most gamers use Ventrilo, Teamspeak or Mumble to chat and sure, those solutions are well known, well working and all that.
But what if you join a random game with 26 other players who aren't playing in a team? Are you gonna settle for one server, one service and all such while the other team rush in to hunt you down? It just doesn't feel right and while I was playing End of Nations during the press meeting, until today, that is the only negative feeling I have for the game.
I believe there should at least be a simple, basic voice chat available in game to make everyone, even single players, able to voice chat with the rest of the team.
Anyhow, we then settled for lunch and some break for the game. We actually waited for the "lazy" devs back in the US to wake up and go to work, so we could give them some buttkicking in their own game.
Soon enough, a couple of hours later, we finally got to play with some of the devs who were left behind in the US. We joined a 12on12 match and my reaction to that is, just Wow! I just can't imagine 26on26, it will surely be massive.
This time we hit the west part of Australia and our objective was to destroy the base of the other team. Unfortunately for the other team, we have had some evil defeats and we also were aggressive and fully awake, so we managed to give the other team a serious match.
The game took probably an easy 30-40 minutes and we easily took several resource points, we also got a nuclear factory and when the nukes were ready, we fired off four or five nukes in the same area, magically without speaking to each other, in the same area. In the same area.. It was totally EPIC and great fun. We ganked the other team so hard that they are probably still crying over their defeat.
After that we just moved in and cleared the map, in no time. The action was impressive and if you compare it to Command & Conquer, End of Nations will easily kick its butt more than a hundred times before coming close to what we experienced during the press meeting.
The fact the game will be free to play, which makes it possible for everyone to play the game without spending any money at all, means that this game will most probably and most hopefully become huge. There will be two different currencies in the game, but for the currency where you can actually spend real money, you won't get anything that might give you an advantage over other players.
At most there will only be some minor features like a color scheme, skins and such. But all the weapons, addons, tanks and the like will only be purchasable through the in game earnable currency. So the more you play, the more in game currency you will get and that will be the way to get new units and eventually get you an advantage over your opponents.
Please remember though, nothing is set in stone and they are still in beta figuring stuff out, configuring and tweaking the game. I was told that some graphics were missing, even though I didn't spot any errors. Some functions aren't ready yet and so on. So what we've tested is purely a first view, although it's an excellent first view.
My final reaction to the game was, thank you Petroglyph and Trion Worlds!
Make sure you head over to http://www.endofnations.com for more information about the game. The game will have its final release in the end of the summer slash in the fall and we surely can't wait for the full release.
Also check out this action video, which surely shows the power of the game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCaPC15n6I8
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Street Eraser
IT'S FUN TO RUN
Category: Hall Of Fame
The Muscle Beach Hall of Fame Petition Needs Your Support!
Legendary bodybuilder Bill Grant, along with his friends and supporters, has come up with a great idea to construct a Muscle Beach Hall of Fame at Venice Beach in California. The idea is to preserve the history of the sport of bodybuilding and to make it a major tourist attraction benefiting Venice Beach, the city of Los Angeles, and to increase the credibility of bodybuilding in general. This would be a fitting tribute and remembrance to the guys and gals who were the pioneers of bodybuilding and later what was to become the fitness revolution. Early heroes like Steve Reeves, Jack LaLanne, Joe Gold, Armand Tanny, and Zabo Koszewski to name a few, would be honored along with the next wave of greats like Dave Draper, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, Lou Ferrigno and many others.
As Bill Grant says, “If the NFL and baseball can have their Hall of Fame then bodybuilding should certainly have their Hall of Fame too.” After all, it is largely because of these early pioneers of bodybuilding that we have the current great interest in fitness and health today. It was their trial and error experimentation with training and diet that eventually evolved into today’s current bodybuilding and fitness lifestyle. I would bet that the vast majority of people working out at the shiny health clubs of today know very little about the history of this sport and a Muscle Beach Hall of Fame would be a huge step in educating the public. It would, in fact, become a destination point or mecca for people to come to from all over the world. Venice Beach is already a huge California tourist attraction and the addition of a building housing the Muscle Beach Hall of Fame could have the effect like a “Disneyland of Muscles” in that it would be educational and fun at the same time.
Originally Muscle Beach was located in Santa Monica, California, during the 1940s. Gymnasts and hand balancers would perform for the beach-going sun worshippers and early bodybuilders would train outdoors and get a tan at the same time. Because of a dispute with the city council, Muscle Beach was closed down in Santa Monica. Around 1960, Muscle Beach was relocated to Venice Beach, California. Currently, Venice Beach is the second largest tourist attraction in California right behind Disneyland which is number one. The Muscle Beach area features an outdoor weight training pen with a gigantic cement dumbbell sculpture and a great area for live events. All this, along with the general fun and funkyness of Venice Beach make it the preferred location for the Hall of Fame even though this was not the original Muscle Beach site.
Bill Grant, a bodybuilding legend, was Mr. America (1971) and Mr. World (1974). He has over 40 years of professional experience in bodybuilding, health and fitness and is no stranger to the Southern California bodybuilding scene. Bill has produced and hosted his own successful Comcast Cable television fitness program and radio show on WEVD 1050-AM called “Fit for Life”. He has appeared in numerous movies, theatrical productions, television shows, and commercials. Currently, Bill is president and owner of Bill Grant Nutrition, The Next Generation of Sports and Performance Nutrition.
Bill Grant, Joe Wheatly and the Committee to Build The Muscle Beach Hall of Fame, along with the help of Laree Draper of DaveDraper.com IronOnline have created a petition so that potential investors, city council and the people of Los Angeles could hear the message. Your support is greatly needed. Please sign the petition to show your support and interest. It will only take a few minutes of your time, but will go a long way in getting this project off the ground. As Bill Grant says, “Let’s keep the dream alive and make this a reality!”…
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Start a New Year’s Revolution! Make 2008 Your Year for Muscles and Fitness
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Street Eraser. All Rights Reserved
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CMS Transition to ICD-10
Irving, Texas – For services provided on or after October 1, 2014 the ICD-9 code sets will be replaced by ICD-10 code sets. The Central offices for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) use these code sets to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures. The transition is required for everyone covered by the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPPA).
ICD-9 code set procedures is about 30 years old, inconsistent, and limits data about patients’ medical conditions and hospital inpatient procedures. Therefore, the transition to ICD-10 code set procedures will allow exact specification and classification of patient’s diagnosis. It will accommodate new diagnoses, procedures, and improve billing performance and fraud detection.
The ICD-10-CM/PCS (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, Clinical Modification/Procedure Coding System) consists of two parts:
1. ICD-10-CM is for use in all U.S. health care settings and uses three to seven digits instead of the three to five digits used with ICD-9-CM. Formats of the ICD-10-CM code set is similar to ICD-9CM code set. 2. ICD-10-PCS is for use in U.S. inpatient hospital settings only. It uses seven alphanumeric digits instead of the three to four numeric digits used under ICD-9-PCS procedure coding and is more specific.
Throughout the course of the transition CMS will continue to add tools, information, and updates. For FAQ and more information about ICD-10 transition code sets visit www.cms.gov/ICD10.
The information provided is only intended to be a general summary and is not intended to take place of either the written law or regulations. We encourage our readers to review the specific regulations.
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Movies, Science Fiction
Pacific Rim (2013)
“Two thousand five hundred tons of awesome.”
At the beginning of the year Summer 2013 promised to be a great one for fans of big-budget, large spectacle action movies. With the promise of three sequels, a re-make of an old TV classic plus the reinvention of a beloved superhero (that promised to be most anticipated film of the year), it looked like I was going to be spoilt for choice to pick a favourite. Alas, things didn’t work out that way.
First out of the gate was Iron Man 3 and although it was fun to watch Robert Downey, Jr reprise his role as the eponymous superhero the film failed to capitalise on the character’s growth from last summers Avengers movie, and it’s lavish action set pieces couldn’t mask the film’s thin plot. Next came Star Trek Into Darkness which, after the successful relaunch of the franchise two years ago, inexplicably wasted the second film with an unnecessary remake of Star Trek 2: The Wraith Of Khan that didn’t come close to matching the fun or excitement of the original. June saw the release of this summers most eagerly awaited movie, Man of Steel, which featured some of Hollywood’s A-list creatives – Batman director Christopher Nolan acted as producer, while Batman Begins writer David Goyer scripted and 300 directer Zack Snyder helmed. The film garnered both praise and anger from fans, some lauded it for successfully bringing Superman into the 21st century while others criticised the violence and high level of collateral damage. Personally, I thought it was depressing how badly it missed the point of the character and the film has none of the wit or sense of wonder that the original 1978 version achieved so effortlessly. Next came World War Z, a film with a long and troubled production; I really didn’t hold out much hope for this movie but it isn’t half bad. The large set pieces work well but the film is ham-strung by the inexplicable decision to make it a (literally) bloodless 13 certificate. A zombie movie without gore begs the question, why?
Then we had The Lone Ranger, the long gestating and budget troubled re-imaging of the classic character created by the core team from the massively successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise: director Gore Verbinski; producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Johnny Depp. Unfortunately the film couldn’t make it its mind what it wanted to be – equal parts revenge Western, off-beat comedy and buddy-buddy film it tries to be too many things at once and ends up a damp squib. Lastly, The Wolverine has yet to open but bearing in mind how crappy the first film was I’m not holding my breath.
With all this disappointment I really didn’t hold out much hope for Guillermo del Toro’s giant robots vs monsters film Pacific Rim. Sure it sounded cool in theory but by mid-July, after having my hopes dashed by the summer’s other big-screen efforts, I was sceptical. Also the last few years haven’t been kind to Del Toro, what with his involvement in two major films curtailed for various reasons. First off his directing gig on The Hobbit came to nothing when production delays caused him to leave the project. His next proposed movie, a big screen adaption of H.P Lovecraft’s Elder Gods horror At The Mountains Of Madness, was ditched by Universal due to concerns over its budget. When Del Toro announced that his next film would feature giant robots and monsters I couldn’t help but feel that he’d gone from the sublime to the ridiculous, that he’d jumped at the first movie that came along more out of a need to have a hit and to have something to do. Boy, was I wrong.
The plot to Pacific Rim will be familiar to even the most casual fans of Godzilla and Japanese monster movies. Humanity is on the brink of extinction due to continuing attacks by giant monsters, or Kaijus, who travel to Earth through an inter-demensional portal that has appeared under the Pacific Ocean. Humanity’s answer to the onslaught are Jaegers, giant robots that are controlled by two pilots who must share a mind-meld in order to successfully command the machines. The film centres on the pilots of the Jaeger Gipsy Danger played by Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi, both of whom have their own reasons for seeking revenge against the invading creatures. Charlie Day and Burn Gorman provide comic relief as scientists who attempt to communicate with the Kaijus, while Idris Elba commands the team in a role reminiscent of Bill Pullman’s in Independence Day; Elba’s finale speech (“Today we are cancelling the apocalypse!”) bears more than just a passing resemblance to Pullman’s rousing speech from ID4. Throw in a plot that involves an attempt to close the dimension rift while simultaneously fighting off a horde of the monsters and you have the film in a nut-shell.
The plot may not be the densest every committed to celluloid and character development could be stronger, but who cares? The action set pieces are breathtaking and well mounted with several cities, including Sydney and Hong Kong, being flattened in the process. And the film just rattles along with a sense of fun and exuberance that’s sadly missing from many of this summers big movies. That’s not to say the film is all spectacle – there are plenty of nice Del Toro touches, such as the air-tight insect-like suits worn by black market scavengers, as well as the Hong Kong district nestled inside the giant rib cage of a fallen monster. Pacific Rim may not be the most cerebral movie of the year but it doesn’t make the cardinal sin of taking itself too seriously; the film promises giant robots and monsters whaling on each other and delivers in 500-foot tall spades, having a tremendous amount of fun in the process.
See more on Pacific Rim at IMDB
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Sixth Gomtibai Govindji Prize Awarded to Nachiket Kulkarni
ByGuest Editor
The Takshashila Institution awards the Gomtibai Govindji Prize to Nachiket Kulkarni for distinction in the study of public policy. The Gomtibai Govindji Prize has been instituted by her family to recognise the overall best performing student in Takshashila’s Graduate Certificate in Public Policy programme. The prize comprises of a cash award and a citation. Nachiket is from the seventh batch of the GCPP that was conducted in the spring of 2014.
Nachiket Kulkarni
Nachiket is an MS in Industrial Management. He worked at Intel Corporation as a Business Operations Analyst. He was also involved with volunteering initiatives at Association for India’s Development (AID) and International Rescue Committee (IRC), which motivated him to transition into the world of economic development.
Nachiket worked in micro-enterprise development in UP, and later was selected as a fellow at Villgro, India’s leading social enterprise incubator. Here, he helped develop metrics for measuring impact of social enterprises and understanding regional entrepreneurship ecosystems in India’s tier 2 towns.
During this journey, he has developed an interest in the lives and businesses of street vendors. Through Takshashila’s course, he has strengthened his knowledge on public policy interventions in street economies. He currently works as a Strategy Consultant for ‘Sustaintech’, a for-profit social enterprise that makes energy efficient cook stoves for street food vendors. He is constantly driven by passion to innovate in various forms of street entrepreneurship, and also aims to advocate urban governance interventions in the space.
The Graduate Certificate in Public Policy is Takshashila’s flagship educational programme. The 12-week course is networked and largely online, and meant for working professionals and full time students to take from around the world. The course is offered three times a year and the ninth batch of the course is set to begin in October 2014.
Gomtibai Govindji Prize awarded to Gopal Devanahalli
Inaugural Gomtibai Govindji Prize Awarded
Gomtibai Govindji Prize awarded
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About Horsham Little League
FIELD ADDRESS FOR GPS:
DEEP MEADOW PARK, 1020 HORSHAM ROAD, HORSHAM, PA 19044 [NO DOGS PERMITTED]
ATTN: HORSHAM LITTLE LEAGUE, P.O. BOX 214, HORSHAM, PA 19044
Horsham Little League provides the following intramural baseball and softball programs for boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 16. Programs offered depend on enough participation of player and Volunteers.
Machine Pitch
Players are assigned to a league based on both age and experience level adhering to LL Rules and Regulations.
Horsham Little League Mission Statement
The Horsham Little League Program strives to provide the children of Horsham Township with an outstanding educational-athletic organization that provides a positive youth sports culture and a high-quality experience to every athlete.
This experience includes one in which athletes are:
Coached using the principles of Positive Coaching in a safe and structured environment
Encouraged to have fun playing the game and make new friends
Enabled to feel like an important part of the team regardless of performance
Taught “life lessons” that have value beyond the playing field and throughout a lifetime
Taught the skills, tactics and strategies of the game and improve as a player while honoring the game
We recognize that the volunteers, parents, and coaches who support the organization are the ones who most directly make this all possible.
It is our goal to provide every volunteer and parent with tools to be able to be successful in this endeavor.
The Horsham Little League Program is committed to creating a positive culture in which coaches, parents, fans, officials and athletes work together to achieve our mission.
The History Of Horsham Little League
In early 1958 a group of Boy Scout fathers, led by Cap Crim, applied for a Little League franchise.
The first formal meeting, after receipt of the franchise, was held at the old Horsham Township Building (Horsham Road and Walnut Drive). Elected were the following officers:
Cap Crim – President
Mel Sonier – Vice President
Frank Eckenhofer – Secretary
Gus Gries – Treasurer
Bob Nikander – Umpire-In-Chief
Four major league and eight minor league teams were planned.
Major league team managers were Dick Cannally, Ray Cruise, Archie Jarman, and Jim Dougherty. Teams were the Eagles, Bears, Lions, and Rams. The majors played Tuesday through Friday. No baseball games were scheduled on Mondays, because it was Boy Scout meeting night. Major league games were played at the old Horsham Elementary School off Columbia Avenue – a block for two from Route 611. Major league umpires included: Gene Sudol, Bob Solly, Don McKenzie, Hal Hafer, Phil Paravano, Harry Brower, Ollie Winter, and Dave Lightkep.
Minor league games were played on Saturdays, half at the same field, and half at the old Simmons Elementary School in Prospectville. Umpires for the minor league were John Cwikla and Bob Nikander.
Thanks to Bob Nikander and Mel Sonier for providing this history of Horsham Little League.
Anyone with more information on the 1958 startup, please call Bob Nikander at 215-675-9123 so that we can add you to the roster of contributors.
DISTRICT 22 CHAMPIONSHIPS:
9/10 League Softball – 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011,2012, 2014, 2016.
10/11 League Softball – 2010,2013.
Little League 11/12 Softball – 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2010, 2017.
Junior League Softball – 2002, 2003.
Senior League Softball – 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991.
9/10 League Baseball – 2007, 2012, 2015.
10/11 League Baseball – 2008, 2009,2013, 2017.
Little League 11/12 Baseball – 1972, 1978, 2009, 2010, 2017.
Junior League Baseball – 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 2004, 2010, 2011.
Senior League Baseball – 1964, 1967, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 2010, 2011.
Big League Baseball - 1994
SECTION 8 CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Junior League Baseball – 2010.
Senior League Baseball – 2010, 2011.
9/10 Softball - 2012
Junior League Softball – 2002.
Junior League Baseball – 1979. Senior League Baseball – 1964, 1967, 1980, 1981, 1984.
PA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Senior League Baseball – 1964, 1981, 1984.
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Music Video: Madonna Recruits Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Chris Rock & Katy Perry For 'B*tch I'm Madonna'
Faith Evans Discusses New Music Video, Reality Television & Embarrassing Stage Moments
Letoya Luckett Returns ‘Back 2 Life’ With Music [Teaser Trailer]
What a pleasant surprise Letoya Luckett has blessed us with a new song “Back 2 Life“. The Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter was first introduced to us as one of the original members of Destiny’s Child who was famously replaced after problems with management after their second album The Writing’s On The Wall. She went on to have two successful #1 selling solo albums (the only Destiny’s Child member besides Beyoncé to garner a #1 album on the Billboard 200 album charts) and then she transitioned into a very steady acting career.
It’s been over 5 years since her last studio album, Lady Love, and the fans of the R&B veteran have been waiting patiently for new music well she has delivered with a new track. Sampling Soul II Soul’s classic “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me),” LeToya sings about a relationship going downhill.
“Maybe we’ll survive,” she sings over an airy trap-inspired instrumental. “Maybe it’s a lie / To keep our love alive / But I know you want to ride / So, I gotta get back to life / Back to reality,” she sings.
Ms. Luckett can be seen on Fox’s drama series Rosewood. She is also set to play the iconic Dionne Warwick, in an upcoming biopic based on her autobiography, “My Life, As I See It Sure”. This new role is set to be her most challenging role yet and let’s hope it gets her the true recognition she deserves.
Fans will know there has been murmurs of a third album from miss Luckett for over two-years. With the latest title, Until Then, let’s hope it’s coming at the top of 2017. According to PEOPLE, Luckett has been spending the last five years working on the album, taking her time discovering the music and making sure it met her vision.
“I’m an actress now, as well,” she says. “I was leaving the set and going to the studio, still working on the album. I just didn’t want to come out with anything. I really wanted to take my time with it.”
“It’s like therapy for me, going in there and writing records and pouring my heart out,” she says. “It’s something I had to learn how to do. Sometimes, it was a little too close to home, but then I was like, ‘Nah, there are real people going through that and they can relate.’”
According to our sources, Toya recently wrapped up three short music videos for singles, one which co-stars Thomas Q. Jones, as her love-interest.
“I hope people can listen to the album and hear my heart,” she says. “For me, I get healing from music. I want people to experience that. It’s not about being liked, not about the approval. It’s about the experience and pouring my heart. I just want people to hear my heart and that’s it.”
Get into the ‘Back 2 Life’ teaser trailer, below:
Excited for the full music visual?
Written by Brandon Carter
Share this TEA:
back 2 lifeback2lifebeyoncechasing destinysdestiny's childdestiny's child member new musicletoyaletoya luckettletoya luckett new music 2017Letoya luckett returnsmusic video from letoya luckettnew music for letoyarnbrnb divastorn inbetween the twoyes letoya is back
LeToya Luckett Follows ‘Back 2 Life’ With ‘Used To’ Music Visual
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Home News 2018 11 Hoffa Congress Has No Time Delay Pension Fix
Hoffa: Congress Has No Time to Delay Pension Fix
General President's Message
Protect Pensions
By Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa
Published in the Detroit News, Nov. 7, 2018
Election season is officially over. The bickering and back-biting of candidates will no longer fill the airwaves. For many of us, that brings a sense of relief.
For members of Congress, it is time to get back to work. A top priority must be handling pension reform, which a joint committee was tasked with finding a solution for before Nov. 30. There is not a moment to waste.
The bipartisan House-Senate Joint Select Committee on Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans was created earlier this year and ordered to work on a fix to the looming pension crisis. But so far, despite hearings and rallies around the country, there is little to show for their efforts.
Workers and retirees are rightfully concerned about their future. Many worked for decades and contributed to their pensions under the understanding they would be supported in their golden years. That is now being called into question, and it’s not right.
The Teamsters want to remind lawmakers they need to get down to business. So next week, upwards of 150 members from Michigan and elsewhere will head to Capitol Hill to lobby their elected officials to support legislation that would provide a lifeline for faltering multiemployer pensions.
As it stands, there are more than 300 multiemployer plans across the country — including the Teamsters’ Central States Pension Fund — that are in danger of failing. The issue has real implications here in Michigan, where some 43,000 residents could be devastated by pension failures.
The Teamsters are fighting for a legislative solution and working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The union supports the passage of the Butch Lewis Act of 2017 (BLA) which was introduced in Congress in November 2017 by Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts and has received bipartisan support.
The BLA would boost financially-troubled multiemployer pensions so they don’t fail. It would create an agency, the Pension Rehabilitation Administration, under the Treasury Department that would sell bonds in the open market to large investors such as financial firms.
Opponents of the bill have attempted to poke holes in it by saying it would cost too much. Some had estimated the 10-year cost would be upwards of $100 billion. However, the Congressional Budget Office in September put the decade-long cost at $34 billion instead. The Teamsters’ own evaluation of the bill places the cost at $30.1 billion.
While that might seem a lot, the cost would be far less than if the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which serves as a backstop for pensions if they go bust, needed to pay out to retirees. In that case, the PBGC would have to pay $58.3 billion over 10 years. It would also result in $7.9 billion in lost federal tax revenue, as well as $137 billion in lost economic activity to cities and towns during the same time.
And if the PBGC were to go bankrupt, as many believe it would if multiple pensions failed? The costs to taxpayers would be far, far worse. The nation’s social safety net would be strained, with hundreds of thousands seeking food stamps, utility subsidies, and for those with dependents, even Medicaid assistance.
There is no more time for delay. Congress, please take action on pension reform now!
Teamster Privilege Auto and Home
As a member of IBT you now have access to valuable features and benefits, including special group discounts on auto and home insurance offered through MetLife Auto & Home – a leading provider of quality auto insurance coverage.
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Open Education, OpenAccess
Open Access Beyond #OAWeek: Reading Round-Up
October 27, 2015 October 27, 2015 Laura Pasquini
Last week (October 19-25, 2015) was International Open Access Week (#OAweek) with the overarching goal for accessible scholarship, research, and educational content.
Did you know about #OAweek? How did you mark or celebrate being open? In my efforts to play catch up and support open access, open educational resources (OER), open data, and openness for collaboration, here’s a rundown post about the latest happenings around OPENnness.
The Welcome Trust celebrated 10 years of Open Access and to mark #OAweek the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), marked the week of open access by highlighting Collaboration in the Open:
“Open access is the practice of making research available online, for free, ideally under licenses that permit widespread dissemination. This year’s theme for Open Access Week is ‘open for collaboration’ …both in academia and beyond—enables a kind of collaboration that can scale very quickly.
When research is closed, no one can access it unless they (or, more often, the institutions where they work or study) can afford expensive journal subscriptions or online libraries. When research is open, anyone can access it, study it, and use it, regardless of their budget or institutional affiliation.
Open access also opens the door to a type of collaboration that wouldn’t exist otherwise. Authors that publish their research in an open access journal—or deposit it in an open access repository after publication—invite others to use it and transform it in ways that they might not have even imagined. The work can become part of a larger project, expanding the body of public knowledge even more.”
If you have not read Martin Weller‘s book, The Battle for the Open, this might be a good time to download your OPEN COPY to understand the growing issues and obstacles we face in the world of openness and higher education. [Here’s a previous plug and my take on the book.]
To honor #OAweek (belated) I present you an OPEN round-up of reads I’ve wrangled from this past month (and perhaps beyond) about open access (publishing, learning, resources, data, repositories, etc). I’m sure I’ve missed a few things, so please share other articles, resources, and updates about the open in the comments. Cheers!
Making Open Access work: Clustering analysis of academic discourse suggests OA is still grappling with controversy.
Stephen Pinfield discusses this article: “to provide an overview of one of the most important and controversial areas of scholarly communication: Open Access publishing and dissemination of research outputs. It identifies and discusses recent trends and future challenges for various stakeholders in delivering Open Access (OA) to the scholarly literature.”
Check out the Free online #webinar on The Impact of Open Education @Edtechie via @Ignatia Webs
This free webinar, which is being promoted by the ALT Open Education Special Interest Group, will explore findings of the OER Research Hub, which has been investigating the impact of open educational resources. btw, the OER Research Hub is a source of wonderful, innovative OER-work, really worth exploring!
Opening Up Open Access: Moving beyond business models and towards cooperative, scholar-organized, open networks. via @kfitz
“This issue of credit usually gets discussed in the U.S. in terms of the things that “count” for promotion and tenure, but recent developments in Europe and the U.K. make the question of counting all the more literal, as the continued financial support of entire departments can hinge on a quantified assessment of those departments’ productivity, and the nature of “productivity” is all too narrowly defined.“
SPARC Launches Open Access Evaluation Tool
“the launch of the Open Access Spectrum (OAS) Evaluation Tool, which provides a concrete, quantifiable mechanism to independently analyze publications’ policies.
The OAS Evaluation Tool generates an “Openness” score that is straightforward, easy to understand, and free. The program provides critical information to authors, libraries, research funders, government agencies, and other interested parties. It can be used to help determine compliance with funder policies, institutional mandates, and researchers’ individual values. It also offers a unique opportunity for publishers to independently validate their journals’ degree of openness and compliance with funder and campus policies.”
HowOpenIsIt? Guide from PLOS
The “HowOpenIsIt?®” Open Access Spectrum (OAS) guide standardizes Open Access terminology in an easily understandable, comprehensive resource created by PLOS, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA). The guide defines core components of Open Access derived from the articulation of basic tenets in the 2002 Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI).
Academics have found a way to access insanely expensive research papers—for free
When content is not accessible and open, the scholars revert to the hashtag #icanhazpdf: “many people are becoming increasingly frustrated with a business model—where work is produced by academics, edited by their peers, and often funded by the taxpayer—is hidden behind a paywall.“
Exploring the publishing model of the Open Library of Humanities: A view from Latin America
Francisco Osorio provides a brief overview of what sets this journal project apart from the rest and how the new funding model offers an economic, social and technological platform for the humanities and social sciences to transition to open access. At the heart of the matter is the forms of communication in humanities and social sciences as distinctive from the natural sciences.
Open access papers ‘more likely to be cited on Twitter’
Much to no one’s surprise: “open access journals and articles have a ‘big advantage’ when it comes to being shared on Twitter compared with those behind a paywall.”
What does Academia_edu’s success mean for Open Access? The data-driven world of search engines and social networking.
[Academia.edu is] “the ‘largest social-publishing network for scientists’, and ‘larger than all its competitors put together’ – clearly raises a number of questions for the open access movement. After all, compared to the general sluggishness (and at times overt resistance) with which the call to make research available on an open access basis has been met.”
The Future of figshare (for open data sharing)
“figshare has strived to engender a strong sustainability model that would allow us to continue to improve our free offering. With our continued successes, alongside file sizes and research outputs increasing year on year, we’re going to be removing our premium accounts leaving only one tier of account“
OECD report on students, computers and learning: making the connection [REPORT]
Are there computers in the classroom? Does it matter? Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection examines how students’ access to and use of information and communication technology (ICT) devices has evolved in recent years, and explores how education systems and schools are integrating ICT into students’ learning experiences.
Open Education Resources in Canada via the IRRODL
Canada’s important areas of expertise in open educational resources (OER) are beginning to be built upon or replicated more broadly in all education and training sectors. This paper provides an overview of the state of the art in OER initiatives and open higher education in general in Canada, providing insights into what is happening nationally and provincially. There are growing examples of OER initiatives from several Canadian institutions offering free courses to Canadians and international learners.
Is it time for Canada to implement a unified open strategy for higher education? asks @clintlalonde
From Clint’s UBC/SFU Open Access week forum talk on this question [I concur with your response, Clint.]: “yes, having a unified national strategy on all things open is likely a good idea for the simple fact that it gets all the various strands of open – open access, open education, open source software, open pedagogy, open data – in the same room. And any reason to bring people together to talk about their commonalities is a good thing.”
Openly Licensed Educational Resources: Providing Equitable Access to Education for All Learners via the US Federal Government
Open education advances key national priorities, including supporting shared economic prosperity, strengthening civil society, and investing in human development. Over the next year, the U.S. Government will continue efforts to expand and accelerate the use and availability of openly licensed educational materials worldwide. In addition, we will begin to model the transition to openly licensed educational materials at scale in U.S. K-12 schools. We look forward to engaging with the national and global community to identify opportunities for open licensing to accelerate educational equity for all learners regardless of their financial situations or geographic locations.
Community Call from ALT: Open Education Technology and Practice
ALT is piloting a monthly ‘Community Call’ where we speak to ALT Members about their work. For our first call we speak with Lorna Campbell who is an advocate for open education, technology and practice.
Institute for Open Leadership Applications via Creative Commons – Due October 30, 2015
Earlier this year, Creative Commons and the Open Policy Network hosted the first Institute for Open Leadership (IOL). The IOL is a training and support program to empower new leaders interested in crafting and implementing an open licensing policy within their discipline. We had adiverse cohort of 14 fellows who came together for a week in January, 2015 in San Francisco. The fellows worked with mentors and each other to hone their open policy project ideas. Since then they’ve working within their institutions and fields to implement their open policy plan.
The impact of open textbook adoption on the learning outcomes of higher ed students
In some educational settings, the cost of textbooks approaches or even exceeds the cost of tuition. Given limited resources, it is important to better understand the impacts of free open educational resources (OER) on student outcomes. Utilizing digital resources such as OER can substantially reduce costs for students. The purpose of this study was to analyze whether the adoption of no-cost open digital textbooks significantly predicted students’ completion of courses, class achievement, and enrollment intensity during and after semesters in which OER were used.
A Librarian’s Guide to OER in the Maker Space
Because of their capacity to stimulate creativity, OER are the perfect complement to the maker space movement. The maker movement shares a philosophy with the open source movement by fostering creativity, collaboration, and personalization in schools. The integration of OER into well-planned, well-designed maker spaces brings together physical and virtual interests and activities and expands learning opportunities. Maker spaces are especially well suited for OER because they demonstrate inquiry-based learning and allow students some autonomy to direct their learning.
The Real Threat of OER via David Wiley (@opencontent)
Publishers continue to believe that “free” is the main threat posed to their business models by OER. Perhaps that is because pricing is a threat they understand and know how to counteract. However, the core idea of openness – to generously grant others the broad range of permissions that enables them to innovate in any manner they can imagine – that is the real threat OER pose to commercial publishers. While the prices for commercial materials may eventually approach affordability, publishers are structurally unable to grant faculty the broad set of copyright permissions necessary to truly empower them. Their business models forbid it.
The arXiv cannot replace traditional publishing without addressing the standards of research assessment [in open repositories]. via @JanvadeHe
So why has the arXiv become so important for researchers in these particular fields? Why is it that it is now more or less standard that any active researcher in these areas will deposit a close to final version of their publications in the archive? Part of it can be explained by the increasing prominence of Open Access and related developments in academic publishing. But that can only explain a small part of the success of the arXiv. The main reason of its success, in my opinion, is a specific feature of these research areas: the very long lead time between submission and publication in a journal of papers in those fields, and hence the historic prominence of “preprints” and “reports.”
The benefits of Open Access Repositories – Q & A with Professor Sonia Livingstone shares her thoughts on the LSE’s institutional repository, LSE Research Online (LSERO)
Honest and reliable Open Access Journals in Open and Distance Education from Rob Farrow at the @OER_Hub
E-learning papers http://www.openeducationeuropa.eu/en/elearning_papers
European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning (EURODL) http://www.eurodl.org
International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL) http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl
Open Praxis http://openpraxis.org/index.php/OpenPraxis
Research in Learning Technology (RLT) http://www.researchinlearningtechnology.net/index.php/rlt
Universities and Knowledge Society Journal (RUSC) http://journals.uoc.edu/index.php/rusc/
Journal of Learning for Development (JL4D) http://www.jl4d.org/index.php/ejl4d/index
Journal of Online Learning Research (JOLR) https://www.aace.org/pubs/jolr/
Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT) http://jolt.merlot.org/
Tagged #OAweek, data, education, Higher Ed, OA, OER, open, openaccess, openness, publishing, research
Previous postDigesting #dLRN15: Making Sense of Higher Ed
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French Comedian Held on Suspicion of Sympathy for Gunman Who Killed 5
Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala during a press conference in Paris in 2014.
Gonzalo Fuentes—Reuters
By Vivienne Walt/Paris
French police on Wednesday arrested the country’s most incendiary comedian, Dieudonné M’bala M’bala, for having posted a message on Facebook last week which appeared to show sympathy for the man who killed four Jews in a kosher supermarket in Paris last week.
“Tonight, as far as I’m concerned, I feel like Charlie Coulibaly,” wrote Dieudonné in a reference to the gunman Amedy Coulibaly who also fatally shot a policewoman last Thursday.
MORE Dieudonné M’bala M’bala has become a star by targeting France’s Jews
The arrest of the comedian was “totally exaggerated and disportionate” according to his lawyer Jacques Verdier. He told TIME on Wednesday that his client remained in custody nine hours after his arrest. Verdier said he thought the government had “lost its composure.”
The arrest is already being seen as a sign of double standards in France, coming three days after President François Hollande attended a march through the streets of Paris to proclaim freedom of speech. The paroxysm of violence in Paris began on January 7, when Said and Cherif Kouachi massacred eight journalists at the satirical paper Charlie Hebdo and four others. The Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed on Wednesday it had planned and ordered the attack on the publication.
Large Crowds Rally Against Terrorism in Paris After Attacks
Thousands of people gather at Place de la République in Paris, Jan. 11, 2015.
Peter Dejong—AP
French President Francois Hollande is surrounded by head of states including Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Donald Tusk and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as they attend the solidarity march in the streets of Paris Jan. 11, 2015.
Philippe Wojazer—Reuters
Demonstrators make their way along Boulevrd Voltaire in a unity rally in Paris following the recent terrorist attacks on Jan. 11, 2015 in Paris.
Christopher Furlong—Getty Images
A man holds a pencil, which has become a symbol for the cartoonists and editors killed at Charlie Hebdo, as he takes part in a solidarity march in the streets of Paris, Jan. 11, 2015.
Eric Gaillard—Reuters
Families and relatives walk and hold banners reading 'Charlie' during a march to honor victims of the terrorist attacks and show unity, in Paris, Jan.11, 2015.
Julien WarnandJ—EPA
Demonstrators make their way along Place de la République during a mass unity rally following the recent terrorist attacks on Jan. 11, 2015 in Paris.
Dan Kitwood—Getty Images
A man holds a giant pencil, which has become a symbol for the cartoonists and editors killed at Charlie Hebdo, as as he takes part in the solidarity march in the streets of Paris, Jan. 11, 2015.
Stephane Mahe—Reuters
People gather at the Place de la Nation in Paris, Jan. 11, 2015.
Yoan Valat—EPA
A balloon reading "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) is held at Place de la Bastille during the solidarity march on Jan. 11, 2015 in Paris.
Joel Saget—AFP/Getty Images
A general view shows hundreds of thousands of French citizens taking part in a solidarity march in the streets of Paris, Jan. 11, 2015.
On Wednesday, Dieudonné was being investigated for “defending terrorism.” His arrest came a day after Prime Minister Manuel Valls — who last year ordered theaters to cancel Dieudonné’s show — made an impassioned speech to parliament about “these preachers of hatred,” without mentioning the comedian by name. The comedian’s in-your-face act, with its jokes about the Holocaust, has made Dieudonné a household name in France, and tickets to his shows sell out weeks in advance. In a long interview with TIME last year, Dieudonné said, “there is some paranoia among Jews. If I have deeply hurt anyone, I apologize.”
Dieudonné, who comes from a Cameroonian immigrant family, has built his fame around the ability to push buttons and cause offence. That, says, Verdier, is similar to Charlie Hebdo, whose humor regularly insults people. “Dieudonné is also controversial, he is also against religion,” he says. The comedian has irked the government for years, and instilled deep anxieties in French Jews, who see his brand of humor as giving voice to rising anti-Semitism in the country.
While the Charlie Hebdo attack brought huge global sympathy, it has also provoked a strong debate in France about the limits of free speech, something that does not have blanket legal protection as it does in the U.S.. Judges can deem remarks, for example, to further terrorism or racial violence, and denying the Holocaust is banned under law. French officials have ordered 54 investigations into hate speech since the Charlie Hebdo attack.
Read next: Charlie Hebdo Attack Highlights the Challenge of the U.S.-Yemen Relationship
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This Thing Is Neat
Kanon and Sentimentality
On 30 June, 2019 30 June, 2019 By Data_ErrorIn Anime, Video Games
Kanon (2006) is available to stream from Funimation. The original game is not available for direct purchase in North America.
We all have to start somewhere.
I may have technically been watching anime way back in the late ‘90s, when they made up a good half of the Saturday-morning cartoon block, but I started watching it intentionally over a decade later, first with a weekend marathon of Miyazaki’s films, then on the implicit recommendation of online peers and creators. As it turned out, a lot of them leaned more toward slow-paced, wistful stories than the action or sci-fi series that were more visible by way of the toy aisle and movie rental shop.
One of the very first of these that grabbed me was the 2006 adaptation of Kanon, which I still credit with getting me hooked on the genre / medium / nonsense in the first place. Its beautiful snow-laden backdrops appealed to my Midwestern heart, all the characters were bright and cute in their portrayal (though not exploitatively so), and more than anything else I was taken in by the show’s willingness to wear its heart on its sleeve and fully indulge in its own emotional stories.
Nowadays we’d call that “sappy” or point at it as a sign of sentimentality over substance. It’s not even a wrong takeaway. Visual Novels even have direct genre label for this: the “utsuge” (depressing game) and “nakige” (crying game), which set out deliberately to get a rise out of the player.
And call me a sucker, but I bought way into that and still do. For a long time I’d even re-watch the series every year or two when February made its wintry setting conveniently “in-season”. So, as you might imagine, I got really familiar with these characters and all the ups and downs of their individual arcs. Or, at least, the television version of them.
It wasn’t until earlier this year that I’d finally played through the original visual novel as translated by some generous fans. After going through the more linear show multiple times, I was looking forward to seeing how the same material fared as broken out into individual “routes”, giving each of the heroines their own dedicated focus and space to breathe.
And, after reading and letting the source material settle in by mind for a few months… the anime adaptation is still the version that sticks in my head.
That isn’t to say that the visual novel doesn’t have some great advantages over the show, though; and that’s not just the prudish “the-source-material-is-always-better” instinct talking. Not entirely, anyway.
As noted, a generous three-to-six hours of reading per story route definitely gives each individual character a lot more focused space to display their nuances and interact with the protagonist – and his penchant for tricking unwilling participants into straight-man-funny-man gags. A dark-horse favorite character gets her own side-chapter and backstory that the anime doesn’t even touch on. And there’s all sorts of internal monologuing that, while the show captures surprisingly well with its character animation, is naturally fuller and more explicit in writing.
But, as you might expect of anything made 20 years ago, it’s really starting to show its age. Most of the art assets just did not make a graceful transition to a digital format, for example, even before you take into account character designer Hitaru Inoue’s divisive “doe eyes” style. And probably more importantly (albeit less smack-you-in-the-face-antly), its female leads just don’t have the same degree of agency that we’ve come to expect in more modern heroine-focused stories like I Want to Eat Your Pancreas – or even compared to works that Key would put out just a few years later.
Then there’s the pesky fact that there’s a lot of friction involved in finding a Japanese-language imported game from 1999 and getting it to run on a modern, English computer with an unsanctioned translation patch. That can put a damper on the whole affair before it even starts.
(I’m going to take only this sentence to acknowledge that the original release does involve mature content – but as this was removed for virtually every subsequent release and does not feed into the main story, the relevant scenes are by all rights no longer part of Kanon’s current identity.)
But unlike other adaptations, the 2006 anime makes itself a worthy successor not only by very closely following the core storylines as presented in the visual novel, but in streamlining them in the process.
Vague spoilers follow the image.
Granted it’s a studio’s first attempt, but some of the visuals are distractingly wonky – especially background characters.
There’s a certain logic to the show’s flow: first, the two characters whose stories would most encroach on others (actual monsters materializing most nights may be somewhat of a distraction). Then to the most neutral of the main five characters, then one that semi-permanently alters the status quo around the most visible supporting characters, and finally out plot-designated main heroine, whose story is re-worked a titch to tie into the other’s much more clearly in the anime portrayal.
Running them all in sequence like this definitely works better than it otherwise might considering that there’s a definite downer moment at the climax of each story in the visual novel. It’s a convenient point at which to exit a character’s story while almost-but-not-quite resolving it – and in most cases it’s even a more elegant way out, too. With one exception, the final scene in each route of the visual novel tends to sweep problems under the rug in the visual novel as an “everybody gets better, the end” fashion. It’s sweet, but a bit jarring and not quite so satisfying.
The anime arguably does a better job of introducing its persisting supernatural elements early on, then leveraging those near the end to tie together and justify those more hopeful endings all at once. The final arc paints the story as much more of an “earn-your-happy-ending” situation, and one that draws on its main heroine in a more powerful way.
But the upbeat ending isn’t what the story is about.
Like all of KEY’s offerings, Kanon has to balance its optimistic conclusion against the bumpy road to get there.
And that’s bumpy, mind, not just dour or painful. Part of what makes the whole package work so well is that Kanon seems to have a strong hand on the proverbial gas knob, knowing when it needs to lay on a thick monologue, when to pull back to show a friendly chat, and when it can just coast on its own melancholy. You get to see all sides of the characters this way – their best days, when somebody just metaphorically killed their puppy, and – crucially – on the dozen days between when they’re kinda just doing okay. If Nayuki has enough problems day-to-day between her club, perpetual tardiness, and being the chief recipient of the protagonists’s gadfly tendencies; throwing that into a proper, fully-explored tragedy at hour seven is even more wrenching than a character who was clearly doomed from minute one.
And it gets worse in that, for the most part, everyone is stuck with their lot in life. You’re relatively powerless to actually turn their situations around – terminal illnesses are still terminal, and the world doesn’t bend its rules just because it’s convenient for the protagonist. And while some have come to terms with their situation or struggle against it, the best ending the anime will give any of them for a while is a moderate success with a notable caveat, if not a bittersweet non-ending.
Honestly, it pulls these downers off so graciously that for a long time, I assumed that’s just how the visual novel ended. Everybody is stuck where they’re at (until Ayu magically gives them a feel-good conclusion) , and that’s ultimately okay. There were difficulties in getting to their still-difficult situations, but that’s not the whole picture. Even on a downward path, there’s a lot of levity along the way, and despairing twenty-four-seven is just unrealistic.
No matter how bad things get for them, they’re still alive and kicking, and they still have other people around them to lift them up. The ending that feels the most “real” for them isn’t the unambiguously happy one, just like none end at their darkest hour.
The truest answer here is an acute sense of melancholy.
And I guess a love for that sense is what Kanon‘s left me with most over the years. Though not just because it’s a more “safe” form of sadness that brings out the tears without necessarily feeling hopeless. More because it feels honest.
Art imitates life, after all, and both its highest and lowest points tend to be fleeting. What we really aim for is both experiences, but with a true baseline in one of those vastly underrated middling emotions. Even if that baseline is further down the scale than we might want, it’s someplace from which you can be hopeful, live with intent, or just carry on being content in spite of circumstances. And it always seems a more reasonable place to bounce back to than reaching all the way back up.
Melancholy doesn’t feel emotionally harmful in the same way as a deep tragedy or exhausting or untenable like something relentlessly upbeat. That more temperate, measured sentimentality certainly has its own charm.
It may be an odd thing to seek out, but I could do with more melancholy.
Both cold and adorable.
Fate/Grand Order and Franchise Faces
A Silent Voice and Sympathetic Antagonists
This Thing is Neat is a biweekly blog about the concepts and ideas that manifest in modern media.
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Tag: serial killer
Miami Vice (1988/1989) – Line of Fire, and Asian Cut
Vice detectives Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Micheal Thomas) are assigned to protect a punk and rock lover, Keith Mollis (Justin Lazard) who is the lead witness in drug dealer, Carlos Cantero’s (Ahraron Ipale) trial. Line of Fire first aired on 16 December, 1988, and was written by Raymond Hartung. The partners…
Miami Vice (1988) – Honor Among Thieves?, and Hell Hath No Fury
Vice Detectives Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Micheal Thomas) are on the edge of having their cover blown when they are involved in a hunt for a serial killer. Written by Jack Richardson, this episode first debuted on 4 March, 1988, and sees Paul Delgado (John Bowman) abducting girls, tying in with…
Miami Vice (1988) – Love at First Sight, and A Rock and a Hard Place
Vice detective Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) goes undercover with a video dating service to find a serial killer in the first episode up this week. Written by Peter McCabe, the episode first aired on 15 January, 1988. Johnson also serves as the episode’s director. Caitlin (Sheena Easton) is worried she may lose her new husband,…
Natural Born Killers (1994) – Oliver Stone
When you combine a story by Quentin Tarantino and the directorial style of Oliver Stone, you know you are going to get something unique to filmmaking, and Natural Born Killers is very much that. It is also the title on the What Else to Watch list from DK Books’ The Movie Book following their recommendation…
Toronto After Dark 2018
It’s that time of year again, and it seems Toronto always knows what to get me for my birthday – a film festival. Specifically the Toronto After Dark film festival. Running October 11th through to the 19th the genre festival features films from around the globe that highlight horror, action and science fiction films that…
Black House (2001) – Stephen King & Peter Straub
Back in 1984, Stephen King and Peter Straub paired up to craft a titanic fantasy novel known as The Talisman. Seventeen years later they paired up again to create a sequel to the tale that brought (Travelin’) Jack Sawyer back into the lives of readers. It’s some twenty odd years later, Jack Sawyer is 31,…
Toronto After Dark 2017: Tragedy Girls – Tyler MacIntyre
BFFs, LOLs, LIKES, RETWEETs and MURDER. The Toronto After Dark film festival comes to a close this evening at Scotibank Theatre with the Toronto premiere of the exceptional dark comedy, Tragedy Girls. A Heathers for the cyber age, the film follows two students and best friends, Sadie (Brianna Hildebrand) and McKayla (Alexandra Shipp) who are…
Toronto After Dark 2017: Poor Agnes – Navin Ramaswaran
The second feature screening tonight at Scotiabank Theatre as part of the Toronto After Dark film festival is another new favourite. Poor Agnes, having its Toronto premiere this eve, is a disturbing drama that haunts and troubles even as its story captivates. Agnes (Lora Burke) is a serial killer, and she is a master at…
Toronto After Dark 2017: Game of Death – Sebastien Landry & Laurence Morais-Lagace
Tonight at 7pm Toronto After Dark unveils Game of Death with its Toronto premiere at Scotiabank Theatre. Imagine if Jumanji made you kill people. That’s the impetus behind the film as a group of millennials find themselves playing a board game where they have to kill (or be killed) to survive. This is a great…
The Lodger (1927) – Alfred Hitchcock
One of Hitchcock’s earliest film, the silent black and white piece, The Lodger is the next title on the What Else to Watch list in DK Canada’s The Movie Book, following the viewing recommendation of Murnau’s classic Sunrise. You can definitely see hints of what is to come from the master, as he works from…
Quantum Leap (1992) – Running for Honor and Temptation Eyes
Sam (Scott Bakula) is a cadet at Prescott Naval College in Running for Honor. Written by Bobby Duncan, this episode had an airdate of 15 January, 1992. It’s 11 June, 1964, and Sam has leaped into Tommy York, and Al (Dean Stockwell) informs him he’s there to save a life. In the original history, a…
Banshee: Season 4
The white-knuckle, pulp thriller, rollercoaster ride that is Banshee has come to a close. While it’s bittersweet that the show has come to its conclusion, there’s nothing like going out on a high note. Brutal in its violence, dark and dry in its humour, and incredibly sexy in its liaisons, the series has captivated the…
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The Doors announce ̵...
Paul McCartney writing f...
Iggy Pop announces ̵...
Miranda Lambert drops tw...
Confederate Railroad responds to Du Quoin State Fair cancellation
Buddy Iahn | July 9, 2019 | Country News
Band’s contract was canceled by the State of Illinois over the weekend
Controversy has struck Illinois after state legislatures decided to cancel Confederate Railroad’s contract due to its name. The band was removed from its August 27th slot due to “racial sensitivity concerns.” After several days of silence, the band has shared the following statement in regards to the matter.
“As many of you know, we were scheduled to perform at the Illinois State Fair in Du Quoin, Illinois on August 27, along with our friends Restless Heart and Shenandoah,” singer Danny Shirley shares. “We have since been removed from that show by the Illinois Department of Agriculture because of the name of our band. This was very disappointing as we have played this fair before and enjoyed it very much. The outpouring of support from Confederate Railroad fans, fans of other acts, and the public in general, has been both overwhelming and very much appreciated. I would also like to thank the actors, athletes and fellow country music artists who have spoken out in support. It has been brought to my attention that several people have asked both Restless Heart and Shenandoah to cancel their shows in protest of our cancellation. I have spoken to both acts and encouraged them to perform as scheduled. Live concerts are how we pay our bills and feed our families. I would never want to see another act lose a payday because of this. Please go out to hear these two great bands. As I have said many times onstage, I am by no means a saint but, I am a man of faith and I have faith that God will see us through this as well as whatever comes next! Thank you for your support.”
The group was set to perform as part of a “90’s Country ReLoaded Day” along with Shenandoah and Restless Heart, who will still perform on August 27th. It was the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s decision to cancel the band’s contract after Rich Miller with Capitol Fax asked whether or not it was appropriate for the band to play a state-owned facility because their name contains the word “Confederate” in it.
“While every artists has a right to expression, we believe this decision is in the best interest of serving all of the people in our state,” Fair Manager Josh Gross tells the Pickneyville Press over the weekend.
Many fans have swarmed social media to express their dislike of the cancellation, even calling for a boycott of the Du Quoin State Fair. Many, including country stars Charlie Daniels and Oak Ridge Boys singer Joe Bonsall, are upset stating the political correctness of this country has gotten out of control.
Shenandoah has even responded, saying, the political correctness has to stop.
“Confederate Railroad has been extremely wronged by having been booked and then cancelled,” the band writes. “The event’s organizers knew their name when they were booked, and now this firestorm will likely effect them in a negative way for the remainder of their career, taking their ability to provide for their families away from them. 100% of the comments Shenandoah has received have asked us to cancel our show as well, but we are contractually obligated. Plus, we wouldn’t want to do that to our own fans that want to see us. This ‘political correctness’ has to stop. It’s tearing our country apart.”
Controversial rapper Snoop Dogg, who stands over what appears to be a dead President Trump with an American flag draped over his body on his most recent album Make America Crip Again, is set to play the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, causing even more public backlash.
Illinois State Representative Candidate Terri Bryant, District 115, is seeking to get answers about the entertainment decisions made by lawmakers. She disagrees with the state’s decision to cancel Confederate Railroad’s contract and not Snoop Dogg’s.
“I am disappointed in the administration’s decision as are many of my fellow Southern Illinoisans,” she shares on Facebook.
“For those of us living in Southern Illinois that enjoy country music, we can often find connections in the lyrics and messages in our favorite songs that remind us of love of country, love for family and friends and a simple way of living.
“Having said that, a direct contrast to country music’s typical lyrics would be evidenced by upcoming Springfield State Fair musical act Snoop Dogg. The controversial rapper has for decades used his platform to malign police, refer to women in disgusting ways, and glorify gun violence and illegal drug sales.”
On Monday (July 8th), she shared a followup after meeting with high-ranking members of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s staff in Chicago. In part, her statement reads,
“The meeting was multi-fold. I wanted to identify for my constituents who made the call to cancel the contract with Confederate Railroad and the official reason for why it was done. I also wanted to express my absolute disagreement with the cancelation. In addition, I wanted an explanation for the booking of Snoop Dogg in Springfield considering his album cover has a picture of what appears to be a dead President Trump on a slab covered with a flag while Snoop Dogg stands over him in a defiant manner.
“I wanted the Administration to know I expected Confederate Railroad’s contract to be reinstated. I argued that if Confederate Railroad is canceled, then Snoop Dogg should be canceled too.
“I was informed in no uncertain terms, that the decision to cancel CR was made by the Pritzker administration, including the two people sitting with me at the table. They affirmed that the decision was not made by DuQuoin Fair officials or by Director Sullivan.
“They refused my insistence that Confederate Railroad be permitted to perform. Their reasoning was that they have a hard fast rule not to permit any use of the Confederate flag in any way. When I asked what their policy was pertaining to a sitting President being depicted in the way President Trump is depicted on Snoop Dogg’s album cover, they said, they had no such policy.
“In fact, I was told by one of the Governor’s staffers that I should use this case as a ‘teachable moment’ for the people of Southern Illinois. I am serious…that is what the staffer said.
“In short, the Pritzker administration canceled Confederate Railroad because the Confederate flag offends many people.
“They refused to cancel Snoop Dogg even though it offends many people. I believe in very limited government censorship. I believe even less in double standards.”
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‘The Best of Morrissey: Hits Collection’ making vinyl debut
Mariah Carey ‘Daydream’ gets first vinyl release
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the be good tanyas
by thenorthline in Uncategorized Tags: the be good tanyas
there is a lot of good creative music out there , there is a lot of talented artist out there. but there are very few bands that capture a beautiful sound than the be good tanyas with a voice that will send shivers down your spine and the hairs on your neck stand . everyone should have at least one of there albums in there collection
The Be Good Tanyas are a Canadian traditional music group, whose influences include folk, country, and bluegrass. The style of music they perform can also be referred to as alt-country or Americana. Formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, The Be Good Tanyas first played together at tree planting camps in British Columbia. They eventually played their first concerts in Vancouver in the late 1990s. In 2000 they embarked on a North American tour that ran from Vancouver to New Orleans, before returning to British Columbia to record their first album Blue Horse with producer Garth Futcher. The record, which combines old-time music standards such as “Oh! Susanna”, “The Cuckoo” and “The Lakes of Pontchartrain” with self-penned songs like “The Littlest Birds”, was well received in the folk-roots movement and highly praised for the quality of the harmony vocals and the mixture of the new and the traditional in the instrumentation. Helped by the popularity of Americana at the time of its release, it achieved a modest amount of crossover success in college radio[citation needed] and was featured in a television commercial for Zellers department stores.
The second album, Chinatown, followed in 2003. Their third album, Hello Love, was released on October 10, 2006.
The Tanyas gained some U.S. exposure when the Showtime series The L Word selected one of their songs, “In Spite of All the Damage”, for inclusion in the series’ soundtrack. A live version of “In My Time of Dying” was also included in the third episode of the third season, in which Frazey Ford featured as a nun and played the song in the opening sequence. The band’s music has also been included in the Showtime series Weeds and the CTV series Eleventh Hour in a similar role, and in the feature film Because of Winn-Dixie. Their cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Waiting Around To Die” was also used in an episode of AMC’s Breaking Bad.
After the release of the first two Be Good Tanyas albums, Trish Klein collaborated with Alison Russell under the band name Po’ Girl, a project that as of April 2007 has resulted in three albums: Po’girl, Vagabond Lullabies and Home to You.
2007 saw all members of the band pursuing their own projects.
As of 2008, the band is on hiatus – to unwind from the stresses of touring, and to allow the members to refocus their lives.
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?y0yhdmwwfzn
it’s not happening is a single release .
http://rapidshare.com/files/215616583/The_Be_Good_Tanyas_-_It_s_Not_Happening__2003_.rar
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http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wzyzyyl3nxa
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Muslim Student Association wants to education on real meaning of Islam
Posted on December 4, 2015 by Southern News Leave a comment
Max Bickley – General Assignment Reporter
On Nov. 13, there were a series of terror attacks which took place across the world. While there were bombings in Beirut, Baghdad and an assault in Kenya, the world looked onto the devastating attack in Paris. On Nov. 13 in Paris, France were a number of attacks which included the bombing of a football stadium and an assault on an open-air concert. In the days following these attacks, the party who claimed responsibility was ISIS (Islamic State of Syria).
Since then, not only has there been growing antagonism and action against ISIS, but France has already been taking measures to strike back: the first major assault being an air bombing of Raqqa in Syria. The growing anger towards ISIS was also demonstrated by France’s president during a memorial service where he swore to stamp out ISIS.
“To all of you, I solemnly promise that France will do everything to destroy the army of fanatics that committed these crimes,” said President François Hollande during the memorial.
On Monday, Nov. 23, the Muslim Student Association on campus held a social in Engleman Hall. However, as described by president and senior Asma Abdelati, the social was not planned to be a response to the events in Paris.
“We had this social scheduled for a while now,” Abdelati said. “We wanted to just introduce ourselves to the student body, and just hold a forum where people could meet and talk. However, with everything going on right now, this seemed the right time to bring up recent events and how they affect us in our homes and even on campus.”
On the home front however, right here on Southern’s own campus, the feelings have been mixed, and there have been incidents where Muslim students have been the target of anger. According to Abdelati, a girl was verbally harassed in Buley Library due to her religious affiliation.
“I was contacted by a girl I know who told me about this girl getting harassed in the library,” Abdelati said. “A Muslim student was harassed by a guy in the library and he was saying awful things to her, but apparently no one tried to stop it. What we need students to do now, especially with everything that happened in Paris, is to speak out against wrongs like this.”
That was the biggest motion that the MSA [Muslim Student’s Association] made in regards to how students, either upset or concerned, should handle things: open up a dialog. The social itself was set up in order to “meet and greet the Muslim students, learn about the MSA on campus and the meaning of Islam.”
During the social were two guest speakers, both of whom not only addressed the ideals and practices of Islam, but also related them to the current events going on with ISIS and the conflicts they have begun.
One speaker, Imam Hussein, spoke largely on the differentiating between true Muslims and those members of ISIS.
“Islam is not a religion of violence,” said Hussein. “The members of ISIS do not heed the teachings of Allah in how they act. And not to mention that not all Muslims are associated with them, or even can know people associated with them. The members of ISIS are such a minute number of Muslims that it is wrong to associate Muslims as a whole with their terror.”
By the end of the social, students shared their own stories and experiences of either witnessing their friends or other students be subjected to prejudice, but also sharing their own thoughts. The MSA and Abdelati offered their services to students.
“We are here for any Muslim students who are facing troubles or feel unsafe on campus. At the same time though, we must ask students to speak up when they hear about this, and learn more,” Abdelati said. “Learning and just talking to us about our faith and beliefs, knowing us as people is the next step to ending this anger and hate.”
tagged with France, ISIS, islam, muslim group, Muslim Student's Association, paris attacks
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Kanye West presents the Fashion Icon Award to Pharrell Williams onstage at the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on June 1, 2015, in New York City. Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Daily Dose: 11/18/16
Kanye West has officially lost the plot
By Clinton Yates @clintonyates
12:25 PMThe homey Aaron Dodson’s new podcast is officially up and moving, and he’s got another edition out. If you don’t know about What Are Those?!, you need to get on it. Listen here.
I have no idea what’s going on with Kanye West. Sure, it’s been a tough year. He’s been publicly beefing with Jay Z, his wife was assaulted in Paris and now his concerts turned therapy sessions have gone wild. On Thursday at a concert in California, he told an entire crowd of people that had he voted, his vote would have gone to Donald Trump. He then resurfaced his claims of running in 2020, which at this point is exactly what this country deserves. This dude is doing the absolute most. ABC News reports.
Let’s review what’s going on with the Trump White House. He’s decided to tap Michael Flynn as the national security adviser. He’s also decided that Mike Pompeo is his guy for the CIA. To top things off, he’s offered the job of attorney general to Jeff Sessions, who was the first Republican senator to endorse Trump, so apparently that move paid off. Meanwhile, Trump is also trying to stick his son-in-law in office, which might cause a problem, because nepotism is a thing, and people don’t want that.
In this country, some people view drug addiction as a psychological choice, rather than a physical problem. And for some people, who tend to believe that the criminal justice system is actually designed to reform and reshape lives, they think that sending someone to jail is a smart way to bring about change. But for parents, dealing with an addicted child is a nightmare. They take desperate measures to try to make a difference in ways that they haven’t before. One dad sent his heroin-addicted daughter to jail. VICE reports on how that story ends.
The Lamar Jackson show is over. It was fun while it lasted. Watching him roast defenses all over the East Coast was a tremendous ritual this season. All he did was score touchdowns, and we all loved it. But, that’s all over now. They got completely dumptrucked by Houston on Thursday night, and it wasn’t particularly close. They looked like a squad that was waiting to get exposed, and it happened. His Heisman Trophy hopes probably aren’t over, but if I’m being honest, I would have rather seen them play for the title, anyway. ESPN’s Sam Khan Jr. reports.
Coffee Break: If you’re wondering what’s going on in various coffee shops these days, I’ll tell you. Grown men are screaming at people because they didn’t get their lattes on time, and people are recording these interactions. I’ll let you fill in the blanks on why all this went down, but you can also just watch it here.
Snack Time: Donald Glover put another song out, and from the looks of it, that album is going to be superfire. Also, The Weeknd put out two snippets. We think the same will be the case with his album, but we don’t really know yet.
Dessert: Klay Thompson is an absolute goon, and we’re here for it.
Shirley Caeser performs in the East Room of the White House, in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2015, during a gospel music concert as part of the latest in the “In Performance at the White House” concert series. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Shirley Caesar has always been the truth
and this latest meme has put a spotlight on her glory
Diamond Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile, talks about his shooting death with protesters and media outside the governor’s residence on July 7, 2016, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Castile was shot and killed after a traffic stop by St. Anthony police in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, Wednesday night. A video shot by Reynolds of the shooting went viral. AP Photo/Jim Mone
Diamond Reynolds speaks out
Former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson during a news conference at the Lakers training facility on May 11, 2011, in El Segundo, California. The Lakers were swept out of their best-of-seven series with the Dallas Mavericks four games to none. Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Phil Jackson and his problematic use of the word posse
Call it whatever you want, but it was definitely inappropriate
In this photo taken Oct. 25, 2016, a note on top of a bible sits in the drawer saying that Qurans are available for guests along with other holy books at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. Many luxury hotels offer Qurans and holy books from various cultures to accommodate international travelers. Donald Trump has made divisive remarks about Muslims in his presidential campaign, but an air of calm and luxury prevails at the hotel, where Trump appeared Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, for a ribbon cutting.
Some NBA teams say no to Trump hotels
A couple hold a sign protesting the killing of Philando Castile outside the Governor’s Mansion on July 7, 2016, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Castile was shot and killed the previous night by a police officer in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.
Officer in Philando Castile shooting charged with second-degree manslaughter
Ramsey County, Minnesota, attorney calls death ‘not justified’
All Day Podcast
Clinton Yates (left), Jill Hudson and Justin Tinsley host the All Day Podcast from The Undefeated. Photo by Nick Caito / ESPN Images
All Day Podcast: 11/15/16
Dave Chappelle’s ‘SNL’ appearance, mourning the loss of Gwen Ifill and debating the true meaning of the term ‘bust’ in sports
By Aaron Dodson @aardodson
Students hold up signs during a walkout to protest the election of Donald Trump as president on Nov. 14, 2016, in Seattle. A spokesman with Seattle Public Schools estimates that about 2,300 students from 14 middle and high schools participated in the walkout and said that students who walk out of class will get an “unexcused absence.” AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Are these protests ever going to stop?
Slim Jimmy (left) and Swae Lee (right) of Rae Sremmurd perform onstage at American Express UNSTAGED: Artists in Residence Concert with BORNS, Gavin James, Pia Mia and Rae Sremmurd at El Rey Theatre on Aug. 20, 2015, in Los Angeles. Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for American Express
These two ‘Black Beatles’ covers are glorious
We need more, please and thanks
‘NewsHour’ co-anchor Gwen Ifill attends The Womens Media Center 2015 Womens Media Awards in New York. Ifill has been on leave for weeks for an undisclosed health issue. PBS said she is doing well and plans to return to the air around Memorial Day. Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File
Gwen Ifill dies at 61
The longtime journalist was a legend in the industry
Jarobi White (left) and Q-Tip (right) of musical guest A Tribe Called Quest pose with ‘Saturday Night Live’ host Dave Chappelle (center) on Nov. 10, 2016. Rosalind O'Connor/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Dave Chappelle’s opening ‘Saturday Night Live’ monologue was pitch perfect
There was really nobody else for the job
Greg Oden of the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals at AT&T Center on June 5, 2014, in San Antonio. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Greg Oden is still getting sympathy from across the NBA
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The Newest Battlefield Game Wasted a Great Opportunity: Opinion
by Alex Yang
As late as I am to the party, it still remains to me that Electronic Arts’ (EA) new title Battlefield V–at least from how it’s depicted in its first trailer–is going to be absolute trash. For those unfamiliar with the trailer in question, watch it here.
How the Western Front was depicted in the official release trailer was inaccurate at best, and comical at worst. The historical inaccuracies–from a katana-carrying British paratrooper to incorrect camouflage on German soldiers to V1 rockets being used in a tactical support role–have caused an uproar in the gaming community over whether or not DICE, the game’s developer, was right to include these things in the trailer and game.
Perhaps the most prominent, and most controversial, example of historical inaccuracies in Battlefield V was the inclusion of a disabled British woman on the frontlines, depicted as wearing face paint, having a prosthetic arm, and surviving several high-calibre gunshot wounds to the chest. While many Battlefield fans have expressed outrage at the inclusion of this historical inaccuracy and others, many media outlets have come out in support of DICE.
Another depiction of the controversial character from the Battlefield V trailer, via Kotaku.
Battlefield V’s portrayal of women in World War 2 is utterly disrespectful––not only to the men who fought and died on all fronts of the war, but to the many women whose stories are rarely told. Those who really fought in combat–not in the Commonwealth or American forces–but as resistance fighters and on the Eastern Front.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko. Lydia Litvyak. Mariya Oktyabrskaya. Nina Onilova. What do all of these people have in common? They were all female soldiers, fighting on the frontlines against the Germans. What else do they have in common? They were all Soviet soldiers, fighting on the Eastern Front – an oft-neglected theatre of the war, despite being where the war against Germany was won. Around 80% of all German casualties occurred on the Eastern Front, and in what was later dubbed “The Great Patriotic War,” around 10% of the entire Soviet population died, with some parts of the Soviet Union, such as Belarus, suffering around 30% mortality rates.
Of course, there were females on the Western Front as well. Nancy Wake, originally born in New Zealand, moving to France in the 1930s, where she met her husband. After Fall Gelb – the invasion of France, she joined the French Resistance, initially working as a courier and later joining the Special Operations Executive. Fighting the Germans with her band of Masquiards, she inflicted 1400 German casualties, while the Maquis only sustained around 100. However, Nancy Wake was not a member of the Commonwealth Forces, or the Americans. She was a resistance fighter. And more importantly, she did not have a prosthetic hand.
And let us not forget the partisans of many other countries that fought the Germans, with notable examples being from Italy, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, and of course, China.
If DICE had decided to include other fronts in Battlefield V, then nobody (except for genuine misogynists) would have had an issue with female soldiers, as long as they were portrayed in a historically accurate way (ie, no prosthetics or face paint). But sadly, the Western Front tends to be over-represented in modern culture, from TV shows to movies to video games, despite being completely unnecessary. Sure, it reduced the length of the war and therefore the number of casualties, but had the Normandy landings (D-Day) not occurred, the Soviets would likely still have gone on to defeat Germany.
But the underrepresentation of the European Eastern Front pales in comparison with the true Eastern Front of the war: the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Of course, Chinese TV shows and movies on the subject are plentiful. But in the West, most people know nothing about one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history. While many people state that World War 2 began in 1939 with the invasion of Poland, the fact remains that China had been fighting Japan since 1931, with war being declared in 1937. The negligence of the Second Sino-Japanese War is also reflected in modern culture; there are next to no Western TV shows and movies, and only a couple of video games, on the subject.
Yugoslav women in uniform during World War 2. Image via Histomil.com.
If people really wanted to showcase the role of women in World War 2, they would have depicted a Soviet sniper, or a Chinese guerrilla, or even a woman in the factories back in England, where they replaced the men who were sent off to the front. By ignoring the historical contribution of women during World War 2, and replacing it with a fictionalised, idealised, radical third-wave feminist alternate history scenario, DICE has alienated a substantial portion of their fan base: the people who care about the Battlefield franchise at least being based in history and realism, and those who would have loved to see the actual stories of female combatants in World War 2.
Tagsbattlefield • Battlefield 5 • Battlefield V • business • culture • current events • DICE • EA • electronic entertainment • entertain • feminism • feminist • ideas • internet • mainstream media • marketing • media • Media & Entertainment • news • News & Politics • Opinion • opinion piece • social • social media • social movements • society • Technology • video games • War • Western Media • World • world war 2
About Alex Yang
同志们好！ 同志们辛苦了！
comradeyangcorner.wordpress.com
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Traffic Club Scholarship Awards
For over 50 years The Traffic Club has awarded scholarships to local college students related to our members. We view this as an essential part of our community involvement, and an ideal way to help the next generation towards their goals. The Club sponsors at least one award annually of no less than $1000, and in some years have provided two awards depending on the number of students applying. The award is based on academic performance, community involvement, and the candidate's presentation of themselves through an essay submitted as part of their application.
The Traffic Club of the Lehigh Valley is pleased to present this year's winner of the James Fritchey Memorial Scholarship to..
Ms. Emily Paige Flyte
Emily Paige Flyte, 20, graduated in 2017 from Nazareth High School. She is currently finishing up her 2nd year at NCC, where she studied fine art, and will be transferring to Moravian College to pursue Graphic Design in the fall. Emily was involved in the Girls Scouts for 13 years, and has been employed at Wegmans for the last three. Emily loves art, music, hiking, and her family. She hopes to one day travel to Venice, Italy.
We would also like to acknowledge recent winners and wish them continued success in their academic endeavors
2018 Caitlin Cunnigham, Goucher College
2018 Gabrielle LaPointe, Duquesne University
2017 Baylee Zimmerman, Point Park University
2017 Jacob Mann, West Chester University
2016 Fred Koeck, Georgia College
2015 Calli Zaleski, West Chester University
2014 Julianna Mann, West Chester University
Applications are generally available at the start of each year, and can be obtained by emailing our Club Secretary, Mr. William Lako, at info@trafficcluboflv.org. Applications are due each year by March 15th, unless an extension is announced by the Club.
Entries are reviewed by our Education Committee to ensure they meet the minimum criteria, and then passed to an independent party to judge. Winner(s) will be contacted directly by the Club by May 1, with presentation occurring at the annual Lehigh Valley Transportation Forum. Award disbursements will be made directly to the schools attended by the recipient(s).
Minimum criteria:
GPA of 2.7 or higher
Relative of a Traffic Club member who has been a member for at least one year
Enrolled in an accredited college, university, or trade school
Applicants will need to submit:
Application forum
Official School Transcripts
info@trafficluboflv.org
Traffic Club of the Lehigh Valley
Allentown PA, 18109
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Phil Llewellin
courtesy and copyright of Automobile
http://automobilemag.com
Walter Hayes
Walter Hayes, who died at the end of December, was one of Ford’s most influential executives for more than thirty years. Born in England in 1924, Hayes had a successful career in journalism before becoming Ford of Britain’s public affairs supremo in 1961. While editor of a leading newspaper, he persuaded Lotus’s Colin Chapman to become his motoring correspondent. The relationship blossomed after Hayes joined Ford and soon persuaded his co-directors to provide the equivalent of $240,000 that enabled Cosworth to create the 3.0- litre DFV. This engine dominated grand prix racing for a decade and, in turbocharged form, was equally outstanding in Indy cars.
Hayes ran Ford of Europe spending several years in the United States as one of the parent company’s vice presidents. He became one of Henry Ford II’s most trusted henchman and, later, his biographer. Ford’s decision to buy Aston Martin owed much to Hayes, who became Aston’s chairman in 1991. Having tackled the marque’s many problems with a typical blend of enthusiasm and expertise, he enjoyed president-for-life status and became the Aston Martin Heritage Trust’s chairman after retiring, for the second and last time, in 1994.
Dapper and charming, Hayes combined a quintessentially English manner and appearance with all the skills needed to reach the motor industry’s loftiest heights. His nonautomotive interests ranged from rugby, cricket, and preserving ancient churches to writing a book about the mutiny on the Bounty.
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Joe Walsh turns 70 today
Joe Walsh - Born in Wichita, Kansas. Lived in Columbus, Ohio as a kid.
WCSX Contributor November 20th, 2017
Joseph Fidler Walsh was born in Wichita, Kansas on November 20, 1947. The former James Gang guitarist and singer replaced Bernie Leadon in the Eagles in 1975 and helped steer the band in the harder-edged direction symbolized by “Hotel California” and “Heartache Tonight.” Walsh also enjoyed a solo hit in ’78 with “Life’s Been Good.”
Happy birthday, Joe!
Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good
Track 08 from the 1978 album "But Seriously, Folks..." Because of some recent queries and concerns about the "type" or category of music that this song falls under I have added the tag "classic rock."
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53 Spring 2016 Proceedings www.uscg.mil/proceedings accomplish this mission through its suspension and revoca- tion program. S&R Triggers that Relate to SMS Without belaboring all the permutations of offenses and mariner infractions that might trigger a suspension and revocation action, 6 the most notable of all violations is drug use. Approximately 70 percent of the 500 complaints fled each year against mariners involve some variation of drug offense. The rest of the complaints are largely composed of allegations of misconduct or negligence. Misconduct: This is mariner behavior that violates an estab- lished rule, such as those found in statutes, regulations, the common law, the general maritime law, a ship's regulation or order, or shipping articles. In addition, the Coast Guard has long held that company policy with regard to crew con- duct relative to safety matters aboard the ship is a good norm for judging misconduct; they have successfully pros- ecuted numerous complaints against mariners for violating their company's policy. 7 Negligence: In civil law, prosecutors must prove several elements of negligence to fnd liability: that a duty exists, the duty was breached, and the breach was the cause of resulting damages. However, to trigger Coast Guard S&R action, the Coast Guard must only show that the mariner had a duty and that he or she breached the duty. 8 The lack of a damage element makes good sense in the world of S&R actions, as the Coast Guard seeks to prevent accidents and improve mariner conduct to support marine safety. Safety Management Systems as a Basis for License Action Safety management systems fit into the S&R construct because they were developed for the very reason suspension and revocation actions exist — to promote safe ship opera- tion. Some shipping companies are required to produce a safety management system by way of the International Con- vention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and U.S. imple- menting regulations. Others produce safety management systems because they seek to standardize safe shipboard operations and establish a standard of care for their vessels. Suspension and revocation action is applicable whether a safety management system is required or not, depending on the policy or procedure violated. When a ship adopts poli- cies and procedures relating to vessel safety, they, in turn, establish shipboard regulations and create the company policy against which a mariner's actions may be compared. According to a Commandant Decision on Appeal, company rules are standards upon which to measure mariner con- duct. The Commandant has held: "A company's policy for destroyed by explosion, with a loss of life exceeding 1,000. Then, between 1847 and 1852, a series of disasters primarily caused by boiler explosions occurred, in addition to others caused by fres and collisions. 2 In response, Congress passed the Steamboat Act of 1852, which allowed federal action on mariners and made own- ers and masters liable for damages resulting from failure to employ properly trained engineers. Under this law, the orga- nization and form of a federal maritime inspection service began to emerge, as it empowered inspectors to grant and revoke pilots' and engineers' licenses. This early system was supplanted and made more robust by the Act of 1871, 3 which formed the Steamboat Inspection Service. This act provided for licensing for masters and chief mates. It also made S&R actions into a more formal process, requiring written notice and hearings. The Coast Guard's current licensing enforcement structure is founded upon this rich history. S&R Structure The Coast Guard's National Maritime Center (known as "the NMC") issues credentials to merchant mariners. Coast Guard offcers in charge of marine inspection (OCMIs) in each port have the authority to issue complaints against those credentials for various violations; however, they do not have the authority to suspend or revoke a creden- tial. That burden rests with the Coast Guard's cadre of six administrative law judges, who are charged with this duty under the grounds set out in 46 U.S.C. §§7703 and 7704. S&R proceedings are conducted under the Administrative Proce- dure Act, 4 which ensures that mariners' due process rights are safeguarded. Mariners may appeal administrative law judge decisions to the Commandant. They may also appeal directly to fed- eral district court if, for example, the judge orders some- thing other than suspension or revocation. If a mariner is unhappy with the outcome of an appeal to the Comman- dant, he or she may appeal that decision to the National Transportation Safety Board, and then to the United States Court of Appeals, if still unsatisfed. On average, 500 complaints a year are fled against mariners. Suspension and revocation regulations are constructed to obtain a just, speedy, and economical determination of the issues presented. Additionally, the administrative action against a merchant mariner's credential is remedial and not penal in nature. In keeping with its historical roots, the Coast Guard's actions are intended to help maintain stan- dards for competence and conduct essential to safety at sea. In short, Congress demands a safer maritime community by way of action on licenses, 5 and the Coast Guard seeks to
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UTERUS1 HERO
Dr. Amy Garcia: Offering Minimally Invasive Gynecological Surgery
Dr. Amy Garcia is currently the only fellowship-trained, laparoscopic gynecologist in New Mexico who offers advanced, minimally invasive surgical options for women. This type of surgery means fewer complications and a quicker recovery. Dr. Garcia earned her medical degree at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Having completed residency and fellowships in advanced gynecologic endoscopy and faculty development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Garcia returned to her home state of New Mexico to build a practice. Now, the Center for Women’s Surgery offers the women of New Mexico high quality care and advanced surgical options. Board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Garcia has received several awards, participated in numerous committees, and frequently travels to give presentations.
Uterus1: How did you choose your specialty?
Dr. Garcia: I chose OB/GYN for the unique opportunity to manage diverse medical issues, while at the same time having the opportunity to be a surgeon. There is also continuity of care with patients over a long period of time through the birthing process, gynecological changes, and care of their daughters for several generations. But I became more specialized in advanced surgery and I have now focused my practice on minimally invasive surgery.
In 1996, I interviewed at the University of Illinois at Chicago with Dr. Andrew Brill, who became president of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL), and was one of the few surgeons doing minimally invasive surgery for women at that time. I worked closely with him, mastered his program and stayed on as a faculty member. I did a fellowship subsequently through the Society for Reproductive Surgeons and the AAGL. This specialized training after my residency has allowed me to focus on minimally invasive gynecological surgery. Laparoscopic surgery was then and still is cutting edge. Things were being done that had never been done before and the benefit that was provided to the patient was really appealing. Most laparoscopic procedures take longer than traditional surgery and physicians have to be committed to the process. It is also often more difficult to perform these surgeries but my motive is doing what I believe to be best for the patients.
Uterus1: What is the focus of your practice?
Dr. Garcia: I am committed to minimally invasive surgery for women. An example of this would be a laparoscopic rather than an open abdominal surgery. With an open abdominal surgery, a large incision is made, and the surgery is then performed with the surgeon’s hands operating within the patient’s abdomen. With a laparoscopic surgery, tiny incisions are made in which a camera and instruments are placed, and the surgery is performed without the hands entering the body. It takes me more time to perform these surgeries, but I’m entirely dedicated to the process because the outcome for the patient is so great compared to traditional surgery that can be performed in less time.
Uterus1: Tell us about the patients you see in your practice.
Dr. Garcia: I see women who are usually healthy but have symptoms related to uterine fibroids or have significant bleeding. They are generally educated about alternative treatments. They know that minimally invasive surgery exists and has distinct advantages over other surgeries, and they know that they don’t have to have traditional surgery. Women come looking for options and alternatives. They know that they can choose to keep their ovaries and that maintaining the cervix is an option for them. My patients understand the benefits of minimally invasive surgery – that it offers a quicker recovery and quicker time until they can go back to their usual life activities as well as fewer complications. They have a sense that what I do is different and they believe in the advantages of minimally invasive surgery, or they wouldn’t come to me.
Uterus1: What are some of your patients’ most common questions?
Dr. Garcia: How long will I be out of work? Why would you keep the cervix? They ask about the advantages of pelvic support and they have questions about their ovaries. Most women don’t want their ovaries removed and there is good clinical evidence that most women will benefit from ovarian preservation.
Uterus1: How much better of a recovery can a patient expect with minimally invasive surgery compared with an open procedure?
Dr. Garcia: Of course not all patients are alike. The return to regular activity is often a function of a patient’s baseline fitness level. In general, compared to the six to eight week recovery for an abdominal hysterectomy, patients recover from a laparoscopic hysterectomy in about two weeks. Complications can also be minimized with more experienced surgeons, especially given that the learning curve for laparoscopic surgery is steep. This is why more gynecologists do not perform these advanced procedures.
Uterus1: Have you noticed increased patient demand for minimally invasive surgery?
Dr. Garcia: Absolutely. Women are choosing physicians who do this kind of surgery, so more surgeons are learning. The technology keeps changing and it’s becoming more complicated. More residency programs are putting an emphasis on laparoscopy and minimally invasive surgery, so there are certainly going to be a lot more physicians in the future who can perform laparoscopic and other advanced minimally invasive surgeries.
Uterus1: Was it important to you to return to your home state of New Mexico to practice medicine?
Dr. Garcia: New Mexico is definitely home. I originally returned to be near family but decided to stay and to build my own practice here. New Mexico has problematic malpractice issues and low physician salaries, so the state has a hard time keeping its physicians. I believe that the women of New Mexico deserve to have the latest and most advanced surgical options available, so I feel like I have a valuable contribution to the health of women here.
Uterus1: You give a lot of presentations to professional organizations. Is that your way of giving back to the medical community?
Dr. Garcia: I think it’s a different level of giving back. I like to teach, and I also completed a second fellowship in faculty development, which is basically learning how to teach adult learners in medicine. I really enjoy the teaching aspect of what I do, not only on the medical student/resident/fellow level but also teaching my colleagues. As more physicians are trained in specialized procedures, women are receiving better care.
Uterus1: What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Dr. Garcia: When the patient realizes that the experience she’s had with me is really different, and that by having a minimally invasive surgery she has been empowered in a way traditional surgery doesn’t always allow. That I helped to educate her about her options and that she made the choices that were right for her and could get back to her life so much sooner and with less pain and fewer complications – that’s extremely gratifying.
Uterus1: What new advances do you see on the horizon?
Dr. Garcia: The use of robotics is going to increase to some extent. Robotics offer a flashy way of doing laparoscopic surgery. While it is easier to operate with a robot, it is also very expensive, so its widespread use may be limited.
Industry will continue to pave the way with newer, more innovative products that address a larger realm of gynecological issues. There will be changes in the area of pelvic reconstruction as treatment for prolapse. There will be new meshes developed as we learn more about which materials are better for these types of procedures. And, people will continue to advance their own skills and become better at minimally invasive surgery. Minimally invasive surgery is here to stay.
Uterus1: Do you find it difficult to keep up with new developments in medicine?
Dr. Garcia: Yes. I have a hard enough time keeping up just with minimally invasive gynecological procedures. It is very difficult with the amount and volume of information in medicine to be excellent in many areas. Being good at surgery means performing these procedures over and over again, and that takes a lot of time. I don’t practice obstetrics anymore so I have lost some of those skills. In contrast, I devote all of my time to gynecological surgical procedures.
Uterus1: What do you think about the increasing number of physicians who would not go into medicine if they had it all to do over again? They say the paperwork and reimbursement rates just aren’t worth it.
Dr. Garcia: I think it’s sad. You’re talking about human beings who have gone into medicine for some altruistic motive. We’re all different but I believe the underlying motive for most physicians is that we care about human beings and want to engage with others in a unique way that other professions cannot allow. It’s unfortunate that there are physicians who are treated so poorly by insurance companies and administrative red tape that they are disillusioned with the field of medicine and want to quit. Malpractice insurance issues are also responsible for physicians leaving practice. We’re in a crisis in the United States and something must be done to protect our access to healthcare.
See Dr. Amy Garcia's office information.
Click here to visit Dr. Garcia's Web site.
Last updated: 22-Nov-06
Hero Archives
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Dr. Joseph Talvacchia: Helping Patients Improve Their Quality of Life
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A Monument to What Might Have Been: Qian Zhongshu's "Fortress Besieged"
By Brendan O'Kane
QIAN ZHONGSHU is a tougher Nobel pitch than some of the other authors profiled in this series. He’s dead, for starters — traditionally an obstacle to many things, including winning Nobel prizes — and his total creative output consists solely of a few essays, several short stories, and a single novel. On the other hand, that novel, Fortress Besieged, seems to me to be the high-water mark of something significant, if hard to explain, so I’m going to make my best case for it being enough to secure Qian’s place in history. The book takes its title from a French proverb, sets its action in the China of the 1930s, and tracks the misfortunes of Fang Hongjian, a feckless, cowardly student returning from Europe with a mail-order doctorate in Chinese from an American university that exists only in the imagination of a crooked Irishman. It may be one of the most cosmopolitan books ever written; certainly it is, as literary critic C. T. Hsia said, one of the greatest Chinese novels of the 20th century.
We meet the protagonist, Fang Hongjian, in the summer of 1937 as he and his fellow Chinese students return to China aboard a French steamer. He livens up the journey by flirting unsuccessfully with two of the female passengers. In Shanghai, which has just fallen under Japanese occupation, Fang renews his acquaintance with one of the young women, a PhD named Miss Su — and promptly falls for her cousin. He clammily courts both women for a time before working up the nerve to break things off with Miss Su, who has been expecting Fang to propose to her. In retaliation, she destroys any chance he might have with her cousin.
Shanghai proving a downer, Fang takes a teaching job at Sanlü University, a newly established school in China’s interior, but en route there he and his traveling companions continually encounter hassles and hardships. Once at Sanlü, Fang quickly finds that the other teachers are pompous frauds, backstabbers, and brownnosers. (One of them has a doctorate from the same fake university as Fang and is desperate not to be found out.) Circumstances push Fang into the arms of Sun Roujia, a young English teacher. After Fang’s contract is not renewed for a second year, he marries Sun and they return to Shanghai. There, their relationship (never very strong to begin with) collapses under the weight of their unhappiness.
There’s a lot missing from this summary, of course — in particular, the erudition and humor that make Fortress Besieged so unlike any other Chinese novel of the past century. Raised by Confucians and educated by missionaries, Qian studied at Oxford and the Sorbonne, and drew upon the literary traditions of a half-dozen languages in cracking wise and devising epigrams that have made him legendary to Chinese readers. (Many of these, unfortunately, are blunted in the novel’s sole English translation, a 1970s relic.) He had a keen eye and a sharp pen, and many of his characters still resonate. There’s “Jimmy Zhang,” a Shanghainese comprador who peppers his speech with malaprop English words and insists on being addressed by his English name. There’s Fang Hongjian’s father, a country gentleman who expatiates with classical allusions and hoary clichés. There’s a Cambridge-educated modernist poet who has entitled his unreadable, heavily footnoted magnum opus “Adulterous Smorgasbord,” and a philosopher who claims a personal friendship with Bertrand Russell (“Bertie”) on the strength of a form reply to his fan mail, and tells people that Russell came to him with questions only he could answer. (“This was no idle boast, Heaven knows. Russell had personally asked him when he would be visiting England, and whether or not he had any plans for his visit, and how many lumps of sugar he took in his tea.”) And there’s Fang himself, a gormless fraud and moral coward who at one point tells a lecture audience that the only two Western inventions to have caught on in China are opium and syphilis.
“I talked to Bertie about his marriages and divorces once,” Shenming said. “He said that there’s a saying in English that marriage is like a gilded birdcage. The birds outside want to get in, and the birds inside want to get out, he said, so divorce leads to marriage and marriage leads to divorce and there’s never any end to it.”
“There’s a saying like that in France, too,” Miss Su said. “Only there it’s about a forteresse assiégée — a fortress under siege. The people outside want to storm in, and the people inside are desperate to get out.”
The metaphor (from the French “Le mariage est comme une forteresse assiégée; ceux qui sont dehors veulent y entrer, et ceux qui sont dedans veulent en sortir“) functions on many levels. In Qian’s satire, Fang finds disillusionment and disappointment in wartime Shanghai (full of frauds, phonies, and toadies), the relatively safe interior (where an innkeeper attempts to convince him and his traveling companions that maggots on their dinner are merely “meat sprouts”), the security of an academic career (Sanlü University proves to be a hotbed of petty intrigues), and the prestige of an international education. The image of a fortress under siege also applies to China itself: Fang and his compatriots return to Shanghai just in time to catch the Japanese invasion, and although Qian was much too subtle a writer to foreground the war and occupation — Fang leaves Shanghai to escape a broken heart, not the Japanese — they are a constant presence throughout the novel.
In Qian’s short story “Inspiration,” the spirit of a recently deceased author is confronted in the afterlife by the shades of characters from his novels who charge him with murder and theft for having robbed them of life in his works. It would be hard to make either charge stick in Qian’s case — but as memorable as the characters that populate the first sections of the book are, there’s a definite change of tone about two-thirds of the way through Fortress Besieged, when the focus shifts to Fang Hongjian and Sun Roujia’s unhappy marriage. Here wit gives way to greatness, as the wisecracks and epigrams take a backseat to a heartbreakingly sensitive depiction of a failing relationship.
Qian never completed another novel. The manuscript of a second book, Baihe Xin (literally Lily Heart, inspired by the French expression cœur d’artichaut), was lost when he and his family moved to Beijing in the summer of 1949, and Fortress Besieged remained out of print on both the mainland and Taiwan until the early 1980s. Qian turned his energies to classical scholarship instead, culminating in the monumental Limited Views, a critical overview in Literary Chinese of China’s classical literary tradition viewed through the lens of Qian’s polyglot bibliophilia. (You haven’t lived until you’ve seen someone name-check Susan Sontag in the language of Confucius.) Qian professed to have left his career as a novelist behind him, but a 1985 essay written by his wife, the playwright and translator Yang Jiang, suggests otherwise:
After Fortress Besieged was reprinted, I asked if he wouldn’t be interested in writing another novel.
“The interest is there,” he replied, “but my powers have waned over the years. To want to write, when there is no chance of writing, is a lingering regret — but to write something that isn’t any good, once one does have the chance, can only end in remorse. The former at least leaves some room for self-deception; the latter is what the Spanish call ‘el momento de la verdad,’ and it leaves no room for self-deception, escape, or mercy. Better regret than remorse.”
They don’t give Nobel prizes to dead people; they don’t give Nobel prizes to people who only wrote one novel; and they don’t give Nobel prizes for counterfactuals. Fortress Besieged will have to stand on its own merits, a monument to what might have been.
Brendan O’Kane is a host at Popup Chinese, a translator at Paper Republic, a contributing editor to Pathlight magazine.
A Transnational, Translingual Writer: Claire Conceison on Gao Xingjian
By Jeffrey Wasserstrom
All I See Around Me is the Same Old Darkness: Gloria Davies on Lu Xun
China and the Nobel III
By Megan Shank
By Qiu Xiaolong
The Challenges of Conveying Absurd Reality: An Interview with Chinese Writer Yu Hua
So Many Mysteries: Jiayang Fan on Yiyun Li as a World-Class Writer
By Jiayang Fan
Monkeying Around with the Nobel Prize: Wu Chen'en's "Journey to the West"
By Julia Lovell
Getting "The Good Earth"’s Author Right: On Pearl S. Buck
By Charles W. Hayford
Untidy Endings: On Lao She
By Paul French
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Short documentary, 2015 (11:09 min)
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award equips young people for life and work. It is the world’s leading youth achievement award. In 2013 more than one million young people around the world took part in the Award, in over 140 countries and territories.
The short documentary film about a memorable experience of Mauritian girls and Slovenian boys on a Gold Award Expedition is visually stunning and carries a potent message. By opening their hearts and letting go of all prejudice, the young people of two completely different cultures are united in true friendship which brings them to a higher level of personal development.
Filmmaker Rožle Bregar is a Gold Award Holder. Ten years ago he set off on his first expedition to gain experience and maturity which would help him build his career. Today he is a world-known cinematographer and photographer. As an Expedition Supervisor he shares his knowledge, experience and skills with new generations and is as a role model for Award participants.
Mednarodno priznanje za mlade
Film director Rožle Bregar
Assistant Marko Kern
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Home Today's Headlines News Feeds Those Who Were Barred From U.S. During Trump’s First Travel Ban Can...
Those Who Were Barred From U.S. During Trump’s First Travel Ban Can Reapply for Visas
Author: Tom Hays / AP / Source: Time
(NEW YORK) — Foreigners who were barred from entering the U.S. during President Donald Trump’s first attempt to ban travel from seven Muslim-majority nations will get government help reapplying for visas under a lawsuit settlement reached Thursday.
Civil rights lawyers and the Trump administration announced the deal during a conference call in federal court in Brooklyn, one scene of the legal battle over the treatment of hundreds of travelers who were processed at U.S. airports over a chaotic weekend in January.
Under the terms of the settlement, the government agreed to notify an unspecified number of people overseas who were banned that they can reapply for visas with the help of a Department of Justice liaison for a three-month period. In return, the plaintiffs said they would drop all their claims.
“We are pleased with the settlement and that this chapter in the…
Jurors told to ‘put politics aside’ as they near verdict in...
Brexit: what happens the next day if there is no deal?
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Konnan says WWE lost their way by catering to Vince McMahon
By Harrison - May 5, 2019
Vince McMahon owns WWE and he has the last say in everything that goes on in the company, which has left many fans frustrated with his decisions made over the years. Fans have gotten tired of Vince McMahon doing whatever he wants.
While speaking to Forbes, Konnan discussed WWE in the way he perceives it. Despite not working for WWE, he can clearly see what goes on in the company. In the end, it is about what Vince McMahon wants and it has had negative effects on the product as ratings continue to decline.
“Somewhere along the way, [WWE] lost their way. I work in Mexico and I help put together a live show, but it’s like a two-hour show and that’s it. They’re doing a three-hour show on Monday, and then a two-hour show and all that original content in WWE Ride Along and Table for 3. SmackDown is usually better because it’s only two hours and their storylines are better. A lot of times, at the end of the day, it’s what Vince McMahon wants, and it shouldn’t be what he wants, it should be what the fans want.”
Perhaps one day WWE will be able to find a balance between keeping both Vince McMahon and the fans happy with the product, but that might not be happening anytime soon.
Tags: Konnan, vince mcmahon
Sparti Love
Lmao! I thought the same thing
The Random Reader
All say this again, i can’t wait for AEW to debut this month
God now I can’t unsee that xD
He’s looking like Mexican Dusty Rhodes.
Jesus, I have not even read the story as anything Konan says is worth ignoring most of the time, but that picture looks like he is in the middle of pleasuring himself.
Possible reason for Natalya receiving RAW Women’s Title shot
Liv Morgan might be in-line for a gimmick change
Several NXT superstars’ names have been changed
WWE might be considering gimmick match for Kevin Owens & Shane McMahon
Update on Mickie James’ surgery
SmackDown Women’s Championship made official for SummerSlam
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Changes in land use, climate and agriculture undermine efforts to clean up the Madison lakes
Efforts to clean up the Madison lakes are being hampered by more asphalt, row crops and intense rainstorms and higher manure concentrations on the landscape, according to a new study from the Water Sustainability and Climate project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Since the 1980s, government-led initiatives to improve water quality in Lakes Mendota, Monona, Waubesa and Kegonsa have consistently aimed to reduce the phosphorus that enters the lakes by 50 percent. Despite persistent efforts, there has been no improvement in lake water quality.
“Projects are not achieving their goals in part because unaccounted-for changes in climate, land use and agriculture are making it harder to meet them,” says the study’s lead author Sean Gillon, an assistant professor at Marylhurst University in Portland, Ore. and former postdoctoral researcher on the Water Sustainability and Climate project.
The study is the first formal synthesis of factors undermining efforts to clean up the lakes. Its findings have implications for similar regions around the world.
How people develop land, how farmers farm, and what the local climate is like are leading factors affecting water quality in the lakes, primarily because they determine how much phosphorus and other nutrients end up in waterways, which can degrade water quality.
These factors are constantly changing, yet water quality improvement initiatives typically assume land use, climate and agriculture will remain constant over a project’s lifespan. For example, a 14-year effort focused on Lake Mendota, which lasted from 1994 to 2008 and failed to reach its goal, was based on the assumption that watershed conditions would remain as they were in the baseline year of 1994.
“The climate is changing and land use is changing. And as they change, they could potentially counteract conservation practices. Managers have been looking at only a piece of the whole story,” says co-author Eric Booth, a research scientist for the Water Sustainability and Climate Project.
According to the study, the changes with the biggest impacts are the intensification of livestock operations and the increasing frequency of extreme rainstorms driven by climate change.
“While there are fewer dairy farms in the Yahara watershed today, average herd sizes are larger and each cow produces more milk and thus more manure than cows did forty years ago. With less land on which to spread the manure due to urbanization, there’s a greater concentration of it on the landscape, which has the potential to lead to more runoff,” says Booth.
“We also know that heavy rainfall events have been increasing in frequency, and these have more power to move sediment and phosphorus from farm fields into surface water bodies,” he adds.
Unless these changes are confronted, long-term efforts to clean up the lakes will continue to be undermined, says the study.
Despite the shortcomings, the study shows interventions are having a positive effect—water quality problems have not gotten worse.
“Our results give a clear picture that water quality management is important and has positive effects, but efforts are being completely overwhelmed by these other changes that lie outside conventional management approaches. We’re not going to meet the 50 percent reduction goal if we don’t deal with these drivers,” says Gillon.
Solutions to this challenge could include establishing more realistic goals and incorporating shifting drivers into management models to better predict potential results. The authors also say transformative changes are needed.
“Cleaning up the lakes is going to require bigger changes than are currently represented in best management practices. We hope this analysis will get people talking about the big underlying problems it demonstrates and lead to crafting innovative interventions,” says Gillon.
The study was published earlier this month in the journal Regional Environmental Change.
Publication: “Shifting drivers and static baselines in environmental governance: challenges for improving and proving water quality outcomes.” Regional Environmental Change, April 2015. Sean Gillon, Eric Booth and Adena Rissman.
Photo by Eric Booth
Shifting drivers and static baselines in environmental governance: challenges for improving and proving water quality outcomes
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