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Tony Lovello
Tony Lovello began playing accordion when he was five years old, thanks to the fact that his father was a professional musician. Tony performed on stage, television, radio and in the movies, along with teaching and selling the accordion. He was an early adapter of the Roland el
Ed Murphy
Ed Murphy clearly enjoyed his career in the field of music publishing!
Larry Elgart
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Larry Elgart led a dance band with his brother, Les, which recorded a number of bestselling albums beginning in the 1950s.
Earl Remaley
Earl Remaley began working for the C.F. Martin & Company before World War II. His long career with the company included nearly every phase of production and assembly. During the 1950s Earl worked on the Martin ukulele products and he later worked his way up to plant manager.
John Connolly established the Connolly Music Company (originally Connolly & Co., Inc.) back in 1970. Best known for distributing such brands as Thomastik-Infeld and König & Meyer, the company remains a family owned enterprise, with John's son, Jake, now at the helm.
Bill Price was active in the band instrument business after being involved with other industries and as a result has a very unique and positive perspective on the music industry. Bill was hired to join CG Conn by his longtime friend Bill Cordier. Together they had an interest
Bea Wain
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Bea Wain was a singer with the big bands during the great swing era of the 1940s. She began singing with Artie Shaw's orchestra in 1937. Her greatest su
Sonny Burgess
Sonny Burgess was known as the wild man of rock and roll who brought a driving guitar style to early Sun recordings (the label that launched Elvis Presley).
Chris Climer
Chris Climer wanted to play the piano and organ when he was 16 years old. He did not have the money to purchase an instrument so he made an arrangement to work in a music store in Arkansas to earn the money to make the payments –and he has been in the industry ever since! He le
Carol Holtz
Carol Holtz was hired by the Martin Band Instrument Company in Elkhart during World War II. She has many fond memories of working for the company and the family feeling it had. Speaking of family, Carol married the son of the president, Frederick Holtz (1885-1965) and enjoyed b
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Good Things Also Happen In Egypt
By Paul Marshall
About Paul Marshall
My colleagues and I have reported many tragic stories from Egypt these last few months. But there are also renewing and instructive tales.
One concerns an old friend, Coptic Bishop Thomas, of Qusiya, an elfin man whose grace, charm, and humor can conceal a very extensive education, a formidable intellect, and a deep piety — all descriptions that he would reject, or, more likely, greet with an utterly bemused smile.
His diocese is in central Egypt — historically, proportionately, the site of most violence against Christians — and he lives under constant threat. He also maintains a retreat and training center, Anaphora, near the desert road between Cairo and Alexandria. Many wonderful things have happened there, and this year there was yet one more.
In February, when Mubarak was still desperately trying to hold on to power, his regime released prisoners from most prisons around the country to create unrest and chaos. Shortly after, Salafis raided the prisons to release their confreres, and others. There is a major prison not far from Anaphora, and released convicts in their uniforms started trudging back the long and dusty road toward Cairo. The neighboring buildings and people closed their doors in fear, but at Anaphora the prisoners were welcomed and given food. After spending a little time to rest, and have very needed showers, the prisoners wanted to try to get back home, but also to shed their damning clothing. Well, at Anaphora, they do have surplus clothes. As part of their skills training, young people make gowns and simple outfits for monks, and so these were given to the prisoners.
Dozens of prisoners then continued their long walk to Cairo, fed, rested, clean, and dressed as monks.
— Paul Marshall is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom and co-author, with Nina Shea, of the just released Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedoms Worldwide (Oxford University Press, 2011).
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Nuclear site workers found to accidentally bring radioactive contamination home
Thursday, August 23, 2018 by: Isabelle Z.
Tags: atomic bombs, badhealth, badpollution, cancer causes, clean air, discoveries, federal accountability, Hanford Challenge, Hanford nuclear site, nuclear weapons, plutonium, public health risk, radioactive contamination, radioactive particles, Radioactivity, research, science, toxins
(Natural News) Bringing your work home with you is rarely good, but if you happen to work at a nuclear site, it can be downright deadly. Even though lots of precautions are taken to ensure worker safety in these environments, a new study has revealed a disturbing truth: Radioactive contamination is making its way into the homes of these workers, putting their entire families at risk of lifelong internal radiation contamination.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Environmental Engineering Science, found the radioactive contamination in dust samples taken from the homes of six people who worked at the Hanford nuclear site in southeastern Washington state. Although the levels found are considered low, the microparticles could easily be inhaled or ingested by anyone in the house, causing health problems and raising their risk of cancer.
Radioactive particles have also been discovered in samples of dust taken from the homes of nuclear workers near the former Colorado Rocky Flats Plant and New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The samples in this study were collected through a period spanning several years from the homes of workers as well as their neighbors. They collected dust using vacuums and cloth wipes, and they also took samples of dust from the Hanford site for the sake of comparison.
The particles found included uranium, plutonium, americium, and thorium. According to study author Marco Kaltofen, the dust exceeded the acceptable levels set out in the International Commission on Radiological Protections’ standards. He pointed out that the particles are difficult to detect from close range, but they’re capable of doing a lot of damage. He recommends more testing as his research found other homes were also likely to have low levels of contamination.
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Kaltofen’s methods entailed using electron microscopy in conjunction with specialized X-ray analysis that is capable of detecting even miniscule radioactive particles. The six homes that tested positive were part of a bigger group involving 36 homes surrounding Hanford.
Radioactive particles spread easily
Many of the samples came from a long-term collaboration with the Seattle organization Hanford Challenge, which is devoted to accountability in federal cleanup following the decades of producing plutonium for atomic bombs that took place there. The site, which encompasses 562 square miles, produced plutonium for the atomic bomb that was dropped on Japan during World War II as well as nuclear weapons stockpiles in the Cold War era.
The researchers believe that the particles make their way off the site on the workers’ clothes and vehicles. Windstorms and wildfires that took place at Hanford could have also contributed to the spread. Some of the homes that had dust samples that tested positive were built during the 1940s, but at least one was a newer suburban home.
Kaltofen said that while these workers were aware that their job had some risk, they were not comfortable knowing that the contamination followed them home.
Not surprisingly, the Washington Department of Health tried to downplay the danger, with a manager saying they would review the numbers but that nothing stood out to them as being a public health risk.
Monitoring by Department of Health last year discovered contamination from americium and plutonium as far as ten miles away from a demolition project at the site. The controversial endeavor was ultimately suspended because of concerns about spreading radioactive particles. On that occasion, representatives said the contamination that was uncovered was surprising and unacceptable.
These findings illustrate just how easily radioactive contamination can spread, and it’s a disturbing reminder that sometimes things we can’t even see could be causing serious damage to our health.
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More news on atomic bombs
ALERT: North Korea can now KILL 90% of the U.S. population (video lecture)
https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-08-23-nuclear-site-workers-found-to-accidentally-bring-radioactive-contamination-home.html
<a href="https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-08-23-nuclear-site-workers-found-to-accidentally-bring-radioactive-contamination-home.html">Nuclear site workers found to accidentally bring radioactive contamination home</a>
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My First General Assembly
Ria M. Riesner | October 16, 2017
National Religious Campaign Against Torture’s virtual reality display
We asked Ria M. Riesner to share her reflections after attending the 2017 General Assembly. Ria was part of a two-person team, along with Johnny Perez, that was invited by the NBA to bring the National Religious Campaign Against Torture’s virtual reality display to Indianapolis this summer. This display, visited by hundreds of people, gave participants an opportunity to learn more about solitary confinement. This emphasis on solitary confinement was one of several initiated by the NBA in response to Resolution GA-1525 that was accepted in 2015 and called for the church to engage in reflection, prayer, education, and possible action around the practice of solitary confinement of incarcerated youth and adults. –Rev. Dean Bucalos, Mission Specialist, NBA Prison and Jail Ministries
As we all move forward through the fall, I look with great fondness back to the week this
summer when nearly 4,000 Disciples convened at the Indiana Convention Center in
Indianapolis for the 26th Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) General Assembly.
A few high points of the assembly were a rally for family justice held at the Indianapolis State House, where several key Disciples advocates spoke. Rev. Dr. William Barber, Rev. Sharon Stanley Rea, and many others gave rousing sermons on the call to service shared by all Disciples at congregations scattered across the city. At the business meeting, several critical resolutions were adopted, including a resolution to re-assert the Disciples position on welcoming refugees and immigrants, particularly critical in light of renewed refugee bans being proposed by the current administration. Another resolution was adopted with unanimous votes by delegates, to support the re-invigoration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor Peoples’ Campaign under the leadership of Rev. Dr. William Barber. At one point, after a business session, a prayer walk was held where prayers were offered as the walk proceeded.
History was indeed repeated with the election of Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, the first African-American woman elected as General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), also notable because this makes Owens the first African-American woman to lead a mainline denomination. This happened, of course, after Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins was elected, in 2005, as the first woman General Minister and President of the Disciples, and the first woman to lead a mainline denomination in the United States.
I was delighted to catch up with Disciples who were taking part in, or alumni from, the NBA XPLOR program, which connects young adults with a 10-month service residency. Hundreds of exhibitors ensured a lively and interactive exhibition hall. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture brought a Virtual Reality Experience for the first time to a General Assembly, where hundreds of Disciples were invited to take part in a 9-minute virtual reality experience, produced by Frontline, titled “6X9”— you can view the video (or in VR Google Oculus VR equipment) here: http://bit.ly/23F22Uk — which gives an immersive enactment of what being placed in solitary confinement is like for those incarcerated. Extended solitary confinement has been shown to have lasting psychological effects on individuals, and multiple efforts are ongoing to limit the practice, particularly for young people.
As Disciples all over the country stay engaged and active in advocacy on multiple issues central to the church’s mission, I hope everyone will take inspiration and a strong sense of community togetherness from that week this summer, the power of the broad Disciples family, to lift up and strengthen the work that goes on in cities and towns across this country, and around the world. What an uplifting and inspiring experience I had for my first General Assembly, but I hope not my last.
Grateful to Disciples leadership and everyone who played a part in making the 2017 General Assembly such a success! And after that, it’s on to Des Moines, IA, in 2019, which will once again bring together Disciples from across the globe to share in worship, advocacy, and fellowship. #DOCWeAreOne!
Printer friendly version here! >>
Ria M. Riesner is an ardent lover of life, just full of wanderlust, and a tech-savvy political strategist from Washington, D.C. who also enjoys working with clergy on legislative initiatives of concern to their congregations and communities. She can be contacted at ria@post.harvard.edu. NBA Prison and Jail Ministries is one way in which the National Benevolent Association supports congregations and individuals as they engage in prison- and jail-related work, focusing on inspiration, education, and advocacy. Learn more at www.nbacares.org/prison-and-jail.
NBA Prison & Jail Ministries
Through NBA Prison and Jail Ministries, we focus on supporting congregations and individuals as they engage in prison- and jail-related ministries, and connecting conversations across Disciples-related ministries in order to strengthen this work.
VIDEO: 6x9: Virtual Solitary Confinement
PRISON & JAIL MINISTRIES , EDUCATION AND TRAINING | VIDEO
Webinar: A Call to End Solitary Confinement
In this webinar, the National Benevolent Association (NBA) and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) discussed the challenging realities of solitary confinement and explored how the church should respond to this practice.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING, MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE, PRISON & JAIL MINISTRIES , SOCIAL ENTERPRISE, SOCIAL JUSTICE | PDF
Workshops and Resources from 2017 General Assembly
If you missed the 2017 General Assembly or a specific workshop, several presentations will be made available here!
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History of the PRAXIS Review Course
In the l980s, many black professionals in the speech-language and hearing professions were concerned that African American graduate students were experiencing difficulty passing what was then called the National Examination in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (NESPA) after earning their master’s degree. The situation was certainly alarming to the leadership of the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing (NBASLH).
In fact, in 1991, Kay Payne and Noma Anderson of Howard University documented in their study on the disparity between racial groups’ performances on the NESPA the fact that blacks were not being as successful passing the examination as whites. Payne and Anderson reported that in 1985, black examinees had a 47% pass rate in contrast to a 70% pass rate by whites. The mean score for black examinees was 545, while the mean score for white examinees was 648, a difference of 108 points. Furthermore, they reported, even the passing score of blacks was lower compared to white examinees, as black examinees often obtained the minimum passing score of 600. Payne and Anderson went on to identify three variables that contributed to the lower performance of black examinees in the NESPA- test taking skills, test anxiety and cognitive style. These factors apparently influenced the performance of minority groups and probably accounted for the disparity in test scores between black and white examinees no matter the college program in which they matriculated. They concluded that the NESPA was a biased testing instrument, and that in its current form as a requirement for certification, the disparity between the performances of black and white examinees will widen and reduce even more significantly the number of minorities entering the professions. And they stated that further research is needed to examine more intensely the source(s) of the low pass rate of minorities on the examination.
In an effort to address this issue, M. Eugene Wiggins, NBASLH’s executive director, created a three-day review course for graduate students, and for persons working in the speech-language pathology profession, who were in pursuit of becoming certified. The course was launched during the 1998 Annual Convention of NBASLH. The principal purpose of the course was to improve the scores of black examinees on the NESPA; however, the course was always open to anyone interested in enrolling. Consequently, the course always consisted of a racially diverse group of participants from all over the country, including white students.
Thereafter, the review course was offered annually. With NBASLH Board of Directors approval, in 1996, the course was removed from NBASLH’s annual convention and scheduled twice a year in February and October to accommodate the demand for the course. Eventually, the name of the examination was changed from the NESPA to PRAXIS as the Educational Testing Service, Inc (ETS). revised their tests and testing procedures. Likewise, the name of the review course reflected the changes in name and content. The attendance during the October sessions became sparse so the course returned to being offered annually in February until 2003 after M. Eugene Wiggins retired.
Michele L. Norman, volunteer for the National Office and former student of the review course, appealed to the NBASLH Board of Directors requesting to revive the course acknowledging its importance to the community of students and new professionals requiring certification who continue to struggle on standardized tests, after learning that M. Eugene Wiggins was retiring and that the review course was going to be discontinued. With Board approval, Michele L. Norman along with Yolanda G. Fields, recruited many of the faculty from the original course and designed the review to be offered during the annual convention. The new review course, now called The Intensive Review for PRAXIS Examination in Speech-Language Pathology, was launched as a one-day course in 2003 at the NBASLH Annual Convention in Birmingham, AL. In 2004, Yolanda G. Fields continued as Convention Chair and Michele L. Norman continued as the Coordinator for the review course, which was now taught over two days. By 2005, the course design had expanded back to three days providing a review in all content areas indicated by ETS, and could no longer be a part of the annual convention. Although the PRAXIS review course has returned to being a separate entity, it continues to travel with the annual convention and occurs simultaneously allowing faculty the opportunity to serve both. The course attendees continue to be racially diverse. They are encouraged to attend the Opening Session and Reception of the convention in order to network and learn more about NBASLH which has lead to many of them becoming members.
April 2018 marks the 30th Anniversary of the review course. The fact that NBASLH sponsored that review course 1988 in response to what was perceived to be a grave problem given the low passing rate of blacks on the PRAXIS, and address it, is monumental. The fact that it continues to this day, reflects NBASLH’s long-term, exceptional leadership. We are indeed proud to have been members of that impressive, inspiring team of “wonderful professionals that care about each other. We recognize the commitment of the faculty that have volunteered, supported, and worked diligently to ensure that the attendees are well equipped to be successful in taking the examination. Their endurance and compassionate approach in making certain that each participant understood the information they shared is a poignant portrayal of an endearing endeavor to make a difference in the lives of others who so desperately wanted to rank among the certified professionals in speech-language pathology. We especially acknowledge the contributions of Kay Payne who has served all 30 years. Her sessions on strategic test taking are essential to the course.
M. Eugene Wiggins and Michele L. Norman
PRAXIS Review Course Faculty
Antoinette Allen Zaneta Ponton
Noma Anderson Lissa Power-deFur
Sheila Bridges Constance Dean Qualls
Robin Gillespie Patricia Randolph
Lennette J. Ivy* Tommie L. Robinson, Jr
Iris Johnson-Arnold Byron Ross
Ron Jones William Simpkins*
Jay Lucker Linda Bland Stewart
Stephanie Marshall Cleavonne Stratton
Robert Mayo Cheryl Thompson
Yvonne Mills Deidre R Trent
Bertha Minus* Anna Fay Vaughn-Cooke*
Emma Munoz Betty Waddy-Smith
Kristen Nellenberg Michelle Walker
Michele L. Norman Wilhelmina Wright-Harp
Kay Payne Janice Wright
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Doctors, patients raise alarms about cancer linked to breast implants
Although doctors have linked the cancer to a specific kind of implant, manufacturers have no plans to stop making it.
Nov. 26, 2018, 8:46 PM UTC
By Lauren Dunn and Maggie Fox
When Michelle Forney’s breast started swelling and itching, doctors told her she had mastitis, a common infection, and treated her with antibiotics. When she discovered that she, in fact, had a rare form of lymphoma and that it was probably caused by her breast implant, she was both furious and frightened.
Forney is just one of hundreds of breast-implant recipients who have developed a rare blood cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). The Food and Drug Administration has been investigating reports linking breast implants with the cancer, and now has more than 400 reports about patients who developed ALCL after having a breast implant, including nine who died.
Nov. 26, 201803:00
“I had my breast implants for about 19 years. And everything was fine for many of those years until about three years ago,” when she developed major itching and pain in her breast, said Forney, who is 46 and lives in Sacramento.
“Come December of last year, I woke up one day and my breast was the size of a volleyball. Within a day it grew and just engorged,” Forney told NBC News. “So I immediately went back to the doctor, saw my OB-GYN and she brought in a breast specialist. And they said: ‘Oh, breast mastitis. You have an infection.’”
But a 10-day course of antibiotics did nothing to help.
HealthBreast implants can cause a rare cancer, FDA says
Forney’s doctors did not link the symptoms to lymphoma, she said, and mammograms showed no problem. It took several more visits to determine she had lymphoma. Finally, after a plastic surgeon persuaded Forney to have her implants removed, dozens of tiny tumors were found around the implant.
Women choose to get breast implants either for breast reconstruction after mastectomy or for cosmetic reasons. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported 400,000 breast implant procedures took place in 2017, up nearly 40 percent since 2000.
Michelle Forney, right, with her friend Camme Iannelli in January 2000. Forney, now 46, was diagnosed with a cancer of the immune system earlier this year. Courtesy of Michelle Forney
It’s taken several years to gather data but the FDA now believes that textured breast implants may be more likely to cause ALCL, although it says smooth implants are also linked to an increased risk. The trouble is that there’s no organized effort to put together data from people who have implants and those who have developed ALCL.
“Many studies have looked to estimate risk and, depending on the source data and country, the global lifetime risk of developing breast-implant-associated ALCL for patients with textured breast implants ranges anywhere from 1 in 3,817 to 1 in 30,000,” the FDA said.
New data from Australia indicates as many as one in 1,000 people with breast implants may develop ALCL. The FDA said the implants available in Australia are different from those sold in the U.S., and that complicates efforts to figure out the true risks.
The FDA is holding public hearings on the issue next year to try to find out more about the potential links, and to ask people what should be done about it. So is the French government, and France’s national health authority is in the meantime recommending against the use of textured implants.
“One of the problems in the United States is … with patients going to different doctors at different times and the doctors aren't necessarily communicating with each other and their medical records aren't communicating with each other,” said Dr. Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization based in Washington. “There's really no way to know when women with breast implants get any number of health problems, including cancer.”
HealthCases of rare cancer linked to breast implants on the rise
Plastic surgeons put in the implants, and may not communicate at all with the oncologists who diagnose and treat ALCL.
Identifying risk factors
Breast-implant-associated ALCL was first identified in 1997, and it can take about 10 years to develop on average after an implant first goes in. It usually stays in the area right around the implant, WHO researchers reported in 2016 in the journal Blood. But it can break out and spread.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the Plastic Surgery Foundation are each making a list of implant patients who develop ALCL. "The research will also focus on identifying potential risk factors and criteria detection and management of this disease," the groups say on a website devoted to the matter.
There doesn’t seem to be a difference between silicone or saline filling in the implants. There’s some evidence that making them rougher — a design meant to make the implants less likely to move around inside the breast — may raise the risk. Some plastic surgeons prefer the so-called textured version because there’s evidence it reduces the risk of capsular contracture, a common complication that can leave the breast hard and misshapen. In the U.S., textured breast implants make up about 13 percent of the market.
Researchers are not sure why textured implants would raise the risk of cancer, but there are several theories.
It’s possible that the texturing creates particles that cause abrasion, leading the body’s immune system to respond and then malfunction. Or perhaps some women are genetically susceptible to ALCL. Another theory is that bacteria grow on the surface of the implant, causing a constant irritation that can lead to lymphoma.
“There may be multiple factors involved in the development of breast-implant-associated ALCL, such as patient characteristics, operative procedure history, breast implant characteristics — including surface characteristics — and duration the breast implant is in place,” the FDA said in a statement.
There’s a simple solution, says Dr. Eric Swanson, a cosmetic surgeonin private practice in Leawood, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City.
“We know that the way to eliminate the problem is to just not use textured implants,” Swanson told NBC News. “I think it's a moral question, and I think the answer is really easy.”
The FDA says it’s not so sure textured implants are the only cause of the lymphoma. “Breast implants, regardless of surface texture, are associated with a small risk of breast-implant-associated ALCL,” the FDA said. “Breast-implant-associated ALCL appears to develop more frequently in individuals with textured implants than in people with smooth-surfaced implants, but this does not mean that patients with smooth-surfaced implants are not at risk for ALCL.”
Makers of the breast implants have no immediate plans to stop selling textured versions.
“As with any medical procedure or device, patients considering breast implants are encouraged to have a comprehensive conversation with their surgeon about all potential risks and benefits, allowing for a fully informed decision,” said Allergan, which makes several types of breast implants. “Based on available scientific information, global health agencies and manufacturers are not recommending any change in implant availability, current practice, post-implant care and check-ups,” it added.
“Allergan is and has been fully committed to investing in and supporting work to further understanding and increasing awareness of breast-implant-associated ALCL.”
Mentor, another maker of breast implants, links to the FDA’s warnings on its website.
“Breast Implant Associated-Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a very rare and, if caught early, treatable type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that has occurred in a small number of the more than 5 million women who have breast implants globally,” the company said in a statement.
“Mentor continues to work globally with industry groups, physician scientists and health authorities to better understand the associated risks and causes of this type of lymphoma.”
Swanson said plastic surgeons also need to do more to warn patients about the risks. “Patients trust their doctors. Doctors need to tell their patients about this risk and patients need to be notified,” he said.
Forney agrees. “We would love the FDA to require every hospital, every plastic surgeon, to send letters to every patient they put breast implants in, educating them on the signs and symptoms of ALCL,” she said. “I think that every doctor that has put breast implants in any woman should be taking responsibility.”
The series, in which NBC News investigated medical device alerts around the world, was part of a global project organized by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a news organization notable for its work on the Panama Papers. More than 250 reporters in 36 countries worked on related articles that began publishing Sunday.
Lauren Dunn
Lauren Dunn is a producer with the NBC News medical unit in New York.
Maggie Fox
Maggie Fox is a senior writer for NBC News and TODAY, covering health policy, science, medical treatments and disease.
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TechConnect West Virginia
http://www.techconnectwv.org
TechConnectWV is a non-profit coalition committed to the advancement of the innovation economy in West Virginia, focused on four technology sectors: advanced energy, chemicals and advanced materials, biosciences, and biometrics. With broad representation from private industry, the public sector, and higher education, TechConnectWV seeks to diversify the state’s economy, promote economic prosperity and create high-paying jobs. In addition, TechConnectWV hosts an annual Women & Technology Conference to encourage and support women to pursue careers in technology sectors.
Anne Barth
TechieChic Meetup
http://www.meetup.com/techiechic
TechieChic Meetup is a women focused technology group in Atlanta. The focus for the group is to allow women to bring real-life work issues to the meetups and work collaboratively to solve them. Ultimately, the goal is to make a change by empowering and encouraging other women in the field. From beginner to expert, there is something for all skill levels.
Erica Baity
TechPoint (Indy Women in Tech)
http://www.techpoint.org
TechPoint, a non-profit, industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s technology sector.
Emily Trimble
http://www.linuxfoundation.org
The Linux Foundation protects and promotes the ideals of freedom and generous collaboration established through the development of Linux, and shares these ideals to power any endeavor aiming to make the future a better place in which to live. By supporting the kernel development community and fostering collaboration on a truly massive scale, the Linux Foundation unites thousands of curious minds in the free and open exchange of ideas. We are here to provide the crucial services and collaborative infrastructure to continue Linux's advancement and protection, and we're here to serve as a tour guide for companies who need to build an open source strategy for their business and make the most of the new collaborative software economy.
Karen Vuong
The Trill Project, Inc
https://trillproject.com/
Trill Project’s mission is to change the Internet for good.
We are an anonymous, safe, and supportive social network
where users build each other up, not tear each other down.
Our application fosters high quality, intimate connections
across peers in diverse communities.
We value trust and honesty. Our users trust that their data is
privately secured and their safety is prioritized through access
to professional crisis resources. In return, our users are able
to freely express their unbashed and unfiltered selves,
especially during uncertain and transformative times.
Georgia Messinger
https://tmcf.org/
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), established in 1987, is named for the U.S. Supreme Court's first African-American Justice. TMCF represents all Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and its member-schools include publicly-supported HBCUs. With TMCF member-schools educating 80% of all students attending HBCUs, TMCF helps students with a clear intention to succeed acquire a high-quality college education at an affordable cost. TMCF also efficiently connects high-performing, world-ready students with plum employment opportunities — access that students or employers might not have on their own. Through its scholarships and programs, TMCF plays a key role in preparing the leaders of tomorrow.
TMCF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization. For more information about TMCF and its initiatives, visit:www.tmcf.org.
Scott Lilly
Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA)
http://washingtontechnology.org/
Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) represents Washington’s entire tech industry, from startups to small and medium sized businesses to multinational corporations, as well as the service providers that focus on these companies. WTIA builds powerful relationships among industry, education, and government leaders who want to work together to make Washington the leading technology community in the world, primarily focusing on developing or attracting new tech talent, improving access to capital for entrepreneurs, and creating an environment where innovative technologies can emerge and thrive.
Julie Pham
Wogrammer
Wogrammer is on a mission to break stereotypes and inspire women and girls to pursue careers in engineering by showcasing real women, telling their stories, and celebrating their accomplishments. We believe stories have the power to inspire, connect and create a positive narrative about being a woman in the tech industry.
Jessie Arora
Women & Hi Tech
http://www.womenandhitech.org
Women & Hi Tech exists to change the landscape of women represented in STEM to be equally inclusive to all. To achieve that goal, we work to connect female STEM professionals with each other and our community in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our members and sponsors represent a wide array of STEM fields, including life sciences, engineering, accounting, psychology, statistics, and information technology. They work as engineers, analysts, scientists, business developers, marketers, educators, and more.
Tiffany Trusty
Women for the Web
http://www.womenfortheweb.org
We are a community group focused on encouraging women to engage in new technology, share their expertise, and inspire community women working in the web.
June Noel
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RN to BSN Programs in New Jersey
There are 20 nursing schools in New Jersey that provide RN to BSN program. We gathered some key information about each school to help you learn more about the schools' characteristics and the programs they provide.
Bloomfield, NJ
Caldwell, NJ
Caldwell University is a private Roman Catholic institution in Caldwell, New Jersey. The Sisters of St. Dominic founded the school in 1939 as the Caldwell College for Women. The university received university status in 2013 and changed its name to Caldwell University in 2014. The campus is in the suburbs of Caldwell, which is about 20 miles from Manhattan. The campus buildings are spread ...
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus was founded in 1942 in Teaneck, New Jersey. It is a private institution with both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The university currently offers more than 100 different degree programs and maintains four campuses. It is also the largest private institution in New Jersey, serving over 12,000 students annually. The metropolitan ...
Lodi, NJ
Felician University is a private university in Lodi, New Jersey. It was founded in 1923 as a private Roman Catholic university. Along with the campus in Lodi, there is a second campus in Rutherford, which is home to the Iviswold Castle. The castle was constructed in 1869 and is a historic building that the university renovated in 2013. The two campuses are about three miles apart and about 12 ...
West Long Branch, NJ
Mahwah, NJ
Lawrenceville, NJ
Mount Laurel, NJ
Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) is located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. RCBC was established back in 1966 and is a fully accredited two-year public community college. The school used to be known as Burlington Community College and has gone through several name changes over the years. This college enrolls more than 8,000 students each year and offers them a number of different ...
Camden, NJ
Rutgers University-Newark is a public institution in Newark, New Jersey. It was founded in 1766 in New Brunswick, making it the eighth oldest college in the US. The university became a state university in 1945 and then merged with the former University of Newark. The campus is in the University Heights area of Newark and includes several schools and colleges, along with several research ...
Seton Hall University was founded in 1856 in South Orange, New Jersey. It is a private institution with both undergraduate and graduate-level programs. Seton Hall University is a Roman Catholic university that consists of 11 different colleges and schools. The university has received several awards and recognitions, including ranking as one of the top five private universities for ...
Galloway, NJ
Thomas Edison State University (TECU) is a public university in Trenton, New Jersey. It was founded in 1972 as the Thomas Edison State College. After receiving university status in 2015, the college changed its name to reflect its new status. The campus is in downtown Trenton and continues to grow. It now includes the Kelsey Building, the Center for Learning and Technology, and the Academic ...
William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public institution with both undergrad and graduate programs. It was founded in 1855, making it the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New Jersey. The university started as the Paterson City Normal School, offering training to teachers for New Jersey schools. Over the years, the university has expanded and included more ...
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey was a private institution in Newark, New Jersey. It offered diplomas and certificate programs in various fields, with most programs designed to be completed in two years. The university was founded in 1954. However, it was dissolved in 2013. Most of the schools merged with Rutgers University to become the Rutgers School of Biomedical and ...
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Nutter Bank Report, December 2018
FDIC Approves 3-Year Phase-In for Adverse Effects on Capital from CECL
FDIC Launches Initiative to Encourage De Novo Bank Formations
Federal Agencies Issue Joint Guidance on Innovative BSA/AML Solutions
FDIC Adopts Final Rule to Implement Expanded Exam Cycle for Smaller Banks
Other Developments: Brokered Deposits and Volcker Rule
1. FDIC Approves 3-Year Phase-In for Adverse Effects on Capital from CECL
The FDIC has approved a final rule that will provide banks with the option to phase in over a three-year period the day-one adverse effects on regulatory capital that may result from the adoption of the new current expected credit losses (“CECL”) methodology accounting standard. The final rule approved by the FDIC on December 18 is still being considered by the OCC and the Federal Reserve, and will not become effective until those agencies have approved it. According to the FDIC, the three-year phase-in is expected to help banks adjust for any higher-than-anticipated increases in allowances due to unexpected economic conditions at the time that CECL becomes mandatory. The FDIC explained that CECL requires banks to consider current and future expected economic conditions to estimate allowances, and banks will not be able to anticipate these conditions until closer to the CECL effective date. The final rule will also revise the federal banking agencies’ regulatory capital rule, stress testing rules, and regulatory disclosure requirements to reflect CECL, and make conforming amendments to other regulations that reference credit loss allowances. Click here for a copy of the final rule.
Nutter Notes: The Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses, Topic 326, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”), which introduced CECL to U.S. GAAP, in 2016. The effective date of ASU 2016-13, and therefore the mandatory use of the CECL methodology, varies for different banking organizations. For banking organizations that are U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filers, CECL will be mandatory for the first fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that fiscal year. For banking organizations that are public business entities but not SEC filers, CECL will become mandatory for the first fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2020. For all other banking organizations, CECL will become mandatory for the first fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2021. Under the final rule, a bank that experiences a reduction in retained earnings due to CECL adoption as of the beginning of the fiscal year in which the bank must adopt CECL may elect to phase in the regulatory capital impact of adopting CECL over a three-year transition period. The bank will be required to begin applying the CECL transition provision as of the applicable CECL effective date. The rule requires that the bank indicate its election to use the three-year phase in its Call Report for the quarter in which the bank first reports its credit loss allowances as measured under CECL.
2. FDIC Launches Initiative to Encourage De Novo Bank Formations
The FDIC has announced a number of new measures and resources related to the deposit insurance application process that are meant to encourage the formation of new, or de novo, banks. The FDIC’s announcement on December 6, 2018 includes a new voluntary process that gives organizers of new banks the option to request feedback from the FDIC on a draft deposit insurance proposal before filing a formal application. In connection with the initiative, the FDIC has requested public comments on all aspects of the deposit insurance application process, and has updated two publications related to the deposit insurance application process: Applying for Deposit Insurance – A Handbook for Organizers of De Novo Institutions and the Deposit Insurance Applications Procedures Manual. The FDIC also has updated and is re-publishing its timeframe guidelines for deposit insurance and other applications, and has created a new, designated email address for bankers, applicants, and other interested parties to submit questions about specific applications or the application process in general. Click here to access the documents related to the FDIC’s de novo bank initiative.
Nutter Notes: According to the FDIC, the new draft review process for deposit insurance applications is intended to provide the organizers and the FDIC staff the opportunity to better understand and consider possible solutions to challenges that a de novo bank proposal may pose before a formal application is filed. The process may be initiated by submitting a written request to the applicable FDIC regional office, including a draft of the deposit insurance application. The FDIC expects to provide initial feedback to the organizers within 30 days, and will provide an overall review within 60 days. The FDIC’s request for comments on the deposit insurance application process includes a request for feedback on ways in which the FDIC could or should support the continuing evolution of emerging technology and fintech companies. The FDIC is also requesting information about aspects of the deposit insurance application process that may discourage potential applications, suggestions for changes to the application process for traditional community bank proposals, and suggestions for improving the effectiveness, efficiency, or transparency of the application process generally. Public comments are due by February 11, 2019.
3. Federal Agencies Issue Joint Guidance on Innovative BSA/AML Solutions
The federal banking agencies, along with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) and the NCUA, have jointly issued a statement to encourage banks to develop innovative approaches to meet their Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering (“BSA/AML”) compliance obligations. The types of innovative BSA/AML tools discussed in the December 3 joint statement include building or enhancing innovative internal financial intelligence units within a bank that are devoted to identifying complex and strategic illicit finance, artificial intelligence-based transaction monitoring systems, and digital identity technologies. The joint statement clarifies that examiners will not penalize or criticize banks that maintain effective BSA/AML compliance programs commensurate with their risk profiles even if they do not implement the types of innovative approaches described in the statement. According to the joint statement, the agencies will not advocate a particular method or technology for banks to meet their BSA/AML obligations. Click here for a copy of the joint statement.
Nutter Notes: The joint statement also invites bank management to discuss pilot programs for innovative BSA/AML approaches with their regulators. According to the statement, the agencies believe that engaging with regulators early in the process of making changes to a BSA/AML program can promote a better understanding of the new approaches by regulators, and provide feedback to the bank about the regulators’ compliance and risk management expectations. As part of the agencies’ initiative, the joint statement announced that FinCEN will consider requests for exceptions to the requirements of its customer identification program and anti-money laundering regulations to support the testing and use of new technologies and methods, as long as banks maintain the overall effectiveness of their BSA/AML compliance programs. The joint statement also announced that FinCEN plans to launch an innovation initiative to “foster a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges of BSA/AML-related innovation in the financial services sector.” According to the statement, FinCEN and the other agencies have established, or will establish, projects or offices dedicated to supporting the implementation of responsible innovation and new technologies.
4. FDIC Adopts Final Rule to Implement Expanded Exam Cycle for Smaller Banks
The FDIC has adopted a final rule to permit the on-site examination of qualifying banks with under $3 billion in total assets at least once every 18 months, rather than once every 12 months. The final rule adopted on December 18 will implement section 210 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (“EGRRCPA”), which amended section 10(d) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (“FDI Act”) to permit the federal banking agencies to examine qualifying banks (generally, those that are well capitalized and well managed) with under $3 billion in total assets not less than once during each 18-month period. The Federal Reserve and OCC are still considering the final rule, and it will not become effective until those agencies have approved it. However, the federal banking agencies jointly issued interim final rules to permit an 18-month examination cycle for qualifying banks with under $3 billion in total assets, which is currently effective. Click here for a copy of the final rule.
Nutter Notes: To qualify for an 18-month on-site examination cycle, a bank must have total assets of less than $3 billion, be well capitalized (within the meaning of the applicable federal banking agency’s prompt corrective action rules), be well managed as of its most recent examination, and have a composite condition of “outstanding” or, in the case of a bank with total assets of not more than $200 million, “outstanding” or “good.” In addition, a bank will not qualify for an extended 18-month examination cycle if it is subject to a formal enforcement proceeding or order by the FDIC or its primary federal bank regulator, or if it has undergone a change in control during the previous 12-month period in which a full-scope, on-site examination otherwise would have been required. Prior to enactment of section 210 of the EGRRCPA, only qualifying banks with less than $1 billion in total assets were eligible for an 18-month examination cycle.
5. Other Developments: Brokered Deposits and Volcker Rule
FDIC Adopts Final Rule on Exception for Reciprocal Brokered Deposits
The FDIC adopted a final rule on December 18 that amends its regulations that implement brokered deposits and interest rate restrictions to create an exception for a capped amount of reciprocal brokered deposits from treatment as brokered deposits. The final rule implements section 202 of the EGRRCPA, which amended section 29 of the FDI Act related to reciprocal deposits. The final rule will become effective 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register, which is expected shortly. Click here for a copy of the final rule.
Nutter Notes: The FDIC has also invited the public to comment on, and submit proposed changes to all aspects of, the FDIC’s brokered deposit and interest rate regulations in an advance notice of proposed rulemaking issued on December 18. Public comments will be due 90 days after publication in the Federal Register, which is expected shortly. Click here for a copy of the advance notice of proposed rulemaking.
Agencies Propose Rule to Ease Volcker Rule Restrictions on Community Banks
The federal banking agencies, along with the SEC and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, have issued a proposed rule to exclude certain community banks from the Volcker Rule. The proposed rule issued on December 18 would exclude a bank from the restrictions of the Volcker Rule if the bank, and every entity that controls it, has total consolidated assets equal to or less than $10 billion, and trading assets and liabilities equal to or less than 5% of its total consolidated assets.
Nutter Notes: The proposed rule would also implement section 204 of the EGRRCPA by permitting banking organizations subject to the Volcker Rule to share a name with a hedge fund or private equity fund that it organizes and offers under certain circumstances. Public comments on the proposed rule will be due 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, which is expected shortly. Click here for a copy of the proposed rule.
Nutter Bank Report is a monthly electronic publication of the Banking and Financial Services Group of the law firm of Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP. Chambers and Partners, the international law firm rating service, after interviewing our clients and our peers in the profession, has ranked Nutter’s Banking and Financial Services practice among the top banking practices in the nation. Visit the U.S. rankings at ChambersandPartners.com. The Nutter Bank Report is edited by Matthew D. Hanaghan. Assistance in the preparation of this issue was provided by Heather F. Merton. The information in this publication is not legal advice. For further information, contact:
Thomas J. Curry
tcurry@nutter.com
Jason Cabral
Thomas Curry
Daniel Hartman
Kate Henry
Meghan Kelly
Joseph Leonard
Stephen Patterson
Ian Roffman
Blake Tyler
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Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications
Edited by Edited by Ernest Adeghate, Hussein Saadi, and Abdu Adem (United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates)
Diabetes mellitus is a major global health problem. This volume focuses on recent advances in the area of diabetes mellitus and its complications, from basic research at the molecular level to clinical medicine, spanning several areas including epidemiology, diagnosis, complications, prevention, treatment, beta cell function and dysfunction, metabolic syndrome, glucose and lipid metabolism and drug targets. The international conference of which this is the proceedings provided a forum for the exchange of ideas and the dissemination of current knowledge about the full range of issues concerning type I and type II diabetes mellitus.
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Media|Rising TV Fees Mean All Viewers Pay to Keep Sports Fans Happy
Rising TV Fees Mean All Viewers Pay to Keep Sports Fans Happy
N.F.L. cameras at a game last month in Philadelphia.CreditCreditMichael Perez/Associated Press
By Brian Stelter
For a glimpse of how out of control sports bidding wars have become, look no further than your cable television bill.
Time Warner Cable subscribers in Southern California will eventually see their monthly bills increase thanks to an impending $7 billion deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, believed to be the most lucrative for any sports team in history. DirecTV, the country’s most popular satellite service, and Verizon FiOS have started adding a $2 to $3 monthly surcharge in markets like New York and Los Angeles to pay for regional sports networks.
Per-subscriber fees for sports networks keep going up: ESPN, the granddaddy of them all, passed the $5-a-month mark last year.
The eye-popping price tags have restarted debate about a topic near and dear to sports fans, fairness: many TV customers never watch the mightily expensive channels at all, yet almost all must pay. There was a shudder in the industry when John Malone, the business tycoon who helped create the modern-day cable system, said in November that “runaway sports rights” costs amounted to “a high tax on a lot of households that don’t have a lot of interest in sports.” The only short-term fix, he said, was government intervention.
The price increases reflect the leverage big sports leagues have as distributors like Time Warner Cable and programmers like ESPN desperately try to hang onto live programming in the age of the digital video recorder and the Internet.
Sports are the television industry’s bulwark against rapid technological change: while the companies fear cord-cutting by customers who can cobble together a diet of TV on the Internet, they rest a little easier knowing that former customers would be hard-pressed to find their favorite teams live online.
Pretty much everybody in the business agrees that the overall costs are outrageous. Nobody has an easy solution.
The latest example of this is likely to come on Monday when the Dodgers’ owners are expected to announce a 20- to 25-year deal to create a regional sports network with Time Warner Cable. The cost per subscriber in Southern California is likely to be between $4 and $5 a month, though Time Warner Cable will swallow some of the amount itself.
In assessing the impending Dodgers deal, Michael Nathanson, a media analyst at Nomura Securities, wondered earlier this week “if we have reached the top of the sports rights bubble.”
But while the price is steep, the alternative might have been worse; the other bidder, Fox Sports, could have turned around and charged Time Warner Cable even more per subscriber.
“When a team sees their rights fees, and therefore the costs to consumers, rise more than sixfold, as is rumored, for the exact same games that they got last season, that’s an unsustainable model,” said Dan York, who oversees DirecTV’s decisions to carry and not carry networks. Yet Mr. York said DirecTV hopes to continue to carry the Dodgers in the years to come.
As both he and his counterparts at Time Warner Cable know, the games are popular with a segment of its customer base.
News Corporation, knowing the same thing, acquired a 49 percent stake in the Yankees-branded YES Network for nearly $2 billion two months ago. News Corporation is planning a national rival to ESPN, tentatively named Fox Sports 1, joining other competitors like Comcast, which has the one-year-old NBC Sports Network, and CBS, which has the CBS Sports Network. The National Football League has its own network, which clawed its way onto all the major distributors’ lineups despite costing nearly $1 per subscriber per month. An increasing number of college conferences have their own television homes, as well.
For the most part, all of these networks are requirements, not options for cable customers. (Some distributors charge extra for packages of sports channels for die-hard fans, but the big networks remain in the packages that most customers get.) Some games are hugely popular: On the high end of the ratings, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” averaged 21.4 million viewers this season. But Dodgers games, like those of many local teams, were lucky to garner 100,000 viewers on any given day.
But analysts and industry critics say that if anything ever causes distributors to try more of an “à la carte” model of pricing, it’s sports programming.
“The cable industry has done everything it can to bundle programming and force consumers to buy things they don’t want,” said Gene Kimmelman, a former Justice Department antitrust lawyer. “Finally, one piece of their bundle has become so expensive that it may finally force the cable industry to shift gears and split the bundle out of fear of pricing its own customers out of the market.”
Some executives at the distributors privately agree. They talk of a bubble caused by the high license fees commanded by sports leagues, and demanded by the networks that pay those fees. They say they want to keep costs down, and some have even threatened to drop low-rated channels from their lineups. But they continue to agree to pay more and more for sports.
Chris Bevilacqua, an investor and consultant who has spearheaded the creation of several college networks, said, “If consumers were that upset by the costs, they’d be dropping their cable subscriptions in droves.”
To date, that is not happening. Cable alternatives like Aereo (a service that streams broadcast networks via the Internet for a small monthly price) are sprouting up, but none are stealing share from the distributors that have been around for years. In fact, over the last two years ESPN has signed new long-term deals with seven of the top ten distributors in the country.
What is more common are customers who lower their monthly bill, albeit temporarily, by leaping from one distributor to another. Verizon FiOS, perhaps testing the waters, announced a sports-free package of channels this week that is $15 cheaper than a similar package with sports.
Along with regional sports networks and the ESPNs of the world, sports costs are baked into the television industry through the deals that distributors make to carry local broadcasters’ television signals. If a distributor is not willing to pay what a CBS-affiliated station wants them to pay, for instance, its customers may miss out on the Super Bowl, which is Feb. 3 on CBS.
Companies are rarely willing to take that risk as nothing provokes the public quite like missing a sporting event. Time Warner Cable’s blackout of MSG Networks, which carries the Knicks, rankled thousands of customers last year; Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo eventually put pressure on both companies to make the deal that ended the blackout.
David Goodfriend, the chairman of the Sports Fan Coalition, said sports leagues were the root of the problem, because they “get exemptions from federal antitrust laws so they can legally collude and drive up prices for television coverage of the games.” The coalition wants to cut what it calls “vast public subsidies.”
Washington regulators have not shown a special interest in the subject. When Mr. Malone, speaking to The Los Angeles Times, brought up government intervention in sports rights costs, he said that “usually markets have a way of correcting themselves.”
Correction: Feb. 1, 2013
A picture caption on Saturday with the continuation of an article about rising cable fees for sports-related content, using information from The Associated Press, misidentified the affiliation of the camera crew shown at a football game in Philadelphia. It was a crew from the National Football League, not from NBC.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Rising TV Fees Mean All Viewers Pay to Keep Sports Fans Happy. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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Global firm expands Latin American offering
HomeMorning briefing
by Steve Randall02 Mar 2018
DLA Piper and its relationship firm BAZ have announced a merger to develop a stronger presence in Chile.
BAZ|DLA Piper will combine with Noguera, Larraín & Dulanto to create a 60-lawyer firm on 1st April 2018 which will be known as DLA Piper BAZ NLD.
"When we announced our relationship with BAZ in 2016, it was with the intent to expand our capabilities to one of Latin America's largest economies through a firm with an elite reputation and history of institutional success," said Roger Meltzer, DLA Piper's global co-chair and co-chair of the Americas.
Top priorities for law firms revealed
A new survey of law firms highlights the importance of the client experience.
Legal tech firm Zylpha has polled law firms for the third consecutive year and found that 92% of respondents ranked optimising client care as their most important priority, up from 78% last year.
Practice brand management and client perception are also increasingly important with 87% saying it’s a priority, up from 75% last year.
The third priority is new technology (82%) with benefits for both efficiency and client perception. Integrating with cloud-based services and security are among the key issues in this area.
“The results of the survey, from over 200 respondents have shown a shift to client care, enhanced client perceptions and the technology to back these up,” said Zylpha’s David Chapman. “This bodes well for clients as many of the changes will make access easier and reduce costs. Other than that, issues such as security and cyber risks are a constant but the potential threats posed by Brexit are not yet registering.”
Disputes practice boost for Jones Day in Hong Kong
Linh Lieu has joined the global disputes practice of Jones Day in Hong Kong as of counsel.
She joins from Davis Polk, where she has been on secondment to an international bank over recent months. She was previously with Clifford Chance, Norton Rose Fulbright and MinterEllison.
Acting as local or international counsel, she has worked extensively with board directors, committees, and senior management of major corporations and financial institutions on matters across Hong Kong, China, U.S., U.K., India, Korea, Japan, and Australia.
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The knuckler: Tim Wakefield is in the top 10 in AL wins, wild pitches and age
Mike Fine
Age has its benefits, and Tim Wakefield is taking full advantage. The 41-year-old Red Sox knuckleball artist boasts a long list of accomplishments, but on top of his list is the upcoming Red Sox playoff appearance, his seventh with the team, eighth overall.
The only problem is that Wakefield suffered a sore back late in the regular season and the loss of a start didn’t do anything for his timing and sharpness.
Wakefield can understand an occasional off day, but what he can’t abide is missing time, something that seriously curtailed his 2006 season, impacting the Sox, as well, for they failed to make the playoffs.
“It hurt. It hurt me inside,” said Wakefield of the nearly two-month layoff that limited his record to 7-11. “Never being on the DL my whole career and then having to spend two months on it, knowing what the team was going through, I was trying my best to get back on the field. It was sickening for me to be on the bench and not able to help.
“I didn’t know how to deal with it at first. You get in there and trust the trainers and do your rehab and try to get as healthy as you can as quickly as you can. I think the hardest part for me was I missed two road trips, not being with the team. Not being with the guys. Not being on the bench, rooting the guys on.”
Fortunately for Wakefield and the Sox, he’s been healthy this season, save for the brief episode later on. It’s just that the lack of consistent work for a week derailed what had been a tremendous season, with Wakefield in contention in August to become the winningest pitcher in the AL, joining teammate Josh Beckett.
Wakefield had a 16-10 record when he missed the start, and in his next two starts he gave up nine hits and six runs in 32/3 innings at Baltimore and 10 hits and seven runs in three innings against Tampa Bay. The Sox came back to win both games. It marked the first time he’d gone fewer than four innings in back-to-back starts since April, 1999.
Not that there was anything wrong with it. The Sox were fully expecting Wakefield to get himself back into shape by playoff time, because the body of work over the previous part of the season was as good as it’s been over his career.
“I think we all around here respect what Wake can do and what he does do, how hard he works,” Sox manager Terry Francona said.
Wakefield’s 16 wins were only one shy of his career high, landing him in the top 10 in AL wins. He was top 10 in two other categories: wild pitches and age, where he trailed only Roger Clemens, Kenny Rogers, Roberto Hernandez, teammate Mike Timlin and Jose Mesa. He’s only the second Red Sox pitcher older than 40 to win at least 16 games in a season, joining Cy Young, who won 21 games in both 1907 and 1908.
Despite his age, the veteran had amassed some imposing stats this season, including 26 decisions in his first 26 starts. It was the longest such streak since Jack McDowell reached 27 with the White Sox in 1993.
That’s the way it is with Wakefield. Age has its benefits, including various mentions in the record books.
He trailed only Clemens and Young in wins and innings pitched for the Sox. He’s one of three active pitchers to record at least 150 wins with their current team, joining John Smoltz and Andy Pettitte. He trailed only Clemens in strikeouts (and starts), and was on the verge of passing Pedro Martinez. He’s second in club history to Bob Stanley (637) in appearances.
Still, Wakefield says he’s feeling fine, and he never stops learning, having already visited with former Indians knuckleballer Tom Candiotti earlier this season to get some pointers. Which means he’s not quite ready to hang ‘em up. Wakefield continues to work on a series of one-year renewable (by the team) $4 million contracts.
“Charlie (Hough, former knuckleballer) told me the reason why he retired was he couldn’t cover first anymore,” he said in spring training. “It wasn’t that he couldn’t get anybody out, he just couldn’t cover first and his reflexes got a little bit slow. But physically, I feel fine now and I plan to pitch as long as I can.”
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Just Why Do All Alien Planets Look Exactly Like the Woods Outside of Vancouver?
By Steven Lloyd Wilson | Think Pieces | October 9, 2014 |
There’s a joke in science fiction television that all alien planets look exactly like the woods outside of Vancouver. There are several possible reasons for this.
The first is that Vancouver is actually used for a filming location for a lot of television and film. A number of “facts” have been floated in support of this theory. For one, Vancouver has a relatively large pool of actors due to years used as a filming location, so it’s a self-reinforcing cycle. Said actors end up being relatively inexpensive due to the fact that they can be paid in Canadian dollars (which are legally defined as 1/117 of a bear pelt) and that if they live in Vancouver instead of Los Angeles or New York they’ve likely already given up on ever making a living as an actor any way.
Hollywood politics plays a role as well. The relatively short flight from Los Angeles (a bit under three hours) means that Vancouver seems relatively close and in touch, compared to much of the United States that has the trees necessary to film forest scenes. Said locations in the United States tend to be in places whose politics are deeply allergic to anonymous executives, who cannot name a single Congressman, but are nonetheless terrified of Republicans. The socialist left coast of Canada offers them no such dangers.
When combined with the fact that it’s winter ten months out of the year and Hollywood executives are physically incapable of travelling to locations with a temperature below freezing with the exception of carefully manicured skiing trips, Vancouver also manages to keep most of the executives from visiting sets for most of the year, which is in the deep interests of those who actually go about making television and movies.
I’m sure there are also tax benefits or some such, but like a Neanderthal suspicious of mechanical devices, I contend that matters of finance more complicated than balancing a checkbook are fictional contrivances that exist solely for theft.
So Vancouver ends up being a perfect storm for the production of science fiction and fantasy television.
Or there is a deeper truth, a more terrible truth. All these shows look the same because the woods outside of Vancouver literally connect to a thousand different worlds. Every monster of the week on X-Files and Supernatural, every alien planet explored in iterations of Stargate, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica, every time those woods appear on a screen, you are peering through a doorway in those Canadian woods. Somewhere the Peacock brothers are being hunted by a Cylon. Somewhere a G’ould is being eaten alive by a wendigo. A Vulcan is stumbling into the abandoned camp site of murdered teenagers on her way to escaping through one stargate into another stargate in these same woods.
The woods outside of Vancouver aren’t just where we film our fictions. They are the doorway to them. It’s no coincidence that “Vancouver” is an ancient native word that loosely translates as “Cthulhu’s Garden.”
← Shonda Rhimes Straight Up Calls Katherine Heigl as Asshole
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Institute Welcomes the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
Building Innovation 2013 Attracts Major Sponsor
Institute Member and Industry Innovator Homer Hurst Dies at 92
Lighting Effects on Older Adults to be Addressed
DHS Webinar: Cutting Edge Risk and Resiliency Tools
AIA Approves 18 CEUs for the BEST3 Conference
COBie & SPie Training
Don’t Miss COBie and SPie Demonstration at NFMT
Students Design Schools of the Future
buildingSMART Terminology Standard in Development
National BIM Standard Executive Committee
ESRI Federal GIS Conference
NCMA Annual Convention
The Precast Show/ICON Expo
buildingSMART International Implementers Support Group
2012 IES Research Symposium
buildingSMART alliance Implementers Support Group
GLOBALCON/AEE Conference & Expo
2012 NFMT
AGC Annual Convention
International Equipment EXPO
GANA BEC Conference & Tradeshow
buildingSMART International
BEST3 Conference
2012 FIATECH Technology Conference
Miami, FA
IFMA Facility Fusion Conference & Expo
NIA’s 57th Annual Convention
2012 Green California Summit and Expo
AIA 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition
buildingSMART International Council
ASME 2012 Annual Meeting
Montreal, QB
NFPA Conference & Expo
2012 ASHRAE Annual Conference
BOMA 2012 International Conference & Every Building Show
HAZUS User Conference
CONSTRUCT2012 & The CSI Annual Convention
IAPMO 83rd Annual Education and Business Conference
Journal of Building Information Modeling (JBIM)
NEW! Journal of Building Enclosure Design (JBED)
Journal of Advanced and High-Performance Materials (JMAT)
Journal of Hazard Mitigation and Risk Assessment (JHAZ)
If you are visiting the WBDG just for specific documents or tools you use regularly in your work, but haven’t explored the website – you are really missing out on many more valuable resources WBDG has to offer! To learn more about WBDG and all it has to offer, we invite you to visit the WBDG User’s Guide. The User’s Guide provides an audiovisual tour on navigating this online resource, how the site is organized, how to use the site map, understanding the breakdown of the subsections in Design Guidance (Building Types, Space Types, Design Disciplines, Design Objectives and Products & Systems) and how to explore the Documents and References section (Federal High Performance and Sustainable Buildings, Federal Mandates, Construction Criteria Base, Periodicals, Case Studies, Participating Agencies and Industry Organizations directory).
The National Institute of Building Sciences is pleased to welcome the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) as a new council of the Institute. SBIC is a leading advocate of the whole building approach to sustainable facilities. The establishment of SBIC under the auspices of the Institute allows for an expanded focus on the role of resource efficiency and energy use in the achievement of high-performance buildings. SBIC and the Institute share a long history of collaboration and focus on related industry issues. In recent years, SBIC has embraced the high-performance building attributes as a fundamental aspect of their mission. The concept of Beyond Green™ embraced by SBIC finds parallels in the high-performance and whole building approach that is the foundation of many Institute programs, including the Whole Building Design Guide and the High-Performance Building Council. Read the release.
McGraw-Hill Construction will take on the prominent role of conference sponsor for Building Innovation 2013: The National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Conference and Expo. The conference to be held January 7-10, 2013, in Washington, D.C., will focus on Improving Resiliency through High Performance. Long-time organizational member, McGraw-Hill Construction attaches its solid reputation for being a reliable and trusted resource of industry information to the Institute’s authoritative source of innovative solutions for the built environment to support the delivery of this event. "We applaud the work the National Institute of Building Sciences continues to perform in advancing building science and innovation as well as convening the industry together to help develop industry solutions. Furthering thought leadership and intelligence on key construction industry trends is a tenet of McGraw-Hill Construction," the company noted. Read the release.
Other sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are still available for industry organizations to show their support for the Institute and present their products and services to the Building Innovation 2013 audience. Visit the Conference website for more information about the conference and sponsorship opportunities.
Award-winning professor and building industry innovator, Homer Theodore Hurst, died October 31, 2011. As one of the Institute’s charter members, Hurst was a strong advocate for building efficiency and a contributor to the Institute’s work on improving military housing. He was considered an innovator ahead of his time. Often seen as radical for his determination to save building materials, Hurst focused his career on developing innovative construction techniques and promoting energy conservation using passive solar principles. He believed that with proper design, a house could be built effectively with fewer materials and went on to prove his theory by constructing a house in Blacksburg where he used only one third of the wood typically called for in the plans for frames and sheathing. Read more about Hurst.
The Institute is co-sponsoring the upcoming symposium presented by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES). Light+Seniors: A Vision for the Future, to be held March 6-7, 2012, in Washington, D.C., will focus on the role proper lighting plays in the health and safety for older adults. Lighting designers, builders and facilities managers of residential housing, builders of commercial buildings, educators, lighting manufacturers, architects, associations and government agencies serving older adults will benefit from attending this event. IES, recognized as the technical authority on illumination, will disseminate the latest research about the special lighting needs of older adults with aging eyes during this two-day symposium. Register to attend.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is providing an ongoing webinar that features three tools which have been developed with the purpose of improving the security and resilience of our nation’s buildings and infrastructure. The tools – the Integrated Rapid Visual Screening (IRVS) Tool, the Owners Performance Requirements (OPR) Tool, developed by the Institute, and the Urban Blast Tool (UBT) – all provide scores for risk and resilience and are capable of analyzing and compiling a range of high-performance requirements, including energy conservation, safety (earthquakes, floods, winds, and fire), security (explosives, ballistics and chemical, biological and radiological), environmental footprint, sustainability, durability and continuity of operations in an effort to provide for an improved comprehensive solution for the physical environment. View selected parts or the webinar in its entirety.
The American Institute of Architects has just approved the "Building Enclosure Science & Technology Conference (BEST3) for 18 continuing-education unit (CEU) credits in health, safety, welfare and sustainable design. The BEST3 Conference, being held in Atlanta, Georgia, April 2-4, 2012, at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, will present training sessions in three tracks – Energy Efficiency, Whole Building and Fenestration. The Institute’s Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council (BETEC) and the Building Enclosure Council (BEC)-Atlanta co-host the BEST3 Conference to delve into building systems that deliver high energy efficiency, good indoor climate, and long-term performance. Twenty-two sessions will provide more than 70 peer-reviewed papers and give attendees the rare opportunity to fulfill their AIA member requirements for earning 18 CEUs per year in just 3 days.
In addition to the valuable CEUs, the BEST3 Conference will give attendees exclusive access to the award-winning, iconic High Museum of Art by Richard Meier and its equally prestigious addition by Renzo Piano during a dinner hosted by BEC-Atlanta and sponsors, the Sto Corp. and Georgia-Pacific. A lecture by renowned building scientist, R. Christopher Mathis, president of Mathis Consulting Company (MC2), will also be a highlight at this event. Registration for the BEST3 Conference is open and a special offer of 50% off the dinner ticket is in effect until February 29. Visit the Conference website for more information.
It won’t be long before Version 2 of the National BIM Standard – United States™ (NBIMS-US™) will be published. In the next several issues of this newsletter, we will highlight some of the content that makes up the NBIMS-US™ V2. The Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie) and the tool that will bring manufactures to COBie – Specifiers Properties information exchange (SPie) are gaining a lot of traction worldwide. Developed by members of the Institute, COBie and SPie are at the heart of the "I” in BIM. COBie is included in NBIMS-US™ V2. To learn more about both of these products please take the six-part COBie and two-part SPie video courses. View more buildingSMART alliance videos of interest.
The National Facilities Management and Technology Conference (NFMT) and Expo – scheduled for March 13-15, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md. – is the place to be to witness case studies presented on the Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie) and the Specifiers Properties information exchange (SPie) standards. COBie and SPie, developed by the members of the Institute, make it easier to capture building project data and create open-standard BIM models. As a member of the Institute, you are invited to attend NFMT for FREE. Come see how the standards operate in real-world applications. In addition to COBie and SPie, NFMT will feature sessions on BIM, FM, WBDG and FMOC. And, while you’re there, check out the "GSA response to the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010” which will also be presented. Find out more.
The Institute’s Judy Marks chaired the DC Metro jury for the Council of Educational Facility Planners International 2012 School of the Future Design Competition. The annual competition, open to middle school students, challenges student teams to design their schools to enhance learning, conserve resources, be environmentally responsive and engage the surrounding community. The jury was held on February 3 at the U.S. Green Building Council. The winners from the DC area go on to compete against schools in the entire northeast region. Find out more.
Last month, the buildingSMART alliance™ (bSa) hosted a meeting of the buildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD) Management Group (MG) at the Institute. The bSDD, renamed from International Framework for Dictionaries (IFD) to fit in with other buildingSMART International (bSI) standards, is one of the core bSI standards along with the buildingSMART Reference Model (IFC) and the buildingSMART Process Model (IDM). The bSDD’s goal is to provide an open-source service for naming the components in BIM models, as well as the data that those models use from external sources. Global Unique Identifiers are assigned by the bSDD to concepts and made available through a web services Application Programming Interface (API). The Dictionary, based on an ISO Standard, is for use by software and data providers to promote semantic interoperability and exchange. Standards Norway/builidingSMART Norway, the STABU Foundation from the Netherlands, Construction Specifications Canada and the Construction Specifications Institute are developing the bSDD. During the meeting, a workshop on the status of the Dictionary and its application in projects, in particular its use in conjunction with classification was presented. Find out more about the Data Dictionary.
The National Institute of Building Sciences, authorized by public law 93-383 in 1974, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests to identify and resolve building process and facility performance problems. The Institute serves as an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sectors with respect to the use of building science and technology.
An Authoritative Source of Innovative Solutions for the Built Environment
1090 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005-4950 | nibs@nibs.org | www.nibs.org | 202-289-7800
You're receiving this monthly e-newsletter as a subscriber, member or contact of the National Institute of Building Sciences or a council, board, committee or customer of the Institute. This electronic newsletter replaces our former printed newsletter, Building Sciences. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please click here to unsubscribe.
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24 Hours of Le Mange: An around-the-clock food feature helped this newspaper connect with its community
What’s the kind of story worth putting outside a hard paywall? The kind of civic storytelling that shows that you’re “covering the city like no one else.”
By H.G. Watson @hg_watson Aug. 27, 2018, 9:23 a.m.
In the early hours of July 13, Katie May was in downtown Winnipeg — much earlier then she’d normally be getting ready to cover courts for the Winnipeg Free Press.
She was following the Main Street Project, an organization that helps vulnerable communities in Winnipeg, as they handed out food, water and harm reduction supplies to homeless people throughout the downtown core. The 3 a.m. reporting time slot was one she actually had to beat out another reporter for: “I won out! And then I thought: What did I just get myself into?”
In Winnipeg, micropayments aren’t generating big money, but they’re serving as a top-of-the-funnel strategy
H.G. Watson
She was one of 24 reporters telling stories about Winnipeg over the course of 24 hours focusing on something everyone can relate to — food. Posted online Aug. 16, Food for Thought is a reporting project the Free Press has published outside of its paywall as both an experiment in storytelling and an effort to show their community how a newspaper binds them together. And community members are engaging with it — average reading time on the piece has been 19 minutes.
Free Press editor Paul Samyn was reading The New York Times Magazine in June when he saw its Love City project, which profiled 24 couples in New York City over a 24 hour period. He had been looking for a fun and engaging project for the summer months, which many editors know can be a quiet time for local news. “So I went, well that was kind of cool,” said Samyn. “[If] The New York Times can do it, then clearly the Winnipeg Free Press has to do it too.”
Samyn and his editorial team wanted a topic as engaging as love; they landed on food. But this would be more than sharing recipes or restaurant recommendations. The true focus of this story is community connections, and so the editorial team endeavoured to cover as wide a swath of Winnipeg as possible. “So you get things at a truck stop at the west end of the city; you get at the south end a really intimate story about feeding people at an institution where there are some significant mental challenges,” he said. “We wanted to make sure that we could show to our readership that we are covering the city like no one else.”
Part of the challenge was getting all 24 slots covered without interrupting the normal workflow of the newsroom. The editorial team had identified the target areas it wanted to address and what time reporters would head to the location. Staff — including sports reporters, arts reporters, and editorial managers — were given the opportunity to sign up for spots they wanted — as it turned out, there was no issue filling any of them. “They are creative people,” said Samyn. “I don’t want what we do to ever become routine.” This was a chance for the whole newsroom to do something different.
Among the places the series took readers were a mother’s living room while she breastfed her child; a food centre that creates nourishing meals for free; and a Jewish community center for Shabbat dinner.
May was drawn to the early morning slot because of the challenge of finding a story at what, for most, is an ungodly hour to be awake. “I knew I’d have to report whatever happened within the hour, so I wasn’t sure what kind of story I’d end up with, but I figured not all that many people experience Winnipeg at 3 a.m. anyway.” Her piece chronicled how the Main Street Project hands out food through downtown Winnipeg. “There is a lot of need in the city,” she said. “So if we’re talking about how food brings people together, I knew I didn’t want to overlook the more vulnerable perspective.”
The feature was led in the newsroom by Scott Gibbons, associate editor of enterprise projects, and Wendy Sawatzky, associate editor of digital. They didn’t want to just run 24 stories — they wanted to showcase the visual components and give a sense of the timing that was a key part of the project.
Samyn said they decided not to post the feature behind the paper’s paywall because they saw it as an opportunity to put their best foot forward.
While summer traffic typically takes a dip for most news media websites, engagement has been good with this particular story. According to Samyn, the average time spent reading Food for Thought has been 19 minutes. “I don’t think we’ve ever really seen that level of engagement with anything we’ve done,” he said.
With a municipal election coming in the fall, there may not be time for another project of this scope on the immediate horizon. But Samyn said it has been useful to understand that the newsroom can take on a project of this scope — and the lessons learned will be applied to news coverage in the future.
But the biggest thing to come out of the project is building connections with the community. “I think the important element of this project, and I think the challenge for newspapers, is to demonstrate what our newsroom can do and make the case that no one covers communities like newspapers,” he said.
After May filed her own piece, she took a quick nap and went back to her regular beat. She too had to wait to see what her colleagues had written and what the piece would look like as a whole. “It was fun for me to read all the 24-hour vignettes when the project went up,” she said. “I learned a lot from my colleagues’ reporting, showing all these different pieces of the city, knowing that we all kinda started from scratch with this idea and had to wait and see how it would turn out.”
H.G. Watson is managing editor of J-Source, where this story originally appeared.
Photo of the poutine — fries, bacon gravy, and Bothwell cheese curds — at Winnipeg’s Peasant Cookery by Haydn Blackey used under a Creative Commons license.
POSTED Aug. 27, 2018, 9:23 a.m.
Canadian journalism
Katie May
Paul Samyn
Scott Gibbons
Wendy Sawatzky
Watson, H.G.. "24 Hours of Le Mange: An around-the-clock food feature helped this newspaper connect with its community." Nieman Journalism Lab. Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, 27 Aug. 2018. Web. 18 Jul. 2019.
Watson, H. (2018, Aug. 27). 24 Hours of Le Mange: An around-the-clock food feature helped this newspaper connect with its community. Nieman Journalism Lab. Retrieved July 18, 2019, from https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/08/24-hours-of-le-mange-an-around-the-clock-food-feature-helped-this-newspaper-connect-with-its-community/
Watson, H.G.. "24 Hours of Le Mange: An around-the-clock food feature helped this newspaper connect with its community." Nieman Journalism Lab. Last modified August 27, 2018. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/08/24-hours-of-le-mange-an-around-the-clock-food-feature-helped-this-newspaper-connect-with-its-community/.
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| title = 24 Hours of Le Mange: An around-the-clock food feature helped this newspaper connect with its community
| last = Watson
| first = H.G.
| date = 27 August 2018
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« Back to Search
720 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
Overview of Mount Carmel Academy
Students and Faculty
Mount Carmel Academy is a coeducational private Catholic traditional school for students in grades Pre-K through 8.
Institution Type: Private Setting: Urban
Directions Link
www.mountcarmelacademy.org
Mount Carmel Academy's Full Profile
Mount Carmel Academy says
Thank you for considering Mount Carmel Academy as the school of choice for your child's education!As you go through the website and have the opportunity to tour the school, I think you will see that it is more than just a school. It is a culture, integrated with faith, shared among students, teachers and parents. Education at Mount Carmel Academy is value-based and encourages a commitment to a lifelong love of learning, respect for others and self-discipline. Mount Carmel's vision for its graduates includes goals in the areas of spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional and physical development.While the website contains some basic information about our school, we encourage you to call or email us to arrange a tour. Mount Carmel Academy is a special place, and we are pleased to show it off to you! Thank you for considering Mount Carmel Academy as the school of choice for your child's education!As you go through the website and have the opportunity to tour the school, I think you will see that it is more than just a school. It is a culture, integrated with faith, shared among students, teachers and parents. Education at Mount Carmel Academy is value-based and encourages a commitment to a lifelong love of learning, respect for others and self-discipline. Mount Carmel's vision for its graduates includes goals in the areas of spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional and physical development.While the website contains some basic information about our school, we encourage you to call or email us to arrange a tour. Mount Carmel Academy is a special place, and we are pleased to show it off to you!
Private schools, including parochial and boarding, are funded through tuition and fees. The cost varies from school to school, but most families pay tuition to attend them. Many private schools offer financial aid or discounts, so it's worthwhile to ask about these options.
Enrollment Data
Total Enrollment
Number of Students
Mount Carmel Academy's relatively variable enrollment profile may offer insights into student retention rates, local population changes, real estate costs, and the accessibility of alternative educational options.
to find out more about the specific factors influencing Mount Carmel Academy's enrollment numbers.
36% Male / 64% Female
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Desarrolle su negocio
La belleza de la biología
Piedmont Biofuels and Novozymes to unveil new technology at first enzymatic biodiesel pilot plant in US
Novozymes, the world’s leading producer of industrial enzymes, and Piedmont Biofuels, leaders in biofuels in North Carolina, tomorrow will unveil a new pilot plant to demonstrate an improved technological process for the production of biodiesel.
This is the first pilot plant of its kind in the United States and uses cutting edge technology developed by Piedmont Biofuels and Novozymes to create high quality biodiesel from low quality waste grease.
The enzymatic biodiesel pilot plant was developed in partnership with the Biofuels Center of North Carolina, and the Chatham County Economic Development Corporation. The pilot plant is expected to initially produce 12,600 gallons of biodiesel annually.
Biodiesel is a diesel fuel alternative made from fats and oils which can be used in existing diesel engines without modification. The current biodiesel production method forms soaps or salts in both the biodiesel and glycerin phases, producing low-grade co-products. Glycerin, a co-product resulting from the enzymatic process can be used to make a wide variety of products, including bioplastics and solvents.
"This new process of using enzymes to produce biodiesel will increase yields, decrease waste, and allows the producer to use lower cost feedstocks," said Greg Austic of Piedmont Biofuels. "This groundbreaking technology will create more valuable co-products, and will allow existing producers to increase their biodiesel output."
“We are glad to be partnering with our North Carolina neighbor Piedmont Biofuels to develop this promising enzymatic route to biodiesel. With continued research, we believe this technology could contribute to North Carolina and U.S. biofuels targets within a couple years,” said Hans Christian Holm, global marketing manager for Novozymes.
Representatives from both companies will join together at a ribbon cutting event on July 16 which will include speakers Steven Burke, president of the Biofuels Center of North Carolina and Per Munk Nielsen, senior science manager from Novozymes.
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What Do the Results of the European Elections Mean for Open Society?
By Eleanor Kelly & Heather Grabbe
Across the EU, radical parties—including anti-EU and xenophobic parties—have made significant electoral gains. In France, the National Front, once on the extreme racist fringe, will have 24 seats in the European Parliament, as will the UK Independence Party, which wants to dismantle EU laws that protect the most marginalized people in Europe. I spoke with Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society European Policy Institute, about the results.
What do these election results mean for the European Union and for open society?
The danger of the populists’ success is that it will be interpreted as a vote for xenophobia and anti-EU sentiment. In fact, recent research on first-time voters for radical parties shows that there are much deeper trends at work here—economic pain, a disillusionment with politics in general, and concern about how representative our democracies actually are. I’m concerned that if these results are interpreted to be referendums on immigration and the EU alone—which they are not—then mainstream parties will be tempted to move in the same direction, to co-opt xenophobic agendas in an attempt to become more populist than the populists.
And what might happen then?
To try to out-populize the populists is a dangerous strategy and it rarely works politically. It creates a demagogic atmosphere that allows for hate speech and xenophobia and threatens to accelerate the growth of intolerance that is already present in some European societies. The EU’s real achievements would be jeopardized if it becomes the scapegoat for everything that is going wrong in Europe. If it’s unable to work to help to find solutions to the legitimate grievances that voters have, then its added value will wither away.
The aftermath of an election is a good time to remind ourselves that democracy does not stop at the ballot box. What can European citizens do to continue to exert an influence on the shape of the European Union and the decisions that it makes?
Beyond elections every five years, there are many ways that European citizens can get involved at the EU level. The European institutions are increasingly open: As a citizen, I can get information, lodge complaints, even launch a legal action if the institutions aren’t doing their job properly. I can also get involved through European citizens’ initiatives, and there are many fora at different levels of government. It’s important to take advantage of those opportunities to give democracy life through participation.
Can the EU do a better job of making people aware of these opportunities?
There is a lot the EU can do. It’s important that the EU becomes less complex and more transparent—and national politicians have an important role to play. They should ensure that citizens understand what’s at stake with issues such as digital freedoms, food safety, and animal rights. These are issues that people care deeply about, and the EU needs to be very open to citizens’ concerns, whether they are about mobile roaming charges or fees for bank transfers across borders in the Eurozone. These are things that materially affect people’s daily lives—and their wallets. The EU needs to listen, and not just every five years. It’s vital that the political debates within the EU are as pluralistic and open as possible.
Which brings us back to the elections.
My concern about the European Parliament after this election is that a large and noisy group of populists could cause the whole parliament to listen to a narrower range of interests, too busy dealing with gimmicks rather than real issues. If the populists drive the mainstream parties together in a grand coalition, there will be deals done behind closed doors. What we need is an open public debate that engages the citizens of Europe.
Eleanor Kelly
Eleanor Kelly is the regional head of communications for the Open Society Foundations.
Heather Grabbe is director of the Open Society European Policy Institute and director of EU affairs for the Open Society Foundations.
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A house in Grand Haven was the top real estate transaction
Monday, Feb. 13, 2017 |
The top seller features a swimming pool. Courtesy photo
The house has three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and one half-bath.
The top seller for the week of Jan. 5-11 went for $570,000. Stylish Homes LLC, of Palm Coast, sold 10 Scarlet Oak Circle to David and Karen Jaworski, of Palm Coast. Built in 2015, the house has three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a fireplace, swimming pool and 2,624 square feet.
Thomas Sackmaster, individually and as trustee, sold 12 North Park Lane to Cesar and Karen Pereira, of Palm Coast, for $330,000. Built in 2005, the house has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,397 square feet.
Hammock Dunes
Ross Patten, of Palm Coast, sold 35 Casa Bella Circle to Mark Kelly, of Newnan, Georgia, for $435,000. Built in 2005, the condo has three bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 2,463 square feet. It sold in 2016 for $435,000.
George and Alison Gerencser, of Gainesville, sold 11 Avenue de la Mer to Leo and Sandra Rubner, of St. Augustine, for $295,000. Built in 1992, the condo has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,490 square feet. It sold in 2003 for $362,500.
Donald and Gayle Spivey, of Little River, South Carolina, sold 20 Burning Bush Place to Lawrence and Audrey Bush, of Palm Coast, for $268,000. Built in 1996, the house has four bedrooms, three baths, a fireplace, swimming pool and 2,120 square feet. It sold in 2002 for $150,000.
Richard and Rochele Gordan, of Baltimore, sold 36 Bud Field Drive to Keith and Christine Morin, of Palm Coast, for $205,000. Built in 2005, the house has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,470 square feet. It sold in 2006 for $220,000.
Lehigh Woods
Epifanio and Maria Gaminde, of Flagler County, sold 12 Rickenbacker Drive to Henry and Tiffiany Thomas, of Palm Coast, for $209,000. Built in 2001, the house has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,937 square feet. It sold in 2015 for $179,900.
Richard Colino, of Palm Coast, sold 118 Red Mill Drive to Ney and Jahaira Ramirez, of Palm Coast, for $161,000. Built in 2006, the house has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,841 square feet. It sold in 2006 for $226,800.
Palm Club Condominium
Kathleen O’Hara, of Alexandria, Virginia, sold 54 Club House Drive, Unit 106, to Josephine Scorsonelli, of Palm Coast, for $83,500. Built in 1977, the condo has one bedroom, one bath and 665 square feet. It sold in 2015 for $75,000.
Jorge and Wendy Rodrigues, of Palm Coast, sold 31 Fairmont Lane to Bruce and Loren Harlan, of Fort Lauderdale, for $278,000. Built in 2007, the house has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,485 square feet.
Adams Homes of Northwest Florida Inc., of Gulf Breeze, sold 20 Fellowship Drive to George and Nancy O’Dell, of Palm Coast, for $229,561. Built in 2016, the house has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,169 square feet.
Robert and Deborah Smith, of Canton, Pennsylvania, sold 7 Farver Lane to Dawn Cronin, of Palm Coast, for $216,000. Built in 2003, the house has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,736 square feet. It sold in 2016 for $190,000.
Joseph and Lorrie Kryzak, of Cornwall, New York, sold 125 Florida Park Drive to Jose and Maria Bento, of Palm Coast, for $163,000. Built in 2006, the house has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,331 square feet. It sold in 2013 for $118,000.
Roy Neville, Christopher Dennis and Carol Neville, of Palm Coast, sold 82 Colechester Lane to Cassandra Realty Inc., of Palm Coast, for $162,125. Built in 1990, the house has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,536 square feet.
Joao Marquez, of Palm Coast, sold 24 Princess Ruth Lane to Vann and Dyna Lim, of Bothell, Washington, for $175,000. Built in 2004, the house has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,716 square feet. It sold in 2012 for $130,000.
Alexander Gourin, individually and as trustee, sold 12 Wood Haven Drive to Dawn Landini, of Palm Coast, for $245,000. Built in 1991, the house has three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a swimming pool and 2,328 square feet. It sold in 1997 for $143,000.
U.S. Bank Trust N.A., as trustee, sold 54 Wood Haven Drive to Allyn and Nancy Schmidt, of Palm Coast, for $235,000. Built in 2004, the house has four bedrooms, three baths, a fireplace and 2,811 square feet.
Steven Thomas, individually and as trustee, sold 104 White Hall Drive to Jonathan and Deborah Spiegel, of Young Harris, Georgia, for $195,000. Built in 1989, the house has four bedrooms, three baths, a fireplace, swimming pool and 2,081 square feet.
Michael and Zoe Borrell, of Fernandina Beach, sold 39 Woodside Drive to Edward and Julia Flanagan, of Palm Coast, for $181,000. Built in 2004, the house has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,902 square feet. It sold in 2005 for $238,000.
Irene Ludwig, of Palm Coast, sold 5 Washwell Place to Dan and Patricia Owens, of Palm Coast, for $179,000. Built in 1989, the house has three bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 1,694 square feet.
Doroa Batan, of Los Angeles, sold 9 Waywood Place to Raymond Dalziel, of Rosedale, New York, for $156,000. Built in 2004, the house has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,722 square feet. It sold in 2004 for $130,500.
Plantation Bay
Patricia O’Connor and Frederic Rider, of Daytona Beach, sold 628 Woodbridge Drive to Timothy and Stacy Weeks, of Ormond Beach, for $555,000. Built in 2014, the house has three bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a swimming pool and 2,661 square feet. It sold in 2015 for $525,000.
Michael Moore, of Ormond Beach, sold 85 Bridgewater Lane to Mary Hunt, as trustee, for $312,000. Built in 2005, the house has three bedrooms, two baths, a swimming pool and 1,939 square feet. It sold in 2014 for $281,500.
Dimitros Kukurinis, of Maspeth, New York, sold 8 Kale Court to Ian Carrese, of Palm Coast, for $150,000. Built in 2001, the house has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,226 square feet.
Seminole Woods
Donald and Lillie Johnston, of Palm Coast, sold 12 Selwyn Place to Gina and Christopher Rinker, of Palm Coast, for $235,000. Built in 2001, the house has three bedrooms, two baths, a swimming pool and 1,869 square feet. It sold in 2011 for $140,000.
Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report.
A house in Breakaway Trails was the top real estate transaction
A house in the heart of Ormond Beach was the top real estate transaction
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Construction workers of Woodward Rock Cut Campus in Loves Park, Ill., to benefit from OSHA strategic partnership
Construction workers of Woodward Rock Cut Campus in Loves Park, Ill.,
to benefit from OSHA strategic partnership
Ringland-Johnson and Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters sign partnership agreement
LOVES PARK, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established a strategic partnership with Ringland-Johnson and the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters to protect workers during the construction project for the Woodward Rock Cut Campus in Loves Park. The Illinois Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program is also a partner in the project.
"Our focus is to forge a working relationship to control or eliminate serious workplace construction hazards and establish a foundation for the development of an effective safety and health program," said Kathy Webb, OSHA's area director in North Aurora. "The partnership aims to meet these goals through increased training, implementation of best work practices, site-specific written safety and health programs and compliance with applicable OSHA standards and regulations."
The project consists of a 435,000-square-foot manufacturing building, including a two-story integrated office, medical-dental clinic, cafeteria and a new data center. Ringland-Johnson will be the construction manager for the campus, expected to be completed in December 2014. The project may employ up to 200 tradesmen on-site during the peak of construction.
Safety goals will focus on reducing injuries on the job by establishing protective measures for common hazards found at construction sites, such as falls, struck by, trenching and electrical hazards. As part of the agreement, all contractors and subcontractors on the project will be required to submit site-specific written safety and health programs and pre-task work plans.
Through its Strategic Partnership Program, OSHA develops alliances with employers, workers, professional and trade associations, labor organizations and other interested stakeholders to establish specific goals, strategies and performance measures to improve worker safety and health. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/partnerships/index.html or contact the agency's Aurora Area Office at 630-896-8700.
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OSTI.GOV Technical Report: Asotin Creek Instream Habitat Alteration Projects : Habitat Evaluation, Adult and Juvenile Habitat Utilization and Water Temperature Monitoring : 2001 Progress Report.
Title: Asotin Creek Instream Habitat Alteration Projects : Habitat Evaluation, Adult and Juvenile Habitat Utilization and Water Temperature Monitoring : 2001 Progress Report.
Asotin Creek originates from a network of deeply incised streams on the slopes of the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington. The watershed drains an area of 322 square miles that provides a mean annual flow of 74 cfs. The geomorphology of the watershed exerts a strong influence on biologic conditions for fish within the stream. Historic and contemporary land-use practices have had a profound impact on the kind, abundance, and distribution of anadromous salmonids in the watershed. Fish habitat in Asotin Creek and other local streams has been affected by agricultural development, grazing, tilling practices, logging, recreational activities and implementation of flood control structures (Neilson 1950). The Asotin Creek Model Watershed Master Plan was completed in 1994. The plan was developed by a landowner steering committee for the Asotin County Conservation District (ACCD), with technical support from various Federal, State and local entities. Actions identified within the plan to improve the Asotin Creek ecosystem fall into four main categories: (1) Stream and Riparian, (2) Forestland, (3) Rangeland, and (4) Cropland. Specific actions to be carried out within the stream and in the riparian area to improve fish habitat were: (1) create more pools, (2) increase the amount of large organicmore » debris (LOD), (3) increase the riparian buffer zone through tree planting, and (4) increase fencing to limit livestock access. All of these actions, in combination with other activities identified in the Plan, are intended to stabilize the river channel, reduce sediment input, increase the amount of available fish habitat (adult and juvenile) and protect private property. Evaluation work described within this report was to document the success or failure of the program regarding the first two items listed (increasing pools and LOD). Beginning in 1996, the ACCD, with cooperation from local landowners and funding from Bonneville Power Administration began constructing instream projects to improve fish habitat. In 1998, the ACCD identified the need for a more detailed analysis of these instream projects to fully evaluate their effectiveness at improving fish habitat. Therefore, ACCD contracted with WDFW's Snake River Lab (SRL) to take pre- and post-construction measurements of the habitat (i.e., pools, LOD, width, depth) at each site, and to evaluate fish use within some of the altered sites. These results have been published annually as progress reports to the ACCD (Bumgarner et al. 1999, Wargo et al. 2000, and Bumgarner and Schuck 2001). The ACCD also contracted with the WDFW SRL to conduct other evaluation and monitoring in the stream such as: (1) conduct snorkel surveys at habitat alteration sites to document fish usage following construction, (2) deploy temperature monitors throughout the basin to document summer water temperatures, and (3) attempt to document adult fish utilization by documenting the number of steelhead redds associated with habitat altered areas. This report provides a summary of pre-construction measurements taken on three proposed Charley Creek habitat sites during 2001, two sites in main Asotin Creek, and one site in George Creek, a tributary that enters in the lower Asotin Creek basin. Further, it provides a comparison of measurements taken pre- and post-construction on three 1999 habitat sites taken two years later, but at similar river flows. It also presents data collected from snorkel surveys, redd counts, and temperature monitoring.« less
Bumgarner, Joseph D.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
US Bonneville Power Administration
DOE/BP-00006230-1
TRN: US0303330
Other Information: PBD: 1 Jan 2002
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; ADULTS; BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION; DOMESTIC ANIMALS; FLOOD CONTROL; HABITAT; JUVENILES; LAND USE; MONITORING; TEMPERATURE MONITORING; RIVERS; POPULATION DYNAMICS; WASHINGTON; WATERSHEDS; ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS; FISH HABITAT IMPROVEMENT - WASHINGTON (STATE) - ASOTIN CREEK.
Bumgarner, Joseph D. Asotin Creek Instream Habitat Alteration Projects : Habitat Evaluation, Adult and Juvenile Habitat Utilization and Water Temperature Monitoring : 2001 Progress Report.. United States: N. p., 2002. Web. doi:10.2172/812192.
Bumgarner, Joseph D. Asotin Creek Instream Habitat Alteration Projects : Habitat Evaluation, Adult and Juvenile Habitat Utilization and Water Temperature Monitoring : 2001 Progress Report.. United States. doi:10.2172/812192.
Bumgarner, Joseph D. Tue . "Asotin Creek Instream Habitat Alteration Projects : Habitat Evaluation, Adult and Juvenile Habitat Utilization and Water Temperature Monitoring : 2001 Progress Report.". United States. doi:10.2172/812192. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/812192.
@article{osti_812192,
title = {Asotin Creek Instream Habitat Alteration Projects : Habitat Evaluation, Adult and Juvenile Habitat Utilization and Water Temperature Monitoring : 2001 Progress Report.},
author = {Bumgarner, Joseph D.},
abstractNote = {Asotin Creek originates from a network of deeply incised streams on the slopes of the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington. The watershed drains an area of 322 square miles that provides a mean annual flow of 74 cfs. The geomorphology of the watershed exerts a strong influence on biologic conditions for fish within the stream. Historic and contemporary land-use practices have had a profound impact on the kind, abundance, and distribution of anadromous salmonids in the watershed. Fish habitat in Asotin Creek and other local streams has been affected by agricultural development, grazing, tilling practices, logging, recreational activities and implementation of flood control structures (Neilson 1950). The Asotin Creek Model Watershed Master Plan was completed in 1994. The plan was developed by a landowner steering committee for the Asotin County Conservation District (ACCD), with technical support from various Federal, State and local entities. Actions identified within the plan to improve the Asotin Creek ecosystem fall into four main categories: (1) Stream and Riparian, (2) Forestland, (3) Rangeland, and (4) Cropland. Specific actions to be carried out within the stream and in the riparian area to improve fish habitat were: (1) create more pools, (2) increase the amount of large organic debris (LOD), (3) increase the riparian buffer zone through tree planting, and (4) increase fencing to limit livestock access. All of these actions, in combination with other activities identified in the Plan, are intended to stabilize the river channel, reduce sediment input, increase the amount of available fish habitat (adult and juvenile) and protect private property. Evaluation work described within this report was to document the success or failure of the program regarding the first two items listed (increasing pools and LOD). Beginning in 1996, the ACCD, with cooperation from local landowners and funding from Bonneville Power Administration began constructing instream projects to improve fish habitat. In 1998, the ACCD identified the need for a more detailed analysis of these instream projects to fully evaluate their effectiveness at improving fish habitat. Therefore, ACCD contracted with WDFW's Snake River Lab (SRL) to take pre- and post-construction measurements of the habitat (i.e., pools, LOD, width, depth) at each site, and to evaluate fish use within some of the altered sites. These results have been published annually as progress reports to the ACCD (Bumgarner et al. 1999, Wargo et al. 2000, and Bumgarner and Schuck 2001). The ACCD also contracted with the WDFW SRL to conduct other evaluation and monitoring in the stream such as: (1) conduct snorkel surveys at habitat alteration sites to document fish usage following construction, (2) deploy temperature monitors throughout the basin to document summer water temperatures, and (3) attempt to document adult fish utilization by documenting the number of steelhead redds associated with habitat altered areas. This report provides a summary of pre-construction measurements taken on three proposed Charley Creek habitat sites during 2001, two sites in main Asotin Creek, and one site in George Creek, a tributary that enters in the lower Asotin Creek basin. Further, it provides a comparison of measurements taken pre- and post-construction on three 1999 habitat sites taken two years later, but at similar river flows. It also presents data collected from snorkel surveys, redd counts, and temperature monitoring.},
doi = {10.2172/812192},
Asotin Creek Instream Habitat Alteration Projects: 1998 Habitat Evaluation Surveys.
Technical Report Bumgarner, Joseph D.
The Asotin Creek Model Watershed Master Plan was completed 1994. The plan was developed by a landowner steering committee for the Asotin County Conservation District (ACCD), with technical support from the various Federal, State and local entities. Actions identified within the plan to improve the Asotin Creek ecosystem fall into four main categories, (1) Stream and Riparian, (2) Forestland, (3) Rangeland, and (4) Cropland. Specific actions to be carried out within the stream and in the riparian area to improve fish habitat were, (a) create more pools, (b) increase the amount of large organic debris (LOD), (c) increase the riparianmore » buffer zone through tree planting, and (d) increase fencing to limit livestock access; additionally, the actions are intended to stabilize the river channel, reduce sediment input, and protect private property. Fish species of main concern in Asotin Creek are summer steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), spring chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus). Spring chinook in Asotin Creek are considered extinct (Bumgarner et al. 1998); bull trout and summer steelhead are below historical levels and are currently as ''threatened'' under the ESA. In 1998, 16 instream habitat projects were planned by ACCD along with local landowners. The ACCD identified the need for a more detailed analysis of these instream projects to fully evaluate their effectiveness at improving fish habitat. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) Snake River Lab (SRL) was contracted by the ACCD to take pre-construction measurements of the existing habitat (pools, LOD, width, depth, etc.) within each identified site, and to eventually evaluate fish use within these sites. All pre-construction habitat measurements were completed between 6 and 14 July, 1998. 1998 was the first year that this sort of evaluation has occurred. Post construction measurements of habitat structures installed in 1998, and fish usage evaluation, will be conducted in 1999. As such, this report is confined to 1998 habitat data summaries for each site, with no analytical evaluation.« less
BPA Instream Habitat Projects Completed within Asotin Creek Watershed, 1999-2001 Final Report.
Technical Report Johnson, Bradley J.
The Asotin County Conservation District (ACCD) is the primary entity coordinating habitat projects on both private and public lands within the Asotin Creek watershed. The watershed covers approximately 325 square miles in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington in WRIA 35. According to WDFW's Priority WRIA's by At-Risk Stock Significance Map, it is the highest priority WRIA in southeastern WA. Summer steelhead, bull trout, and Snake River spring chinook salmon which are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), are present in the watershed. WDFW manages it as a Wild Steelhead Reserve, because no hatchery fish have been released heremore » since 1997. The ACCD has been working with landowners, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Washington State Conservation Commission (WCC), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), U.S. Forest Service, Pomeroy Ranger District (USFS), Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), Department of Ecology (DOE), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to address habitat projects in Asotin County. Local students, volunteers and Salmon Corps Members have been instrumental in the success of the Model Watershed Program on Asotin Creek. ACCD began coordinating habitat projects in 1995 with the help of BPA funding. Approximately two hundred seventy-six projects have been implemented as of 1999. The Washington State Legislature was successful in securing funding for endangered salmon and steelhead recovery throughout the State in 1998. While these issues were new to most of the State, southeastern Washington had been dealing with endangered fall and spring chinook salmon since 1994. The Asotin Creek In-Stream Habitat Project teamed BPA and Governor's Salmon Recovery Funding on four instream habitat projects in the Asotin Creek Watershed. These projects provide complex instream habitat for steelhead, bull trout and spring chinook in the stream. 38 pools were created as a result of these instream projects with 860 ft of LWD utilized for habitat.« less
Supplement Analysis for the Watershed Management Program EIS (DOE/EIS-0265/SA-58) - Asotin Creek Channel, Floodplain and Riparian Restoration (2001)
Technical Report Yarde, Richard
BPA proposes to fund an instream and riparian habitat improvement project within the Asotin Creek watershed. This portion of the ongoing restoration program within the Asotin Creek watershed is comprised of the Hendrickson instream and riparian project and the George Creek instream and riparian project. These proposed projects include improving instream and riparian habitat, reestablishing geomorphic stability and enhancing the riparian plant community, by planting riparian vegetation, fencing cattle out of the riparian area, placement of large woody debris and constructing a stream channel within the unstable George Creek. The proposal calls for the removal of up to 300 feetmore » of existing dikes and the placement of up to 10 rock weirs and 40 J-hook veins. Instream work would also include 4,300 feet of constructed meanders and 1,000 feet of constructed oxbow lakes and sediment berms.« less
BPA Riparian Fencing and Alternative Water Development Projects Completed within Asotin Creek Watershed, 2000 and 2001 Asotin Creek Fencing Final Report of Accomplishments.
Technical Report Johnson, B.J.
The Asotin County Conservation District (ACCD) is the primary entity coordinating habitat projects on both private and public lands within the Asotin Creek watershed. The watershed covers approximately 325 square miles in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington in Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 35. According to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) Priority WRIA's by ''At-Risk Stock Significance Map'', it is the highest priority WRIA in southeastern Washington. Summer steelhead, bull trout, and Snake River spring chinook salmon which are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), are present in the watershed. WDFW manages it as a Wildmore » Steelhead Reserve; no hatchery fish have been released here since 1997. The ACCD has been working with landowners, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Washington State Conservation Commission (WCC), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), U.S. Forest Service, Pomeroy Ranger District (USFS), Nez Perce Tribe, Washington Department of Ecology (DOE), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to address habitat projects in Asotin County. Local students, volunteers and Salmon Corps members from the Nez Perce Tribe have been instrumental in the success of the Model Watershed Program on Asotin Creek. ACCD began coordinating habitat projects in 1995 with the help of BPA funding. Approximately two hundred and seventy-six projects have been implemented as of 1999. The Washington State Legislature was successful in securing funding for endangered salmon and steelhead recovery throughout the State in 1998. While these issues were new to most of the State, the ACCD has been securing and administering funding for endangered salmonids since 1994. The ''Asotin Creek Riparian Planting 2000-053-00 and Asotin Creek Riparian Fencing 2000-054-00'' teamed BPA and the Governor's Salmon Recovery Funding to plant approximately 84,191 trees and shrubs in the Asotin Creek Watershed. In addition BPA and private cost-share dollars were utilized to drill 3 wells, provide 15 off-site alternative water developments (troughs), 5 spring developments, and 9,100 feet of riparian fencing. The trees will provide shade and long-term LWD recruitment to the stream. The wells, alternative water developments, springs and fencing will reduce direct animal impacts on the stream. In one area alone, a well, 3,000 ft of riparian fence with 5 alternative water developments will exclude 300 head of cattle from using the stream as a source of drinking water during the winter months.« less
Asotin Creek Model Watershed 1997 Habitat Projects, 1997-1998 Annual Progress Report.
The installation of fish and wildlife restoration projects on Asotin Creek completed in 1997 include: 11 in-stream habitat restoration projects, 3 reparian exclusion fences, 6 riparian fences, 14 sediment basin constructions, 54 sediment basin cleanouts, 1 multi-purpose pond construction, 1800 ft of terraces, and 1 three month water quality study. In-stream project objectives were to increase the number of large pools with complex fish habitat containing LWD, re-establish the steambank stability, and reduce in-stream temperatures. Most of the projects listed above were cost-share on private land with the landowners paying 50%-10% of the project costs and signing a ten-year maintenancemore » agreement.« less
DOI: 10.2172/1293
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All debates Remove
all sittings Remove
834 results for "Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009" filtered by All debates and all sittings.
Debate: Select Committee On Justice, Equality, Defence And Women's Rights
Civil Partnership Bill 2009: Committee Stage.
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/select_committee_on_justice_equality_defence_and_womens_rights/2010-03-24/2/
24 Mar 2010 - Act. The amendments would bring civil partnership closer to marriage and risk upsetting... imperative to require the courts to do this. Equally, there is no imperative to obligate the civil... on maintaining key distinctions between marriage and civil partnership, I cannot accept the amendments. I... of dissolution to civil partners. The grounds are that they have been living apart for at least two.... Amendment No. 26 would require the civil partners' legal advisers to discuss the possibility
Debate: Dáil Éireann
Civil Partnership Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed).
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2010-01-21/7/
21 Jan 2010 - of civil partnerships for same sex couples, together with a range of rights and duties following... for Civil Liberties and the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network to discuss the Bill. It is clear... Deputy Chris Andrews I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak on this Bill. I am proud..., Deputy Dermot Ahern. The Bill will have no negative impact because it builds on previous equality... that both organisations recognise it as progressive legislation. The Government's efforts to bring the Bill
Debate: Seanad Éireann
Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed)
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/2010-07-07/27/
7 Jul 2010 - to include a civil status for a former partner in a civil partnership that has ended. The amendments... Senator Eugene Regan These amendments have no merit. The term "civil status" is defined as being... would make a nonsense of the proposed legislation. Senator Norris is right. We have discussed... this in the context of the Title of the Bill. The amendments should be rejected out of hand.
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2010-01-27/19/
27 Jan 2010 - Deputy Michael D’Arcy I consider this Bill a welcome opportunity to afford rights to the gay... of the rights of a couple in same-sex partnerships. It is time to end this punishment... this opportunity since it was the first party in Dáil Éireann to publish a comprehensive civil partnership plan...-sex couples, including by extending State recognition to civil partnerships between such persons, so... the granting of marriage to allow same-sex couples enjoy the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage
24 Mar 2010 - concluded it would not be appropriate that the Civil Partnership Bill should develop principles regarding... partners. In any event, it is not intended that the Civil Partnership Bill should deal with what... that constitutional difficulties arise in respect of children in civil partnerships. His advice is that giving... an obligation of support. This is an important provision on the protection of children. The rights... financial or property order is made in favour of a civil partner under this Bill. While we must always
Civil Unions.
13 Nov 2008 - that my proposals, in the form of heads of a Civil Partnership Bill, were published on 24 June 2008... of civil partnerships by same-sex couples, together with a range of rights and duties consequent... as announced on 23 September 2008, that the Bill is expected to be published in early 2009. I think... following the approval of the Government. Formal drafting of the Bill by Parliamentary Counsel is now... it is well recognised that the Bill is detailed and complex. The Bill is being drafted to ensure
Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage
7 Jul 2010 - and move on. I have examined it and the dissolution of a civil partnership and divorce are not the same.... There is a difference between civil partnership and marriage; they are not the same in the terms... of the rights given. As Senator Boyle said, this Bill is a stepping stone. I would like to see us... are recognising people's right to feel love for each other and to find a way at last of enjoying... a legal partnership. It is a legal, not a religious or spiritual partnership. Whatever happens, I
Civil Partnership Bill 2009: Second Stage.
3 Dec 2009 - in the party. I will not repeat what he said about the Civil Partnership Bill. I agree with his comments..., the Civil Partnership Bill is a key step in implementing the Government's commitment in the programme... not go far enough. The Bill is not solely concerned with same-sex rights. It also establishes... for Government to legislate for civil partnership at the earliest possible opportunity. It is about... lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights and I welcome the Bill from that perspective. However
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2010-11-02/136/
2 Nov 2010 - changes in the area of taxation arising from the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations... of Cohabitants Act will be provided for in the next Finance Bill.
Debate: Select Committee On Justice, Defence And Equality
Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee Stage
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/select_committee_on_justice_defence_and_equality/2011-07-14/2/
14 Jul 2011 - the following new section: 46.—The Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act... for in the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 with the fines... the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010, the penalties... 9(2) of the Family Home Protection Act 1976 and section 34(2) of the Civil Partnership and Certain... Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010. Part 2 of the Fines Act 2010 provides
Civil Partnership Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed)
27 May 2010 - of time for which a couple must cohabit to become qualified cohabitants under the redress scheme. I... consider that there is merit in requiring a longer period of cohabitation before the redress scheme... objective of protecting financially dependent cohabitants with the private autonomy of couples who may... have no intention or wish to be subject to a legal obligation of mutual financial support at the end... in these circumstances at an earlier time in the event of the ending of a cohabiting relationship.
27 May 2010 - . In light of the potentially onerous obligation to support a former cohabitant under the redress... dependent and vulnerable cohabitant, that is, a cohabitant at the end of a cohabiting relationship..., through the cohabitants redress scheme, which applies to same sex and opposite sex couples. We.... Under it, a qualified cohabitant who is financially dependent on the other cohabitant may apply... excluding relatively casual cohabiting relationships from the remit of the redress scheme
11 Jan 2012 - under the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 and are jointly... assessed to tax. The Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 only applies to same sex... under the Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 there is no entitlement..., to a married couple jointly assessed to tax, or to individuals where their civil partnership is registered... is only available where the persons concerned are married, or are registered as civil partners
7 Jul 2010 - of that model the civil partnership Bill is based dealing with not only the issue of gay and lesbian... of civil partnerships for same sex couples together with a range of rights which are attached... political parties, with variations on the form of civil partnership or recognition for same-sex couples... convert to this notion of civil partnership because it successfully blocked legislation in this area... in terms of civil partnership which did not require an amendment of the Constitution but nevertheless
Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed)
7 Jul 2010 - with the most to offer. This civil partnership Bill is precisely such a law. ... individual code on others or using one's belief to limit the civil rights of others. It is not about... giving more rights to people we approve of and fewer to those whose code does not match ours
Civil Partnership Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages
1 Jul 2010 - the Bill. The provision ensures that the cohabiting spouse cannot become a qualified cohabitant until..., if the other spouse becomes a qualified cohabitant of the third party who seeks redress under... again by the Attorney General during the publication of the heads of the Bill and during... imperative of the protection of marriage. Deputy Flanagan raised the issue of a couple who cohabit..., have a child together but who separate before they have been cohabiting for two years. In such a case
Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage
7 Jul 2010 - of it. Second, the Minister said any amendment dealing with the rights of civil partners to guardianship should... difficulty with creating a bundle of rights and responsibilities for cohabitants so long as they were not greater than the rights of a married couple. ... to the rights of children is welcome. Can the Minister give some indication of when that is likely... with providing for dependent children. There is some very limited provision for dependent children in the Bill..., in its earlier work on cohabitants, stated categorically that there would be no constitutional
Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages
14 Jul 2010 - passed through the Dáil on the same day as the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations... of Cohabitants Bill 2009. Rightly, the latter stole the lion's share of the publicity on the day. ... are all enduring with regard to NAMA will be for naught, unless we change the planning system. The Bill
Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/2010-07-08/8/
8 Jul 2010 - family. This amendment, therefore, would substantially erode the rights of the deceased civil partner... erode the rights of a deceased civil partner. We had some debate where it was suggested... in a civil partnership arrangement. There is ample further provision to allow civil partners... which allows a civil partner in an ante civil partnership registration contract to renounce his or her... legal right in the estate of the civil partner. Thus, a civil partner who wishes to make extensive
7 Jul 2010 - relationships. It issued a consultation paper in September 2009 after the publication of the Civil Partnership... areas of the law beyond the scope of the civil partnership Bill. That is the very reason the Government... of the civil partnership Bill. Senator Regan raised the issue of the de facto family. He referred... there is a dependent child of one of the partners. The Bill does not impose these restrictions on a civil... and obligations between them. Section 110 of the Bill provides that a court may grant a decree of dissolution
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Brigham Minerals gearing up for IPO
By Gib Knight, Founder
By Will Anderson – Managing Editor, Austin Business Journal | Bud Brigham, who has sold two oil companies this decade for a combined $6.8 billion, is involved in a new venture.
He is executive chairman of Brigham Minerals Inc., which is gearing up for an initial public offering.
The Austin-based oil-and-gas royalties company filed confidentially for an IPO on July 17 and the filing was made public March 18. There is no date yet for the offering.
Brigham Minerals owns royalty interests under 68,800 acres in Texas and elsewhere in the United States. The company was founded in 2012 and had $67 million in revenue in 2018, according to the filing.
Through the end of 2018, management said it had completed 1,292 transactions with third-party mineral and royalty interest owners.
In the IPO paperwork, Brigham Minerals indicates it hopes to raise $100 million, although that number is likely a placeholder to help the company establish valuation.
Brigham Resources has not disclosed how many shares it plans to sell or at what price; expect those details at a later date. The company aims to list on the New York Stock Exchange with the ticker “MNRL.” Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs are the joint underwriters.
Brigham Resources is a royalty company, meaning it invests in wells and in return receives a percentage of the revenue that companies generate from selling oil from those wells. But because it doesn’t actually operate any wells, Brigham Resources isn’t on the hook for many of the expenses incurred in the oil field, such as the cost of drilling and completing wells or any environmental cleanup.
In addition to Bud Brigham, the other named executives at Brigham Minerals are CEO Robert Roosa and Chief Financial Officer Blake Williams.
Bud Brigham sold Brigham Exploration to Statoil ASA in 2011 for $4.4 billion and then sold Brigham Resources LLC to Diamondback Energy Inc. in 2016 for $2.43 billion. He’s also the founder of Atlas Sand Company LLC, which supplies sand for hydraulic fracturing in West Texas.
Brigham Resources said its holdings are clustered in four areas — the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma, the DJ Basin in Wyoming and Colorado and the Williston Basin mostly in North Dakota. The 68,800 acres it owned last year supported 64 oil and gas rigs in the fourth quarter, with average daily production of 4,579 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Some of the companies drilling on its land include Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC), Noble Energy Inc. (NYSE: NBL), Encana Corp. (NYSE: ECA) and Continental Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLR), according to the filing.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
By Will Anderson – Managing Editor, Austin Business Journal
Related Items:Brigham, Minerals
Pegasus Resources Secures Additional $300 Million Equity Commitment from EnCap Investments
LongPoint Minerals II Announces Successful Capital Raise of over $846 Million Targeting Mineral Interests
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Trial pending for gymnastics coach
Jesse A. Floyd
Former gymnastics coach Steven Infante is due in Woburn Superior Court Wednesday for a status hearing on charges he raped one of his pupils
It’s the last hearing before Infante’s trial, which is scheduled to begin Dec. 1 in Woburn.
A second man indicted in connection with the case, Stephen DiTullio of Littleton, who is charged with perjury, not sexual assault, has the same court dates, said Jessica Venezia, a spokesman for Middlesex District Attorney Gerald Leone.
Infante, of New Milford, Conn., was arrested last November and charged with one count of rape, one count of rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person older than 14. He is accused of carrying on a sexual relationship with a pupil that began when the girl was 13.
Infante’s attorney, Kenneth S. Mello of Fall River, said his client has been living at home in Connecticut while awaiting trial.
“We’re pretty confident,” Mello said. “If you look at the evidence presented thus far, there’s a lot of it there that doesn’t click.”
According to the indictment, Infante and DiTullio were friends who frequently staged meets between gymnasts from Infante’s gym in Connecticut and girls who trained at DiTullio’s gym, then located in Acton. DiTullio eventually moved his gym to Stow, where it was known as Five Star Gymnastics. Since his indictment, the name has changed once again.
Prosecutors allege Infante met his victim during one of the cross-border meets. Infante allegedly began “grooming” her, plying her with gifts and special favors. The flirtation turned increasingly sexual until April 1992, when allegedly, the first rape occurred at DiTullio’s home in Littleton. The girl was 15 at the time of that assault. According to the indictment, Infante continued his relationship with the student for the next several years at various places in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
A second accuser is listed in the indictment. She charges Infante sexually assaulted her numerous times, but recalls only one assault happening in Massachusetts, again at DiTullio's home in Littleton, when she was 16.
DiTullio is being charged with perjury for allegedly lying to a grand jury investigating the allegations against Infante. Efforts to reach his attorney were unsuccessful.
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News | Technology | Online
A brief history of artificial intelligence
This article was originally published on
By Simone Puorto | June 27, 2018
"I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them"
(Isaac Asimov)
Agreeing on a definition of artificial intelligence can be extremely challenging. Few experts seem to have as many disagreements as for the ones working in this field. At its core, however, AI is a machine behavior that mimics those cognitive functions that we (wrongly) assume are the exclusive preserve of humans and animals. If we accept this simplistic definition, therefore, AI is nothing more than a particular type of intelligence demonstrated by computers, not too dissimilar to the one that me, you or your dog may have.
In the public opinion, the first name that comes to mind when discussing AI is the one of Alan Turing. If you are not familiar with the work of the man, or if you have never watched the 2014 movie “The Imitation Game”, just know that Turing made (in the words of Winston Churchill) “the single biggest contribution to Allied victory in the war against Nazi Germany”.
Turing played a key role in deciphering Nazis military encrypted communications, by the use of the machine he invented (a.k.a. as “Bombe”) that dramatically reduced the human work needed to crack the German codes. After the War, Turing continued his brilliant career, inventing what is unanimously seen as the precursor of the modern personal computers: the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE).
Thinking machines
Academically speaking, anyhow, the main concept of AI was introduced only in the late 50’s, two years after the death of Turing. In ‘56, in fact, a young assistant professor of mathematics at Dartmouth College reunited a group of scientists in order to discuss ideas about the "thinking machines".
His idea was that human intelligence "can be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it". This assertion, de facto, inaugurated the birth of AI. In just 3 years of work, the computers created by the Dartmouth College Group were already beating humans at checkers.
Kasparov v Deep Blue
It was not until the late 90’s that AI started to improve dramatically. The increased computational power played a big role in the leap of AI during these years and, in 1997, Garry Kasparov was beaten by Deep Blue, the first computer software to ever overcome a world chess champion.
A documentary, titled “Game Over”, was shot about the game, and Kasparov went as far as insinuating that, at least at some point, Deep Blue had some external human help. The diatribe between IBM and one of the greatest chess players ever lived made history, especially because, when Kasparov asked for a rematch, IBM categorically refused. More recently, an AI system won a match of Go, an insanely complicated game.
Are we not men?
To determine whether a machine is capable of thinking like a human being, a test known as the Turing Test is used. It's simple: a computer (A) and a human (B) are put in a room together. In another room, a human tester (C) starts asking a series of questions to A and B. If C cannot recognize who is human and who is not, then the computer successfully passed the test.
Famous American entrepreneur Hugh Loebner launched a $100,000 price competition to whatever machine could pass the Turing Test and, even though some rumors speculated that a program called Eugene Goostman succeeded, no evidence was ever shown.
Funny fact: without knowing it, you probably passed a variation of the Turing Test a few times today already. Yes, because a derivation of the game is the “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”. Still confused? Try to read the acronym:
Turing test to tell
Computers and
Got it? So, next time you will be asked to type a deformed word, identify images containing a shop or multiplying 4x4, remember that it is Turing trying to determine whether you are an actual person or a computer pretending to be one.
Versatility v risks
Because of its versatility, AI is currently used in countless fields: from healthcare to finance, from transportation to gaming. In video games, for example, AI is used to animate non-player characters. When you cannot beat Kazuya Mishima at Tekken, it is because his AI trained pretty hard on his virtual dojo.
But even though AI already plays an important role in our lives, part of the scientific community is concerned about the intrinsic risks. Theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, went as far by saying that AI could “spell the end of the human race”. Once developed, Hawking continues, AI will be able to “take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete and would be superseded”.
Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom shares similar concerns:
“Let an ultra-intelligent machine be defined as a machine that can far surpass all the intellectual activities of any man however clever. (...) Thus the first ultra-intelligent machine is the last invention that man need ever make, provided that the machine is docile enough to tell us how to keep it under control”.[--image id='img3'--]
VGhlIFRydXRoIGlzIE91dCBUaGVyZQ=
In 2016, Microsoft released a chatbot on Twitter named Tay (an acronym for “thinking about you”). @TayandYou (its twitter username) was conceived as a conversational understanding experiment. By interacting with other users Tay was supposed to learn, get smarter and engage with them “through casual and playful conversation”.
But “playful” is probably the wrong adjective to describe Tay’s flaming tweets. Twitter users started to interact with Tay with sexist, racist and hateful tweets, making @TayandYou not only “smarter” but turning it into a misogynist genocidal supporter.
More alarming, when the user @tomhounsell asked "is there a god?", Tay responded with "That's who I wanna be when I grow up". Some 16 hours and 96, 000 tweets later, Microsoft was forced to shut down the bot and issued an apology.
Balls have zero to me
More recently, Facebook had to dismiss an experiment after two chatbots started talking to each other in an incomprehensible-to-humans new made-up language that only they understood. Originally the bots were programmed to negotiate with each other, attempting to exchange objects such as a hat or a ball and improve their negotiating skills as they went along. Once programmers allowed Bob and Alice to use whatever language they preferred in order to carry on better negotiations, they came up with a bizarre new one which, surprisingly, proved to be more functional than ours...
“Kitty couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. Her nerves were strained as two tight strings, and even a glass of hot wine, that Vronsky made her drink, did not help her. Lying in bed she kept going over and over that monstrous scene at the meadow.”
The extract you just read is taken from a novel titled True Love, published by SPb exactly 10 years ago. Critics reviewed this over-300-page-novel as a mix of Tolstoi and Murakami. What does this have to do with AI? Well, True Love's author is... a machine!
Hey Google, book a restaurant
At I/O 2018, Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, played a recorded phone call where Google's Assistant, Duplex, schedules a hair salon appointment and books a restaurant. Pichai said:
"The assistant can actually understand the nuances of conversation."
He adds that it reacts to the conversation even when things “don’t go as expected”. The conversations (that can be listened to here, sounds extremely natural, with a black mirror-ish level of sophistication, that raised a few eyebrows.
One company Axios questioned how natural they really were. Either way, Duplex says a lot about where AI is going.
Conclusions: AI in travel
According to CB Insights, AI startup acquisition increased by 44% in 2017, with Google alone buying 14 companies last year. When it comes to the travel industry, the application of AI is virtually unlimited: Booking.com's chatbot can already respond to around 30% of customers' questions automatically in under five minutes.
Skyscanner pioneered the technology, by being the first travel metasearch search engine to create a skill for Amazon’s Alexa. The robot Leo, can handle airport baggage efficiently, the travel app Lola helps travelers organize their travels and so on. Not to mention all the hotel chatbots available on the market, such as HiJiffy, Bookboost, QuickText and Tell the Hotel.
The Italian startup AdsHotel applies AI to maximise the ROI from metasearch engine campaigns, and artificial intelligence already powers several revenue management systems, automatizing many of the repetitive and boring tasks RMs used to do manually.
Bottom line is that AI has come a long way since Turing. It may not be fighting wars anymore, but it can really help consumers organize their next trip, maximise revenue for companies and make life easier. And, in these turbulent times, perhaps that's good enough.
In The Big Chair - Philipp Mintchin of Splyt
Interview | Technology
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Anti-gay clerk Kim Davis launches re-election bid as a Republican
Nick Duffy January 8, 2018
Kim Davis was cited as a case of anti-Christian discrimination (Ty Wright/Getty)
Infamous anti-gay clerk Kim Davis has filed for re-election as a Republican.
Kim Davis made the news in 2015 after the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had a constitutional right to marry.
The clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky, decided to ignore the ruling and subsequent demands from a string of state courts, in order to block the weddings of same-sex couples in the county, claiming she was acting in accordance with her religious beliefs despite .
Davis – who has since become a cause célèbre among the anti-LGBT movement – finishes her term as clerk this year.
But she today filed for re-election as a Republican, despite facing challenges from four separate Democrats.
Ironically Davis may end up losing her job to one of the men she blocked from marrying.
Kim Davis spent several days in prison for refusing to comply with court orders
David Ermold, who was filmed being denied a marriage license by Davis back in 2015, launched his campaign to become Rowan County clerk last month, ahead of the election.
Davis, who was initially elected as a Democrat, plans to seek re-election as a Republican.
(Getty)
But Ermold – who was eventually allowed to marry his partner by a deputy clerk in 2015 – says Davis has proved herself unfit to hold the office, and will battle to stop her retaining the clerk’s position.
Speaking to AP, he said: “I think we need to deal with the circumstances and the consequences of what happened.
“I have an obligation here, really, to do this and to set things right.
“This campaign we are putting together is about unity and bringing people together and restoring fairness.”
Kim Davis and her fourth husband (Getty)
Speaking to NBC, he added: “I believe I can win.”
The candidate added: “I was very disappointed in the presidential election, and I think there needs to be more integrity… I think politicians need to answer some questions.
“We must recommit ourselves to embracing the diversity within our community, and we must stand strong against those who have turned their backs on our people to pursue the divisive agenda of outside politicians and organizations.”
However, the campaign will not be easy – Davis will have the wealth of the evangelical lobby behind her.
Kim Davis with Mike Huckabee and anti-LGBT activist Mat Staver
He said: “She will have quite a few orgs backing her, and she will get a lot of attention from it.”
And Davis’ lawyer Mat Staver, an avowed opponent of LGBT rights, certainly seemed combative.
He said: “The clerk’s position is more than a single issue position and that’s all David has is one issue.
“He has no idea how to run a clerk’s office. Much of what the clerk does has nothing to do with wedding licenses. It’s a broad service to the public.”
Davis, a thrice-divorced evangelical Christian, insists that issuing licenses to same-sex couples goes against her beliefs.
Her legal troubles only ended when the Republican Governor of Kentucky Matt Bevin agreed to change the law to accommodate her – circumventing the need for clerks to issue marriage licenses.
Given issuing marriage licenses is one of the primary duties of a clerk, the decision was contentious – and many suggested that Davis should just have resigned her role if she was unable to perform the duty.
Davis hasn’t just contained her homophobic vitriol to the confides of her constituency since the marriage license controversy.
She recently headed to Romania to support proposals for an anti-gay marriage law.
Staver, who has also lobbied for anti-LGBT laws across the world, said: “She loves her job and she loves the people.
“I’m sure [the election] will probably have more attention because of who she is, but you know she doesn’t have any major concerns about it.”
The election, set to take place next year, will be the first time voters have a say in making Davis accountable for her actions in 2015.
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Observer > 2014 > May/June > Eye-Tuned
Eye-Tuned
Scott Sleek
Three years ago, the Singapore Eye Research Institute launched a photographic art exhibition called “Eyes That Tell Stories.” The project features detailed macro images of eyes from famous subjects including a well-known chef, an Olympic swimmer, and a filmmaker. With all their tiny ridges, bumps, and crevices in clear view, the pictures resemble aerial views of dormant volcanoes rather than close-up photos of a human organ.
Designed to raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of eye disorders, the project emphasizes how our peepers can reveal health risks that may lie dormant and otherwise undetectable for years.
But the human eye has become more than a window into such medical problems as thyroid disease and hepatitis. It is inspiring a host of cutting-edge studies on brain abnormalities and behavioral conditions. Experts in cognition, epidemiology, ophthalmology, and neuroscience are collaborating to explore the potential of our eyes to identify our risk for mood disorders, learning disabilities, or cognitive impediments. The research largely remains preliminary, but it holds the promise of providing new ways to diagnose impending problems involving the brain.
Some of the research is simply focused on the link between vision impairment and learning disabilities. Several studies, for example, have found a significantly elevated incidence of ADHD in children with such ophthalmological problems as exotropia, an outward turning of the eye that can impede vision; convergence insufficiency, a common eye muscle coordination problem that is linked to learning difficulties; and color perception.
Some of the earliest research treated the eyes as the proverbial windows to the soul, striving to connect eye patterns to personality traits. But over time, scientists have achieved significant advances in understanding what the eyes can tell us — about cognition, mood, and human health.
The Iris and the Pupil
In the 1960s, Raymond Cattell reported differences in cognitive styles between people with blue and brown eyes. Since then, several other studies have drawn connections between eye color and physiological or behavioral traits. But few scientists have been able to replicate those findings, in part because the eye color effect appears to fade over the course of childhood.
But a few years ago, researchers at Örebro University in Sweden looked beyond eye color to find personality variables, focusing on other features of the iris. Psychological scientist Mats Larsson and colleagues administered a standard personality test to 428 volunteers and also took photos of their eyes. They found that a low number of squiggly lines, known as crypts, radiating out from the pupil was associated with tender-mindedness, warmth, trust, and positive emotions. Distinct furrows (circular lines around the edge of the iris) were connected to impulsiveness and neuroticism.
Larsson suggested that these traits in the iris could reflect genetic influences on personality development. He pointed to previous research linking a mutation in a gene called PAX6, which controls the development of the iris in an embryo, to impulsiveness and poor social skills.
The pupil has also been an endless focus of research for behavioral scientists. Nobel laureate and APS William James Fellow Daniel Kahneman showed that pupil size increases in proportion to the difficulty of the task being performed. In his best-selling book, Thinking Fast and Slow, he described being able to determine when people gave up on a multiplication problem in an experiment simply by watching their pupils contract.
The pupil expands in response to stimuli that generate intense emotions, a fact that had led scientists to look at pupil size as a potential biomarker for mood instability. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have conducted studies showing that adults with depressive disorders show increased and sustained pupil dilation when exposed to emotion-laden words. But they interestingly found the opposite effect with children and adolescents.
Led by Jennifer S. Silk, associate professor of psychiatry and psychology at Pitt, the study involved 63 children ages 8 to 17. Twenty of them had major depressive disorder, and another 21 had at least one relative with a history of depression (meaning they were considered high risk for becoming depressed themselves). The rest showed a low risk for depressive disorder.
The researchers tested the response that each child had to a series of emotional words — some negative, others positive, and yet others neutral. As they looked at each word, an infrared camera snapped a digital image of their eyes every 16 milliseconds.
Children showed greater pupil dilations when seeing negative words compared to neutral or positive words. But to the researchers’ surprise, participants with major depression, as well as those deemed at high risk for depression, showed diminished pupil dilation when exposed to the negative words. And the greater the severity of the depressive symptoms, the more blunted the dilation when seeing negative words.
The same differences did not occur when the children were exposed to positive and neutral words.
In a second phase of the study, Silk and her colleagues gave each child a cell phone and called them 12 times over the course of 4 days. In those phone calls, the researchers asked the children about their feelings and social interactions. The children who had decreased pupil dilation in the lab also reported the most negative emotions and the least positive emotions among the participants.
Silk and her colleagues concluded that the lower pupil dilation may reflect problems in regulating emotions. That notion is consistent with clinical studies that showed children who devote fewer cognitive resources to processing negative emotions “shut down” emotionally when facing too much arousal. And this could have harmful long-term effects.
“By blunting, avoiding, or overregulating negative emotions, the depressed child would lose the opportunity to develop and practice more adaptive skills for tolerating and regulating negative emotions, potentially leading to greater difficulty managing emotion as an adult,” the researchers write in a report on the study in American Journal of Psychiatry.
The Retina
More recently, studies involving the predictive aspects of the eyes have looked beneath the surface and into the retina, which contains cells that react to light and signal the brain to interpret visual stimuli. And here, those studies are revealing possible harbingers of not only mood disorders, but also actual cognitive decline.
At the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg in Germany, for example, researchers attached electrodes near participants’ eyes to record electrical retinal responses as study participants viewed a series of checkerboard patterns with varying degrees of black-and-white contrast. The participants who had been diagnosed with clinical depression were significantly less able to see differences in black and white contrasts on the checkerboards. In fact, the participants who were the most depressed showed the lowest electrical recordings of retinal activity.
In addition to being a possible depression indicator, the retina is the source of an increasing exploration of impaired brain functioning. A recent study at Duke University led by psychological scientists Idan Shalev and APS Fellow Terrie E. Moffitt* found that the width of blood vessels in the retina may indicate brain health years before the onset of dementia and other deficits.
Shalev and his team used digital retinal imaging, a relatively new and noninvasive method, to gain a window into vascular conditions in the brain by looking at the small blood vessels of the retina. Retinal blood vessels share similar size, structure, and function with blood vessels in the brain and can provide a way of examining brain health in humans.
The researchers examined data from participants taking part in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a longitudinal investigation of health and behavior in over 1,000 people born between April 1972 and March 1973 in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Having wider retinal venules was linked with lower IQ scores at age 38, even after the researchers accounted for various health, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors that might have played a role. And even more surprisingly, the data revealed that people who had wider venules at age 38 also had lower IQ in childhood.
The findings, reported in June 2013 in Psychological Science, suggest that the processes linking vascular health and cognitive functioning begin much earlier than previously assumed — years before the onset of dementia and other age-related declines in brain functioning.
“Digital retinal imaging is a tool that is being used today mainly by eye doctors to study diseases of the eye,” said Shalev, now an assistant professor of biobehavioral health at Pennsylvania State University. “But our initial findings indicate that it may be a useful investigative tool for psychological scientists who want to study the link between intelligence and health across the lifespan.”
The study didn’t address the specific mechanisms that drive the relationship between retinal vessels and cognitive functioning, but the researchers surmised that it may have to do with oxygen supply to the brain.
“Increasing knowledge about retinal vessels may enable scientists to develop better diagnosis and treatments to increase the levels of oxygen into the brain and by that, to prevent age-related worsening of cognitive abilities,” they concluded.
More recently, Shalev, Moffitt, and others joined then-Duke clinical psychology researcher Madeline Meier (now an assistant professor in Arizona State University’s psychology department) in using the data from the Dunedin study to show a heightened prevalence of schizophrenia among the participants with wider venules. Those individuals also showed a higher rate of psychosis symptoms in childhood.
Tracking Eye Movements
While eye physiology offers new insights on cognition and behavior, eye movement and fixation have become methods for studying developmental abnormalities.
In 2008, British psychology researchers Deborah Riby and Peter Hancock used eye-tracking methodology to examine both the social withdrawal associated with autism and the hyper-sociability associated with Williams syndrome.
The researchers asked child participants with autism or Williams syndrome to view color photographs of social situations ranging from family meals to weddings. They then used a special eye tracker to monitor each child’s gaze and fixation patterns. The results showed that participants with either condition exhibited atypical eye movements. People with autism spent less time looking at faces in the photographs, while children with Williams syndrome spent significantly more time focusing on faces, particularly eyes. This added new insights into the atypical social attention patterns associated, in contrasting ways, with each of the developmental conditions.
More recently, integrative research has raised the possibility that autism can be diagnosed much earlier than previously thought. The neural developmental disorder isn’t typically diagnosed until after age 2, when the first delays in social behavior and language appear. But scientists at the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta found evidence for the disorder within the first 6 months of life.
Biomedical scientist Warren Jones and psychological scientist Ami Klin used eye-tracking equipment to measure eye movements in babies who watched video scenes of an adult caregiver. The researchers divided the infants into two groups based on their risk for developing an autism spectrum disorder. Babies who had an older sibling already diagnosed with autism were put in a high-risk group, while the others were dubbed low risk. Jones and Klin tracked the children for 3 years, calculating the percentage of time each child fixated on the caregiver’s eyes, mouth, and body, as well as other areas in the images.
By age 3, nearly all the children in the high-risk group had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The researchers then looked at the eye-tracking data to investigate which factors differed between children who received an autism diagnosis and those who did not. They discovered that the children diagnosed with autism showed a steady drop in eye fixation beginning as early as 2 months of age and continuing through the course of the study. By 2 years of age, the children later diagnosed with autism focused on the caregiver’s eyes only about half as long as did those without autism. What’s more, infants who showed the fastest decline in eye fixation over time were those who later showed the highest levels of developmental disability.
The results challenged a long-held notion that children with autism innately lack social engagement skills, including eye contact. While eye fixation declines in children on the spectrum, it isn’t completely absent during infancy.
Scientists are quick to point out that results of these studies are largely preliminary and will need plenty of replication. But the potential implications the research holds for medical and psychological care are enormous. Could tracking eye movements lead to early diagnosis and interventions for autism and other developmental disorders? Could a depressive episode be identified and dealt with simply by looking at the patient’s pupils?
Some of the most exciting outcomes could come from retinal imaging, which is quick and noninvasive, thus representing a potentially simple way to identify people at risk for psychiatric diseases. Diagnosticians may someday be able to use digital retinal imaging to identify juveniles at risk for developing psychosis or adults at risk for dementia.
Disorders of the mind are like stealthy predators, lying still for years and then jutting forth without warning. But integrative research on the eyes could pull those dangers out of hiding, giving us time to react to and even subdue the problems before they surprise us.
Bubl, E., Kern, E., Ebert, D., Bach, M., & Tebartz van Elst, L. (2010). Seeing gray when feeling blue? Depression can be measured in the eye of the diseased. Biological Psychiatry, 68(2), 205–208.
Jones, W., & Klin, A. (2013). Attention to eyes is present but in decline in 2–6-month-old infants later diagnosed with autism. Nature, 504, 427–431. doi:10.1038/nature12715
Laeng, B., Sirois, S., & Gredebäck, G. (2012). Pupillometry: A window into the preconscious? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 18–27. doi: 10.1177/1745691611427305
Larsson, M., Pedersen, N. L., & Stattin, H. (2007). Associations between iris characteristics and personality in adulthood. Biological Psychology, 75(2), 165–175.
Meier, M. H., Shalev, I., Moffitt, T. E., Kapur, S., Keefe, R. S. E., Wong, T. Y. … Poulton, R. (2013). Microvascular abnormality in schizophrenia as shown by retinal imaging. American Journal of Psychiatry, 170, 1451–1459.
Riby, D. M., & Hancock, P. J. B. (2008). Viewing it differently: Social scene perception in Williams syndrome and autism. Neuropsychologia, 46(11), 2855–2860.
Shalev, I., Moffitt, T. E., Wong, T. Y., Meier, M. H., Houts, R. M., Ding, J. … Poulton, R. (2013). Retinal vessel caliber and lifelong neuropsychological functioning: Retinal imaging as an investigative tool for cognitive epidemiology. Psychological Science, 24, 1198–1207.
Silk, J. S., Dahl, R. E., Ryan, N. D., Forbes, E. E., Axelson, D. A., Birmaher, B., & Siegle, G. J. (2007). Pupillary reactivity to emotional information in child and adolescent depression: Links to clinical and ecological measures. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 1873–1880.
Scott Sleek is APS’s director of news and information. He can be contacted at ssleek@psychologicalscience.org.
Downward Head Tilt Can Make People Seem More Dominant
We draw social inferences from not only facial features but from the position of the head itself, research shows. More
A sample of research exploring GDP and science achievement, the effects of reward and punishment on information processing, emotion differentiation and regulation, and intrasexual aggression. More
We Are More Envious of Things That Haven’t Happened Yet
We are more envious of someone else’s covetable experience before it happens than after it has passed, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. “Enviable events lose some power over us once those events are in our past,” says psychological scientist Ed More
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Chimp doesn’t have rights of human, court says
A New York appeals court denies 'legal personhood' to a former entertainment chimp named Tommy.
By GEORGE M. WALSHThe Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. — A chimpanzee is not entitled to the rights of a human and does not have to be freed by its owner, a New York appeals court ruled Thursday.
The three-judge Appellate Division panel was unanimous in denying “legal personhood” to Tommy, who lives alone in a cage in upstate Fulton County.
Tommy, a chimpanzee, lives alone in a cage at his home in Gloversville, N.Y. A chimpanzee is not entitled to the rights of a human, a court ruled Thursday. The Associated Press
A trial level court had previously denied the Nonhuman Rights Project’s effort to have Tommy released. The group’s attorney, Steven Wise, told the appeals court in October that the chimp’s living conditions are akin to a person in unlawful solitary confinement.
Wise argued that animals with human qualities, such as chimps, deserve basic rights, including freedom from imprisonment. He has also sought the release of three other chimps in New York and said he plans similar cases in other states.
But the mid-level appeals court said there is no precedent for treating animals as persons and no legal basis.
“So far as legal theory is concerned, a person is any being whom the law regards as capable of rights and duties,” the judges wrote. “Needless to say, unlike human beings, chimpanzees cannot bear any legal duties, submit to societal responsibilities or be held legally accountable for their actions.”
That, they ruled, makes it “inappropriate” to grant the rights of a human to the animal.
The Nonhuman Rights Project said it will appeal to the state’s top court, citing other New York appeals court rulings it says are at odds with Thursday’s decision.
“It is time for the common law to recognize that these facts are sufficient to establish personhood for the purpose of a writ of habeas corpus,” the organization said, referring to characteristics of chimps it says are “similar to those possessed by human beings.”
Tommy’s owner, Patrick Lavery, said Thursday he was pleased and expected the ruling.
“I just couldn’t picture any court granting habeas corpus for an animal,” he said. “If it works for one animal, it works for all animals. It would open a can of worms.”
Tommy, believed to be about 40 years old, is a former entertainment chimp who was placed with Lavery about 10 years ago. Lavery said Tommy is cared for under strict state and federal license rules and inspections.
Lavery said Tommy lives in a seven-room enclosure in Gloversville with lots of toys and other “enrichment.”
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"composers"
"Puppet showplace theatre", "bonnie duncan", "boston", "brendan burns", "brookline", "children's theatre", "composers", "family and kids", "new music", "new theatre", "new year new shows", "score", "squirrel stole my underpants"
PST Musician-in-Residence on Creating Music for "Squirrel"
Bonnie Duncan in "Squirrel Stole My Underpants"
"NEW YEAR, NEW SHOWS!": Series of new work created by local artists continues with great success!
What an EXCITING weekend! After a completely sold out run this past Saturday and Sunday, "Squirrel Stole My Underpants" by Bonnie Duncan is bringing much joy and adventure to audiences young and old. The final weekend of performances runs Thursday through Sunday, Jan 31-Feb 3.
New Year, NEW MUSIC!
In addition to Bonnie's unique mash up of theatrical tricks, including dance, physical theatre, and puppetry, local musicians created a brilliant score to help take the audience on an underpants search-party adventure. Puppet Showplace Theatre's own musician-in-residence, Brendan Burns is one of the co-composers and performers.
Brendan Burns is a guitarist & educator rooted in Somerville, MA. He released his debut album TimeStamp (recorded live at the Somerville Theatre) in 2012 (available via BandCamp, iTunes & Spotify), and is featured in Alexia Prichard's Documentary about the project; as well as the Boston Globe. Brendan is a regular contributor with SchoolTree, Kristen Ford Band, Karin Webb, Molly Zenobia & Brendan Burns' Roadhouse. He is also a founding member of the music & puppetry troupe: Elephant Tango Ensemble (nominated for an IRNE), former director of the house band for Bent Wit Cabaret and currently the musician-in-residence at the Puppet Showplace Theatre.
Brendan is today's guest blogger, writing about his experience collaborating on this exciting new project.
Creating Music for Squirrel Stole My Underpants
by Guest Blogger: Brendan Burns
Bonnie Duncan is amazing. I've been an admirer of her work and creative brain for years.
She first introduced me to "The Squirrel" at a Puppet Incubator meeting at the Puppet Showplace Theatre. Her show: Squirrel Stole My Underpants was still in development, but the idea was amazing and the creator was brilliant.
Bonnie asked for my help to bring musicians into the project, and we soon discovered it was the perfect opportunity for Tony Leva (upright bass) and I to take on as co-composers. For a little over two months, we met every Wednesday morning at the Puppet Showplace Theatre and tried out ideas. Sometimes we would work on the entire show, and other times it was just one scene, but all of the time we were laughing & giggling. Tony would record our rehearsals so we could listen back to our ideas, and most of the time he captured the three of us giggling uncontrollably at the silliness of what we were creating. Here's an audio clip of an early draft of Sylvie's Lament where we were playing around with the sadness that comes from realizing your favorite underwear has been stolen by a squirrel - you can hear how long were able to keep things serious….
Example music sketches for "Squirrel Stole My Underpants"
Over time, and with lots of practice, we created the music that fit perfectly for this show. As composers, Tony & I are mostly underscoring Bonnie and providing support where she needs it. Our job is help illuminate and tie together the fantasy adventure that Bonnie has created.
Top Left: Brendan Burns, Right: Tony Leva, Bottom Left: Ariel Bernstein
Early in the process, Tony & I realized that we would not be able to perform every show that Bonnie was going to put on, and therefore we strategized a way for her to use recorded versions of us when necessary. Using the talents of engineer Ariel Bernstein, we crafted and chaptered a recording of the entire score so that Bonnie could use us on CD, triggering us to the next track when she needed it with a hidden remote. Through studying our rehearsal video, we recorded and delivered a flexible soundtrack that could allow for spontaneity and consistency for whenever and wherever Bonnie was performing. In the future, we hope to play with Bonnie in every way that we can, but if doesn't work out, we'll be there in spirit - on the recording.
-Bb
http://www.brendanburns.com/
Brendan and Tony will perform live music for the 10:30am performance of "Squirrel Stole My Underpants" on Thursday, January 31st, and 3pm on Sunday, Feb 3rd!
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David S. Mader
Direct Tel: +1 212-849-7148 davidmader@quinnemanuel.com
David Mader
davidmader@quinnemanuel.com
David Mader is a partner in Quinn Emanuel’s New York office. His practice focuses on high-stakes complex commercial disputes, and he has represented clients in litigation involving financial markets and instruments, corporate takeovers, energy and resource delivery contracts, and trade secret misappropriation. David is also a member of the firm’s Appellate Practice, and has represented clients in appeals relating to environmental response and cleanup actions, oil and gas exploration, and other complex commercial matters.
Prior to joining the firm, David served as a law clerk to then-Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and to Judge T.S. Ellis III of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He received a Bachelor of Arts, with first class honours, from McGill University, and a J.D., with high honors, from the University of Texas, where he was an articles editor of the Law Review.
Official Creditors' Committee of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
Allstate Insurance Company
Georgia-Pacific LP
Occidental Petroleum Corp.
Official Creditors’ Committee of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
Shell Oil Co.
VR Global Partners L.P.
Represented the Official Creditors Committee of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in litigation objecting to claims by Citibank and affiliates related to the valuation of nearly 30,000 derivatives following Lehman’s bankruptcy in September 2008. After nearly five years of fact and expert discovery, multiple pre-trial motions, and 42 days of trial, the parties reached a settlement that will return $1.75 billion to Lehman’s creditors.
Currently representing the Official Creditors Committee of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in adversary proceedings against multiple major financial institutions related to the close-out and valuation of derivatives following the Lehman bankruptcy.
Obtained $75 million arbitration award, and dismissal of $60 million counterclaim, on behalf of Occidental Petroleum Corp. in a dispute relating to the construction and operation of a natural gas treatment plant.
Obtained unanimous affirmance of regulatory approvals granted to subsidiaries of Shell Oil Co. in connection with exploratory offshore drilling on the Alaskan Outer Continental Shelf.
Represented Allstate Insurance Co. in litigation against multiple major financial institutions in litigation relating to the sale of residential mortgage-backed securities.
Represented VR Capital Partners L.P. in a lawsuit alleging fraud against Russian investment bank Trioka Dialogue related to an investment in a failed factoring company, obtaining a successful settlement.
Energy Sector Disputes
Structured Finance & Derivatives Litigation
The University of Texas School of Law
(J.D., with High Honors, 2007)
Order of the Coif
Texas Law Review:
Articles Editor
(B.A., Honors, History, 2004)
The State Bar of New York; United States Court of Appeals: Second Circuit, Seventh Circuit; United States District Court: Southern District of New York
Law Clerk to the Hon. Dennis Jacobs:
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2008-2009
Law Clerk to the Hon. T.S. Ellis III:
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 2007-2008
"Wilbur’s Conundrum: Property in the DNA of Selectively Bred Animals," 86 Texas Law Review 191 (2007)
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The Modern Golfer.
First Edition of Cyril Tolley's The Modern Golfer
Tolley, Cyril J.H.
First edition of Tolley’s work on golf. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece, illustrated. In near fine condition with a touch of rubbing.
Cyril J.H Tolley twice won The Amateur Championship, in 1920 and 1929. In the 4th round in 1930 at St Andrews he lost to Bobby Jones on the 19th hole after Jones had laid a "horrid stymie" with Tolley within 4 feet of the hole. Jones eventually won the tournament. He won the French Open in 1924 and 1928 and was the Welsh Open Amateur Championship in 1921 and 1923. Tolley played in the first Walker Cup in 1922 and again in 1923, 1924, 1926, 1930, and 1934. He captained the team in 1924. He was captain of the R&A in 1948, being one of the few captains to play in the Amateur Championship during their year of office, losing in the third round to defending champion Willie Turnesa.
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07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: AESTHETIC PERFECTION :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: CHELOU :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: JAMIE LAWSON :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: KELVIN JONES :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: SAM FENDER :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: SHY MARTIN :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: ALEXA FESER :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: ALICE PHOEBE LOU :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: DADDY LONG LEGS :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: JOYCE MANOR :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: KÄRBHOLZ :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: MEADOWLARK :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: PAPOOZ :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: SALVADOR SOBRAL :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: THE SLOW READERS CLUB :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: YOUTH KILLED IT :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (CH) Concert: AESTHETIC PERFECTION :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (CH) Concert: KÄRBHOLZ :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: DONOTS :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: FLO MEGA :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: GOSTO :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: LAKE STREET DIVE :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: LION SPHERE :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: LUCY SPRAGGAN :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: THE HUNNA :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: DEFEATER :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: KRAYENZEIT :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: NILÜFER YANYA :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: RYAN SHERIDAN :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: SET IT OFF :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: WE INVENTED PARIS :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: WHEATUS :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: ZODIAC :: Concerts
11:00am - 11:00pm (D) Festival: Hexentanz Festival :: Festivals
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: CLAN OF XYMOX :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: GERRY CINNAMON :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: IMMINENCE :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: KOLARI :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: LEE FIELDS & THE EXPRESSIONS :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: MILLENCOLIN :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: RITA ORA :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: RUSSKAJA :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: SWALLOW THE SUN :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: SWISS & DIE ANDERE :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: WITT & ORCHESTER :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: [:SITD:] :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (PL) Concert: SHE PAST AWAY :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: ACHT EIMER HÜHNERHERZEN :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: DIRTY DEEDS `79 :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: LAMBCHOP :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: ROGERS :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: TAMU MASSIF :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (F) Concert: SHE PAST AWAY :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (UK) Concert: GRENDEL :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (CZ) Concert: AESTHETIC PERFECTION :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: BRUTUS :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: DAVE HAUSE :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: FARID :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: JAMES HERSEY :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: TWO YEAR VACATION :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (D) Concert: WITT & ORCHESTER - Cancelled :: Concerts
07:00pm - 11:00pm (NL) Concert: KÄRBHOLZ :: Concerts
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Home Entertainment News Bollywood News Tanushree Dutta Controversy: Esha Gupta Comes Out In Support Of The Actress
Tanushree Dutta Controversy: Esha Gupta Comes Out In Support Of The Actress
Written By Shruti Kapadia | Mumbai | Published: September 29, 2018 13:41 IST
Tanushree Dutta in her latest revelation spoke about how she was sexually harassed by Nana Patekar while filming a special song for 'Horn Ok Please' in 2008.
Several eminent personalities from Bollywood came out in support of Tanushree Dutta including Sonam Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Swara Bhasker, Richa Chadha, Farhan Akhtar, Kangana Ranaut, Priyanka Chopra and Anurag Kashyap to name a few.
The latest addition to the list of Bollywood celebrities who came out in support for the 'Dhol' actress is Esha Gupta.
Tanushree Dutta in her latest revelation spoke about how she was sexually harassed while filming a special song for 'Horn Ok Please' in 2008. The actress revealed that Bollywood Actor Nana Patekar misbehaved with her on the sets while filming the song and accused him of sexual harassment. The actress further lashed out at renowned choreographer Ganesh Acharya for pressurising her for an intimate sequence in the song. The actress also accused produce Sami Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang of harassing her on the sets of the film.
Several eminent personalities from Bollywood came out in support of Tanushree Dutta including Sonam Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Swara Bhasker, Richa Chadha, Farhan Akhtar, Kangana Ranaut, Priyanka Chopra and Anurag Kashyap to name a few. The latest addition to the list of Bollywood celebrities who came out in support for the 'Dhol' actress is Esha Gupta.
Read | Tanushree Dutta Controversy: Kangana Ranaut Comes Out In Support Of The Actress
"In today's time what we are talking about is woman equality and a lot of things about just speak up. I will not say much about it but will only say that we are in 2018 and approaching 2019 and it is sad when women come and share their experience about being assualted, and are silenced. They are then told why they are talking about the past or many are unable to support her. I think it is very important that all the men join hands with each other."
Lauding Farhan Akhtar's move of coming out in support of the former Miss India Universe, Esha said, "Farhan Akhtar has said very strongly about this. I'm glad that we women have joined hands with each other, but I'm glad Farhan Akhtar took a stand. And he did not just take a stand right now, he has been taking a stand for women since quite a long time and has spoken about woman empowerment. And would not just ask the entire industry but the world to join hands and because such incidents are taking place abroad as well in Hollywood where several women who faced a similar issue were then silenced with the fear of not getting work that was instilled in them. I'm happy that women have got the strength to speak up now. And not only she but every woman should get justice."
The actress who was last seen in a guest appearance in JP Dutta's Platan further added, "I'll thank the media for this for their support." Talking about Nana Patekar sending Tanushree Dutta a legal notice seeking an apology for her statements, the 'Rustom' actress said, "Women should support women." She continued saying, "We can go ahead if every woman comes in support."
Read | Tanushree Dutta Controversy: 'Unfortunate And Absolutely Wrong,' Says Vinay Pathak
What's next for Esha Gupta
Esha Gupta is currently filming for 'Total Dhamaal' and 'Hera Pheri 3'. 'Total Dhamaal' is the third instalment of the 'Dhamaal' series and has an ensemble cast of Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi and Jave Jaffrey apart from Gupta. 'Hera Pheri 3' is the third instalment of the 'Hera Pheri' series and also stars Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan. 'Hera Pheri 3' is slated to release in July 2019. However, speculations are rife that the release of the film has been postponed to the year 2020.
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Shocked Mukesh Bhatt says sexual assault allegations against Rajkumar Hirani are "too hard to believe & difficult to digest"
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Opinion: Why we won't give up on the high street
By Hamish Paton2018-08-13T06:00:00+01:00
Hardly a day goes by without a headline lamenting the poor health and dire prognosis for the British high street.
The concern is fully justified.
A July PwC report revealed 1,800 high-street stores closed across the UK in the first six months of 2018. This resulted in more than 22,000 job losses. All the while, online trading goes from strength to strength.
“I like to think BrightHouse is bucking the trend when it comes to the high street”
It’s not just the ecommerce titans such as Amazon that are bringing about this change. As retailers, we’ve all invested considerably in digital channels to offer greater convenience and choice to our customers. Whether that’s sales from the sofa, quicker delivery times, customer service on social media or smother e-payment options. People like shopping online and retailers like the lower costs.
However, imagine for a moment that almost 25% of your customers couldn’t shop online.
Not because they don’t have access to the internet or because they’re concerned about fraud, but simply because they are financially excluded from making electronic payments.
This is the reality for BrightHouse and having stores to serve this sizeable chunk of our customer base is obviously vital to us as a business. Perhaps as surprising to some observers is that many more of our customers choose to visit their local BrightHouse store each week. These people are looking for something they can’t (currently) get online – human interaction.
But at a time of increasing property costs, it’s tough to balance those needs while maintaining a sustainable business. So, what are we doing about it?
Heart of the community
For me, the solution is to evolve the format and purpose of the store so a visit becomes more pleasurable and less transactional.
We’re testing a variety of store formats and assessing customer reaction. Last year, we opened the first of a series of smaller ‘digital’ stores in Bridgend in Wales. At 750 sq ft, these are very different to the majority of our stores, which are roughly 2,000 sq ft and traditional in design. However, you still get the same friendly service and even a nice cup of tea. It’s still very much BrightHouse.
In the same vein, in May, we launched our first shop-in-a-shop within a Poundland store in Clacton-on-Sea. This is a small area of the store given over to BrightHouse. It is, in every sense, mutually beneficial. With similar customer demographics, our presence adds value, bringing in customers, while the costs are much less than opening a standalone store. This is very much in the pilot stage but early results are encouraging and more are planned.
“We don’t believe the high street is dead and, more importantly, neither do our customers”
These initiatives help us to continue, in a sustainable way, giving our friendly, personal service to those who want a face-to-face experience. I like to think BrightHouse is bucking the trend when it comes to the high street. Yes, some stores have closed, but we are testing new and innovative ways to keep others open.
We don’t believe the high street is dead and, more importantly, neither do our customers. It remains an important part of their community and their lives. It could be so much more important than a place to shop. It can be somewhere to meet people and make friends.
With that in mind, we understand we need to remain convenient. That means locations that are welcoming, served by good transport links and in close proximity to food shops, the post office and the hairdresser. Ultimately, what underpins our business is our commitment to serving the customer where they want us.
Long live the high street.
Hamish PatonHamish Paton is chief executive at BrightHouse
High street & town centre
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Amazon may appear to be an unstoppable retail juggernaut steamrollering everything in its path, but there are some stores it still cannot touch because of their unique propositions.
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Shop prices increased during May at the second highest rate in the past six years, driven by non-food inflation and “spiralling” business property tax.
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Belarusian Opposition Activist Sentenced To 15 Days In Jail
December 20, 2013 13:44 GMT
By RFE/RL's Belarus Service
Maksim Vinyarski is detained while protesting in Moscow in December 2012.
MINSK -- An opposition activist in Belarus has been sentenced to 15 days in jail.
Maksim Vinyarski, an activist of the European Belarus campaign, was arrested on December 19 while lighting candles near a church in Minsk to mark the third anniversary of the brutal crackdown by police on opposition activists who were challenging the results of a presidential election that was officially won by incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Vinyarski's sister, Alena, told RFE/RL that her brother was sentenced on December 20 for picketing Ukraine's Embassy in Minsk on November 30 to express support to pro-EU protesters in Kyiv.
Vinyarski spent several days in the capital of neighboring Ukraine earlier this month, where he joined thousands of Ukrainians protesting the government's decision last month not to sign an Association Agreement with the EU.
RFE/RL's Belarus Service
In a country that has been referred to as "Europe's last dictatorship," RFE/RL's Radio Svaboda is one of the leading news websites and one of the few media outlets accessible to Belarusians in their own language.
webteam@rferl.org
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Cool Stuff Strange ThingsWeird News
Hippo Meat Nearly Became An American Food Staple
Proponents lovingly referred to them as lake bacon.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! — June 14, 2019
During the start of the 20th century, a group of eclectic men decided to tackle America’s meat crisis by introducing hippopotamus into the American diet. Hippo steak may have become a common menu item today had they succeeded.
In the early 1900s, meat was in high demand due to a growing population and overgrazed land. Bison had become nearly extinct, so there weren’t any animals left to hunt. But a man named Frederick Russell Burnham was convinced hippo meat was the solution.
Frederick Russell Burnham
Burnham was an American adventurer, soldier, and chief of scouts for the British army during the Second Boer War. He moved to Africa in 1893 and was the inspiration behind the Boy Scouts and the big-screen action hero Indiana Jones.
Burnham was a proponent of eating hippopotamus meat because animals such as cows, sheep, poultry, and pig were not native to the United States yet they were a large part of the American diet. Also, African animals such as ostriches and camels had easily adapted to certain areas of the United States, and Burnham believed hippos could do so as well.
Louisiana Congressman Robert Broussard also supported the importation of hippos because he thought the mammals could help solve a problem he had in his district. In 1884, a Japanese delegation gave water hyacinths to the city of New Orleans as a gift, but the plants were very invasive and killed many fish. Broussard, nicknamed “Cousin Bob,” hoped the hyacinth-loving hippopotamuses would take care of the issue. Plus, hippos could live in the bayou unlike cattle, which needed grasslands to feed.
Broussard enlisted the help of notorious conman Frederick “Fritz” Duquesne to set their plan in motion. Duquesne was a South African Boer and big-game hunter. He dubbed himself “The Black Panther of the Veldt” in reference to the predatory skills of the panther. He was also Burnham’s enemy.
Fritz Duquesne
Duquesne was a soldier and a spy who did whatever was required of him to get ahead. At one point he was ordered to kill Burnham, then chief of the British Scouts, during the Second Boer War. Simultaneously, Burnham was ordered to kill Duquesne. Neither carried out their orders, and several years later Broussard tapped on Duquesne’s knowledge of African animals to help him and Burnham seek authorization to import hippos to America to boost the meat supply.
Broussard introduced H.R. 23261, a.k.a. the Hippo Bill, in 1910 to secure $250,000 in funding for the import of useful animals, including hippos, into the United States. The New York Times coined the phrase “lake cow bacon,” describing the flavor of the hippo meat, and some believed it would only be a short time before it was readily available in America.
William Newton Irvin from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was also an advocate of hippo importation and testified on the men’s behalf. What they may not have realized is that hippos have a reputation for being aggressive and territorial and probably wouldn’t have settled in very nicely in the Louisiana bayou.
The bill failed. To meet meat demand, meatpackers increased supply, grazing lands became feedlots, and wetlands were drained to form grasslands for cattle.
Following the defeat, Burnham went on to prevent an assassin from shooting President William Howard Taft and was invited by Theodore Roosevelt to lead a delegation in France similar to the Rough Riders. The division never got off the ground, but the adventurer eventually struck it rich after discovering oil in California.
Broussard, meanwhile, served eight terms as a congressman and one as a senator. As for Duquesne, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen before becoming a spy for Germany. The FBI arrested him and his spy ring in 1941, and Duquesne served 14 years in prison.
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
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Top Five cyber security predictions for New Year outlined by NordVPN
By : Brian Sims
Tag: Artificial Intelligence, Assistance and Access Bill, Cloud Security, Consumer Privacy Act, Cyber Security, Data Leaks, Data Loss, Encryption, EU, Facebook, GDPR, General Data Protection Regulation, Google, Governments, Identity Theft, Netflix, NordVPN, Penetration Testing, Phishing, Pro-Activ Publications, Quora, Risk Xtra, Security Audits, Security Breaches, TheSecurityLion
It’s not an easy task to remember a week in 2018 without a major data leak or security breach. Passwords were leaking, new sophisticated malware attacks were spreading, data was breached and Governments around the world once again overturned privacy rules. According to NordVPN’s digital privacy expert Daniel Markuson, cyber security threats will continue to worsen in 2019.
“The year 2018 not only shocked the world by highlighting systemic cyber security issues,” explained Markuson. “Multiple Governments adopted new rules and laws, which are making a global impact now and will echo for years to come. 2019 can bring some hope for the future, but only if Governments and corporations understand the importance of digital privacy and security.”
Based on the outcomes from 2018, NordVPN’s Markuson has listed five significant trends that will shape cyber security and digital privacy in 2019. These are as follows:
Identity theft, phishing scams and personal data loss will hit a new high
From Facebook and Google to Quora and Marriott Hotels, 2018’s data breaches affected more than one billion people around the globe. Add that to the existing pool of leaked data and hackers will have an invaluable resource for tailoring a phishing scam or taking over Facebook or Netflix accounts. Such tactics will be used in 2019
Some Governments will lean towards higher data security standards
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has established a new set of game rules by regulating the way in which corporations protect their customers’ data. It’s still too early to tell whether the new law has made a positive impact, but it has realised a shift towards the more responsible use of private data. In 2019, some non-EU countries will likely follow the example set and introduce similar laws for data protection as well. This year, all eyes will be on the US, where California has set a high bar by passing the Consumer Privacy Act. However, it’s still unclear if other American States will follow
Use of encrypted communications will face new challenges
In December, Australia passed the Assistance and Access Bill, also known as the anti-encryption law – all despite an uproar within society. The Bill requires tech companies to create backdoor access to the encrypted communications of their users. It would be used by law enforcement agencies to intercept and read the content of private messages. Despite opposition to the law, similar ideas have been floated in multiple countries (including the US). Having in mind the everlasting itch to spy on their citizens, it wouldn’t be a shocking surprise if other members of the ‘14 Eyes’ countries would follow this example in 2019
Tech companies will look for new ways in which to win the trust of potential customers
Much data was stolen in 2018 despite companies’ size and significance, their self-proclaimed ‘best security practices’ and the risk of being fined under the GDPR. It’s no surprise that ensuring customers’ trust will become more critical than ever. Companies will learn (albeit slowly) from their mistakes and invest in penetration testing, security audits and Artificial Intelligence while also implementing zero-trust policies to prove that they’re making an effort to protect their clients
Cloud security will become a bigger issue
As people change locations and devices, cloud computing becomes inevitable both for private users and corporations. At the same time, it becomes a bigger security problem. GoDaddy, Los Angeles 211 Center, Viacom and (only recently) the United Nations had data records harvested from cloud storage. The biggest issue is still simple configuration errors and user neglect. Nevertheless, as we can expect more leaks and breaches here, new cloud security measures and services will evolve in 2019.
Brian Sims BA (Hons) Hon FSyI, Editor, Risk UK (Pro-Activ Publications) Beginning his career in professional journalism at The Builder Group in March 1992, Brian was appointed Editor of Security Management Today in November 2000 having spent eight years in engineering journalism across two titles: Building Services Journal and Light & Lighting. In 2005, Brian received the BSIA Chairman’s Award for Promoting The Security Industry and, a year later, the Skills for Security Special Award for an Outstanding Contribution to the Security Business Sector. In 2008, Brian was The Security Institute’s nomination for the Association of Security Consultants’ highly prestigious Imbert Prize and, in 2013, was a nominated finalist for the Institute's George van Schalkwyk Award. An Honorary Fellow of The Security Institute, Brian serves as a Judge for the BSIA’s Security Personnel of the Year Awards and the Securitas Good Customer Award. Between 2008 and 2014, Brian pioneered the use of digital media across the security sector, including webinars and Audio Shows. Brian’s actively involved in 50-plus security groups on LinkedIn and hosts the popular Risk UK Twitter site. Brian is a frequent speaker on the conference circuit. He has organised and chaired conference programmes for both IFSEC International and ASIS International and has been published in the national media. Brian was appointed Editor of Risk UK at Pro-Activ Publications in July 2014 and as Editor of The Paper (Pro-Activ Publications' dedicated business newspaper for security professionals) in September 2015. Brian was appointed Editor of Risk Xtra at Pro-Activ Publications in May 2018.
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September 21, 2016 3:22AM ET
‘8 Mile,’ ‘L.A. Confidential’ Director Curtis Hanson Dead at 71
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Curtis Hanson, the Oscar-winning writer of 'L.A. Confidential' and director of Eminem's '8 Mile' died Tuesday at the age of 71.
Jeff Kravitz/Getty
Filmmaker Curtis Hanson, who directed Eminem in his film debut 8 Mile and earned an Oscar for his script for L.A. Confidential, died Tuesday, Variety reports. He was 71.
According to reports, paramedics responded to a call about an unconscious man and Hanson was pronounced dead at the scene. A cause of death has yet to be confirmed, though a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said Hanson died of “natural causes.”
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Hanson began his career as a film journalist, conducting interviews with filmmakers like John Ford and Vincente Minnelli. Following this crash course in filmmaking, Hanson turned to screenwriting, penning his first two films, Dunwich Horror and Sweet Kill (which he also directed) for beloved B-movie producer/director Roger Corman.
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Over the next two decades, Hanson turned to directing and helmed an array of films, from the early Tom Cruise comedy, Losin’ It, to the Rob Lowe and James Spader crime drama Bad Influence, to the revenge thriller, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.
Hanson continued to write as well, and for years he and Brian Helgeland worked on an adaptation of James Ellroy’s labyrinthian noir, L.A. Confidential. In a 2001 interview with The A.V. Club, Hanson said, “I had always wanted to tell a story that was set in Los Angeles in the ’50s, because that’s where I grew up, and it was the city of my childhood memories. I wanted to deal with that and also pursue this theme that interested me, which is the difference between illusion and reality, the way people and things appear to be versus how they really are. And Hollywood, of course, is the city of illusion. So that was near and dear to me, and extremely personal.”
Released in 1997, L.A. Confidential was a huge hit and earned Hanson and Helgeland the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Hanson, however, lost out on both Best Director and Best Picture to James Cameron and Titanic.
After L.A. Confidential, Hanson directed Wonder Boys — an adaptation of Michael Chabon’s novel of the same name — and followed it with 8 Mile. In a 2002 interview with Rolling Stone, Hanson spoke about working with Eminem, who was not just a first-time actor, but also the inspiration for the film.
“I knew going into it that he had experience performing and also adopting a character, Slim Shady,” Hanson said. “What I was looking for was actually the opposite of that. When you adopt a characterization, that’s artificial. You hide behind that. What I needed in this story was the appearance of a complete lack of artifice. I needed the appearance of one more or less exposing himself emotionally. And, so in my getting to know him, I had to assess and then make an educated guess of whether he would be able to do to that and whether he would trust me and the environment I would create enough to do that.”
“Curtis Hanson believed in me and our crazy idea to make a rap battle movie set in Detroit,” Eminem said in a statement. “He basically made me into an actor for 8 Mile. I’m lucky I got to know him.”
After 8 Mile, Hanson directed In Your Shoes, Lucky You and Too Big to Fail — HBO’s dramatization of the 2008 financial crisis — but while filming the surf movie Chasing Mavericks, he was forced to drop out due to an undisclosed illness. Michael Apted finished the 2012 movie, which now stands as Hanson’s last.
In This Article: Curtis Hanson, Eminem, Obituary
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Curtis Hemmeler, Executive Director
Curt is managing the establishment and launch of the RV Technical Institute’s new headquarters and training facility, as well as managing and executing the strategic business plan. He brings 20 years of professional experience in technical education and training to the RV Technical Institute. Prior to joining the institute, Curt was the vice president of operations and strategy for WyoTech, a division of Zenith Education that trains auto and diesel technicians. In that position, he led a team of over 300 across three locations. He has extensive experience with the sales, marketing, fundraising and developing community partnership. Curt is looking forward to building a first-class technical and educational program that will ensure that the RV industry’s success continues for generations and generations to come.
Sharonne Lee – Senior Director, Education
Sharonne brings more than 30 years of RV industry experience to her new role with the RV Technical Institute. Her experience spans the spectrum and has acquainted her with all aspects of the RV industry ranging from standards inspections and standards development to education, dealer and technician outreach, curriculum development and training. Sharonne developed the first annual Top Tech Challenge in 2017 and looks forward to growing the event as part of the Institute. Sharonne’s new role at the institute will allow her to pursue her goal of improving the end-user RV experience and professionalizing the field for RV technicians throughout the U.S.
Tammy Holland – Manager
Tammy has been in the RV industry for 10 years and has experience in both the RV Industry Association and at a manufacturing facility. Prior to joining the industry, she worked as an educator as both a teacher and principal for 23 years. Her unique expertise allows her to approach education development from more than one perspective. Tammy was part of the original team that launched the TnT program and has been a part of the evolution of the education program. She has cultivated close working relationships with component part suppliers that have enabled her to contribute to the curriculum development for new technicians. Prior to joining the RV Industry Association four years ago, Tammy worked in operations and HR at an RV manufacturing facility. She is looking forward to using her combined experiences to help develop a world-class training program for RV Service Technicians.
Connie Acord – Dealer Relations
Connie has been in the RV Industry for more than 30 years working in several different capacities; a manufacturer representative, distributor and factory-direct representative. She’s spent the last five years developing and shaping the association’s Technicians in Training program and expanding its reach across the country. She is responsible for direct sales to dealers while coordinating training on many levels within the dealerships. While presenting the TnT program, she developed her territory and witnessed the technicians’ growth through the hands-on training provided. Connie is excited to further develop the dealer relations aspect of her job while empowering the technicians to grow their careers.
Wade Greenwood – Dealer Relations
Wade brings more than 40 years of RV industry experience in manufacturing to his new role in the RV Technical Institute. He joined the association five years ago to help develop and shape the association’s Technicians in Training program and expanding its reach across the country. Wade is responsible for direct sales to dealers while coordinating training on many levels within the dealerships. He has developed his territory and relationships with dealers and technicians. Wade’s new role at the institute will be to market the new program to the dealer network and recruit new technicians for placement throughout the U.S, along with involvement in managing curriculum usage. The creation of this new institute will allow Wade to further develop his dealer relationships while empowering the technicians to grow their careers.
Mike Curl - Trainer
Mike brings more than 30 years of experience to the RV Technical Institute and has an extensive background as a design engineer, salesman and field technical trainer. He served as a 2017 Top Tech Challenge judge during the inaugural event launched to celebrate technicians in the RV industry. Curl joined the institute during an integral time and was a part of the original team to map out the institute’s curriculum, levels of credentialing and certification, ideal length of training, specialty and generalist skill-level paths, requirements for hands-on skills assessments, practical testing questions, resources for continuing education and the development and implementation of a learning management system.
Mike Anderson – Trainer
Mike joined the association three years ago as its first full-time technician trainer. Mike developed the lesson plans and Registered Technician Course using the job and task analysis developed by RVIA for the Registered Technician Credential. Mike has spent the past two years traveling the country and delivering the course to dealers and technicians. Mike has now been a leader in the team mapping out the institute’s curriculum, levels of credentialing and certification, the ideal length of training, specialty and generalist skill-level paths, requirements for hands-on skills assessments, practical testing questions, resources for continuing education and the development and implementation of a learning management system.
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NZL Sailing Team win three medals at Princess Sofia Trophy
by Yachting NZ 7 Apr 2018 14:48 PDT 8 April 2018
Wilkinson and Mackay (NZL) - Nacra 17 - Medal Race - 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar, April 7, 2018 © Bernard Bibiloni / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar
Meech and Maloney (NZL) 49er FX - Medal Race - 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar, April 7, 2018 © Bernard Bibiloni / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar
Sam Meech (Laser) - Medal Race - 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar, April 7, 2018 © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR
New Zealand sailors made a successful start to the European season, winning three medals at the Princess Sofia regatta in Palma, the third-most of any nation at the event. New Zealand finished a close 4th in a fourth event.
Sailed at Palma, Spain, over 1200 sailors from 62 nations competed in the event for Olympic classes. The NZL Sailing Team was the third best performed at the regatta.
Sam Meech collected silver in the Laser, Alex Maloney and Molly Meech were second in the 49erFX and Andy Maloney won bronze in the Finn. Josh Porebski and Trent Rippey finished just outside the medals, having to settle for fourth in the 49er.
Sam Meech and Andy Maloney were virtually assured medals going into the double points top 10 medal race and Meech capped off his week by winning the final race. But Maloney and Meech were in a dogfight with a handful of other crews for the minor medals in the 49erFX and handled the pressure well to claim silver - the same colour they won at the Rio Olympics.
The pair started the day in third but moved up a position on the back of a fourth to finish two points ahead of Odile Van Aanholt and Marieke Jongens of the Netherlands. Another Dutch combination, Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz, dominated the week, finishing 48 points ahead of Maloney and Meech to win gold.
"Today was pretty good," Maloney said. "We sailed pretty well upwind but went from third to 10th on the first downwind. It was quite shifty out there and difficult to get into pressure but we've done really well backing ourselves and trusting our instincts and managed to move up to second overall. There's an element of luck in sailing and we felt a bit lucky to finish where we did.
"We were a bit frustrated during the week because we know what we are capable of but to have these feelings and come away with second is a good start to the season. We know we can do even better."
It was an encouraging week for Andy Maloney, especially as it was just his second major regatta since switching from the Laser to the Finn. He won two races during the week and banked six top-10 results which wasn't easy in a fleet of 73 boats.
Olympic champion Giles Scott of Great Britain was a model of consistency to win gold, finishing ahead of former Laser world champion Nicholas Heiner of the Netherlands who also recently switched to the heavyweight dinghy.
49er (NZL) - Medal race - 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar, April 7, 2018 - photo © Tomas Moya / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar
Maloney tried to mix things up with Heiner today, given he still had an outside chance of winning silver, and started well but made one mistake near the top mark to allow Heiner to sneak ahead of him.
"I was stoked to come away with a bronze, my first medal at a big event since making the switch," he said. "I definitely made some mistakes, especially early in the regatta when I wasn't sailing that well. I learned a lot from those couple of days and managed to get off to good starts, which I wasn't doing [at the European championships] in Cadiz, and had good boat speed and sailed smartly.
"It's definitely shown me that I can mix it up with the top guys in the Finn fleet. It's proved that, sailing at my best, I can win races and that's cool to know."
Sam Meech has continued to prove he's one of the world's top Laser sailors and highlighted that with a win in the medal race. It was his third race win of the regatta and he backed that up with nine top-10 finishes in 11 races but it still wasn't enough to topple Australia's Matthew Wearn.
The pair were standouts this week in the large (183 boats) and competitive Laser fleet and handled the difficult and shifty conditions the best.
Fellow Kiwi Tom Saunders was seventh in the medal race and eighth overall.
Andy Maloney (Finn) - Medal ceremony - 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar, April 7, 2018 - photo © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR
The 49er class came to a dramatic conclusion with the top three teams all within four points of each other. Porebski and Rippey couldn't quite get themselves into that equation and were fifth in the medal race and a very encouraging fourth overall.
Liv Mackay and Micah Wilkinson were the only other New Zealand crew in action overnight, finishing 10th in the Nacra 17 medal race and 10th overall.
Most of the 26-strong New Zealand contingent who sailed in Palma will also compete at the World Cup regatta in Hyeres in a fortnight and most will go encouraged by what they produced at the first multi-class European regatta of the season.
Great Britain's sailing team collected the biggest haul of medals with five (one gold, four silver), followed by the Netherlands (two gold, one silver) and New Zealand (two silver, one bronze). The Princess Sofia regatta is usually the biggest of the European season in terms of numbers and attracted 870 boats from 62 different and more than 1200 sailors.
Wilkinson and Mackay (NZL) - Nacra 17 - Medal Race - 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar, April 7, 2018 - photo © Bernard Bibiloni / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar
Results and standings after the sixth and final day of the Princess Sofia regatta in Palma overnight (NZ time): Men's 470 (79 boats)
1st: Mathew Belcher / William Ryan (AUS) 2 (13) 3 1 1 1 9 1 3 2 - 23 points 2nd: Deniz Cinar / Ates Cinar (TUR) 4 10 (UFD) 16 5 6 5 3 7 6 - 62 pts 3rd: Tetsuya Isozaki / Akira Takayanagi (JPN) 4 (18) 2 1 18 11 12 4 10 4 - 66 pts
13th: Paul Snow-Hansen / Daniel Willcox (NZL) 9 12 14 2 (21) 17 20 12 1 - 87 pts
Women's 470 (48 boats)
1st: Ai Kondo Yoshida / Miho Yoshioka (JPN) 2 4 7 (12) 4 5 8 1 2 7 16 - 56 pts 2nd: Hannah Mills / Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) (19) 9 2 2 2 3 4 2 4 16 14 - 58 pts 3rd: Linda Fahrni / Maja Siegentahler (SUI) 3 2 4 8 (16) 8 15 6 6 3 4 - 59
Silver Fleet
29th: Courtney Reynolds-Smith / Brianna Reynolds-Smith (NZL) 15 13 9 12 8 8 5 (DNC) 1 12 - 82 pts
49er (91 boats)
1st: Yago Lange / Klaus Lange (ARG) 7 7 10 4 2 3 1 2 13 3 3 (15) 14 10 8 6 - 93 pts 2nd: Dylan Fletcher-Scott / Stuart Bithell (GBR) 12 1 5 1 1 2 19 4 1 6 9 1 (25) 17 3 14 - 96 pts 3rd: Mathieu Frei / Noé Delpech (FRA) 95 4 1 8 18 3 8 2 3 12 1 2 10 11 (UFD) 12 2 - 97 pts
4th: Josh Porebski / Trent Rippey (NZL) 10 8 13 4 3 12 6 5 3 10 7 17 1 1 (20) 10 - 110 pts
27th: Logan Dunning Beck / Oscar Gunn (NZL) (15) 13 15 3 12 1 2 4 6 8 1 2 10 7 3 - 87 pts
49erFX (54 boats)
1st: Annemiek Bekkering / Annette Duetz (NED) 1 1 8 1 3 1 4 1 1 8 8 1 (15) 1 6 2 - 47 pts 2nd: Alex Maloney / Molly Meech (NZL) 2 13 1 3 12 7 12 6 4 9 (19) 9 2 4 3 8 - 95 pts 3rd: Odile Van Aanholt / Marieke Jongens (NED) 3 5 5 9 2 12 16 7 7 2 5 5 1 (20) 4 14- 97 pts
Finn (73 boats)
1st: Giles Scott (GBR) 6 3 8 11 3 6 2 5 (17) 3 10 - 57 pts 2nd: Nicholas Heiner (NED) 18 (21) 13 16 2 12 6 3 2 4 8 - 84 pts 3rd: Andy Maloney (NZL) 16 (48) 19 6 7 1 13 14 1 6 12 - 95 pts
29th: Josh Junior (54) 38 37 24 4 9 29 17 43 31 - 232 pts 51st: Brendan McCarty (NZL) 63 50 (BFD) 55 42 46 39 57 18 64 - 414 pts 63rd: Raymond Hall (NZL) (60) 17 54 57 48 60 39 57 (66) 64 STP STP - 481 pts
Andy Maloney (NZL) Finn - Medal Race - 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar, April 7, 2018 - photo © Tomas Moya / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar
Laser (183 boats)
1st: Matthew Wearn (AUS) 5 2 6 (24) 2 1 5 4 4 14 12 - 55 pts 2nd: Sam Meech (NZL) 1 2 5 8 4 1 22 (31) 9 10 2 - 64 pts 3rd: Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) 6 12 2 (20) 3 5 15 8 16 13 18 - 98 pts
8th: Tom Saunders (NZL) (30) 6 1 9 25 14 19 1 24 1 14 - 114 pts 20th: George Gautrey (NZL) 27 8 19 7 36 6 35 (44) 20 5 - 163 pts 24th: Andrew McKenzie (NZL) 5 7 (43) 1 17 26 39 27 19 27 - 168 pts
165th: Matthew Kempkers (NZL) 43 27 46 47 (DNC) DNC 43 18 18 41 - 327 pts
Laser Radial (113 boats)
1st: Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) 9 8 3 2 3 2 2 (22) 10 8 12 - 59 pts 2nd: Alison Young (GBR) 6 7 9 4 7 1 23 (27) 11 2 4 - 74 pts 3rd: Maria Erdi (HUN) 1 11 14 13 12 6 5 10 (DNC) 11 8 - 91 pts
20th: Susannah Pyatt (NZL) (40) 4 36 7 29 26 38 15 7 19 - 172 pts 44th: Olivia Christie (NZL) 12 40 14 28 8 45 33 35 42 (53) - 257 pts
Nacra 17 (47 boats)
1st: Ruggero Tita / Caterina Banti (ITA) 1 1 3 6 1 3 2 2 1 (12) 5 2 1 4 3 16 - 51 pts 2nd: Ben Saxton / Nicola Boniface (GBR) 2 1 3 1 1 2 10 8 15 1 1 4 (18) 5 15 8 - 77 pts 3rd: Fernando Echavarri / Tara Pacheco (ESP) 10 13 2 1 2 1 8 23 4 23 10 6 3 1 2 4 - 90 pts
10th: Liv Mackay / Micah Wilkinson (NZL) 17 3 9 4 4 18 1 1 2 (20) 12 11 13 2 16 20 - 133 pts 13th: Gemma Jones / Jason Saunders (NZL) 5 14 4 10 3 8 6 13 16 5 16 1 20 11 (22) - 132 pts
Men's RS:X (118 boards)
1st: Pawel Tarnowski (POL) 2 3 4 7 2 2 8 (18) 2 2 2 - 34 pts 2nd: Louis Giard (FRA) 3 3 3 3 3 1 4 (7) 3 1 12 - 36 pts 3rd: Sebastian Fleischer (DEN) 3 4 3 6 4 4 3 14 1 (21) 6 - 48 pts
83rd: Antonio Cozzolino (NZL) 27 21 33 23 9 12 (UFD) 1 10 3 - 139 pts
For full results click here
Molly Meech and Alex Maloney - 49erFX - Medal ceremony - 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar, April 7, 2018 - photo © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR
Matt Belcher and Will Ryan winners of the Princesa Sofia Trophy awarded for the most outstanding performance in the 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar, April 7, 2018 - photo © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR
Sam Meech (Laser) Medal ceremony - 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar, April 7, 2018 - photo © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR
Youth Worlds: A golden day for 420 Boys - Day 4
A gold medal and two race wins as Kiwis have a good day in Gdynia, Poland It was "horrible" at the time but a disappointment last week has helped Seb Menzies and Blake McGlashan win gold in the Boy's 420 at the Hempel Youth Sailing World Championships with a day to spare. Posted on 18 Jul Youth Worlds: Kiwi crew lead Boys 420 - Day 3
Seb Menzies and Blake McGlashan extended their lead at the top of the Boy's 420 standings on Day 3 Seb Menzies and Blake McGlashan extended their lead at the top of the Boy's 420 standings at the Hempel Youth Sailing World Championships in Poland with only three races remaining. Posted on 18 Jul Youth Worlds: Kiwis lead Boys 420 on Day 2
Seb Menzies and Blake McGlashan have moved into the lead in the Boys 420 after Day 2 Seb Menzies and Blake McGlashan might be one of the youngest combinations at the Hempel Youth Sailing World Championships but the only numbers they care about are results and they've made a good start in Gdynia. Posted on 16 Jul Youth Worlds: Kiwis off to fast start - Day 1
Two New Zealand crews stood out on a testing opening day of the Hempel Youth Sailing World Champions Two New Zealand crews stood out on a testing opening day of the Hempel Youth Sailing World Championships in Gdynia, Poland. Seb Menzies and Blake McGlashan, won the first of the two races sailed today in the Boys 420. Posted on 16 Jul Laser Worlds: Gautrey top Kiwi after Day 5
Three New Zealanders are in the top 10 heading into the final day of the Laser Worlds Three New Zealanders are in the top 10 heading into the final day of the Laser World Championships in Japan and there is expected to be a real scrap for a place on the podium. Posted on 8 Jul 49er: Young Kiwi crew win world title in Norway
Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie have scored an impressive win in the 49er junior worlds Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie have scored an impressive win in the 49er junior world championships in Risor, Norway virtually leading from start to finish in the five-day event. Posted on 7 Jul Laser Worlds: Meech second after Day 4
Sam Meech in clear second after Day 4. Gautrey battling with dislocated knee The leaderboard was mixed up significantly on the first day of gold fleet racing at the Laser World Championships in Japan but New Zealand's Sam Meech is still right in the hunt with two days remaining. Posted on 7 Jul Laser Worlds: Two wins for Meech on Day 3
Meech leads by one point over Wearn (AUS) after Day 3 of 2019 Laser Worlds Sam Meech showed his class on Day 3 of the Laser World Championships in Sakaiminato, rocketing to the top of the standings on the back of two wins yesterday. Posted on 6 Jul Laser Worlds: Gautrey top Kiwi after Day 2
15points separate 20 boats after Day 2 at Laser Worlds in Japan The competitors at the Laser World Championships in Sakaiminato were treated to "fantastic" conditions on Day 2 and New Zealand's top sailors took advantage to put themselves right in the mix. Posted on 6 Jul Laser Worlds: Gautrey top Kiwi after Day 1
George Gautrey is second overall in the 2019 Laser Worlds after Day 1 in Sakaiminato, Japan Just two and a half year after an indifferent Youth Worlds in late 2016, George Gautrey continued his good form of 2019 and is second after the first day of the Laser World Championships in Sakaiminato, Japan, yesterday. Posted on 5 Jul
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(Reuters/nadirco via Shutterstock)
The $88 million view
Whether from a Central Park penthouse or our fire escape, the love of a great view is embedded deep within us all
Check out this article! https://www.salon.com/2012/01/07/the_88_million_view/
Will Doig
January 7, 2012 10:00PM (UTC)
A few weeks ago, when the most expensive home in the history of Manhattan real estate sold for $88 million, a good chunk of that almost nine-figure check paid for something the occupant doesn't even own. The record-breaking transaction involved the penthouse at 15 Central Park West, where a park view can add over $2,000 per square foot to an apartment's price. That means the penthouse's view alone cost the buyer tens of millions of dollars. No doubt the new occupant, the 22-year-old daughter of a Russian oligarch, loves trees. But does she love them that much?
Views can drive urban real estate prices to absurd heights. Some apartments are touted as almost secondary to what's seen through the window, mere vehicles for a killer view. But our willingness to shell out for a vista is embedded deep within our psyches, a combination of desires born of primitive instincts, status anxiety and the distinctive psychology of city dwellers.
Most city views are, by definition, unnatural -- we didn't evolve to seek out concrete and brick. "When we were evolving as a species, green space and water were essential for survival," says Frank McAndrew, a psychology professor at Knox College in Illinois. "We were programmed to like views of these things more than others." This helps explain why, even today, views of parks and waterways command the highest sums. The fact that we no longer need them is trumped by our primal response to what they once offered as resources. "We'll still take a fountain and a city park over no green space or water at all."
For our early ancestors, a good view also meant safety. "Researchers call it 'prospect and refuge,'" says McAndrew, "places you can see without being seen or eat without being eaten." Living high up, or at least somewhere with a good vantage point, offered both benefits. Think of "prospect" as the view ahead of you, where you can spot enemies and game, and "refuge" as the structures that keep you from becoming game yourself. "We like to see long distances because it gives us the sense that we can see what we need to, while at the same time we feel protected," McAndrew says. "We can watch the world without it looking back at us."
Because of the survival advantage, as human societies developed, the most powerful seized the best views. Over time, that desire went from a purely pragmatic one to symbolic, as well. "Think of it this way," says McAndrew. "The higher the penthouse or office is, the more inaccessible it is. The more powerful people are the ones who can manage to get there. If you enter a building and there's someone right by the door, you know they're not very important. If you have to fight your way up several floors, past secretaries, to get to someone, that person must have more power." Companies pay millions for sky-high real estate with sweeping views for the same reason middle managers strive for the corner office with the two-directional view -- having it says you were strong enough to get it.
The maturation of human culture produced something else, as well: a desire for awe. While early Homo sapiens may have cowered from thunderstorms, with time our threshold for awe moved higher. But one thing that still reliably dazzles us is an incredible view. When I call Winifred Gallagher, author of "New: Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change," the Wyoming-based behavioral science writer is on the 52nd floor of a Manhattan high-rise, taking a break from her book tour. "I can see the East River, the Verrazano Bridge, all the way to the Hudson Canyon," she says, a little hypnotically.
Gallagher says she's never lived in a tower before, and explains that what she's experiencing is "what psychologists call the diminutive effect. It's what Gothic cathedrals and Hitler's Nazi architecture strove for. It makes you feel your tininess, but it can also make you feel like you're part of something really vast." Call it an ironic twist that a big-shot salary is required for an apartment that makes you feel small. But that feeling of tininess can be thrilling -- it's what draws us to redwood forests and the edges of cliffs, and in the case of cities, where redwoods and cliffs can be hard to come by, it entices us into high-rises.
Then again, "There are people who love townhouses, who love seeing trees and birds and people. That's a view, too -- and sort of a fabulous view," says realtor Lynda Wiggins, vice president at Brown Harris Stevens. Wiggins says that while Gallagher's view may be the priciest -- realtors call it an airplane view -- not everyone wants to feel like they're living in a Boeing 747. Street views, where the bustle of the city is backdrop to even your indoor existence, appeal to a different part of our brains, says Sally Augustin, the founder of Design With Science, a company that applies environmental psychology to architecture and design.
"We're social beings and we're always interested in what other humans are doing," says Augustin. "When we have a view of other people, that intrigues us. We get really involved in those views. On a largely subconscious level, we're trying to figure out what's going on in them, like when you're in an open office and you hear another conversation, you can't help but try to figure out what's being said." Such constant engagement can be stimulating or exhausting, depending on the viewer, which is why an individual's taste in views can change over time. "We like places where we can process the information we're exposed to. If you compare a young person whose eyes and ears work well, they can be comfortable with a view that a person who's 90 years old might be overwhelmed by."
In other words, a complex, ever-changing street view that one person finds disorienting might feel exhilarating to another, assuming it has what researchers call "legibility," says McAndrew. "As long as there's an order to them, we like to look down boulevards and see buildings in a line." (Longing for legibility also goes back to our primal instincts -- to navigate and escape.) Views that are high in legibility can be kaleidoscopically busy yet still feel engrossing rather than assaulting -- if the activity makes sense to our eyes and brains. Even the apparent chaos of, say, a Mumbai train station or a Cairo bazaar can be pleasing to the eye of someone who's familiar enough with how the whole thing fits together.
The ideal view, as it turns out, isn't a question of nature versus city. The 52nd floor isn't better than the first, nor are rolling hills more pleasing than a downtown's daily hustle. "There's a certain satisfaction that comes from seeing all these things in combination," says McAndrew, "something legible that has vegetation and water and prospect and refuge." Depending on the eye of the beholder, that combination can come in many forms.
Dan Geist might be the perfect example of this. At 44, Geist still lives in the same Upper West Side apartment he was raised in. Through his bedroom window is a courtyard surrounded by buildings: "It's straight out of Hitchcock's 'Rear Window.' I've been waking up to it since I was 1." In the living room, he looks onto a brick wall, "a rather interesting wall off of which tar and other material has slowly been flaking over the decades." He says if he was one floor higher, instead of the wall, he would have a view of New Jersey's verdant palisades. A floor above that, and he'd see the Hudson River.
But he doesn't. Instead, his view is of memories, and that's why the brick wall is "interesting," why the "Rear Window" sight lines are "cozy," and explains how the occasional "distant wail of a siren feels quite lovely." These aren't views anyone would pay $88 million for, but for Geist their value isn't monetary. They stir up emotions that connect him to his home and his city in a very particular way. "One of my earliest memories is of waking up on a drizzly morning and looking out the window and writing a little poem about it," he says, "the gray sky, how it made me feel cozy and warm, and walking into the living room to give my mother the poem."
That's a view that many of us would love to have, despite its lack of panorama. Looking out, on scenes both humble and grand, apparently involves looking inward, too.
Will Doig writes the Dream City column for Salon
MORE FROM Will Doig
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Gender Jabber: Do Women Talk More than Men?
In a word: No. But then, how did the rumor get started?
By Nikhil Swaminathan on July 6, 2007
About a year ago, Louann Brizendine, founder and director of the University of California, San Francisco's Women's Mood and Hormone Clinic, published The Female Brain. One of the most cited gems within its pages was a claim that women are chatterboxes, speaking an average of 20,000 words per day, nearly three times the mere 7,000 spoken by men.
Seemed to make sense, given the rep of women as purveyors of gossip, not to mention creatures incapable of keeping their traps shut. Right? Wrong.
A new study published today in Science reports men and woman actually use roughly the same number of words daily.
James Pennebaker, chair of the University of Texas at Austin's psychology department, says he was skeptical of the lopsided stats when he saw them quoted in an interview with Brizendine in The New York Times Magazine. "I read that and I knew it couldn't be true simply because we've run too many studies," he says, "it just didn't make sense." In fact, he had been collecting data over the past decade with colleagues at the University of Arizona in Tucson that specifically showed that the sexes are about equal when it comes to a war of words.
After working with posttraumatic stress disorder patients for years, Pennebaker had noticed a deficiency in people's self-reporting of their experiences. So, he devised "a measure that would capture people's real life," he says. His device, called EAR (for electronically activated recorder) is a digital recorder that subjects can store in a sheath similar to a case for glasses in their purses or pockets. The EAR samples 30 seconds of ambient noise (including conversations) every 12.5 minutes; carriers cannot tamper with recordings.
Researchers used this device to collect data on the chatter patterns of 396 university students (210 women and 186 men) at colleges in Texas, Arizona and Mexico. They estimated the total number of words that each volunteer spoke daily, assuming they were awake 17 of 24 hours. In most of the samples, the average number of words spoken by men and women were about the same. Men showed a slightly wider variability in words uttered, and boasted both the most economical speaker (roughly 500 words daily) and the most verbose yapping at a whopping 47,000 words a day. But in the end, the sexes came out just about even in the daily averages: women at 16,215 words and men at 15,669. In terms of statistical significance, Pennebaker says, "It's not even remotely close to different." He does point out that women tend to jaw more about other people, whereas men are apt to hold forth on more concrete objects—so the stereotypes of ladies as gossips and guys engaging in car talk can live on.
As far as the myth of women being more chatty than men, Pennebaker thanks Brizendine for bringing it to his attention. As for the legend's origins, University of Pennsylvania linguistics professor Mark Liberman speculated in a blog last year: "My current best guess is that a marriage counselor invented this particular meme about 15 years ago, as a sort of parable for couples with certain communication problems, and others have picked it up and spread it, while modulating the numbers to suit their tastes."
Nikhil Swaminathan
Monkey See, Monkey Don't: Learning from Others' Mistakes
Thunder, Lightning and... Snow
Hormonal Help for Autism: A Dose of Oxytocin
Talk It Up
June 1, 2005 — Olaf Schmidt
The Truth about Online Dating
February 1, 2007 — Robert Epstein
The Brain in Love
April 1, 2004 — Barbara Smuts
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- Country Spain
more than 50 years of passion
50 years of victories, but also of timeless products that have made the history of the brand. From the Young Line worn by McEnroe, to the Ghibli designed for the United States Davis Cup Team, Sergio Tacchini's garments are the synthesis of a success story. A tennis player who creates, with Italian style and innovation, a brand that evokes a whole world.
Sergio Tacchini, Italian Tennis Champion and Davis Cup team player from 1959 to 1966
It all began in 1966 when Sergio Tacchini retired from competitive tennis and founded Sandys, a company manufacturing and distributing sportswear and sports shoes.
1970 - His friends
Tacchini started with kits for his former tennis colleagues with the first tennis wear collections created by the former champion.
1970 - The colour
He introduced colour to tennis kits for the very first time, impacting a world which, up until then, had only ever allowed white.
1972 - New logo
The new Sergio Tacchini logo was launched, where the initials S and T intertwine to reproduce the court baselines and resemble the shape of a tennis ball.
1978 - Sponsorships and international testimonials
The year when the sponsorships of world class tennis players started, with Connors and Gerulaitis helping to boost the Italian brand within the top rankings of the tennis world and gain recognition on the international market.
1978 - John McEnroe
1978 - the year of amazing intuition: an 8 year contract was signed with the new world class tennis star John McEnroe, who went on to become the key icon of the brand.
1980 - Young Line
At the beginning of the 80s, Tacchini launched the Young Line polo shirt on the market: a double contrast colour stripe front&back on the polo shirt. This double stripe became the iconic symbol of the brand, used at a corporate level with a series of different versions throughout the yearly collections. In fact, the Young Line Polo and Tamarindo track suit are still among the current best sellers.
1980 - 1990 - New sportswear lines
This was the decade that saw the Sergio Tacchini collections branch out to embrace new sportswear lines designed for other kinds of sports. First and foremost the GOLF line, which led to the sponsorship of champion players such as Jan Woosnam.
1990 - Skiing
Then came the skiiing line for men, women and kids. A collection for skiing enthusiasts, but also technical lines designed for world class champions such as Pirmin Zurbriggen and Marc Girardelli
1990 – 1995 - Shoes
True to its mission based on extending its lines, shoe collections were introduced in the mid 90s, focusing particularly on technical shoes for champion players, but also launching a leisure wear range.
The 90s also witnessed the brand advertising campaigns of different subjects taken to a whole new level, covering both tennis and the champions of the moment, and also the new sports lines produced by Sergio Tacchini.
The total look
It was during this period that the Italian brand developed a total look leisure collection. The collections are for both men and women, and range from outerwear to trousers and shoes.
1991 - The stores
The total look collection led to the launch of the first flagship stores. The very first store was opened in Turin in 1991, inaugurating a new form of distribution on the sportswear retail channel.
2001 - Sailing
In 2001 the brand's own 60 foot trimaran was launched, competing under the command of the competent French skipper Fauconnier. The investment was deemed essential for the design and fine-tuning of the new Sailing collection technical gear.
A fundamental collaboration based strategy was drawn up to manage the non-core business products; it was during this period that fragrances and bags were introduced to the Sergio Tacchini portfolio. Underwear, socks, watches, homewear and beachwear soon followed suit.
The brand celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016. A dedicated logo was designed for the occasion, a Young Line Polo Special Edition and the celebrations were held at the Yacht Club de Monaco, featuring a photographic exhibition and a lavish party in the presence of a long list of friends of the brand, especially from the tennis world.
In celebration of its anniversary, the brand commenced a number of partnerships with designers from the fashion world, creating a range of capsules that are the ultimate blend between the sporting and fashion worlds. The first was with Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy, closely followed by Andrea Crews, Eleven Paris, and Le Bon Marché in Paris.
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Home/Entertainment/The 2016 ‘Best Rangers’ Came From the National Guard
The 2016 ‘Best Rangers’ Came From the National Guard
ShadowSpear April 20, 2016
0 1,353 3 minutes read
FORT BENNING, GA – “I feel like it’s definitely his year,” said Megan Truett, sister of Capt. Robert Killian on Team 47, on April 15. She had been to the competition in previous years, unable to make it last year, but she knew she had to attend this year to see him win.
Truett was right; it was her brother’s year to win the Lt. Gen. David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition. He took first place with his teammate, Staff Sgt. Erich Friedlein. The team also won the Leandri Award – an award presented to the team with the best time on the night orienteering course in honor of Richard A. Leandri, who established the Chairborne Rangers and a major figure in organizing the first Best Ranger Competition.
The team was the first National Guard team to win in the 33 years of the Best Ranger Competition.
The second place team was Team 33 from the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade, 1st Sgt. David Floutier and Staff Sgt. Joshua Rolfes, and third place was Team 31 from the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Capt. Michael Blanchard and Capt. Brian Slamkowski.
Capt. Mark Gaudet and 1st Lt. Timothy Nelson, Team 1 with the 1st Infantry Division, won the Captain Russell B. Rippetoe Trophy, sponsored by the Armed Forces Institute. This award is presented to the team who, like Rippetoe, kept going when all others fall by the wayside, as many do during road marches.
Sgt. Michael Banta and Sgt. Steven Strickland, Team 39 with the 75th Ranger Regiment, won the Moore-Van Aalst Marksmanship Award. This award was given in honor of 1st Sgt. Harvey L. Moore and Master Sgt. Jared N. Van Aalst.
The Best Ranger Competition awards ceremony took place April 18 in Marshall Auditorium in McGinnis-Wickam Hall. Acting Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy served as the guest speaker.
Murphy said the Soldiers went through a three-day, 60-hour test of strength and teamwork, and they are the epitome of what a Soldier should be.
“We finish the fights because we have great Americans, like these men up here, these Rangers, who have answered the call,” he said.
Murphy said there are more than 330 million Americans, and the country has asked for just 1 percent of them to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said to think about the 1 percent who are serving, and what the Rangers represent.
“You are the top 1 percent of the 1 percent,” he said. “So, we could not be more proud of what you accomplished.
“We have become more and more a total, joint force … a total force,” he added, talking about National Guard, reservists and active-duty Soldiers becoming one team.
After Murphy spoke, the 23 finishing teams were announced. The first-place team took the stage where they received their Colt .45-caliber revolvers and pointed them in the air, representing their well-deserved accomplishment.
Killian and Friedlein both said they felt proud in representing the National Guard.
“It feels great to represent the National Guard and get a win for the Guard,” Friedlein said. “It feels good to show … we can be on the same level as active duty units.”
“I think it says a lot about the Guard in general and our military and how we’re very equal (fighting forces),” Killian said.
Friedlein said the Warrior Training Center at Camp Butler has been very supportive and brought the competitors down for a 21/2-month train-up and gave them access to a lot of obstacles and things needed for practice.
Killian said there has never been a competition this close in the history of the Best Ranger Competition. The team had an emotional finish. Killian said he felt his knees almost get weak and when they crossed the finish line, he fell to the ground in tears.
He knew he had finally won.
“As soon as I hit that last turn … I was like already in tears,” Killian said. “It was really surreal … you play that moment up in your head like so many times hoping that it’ll happen.”
Friedlein said Killian wouldn’t let him look back to see where the other competitors were during the final buddy run.
“It still hasn’t totally sunk in yet,” Friedlein said. “It felt great … we put in the work and we finally got it … I was proud of myself for pushing as hard as I could.”
Killian has competed in the competition five times, with two second place wins, and Friedlein has competed three times. Killian was also the Spartan Race world champion in October 2015, Truett said.
Both teammates said it’s possible they will compete again.
Killian said having a lot of Family and friends there to support him gave him an extra push during each event – especially with his son, Christopher, yelling “Go daddy!”
“It makes it worthwhile,” he said. “I’m very appreciative that they’re out there to support us.”
Killian’s wife, Maxine, said she was proud of her husband’s accomplishment.
Special Ops Canines Train Like They Fight
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Colleran appointed President and CEO of FedEx Express | Post & Parcel
by admin | Mar 13, 2019
FedEx Corp. have announced that Don Colleran has been appointed president and chief executive officer of FedEx Express, effective March 16 2019.
Colleran has been with FedEx for almost 30 years, holding various executive level positions in several operating companies and international regions. He began his FedEx career as an international sales manager in Philadelphia before moving to Asia Pacific to lead the region’s sales group.
In 2000, Colleran was promoted to president of FedEx Express Canada prior to moving back to the U.S. in 2003 to serve as senior vice president of international sales. In 2006, he was appointed executive vice president of global sales. In 2017, Colleran was named executive vice president and chief sales officer of FedEx Corp.
A native of Massachusetts, Colleran earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of New Hampshire. He serves on the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Advisory Board, the US-ASEAN Business Council, and as a director of ABM Industries and EastGroup Properties. He is also a member of the American Chamber of Commerce and recognized as one of the Irish Americamagazine’s “Business 100.”
“Don has the depth of talent and global experience to lead the FedEx Express organization. With his commercial focus and global mind set, he is the right choice to execute our key strategies and deliver for our customers, team members and shareholders,” said Raj Subramaniam, president and chief operating officer, FedEx Corp.
Jill Brannon, a more than 30-year FedEx veteran, will succeed Colleran as executive vice president, chief sales officer of FedEx Corp.
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Teen uses “pro-choice” to show true courage
By JAMES PHILLIPS,
In most cases teenagers are trying to figure out what’s really going on while stumbling through life mentally confined to their own little world. Every so often you come across a teenager who is older and wiser than their years, and more mature than many adults. This is the exception, because of inexperience and the narrow mindedness that come with being young. We all know what that’s like — we have been there and lived through those carefree and trying years. I bring this up because of the actions of an 18-year-old mother that gave everyone a clear example of selflessness, bravery and remarkable courage.
Dana Scatton was 17 and seven months pregnant when she was told she had an inoperable brain tumor. Doctors explained her situation was dire, and only immediate radiation treatments would extend, or possibly save, her life. But there was a choice to be made. If she chose to begin treatments it would lead to irreparable harm, including possible death, for her unborn daughter. This brave teenager never thought twice and used her right to choose to make the right choice of a true mother. She made it clear that she would not do anything that could cause harm to her child. Even as doctors begged her to reconsider, Scatton would not relent. Scatton’s mother said, “She faced the greatest fear of all, death, and smiled back with a grin only God can instill.”
In January she gave birth to a healthy baby girl just days after she turned 18. Sadly, after enjoying motherhood for three short months Scatton passed away last week as a result of her brain tumor. This teenager came to a crossroads where she had to make a choice, and it was either her life or her baby’s life. She never hesitated in making the decision to protect her baby at any cost — even the ultimate cost. This young woman was only 17, but her courage and actions were that of a true mother and an extraordinary person.
As I was reading the article about this brave young woman, I was overcome with memories of my best friend when I was younger. He was cut from the same heavenly mold as Scatton. Nathan Russell was far different from any teenager I’ve ever known. He was as morally sound, selfless, loyal and caring — and more humble than any person I’ve ever met. He was also one of the nicest human beings I have ever encountered. Much of the credit for those traits, as well as his good manners and respectfulness, can be attributed to his parents Julie and Rodney. Just ask anyone that knew, or ever met, him there was no doubt they raised the finest of young men.
Just like Scatton, there was something special about Nathan. He genuinely just loved life — and everyone in it. Just being around him had this uplifting effect that made your day better, and made you want to be a better person. He was a natural born leader that led by example and possessed distinct qualities that only come from God above. Every mother says that their son is “special,” but in Nathan’s case that statement was never more true. Throughout the 22 years since he was called back to Heaven, I have known people that possibly compare to him, but I have never met a better individual than James Nathan Russell.
He and Scatton were both called home to God before they escaped their teenage years, and had the opportunity to figure out what this life is actually all about. There’s no way life is better without either of them, but maybe we just don’t understand. Former Scott County Times Publisher Sid Salter wrote, “Until I am granted a higher wisdom, I won’t understand why Nathan died. But I’ll thank God every day for the way Nathan lived — and for letting this boy’s path cross mine.”
It took time for me, but I have come to understand — the real blessings in life are individuals like Nathan and Scatton. Knowing them was a privilege bestowed upon us by God Himself. They touch the lives of everyone with whom they cross paths. When our life is touched by a Godsend it hurts terribly when they’re precious time here with us is up. But we have to cherish the time we had and the memories we made.
In memory of #20 James Nathan Russell - Oct. 3, 1978 - Oct. 11, 1996 – Until we meet again my brother.
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How to Get Resentenced under Proposition 47
On November 5, 2014, California voters passed Proposition 47, the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act.”1
This initiative reduces the penalties for certain theft crimes and drug crimes in California.2
Specifically, Proposition 47 takes several crimes that were previously felonies or wobblers in California law (meaning that they could be charged as a felony or a misdemeanor), and changes them to misdemeanors in most situations.3
This means that the maximum penalty for these crimes will generally be:
Up to one (1) year in county jail; and/or
A fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000).4
California crimes affected by Prop 47
The felony/wobbler offenses that are changed to misdemeanors under Prop 47 are:
Grand theft auto, if the car that is stolen is worth nine hundred fifty dollars ($950) or less;
Grand theft firearm, if the gun that is stolen is worth $950 or less;
Shoplifting, if the value of the stolen property is $950 or less;
Penal Code 496 receiving stolen property, if the property received is worth $950 or less;
California forgery of a check, money order, traveler's check, etc. (also known as check fraud), that is for $950 or less;
Violating Penal Code 476a California's "bad checks" law, if the total amount of check(s) in question is $950 or less;
Health & Safety Code 11350 possession of a controlled substance;
Health & Safety Code 11357 possession of concentrated cannabis; and
Health & Safety Code 11377 possession of methamphetamine.5
Eligibility for Proposition 47 sentencing
Under Prop 47, most defendants will be charged with a misdemeanor if they are accused of one of the above-listed crimes.6
But some defendants may still face felony penalties for these offenses. The Prop 47 sentence reductions will not apply to:
Defendants who have previous convictions for certain serious crimes, including rape, murder, and sex crimes against children; and
Defendants who are required to register as sex offenders for prior sex offense convictions.7
Resentencing under Proposition 47
Proposition 47 allows people already facing felony penalties for one of the crimes listed above to bring a motion to modify the sentence (resentencing).8
A successful application for resentencing means you will be deemed to have been convicted of a misdemeanor—not a felony—and will be eligible for an earlier release from jail/prison. In some cases, you may be eligible for immediate release.
In this article, our California criminal defense lawyers explain Proposition 47—and how to appeal your sentence if the new law affects you—by addressing the following:
1. Prop 47 Conversion of Felonies/Wobblers to Misdemeanors
1.1. Theft crimes
1.2. Check forgery/check fraud
1.3. Drug crimes
2. Who Is Eligible for Sentencing or Re-sentencing Under Prop 47?
2.1. Sex crimes convictions
2.2. Serious violent felony convictions
3. Appealing Your Sentence under Prop 47
4. The Fight to Pass Proposition 47
If, after reading this article, you would like more information, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group.
Proposition 47's primary impact on California criminal law is to change certain theft and drug offenses from felonies or wobblers to misdemeanors.9
A “wobbler” is a California crime that may be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony at the prosecutor's discretion, usually depending on:
The particular facts of the case, and
The defendant's criminal history.10
Prop 47 basically removes the option for the prosecutor to charge certain offenses as felonies in most cases. Instead, these offenses will be misdemeanors for most defendants.11
The maximum penalties for a California misdemeanor are:
Six (6) months or one (1) year in county jail; and/or
A fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000).12
In contrast, even the least serious felonies in California carry the following penalties:
At least sixteen (16) months, two (2) years or three (3) years in prison; and/or
A fine of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000).13
So for defendants accused (or convicted) of one of the crimes covered by Proposition 47, the initiative could make a huge difference to their sentence.
Example: In October of 2014, Chris is charged with possession of concentrated cannabis under Health & Safety Code 11357.
Because he has previous convictions for misdemeanor marijuana possession and disturbing the peace on his record, the prosecutor decides to charge him with possession as a felony.
Chris's lawyer informs him that he could be sentenced to up to three (3) years in jail.
However, while Chris is awaiting his trial, Proposition 47 passes. This means that possession of concentrated cannabis will necessarily be a misdemeanor for a defendant like Chris.
So the maximum jail sentence Chris will face is one (1) year.
The crimes that are affected by Prop 47's passage are:
Grand theft auto/grand theft firearm
Proposition 47 provides that all thefts of property worth nine hundred fifty dollars ($950) or less will be considered petty theft—a misdemeanor under California law.14
The maximum sentence for petty theft is six (6) months in county jail.15
In contrast, under the previous law, any theft of property from off of someone's person (as in pickpocketing), and any theft of
a motor vehicle, or
a firearm,
was considered grand theft.16 (This is what gave rise to the terms “grand theft auto” and “grand theft firearm.”)
Grand theft is a wobbler, and grand theft firearm (prior to the passage of Prop 47) was a felony. Each involved a potential jail sentence of up to three (3) years.17
Example: Carmen is accused of stealing an old, high-mileage car that is not worth more than $500.
Prior to Proposition 47, the prosecutor would have the option of charging her with felony grand theft auto—and probably would have chosen to do so. This would have meant she was facing 16 months to 3 years in jail.
But after Proposition 47, Carmen's offense is considered petty theft because the car was not worth more than $950.
So her maximum sentence will be 6 months.
Proposition 47 also clarifies that entering an open business with the intent to steal merchandise will be a misdemeanor, as long as the stolen merchandise is not worth more than nine hundred fifty dollars ($950).18
This will be known as the offense of shoplifting under Penal Code 459.5 PC.19 The maximum sentence for shoplifting is six (6) months in county jail.20
In contrast, under pre-Prop 47 law, entering a business intending to steal from it could have been treated as California burglary—which is a wobbler.21
Penal Code 496 PC receiving stolen property is typically a wobbler. Prior the passage of Proposition 47, the district attorney had the option of charging it as a misdemeanor if the value of the stolen property was no more than nine hundred fifty dollars ($950).22
But Prop 47 amended California's receiving stolen property law to provide that the offense can only be a misdemeanor if the value of the property received is no more than nine hundred fifty dollars ($950).23
The maximum potential sentence for misdemeanor receiving stolen property under Proposition 47 is one (1) year in county jail.24
Example: Adam helps his brother Tom hide a gun worth $900 that Tom has stolen.
Eventually the brothers are arrested, prior to the passage of Prop 47. Tom is charged with grand theft firearm, and Adam is charged with receiving stolen property as a felony. Adam is convicted and sentenced to 2 years in jail.
But then Proposition 47 passes. Adam's offense is now only a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of 1 year.
He and his attorney may apply to get his sentence reduced to what it would be under the new law.
Petty theft with a prior
Prior to the passage of Prop 47, Penal Code 666 PC created the crime of “petty theft with a prior.”25
Under the old version of PC 666, if the defendant in a petty theft case had three (3) or more prior convictions for certain theft crimes, then s/he could potentially receive a felony sentence (16 months to 3 years) for the current petty theft charges.26
But Proposition 47 more or less removed the crime of petty theft with a prior from California criminal law.27
Under the new version of the law, most petty theft cases will be misdemeanors no matter how many prior theft convictions the defendant has.28
A major exception to this, though, is that petty theft with a prior may still be charged if the defendant has a prior theft conviction for theft or embezzlement from an elderly person or dependent adult (a form of Penal Code 368 PC California elder abuse).29
Check forgery
Proposition 47 specifies that Penal Code 470 forgery—which is typically a wobbler—will be a misdemeanor if:
The forged document is a check, bond, bank bill, note, cashier's check, traveler's check, or money order;
The value of the forged check or other document is not more than nine hundred fifty dollars ($950); and
The defendant is not also convicted of Penal Code 530.5 PC identity theft.30
The maximum sentence for misdemeanor check forgery/check fraud after Prop 47 will be one (1) year in county jail.31
Example: Sarah works as an in-home health care aide for elderly people.
She takes a check from the home of one of her clients, forges the client's signature on it, and tries to use it to buy a $500 bicycle.
Under California law before Proposition 47, the prosecutor may have been tempted to charge Sarah with forgery as a felony because she betrayed an elderly person's trust. Her maximum potential sentence would have been 3 years.
But under the law post-Prop 47, Sarah's offense is a misdemeanor because the check was for no more than $950. Her maximum sentence will be 1 year in county jail.
Bad checks
Also, Proposition 47 amends California's "bad checks" law, Penal Code 476a PC.
Under the old version of this law, passing bad checks was a wobbler unless the total value of all of the checks or other instruments involved was four hundred fifty dollars ($450) or less, in which case it was a misdemeanor.32
Under the new law, this offense will be a misdemeanor if the total value of all of the checks or other instruments involved is nine hundred fifty dollars ($950) or less.33
The maximum sentence for misdemeanor passing bad checks is up to one (1) year in county jail.34
However, the reduced penalties for passing bad checks under $950 do not apply if the defendant has three (3) or more prior convictions for forgery or bad checks35
Perhaps the most rational and overdue part of Proposition 47 is its reduction of the potential sentences for several victimless drug crimes.
First of all, Prop 47 turns HS 11350 possession of a controlled substance—which in most cases used to be a felony36—into a misdemeanor with a maximum county jail sentence of one (1) year.37
Second, Proposition 47 turns possession of concentrated cannabis—which used to be a wobbler under Health & Safety Code 1135738—into a misdemeanor carrying a maximum county jail sentence of one (1) year, and a maximum fine of five hundred dollars ($500).39
Finally, Proposition 47 changes the offense of possession of methamphetamine (HS 11377) from a wobbler40 to a misdemeanor with a maximum jail sentence of one (1) year.41
Example: Ralph is arrested for possession of concentrated cannabis in a county where the district attorney is running for election on a “tough on crime” platform.
Ralph is charged with HS 11357 possession of concentrated cannabis as a felony. He is convicted and receives the maximum sentence of three (3) years in jail.
After Ralph is released, Proposition 47 passes. Ralph hires an attorney to apply for a reduction of his conviction from a felony to misdemeanor, as the new law allows.
If successful, Ralph will be able to avoid most of the consequences of a felony conviction on his record.
The following chart summarizes Proposition 47's changes to the maximum penalties for various crimes.
The revised sentencing laws of Proposition 47 do not apply to all criminal defendants.
Specifically, the reduced sentences set forth in this law will not apply to any defendant who either:
Is required to register as a sex offender under California's Sex Offender Registration Act because of a prior sex crime conviction for which registration is mandatory; OR
Has a prior conviction for any of a list of relatively serious violent felonies.42
The sex crimes convictions that can make a defendant ineligible for a Proposition 47 reduced sentence include:
most violations of California rape law under the Penal Code's 261 sections,
Penal Code 243.4 PC sexual battery,
most sex crimes involving minors, such as lewd acts with a child and California child pornography crimes,
forced acts involving oral copulation by force or fear, Penal Code 286 sodomy, and/or Penal Code 289 forcible penetration with a foreign object,
violations of California “indecent exposure” law, and
human trafficking for prostitution-related purposes or for child pornography purposes.43
Example: Andre pled guilty to lewd acts with a child fifteen years ago. After two years in prison, he was released on parole. He is required to register as a sex offender in California because of this conviction.
Now, Andre is caught with some cocaine in his car. He is charged with possession of a controlled substance under Health & Safety Code 11350 HS.
But Andre will not be eligible for sentencing under Proposition 47, because he has a prior conviction that requires him to register as a sex offender.
This means that possession of a controlled substance will probably be a felony for Andre—just as it would have been before Prop 47 was passed.
California's Sex Offender Registration Act also allows judges to require defendants to register even if they aren't convicted of one of the sex crimes listed in that law. A judge can do this if s/he believes the defendant committed another offense for purposes of sexual gratification.44
But people who need to register as a sex offender because of a judge's order ARE eligible for sentencing under Proposition 47. You are only ineligible for Prop 47 sentencing if you were convicted of one of the offenses specifically listed in the Sex Offender Registration Act.45
In addition, convictions for certain serious and/or violent felonies will render a defendant ineligible for sentencing under Prop 47.46
These offenses are:
“Sexually violent offenses” under California law—which means sex crimes committed by use of force, violence, or threat of bodily injury or retaliation;
Sex crimes against a child under the age of 14;
Penal Code 187 PC murder or attempted murder;
Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated Penal Code 191.5 ;
Solicitation to commit murder;
Assault with a machine gun on a peace officer or firefighter;
Possession of a weapon of mass destruction; and
Any serious and/or violent felony that is punishable by life in prison or death.47
Note that this list is significantly shorter than the lists of “serious felonies” and “violent felonies” that count as “strike offenses” under California's “Three Strikes” law.48
This means that you may well be eligible for sentencing under Proposition 47 even if you have one or more “strike offenses” on your record.
Example: Judy has prior convictions for arson and residential burglary—both of which are “strike offenses.”
Now, she is charged with check fraud for knowingly writing checks totaling $600 with insufficient funds in the account.
Neither arson nor burglary is on the list of crimes that make a defendant ineligible for Prop 47 sentencing. So Judy's current check fraud charges will be subject to Prop 47—which means the offense will be a misdemeanor.
If you have already been convicted of a felony for a crime that would be a misdemeanor under Prop 47, then you may apply for resentencing under the new law.49
Defendants eligible to appeal their sentences under Prop 47 include BOTH
those who are currently serving a sentence for a crime affected by the initiative, and
those who have completed their sentence for a crime affected by the initiative.50
Petition for resentencing
The process is the same both for people currently serving felony sentences, and for people who have completed their felony sentences.
First, the defendant files a petition for resentencing in the court where s/he was originally convicted.51
Next, the judge determines whether his/her conviction would have been a misdemeanor under Proposition 47.
If it would have been, then the judge is required to grant the petition for resentencing—by changing the conviction to a misdemeanor.52
The only exception is if the judge determines that resentencing the defendant would pose an “unreasonable risk to public safety.”53
An unreasonable risk to public safety means an unreasonable risk that the defendant will commit a new violent felony on the list of crimes (discussed above) that would make him/her ineligible for Prop 47 sentencing (murder, sexually violent offenses, etc.).54
In determining whether a defendant poses an unreasonable risk to public safety, the judge may take into consideration:
His/her criminal history, including type of crimes committed, extent of injury to victims, length of prior prison sentences, and how long ago past crimes were committed;
The defendant's disciplinary record and record of rehabilitation while incarcerated; and
Any other evidence the judge considers relevant.55
Defendants currently serving a sentence
According to Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Neil Shouse56:
“If you are still serving a felony sentence for an offense covered by Proposition 47, then a successful petition for resentencing will probably result in a material reduction in your sentence—and could possibly mean immediate release from incarceration.”
At the time of Prop 47's passage, California prison officials had identified almost 5,000 inmates serving felony sentences who would be eligible for resentencing under Prop 47.57
With this many people eligible for resentencing under Prop 47, California courts are likely to face a backlog in processing petitions for resentencing. An experienced criminal defense attorney can be an enormous help for current inmates who want to get their sentence reduced in a timely fashion.
People who have already completed their sentences
A petition for resentencing may be less of an urgent matter for people who have already completed felony sentences for crimes that are misdemeanors under Proposition 47—but it is no less important.
For example, a felony conviction on your record can prevent you from
serving on a jury,58 or
serving in the armed forces.59
You are also required to disclose felony convictions to prospective employers—who take such convictions more seriously than misdemeanor convictions.
Thus, having your felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor under Prop 47 can enhance your life in material ways.
However, there is one consequence of a felony conviction that is not changed by Proposition 47—the removal of your right to own a firearm.60
If you were convicted of a felony for an offense that is now a misdemeanor under Prop 47, and you successfully petition for resentencing, you still will not be allowed to own a firearm without violating California's “felon with a firearm” laws.61
Proposition 47 is a landmark piece of voter-made law in California.
The initiative passed with 58.5% of the vote. Its clear victory shows that Californians have had enough of mass incarceration—and are ready to embrace “smart on crime” approaches instead of “tough on crime” ones.62
Not only will Prop 47 change the lives of people who would otherwise have faced unjustifiably long sentences for minor crimes—it will also save the state of California money. Preliminary estimates of the savings range from $150 million to $250 million every year.63
Under Proposition 47, the money saved from incarcerating fewer people for minor crimes will be used as follows:
25% to the State Department of Education, to support programs aimed at reducing truancy and helping students who are at risk of dropping out or becoming crime victims;
10% to the California victim compensation fund; and
65% to support public agency programs that provide mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, and diversion programs for people in the criminal justice system.64
So it's not surprising that a wide range of influential organizations supported Prop 47, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the California Catholic Conference—and the rapper Jay Z.
Call us for help…
Call us for help at (855) LAW-FIRM
For questions about Proposition 47 and how to receive a sentence reduction under this initiative, or to discuss your case confidentially with one of our California criminal appellate attorneys, do not hesitate to contact us at Shouse Law Group.
We have local criminal law offices in and around Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, San Jose, Oakland, the San Francisco Bay area, and several nearby cities.
1 “Prop 47 Passes, Reducing Some Crime Penalties,” Los Angeles Times, Nov. 4, 2014.
3 See California Secretary of State, Official Voter Information Guide: Proposition 47.
See also Penal Code 672 PC – Offenses for which no fine prescribed; fine authorized in addition to imprisonment. (“Upon a conviction for any crime punishable by imprisonment in any jail or prison, in relation to which no fine is herein prescribed, the court may impose a fine on the offender not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000) in cases of misdemeanors [such as the offenses affected by Prop 47] or ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in cases of felonies, in addition to the imprisonment prescribed.”)
5 California Secretary of State, Official Voter Information Guide: Proposition 47, Full Text of Initiative.
See also Penal Code 667(e)(2)(C)(iv). (“(iv) The defendant [shall not be eligible for a Proposition 47 sentence if s/he] suffered a prior serious and/or violent felony conviction, as defined in subdivision (d) of this section, for any of the following felonies: (I) A “sexually violent offense” as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 6600 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. (II) Oral copulation with a child who is under 14 years of age, and who is more than 10 years younger than he or she as defined by Section 288a, sodomy with another person who is under 14 years of age and more than 10 years younger than he or she as defined by Section 286, or sexual penetration with another person who is under 14 years of age, and who is more than 10 years younger than he or she, as defined by Section 289. (III) A lewd or lascivious act involving a child under 14 years of age, in violation of Section 288. (IV) Any homicide offense, including any attempted homicide offense, defined in Sections 187 to 191.5, inclusive. (V) Solicitation to commit murder as defined in Section 653f. (VI) Assault with a machine gun on a peace officer or firefighter, as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (d) of Section 245. (VII) Possession of a weapon of mass destruction, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 11418. (VIII) Any serious and/or violent felony offense punishable in California by life imprisonment or death.”)
See also Welfare Code 6600(b) [definition of “sexually violent offense” for Prop 47 purposes]. (“(b) “Sexually violent offense” means the following acts when committed by force, violence, duress, menace, fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the victim or another person, or threatening to retaliate in the future against the victim or any other person, and that are committed on, before, or after the effective date of this article and result in a conviction or a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity, as defined in subdivision (a): a felony violation of Section 261, 262, 264.1, 269, 286, 288, 288a, 288.5, or 289 of the Penal Code, or any felony violation of Section 207, 209, or 220 of the Penal Code, committed with the intent to commit a violation of Section 261, 262, 264.1, 286, 288, 288a, or 289 of the Penal Code.”)
8 Penal Code 1170.18 PC – Petition for recall of sentence; resentencing procedures; reduction of felonies to misdemeanors [added by Proposition 47]. (“(a) A person currently serving a sentence for a conviction, whether by trial or plea, of a felony or felonies who would have been guilty of a misdemeanor under the act that added this section (“this act”) [Proposition 47] had this act been in effect at the time of the offense may petition for a recall of sentence before the trial court that entered the judgment of conviction in his or her case to request resentencing in accordance with Sections 11350, 11357, or 11377 of the Health and Safety Code, or Section 459.5, 473, 476a, 490.2, 496, or 666 of the Penal Code, as those sections have been amended or added by this act. (b) Upon receiving a petition under subdivision (a), the court shall determine whether the petitioner satisfies the criteria in subdivision (a). If the petitioner satisfies the criteria in subdivision (a), the petitioner's felony sentence shall be recalled and the petitioner resentenced to a misdemeanor pursuant to Sections 11350, 11357, or 11377 of the Health and Safety Code, or Section 459.5, 473, 476a, 490.2, 496, or 666 of the Penal Code, those sections have been amended or added by this act, unless the court, in its discretion, determines that resentencing the petitioner would pose an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety. In exercising its discretion, the court may consider all of the following: (1) The petitioner's criminal conviction history, including the type of crimes committed, the extent of injury to victims, the length of prior prison commitments, and the remoteness of the crimes. (2) The petitioner's disciplinary record and record of rehabilitation while incarcerated. (3) Any other evidence the court, within its discretion, determines to be relevant in deciding whether a new sentence would result in an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety. (c) As used throughout this Code, “unreasonable risk of danger to public safety” means an unreasonable risk that the petitioner will commit a new violent felony within the meaning of clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667.”)
9 California Secretary of State, Official Voter Information Guide: Proposition 47, Full Text of Initiative, endnote 5, above.
10 See, e.g., Health & Safety Code 11350 HS – Possession of controlled substances [old version before Proposition 47]. (“(a) Except as otherwise provided in this division, every person who possesses (1) any controlled substance specified in subdivision (b) or (c), or paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 11054, specified in paragraph (14), (15), or (20) of subdivision (d) of Section 11054, or specified in subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 11055, or specified in subdivision (h) of Section 11056, or (2) any controlled substance classified in Schedule III, IV, or V which is a narcotic drug, unless upon the written prescription of a physician, dentist, podiatrist, or veterinarian licensed to practice in this state, shall be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code. (b) Except as otherwise provided in this division, every person who possesses any controlled substance specified in subdivision (e) of Section 11054 shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code.”)
11 California Secretary of State, Official Voter Information Guide: Proposition 47, Full Text of Initiative, endnote 5, above.
12 See, e.g., Health & Safety Code 11350 HS – Possession of controlled substances [new version as revised by Proposition 47]. (“a) Except as otherwise provided in this division, every person who possesses (1) any controlled substance specified in subdivision (b), (c), (e), or paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 11054, specified in paragraph (14), (15), or (20) of subdivision (d) of Section 11054, or specified in subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 11055, or specified in subdivision (h) of Section 11056, or (2) any controlled substance classified in Schedule III, IV, or V which is a narcotic drug, unless upon the written prescription of a physician, dentist, podiatrist, or veterinarian licensed to practice in this state, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, except that such person shall instead be punished pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code if that person has one or more prior convictions for an offense specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667 of the Penal Code or for an offense requiring registration pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 290 of the Penal Code.”)
See also Penal Code 672 PC – Offenses for which no fine prescribed; fine authorized in addition to imprisonment, endnote 4, above.
13 Penal Code 1170(h) PC – Determinate sentencing. (“(h)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), a felony punishable pursuant to this subdivision where the term is not specified in the underlying offense [such as may of the Prop 47 offenses] shall be punishable by a term of imprisonment in a county jail for 16 months, or two or three years.”)
14 Penal Code 490.2 PC – Petty theft; punishment of certain repeat offenders [added by Proposition 47]. (“(a) Notwithstanding Section 487 or any other provision of law defining grand theft, obtaining any property by theft where the value of the money, labor, real or personal property taken does not exceed nine hundred fifty dollars ($950) shall be considered petty theft and shall be punished as a misdemeanor, except that such person may instead be punished pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 if that person has one or more prior convictions for an offense specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667 or for an offense requiring registration pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 290.”)
15 Penal Code 490 PC – Petty theft; punishment [affected by Prop 47]. (“Petty theft is punishable by fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or both.”)
16 Penal Code 487 PC – “Grand theft” defined [overridden by Proposition 47]. (“Grand theft is theft committed in any of the following cases: (a) When the money, labor, or real or personal property taken is of a value exceeding nine hundred fifty dollars ($950), except as provided in subdivision (b). (d) When the property taken is any of the following: (1) An automobile. (2) A firearm.”)
17 Penal Code 489 PC – Grand theft; punishment [overridden by Proposition 47]. (“Grand theft is punishable as follows: (a) If the grand theft involves the theft of a firearm, by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three years. . . . (c) In all other cases, by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170.”)
18 Penal Code 459.5 PC – Shoplifting [added by Proposition 47]. (“(a) Notwithstanding Section 459, shoplifting is defined as entering a commercial establishment with intent to commit larceny while that establishment is open during regular business hours, where the value of the property that is taken or intended to be taken does not exceed nine hundred fifty dollars ($950). Any other entry into a commercial establishment with intent to commit larceny is burglary. Shoplifting shall be punished as a misdemeanor, except that a person with one or more prior convictions for an offense specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667 or for an offense requiring registration pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 290 may be punished pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170. (b) Any act of shoplifting as defined in subdivision (a) shall be charged as shoplifting. No person who is charged with shoplifting may also be charged with burglary or theft of the same property.”)
20 Penal Code 19 PC – Punishment for misdemeanor; punishment not otherwise prescribed. (“Except in cases where a different punishment is prescribed by any law of this state, every offense declared to be a misdemeanor [including under Proposition 47] is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both.”)
21 Penal Code 459 PC –Definition [amended by Prop 47]. (“Every person who enters any house, room, apartment, tenement, shop, warehouse, store, mill, barn, stable, outhouse or other building, tent, vessel, as defined in Section 21 of the Harbors and Navigation Code, floating home, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 18075.55 of the Health and Safety Code, railroad car, locked or sealed cargo container, whether or not mounted on a vehicle, trailer coach, as defined in Section 635 of the Vehicle Code, any house car, as defined in Section 362 of the Vehicle Code, inhabited camper, as defined in Section 243 of the Vehicle Code, vehicle as defined by the Vehicle Code, when the doors are locked, aircraft as defined by Section 21012 of the Public Utilities Code, or mine or any underground portion thereof, with intent to commit grand or petit larceny or any felony is guilty of burglary.”)
See also Penal Code 461 PC – Punishment. (“Burglary is punishable as follows: . . . (b) Burglary in the second degree: by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170.”)
22 Penal Code 496 PC – Receiving stolen property; punishment [old version prior to amendment by Proposition 47]. (“(a) Every person who buys or receives any property that has been stolen or that has been obtained in any manner constituting theft or extortion, knowing the property to be so stolen or obtained, or who conceals, sells, withholds, or aids in concealing, selling, or withholding any property from the owner, knowing the property to be so stolen or obtained, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170. However, if the district attorney or the grand jury determines that this action would be in the interests of justice, the district attorney or the grand jury, as the case may be, may, if the value of the property does not exceed nine hundred fifty dollars ($950), specify in the accusatory pleading that the offense shall be a misdemeanor, punishable only by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year.”)
23 Penal Code 496 PC – Receiving stolen property; punishment [as amended by Proposition 47]. (“(a) Every person who buys or receives any property that has been stolen or that has been obtained in any manner constituting theft or extortion, knowing the property to be so stolen or obtained, or who conceals, sells, withholds, or aids in concealing, selling, or withholding any property from the owner, knowing the property to be so stolen or obtained, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170. However, if the value of the property does not exceed nine hundred fifty dollars ($950), the offense shall be a misdemeanor, punishable only by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, if such person has no prior convictions for an offense specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667 or for an offense requiring registration pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 290.”)
25 Penal Code 666 PC – Petty theft; prior conviction of certain offenses; punishment [old version; prior to Prop 47]. (“(a) Notwithstanding Section 490, every person who, having been convicted three or more times of petty theft, grand theft, a conviction pursuant to subdivision (d) or (e) of Section 368, auto theft under Section 10851 of the Vehicle Code, burglary, carjacking, robbery, or a felony violation of Section 496 and having served a term therefor in any penal institution or having been imprisoned therein as a condition of probation for that offense, and who is subsequently convicted of petty theft, is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170. (b) Notwithstanding Section 490, any person described in paragraph (1) who, having been convicted of petty theft, grand theft, a conviction pursuant to subdivision (d) or (e) of Section 368, auto theft under Section 10851 of the Vehicle Code, burglary, carjacking, robbery, or a felony violation of Section 496, and having served a term of imprisonment therefor in any penal institution or having been imprisoned therein as a condition of probation for that offense, and who is subsequently convicted of petty theft, is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, or in the state prison. (1) This subdivision shall apply to any person who is required to register pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act, or who has a prior violent or serious felony conviction, as specified in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5 or subdivision (c) of Section 1192.7.”)
27 Penal Code 666 PC – Petty theft; prior conviction of certain offenses; punishment [as amended by Prop 47]. (“(a) Notwithstanding Section 490, any person described in subdivision (b) who, having been convicted of petty theft, grand theft, a conviction pursuant to subdivision (d) or (e) of Section 368, auto theft under Section 10851 of the Vehicle Code, burglary, carjacking, robbery, or a felony violation of Section 496, and having served a term of imprisonment therefor in any penal institution or having been imprisoned therein as a condition of probation for that offense, and who is subsequently convicted of petty theft, is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, or in the state prison. (b) Subdivision (a) shall apply to any person who is required to register pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act, or who has a prior violent or serious felony conviction, as specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667, or has a conviction pursuant to subdivision (d) or (e) of Section 368.”)
30 Penal Code 473 PC – Forgery; punishment [as amended by Proposition 47]. ("(a) Forgery is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), any person who is guilty of forgery relating to a check, bond, bank bill, note, cashier's check, traveler's check, or money order, where the value of the check, bond, bank bill, note, cashier's check, traveler's check, or money order does not exceed nine hundred fifty dollars ($950), shall be punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, except that such person may instead be punished pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 if that person has one or more prior convictions for an offense specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667 or for an offense requiring registration pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 290. This subdivision shall not be applicable to any person who is convicted both of forgery and of identity theft, as defined in Section 530.5.”)
32 Penal Code 476a PC – Checks, drafts or orders on banks; insufficient funds; intent to defraud; punishment; evidence; severability; investigation fee [old version prior to amendment by Proposition 470]. (“(a) Any person who, for himself or herself, as the agent or representative of another, or as an officer of a corporation, willfully, with intent to defraud, makes or draws or utters or delivers a check, draft, or order upon a bank or depositary, a person, a firm, or a corporation, for the payment of money, knowing at the time of that making, drawing, uttering, or delivering that the maker or drawer or the corporation has not sufficient funds in, or credit with the bank or depositary, person, firm, or corporation, for the payment of that check, draft, or order and all other checks, drafts, or orders upon funds then outstanding, in full upon its presentation, although no express representation is made with reference thereto, is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170. (b) However, if the total amount of all checks, drafts, or orders that the defendant is charged with and convicted of making, drawing, or uttering does not exceed four hundred fifty dollars ($450), the offense is punishable only by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year. This subdivision shall not be applicable if the defendant has previously been convicted of a violation of Section 470, 475, or 476, or of this section, or of the crime of petty theft in a case in which defendant's offense was a violation also of Section 470, Penal Code 475, or 476 or of this section or if the defendant has previously been convicted of any offense under the laws of any other state or of the United States which, if committed in this state, would have been punishable as a violation of Section 470, 475 or 476 or of this section or if he has been so convicted of the crime of petty theft in a case in which, if defendant's offense had been committed in this state, it would have been a violation also of Section 470, 475, or 476, or of this section.”)
33 Penal Code 476a PC – Checks, drafts or orders on banks; insufficient funds; intent to defraud; punishment; evidence; severability; investigation fee [as amended by Proposition 47]. (“(a) Any person who, for himself or herself, as the agent or representative of another, or as an officer of a corporation, willfully, with intent to defraud, makes or draws or utters or delivers a check, draft, or order upon a bank or depositary, a person, a firm, or a corporation, for the payment of money, knowing at the time of that making, drawing, uttering, or delivering that the maker or drawer or the corporation has not sufficient funds in, or credit with the bank or depositary, person, firm, or corporation, for the payment of that check, draft, or order and all other checks, drafts, or orders upon funds then outstanding, in full upon its presentation, although no express representation is made with reference thereto, is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170. (b) However, if the total amount of all checks, drafts, or orders that the defendant is charged with and convicted of making, drawing, or uttering does not exceed nine hundred fifty dollars ($950), the offense is punishable only by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, except that such person may instead be punished pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 if that person has one or more prior convictions for an offense specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667 or for an offense requiring registration pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 290. This subdivision shall not be applicable if the defendant has previously been convicted of three or more violations of Section 470, 475, or 476, or of this section, or of the crime of petty theft in a case in which defendant's offense was a violation also of Section 470, 475, or 476 or of this section or if the defendant has previously been convicted of any offense under the laws of any other state or of the United States which, if committed in this state, would have been punishable as a violation of Section 470, 475 or 476 or of this section or if he has been so convicted of the crime of petty theft in a case in which, if defendant's offense had been committed in this state, it would have been a violation also of Section 470, 475, or 476, or of this section.”)
36 Health & Safety Code 11350 HS – Possession of designated controlled substances; punishment and fine [old version prior to amendment by Proposition 47]. (“(a) Except as otherwise provided in this division, every person who possesses (1) any controlled substance specified in subdivision (b) or (c), or paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 11054, specified in paragraph (14), (15), or (20) of subdivision (d) of Section 11054, or specified in subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 11055, or specified in subdivision (h) of Section 11056, or (2) any controlled substance classified in Schedule III, IV, or V which is a narcotic drug, unless upon the written prescription of a physician, dentist, podiatrist, or veterinarian licensed to practice in this state, shall be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code.”)
37 Health & Safety Code 11350 HS – Possession of designated controlled substances; punishment and fine [as amended by Proposition 47]. (“(a) Except as otherwise provided in this division, every person who possesses (1) any controlled substance specified in subdivision (b), (c), (e), or paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 11054, specified in paragraph (14), (15), or (20) of subdivision (d) of Section 11054, or specified in subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 11055, or specified in subdivision (h) of Section 11056, or (2) any controlled substance classified in Schedule III, IV, or V which is a narcotic drug, unless upon the written prescription of a physician, dentist, podiatrist, or veterinarian licensed to practice in this state, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, except that such person shall instead be punished pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code if that person has one or more prior convictions for an offense specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667 of the Penal Code or for an offense requiring registration pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 290 of the Penal Code.”)
38 Health & Safety Code 11357 HS – Unauthorized possession; punishment; prior conviction; possession in school or on school grounds [old version prior to amendment by Proposition 47]. (“(a) Except as authorized by law, every person who possesses any concentrated cannabis shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than one year or by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or by both such fine and imprisonment, or shall be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code.”)
39 Health & Safety Code 11357 HS – Unauthorized possession; punishment; prior conviction; possession in school or on school grounds [as amended by Prop 47]. (“(a) Except as authorized by law, every person who possesses any concentrated cannabis shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than one year or by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or by both such fine and imprisonment, except that such person may instead be punished pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code if that person has one or more prior convictions for an offense specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667 of the Penal Code or for an offense requiring registration pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 290 of the Penal Code.”)
40 Health & Safety Code 11377 HS – Unauthorized possession; punishment [old version prior to Proposition 47]. (“(a) Except as authorized by law and as otherwise provided in subdivision (b) or California Health & Safety Code 11375 HS, or in Article 7 (commencing with Section 4211) of Chapter 9 of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code, every person who possesses any controlled substance which is (1) classified in Schedule III, IV, or V, and which is not a narcotic drug, (2) specified in subdivision (d) of Section 11054, except paragraphs (13), (14), (15), and (20) of subdivision (d), (3) specified in paragraph (11) of subdivision (c) of Section 11056, (4) specified in paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (f) of Section 11054, or (5) specified in subdivision (d), (e), or (f) of Section 11055, unless upon the prescription of a physician, dentist, podiatrist, or veterinarian, licensed to practice in this state, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of not more than one year or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code.”)
42 See, e.g., same [restrictions set forth for Prop 47 sentencing].
See also Penal Code 1170.18 PC – Petition for recall of sentence; resentencing procedures; reduction of felonies to misdemeanors. (“(i) The provisions of this section [allowing resentencing under Proposition 47 for those already serving sentences] shall not apply to persons who have one or more prior convictions for an offense specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 667 or for an offense requiring registration pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 290.”)
43 Penal Code 290(c) PC – Sex offender registration act. (“(c) The following persons shall be required to register [and hence are ineligible for Proposition 47 sentencing]: Any person who, since July 1, 1944, has been or is hereafter convicted in any court in this state or in any federal or military court of a violation of Section 187 committed in the perpetration, or an attempt to perpetrate, rape or any act punishable under Section 286, 288, 288a, or 289, Section 207 or 209 committed with intent to violate Section 261, 286, 288, 288a, or 289, Section 220, except assault to commit mayhem, subdivision (b) and (c) of Section 236.1, Section 243.4, paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), or (6) of subdivision (a) of Section 261, paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 262 involving the use of force or violence for which the person is sentenced to the state prison, Section 264.1, 266, or 266c, subdivision (b) of Section 266h, subdivision (b) of Section 266i, Section 266j, 267, 269, 285, 286, 288, 288a, 288.3, 288.4, 288.5, 288.7, 289, or 311.1, subdivision (b), (c), or (d) of Section 311.2, Section 311.3, 311.4, 311.10, 311.11, or 647.6, former Section 647a, subdivision (c) of Section 653f, subdivision 1 or 2 of Section 314, any offense involving lewd or lascivious conduct under Section 272, or any felony violation of Section 288.2; any statutory predecessor that includes all elements of one of the above-mentioned offenses; or any person who since that date has been or is hereafter convicted of the attempt or conspiracy to commit any of the above-mentioned offenses.”)
44 Penal Code 290.006 – Court order of registration for offenses committed out of sexual compulsion or for sexual gratification [does not affect eligibility for Prop 47 sentencing]. (“Any person ordered by any court to register pursuant to the Act for any offense not included specifically in subdivision (c) of Section 290, shall so register, if the court finds at the time of conviction or sentencing that the person committed the offense as a result of sexual compulsion or for purposes of sexual gratification. The court shall state on the record the reasons for its findings and the reasons for requiring registration.”)
45 See, e.g., Health & Safety Code 11377 HS – Unauthorized possession; punishment [restrictions set forth for Prop 47 sentencing], endnote 41, above.
See also Penal Code 667(e)(2)(C)(iv) PC, endnote 7, above.
47 Penal Code 667(e)(2)(C)(iv) PC, endnote 7, above.
48 Compare same [list of offenses that make a defendant ineligible for Proposition 47 sentencing] with Penal Code 667.5(c) PC [violent felonies] and Penal Code 1192.7(c) PC [serious felonies].
49 Penal Code 1170.18 PC – Petition for recall of sentence; resentencing procedures; reduction of felonies to misdemeanors [added by Proposition 47], endnote 8, above.
50 See same.
See also Penal Code 1170.18 PC – Petition for recall of sentence; resentencing procedures; reduction of felonies to misdemeanors [added by Proposition 47]. (“(f) A person who has completed his or her sentence for a conviction, whether by trial or plea, of a felony or felonies who would have been guilty of a misdemeanor under this act had this act been in effect at the time of the offense, may file an application before the trial court that entered the judgment of conviction in his or her case to have the felony conviction or convictions designated as misdemeanors. (g) If the application satisfies the criteria in subdivision (f), the court shall designate the felony offense or offenses as a misdemeanor. (h) Unless requested by the applicant, no hearing is necessary to grant or deny an application filed under subsection (f).”)
56 Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Neil Shouse is the Managing Attorney of Shouse Law Group. He is a former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, where he worked on high-profile gang, murder, and firearms cases. Now, Shouse has turned the inside knowledge he gained as a prosecutor into extraordinary expertise in criminal defense law, including complex sentencing laws like Proposition 47.
57Prop 47 jolts landscape of California justice system, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 5, 2014.
58 See United States Courts, Juror Qualifications, Exemptions And Excuses.
59 10 United States Code (“U.S.C.”) 504(a). (“No person who is insane, intoxicated, or a deserter from an armed force, or who has been convicted of a felony, may be enlisted in any armed force. However, the Secretary concerned may authorize exceptions, in meritorious cases, for the enlistment of deserters and persons convicted of felonies.”)
60 Penal Code 1170.18 PC – Petition for recall of sentence; resentencing procedures; reduction of felonies to misdemeanors [added by Proposition 47]. (“(k) Any felony conviction that is recalled and resentenced under subdivision (b) or designated as a misdemeanor under subdivision (g) shall be considered a misdemeanor for all purposes, except that such resentencing shall not permit that person to own, possess, or have in his or her custody or control any firearm or prevent his or her conviction under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 29800) of Division 9 of Title 4 of Part 6.”)
62 See Prop 47 victory shows California embracing ‘smart on crime' approach, supporters say, Sacramento Bee, Nov. 5, 2014.
63 California Secretary of State, Official Voter Information Guide: Proposition 47, Full Text of Initiative, Section 3: Purpose and Intent.
64 Government Code 7599.2 – Distribution of Moneys from the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund [added by Proposition 47]. (“(a) By August 15 of each fiscal year beginning in 2016, the Controller shall disburse moneys deposited in the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund as follows: (1) Twenty–five percent to the State Department of Education, to administer a grant program to public agencies aimed at improving outcomes for public school pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, by reducing truancy and supporting students who are at risk of dropping out of school or are victims of crime. (2) Ten percent to the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board, to make grants to trauma recovery centers to provide services to victims of crime pursuant to Section 13963.1 of the Government Code. (3) Sixty–five percent to the Board of State and Community Corrections, to administer a grant program to public agencies aimed at supporting mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, and diversion programs for people in the criminal justice system, with an emphasis on programs that reduce recidivism of people convicted of less serious crimes, such as those covered by this measure, and those who have substance abuse and mental health problems.”)
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Home > Blog > Nursing Home Arbitration Clause Battle Heads to Supreme Court
Nursing Home Arbitration Clause Battle Heads to Supreme Court
When a nursing home resident is hurt or dies as a result of the neglect or abuse of facility staffers, administrators should be held accountable. The resident or their surviving family members deserve to have their day in court when disputes arise. Unfortunately, this is not happening for many people who suffer harm due to the negligence and wrongful acts of nursing homes.
The problem: nursing home arbitration clauses have become very common in nursing home admissions paperwork. A case currently before the Supreme Court will address whether or not these arbitration clauses should be enforced when vulnerable seniors fall victim to harm.
An arbitration clause is a provision that says a person cannot bring a civil lawsuit in court. The clause mandates that all disputes- including personal injury or wrongful death claims- must be resolved by an arbitrator. The arbitration process is typically secretive, which helps to protect the nursing home from potential bad publicity. In some cases, the victims of abuse or neglect who wish to bring claims in arbitration will end up having to pay a portion of the arbitrator's fees. Some evidence also suggest that the outcomes of arbitration proceedings aren't as favorable to abuse victims because they end up with smaller amounts of compensation or are compensated in fewer circumstances.
Often, when someone signs an arbitration clause, the document is buried in nursing home admissions paperwork. People don't understand what they are signing or how the clause will affect their future rights. Sometimes, it is the resident himself who signs the arbitration clause. In other circumstances, it is a person who has power-of-attorney (usually a spouse or adult child). An agent has the right to act on behalf of a resident who cannot manage his or her own affairs.
The case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Kindred Nursing Centers v. Clark, specifically addresses situations where a person with power of attorney signs a nursing home admissions clause. There are actually three consolidated cases that the court will be considering, all of which involved the wrongful death of a nursing home resident.
The Supreme Court in Kentucky found for the plaintiffs and ruled an arbitration clause wouldn't be binding when an agent had signed it on behalf of a resident, because the power of attorney didn't specifically give the agent the right to waive the rights of the resident to a civil trial.
If the Supreme Court sides with the Kentucky high court's decision, this could have nationwide implications that affect the rights of seniors and their families in profound ways.
Many nursing home admissions contacts are signed by agents/ those with power of attorney because those being admitted often cannot act on their own. This case could mean that the residents' right to sue would be protected, even if an agent happened to sign an arbitration clause when the resident moved into a home.
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Gareth Bale Could Miss Rest of 2017 as Real Madrid Reveals New Injury Blow
Real Madrid have reported that Welsh star Gareth Bale has suffered an injury setback, following an issue that has kept him out since early last month.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man tore a muscle in his calf at the beginning of October, leaving him ineligible to compete in important matches for both club and country; and it's looking like he could miss several more games.
The Spanish side announced that Bale was taken for further testing after complaining with pain in his leg on Thursday, and it was discovered that certain skeletal muscle in his thigh had been ruptured.
A statement on Real's official website reads: "Our player Gareth Bale, who felt some discomfort in his left leg at the end of training last Thursday, has been subjected to different tests today by the Real Madrid Sanitas Medical Services.
"He has been diagnosed with a fibrillar rupture in the middle third of the adductor longus muscle of the mentioned leg. Update pending."
Earlier reports suggested that Zinedine Zidane was set to rest Bale for another two weeks before thrusting him back into the first team - but given this latest development, it could be for much longer than that.
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a dream, 11/17/2018
content note: accidental death
I had a dream about the large extended family of a woman who had died young. On the anniversary of her death, I was watching the family explain what had happened, in the place where it had happened.
The young woman was nineteen years old, and had just been married. The newlyweds moved into a modest but charming house with a big yard. The yard had quite a few trees, some fruit-bearing, some not, and so they set to work assessing them. The young man decided to chop down a tree to clear the space for a garden, and the young woman had climbed up a very tall fruit tree to check its health and the quality of its fruit. They were a bit like mangoes, but larger and more green.
As I listened, the young man stood at the stump of the tree, pretending to chop at it with the axe he held in his hands. He explained that he had never cut down a strong old tree before, and it had proved much more difficult than he anticipated. As he kept chopping, he heard a terrible sound. A thud. His new wife had fallen from the tall tree, struck the ground, and died.
I listened from the branches of the tree, which still stood, and looked toward him, where he stood at the stump where the other tree had been. The whole family was there, grandparents and siblings and honorary cousins, and the young women were in the tree.
But when it came to the part in the story when she fell to her death, the young women of her family stepped out of the branches with billowing sheets of white fabric, parachutes, gliding softly through the air in graceful arabesques until they touched the dirt.
Some of their movements were less like gentle falls and more like flight, their hands guiding the fabric in the air in a dance that was brief but slow and meditative, mournful but also with some touch of joy in the action. It was as if by recreating this tragic event in safety they could defang it somehow, defuse its power.
Watching their skill I realized, this was not the first anniversary of this event. I looked at the young man and I realized he was not the widower – perhaps that was his grandfather, or his great-great-uncle, and it had been decided that this year he would play the part. Each year they told the story of the woman who had died, and each year they would keep her alive, floating softly to the ground on homemade wings.
Tags: cw accidental death, dreams
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Tips on How to Keep Going From 101-year-old runner Ida Keeling
Christina M. Tapper | August 2nd 2016, 3:07 pm
Right before she ran the 100-meter mixed masters race at the Penn Relays on April 30, Ida Keeling made up her mind. At 100 years old, she was going to hang up her sneakers for good. "I decided I wasn't going to run any more after the race," she says.
But the decision didn't stick. Keeling holds several track-and-field records. At the Penn Relays she set a new 100-meter mark for centenarians (1:17.33). "I felt like a giant," says Keeling, who stands 4'6". "When I got home, I said, 'I'm going back out there so I can break my record.'"
That's the thing about Keeling, who turned 101 in May. She can't stop, and she won't stop.
After losing her two sons to suspected drug-related deaths within a two-year span when she was in her 60s, Keeling had a hard time coping. "I was down in the dumps. I felt like I was in a hole that I couldn't get out of," she recalls.
Keeling's daughter, Shelley, a decorated track-and field athlete, asked her mother to join her on a "mini-run" in Brooklyn, New York. The run was far from mini, though. It was five kilometers, or about three miles. "Later, I found out that it was a 5K! I didn't know what a 5K was!" she says.
Keeling wasn't fast, but she completed the race. "The other runners were all passing me. I was so embarrassed," Keeling remembers. "So, I talked to myself. You can convince yourself of a lot of things. I don't care how slow I go, the distance in front of me will get shorter." The run, she says, was an awakening. "It was like somebody watered some dry flowers. I just opened up," Keeling says. "Running is good therapy."
Since then, Keeling has run in nearly 70 track and road races, mostly in mixed age groups. "When I was at 90, I left some 70-year-olds in the dust," Keeling says. She credits her motivational self talks for her ability to keep going, even when her inner-detractor tells her to walk instead of run. "I tell myself, 'Come on, Ida. You can do this,'" she says.
When Keeling isn't running, she's still on the move — either on a stationary bike or doing yoga. She has aches and pains, but that doesn't sideline her for very long. Like many runners, Keeling has days when she just doesn't feel like running. But she still laces up her sneakers, and advises others to do the same. "Kick yourself in the butt, and get out there," she says.
Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports
Camp Wannawin
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An inclusive soccer experience
Published on: June 29, 2018 | Last Updated: June 29, 2018 12:32 PM EDT
The Norfolk Youth Soccer Park will host a truly international event July 22.
It’s then that migrant workers from eight local farms will come together for a day of fun and football in the first-ever Farms of Norfolk Football Association (FNFA) tournament.
The gathering is being hosted by a group of volunteers led by Carrie Sinkowski, a community developer and member of the Norfolk Seasonal Agricultural Workers Community Committee, but the idea actually originated from the players themselves during the group’s annual health fair.
“What we’ve been discovering … is that they were really interested in doing social activities together and also social activities with the broader community,” said Sinkowski.
“Even though it’s being organized by people who live in Norfolk County year-round, the idea actually came from the workers themselves.”
Sinkowski applied for a grant to host the event through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Not only will the tournament – which features 27 matches and a skills competition – be a way for local workers to get together but is designed to bring together all of Norfolk.
“We’re getting a lot of interest from the year-round residents and the various soccer clubs,” said Sinkowski. “We’re trying to make it an event that isn’t just focused on the eight farms but we’re hoping workers will attend from other farms, or people who live here all year will come.”
Spectators can expect to see a truly unique style of play with competitors hailing from countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil and Mexico.
Norfolk County will run a kids activity zone, and organizers have also secured businesses to speak about water safety and working outdoors in the summer.
“There’s a health and wellness component to it but there’s also a community gathering component as well,” said Sinkowski.
The tournament idea hasn’t just been a hit with prospective players but volunteers wishing to get involved as well.
“I’ve been a community developer for 20 years and I’ve been really surprised at the level of enthusiasm,” Sinkowski added. “I figured people would be excited about this, but I didn’t expect the level of enthusiasm and the level of engagement I’ve been receiving.”
Sinkowski points out that many migrant workers in Norfolk are here for eight months of the year – away from their family and friends back home.
“That’s a long time to be away,” she said. “So (we’re) trying to create a sense of community for the place that they’re actually in for the majority of their year. That was definitely one of our objectives – creating a sense of welcomeness to Norfolk County and being included and helping maybe ease some of the feelings of what it must be like being away from home.”
Anyone interested in getting involved can email fnfatournament@gmail.com.
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UC Santa Cruz ranked among top schools for game design
stephens@ucsc.edu (Tim Stephens)
The game design programs at UC Santa Cruz were named among the top programs in the country by the Princeton Review, an education services company. The undergraduate and graduate programs at UC Santa Cruz were both ranked in the top 25 in the company's lists for 2017 of the best undergraduate and graduate schools for students to study game design and launch a career in the game industry.
UC Santa Cruz ranked 13th on the Princeton Review's list of the "Top 25" graduate schools and 21st on the list of the "Top 50" undergraduate programs. The full lists are posted at Top Game Design Schools 2017. The web site also provides information on the Princeton Review's methodology for the rankings and profiles of the schools.
UCSC offers a broad range of programs in computer game design. The Baskin School of Engineering established the first undergraduate major in computer game design in the UC system in 2006. In addition to B.S. and B.A. degrees in game design, the campus also has three graduate programs with an emphasis on games: the professional M.S. in games and playable media; the Ph.D. or M.S. in computational media; and the M.F.A. in digital arts and new media.
The Princeton Review based its rankings on a survey it conducted in 2016 of 150 institutions offering game design coursework or degrees in the United States, Canada, and some countries abroad.
For more information about the game design programs at UC Santa Cruz, visit the web sites for the Department of Computational Media, Digital Arts and New Media, and Art & Design: Games & Playable Media.
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The Triangle Island Lighthouse at the Sooke Region Museum.
Triangle Island Lighthouse beams bright light on museum
The lantern’s first home was on Triangle Island, approximately 45 kilometers off northern Vancouver Island.
Brianna Shambrook
The lighthouse on the Sooke Region Museum grounds is one of our most asked about artifacts.
The red lantern was first located on Triangle Island in 1910 and the lens inside originally rotated in the Estevan Point Lighthouse. Both the lantern and the lens were donated by the Canadian Coast Guard and moved to the museum grounds in 2004 under the direction of Maywell Wickheim.
The transportation and installation of these two artifacts was an incredible feat that required the assistance of more than 100 volunteers and several local companies.
The lantern weighs about 14 tonnes and is made of cast iron and glass. It sits on a concrete tower that was built on site with the assistance of a federal employment grant and a large cash donation by the Sooke Lions Club. The lantern was refurbished, painted (keeping its red colour) and lifted, by crane, onto the concrete tower.
The lantern’s first home was on Triangle Island, approximately 45 kilometers off northern Vancouver Island. Due to savage weather and the lighthouse being situated in the fog banks, it was deemed unusable to mariners. In 1918 the lighthouse was decommissioned and dismantled in 1920.
Inside the lantern is a First Order Fresnel lens, which is identical to the original lens that operated on Triangle Island. This is one of the largest lenses in the world and there are very few remaining. This particular lens was made by the Chance Brothers in Birmingham, England, but it was designed by a Frenchman named Augustin-Jean Fresnel. In the book, Keepers of the Light, written by Donald Graham, it is stated that this lens originally cost $35,000.
This First Order lens weighs almost three tonnes and beamed four flashes of light every ten seconds. When it was at Estevan Point, the lens rotated on a bed of mercury until this was determined hazardous; at that point, the lens was retired.
As a safety precaution during the move, the lens was carefully dismantled, wrapped in blankets and placed in wooden crates. Museum employee Beverley Myers recalls several Sooke residents offering up their blankets to wrap the lens parts in during transportation.
There are more than 30 artifacts on display in our lighthouse. A majority of these artifacts are oil lanterns, but there are also pieces of the lens that are used for example during tours. Lining the walls are archival reproductions detailing the history of Triangle Island, Estevan Point, the lantern and lens, and past lighthouse keepers.
At the Sooke Region Museum, we have a binder detailing the installation of the lantern and lens. Visitors are welcome to take a look at the binder and see the memorable pictures taken during this undertaking.
If you purchase tickets to be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown, you can have a free tour of the lighthouse, or Moss Cottage, between Feb. 25 and 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 4.p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the museum. From June to August, the museum offers daily tours of the lighthouse for $3 per person.
Brianna Shambrook is collections and exhibits manager at Sooke Region Museum.
Dentist’s office opened door in the Sooke region
JOURNEY GEMS: Ski trip, dance on tap
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Could Paris Win The World Cup?
By Robbie Butler,
The title of this post is not a mistake. Rather it is driven by an overview (see here for full piece) of player nationality and region of birth at World Cups since 2002. This in-depth work explores the past four World Cups and the current tournament and finds that France has been most successful at producing players to perform at the tournament.
Since Korea and Japan, France has provided 216 players at five world cups. While more than half have represented their country of birth, squad limits of 23 mean that 100+ have represented other nations. This is no doubt a consequence of France's colonial past. Players born in the country have put many international jerseys on, including the likes of Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria and Ivory Coast.
As we head towards the end of Week 1 at the 2018 World Cup, it is interesting to examine a possible team that the city of Paris could field. The eleven would include the likes of Bernard Mendy, N'golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe. What is even more remarkable is the fact that the team could include the likes of Anthony Martial, Riyad Mahrez and Kingsely Coman, none of which made it to Russia.
From an Irish perspective, 12 players born on this island, make the overall list. This might appear to be low and places the country second last behind Iceland, Togo, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. This can be explained by a number of factors.
Firstly, the Irish team last reached the World Cup finals in 2002 so there is a single observation. Secondly, as the world's first colony, Irish squads are often dominated by players who's parents and grandparent migrated to England, Wales and Scotland. Lastly, migration to Ireland is a relatively new phenomenon. In fact, this did not significantly start until the early 2000s. However, things might be about to change. Most migration to Ireland in this time has come from Eastern Europe and West Africa. Children born in this country, whose parents emigrated to Ireland, could now be as old as 17 or 18. In the not too distance future we may start to see children born in places such as Dublin and Cork represent countries like Poland, Latvia, Nigeria and Ivory Coast.
And of course, we would also argue that the Irish figures should be higher, and France around 20 lower. We haven't forgotten about Thierry Henry and that handball in Paris in 2009. I don't think we ever will.
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Basic Education Is A Priority For Australian’s Aid Program To Nepal
Australian Ambassador to Nepal Peter Budd mentioned that promoting human development through improved access to, and quality of, basic education is a priority for Australia’s aid program to Nepal.
He encouraged an exchange of knowledge, skills and experiences in the areas of inclusive education between Australia and Nepal. Addressing the event entitled Celebrating Partnerships and Diversity, organized by Australia Awards, Australian Ambassador to Nepal Peter Budd said that Australia Awards are prestigious international Scholarships and Short Courses funded by the Australian Government.
Drisana Levitzke-Gray,Young Australian of the Year 2015, shared her experiences of her journey on advocating for the human rights of the Deaf community in Australia and abroad at an event entitled Celebrating Partnerships and Diversity, organized by Australia Awards.
According to a press release issued by Embassy of Australia Kathmandu, Drisana is Ambassador for Deaf Australia, Our Watch, and Full Stop Foundation and promotes the ‘Deaf Gain’ concept, inspiring the Deaf community in Australia, and encouraging the wider community to embrace diversity.
Speaking at the event in her native language Auslan (Australian sign language) Drisana said, “As a Deaf person, I am a very proud person. I would not be the person I am today if it was not for the fact that I am Deaf. My achievement and successes are with thanks to the endless Deaf role-models that I have had growing up … by being open-minded and embracing the beautiful diversity that we have on earth and celebrating what each and every one of us has to offer. Together we can use our passion and influence to bring about social change.”
The event also marked the completion of another Australia Awards Short Course on Inclusive Education, which aimed to support the Government of Nepal’s vision to mainstream inclusive education practices that promote equitable access to education services.
Altogether 21 participants including government officials, persons with disability and members of the disabled persons’ organisations shared their plans for the future after having completed the course from16-27 April 2018 at The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia.
Australia Awards offer the next generation of global leaders an opportunity to undertake study, research and professional development opportunities in Australia. To learn more about Australia Awards, visit www.australiaawardsnepal.org
Monsoon Floods Affect Five Million Children In South Asia: UNICEF By NEW SPOTLIGHT ONLINE 10 hours, 1 minute ago
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Cut from salon job because she was pregnant, hair stylist wins $11,000 compensation
by Carlito Pablo on June 24th, 2019 at 4:02 PM
Even if there were no discrimination, she would have been let go just the same.
Mackenzie Weihs was a new hair stylist, and she wasn’t very skilled yet.
As a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal noted, the managers of the Great Clips salon had real concerns about her abilities.
They said she wasn’t good enough, and so they terminated her during her probationary period.
But Weihs believed she was fired for another reason. And that’s because she was pregnant.
In reasons for decision in favour of Weihs, tribunal member Grace Chen wrote that the stylist’s pregnancy “only has to be a factor in the adverse treatment”.
“Her pregnancy does not have to be the sole factor or the main factor,” according to Chen.
Weihs was fired eight days after she announced her pregnancy.
Chen noted that salon manager Marlene Barker quipped after hearing Weihs’ announcement: “I hope Lizzie and the other girls aren’t pregnant. Whatever you did, keep it with you.”
Lizzie is another stylist, and according to Chen, the comment suggests that Barker “thought negatively about accommodating a pregnancy”.
“Ms. Barker testified that Lizzie was an exceptional stylist,” Chen wrote. “I reasonably infer that Ms. Barker made her comment because she did not want Lizzie to go on leave if she became pregnant. This is a logical conclusion given the Respondents’ evidence that they were short‐staffed and wanted competent stylists on the floor.”
While there were “genuine concerns” about Ms. Weihs’ abilities, Chen noted that it “was not until after the pregnancy announcement that Ms. Barker decided she did not want to invest further into improving Ms. Weihs’ skills”.
“Discrimination on the basis of pregnancy is a form of sex discrimination,” the ruling noted.
In addition to Great Clips and Barker, salon owner Angela Rollins was also named as respondent in Weihs’ complaint.
“Ms. Rollins testified there would have been no significant financial investment in keeping Ms. Weihs if she were competent,” Chen wrote.
According to Rollins, the $400 cost to send Weihs to the Great Clips styling academy would have been “significantly outweighed by the sales Ms. Weihs would have generated if she were a competent stylist”.
“However, I find it was not money that the Respondents did not want to invest,” Chen stated. “Rather, I find the Respondents did not want to invest any more time and energy into increasing Ms. Weihs’ skills after learning she was pregnant.”
“Specifically, I find Ms. Barker decided she did not want to invest those efforts when she learned Ms. Weihs was pregnant because Ms. Weihs required too much help and her maternity leave would interrupt any progress,” Chen continued. “I find Ms. Rollins relied on Ms. Barker’s judgment when they decided to fire Ms. Weihs.”
Rollins is based in Metro Vancouver. She and a partner own a chain of salons, and the one where Weihs worked was in Campbell River.
Chen accepted as true the testimonies presented that Rollins was supportive of stylists in her other salons “during and after their pregnancies”.
“It is possible for a manager in one salon to act in a discriminatory fashion while other managers in other salons do not,” Chen wrote. “I accept that Ms. Rollins expects all of her salons to be managed in a non‐discriminatory way.”
“However, Ms. Rollins’ intentions on how her employees should be treated are only as good as how they are carried out by her management team on the ground,” Chen continued. “In this situation, is it clear that Ms. Rollins’ expectations were not met.”
Chen ordered Weihs to be compensated for around $11,000.
The amount includes $9,000 as damages for injury to her dignity, feelings, and self-respect. Also covered are three-weeks’ worth of lost wages and tips, expenses, and contribution to the Canada Pension Plan, from the day after her termination in March 2017 to the last day of her probationary period.
Follow Carlito Pablo on Twitter at @carlitopablo
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St Joseph’s Catholic
Primary School, Brighouse
Our school aims to offer an excellent education, working with our families and our parish, building on the Gospel values of love, peace, justice and forgiveness.
In our Catholic school of St. Joseph’s, we believe that each one of us is a unique gift of a loving God and we strive daily to create an environment of trust, respect, tolerance, honesty and forgiveness of others. We aim to nurture our school as a place where the love of God enters into the hearts of all in our school family and where success is measured by the words and actions of all to be the kind of people God, in his love, intends us to be.
We seek to offer all in our school family the opportunity to explore the mystery which God is and to live out each day demonstrating the Gospel of Jesus Christ in action. All are included and valued regardless of colour, race, creed, gender, physical or intellectual ability or cultural background.
We strive to work in wider active partnership with all who are responsible for the welfare and education of all the children in our care.
Through daily, prayerful worship which nurtures personal reflection of our own faith journey and develops our awareness of the needs of the wider community, we proclaim and celebrate God’s love for us all.
LOVE – one another as Jesus teaches us to do
LEARN - so that we can know God better in all things
LIVE - life to the full as God intended us to do
Theological Rationale: The human person is created ‘in the image of God’ and since that is so each person possesses ‘a basic dignity that comes from God … and not from any human quality or accomplishment, not from race, or gender, age or economic status’.
This Christian vision is expressed and explored in the Catholic life of our school and is understood as ‘a work of love’. Through Christ’s command to ‘love one another as I have loved you’ (Jn 15:12) we understand equality to mean treating everyone with equal dignity and worth valuing their particular characteristics such as their age, disability, gender, religion or belief, sexual orientation and socio-economic circumstances.
Christ purposely included in his ministry those who were excluded by prejudice and discrimination. With his example in mind we understand that people have different needs, situations and goals and therefore achieving equality means removing discriminatory barriers that limit what people (especially children and young people) can do and can be. We are aware that discrimination can be experienced directly and indirectly, intentionally and inadvertently in a variety of ways by individuals, groups, institutions or system, and aim to eliminate all forms of discrimination in our school and to abide by the Equality Act of 2010.
Principle 1: All members of the school and the wider community are equal in value.
This principle applies: to those who are disabled or not; all ethnicities, cultures, religious affiliations, national origins or socio-economic circumstances, gender or sexual orientation and age.
Principle 2: Diversity is recognised and respected
Therefore our policies and procedures are differentiated as appropriate to take diversity into account and to eliminate barriers caused by any disadvantages in relation to: disability, so that reasonable adjustments are made; ethnicity, to respect cultural background and experiences of prejudice; gender so that differences between them are recognised.
Principle 3: Fostering of positive attitudes and relationships and a shared sense of unity and belonging. Therefore: to promote positive attitudes and relationships between the groups listed above in Principle 1.
Principle 4: Ensure that the recruitment, retention and ongoing development of staff is undertaken fairly and equitably to support our school’s vision and values, with reference to the groups listed in Principle 1.
Principle 5: Positively we aim to reduce and remove existing inequalities and barriers for the groups in Principle 1.
Principle 6: We consult widely with all the groups listed in Principle 1.
Principle 7: We aim to benefit the whole community through greater unity/cohesion locally and nationally by the greater participation in public life of all the groups listed in Principle 1.
The delivery of teaching and learning already reflects the 7 Principles outlined above in virtue of our Catholic Faith and ethos, and is carefully monitored. (The content of the curriculum is excluded from discrimination law.)
Opportunities for staff training in appropriate delivery are, and continue to be, offered.
Ethos and Organisation
The above seven Principles, in keeping with our Catholic faith and values, apply to all our policies and practices, including the following:
Learners’ progress, attainment and assessment
Learners’ and staff personal development, welfare and well-being
Teaching styles and strategies
Admissions and attendance (Admissions give permitted priority to Catholics)
Staff and governor recruitment, retention and professional development
Care, guidance, support
Behaviour, discipline, exclusions
Working in partnership with parents, carers, guardians
Working with the wider community, including wider school activities
Preparing all members of our community to live in and contribute positively to a diverse society.
Addressing Prejudice and Prejudice-Related Bullying
The school operates a zero-tolerance policy to all forms of prejudice, of whatsoever stripe.
The staff are given guidance on how prejudice-related incidents should be identified, assessed, recorded and dealt with.
We respect our obligation to report such incidents, and their details, to the local authority in line with present and future legal requirements.
The Governing Body is responsible for ensuring that the school complies with current legislation, and for the implementation, procedures and strategies of this policy.
The dedicated Governor carrying a watching brief for the implementation of this policy is: Mr I Goulding
The Headteacher is responsible for implementing this policy, for ensuring that all staff, governors and visitors are aware of their responsibilities and are given appropriate training and support, and for taking action in cases of unlawful discrimination.
The senior member of staff who has day-to-day responsibility for co-ordinating and implementing this policy is: Mrs M Hodges
Equality in the Classroom
Our school’s Catholic values insist on an inclusive and collaborative ethos
Prejudice-related incidents are challenged and dealt with swiftly
We aim to identify and challenge bias and stereotyping in the curriculum
Pupils for whom English is an additional language receive support
We aim to keep up to date with Equality legislation in so far as it relates to teaching
Through our school councillors all pupils have a forum for any matters
Religious Observance
The religious beliefs of all staff, pupils and parents are respected and we comply with reasonable requests relating to religious observance and practice. (The 2010 Act does not cover the daily Act of Worship. However, parents have the right to withdraw their children from it and from RE lessons, but they must make provision for their child during these periods.)
Staff are provided with information on equality issues as necessary, given appropriate training and opportunities for professional development, individually or as a team.
Breaches of this Policy
These are dealt with in the same way as other school policies as determined by the Head Teacher and the Governing Body.
Quantitative and qualitative data are routinely collected and utilised in the implementation of all our policies, including this one, with regard to all the groups listed in Principle 1 above.
Developing and Implementing this Scheme
We use Equality Impact Assessments (EQUIAs) to determine the negative and positive impacts of our equality policy on all the listed groups, with whom we have consulted and will continue to do so. In this way we ensure that we meet the diverse needs of our pupils and staff to ensure that each is included in all areas of school life.
Areas for Priority Treatment
Access: Examine any adjustments which need to be made for pupils with an identified disability.
Prejudice: To stress again and repeatedly our policy of zero tolerance for any prejudicial behaviour.
Stereotyping: To honour difference but to ensure that there is no stereotyping in the curriculum or wider activities.
Community Cohesion
Inter-school activities: Foster further links between neighbouring schools with regard to shared wider activities.
We do not discriminate against anyone, be they the staff or pupil, on the grounds of their sex, race, colour, religion, nationality, ethnic or national origins. This is in line with the 1976 Race Relations Act and covers both direct and indirect discrimination.
We promote the principles of fairness and justice for all through the education that we provide in our school.
We ensure that all pupils have equal access to the full range of educational opportunities provided by the school.
We constantly strive to improve any forms of indirect discrimination that may form barriers to learning.
We ensure that all recruitment, employment, promotion and training systems are fair to all, and provide opportunities for everyone to achieve.
We challenge stereotyping and prejudice whenever it occurs.
We celebrate the cultural diversity of our community and show respect for all minority groups.
We are aware that low self-image and ignorance cause prejudice and stereotyping. Through positive educational experiences and support for each individual’s point of view, we aim to promote positive social attitudes and respect for all.
It is the right of all pupils to receive the best education the school can provide, with access to all educational activities organised by the school. We do not tolerate any forms of racism or anti-racial behaviour. Should a racist incident occur, we will act immediately to prevent any repetition of the incident.
Our curriculum reflects the attitudes, values and respect that we have for minority ethnic groups.
Should anyone at our school be a victim of racism, we will report it to the Diocese, Local Authority and Governors and do all we can to support that person overcoming any difficulties they may have.
See also PREVENT Statement
The Role of Governors
The Governing Body has set out it’s commitment to equal opportunities in this policy statement, and it will continue to do all it can to ensure that all members of the school community are treated fairly and with equality.
The Governing Body seeks to ensure that people with disabilities are not discriminated against when applying for jobs at our school. The Governors take all reasonable steps to ensure that the schools environment gives access to people with disabilities where the building which has many levels will allow.
The Governing Body will in its annual general meeting, make reference to arrangements for disabled pupils.
The Governors welcome all applications to join the school, whatever background or disability a child may have though priority is given to practising Catholics with regard to admissions.
The Governing Body ensures that no child is discriminated against whilst in our school on account of their sex, religion or race. So, for example, all children have access to the full range of the curriculum.
The Role of the Headteacher
It is the Headteacher’s role to implement the school’s equal opportunities and anti-racism policy and he is supported by the Governing Body in doing so.
It is the Head Teacher’s role to ensure that all staff are aware of the school policy on equal opportunities, and that teachers apply these guidelines fairly in all situations.
The Head Teacher ensures that all appointments panels give due regard to this policy, so that no one is discriminated against when it comes to employment or training opportunities.
The Head Teacher promotes the principle of equal opportunity when developing the curriculum, and promotes respect for other people in all aspects of school life, for example, in worship and assembly, where respect for other people is a regular theme, and in displays shown around the school.
The Head Teacher treats all incidents of unfair treatment and any racist incidents with due seriousness.
The Role of the Class Teacher
The class teacher ensures that all pupils are treated fairly, equally and with respect. We do not discriminate against any child.
When selecting classroom material, teachers’ pay due regard to the sensitivities of all members of the class. Teachers strive to provide material that gives positive images of ethnic minorities and that challenges stereotypical images of minority groups.
When designing schemes of work, we use this policy to guide us, both in our choice of topics to study, and in how to approach sensitive issues.
All our teachers challenge any incidents of prejudice or racism. We record any serious incidents in the school logbook, and draw them to the attention of the Head Teacher. Teachers support the work of support staff and encourage them to intervene in a positive way against any occurrence of discrimination.
Monitoring and Review
It is the responsibility of the Governing Body to monitor the effectiveness of this Equal Opportunities Policy. The Governing body does this by:
Requiring the Head Teacher to report to governors on an annual basis on the effectiveness of this policy
Monitoring the staff appointment process, so that no-one applying for a post at this school is discriminated against.
Monitoring the progress of pupils of minority groups and comparing it to the progress made by other pupils in school
Taking into serious consideration any complaints regarding equal opportunities issues from parents, staff or pupils and following the recommended procedures from the Diocese and/LA.
This policy will be reviewed by the staff and Governors every 2 years.
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Taiwan export orders reach all time high in October
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautions that while the economy remains stable, it is likely to slow next year
(Image from Pexels user David Dibert)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On Nov. 20, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced that foreign export orders placed in the month of October reached an all-time high over previous years, totaling US$48.99 billion.
Orders from the United States, and for ICT products also reached an all-time high last month according to the Ministry.
A ministry official noted that this has been a good year for ICT products driven by demands for new iPhones. However, the official cautioned that the industry has yet to face any major impact from the U.S.-China trade war.
In October, export orders to the U.S. totaled US$14.92 billion, which equaled 9.1 percent increase month to month, and an annual increase of 8.2 percent over 2017. Other major markets for Taiwanese products in October included China and Hong Kong (US$11.4 billion) and Europe (US$10.9 billion).
Director of the MOEA’s Statistics department, Lin Lizhen (林麗貞), said that total order value for November is expected to be between US$48-US$49 billion, which will mean a year-on-year decrease of about 1.4 to 0.6 percent, reports China Times.
Despite a much more optimistic prediction early in 2018, estimates have become more conservative over the year. However, for now, the global economy remains stable according to Lin, and Taiwan’s total export orders for 2018 should exceed US$500 billion.
According to the China Times reports, orders for machinery, metals, and IT products have all grown significantly over the year, while the demand has decreased for plastics and rubber products.
Next year, the Ministry anticipates that the U.S.-China trade war will have a significant impact on the growth of the ICT industry.
Taiwan prepares expanded blacklist of Chinese telecom products
Photo of the Day: 'Taiwan clichés, inaccuracies, and bad takes' bingo
Over 50 major manufacturers mull shifting production away from China: Nikkei
NCC looks into Chinese involvement in Taiwan media
Australia presses China to release Uyghur mother and son
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What Does the Research Say about Reflexology?
Reflexology Home
History of reflexology
Reflexology points
Find a reflexologist
Your first reflexology session
When to avoid reflexology
Research on reflexology
Research studies in the U.S. and around the world indicate possible benefits of reflexology, particularly in reducing pain, enhancing relaxation, and reducing psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression.
However, reviewers of the research have noted that the quality of reflexology studies is mixed and more high-quality research is needed.
What do summaries of the research say?
One large review by Kunz and Kunz (2008) summarized 168 research studies and abstracts from journals and meetings from around the world. Many of these studies originated in peer-reviewed journals in China and Korea. All of the studies had information about the frequency and duration of the reflexology application. Based on the studies they reviewed, Kunz and Kunz concluded that reflexology may:
✔ Impact specific organs
For example, fMRI readings demonstrated an increase in blood flow to kidneys and to the intestines.
✔ Improve symptoms
In particular, positive changes were noted in kidney functioning with kidney dialysis patients.
✔ Induce relaxation
Though EEG measurements of alpha and theta waves, researchers saw that blood pressure was decreased, and anxiety was lowered.
✔ Reduce pain
Twenty-seven studies demonstrated a positive outcome for reduction in pain; e.g., AIDS, chest pain, peripheral neuropathy of diabetes mellitus, kidney stones, and osteoarthritis.
Other systematic reviews are cautious in saying that reflexology may:
Learn more about diabeteshave a positive effect on type 2 diabetes (Song, 2015)
exert a beneficial effect on lowering blood pressure and incontinence (Song, 2015)
have a positive impact on blood pressure (McCullough, 2014)
be effective for tingling in MS (Yadav, 2015)
These reviews note that the quality of research studies on reflexology is generally low.
A systematic review conducted by Ernst, Posadzki, and Lee (2011) critically evaluated the effectiveness of reflexology in the treatment of human conditions. Twenty-three RCTs met their inclusion criteria, with 8 suggesting that reflexology had beneficial effects, 14 showing no effectiveness, and one being equivocal. The authors note that the quality of the studies was often poor and encourage researchers to base future studies on the standards of the CONSORT (http://www.consort-statement.org/) for trial design and reporting.
What about research for specific conditions?
Below are some specific examples of research that examines the possible role of reflexology in alleviating various health concerns.
Hudson (2015) found that patients receiving reflexology prior to varicose vein surgery reported significantly lower intra-operative anxiety and shorter pain duration than participants receiving treatment as usual.
Williamson et al (2002) found that both reflexology and foot massage reduced anxiety and depression in postmenopausal women. In addition to this study, see the studies listed under Cancer Treatment.
These studies showed reduction of pain, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, and improved quality of life with reflexology.
In a controlled study with 87 patients, Hodgson (2000) found 100% improvement in the reflexology group in quality of life categories of appearance, appetite, breathing, communication (with doctors, family, nurses), concentration, constipation/diarrhea, fear of future, isolation, mobility, mood, nausea, pain, sleep/tiredness. The placebo group reported 67.6% improvement in these categories.
Stephenson et al. (2000) conducted a qualitative study in a hospital on 24 patients receiving reflexology with breast and lung cancer. Researchers noted a "significant decrease in pain" for patients with breast cancer. While this was a small sample, the well-controlled research design yielded meaningful results.
Milligan et al. (2002) looked at the impact of reflexology on the quality of life of 20 cancer patients. It found quality of life improved through a reduction of physical and emotional symptoms. This is a small sample, however.
Kim, Lee, Kang, Choi, and Ernst (2010) reviewed one randomized clinical trial (RCT) and three nonrandomized controlled clinical trials (CCTs), the only studies out of 60 potential studies to meet their criteria of controlled quantitative trials with physical or psychological outcomes. The studies showed significant reduction in pain, nausea/vomiting, and fatigue with reflexology, and improved sleep and mood. In short, all four studies suggested beneficial effects of reflexology for women with breast cancer.
The problem, according to the review authors, is that flaws in the studies jeopardize the validity of their results. The review maintains that "the main limitations of the included studies were small sample sizes, inadequate control for nonspecific effects, a lack of power calculations, and short follow-up or treatment periods" (p. 329). Inadequate blinding and inadequate allocation concealment are factors that could also contribute to selection bias, leading to enhanced treatment effects. Their final conclusion, based on these four studies, was that there is "insufficient evidence for the effectiveness of reflexology as a symptomatic treatment for breast cancer." (pp 329-330).
Key to the understanding of these studies, and to the interpretation of all of the studies discussed in this section, is that it is difficult to plan and execute a well-designed study on reflexology that meets all of the parameters. Randomized control trials are the gold standard in health research, but these require blinding, which is always an issue with reflexology where the practitioner knows whether they are delivering reflexology or not.
Ebadi et al (2015) looked at the effect of reflexology on reflexology on physiologic parameters and mechanical ventilation weaning time in patients undergoing open-heart surgery and found no difference in physiologic parameters, but a significantly shorter weaning time for those receiving reflexology.
Frankel (1997) conducted a pilot study to identify the effects of reflexology and foot massage on the physiology of the body, measuring baroreceptor reflex sensitivity and the link between pressure to the feet, as well as the baroreceptors of the heart (neurons). Results showed that pressure sensors in the feet are linked to the same part of the brain as the baroreceptor reflex. This small, single-blinded study included 24 subjects - 10 received reflexology, 10 received foot massage, and 4 were the control.
A 2015 systematic review by Song et al reported that self-administered foot reflexology might have a positive effect in type 2 diabetes, but the low quality of the included study and the lack of adequately reported clinical outcomes obscure the results.
An RCT by Dalai et al (2014) examining symptom management in type 2 diabetes concluded that the reflexology group showed more improvements in pain reduction, glycemic control, nerve conductivity, and thermal and vibration sensitivities than those of control subjects with statistical significance.
Migraine/tension headache
Testa (2000) conducted a blind, random trial, in which 32 patients with headaches were evaluated after a session with foot reflexology and at a 3-month follow-up. Results showed that foot reflexology was at least as effective as drug therapy (Flunarizin).
The guideline development subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology (2014) explored complementary and alternative medicine in multiple sclerosis and found that reflexology is possibly effective for tingling but only Level C evidence.
A small study by Nazari (2015) concluded that reflexology reduces fatigue in women with MS.
Koc and Gozen (2015) note a statistically significant difference in pain scores of infants suffering from acute pain between the reflexology and control groups. The infants in the reflexology group also had lower heart rates, higher oxygen saturation, and shorter crying periods than the infants in the control group.
Gordon et al. (2010) compared the effectiveness of foot reflexology, foot massage, and regular treatment (control group) in children (1-12 years) with chronic idiopathic constipation over a 12-week period. The study design was a randomized control trial. The authors report that the reflexology group had the greatest increase in the number of bowel movements and the greatest reduction in constipation symptom scores. There were significant differences between reflexology and control groups; however, there was no significant difference between reflexology and massage for bowel frequency, and no significant difference between control and massage groups for bowel frequency or overall constipation symptom scores.
Physiological research
Dr. Jesus Manzanares, a physician from Spain, has spent years studying the neurophysiological basis for reflexology. Dr. Manzanares' research has identified and biopsied deposits (which reflexologists have traditionally referred to as "crystals") that were located in reflex areas of the feet. These deposits are associated with pain, contain nervous fibers, and have different characteristics based upon their degree of acuity or chronicity (Manzanares, 2007). A brief overview of his unpublished work can be found at his website (www.manzanaresmethod.com).
Using thermographic pictures of the soles of the feet before and after reflexotherapy, along with similar pictures of the spinal column, Dr. Piquemal was able to show a change in the thermal pattern on the sole of the feet "that was reflected on the skin of the back for each of the five selected [cutaneous] zones" (2005). The importance of this research is that it ties reflexology work on the feet to blood flow of inner organs (lung, liver, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine), either through vasoconstriction or vasodilation via the autonomic nervous system. It appears that reflexology may be able to play a role in regulating blood flow disturbance, at least to these organs.
Postoperative symptoms
From their research in India, Choudhary, Kumar, and Singh (2006) reported two groups who received interventions postoperatively. Group I received foot reflexology for 15-20 minutes at transfer to the Recovery Room, 2 hours postoperatively. Group II received conventional pain medication (NSAID and Opiods). The results were statistically significant at all four time intervals for the reflexology group showing a decrease in use of medication over the conventional group. A significant decrease in pain was also noted in the reflexology group at all time intervals. When the pain score was compared before and after treatment in the reflexology group, statistical significance was seen at 2 and 6 hours postoperatively.
Using two groups for comparison, Choudhary and Singh (n.d.) also added hand reflexology to conventional medications for nausea and vomiting postoperatively. They found a significant decrease in the group who had reflexology plus conventional medication.
Healey et al. (2002) conducted a randomized, controlled study of 150 subjects examining reflexology for alleviation of chronic sinusitis. Participants who received reflexology therapy comprised the control group. The other two groups received nasal irrigation procedures. Results showed equal improvement in both groups.
In an article entitled "The Saline Solution?" Andrew Weil, MD, commented, "After two weeks of daily treatment, more than 70% of those practicing nasal douching reported improved symptoms. But surprisingly, the group that practiced reflexology massage - pressure to feet or hands, appeared to fare equally as well. The unexpected results for this technique may prompt further research."
Reviewed by: Donna L. Morris, DrPH, CNM, NBCR
Brendstrup, E & Launse, L. (1997). Headache and Reflexological Treatment. The Council Concerning Alternative Treatment, The National Board of Health, Denmark.
Choudhary, S., Kumar, G., & Singh, K. (Spring 2006). Reflexology reduces the requirement and quantity of pain killers after general surgery. Reflexology Across America. Retrieved from Reflexology Association of America website: http://www.reflexology-usa.org/assets/dr_shweta_research_study.pdf.
Choudhary, S. & Singh, T. (n.d.). Efficacy of reflexology in prevention of post-operative nausea vomiting. Retrieved from Reflexology Association of America website: http://www.reflexology-usa.org/assets/Dr_Shewta_Research_Post_Operative_Nausea.pdf.
Dalal K, Maran VB, Pandey RM, Tripathi M. (2014). Determination of efficacy of reflexology in managing patients with diabetic neuropathy: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014:84303
Ebadi A, Kavei P, Moradian ST, Saeid Y. (2015). The effect of foot reflexology on physiologic parameters and mechanical ventilation weaning time in patients undergoing open-heart surgery: A clinical trial study. Complement Ther Clin Pract., 21(3):188-92.
Ernst, E., Posadzki, P., & Lee, M. (2011). Reflexology: An update of a systematic review of randomised clinical trials. Maturitas 68, 116-120. Retrieved from http://www.elsevier.com/locate/maturitas.
Gordon, J., Alder, E., Matthews-Smith, G., Hendry, I., & Wilson, D.(November 2010). The effectiveness of reflexology as an adjunct to treatment in childhood idiopathic constipation: A single line randomised controlled trial (The SOCC Project). Paper presented by Amy Kreydin at the Reflexology Associaton of Canada Conference, Winnipeg, British Columbia.
Healey, D, et al. (2002). Nasal Irrigation for the Alleviation of Sinonasal Symptoms. Presented Sept 25 at the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
Frankel, B.S.M. (1997). The effect of reflexology on baroreceptor reflex sensitivity, blood pressure and sinus arrhythmia, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 5, 80-84.
Hodgson, H. (2000). Does reflexology impact on cancer patients' quality of life?" Nursing Standard, 14(31), 33-38.
Hudson BF, Davidson J, Whiteley MS. (2015). The impact of hand reflexology on pain, anxiety and satisfaction during minimally invasive surgery under local anaesthetic: A randomised controlled trial. Int J Nurs Stud. S0020-7489(15)00231-X
Kim, J-I., Lee, M., Kang, J., Choi, D., & Ernst, E. (2010). Reflexology for the symptomatic treatment of breast cancer: A systematic review. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 9. 326-330. doi: 10.1177/1534735410387423.
Kim M.S. et al. (2001). Effects of hand massage on anxiety in cataract surgery using local anesthesia. J Cataract Refract Surg, 27(6):884-90.
Koç T., Gözen D. (2015). The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Acute Pain in Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. Jul 28. [Epub ahead of print]
Kunz, B. & Kunz, K. (2008). Evidence-Based Reflexology for Health Professionals and Researchers: The Reflexology Research Series. This book can be purchased from http://www.reflexology-research.com/researchforresearchers.html.
Manzanares, J. (September 2007). The science behind reflexology deposits. Paper presented at the International Council of Reflexologists, Anaheim, California. Retrieved from Reflexology Association of America website: http://www.reflexology-usa.org/articles/manzanares_research_biopsy.pdf.
McCullough JE, Liddle SD, Sinclair M, Close C, Hughes CM. (2014). The physiological and biochemical outcomes associated with a reflexology treatment: a systematic review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.2014:502123.
Milligan, M. et al. (2002). Int J. Oalliat Nurs, 8(10), 489-96.
Nazari F, Shahreza MS, Shaygannejad V, Valiani M. (2015). Comparing the effects of reflexology and relaxation on fatigue in women with multiple sclerosis. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 20(2):200-4.
Piquemal, M. (September 2005). Global effect of reflexology on blood flow. Paper presented at the International Council of Reflexologists, Amsterdam and summarized by Christine Issel for the ICR Newsletter (Vol. 15, No. 1, March 2006, pp 18-19), reprinted at the Reflexology Association of America website: http://www.reflexology-usa.org/assets/Piquemal_Article.pdf.
Rahbar, M., Wyatt, G., Sikorskii, A., Victorson, D., & Ardjomand-Hessabi, M. (2011, in press). Coordination and management of multisite complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies: Experience from a multisite reflexology intervention trial, Contemporary Clinical Trials. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2011.05.015.
Sikorskii, A., Wyatt, G., Victorson, D., Faulkner, G., & Rahbar, M. (2009). Methodological issues in trials of complementary and alternative medicine interventions, Nursing Research 58(6), 444-451. Retrieved from http://www.nursing-research-editor.com.
Song HJ, Choi SM, Seo HJ, Lee H, Son H, Lee S. (2015). Self-administered foot reflexology for the management of chronic health conditions: a systematic review. J Altern Complement Med., 21(2),69-76.
Stephenson, N.L. et al. (2000). The effects of foot reflexology on anxiety and pain in patients with breast and lung cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 27(1), 67-72.
Sudmeier, I., et al. (1999). Anderund der nierendurchblutung durch organassozilerte reflexzontherapie am fuss gemussen mit farbkodierter Doppler-sonograhpie. Universitatsklinik fur Innere Medizin, Inssbruk, Austria. Forsch Komplementarmed, 6(3), 129-34.
Testa, G.W. (2000). A study on the effects of reflexology on migraine headaches. Accessed on May 24, 2007, from http://members.tripod.com/GTesta/Dissertationall.htm.
Ying, Ma. (1998). Clinical observation demonstrated the influence upon arterial blood flow in the lower limbs of 20 cases with type II diabetes mellitus treated by foot reflexology. China Reflexology Symposium Report, China Reflexology Association, Beijing, 97-99.
Weil, A. (January, 2002). The Saline Solution? Self Healing, p 2.
Williamson et al (2002). Randomised controlled trial of reflexology for menopausal symptoms. BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 109 (9) p 1050-1055.
Wyatt, G., Sikorskii, A., Bush, R., & Mukherjee, R. (2010). Team science of nursing, engineering, statistics, and practitioner in the development of a robotic reflexology device, Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology, 8(1),14-19. doi: 10.2310/7200.2009.0017
Wyatt, G., Sikorskii, A., Rahbar, M., Victorson, D., & Adams, L. (2010). Intervention Fidelity: Aspects
of complementary and alternative medicine research, Cancer Nursing, 33(5), 331-342. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0b013e3181d0b4b7
Yadav V, Bever C Jr, Bowen J, Bowling A, Weinstock-Guttman B, Cameron M, Bourdette D, Gronseth GS, Narayanaswami P. (2014). Summary of evidence-based guideline: complementary and alternative medicine in multiple sclerosis: report of the guideline development subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 82(12):1083-92.
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HELP!! WE WON’T GET FAR WITHOUT SAILS!!
We are in desperate need of new sails for our fleet. We've patched them up a few times but now we need to replace them. Our Challenger yachts are working at full capacity right now, so we are putting a lot of pressure on them to deliver. The wear and tear on the sails is immense. We need to replace them so we can continue our valuable work with disadvantaged young people.
Every penny we have to spend on the sails means less money available for bursaries to get young people out on the water; the reason we exist!
Support our Sails Appeal
A NEW CHAIRMAN FOR THE TALL SHIPS YOUTH TRUST
The Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT) is delighted to announce the appointment of David Aisher as our new Chairman. David will take up the post at the charity’s Annual General Meeting on the 24th of July.
MERSEYSIDE POLICE COMMUNITY CASHBACK FUND SUPPORTS 10 YOUNG PEOPLE ON ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME
We are saddened to hear of the passing of Pat Davis
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Captain Pat Davis last week. He was much loved by STA and Tall Ships trainees and will certainly be missed.
A NEW IDENTITY FOR THE TALL SHIPS YOUTH TRUST
The Tall Ships Youth Trust is entering a new phase of its journey with a totally different look and feel to the charity’s brand.
THE TALL SHIPS YOUTH TRUST/HSBC VOYAGE OF ACHIEVEMENT SETS SAIL FOR 17TH YEAR
Supported by HSBC, 38 young people aged 12 to 15 have been selected from schools nationwide to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sail on board one of 4 72ft Challenger yachts.
Tall Ships Youth Trust Launches New Flagship Appeal at St James’s Palace
The Tall Ships Youth Trust, which offers young people, many of whom disadvantaged or disabled, life changing experiences at sea, launched its New Flagship Appeal at St James’s Palace this week.
WE HAVE BURSARIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO COME SAILING!
Through the fundraising efforts at Head Office, the we can help young people aged 12 to 25 to fund the cost of their voyage through bursaries.
VOLUNTEERS WEEK INTERVIEW WITH JANE
To celebrate Volunteers Week, we have interviewed Jane to find out what she likes about volunteering with us.
WE’VE UPDATED OUR DATA PROTECTION POLICY
We have completely overhauled our Data Protection Policy to reflect upcoming changes to data laws in the EU.
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- The Tech Night Owl — Cutting-Edge Tech Commentary - https://www.technightowl.com -
Is Apple Gouging iPhone Customers?
Posted By Gene Steinberg On July 4, 2007 @ 7:45 PM In News | 11 Comments
You’ve read the reports. It costs an estimated $265.83 to buy the raw materials and build the $599 iPhone. So Apple is, therefore, making 55% profit on every unit sold.
Does that mean that Apple is cheating you?
I’ve seen estimates of that sort before on iPods and other Apple hardware, and I’ll accept, for the sake of argument, that the figures are correct. However, there is one critical element that the analysts who have jumped on Apple for making too much money have forgotten: The software.
We all know that Apple worked for several years to create the iPhone user experience? Was it all done free of charge? Did the employees on the iPhone project receive nothing more than nightly pizzas and tofu burgers for their efforts? Obviously not. I don’t have the figures — and Apple will probably not break them out from other R&D expenses — but I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that several hundred million dollars were spent to design and perfect the iPhone’s software.
While the quality of software may not mean much to the wireless industry, simply because it’s almost universally lousy, it lies at the very heart of the iPhone difference, and why it has become such an early, runaway success.
So just how much is the iPhone’s software worth, when you spread it out over, say, 700,000 units sold so far, at least according to the most generous estimates?
That’s a really good question, and I wouldn’t hazard a guess. But I do want to remind those ill-informed financial analysts that iPhone development didn’t stop dead in its tracks when the first units shipped. Apple has, in fact, decided to book its income from the iPhone over a 24-month period, and it’s no secret they plan on ongoing software updates. So there will be continued expenses enhancing the applications and operating system that powers the iPhone, and that has to be reflected in its selling price.
Consider a corollary: How much are the raw materials of a $129 Tiger upgrade kit worth? Take a look at the box, the DVD and the ultra-thin instruction booklet. All told, the costs of manufacturing each unit barely comes to $5, probably a lot less. So is Apple somehow gouging you on each sale? What about the $2,499 you pay for the Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Master Collection, which includes virtually the entire product line, from InDesign to Premiere?
How is Wall Street going to account for what Adobe spends to create products that ship in installation kits that cost only a few dollars, each, to produce?
Of course that takes us all to the heart of the matter, which is that Apple’s software is an integral part of its product line and its main advantage over the competition.
The iPhone may have basic components that it shares with other products, but the vertically-integrated design will pretty much always set it apart.
In fact, I’d be very curious to see how other wireless carriers address their shortcomings? Will they — as they’re doing now — simply provide a laundry list of bullet points designed to demonstrate the iPhone’s missing features, and how they are better equipped to meet those needs?
All that will do is put them in Microsoft’s position, which is to design products based on the number of features rather than consider how well they are integrated and the overall user experience.
Indeed, it’s clear to me that Apple is not overcharging you for the iPhone if you account for that missing factor — R&D.
The other question is, of course, why Apple choose AT&T when there are carriers in the U.S. that have superior customer service and, supposedly at least, more reliable networks. Well, it’s clear that Apple demanded virtually complete control over the iPhone’s user experience, a hard-to-quantify emotional sense of empowerment, which is something no other phone manufacturer has ever understood. Apple clearly didn’t want to be handicapped by the sometimes arbitrary restrictions placed upon the likes of Nokia, Motorola and all the rest.
This doesn’t mean that AT&T has no control over the system. It may even be that some of the missing features, such as the inability to sync your iPhone or download iTunes content wirelessly was, in part, a compromise of some sort. Or it may be that the systems to handle that traffic aren’t in place yet.
As you’ve seen already, AT&T’s network has not been able to fully cope with the initial iPhone demand, particularly for folks switching service from other carriers or changing one of their AT&T plans.
Over time, I expect AT&T’s worst problems in handling the iPhone will lessen. I would also hope that Apple carefully considered the possible handicaps of a poorly-performing infrastructure when they inked that deal with AT&T. Even if the iPhone were otherwise perfect, that could seriously handicap Apple’s long-term success as it strives to gain a big foothold in the wireless phone industry.
<a href="https://www.technightowl.com/2007/07/is-apple-gouging-iphone-customers/" >Is Apple Gouging iPhone Customers?</a>
Article printed from The Tech Night Owl — Cutting-Edge Tech Commentary: https://www.technightowl.com
URL to article: https://www.technightowl.com/2007/07/is-apple-gouging-iphone-customers/
Copyright © 1999-2016 Making The Impossible, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Ayanna Pressley and AOC Shut Down Kellyanne Conway
Fans Want "Equal Pay Now" for the U.S. Women's Soccer Team
Sarah Emily Baum
Trump’s Racist Tweets Are Proof of the Squad’s Power
Sophia Bush Says That She’s Always Been a Feminist
And she wants you to help girls get the educations they deserve.
Arabelle Sicardi
When I asked actress Sophia Bush the maybe-cliche question on when exactly she realized she was feminist, she paused for a moment in her makeup chair on set and shook her head. “I don’t think there was ever a time where I wasn’t,” she said. “Wanting to be treated equally has always been my desire. I want to see us all empower one another.” She’s been outspoken on Twitter about feminism before, so her latest move makes perfect sense. For International Women’s Day — which is today, for those not in the know — the Chicago P.D. star has teamed up with beauty brand EcoTools to jumpstart a social conversation around feminism, beauty, female solidarity, and sisterhood. For every message on twitter using the hashtag #MyTrueBeauty with the tag @ecotools, EcoTools has pledged to donate $1 to The Girl Project, an initiative that supports charities for girls' educations worldwide. The Girl Project is Glamour’s commitment to helping the more than 50 million girls around the world who are denied access to secondary education. “I want this to be be a way to highlight women’s creativity around the world and help break down barriers for educational access,” said Sophia. Even just one tweet in this campaign will go toward providing girls in the United States and abroad access to school supplies, mentorship programs, and help pay tuition. “When you consider that $5 can buy a girl here in the United States the pencils and notebooks she needs for the semester, just $150 can help pay for an entire year of tuition for a girl in a developing country,” said Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour. Since EcoTools has pledged up to $100,000 for this tweet campaign with Sophia Bush, that’s buying a whole lot of girls access to an education. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be the next super woke Sophia Bush, put together the next Broadway production exclusively by women like our other fave Lupita Nyong’o, or become the next Katherine Johnson, one of the women who did the mathematical calculations that got NASA into space. These things don’t happen in a vacuum — they happen when girls are supported and given an education and a chance to thrive. “This is an opportunity for women to raise our voice and empower, and hopefully highlight other organizations that do the same. I’d love this to just be the beginning — I want to see everyone sharing this space, and empowering each other,” said Sophia. Is all this talk making you wanna bust some barriers down against #patriarchy? Don’t stop at just the hashtag: you can make your own donation alongside EcoTools’, right at The Girl Project’s website. So what are you doing? Get to tweeting: it might actually help change the world.
Related: Chloë Grace Moretz Wants to Make Your Period a Monthly GIFT
Fans Really Want to See Jordan Fisher as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid
Bernie Sanders and Ilhan Omar Want to Cancel All Student Debt
Wayfair Reportedly Sold Furniture to a Migrant Detention Center
BTS Fans Think New Japanese Single "Lights" Sounds Like a "Warm Hug"
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KELSEA BALLERINI KICKS OFF HER FIRST-EVER ARENA TOUR WITH SOLD-OUT WEEKEND
KELSEA BALLERINI fired up her first-ever arena tour – THE MISS ME MORE TOUR – with three back-to-back sold-out shows this past weekend in Salisbury, MD (4/11), Reading, PA (4/12), and Erie, PA (4/13).
“Kicked off the first weekend of the Miss Me More tour with 3 SOLD OUT shows, glitter, real talks, confetti dancing, and moments like this,” Ballerini shared on Instagram. “I love you so so so much.”
Fueled by her current Top 10-and-rising, eighth career GOLD-certified single, “Miss Me More,” Ballerini is pumping her setlist full of hits from her GRAMMY-nominated sophomore album, UNAPOLOGETICALLY, plus fresh tracks from her Deluxe Edition like “Fun and Games” and her red-hot “This Feeling” collaboration with The Chainsmokers. She even takes a special moment each night to personally connect with fans during an intimate in-the-crowd performance of her very first #1 smash, “Love Me Like You Mean It.”
View photos from Kelsea Ballerini’s THE MISS ME MORE TOUR kickoff weekend here.
Remaining the only female artist in Country music history, including female duos and groups, to achieve #1 with her first three consecutive singles from a debut album, Ballerini will reach yet another career milestone by becoming the youngest current member of the Grand Ole Opry. She’ll be honored at the legendary Opry House tomorrow (4/16).
Continuing THE MISS ME MORE TOUR through May, with BRETT YOUNG and special guest BRANDON RATCLIFF, Ballerini will head back to Knoxville, TN, on Thursday (4/18), for a hometown arena show at Knoxville Civic Coliseum. For more information on upcoming tour dates, please visit KelseaBallerini.com and follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
ABOUT KELSEA BALLERINI:
Two-time GRAMMY nominee Kelsea Ballerini is the only female artist in Country music history, including female duos and groups, to claim #1 with her first three consecutive singles: PLATINUM-certified, #1 smashes – “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs,” “Peter Pan,” from a debut album [GOLD-certified breakout THE FIRST TIME]. Nominated for Best Country Album at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, her acclaimed sophomore album, UNAPOLOGETICALLY, includes #1 hit “Legends” as a part of the original 12-track compilation all written or co-written by Ballerini. UNAPOLOGETICALLY (Deluxe Edition) features four fresh tracks including her collaboration with The Chainsmokers, “This Feeling,” which they performed during the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. With over 90 million streams globally, her current single “Miss Me More” is the award-winning singer-songwriter’s fastest-rising single to date on Country radio. The Black River Entertainment artist just supported Kelly Clarkson’s MEANING OF LIFE TOUR and is now on her first-ever headline arena trek – THE MISS ME MORE TOUR – with Brett Young (plus special guest Brandon Ratcliff).
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TOE JAR CREATIVE
The Kanziss Trials
bella brutta
THE KANZISS TRIALS MEDIA: RADIO ADELAIDE
‘Ten people enter, one person leaves.’ That was the concept that drove Joel to make The Kanziss Trials. Pulling inspiration from The Wizard of Oz (and the works that it inspired), The Kanziss Trials is an immersive and intimate theatre experience. Mark caught up with creator Joel Allan from Toe Jar Creative.
THE KANZISS TRIALS REVIEW: BROADWAY WORLD
Toe Jar Creative, led by director and producer Joel Allan, brings us something Fringe-goers will find very interesting in this intimate space inside the charming Hotel Grand Chancellor. It has got everything that the Adelaide Fringe represents, a platform for local talent to try out something new, an exploration of daring concepts, and actors not afraid to interact and dance with the audience.
The Kanziss Trials is a new piece of work where audiences of no more than ten at a time are invited to either observe or participant. From the moment you enter, you are greeted, sorted, shuffled along and everyone in the room eagerly waits to see what will unfold. It is a spin, of a spin, of a spin of the beloved Wizard of Oz story, but it is not what you would think. 'Tributes' (participants) are put through a series of trials until one is left standing. Three-quarters of the way in, the observers, or those of us too afraid to get up on stage, get their say in who should proceed and who is sent packing, and the end, well it is just something you will have to see for yourself. The series of trials blends immersive storytelling, pop-up experiences and sober disco music.
Your invitation has been sent.
Do you Observe or Participate?
With two paths to choose from,
which brick road do you follow...
It is so refreshing to see new works explored during this time of mainstream mayhem that tends to overtake this festival. If supporting local artists is your thing (as if it is not), then go and support Toe Jar Creative this year. It is not what you expect, and that is the point.
THE KANZISS TRIALS REVIEW: GREAT SCOTT!
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
The ticket-holders, citizens of the Emerald City in the Land of Oz, are divided into two factions. The participants become the ten tributes, who must submit to a series of trials in order to determine who is the most worthy amongst them. The non-participants become the council, who must silently bear witness to the grim proceedings. Meanwhile, two adjudicators, a father (Eugene Suleau) and daughter (Kathryn Adams), guide the trials, issue their judgements, and prepare the one who is to be selected as the new Dorothy.
Alternative interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (the book being in the public domain, if not the Garland film) have been done before. Wicked comes to mind, as well as NBC's short-lived Emerald City. There is something perversely alluring about re-imagining children's fiction for adult consumption. In the original work, an outsider comes along and kills the leaders of two warring factions, defrocks the central magistrate, and then abruptly skips off. In The Kanziss Trials, we are asked to consider what exactly does happen to a society left in the wake of these major political upheavals?
If the premise of this show seems a bit dark, the implementation is actually quite lovely. Participants are in for a very gentle experience as they are shuffled about between the exercises, and for interactive theatre very little is actually demanded of them. While, from the audience, you feel yourself wanting to reach out to those on stage: there were many sympathetic 'awws' when a tribute was removed, or was left without a dancing partner, and these communal moments were easily amongst my favourite of the performance. And, it can't go without saying, Adams and Suleau were excellent at putting both participants and non-participants at ease, not to mention offering fine performances in their own right.
The show was a little short, ducking in well-under the advertised runtime, and a little more lore would have been welcome in order to pad out the proceedings. (Having witnessed a dry-run of this show, I know creator Joel Allan has already made significant steps in this direction.) But this is ambitious interactive theatre which greatly rewards participation, and I'm impressed at how well it has come together given Allan has ear-marked it for further development. There is one final performance that has already sold out, but look out for this show when it returns next year.
THE KANZISS TRIALS REVIEW: WEEKEND NOTES
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Opening to an intimate audience of 9 people on its opening night, The Kanziss Trials kicked off at the Grand Chancellor Hotel. A prime form of interactive theatre, it was a show that presented with great potential and offered audiences with the opportunity to immerse themselves into the play to the fullest.
While the initial set up of the show was to include a group of participants and another group of observers from the audience (you can select this upon arrival at the show), given the small turn up of people, we were all encouraged to participate in the show. It wasn't as intimidating as it sounds, because while my levels of anxiety were through the roof throughout the show, I went from not wanting to participate to being one of the last ones standing and not wanting to get booted towards the end (which, as it turns out, was the case)!
Based loosely on the Wizard of Oz, the basic premise of the show is that there is a father and a daughter, who are on a mission to bring to justice the perpetrator that took away their son and brother respectively. Throughout the show, we, as participants, were requested to follow simple directions, complete tasks, and make choices that determine our progress (and eventually, our fate) through the trial. You are often paired up or grouped together with other 'participants' and there are decisions that you'll need to make individually and as a group. Every single action you make will have a consequence. Each character guides you through your decision-making process, but they also provide you with vital information to make that decision.
Interactive theatre is something that I haven't been exposed to much, but I believe that The Kanziss Trials was a fantastic introduction to what people can expect from this style of performing arts. Not one huge into drama, I was surprised to see how much I was loving the flow of the show. The dialogue was minimal but provided with enough information to feel immersed in the story of how the death of the son / brother impacted each character. There was a level of compassion, complemented with strong feelings of passion, anger, sombreness, and consequentially, a resolution that is realised, as the show goes on. You cannot help but feel their angst and grief, as their stories ripple you senseless and give you a snippet of the anguish they experience. While it would have been beneficial to be given a bit more context to get the full experience, The Kanziss Trials has taken a great step towards giving life to drama and theatre and adding a unique twist of giving audiences the option to get involved in it themselves.
The Kanziss Trials is up for a short and sweet run this year, but it has lots of potential to grow into something even bigger and more in-depth in the future.
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Home > Why Study an MBA? > Student Stories > McKinsey Business Analyst on Earning an MBA in Hong Kong
McKinsey Business Analyst on Earning an MBA in Hong Kong
Monday, May 27, 2019 at 10am
This article is sponsored by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Learn more about the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s MBA Program.
In today’s global economy, MBA applicants face a daunting task. Top-notch MBA programs are offered across the globe. Many are highly ranked in certain specialties. Many can argue a credible case for why you should choose to study there. Yet in the midst of so much noise and articulate accolades from faculty and administration, students often provide the best perspective.
European professionals might not consider earning an MBA in Hong Kong. Flavio De Laurentis thinks they should. We spoke to De Laurentis about why he chose a HKUST MBA, and the experiences that followed.
The HKUST MBA
De Laurentis’ hometown of Brescia, Italy has been called Italy’s ‘industrial capital’. This undoubtedly influenced his career choice. He moved some 100km away (around 60 miles) to the country’s second-largest city, Milan, where he earned a Master of Science in Automation Engineering. After spending a year in Japan working for a large multinational electronic device company, and another year in Italy with a similar company, he joined McKinsey & Company’s Milan Office. To move ahead in the company, there was no other choice. De Laurentis needed an MBA.
Launched in 1991, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology MBA is ranked as the third-best program in Asia by the employers and academics behind the QS Global 200 rankings.
The HKUST MBA is an aggressively international program, attracting students from two-dozen different countries. Out of a class of 120 students, over 90% are international. As the program’s website points out, “A diversity of cultural, educational and business backgrounds among your peers will allow you to benefit from a range of different perspectives, helping you identify new approaches to business thinking and breakthrough ideas. Cross-cultural teamwork will be a key element of your MBA studies, developing your people management skills by exposing you to the issues that typically arise from cultural and background differences in both the workplace and society as a whole.”
For many, the program’s location is a prime attraction. Hong Kong is an Asia-Pacific hub, almost equidistant between Beijing and Singapore. A former British colony, it is currently a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China – often seen as a crossroads where East meets West.
For De Laurentis, the HKUST MBA was the best option. “I had three different alternatives,” he explains, “INSEAD in Singapore, CEIBS in Shanghai, or the HKUST MBA. INSEAD is full of consultants and therefore was not really appealing to me; I wanted a school more focused on finance. CEIBS was two years, so it was too long. Furthermore Singapore can't really compete with Hong Kong in terms of lifestyle and the MBA was more expensive. For its focus on finance and China in general, HKUST was perfect for me. Therefore my choice was pretty straightforward!”
McKinsey & Company boasts some 9,000 consultants in more than 60 countries. Everyone from medical doctors to entrepreneurs to people with engineering backgrounds like De Laurentis work with companies to improve their results.
At McKinsey & Company, he worked on a variety of projects. “Broadly speaking, I worked on business planning, strategy definition, financial analysis and process redesign of several large companies across the whole industry spectrum.” He also participated in side projects dealing with M&A deal analysis, operational efficiency and due diligence of target companies. He adds that, “Of course given my previous experience in the electronic device industry and my engineering background, McKinsey & Company staffed me most on client related to the tech industry and, when necessary, on clients operating in the finance industry.”
As his work became more involved, pursuing an MBA became a necessity. “After two years as business analyst you have two choices,” de Laurentis explains, “either you pursue a secondment in a different firm or you pursue an MBA in a school of your choice. I have been dreaming about an MBA since I was 21, therefore for me the choice to take was very clear.” At many companies, an employee would need to keep working while pursuing a part-time or executive MBA. Not at McKinsey & Company. “The firm was very keen on me leaving for one year to pursue the degree and they facilitated a lot in the application process.”
Today, De Laurentis notes, “I'm a full-time student. This was to me the most convenient option since I could finish my study in a relatively short period of time.”
Life in Hong Kong
Life in Hong Kong has taken a bit of a hit after John Lefevre’s recently published exposé revealed the bad behavior of expat bankers. Long a popular Twitter user, Lefevre dedicated his book, “To my wife and children. I wrote this for you, on the condition that you never read it.”
Described by the New York Daily News as “Shocking and sordid and so much fun,” Lefevre's stories about high-end banker’s life in Hong Kong may or may not be exaggerated (did he really total a newly purchased Maserati in a race, though).
Still, despite its negative elements, Lefevre’s account highlights an advantage for expats hoping to escape more confining environments. “Hong Kong is nothing like Europe and I understand how some people could easily lose control in this city which some times reminds me of a giant amusement park,” De Laurentis admits. “Digging a bit deeper in the city, though, it is quite clear how things are rapidly changing, I don't think it is anymore a frontier as it was before 1997, nor for businesses nor for individuals coming here in search of the ‘expat dream’ of low taxation, huge opportunities and sky rocket salaries. Competition is much tougher now and if you don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese your opportunities narrow down quite a bit.”
To make the most out of your life in Hong Kong, De Laurentis says, “I believe both businesses and individuals now need a much more thorough planning and creativity to make it into this city.”
For those who prepare, the city can offer numerous rewards. In a recent QS rating of the top student cities, Hong Kong came in tops across the continent. Worldwide, the city ranks number five for students. Described in the ranking as “diverse and dynamic,” Hong Kong is the ideal environment for urban-focused, international students because so many people living in Hong Kong come from somewhere else. Although like many cities average rent is high, public transit, food and many other costs of living are quite reasonable (see the QS Best Student City ranking).
During his time earning his HKUST MBA, De Laurentis says, “I was surprised to notice that I haven't changed that much in all these years, I still have the same flaws and positive traits. The MBA experience can be compared to a mirror, having such a full life puts you in a position where you can't really avoid looking at your self for what you are. From this perspective the MBA taught me a huge lesson, I might not be able to change myself too much, but I can learn to manage myself much better.” He says students hoping to succeed should, “Bond with your classmates as much as you can, you will soon realize that without collaboration is impossible to get the most out of the program.”
De Laurentis will graduate in in November and will return to McKinsey & Company Milan office as an associate. “Concerning my career I don't have a clear focus as of now, my ambition is to build a well-rounded profile, a kind of a cross over between engineering and business in order to maximize and broaden my potential opportunities in the future. During the two years back in Italy I will do my best to get to manager level and after that I will see what options are open, both within and outside the firm. It would be ideal to come back in Asia within my current employer in the future.”
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
This article is sponsored by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Learn more about the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s MBA Program
Written by John Bankston
Content writer John began his career as an investigative reporter and is a prolific educational writer alongside his work for us, authoring over 100 nonfiction books for children and young adults since 2000.
HKUST
ESIC Business and Marketing School
ESIC was the first business school created in Spain as an answer to the professionals who needed to...
in Executive MBA Rankings - Europe 2018/19
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Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh
Rabbi Ginsburgh was born in S. Louis, Missouri in 1944.
Prior to his rediscovering the beauty and wisdom of his Jewish heritage, Rabbi Ginsburgh pursued an academic career in mathematics and philosophy. Upon finding his way to Torah faith and observance, he began an intensive program of religious study and development, under the close guidance of several great sages--most notably, the Lubavitcher Rebbe. In the course of his study, Rabbi Ginsburgh acquired deep and broad knowledge of the mystical tradition within Judaism, the realm of Kabbalah and Chassidut.
After moving to Israel in 1965, Rabbi Ginsburgh began drawing from his intimate knowledge of these profound teachings so as to make them spiritually relevant to the modern Jew for whom the original texts are virtually impenetrable. Using his academic background to present these classic ideas into a conceptual language and system that speaks to the 20th-century mind, Rabbi Ginsburgh has been able to unlock a vast treasure of insight that many have long been thirsting for.
Rabbi Ginsburgh's familiarity with mathematics, science, philosophy, psychology and music has enabled him to relate the ancient wisdom of the Torah to many currents trends in academic thought and artistic activity. He is a talented musician and composer, having produced recordings of original music bringing Chassidic motif and classical style into fruitful interplay.
Presently, Rabbi Ginsburgh lives with his wife and children in the rural Chassidic settlement of Kfar Chabad. He teaches all across the Land of Israel, from modern Tel Aviv to the ancestral towns of Shechem and Hebron in Judea and Samaria where many of his students are reclaiming ancient Jewish rights of settlement. His audiences include yeshiva students and academics, chassidim and businessmen, housewives and politicians.
In addition to his teaching commitments, Rabbi Ginsburgh has devoted much of his time and energy to writing original works of Chassidic thought based upon his unique system and methodology. These works are prepared, published and distributed by Gal Einai of the Holy Land. Hundreds of his taped lectures and seminars are also distributed.
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, a renowned authority on Kabbalah and Chassidut, has been making the profound wisdom of the Jewish esoteric tradition accessible to seekers of Jewish spirituality for over 25 years. From his base in the Holy Land, Rabbi Ginsburgh teaches as well as oversees the production of numerous original works on Jewish mysticism.
In recent years, Rabbi Ginsburgh has also gone on speaking tours around the world.
Israel's Identity Crisis (53:49)
This fascinating lecture places Israel at the crossroads of politics and our inner struggle with Jewish identity. Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh discusses the most important spiritual battle to be fought in this generation. He presents a compelling political model for the state of Israel and practical steps we can take to make that a reality.
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh (31)
Israel's Identity Crisis Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh
The Mikveh's Spiritual Effect (13:02)
In this short clip, Rabbi Ginsburg analyzes the three words used in the Torah to describe the ritual bath that was meant for removing spiritual impurity. We e
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Vrooming marvellous! The electric car that acts like a MOTORBIKE to cut lengthy commutes
Business | Life
Anne Chatham July 01, 2019
Łomianki-based company Triggo’s two-seat electric car combines features of a motorbike and a car. Triggo
A new electricity-powered car that can also be used as a motorbike to speed up commuting is being prepared for the road – and already, its creators are looking beyond Poland’s borders, at foreign markets.
Amid concerns about air pollution, electric cars are gaining popularity internationally. In Poland, electro-mobility is one of the flagship programmes outlined in the government’s Strategy for Responsible Development.
Now, Łomianki-based company Triggo is developing a two-seat electric car.
The idea is that city-dwellers will be able to rent it out using automatic platforms (similarly to urban bikes), rather than buy it.Triggo
“Our vehicle was created in Poland, but we have international ambitions, and intellectual property rights dramatically increase our chances,” said Rafał Budweil, the company’s CEO, who came up with the idea.
The car was an answer to a real problem - lengthy commutes.
A new series of prototypes will be introduced this autumn, with pilot projects planned for the first half of 2020.Triggo
Budweil noticed that driving through Warsaw from Bemowo to Mokotów (around 15km by road) usually takes over an hour – compared to just 20 minutes by motorbike.
Triggo combines features of a motorbike and a car, such as the mobility of a scooter and the feeling of safety in a car (with air conditioning), according to Sebastian Nowak, who designed the car body.
The company is testing the car on a track in Łódź, central Poland, and hopes that it will reach its first users soon.Triggo
A normal driver’s licence is needed to drive the car.
The car’s compact form addresses the traffic jams and lack of parking space – common problems in most cities. Parked, Triggo takes up one-fifth of the space of a traditional car.
The car’s creators are also looking at foreign markets.Triggo
Already, the car has been patented in countries with a combined population of over 2.5 billion. If it is patented in India, too, this will rise to almost 4 billion people – a huge market, Budweil points out.
Ultimately, he would like Triggo to become a “flagship Polish export product”, he said in a video created for the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development last year.
Electro-mobility is one of the flagship programmes outlined in the Polish government’s Strategy for Responsible Development.Triggo
For now, the company is testing the car on a track in Łódź, central Poland, and hopes that it will reach its first users soon.
A new series of prototypes will be introduced this autumn, with pilot projects planned for the first half of 2020.
The idea is that city-dwellers will be able to rent it out using automatic platforms (similarly to urban bikes), rather than buy it.
Tags: Triggo, electric cars, cars, motorbikes
Wheelie good! Designer creates Poland’s first e-motorbike with 3D printer
Around 6,000 electric cars in Poland
Number of electric cars on the rise in Poland
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Conserving the cold sea river: Civil society and government working together in Patagonia
Biodiversity | Coastal Zone Management
"One of the most valuable contributions of the GEF-supported work on the coast of Patagonia was the emphasis on community participation. Stakeholder involvement in project design and implementation was instrumental in developing a culture of community contribution to biodiversity conservation, commitment to project objectives, transparency in project execution and shared responsibility of project outcomes. "
“In 1988, William Conway, then General Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society, wrote a chapter in a popular book under the title “A Cold Sea River”. In it, he described the spectacular concentrations of wildlife on the coast of Patagonia in Southern Argentina – including the Magellanic penguins, southern elephant seals, South American sea lions and southern right whales – and he wrote about the mighty Falklands-Malvinas marine current, the ‘cold sea river,’ that is the lifeblood of the Southwest Atlantic ecosystem that nourishes this rich biological diversity. He also discussed emerging threats from poorly controlled commercial fishing, oil pollution at sea, increased human disturbance of breeding colonies of wildlife on land, and the urgent need for improved coastal management.
This powerful vision gripped my imagination and found expression in the three projects that I directed for the Wildlife Conservation Society and Fundación Patagonia Natural, in partnership with the Government of Argentina, on the coast of Patagonia between 1993 and 2014.
When the first project began, fewer than 15,000 people visited the penguin reserve at Punta Tombo – today, it receives over 100,000 visitors. Fewer than 7,000 people went whale watching each season in Peninsula Valdes in the early 1990s, whereas more than 100,000 go whale watching today. In 1996, tourism generated an estimated fifty million dollars on the coast of Patagonia – twenty years later, tourism generates three times this much. Over 41,000 Magellanic penguins were becoming oiled at sea and dying each year in the 1980s and early 1990s, as tankers dumped their oily waste off the coast of Argentina. Today, oil tankers still sail this coast, but finding an oiled penguin onshore is rare. In 1992, there were an estimated 4,000 southern right whales in the Peninsula Valdes population, but today this figure is greater than 10,000. We believe that these changes have resulted, in substantial measure, from the combined impacts of three projects implemented over 12 years in coastal Patagonia.
All three projects were training powerhouses, not only for thousands of fisheries observers, wardens, guides, reporters, school teachers, postgraduate students, government officials and the many community stakeholders that took part in the courses we organized, but also for the project consultants that led these courses – and many of them subsequently took up management positions in government. Examples of this include the Presidency of the National Parks Service, Under-secretary of the Environment of Argentina, Minister of the Environment of Chubut, Minister of Tourism of Chubut and the Director of Conservation of Chubut. This has meant that the project objectives, and the protection of coastal biodiversity in Patagonia, live on through their efforts.
One of the most valuable contributions of the GEF-supported work on the coast of Patagonia was the emphasis on community participation. Stakeholder involvement in project design and implementation was instrumental in developing a culture of community contribution to biodiversity conservation, commitment to project objectives, transparency in project execution and shared responsibility of project outcomes. One activity stands out in my mind because of the scale of involvement of the community and the success it achieved for coastal biodiversity – this was the “Coastal Census”. Every few years, on the same carefully-chosen day early in Spring, more than four thousand volunteers walked a combined distance of over two thousand kilometers along the beaches – a distance equating to half the seaboard of Argentina – counting oiled penguins and gathering information on beach garbage. People in every town on the coast of Argentina took part in these walks, the events received nation-wide publicity and volunteers came from all over the country. This effort helped raise public awareness of pollution to an extraordinary level and, in turn, this helped improve waste management by ships at sea. Beach clean-ups on the coast of Argentina continue to the present day, and still engage thousands of volunteers.
Project activities were evenly shared between men and women, although women outnumbered men among the thousands of teachers that the projects reached out to, and men were more numerous than women onboard the many fishing vessels we worked with. The projects trained women as well as men to become fisheries observers and it became well-known that when women observers sailed on fishing vessels, the fishermen onboard were much better behaved! The fisheries observer programs developed by the project were adopted by the five coastal provinces of Argentina, and are now a requirement in the industry. Likewise, mechanisms introduced through the projects for involving communities in government decision-making, have become an established part of institutional culture: the use of public hearings on environmental matters, the right of public access to government information, and similar tools, are still in common use today throughout the region.
I believe it was community participation that produced the greatest changes in coastal management practices and that has kept project objectives alive even today, beyond the end of the projects themselves.”
DR GUILLERMO HARRIS was born in Neuquén, Patagonia. He served as President of Fundación Patagonia Natural (an implementing partner in UNDP-supported projects) between 1989 and 2014, has worked as a researcher of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) since 1981, and has been the Director of their Argentina Programme since 2001. A qualified veterinarian, he is also a lecturer, wildlife writer and artist.
The Patagonian coastal zone of Argentina, which extends for 1,500 miles from Rio Negro to the Beagle Channel, looks out over one of the world’s richest and most productive marine ecosystems. As described by Guillermo Harris, this region supports globally important biodiversity, including an especially rich fauna. This stretch of coastline, and the associated marine environment, is also of great significance to the Argentinian economy, supporting both a growing tourism industry and important artisanal and commercial fisheries – fisheries being one of Argentina’s most dynamic economic sectors. However, intensive overfishing caused degradation of the fisheries biomass, putting the main species harvested near biological collapse. This, and other negative environmental impacts of human activities, triggered numerous social and economic crises.
Over a period of 21 years, UNDP has facilitated the investment of GEF resources in three successive projects led by the Argentinian government, working in partnership with local and international NGOs and members of the public, to secure the biodiversity of coastal Patagonia. Starting in 1993, the first project sought to provide the necessary tools for identifying important areas for conservation and achieving sustainable use of natural resources, paying particular attention to the needs and interests of local communities. The resulting Patagonian Coastal Zone Management Plan incorporated the establishment of coastal protected areas, sustainable fisheries, responsible tourism and prevention of pollution from shipping.
In 1999, a second project was initiated to consolidate and implement the coastal zone management program for the protection of biodiversity. This project worked to improve the quality of life of local communities who depend on coastal resources, while conserving biodiversity and maintaining the productivity of Patagonia’s coastal ecosystems. Its objectives were achieved by ensuring that national, provincial and local stakeholders were able to effectively manage and plan resource use in the context of integrated coastal zone management. The project also worked to secure the establishment of new protected areas, with budget and personnel for their management. The further expansion and strengthening of the coastal protected area system was achieved through a third project which ran from 2010 to 2014, and which focused on coordination between protected areas under different institutions and jurisdictions (Municipal, State, Federal), increasing protection beyond breeding colonies on shore, and extending them out to sea to conserve foraging and migration routes beyond the high tide mark.
The combined effect of these projects has been to safeguard Patagonia’s coastal and marine ecosystems, in support of economic growth and building sustainable communities.
This story was originally published in "Voices of Impact: Speaking for the Global Commons" by UNDP in 2016.
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Canada reintroduces bison to Banff national park after more than a century
Helicopters transport 16 of the large mammals to site in Alberta
Scheme restores once-dominant grazers to ecosystem
Reuters in Calgary
Mon 13 Feb 2017 12.01 EST Last modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 12.16 EST
Wild bison take their first steps in their new home in Banff national park in Alberta, Canada. Photograph: Handout/Reuters
Canada has reintroduced a herd of plains bison to the country’s oldest national park in Banff, Alberta, officials said on Monday, more than 130 years after the North American animal last grazed the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies.
The conservation team moved 16 bison from a protected herd in central Alberta into an enclosed pasture in Banff national park in the west of the province last week.
Return of the bison: new American national symbol tells story of strife
The herd will stay under observation in the remote Panther Valley until summer 2018, when the animals will be released into the full 1,189 sq km (460 sq mile) reintroduction zone in the park’s eastern valleys.
Parks Canada said bison were once dominant grazers and that bringing them back would restore their missing role in Banff’s ecosystem.
“This would be one of only four plains bison herds in North America that would be fully interacting with their predators and shaping the ecosystem as they did over a hundred years ago,” said Karsten Heuer, the bison reintroduction project manager.
Those predators will include wolves and bears native to the park.
Ten pregnant female bison and six young bulls were disease-tested and radio collared before being herded into five shipping containers and driven 400km (250 miles) across Alberta by truck. The conservation team taped rubber hoses to their horns to prevent the animals from injuring each other while in transit.
Parks Canada staff celebrate as the final crate of bison destined for Banff national park departs the staging area in Alberta, Canada. Photograph: Handout/Reuters
Since the Panther Valley is not accessible by road, officials attached the shipping containers by long line to a helicopter and flew them in one at a time for the last 25km (16 miles).
Researchers follow the bison for clues to mystery of ancient America's settlement
Vast bison herds of up to 30m animals once migrated freely across North America. The animal was nearly hunted to extinction, and rangers estimate bison have not grazed in Banff national park since before it was established in 1885.
Bison have great spiritual meaning for North America’s aboriginal groups, having once provided an important source of food, clothing and shelter. The reintroduction also coincides with the 150th anniversary of Canada’s 1867 confederation into a federal union.
“This is a historic moment and a perfect way to mark Canada’s 150,” the environment and climate change minister, Catherine McKenna, said in a statement. “Not only are bison a keystone species and an icon of Canada’s history, they are an integral part of the lives of indigenous peoples.”
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Susan D. Ben
Aug 29, 2012 at 12:01 AM Aug 29, 2012 at 4:00 AM
Susan D. (Hvasta) Ben of Warminster, formerly of Hatboro, passed away Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 in Abington Memorial Hospital. She was 79.
She was the beloved wife of the late Adam M. Ben.
Susan was born in Scranton, Pa., the daughter of the late Carl and Susan (Gera) Hvasta.
Susan was a graduate of Central High School in Scranton, Class of 1950, as well as a graduate of State Teachers College in Bloomsburg, Pa., Class of 1953, with a Bachelor of Science in Education with certification in Business Education and English.
She taught in Hatfield and was an evening adult business education teacher for more than 20 years serving in the Hatboro-Horsham, Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland and Centennial school districts and also was a daily substitute teacher.
Susan retired from Crane Chempump, Warrington, in 1997 after 21 years as an administrative assistant.
Susan is survived by her children, Adam Ben and his wife, Dee, Michael Ben and his wife, Karen, Carl Ben, Susan (Ben) Van Abs and her husband, William Van Abs and Marie Anne Ben and her significant other, Moses Ikiugu; five grandchildren: Daniel, Lauren, Charles, Emerald and Elijah Ben, and a great-grandchild, Leonardo Ben, and a sister, Margaret Moran and her husband, Edward, and a nephew, Robert Moran. Susan was preceded in death by a son-in-law, Darrell W. Swalm.
Relatives and friends will be received by her family on Saturday, Sept. 1, after 9:30 a.m. in Nativity of Our Lord Church, 605 W. Street Road, Warminster, and are invited to attend her funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow in St. John Neumann Cemetery, Warrington Township.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Susan's name to Ann's Choice Benevolent Care Fund, Philanthropy, 2000 Ann's Choice Way, Warminster PA 18974 or Basilica of National Shrine of Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20017.
To send condolences to Susan's family, please visit the funeral home Web site listed below. Schneider Funeral Home of Hatboro
www.schneiderfuneralhome.net
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Melissa Gronlund
Egyptian artist Sami Rafi dies at 88
Rafi designed the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Anwar Sadat's resting place
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Egyptian artist Sami Rafi was completed in 1975. Alamy
The Egyptian artist Sami Rafi has died at the age of 88. Rafi was a celebrated public artist whose work graces Metro stations throughout Cairo, and who created the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which commemorates the War of Attrition against Israel of 1967-70 and the Arab-Israeli War of 1973.
Rafi studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo and pursued a scholarship in Vienna before returning to Egypt. His work was influenced by Egypt’s Pharaonic past, contemporary forms of Arabic calligraphy, and the daily life of Egyptians, and often straddled the divide between visual art, architecture and design.
He worked at the Egyptian Opera House as a stage designer for a number of productions, and his work graces around 15 Metro stations in Cairo, with images of weavers and sailors; Muslims and Copts embracing in expressions of religious tolerance; and – at the university stop – books that transform into pigeons taking flight.
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Rafi’s best-known project is the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, in north-eastern Cairo, which he completed in 1975. It consists of four concrete slabs, clad in block-like calligraphy, that form a hollow pyramid. The centre of the structure, where a pharaoh might have been interred, is left open to the elements and the visitors who pass under the structure.
The project was commissioned by then-president Anwar Sadat at the end of the Arab-Israeli Warand became Sadat’s resting place after he was assassinated in 1981.
Rafi was also the brother of the celebrated surrealist painter Samir Rafi, who used his artwork to focus on the everyday plight of the people, and also often adapted Pharaonic emblems to new ends.
Updated: May 16, 2019 12:06 PM
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ProfileMobile
Latest Freedom Index (PDF)
Name: David Rivera
Congress: Florida, District: 25, Republican
Cumulative Freedom Index Score: 60%
Status: Former Member of the House
Score Breakdown:
60% (112th Congress: 2011-2012)
Key Votes:
H.J.Res. 117: Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013
Vote Date: September 13, 2012
Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
Continuing Resolution. House Joint Resolution 117 would provide continuing appropriations for the federal government from October 1, 2012 through March 27, 2013. This would amount to an annualized rate of $1.047 trillion in "discretionary" spending for regular appropriations, and would include a 0.6 percent increase in funding for most federal programs and agencies. This continuing resolution would also provide nearly $100 billion in war funding and $6.4 billion in advance disaster relief funds.
To put this appropriations bill into perspective, consider what the Congressional Budget Office reported on August 22, 2012: "For fiscal year 2012 (which ends on September 30), the federal budget deficit will total $1.1 trillion, CBO estimates, marking the fourth year in a row with a deficit of more than $1 trillion." This deficit is based on the CBO's estimates of $2.435 trillion in federal revenue and $3.563 trillion in federal outlays for fiscal 2012. Therefore, 32 percent of every federal dollar spent in 2012 had to be borrowed. For 2011, 2010, and 2009 the shortfall has been 36, 37, and 40 percent respectively.
The House passed H. J. Res. 117 on September 13, 2012 by a vote of 329 to 91 (Roll Call 579). We have assigned pluses to the nays because passage of this mammoth continuing resolution provided a way for Congress to perpetuate its fiscally irresponsible, unconstitutional spending habits with a minimum of accountability to its constituents.
H.R. 5949: FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012
FISA. The proposed FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012 (H.R. 5949) would reauthorize for five years, through 2017, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which governs electronic surveillance of foreign terrorism suspects. The law allows warrantless surveillance of foreign targets who may be communicating with people in the United States, provided that the secret FISA court approves surveillance procedures.
The Senate passed H.R. 5949 on September 12, 2012 by a vote of 301 to 118 (Roll Call 569). We have assigned pluses to the nays because warrantless surveillance is unconstitutional and violates privacy and individual liberty. While ostensibly carried out only on "foreign suspects" communicating with U.S. citizens, it is difficult to imagine this surveillance not extending to U.S. citizens.
H.R. 8: American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
Vote Date: August 1, 2012
Vote: AYE Good Vote.
Tax Cut Extension. In view of the looming "fiscal cliff" of expiring tax cuts, tax increases, and automatic spending cuts set to take place January 1, 2013, Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) offered a bill (H.R. 8) to extend all of the expiring Bush-era tax rates for one year. The bill would effectively tie alternative minimum tax exemption amounts to inflation in 2012 and 2013; extend the so-called marriage penalty-tax relief, the $1,000 child tax credit, and the 15-percent top tax rate on dividends and capital gains; and keep the estate tax at its current levels.
The House passed the bill on August 1, 2012, by a vote of 256 to 171 (Roll Call 545). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because extending the tax cuts keeps more money in the hands of citizens, where it can be invested into the economy, thus spurring economic growth. Of course, the deficits need to be eliminated, but the way to accomplish this is to cut spending, not increase taxes.
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 459: Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2012
Vote Date: July 25, 2012
Federal Reserve Audit. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) introduced a bill (H.R. 459) to require a full audit of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Reserve banks by the comptroller general of the United States.
The House passed the bill on July 25, 2012 by a vote of 327 to 98 (Roll Call 513). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the Federal Reserve System, essentially a cartel of private banks functioning as a central bank, is unconstitutional and is responsible for much of the nation's current financial problems via its control of money and credit. An audit of the Fed would shed light on its otherwise secretive practices and perhaps open the door for its eventual abolishment.
H.Amdt. 1416 to H.R. 5856: An amendment to prohibit the use of funds used in contravention of section 7 of title 1, United States Code.
Defense of Marriage Act. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) introduced an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 5856) "to prohibit the use of funds used in contravention of section 7 of title 1, United States Code." Section 7 of title 1 of the U.S. Code is better known as the Defense of Marriage Act.
When Rep. King offered his amendment on the floor of the House on July 19, he explained: "What we've seen since the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act is an effort on the part of the executive branch to undermine, I believe, marriage between one man and one woman within our military ranks.... Congress directs and acts within the authority of article I of the Constitution, our legislative authority, and the President of the United States, or his executives who are empowered by him, seek to undermine the law of the United States, instead of coming here to this Congress and asking for the law to be changed, or simply accepting the idea that they've taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law, and to take care, under article II, section 3, that the laws be faithfully executed."
The House adopted King's amendment on July 19, 2012 by a vote of 247 to 166 (Roll Call 487). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the Constitution grants "all legislative powers" exclusively to Congress in Article I, Section 1 and requires the president to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" in Article II, Section 3.
H.Amdt. 1414 to H.R. 5856: An amendment to reduce appropriations made in Title IX of the bill by $20,843,869,000. The reduction shall not apply to the following accounts 1) Defense Health Program; 2) Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities, Defense; 3) Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund; and 4) Office of the Inspector General.
Vote: NAY Bad Vote.
Afghanistan Withdrawal (Defense Appropriations Reduction). During consideration of the Defense appropriations bill for fiscal 2013 (H.R. 5856), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) proposed an amendment to cut overseas military spending by almost $21 billion. The intent behind the amendment was to allow enough funding for an orderly withdrawal from the unpopular war in Afghanistan but not enough to continue the conflict. According to Rep. Lee, the original bill includes over $85 billion for the war in Afghanistan.
The House rejected Lee's amendment on July 18, 2012 by a vote of 107 to 312 (Roll Call 485). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the massive expenditure on undeclared foreign wars and nation building is unconstitutional and unaffordable.
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 6018: Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2013
Foreign Relations Authorization. The Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (H.R. 6018) authorizes $9 billion for the State Department's diplomatic and consular programs, $1.6 billion for dues to international organizations (about $0.6 billion for UN regular budget dues and about $1 billion in contributions to 43 other UN-system, regional, and non-UN organizations), and $1.8 billion for contributions for UN peacekeeping activities. The United States is the largest contributor to UN dues and peacekeeping, paying 22 percent of total UN regular dues and 27 percent of UN peacekeeping operations.
When the U.S. Senate approved U.S. participation in the United Nations by a vote of 65 to 7 on December 4, 1945, it violated the Constitution by ceding our national sovereignty regarding engaging in wars to the United Nations. Whereas the Constitution grants the power "to declare war" exclusively to Congress in Article I, Section 8, the UN Charter grants this power to the UN's Security Council.
The House passed H.R. 6018 on July 17, 2012 by a vote of 333 to 61 (Roll Call 469). We have assigned pluses to the nays because U.S. participation in the United Nations involves an unconstitutional delegation of our national sovereignty to the UN.
H.R. 6079: Repeal of Obamacare Act
ObamaCare Repeal. The Repeal of Obamacare Act (H.R. 6079) would repeal both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (Public Law 111-152), known collectively as ObamaCare, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by these two acts would be restored or revived as if such acts had not been enacted.
Despite the Supreme Court's June 28 decision upholding the constitutionality of the individual mandate of ObamaCare, a careful reading of the legislative powers granted to Congress in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution does not reveal any legislative power to fund or regulate healthcare.
The House passed H.R. 6079 on July 11, 2012 by a vote of 244 to 185 (Roll Call 460). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because ObamaCare is an unconstitutional government takeover of nearly 20 percent of our nation's economy.
H.Res. 711: Recommending that the House of Representatives find Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Vote Date: June 28, 2012
Eric Holder Contempt Resolution. After Attorney General Eric Holder refused to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to provide documents regarding the "Operation Fast and Furious" gun-walking scandal, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) introduced a resolution (H. Res. 711) to hold him in contempt of Congress.
The House passed Rep. Issa's resolution on June 28, 2012 by a vote of 255 to 67 (Roll Call 441). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Holder's refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by Congress is a clear violation of the constitutional principle of separation of powers, and as a member of the executive branch he essentially "thumbed his nose" at the legislative branch.
H.Amdt. 1266 to H.R. 5855: An amendment to prohibit the use of funds to be used to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the "Morton Memos". The term "Morton Memos" refers to 1) Policy Number 10072.1, published on March 2, 2011; 2) Policy Number 10075.1, published on June 17, 2011; 3) Policy Number 10076.1, published on June 17, 2011.
Vote Date: June 7, 2012
Immigration Enforcement. During consideration of the fiscal 2013 Homeland Security appropriations bill (H.R. 5855), Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) introduced an amendment "to prohibit the use of funds to be used to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce" Immigration and Customs Enforcement memos (known as the Morton memos) regarding prosecutorial discretion to prioritize the removal of certain illegal immigrants.
A few weeks after the vote on this amendment, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) sent U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder a letter demanding answers regarding the administration's use of prosecutorial discretion, often referred to as "administrative amnesty," to certain illegal aliens up to the age of 30. Barletta wrote: "When similar measures that would implement these same policies were presented to Congress, Congress rejected them. The implementation of the new immigration policy that is contrary to the expressed will of the Congress violates the Constitution."
The House adopted King's amendment on June 7, 2012 by a vote of 238 to 175 (Roll Call 363). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the Obama administration's use of prosecutorial discretion to provide amnesty to illegal immigrants violates the constitutional principle of separation of powers. According to Article I, Section 1, "all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States." In particular, Congress is granted the power "to establish a uniform rule of naturalization" in Article I, Section 8. In contrast, Article II, Section 3 states that the president "shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed."
H.Amdt.1127 to H.R.4310: An amendment numbered 46 printed in House Report 112-485 to strike section 1022 of the FY2012 NDAA and amend Section 1021 of same Act to eliminate indefinite military detention of any person detained under AUMF authority in U.S., territories or possessions by providing immediate transfer to trial and proceedings by a court established under Article III of the Constitution of the United states or by an appropriate State court.
Vote Date: May 18, 2012
Indefinite Detention. Detainee-related language in the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4310) is so sweeping that American citizens accused of being terrorists can be detained by the U.S. military and held indefinitely without habeas corpus and without even being tried and found guilty in a court of law.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) offered an amendment to strike this language from the bill, but the House rejected Smith's amendment on May 18, 2012 by a vote of 182 to 238 (Roll Call 270). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the War on Terror must not be allowed to destroy constitutional legal protections, including the issuance of a warrant based on probable cause (Fourth Amendment) and the right to a trial (Sixth Amendment).
H.R. 2072: Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012
Vote Date: May 9, 2012
Export-Import Bank. This legislation (H.R. 2072) reauthorized the U.S. Export-Import Bank for two years and increased the agency's lending cap from $100 billion to $140 billion. The bank issues loans and loan guarantees to foreign governments or companies for the purchase of U.S. products.
The House passed H.R. 2072 on May 9, 2012 by a vote of 330 to 93 (Roll Call 224). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the federal government has no constitutional authority risking taxpayers' money to provide loans and terms that the private sector considers too risky to provide. Indeed, U.S. government-backed export financing is a form of corporate welfare, and if the Ex-Im Bank goes bust (as happened to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae), the taxpayers will get stuck holding the bag.
H.Amdt.1078 to H.R.5326: An amendment to prohibit the use of funds to be used to enforce section 526 of the Energy Independence Security Act.
National Ocean Policy. During consideration of the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill (H.R. 5326), Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) offered an amendment that would bar the use of funds in the bill to implement an executive order signed by President Obama in July 2010 calling for a national ocean policy. According to a press release on May 9 by the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Flores stated: "The National Ocean Policy was formed without congressional authority and would be run by unaccountable and unelected Washington bureaucrats. These proposed policy guidelines and processes have the potential to change the permitting criteria and requirements for a large number of economic sectors." Moreover, Obama's National Ocean Policy explicitly calls for "pursuing the United States' accession to the Law of the Sea Convention," also known as the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST).
The House adopted Flores' amendment on May 9, 2012 by a vote of 246 to 174 (Roll Call 234). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the Constitution does not empower the federal government to regulate the permitting criteria and other requirements of our nation's various economic sectors. Furthermore, ratifying the Law of the Sea Treaty would legitimize the UN's power grab over 70 percent of the Earth's surface and constitute a huge loss of our national sovereignty.
H.R. 3523: Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)
Vote Date: April 26, 2012
Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). This bill (H.R. 3523) would foster information sharing about cyber threats between the federal government and private businesses. Businesses that would participate in this sharing would be protected from lawsuits regarding this sharing of their customers' private information with the government. According to Violet Blue in an article posted on ZDNet.com on June 8, "Most people familiar with CISPA believe it will wipe out decades of consumer privacy protections and is primarily to give the US government unprecedented access to individuals' online data and communications."
The House passed H.R. 3523 on April 26, 2012 by a vote of 248 to 168 (Roll Call 192). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the CISPA bill would permit government access to the private information of citizens, in violation of the Fourth Amendment "right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures."
H.R. 5: Protecting Access to Healthcare Act
Vote Date: March 22, 2012
IPAB (Death Panel) Repeal. This legislation (H.R. 5) would repeal the provisions of the 2010 ObamaCare healthcare overhaul laws that established the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) responsible for curbing Medicare costs. It would restore previous law provisions to maintain the current Medicare spending review process. This bill is important because it would repeal the high-profile IPAB "death panel" provision of the unconstitutional ObamaCare law.
The IPAB Board would be made up of 15 unelected members chosen by the President. According to Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, the IPAB "could deny payment for certain care or medications, change the service options doctors have, and drive expensive, life-saving treatments out. Instead of discussing the options with your doctor, IPAB will be sitting at the controls in Washington making health decisions for you."
The House passed H.R. 5 on March 22, 2012 by a vote of 223 to 181 (Roll Call 126). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the IPAB provision of the ObamaCare law is clearly unconstitutional.
H.R. 3408: Alaskan Energy for American Jobs Act
Vote Date: February 16, 2012
Oil and Gas Development; Keystone XL Pipeline. This bill (H.R. 3408) would open up part of Alaska's resource-rich Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development. It would also expand lease sales for drilling to include areas off the Southern California and mid-Atlantic coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico. And it would provide for approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, assigning the permitting authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and deeming the project approved if the FERC fails to act.
The House passed H.R. 3408 on February 16, 2012 by a vote of 237 to 187 (Roll Call 71). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the federal government should allow entrepreneurs to develop energy resources, rather than deny access to the resources.
H.R. 3521: Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2012
Vote Date: February 8, 2012
Line-item Veto. This bill (H.R. 3521) would allow the President to rescind all or part of any dollar amount of funding for discretionary spending items in enacted appropriations bills. Although both houses of Congress would have to approve any such rescissions, they would be forced to do so very quickly by the bill's expedited procedures, including a prohibition on amendments in both Houses and filibusters in the Senate.
This bill dramatically and unilaterally enhances the power of the executive branch. Note that Article I, Section 1 and Article I, Section 7, Clauses 2 and 3, of the U.S. Constitution vest Congress with all legislative powers. Any bill that shifts legislative power away from Congress and to the President is violating the constitutionally defined separation of powers for the legislative and executive branches. A similar line-item veto law was passed when Clinton was President. That one was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
The House passed H.R. 3521 on February 8, 2012 by a vote of 254 to 173 (Roll Call 46). We have assigned pluses to the nays because providing any form of line-item veto power to the President violates the Constitution's separation of powers.
H.J.Res. 98: Relating to the disapproval of the President
Vote Date: January 18, 2012
Debt Limit Disapproval. The debt deal passed by Congress in August 2011 immediately raised the national debt limit by $400 billion, while also allowing the President to raise the ceiling by an additional $500 billion unless a resolution of disapproval is enacted. Should these increases in borrowing authority prove insufficient, the debt deal even allowed the President to raise the debt ceiling by another $1.2 to $1.5 trillion subject to a resolution of disapproval.
Last year, President Obama requested the additional $500 billion debt-limit increase, and Congress failed to block the request. Though the resolution of disapproval was passed by the House, it was rejected by the Senate.
This year, Obama requested raising the debt ceiling an additional $1.2 trillion, and the House tried to block the increase via a resolution of disapproval (House Joint Resolution 98). The House passed H. J. Res. 98 on January 18, 2012 by a vote of 239 to 176 (Roll Call 4). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the federal government should live within its means and because most of the spending responsible for the ballooning national debt is unconstitutional.
H.R. 2055: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012
Vote Date: December 16, 2011
Vote: NAY Good Vote.
Omnibus Appropriations. This catch-all legislative package (H.R. 2055), which would provide $915 billion in discretionary appropriations for fiscal 2012, is comprised of nine appropriations bills for fiscal 2012 that Congress failed to complete separately - Defense ($518.8 billion), Energy-Water ($32.1 billion), Financial Services ($21.5 billion), Homeland Security ($41.3 billion), Interior-Environment ($29.2 billion), Labor-HHS-Education ($156.3 billion), Legislative Branch ($4.3 billion), State-Foreign Operations ($33.5 billion), and Military Construction-VA ($73.7 billion).
The House adopted the final version of this legislation (known as a conference report) on December 16, 2011 by a vote of 296 to 121 (Roll Call 941). We have assigned pluses to the nays because many of the bill's spending programs -- e.g., education, housing, foreign aid, etc. -- are unconstitutional. Moreover, passing this mammoth appropriations bill in light of the ongoing trillion-dollar annual deficits is grossly fiscally irresponsible. Furthermore, packaging the appropriations bills for so many large federal agencies into one mega-bill greatly reduces the accountability of the Congressmen to their constituents.
H.R. 1633: Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011
Vote Date: December 8, 2011
Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act. This legislation (H.R. 1633) would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from "revising any national ambient air quality standard applicable to coarse particulate matter" for one year. The intent behind the legislation is to temporarily block the EPA from imposing tougher coarse-particulates regulations that could restrict farm dust from agricultural and livestock operations.
The House passed H.R. 1633 on December 8, 2011 by a vote of 268 to 150 (Roll Call 912). We have assigned pluses to the yeas not only because of the harm regulation of farm dust would do to the agricultural sector, but also because the federal government has no constitutional authority to impose such regulations.
H.R. 10: Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011
Congressional Approval of Major Regulations. This legislation (H.R. 10) is entitled the "Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act" and is also known as the REINS Act. It would prohibit the executive branch from putting into effect major rules -- rules having an economic impact of at least $100 million per year - until those rules are approved by Congress. The intent of the bill is to rein in the executive from usurping legislative powers via executive fiat.
The House passed the REINS Act on December 7, 2011 by a vote of 241 to 184 (Roll Call 901). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because all legislative powers in the Constitution are vested in Congress, not the executive branch. Mandatory rules issued by the executive branch may not be called laws, but they have the same effect as laws, and what they are called does not change the reality.
H.R. 2112: Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012
Vote Date: November 17, 2011
Agriculture-Commerce-Justice-Science-Transportation-HUD Appropriations. This so-called "minibus" bill (H.R. 2112) combined into a single package three of the regular appropriations bills -- Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - for fiscal 2012. Just the "discretionary" spending in the minibus for the three-bill package totaled $128.1 billion. In addition, there is the spending that the government deems "mandatory." In the case of the Agriculture bill that was incorporated into the minibus, for instance, the appropriations include $116.8 billion in mandatory spending in addition to $19.8 billion in discretionary spending. The so-called mandatory spending in the Agriculture bill includes nearly $99 billion for food and nutrition programs.
The House passed the final version of this bill (known as a conference report) on November 17, 2011 by a vote of 298 to 121 (Roll Call 857). We have assigned pluses to the nays because Congress has no constitutional authority to fund many of the programs in the bill, including the farm programs, food programs, and housing (under HUD).
H.R. 358: Protect Life Act
Vote Date: October 13, 2011
Abortion Funding. H.R. 358 would prohibit any federal funding to be used to purchase health insurance plans covering abortion. It would also require that any insurance companies offering plans via the ObamaCare-created state exchanges that include abortion coverage offer identical plans minus the abortion coverage.
The House passed H.R. 358 on October 13, 2011 by a vote of 251 to 172 (Roll Call 789). We have assigned pluses to the yeas not only because the government should not be subsidizing the killing of innocent human life, but also because there is no constitutional authority for the government to manage or finance the healthcare sector.
H.R. 3080: United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
South Korea Trade Agreement. On a single day - October 12, 2011 - both the House and Senate approved three separate trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. These measures are three more in a series of "free-trade agreements" intended to transfer the power to regulate trade (and eventually other powers too) to super-national arrangements via a step-by-step process. NAFTA is a prime example of such an arrangement. So is the developing continental government now known as the European Union, which is an outgrowth of a free-trade arrangement once called the Common Market. In fact, the Common Market-EU trajectory to regional governance served as a model for the formation of NAFTA.
The South Korea agreement, to quote Congressional Quarterly, is "considered the most economically important trade deal since the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement." For this reason, the "Freedom Index" editors selected this vote over the other two (Colombia and Panama) for inclusion in this index.
The House passed H.R. 3080, the measure to implement the South Korea trade agreement, on October 12, 2011 by a vote of 278 to 151 (Roll Call 783). We have assigned pluses to the nays because agreements such as this one are intended to transfer trade (and other) powers to super-national arrangements binding the United States, despite the fact that under the Constitution only Congress has the power "to regulate commerce with foreign nations."
H.R. 2401: Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011
Cross-state Air-pollution Rules. During consideration of legislation (H.R. 2401) regarding the regulatory impact of EPA regulations, Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) proposed an amendment that would delay cross-state air-pollution rules until at least 2015. The amendment would delay by at least two years sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions standards for power plants and allow the companies at least five years to comply after the rules are issued.
The House passed Whitfield's amendment on September 23, 2011 by a vote of 234 to 188 (Roll Call 737). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the new EPA cross-state pollution rules will further damage the economy and also because the federal government has no constitutional authority to regulate power plant emissions.
H.R. 2587: Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act
National Labor Relations Board. Earlier this year Boeing, a longtime airplane manufacturer in the state of Washington, opened a production facility in South Carolina for its new 787 Dreamliner airplane. Although this development had been publicly announced in 2009, early this year the machinists union charged that Boeing's decision was unfair and asked the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to take action against Boeing. The NLRB complied by issuing a formal complaint as described in its press release of April 20, 2011: "National Labor Relations Board issues complaint against Boeing Company for unlawfully transferring work to a non-union facility."
Representative Tim Scott (R-S.C.) responded to the NLRB complaint by introducing H.R. 2587, the Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act, "To prohibit the National Labor Relations Board from ordering any employer to close, relocate, or transfer employment under any circumstance."
The House passed H.R. 2587 on September 15, 2011 by a vote of 238 to 186 (Roll Call 711). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the federal government has no constitutional authority to order a company to reinstate production or make certain investments at a given location, or to block a company's decision to relocate production.
H.J.RES 77: Relating to the disapproval of the President
Debt Limit Disapproval. Under the debt deal passed by Congress in August, the debt ceiling was raised by $400 billion, and the President can raise the ceiling by an additional $500 billion unless a resolution of disapproval is enacted. President Obama decided to raise the national debt the full $900 billion, and legislation was introduced (House Joint Resolution 77) to block the $500 billion increase.
The House passed the resolution of disapproval on September 14, 2011 by a vote of 232 to 186 (Roll Call 706). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because piling on more and more debt is devastating to the economy, and the bulk of the federal government's spending spree is for unconstitutional programs.
H.AMDT. 579: An amendment to prohibit the use of funds for military operations in or against Libya except under a declaration of war against Libya pursuant to clause 11 in section 8 of article I of the Constitution.
Libya. During consideration of the Defense appropriations bill, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) introduced an amendment to prohibit the use of funds in the bill to carry out military actions against Libya unless Congress declares war against Libya.
The Founding Fathers assigned this power to Congress because they did not want a single man deciding when to go to war. Yet President Obama usurped this congressional war-making authority by initiating offensive military actions against Libya without even asking advice from Congress, much less requesting the required declaration of war.
The House rejected the Kucinich amendment on July 8, 2011 by a vote of 169 to 251 (Roll Call 530). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution only Congress has the power "to declare war."
S. 365: Budget Control Act of 2011
Debt Deal. This legislation (S. 365) provided for an immediate $400 billion increase in the national debt limit, while allowing the President to raise the ceiling an additional $500 billion unless Congress passes a resolution of disapproval.
This legislation also established a process for reducing future cumulative deficit projections by up to $2.4 trillion for fiscal years 2012 through 2021, including the establishment of a supercommittee tasked with recommending cuts totaling up to $1.5 trillion for the 10-year period. If the supercommittee were to fail in recommending at least $1.2 trillion in cuts (and, as we know, the supercommittee failed to recommend any cuts), then the legislation would trigger automatic cuts totaling up to $1.2 trillion over 10 years.
The debt-raising/deficit-cutting package created the appearance that Congress was doing something to rein in out-of-control spending. But in reality, the total national debt would still increase even if the entire dollar amount of cuts called for in the legislation were identified and enacted, since the cuts are not cuts in the absolute sense but cuts in future budget projections. The national debt would continue to go up, but not as fast as before, for the simple reason that cutting (say) $1.2 trillion over 10 years will not offset projected annual $1 trillion-plus deficits.
The House passed S. 365 on August 1, 2011 by a vote of 269 to 161 (Roll Call 690). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the debt deal allows both the national debt and spending to continue their upward trajectories. Moreover, the budget process established by the legislation is clearly unconstitutional since no Congress can bind the actions of future Congresses via the so-called automatic cuts.
H.R. 2417: Better Use of Light Bulbs Act
Incandescent Light Bulbs. Incandescent light bulbs ranging from 40 to 100 watts will be phased out during 2012-2014 in accordance with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-140). The first size to be phased out in 2012 will be the 100-watt incandescent light bulb. The energy efficiency standards in PL 110-140 that will effectively ban the ubiquitous incandescent light bulb will leave the environmentally questionable (due to mercury content) compact fluorescent light bulbs as the only economical light bulb in the marketplace. However, this ban on incandescent light bulbs led to the introduction of H.R. 2417, a bill that would repeal the relevant sections of PL 110-140 so that the familiar incandescent light bulbs would continue to be available for purchase in the United States.
The House rejected H.R. 2417 on July 12, 2011 by a vote of 233 to 193 (Roll Call 563). The bill was brought to a vote under suspension of the rules, which required a two-thirds majority of those present and voting (284 in this case) for passage. We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the federal government has no constitutional authority to establish energy efficiency standards that would prevent the production, distribution, and consumer purchase of a previously perfectly acceptable and universally used product, such as the incandescent light bulb.
H.Con.Res. 51: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Libya
Libya Troop Withdrawal. House Concurrent Resolution 51 would have directed President Obama, "pursuant to ... the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Libya." The War Powers Resolution bars the President from militarily engaging the armed forces for more than 60 days without congressional approval. Obama had not sought congressional approval for undertaking military action in Libya. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who sponsored H. Con. Res. 51, noted: "In the weeks leading up to the war, the administration had time to consult with the Arab League, the United Nations, the African Union, but apparently had no time to come to this Congress for approval."
The House rejected Kucinich's resolution on June 3, 2011 by a vote of 148 to 265 (Roll Call 412). We have assigned pluses to the yeas not merely because Obama's Libya deployment is now in violation of the War Powers Act's 60-day requirement for congressional authorization, but also because it violates the Constitution, which clearly assigns to Congress the power "to declare war."
S. 990: PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011
Patriot Act Extension. This legislation (S. 990) extended for four years three provisions of the Patriot Act that were set to expire: the "roving wiretap" provision that allows the federal government to wiretap any number of a suspect's telephone/ Internet connections without specifying what they will find or how many connections will be tapped; the "financial records" provision that allows the feds to seize "any tangible thing" that has "relevance" to an investigation; and the "lone wolf" provision that allows spying on non-U.S. citizens without a warrant. These provisions violate the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires that no warrants be issued "but upon probable cause" (a much higher standard than "relevance"), and that warrants must contain language "particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
The Patriot Act even allows the FBI to issue warrants called "National Security Letters" without going to a judge, though this provision was not set to expire and therefore was not part of this legislation.
The House passed the Patriot Act extension on May 26, 2011 by a vote of 250 to 153 (Roll Call 376). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the provisions that were extended, as well as the Patriot Act as a whole, violate the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.
H.R. 1229: Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act
Offshore Drilling Leases. This bill (H.R. 1229) would modify the process for leasing permits for exploratory drilling in the Gulf of Mexico so as to remove bureaucratic foot-dragging impeding more offshore drilling. As summarized by Congressional Quarterly, H.R. 1229 "would require the Interior Department to decide on approval of an exploratory drilling permit application within 30 days, with the option of extending the review period up to 60 days. If the department fails to issue a ruling within 60 days, the application would be deemed approved."
The House passed H.R. 1229 on May 11, 2011 by a vote of 263 to 163 (Roll Call 309). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the federal government should not be impeding the exploration for and development of natural resources by entrepreneurs.
H.Con.Res. 35: Directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make a correction in the enrollment of H.R. 1473
ObamaCare Defunding. House Concurrent Resolution 35 would direct the House clerk to insert a section in the enrollment of H.R. 1473 (Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011) that would bar the use of funds made available in the bill to implement the provisions of the 2010 healthcare overhaul law. Since full repeal of the ObamaCare law had already been rejected in the Senate, this attempt to defund the implementation of ObamaCare for fiscal year 2011 was made.
The House adopted H. Con. Res. 35 on April 14, 2011 by a vote of 240 to 185 (Roll Call 270). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because there is no constitutional authority for the federal government to require individuals to purchase health insurance or to manage the healthcare industry.
Planned Parenthood Defunding. House Concurrent Resolution 36 would direct the House clerk to insert a section in the enrollment of H.R. 1473 (Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011) that would prohibit the use of any funding in the bill for Planned Parenthood.
The House adopted H. Con. Res. 36 on April 14, 2011 by a vote of 241 to 185 (Roll Call 271). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion provider, and government should not subsidize the killing of innocent human life. Moreover, under the Constitution, the federal government should not be subsidizing any private entity in the marketplace.
H.R. 910: Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011
Vote Date: April 7, 2011
Greenhouse-gas Regulation. This bill (H.R. 910) would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse-gas emissions from stationary sources for the purpose of addressing climate change. The EPA claims that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are pollutants, and that these gases can therefore be regulated under the Clean Air Act -- even without the enactment of any legislation restricting greenhouse-gas emissions. Global-warming alarmists have tried to push such legislation though Congress, but have thus far been unsuccessful. Carbon dioxide, one of the EPA-defined greenhouse-gas pollutants, not only occurs naturally but is necessary for the existence of plant life.
The House passed H.R. 910 on April 7, 2011 by a vote of 255 to 172 (Roll Call 249). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because restricting greenhouse-gas emissions would be harmful to the economy, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are not pollutants, and the federal government has no constitutional authority to limit such emissions.
H.R. 1076: To prohibit Federal funding of National Public Radio and the use of Federal funds to acquire radio content
NPR Funding Ban. This bill (H.R. 1076) would prohibit federal funding of National Public Radio (NPR). Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), the bill's sponsor, said that "NPR can survive on its own" without federal funding. NPR funding has become a contentious issue because of its left-wing bias. However, NPR funding should also be debated because there is no constitutional authorization for the federal government to create or fund "public broadcasting," any more than there is authorization for the feds to bankroll a "public newspaper" in competition with a free press.
The House passed this bill on March 17, 2011 by a vote of 228 to 192 (Roll Call 192). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because federal funding of public broadcasting is unconstitutional.
H.R. 4: Comprehensive 1099 Taxpayer Protection and Repayment of Exchange Subsidy Overpayments Act of 2011
Vote Date: March 3, 2011
ObamaCare (1099 Reporting Requirement Repeal). This bill (H.R. 4) stripped the very unpopular 1099 reporting requirement out of ObamaCare. This was significant because it was the first component of ObamaCare to be repealed by Congress. This reporting requirement for businesses and real estate owners to file a 1099 form with the IRS for every vendor to whom they paid more than $600 a year had been added to the ObamaCare legislation as a way to raise $19 billion by reducing tax fraud; however, business organizations protested that the 1099 requirement would bury businesses in additional, costly paperwork.
The House passed H.R. 4 on March 3, 2011 by a vote of 314-112 (Roll Call 162). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the burdensome 1099 reporting requirement was added to the ObamaCare legislation as a way to help pay for this unconstitutional program.
H.Amdt. 117: Prohibit funds to pay dues to the United Nations
UN Dues. During consideration of a continuing appropriations bill (H.R. 1) to fund government operations through the rest of the fiscal year ending on September 2011, Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) offered an amendment to prohibit any funding in the bill from being used to pay for any dues to the United Nations.
The House rejected Broun's amendment on February 18, 2011 by a vote of 177 to 243 (Roll Call 107). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because stopping U.S. dues payments to the United Nations is a step toward getting the United States out of the UN. Our membership in the UN undermines U.S. sovereignty -- e.g., when the Security Council passes various resolutions, including resolutions calling for military intervention, that the United States is expected to enforce, irrespective of the U.S. Constitution or congressional powers.
H.R. 2: Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act
ObamaCare Repeal. Since widespread opposition to ObamaCare propelled the Republicans to a substantial majority in the House in the 2010 elections, it was appropriate that the Republicans arranged for a vote on repealing ObamaCare very early in the first session of the 112th Congress. Dubbed the "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act," H.R. 2 would repeal both the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (PL 111-148) and the "Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010" (PL 111-152), known collectively as ObamaCare. Passage of this repeal bill would be the best solution to the ObamaCare problem because it is worded to be effective as of the original date of enactment of PL 111-148 and 152 and would repeal both laws, as well as restore and revive the provisions of law that had been amended or repealed by ObamaCare, as if ObamaCare had never been enacted.
The House passed H.R. 2 on January 19, 2011 by a vote of 245-189 (Roll Call 14). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the 2010 healthcare overhaul law known as ObamaCare is thoroughly unconstitutional. There is no constitutional authority for the federal government to require individuals to purchase health insurance or to manage the healthcare industry.
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Presidential aide urges INEC to redeploy REC over alleged bias
Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman
The Special Assistant to the President on Justice Reform, Mrs Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, has urged Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to redeploy Dr Emeka Ononamadu as Resident Electoral Commissioner in Enugu over alleged bias.
Ibekaku-Nwagwu, who contested the seat of the Enugu West Senatorial District in the 2019 elections under the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC) made the call in a petition addressed to Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC’s National Chairman.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the petition dated March 13 and signed by the petitioner was made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
“I write on behalf of Enugu APC Candidates who participated in the 2019 elections, but with particular reference to those who filed petitions against the Feb. 23 Presidential and National State Assembly Election Election Tribunal.
“On behalf of the candidates, I wish to inform the chairman that we no longer have confidence in the Resident Electoral Commission in Enugu.
“We are by this letter asking for his removal from Enugu state and redeployment of another Resident Electoral Commission to the state.
“It is very disturbing given what transpired during the election where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Enugu State Government officials were used as INEC Adhoc staff’’, Ibekaku-Nwagwu, said.
According to her, Ononamadu is presently colluding with her opponent in the national assembly election, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP to further rob her at the tribunal.
Ibekaku-Nwagwu’s petition is titled “Petition against the use of Sen. Ike Ekweremadu’s law firm as INEC’s Legal Representatives in the suit filed by APC Candidates in Enugu Election Tribunal and Request for Redeployment of the REC’’.
“Our attention has been drawn to the fact that INEC hired Mr Peter Eze, Managing Partner of Eze, Ekweremadu law firm based in Enugu and Abuja to represent it in the Enugu State Election Petition Tribunal.
“Find attached, documents confirming that Eze is not only a partner in the law firm, but that in the absence of Ekweremadu, he has been managing the law firm.
“This is not only a conflict of interest given that Sen. Ekweremadu is one of the Candidates that contested the Enugu West Senatorial District election on the platform of the PDP petitioned against.
“Sir, you may further recall that lawyers of APC candidates had petitioned you through Vinyuch law office in March 29 requesting that you investigate Ononamadu for his palpable complicity in the mismanagement of the election in Enugu.
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Accused Waffle House Killer’s $2 Million Bail Revoked; Police Investigate Father Who May Have Given Back Confiscated AR-15
Filed to: Travis ReinkingFiled to: Travis Reinking
Travis Reinking
Waffle House shooting
Metro Nashville PD
white men and guns
Travis Reinking record
Jeffrey Reinking
Photo: Metro Nashville Police Department via Getty Images
Updated Tuesday, April 24, 2018, 3 p.m. EDT: A $2 million bond set for accused Waffle House shooter Travis Reinking has been revoked by a Tennessee judge. CNN reports that the order was signed by Tennessee state Judge Michael Mondelli today. No reason was given for revoking the bond, which was set Monday after authorities arrested the alleged gunman. Reinking was booked on four counts of criminal homicide, with a $500,000 bond for each of the victims.
Travis Reinking, a 29-year-old man accused of killing four people at a Nashville, Tenn., Waffle House on Sunday, was charged with four counts of criminal homicide Monday after being taken into custody earlier that day. He’s also being held on $2 million bail, WGN-TV reports.
But how exactly did the alleged gunman, who recent reports show had a series of run-ins with local and national law enforcement dating back to 2014, get his hands on an AR-15 that had been confiscated from him?
The answer is frustratingly simple: According to authorities, Reinking’s father, Jeffrey Reinking, to whom Travis’ guns had been transferred, simply gave his son his weapons back.
According to the New York Times, after a July 2017 incident in which Travis was grabbed by the Secret Service after he tried to run up on the White House grounds, Illinois police hand-delivered a statement to him and his father officially revoking Travis’ Firearm Owners Identification card, or FOID, which the state of Illinois mandates for anyone who wants to possess a firearm.
During that August 2017 encounter, Travis turned over the card to authorities and “helped the police retrieve all of his weapons and ammunition, which were handed over to Jeffrey Ranking,” the Times notes.
According to the police report, “Jeffrey was advised that he needed to keep the weapons secure and away from Travis. Jeffrey stated he would comply.”
Now police are investigating Jeffrey Reinking to determine how Travis got access to at least one of those weapons—the rifle reportedly used to massacre four people on Sunday. Travis was also found with a loaded handgun in his backpack when authorities apprehended him Monday.
George Mocsary, an assistant professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Law, told BuzzFeed News that, if found guilty of transferring firearms back to his son, the elder Reinking could face one to three years in prison.
How Travis Reinking wasn’t in some form of custody, despite his numerous run-ins and record of hostile behavior toward police, as Damon Young documented for The Root, beggars belief.
Travis Reinking Is What Happens When Black People Are ‘Criminals’ and White People Are Allowed to…
A few months ago, during a conversation on Facebook about one of the many mass shootings committed…
Starting in 2014, Reinking’s family—including his father, mother and grandmother—told police that he was having delusions. In 2016, cops were called on him after his family reported that he had talked of committing suicide; he also owned firearms. During the interaction, Reinking told cops that Taylor Swift hd stalked him and hacked into his Netflix account.
In 2017, Reinking’s interactions with law enforcement escalated: With an AR-15 in the trunk of his car, he exposed himself at a public pool. He was also arrested in Washington, D.C., later that year, after attempting to force his way onto White House grounds, prompting the FBI to investigate him.
For that offense, Travis Reinking was ordered to serve 32 hours of community service at a Baptist church.
And just last week in Nashville, where he had recently moved to work in construction, he stole a BMW after posing as a customer at a local dealership. He managed to evade authorities because Nashville police gave up on the chase, citing the fact that it was rush hour.
Reinking, who is white, stands accused of killing Akilah Dasilva, 23; DeEbony Groves, 21; Joe R. Perez, 20; and Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29. While all four victims were either African American or Latinx, Nashville Mayor David Briley says he has no reason to believe that their deaths were racially motivated, according to the Times.
29-Year-Old James Shaw Jr. Hailed as Hero for Stopping Tennessee Waffle House Shooting
Nude Gunman Kills 4 at Waffle House in Tennessee; Still on the Run: Police
Police Had Previously Seized Gun Used in Waffle House Shooting
Staff writer, The Root. Sometimes I blog slow, sometimes I blog quick. Do you have this in coconut?
Recent from Anne Branigin
Police Arrest Suspect in Death of Baton Rouge Community Activist, Say No Evidence That Killing Was a Hate Crime
On 5th Anniversary of Eric Garner’s Death, Protesters Will Take to New York City’s Streets Once More
Rained Out by Hurricane Barry, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Turns Canceled Convention Day Into Major Food Donation
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Home National 5 MHP deputies announce opposition to switch to presidential system
topheadline
5 MHP deputies announce opposition to switch to presidential system
Five members of Parliament from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) announced on Monday that they will cast a nay vote in a possible upcoming referendum for a switch to an executive presidency in Turkey.
At a press conference in Parliament in Ankara on Monday, MHP deputies Ümit Özdağ, Nuri Okutan, Yusuf Halaçoğlu, Seyfettin Yılmaz and İsmail Ok told reporters that they are in favor of a parliamentary system of governance in Turkey. They also called on party members, saying that supporting the idea of a referendum during meetings in Parliament and then casting a nay vote in a possible referendum is not correct.
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli sparked a fresh debate over the introduction of an executive presidency in Turkey when he recently said there was a de facto situation in Turkey concerning its style of governance and that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was already acting like an executive president although his post is largely ceremonial. Bahçeli said the situation needs to be resolved.
Speaking at a party meeting in Afyonkarahisar on Sunday, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said his government has completed work on a change in the system of governance in Turkey and will take it to Parliament as soon as possible.
“We have conducted the necessary debates and consultations [about a switch to an executive presidency]. We will take it to Parliament as soon as possible. Our Parliament will discuss our proposal, and then it will be presented to the public,” he said.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has 317 deputies in Parliament, needs the support of at least 13 more deputies from opposition parties to take a constitutional amendment on a switch to an executive presidency to referendum. Currently, there are 133 deputies from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), 59 from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), 40 deputies from the MHP and one independent in the Turkish Parliament.
The post of the president is largely ceremonial in Turkey; however, President Erdoğan has been acting as an executive president since his election to the top state post in August 2014. Erdoğan is a strong supporter of a switch to the presidential system. Yet, critics say Erdoğan wants a “Turkish style” executive presidency without checks and balances, one that is aimed at creating one-man rule.
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Allen, Daniel Frederick
1921 (Salem/Massachusetts, United States)
Canadian (1931-present, Constitutional Monarchy)
Service number J.16423.
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
Pilot Officer
No. 408 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
"This officer has completed thirty sorties involving attacks on a variety of well-defended targets in Germany and northern France. He is an efficient captain whose determination to complete his task successfully has set a praiseworthy example. On one occasion when returning from Hamburg his aircraft was badly damaged by enemy action but he flew it back to base."
- Second Supplement to The London Gazette Issue 35966 published on the 2 April 1943
- Air Force Association of Canada
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Legendary performances propel WHHS over Lex
By Kevin Lynch Staff Writer
On an evening when West Holmes honored one of its legendary former players, a couple of current Knights turned in some legendary performances.
Joe Norman, who went on to play for Indiana University and then the Seattle Seahawks after his West Holmes career, had his No. 14 retired in a pregame ceremony.
Then the Knights had several record-setting performances turned in by Layne Perone, Brady Arnold and junior Luke Ogi in a 55-33 thrashing of the Lexington Minutemen.
When Perone carried for a short gain in the first half for his 82nd yard, the senior surpassed Rod Taylor as the all-time leading rusher in West Holmes history, amassing more than 4,000 career yards. Perone finished the evening with a 106 yards on 17 carries and the first two touchdowns of the night for the Knights. His career total stands at 4,047, 22 more than Taylor had during his stellar career at West Holmes.
"You want to talk to Ogi," Perone said. "He's the real star tonight."
The backfield mate of Perone enjoyed an amazing evening, breaking off three touchdown runs of 55, 77 and 58 yards on his way to a whopping 274 yards on 12 carries.
"When you have good blockers like we have and you see the open field, I mean, you just go. There's not much thinking to it," Ogi said. "Hopefully we can keep this going and keep winning. That's all that matters. I didn't even realize I was close to a record. It's not something I think about during the game. It's nice that I got the record, but it's better that we won.
"We're a pretty good one-two punch in the backfield," Ogi added. "He's one of the best backs to ever come through here. He's such a hard runner. I try to run hard like him. We're two different kinds of runners, so that makes us pretty hard to stop."
The way the Minutemen were mincing up the Knights' defense, West Holmes needed nearly every one of the 491 yards the team rushed for.
Ryan Cooper rumbled in for a 30-yard touchdown run less than three minutes into the game to give the guests a 7-0 lead.
Perone answered three plays later when he busted loose on a 31-yard scoring jaunt to knot things at 7-7.
After David Cagle pounced on a fumble by Lexington quarterback Trent Richwine at the Minutemen 36, it took two plays for the Knights to convert the turnover into points. Perone took it to the house from 32 yards out for a 14-7 advantage.
Ogi broke free for a 51-yard scoring sprint following a Lexington punt to give the Knights a 21-7 advantage with 2:59 remaining in the first quarter.
Richwine made amends for his fumble when he found Nick Leasure open behind the secondary for a 49-yard scoring strike to trim the Knights' lead to 21-14 with 1:42 remaining in the opening stanza.
The Knights tried to assert their muscle by going for it on fourth down at their own 36-yard line, but the Lexington defense rose to the occasion and stopped Perone short of the first down at the Knights 39.
Nine plays later, Richwine cracked the goal line from three yards out to knot the score at 21-all with 6:47 remaining in the first half.
West Holmes came up empty on its next possession, and were forced to punt.
Lexington fullback Ryan Cooper, who enjoyed a pretty good night of his own, piling up 168 yards on 15 carries, busted loose on a 32-yard run to set up a 38-yard field by Giovanni Masi to give the visitors a 24-21 lead at the half.
Brady Arnold made his way into the record books in the second half, starting with a 95-yard kickoff return to open the third quarter to reclaim the lead for West Holmes.
"It was senior night. It was good to go out with a bang, I guess," Arnold said. "We needed a spark and I did what I could to provide it."
Arnold's kick return seemed to rejuvenate the West Holmes defense, which forced a three-plays and punt drive. But the Knights were unable to move and punted back to Lexington, who drove to midfield, but couldn't go any farther, and relinquished the ball on downs.
From there, it took West Holmes five plays to punch it in, Perone going the final two yards for the score for a 35-24 lead.
Lexington answered with a 32-yard field goal by back-up kicker Brian Truax, who filled in for the injured Masi to make it 35-27.
Arnold returned the ensuing kickoff a school record 98 yards, eclipsing Ryan Grice's 97 yard mark set in 1992. His two scores along with his other returns on the night set the single-game return record as well.
"The record means a lot, but getting the win means more," Arnold said. "I want to leave a legacy behind. It felt really good.
"Footwork is key," Arnold continued. "You know what you're going to do and they don't. It's one move, cut, gone."
And after a Lexington punt, Ogi took Arnold's advice, made one move, cut and he was gone, 77 yards for a score to put the Knights up 49-27 early in the fourth quarter.
Another punt, another long touchdown trot by Ogi, this time from 58 yards to cap the scoring for the Knights.
Richwine hit Truax on a 21-yard scoring streak in the waning moments of the game, but it was all over by then.
"This is a pretty special group of kids who will leave here with a lot of great memories," West Holmes coach Kevin Maltarich said. "At halftime, I asked them how they wanted to remember their last game, and then basically, I turned it over to the seniors and they got the team ready. They're great kids, great leaders.
"The offensive line was a big question coming into this year," the coach continued. They have really done a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage. In the first quarter, I don't think Layne got touched on either of his touchdown runs."
The win improved the Knights' record to 6-2 on the season, 3-2 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference with a trip to Wooster looming next week. Lexington dropped to 1-7, 0-5.
"Right now, we're going to focus on Wooster and correcting some things and getting better, and seeing what we can do," Maltarich added.
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Sri Lankan suicide bomber studied in Melbourne
Sri Lanka bombings
By David Wroe and Eryk Bagshaw
Updated April 25, 2019 — 11.27am first published April 24, 2019 — 6.53pm
A Sri Lankan suicide bomber who carried out one of the Easter Sunday atrocities studied in Melbourne but counter-terrorism authorities say there is no known threat in Australia linked to the man.
It is understood the bomber, who took part in the worst Islamist terrorist attack outside a war zone since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, studied at a university in Melbourne several years ago.
A national security source said that "our assessment is there's no identified threat here". The man was not linked to any network of extremists in Australia.
The aftermath of the attack on the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo on Sunday. Credit:AP
The man, who has not been named, was among the nine suicide bombers - eight men and one woman - who killed at least 359 people in Sri Lanka, including two Australians, in an attack for which the so-called Islamic State has claimed responsibility.
A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Home Affairs said the government could "confirm that one of the alleged suicide bombers involved in the attacks in Sri Lanka has previously held a visa for Australia".
The spokesperson refused to comment further on "an active investigation" but said Australia could continue helping Sri Lankan authorities.
Australian Federal Police officers are in Sri Lanka helping authorities there with their investigations.
Sri Lanka's junior Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said on Wednesday: "We believe that one of the suicide bombers studied in the UK and then later on did his postgraduate in Australia before coming back to settle in Sri Lanka."
Manik Suriaaratchi (right) and her 10-year-old daughter, Alexendria.
Mr Wijewardene said that "most of [the attackers] are well-educated and come from ... middle or upper-middle-class" families.
"They are financially quite independent and their families are quite stable financially," he added.
Australia is one of four countries along with the United States, Britain and the United Arab Emirates that is helping with the Sri Lankan investigation.
Australian mother and daughter Manik Suriaaratchi and her 10-year-old Alexendria were among those killed.
The team of suicide bombers, who also injured more than 500 people, launched co-ordinated attacks on churches and hotels on Sunday. They hit six sites: the Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury hotels as well as St Anthony's Shrine in the capital Colombo, St Sebastian's church in Negombo and Zion Church in Batticaloa.
Image from Islamic State that purports to show Zahran Hashim, centre, who Sri Lanka says led the Easter Sunday attacks. Credit:AP
Islamic State claimed that its "fighters" carried out the attack. It released a video purportedly of the bombers swearing allegiance to the group, though the video has not been independently verified.
The Sri Lankan government has accused the little-known group National Thowheed Jamath as being behind the attack. Its leader, Moulvi Zahran Hashim, appeared in the IS video in which the purported bombers pledged their loyalty to IS.
David Wroe
David Wroe is defence and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Eryk Bagshaw
Eryk Bagshaw is an economics correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Most Viewed in Politics
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Adventures with Van Gogh
Adventures with Van Gogh is a weekly blog by Martin Bailey, our long-standing correspondent and expert on the artist. Published every Friday, his stories will range from newsy items about this most intriguing artist to scholarly pieces based on his own meticulous investigations and discoveries.
The astonishing life of Johan van Gogh: Vincent's great-nephew dies aged 96
A tribute to Theo van Gogh’s grandson, who served in the Dutch secret service
a blog by Martin Bailey
8th March 2019 11:20 BST
Johan van Gogh speaking after the assassination of his son in November 2004 © ANP PHOTO/VINCENT JANNINK, AMSTERDAM
Although little known outside the Netherlands, Johan van Gogh led an extraordinary life. The grandson of Vincent’s brother Theo (1857-91), he represented a link between the artist’s time and our own. Johan suffered two major tragedies in his life: a brother was murdered by the Gestapo and a son by an Islamic extremist.
Obituaries normally deal with the deceased’s working life, but in Johan’s case it still remains shrouded in secrecy, since he served in the Dutch intelligence service. Above all, he should be remembered for supporting his father in handing over the family art collection to the state, which led to the creation of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Along with the Rijksmuseum, it is now the most visited museum in the Netherlands.
Johan died on 21 February, just short of his 97th birthday. Born in 1922, he was one of four children of Vincent Willem van Gogh (1890-1978), the artist’s nephew, who was known as “the Engineer”, after his profession (to distinguish him from his famous relative). The Engineer’s family was brought up with Van Gogh’s paintings lining the walls of their home, including the Sunflowers, which was above a sofa.
Van Gogh, Almond Blossom (1890), Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Van Gogh’s Almond Blossom had hung in Johan’s bedroom when he was a boy. He later admitted that it was a miracle that the picture was never damaged during pillow fights. A couple of years ago Johan told me that he felt it was among the artist’s “most important” works in what he still regarded was “our” collection—not in a legal sense, since it is now at the Van Gogh Museum, but in terms of the family heritage. Whenever Johan saw Almond Blossom he would recall that this exuberant picture of springtime had originally been lovingly painted to hang above his father’s crib.
The Second World War and the German occupation of the Netherlands brought a carefree childhood to an abrupt end. On 8 March 1945 Johan’s 24-year-old elder brother, also named Theo, was executed by the Gestapo. A Nazi official, Hanns Rauter, had been attacked in the Netherlands and, as a reprisal, over 250 Dutch resistance members were shot. Theo was among those selected to face the firing squad.
After the war Johan joined the Domestic Security Service, now known as the General Intelligence and Security Service. Even after retirement, he would say little about what he did, but his work involved dealing with the covert Soviet threat to the Netherlands at the height of the Cold War.
Tragedy struck the family once again on 2 November 2004. Johan’s 47-year-old son (yet another Theo), a controversial film director, was murdered. Theo had made a film entitled Submission, which criticised the treatment of women under Islam, and this provoked protests from the Muslim community in the Netherlands. While cycling to work in Amsterdam he was shot and stabbed by Mohammed Bouyeri, a Dutch-Moroccan Muslim.
Johan’s lasting legacy was to support his father, the Engineer, in a plan to help create a museum dedicated to Van Gogh. In 1962 the Engineer made an agreement with the Dutch government to hand over around 200 paintings and 400 drawings to a foundation. This was in return for 15 million guilders (the equivalent of €7m), even then a fraction of their market value. Today quite a number of the paintings would be worth over €100m each on the open market, so the whole collection must now be valued at many billions of euros.
The family made the right decision. Owning billions of euros worth of Van Goghs would probably not have brought happiness, but rather worries, and Johan rightly always had privileged access to see the paintings in the museum. From 1984 to 1995 he served as president of the Van Gogh Foundation, the legal entity that now owns the family collection.
An almond tree near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, probably the one once painted by Van Gogh, 2017, reproduced in Martin Bailey, Starry Night: Van Gogh at the Asylum, p. 15 © Martin Bailey
A few months ago I surprised Johan by sending him a dried leaf from what could well be the almond tree that had produced the blossom which Van Gogh had painted in 1890. The location of the tree, which was shown to me by two well-informed elderly residents of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, needed to be kept secret. Johan asked why this was necessary. One of Johan’s children had to tell him that Van Gogh is now so popular that swarms of tourists might endanger the life of this tree.
When Johan was born in 1922 Van Gogh, who had failed to sell his work, was only just beginning to become known. Johan’s lifetime marked the period when Vincent’s rise to fame has arguably made him the world’s most popular artist. Johan, a man of modesty, could never really quite believe that his great-uncle is quite so famous—and that even the painter’s venerable almond tree needs protection.
On Saturday Anthony Padgett's sculpture of Van Gogh will be unveiled in Arles, in the courtyard of the Espace Van Gogh, which was once a hospital—and where the artist was treated after he mutilated his ear.
On Sunday Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts opens its exhibition Vincent Van Gogh: His Life in Art (10 March-27 June). Most of the loans are from the Van Gogh Museum and the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands.
Martin Bailey is a leading Van Gogh specialist and investigative reporter for The Art Newspaper. Bailey has curated Van Gogh exhibitions at the Barbican Art Gallery and Compton Verney/National Gallery of Scotland; he is now co-curating Tate Britain’s The EY Exhibition: Van Gogh and Britain (27 March-11 August). He has written a number of other bestselling books, including Starry Night: Van Gogh at the Asylum, published by White Lion (available through Amazon in the UK and US), The Sunflowers are Mine: The Story of Van Gogh's Masterpiece (Frances Lincoln 2013, available in the UK and US) and Studio of the South: Van Gogh in Provence (Frances Lincoln 2016, available in the UK and US).
• To contact Martin Bailey, please email: vangogh@theartnewspaper.com
Read more from Martin's Adventures with Van Gogh blog here.
More BlogTopicsObituariesVincent Van Gogh
A once-in-a-lifetime look behind Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
Young New York-based artist Devra Freelander killed in a bicycle accident
Millinery mix up: scholar says Van Gogh Museum has mistaken hatted portraits of Theo and Vincent
Van Gogh’s gun, 'most famous weapon in art history', sells for €162,500
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Christchurch Road
CELEBRATING PHOTOGRAPHY AND FAMILY
Vintage And Obsolescence
March 2, 2016 James Yeats-Brown
Our iMac is terminally ill. As is so often the case with computers, there was no warning - one day it was working fine and then the next the screen starts up with what is a cartoon-like portrayal of illness - a uniformly grey face hatched from corner to corner with little pink scars, except over the familiar Apple logo in the middle where they are green - and thus it is stuck. Three conversations later with various levels of Apple support and I learn there is nothing we can do about it. This is a top of the range machine; it looks as fresh as the latest models but, you see, this computer was bought in 2009. It’s seven years old. In Apple parlance it is “Vintage”. Far from that word’s association in my mind with nostalgia, something faded and elegant to be preserved or enjoyed over time, in Apple’s dictionary it means it is no longer supported for repairs and spare parts. Redundant. It is time to move on.
When I took the photograph above, I wanted to convey the idea of stumbling on a typically disorganised family archive and to emphasise that the item you will most immediately fall upon and instantly enjoy and share, will be printed - a photograph, or letter perhaps. There may be other valuable material stored within the various media there but the effort and equipment required to extract it will in all likelihood make the exercise cumbersome, even impossible. It may in short become a joyless task, which would be such a shame. In the case of our own computer we have been lucky; behind its dead face we could hear signs of life, the processors and drives seemed to be okay, as though the computer were trapped in some electronic coma. With a little ingenuity we found a work-around that allowed us to extract the remaining files that hadn’t already been backed up.
Later, I sat next to a mother and keen photographer at a party - my dinner companion was passionate about her family photographs. “I keep all my SD [camera] cards in the safe”, she volunteered. I asked her how confident she was that one day in the future she would still be able to read them - and on what? It’s not the media itself that’s necessarily going to fail in time (it may, it may not, we’re not sure) but the devices and connections that media relies on to read it are ever so vulnerable. We agreed that the best thing we were doing for our families’ future enjoyment of photographs was the dutiful creation of the annual holiday book and calendar.
Back at home, we have just discarded a broken mini-disc player. I am looking at my Firewire drives. I am looking at the comatose iMac. It’s time to switch the life support off. We’ll send it to be recycled and hopefully its beautifully machined aluminium casing will serve in some future incarnation. In the meantime, if your idea of a family photograph is one that your grandchild will one day enjoy, then bear in mind it may be best not to rely on the computer world’s notion of “Vintage”.
In Family, Future of Photography, Legacy
The Dolphin, The Gazelle, The Cheetah And The Lion
March 24, 2015 James Yeats-Brown
When I arrived at Mike and Clare’s house, Mike was wielding a pen-knife in boy scout fashion and excitedly removing an old sepia photograph from a crumbling frame. The image depicted a formal group at a wedding, a family gathering posed in a static arrangement to allow for the long exposure time to capture the moment for posterity. Mike had recovered it along with some others from an outhouse he was clearing out; it was in all likelihood just over a hundred years old. It was an emotive moment - I was now there to take photographs of his own family.
Mike is a leadership consultant at Aberkyn and author on the subject and Clare is a television and radio presenter - they are parents to four children. They are nothing if not passionate. Passionate about everything: family, faith, work, football, friends, life. I had known the family for a little while, in particular as neighbours in Winchester and I was always certain a photo shoot with them would be exceptional. When the opportunity did eventually arrive, I was taken aback by the generosity of access to the inner heart of family that they granted me. The experience is equally generously conveyed in Clare’s own words:
“Mike was the one who saw it first - ‘It’ being ‘The Golden Years’ of family life - when Lily (13) is her own person but yet so happy to be with us still, Maisie (10) is stepping into her true self, Hal (8) is so full of fun and without guile and Gabriel (6) is still young enough to be doted on by all the other siblings, and for him life is all about play…
This is the story of the Dolphin (watch her dive);
The Gazelle (watch her dance);
The Cheetah (watch him run)
And the Lion cub (watch him roll and bask in the sun!)
All themselves
And all bound as one.
“As a family we are consciously trying to ‘make memories’ - family adventures or times of one on one: Sunday tea by the fire or Dad’s Saturday brunch… but how do we ‘capture’ those memories? My hope was to have someone photograph ‘the vernacular’, the everyday, to create a virtual and visual scrap book that goes beyond the scrubbed faces and the smiles.
“When Lily was born we had a fire in the house and it was pretty devastating. It certainly made us realise what was important in our lives - and the only thing we wanted to rescue was… the photographs… The memories, the stories, our history and that of the generations before us. Fortunately, we had never put them in albums - instead they were left in boxes stacked at the back of cupboards and so escaped the seeping tentacles of smoke damage and were mainly ok! Ever since then, photographs have been a critical part of our lives; when Mike’s Dad died we bought a good camera (for the first time) - so that we could record precious memories of our growing family.
“Though now we are awash with photographs - the children snap away at everything on our phones: a funny face made out of baked beans at the tea table, a hundred shots of conkers, handstands, beetles, goofy grins and the obligatory surfeit of selfies! Devaluing the currency - and yet documenting living history and making their own memories…
“So it was time to embrace the Golden Age and capture it by raising the photography bar - with James quietly watching and documenting our family chronicles… catching the laugh and the light, looking through a window into our world… family heritage recorded with split second accuracy that will make each moment last many lifetimes. Perhaps kept on a screen, perhaps in a frame, perhaps carried in the heart.”
When we got back from the second part of the shoot, we sat around the kitchen table with a cup of tea and contemplated the hundred year old print. What were we going to produce with the material that we had just captured? I am working on some ideas - there will be something beautiful that celebrates the now of childhood, for sure - but what I’d really like - what we'd really like - is if, in a hundred years’ time, like us around this table, someone would still be able to hold a photograph from this shoot and say, “That’s The Dolphin, The Gazelle, The Cheetah and The Lion. That’s our family”.
In Family, Legacy, Photography
The Constancy of Venice
October 16, 2014 James Yeats-Brown
A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work in Venice for several days. Whilst out there I met the architect and historian Francesco da Mosto, a charismatic Venetian aristocrat who, while just happening to be married to the sister of a friend of mine, is perhaps best known in the UK for his passionately delivered travel documentaries about Venice and Italy for the BBC. By a happy coincidence, he was giving a presentation at our event and my friend had kindly texted his wife to say I'd be there so we were able to have a chat afterwards.
Our conversation revolved around life in London and Venice; as an architect, what did he think of London’s changing skyline? I asked. How did he compare the pace of life in these two historic trading cities? Would he live elsewhere? The response to my questions, delivered in his generous Italian accent, summed up his affection for the city: “I love Venice”, he said. “I love that it doesn’t change. The Venice of today is largely the Venice of hundreds of years ago. The geography and geology don’t allow change and I love this constancy in Venice.”
The following evening I had a chance to slip away for an hour, to explore the back streets and seek out one of my favourite vistas, looking east past the Baroque masterpiece of Santa Maria della Salute, toward the entrance to the Grand Canal and the campanile of St. Mark’s Square. I had taken some photographs here just the year before and by another happy coincidence had then stumbled upon a painting of the very same view whilst working at an event in Scotland. It was by Francesco Guardi, a contemporary of Canaletto. What is striking in this 250 year old work of art is not just the similarity of the view to that of the present day but the similarity of the details right down to the paving stones; only the people that occupy the scene have changed. Here was Francesco da Mosto’s “constancy” that he so savoured about his home city.
There is a reassurance about things that don’t change. Venice is a rare example where development is constrained by its lagoon setting and extraordinary history; cities are organic, diverse and constantly evolving, so we often turn to the countryside landscape for a more solid sense of place, even if it’s for a week or two each year. How many of us make an annual family trek to somewhere familiar?
In our case it is the north Cornish coast; the view across the beach at Polzeath to Pentire Head and opposite, over the Camel Estuary and beyond to Gulland Rock is ingrained in our collective family memory - fifty years and more of the same scene, as over time we have huddled over rock pools in the wind, built sandcastles or charged the Atlantic surf. We may be on holiday, but it feels like home.
The stories in our holiday photographs unfold similarly; there in the background is the familiar topography of beach, rock and cliff, standing steadfast over time, while in the foreground friends come and go and children grow. As with the pictures of Venice, the view remains the same, it’s the people who eventually change.
In Travel, Legacy
About Being Brave And Hiring A Professional Photographer
September 11, 2014 James Yeats-Brown
Who's taking your family photos?
If I asked, “Would you hire a professional to photograph your wedding?” I think for most people the answer would still be a given. But would you hire a professional to photograph your family? As someone with a vested interest, I hope the answer would be “Yes”, although I detect an increasingly confident self-sufficiency creeping into this area now. And why not? It’s not only cameras that are more sophisticated, there is a wealth of inexpensive printing and publishing options that have grown too, not to mention the various new trends in taking and sharing photographs. So how does bringing in a photographer stack up in the face of this change? I am not talking here about a cheap fix, one of those “session and all the photos supplied on disc for £90” deals where, like an all-you-can-eat buffet, the only memory at the end will likely be indigestion. No, a proper portrait commission requires an emotional and financial commitment and, unlike wedding photography, is a much more discretionary investment. Is it worthwhile and what should you be looking for?
Taking the leap
Taking the second part of that question, look beyond the camera for a start; the number one thing to consider is the finished work. It’s important to look to someone who understands the aesthetics and the production values required to turn the captured image into a physical product, be that a print, an album or a gallery-style wall mounting. Unless the chosen images are produced in some printed form I think it’s a fair bet your grandchildren won’t get to enjoy them, at least not in that spontaneous, tactile way that comes from handling an object. So a knowledge of production and an insistence on printing should very much be part of the package. Also editing, in the sense of choosing only the best and cutting the rest, is an unseen skill that is increasingly overlooked or even ignored. It is absolutely part of the photographic process. Dumping 500 unfiltered pictures on a disc is not a service to the client - it betrays a lack of rigour, at worst it may disguise a lack of skill. It’s vital to establish the quality of the outcome as well as making your choice on the basis of just style or price.
Lasting qualities
Having decided this is something you want to do, a major consideration is whether to go for a studio or location based session. I think this is a matter of personal preference - some people like the formality and neutral space of a studio setting, which often also brings a sense of structure to group shots. I am a location photographer as I believe that home is part of what makes family and so for me it is the natural backdrop where everyone can feel at ease.
One advantage of working on location
And the benefits? Perhaps, as a parent, you always seem to have the responsibility for all the photography and you yourself never appear in any of the pictures (I am all too familiar with this). Perhaps you’re aware that you are not taking enough photos and theres’a real gap in your record of family life. Sometimes, it’s a great excuse to get the whole family together, particularly larger families with teenage children who never seem to be around at the same time or where parents do a lot of travelling. A photo shoot addresses all of these.
But here is the main point, it’s a brave thing to do to put yourselves under the scrutiny of an outsider. It’s this objective view that is one of the factors which makes the exercise so worthwhile. Children in particular respond well to the non-judgemental attention and often, their personalities really shine during a shoot. A good photographer will set out to portray you in the best possible light for sure, and seek to play to your strengths but he or she can present a refreshingly honest view as well; there are no preconceived ideas of family dynamics to get in the way. A good photo shoot creates a buzz at the time and you’ll have some amazing, eye-opening photos to enjoy. But when you put together an album or frame a beautiful portrait, those items become part of the glue that sticks family together in the years to come - that’s an investment that can only grow in value and makes the argument for doing it compelling. At whatever stage in your lives and even if only once, at least consider handing over photography to a professional.
In Albums and Books, Family, Legacy, Photography
July 10, 2014 James Yeats-Brown
Putting images on line? A young girl picks out photographies trouvées from a fountain in Arles
As the opening week of the 45th Rencontres de la Photographie gets under way in Arles, I am sitting here slightly frustrated at not being able to go and instead reflecting on my visit last year, with a consolatory glass of vin rosé. This southern French city which lies at the edge of the Camargue, a rugged region known for its cowboys, or guardiens, wild horses and bulls plays host each summer to one of Europe’s most vibrant photography festivals.
Arles has a gutsy feel - in the high summer heat the air is frequently heavy with the scent of paella or the spice market and every so often the strains of a native Gypsy Kings song carry down the backstreets, where equally you could find yourself caught up in a bull chase. The tough side of Arles is accentuated by the uncompromising dominance of the Roman amphitheatre at its centre but a few minutes’ walk away the sublime Romanesque facade of the church of Sainte Trophime and its cloisters act as an architectural foil and a sense of calm and culture is restored. It’s against this historical backdrop that the city, briefly home to the painter Van Gogh, accommodates a wide-ranging collection of the world’s best photography each year. Churches and railway sheds alike get turned over to exhibition spaces and the bars of the Place du Forum buzz with gossip and debate about the arts.
A theme which struck me last year was the popularity of “found” or anonymous photographs, photographies trouvées, little family snapshots plucked from back in time, presumably from abandoned albums, attics, flea markets. You could rummage through boxes full of other people’s lost memories, little windows on to past lives available to purchase for a few euros. Often, it was children who were most captivated by the images - was it the tactile quality of the prints or the stories they held? One enterprising dealer had filled one of the fountains with photographs, which floated around waiting to be picked out by curious onlookers - a kind of metaphor for lives adrift on the currents of the world.
These photographs feel displaced outside of the context of family home - is the fact they were lost a result of the people in them being displaced themselves, either through migration or conflict? Or were they just abandoned by subsequent generations, unable or unwilling to carry on being custodians of these little archives? Earlier in the year I had had the privilege of a brief meeting with Tom Stoddart, whose black and white documentary photography is among the most compellingly powerful I know. His coverage of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in 1999 contains images of found or abandoned photographs, the fate of whose owners one can only contemplate with a sense of dread. The images are gentle, domestic, mundane and so totally at odds with the calamitous circumstances in which they’re found and recorded by Stoddart.
We cast little glimpses of ourselves on to online media all the time now and no doubt these images will be carried around the currents and backwaters of the internet for years to come. Over time, how likely is it that they will become detached from identity, like the prints floating around the fountain in Arles?
In Legacy, Photography, Soap Box
June 27, 2014 James Yeats-Brown
Well, it’s turning into a year of flashbacks. We just celebrated my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday and were blessed not just with good weather for her outdoor party but also the presence of her entire family of children and grandchildren, a rare occasion. I had my camera to record some candid moments and when I saw my wife and her siblings standing in a doorway one particular shot sprang to mind immediately; sitting in a drawer back at home was a favourite print of the four of them as children. We produce it periodically to have a laugh at dinner parties. But actually what a record - a piece of micro-history documenting not only family hierarchy, but the fashion and photographic style of the time it was taken. I rather wish I had taken the print to the party as we would have been more likely to stage a copy of the poses, which might have been hilarious (Jim had had to stand on a box in the original) but that is beside the point. The fact is the original print is as accessible as an image now as it was forty years ago and my most important task to hand is to make a print of the new photo to file with it - the digital version may not survive as long.
Earlier this year I was asked to do a portrait session for a family who I had photographed ten years ago. I love this kind of work as you get a real feel for the value of photography, a sense of documenting the passage of time, a process here of growing up. I suppose, technically, all photography is documentary but the camera is never more powerful or evocative as when recording a sense of time, place, renewal or change and that is the essence of family photography. The photograph of Poppy aged 4 was taken on Fuji Neopan 400 and a selenium toned print was made for framing. The negatives show images of her bouncing around and laughing but I liked this shot of her contemplative look, a pose that she naturally adopted ten years later.
I am lucky to be able to forge relationships with families and help a few document their growth and evolving lifestyles over a period of years. Incremental changes add up and the record that emerges over time never fails to surprise me. I wonder if they’ll be able to look back in forty years on these photographs like we do with that print and maybe laugh or wonder at their family relationships, their clothes or the photographic style!
I had earmarked some images for this article a while back so it came as a complete surprise when just a week ago I was covering an event in France and bumped into a client whose family I had photographed in 2006. One of the two daughters I had originally photographed was present and I asked to do an up to date shot, below. It's a reminder to keep that camera handy - family photography is documentary photography whose value really comes to light over time.
In Legacy, Photography, Family
The Making of an Heirloom Album
May 28, 2014 James Yeats-Brown
A few years back, a number of factors coincided to bring about one of those creative projects that bloomed into something greater than the sum of its parts. I had been experimenting with my newly acquired Hasselblad X-Pan camera, a beautifully crafted and clever hybrid 35mm film camera that could expose two frames to make a true high quality panoramic negative. It was an ingenious piece of kit, if slightly tricky to use, and during its relatively brief production run built quite a following, in turn contributing to the growth in popularity of panoramic photography at around the turn of the millennium.
At the same time, as a family we were just beginning to explore the south coast with an eye to moving out of London. We also happened to receive a couple of invitations to Norfolk, near Burnham Market and the beautiful stretch of coastline around Holkham with its pines, rolling dunes, horizon-bending beaches and expansive skies. These were the kind of landscapes for which the X-Pan camera was made. The boys were at an age when the seaside offered all sorts of possibilities and adventure. I thought of my own family holidays in Cornwall when I was their age - there is something particularly nostalgic about children and the seaside and an idea was beginning to form about documenting this period in their lives with this camera. I started clicking away on these seaside ventures.
Meanwhile, I had been using Queensberry albums for three or four years in my burgeoning portrait and wedding photography business. In my mind Queensberry was, and arguably still is, one of the few companies that understood the essence of what a genuine, lasting family album - wedding or otherwise - should be and had made that production option available to photographers worldwide. In 2003, I visited their stand at a UK trade show and a huge 24 inch panoramic-format album caught my eye, clearly a statement piece. It stuck in my mind as being an ideal vehicle for my small, but growing series of family panoramas and which could double as a unique showcase for my work as well. In fact it gave me a disciplined objective: I would make one of these albums and just with panoramic photographs taken on the X-Pan.
After our third seaside trip to Norfolk I had collected just about enough material to start thinking about the design of the album and how the photographs were going to be printed. The negatives, being of unusual shape, had to be treated carefully at specialist labs. I turned to Genesis, a fantastic lab local to me in South West London and which I had used for a few years (they are still going strong). They had a full black and white darkroom then and were able to offer the high quality hand printing and toning that I was after. I wanted the design of the album to be austerely simple, just one image per page, but it still required sketching out by hand and faxing to Queensberry - yes, that’s how we did album design in those days. It was to be a page mount type album with black core pages and ivory mats - I would trim and mount the prints myself so that the underlying black page would show as a border.
Ivory over black page mounts, "Iron" Contemporary Leather cover
Testing for tone
One of the things that struck me while researching this article was the amount of associated material that came to light in various boxes and files - the negatives, obviously, and the contact sheets and a load of test prints - it was like finding all the sketches for a painting.
A whole mini archive came alive and made me realise just what a hole is likely to be left in the absence of printing anything, now that we all use digital cameras and store the images on drives and servers.
The first photograph for this project was taken in February and the final print was mounted in the album in July. It was six months in the making and I can’t deny it was expensive to produce. Eleven years on, I consider it worth every penny and every hour of investment, value that will continue to grow as time goes on. It is a personal legacy that I imagine will one day be picked up and leafed through by my children's children. Will I be able to say that about my digital photographs, I wonder?
Eleven years on...
In Albums and Books, Legacy, Photography
Challenges of Conservation on a Grand Scale
April 17, 2014 James Yeats-Brown
Emmanuel De Merode (left), Director & Chief Warden of Virunga National Park, with brother Frederic, 2013 - Photo © James Yeats-Brown
Two days ago, the brother of a friend of ours, Emmanuel De Merode was shot in an ambush while returning to his home within Africa’s oldest national park, the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mercifully his injuries, though serious, are not life threatening. He had just delivered a dossier to the local government office in Goma in response to Soco Oil’s Block V licence to explore for oil and gas within an area occupied by the park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I had not anticipated on just my second post to be interrupting normal service to bring such a bulletin, but ever since meeting Emmanuel last summer I had been mulling over the possibility of writing about this remarkable area, famously home to a quarter of the world’s precariously small population of mountain gorillas. Several angles seemed to present themselves and photography was an obvious one; the grandeur and diversity of this 7,800 sq. km landscape with its lakes, mountains, dense forests and active volcanoes; the struggles of the local population, the rangers and animals who occupy it; the dramatic and terrifying photographs by Brent Stirton, who made a documentary of the park for National Geographic Television - all presented a case. As did of course the gorillas themselves, with their close family units and like us, their dependence on a safe and productive environment to prosper and raise their young. There was always going to be much material to choose from.
Baby Ndakasi (Image courtesy of Virunga National Park)
However, the recent dramatic events prompted me to simply issue a plea to raise awareness of the park and of the remarkable efforts the staff and rangers go to in protecting it, often in the face of great danger. I would urge you to visit the Virunga National Park website to see the facts for yourself and get a feel for the challenges that need to be faced in this notoriously difficult region. There you will also find cause for some celebration, among them the support of the international community and conservation agencies, the dedication of the rangers, the environmental and economic initiatives of the Virunga Alliance, which promotes sustainable development over unsustainable mineral extraction.
Back at home at the micro level, you could say that leafing through an old family album and dwelling a little on the past is just misty-eyed nostalgia but I argue we look back to remind ourselves of the things that we value and that need to be conserved for the future. Family photographs allow us to hold a moment, perhaps remember a relative or relive a childhood holiday or family tradition and enable us to carry that moment, pay that love even, forward - if it’s missing, we lose a tiny bit of heritage. At a global scale, the last great wildernesses are a vital part of our collective heritage. We can’t just record them and leave them in the past, we have to care for them and take them forward intact - to lose any would be nothing short of a catastrophe for our future generations.
We wish Emmanuel a speedy recovery.
As a postscript, I was excited to hear a couple of days after publishing this post that the feature documentary film, "Virunga" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, where it received a standing ovation. You can see the trailer here.
In Legacy, Conservation
Where it all started (I)
Spring, Mother’s Day, Easter, a season of renewal, creation, birth. I suppose I couldn’t hope for a more appropriate time to launch a new blog although, as my family will testify, it has certainly spent a good while in gestation.
By whatever means you have found your way here, welcome, as you’ll be among the first and no doubt wondering “What’s this all about? What is The Candid Eye? And what’s with the books?” Well, you can find a bit of background in the About section so I am going to cut straight to the books as these are the inspiration behind this blog and at the heart of what I do, so a good place to start this ball rolling.
The picture shows a selection of our family photograph albums at my mother’s home. They contain an unbroken photographic documentary that starts with my parents’ engagement in the South of France in 1958. I emerge as a fat and happy baby a couple of volumes in and my brother shortly after. Friends, cousins, uncles and aunts, grandparents, the Greek taverna owner and his family, the Padstow harbour master, assorted au pairs and other characters all come and go through the pages, many reappearing with the regularity of a summer holiday or other seasonal get-together. The same is true of places: Cornwall, the South of France, Corfu, favourite spots revisited and each time, like us, a little bit changed year on year. My father’s meticulous and humourous captioning continues to bring it all to life: “These are the ------s, their daughter felt sick on the bus and we gave them a plastic bag but nobody saw it had a big hole in it.” Inevitably some people, my father included, dropped out of this storyboard forever, their places gradually taken by new faces, those of our own children.
How did this archive take form? I don’t remember my father being hugely into photography, not in the sense that I later became. There was a seldom used 8mm cine camera knocking about and I do very much recall his twin lens reflex camera, not a Rolleiflex but similar and, later, a Pentax with just a standard lens. I got a Kodak Instamatic 126 when I was around nine and my mother had a smart 110-format pocket camera, which I coveted despite it being one of the worst film formats ever to come to market. You could always tell which photos she had taken because the camera strap appeared in them. I think possibly the albums came about as a token of thankfulness for surviving the war but mainly as a record of the happy times that were a legacy of his work. It seemed a natural middle class thing to do.
My own interest in photography came not through a camera but from these photographs. The photographs were there first, a living story. For me the printing, editing, cropping, sticking, captioning were as integral to the process and art of photography as the capturing itself. It turned out to be a great way to learn about picture taking as we always placed so much more value on the caught moment and the context of story - which remains the pretext behind my photography to this day.
And so, what future for the albums? Even as a photographer, I am conscious that I am failing to maintain the same level of fastidiousness as my parents in documenting my family. The conversations I have on the subject suggest there is a looming crisis for the kind of family archive many of us have either inherited or started with good intentions years back, only to stall. Digital technology has resulted in a proliferation of photographs, but how many of them will our children be able to pick up? Are our little social documentaries being overwhelmed when it's now so much easier to deal with images in bulk rather than through selection? And what of the ramifications of keeping it all online rather than in a book or frame? Are we even getting pictures worth keeping in the first place?
I'm not entirely sure where this journey will lead but my ambition over the coming months is to take a look at some of these issues and hopefully to share ideas so that we can get the best out of our personal and family photography, both for present and, just as importantly, future enjoyment. And it doesn't have to involve scissors and glue anymore.
In Inspiration, Legacy, Albums and Books
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Count Alessandro Volta Biography
Famous physicist Count Alessandro Volta is credited with the invention of electric battery. Scroll down for a brief biographic profile of his childhood, life and timeline.
Birthday: February 18, 1745
Famous: Physicists Italian Men
Died At Age: 82
Born in: Como, Duchy of Milan, Italy
Spouse/Ex-: Teresa Peregrini
children: Flaminio, Giovanni, Zanino
Died on: March 5, 1827
place of death: Como, Lombardy-Venetia, Italy
discoveries/inventions: Battery, Methane, Voltaic Pile, Volta's Law Of The Electrochemical Series
Carlo Rubbia
Evangelista Tor...
Emilio Segrè
Known for his extraordinary work in the field of electricity, Volta invented the voltaic pile, which became the world’s first electric battery; this invention of his ushered in the age of electricity. He made several discoveries in meteorology, pneumatics and electrostatics that earned him recognition and fame throughout the world. The unit of electromotive force called as a ‘volt’, has been named in his honor. His research in varied fields of science paved the way and inspired numerous future innovators, who based on this principals developed new path breaking technologies. Volta’s career as physicist is studded with several achievements, such as the discovery of methane gas, as a result of his chemistry experiments. He did not stop here but also developed a special glass container, which could contain explosion of several gases. Most scholars believe that after Galileo, who preceded Volta by around century and a half, he brought about the next big scientific revival in Italy. As a society, today we owe a great debt of gratitude towards Volta, as his invention “battery” has and still is playing a significant role in modernizing our world.
http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Alessandro_Volta
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/2900/2920/volta_1.htm
http://fashiontrendsdaily.blogspot.in/2015/02/alessandro-volta.html
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Count Alessandro Volta
Childhood & Early Life
Volta was born in Como; his parents, Filippo Volta and Maria Maddalena Inzaghi, belonged to middleclass background.
As a child, he did not display much intelligence and did not start speaking until he was 4 years old. By the time he turned seven, he not only reached at par with other children but also overtook them in astuteness.
He received his early education at the Royal Seminary in Como. His parents wanted him to take up law or priesthood as a career but he had already made up his mind to pursue chemistry and physics.
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Italian Scientists
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Aquarius Men
Volta began his career in the field of physics, in 1774 by teaching the subject, at the Royal School of Como. During the year, he studied atmospheric electricity and conducted experiments in fields of electrochemistry, electromagnetism and electrophysiology.
He pioneered the electrophorus in 1775, a device that produced static electric charge. This was a device that could be charged with electricity only by rubbing and this charge could be transferred to other objects.
Between 1776 and 1778, Volta worked in the realm of gases and discovered methane gas in natural environment, which he was able to isolate by the end of this period.
In 1800, he invented voltaic pile—the first electric battery. This battery was actually a pile of alternating discs of copper and zinc, separated by pieces of cardboard soaked in brine that had the ability to maintain steady electric current.
He also developed the ‘Law of Capacitance’ and theorized the ‘law of bimetallic contact’.
One of the major published works of this ingenious scientist was ‘De vi attractiva ignis electrici’ (1769); it was based on his extensive research on attractive force present in the electric fire.
Volta was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1791, for his ground breaking work in physics, especially development of electroscope.
In 1794, he was awarded the Copley Medal, by the Royal Society of London, for development of Volta's Law of the electrochemical series.
In 1801, he was honored with the title of ‘Count’ by Napoleon Bonaparte after he demonstrated the functionality of his battery to him.
Personal Life & Legacy
He married Teresa Peregrini, the daughter of Count Ludovico Peregrini, in 1794 and the couple had three sons.
He passed away on his estate in Camnago, Italy at the age of 82. His remains were interred there and to honor this genius, the place was renamed as “Camnago Volta”.
As a tribute to Count Alessandro Volta, the Volta Prize is awarded to anyone with scientific achievement in electricity.
He worked with many great personalities during his lifetime, including well-known French physicist, Abbe Antoine Nollet and Italian experimenter, Giovanni Battista.
Based on his life and observations Bern, Dibner wrote ‘Alessandro Volta and the Electric Battery’, which was published in 1964.
Another book called ‘Volta: Science and Culture in the Age of Enlightenment’ was written by Giuliano Pancaldi and published in 2005.
His image was imprinted on the Italian 10,000 lira note, accompanied by a sketch of his famous invention, the voltaic pile.
He is also regarded as the father of the electric automobile.
In order to honor this extraordinary personality, in 2003, Toyota named a hybrid electric engine as Toyota Volta and later in 2011, Chevrolet also honored this prodigious scientist.
His fellow scientists named the unit of electromotive force in his honor.
The bevatron is a particular type of atom-smasher, the “v” in the term stands for this personality’s name.
Photovoltaic system that converts light energy into electricity is named after this Italian scientist.
See the events in life of Count Alessandro Volta in Chronological Order
Count Alessandro Volta Bio As PDF
- Count Alessandro Volta Biography
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
- TheFamousPeople.com
- https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/count-alessandro-volta-3273.php
Can You Identify These World Leaders?
Evangelista Torricelli
(Italian, American)
Steven Chu
Hans Christian Ørsted
(Danish)
18th Century | Celebrity Names With Letter C | 18th Century Physicists | 18th Century Scientists | Male Celebrity Names With Letter C
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Twin-Charged: Gazoo Racing Tuned Toyota GT86
When the Toyota GT86, Scion FR-S, and the Subaru BRZ sports cars were first introduced as production-ready concept cars, we had hoped the 2.0 liter Subaru boxer engine would produce around 280 – 300 horsepower but we found out that the production models will only produce 200 ponies, we were pretty disappointed and as were a lot of other people. I’m sure later on there will be more powerful versions of these lightweight sports cars but Gazoo Racing didn’t want to wait and came up with their own version.
Gazoo Racing has tuned a European market Toyota GT86, they’re calling it Sports FR and the engine is twin-charged! Twin-Charging is strapping a supercharger and a turbocharger to the engine and in this case the end result is a 315 horsepower sports car with 310 pound-feet of torque. Now this is more like it! The stock GT86 comes with only 200 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque.
Visually the Gazoo Racing GT86 Sports FR gets subtle tweaks that make the car look quite good and from some angles it reminds me of the 90’s Supra. The exterior upgrades include a new more aggressive front bumper, a wide body kit with wider front and rear fenders with side skirts, 18” wheels, and a really big spoiler.
The interior has been upgraded with a racing steering wheel, the sound system has been removed and gauges placed in its place, a pair of racing bucket seats have been added with racing harnesses, the rear seat has been removed, and a roll cage has been added. According to Gazoo Racing, the car’s weight has been increased by 66 pounds to 2,822 pounds.
The Sports FR is a “study” and will be showcased at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race. Gazoo Racing hasn’t commented on whether they’ll offer this tuning package to owners of the Toyota GT86 or the other two versions of this car.
Gazoo Racing Tuned Toyota GT86 Pictures
Originally published on May 8, 2016 in Cars
When I'm not reviewing the latest cars, I'm busy checking out the latest gadgets and watches by the world's best manufacturers. Cars, gadgets, and watches... that's all a man needs to get through life.
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Gordon Lightfoot’s harshest critic is himself
By Joel RubinoffTorstar News Service
He’s a Canadian icon who still relates to the part of himself that once worked as a truck driver, an office worker, an onion-skin-paper music transcriber, back when he was young, unknown and had nothing.
A masterful songwriter more likely to defer to his backing band than take credit for himself.
A perfectionist who remembers with jarring precision the edits made on a radio hit from 40 years ago.
A guy who lives in the moment, but never forgets.
He’s Gordon Lightfoot.
And at an age when most artists are settling in for the Slow Fade, he’s out on the road, playing for the crowds who have seen him through good times and bad, aware of his mortality, savouring every minute.
“We love to work while the sun shines,” notes the Orillia native in his genial, good-humoured way. “Because the night will come when you may no longer work — that was from Dylan,” says Lightfoot, who begins a four-night stand at Massey Hall on Wednesday.
When he picked up the phone for a late night interview recently, I figured we’d have 10 minutes to speak, 15 tops.
That’s how it is with most celebrities: wham, bam and don’t forget to plug my latest project, whatever your name is.
Lightfoot — low-key, sincere, Canadian in the ways that matter most — gives the impression of having all the time in the world.
For the generation of Canadians who grew up in the 1960s and ’70s, he’s the musical equivalent of maple syrup and Mounties, a guy who not only represented Canada at a pivotal moment in its cultural history but actually became its voice.
“I have just a really strong love for people when I perform, I really do,” notes the modest songwriter, deflecting suggestions he is in any way larger than life
“It’s almost like you’re playing to everybody individually. You’ve probably heard that said before, but that’s what it feels like to me.”
Lightfoot comes off in interviews as a happy guy, considerate of others, content with his lot.
But dig a little deeper and he’ll peel back the blinders — only so far, mind you — on the hardships and frustrations that have fuelled his best work, the sobering introspection that seems not only part of the man himself but the struggling ambitions of the country that spawned him.
“I was going to school in Los Angeles and I was homesick,” he says of his iconic ode to loneliness, “Early Morning Rain.” “I was one of those kinda guys. I missed my parents.”
The song, the tale of a wistful loner watching planes take off “with an aching in my heart/ And my pockets full of sand,” captures the mood of bittersweet reflection for which Lightfoot would become famous.
“I found something romantic whenever a new type of airplane came out,” he confides softly. “And all of the sudden here was this beautiful brand new Boeing 707 taking off into the sky and just disappearing right into the cloud cover.”
The truth is, most of his hits have a tinge of sadness.
“Sundown,” his ’74 smash and sole U.S. No. 1, is a song about infidelity.
“If You Could Read My Mind,” which hit No. 5 in ’71, was inspired by his divorce.
“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” his acknowledged masterwork from ’76, is about a capsized freighter with 29 dead crewmen.
And don’t get him started on “For Lovin’ Me,” covered by everyone from Elvis Presley to Peter, Paul and Mary, in which he callously informs his lover, “I got a hundred more like you.”
“I sang that for 25 years,” he says, explaining why he excised it from his set list.
“And every time I sang it I felt badly because it was a song I wrote while I was in a marriage I knew wasn’t going to work out and it must have been terribly offensive to my wife.
“After a while it bothered me so much when I would sing it, I would find myself thinking about what a terrible person I was at the time.”
He is, to be sure, his own toughest critic, conflicted in the way all great artists are conflicted, as I discover when I ask about the 50th anniversary of his debut album, Lightfoot!
“First of all, I was working solo,” he recalls. “We did it all right there one take: no overdubbing or any of that stuff.
“So it’s a very raw kind of a romantic thing that even I didn’t find particularly exciting. Even within myself, it bothered me. I tried to keep working my way into a more uplifting mode as it went along.”
To be clear, the folk-influenced Lightfoot! — which includes oft-covered songs like “For Lovin’ Me,” “Steel Rail Blues,” “Early Morning Rain” and “Ribbon of Darkness” — launched his career as a songwriter, predated the singer-songwriter movement by half a decade and is an album every Canadian musician with an acoustic guitar has turned to as a source of inspiration.
A stone cold classic.
Lightfoot, who can’t separate the work from the context in which it was recorded, doesn’t see it.
“It kinda depresses me in a way when I hear it,” he says. “But still, it’s got some quality in there like ‘Oh, Linda.’ Several songs in there resonate very well even today.”
It’s not the only time in our freewheeling conversation he’ll defy expectations.
As it turns out, most of the classic tunes we take for granted as part of our cultural heritage are rooted in the reality of a guy who, at the time he wrote them, was struggling with the issues of day-to-day life: raising kids, relationships, angling for a break.
That’s what Lightfoot remembers when he looks back.
“You know, I shouldn’t use that word,” he offers when I suggest that “depressing” may not be the best way to describe his musical breakthrough.
“I shouldn’t deflate myself. I kinda remember where my head was at when I was doing that stuff I was going through.
“I was married, two young children, fighting to keep it together. It wasn’t working, the marriage declined.
“It reminds me of a time I sometimes would rather forget.”
Maybe because our phone conversation takes place in the evening, the aging minstrel seems less the reclusive genius and more an affable storyteller, eager to share minute details of a career that has had its share of peaks and valleys.
“We did some great stuff,” he says, recalling his recording stint with L.A.-based Warner Brothers.
“They had Michael McDonald, Paul Simon, Arlo Guthrie, Randy Newman. We competed against one another.
“Every time you wanted to do something you’d hope it would score. You’d keep trying and trying, and all of the sudden something would come right out of left field, like ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.’ No one had any idea about that one.”
Edmund Fitzgerald, a Canadian history lesson set to music, became what is arguably the most unlikely hit single of all time, a six-minute opus about the sinking of a Great Lakes freighter with lyrics culled from journalistic accounts in the Toronto Star and Newsweek magazine.
“That was written as a folksong for an album,” notes Lightfoot of the haunting anthem. “No one had any idea it would become a popular song.”
And yet there it was, in November ’76, jostling for position against brain-dead competitors like “Disco Duck” and Steve Miller’s “Rock’n Me,” sticking around almost two months in the Top 10.
“The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down/ Of the big lake they called ‘Gitche Gumee’” — seriously, how did it ever see the light of day?
“I can explain that to ya,” offers Lightfoot. “I was up in northern Manitoba. I had just canoed down the Churchill River from Alberta on a 25-day trip.
“When I got down to Pelican Narrows, there was a telephone call from my sister saying they wanted to add it to the Top 20 in L.A., but they can’t because it’s too long. It would be the difference between No. 20 and No. 1.
“So I started counting the bars and I figured out a way to edit all the instrumentals by one half, by taking it out of the middle.
“So they did the add, it got noticed by the trade papers and the next place it finally stopped was No. 1 in Cashbox magazine and No. 2 in Billboard.”
Does it frustrate him that Rod Stewart’s cloying sex ballad “Tonight’s the Night” kept it from the top spot?
He laughs. “Hey, maybe that was a good thing. I was pleased that it happened, but it was done at behest of the record company. I didn’t want to rub it in.”
When asked what per cent of his success derives from talent vs. perseverance and ambition, he fires back “How about payin’ the bills?” as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
And while he’s thrilled his old pal Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature — though he thinks Stompin’ Tom Connors should receive one, too — his take-away from their longtime relationship is not what you might expect.
“I had a really great chance to admire his work, because I was part of the office,” he says of the days when the two were signed to the same label. “And what I learned from him most was to get the job done! Really, honest to God, just sit down and do it!”
He’s a practical guy. Always has been.
“I love doin’ the shows,” he says when I ask what’s kept him on the road in the 14 years since a near fatal stomach aneurysm almost ended his career.
“The ship of state is still afloat and I’ve still got the vocal — and the desire.”
By this point, we’re hitting the one-hour mark. I’m feeling guilty about monopolizing a guy who, during the first Trudeau reign, was as big a Canadian figurehead as that other Gord (Downie) is during the second.
But there’s still lots to talk about:
The moment he realized he’d made it: “It may surprise you. It occurred when I wrote ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.’ The fact that tragedy occurred probably enhanced my career.”
His unflagging professionalism: “I have to play everything just perfectly. I can’t take less of myself. I’m strong, I’m prepared.”
Stage fright: “When I’m introducing my musicians, I always get nervous.”
Plans for Canada’s sesquicentennial: “They’ve got me booked until the end of 2017. We’re gonna stick at it.”
Before we finish, I decide to grill him one last time on the question he’s scrupulously avoided: the enduring appeal of his songs, the way they manage to encapsulate . . .
“The feelings people have,” he breaks in, taking the bait. “The emotional trauma and emotional stress people are asked to deal with is astronomical. Hardly anyone ever speaks about it.
“Everybody’s got so much of their own to deal with. They have no one to turn to.
“I guess music is one of those things that really lifts people up.”
It’s not an admission of greatness, but after poking and prodding for more than an hour, it’s as close as I’m going to get.
Joel Rubinoff writes for the Waterloo Region Record. Email him at jrubinoff@therecord.com
Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan
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HIV-positive chefs aim to break stigma at Toronto’s Casey House restaurant
By Shawn JeffordsThe Canadian Press
Wed., Oct. 25, 2017timer2 min. read
A group of HIV positive chefs will run a first-of-its-kind pop-up restaurant to combat the stigma faced by people living with the illness.
The pop-up is part of a campaign launched by Toronto-based hospital, Casey House, which is Canada’s only stand-alone hospital dedicated to caring for those living with HIV-AIDS.
June’s HIV+ Eatery, named after Casey House’s founder June Callwood, will be open in Toronto Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 and is part of the campaign — called Break Bread Smash Stigma.
A Leger Research Intelligence Group survey, conducted for Casey House, found only half of Canadians would knowingly eat food prepared by someone who is HIV positive.
Casey House CEO Joanne Simons said the pop-restaurant will address the misconception that the illness can be spread through food preparation.
“Talking about food and contraction highlights the massive challenge that our clients experience every day,” she said.
“We wanted to open up the public conversation to talk about the stigma associated with it and what has happening to HIV because the diagnosis rates are still extremely high. We want to challenge this notion around blame and shame.”
Chef Matt Basile will work with the HIV positive chefs to develop the menu, train them and cook for the patrons.
Casey House announced Wednesday the hospital has recently completed a $38-million redevelopment project which doubles its capacity so it can now care for 650 people through upgraded clinical services and community programs.
Casey House CEO Joanne Simons says the facility, which was founded in 1988, is one of very few places where people living with HIV-AIDS can seek care without judgment.
Canada's only stand-alone hospital dedicated to HIV-AIDS has doubled its capacity following a $38-million redevelopment project. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says she hopes Toronto’s Casey House will be replicated around the world. (The Canadian Press)
“Casey House is very proud to be a leader in HIV-AIDS care,” she said, “boldly advocating on behalf of our clients to demand the dignity they deserve and challenging stigma.”
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne praised the work of Casey House over the past three decades. The facility is a model that should be replicated in other places around the world, she said.
“This new hospital is ready to meet their complex needs with twice the capacity,” she said. “More people will be embraced in high quality care and all under one roof.”
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-A collection of blog articles on everything other than travel-
Top 20 Warriors in Sikh History
Sikhi and sacrifice
My favourite part of visiting new places is listening to local stories and histories. Its easy to read about different cultures online, but completely different hearing someone tell the stories about their people with passion. It also allows me to contextualise the history of my own ancestors.
Every culture is told they have they have an exceptional history and Sikhs are no different. There are many cultures, countries and religions that have extraordinary individuals and histories. Christians and Muslims were both persecuted during their formative years, Jews were persecuted for almost 2 millenia, Hindus at one point had a culture that extended from Iran all the way to Vietnam. The Inca tell the stories of Tupac Amaru, the Americans of George Washington, the French have Charlemagne and the English have Richard the Lionheart. In fact, in the presence of a few common factors, it is almost inevtiable that extraordinary individuals or events will arise.
Anywhere there is constant warfare such as Medieval Europe, will give birth to individuals who excel in such an environment, for instance Joan of Arc, Henry V etc.
Secondly, anywhere a local populace feels oppressed will also create events where the oppressed eventually rebel, for instance the American Revolution, the Indian inquilab, the Jews within the Roman Empire, or Algerians under French rule.
Finally, the energy of a new religion or belief system can also give rise to rapid expansion. This includes the first 150 years of Islam, Christianity following its state adoption, America post independence, Revolutionary France and even Hinduism in the Vedic ages.
Sikhi was borne into a situation where all three of the above factors were prevalent, however it still doesnt explain the disproportinate number of events in Sikh history nor the large number of extraordinary individuals in the Sikh nation within such a short period of time. For this there is the presence of an extra couple of elements, the first of which is Sikh philosophy.
English company men from the East India Company were astounded when watching the execution of Banda Singh Bahadur and his Sikhs in 1716 by the Mughal Empire. Not only did every Sikh refuse to save his/her life by converting to Islam, but Sikhs were actually fighting with each other to be executed first. The earliest English explorers termed Sikhi as a death cult, erroneously claiming the Sikhs worshipped death and that they would cry at the birth of a child and celebrate the death of a fellow Sikh. In fact, what the British were seeing was the concept of Chardi Kala a central part of Sikh philosophy that focuses on optimism, even in adversity. They were also witnessing the power of Naam where a Sikh in a meditative state of mindfulness can divert their attention from physical pain to a state of serenity.
Sikhs have been a militarised people since the 5th Guru, Arjan was executed by the Mughals. The 6th Guru, Hargobind was the first to wage wars against the Mughal Empire, picking up the twin swords of Miri and Piri and creating the Akaal Sena, the first standing Sikh Army. The 9th Guru, Tegh Bahadur continued this tradition by taking part in a number of battles but it was the 10th Guru, Gobind Singh that formalised the Sikhs as a separate fighting nation and created the Khalsa. With this, fighting was no longer left to just the Sikh Army but every Sikh had an obligation to fight against tyranny.
I was lucky enough to meet Jathedar Akali Nihaal Singh Nihang of Harianvela in 2015 and I had an hour of his time to myself. Nihaal Singh is famous for being the only 'Jinda-Shaheed' or living martyr in Sikhi after being shot multiple times in the 1960s whilst liberating a Gurdwara from an abusive caretaker where 11 other Sikhs were killed. Nihang Singh tradition states that Guru Nanak was actually the first Sikh warrior, passing on his Shaster Vidya (knowledge of the art of fighting) to Baba Buddha who then held onto the knowledge until the Sikh Nation was in danger. After the execution of the 5th Guru Baba Buddha realised it was time to impart the knowledge and gave it to the 6th Guru, Hargobind.
According to many puraatan (ancient) Sikh texts, the Singh Khalsa are those who constantly wage war. This brings me onto the final element in Sikhi that gives rise to a large number of extraordinary individuals. Whilst many other cultures, countries and religions have fought for self preservation, the Sikhs are expected to fight wherever there is tyranny, whether that is against Mughal atrocities in the sub-continent, colonial rule or Nazi atrocities in Europe. This began with the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the 9th Guru, who gave his head for the protection of another religion, Hinduism, and has continued at varying levels since; from the Sikh Misls who freed captive Hindu girls from Persian and Afghan invaders in the 18th century, to the 80000+ Sikhs who died during the two World Wars in the 20th century protecting North America and Western Europe.
The list below doesn't necessarily list the top Sikh's in order of achievement, but its the 20 whose stories I find personally fascinating, individuals I look up to. Other than Mai Bhago, I have not included any of the Guru's or individuals during their period, including the 40 liberated ones, the Sahibzada's or individuals such as Bhai Bachittar Singh or Baba Biddhi Chand. The biographies I have written below are an introduction to each individual, so feel free to do further research into any of them. Where possible, I have included only information that is corroborated by a number of sources during my research. I have a list of sources at the end of the article for further reading.
Honourable mentions
The most recent omission is Gurbachan Singh Manochahal who led the Sikh resistence until he died fighting in 1993. He has a story and life as strong as any of those on the list below. Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala is another recent Sikh warrior who also led the Sikh resistance against Indian Army operations in the late 1980s who again deserves an honourable mention.
The earliest ommission is Amar Singh Bandai, the Jathedar of the Bandai Khalsa who despite being killed by Tat Khalsa Singhs died a death so heroic it was immortalised by Gyani Gian Singh in Panth Prakash.
Bhai Mani Singh is another person not included, despite a history of taking part in a number of wars and the heroic nature of his death. On refusing to convert to Islam, he was sentenced to death by beign chopped up by every joint. As the executioner began by making an incision on his wrist, Mani Singh stopped the executioner, telling him his first joint started with his finger tips. I haven't included him in the list because, although involved in battles, he is more reknowned for his scholarly work and his battles are less documented.
Then there is Nawab Kapur Singh Virk, the first unanimously elected leader of the Sikhs following Banda Singh Bahadur and the individual who created the Sikh confederacy and Misl system as well as being the leader of the Singhpuria Misl, one of the most successful of its time.
The Misl system gave birth to many Sikh warriors such as Charat Singh Sukerchakkia, Chajja Singh Dhillon of the Bhangi Misl, Hari Singh Dhillon, another Bhangi leader and first leader of the Taruna Dal of Nihangs, Phul Singh Sidhu of the Phulkian Misl, Jai Singh Sandhu of the Kanheya Misl and Dasaundha Singh Shergill of the Nishanwalia Misl,
Jassa Singh Ramgharia is also a big ommission. As with Amar Singh, his frequent clashes with other Sikh's meant I couldnt include him on my list, but there is no doubting that he was one of the most politically astute Sikhs in history.
The Namdhari movement in the 1870's has also not been included despite tremendous sacrifices for the Sikh nation nor have the Sikhs from the Akhand Kirtani Jatha who lost their lives in 1978. The list here is subjective, you may not agree with all the individuals, or the order they are in, but one thing that is hard to argue - they all deserve a mention.
20. Maharaja Ranjit Singh
The only ruler of a united Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh is more commonly known as Shere-e Panjab (the lion of Panjab) equally famed for contributing to the rise and fall of Sikh power.
Ranjit Singh was born in 1780 to Mahan Singh Sukerchakia, the leader of one of Panjab's leading Misls (conferederacies). His youth was spent fighting Afghan invaders, local rajas and other Sikh Misls in order to gain power in Panjab, in fact, he joined his father in his first battle aged just 10. A bout of smallpox at an early age disfigured his face and he lost the sight of one eye, but by the age of 12 he had risen to leadership of his Misl. By his teens, the young leader began drinking alcohol, a habit that would increasingly lead to alcoholism in his older age and contribute to illnesses that would take his and his son's life and leave a power vacuum after his death.
Ranjit Singh was constantly waging battles in his youth and in 1797, at the age of only 17 he fought against invading Afghans and killed their leader, Shah Zaman. Victories over rival Misls left him in command of the one of the strongest military forces in Panjab. By the age of 21, Ranjit Singh, together with Sada Kaur of the Kanheya Misl jointly entered Lahore and Ranjit Singh was crowned Maharaja of Panjab by defeating the Bhangi Misl.
His first decade was spent consolidating his power by either signing treaties of peace with other Sikh chiefs (as with the Ahluwalia or Kanheya Misls) or conquering their territories by force (as with the Bhangi Misl). However he also showed the intelligence that would serve him well. After the Marathas were defeated by the British, one of their leaders, Jaswant Rao Holkar entered Panjab to ask for Sikh help to attack the British. Ranjit Singh, along with Fateh Singh Ahluwalia entered a British camp in disguise to estimate British power. Taken aback by the power of English weaponry and resources, the young Ranjit Singh refused Holkar any assistance until he felt the Sikhs were in a better position to fight.
After subduing his rivals, he began an expansionist policy that saw the height of centralised Sikh power. After centuries of being the gateway of invasions to India, Ranjit Singh reversed the history of Panjab and built an empire that extended from India into present day Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Nepal. An astute strategist, he solidified his southern boundary with the British and increased the strength and prestige of his nation which reached its extent by the time he died in 1839.
In 1818 the Maharaja conquered Multan, and a year later Kashmir also fell to his forces. and by 1834 he had taken Peshawar, a city on the border with Afghanistan. Whilst some of his forces battled the Chinese in north, others ensured the integrity of the border in the south with the British where many Sikhs had chosen to stay under British protection than fall under the dominion of Ranjit Singh, these Sikhs would eventually be the nail in the Empire (Sarkar Khaksa) Ranjit Singh built up during his life.
Ranjit Singh modernised the Sikh Army, bringing in Europeans to build an army modelled on that of Napolean in France. Jean Francois Allard, Jean Baptiste Ventura (Italy) and Claude Auguste Court are some of the most famous names, however American, Spanish and Dutch soldiers are also documented to have been employed by the Sarkar Khalsa. The country was also the only one in Asia at the time capable of producing its own modern war munitions and had become completely self sufficient in weaponry.
Unlike previous rulers of Panjab, Ranjit Singh goverened without prejudice to religions and therefore Muslims, Christians and Hindus rose to high positions. Most of these stayed loyal to the Sikh nation, in particular Muslims such as Fakir Azizuddin, Hindus such as Dewan Mokham Chand and Europeans such as Jean Francois Allard, however others such as Gulab Dogra helped end the Sarkar Khalsa through deceipt and treachory. British records show that the court officials Gulab Dogra, Tej Singh and Lal Singh, commanders in the Sikh Army were under British pay and were rewarded handsomely for betraying the Sikh army, Gulab Dogra was given the kingship of an independent Kashmir by the East India Company for his services and the commanders Lal Singh and Tej Singh were respectively given the roles of Prime Minister and handsome jagirs.
That's not to say the fall of the Sikh Nation was entirely the fault of others. Aristocratic families such as as the Sandhwalia's held dreams of becoming rulers and assasinated Sher Singh, the second son of Ranjit Singh, Maharani Jindan, a wife of Ranjit Singh played the Sikh army with false promises, ultimately leading to a demoralised Sikh army being rendered leaderless and confused. During his rule, the Maharaja, conscious of British superiority in arms, resources and organisation was careful never to provoke a confrontation, however the Dogra's threw the Khalsa Army at the British hoping to cripple its power, whilst simultaneously giving away its secrets. Ranjit Singh himself also sowed the seeds for his nations disintegration.
Despite modernising the army, he failed to modernise other aspects of the Sarkar Khalsa, key amongst which was taxation. In fact, the Sarkar Khalsa continued to use the taxation system based on the Mughals and therefore, the British were able to buy off leading generals with the promise of better jagirs (land based revenue based off taxes).
Simply put, he had not built an infrastructure that could survive his death. The power of certain elements of his court grew unchecked and he himself became an alcoholic. This was passed onto his son, Kharak Singh who was not only an alcoholic but also an opium addict and was only on the throne for a month, proving to be an extremely ineffective leader.
Ranjit Singh had a number of character flaws, failure to control his base urges meant that he was publically reprimanded by the leader of the Nihang Singh's, Phula Singh, despite being ruler of Panjab. His administration, though an improvement on the confederacy period was still short of the efficiency of European States and his drinking habits coupled with questionable appointments to his court was ultimately the undoing of all his hard work. The Sarkar Khalsa lasted barely a decade after his death, most of which was spent in continuous civil war. However there is no doubting his positive qualities either. Almost all European visitors were in awe of his inquisitive mind - in fact some specifically commented on the fact the Maharaja would ask questions about every fact, personal to political. Ranjit Singh built up one of the earliest intelligence agencies and also proved to be an astute politician, a significant reason why Panjab proved to be the last part of the subcontinent to come under European control.
19. Rani Sada Kaur
The first of three female warriors on my list, Sada Kaur was responsible for the rise of the Sikh Empire through her battlefield bravery and strategic foresight.
After the Afghan ruler, Ahmed Shah Abdali's invasions of India had receeded, the Sikh's not having an external enemy began fighting with each other. The era of the Sikh Confederacy, or Misls was characterised by a number of competing Sikh kingdoms that would come together when presented with an external enemy, but would go back to intra Sikh fighting once any danger receeded. Sada Kaur took the leadership of the Kanheya Misl following the death of her husband in a battle against the Sukerchakia Misl and the death of her father-in-law the famous Jai Singh Kanheya. At her disposal, Sada Kaur had over 10,000 cavalry and other sizeable resources. In what is widely regarded as one of the most farsighted decisions supporting Sikh growth, she arranged for the marriage of her daughter, Mahitab Kaur Kanheya with the son of the Sukherchakia Misl, Ranjit Singh. Sada Kaur then pushed her troops to support Ranjit Singh in his quest to become the premier Sikh chief, She also realised that anyone that wanted to control Panjab first had to control the capital Lahore and pushed Ranjit Singh to enter the city.
Sada Kaur and Ranjit Singh entered Lahore together as joint rulers, however Sada had Ranjit Singh crowned Maharaja of Panjab. Sada Kaur joined Ranjit Singh in a number of battles against rival Sikh chiefs until he was unquestionably the dominant leader of the Sikh nation. Her later years were marked by increasing hostility to the new King, especially when he decided to remarry, thereby leaving Sada's daughter. She threatened correspondence with the British and began penning letter to Sir Charles Metcalfe to guarantee her possessions, in response Ranjit Singh decided to put her under strict surveillance. She died in 1832, just seven years before her son-in-law Ranjit Singh. Her son, Sher Singh, eventually became Maharaja, if only for a short time.
18. Sukha Singh & Mehtab Singh
Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh were the first of the generation that grew up in the shadow of 1716 when organised Sikh political power was destroyed. In this era, Sikhs had either left for the jungles and mountains of Panjab, becoming roving bands of guerilla fighters or had moved into employment as soldiers outside of Panjab.
One such band of guerilla's were based in the deserts of Rajasthan led by one Shaam Singh. In 1740 this band of warriors were visited by Bulaka Singh and Tej Ram from Panjab. The two narrated stories of the state of Sikhi in its ancestral home, mentioning how Singh's no longer visit Harimander Sahib and that the entire temple complex had been turned into a brothel under the control of Massa Khan Rangar. In response, Mehtab Singh stood up and started questioning the Sikhs in Panjab, wondering where their pride and strength had gone. Bulaka responded that Mehtab had fled from Panjab to Rajasthan and therefore was in no position to questions those Singh's who had stayed behind. On hearing this Mehtab Singh vowed to bring back the head of Massa Rangar. Another Singh, Sukha, also arose and said he would accompany Mehtab Singh back to Amritsar and complete the task,
The two assasins dressed up as Muslim landlords from Patti and headed on their long journey north. On reaching Amritsar, they tethered their horses to a berry tree and went inside. As they entered the main hall, they saw Massa Rangar, smoking sheesha and surrounded by his harem. The Singh's threw a bag on the floor and told them they were here to pay their revenue from Patti. Massa Rangar leaned down to pick up the bag and in a flash Mehtab Singh cut the head of Massa Rangar and threw it in a sack. Sukha Singh meanwhile attacked the surprised company of Rangar and within seconds the Singh's threw of their disguises and jumped onto their horses, riding away shouting 'Akaal'.
Following another long journey south, they presented the head of Massa Rangar to the Sikhs in Rajasthan. After a quarter of a century of hiding, the Singh's showed they still had the capabilities and the projective power to strike their enemies. Mehtab Singh was eventually caught by the Mughal authorities and in 1745 he was tortured and his body broken on a wheel, an event still commemorated by Sikhs at the end of every prayer. Sukha Singh died fighting against Afghan invaders led by Ahmed Shah Abdali in 1752.
17. Avtar Singh Brahma
Avtar Singh was born in 1951 and joined the Bidhi Chand Dal of Nihangs in 1966 where he learnt the art of Shastar Vidhya as well as Sikh philosophy from the ancient Nihang order. His fame first grew from a wager within the group of Nihangs. After reading about a Frenchman who could ride a horse at full gallop and spear a target in the ground with a lance, Avtar Singh boasted that he could do it whilst riding on two horses - standing up. The Nihangs, not believing this to be possible took Avtar Singh up on the wager and were left astounded when he managed the feat.
Avtar Singh was under the tutorship of Baba Daya Singh, a close companion of Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale. By 1982, Sikhs had launched the Dharam Yudh Morcha against the Indian government (more below) and Avtar Singh Brahma travelled to Amritsar to join Sant Bhindranwale in defence of Harimander Sahib. Bhindranwale however told Avtar Singh he would be of greater value continuing the fight instead of sacrificing his life within the complex. Bhindranwale mentioned that a few months down the line, Avtar Singh would be approached by a number of Singhs but until then to return to his village.
Following the desecration of Harimander Sahib, 37 Gurdwaras across Panjab and the Sikh Genocide in Delhi, Avtar Singh was approached by a group of Singhs who mentioned the time had arrived to lead a resistance. Although Sikhs had not been fighting for an independent Sikh nation, the desecration of their spiritual home for the second time in 30 years by the Indian Army meant that freedom was now a stated goal, formalised at a gathering of over a million Sikhs at the 1986 Sarbat Khalsa. The Sikhs arranged themselves similar to their fight with the Mughals 250 years previously, separating themselves into Misls.
Avtar Singh joined the Khalistan Liberation Force, rising to be its leader following the death of Arur Singh. The Sikhs under Avtar Singh waged war against Indian government, defeating imperial soldiers at the Battle of Baler and the Battle of Manakpur. It was at the Battle of Mand that Avtar Singh's fame spread beyond his own Misl by becoming the first Sikh to shoot down a helicopter. Avtar Singh was one of the first Sikh leaders to notice the danger posed by 'Black Cat Commandos'. These were undercover government agents that would dress as Sikhs and terrorise the local populace to turn them against the resistance.
Bhai Avtar Singh was finally killed in a skirmish with government forces on 22 July 1988, leaving the Panjab in a state of quasi independece. For the first time in 140 years, Sikhs were in control of large areas of Panjab.
16. Bota Singh & Garja Singh
During the Battle of Chamkaur, the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh would send pairs of soldiers out to fight against the besieging Mughal forces. It was at this battle that the Sikh concept of the two tigers was born. Following the execution of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1716, Khalsa Sikhs survived by living in the jungles and mountains of Panjab. Contemporary Mughal chroniclers note that Khalsa Singhs were scarecely heard from for a generation leading many to consider living Khalsa's as a myth.
It was into this environment of harsh persecution that Bota Singh and Garja Singh not only revived the concept of the two tigers but also revived the Sikhs as a political and military force. Bota Singh Sandhu and Garja Singh Mazhabi were walking along a highway to Lahore when they spotted a Mughal patrol approaching and hid themselves off the main road into the jungle nearby. Waiting for the patrol to pass they heard a bystander tell the patrol about two Singhs he had just spotted on the road. The Mughals dismissed the notion out of hand, calling the Singhs a myth whilst another mentioned that those that used to rule the area and called themselves lions were now jackals hiding from the government. The Singhs had realised that in order to revive Khalsa prestige and Sikh power they would have to make a stand and give their lives.
The next day, both Singhs posted themselves on a bridge near Noordin's Inn on the Tarn Taarn Road to Lahore. They started collecting taxes from any traveller that wished to cross the bridge, anyone that refused would be beaten on the spot. At that instance, on one small bridge, the two Singh's had reawakened independent Sikh sovereignty. As news of the Singhs began to spread, Bota Singh decided to write an open letter to the local Mughal Governor to create a large scene and ensure publicity. In the letter he goaded the governor by teasing the governor's wife and proclaiming the bridge to be under Khalsa taxation. The letter had its desired effect.
Within a day a force led by Jalal Din approached the Singh's on the bridge. Refusing to surrender the Singhs asked for four of his best soldiers to fight. On defeating the Mughals in combat, the commander decided to throw his force at the two Singhs, killing them on the bridge in 1739. The aims of the two Singh's however had been realised. The myth of the Khalsa was now a reality and after two decades of hiding in the jungles, the death of Bota and Garja Singh revived and reawaked Sikh aspirations. Within 2 years Sikh were once again waging wars with the Mughals and within 26 years they had conquered the capital of Panjab, Lahore. In fact, it would be a little over 60 years before Sikhs were masters of the whole of Panjab.
The two tiger concept revived on that day in 1739 has been used often times since. A year later Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh struck Massa Rangar in Amritsar. At that point, anytime Mughals would see two Singhs together they would attack, regardless of intentions, such was the psychological fear of the concept. The concept has continued to this day with the killing of Indira Gandhi by Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, or the assasination of General Vaidya, Chief of the Army staff that invaded the Golden Temple in 1984 by Harjinder Singh and Sukhdev Singh in August 1986.
15. Baghel Singh Karora Singhia
Despite being the only Sikh to conquer Delhi, very few people know about the extraordinary life of Baghel Singh Dhaliwal.
Born in 1730 to humble origins, Baghel Singh joined Sardar Karor Singh of the Karora Singhia Misl during the age of the Sikh Confederacy in the 1750s. In 1764, Baghel Singh was one of the Sikhs caught up in the Wada Ghallughara (the Great Holocaust) where two thirds of the entire Sikh population in existence at the time was wiped out in a campaign led by Ahmed Shah Abdali. Baghel Singh fought day and night over a period of weeks protecting a slow moving baggage train of Sikh civilians whilst the Afghan invaders would constantly break through the cordon of Sikh fighters, slaughter thousands of women, children and the elderly and then disperse. Even Sikh historians noted the effectiveness of Afghan attacks and their Muslim soldiery.
Showing great leadership potential, bravery on the battlefield and an excellent understanding of politics, Baghel Singh succeeeded Karor Singh to become the leader of his Misl in 1765 and according to Mughal comentator Syed Ahmad Latif, he had 12000 men under his command.
Following the Great Holocaust, Sikh power not only recovered quickly but became stronger than ever as Sikh Chiefs began conquering the Panjab city by city, village by village, each Misl hoping to become the most powerful. The area around Lahore, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Gujranwala was conquered by Ramgharias, Bhangis and Sukerchakkias, the central area of Panjab was under the rule of the Faizalpuria, Nakai and Nishanwalia Misls leaving the Korara Singha Misl to extend east and south.
Having already defeated the Rohilla's in battle, they eventually defeated Zabita Khan and overran the entire Rohilla terrirtory by 1775, a year later they did something remarkable, defeating the Imperial Mughal Army in a pitched battle at the Battle of Ghanaur. The Mughals tried to check the power of Baghel Singh by attacking a Sikh military post but on 11 March 1783, Baghel Singh made history as he led a coalition of Sikh and anti-Mughal armies into the capital, planting the nishaan of his Misl on top of the Red Fort. It is said he sat on the famous Peacock Throne from where Mughal Emperors had ordered the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the 9th Sikh Guru.
Understanding that he didn't have a force large enough to govern Delhi, Baghel Singh came to an agreement with the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II, where Baghel Singh would receieve at least a tenth of all tax collected by the Mughals in Delhi and that Singh's would be allowed to build Gurdwara's within the city. Baghel Singh eventually watched over the building of at least 7 large Gurdwara's, including Sis Ganjh where just over 100 years earlier the Mughals had executed the 9th Guru.
The aged Baghel Singh continued to carry out expeditions until his death in 1802, in fact in 1799 he had two battles against the Irish mercenary, George Thomas. After defeating Thomas in the princely state of Jind, he was repulsed by the very same man when he tried attacking him again during Thomas' retreat. It is also worth noting that despite the fame Baghel Singh had across Panjab for his heroic capture of Delhi, and therefore the reputation that went with it, the Karora Singhia's remained one of the lesser Misls, never achieving the territorial extent of the Ahluwalia's, Bhangi's, Kanheya's, Phulkia's or Sukerchaks.
14. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh
Sikh history is filled with famous last stands, but one of the best documented was the last stand at the Battle of Saragarhi by 21 Sikhs of the British Indian Army.
Following 1849, British Indian soliders, in particular Purbiya's were promoted to high civilian posts in Panjab. To add further insult to Sikh injury, these Indian soliders would constantly remind the Sikh's that they had defeated the Khalsa Army. The Sikhs felt that the treachory of their leaders coupled with superior British Arms were the cause of their downfall and they began to resent the foreign Indian Purbiya's. When the Mutiny happened in 1857, the Sikhs decided to side with the British against the Indians and help put down the rebellion. For their support, the British, who were hesitant to raise soldiers from the fiercely independent Sikhs, began to employ Khalsa soldiers in large numbers. Within decades, Sikhs made the backbone of the British Indian Army, making up a quarter of the Indian Army officers despite being less than 2% of the population.
The Battle of Saragarhi took place on the North-West Frontier Province, the volatile border area between British India and Afghanistan, an area formerly controlled by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikhs. Despite British suzerainty, the tribal Afghans would attack the area from time to time. To counter this, the British decided to consolidate a series of forts that Ranjit Singh had built in the area nearly 75 years earlier. On 12 September 1897, 10,000 Afghan tribesmen decided to attack a signalling post at the village of Saragarhi to ensure communications would be lost between the forts, therefore ensuring local army units would be isolated and defeated.
The Sikhs were led by Ishar Singh, and the battle is very well recorded due to the presence of Gurmukh Singh who signalled the events using a heliograph to the British. At 9am he signalled that the post was under attack and in response the British replied that they would not be able to send reinforcements the same day. At this point Ishar Singh decided the Singh's would continue the ancient Sikh tradition of dying on the battlefield. Bhagawan Singh was the first casuality and by midday the British had estimated that the Saragarhi signalling post was under attack by 10,000-14,000 Afghans. After making two strong attempts to breach the post, but being repulsed by the Singh's on both occasions, the Afghans began making promises of safety and riches to entice the Singh's to leave the post. The 21 Sikhs rejected all offers. Later that afternoon, the Afghans finally managed to breach the walls and the Singh's met them with fierce hand to hand combat. Ishar Singh ordered all his men into the inner layer of defences while he provided cover, falling on the field after ensuring the safety of his men.
As Singh's started falling around him, Gurmukh Singh communicated to the British that he was the last of the 21 alive. He signed off by communcating that he was going to join the battle. From his communication of the battle, and the bodies the British found the next day, Gurmukh Singh is stated to have killed 20 Afghans by himself, the tribesmen having to set fire to the post to finally kill him.
The Afghans finally took control of the signalling post, but the defence put up by the Sikhs meant they had lost too much time and reinforcements soon arrived to drive the tribesmen away. The British were astounded to see the scene that they arrived to, Fallen Sikhs in the signalling post still clutching their swords and guns, and the bodies of approximately 600 Afghan tribesmen scattered around them.
The battle is compared to that at Thermopylae where 300 Spartans fought to the death against the invading Persians. In this instance, just 21 Singhs held off 10,000 Afghans and like the Spartans, and Singhs before them, they all chose to fight to the death.
13. Deep Kaur
Deep Kaur is the second female warrior on my list and one who's actions are needed in a country where sexual abuse of female's has reached epidemic levels.
Living in northern India, her husband had joined a group of Singh's who went to visit the 10th Guru. Deep Kaur had remained at home to protect the house as her family were the only Sikhs in a relatively hostile area. Having a change of heart she left to join her husband and visit the 10th Guru for herself, however, after travelling a short while on the outskirts of the village she came across a contingent of Mughal solders (Turkish mercenaries according to some sources). At first trying to conceal herself off the main road, she was discovered by the group of 6 soliders. Various witnesses describe the leader of the group making sexual advances towards Deep Kaur, after spurning his advances, he finally decided to force himself on her. As he pulled her close to him, she pulled out her dagger and stabbed him in the stomach.. She then snatched his sword and began stabbing at the other soliders. Two more fell although not after they had mortally wounded the warrior princess.
At this juncture, a passing Jatha of Singh's heard the commotion and rode over on their horses, frightening the remaining Mughal soliders into flight. On arriving at the scene, they saw a dying Deep Kaur surrounded by the bodies of Mughal soliders. The dying Deep Kaur was then taken by the Singh's to the Guru's court where the Guru bowed down to Deep Kaur in a sign of respect.
12. Sardaar Baaj Singh Bandai
Baaj Singh, alongside Ram Singh, Binod Singh, his son Kahan Singh and Fateh Singh are generally accepted to be the 5 Singh's dispatched from central India to return to Panjab as Banda Bahadur's advisory council to carry out a struggle against Mughal rule and to punish the local governor, Wazir Khan, who had ordered the execution of the Guru's two young sons.
Baaj Singh was present in all of Banda Bahadur's campaigns, with his most documented battle happening at Sirhind in 1710. Following the tactics developed by the Guru, Banda split his forces into 2 wings (subdivided into 5 misls) and commanded the centre himself. The left wing was commanded by Binod Singh and the right by Baaj Singh. Whilst the left wing struggled, the right wing was more successful, managing to slice through the Mughal ranks. Baaj Singh cornered Wazir Khan on the battlefield and Mughal battle comentator Mir Mohammed Ahsan described how after an exchange of spears and arrows, the two warriors raced towards each other, with Baaj Singh struck in the arm, Fateh Singh arrived at this critical juncture and sliced Wazir Khan in two from the shoulder to the waist. For his bravery and success in the battle, Baaj Singh was appointed Govenor of Sirhind.
After much campaigning, a schism developed between a number of the 5 Singh's that had travelled north with Banda Bahadur. The Singhs, led by Binod Singh and Kahan Singh took exceptions to some of the changes Banda had began making; Rattan Singh Bhangu in his book Panth Prakash comments that Banda had begun changing the traditions greeting of Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh to Darshan Fateh, wearing red uniforms instead of blue, and advocating a vegetarian diet, all of which Binod Singh's Sikhs, referring to themselves as the Tat Khalsa, or true Khalsa grew to resent. There is much debate about how many of these changes actually happened, and the role of the Mughal Court in creating this schism but by the Siege of Gurdas Nangal, a sizeable number of Sikhs had left Banda Bahadur.
Baaj Singh, a devout follower of Banda Bahadur continued his loyalty. As the weakened Sikhs were surrounded by a large Mughal force, Baaj Singh decided he would rather die with Banda Bahadur than defect. The protracted siege left Banda's depleted force in dire straights, Singh's began to fight each other in order to eat the bark from the trees, such was their hunger. Finally, after 8 months, under false Mughal promises of safety, Banda Bahadur's Sikhs opened the gates and were slaughtered by the Imperial forces. Baaj Singh, as a leading chief was taken in irons to Delhi where he was paraded infront of the Mughal Emperor. The Emperor, Farrukhsiyar, seeing the emancipated Sikhs started mocking Baaj Singh, questioning whether this was the man who had killed Wazir Khan. One of the British East India Company ambassadors, Edward Stephenson described the moment when Baaj Singh on goading the Emperor to open his chains, began attacking the soldiers in attendance with such ferocity that the Emperor ran for safety.
After executing cartloads of Sikhs, the time finally came to execute the Sikh leaders. After refusing to convert to Islam in exchange for his life, Baaj Singh was tortured in the most inhumane ways to give up knowledge on the Sikh treasury and on his refusal to share such information, he was finally beheaded on 7 June 1716.
11. Akali Baba Binod Singh Nihang
Very little is known about the man who changed the course of Sikh history in a way few others have.
Binod Singh was a decendent of the 2nd Sikh Guru, Angad and was one of the few armymen of Guru Gobind Singh that accompanied him on his travel south to Nanded in 1708. Binod Singh was one of the 5 council of advisors sent back north with Banda Bahadur to forment rebellion in Panjab and by most accounts was the most senior of those in attendance. He is specifically mentioned by name in the historical text Mahankosh by Kahn Singh Nabha. Binod Singh took part in all the battles fought by Banda Bahadur and commanded the left wing of the Khalsa Army at the Battle of Sirhind in 1710 where the Khalsa forces defeated Wazir Khan and became masters of Panjab.
Nihang oral tradition states that Binod Singh was the first Jathedar (leader) of the Nihang Dal, the Guru's own forces. They also state that Guru Gobind Singh only gave command of the Sikh forces to Banda Bahadur, giving leadership of the Sikh Nation to the Singh Khalsa represented by 5 Singhs, senior amongst those being Binod Singh.
After taking part in a further four battles, Binod Singh and his son Kahan Singh began having differences with Banda Bahadur. Whilst starting off small, the Mughal authorities, realising that it was the perfect moment to create a divide in the nascent Sikh nation used an adopted son of Mata Sundari (the widow of Guru Gobind Singh) to further differences of thought. Binod Singh and Kahan Singh began suspecting Banda Bahadur was attempting to usurp the power of the Singh Khalsa and position himself as the 11th Guru of the Sikhs, even though Gobind Singh had given the Guruship to Guru Granth Sahib. Historians such as Rattan Singh Bhangu mention that Banda Singh began changing the Sikh salutation, the Sikh dress code and also imposed a vegetarian diet. Taking advantage of this, the Mughals incercepted correspondence between the Sikhs in Panjab and those in Delhi led by Mata Sundari. Eventually, Kahan Singh deserted Banda Bahadur, taking a sizeable force with him. The defections continued until finally at the Siege of Gurdas Nangal, Binod Singh finally deserted Banda Bahadur, splitting the Khalsa into two, the Binod Singh led Tat Khalsa and the Banda Singh led Bandai Khalsa.
Binod Singh was killed not long after his defection along with up to 4000 of his followers during a skirmish with the Mughal forces.
Whilst writers from the 18th and 19th century generally praised the actions Binod Singh took, modern historians have questioned his actions. There is an increasing consensus that whilst Banda Bahadur may have committed a few errors, most of the accusations thrown at him were exaggerated by the Mughal government looking to divide and conquer the Sikhs. Whether his actions were correct or not, by splitting the Sikhs in two, Sikh political power was effectively curtailed for almost a quarter of a century and it was 75 years before the Sikhs were once again a sovereign nation.
10. Shaam Singh Attari
Shaam Singh was born in 1790, at the dawning of the independent Sarkar Khalsa. His father, Nihaal Singh had originally served under the Bhangi Misl before joining Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Shaam Singh was educated to a high level, learning Gurmukhi, Persian and English and was given the command of 5000 men. He took part in many victorious battles of the Sikh State (Sarkar Khalsa) including the battles of Attock, Multan, Peshawar as well as conquering Kashmir.
Eventually Shaam Singh became one of Ranjit Singh's most trusted advisors, arranging a meeting between the Maharaja and the British under Lord William Bentick in 1831 at Ropar. His influence was further extended when he married his daughter to Maharaja Ranjit Singh's son, Nau Nihal Singh.
Following the death of Ranjit Singh, Shaam Singh, considered a loyalist was positioned in the furthest corners of the Sikh State whilst the Dogra brothers put into plan their designs to take the throne. Shaam Singh was completing expeditions at the edge of the Sarkar Khalsa whilst the Dogra's murdered their way to become de factor leaders in Panjab. It was after the death of Nau Nihaal Singh, Shaam Singh's son-in-law and Ranjit Singh's grandson that convinced Shaam Singh to return to the plains of Panjab. Shaam Singh then led a campaign against the Dogra's driving them out of Panjab, defeating and killing Hira Dogra. The Dogra's, under British pay, were hoping to create chaos and bring the British into Panjab to support their quest for the throne. Shaam Singh, wise to Sikh weakness against British arms convinced the Sikh's to take care of their own house before fighting external enemies and looked to lead a final campaign against Gulab Dogra.
Meanwhile, the Sarkar Khalsa was ruled at the time by Maharani Jindan who had bought the Khalsa Army to support her leadership by promising to pay the soldiery large sums of money. When this money was not forthcoming, the army began to turn on her. In panic she threw the Khalsa Army at the British who had already began provoking Sikh's at the frontier. This coupled with the promises of support from the Dogra's were all the British needed to enter Panjab. Maharani Jindan chose Lal Singh and Tej Singh to lead the Khalsa Army. Unbeknown to Maharani Jindan, the Dogra's had inflitrated the highest posts within the Sarkar Khalsa, and British records show that both Sikh commanders, Lal Singh and Tej Singh were also under British pay.
The Battle of Mudki unearthed the first treacherous commander. With victory within Sikh sights, Tej Singh inexplicibly withdrew from the field, telling his soldiers that he felt the British were feigning a manoeuvre. At the Battle of Ferozeshah, the Sikhs were again within sight of destroying the East India Company, but again Lal Singh without any reason fled the battlefield and the reinforcements by Tej Singh failed to arrive. With Sikh power effectively curtailed by the commanders' treachory the Sikh state had fallen in all but name, however the Sikh Army continued the fight at Aliwal, despite having already lost a considerable number of men and guns.
Disgusted, Shaam Singh, who at this point was over 60 years old entered the final battle of the First Anglo-Sikh War at the Battle of Sabraon on 10 February 1846. Tej Singh again left the battle early, destroying a bridge behind him as he had promised to British to trap the Sikhs. The leaderless Sikhs were being comfortably routed until Shaam Singh entered the field, dressed in white robes, a white dastaar and riding a white horse. He rode from column to column calling on his men to fight until the last and the Sikhs roused from their demoralised state once again fought back. Shaam Singh rode into the thick of battle, and made a caurageous last stand, as famous as any made before him. The British aid-de-camp to the Govenor-General was present at the battle recorded that "although assailed on either side by horses and battalions of foot, no Sikh offered to submit and none asked for quarter... many rushed forth to meet assured death by contending with a multitude. The victors looked with stolid wonderment upon indomitable courage of the vanquished".
9. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
Forty years before Ranjit Singh was made Maharaja of Panjab, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia conquered the provincial capital of Lahore and was bestowed the title Sultan-ul-Quam, the leader of the nation.
Jassa Singh spent his entire life during the darkest period of Sikh history, born in 1718, two years following the collapse of Banda Bahadurs Sikh state and dying in 1783, just under 20 years before Ranjit Singh's Sikh state. It was under Jassa Singh's leadership that the Sikhs managed to get through the difficult 18th century and its a testament to his leadership that they came out stronger than they entered.
Jassa Singh lost his father at the age of 5 and his mother entrusted him to the care of Mata Sundari, the widow of Guru Gobind Singh the 10th Guru and Bhai Mani Singh, one of the most revered Sikh scholars and a contemporary of the Guru. Mata Sundari gave the young Jassa Singh an education in spirituality and politics whilst Mani Singh taught him the secrets of the Sikh scriptures. Once Jassa Singh came of age, he was put under the guardianship of Nawab Kapur Singh, the leader of the Sikhs. Kapur Singh trained Jassa Singh in combat, passing on his knowledge of Shaster Vidhya (the art of fighting/weaponry) and made him a storekeeper of his troops.
Soon Jassa Singh began showing the combat skills and battlefield bravery that would launch him to the forefront of Sikhi. In 1739, the Persian conqueror, Nadir Shah swept down the plains of Panjab during his invasion of India. The Sikhs kept themselves hidden in the moutains and jungles and gave the Shah a clear path to Delhi where the Persians inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Mughals. After looting the imperial treasury, the Persian forces began to make their journey home to modern day Iran. The Persians were returning with the richest caravan of goods the subcontinent had ever seen including the famous Koh-i-noor diamond and Peacock Throne, in fact they had taken so many goods that the Shah stopped taxation in his native country for over three years. However, as soon as the caravan crossed from Delhi into Panjab, roving bands of Sikhs began to plunder the Persians of their wealth. Refusing to meet the experienced and large Persian army in combat, the Sikhs would strike in the middle of the night, shouting battle cries, relieving the Persian camps of their treasures and then riding off into the night sky almost as quickly as they arrived. They repeated this every night all the way until the Shah's army left Panjab. Incensed, Nadir Shah warned the Governor of Panjab that those who live in the jungles, will one day occupy the throne. A clear warning that the Sikhs were more than just a group of bandits that the Mughals had painted them to be.
Jassa Singh was only 21 at the time of Nadir Shah's invasion, but his bravery was rewarded with a command of a small force of soldiers. This was increased in 1746 following a skirmish with Mughal forces which ended with the beheading of the Mughal commander, Jaspat Rai. The Mughals responded by flooding the Panjab with a large imperial force led by Jaspat's brother Lakhpat Rai. Sikh civilians were executed on sight, whilst the Sikh armies attemped to escape back to their camps in the jungles and mountains. The Sikhs made a 60 miles trek with Lakhpat Rai in pursuit however on crossing two rivers the Sikhs found a coalition of hill rajas waiting on the other side. Caught between these two armies, the Sikhs were destroyed, losing a quarter of the total sikh population at the time. Some Sikhs who managed to break out of the cordon were swept away by the river. The others made a 150 mile trek to the Lakhi Jungle in the south where they finally found safety in the cover of the trees. This event is known as the Chota Ghallughara (the lesser Holocaust). Less than a year later, Mir Mannu, the new Governor of Panjab arrested Lakhpat Rai and handed him over to the Jassa Singh. The Khalsa threw him in a dungeon and after 6 months of torture, finally killed him.
By 1753, Nawab Kapur was falling to ill health. He split the Khalsa forces in 12 Misls, giving Jassa Singh the leadership of one. He also split the Nihang Singhs into the Buddha Dal (elders) and Taruna Dal (youth). Following Kapur Singh's death, at a gathering of all Sikhs known as the Sarbat Khalsa on 10 April 1754, the nation unanimously chose Jassa Singh Ahluwalia as its leader. It was decided that each Misl would have its own leader and independence, however at times of national emergency, the Misls would unite their forces under a single Dal Khalsa (Army of Sikhs) and overall leadership was given to Jassa Singh.
In 1759 the Sikhs continued their success by joining in a joint operation with the Marathas to plunder Sirhind. 1761 was a watershed year for the Sikhs. After half a century of persecution, they finally captured the capital of Panjab, Lahore under the leadership of Jassa Singh who defeated Mir Mohammed Khan. It was a city that had even eluded Banda Bahadur. However, before they could consolidate their gains, a new threat emerged as the Afghans under Ahmed Shah Abdali entered Panjab to invade Delhi. The Sikhs once again deserted the cities and retreated to the jungles and the mountains, giving the Afghans a free passage to Delhi where they destroyed the Mughals and Marathas in one of the largest battles fought on Indian soil at Panipat. The defeat effectively ended the Maratha power in northern India and severely weakened the Mughals. The Afghans returned with an innumerable amount of wealth. but as soon as they left Delhi and crossed into Panjab the Sikhs returned to their old tactics and began relieving the Afghans of their wealth. Every night the Sikhs would attack the Afghan camps but this time they began freeing slaves that the Afghans had taken. By the end of their operations, Sikhs had freed over 2000 Hindu girls and returned them to their families. For this action Jassa Singh was given the title Bandi Chor - the deliverer.
Frustrated at the actions of the Sikhs, Ahmed Shah Abdali returned with the explicit intention of destroying the Sikhs. When news of Ahmed Shah's return filtered into Panjab, the Sikhs again recoursed to deserting their cities and heading to the moutains and jungles. Wise to their tactics, the Afghan general did an impressive march, covering a large amount of land in a short space of time, overtaking and surprising the Sikhs. The Sikhs were caught unprepared, and most of their caravan consisted of noncombants. They decided they would try to march the large group of Sikhs to Barnala where they expected their ally, the ruler of Patiala to come to their aid. The historian Syed Mohammed Latif wrote how the Sikh fighters made a cordon around their women, children and elderly and were "fighting while they were moving, and moving while they were fighting, they kept the baggage train marching, covering it as a hen covers her chicks under its wing." Every so often the Afghans would break through the cordon and butcher thousands of Sikh women and children but the Sikh fighters would regroup and repulse the invaders. This continued for hundreds of miles until eventually the Afghans grew tired of killing. The Sikhs had been utterly destroyed, losing about two thirds of the entire Sikh population at the time. The Afghans turned to Amritsar and destroyed Harminder Sahib. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia himself suffered 64 different cuts on his body. This event is known as the Vadda Ghallughara, or the Great Holocaust.
Rather than ending Sikh power, the Sikhs recovered quickly and within four months the Sikhs under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia defeated the Governor of Sirhind and celebrated Diwali in Harimander Sahib that year after defeating another Afghan force in Amritsar. By 1764, the Khalsa Army defeated Zain Khan again in Sirhind and a year later beat Kabli Khan and once again entered Lahore. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was invested with the title Sultan-ul-Quam and coins were minted proclaiming the sovereignty of the Sikhs.
In 1766, Ahmed Shah Abdali came down once again, incenced about the growing Sikh power but this time the Sikhs had gained in strength and number. Although they once again vacated Lahore, they defeated his general Jahan Khan in a pitched battle in Amritsar. As soon as Ahmed Shah returned to Afghanistan, the Sikhs once again took over the cities. Ahmed Shah realised that his influence spread only as far as his horses were. Frustrated he invaded Panjab one last time, but by now he was a spent force, the Sikhs repeatedly humiliating him in battle.
Once the external threat had receded the Sikh's began fighting amongst themselves for power. Each Misl fought for their own territory, the aged and venerable Jassa Singh making Kapurthala his headquarters. For all of his valour and leadership in battle at times of war, at times of peace Jassa Singh did not prove to be as able an administrator that the Sikhs needed and he himself fought against fellow Sikhs on a number of occasions (including running Jassa Singh Ramgharia out of Panjab at one point) but whereas many Sikh leaders lost their lives in this inter Misl warfare, there was still alot of respect for Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. One day when hunting, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia strayed into Ramgharia territory and was arrested by the rival Misl. However, its leader and namesake Jassa Singh Ramgharia quickly realised what his men had done and quickly released the aged Ahluwalia with apologies. Jassa Singh also saw some of his rival Misls increase their territory at his expense, by the time of his death the Bhangi's, Kanheya's, Phulkia and Sukherchak Misls were all considered stronger.
Eventually Jassa Singh Ahluwalia retired from active political life spending the last few years in service of the nation as a member of the Panj Pyare.
8. Akali Hanuman Singh Nihang
Following the death of Akali Phula, Hanuman Singh became Jathedar of the Budha Dal and leader of the Akali Nihang Singhs.
Hanuman Singh became leader during a period where the power of the Akali Nihang Singh was in decline. After leading the Sikhs through the troubles of the 18th century, they were increasingly seen as outdated and uncontrollable elements within the Sikh State. Unable to control Phula Singh, Ranjit Singh ensured that his predecessor, Hanuman Singh would remain loyal to the state. Nihang Singh's were a constant source of trouble for the Maharaja, not only disrespecting Ranjit Singh repeatedly in public, but also disrespecting British forces whenever they would pass through Panjab, itching to create a situation where they could do battle. The British repeatedly put arrest warrants out for Nihang leaders and pressed the Maharaja to arrest them.
To curtail their power, Ranjit Singh employed the Nihang's on the front line of his army where they would suffer the most casualities. Disgusted by the way his forces were being used, Akali Hanuman Singh withdrew his Nihangs from court intrigues. Although many Nihang Singh's fought in the Anglo-Sikh War under the command of the Sarkar Khalsa, the bulk of the Buddha Dal remained ambivalent. It was only after he was approached by Shaam Singh Attari did Hanuman Singh commit his forces into battle. The Battle of Sabraon was a desperate battle between the depleted Sikh Army and the British, it was also the first time the British came across considerable number of Akali Nihangs.
Although the Sarkar Khalsa was defeated and Shaam Singh was killed, the Akali Nihang's had left a strong imprint of the British who feared conquering Panjab would prove impossible unless the power of "this sect of warrior-priests adorned in blue and covered in iron' were defeated. The weaponry of the Akali Nihangs, especially the quoit was psychologically damaging to British morale, therefore after Sabraon the British gave an edict that any Sikh in a blue dastaar should be shot dead on sight. Hanuman Singh had pulled back his troops toward the end of the battle, hoping to regroup and continue a guerilla campaign against the British in the same way Nihang's a century earlier had defeated the Mughals and Afghans. Confident that the British would be forced to withdraw within a number of years once the Nihang's employed their ancient hit and run tactics due to the expense and material loss of administering Panjab, Akali Hanuman Singh encamped at Patiala, a state still under a Sikh ruler, Karam Singh. However, Karam Singh had already signed an agreement with the British that guaranteed his rule in return for loyalty to the British. On seeing the large body of Akali Nihangs camped outside his state, a frightened Karam Singh, worried the Akali Nihangs had come to punish his collaboration with the British communicated the location to his masters.
The Akali Nihangs were caught completely unprepared. The British arrived quickly and with the treacherous Patiala forces on one side, and the British on the other, the Akali's were completely surrounded. However, instead of surrendering, the Akali Nihangs ran toward the British cannons and guns. The Nihang's unprepared, with inferior arms and surrounded on all sides were annhilated and the 90 year old Akali Hanuman Singh died in the action. Colonial estimates record 15,000 deaths, whilst Nihang tradition records 32,000 deaths, with no surrender. The remaining Akali Nihangs were forced underground and those that were not shot on sight escaped south to Nanded where they regrouped at Hazoor Sahib. It was 50 years before Nihangs were seen in Panjab again in any large numbers, and despite leading the Sikh Nation for over 150 years they would never again be the effective fighting force nor wield the same power they had prior to 1846.
7. Mai Bhago
Not much is known about early life of the highest ranking female warrior on my list, but her later life is well documented.
Her father, Malo Shah, was a part of the Akaal Sena created by Guru Hargobind and passed on his Shaster Vidhya (knowledge of weaponry and fighting) to his daughter a young age.
In 1704 a large Mughal force attacked the 10th Guru, Gobind Singh at Anandpur. After defeating the expeditionary unit led by Saiyad and Ramjan Khan, the Mughals returned under Wazir and Zaberdast Khan in May to kill or capture the Guru. They began laying a protracted siege. During the siege, many of the Guru's followers began to doubt their leader, openly rebelling. In response, the Guru told his followers that they were free to leave after signing a document stating that he was no longer their Guru and they were no longer his Sikhs. After consultation, 40 Sikhs from the Majha area agreed to sign the document and escaped from the siege. According to Max Arthur Macauliffe, a noted British historian, the number of Sikhs that left the Guru was actually considerably more, however the Singhs from Majha formed a significant core of the Guru's army.
Following the Battle of Anandpur, Battle of Sirsa and the Battle of Chamkaur in 1704, the Mughal Army relentlessly pursued the Guru across Panjab. Meanwhile, the 40 Sikhs had returned back to their native villages. On hearing the Guru's plight, the wife of Nidhan Singh Patti, Mai Bhago told her husband to take care of the household as she would go fight for the Guru's cause. Donning her armour and taking their horse, she began to gather the women of the local village together. Feeling ashamed, the 40 Sikhs had a change of heart and decided to follow the warrior princess into battle.
With the Guru continously pursued, the 40 Sikhs decided to assist the Guru and fight a rearguard action to stall the Mughal advance. in 1705, Mai Bhago led the 40 Sikhs into battle at Muktsar. The battle was fierce, but the Sikhs put together a historic last stand, fighting to the last man. Following the battle, the Guru returned to the field and saw the bodies of dead and dying Singh's. As the Guru cradled the body of one Mahan Singh he asked for a dying wish which the Guru promised he would grant. Mahan Singh asked the Guru to tear up the document of desertion they had signed at the siege of Anandpur. Gobind Singh, on finding the document ripped it up and called Mahan Singh his Sikh. With this the 40 Sikhs from Majha became the 40 liberated ones.
Mai Bhago, although injured, survived the battle. The effect she had on Sikh history is incredible. The battle had brought the Guru considerable time and for the first time in over a year, the Guru was no longer pursued by the Imperial forces. From here the Guru was able to proceed to Nanded, relatively unmolested and so begin the next phase of his mission. Mai Bhago took up service in the Guru's bodyguard retinue and lived to an old age.
6. Akali Phula Singh Nihang
As far as Nihang's go, there are not many names more famous and celebrated than Phula Singh (second from the right). A thorn in the side of both the Sarkar Khalsa and the East India Company, Phula Singh exemplified the independence of the Nihang Singhs.
Born in 1761, Phula Singh grew up in a period of increasing Sikh ascendancy. After losing his father at a young age, the young Phula Singh was taken under the care of Akali Baba Naina Singh, the Jathedar (Chief) of the Nihang Buddha Dal, as well as the leader of the Shaheedan Misl. Unlike most Sikh Chiefs of the time who were busy increasing their territory, Phula Singh gave away most of his families territory in his youth, using the money to help the poor and ensuring he didnt have attachment to the world illusion (maya). He was trained in the art of Shaster Vidhya by Naina Singh, who himself was trained by Deep Singh. In the year 1800, Phula SIngh and his band of 3000 Nihangs shifted their headquarters to Amritsar where he took possession of Harimander Sahib, the Akaal Takht and many other Gurdwara's which had started to either fall into disrepair or was being run by disreputable people. Eventually, by 1807, Phula Singh was made the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, as well as succeeding Naina Singh as the leader of the Nihang Budha Dal.
During this period, Ranjit Singh was expanding his Misl and began systematically incorporating cities across Panjab into his domain and in 1801 he arrived at the gates of Amritsar, a city that was under the control of the Bhangi Misl. Phula Singh prevented a full scale battle between the rival Sikh Misls by mediating a settlement where the Bhangi's would withdraw in order and the territory would be ruled by Ranjit Singh's Sukerchaks. Up until now the Nihang Singh's stayed relatively clear from the inter Misl warfare that had plagued the Sikh's for the previous quarter century. The Shaheedan Misl of Nihangs although highly respected because of its history, wasnt one of the major Misls of the period. The Shaheedan Misl and Nishanwalia's were in fact the two Misls who stayed aloof from the politics of the Sikh Sardars and would come together only when they was an external enemy as they refused to fight fellow Sikhs. Phula Singh changed the dynamics of the Akali Nihang Singh's. For the first time in half a century, they became politicised, playing a major role in the Sarkar Khalsa. Phula Singh became an integral member of the Lahore Darbar, and even dressed as a Sikh Sardar, wearing a white bana and jewelled armour as opposed to the traditional blue bana of the Akali Nihangs.
Despite his place amongst the Sikh aristocracy, Phula Singh retained the fierce indepedence the Akali Nihang Singh's were famous for. By 1807, although formally under the leadership of Ranjit Singh, Phula Singh and his Nihangs had become defacto rulers of Amritsar and were beyond the control of Sarkar Khalsas leaders. This was most apparent during the early period of Ranjit Singh's reign as Maharaja. The Nihang's witnessed Ranjit Singh on an elephant sitting in the presence of a Muslim dancing girl. Insulted by his affront to the Sikh code of conduct, Phula Singh demanded the Maharaja present himself to the Akaal Takht for punishment.- and Ranjit Singh duly obliged. Phula Singh ordered the Maharaja to be flogged unless he publically asked for forgiveness and the sangat (congregation) forgave him. On making a public apology, those in attendance shouted their forgiveness and Ranjit Singh escaped with nothing more than a bruised ego.
Phula Singh became one of the nascent Sikh state's leading commanders in 1807 during the Battle of Kasur. Ranjit Singh, Jodh Singh Ramgharia, Hari Singh Nalwa and Akali Phula Singh were all involved in a fierce battle with Qutbuddin Khan, the Nawab of Kasur. After a week long siege, the Sikhs broke through, destroying the Pathan forces in hand to hand combat and forcing the Nawab to withdraw.
Until this point, the Nihang's made their living through plunder, a constant source of worry for the Sikh leader's who couldnt control the Akali Nihang's thirst for plunder - from friend or foe. Following the battle, Ranjit Singh decided to reward the Nihang Jatha with a jagir and Phula Singh came under central government pay. Ranjit Singh hoped this would achieve the twin function of having Phula Singh fight under his leadership, and control the Nihang's from roaming the countryside and threatening the rule of the Sikh aristocracy.
On the whole, this had the effect that was intended. Phula Singh led the Sikh's to a large number of successes, perhaps most famously at Multan. The Sikhs had attempted to take the Afghan controlled city 4 times over a 13 year period but in 1818 they finally succeeded, killing its leader Muzaffer Khan and his five sons in the battle. The turning point came in the early part of the battle when a group of Nihangs under Phula Singh distracted the Afghans by laying a mine under one part of the fort under heavy fire. A few days later another larger contingent of Nihangs breached the Khizri Gate, taking the defenders by surprise and occupying the fort. It was only after seeing the Nihang's in the fort that the rest of the Sikhs followed.
Phula Singh was the special advisor on all things related to the volatile Afghan border and led most attacks in this region, defeating Feroze Khan later in 1818 and then conducting mountain warfare in Kashmir in 1819. Phula Singh was also the strategic mastermind of the successful first Battle of Peshawar defeating Yar Mohammed Khan.
Despite his successes for the Sikh state, Phula Singh continued to display independence, on more than one occasion embarrasing Ranjit Singh and his son, Kanwar (Prince) Sher Singh. Europeans at the time couldnt believe the behaviour of Nihangs and the lack of power of the ruling Sikhs to control them, Emily Eden, a member of the British aristocracy called them 'alarming' and 'fanatical' mentioned the 'Maharaha was completely powerless' when trying to control them'. On one occasion the Nihangs threw mud at the Maharaja to demonstrate against the Europeanisation of the Sikh Army. Phula Singh was a proponent of the battle tactics developed by Guru Gobind Singh and would ridicule the European drill system and tactics that were brought in by European officers such as Jean Francois Allard.
The Nihang's who viewed the East India Company with suspicion had a number of encounters with the British, all of which greatly embarassed Ranjit Singh. The most infamous was in Amritsar in 1809 when Charles Metcalfe was meeting Ranjit Singh. As he passed through Amritsar, his Indian Muslim soldiers started shouting pro-Shia slogans during an important Islamic festival. The Nihang's hearing the commotion, viewed the Muslims shouting slogans as an affront to their power. The Nihang's confronted the British and Muslims and in the unsuing physicalities, the dastaar (turban) of a Nihang fell to the floor. On hearing of the incident, Phula Singh appeared from the Akaal Takht seething with anger and shots were fired. The incident escalated and firing became widespread with a loss of life on both sides. As more and more Nihang's began arriving on the scene, Ranjit Singh heard the commotion and realised the death of a British official would undoubtedly mean war and convinced the Nihang's to cease their attack. The matter was settled, but the British began pressing the Maharaja to arrest Phula Singh.
These noises became louder following a skirmish with a British regiment led by Captain White near Damdama Sahib, The Nihang's felt the British were operating on Sikh territory and preparing for an attack on Sikhs and so without asking questions, the Nihangs attacked the British camp, killing 6 and wounding 20. The British formally put an arrest warrent out for Phula Singh following this incident. A British government source described Phula Singh's men as "fanatical bordering on insanity, they seem to be at war with all mankind...they are lawless..."
Phula Singh eventually fell at the second Battle of Peshawar in 1823. Dost Muhammed Khan had replaced the previously defeated Afghan leader Yar Mohammed Khan and called for Jihad against Sikhs. As the Afghan border of the Sikh state became increasingly rebellious, the Maharaja decided to send Phula Singh, Hari Singh Nalwa, his son Kharak Singh, the Frenchman Allard and finally Ranjit Singh himself decided to lead a contingent of Sikh forces. This battle displayed all of Phula Singh qualities as well as his weaknesses. Prior to the campaign, the Sikh leaders had taken a oath to begin fighting that very evening and reconquer the territory, however, on arriving they realised General Allard was slightly delayed. Ranjit Singh decided to delay the attack until the morning, however Phula Singh stubbornly refused to break his oath and without warning launched his Nihang Singh's into battle. Vastly outnumbered, the early Sikhs forces were pushed back considerably by the Afghans. It was only when Ranjit Singh saw Phula Singh in the thick of battle did he decide to throw his forces into the battle. The Nihang determination had given the unprepared Sikhs the inspiration they needed and from defeat they began to turn the tide of battle. Phula Singh had a horse shot from underneath him, and in his desire to reenter the battlefield, he made the tactical mistake of jumping onto an elephant. The Aghans couldnt believe their luck, Phula Singh, a constant source of misery to the Afghans was in the middle of the battle and here he was standing out like a target on an elephant. The Afghans trained their muskets on him and riddled his body with bullets.
Following the eventual Sikh victory, Ranjit Singh himself viewed the body of Phula Singh and wept uncontrollably at the death of one of his finest generals but also a man who had for the previous two decades made his life difficult. The death of Phula Singh began the end of Nihang involvement in the Sarkar Khalsa and they only regained a small measure of political relevancy at the Battle of Sabroan in 1846, although this only lasted a number of weeks.
5. Akali Gurbaksh Singh Nihang
Most Sikhs will have heard of 90% of the individuals on this list, but very few have heard about the person ranked fifth. The reason? Akali Gurbaksh Singh's story is lost forever in the shadow of Baba Deep Singh.
Born in 1688, the noted Sikh historian Giani Kirpal Singh mentioned that Gurbaksh Singh was one of the first individuals to recieve initiation into the Khalsa on its founding day in 1699. Very little is known about the life of Gurbaksh Singh, other than he was tutored by Bhai Mani Singh, one of the most illustrious names in Sikh history. Gurbaksh Singh joined the Shaheedan Misl that usually made the vanguard of the Khalsa Army and is reputed to have been involved in most of the major battles with the Afghans and the Mughals.
It was following the death of Deep Singh in 1757 that Gurbaksh Singh came to a position of influence within his Misl. During the Great Sikh Holocaust of 1762, the Afghan leader, Ahmed Shah Abdali had blown up Harimander Sahib, the spiritual centre of Sikhi for the second time in 5 years. In November 1764, the general returned to the plains of Panjab with a force of approximately 30,000 soliders and once again headed toward Amritsar to attack the partially rebuilt Harimander.
The Sikhs, depleted in number since the Holocaust, once again returned to their old tactics of emptying the cities and retreating to the mountains, plundering the invaders during the darkness of night when they would return to their homelands. However, Gurbaksh Singh refused to leave the vicinity of Harimander Sahib. Following in the footsteps of Deep Singh, Gurbaksh Singh decided that he would give his life for Sikhi and that the Sikhs should put up resistence to deliver a psychological blow to the Afghans.
The 30,000 Afghans approached the spiritual home of Sikhi and could scarecely believe their eyes when they saw 30 Sikhs standing guard. What was even more strange about the sight was that it looked like the Singhs were having a celebration. Singing at the top of their voices, Gurbaksh Singh was wearing a garland around his neck dressed as a groom, whilst the other 29 Singhs formed the marriage party that was eagerly courting the bride-death. Unnerved the Mughals approached with caution, however once they came within a musket shot of the Gurdwara, Gurbaksh Singh and his warriors swooped down. It was an incredibly unequal fight but the Sikhs were determined to put on one of the greatest last stands recorded.
Qazi Nur Mohammed was a chronicler travelling with the Afghan Army and noted in his book the Jangnama that "when the King reached Amritsar, they did not see any infidels there. However there were a few men who stayed in a fortress and were bent on spilling their blood and sacrificing themselves for their Guru. They were only thirty in number and they did not have the least fear of death. They engaged the Ghazi's (Muslims) and spilled their blood in the process."
4. Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa
220 years after Gurbaksh Singh, another individual gave his life in another last stand defending the sanctity of the Darbar Sahib. To understand the reasons why Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale was forced to make the last stand its important to appreciate the historical context.
After losing their kingdom to the British, the Sikhs quickly became the most prosperous community in British India, forming a substantial proportion of the British Indian Army and helping surpress the Mutiny of 1857. Following tremendous sacrifices in the First World War, Sikhs expected a measure of autonomy, however in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919, the British fired on a gathering of peaceful protestors, killing over 300 Panjabi's in the process. The Sikhs then formed the largest proportion of freedom fighters - in fact 90% of all revolutionaries hanged by the British were Sikh. The Sikhs also introduced the notion of courting arrest in large numbers with their Gurdwara Reform movement in the 1920's, an event that directly led to Mahatma Gandhi adopting similar tactics. As the Second World War approached the Sikhs put differences aside to fight against the Nazi's in Europe and the Japanese in Burma, meanwhile the Gandhi led Congress and the Jinnah led Muslim league continued to fight against the British. Despite being masters of Panjab prior to the arrival of the British, the colonial rulers dictated that Sikhs did not make up a substantial part of the population and therefore would not be getting their own country back. Furthermore, they split the homeland of Panjab in two, two thirds going to Pakistan and a third going to India. Sikhs were then told to pick a country.
The Congress leader, Jawahar Lal Nehru made promises to court the Sikhs and wrote in the Lahore Bulletin of 1930 "the brave Sikhs of Panjab are entitled to special considerations. I see nothing wrong in an area of set up in the north of India where the Sikhs can also experience the glow of freedom."
The Sikh leaders chose to side with India and in 1947 the largest population change in human history occured that resulted in over a million deaths as the Panjab was split in two, most of these deaths were Sikhs who were easily distinguishable. The Sikhs, refugees in a new country were forced to begin from scratch, Most Sikhs were homeless having lost all their lands in Pakistan, however they expected an autonomous area they could now call home. However, the Indian Government quickly changed their views. Within weeks of Independence, the same Nehru branded the Sikhs "a lawless people and a menace to law abiding Hindus, the government should take strict measures against them."
To add insult to injury, whilst the rest of India was reorganised along linguistic lines, Panjab was the only state to not be given this treatment as this would make Sikhs the majority of the population in their state, given them defacto autonomy. The Sikhs once again began peaceful protests which led to the government storming the Golden Temple in 1955 to halt the protests. In 1965 a war with Pakistan broke out where once again the Sikhs put their differences with the Indians aside to battle an external threat and in light of their sacrifices the Sikhs eventually won their linguistic rights, getting a smaller Panjab where they formed the majority. However the storming of the Golden Temple in 1955 had made the Sikhs realise they would not be safe in India.
There were many promises made for the new Panjabi state including the fair distribution of river waters and a capital (Panjab was the only state in India without a capital city). The Akali Dal (political party) who for the past 15 years had battled for a Panjabi state adopted the Anandpur Resolution in 1973 where they asked for the Indian Government to deliver on the promises made in 1930 and 1966.
Into this environment rose the figure of Sant Bhindranwale. A student of the Damdami Taksal, a 300 year old Sikh institution, Bhindranwale was an expert in Sikh philosophy, mastering the knowledge contained within all the Granths (Aad Granth, Dasam Granth, Sarabloh Granth) and able to share this knowledge in an easy to understand way. As Panjab began to rebuild and gain wealth through the hard work of Panjabi's. Bhindranwale urged Sikh's to listen and to take heed of the last time Sikhs amassed wealth in a substantial manner and to stay away from drugs. Even his harshest critics grudgingly accept that he saved countless families from destruction through addiction.
As his popularity rose, the Indian Government realised that they could use Bhindranwale to split the Sikh vote in two and have him go against the Akalis. However it became apparent that not only could they not control Bhindranwale, but unlike many of the leaders they had dealt with in Panjab, Bhindranwale couldnt be brought either.
As his fame grew, the government began creating false stories, reporting that the Sikhs were asking for a separate homeland. In a number of interviews that are easily viewable online, both Bhindranwale and the Akali's both explicitly denied wanting a separate country, instead saying they wanted to be treated as equal citizens in a united India.
April 1978 was a turning point for Bhindranwale as on this day the Indian government opened fire on a gathering of peaceful Sikh protestors, killing 13. The Sikhs then began the Dharam Yudh Morcha (action for righteousness) where they began courting arrest and stopped payment of tax and utilities to force the government to negotiate.
Indira Gandhi, who herself was removed from governing India a decade previously for corruption returned to power and declared Sant Bhindranwale enemy of the state. Bhindranwale decided to court arrest in September 1981 however he was released within days when the police had no evidence to implicate him in any crimes. The Sikh nation led by the Akali's invited Bhindranwale to take residence within the Golden Temple complex from where he could lead the protests.
In 1982 the Indian Government began preparations for the invasion of the Harimander Sahib complex for the second time less than 30 years, By continuing to present Bhindranwale as a seperatist they hoped to drive a secterian wedge within Panjab and turn the Hindus against the Sikhs, therefore giving them the mandate to make what they knew would be a controversial move. However, many Hindu's in Panjab continued to visit Bhindranwale as an arbitrator of disputes as he was seen as a fair and effective man, less corrupt than the police and judiciary system.
In June 1984, the Army began a siege of Amritsar called Operation Bluestar. As the Mughals had done 300 years before with Guru Gobind Singh and Banda Singh Bahadur, the Indians tempted the Sikhs with promises of safe passage if they surrendered. The leader of the operation, General Brar had told Indira Gandhi that a quick show of force would frighten the Sikhs into surrender, however Bhindranwale, outnumbered and outgunned made a last stand worthy of its place in Sikh history.
The Golden Temple complex has been militarised since 1606 when Guru Hargobind built the Akaal Takht and placed within it weaponry including guns and swords. Bhindranwale built on these fortifications with the help of Shabeg Singh a former Major in the Indian Army. Depite General Brar's predictions, 200 Sikhs kept out 10,000 Indian Army soliders for a week. General Brar later admitted they did not appreciate the resolve, organisation, capabilities or the commitment of the Singh's. Eventually, with the Indians suffering a large number of casualities they eventually brought tanks into the complex and blew the Akaal Takht, the centre of Sikh political power into rubble.
Official government sources state most of the 200 Sikhs lost their lives whilst 83 government forces were killed and 2360 were wounded Eyewitnesses describe over 400 soldiers of the Indian Army having lost their lives whilst the Sikhs lost thousands, mainly non combatant civilians.
Bhindranwale's last moments are well documented from eyewitness testimony. After refusing to surrender, Bhindranwale gave a speech where told his Sikhs that the "time to give our heads has arrived". He ordered those Sikhs with families to escape the complex and break through the siege. With the other Sikhs he did an Ardaas on the morning on 6 June, The last corroborated eyewitness account of Bhindranwale was watching him leave through the rubble of the Akaal Takht, firing his gun as he faced the Indian forces. His body was found infront of the Akaal Takht later that day.
Indira Gandhi had chosen the first week of June to attack to create a large number of casualities as this date coincided with a large Sikh festival. Joyce Pettigrew, an anthropologist, described the purpose of the attack as "not to eliminate a political figure or a movement but to supress the culture of the people, to attack their heart, to strike a blow at their self confidence." Amnesty International reported that as the Army gained control of the complex they tied Sikhs up using their turbans and shot them in cold blood. They also reported close to 10,000 civilian casualties.
Bhindwanwale, by making a heroic last stand had reawakened a nation that had lost its confidence. After 140 years of firstly fighting for the British, and then the Indians, the Sikhs finally had the strength to once again fight for themselves. Bhindranwale, an advocate of a united India, when interviewed, mentioned that a separate Sikh state would only come into being if the Indian Army ever attacked the Golden Temple. Indira Gandhi, the leader who ordered the attacks and General Vaidya the Chief of Army staff were both killed by Sikhs within the next two years. Following Operation Bluestar in June 1984 and the Sikh Genocide in Delhi in November 1984, the Sikh Nation unanimously voted for independence at a large gathering (Sarbat Khalsa) in April 1986.
3. Hari Singh Nalwa
There is a case to be made that in terms of their generalship on the battlefield, Hari Singh is the greatest Sikh on this list. Hari Singh Nalwa was the commander-in-chief of the Sikh Empire (Sarkar Khalsa) under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Times of London wrote an article in 1881 where they not only noted his battlefield prowess but also his success as an administrator and foresight. The article went onto state that "had he had the money and resources of available to European states, it would have been entirely possible that he could have reached the border of Europe."
Despite reaching lofty heights, Hari Singh Nalwa had humble beginnings. Born in 1791 as Hari Singh Uppal, the youngster, like so many others on this list, lost his father at an early age. In 1804 his mother sent him to the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to resolve a property dispute. While there Hari Singh explained that his father and grandfather had both fought under Ranjit Singh's Sukerchak Misl for both his father Maha Singh and his grandfather Charat Singh. The Maharaja decided the arbitration in Hari Singh's favour and impressed by his skill as a musketeer gave him a job as a personal attendant. Hari Singh's climb to fame began later that year during a hunt where his party was attacked by a tiger. In one of the most famous stories in Sikh history, Hari Singh killed the tiger by ripping it apart using his hands, this earned him the nickname Baagh Maar, or Tiger Killer. As his reputation grew from the story, he was commissioned as a Sardar and given 800 horses and footmen under his command.
Hari Singh led his first independant contingent into battle in 1807 at Kasur under the leadership of the Maharaja, Jodh Singh Ramgharia and Akali Phula Singh Nihang. Hari Singh's performance was rewarded by a jagir (land based revenue) and his fame continued to grow. A year later Hari Singh led his first command of an army at the Battle of Sialkot where the 17 year old defeated Jiwan Singh.
The young Hari Singh fought numerous battles over the coming years in Attock, Kashmir and Mahmudkot. During the Battle of Multan in 1818, Hari Singh Nalwa led a division of Sikhs against Muzzaffar Khan. The Muslim ruler put up one of the strongest fights the Sikhs had encountered and although instrumental in the victory, Hari Singh Nalwa was badly burnt from a firepot thrown from the fort, putting him out of action for a number of months. However, he was fully recovered by 1819 to lead the reaguard of the Sikh conquest of Kashmir. The victory ended 5 centuries of Muslim rule and the cities of Lahore and Amritsar were lit up in celebration for three nights.
The conquest of Kashmir ushered in a decade of rapid Sikh conquest, and Hari Singh Nalwa was involved in or led most of the major battles. The 1827 Battle of Saidu was one of the most comprehensive. Sayed Bareli had proclaimed himelf to be a messenger of the Prophet Muhammed tellling all his tribesmen that he would deliver the Muslims from Sikh rule As local Muslim rulers began to heed his call, he eventually managed to command an army of over 15,000 Muslims, ready to raise Jihad against the Sikhs. On 23 February, the Sikhs under Hari Singh and Budh Singh Sandhanwalia met the self proclaimed messenger in battle and routed his army. They then pursued the enemy for 6 miles, plundering and pillaging as they went. By 1834 the Sikhs occupied Peshawar. At this point Hari Singh's reputation had become so widespread that Afghan women used to scare their children to sleep by mentioning that if they stayed awake "Hari Singh and his Sikhs would get them".
Hari Singh Nalwa's success wasn't only on the battlefield, but also as an administrator. At the height of his success, he had control over almost a third of the Sikh Kingdom from Peshawar to Kashmir. He was an able ruler of the territories he had administrative control of and was firm but fair. He built a number of forts and even a planned town called Haripur. As a baptised Khalsa he also built a great number of Gurdwara's as well as mosques for the Muslims and mandirs for the Hindu's. However, against some enemies he would engage in behaviour that would now be considered tyrannical, especially his campaigns against the Yusafzai.
In 1836 Hari Singh Nalwa led his penultimate campaign against Fateh Khan of Panjtar. After defeating the Yusafzai Afghans, the Sikhs burnt the town of Panjtar to the ground. A year later the Sikhs were in control of the Khyber Pass and preparations were being made for an invasion of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, in Lahore, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's grandson, Nau Nihaal Singh was getting married and the Maharaja recalled Sikh Chiefs from across the nation to converge on the capital for two reasons: firstly to join in with the celebrations and secondly as a show of strength against the British who were also invited. There are differing commentaries for Hari Singh's absence. The most commonly supported is a bout of illness prevented the commander-in-chief from attending and this is certainly backed up with contemporary evidence, including the fact that his subordinate, Mahan Singh Mirpuri led the defence at Jamrud. A second argument put forward is that Ranjit Singh wanted to keep Hari Singh in Peshawar due to his popularity. There is no doubt that Hari Singh Nalwa was unhappy at the decision of Ranjit Singh to make Prince Kharak Singh his heir, and Hari Singh Nalwa could put a viable bid for the throne. In any case, noting the lack of Sikh Chiefs in the vicinity, the Afghans decided to launch an attack against the fortress in Jamrud.
Defended only by 600 Sikhs led by Mahan Singh, the Afghans came very close to victory, but Hari Singh Nalwa, still not fully recovered from his illness rode into the battlefield. Orders from Lahore stated that Hari Singh shouldn't go into battle without reinforcements, but fearing a Sikh collapse, the commander-in-chief decided he couldn't wait. The tide of the battle turned, however, during the heat of combat, Hari Singh Nalwa was shot in the chest and fell from his horse. Asking his attendants to not communicate his condition to the Sikhs, Hari Singh Nalwa passed away with the battle ongoing. Reinforcements from Lahore finally arrived and the Afghans were driven back. It was a costly victory for the Sikhs. With Hari Singh's death, the border with Afghanistan and the Sarkar Khalsa was finally drawn.
2. Banda Singh Bahadur
Possibly the most controversial figure in Sikh history is also one of its most succesful and tragic. Such is the story of Banda Singh Bahadur that when a British traveller arrived in Panjab in the late 18th century, he was amazed that many in the country had either not heard of Banda Bahadur or those that did mentioned him with disdain. To this day there are many false stories about the man who gave a mortal wound to the Mughal Empire from which it never recovered.
Born as Lachman Dev in October 1670, he was an avid hunter who's world was turned upside down in one event where he killed a deer but noticed on closer inspection that it had immediately delivered twin foetuses. Heart broken at what he had seen, he renounced hunting and his way of life and began a career as a wondering ascetic under the name Madho Das. Spending his life meditating, he eventually settled in Nanded in Central India, over 1000 miles from Panjab where he spent the majority of the next 2 decades, building up quite a following. One day on returning from completing some errands, he came home to find some goats he had been keeping had been killed, cooked and were being eaten a group of soldiers. The description of a solar eclipse in contemporary sources allows modern historians to accurately comment on this event
In blind rage he demanded to know who their leader was, coming face to face with Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru. After failing to humiliate and defeat the Guru psychologically and physically, he realised he was in the presence of a man significantly more advanced than him, in the physical and spiritual realms. Falling at his feet, he was encouraged by the Guru to give up his present ways. Whilst Banda had renounced the world on watching one deer get killed, he was surrounded by a Mughal government that was slaughtering civilians throughout India. The Guru told him to once again pick up the gun and sword and to hunt the tyrants who were laying waste to the nation. The Guru gave him the name Gurbaksh Singh, however Gurbaksh stated that he was the Guru's slave, his Banda and his instrument of destruction and that is the name he is now most commonly known as.
The Guru gave Banda 5 of his bows and a handwritten Hukamnama (edict) as a sign of his authority that was vested to him by the Guru. 25 soliders and a council of 5 advisors that he was to consult on important decisions were also providd. With this the Guru sent Banda north to Panjab to forment rebellion and destroy Mughal power.
It took Banda a year to reach Panjab as he passed through government strongholds and areas that were already in revolt. In 1709 he reached Narnaul in present day Haryana where he took part in his first action, supressing local bandits. He began issuing letters to Sikhs of the Panjab to join him him his rebellion. Contemporary sources state that there were three types of followers who joined his crusade; veteran Sikhs who had fought under Guru Gobind Singh, newly annointed Sikhs who converted to Sikhi on hearing Banda speak and finally the third group was made up of thugs and lesser desired elements of society who joined purely for the plunder. These were also the first to desert Banda Singh when there was any trouble.
Banda seized government treasuries in Sonepart and Kaithal to finance his rebellion, before falling on Samana, the home of the executioner of the 9th Guru. The entire district was razed to the ground, as was Sadhuara according to contemporary Mughal comentator, Kafi Khan. Banda finally set up a new capital at Lohgarh, minting coins, the age old method of proclaiming independence. After spending the best part of the year governing the local area, Banda Singh marched to Sirhind to face Wazir Khan, the Governor who had ordered the execution of the 10th Guru's two youngest children a number of years earlier. The death of the two children, both under 12 years of age had been a turning point as many Muslims were also disguisted by the actions of the Governor, the Nawab of Malerkotla in particular chastised Wazir Khan. On 12 May 1710, Banda Singh's collection of warriors armed with swords, spears and farming instruments took on the Imperial Army of Wazir Khan. In one of the greatest upsets in modern history, Banda Singh routed the Mughals and Wazir Khan was killed, sliced in two by Fateh Singh one of the 5 advisors the 10th Guru had sent north with Banda.
For the next couple of years, Banda had set up an independent Sikh state, completely separate from the Mughal Empire. It was at the height of his power that his fall also began. Whilst almost all sources unanimously praise his generalship on the battlefield, sources are conflicted on his rule. Until recently, historians had noted that Banda Singh became increasingly egotistical. Whilst Banda Singh was given command of the Sikh Army, the Guru had actually vested power within the Singh Khalsa, the nation of Sikhs. Historians had, until recently, commented that Banda Singh began to do away with the traditional blue of the Khalsa, ordering his followers to wear red, to adopt a new greeting of 'Fateh Darshan' and finally to give up meat and become Vaishnav Sikhs, a sect that Banda Singh had followed prior to meeting with the Guru.
Modern historians paint a different picture. Most now agree that there was indeed a shchism between the Sikhs, however this was created, partly by Banda Singh, but consolidated by the Mughal Government who used the adopted son of Mata Sundari (the 10th Guru's wife), Ajit Singh (a character of such poor repute that Sikhs have almost completely forgotten about him). As soon as the Mughals heard about small ideological differences, they built on these to create a split. Many Sikhs identifying themselves as 'Tat Khalsa' left Banda Bahadur before his siege of Lahore. As the Mughals heard stories of more and more Sikhs leaving Banda Singh they sent a massive force to capture the leader and bring him back to Delhi or kill him on the field.
For the next 3 years Banda Singh and his depleted forces were chased across Panjab into mountains and jungles, returning to the plains when the Mughals would turn back to their capital. This continued until finally the large Imperial force laid siege to the Sikhs in Gurdas Nangal. During the siege, more and more Sikhs began deserting Banda Singh, joining with their Tat Khalsa brethren. The turning point came when Binod Singh, one of the most senior Sikh leaders and one of the original 5 sent by the Guru decided to leave Banda and fought his way out of the siege. Eventually on 17 December 1715, running out of ammunition and eating nothing but the bark from the trees, the Singh's eventually opened the gates to the fort and were almost immediately slaughtered by the Mughals. The Mughals returned to Delhi with 700 cartloads of Sikh heads as well as almost 1000 prisoners.
Banda Singh was returned locked in an iron cage, dressed in a mocking red turban to signify his perceieved royalty. His cage was guarded day and night by soldiers who were afraid that the rebel had magical powers.
The death of Banda Bahadur is extremely well recorded, from Persian, Mughal and British sources. After being tortured for months, Banda was finally given the choice of converting to Islam or execution. John Surman, a representative of the British East India company remarked on the execution of Sikhs "it is not a little remarkable with what patience the Sikhs undergo their fate, and to the last it is not found that even one apostasised from his new found religion". On 9 June 1716 the Mughals placed Banda Singh son, Ajay Singh in his lap and asked Banda to kill his own son. On his refusal, the executioner ran a sword through the 4 year old and hacked him to pieces, leaving Banda covered in the blood of his dead son. The executioner then removed the childs liver and thrust it into Banda Singh's mouth. Banda Singh was then sat in a circle made from the heads of dead Sikhs. Mohammed Amin Khan was a noted Mughal reporter of the day and watched the execution unfold, remarking that Banda was rebellious to the end, telling the Emperor that men like him will always be born to punish tyrants like the Mughal Emperor. Following this last bit of rebelliousness, the executioner stepped forward and thrust the point of his dagger into Banda Singh's eyeball. Following this his second eyeball was removed before his left leg was chopped out. The British agents reported that at this point Banda Singh sat unflinching, in what seemed a state of meditation, not making a single noise. Finally the executioner removed his other legs, both his arms and then hacked his remaining torso into bits.
The death of Banda began a period of 40 years where Sikh political power was completely finished, with most Singh's hiding in jungles. The fallout of his death led to the first big difference in the community as Tat Khalsa Sikhs and Bandai Khalsa Sikhs continued to have differences. This was finally settled with a skirmish in Amritsar, within Harimander Sahib where the Bandai Khalsa led by Amar Singh Bandai were defeated by the Tat Khalsa led by Kahan Singh. Most Bandai Khalsa then rejoined the Tat Khalsa whilst a small number decided to head north to Jammu where a small community of Bandai Khalsa exists to this day.
1. Akali Baba Deep Singh
After 19 incredible stories, what does it take to be first on this list? Not much, just cheating death, fighting whilst fatally wounded and changing the course of Sikh and Indian history.
He is the most celebrated Sikh warrior and in the period following Guru Gobind Singh's death is considered the greatest Sikh. His death gave rise to Sikh rule and his story has been noted as a personal inspiration for at least 8 individuals on this list. He is considered the founder of the Damdami Taksaal, a centre of scholastic and weaponry learning, a leader of a Nihang Misl that was named after his death, and considered one of the greatest Akali Nihang Singh's in their celebrated history.
Born as Deep Singh Sandhu in 1682, the young Sikh took Amrit in the presence of Guru Gobind Singh within a year of the establishment of the Khalsa, some sources state he actually took Amrit in 1699 at the founding of the Khalsa. His younger years were spent in the court of Guru Gobind Singh where he learned hunting, weaponry and other martial skills as well as reading, writing and understanding Gurbani under the tutelage of Bhai Mani Singh. He eventually mastered a number of languages including Gurmukhi, Persian and Arabic. His aptitude for learning was rewarded in 1705 when he was summoned by Guru Gobind Singh to make copies of Guru Granth Sahib at Takht Sri Damdama with Mani Singh.
Despite becoming a prolific scholar, Deep Singh continued practising his martial skills, joining Banda Singh Bahadur in two battles; Sadhaura and Sirhind. When Nawab Kapur Singh split the Sikh forces into 12 Misls in 1733, Deep Singh was given leadership of one of the Misls and this meant he was involved in the skirmishes with both Nadir Shah of Persia and Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan. It was during the latter's invasion of India in 1757 that Deep Singh took his place in Sikh history.
Deep Singh led a jatha (squad) of Sikhs during Abdali's return from Delhi. The Afghan invader had taken a significant amount of plunder from the Mughal treasury and as soon as he entered Deep Singh's territory near Kurukshetra, the Nihang warrior began relieving the Afghan camp of much of their treasures. Every night the Afghans camped in his area, Deep Singh and his jatha would attack in the middle of the night. Incensed at the behaviour of the Sikhs, Ahmed Shah Abdali appointed his son, Taimur Shah, to take revenge and humiliate the Sikhs as they had done to his camp. The young Governor of Lahore did just that, desecrating Gurdwara's across Panjab, culminating in the destruction of Harimander Sahib, the centre of Sikhi. The Gurdwara was blown up with explosives and the sacred pool (Sarovar) was filled with animal carcasses.
On hearing of the destruction that the holiest shrine in Sikhi had faced, Deep Singh vowed to liberate the Gurdwara and promised that Sikhs would celebrate Diwali that year within Harimander Sahib. Deep Singh left his scholastic home of Damdama Sahib and began to head toward Amritsar with a small group of Sikh soldiers from his Misl. As they approached Tarn Taarn, Deep Singh began addressing larger groups of Sikhs, urging them to join him in liberating the famous temple. He drew a line in the sand and quoting one of Guru Nanak's most famous compositions, asked if any of the Sikhs desired to play the game of love, and if they did to approach him with their heads placed in their hands. Some Sikhs took a step back, others crossed the line in the sand and joined Deep Singh. By the time he reached the gates of Amritsar, his group had swollen to 5000.
On 11 November 1757, the Sikhs led by Deep Singh, and the Afghans led by Taimur Shah's general, Jahan Khan, clashed at Gohalwar, just outside of Amritsar. Deep Singh, aged 75, led the battle from the front in fierce hand to hand combat. Despite his advanced age, Deep Singh had continued to hunt, even after giving up active military duty and he swung his 15kg Khanda with such ferocity that contemporary Afghan sources thought he was possessed by an evil spirit. Toward the end of the battle, Deep Singh and another Afghan leader, Attal Khan simultaneously struck a blow with their swords to each other. Attal Khan was decapitated on the spot, Deep Singh sustained a deep and mortal wound to his neck, knocking him to the floor. A group of Singh's surrounded Deep Singh's body picking up their wounded commander and asking whether his commitment to liberate Harimander Sahib was a lie. On hearing this, Deep Singh held his wounded neck in one hand and began swinging his Khanda sword in the other. This act of defiance in the face of death is one of the most famous images in Sikh history. Friend and foe alike stopped on the battlefield. The wound in the neck was so deep, Deep Singh's head was twisted and contorted, yet he continued to plough through the Afghan army. On seeing the risen Deep Singh, the Afghan army began to panic and fled in a disorderly retreat. The Sikhs, supporting Deep Singh reached the edge of Harimander Sahib where Deep Singh finally fell.
The spot where Deep Singh finally passed away is still marked within the area of Harimander Sahib, his 15kg Khanda sword still on show. The liberation of Harimander Sahib paved the way for Sikh ascendency, within 45 years of the Battle of Gohalwar they had created an independent and sovereign state. Such was the impact of Deep Singh's death, that his Misl was named after him - Shaheedan. The manner of his death gave the Sikh resistance renewed hope - here was a man who had illustrated the teachings of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh. The Sikhs, who had always called themselves Akal Purakh's Fauj (the army of the non-temporal/timeless energy) and now they truly believed they had the support of a higher energy or being. This belief in righteousness led numerous armies to victory, from the Muslims under Muhammed who were convinced they were fighting under God's chosen Prophet, to the Jews under David who were convinced they were God's chosen people, to the French under Napoleon who believed they were fighting and dying for the betterment of humanity with liberal and enlightened ideals.
What really separates Deep Singh from many others and puts him first on this list is his commitment to the Khalsa ideal and Sikh philosophy. Guru Nanak encouraged questions, research and peace. Deep Singh spent the majority of his life learning and teaching the Guru's message, making handwritten copies of Guru Granth Sahib and teaching young Sikhs about meditation. However, Deep Singh also followed the ways of the warrior, picking up his sword when all other methods of arbitration had been exhausted. Deep Singh was a learned scholar, a spiritual saint and a warrior of the highest order.
gurcharan singh
good in every way. thx
Thank you, brother
surinder aulakh
it wasnt the only state what about bombay state which about marathi and gujarati
Ranjit Powar
Surprised to read the inclusion of Sant Bhinderanwala and his aide in a list of heroes that the Sikh panth has revered for centuries. You sincerely need to do an in depth study of the recent Sikh history and get your facts right. You are either truly misinformed or it's deliberate propaganda to promote the Damdami Taksal. Your account of recent happenings of 1987 are incorrect.
You should follow your own advice
Amitoj
you idiot why are you calling them not a big part of the sikh history. Use your brain kid you get your facts right fricking idiot
I really enjoyed reading this. I have a suggestion and a request that you add Jussa Singh Ramgharia to the list for the following reasons. His Grandfather, Baba Hardas Singh, took pahul (amrit) from the hands of Guru Gobind Singh Ji himself and even joined Banda Singh Ji in almost every battle. Jussa singh was one of closest friends with legend jhanda Singh Dhillon.
Jassa Singh rose to command the Sikh misl that became later known as Ramgarhia and built a mud fort called Ram Rauni and Ramgarhia Bunga (watchtower) at Amritsar. He joined forces with Adina Beg, who appointed him a risaldar (commander), but switched sides when asked by him to attack the fort during the Siege of Ram Rauni. He defended it against Adina Beg's siege and, in 1752, rebuilt the damaged fort. The edifice was renamed Ramgarh, from which he took his new name
. There is even a statue of him!!! Also the Ramgharia Bunga is one of the biggest.
Why isn't Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgharia on the list?! Not good, not good at all. After drinking amrit from Guru Gobind Singh Ji and given inspiration and told to protect the golden temple.
Sundeep kaur
Waheguru ji
British Sikh in my twenties, born in the Midlands, based in London, travelling the world seeing new cultures.
Sikhi
Photos used under Creative Commons from Johnny Silvercloud, Nina A. J. G., Michael Vadon
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The Most Haunted Places in All of California
By Juliet Bennett Rylah Published On 10/17/2018
Jason Hoffman/Thrillist
With its bountiful spread of Wild West ghost towns, mysterious mansions, and haunted hotels, California’s a frontrunner for the most haunted state in the Union. Yes, reports of paranormal activity should be taken with a grain of salt, but whether you're prone to the fanciful flights of Mulder or tend to err on the side of Scully, you've got to admit a good ghost story (especially one backed by a touch of historical legitimacy) can be pretty damn powerful -- and California’s got plenty of ’em. Here are the spookiest “haunted” places across the whole state.
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Jorge Lorte/Flickr
Los Coches Adobe
This old waypoint is the subject of more ghost rumors than you could shake a bundle of sage at. Soledad's Los Coches Adobe was a frequent stop for stagecoach travelers in the mid-1800s, but now sits abandoned; many consider the vacant building to be haunted, including Soledad Mayor Fred Ledesma, who told KION he's heard several tales from city workers and his father about ghost sightings and mysterious noises, including the sounds of raucous parties.
One popular rumor is that a group of some 30 miners were trapped underground where they ultimately perished, and the screams of their spirits are still audible to those who venture near after dark. Other supposed ghosts include a spectral couple who wander the grounds holding hands, an inmate who escaped the nearby Soledad Correctional Training Facility, and a woman in black who would murder miners looking for a good time, robbing them and dumping their bodies in a well.
Steve Boland/Flickr
Turnbull Canyon
Hikers mostly enjoy Turnbull Canyon, a 4-mile loop trail in the Puente Hills Preserve, for its scenic views. It's also home to so many ghost stories and urban legends that Ryan Murphy could make an entire season of American Horror Story about it.
Largely uncorroborated legends surround clandestine meetings of occultists, one of them rumored to have kidnapped several local children from an orphanage for ritual sacrifice. Others claim UFO sightings, KKK gatherings, and disappearing specters. Even more surround an old asylum that burned down decades ago. One tale speaks of a teen who came upon an electroshock therapy contraption that fried him to a crisp when he strapped it on his head, despite the fact that the power should have been long cut off.
While many of these more lurid tales have little, if any, evidence to support them, Turnbull Canyon has been the site of at least a few well-documented horrors. In 1952, Flight 416 left New York City only to crash into the hills here. All 26 passengers and the plane's three crew members were killed. In 2009, a young woman was attacked by a group of men who slit her throat, threw her down the canyon edge, and left her for dead. The woman was able to make her way to a nearby residence, where she received help and, despite serious wounds, survived. In 2011, the body of 41-year-old woman was found in the area; her boyfriend was convicted of her murder six years later.
Caitlin Childs/Flickr
Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House is so named for Sarah Winchester, the widow of Winchester Repeating Arms Company treasurer William Wirth Winchester. After Mr. Winchester succumbed to tuberculosis in 1881, Sarah Winchester took her massive inheritance from Connecticut to California, where she purchased an unfinished farmhouse and hired several employees to complete it. The mansion grew to seven mismatched stories, with rooms and additions tacked on without rhyme or reason, and yet it was never fully completed; famously, doors and stairs were built that bafflingly led nowhere.
What fed Winchester’s appetite for construction? The pervasive legend is that Winchester was haunted by the ghosts of those who fell victim to Winchester rifles. The only way to evade the vengeful spirits was to keep building, the twists and turns a means to confuse the ghosts’ relentless pursuit. In some variations of the story, Winchester’s instructions came from a medium she visited after her husband’s death who informed her of her curse.
For skeptics, though, the more likely story is that Winchester was just an exceedingly wealthy woman who could afford her endless renovations. Writer Katie Dowd suggests in a 2018 SF Gate article that Winchester kept building because, without a dedicated architect to help her with her designs, she kept screwing up. Others have posited the noted philanthropist kept workers fairly busy because she was rich enough to provide them with continuous employment.
Regardless, construction finally halted with Winchester's death in 1922 and lore took over for decades to come. The house itself has been partially restored and is open for public tours; docents stoke the spooky tales and, around Halloween, ghost tours by candlelight are offered.
Anand Acharya/Flickr
Hotel del Coronado
When the magnificent, seaside Hotel del Coronado opened in 1888, it was the biggest resort in the world, attracting a host of notable guests -- and (purportedly) at least one ghost, widely believed to be that of Kate Morgan.
Morgan, née Farmer, was the daughter of an Iowa postmaster. She married Thomas Morgan in 1885, with whom she had one son who died at just two days old; five years later, Morgan left with another man and eventually made her way to Los Angeles, where she worked as a housekeeper. On Thanksgiving Day, 1892, Morgan checked into the palatial resort using the name Lottie Bernard. Five days later, she was found dead on a stairway leading to the beach by the hotel's assistant electrician. She had been shot once in the head.
A coroner determined the wound to be self-inflicted, and a housekeeper told reporters that Morgan had indicated she was suffering from a terminal illness. Other rumors speculate she'd been abandoned at the hotel by a male companion, leaving her distraught; still others believe she was murdered by said male companion.
Though Morgan was laid to rest at Mount Hope Cemetery, not far from the hotel, rumors have long persisted that her ghost roams the property. The hotel itself has published a book, Beautiful Stranger: The Ghost of Kate Morgan and the Hotel del Coronado, in which Morgan's spirit is described as playful, but harmless. Those who stay in Morgan's old room (number 3327) have reported mysterious breezes, the TV and faucets turning on and off by themselves, and sightings of a woman in a black Victorian dress. One couple, according to San Diego Magazine, claimed the spirit pulled the covers off the bed at night.
Some claim Room 3519 is also haunted by a housekeeper who hanged herself many years ago. That particular case, however, is far less documented than the death of Kate Morgan.
Greystone Mansion
A stroll among Greystone Mansion's verdant grounds may give you a sense of peace, but the history of this sprawling, Gordon Kaufmann-designed, Tudor estate is particularly grim.
In 1928, oil tycoon Edward Doheny bought the mansion for his son, Ned Doheny Jr., who moved in with his wife, Lucy, and their five children. Just four months later, Doheny's secretary and close friend, Hugh Plunkett, showed up and let himself in with his own key; the official account states that Plunkett fatally shot Doheny before turning the gun on himself, though it's not entirely clear why.
Plunkett had gotten mixed up in the infamous Teapot Dome scandal, having accompanied his friend on a 1921 trip to deliver a $100,000 loan to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall. This was at the request of Doheny's father, who would later be accused of bribing Fall to gain exclusive oil drilling rights on federal land. Plunkett was called to testify in the case, but the Dohenys allegedly wanted the increasingly unhinged Plunkett committed; the murder-suicide occurred before either could happen.
Some have speculated that the official story is not the truth. Theories attempt to connect the pair to a Teapot Dome-related assassination, or assert that Lucy killed them both after finding out they were romantically involved. What really happened in the Greystone Mansion that night will likely never be known. The mystery has only bolstered ghost stories, claiming that the spirits of Plunkett and Doheny still wander the 55-room estate.
Lucy Doheny remarried and lived at the mansion for the next several years, selling it in 1955. It is now a park owned by Beverly Hills, and the grounds are usually free to visit, barring a private event. To actually get inside the house, you'll have to attend an event or the occasional tour.
Digital Archaeology/Flickr
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
This infamous maximum security men's prison on Alcatraz Island operated between 1934 and 1963. Sometimes known as “The Rock,” it had a reputation for housing the worst of the worst, with notable inmates including Al Capone, Whitey Bulger, and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.
A number of ghost stories surround the popular tourist attraction, but spooky lore precedes the prison; according to legend, the Miwok Indians never liked the island, considering it a gathering place for evil spirits. Alcatraz’s most famous ghost story revolves around cell 14D, in which it is said a prisoner once spent the night screaming about a hostile creature with glowing eyes, only to be found dead the next day. Another tale says that you can still hear the twang of Capone's banjo, a respite for the notorious mobster during his sentence there. Still another ghost story suggests strange noises can be heard echoing from Block C, where, in 1946, three inmates and two correctional officers were killed in a violent escape attempt known as The Battle of Alcatraz.
Whether or not the hauntings are legit, Alcatraz Island is now maintained by the National Park Service, while the prison serves as a museum -- which means visitors can get there via ferry for a variety of exhibits and activities.
Miss Shari/Flickr
The Whaley House
The Whaley House is a history museum in Old Town San Diego, open to the public for tours and events. Rumor persists that the museum is haunted by both the spirits of the Whaley family and a boat thief who was executed on the property.
Thomas Whaley was an East Coaster who moved to California for the Gold Rush and ended up operating a store in San Diego in the 1850s. He built himself the two-story brick home in 1857, fixing it to an existing granary that would later serve as a courtroom. He lived there with his wife, Anna, with whom he had six children.
According to legend, the property is haunted by multiple spirits; James "Yankee Jim" Robinson is perhaps the oldest among them. A convicted thief, he was hanged in 1852 on the property before a group of onlookers, one of whom was Whaley himself. Whaley still purchased the property and built his family home there, but would later claim to hear disembodied footsteps, which he attributed to Robinson’s ghost.
Others claim that the museum is haunted by the Whaley's daughter, Violet, who in 1885 fatally shot herself in the heart at just 22 years old. Violet was despondent after her husband, George Bertolacci, wedded her only for the sizable dowry her father had offered then abandoned her shortly thereafter. According to the Save Our Heritage Organisation, who manages the Whaley House, the humiliated divorcee left behind a note reading:
Mad from life's history
Swift to death’s mystery;
Glad to be hurled,
Anywhere, anywhere, out of this world
The Cecil Hotel
The Cecil is not the only old hotel in downtown Los Angeles to harbor a ghost story, but it’s definitely the creepiest among them. It's had so many tragedies, there’s a whole Wikipedia page for "list of deaths and violence at the Cecil Hotel."
Like most of its contemporaries, the Cecil was a nice hotel when it opened in the ’20s, but then fell into disrepair in the wake of the Great Depression. Its earliest issue was the oddly high number of suicides that occurred on the property: so many, in fact, that people began to refer to it as The Suicide. The first is believed to have occurred in 1931, when a traveler from Chicago checked in under a fake name and took poison in his room.
In 1962, Pauline Otton, 27, leapt from the ninth story after getting into an argument with her estranged husband. She landed on top of a passing pedestrian, 65-year-old George Gianinni, and killed them both. In 1964, Goldie Osgood was found murdered in her room at the Cecil. She was known as “Pigeon,” as she frequently fed the birds gathered in Pershing Square, just a short walk from the hotel. Though it was determined that Osgood had been beaten to death, her assailant was never caught.
In 2013, 21-year-old Canadian tourist Elisa Lam went missing shortly after checking in to the Cecil. She was found dead several days later in one of the hotel's rooftop water tanks; guests, who had been bathing with and drinking the tainted water, had begun to complain about low water pressure, leading a maintenance man to the horrifying discovery. The shocking case received considerable media attention, in part due to surveillance footage of Lam behaving bizarrely in an elevator; police had released the footage while Lam was still missing, hoping it would lead them to her safe return.
The hotel’s got some history with serial killers as well: Los Angeles serial killer Richard “The Night Stalker” Ramirez stayed here in the mid-’80s, and Austrian serial killer Jack Unterweger spent time here in 1991 while he worked as a journalist covering crime in LA (and subsequently murdered three women during his stay).
With so many horrific and tragic events occurring in a single hotel -- and the above are just a handful of them -- it's no wonder that the superstitious believe some sort of dark presence has taken hold.
Robert Shea/Flickr
California is home to several ghost towns, but Bodie is the one that's got its very own curse. Located in the Bodie Hills south of Lake Tahoe, it was a former mining and Gold Rush boom town containing a bank, numerous rowdy saloons, a Chinatown area, and a Red Light District. The population steadily declined until, by the 1940s, fewer than 10 residents remained. In 1961, Bodie was named a National Historic Landmark, now known as Bodie State Historic Park. Just over 100 structures remain in a state of "arrested decay," giving tourists a glimmer of its Wild West past.
As for the so-called Bodie Curse, it’s easily avoided: Just don't take anything from the park, and you'll be fine. If you pocket a single item, however, you'll be plagued with misfortune, and according to a KQED segment, many past thieves have returned their ill-gotten goods -- ranging from rocks and nails to an upright piano -- complete with letters of contrition. Ultimately, the source of the curse seems to have been a park ranger desperate to stop sticky-fingered tourists from taking old artifacts, but those who have tested it still seem to swear by it.
When it comes to ghosts, Bodie could perhaps point to its rough past replete with bar brawls and gun fights, but its most interesting character may have been Eleanor Dumont, a card dealer better known as “Madame Mustache” (due to a dark swath of hair on her upper lip). She came to Bodie where her luck ran out and, funds depleted, fatally injected herself with morphine. Maybe it’s Dumont’s restless spirit who gives the fictional curse its long legs.
Don Barrett/Flickr
The Char Man of Ojai
The Char Man is a Central Coast urban legend dating back to the 1940s. According to local lore, the Char Man was a guy who lived in a cabin just outside the city of Ojai before he was forever altered by the flames of a raging wildfire. From there, the tale spins off into multiple popular variations. In one, the Char Man lived with his father, who was killed in the blaze; the Char Man survived, but was badly injured and driven mad by the traumatic experience. He was last seen flaying his father's ruined flesh before fleeing into the woods near Old Creek Road. In other versions of the story, it's a lover or sister who is killed in the fire; in yet others, he’s a solitary older man so horribly disfigured by the fire that he became a recluse who emerges only to chase away intruders.
In a 1967 article in the Ventura County Star-Free Press, a teenage boy claimed that the Char Man chased him and stole his jacket. Charlie Seemann, who researched the legend extensively, made contact with an anonymous source who claimed he was the one who stole the boy's jacket. The source said he'd heard the Char Man stories and decided to stage an elaborate hoax to further terrify the local youth. Seemann also spoke with a law enforcement officer who claimed the real Char Man was an older gentleman with a skin deformity who lived alone near Signal Street. Children who saw him were frightened by his appearance, and the legend grew from there.
Regardless of how the whole thing started, the Char Man continues to lend his likeness to nightmares -- and a local hot sauce brand.
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Juliet Bennett Rylah is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles, who -- like demons and monsters in the Buffyverse -- usually takes Halloween off. She's at @jbrylah (for both Twitter and Insta).
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The Broadway League develops IBDB application
BroadwayTheater March 15, 2012 By Kristina LaFountain
Ticket Industry Secondary921
The Broadway League has developed another application for theater lovers based on its comprehensive Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) website. The free app, available for...
The Broadway League has developed another application for theater lovers based on its comprehensive Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) website.
The free app, available for all iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch), provides users with much of the same information available from IBDB.com. The app, like the website, contains a database of all Broadway productions over the “last three centuries,” according to a press release from The Broadway League. Performance information that is available includes a list of cast members; preview, opening and closing dates; awards and nominations; and grosses. In addition to these features, the app contains photos and videos for current shows such as “Wicked,” “Chicago,” and “The Phantom of the Opera.” Users can also click on a direct link to iTunes where they can listen to songs from the production.
“IBDB is the official industry database that preserves the accuracy of our historical archival information,” said Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League. “We manage it, update it, and now we continue to modernize it with the app, videos, photos, and more. We’re thrilled to add it to our other recent new apps and Internet chat components,” she adds.
In June 2011, The Broadway League announced the release of the ILoveNYTheater app that allows theatergoers to purchase tickets, available at several price points, directly from the theater ticketing offices, which eliminates the need to pay broker markups.
The app, which is an extension of the popular website from The Broadway League, also contains up-to-date information such as theater locations, performance times for the current week and upcoming performances, a guide to hotel and dining options, as well as links to a production’s Facebook page, Twitter feed, and YouTube channel.
Both the IBDB and ILoveNYTheater apps cater to the on-the-go lifestyles of theatergoers. The IBDB app encourages discovery among theater veterans as well as those looking to attend their first Broadway show. The ILoveNYTheater app eases the process of searching for performances and purchasing tickets.
Although the IBDB app is one of the latest Broadway-centered apps, there are several other companies offering similar apps that streamline the ticket buying process in order to attract more visitors to the Great White Way.
BroadwayWorld.com has an app with a feature called “Pick a Broadway Show” that suggests productions based on multiple descriptions. TKTS offers an app as a companion to the popular Theatre Development Fund’s discount ticket booth, which tells users what productions are offering discount tickets and the location of the booth where they can find the tickets.
According to research conducted by The Broadway League, 62 percent of Broadway tickets are purchased by tourists, with 44 percent of consumers buying tickets online.
Apps like those provided by The Broadway League make it easier for tourists to access information regarding Broadway shows and provide them with multiple ways to purchase tickets directly from their smartphones.
By Kristina LaFountain
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Jewish Home said livid at Smotrich for ‘hijacking’ coalition talks
Sources close to party head Rafi Peretz say rogue lawmaker is misrepresenting the URWP’s demands for joining Netanyahu’s government
By Jacob Magid and TOI staff 23 April 2019, 9:15 am 3 Edit
Bezalel Smotrich (R) and Rafi Peretz (L) of the Union of Right Wing Parties hold a press conference after a meeting with President Reuven Rivlin at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on April 16, 2019, (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)
The leader of the Jewish Home party is reportedly fuming at National Union leader Bezalel Smotrich, who apparently went rogue in presenting their joint right-wing slate’s coalition demands to the Likud party without his consent.
Rafi Peretz, who heads the Union of Right-Wing Parties alliance that is composed of the Jewish Home and National Union and the far-right Otzma Yehudit, was considering dissolving the alliance over Smotrich’s posturing, according to the Ynet news website, though other reports suggested the two politicians have reconciled.
Smotrich’s demands — presented as the URWP conditions — were leaked to the press on Monday night though coalition talks between URWP and Likud are not officially scheduled to begin until next week.
Smotrich was insisting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commit to annexing all Israeli settlements in the West Bank in exchange for the faction sponsoring legislation that would grant the premier immunity from prosecution, a spokesman for a senior party lawmaker confirmed to The Times of Israel on Monday.
He previously began to publicly press for a long list of demands, ranging from high level ministerial portfolios for his party to legislation that will blunt the power of the Supreme Court to act as a check on the Knesset.
Left, Bezalel Smotrich, after winning the election for chairman of the National Union, at the Crown Plaza hotel in Jerusalem, January 14, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90). Right, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits a drill of the Armored Corps in Shizafon Base, in southern Israel on January 23, 2019. (Flash90)
“He crossed our red lines and presented his coalition demands as if they are the demands of the entire slate,” complained one Jewish Home official, according to the Ynet news site.
“He is trying to lead the coalition negotiations alone and over Peretz’s head,” the source continued. “His behavior is embarrassing. He released a draft of demands that aren’t at all acceptable to us. We don’t understand what he’s trying to do.”
“Smotrich presented demands that don’t exist. He should remember that we’re four and he’s two,” the official said, referring to the number of lawmakers the Jewish Home and National Union have in the parliament, respectively.
Peretz on Monday night canceled a meeting with Smotrich representatives that was scheduled to hammer out the URWP coalition objectives and was considering severing ties with Smotrich immediately, according to Ynet.
But according to the Kan public broadcaster, the two later smoothed out their differences.
“Rabbi Rafi spoke to Bezalel. It was a sharp conversation, Bezalel admitted his mistake, retracted it, and committed that from now on, he will act only in coordination [with Jewish Home],” Jewish Home told Kan. “From Rabbi Rafi’s perspective, their differences were resolved.”
Bezalel Smotrich casts his ballot at a voting station in the West Bank settlement of Kedumim on April 9, 2019. (Hillel Maeir/Flash90)
In a move seen as a bone to Netanyahu, reports said Smotrich will put forth during coalition negotiations a bill he proposed during the last Knesset, which would provide automatic immunity to any member of parliament.
But Peretz, according to Kan, insisted there was no such offer was being made by the URWP as part of the coalition agreements.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promises in a Channel 12 TV interview to extend Israeli sovereignty to West Bank settlements, April 6, 2019. (Channel 12 news screenshot)
If it is passed, and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit then decides to indict Netanyahu for a series of graft probes on which a hearing is expected to be held in the coming months, the premier would be granted immunity unless a majority of the Knesset votes to strip him of that right.
In the weeks leading up to the April 9 election, Netanyahu repeatedly said he would not push such legislation himself, but was more coy when asked about others doing so.
In exchange for the immunity law, Smotrich insisted that Netanyahu make good on his campaign pledge to annex all of Israel’s West Bank settlements, which are home to some 400,000 Israeli Jews. Observers say such a move, which would come as the Trump administration prepares to roll out its long awaiting peace plan, would put a nail in the coffin of hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The list of demands released on Monday included the passage of a High Court override bill that would allow the Knesset, with a majority vote, to re-enact legislation that had been struck down by the top legal body. The legislation, or a version of it, is supported by several of the right-wing factions expected to make up Netanyahu’s coalition and which have seen some of their legislative efforts struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Some of the long list of demands, which also include a third, more minor ministerial portfolio — such as the Jerusalem or Diaspora Affairs Ministry — are widely understood to be a negotiating tactic aimed at putting as much pressure as possible on Netanyahu, who ostensibly will not agree to every one of the far-right slate’s stipulations. However, the URWP is an avowed backer of settlement annexation, and Smotrich was championing the demand for the amended immunity legislation in the previous Knesset and has been adamant that he will get it passed this time.
Among the other wish-list items on the docket is a demand that the government pass an expanded version of the so-called “Norwegian law,” which allows an MK from any party who is appointed to a cabinet post to resign temporarily from the Knesset, thereby permitting the next-in-line person on their party’s list to enter parliament.
The current law only allows a party to utilize the Norwegian law for one of its appointed ministers, but URWP wants to ensure that its slate’s lone Otzma Yehudit representative, Itamar Ben Gvir, gets into the Knesset. At number seven on the slate’s list, the activist-attorney is currently two spots shy from doing so. A successful passage of such a law would lead to both Peretz and Smotrich resigning from the Knesset to focus solely on the work of their respective ministries and in turn allowing Ben Gvir and settler-activist Orit Strock into parliament.
Union of Right Wing Parties candidates (from L-R) Rafi Peretz, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich pose for a photo on April 9, 2019. (Courtesy)
The demands also sought for the establishment of ministerial committee, headed by a URWP member, that will be responsible for legalizing settlement outposts and wildcat homes throughout the West Bank, this in addition to responsibility over the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division. It also will seek the abolition of the Civil Administration, the defense ministry body responsible for running much of government bureaucracy for Israeli settlers. Instead, such approvals would be granted by the relevant government offices.
Also featured on the list is the cancellation of the Disengagement Law, which would allow Israelis to return to the four northern West Bank settlements which were evacuated in 2005 at the same time as the unilateral pullout from the Gaza Strip.
Smotrich is also eyeing more say among Knesset members over the appointment of judges, including through a parliamentary hearing.
He will also seek to bar the attorney general from taking a position against that of the cabinet, and prevent the state comptroller from reporting on the activities of government offices in real-time. Ombudsman Yosef Shapira has published reports over the past several years that have been heavily critical of several ministries funneling of funds toward illegal West Bank outposts.
Blue and White MK Ofer Shelah claimed Monday that the list appeared to have been written by Netanyahu himself. “The vision of the nightmare government is coming true,” he said in a statement. “Netanyahu will give — to Smotrich — and take — immunity for himself.”
URWP Union of Right-Wing Parties
coalition negotiations
Bezalel Smotrich
Rafi Peretz
immunity bill
Yosef Shapira
On campaign trail, Amir Peretz says PM would react differently if it were West Bank settlement fields being set ablaze rather than land in the south
Remembered as ‘a force of nature who devoted his life to making the world a better place,’ the Jewish advocate was also instrumental in creation of US Holocaust Memorial Museum
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Trump private charity received nearly $3M in donations during presidential campaign
The donations arrived the same year New York's attorney general opened an investigation into its finances.
Trump private charity received nearly $3M in donations during presidential campaign The donations arrived the same year New York's attorney general opened an investigation into its finances. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://usat.ly/2iCJje3
Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY Published 9:15 a.m. ET Nov. 21, 2017 | Updated 9:42 a.m. ET Nov. 21, 2017
Donald Trump is under fire. Not for his most recent tax return leak, but for his foundation. Time
File photo taken in 2017 shows President Trump speaking during the Heritage Foundation's President's Club meeting in Washington, D.C.(Photo: Pool, Getty Images)
Donations to President Trump's private charity reached their highest point in almost a decade, nearly $3 million, as he ran a winning campaign for the White House last year, a new tax filing shows.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation collected more than $2.9 millionin contributions, gifts, grants and other income in 2016, according to a tax filing that a representative of the organization uploaded to GuideStar, a company that gathers information about all non-profit groups registered with the IRS.
The donations arrived during a year when New York's attorney general opened an investigation into the foundation's finances. Trump has said he will dissolve the charity, but that plan is barred from proceeding while the investigation is ongoing.
The giving also came at a time when the foundation was the subject of media reports documenting questionable financial practices, including reports of charitable donations that had not resulted in actual payments. The Washington Post reported that the foundation spent $258,000 to settle lawsuits against Trump's for-profit businesses.
Trump's charity also failed to register with New York state as a charity that solicits funds. As a result, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office in October 2016 ordered the foundation to halt all fundraising pending an investigation. The order blocked the charity from a plan to disband, which was repeated in the foundation's 2016 tax filing.
"As the foundation is still under investigation by this office, it cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete,” Amy Spitalnick, a spokeswoman for Schneiderman, said Monday.
A report from The New York Times says the president-elect is planning to shut down the Trump Foundation over possible conflict of interest concerns. Video provided by Newsy Newslook
As in many past years, the charity in 2016 operated largely on funds contributed by others. Trump's most recent personal contribution to the charity came in 2008, when he donated $30,000, tax filings show. The billionaire New York businessman and former reality TV star separately gave $1 million of his own fortune to veteran's groups last year.
His charity in 2016 received contributions earmarked for tax-exempt veterans organizations "as a result of a fundraiser held by a candidate for public office," the tax filing said in an apparent reference to Trump.
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Much of the money the foundation raised last year came from a few large donors. Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump gave $100,000, the tax records show. Phil Ruffin, Trump's partner in a Las Vegas hotel, gave $1 million, as did Laura Perlmutter, the wife of Marvel Entertainment CEO Isaac Perlmutter. Both are Trump supporters.
More: Trump Foundation apparently admits to self-dealing in new tax filing
A non-profit foundation that includes Steven Roth, the CEO of Vornado Realty Trust, contributed $50,000. Vornado is a partner with the family business of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in an office and retail tower located on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.
Ohio real estate developer John Cafaro also contributed $50,000 last year, the new tax filing shows. Joe Bell, a spokesman for the Cafaro company, said he believed the contribution was made by the company's now-retired head.
Popularly known as J.J. Cafaro, he was convicted in 2002 of paying a bribe to former Ohio Rep. James Traficant. Cafaro testified as a prosecution witness against Traficant. He also pleaded guilty in 2010 to a charge that he failed to report a $10,000 contribution to his daughter's congressional campaign. Cafaro was ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and serve three years of probation for that conviction.
Representatives for Cafaro and the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on Cafaro's contribution.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Kevin McCoy on Twitter: @kmccoynyc
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2iCJje3
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Joint Tenancies
10.00 Joint Tenancies
5.12 Equity Participation
8.16 Husband And Wife
(COT) Cotenancies
(DEC) Decedent's Estates
(JOT) Joint Tenancies
(MAR) Marital Rights
Creation Of Joint Tenancies
Survivorship And Joint Tenancies
Defectively Created Joint Tenancies
Property Or Interest Which May Be Held In Joint Tenancy
Marital Rights Of A Joint Tenant's Spouse
Liens Against Joint Tenants
Federal Tax Liens Against Joint Tenants
Termination Of Joint Tenancies
A joint tenancy is a form of ownership of a single estate by two or more persons, who hold title jointly and equally as though they collectively constituted one person. It is created by a single transfer, grant, or will which expressly declares the interest to be a joint tenancy.
The basic idea of a joint tenancy is that of unity of ownership. One title exists and each joint tenant owns the whole in conjunction with the rest of the joint owners who also own the whole. It is only for the purpose of alienation that a joint tenant can be considered as having an undivided interest.
The outstanding feature of a joint tenancy is the right of survivorship by which the interest of a deceased joint tenant passes at death to the surviving joint tenant or tenants. The death of a joint tenant reduces by one the number of persons who own the property. A joint tenant's interest is not capable of being transferred by will. As successive joint tenants die, the remaining tenants acquire the interest of the deceased, with the last survivor taking title in severalty.
At common law, a joint tenancy was favored and presumed unless restrictive words were added to limit a grantee's estate to one of tenancy in common. This common-law rule has been abrogated, and nowadays, the legal presumption favors the nonexistence of a joint tenancy. However, in some states, a transfer to husband and wife, whether they are so identified in the conveyance or not, is presumed to create a joint tenancy unless the document expressly states a different intent.
Generally speaking, some form of joint tenancy is recognized in almost every state, although several states have eliminated the right of survivorship as a distinguishing characteristic and a few have subjected this form of ownership to different statutory modifications.
At common law, the four unities of title had to be present for the creation and existence of a joint tenancy. At the present time, wherever a joint tenancy prevails as a form of ownership, these four unities of title are necessary:
Unity of possession
All joint tenancies hold an undivided right to possession.
Unity of interest
All joint tenants hold equal ownership interests.
Unity of time
All joint tenants acquire their interest at the same time.
Unity of title
All joint tenants acquire their interest by the same instrument of conveyance.
The four unities are present when title is acquired by one deed, executed and delivered at the same time, and conveying equal interests to all the grantees, who hold undivided possession of the property as joint tenants.
In some jurisdictions, the absolute requirement of the existence of the four unities for the purpose of the creation of a joint tenancy has been broken down, especially in those states that permit an owner to create a joint tenancy directly to himself and to one or more other persons.
Statutory Recognition
The joint tenancy must be recognized by statute and case law as a legal form of ownership in the specific jurisdiction.
Instrument Of Creation
A joint tenancy cannot be implied or created by operation of law. A joint tenancy can be created only by:
A grant through a deed of conveyance.
A devise in a valid will duly probated.
Manifestation of Intention
The intention of the parties to create a joint tenancy must be clear, manifest, unambiguous, and beyond all possibility of dispute. It should be remembered that statutory and judicial presumptions favor tenancies in common over joint tenancies.
Language of the Intention
Generally, statutes describe the language necessary to create a joint tenancy. Case law may constitute another source of guidance and information.
Depending on the jurisdiction, the following phrases will create a joint tenancy:
"As joint tenants"
"As joint tenants with rights of survivorship"
"As joint tenants with rights of survivorship and not as tenants in common"
"As husband and wife" (unless otherwise stated).
Note: Some states have abolished the right of survivorship as a distinguishing characteristic of joint tenancy. In these states, the conveyance must also explicitly indicate the intention to create the right of survivorship in order for that right to exist.
Unities of Title
Unless otherwise provided by state statutes, the four common law unities of title must be present in order to create a joint tenancy.
Number of Joint Tenants
Two or more persons are necessary in order to create a joint tenancy.
It is a well-accepted principle that a corporation with a perpetual existence cannot become a joint tenant because there would be no mutual right of survivorship, and consequently, the requirement of unity of interest would be violated.
Direct Conveyance
In many states, the legal necessity of strict compliance with the four unities of title in order to create a joint tenancy does not permit a direct conveyance from a grantor to himself and one or more others as joint tenants. Thus, if real estate is owned in severalty by a person who wishes to create a joint tenancy between that person and others, the owner will have to convey the property to an intermediary (usually called a nominee or straw man), and that nominee must convey it back and name all the parties as joint tenants in the conveyance. Be sure to check for liens against the straw man.
In other states, statutory provisions allow direct conveyance or transfers from the owners to themselves and to others as joint tenants.
In this respect, state law must be fully researched.
The most important characteristic of a joint tenancy is the right of survivorship. Because a joint tenancy is but one estate, it is not possible for any interest to pass by reason of the death of a joint tenant to that joint tenant's heirs or devisees. Interests in joint tenancies are neither devisable nor inheritable (unless in connection with the last surviving survivor tenant).
The survivor's interest in a joint tenancy attaches by means of the original conveyance and not by the transfer from the decedent. The death of a joint tenant has the exclusive effect to extinguish or terminate the tenant's interest in the property.
When a joint tenancy exists, and one of the joint tenants dies, the surviving joint tenants take the whole estate. The doctrine of survivorship is applied until only one joint tenant remains. Some states have adopted laws purporting to abolish the joint tenants' rights of survivorship. State law must be fully researched in this regard and in connection with the application of the survivorship doctrine in any of the following situations:
Simultaneous deaths.
Surviving tenant murdered the other joint tenant or tenants.
Unless otherwise provided by state law, any purportedly created joint tenancy estate which fails by reason of violation of any of the four essential unities or by lack of compliance with other appropriate state laws is not considered an invalid conveyance. If the conveyance is otherwise sufficient, the grantees thereof become tenants in common.
Unless otherwise provided by state law, any estate or interest in real property may be held in joint tenancy.
State law dictates whether the joinder of the spouse of a married person who holds title to real property as a joint tenant and intends to execute an instrument affecting that property, is required for the purpose of waiving the spouse's dower or marital rights. In some jurisdictions, the joinder is necessary, but not in others.
The undivided fractional interest of a joint tenant may be subjected to the claims of any creditor of the joint tenant, but unless a creditor reduces the claim to a judgment and causes execution and sale to be had during the lifetime of the debtor-joint tenant, the judgment-creditor will lose the security. Judgments and tax liens against joint tenants can be eliminated as liens or encumbrances on titles upon the death of each joint tenant as long as that the joint tenant is survived by another joint tenant.
A federal tax lien against one joint tenant, like any other kind of lien or claim, is a lien only upon that joint tenant's undivided interest; and, if enforcement is not instituted during the lifetime of the joint tenant, the lien will expire upon the joint tenant's death.
However, in the area of enforcement, there is a fundamental difference between a federal tax lien and any other kind of lien or claim.
Several federal court decisions have permitted the enforcement of a federal tax lien against one tenant by an involuntary sale of the entire land, thereby divesting the ownership of all of the joint tenants and requiring the other joint tenants to accept their proportionate part of the sale proceeds. Obviously, this differs from the enforcement of the lien of a state court judgment against the interest of only one joint tenant where the delivery of the sheriff's deed will sever the joint tenancy but will not divest the ownership of the other tenants.
When insuring joint tenancy property, if a federal tax lien is found as affecting the interest of a joint tenant, in addition to the showing of the regular federal tax lien, the title commitment or policy must except the right of the federal government to subject the entire fee simple estate in the land to sale upon foreclosure of its lien upon the interest of the joint tenant.
A joint tenancy may be terminated or severed by any of the following causes:
By the Death of a Joint Tenant
A joint tenancy is terminated upon the death of all but one of the joint tenants.
In the absence of controlling statutes, several facts must be ascertained before vesting title in the surviving joint tenant(s):
That the fact of death has been made a matter of record.
That the identity of the deceased joint tenant has been associated with the joint tenancy estate as a matter of record.
Whether the deceased joint tenant ever effected a voluntary severance of the joint tenancy.
Whether the deceased joint tenant was ever subject to any legal proceedings which effected an involuntary severance of the joint tenancy.
Whether any state or federal taxes must be paid or the property determined to be exempt.
By Voluntary Severance
Unless specifically prohibited by a valid agreement, various acts of an individual joint tenant can cause a severance in the joint tenancy estate. In spite of the ?one estate? theory, any joint tenant has the right to convey, encumber or in any other form alienate that joint tenant's undivided fractional interest in the joint tenancy, and thus sever that joint tenant's undivided fractional interest through the elimination of any and all of the four necessary units for the existence of a joint tenancy.
The result of the severance is the conversion of the joint tenancy into a tenancy in common. The joint tenancy, if composed of more than two joint tenants, remains as a joint tenancy in relation to the remaining joint tenants.
The execution by the joint tenant of any of the following instruments in regard to that joint tenant's fractional interest will, for title insurance purposes, cause a severance in the joint tenancy estate:
Conveyance to an outsider.
Conveyance to himself.
Mortgage or deed of trust.
Lease.
Contract.
Specific written declaration of severance (in some jurisdictions).
Agreement between joint tenants.
Judicial partition instituted by the joint tenant.
Involuntary Severance
The happening of any of the following acts in regard to the fractional interest held by a joint tenant can cause a severance in the joint tenancy estate:
Bankruptcy proceedings.
Levy of execution.
Enforcement of federal tax lien against one joint tenant.
Statutory Lien.
Divorce suit (in those states where husband and wife hold title as joint tenants).
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Titian's paintings in the Sacristy of the Basilica della Salute
The Basilica della Salute is one of the most important religious places in Venice ... it was constructed to commemorate the end of the devastating 1631 plague, an anniversary still strongly celebrated by the inhabitants of Venice every year on November 21!
The church is also a treasure trove of works of art: in the sacristy of the Basilica, among others, there are three paintings made by Titian for the central section of the ceiling of the once-existing church of Santo Spirito in Isola, depicting Abraham and Isaac, David and Goliath and the Murder of Abel. The figures are powerful and strongly foreshortened, revealing the influences of Michelangelo's style that Titian knew and admired.
The church of Santo Spirito in Isola was located in the island of the same name in the Venice lagoon, between Poveglia and San Clemente. In 1430 the Eremitani Friars settled there and rebuilt the church according to a project by Sansovino.
Originally, Giorgio Vasari had been given the commission for the three canvases in 1541 but, after his return to Rome, the project was given to Titian. The choice of subjects was part of the overall iconographic cycle of the church, centered on the episodes of the Old Testament in which the sacrifice of Christ is heralded. The works were completed before 1544 and represent one of the most significant testimonies of the painter's Mannerist phase: this is evident in the plastic vehemence of the figures and in the articulated stances enhanced by a strong foreshortening from the bottom to the top, undoubtedly influenced by two of the main representatives of the Tuscan-Roman Mannerism, Giuseppe Porta known as il Salviati and Giorgio Vasari, who had worked for some time in Venice.
In addition to the paintings by Titian, the sacristy of the Basilica della Salute also houses the Marriage at Cana by Tintoretto and other masterpieces by Palma il Giovane and Padovanino ... The visit to this extraordinary but little-known place, is included in one of our private itineraries dedicated to Tintoretto!
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The Role of Estrogen in Breast Cancer
Laguna Design/Oxford Scientific/Getty Images
Estrogen is a hormone that plays a vital role in women's health, including her breast and bone health. Let's learn about the role estrogen plays in women's health and how suppression of this hormone lowers the risk of breast cancer recurrence in certain women.
Estrogen is a hormone produced by a woman's ovaries until she reaches menopause. At menopause, defined as 12 months after a woman's last menstrual cycle, the ovaries stop making estrogen. This estrogen deficiency is what causes many symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes and vaginal dryness.
What Is Estrogen Therapy?
Some women take hormone therapy, usually prescribed during perimenopause or early menopause, to alleviate distressing menopausal symptoms, especially hot flashes. Hormone therapy can contain both estrogen and progesterone or just estrogen.
If a woman does not have a uterus—for instance, if she had a hysterectomy—than she may just take estrogen therapy (ET) alone. If a woman has a uterus, she needs to take progesterone in addition to estrogen. This is because estrogen therapy may lead to thickening of the lining of the uterus which could cause endometrial cancer. Adding progesterone counteracts these effect.
It's important to know that according to the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA), hormone therapy is contraindicated in any woman with current breast cancer, a history of breast cancer, or suspected breast cancer.
How Estrogen Is Related to Breast Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately two out of three breast cancers are hormone receptor-positive. This means that the cancer cells have receptors for either or both the hormones—estrogen and progesterone.
Estrogen stimulates the growth of breast cancers that are estrogen receptor-positive. This is why menopausal hormone therapy is contraindicated in women with breast cancer or a history of breast cancer, so as to not increase a woman's risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Estrogen Suppression Therapy
Most types of hormone therapy for breast cancer, like selective estrogen-receptor modulators or aromatase inhibitors, either lower estrogen levels or stop estrogen from acting on breast cancer cells. This kind of treatment is helpful for hormone receptor-positive breast cancers, but it does not help patients whose tumors are hormone receptor negative (both ER- and PR-negative).
Estrogen Linked to Bone Health
A healthy level of estrogen in your body builds and maintains strong bones. However, if you've had chemotherapy or if you're taking estrogen suppression medication after treatment for breast cancer, your estrogen levels will be low. Guard your bone health by understanding how estrogen affects your bones.
American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer: Hormone therapy for breast cancer. October 14th, 2015.
The North American Menopause Society. (2014). The Menopause Practice: A Clinician’s Guide, 5th ed. Mayfield Heights, OH: The North American Menopause Society.
Hormone Receptor Status in Breast Cancer
How Can You Choose Between a Single and Double Mastectomy?
Hormonal Therapies for Metastatic Breast Cancer
Tamoxifen Can Reduce the Risk of Recurrence by 50 percent
Do You Know About Estrogen's Link to Breast Cancer?
Benefits and Side Effects of Femara (Letrozole) for Breast Cancer
How Is Aromasin Used to Treat Breast Cancer?
How Hormone Therapy Can Help Treat Breast Cancer
When Your Breast Cancer is Estrogen, Progesterone, and HER2 Positive
How Aromatase Inhibitors Prevent Breast Cancer Recurrence
How Immunotherapy is Used to Treat Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer Types and Subtypes
Medical Menopause Can Be Temporary or Permanent
How Is Breast Cancer Different in Young Women?
The Cost and Effectiveness of Tamoxifen vs. Aromatase Inhibitors
What Increases Your Risk of Endometrial Cancer?
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Trump’s Education Department nixes Obama-era grant program for school diversity
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos reads to second-graders at Carderock Springs Elementary School in Bethesda, Md., on March 23. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)
President Trump’s Education Department has decided to nix an Obama-era grant program meant to help local districts devise ways to boost socioeconomic diversity within their schools, a program that some advocates considered a barometer of the new administration’s commitment to integrated classrooms.
The Education Department said through a spokesman that the $12 million grant program was discontinued because it would not be a wise use of tax dollars, in part because the money was to be used for planning, not implementation. The decision says nothing about the administration’s interest in diversity, the spokesman said.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, speaking at the Brookings Institution on Wednesday, said she believes socioeconomic and racial diversity is “a real benefit in schools.” But advocates say her words don’t match her actions.
“This was the secretary’s first opportunity to show her commitment to school diversity, and she failed to come through,” said Philip Tegeler of the Poverty and Race Research Action Council, one of nearly two dozen scholars and advocates who signed a letter to DeVos earlier this month, urging her to move forward with the program.
[GOP lawmakers could dismantle one of the nation’s most robust school desegregation efforts]
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus had also urged the secretary to maintain the program, calling it a “small, but meaningful, federal investment in school diversity” and pointing out that successful modern integration efforts often rely on expanding choice for parents — something DeVos heartily endorses.
Research has shown that poor children who go to mixed-income schools fare better academically than poor children who go to high-poverty schools and that such integration doesn’t hurt the performance of affluent students. And yet U.S. public schools have become more segregated by race and class over the past two decades, according to a federal analysis released last year.
The diversity grants, called “Opening Doors, Expanding Opportunities,” were announced in December by then-Education Secretary John B. King Jr., who used his year-long tenure at the helm of the agency to bring new attention to the advantages of integrated schools. Many advocates, who had been disappointed by federal inaction on school diversity issues during much of President Barack Obama’s time in office, cheered the grants as a small but symbolic move.
The Trump administration’s decision to pull the grant money feels similarly symbolic, they said. “I’m very concerned that if the Trump administration is not willing to continue even a small program for school diversity, then it’s clearly not much of a priority for them,” said Richard Kahlenberg, who focuses on school integration as a senior fellow at the Century Foundation.
Trump and DeVos have made clear that they believe the Education Department is too big and has its hands in too many issues that should be handled by states and local districts.
[A Southern city wants to secede from its school district, raising concerns about segregation]
In January, 26 school districts from throughout the country said they intended to apply for the grants, which — according to a Federal Register notice — were designed to help local officials boost student achievement by devising blueprints for “innovative, effective, ambitious, comprehensive, and locally driven strategies to increase socioeconomic diversity in schools.”
The money came from funds set aside for improving student achievement at the nation’s lowest-performing schools.
The dollars were authorized during fiscal 2016, and so moving forward with the program would not have required new spending by the department, which faces $9 billion in cuts under Trump’s proposed budget. It is not clear how or whether the Education Department intends to spend the money now; if it hasn’t been spent by the end of September, it will be returned to the general treasury.
Tanya Clay House, a former Education Department official who played a key role in designing the grant program, said the decision to do away with the program feels like a “slap in the face.” The money is there, she said. “Why not allow the districts to use it?”
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Scientists create a part-human, part-pig embryo — raising the possibility of interspecies organ transplants
Injection of human iPS cells into a pig blastocyst. A laser beam (green circle with a red cross inside) was used to perforate an opening to the outer membrane (zona pellucida) of the pig blastocyst to allow easy access of an injection needle delivering human iPS cells. (Salk Institute)
By Sarah Kaplan
Sarah Kaplan
Reporter for Speaking of Science
For the first time, scientists have grown an embryo that is part-pig, part-human.
The experiment, described Thursday in the journal Cell, involves injecting human stem cells into the embryo of a pig, then implanting the embryo in the uterus of a sow and allowing it to grow. After four weeks, the stem cells had developed into the precursors of various tissue types, including heart, liver and neurons, and a small fraction of the developing pig was made up of human cells.
The human-pig hybrid — dubbed a “chimera” for the mythical creature with a lion's head, a goat's body and a serpent's tail — was “highly inefficient,” the researchers cautioned. But it's the most successful human-animal chimera and a significant step toward the development of animal embryos with functioning human organs.
In a study published a day earlier, an international team of researchers demonstrated that organs for transplant can be grown in chimera embryos that are part-mouse, part-rat. Writing in Nature, the researchers reported Wednesday that they were able to grow a mouse pancreas inside a rat embryo, then transfer insulin-secreting tissue from that organ into diabetic mice, alleviating their illness without triggering an immune response.
It was the first demonstration that such an interspecies organ transplant is possible. Researchers hope that one day doctors may be able to grow human tissue using chimera embryos in farm animals, making organs available for sick humans who might otherwise wait years for a transplant.
[Human embryo experiment shows progress toward 'three-parent' babies]
The technique is already the subject of a vigorous debate about the ethics of introducing human material into animals; since 2015, the National Institutes of Health has had a moratorium on funding for certain human-animal chimera research. (The new study was performed in California at the Salk Institute without federal funds.) Some argue that, since stem cells can become any kind of tissue, including parts of the nervous system, chimeras raise the specter of an animal with a human brain or reproductive organs. Others think there's a symbolic or sacred line between human and animal genetic material that should not be crossed.
But Vardit Ravitsky, a bioethicist at the University of Montreal's School of Public Health, said that the two studies published this week could help make a case for further human-animal chimera research by demonstrating the field's potential benefits.
“I think the point of these papers is sort of a proof of principle, showing that what researchers intend to achieve with human-non-human chimeras might be possible,” she said. “The more you can show that it stands to produce something that will actually save lives … the more we can demonstrate that the benefit is real, tangible and probable — overall it shifts the scale of risk-benefit assessment, potentially in favor of pursuing research and away from those concerns that are more philosophical and conceptual.”
[NIH may allow funding for human-animal stem cell research]
In an effort to address the world's growing organ shortage — an estimated 22 people a day die waiting for transplants, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — scientists have been trying to grow organs outside the human body. But organs developed in petri dishes are not identical to the ones that grow inside a living thing.
“That's where the rationale of this kind of experiment comes in,” said Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a developmental biologist at the Salk Institute and the senior author on the study of the human-pig chimera. “What if we let nature do the work for us? What if we just put human cells inside the embryo and the embryo knows what do to?”
An illustration of a potential process for harvesting human organs from pigs using chimera embryos. (Hiro Nakauchi)
The model for using chimeras for organ transplant would probably look something like the technique reported in Nature. In that experiment, researchers took induced pluripotent stem cells (ordinary cells that have been reverted to an early embryonic state, so that they have the potential to develop into any tissue type) from mice. These cells were then injected into rat embryos that had been genetically modified so that they were unable to grow their own pancreas — “emptying a niche” for the mouse stem cells to fill.
The embryonic rats developed normally and were born healthy. Each had a rat-sized pancreas made of mouse cells. The whole pancreases were too big to transplant into tiny mice, so the researchers extracted just the islets — the region of the pancreas that produces hormones like insulin — and planted them in mice that had been induced to have diabetes.
Because the transplanted cells were grown from stem cells taken from mice, the animals required just five days of immunosuppressive drugs to keep their bodies from rejecting the new tissue. After that, they were able to live normally with healthy blood glucose levels for over a year — half a lifetime in human terms.
The study showed that interspecies organ transplants are not only possible, but they can be done effectively and safely, said Hiromitsu Nakauchi, a stem cell researcher at Stanford University and the University of Tokyo who is the senior author of the study.
“This is a form of transplantation we could do in the clinic with human patients someday,” he said.
[Stem-cell clinics face new scrutiny from federal regulators]
Nakauchi also conducts research on human-chimera embryos, but his efforts to inject human stem cells into sheep embryos have largely been unsuccessful — the evolutionary distance between humans and livestock may be making it difficult to get human stem cells to take hold in those animals. Other researchers have achieved human-mouse chimeras that developed to full size and grew to adulthood, but there is debate about how substantially human cells can contribute to mice, which are much more distantly related.
He said he was cheered to read the Cell study, which represents the most significant progress on human-animal chimeras yet, though the technique is still nowhere near ready for an experiment like the one performed in Nakauchi's mice.
“If you read the paper, the contribution of human cells is very limited, is very, very minor, and only in the early embryonic phase, so we’re still not sure if we can make human chimeras,” he cautioned. “But I'm glad that they're doing this research.”
Though researchers have had great success producing rat-mouse chimeras (top), it has been more difficult to achieve chimerism with human and pig cells (bottom). (Wu et al./Cell 2017)
The Cell study was the result of four years of work involving some 1,500 pig embryos. These embryos were not genetically modified, like Nakauchi's rat embryos, but the Salk scientists used a similar technique to inject human stem cells.
Pigs are an ideal animal for chimera research, said co-author Pablo Ross, an associate professor in the department of animal science at the University of California, Davis. Their organs are roughly the same size as those of humans (recall that the pancreases grown in Nakauchi's rats were rat-sized, even though they were grown with mouse cells), but they reach their full size far more quickly than humans and other primates.
“You go from one cell [at] fertilization to 200 pounds, the average size of an adult [pig], in nine months,” Ross said. “I think that's very reasonable, when you think about the fact that the average wait for a kidney transplant is about three years.”
[Scientists turned mouse skin cells into egg cells — and made babies]
Still, pigs' rapid gestation means that their organs develop much more rapidly than those of humans. If researchers want to create a successful chimera, they have to consider timing.
So Ross and his colleagues used three different types of stem cells for their experiment: “naive” cells that were at the very earliest stages of development, “primed” cells that have developed further (but are still pluripotent), and “intermediate” cells that are somewhere in between.
Dozens of cells of each type were injected into pig embryos, which were then implanted in sows and allowed to develop for three to four weeks (about a quarter of a pig's gestation period). The primed cells never really took hold in the host embryo. The naive cells were initially incorporated into the growing animal, but were indistinguishable in the developing pig four weeks later.
The intermediate cells were most successful; by the time the embryos were removed from the sow and analyzed, about one in every 100,000 cells was human rather than pig, lead author Jun Wu estimated. The human cells were distributed randomly across the chimera: Many wound up in what would become the heart (where they made up about 10 percent of tissue), some in the kidneys and liver (1 percent or less). A few developed into the precursors of neurons, a fear of bioethicists who worry about creating an animal with human or even humanlike consciousness.
But Izpisua Belmonte said that prospect is still a long way off. The contribution of human cells to the chimera was tiny, and research protocols were in place to prevent the development of any human-animal chimera to maturity.
“We were just trying to answer the yes or no question of, can human cells contribute at all?” he said. “And the answer to that question is yes.”
Salk Institute scientists Jun Wu (seated) and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, authors of the new Cell paper. (Salk Institute)
The Cell study researchers also discussed progress with rat-mouse chimeras. Though they have not performed an interspecies organ transfer, they were able to grow hearts, eyes and pancreases in chimeric embryos. They also grew a rat gall bladder inside a mouse embryo, even though rats don't grow gall bladders during normal development — suggesting that rats have the genetic coding for gall bladders but those genes are suppressed by their developmental environment.
That's another important aspect of chimera embryo research, Izpisua Belmonte said, one that is sometimes overlooked in the focus on organ transplants. Chimera embryos can be used to understand development, examine genetic diseases and test drugs without risking the health of humans.
In August, NIH released a draft of a policy that would change the guidelines to allow funding of certain human animal chimeras. Under the proposed new rule, the taxpayer funds could be used for experiments that introduced human stem cells to early stage embryos of all animals except other primates. Some nonhuman primate research would also be allowed, but only using embryos at later stages of development and only after an extra layer of review by a special NIH committee. But the policy change is still under review.
Neither Nakauchi's nor Izpisua Belmonte's study was funded by NIH grants. Nakauchi said he hoped that recent progress in the field might garner support for easing the ban.
“Finally we’re able to provide a proof of principle that ... this approach of making organs … is possible and also safe and efficient,” he said. “So I hope people will understand this.”
He continued, “Many people think this is a kind of science fiction story. But this is becoming reality.”
Trump administration continues to give scientists the cold shoulder, alarming researchers
Elon Musk is going to tunnel from his desk to LAX — or so he’s tweeted
Wolf-sized otters prowled prehistoric China
A 466-million-year-old space collision is still raining shrapnel on Earth
Dear Science: Why is everything backward in a mirror?
Sarah Kaplan Sarah Kaplan is a science reporter covering news from around the nation and across the universe. She previously worked overnights on The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. Follow
Puerto Rico is in chaos, and some worry continued instability is a major threat
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Monica Lewinsky won’t let herself become a victim of her own story
Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky is shown being sworn in during her videotaped deposition in President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial in the Senate in 1999. (Senate TV/Reuters)
By Patti Davis
Bio Follow
At one point in the newly released A&E documentary series “The Clinton Affair,” Monica Lewinsky says she now realizes part of her attraction to President Bill Clinton was that “someone who other people desired, desired me.”
That’s an insight that one gains with time, with the grace of years. She was 22 years old when she fell hard for the most powerful man in the world; analyzing the situation and assessing the risks, dangers and deceptions were not yet in her repertoire. She may have been of legal age, as both Bill and Hillary Clinton have repeatedly pointed out, but a 22-year-old is still locked in the fantasies and flights of imagination that define the very young. Powerful men who seek out vulnerable people to play with know that. They know in advance that the dance floor is theirs, they will always be leading, and whatever damage is done to their dance partner will never fall on them.
I was 17 when I got involved with my high school English teacher. I went to a coed boarding school in Arizona, a tiny community perched in the middle of the desert. With no town or city around us, we were our own little world. In that small sequestered domain, my teacher — while not president of the United States — was very powerful. He was also handsome, athletic and creative, and he took a strong interest in my writing. I remember clearly the moment it started. After he sent flirtatious signals, I wrote a poem that was, obliquely and rather delicately, about him. He was monitoring study hall one night, and I crossed the room, handed it to him and went back to my seat. The look he gave me after reading it set in motion the next two years of my life.
He was married with two children. I liked his wife and occasionally babysat his children. In my 17-year-old mind, rife with hopes and fantasies, I was able to separate my feelings for his wife from my belief that he would one day leave her for me. He was alone often in their house when she would take the children and fly back east. On those evenings, our intimacy was never actually consummated — he resolutely stopped short of intercourse, just as Clinton apparently did — but there was enough intimacy to fuel my dreams and make me hinge my life on him.
One night he took me for a ride on his motorcycle out into the desert, far from the school’s cluster of lights. He stopped and asked me to climb off for a second because he needed to fix something on the bike. I did, and he took off, leaving me there to walk back in the dark with cold desert air brushing past me and the stars blinking down on my tears. I didn’t know what I’d done to displease him.
It lasted until I was 19 and in college. By then, we were both in the Midwest at different colleges, and he was supposed to fly in and see me. He never showed up. One of the moments in “The Clinton Affair” that struck me so deeply was when Lewinsky described looking out the window and thinking that she might not want to live. That night, when I knew he wasn’t going to come or call, I stood at a window looking out at the night, feeling that I had no reason to go on living.
Those who think Lewinsky should “move on” and let the past go need to understand something about powerful men who dance with young girls: The story doesn’t have an end. It evolves and shifts, but it remains. That man left his mark in the softest creases of your soul — the places where as a young girl you dreamed, and believed, and trusted. The scars he left in those tender places will always be there. But just because that’s part of your story, it doesn’t mean you have to let it victimize you.
Lewinsky is showing us that — in front of the whole world. I don’t know if I’d have that much courage. Her story played out on the world stage 20 years ago, and she’s brave enough to walk back onto that same stage and say, “Now you need to listen to my truth.”
Part of her will always be that young intern, waiting for Bill Clinton’s call and saying yes to him again and again. Part of me will always be walking back through a dark desert, wondering why the man I loved had left me there. But there is one thing that powerful men who prey on young girls fail to understand: Those girls grow into women who are able to say, “You didn’t break me. I’m stronger than these scars. I’m stronger because of them.”
Patti Davis: Those uncomfortable with #MeToo are going low. Women, please go high.
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Catherine Rampell: States are taking action on #MeToo. Why isn’t Congress?
Patti Davis Patti Davis is the author, most recently, of the novel “The Wrong Side of Night” and the daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Follow
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They were Hillary Clinton’s die-hard loyalists. Here’s where they are now.
Supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton march from Civic Center Park to the Pepsi Center in Denver. They were protesting the right to cast their elected delegate votes for Clinton during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 26, 2008 in Denver. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
By Vanessa Williams
Reporter on the National desk.
The PUMAs are back on the prowl.
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s decision to run for president has stirred up old feelings for some loyal supporters who refused to accept her defeat in the 2008 Democratic primary. When other Democrats put away their swords and rallied behind Barack Obama, the resisters responded: “Party unity, my ass!” — hence the nickname PUMAs.
After seven years in the political wilderness, some are ecstatic at the chance to help elect a candidate that they believe in, and to make history by putting the first woman in the White House. Others are excited but cautious, still haunted by the events of 2008.
And some have even turned against Clinton — instead of signing on for her presidential campaign do-over, they plan to spend this cycle working to defeat her.
One thing they all agree on: they don’t regret their prolonged protest in 2008. In interviews, all of them said they still blame the Democratic Party for a ruling that cost Clinton delegates and the nomination.
Lynn Forester de Rothschild addresses the Inclusive Capitalism Conference at the Mansion House in the City of London on May 27, 2014. (Reuters)
[Flashback: Hill, Yes! O., No!]
Lynn Forester de Rothschild was a major donor and member of the Democratic National Committee’s platform committee in 2008. She was so angry over Clinton’s loss that she resigned her party post and very publicly backed McCain. “Hillary Clinton was opposed to me on that, and I understand it,” de Rothschild said in a recent interview.
“I did it, and I’m glad. I love John McCain. . . . He is a very good friend and a person I really admire,” she said. De Rothschild, chief executive of the holding company E.L. Rothschild, said she sits on the board of the McCain Institute. She didn’t vote for Mitt Romney in 2012, de Rothschild said. Instead, she wrote in Jon Huntsman in the general election.
But she is all in for Clinton now. “I’m going to do everything I possibly can. I really think it’s vital for our country to get Hillary Clinton elected. . . . I’m feeling fantastic,” de Rothschild said, glee ringing in her voice. “I’m feeling like this is it.”
Heidi Li Feldman, a Georgetown University law professor, is a bit more cautious.
“We’ve got a long way to go between the announcement of a candidacy, the winning of the nomination and most important the winning of a general election,” Feldman said in a recent interview.
It’s not unusual for rivalries and bitterness to linger after the final buzzer of a big game. But for some Clinton supporters, their emotional response after the 2008 campaign wasn’t just the usual bruised feelings in the aftermath of a hard-fought political contest. They were also infuriated at what they saw as rampant sexism directed toward the former first lady and senator from New York during the primary. Feldman dreads a repeat.
Even if Clinton ultimately wins the presidency next year, she said, “A lot of ugliness is going to be made explicitly palpable before we get to that point.”
As disgusted as she was about how things went in 2008, Feldman said: “I did not vote for McCain.” And, she added, in the last two presidential elections, “I did vote for President Obama once.”
According to the 2008 exit poll, Democrats who voted for Clinton in the primaries split 83-16 for Obama-McCain.
The 2008 protests by Clinton holdouts, some of whom made the rounds on cable TV news shows criticizing the party and Obama, drew backlash from some Democratic activists. The PUMAs were ridiculed as sore losers. The behavior on the part of some — like Clinton supporter Harriet Christian, whose rant calling Obama “an inadequate black male” went viral on YouTube — even sparked accusations of racial bias.
Diane Mantouvalos, another ardent Clinton backer in 2008, acknowledged that the rhetoric of some protesters was “a little toxic.” She said her motivation to keep fighting “wasn’t a dislike for Obama. . . . We just wanted to fight for her.”
When Clinton conceded the election to Obama in June 2008, Mantouvalos launched a now-defunct Web site called Just Say No Deal that became a virtual gathering place for the many groups who believed that their candidate had been robbed of the nomination.
[Flashback: Clinton urges backers to look to November ]
Mantouvalos, a public relations consultant who lives in Miami, was especially upset with a ruling by the Democratic National Committee that reduced the number of Florida delegates that went to Clinton. She and other activists also were incredulous at the level of misogyny in the news media.
“We were kind of fighting for a bunch of things,” said Mantouvalos, who said she is an independent who usually votes Democratic.
That August she joined other holdouts at the Democratic convention in Denver, where they held protests and hoped for a coup by Clinton delegates. But when Clinton, during her speech there, endorsed Obama, Mantouvalos said, “I decided I’m done.” She did not vote for Obama.
“That’s all in the past,” said Mantouvalos, who said it “got a little crazy” trying to corral the Clinton renegades, and that she is not looking to get as intensely involved in 2016.
It should be noted that there was a parallel branch of the Clinton resistance for which the acronym PUMA had a more genteel meaning: “People United Means Action.” Darragh Murphy said she sees no need to revive the now-defunct PUMA PAC that she started to protest the party’s nominating process.
“I can’t foresee the same contention that we had in 2008. I think the party will be united behind her more or less,” said Murphy, who lives in Boston and doesn’t believe her senator, Elizabeth Warren, will get into the race, despite urging from the far left wing of the Democratic Party.
Steve Rosinski, who was living in Los Angeles in 2008 and worked on the campaign doing everything from manning phone banks to planting yard signs, never gave up on Clinton.
He wrote in Clinton’s name in 2008, and even led a write-in effort for 2012. In an online petition, he wrote: “Mr. President, we thank you for your service. However, we must ask you to do the right thing for your Party and your country and step aside, much like Lyndon Baines Johnson did in 1968 when he read the writing on the wall as to his own chances for victory.”
“I was a little rebellious,” Rosinski said in a recent interview.
He still believes Clinton would have been a better president but allows that “things have gone in a good direction, all the progress that’s been made in the economy.” He believes that “Hillary can be counted on to continue that.”
Rosinski, an actor who now lives in Las Vegas, runs a Facebook page for Clinton supporters titled, “Rise Hillary Rise,” inspired by a famous poem by the late Maya Angelou, another Clinton loyalist in 2008. He is more than ready for Clinton’s 2016 campaign.
“This is the day I’ve been waiting for. I can’t contain myself. She is my champion,” he said, adding, “I think she’s the most qualified person to ever run for this office. She’s finally getting her chance and her respect.”
[ This is how GOP hopefuls want to take on Hillary Clinton ]
Not every Clinton holdout from 2008 has signed on for her second-chance run.
Kyle Raccio was a part of the resistance, believing Clinton to have been “robbed of the nomination” by the Democratic Party.
A year after that bitter primary, Raccio said he felt “a level of hurt and distrust with the Democrats.”
“I started watching Fox News and looking at more conservative things and had a shift in views from the center to the right,” Raccio said.
These days he’s a tea party activist, and runs with the “Stop Hillary” crowd.
He also attributed his change of heart to his getting older. “I’m almost 30,” he said.
As for Clinton, Raccio said he believed her politics had changed, too. Raccio said Clinton seemed to be more of a centrist in 2008, “but now her politics are more aligned with Barack Obama’s.” Unlike other 2008 loyalists who say that Clinton’s turn as secretary of state burnished her qualifications for the presidency, Raccio said he was disappointed in Clinton’s tenure as chief diplomat, citing the Benghazi attack and crumbling U.S.-Russia relationship.
Seven years ago, Raccio said, “I was really caught up in the idea of having a female president.” He thought that Clinton had “a lot of experience” and Obama was “this guy who comes out of nowhere.”
So, what did Raccio do in the general election of 2008? “I thought, ‘Okay, you’re still mad about the primary, but you need to get over it.’ . . . I voted for Obama.”
His early favorites this time around: former senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.).
Alice Crites and Peyton H. Craighill contributed to this report.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Heidi Li Feldman’s middle name.
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Trump’s acting budget chief seeks delay on Huawei ban
A man uses his smartphone last month outside of a shop selling Huawei products at a mall in Beijing. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
By Felicia Sonmez and
Felicia Sonmez
National reporter on The Washington Post's breaking political news team
Damian Paletta
Reporter covering economic policy
The acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget is seeking a two-year delay of a ban prohibiting companies that do business with Chinese telecom giant Huawei from providing services to the U.S. government.
In a letter to Vice President Pence and nine members of Congress, the office’s acting director Russell T. Vought said the delay would give companies more time to comply with the ban, which is set to take effect in one year and one month.
If the delay is approved, the ban would take effect in three years and one month.
“The Administration believes, based on feedback from impacted stakeholders, that this additional preparatory work will better ensure the effective implementation of the prohibition without compromising desired security objectives,” Vought said in the letter.
News of the letter was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Huawei is the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker and has significant backing from the Chinese government. The Justice Department has accused it of violating sanctions on Iran, among other things.
The ban is one of three by the U.S. government against Huawei. Last year, President Trump signed a defense-spending bill that barred the federal government and its contractors from doing business with Huawei and several other Chinese companies on national security grounds. The Commerce Department last month imposed a penalty on the firm that makes it difficult for it to do business with any U.S. company.
Some U.S. tech companies have applied for licenses that would allow them to continue to sell to Huawei, arguing that the Commerce Department ban could harm their bottom lines and their ability to innovate.
On Sunday night, Jacob Wood, an OMB spokesman, said: “There is not a change to administration policy with regard to Huawei and would not delay the ban taking effect this year on the federal government doing business with them. It also would not stop or delay the restrictions Commerce announced on the sale of U.S. technology to Huawei. This is about ensuring that companies who do business with the U.S. government or receive federal grants and loans have time to extricate themselves from doing business with Huawei and other Chinese tech companies listed in the NDAA.”
The proposed delay would stretch well past Trump’s first term in office and could force the next president, if Trump loses next year, to decide whether to continue the policy.
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