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Vikings - The Buddha - Advance Preview and Teasers
Posted by Sandiwich11 at January 02, 2019 0 Comments
Reviews SS Vikings
Ever since Bjorn obstinately stated to Rollo that he resembled Ragnar in spirit and principle back in The Revelation it almost feels as though he actually moving further towards those of his ‘uncle’ over the last few episodes. He is pulling away from the rest of his family, to the point of believing Magnus over the words of his own father, and has no interest in setting up a settlement in England which was one of Ragnar’s main ambitions. He’s also pissed at Ivar being King of Kattegat, which pretty much echoes Rollo’s animosity towards his own younger brother throughout their whole time in the series.
Instead, it is his half-brother Ubbe who appears to be taking on Ragnar’s mantle, in both mannerisms and vision. His budding bromance with Alfred is also extraordinarily reminiscent of their father’s rapport with each other, without making it so similar that it feels as though this is a do over. Their relationship is deepened with events that take place throughout The Buddha as Alfred proves that he is not one to go back on his word after the battle last week. Though it is through the actions of another person at the villa that I envisage the two men becoming more reliant on each other in the future. A sinister chain of events is set in motion which make the previous levels of resentment and distrust look benign in retrospect.
While I’m on the subject of character’s who have taken on others attributes, I am frustrated this week to see that there is no further reference to Floki’s seemingly having taken on the role of the new Seer around the time of the death of the one in Kattegat during The Lost Moment. The Icelandic group are back after a week’s absence from the show, and in many ways it feels as though we are treading old ground with them yet again during their scenes, which is a grave disappointment.
It has been years, both in show and from our prospective, since Floki’s first prophetic vision during the Paris mission, so witnessing his questioning of Thorunn at the waterfall about her death was encouraging to see. It felt as though we were finally getting to see this aspect of the story moving on into new territory. Whilst there may be more to come than is immediately clear this week, I am not holding out too much hope after feeling let down due to what finally looked like change in direction for the Iceland saga. I feel, once again, that it could well be next season before anything really gets moving here at all.
Back in Kattegat it becomes obvious that we’ve had another subtle short time jump as Freydis is looking heavily pregnant, with a proud Ivar never far from her side. Aside from that, it doesn’t look as though too much else has happened for any of the characters here during the last few months. However, word of Harald’s defeat to Alfred, with Lagertha at his side, has just reached Ivar’s ears. All of which could be a bit of a problem if it becomes common knowledge considering he supposedly sacrificed her to the gods before the battle took place. The perfect time for the thumb twiddling to end and to plan the launch of an English campaign in order to back up York’s numbers and provide them with his superior battle knowledge.
Except, as we already know, York’s forces have already switch their allegiance away from Ivar and as we see in the promo for this episode, Bjorn is also joining their ranks. If it were any other of his brother’s he may be able to wiggle or strategise his way forward, but this is his sworn enemy’s son. I don’t think he will be able to make any kind of amends with those who decide to unite as an army under he and Harald. This could be one of the deciding factors which gives Wessex time to grow under Alfred’s reign; a civil war between Viking factions. As long as it doesn’t get waged on local ground, of course.
The Buddha airs on Wednesday January 2nd at 9pm on the History, below are a few teasers to see you through until then. If you want to have a go at guessing who said what to whom, I will fill in any correct answers before it airs. Don’t forget to come back to the site after the episode has aired and let us know what you thought.
“He was killed in the battle. It’s a pity, he was a good husband. A good man”
“There is not a great population there, but still, there are settlements and farms. Some have moved away but others have chosen to remain”
“Everything I say or do makes you unhappy, as if you never meant to jump ship at all”
“We are all trying to defend Ragnar’s dream, but perhaps some of us chose to do it differently”
“Friends, I didn’t have the chance to present to you Magnus, son of Ragnar Lothbrok”
“Lagertha isn’t like that. She doesn’t just run away. And in the middle of a battle. How did she even manage that?”
“I regret ever having listened to them. I was foolish and too proud”
“Elsewith, this is not the first time Alfred has been struck down like this”
“You will soon have cause to regret these actions Lord Alfred, of that I promise you”
“You have bad frostbite. You will lose at least one of your fingers”
We see Lagertha briefly, very briefly, but none of the characters do
“I played chess with Prince Alfred. Now I would like to play chess with him again, only this time on the battlefield”
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Delta Land (Author and Artist Series) (Hardcover)
By Maude Schuyler Clay (Photographer), Lewis Nordan (Introduction by)
(MISSISSIPPIANA)
Although many acclaimed photographers have focused their cameras on the Mississippi Delta, no photographer, until now, has attempted to produce a photographic interpretation of the land itself. The images in this book, all taken by Maude Schuyler Clay between 1993 and 1998, are the result of the first such undertaking.
"Delta Land," she says, "is a photographic project which involves the recording and preservation of the Mississippi Delta landscape and its rapidly disappearing indigenous structures: mule barns, field churches, cotton gins, commissaries, crossroads stores, tenant houses, cypress sheds, and railroad stations.
"Moving back in 1987 to the Delta (Tallahatchie County), where I am the fifth generation to live here, allowed me to view the endemic and ordinary landscape as a disappearing way of life. With this work, begun in 1993, I feel I have completed an artistic and educational body of photographs that show the landscape and culture of this particular place; that I have preserved through photography the communities of both whites and African Americans of the Delta region."
In an introductory essay that populates Clay's almost people-less settings, Lewis Nordan tells how these photographs evoke his Delta boyhood. Like her images, his memories are in black-and-white, "the color of grief and all its metaphors." As he recalls the scrappy farms and flaking towns swallowed by the vast flatlands, he writes of his mother's maverick dog and its need of a country home. In Clay's terrains, Nordan sees the Delta land that is at once memorable, familiar, and astonishing.
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Series: Author and Artist Series
Subjects & Themes - Regional (see also Travel - Pictorials)
Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General
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Extraordinary Minds
Takealot Delivery Team
Join us on our journey as we continue to grow, and keep up to date on the latest happenings & developments in the world of takealot.com
CHANGING SOUTH AFRICANS’ PERCEPTIONS AROUND ONLINE SHOPPING
M&C Saatchi Abel and Takealot.com change South Africans’ perceptions around online shopping.
October, 2017 - Every family has their go-to guy; the person whose name gets called every time mom or dad needs something, big or small.
This is the premise of Takealot.com’s new campaign, developed by M&C Saatchi Abel and directed by Michael Middleton for Jump Productions. At the heart of the campaign is a 45” TVC which tells the story of Sibusiso, a young man living at home with his parents in Soweto. As the youngest, he has the responsibility of running to and fro for his parents – that is, until he shows them how to the get the things they want, at the touch of a button, on the Takealot.com shopping app.
“A lot of South Africans still haven’t tried online shopping, it’s just not something they do. Our new ad presents Takealot.com as a convenient way to get almost anything you can imagine delivered directly to you,” explains M&C Saatchi Abel’s Gordon Ray. “It’s about normalising online shopping and making it accessible to everyone.”
The TVC is part of a fully integrated campaign that will be supported by Takealot’s other marketing channels leading up to Christmas, including broadsheet inserts in community press, national and regional radio advertising, email newsletters, PPC, social media, YouTube promoted video content and more.
The agency’s creative team, Ntobeko Ximba and Kayli Levitan, say, “One of the reasons the ad is receiving so much love is because it feels real. It has a distinctly authentic look and feel. We didn’t over-style the Soweto location; we simply captured what was already there. A lot of the cast members were first-timers, which adds to the commercial’s warmth and charm.”
Takealot.com’s Chief Marketing Officer, Julie-Anne Walsh, describes the campaign as a watershed moment for the leading online store. “Our objective this year was clear: to present online shopping as a genuine, everyday part of South African life. By increasing our brand awareness and attracting new customers to Takealot.com, we hope to also grow the South African e-Commerce market as a whole.
“When crafting the campaign, it was crucial that we told a local story, presented in a real and relevant way so that it resonates with South Africans. The message is simple: with millions of products; many safe, easy ways to pay and delivery wherever you are, everyone – from any generation – can shop at Takealot.com. We’ve become incredibly proud of Sibusiso, his family and their story, and can’t wait to unveil each episode to South Africa as the festive season unfolds.
“We’ve already convinced South Africa’s early adopters to shop online at Takealot. The challenge now is to grow online shopping further still, so that the brand evolves from the country’s largest online e-tailer, to the country’s largest retailer.” Walsh concludes.
Watch the new Takealot.com TVC here:
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Coun. Adriane Carr aims to increase thresholds for fringe candidates to get names on civic ballot
by Charlie Smith on June 23rd, 2019 at 4:01 PM
The last Vancouver municipal ballot was a doozy.
There were 21 candidates for mayor and 137 candidates for council, school board, and park board.
For the second consecutive election, the council candidate with the most votes was Adriane Carr of the Vancouver Greens.
Now, she wants the mayor and council to support a motion that she's bringing forward that might prune some of the fringe candidates off the ballot.
Carr's motion calls for increasing the number of nominators from 25 to 200 for anyone hoping to run for mayor.
Plus, she wants to increase the number of required nominators from 25 to 100 for anyone seeking a spot on council, park board, and school board.
And Carr would like council to approve jacking up the deposit requirement from $100 to $150 to run for office in Vancouver.
Not only that, Carr wants the city to bring a resolution forward to the Union of B.C. Municipalities to extend the municipal campaign period from 29 days to 80 days to give voters more time to learn more about who is running.
The motion is on the agenda of the Tuesday (July 25) council meeting.
Some of last year's mayoral candidates have run for the top job in previous elections, including Maynard Aubichon, Mike Hanson, Sophia Cherryse Kaur Kaiser, Tim Ly, and Gölök Zoltán Buday.
Buday, a philosophical libertarian, has called in the past to put an end to "political psychiatry".
Maynard (a.k.a. Meynard) Aubichon enjoys running for mayor of Vancouver because he likes advancing issues being ignored by other candidates.
It remains to be seen whether Carr's proposed higher thresholds would prevent them from running for mayor again.
Under section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, every citizen has the right to be qualified for membership in the House of Commons or legislative assembly, though it doesn't mention city councils because cities do not have status in the Constitution.
"The purpose of section 3 is to protect the right of each citizen to play a meaningful role in the electoral process," the federal justice department states on its website. "Participation in the electoral process has an intrinsic value independent of its impact on the actual outcome of elections."
The website notes that requiring candidates to pay a deposit to run has been found in court to be unjustified. However, requiring a certain number of signatures to run as a candidate has been found not to offend section 3.
One of the more colourful candidates in the 2018 Vancouver mayoral election was Roller Girl, a.k.a. Angela Dawson, who sometimes directs traffic at busy intersections while on rollerskates.
Others who ran as independents for Vancouver mayor in 2018 included Sean Cassidy, Ping Chan, Katy Le Rougetel, Lawrence Massey, Satie Sahota, and John Yano.
On June 26, this motion was withdrawn from council's city finance and services committee agenda.
Twenty-one candidates enter Vancouver mayoral race, including Connie Fogal, Jason Lamarche, and Roller Girl
Former mayoral candidate wins bid for indigent status so he can proceed with lawsuit against Gregor Robertson
COPE director John Yano runs as independent candidate for Vancouver mayor
Vancouver pursues more police reforms triggered by transgender ‘Roller Girl’ Angela Dawson
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Focus on infra, not on reforms in Budget 2019
Ravi Shanker Kapoor
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s maiden Budget has made it abundantly clear that the government is in no mood to expedite liberalising measures, let alone push for big-bang reforms. She has stuck to the course charted by her predecessor, Arun Jaitley—the course of incrementalism. That is, reform in small doses, and that too, if you must.
The good things first. The government remains fiscally prudent, despite strains on the exchequer. Second, it lays a great deal of stress on infrastructure development.
While Sitharaman reiterated her government’s goal to make India a $5-trillion dollar economy, the tenor of her Budget speech and proposals was steeped in dirigisme. Consider this: “We do not look down upon legitimate profit earning.” The fact that she uses the term legitimate profit-earning implies that she believes in the existence of illegitimate profit-earning. By the way, it is not just her belief but also that of her government’s; it calls illegitimate profit earning as profiteering. This was the reason that the government created a fiend called the National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) two years ago to ensure that companies passes on the cuts in GST to consumers. Recently, the government extended the NAA’s term by two years.
But, unlike the United Progressive Alliance government which was all about entitlements and fiscal profligacy, the Modi regime doesn’t believe in playing havoc with public finance. In fact, it intends to bring down the fiscal deficit from 3.4% to 3.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019-20. This seems difficult against the backdrop of a shortfall in GST collections, the slowing growth rate, almost stagnant industrial production, and sluggish agriculture.
The Budget also intends to boost infrastructure development. The means adopted to shore up revenue, like the Rs 2 per litre cess on petrol and diesel, are not very good, but they may help achieve the deficit target. The cess is for road and infrastructure development. As it is, petroleum products, which are outside the GST net, are highly taxed; now the tax incidence will further increase. The government has also trashed concerns about higher inflation on account of the cascading effects of costlier diesel.
Then there is a hike in the surcharge on high net-worth individuals (HNIs)—that is, those having taxable income from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore, and Rs 5 crore and above. The move is not something that would endear the government to the rich; it is also likely to dampen the enthusiasm of the investing community towards India, but that the Narendra Modi government is more concerned about the feelings of the poor rather than the rich.
Unsurprisingly, the Budget oozes solicitude for the poor. Sitharaman even coined a slogan—gaon, garib aur kisan (village, poor, and farmer). In her long speech, she spoke at length on every aspect of the economy, what needs to be done, the measures her government has taken to improve the situation, and so on. Reforms didn’t figure in her priorities.
For instance, for agriculture, which has seen little liberalisation, she offers the usual stuff: livelihood business incubators and technology business incubators; 75,000 entrepreneurs to be skilled in agro-rural industry sectors; 10,000 new farmer producer organisations to be formed; letting farmers benefit from e-NAM; zero budget farming. But there were no reforms—no respite from the obnoxious and debilitating mechanisms of the socialist era, no end to the anti-farmer APMC and the Essential Services Act.
Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) also got the usual dose of rhetoric and placebo: a Pradhan Mantri Karam Yogi Maandhan Scheme; pension benefits for 3 crore retail traders and small shopkeepers with annual turnover less than Rs 1.5 crore; Rs 350 crore earmarked for 2019-20 for 2% interest subvention (on fresh or incremental loans) to all GST-registered MSMEs; payment platform for MSMEs to be created to enable the filing of bills and payment thereof, to eliminate delays in government payments.
There is some relief for the companies with annual turnover up to Rs 400 crore, as their direct tax liability has been brought down to 25%. However, for the middle class, the ruling dispensation’s main constituency, there is no cut in income tax rates. Those buying a house costing up to Rs 45 lakh will get benefits of Rs 1.5 lakh, though.
The government has made permanent account number (PAN) and Aadhaar interchangeable, which will benefit small enterprises.
There is also a protectionist streak in Budget. It has hiked the basic customs duty on cashew kernels, PVC, tiles, auto parts, marble slabs, optical fibre cable, CCTV camera, etc. This may help the Make in India programme, but it would neither be good for domestic consumers nor for exports.
On privatisation, the government’s priorities are topsy-turvy. It should have begun with bank privatisation and then proceeded on to the sale of public sector undertakings (PSUs); still better, it could have initiated the privatisation of both state-run banks and PSUs. But bank privatisation has been ruled out, as Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg made it clear at a press conference. Instead, the government intends to spend Rs 70,000 crore on the banks it owns, evidently for recapitalisation.
From disinvestment in PSUs, the government expects to gather Rs 105,000 crore in the current fiscal.
The government remains focused on infrastructure, and the funding needed for it. It is exploring all options. The Rs 2 cess on petrol and diesel is there. There is the plan to constitute Credit Guarantee Enhancement Corporation in 2019-20. The government is eyeing long-term bonds.
External borrowings are also on the agenda. “India’s sovereign external debt to GDP is among the lowest globally at less than 5%,” the Finance Minister said. “The government would start raising a part of its gross borrowing programme in external markets in external currencies. This will also have beneficial impact on demand situation for the government securities in domestic market.”
If Modi II’s first Budget is viewed as indicative of policy direction the government would take, reforms don’t seem to be happening in the foreseeable future. Infrastructure is likely to become better, even if on borrowed money. This would still be better than the UPA’s legacy: good infrastructure can be used for brisker development in the future, but entitlements are banes forever.
The author is a columnist and financial analyst.
Cool Breeze: A Congress Crisis Memo
Markets should be allowed to work freely
US report on religious freedom in India questionable
God’s love is unconditional
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Adrian Klemm Blaine Stewart Danny Smith Darryl Drake Eddie Faulkner Garrett Giemont James Daniel James Saxon Jerry Olsavsky Joey Porter John Mitchell Karl Dunbar Keith Butler Mike Tomlin Randy Fichtner Shaun Sarrett Teryl Austin Tom Bradley
Defensive Line Coach
College: Louisiana State University
Karl Dunbar is entering his first season as the Steelers’ defensive line coach and his 12th year as a defensive line coach in the National Football League in 2018. He was hired by the Steelers on February 8, 2018.
Dunbar re-enters the NFL coaching ranks after spending the previous two years as the defensive line coach at the University of Alabama. At Alabama, Dunbar tutored a defensive line that helped the school capture the College Football Playoff National Championship following a 2017 campaign, and advanced to the game after the 2016 season. The Crimson Tide defense led the nation on total defense (260.4 yards per game allowed) and rushing defense (94.7 yards per game allowed) in 2017. In his first season at Alabama, the Crimson Tide defense led the nation in rushing defense, yielding just 63.9 yards per game and ranked fourth in sacks (3.6 sacks per game) while recording a school-record 54 sacks
Dunbar re-enters the NFL coaching ranks after spending the previous two years as the defensive line coach at the University of Alabama. At Alabama, Dunbar tutored a defensive line that helped the school capture the College Football Playoff National Championship following a 2017 campaign, and advanced to the game after the 2016 season. The Crimson Tide defense led the nation on total defense (260.4 yards per game allowed) and rushing defense (94.7 yards per game allowed) in 2017. In his first season at Alabama, the Crimson Tide defense led the nation in rushing defense, yielding just 63.9 yards per game and ranked fourth in sacks (3.6 sacks per game) while recording a school-record 54 sacks.
In 2015, Dunbar served as the defensive line coach of the Buffalo Bills, where he reunited with defensive tackle Kyle Williams whom he coached at Louisiana State University.
Dunbar oversaw a defensive line with the New York Jets for three seasons (2012-14) that featured the 2013 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year – Sheldon Richardson – who also earned Pro Bowl honors in 2014. Richardson totaled 11.5 sacks during his two seasons under Dunbar’s tutelage – the fifth-most among all AFC defensive tackles during that period. Muhammad Wilkerson, a Jets defensive lineman, also benefited greatly under Dunbar’s guidance, posting a team-leading and career-high 10.5 sacks in 2013 – the most by a Jets defensive player since 2005. Wilkerson was named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press and a first alternate for the Pro Bowl.
Before joining the Jets, Dunbar served as the defensive line coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2006-11. Minnesota’s defense allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL (84.8 yards per game) and recorded the sixth-most sacks in the League (242) during Dunbar’s six-years with the Vikings. The Vikings’ rush defense was the best in the NFL in three consecutive years from 2006-08, marking the first time since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger that a team had the number one rushing defense in three consecutive seasons.
Three Minnesota defensive linemen were selected to multiple Pro Bowls while Dunbar was the unit’s position coach: defensive tackle Kevin Williams (five), defensive end Jared Allen (four) and defensive tackle Pat Williams (three). The trio earned the honor of being the first Viking triplet of defensive lineman to earn the Pro Bowl in the same season since 1969 in 2008 – a season in which they led the League in rushing defense for the third straight year.
In 2011, the Vikings’ defense finish tied for the most sacks in the NFL with 50, an effort led by Allen’s NFL-leading 22 sacks – just a half-sack shy of the League’s single-season record.
The Vikings defense allowed just 985 rushing yards in Dunbar’s second season with the franchise – setting a franchise record and ranking second in the NFL since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger behind the Ravens’ 970 yards allowed in 2000.
In 2005, Dunbar coached the defensive line at Louisiana State University, which featured Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams.
Dunbar’s first coaching stint in the NFL was with the Chicago Bears in 2004. He guided a young defensive line that included rookie first-round pick Tommie Harris and second-round selection Tank Johnson.
Dunbar was the defensive line coach at Oklahoma State University from 2002-03, where he mentored future Viking Kevin Williams and helped him become the program’s first defensive lineman to be a first-round selection (ninth in 2003) since Leslie O’Neal (eighth in 1986).
He began his coaching career at Opelousas (Opelousas, La.) High School in 1986 before advancing to Beau Chene (Arnaudville, La.) High School in 1997.
Dunbar, an eight-round draft selection of the Steelers in 1990, played defensive line for two teams in his NFL career: New Orleans Saints (1992-93) and Arizona Cardinals (1994-95). He also played one season in NFL Europe (Rhein Fire, 1995).
Dunbar was a member of a Louisiana State University defense as a player while current Steelers Assistant Head Coach John Mitchell was on the Tigers’ coaching staff.
Dunbar and his wife, Pamela, have three children: Karmichael Mackenzie II, Mickel Angelle and Nickolette Alyse. A native of Opelousas, La., Dunbar graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
*Pittsburgh Steelers
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Business Impact
Who Needs a Remote-Controlled Car?
Besides James Bond, that is.
by David Zax
At the Beijing Auto Show, one car in particular raised eyebrows: a remote-controlled car.
Not a toy, like you had as a kid–but a proper, full-sized automobile, only one that incorporates a remote-control function. We’ve grown used to discussions about a potential future with autonomous cars. But a remote controlled one? Who needs that–besides a certain well-known secret agent?
Assuming legions of murderous spies aren’t on your tail, the uses for your remote-controlled car will be more mundane. The car revealed at the Auto Show is from Chinese automaker BYD. Their forthcoming F3 Plus car, BYD says, is the first mass-produced vehicle featuring remote control driving as a standard feature. Dodging bullets? Not so much. BYD says that the car’s remote feature is the “perfect solution when the parking space is not wide enough for the driver to exit the car once parked.” That, and it might come in handy in heavy rain, if you’d like to have the car pull right up in front of the doorway where you’re taking shelter.
Such is the fate of all secret agent technology, eventually: to make your life ever so slightly more comfortable.
BMW actually has a video of how this technology could come in handy, potentially even transforming a one-car garage into a two-car one.
The video raises the question, though: if a garage is tight enough that the driver can’t exit, isn’t it also so tight that using a remote control to drive it is a terrible idea?
Indeed, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the idea of remotely operating heavy machinery without special training is, categorically, a bad idea. Think of all the practice you had to go through back when you were sixteen and first learned how to drive a car: you had to gain a sense of the car’s size, of the way the pedals yielded, of the way a turn of a steering wheel translated into a turn of the vehicle. Over the years, you gained confidence–but even then, you may have gotten into a scrape or two.
It’s almost axiomatic that using a remote control allows for less precision in controlling a vehicle. Pressing a button can’t serve as a substitute for the fully embodied position of being in a driver’s seat, with two hands on the wheel, a foot on the brake, and the fate of your own body tied to the fate of the vehicle it’s in.
The blog Exhaust Notes is probably correct when it claims that “a technology like this would probably be difficult, if not impossible to implement in the U.S. given the litigious climate in this country.” Wired recently delved into the legality of autonomous vehicles. “The law in California is silent, it doesn’t address it,” a Googler told reporter Tom Vanderbilt. “The key thing is staying within the law — there’s a always a person behind the wheel, the person in the seat is still the driver, they set the speed, they’re ready to take over if anything goes wrong.”
When the driver is no longer literally behind the wheel, though, is she the driver in a meaningful sense? Here is a technology that, even were it to pass legal hurdles in the U.S., I’m not eager to have my neighbors trying out anytime soon.
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Home About Us Management Team
Our senior management team comprises leaders with significant industry experience and passion for our mission to be a global leader in test-consolidated third party quality control materials and real time peer review software solutions to meet the QC demands and requirements of the modern clinical laboratory. We have a track record of delivering on our goals and a commitment to our mission.
Malcolm Bell
Malcolm co-founded the Company in 2004 and was appointed CEO in 2011. He has successfully co-founded, developed and exited a number of life science and healthcare businesses based on novel technology and drawing on his over 20 years’ experience in these sectors. Malcolm brings extensive sales experience to the Company based on his strong scientific background. Malcolm leads the executive management team and business development activities of the Company while ensuring the business maintains its entrepreneurial and innovative focus. Previously, Malcolm was the co-founder and Joint Managing Director of Technopath (Distribution) which is now part of the Diploma plc group. Malcolm was educated at the National University of Ireland and holds a B.Sc. honours degree in Molecular Biology and a Master's Degree in Biotechnology.
Shane Huber
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Shane holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with a minor in Philosophy and Technical Writing from California State University, Fullerton. He began his career with Ortho Diagnostics in 1981 where he worked with a group that developed Uniqual, one of the first stable liquid quality control materials. He joined Bio-Rad in 1992 and served as Principal Scientist until he co-founded Technopath Clinical Diagnostics and developed the Multichem line of liquid, consolidated QC materials.
Yuriy Kononyuk
Vice President, Informatics
Yuriy joined the Company in 2015. Yuriy successfully founded and developed LAQC Systems, Inc., a Canadian technology company with a primary focus on Quality Control/Quality Assurance data management in the clinical diagnostics laboratory market. He is the architect and developer of all LAQC software products, which have been successfully commercialised on a global basis directly or through partners. Yuriy has pioneered a new business model around QC/QA data management. He brings significant experience to the Company in the areas of software development and the clinical diagnostics laboratory market. Yuriy holds a B.Sc. Honours degree in Applied Mathematics and a Master’s Degree (Honours) in Computer Science.
Peter Thornton
Peter joined the Company in 2014. He brings significant experience to the Company in the areas of finance, corporate development, M&A and financing in both public and private life science companies. He most recently served as SVP Business Integration for Alkermes plc, SVP, Corporate and Business Development for Elan Drug Technologies and CFO of Agenus Inc., a NASDAQ-listed biotechnology company. Peter has served as a Non-Executive Director of both public and private companies including Merrion Pharmaceuticals plc, Cydex Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Agenus Inc. Peter worked at KPMG for 7 years in Ireland and France and is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University College Cork, Ireland.
Todd Leger
CEO, Technopath Clinical Diagnostics USA Inc.
Todd joined the Company in 2017 bringing many years of in-vitro diagnostics sales, marketing, product development and management experience. For more than twenty years he was with Bio-Rad Laboratories in many different roles including the Director of Diagnostics Sales for the United States. Todd joins us directly from Mettler-Toledo, LLC where he served as the General Manager of U.S. Laboratory Business. Todd holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Stephen F. Austin State University and completed advanced business management studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Bernd Hass
Vice President Quality and Regulatory Affairs
Bernd joined the Company in 2014. Bernd brings significant experience to the company in the area of Global Quality Compliance, GMP and technical expertise in the area of clinical diagnostics and biotechnology. Bernd held a number of positions of increasing responsibility over 11 years at Abbott Diagnostics in Ireland and Germany in the areas of Global Auditing, Technical Support, Validation and Operations. Prior to Abbott Diagnostics, Bernd was Lead Biotechnologist at Strathmann Biotec AG in Germany and R&D Lab Analyst for the DANISCO Cultor Group, Germany. Bernd attended Fresenius University in Idstein, Germany and received his Master’s in Chemical Engineering.
Michael Gilroy
Vice President, Corporate Development
Michael joined the Company in 2015 and oversees new business developments, contract negotiations, funding negotiations and joint ventures. He also manages internal governance and regulatory compliance for the board of directors as well as the company’s intellectual property interests. Prior to joining Technopath, Michael worked in commercial law practices in Limerick and Dublin. He is a member of the Law Society in both Ireland and England & Wales and was appointed as a Notary Public in 2013. Prior to law school, Michael worked in the European Commission and also the European Parliament in Brussels. Michael carried out his studies at University College Galway and KU Leuven in Belgium and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and Bachelor of Laws degree.
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Google extends maps deal with Tele Atlas
By Gareth Beavis 2008-07-01T15:07:00.182Z Mobile phones
But press release is a little off the mark
Google Maps - same as ever
Google has announced plans to continue receiving a good chunk of info for its Maps application from Tom-Tom-owned Tele Atlas.
The Dutch navigation information provider has been working with Google for the past three years, and Tele Atlas told TechRadar it is one of the biggest providers of mapping and other information.
The press release makes it seem like the deal is going to boost Google Maps in some way, but in reality the extension is really just a validation of the service it has been providing.
"This is basically an extension of the previous deal," said a spokesperson for Google. "It gives Tele Atlas access to users' edited maps, as we have the capability for users to change a map if they see fit."
Lack of variation
Apparently, this is likely to be the only change to the service, so thoughts it would provide some level of greater interaction with Google Maps for Mobile or the forthcoming Android appear to be wide of the mark.
However, Tele Atlas did confirm to Google it is looking to increase the partnership in the future.
"We are the biggest provider to Google, which enhances the level of interaction we can achieve," said a spokesman for the company. "We are also looking at ways to increase this in the future, although it is a non-exclusive contract."
Djokovic vs Federer live stream: how to watch Wimbledon men's final 2019 online from anywhere
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They belong in a museum! First ever emojis now a New York MOMA exhibit
By Emma Boyle 2016-10-27T11:36:31.3Z World of tech
A picture of our recent past
New York’s Museum of Modern Art has announced that it’s acquired the very first collection of emojis (all 176 of them) for its permanent collection.
It’s almost hard to believe that we’re now in a present where emoji are a significant and long-established part of our past, but here we are.
The symbols were designed for mobile phones and pagers back in 1999 by Shigetaka Kurita and were distributed by Japanese telecom company NTT Docomo. Now they’re being gifted to MOMA by the phone company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone.
Modern hieroglyphics
As you’d expect of digital designs from 1999, the emojis are fairly basic 12-by-12 pixel designs with a limited color palette. The 176 symbols include things like smiley faces and hearts as well as zodiac and weather symbols.
There’s nothing quite as advanced as the cheerful poops or dancing salsa ladies we’re sprinkling through our conversations today, but they still effectively and efficiently communicate a message.
MOMA via Reuters
These emojis proved to be wildly popular in Japan when they were launched, but they didn’t really become internationally recognised for another 11 years when they were translated into the Unicode standard. Even then they didn’t really become as much of a sensation as they are today until Apple added them to the iOS messaging app in 2011.
Today the Unicode Consortium recognises around 1,800 emojis, with more being added daily to help us communicate as many aspects of our lives as possible. Whether or not emojis can be considered art will no doubt divide opinion, but there's no doubt that this collection is an important part of recording how our communication methods have developed over the years.
Exact details of how the emoji will be permanently installed are still being decided, but in the meantime the symbols will be displayed in the museum’s lobby from the start of December until the end of 2016 using graphics and animations.
You can now read the whole Bible in emoji
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State grant funding sought for upgrades to town water mains
By J.P. Ellery CORRESPONDENT
Inadequate water lines in two sections of town are part of what local officials have targeted for upgrade in the 2008 application for up to $800,000 in state Community Development Block Grant funds.
One of the earmarked areas is Bacon Street near the Warren Public Library downtown, according to Christopher J. Dunphy, senior planner-manager for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in West Springfield. The commission oversees CDBG projects.
�The water main in that street is awful," he told the Board of Selectmen Tuesday. "The water flow is completely inadequate for potable water and fire protection.�
It is the same story in the Crescent and Nelson streets neighborhood off Southbridge Road, Mr. Dunphy said.
�The water main there (on Crescent Street) is in dreadful condition. It could fail at any time,� he said.
Improvements in that section, Mr. Dunphy said, would piggyback prior infrastructure upgrades in the nearby Comins Pond Road area.
Throughout Warren, �many of your drainage systems also are extremely old and in need of upgrade,� he informed selectmen.
However, infrastructure fixes are not the only focus of the grant application. The plan seeks additional funding for the domestic violence prevention program and downtown streetscape changes, particularly looking at improving the intersection of Routes 19 and 67 in the center of town near Bill�s Citgo gas station.
�We just made an award for the Warren downtown project design,� Mr. Dunphy said, �which was funded under the fiscal 2007 (CDBG) program, to Lenard Engineering Inc. of Auburn.�
�I�m confident we�ll see some progress in the downtown improvements,� he said. �You can�t expect things to happen overnight.�
He said this year�s upgrade in the Winthrop Terrace area of downtown is just a start. As additional improvements take place, he said, people will realize that when you put all the changes together, the downtown area will have a whole new face.
"These aren�t quick fixes," Selectman Marc W. Richard said, "but there�s been a tremendous amount of work done in Warren. We see terrific things coming."
Substantial state funding has been poured into the Main and North streets section of West Warren in recent years and the same is true for the Comings Pond Road area, just south of downtown.
Since 1999, Mr. Dunphy said in a follow-up interview yesterday, the town has received more than $5 million in CBDG funds.
About $450,000 is available from a past CDBG grant for improvements to Hobo Gendron Park in West Warren slated to start next spring. The playing fields at that park will be shut down next year during the work, officials said.
The grant application must be submitted by Feb. 15, Mr. Dunphy said, and the town should know by next summer if it has been successful.
Warren also is part of a separate grant seeking endeavor with the neighboring towns of Brookfield, Ware and Hardwick. In that instance, the town hopes for an additional $200,000 in housing rehabilitation funds and adult education money.
"We also are looking to add family support services as a complimentary service to the adult education," Mr. Dunphy said. �It would provide counseling, transportation and day care services for those who want to attend adult education.�
The housing rehabilitation money, based on income criteria, is allocated to Warren residents in need of certain home upgrades. Money is provided interest free with no pay back as long as the homeowner retains ownership of the property for at least 15 years.
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Laura R. Gagnon (Trudel) Chandonnet, 93
Laura R. (Trudel) Gagnon Chandonnet, died on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at Shrewsbury Nursing Home.
Laura was born on July 22, 1915 in St-Pierre Baptiste, Megantic, Quebec, Canada, the daughter of Joseph and Georgina (Therrien) Trudel. She was the 9th of 11 brothers and sisters who have all predeceased her. She moved to Somersworth, NH when she was one and later attended St. Martin's Elementary School. Laura moved to Worcester in 1938 and lived there until she moved to Shrewsbury in 1967. In 2001 she moved to Southgate of Shrewsbury.
Laura was formerly employed by Grants department store, Shepard Envelope, Shrewsbury Nursing Home, and the Commonwealth of Mass. department of medical claims. She retired nearly 30 years ago. She was a member of St. Mary's Parish, Shrewsbury. She loved to sew, cook, knit, read, dance, do puzzles and spend time with her family.
Laura's husband of 31 years, Louis F. Chandonnet, passed away in 1998. They lived on Whippoorwill Drive in Shrewsbury for over 30 years. They spent many years vacationing during the winter months in Hollywood, Florida where they made many lifelong friends and memories. For years they were avid dance partners and belonged to several square dance groups. Her previous husband, Armand L. Gagnon died in 1992.
She is survived by five children: Lorraine E. Haddad of Worcester, Roger A. Gagnon of St. Augustine, Florida, Raymond A. Gagnon and his wife Jeanne M. Gagnon of E. Dennis, Russell A. Gagnon and his wife Mona Metro-Gagnon of Sutton, and Diane G. Faucher of Windham, NH. Laura also leaves eight grandchildren, fourteen great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
The family would like to express their sincerest gratitude to the dedicated staff at Shrewsbury Nursing Home and to the staff of UMASS Memorial Hospice for the care and kindness Laura received.
Memorial donations in Laura's name can be made to Lazarus House Ministries, 48 Holly St., Lawrence, MA 01841.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Laura's family on Sunday March 1st from 3-7 P.M. in the Britton-Shrewsbury Funeral Home, 648 Main Street, Shrewsbury. Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, March 2nd at 12:30 PM in Saint Mary's Church, 640 Main Street, Shrewsbury. Entombment will be in Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester. For directions or to leave a message of sympathy on Laura's personal guestbook, please visit
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Mr McPherson by Tim Minchin
Camilla Palmer
A funny and kind form tutor helped save the award-winning comedian and composer from an unhappy time at a grammar school in his native Australia
I wasn’t an easy kid to get to school and I don’t have positive memories of my early school years. I went to Christ Church Grammar School, a boy’s private school in Perth, for 11 years. It felt like an eternity. My brother Dan went there, too. He was two years above me.
Mum would say that when Dan left the primary school for senior, it correlated with my really blossoming. I think she thought the absence of Dan was good for me, but he was – and still is – my best friend.
The other reason I might have come alive at school a bit more was because of a particular teacher. Mr McPherson, my form ...
Hitting the high notes
Born: 7 October 1975
Education: Christ Church Grammar School, Perth, Australia; The University of Western Australia (BA) and The WA Academy of Performing Arts (Advanced Diploma of Contemporary Music)
Career: Tim Minchin is a composer, lyricist, musician, comedian, actor, writer and director. He is the composer and lyricist of the Oliver Award-winning and Tony Award-winning show Matilda the Musical, based on the Roald Dahl book. His new musical Groundhog Day, based on the 1993 film, opened in London in 2016, which won him his second Olivier Award
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By Rory Jackson
Is your Feadship still a Feadship?
SuperyachtNews speaks with Ico Vergouwe and Francis Gumbs about the motivations behind 'My Feadship'…
At The Superyacht Forum 2018, Feadship launched its new ‘My Feadship’ initiative, which sees the Dutch superyacht new-build stalwart maintaining greater control of the lifecycle quality of its delivered vessels.
SuperyachtNews speaks with Ico Vergouwe, head of refit sales for Feadship Refit & Service, and Francis Gumbs, head of design & engineering for Feadship Refit and Services, about the motivations behind the development of the My Feadship suite of services, which includes Feadship Rebuild, the Feadship Services Network and the Feadship Authentication Certificate.
“For a number of years, we have been changing our approach to, and treatment of the refit market, as well as how we communicate with our client base,” starts Vergouwe. “As well as developing our own refit programme in the Netherlands [Feadship Rebuild], in 2008 we began by contacting a number of refit yards in the Mediterranean such as Monaco Marine, Compositeworks and MB92, as well as Rybovich in the US - Amico was less active at that time.
“With these yards, we developed strong relationships, but not to the point that we were prepared to make them an official service partner of Feadship. When clients were not able to bring their Feadships to the Netherlands, we advised that they visited these yards and we aided with the refit or maintenance work.”
The Feadship team found that, without a network of service providers in place, a number of Feadships, once the warranty period was over, fell out of contact with Feadship, as the captains and management teams were left to their own devices when it came to maintaining the vessel. As a result, refit works were conducted without Feadship’s advice or influence and, therefore, there was no guarantee that the quality of the works lived up to Feadship’s exacting standards.
“The Feadships were out of our sight and, in some cases, this has led to situations where it was doubtful that the quality that we had put into the original build had been replicated and maintained,” explains Gumbs. “For an owner, it is not just important that the Feadship badge is on the side, but also that the quality assumed by the badge is reflected in the overall and continued quality of the vessel.”
Therefore, in order to guarantee the quality of refit works that are not carried out at the Feadship facilities in the Netherlands, Feadship has formalised the Feadship Services Network, which leverages a new series of agreements with MB92 (Spain), Monaco Marine (France), Amico & Co (Italy) and Rybovich (US) as refit partners of Feadship.
“Working together more closely with our partners gives us the leverage to make sure that they have all the necessary information to hand and that they are willing to follow our instructions – that is what we request in order for them to become part of our service network,” continues Gumbs. “That is why the process of developing the official network has taken so long, we needed to see how the yards operated and this allowed us to slowly build our confidence in them so that we, in turn, were able to tell our clients with certainty that these yards were the best places to take their Feadships.”
The final element of the My Feadship suite of services is the development of the Feadship Authentification Certificate. “In order to clarify whether or refit standards have been maintained, we have created a system by which we can readopt those vessels, that have been out of sight for some time, into a Feadship maintenance programme,” continues Vergouwe. “Through survey work, we will be able to confirm whether or not a Feadship still meets our exacting standards. The superyacht may be approved first time or, alternatively, we will provide a list of works that are required in order for the vessel to be certified.”
Vergouwe compares the authentication system to those used in the automotive industry. If, for example, a Mercedes was up for sale but it had been out of Mercedes service for a while, it is possible to reestablish the service record by returning the car to Mercedes in order for the garage to evaluate the car and pass judgement. The system now adopted by Feadship is designed to provide both owners and buyers the peace of mind required to be fully satisfied by the operation, sale or purchase of a Feadship. Newly delivered Feadships will be provided with an authentication certificate on delivery.
“This three-pillar system is of great benefit to owners who invest in a Feadship. They invest in a name, a brand, an expectation of quality… This new system will give them the confidence that they have invested their money correctly, when it comes to the annual maintenance spend and that everything on board remains top notch,” concludes Vergouwe.
Industrialists: Henk and Tom de Vries
Feadship ‘New Hampshire’ for sale at €44.95 million
Feadship launches new 93m superyacht: Project 814
MYS Insight Report: Owner
Feadship launches 110m superyacht
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MORGAN EVANS POURS A SHOT OF "TEQUILA" INTO "DAY DRUNK"
Warner Music Nashville / Warner Bros. Records rising star MORGAN EVANS is delivering a buzz-inducing mash-up of his Top 40-and-climbing single “Day Drunk” with Dan + Shay’s GRAMMY award-winning track “Tequila.” The clip showcases Evans’ undeniable musicianship, crafting the production with his trademark loop pedal.
Watch Morgan Evans' live mash-up of “Day Drunk on Tequila” HERE.
Putting his versatility on full-blast in the video, Evans’ smooth vocals and intricate guitar work effortlessly blend his amped-up party tune – dubbed a “summery slam dunk” by Rolling Stone – with the reflective lyrics of “Tequila.”
The award-winning Australia-native spent this spring as direct support on the SOLD OUT first leg of DAN + SHAY THE TOUR. In addition to high-profile festival dates on tap for summer (Off The Rails Festival, Carolina Country Music Festival, Country LakeShake, Faster Horses), Evans will also hit the road with Rascal Flatts on their SUMMER PLAYLIST TOUR. He recently announced a run of European shows as part of his WORLD TOUR, kicking off September 3 in Dublin, Ireland.
For more information and a full list of tour dates, visit MorganEvansMusic.com. Reach out to him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT MORGAN EVANS:
Praised by Rolling Stone as “a savvy performer with strong songwriting chops,” Australian-born rising Country artist Morgan Evans is celebrating the release of his debut album, THINGS THAT WE DRINK TO (Warner Music Nashville), out now. The project features his #1 debut U.S. single “Kiss Somebody,” as well as chart-rising follow-up “Day Drunk.” Forging a path as one of the genre’s up-and-coming stars, he has been named to PEOPLE’s elite “Ones To Watch” 2018 list, MusicRow Magazine’s “Next Big Thing” 2019 list and spotlighted as an emerging artist by CMT, SiriusXM, Pandora, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Bobby Bones, The Tennessean and more. An award-winning Country force in Australia, he recently reached new heights by topping both the Aussie Pop and Country charts with “Day Drunk.” Previously sharing the bill with Taylor Swift, Chris Young, Cole Swindell, Old Dominion and more, Evans completed his 10 IN 10 TOUR, performing 10-straight shows in 10 days including SOLD-OUT headline dates in Los Angeles, CA, Atlanta, GA, and New York, NY. He recently wrapped his run as direct support on DAN + SHAY THE TOUR, and will hit the road with Rascal Flatts for the SUMMER PLAYLIST TOUR later this year.
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Msu College Of Social Science Requirements
Sayan Navaratnam – Chief Executive Officer and Director Sayan Navaratnam graduated from the University of Toronto with a double specialist degree in economics and political science. Mr. Navaratnam.
Now, a work group from the American College of Surgeons has chimed in with the release. The paper is “a brilliant application of well-established social science,” said Jeremy Faust, an emergency.
What Is Darwinism Explain With Examples This is what Charles Darwin himself observed during the. yielded any so-called "missing links" that can adequately explain this discontinuity. The "Cambrian Explosion" is only one of many examples. The male sperm are created very differently from the female egg. The sperm are created in the testes of a male on a daily basis. This short time period between the creation of the sperm and conception within the female precludes any possibility that the male
Morehead State University offers 142 undergraduate degree programs and 69 graduate programs. We are committed to academic excellence and student success.
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Tonya Bailey, director of student success at Michigan State University. a professor of philosophy at Saint Vincent College, has been named dean of the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Ranked in the top engineering schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Missouri University of Science and Technology – better known as Missouri S&T – began its life as a mining school before growing into a leading applied science, technology, mechanical, and engineering research university.
Evolutionary Psychology Suggests That Consciousness Jul 06, 2015 · The leap to Orange coincided with three significant management breakthroughs that gave us the modern corporation. First was the concept of innovation, which brought with it new departments such as R&D, product management, and marketing, as well as project teams and cross-functional initiatives.Second was accountability, which provided leaders with an alternative to commanding. CHAPTER X. The Consciousness of Self. Let us begin with the Self in its widest acceptation, and follow it
"For the longest time, people never would have believed this is possible," said Chris Adami, a physicist and computational biologist at Michigan State University. State University of New York.
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(PRLEAP.COM) SAN DIEGO, CA 3/17/17 – Thomas Jefferson School of Law welcomes Joan. University of Toledo College of Law, an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business,
Developed by Boston University’s College. social science; types of campaigns and programs; and professional ethics. Theories, strategies, and tactics in current practice emphasized and applied to.
This challenging program offers diverse, experienced professors who are dedicated to helping you succeed. Combining academics, research and field experience, your Master’s of Social Work program will give you intellectual preparation and skills so you’ll be ready for ethical, justice-oriented and empowering clinical intervention, leadership, program management and advocacy work.
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The directors will discuss immunizations at a regularly scheduled meeting and focus on whether something can—or should—be.
Edward Nyman’s appointment as the first full-time director of sports medicine and science at USA Gymnastics lasted. The former team doctor at both USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University is.
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The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics is a dual-credit residential high school for academically exceptional Kentucky students. It is housed on the campus of Morehead State University, consistently ranked as one of the safest campuses in the Commonwealth.
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Tom Jones: Spirit in the Room – review
(Island)
Kitty Empire
@kittyempire666
Sat 19 May 2012 19.05 EDT First published on Sat 19 May 2012 19.05 EDT
When Tom Jones sings about being 'born with the gift of a golden voice' on Spirit In The Room, he gives Leonard Cohen's line a different resonance.
Before TV viewers ask, there is, thankfully, no version of U2's Beautiful Day on Tom Jones's latest record. Like its successful predecessor, 2010's God-fearing Praise & Blame, Spirit in the Room is an album of covers. It does not feature Jones's most recent venture into other artists' material, however, in which the massed ranks (and we use the word "rank" advisedly) of Jones and his fellow judges on BBC1's The Voice performed cruel and unusual punishments upon Beautiful Day the other week. You almost felt for the Irish rock titans as the remains of their Day lay bleeding on to the set. On the other hand, neither does this album feature Jones's blistering cover of Howlin' Wolf's Evil, or his extraordinary take on Jezebel, recorded with Jack White in the manner of a satanic Delilah.
Jones's covers, then, can run the gamut from devilish to defibrillated; showbiz was always thus. Having made his peace with his maker on the previous record, he now salutes some of the 20th century's all-powerful writer-performers. There is some intriguing late material here from the two Pauls – McCartney and Simon – plus Leonard Cohen with a classic, and some songs from writers whose royalties aren't quite as stratospheric as all that, one of whom is Madonna's brother-in-law.
At the helm is Ethan Johns, most famous for his work with the Kings of Leon. His tendency is to pit Jones's lusty, gutsy voice against low-key arrangements in which the guitars come in from afar; a pretty transparent signifier of thoughtfulness.
It opens with a good gag though. When Leonard Cohen sang: "I was born with the gift of a golden voice" in a racked rumble on Tower of Song, it was self-deprecating. But Jones really was, giving the line quite a different resonance. Angels have tied him to "the stage", not a table. You hope these nuances will continue to develop further down the tracklisting.
But the levels of detail don't quite sustain. Jones (or possibly Johns) gets points for choosing McCartney's Home and Simon's Love and Blessings, rather than more famous works by their younger selves. Seventy-two next month, Jones is keen not to be cast opposite any age-inappropriate lovelies. There is one incursion of what you might call young people's music in the form of Charlie Darwin by the Low Anthem. It sounds pretty good with Ben Knox Miller's falsetto swapped for Jones's vibrato.
Ultimately, you conclude, Jones's golden voice was built for hooting, hollering and hubba-hubba-ing at the ladies, not mulling things over. While it's great to find Richard and Linda Thompson's The Dimming of the Day on any tracklisting, Jones sounds most at home on Odetta's Hit or Miss and Blind Willie Johnson's Soul of a Man. Tom Waits fans may roll their eyes at the prospect of an inveterate showbiz pro like Jones covering his recent Bad As Me, but you can't deny that Jones, a former philanderer with an enduringly mean set of lungs, has got the voice for it.
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Anna Soubry brands Liam Fox's free trade speech 'delusional'
Former business minister says it is ‘worrying’ that Fox, Boris Johnson and David Davis have the country’s future in their hands
Rowena Mason and Patrick Wintour
Sat 1 Oct 2016 01.13 EDT First published on Fri 30 Sep 2016 13.41 EDT
Soubry called Theresa May a ‘voice of sanity’ following the referendum but said she needed to be clearer about what she wanted from Brexit. Photograph: London News Pictures/Rex
A senior Conservative has voiced concerns about the responsibility for Brexit given to Liam Fox, Boris Johnson and David Davis, saying it was “really worrying these are the senior people who have the future of our country in their hands”.
In the run-up to the Conservative party conference in Birmingham this weekend, Anna Soubry reserved particular criticism for Fox, branding his speech on free trade in Manchester on Thursday “delusional”.
May under pressure to name article 50 date in Tory conference speech
The former business minister, who sat in cabinet until July, said Theresa May was a voice of sanity following the referendum, but that the prime minister needed to explain even in “broad terms” what she wanted out of Brexit, as three months later we are “no further forward, and it’s her job to lead us”.
“Liam Fox’s speech this week was very worrying; in fact, it was delusional,” she told the Guardian. “How can we have ‘freer’ free trade? Let’s get real, for God’s sake. It’s really worrying that these are the senior people who have the future of our country in their hands. May is the voice of sanity, and without her I don’t know where the three Brexiteers would take us.”
The Conservative party conference opens on Sunday and is under pressure from business and European leaders to clarify the UK’s position. It is possible that May could use her opening speech to name the month she will trigger article 50, which will trigger the two-year countdown to the UK’s exit from the EU.
Senior EU figures have been told in private the prime minister wants to trigger the formal start of talks early in the new year, but so far she has refused to confirm this in public.
What is article 50 and why is it so central to the Brexit debate?
The pressure not to name a date is intense due to the government’s acknowledgement that the UK’s negotiating position would have to be outlined in the formal letter issued to trigger article 50. By naming the date she plans to send a letter to Brussels, the prime minister would set herself on an irreversible course before the cabinet has agreed its negotiating objectives.
There is worry among pro-remain Conservatives that May’s relative silence on the details of Brexit is giving too much airtime to Fox, the trade secretary and arch-eurosceptic. Fox has hinted he favours a “hard Brexit” that would see the UK give up the benefits of the single market but allow it to limit immigration from the EU.
It is understood that Conservatives from the pro-remain wing of the party are planning to put pressure on the government over Brexit during the four-day conference by calling for a more concrete plans, especially to allay business worries.
One senior Tory MP said: “I think the PM will find that ‘Brexit means Brexit’ is quickly losing its value, and needs to be replaced by some more concrete details – fast. It is beginning to look vacuous and like she is playing for time.”
Some Tory MPs, however, took a different view about pressure on May to set a firmer timetable for leaving the EU, including Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general and remain campaigner. “I don’t think that the party conference is a place where the prime minister should feel pressured to set out her stall when she’s got a great deal of work still to do on Brexit before article 50 is invoked,” he told the Guardian. Grieve is among those warning that a “hard Brexit” is a very high risk strategy and put the UK’s economy and jobs at risk.
Fox’s grasp of trade law also came under attack from Sir David Edward, a former judge in the European court of justice who is advising the Scottish government on Brexit. Edward challenged Fox’s claim that the UK would keep the EU’s existing tariff schedule when it leaves the bloc.
“Nobody who understands trade law could have possibly have said what he said,” he told an MLex Competition conference.
Brexit means Brexit … but the big question is when?
“And as an economist has said, there is no such thing in today’s world as free trade or a free trade agreement, there is only managed trade or participation in a regulated market, and that is quite important. The notion that we can get back to some kind of Victorian liberal notion of totally free trade I think is totally misleading.”
Eurosceptics including Iain Duncan Smith and pro-Europeans such as Nicky Morgan have urged May to provide clarity on the start of negotiations, while European leaders ranging from the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, to the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, have drawn a blank in private discussions with her on the shape of her UK exit plans.
Most are content with article 50 being triggered in early 2017, as this gives time for the UK to leave before the next round of elections to the European parliament in 2019.
The key trade-off remains whether access to the single market will include free movement for European migrant workers, some form of judicial oversight from EU courts, and contributions – voluntary or otherwise – to Brussels’ budget.
As ministers continued to insist they would not be giving a “running commentary” on Brexit, Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, hinted that the government could be considering a work permit system for different sectors.
In an interview with the FT, he said he could not predict “what the future might look like in terms of work visas and foreign workers”, but added that the construction sector would not face a skills shortage because of the exclusion of builders from EU countries.
“Wherever we end up, the government is determined to get a good deal for Britain,” he said. “Whether it’s construction or any other sector, we don’t want to make it any more difficult for those industries than it is.”
Philip Hammond confirmed that high-skilled workers will not be excluded from the country after Brexit.
“The message that I want to send to business is that whatever solution we end up, whatever control powers we have over immigration into the UK, we will use them responsibly,” the chancellor said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.
“We will use them in a way that supports the UK economy and we will certainly not use them to shut out highly skilled people – whether they are bankers or software engineers or managers in global companies – from the UK when their presence is supporting inward investment and growth in our economy.”
Hammond said he believed that the majority who had backed Brexit in the referendum had given the government a mandate to protect the economy as well as to reduce immigration.
“It may not have been stated explicitly but it’s implicit. And that is that they do not want to see the economy suffer,” he said. “They do not want to see jobs lost, they do not want to see standards of living decline. So they will expect us to negotiate a solution which delivers the key elements of leaving the EU, regaining our sovereignty, getting control over our borders – but they will expect us to do all of that in a way that allows the UK economy to go on growing.”
Hammond is thought to be fighting the case within the cabinet for a deal that retains as much access to the single market as possible, against colleagues who would rather push for a “hard Brexit” deal that distances the UK further from EU trade rules in order to achieve tougher controls on migration.
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Church of England fears gay rights talks could end global Anglican communion
Archbishops from conservative churches in six African countries are expected to walk out of summit called by Justin Welby
Harriet Sherwood Religion correspondent
@harrietsherwood
Fri 8 Jan 2016 10.00 EST Last modified on Tue 28 Nov 2017 23.33 EST
The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, called the meeting in an attempt to move the global church beyond the contentious issue of gay rights. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA
The Church of England is braced for a de facto split in the worldwide Anglican communion next week over the issues of gay rights and same-sex marriage. Church leaders from six African countries are expected to walk out of a pivotal summit called by the archbishop of Canterbury.
Bitter divisions among Anglicans on the issue of sexuality are expected to intensify at the week-long meeting of the 38 leaders of national churches at Canterbury cathedral. Archbishops from conservative churches in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Rwanda and Congo are likely to walk out of the summit within a day or two of its opening on Monday.
“There’s going to be a lot of drama,” said a senior C of E source. “It’s 90% likely that the six will walk out. If we get past Tuesday, we’ll be doing well.”
The meeting of Anglican primates was called by Justin Welby in a last-ditch effort to move the global church – which claims 85 million followers – beyond the issue of homosexuality in order to focus on other pressing matters such as religious violence and climate change. Welby is proposing that, in the face of intractable differences, the communion reshapes itself as a loose confederation of churches rather than adherents to a common doctrine.
But the six African churches are insisting on sanctions against the US Episcopal Church, which tipped the simmering conflict over gay rights into open hostility when it consecrated gay priest Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.
How issue of gay rights has racked Anglican churches for decades
This week, Archbishop Stanley Ntagali – leader of the Anglican church in Uganda, which has backed the criminalisation of homosexuality in the east African country – warned that he would walk out of the primates’ meeting if “discipline and godly order is not restored”.
Archbishop Eliud Wabukala of Kenya said the “truth [of the Gospel] continues to be called into question in the Anglican communion” and warned against “the global ambitions of a secular culture”.
Peter Jensen, general secretary of Gafcon, a group of conservative Anglican churches formed to “guard and proclaim the unchanging Gospel”, said in a new year message: “Truth matters even more than institutional unity.”
The first potential trigger for a walkout will be when the order of the agenda is decided at the start of the summit. Conservative primates are insisting that the issue of sexuality is discussed first; in the unlikely event that they do not prevail, they may leave in protest. The C of E considers this a “soft walkout”.
More significant would be a “hard walkout” on the issue of disciplining the US Episcopal Church. This could lead to a formal rather than de facto schism, with conservative churches around the world realigning under the authority of Gafcon. If the six leaders wish to formally detach their provinces from the Anglican communion, each needs to embark on a lengthy process authorised by their churches.
The C of E believes there is an 80% chance of a “hard walkout” and puts the likelihood of a walkout of either kind at 90%. The primates’ meeting will continue throughout the week, regardless of departures.
Welby is said to be phlegmatic about the prospect, believing he has done everything possible to offer the opportunity to forge a new, looser relationship, which hardliners may choose to reject. “His mood is not ‘Crisis, what crisis?’ but ‘Crisis? Well, what’s new?’,” said the source.
The Anglican schism over sexuality marks the end of a global church | Andrew Brown
C of E officials have also averted a threatened boycott of next week’s meeting by the more liberal wing of the Anglican communion, following a controversial invitation from Welby to the leader of the conservative breakaway Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) to participate in the meeting.
Despite having no formal remit, ACNA archbishop Foley Beach will be permitted to lobby for his staunch opposition to same-sex marriage at the Canterbury gathering. However, he will be asked to withdraw when decisions are taken.
C of E leaders acknowledge that the issue of homosexuality has fractured the communion, but believe that a looser relationship of churches linked to Canterbury yet not to each other is the only way to overcome institutional dysfunctionality.
Only eight of the 38 provinces are open to changing doctrine on marriage to allow for same-sex unions, leaving a large majority in favour of keeping marriage exclusively as a union between one man and one woman. Those eight are the US, Canada, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, South India, South Africa and Brazil.
Welby, who visited all 38 Anglican provinces within the communion in the two years after his enthronement, telephoned each leader from his French holiday home last summer to persuade them to take part in the primates’ meeting. Although such summits are supposed to be held every two years, the last was in 2011.
All the leaders have accepted Welby’s invitation, but two or three are expected to miss the meeting owing to ill-health. The gathering will combine prayer with discussion, although different groupings will have the opportunity to pray in separate areas if they wish.
Equal marriage
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The ministry of rural development comes with a proposal to use the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) — the world’s largest wage-based social protection programme — to achieve India’s third climate target under the 2016 Paris climate change agreement. The proposal was submitted on the sidelines of COP 24 in Katowice, Poland.
According to the assessment by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), drought-proofing activities under MGNREGA can at least achieve removal of about 197 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent by 2030. But if the work focused on climate change, the scheme has a far higher potential, IISc scientists said.
India is on track in fulfilling two of its three key climate targets — 40% electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and to reduce the emissions intensity of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) by somewhere around 35% from the 2005 levels. But India has been lagging on the third target — to create carbon sinks of about 2.5 to 3 billion tons.
IISc scientists said oriented activities like drought-proofing, by promoting afforestation and creation of fruit orchards, can contribute effectively to meet the target. “Centre is already allocating climate proofing works under the scheme in 103 blocks of three districts of Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh”, said Dharamveer Jha, joint director, ministry of rural development.
A team of scientists from IISc has planned to conduct a pan-India assessment of potential from MGNREGA by dividing the area into various agro-ecological regions and carrying out field studies in sample villages in each state. In 2017-18, MGNREGA managed to sequest about 61.96 million tons of CO2 equivalent. Activities with the highest potential was found to be drought-proofing, followed by land development, revival of traditional water bodies and water harvesting, among others.
“Drought-proofing will increase the resilience of community by helping them to cope with droughts, and with tree planting there will be improvement in soil fertility over time which in turn could help retain more soil moisture and better yields,” said Indu K Murthy, IISc scientist who is in the project with Prof NH Ravindranath.
Under MGNREGA, at least one member of every rural household is eligible for at least 100 days of employment in the form of unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage.
“There are co-benefits of MGNREGA work. It is a welcome step that the government has proposed it. Planting of trees can benefit communities and local eco-systems. It will be dangerous if the government promotes trees with high carbon sequestration capacity and ignore its contribution to the local economy. For example, corporate afforestation projects are usually mono-cultures to benefit industrial needs while the needs of local communities will have to be prioritised to make progress on the poverty agenda,” said Sanjay Vashisht, director, Climate Action Network South Asia.
Environment ministry recently said it will focus on agro-forestry with private partnerships to achieve the third target
One professor of economics from Jadavpur University and one of the Indian authors of the IPCC report, said the team has been briefing parties about climate science and about its economic impacts. “A 1.5 degree C rise in global warming climate will be a poverty-multiplier: makes poor people poorer, increases poverty head count. Most severe climate change impacts are projected for urban areas, some rural regions in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Climate change will negatively affect childhood under-nutrition and stunting through reduced food availability.”
Source: Hindustan Times
Author: Arindam Saha
Afforestation Financial Assistance Global Warming India MNREGA Narendra Modi Renewable energy rural development 2018-12-08
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Mathis resigns as Pinewood mayor
Filing for Sept. 10 special election opens Friday
Pinewood residents who are interested in becoming the town's next mayor can file their candidacy starting this week.
Sarah Mathis, who took office in 2014 after serving on town council, resigned after winning her unopposed re-election bid in …
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SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO
Sarah Mathis, who took office in 2014 after serving on town council, resigned after winning her unopposed re-election bid in November, opening the door for a new leader after the Sept. 10 special election.
A two-week filing period for the open seat begins Friday at noon and will close on Friday, July 26, at 5 p.m., according to Sumter County Voter Registration and Election Office.
Pat Jefferson, director of the county department, said the town government used to handle its own elections but that last year was the first year Sumter County took on running them.
Filing will take place at the Sumter County Courthouse, 141 N. Main St., in Room 114. Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Prospective candidates must fill out a statement of intent of candidacy form, which is available at www.SCVotes.org in the candidate information section or at the county election office. Candidates are required to file a statement of economic interest and a campaign disclosure form online with the South Carolina Ethics Commission at www.ethics.sc.gov.
To contact the Sumter County Voter Registration and Election Office, call (803) 436-2310, (803)-436-2311, (803) 436-2312 or (803) 436-2313.
The Town of Pinewood, which has a population of 538, is a mayor-council form of government with four nonpartisan, at-large council members and one full-time employee, according to Municipal Association of South Carolina records.
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Technology breaks language barrier for Sumter mother in need
YOUR IMPACT BY THE NUMBERS
Anonymous: $100
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Total this year: $250
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Donations can be mailed to:
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Drop off donations at our office at 36 W. Liberty St.
WHAT TO INCLUDE
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When making a donation in someone's honor, the names will be printed as given.
For more information about Sumter United Ministries, ways to get involved or to request an interview to become a client, go to' www.sumterunitedministries.org' or call (803) 775-0757 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
As the first checks came in for The Sumter Item's annual Summer of Caring fundraiser to benefit Sumter United Ministries, an employee at the nonprofit shared a story about a mother's need for help.
Summer of Caring, now in its sixth year, donates all proceeds to SUM so it can continue to help serve clients in need of emergency shelter, food, education, clothing and other vital yet often costly amenities we all need.
A woman arrived with her toddler recently to the Crisis Relief Ministry with an eviction notice, said Director Kevin Howell. Her live-in boyfriend had acted violently toward her and was subsequently arrested and deported.
"The client has no other family or friends in the area. Though she is a citizen of the U.S., she does not speak English. I would suspect she knew less than 10 words in English from my interaction with her," Howell said. "The police brought her to us asking if we could help, and the onset of the interview was extremely challenging. After canvassing the entire ministry office in search of a volunteer or staff person fluent in Spanish, we were left with no options."
Enter the benefit of technology.
Using Google Translate, Howell sat with the woman and typed his questions, which were translated to Spanish on the screen.
"I shared my heartfelt compassion for how alone and abandoned she must feel. Can you imagine how strange it must be to not be able to communicate with many people around you?" Howell said. "She cried at reading those words, and the anxiety of her circumstances was visible on her face."
Howell obtained the information the ministry needed to help her, and it was able to offer her financial assistance to ensure she has shelter for at least another 30 days.
"As I concluded the interview, I typed these words: 'I am going to pray for you. I know you will not understand what I am praying, but I believe God knows the languages of all our hearts.' She cried a little more as we thanked God for overcoming every obstacle and satisfying her greatest need," Howell said. "In my 14 years as the director of the Crisis Relief Ministry, this was a completely new experience for me, and it could not have been more rewarding. For all the encouragement and care the client received, I felt that I was far the richer for the experience."
Donations last week through Monday, June 17, 2019, include:
Bush and Nancy Hanson, $50; in memory of W.M. (Boots) Tisdale, from Jane Tisdale, $100; anonymously, $100.
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Court Hands Prison Terms to 'Cop Killing' Primorsky Partisans
A court in the far eastern city of Vladivostok on Monday dished out prison sentences to members of the so-called Primorsky Partisans, a criminal group accused of a series of violent offenses in 2010, including the killing of two police officers.
Three of the defendants, Alexander Kovtun, Alexei Nikitin and Vladimir Ilyutikov, were given life sentences, Interfax reported, citing one of its correspondents at the court. Of the other three accused, Roman Savchenko was handed 25 years, Maxim Kirillov received 22, and Vadim Kovtun got eight years and two months.
All six were found guilty of murder, robbery, the attempted murder of law enforcement officers, arms trafficking and a number of related crimes.
The group pleaded guilty only to minor crimes and blamed the more ones on late group members Andrei Sukhorada and Alexander Sladkikh, who were found shot dead in an apartment when police raided in June 2010. Police later said that they had committed suicide.
Lawyers for the group said they would appeal the sentences.
Alexander Kovtun told reporters that he considered his punishment unjust. "Life is given once, you can't rewind it," he said.
However, Yelena Telegina, a senior Primorye prosecutor, said that the "punishment is generally consistent with the verdict of the court," Interfax reported.
Primorsky Partisans Found Guilty of Being Criminal Group
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FG accuses PDP of ‘toxic’ brand of opposition politics
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
The Federal Government has condemned the increasingly `unpatriotic and desperate’ opposition politics being played by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The Minister of Culture and Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who made the condemnation when he addressed State House correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday, warned that such dead-end opposition could be toxic for the nation’s democracy, if left unchecked.
“Either by themselves or via their proxies, the PDP and its presidential candidate are doing everything possible to sabotage the Buhari Administration, generally overheat the polity and make Nigeria seemingly ungovernable, especially through their public utterances and their poorly-thought-out press releases before and after the 2019 general elections.
“Unless they quickly retrace their steps, they may, sooner than later, overreach themselves.
The minister also noted that in recent times, the PDP had taken its desperation to a new level by attacking the judiciary, “an action many see as indicating a reversal of the party’s hitherto self-assured stance that it has a solid case against the election of the President.
“And either by coincidence or orchestration, a faceless group emerges from nowhere calling for an overthrow of a democratically-elected government, a totally egregious act of treason.
“It beggars belief that a candidate who prides himself as a democrat can so allow desperation to becloud his sense of propriety to such an extent that he will be associating with anti-democratic forces or making inflammatory statements.
According to the minister, for acclaimed democrats, there are acceptable channels of seeking redress after an election defeat.
He noted that even President Buhari himself went to court three times to challenge election results.
He said: “What is not acceptable is to either resort to self-help after an election defeat, or to embark on a journey of subterfuge and sabotage while also mounting a legal challenge or pretending to do so.
“Worst still, painting the judiciary bad for whatever reason is anti-democratic and unconscionable.’’
The minister, therefore, urged the main opposition party to stop beating the drums of war but to concentrate on the “legal challenge by its candidate against the election of President Buhari if indeed they have any faith in the country’s judiciary’’.
He also called on the opposition to desist from unnecessarily overheating the polity.
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Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor to Try Out for USA Basketball
June 9, 2011 By paulmbanks 1 Comment
After a breakout season in 2010-11, the Wisconsin Badgers‘ starting point guard Jordan Taylor has been invited to try-out for the USA Basketball World University Games Team.
The training camp will take place from July 29th to August 7th in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) will be the venue where 12 members will be picked to represent their country in Shenzhen, China from August 13-23.
“I’m excited and honored to be invited to the USA basketball tryouts,” said Taylor. “As players, we all dream about representing our country and wearing the USA jersey. It should be a great opportunity to play with some of the best players in the country and hopefully I’ll get a chance to play against international competition.”
The decision will ultimately fall upon Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim, who serves as the chair of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee. Boeheim is expected to name the finalists on July 31st.
“After a lot of thought and consideration of potential players, the committee has put together a very strong roster for the USA Men’s World University Games Team training camp,” said Boeheim. “As always, the committee will be looking for not only the most talented players, but also players that will work well as a team.”
Taylor epitomizes the concept of team basketball as the Bloomington, Minn., native led the NCAA with a 3.83 assist-to-turnover ratio in 2010-11, while averaging 18.1 points and 4.7 assists per game. He also earned second-team All-American honors from the Associated Press.
If Taylor does make the team, he will be coached by Purdue’s Matt Painter who was selected as head coach of the 2011 USA Men’s World University Games Team. Butler’s Brad Stevens and Cuonzo Martin (head coach at Tennessee) were named as assistant coaches.
“I’m also looking forward to playing for Coach Painter. He’s proven that he’s a great coach, and it will be a lot of fun playing for him.”
Taylor and Painter won’t be the only ones representing Big Ten basketball as Michigan State’s Draymond Green, Minnesota’s Trevor Mbakwe and Northwestern’s John Shurna will also try out for the team in Colorado Springs.
Badgers Head Coach Bo Ryan and former Wisconsin forward Jon Leuer have also had stints with USA Basketball. Ryan earned the bronze medal serving as the head coach for Team USA in the 2009 World University Games. Last summer Leuer was selected to help Team USA prepare for the FIBA World Championships.
“This is a great opportunity to play against some outstanding players from around the country,” said Ryan. “If Jordan is fortunate enough to make the team, he’ll play against some really good international players and have a wonderful experience. Any time you get a chance to use basketball to learn about other cultures and experience different things, it’s always good.”
Do you think Jordan Taylor will make the team? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.
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Filed Under: College Basketball Tagged With: Badgers basketball, Badgers USA Basketball, Bo Ryan, draymond green, Jim Boeheim, john shurna, Jordan Taylor, Jordan Taylor USA Basketball, Jordan Taylor Wisconsin Badgers, matt painter, Taylor to try out, Taylor trys out for USA Basketball, trevor mbakwe, USA Basketball Wolrd University Games Team, Wisconsin Badgers, World University Games Team
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Home headline CHP leader says prison cell prepared for Berberoğlu before court ruling
CHP leader says prison cell prepared for Berberoğlu before court ruling
Leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu walks with a placard reading 'Justice' during a protest march in Ankara on June 15, 2017, after CHP lawmaker Enis Berberoğlu was sentenced to 25 years in jail for handing secret information to a newspaper. Thousands of supporters from Turkey's main opposition party took to the streets of Ankara on Thursday to protest the jailing of one of its MPs, vowing to march to his jail in Istanbul. / AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Monday said three prison cells were prepared in İstanbul’s Maltepe Prison for CHP deputy Enis Berberoğlu before a court convicted and sentenced to 25 years on June 14, the tr724 news website has reported.
Kılıçdaroğlu said this shows how the government wields control over the Turkish judiciary.
“Just think: A person is being tried in court and no ruling has been made, but three special prison cells are prepared in Maltepe Prison. Final preparations are made because it is known beforehand that the person will be convicted. It is known how long a prison sentence he will be given, and a place is readied for him,” said Kılıçdaroğlu at a press conference held on the 12th day of a “March of Justice” he launched to protest the arrest of Berberoğlu.
Berberoğlu was sentenced to 25 years in prison by an İstanbul court on June 14 for leaking information for a report on National Intelligence Organization (MİT) trucks transporting weapons to jihadists in Syria.
“This situation is one of the most concrete examples showing the link between the government and the judiciary. This is one of the basic things that legitimizes our march. A decision which was expected to be made by a court was made by the executive body. The court just read it,” added Kılıçdaroğlu.
But Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ denied Kılıçdaroğlu’s claim about the Berberoğlu ruling, calling it an “explicit lie” and “slander.”
The Birgün daily has reported that the CHP’s March of Justice attracted the biggest crowd on Monday and that about 10,000 people walked with Kılıçdaroğlu.
The march, which was launched on June 15 in Ankara, is expected to last for 25 days and end at Maltepe Prison in İstanbul, where Berberoğlu is jailed.
On Saturday, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) decided to participate in the CHP’s March of Justice as well.
arrest of CHP deputy Enis Berberoğlu
CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu
CHP walk of justice
Turkey lack of judicial independence
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UFOs: MJ12 Reaches 25!
Published: 2:48 PM 5/17/2012
by Nick Redfern
Well, I was kind of expecting to see a bit of a fanfare this month about the infamous MJ12 documents.
Why? Simple: this month marks exactly twenty-five years since they surfaced into the public domain in the pages of Tim Good’s acclaimed book of May 1987: Above Top Secret: The Worldwide UFO Cover-Up.
That there hasn’t seemingly been much in the way of commentary on the 25th anniversary of what are, without doubt, one of the most controversial “things” ever to have surfaced within the ufological arena, suggests a few possibilities…
First, maybe whole swathes of Ufology have simply forgotten about MJ12.
Second, perhaps the fact that – for many in Ufology – the documents continue to frustratingly languish in that murky stalemate-driven realm of “genuine, disinformation, or hoax?” has led the research community to focus its attentions on what it sees as far more profitable and likely ways to secure the truth behind the UFO phenomenon.
And, third, maybe people just don’t care anymore about the debate surrounding the papers, their content, the way they surfaced, and the attendant analysis of their content.
Whatever the answer(s), the papers did – and, for some, still do – play a significant role in Ufology for many a year. I still very well remember how, when Tim Good’s book surfaced in the U.K. in May 1987, they provoked widespread debate, excitement, fury and skepticism in the British UFO arena of the day.
And, hot on the heels of Good’s book was the release – in the United States - of the same documents team from the team of Bill Moore, Stanton Friedman and Jaime Shandera. And, in no time at all, the world of Ufology was faced with its biggest piece of news in a long, long time.
For those not fully conversant with the papers in question, they actually appeared under mysterious circumstances in the mailbox of the aforementioned Shandera back in December 1984, and were carefully and quietly studied for years – not surprising, given that they appeared to be official, highly-classified documents concerning the establishment, in 1947, by President Harry Truman, of a highly classified group of people in government, the military, the intelligence world, and the scientific community, who, collectively, became known as MJ12 or Majestic 12.
And, so the papers made it clear, the group was sitting on just about the biggest secret of all: the recovery of a crashed UFO and dead alien bodies from the New Mexico desert in the summer of 1947.
That’s right: Roswell. But, that quiet study came to an end when Above Top Secret was published. The cosmic cat was now out of the bag and everyone knew the story and was on the trail.
For those people reading this that weren’t on the ufological scene back in 1987 – or, maybe, weren’t even born – it’s probably hard to understand the near-hysteria and huge excitement that accompanied the MJ12 papers when they first hit the headlines. There really was a deep sense of “This is it!” And a feeling that “the truth is coming.”
Of course, and as is always the case in Ufology, it wasn’t quite that simple. While some in Ufology championed the documents – and their content – as being utterly genuine, others soon cried “Hoax!” And some claimed this was all a case of government-created disinformation to further cloud the already murky waters of stories relative to Roswell, dead aliens and crashed UFOs.
There was forensic analysis of the typeface in the documents, Truman’s signature on the papers became a hugely controversial matter, and extensive research was undertaken into the names, lives and activities of the alleged MJ12 members. In some cases, this all went on for years. And such was the controversy, even the FBI got involved in the MJ12 affair at one point.
But, for all the studies, papers, books, lectures, analyses and more, the MJ12 papers did not resolve Roswell. Nor did they open the floodgates to a revelation that, yes, UFOs are real and the government has secretly had proof ever since aliens had the misfortune to crash in the wilds of Lincoln County, New Mexico in the summer of 1947.
What the documents did do, however, was to keep many significant figures in the UFO research community busy – and arguing – for years. And the outcome was pretty much as I expected it to be.
If there is one thing that can be said about the ufological research arena (and this also goes for Cryptozoology, ghost-hunting, and every other aspect of Fortean-based studies, too), it’s that everyone has an opinion. Everyone has a favorite case. And there’s never-ending debate on what’s genuine and what isn’t.
Whether it’s George Adamski’s 60-something-year-old photos, the Gulf Breeze affair, the Bob Lazar-Area 51 controversy, or the truth behind the Men in Black puzzle, the reality is that such issues – and countless more – polarize people into different camps.
Some believe, some disbelieve, others doubt, far more than a few don’t know what to think, and many end up exasperated, exhausted and frustrated by their quest for the truth – which always remains a tantalizing step or several ahead of them. And the very same thing can be said about the MJ12 documents.
So, twenty-five years later, where are we at with those pesky papers? If you’re a believer, you’ll say the truth is in, even if we can’t fully prove it. The skeptic would say it’s all a big fuss about nothing, a hoax, a joke, a distraction.
Many – certainly me – might say that, as interesting and as exciting as that period was in the summer of 1987, neither the documents nor the era have changed anything at all. But, isn’t that what Ufology is all about: new controversy layered upon new controversy, but never a straight answer that we can nail to the ground and finally say “Gotcha!”?
Of course that’s what Ufology is all about!
So, as much as I find the whole MJ12 controversy as frustrating as it is sometimes intriguing, today I raise a glass of something chilled and potent to those papers of the purloined, leaked, faked or whatever else nature might spring to mind.
And, I have no doubt that in another 25 years people will still be asking questions about MJ12, about the Truman signature, about whether or not the brand of typewriter used to prepare the documents was actually in use in 1947, and about…well, the list will go on and on, as will the definitively unanswered questions.
A 50th anniversary for MJ12? I don’t know whether to laugh or cry…
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2012/mj12anniversary.html
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/05/ufos-mj12-reaches-25/
Kentucky Family Observes Cigar-shaped UFOs
Salt Lick, Kentucky - 05-11-12
Shape: Cigar - Duration: 30 minutes
Strange objects appearing and disappearing.
My mother and father live on a hill side in eastern Kentucky. My mother, father, sister and I were sitting on their front porch on a very clear, sunny day.
My sister first noticed a bright light in the sky and grabbed the binoculars to look. It was visible with the naked eye.
She said it was flat cigar-shaped object which soon disappeared into thin air.
I blew it off as a balloon or plane. The object reappeared within minutes and I was the one to witness it first. I asked my sister if she saw it and within seconds of asking her, it disappeared again.
A few minutes later we were discussing exactly what we saw. At that moment my sister and I saw two objects appear.
One was super bright as if the sun was reflecting off metal. My mother saw it at that time and said it was had to be bright due to her poor vision. My father and I looked through the binoculars and could see that it was cigar or missile-shaped.
My sister also described it as flat and cigar shaped, bright silver in color. One light drifted off and disappeared as fast as they appeared.
There were several jets in the sky leaving contrails. These objects left no trail at all; just appearing and disappearing in thin air. One did move slightly as if in flight but would disappear very strangely, all four of us are confused at to what we saw.
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2012/saltlikeky051112.html
Texas Bus Passengers See Unknown Objects over Highway 67 Bridge
I was on a bus on my way to a truck driving school in Cedar Hills from Waxahachie, Texas, on Highway 67.
I thought it was strange there was a blimp floating over the tower at that height. I’m always looking up to watch planes fly; I don’t know why, just interested in them.
As we became straight across from it and I got a good look it, I realized the shape and non-movement of it, and immediately knew it wasn’t a blimp.
These vessels were long, and they looked like they were about at least 1/2 mile in length and they just sat there.
After staring at them for a few moments, I remembered I had my camera so I took a picture, but it didn’t turn out that great, although you can see the outline.
I showed 3 other guys the vessel as it just floated there. There was no up or down movement; it sat steady. Then they looked like they just melted into the sky; they just disappeared.
I'm not crazy I hope. I have had 3 other experiences around Buna, Texas and never said anything before because I never had any proof to back it up.
Thank you for your time, we have yet another sighting that we can't explain. It was exciting yet scary, you know.
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2012/texas67.html
submitted to www.mufon.com
Houston Man Investigates UFO Sightings
Tiffany Craig / KHOU 11 News
HOUSTON – While some call it hogwash, others are fascinated by unidentified flying objects, or UFOs.
If aliens wanted to land somewhere on this planet it seems the Lone Star state would make the short list. With well-known cases like the Stephenville sightings in 2008, and even those bizarre blinking lights in Texas City last month, the only state that reports more UFO’s than Texas is California.
Chuck Stansburge is a UFO investigator. He said he works for MUFON, or the Mutual UFO Network. “There are going to be some people who watch this and say maybe that man is a little crazy, possibility, I’ve been told that many times,” he said.
Long before tackling the paranormal Standburge carried a badge. He said he spent years in law enforcement in Colorado and Oklahoma.
Then a disability forced Chuck into early retirement. That left him with plenty of time to explore his passion of strange sightings that are reported in a 14-county area in Southeast Texas.
He said trading in a uniform for UFOs wasn’t exactly a household decision. His wife Sandra just didn’t get her husband’s fascination.
“I had never seen anything, or heard anything from friends relatives, or anyone I ever worked with, so UFOs, no,” she said.
But an experience with her own eyes would eventually make her a believer too, she said. What she saw that night will remain a mystery. But there are a handful of cases that her husband works each week.
He looked into the lights in Texas City, and it seems that case is now closed.
MUFON did a mock up and it turned out to be lanterns.
MUFON said that 90 percent of cases are eventually solved, but that doesn’t stop him.
“There’s stuff out here definitely all over the state of Texas,” he said.
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2012/houstonman.html
http://www.khou.com/news/Houston-man-investigates-UFO-sightings-152129155.html
2009 - Motorist Drives Underneath Massive Triangle in Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia - 08-09-09
I turned down Oceana Blvd. from Damn Neck Road to head towards First Colonial Road. The sky was dark and clear.
Passing the stopight where the Commissary is and making the short, sharp right curve I immediately noticed a massive triangular-shaped object with massive lights on its bottom.
It was just hovering above and just out from the tree line directly across from the 7-11 and entrance to the Air Base.
I was doing 45 mph in good traffic so stopping wasn't an option that was immediately available.
The nose of the object hovered between the Oceana Blvd. and the tree line just 20-30 feet from the edge of the road.
The object widened out massively from its nose in a triangle shape and extended back behind the tree line out of visibility.
I had to drive nearly underneath this object and right past it. I rolled my window down to listen as I drove underneath of it and heard nothing.
Three lights were visible from the portion of this craft I saw hovering. The lights were round, each one at least 15 feet in diameter and extremely bright.
The craft was black and did not have seams or texture on its bottom surface. I was able to determine the shape of the object because of the lights on the bottom reflecting off the bottom of the crafts edges.
The widest part of the craft sticking out above the tree line was at least 100 feet wide. This continued some unknown length far behind the tree line.
The object was completely still and silent from the time I first noticed it until I drove nearly underneath it and passed it.
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2012/virginiabeachtri09.html
2006 - Close Encounter with Boomerang UFO in Canada
Autauga, Alberta, Canada - 07-10-06
At 1:30 AM, my husband and I were star gazing at a park near our house. We sat on a hillside, overlooking the park, and at the edge of someone’s yard.
The sky was bright and full of stars, but there were some low clouds covering the western sky, which were getting closer to us.
I was looking almost straight up. The edge of the clouds was right above us. Suddenly below the clouds a boomerang shaped craft "appeared".
It was getting closer to us, coming at us, and getting bigger. It seemed like it dropped out of the cloud.
It descended towards us for a couple of seconds, and then it stopped.
It started moving southeast in a slightly curved line and then it suddenly stopped made a 90 degree rotation (the whole craft turned like a steering wheel staying flat)and then turned back (the turn seemed to give it propulsion to take off at an incredible rate of speed.)
There is only 1 tall building in town. It disappeared behind the building, but got noticeably smaller (further away) as it did so.
As I was watching, I tried to get my husband’s attention, but I was in awe and by the end he was saying "what?" but it was already over...
The whole thing lasted maybe 10 seconds, but that was long enough to get a good look. I thought it was a smaller craft at first, but I calculated the distance of the cloud cover and realized if it was truly that far away (about 1000 ft feet) then it must have been huge for me to see the details I saw.
It blended in to the night sky. The texture reminded me of what you would see on a movie space ship; metal came to mind; I think the inner side, but it may have been the outer side, as it was 6 years ago and what looked like a trap-door in the middle.
The "lights" were not turned on.
Like I said, the whole thing seemed to blend in with the sky. I tried to discount it as a plane, but planes don't move that fast or turn the way it turned.
Afterwards, I said to my husband "did you see that?” He said "see what?" so at first I thought maybe I was hallucinating.
I explained to him as we walked home. I was now losing the awe and calm and excitement of the initial sighting and I began to get scared.
It came down right on top of us, so I entertained thoughts that it wanted to abduct me. I was so terrified after that, I slept with the lights on for 4 days.
Only about 10 people knew about this, until now. I decided to tell before the memories get too hazy.
Thanks to MUFON CMS system.
KEN PFEIFER WORLD UFO PHOTOS.ORG
permanent link: http://www.ufocasebook.com/2012/autaugacanada2006.html
WWW.MUFONNJNEWS.COM
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Movie Review: How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (2003)
An insipid romantic comedy, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days overplays its thin premise and outstays its welcome, wasting the talent of all involved.
Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is a "how to" writer at Composure magazine, a women's monthly filled with the typical airheaded articles about relationships, sex and fashion. Andie has aspirations to write more meaningful material, but is prevented from doing so by her editor Lana (Bebe Neuwirth). Andie's next assignment is to write about all the irritating relationship mistakes that women commit to drive men away. At a bar she randomly chooses hunky advertising executive Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey) as her victim. Andie's plan is first to seduce Ben then aggravate him with clinginess to ensure that he breaks up with her within 10 days, thus providing her with the material for her piece.
Unknown to Andie, Ben has his own bet going with his boss and work colleagues. He wants to prove that he can get any woman to fall in love with him within 10 days, thus earning him the right to be the representative for a lucrative diamond jewelry account. And so when Andie starts to unleash her plan of trampling all over Ben's world with the most annoying behaviour possible, he proves remarkably resilient, since his objective is to still have her as a lover at the end of 10 days, no matter the cost.
Five different writers had a hand in the script of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, and the strain of pulling together a coherent movie is painfully evident. The story is both convoluted and inane, even for the rom-com genre, and once the respective motives are established within the first 20 minutes, director Donald Petrie somehow manages to stretch out proceedings to an agonizing 116 minutes.
And most of the running time consists of Andie trying to make Ben's life as miserable as possible, from asking him to fetch her drinks during the last crucial seconds of a basketball playoff game to dragging him to a Celine Dion concert and a chick flick marathon. When all these obnoxious behaviours fail, she graduates to redecorating his immaculate bachelor's pad with cutesy stuffed animals, crashing his poker night with the guys, and unleashing a puppy to piss all over his home and office.
It's a concentration of abominable behaviour that would never ring true and is meant to be really funny, but in Petrie's hands whatever humour was possible is replaced by flat delivery and a prevailing mood of exaggerated nastiness. Of course the film eventually veers to the well-trodden path of true love emerging from the ashes, but Andie's cruelty and Ben's connivance make that outcome more ludicrous than usual when it finally arrives.
Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey don't even try to convince, and play their roles with a combination of distorted disinterest and tacky typecasting. In her few scenes Bebe Neuwirth provides a dose of irreverent aloofness, but the rest of the supporting cast is weak and consists of more television-level talent in the form of Kathryn Hahn, Annie Parisse and Robert Klein.
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days is a tiresome exercise in vexatious behaviour, with a stale exterior and a hollow core.
Labels: Film Review, Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, Movie Review
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Lucian Freud’s late reclining nude makes London record at £22.5m
Artist was 80 years old when he began the painting of a former Tate cataloguer
Anny Shaw
27th June 2018 12:29 BST
Lucian Freud’s Portrait on a White Cover (2002-03) is the most expensive work by the artist to have been sold in his hometown of London Sotheby's
One of the last reclining nudes that Lucian Freud painted achieved £19.7m (£22.5m with fees) at Sotheby’s last night, making it the most expensive painting by the artist to be sold in London.
The strikingly composed Portrait on a White Cover (2002-03) saw bidding from Freud’s dealer, Acquavella Galleries, and Patti Wong, the chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, before selling on the phone to Alex Branczic, the auction house’s head of contemporary art in Europe. The canvas was one of 25 guaranteed works in the 44-lot sale, which racked up £94.2m (£110.2m with fees) in total, against an estimate of £79.7m-£108.2m.
The result is now the fourth highest for Freud, whose record stands at $56.2m (£36m) for Benefits Supervisor Resting (1994), which was bought by the Russian oligarch and owner of Chelsea football club Roman Abramovich at Christie’s in New York in 2015.
“This work is half the size of Benefits Supervisor Resting, so whichever way you cut the cake, that’s a good price,” says the London dealer Thomas Gibson of Thomas Gibson Fine Art. “It’s a strong picture; I would not have been surprised if it had actually made more.”
Estimated at between £17m and £20m, the work was priced “quite fully”, which can sometimes limit potential competition, says Nick Mclean of the London- and New York-based gallery Eykyn Maclean. “There’s always the question about exhaustion after [Art] Basel and the May sales in New York. But these larger scale works by Freud are pretty rare and this example is a good one of its type.”
The painting, which Freud began when he was 80, is of Sophie Lawrence, a little-known sitter whom the artist met when she worked as a cataloguer for the Tate, where Freud had a retrospective in 2002. The pair hit it off, “drinking champagne and gossiping” in his garden, according to The Telegraph.
Shortly afterwards Freud invited her to sit for him, which she did for five nights of every week for eight months. “I wouldn’t have done it for anyone else, but he is one of the best artists who has ever lived,” Lawrence says, who has since married and become Sophie Church. “It was incredibly intimidating, but he made me feel at ease. He was very good at building a rapport with people. I was very fond of him.”
More NewsTopicsAuctionsSotheby'sAuction housesLucian Freud
Flipping the Bacon: Sotheby's £69m post-war and contemporary sale lacks fizz
Fresh talent breathes life into slim £45m postwar and contemporary evening sale at Christie’s London
Female painters steal the limelight at Phillips contemporary evening sale in London
‘Brexit changes the game’: David Zwirner to open Paris gallery
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Notations On Our World (Special Edition): Out & About in Our World as #GlobalCitizenFestival is About to Go Live!!!
“Fight if you must, work hard, give your best but never quit in the face of difficulty.” -Sanchita Pandey
As We bid farewell to the third quarter and gear up for the 4th quarter, we are privileged to join in helping to spread the Word about Global Citizen Festival throughout all our virtual properties as we hereby present guidance from the team at Global Citizen on this--as we also send a shoutout to the team at The Mission for the fabulous graphic & admonition!!
Please enjoy as we join in saying--Onward to the 4th Quarter with all its possibilities....
Watch live coverage of the Global Citizen Festival on MSNBC and nbcnews.com/globalcitizen this Saturday, Sept. 29, beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
YouTube, presented by Johnson & Johnson
Stream the full festival live on YouTube, thanks to Johnson & Johnson, starting at 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 29. Visit our channel to set a reminder. (YouTube will send you a notification when we go live.) We'll also be posting performances, speakers, and clips of world leaders making crucial commitments on our channel throughout the night, so you can go back and watch your favorite moments over and over again.
Twitter, presented by Johnson & Johnson
Stream the full festival live on Twitter, also thanks to Johnson & Johnson, starting at 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 29. Visit our livestream page to set a reminder. (Twitter will send you a notification when we go live.) We’ll also be tweeting live coverage of the festival, so make sure give us a follow. Join the conversation yourself with #GlobalCitizen and #BeTheGeneration.
Read More: The Global Citizen Festival in New York Just Got More Accessible for People With Disabilities
Listen to the festival live on Global Citizen Festival Radio on iHeartRadio, starting at 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 29. You can also stream directly on the iHeartRadio app by searching “Global Citizen Festival.”
Don’t go anywhere! We’ll be streaming the festival live on our website at the New York City festival page, starting at 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 29.
Notations On Our World (Special Quarter-End Edition): Out & About.....
Our World was witness yet again to change this week as we were witness to an iconic American Brand of Journalism, Time Magazine, being bought by the Co-Founder of SalesForce.Com. We also were witness to Comcast (The parent of NBCUniversal), buy out Sky of theUK. Our team has featured the SkyNews live broadcast in our Live Broadcast POD in our Visions and Education Property and we hope that Comcast will continue its' commitment to maintain Sky's independence.
Beyond the changing media landscape, we have also been on the prowl assessing the on-going political scene. The reporting by the New York Times on the Deputy Attorney General along with the controversy over the Supreme Court Nomination has been making the headlines in the United States. However, what is going on in Europe with Brexit (as Britain will leave the Union in less than 200 days), is what happened in Salzsburg. The European Union rejected the British Prime Minister Plan and British Papers had a field day over this:
What the President of France noted was telling: Those who were in favor of Brexit were liars. It is interesting that a second referendum continues to be rejected as the British Prime Minister gears up for his Conservative Party Conference with potential leadership challenges--including her former Foreign Secretary and a leading Brexit Campaigner, Boris Johnson, who is apparently waiting in the wings in this regard.
As Europe continues to deal with Brexit and on-going Immigration issues, there is the Iran. Iran was witness to a terrorist attack by an Iranian Arab Separatist Organization--although ISIS (also known as Daesh in the Middle East) claimed responsibility during a military parade which saw a number of civilians including children lose their lives. The Government promised a crushing response:
The Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, is due to arrive in New York for the upcoming UN General Assembly Session that is slated to start this week. An Iranian Human Rights Organization organized a Street Campaign to remind all of the Human Rights Record of the current Government in Tehran as a number of leading defenders of Human Rights including Nasrin Soutodeh (currently on hunger strike as we went to press with this final edition of Notations), Mr. Shoulesadri (a former Presidential Candidate, Member of Parliament and Attorney) and other continue to be detained:
Profound challenging times indeed as a new Quarter dawns.....
Notations On Our World (Special W-End Edition): On Disasters, #Florence & Being Prepared
As the weekend looms, our team chose these two thoughts to underscore some of the key philosophies that has driven us throughout our tenure as we celebrate our latest anniversary of service. We are grateful for the continued opportunity to serve!!
Please note this courtesy of the team at FEMA as the Carolinas continue to grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence--the need to be prepared is every so critical as we wish all the very best of weekends:
National Test of the Emergency Alert System Rescheduled for October 3, 2018
Save For an Emergency During National Preparedness Month
Steps for Cleaning Up After a Hurricane
Emergency Planning Curriculum for Elementary Schools
Due to the ongoing response to Hurricane Florence, the nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) will now be conducted on the backup date of October 3, 2018.
October 3 was the previously scheduled back-up date for the test, which was originally set for Thursday, September 20. A backup date is always planned in case of widespread severe weather or other significant events on the primary test date. The WEA portion of the test will start at 2:18 p.m. EDT on October 3, and the EAS portion will follow at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The test, being held in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether technological improvements are needed.
For further information on the test, go to www.fema.gov/emergency-alert-test.
Can your finances weather an emergency?
The final week of National Preparedness Month (NPM) 2018 begins on Sunday, September 23. Each week NPM focuses on a different action.
The theme for September 23-30 is, “Save For an Emergency.” 40 percent of all Americans do not have $400 in savings according to the Federal Reserve. Become financially prepared for an emergency by following these steps from the Ready Campaign:
Plan financially for the possibility of disaster.
Complete an Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK).
Maintain emergency savings for use in case of an emergency.
Take action to prepare this September! You can find resources, including the NPM social media toolkit, at www.ready.gov/september.
After a hurricane, it is important to know how to clean up safely.
Listen to local authorities to determine when it is safe for you to return home. Do not return home until local officials indicate it is safe to do so. Stay vigilant and monitor radio or TV stations for local emergency management officials’ guidance.
Ensure water is safe to drink, cook, or clean with after flooding. Often local officials put a boil water order in place following a flood or hurricane.
Remember, never run a generator inside your home, and keep it away from windows, doors, and vents.
Tips from FEMA for clean-up after returning home:
Always wear protective clothing including long-sleeved shirts, long pants, rubber or plastic gloves and waterproof boots or shoes.
Before entering your home, look outside for damaged power lines, gas lines, and other exterior damage.
Take photos of your damage before you begin to clean up and save repair receipts.
Get rid of mold. Mold may have contaminated your home, which raises the health risk for those with asthma, allergies, and breathing conditions.
Open doors and windows so your house can air out before spending any length of time inside.
Turn off main electrical power and water systems and do not use gas appliances until a professional can ensure they are safe.
Check all ceilings and floors for signs of sagging or other potentially dangerous structural damage.
Throw out all foods, beverages, and medicines exposed to flood waters or mud, including canned goods and containers with food or liquid.
Throw out any items that absorb water and you cannot clean or disinfect (i.e. mattresses, carpeting, stuffed animals, etc.).
Beware of snakes, insects, and other animals that may be on your property or in your home.
Remove all drywall and insulation that has been in contact with floodwaters.
Clean all hard surfaces (flooring, countertops, appliances, sinks, etc.) thoroughly with hot water and soap or detergent.
To learn more about what to do after a flood or a hurricane, visit Ready.gov/floods, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Flood Water After an Emergency or Disaster.
If you experienced a flood or other damages due to recent hurricane activity, please visit www.disasterassistance.gov to register for federal assistance.
Teach emergency preparedness in your grade school with Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP).
STEP provides a ready-to-teach classroom-based course for fourth- and fifth-graders. The students will study disasters. They will learn how to build a supply kit and how to create a family emergency communication plan.
STEP materials include:
STEP Overview
Instructor Guide
Student Activity Book
Disaster Dodgers Video Series
You can order the STEP materials for free. Visit Ready.gov/Youth-Preparedness to learn more.
September – National Preparedness Month
October – National Cyber Security Awareness Month
October 3 at 2:18 p.m. ET - FEMA’s Nationwide EAS and WEA Test
October 18 at 10:18 a.m. – Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills
Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events, entities, organizations, services, or products. Please let us know about other events and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included in future newsletters by contacting FEMA-prepare@fema.dhs.gov.
EMAIL: FEMA-prepare@fema.dhs.gov | TWITTER: @Citizen_Corps
Notations On Our World (@POTUS Edition): On The "Law and Order” President on Collusion and Kavanaugh: A Closer Look
Notations On Our World (Weekly Edition): On Breaking the Silence
For this week, our team chose this we received from a very courageous group of individuals who have tried to truly "Break the Silence". We salute them:
We are writing to update you about events that took place over the weekend during our tour of the South Hebron Hills.
This past Friday, we conducted an educational tour of the South Hebron Hills. The aim of the tour was, as always, to see the reality of the occupation and learn about it, as well as to show our support for the Taayush activists who were violently attacked by settlers in the outpost of Mitzpe Yair, the previous weekend. About 120 people from all over Israel joined the tour, and dozens of organizations, public figures, and Members of Knesset all lent their voices of support to it. The tour, however, was cut short when security forces blocked us from our regular lookout point next to the Mitzpe Yair outpost. They also arrested and detained Avner Gvaryahu, our Executive Director; Achiya Schatz, our Director of Communications; and Michael Sfard, our legal advisor and a renowned human right lawyer, for three hours.
For the full article, click here >>
Now's the time to support us so we can keep our activity going! For donations click here
'Watch the arrest of Breaking the Silence's activists
So what happened exactly?
As we made our way to the Hebron area, we were stopped by security forces, who issued a “reduction order” (that is, an official order whose goal is to decrease the number of people in a given area), intended to prevent our tours from taking place. We soon realized that the order applied not only to our buses traveling to the South Hebron Hills. It also affected another one of our buses heading to a tour in the city of Hebron (which was coordinated, as always, with the necessary authorities) and an additional bus of another organization, All That’s Left, which was on its way to Umm il-Kheir. Because of this, and since this type of order is incredibly rare, we are left to assume that the order was meant to reduce the movement and presence of leftists alone.
After we spoke with the security forces and convinced them that there was no justification for issuing such an order, each bus was permitted to proceed, and the tour to Hebron continued as planned. The tour to the South Hebron Hills continued on to a visit in Susya with Nasser Nawaj'a, a resident of the village, and from there we headed to the lookout point next near Mitzpe Yair - the same spot where activists from Taayush were violently attacked the previous week. This lookout point has been a regular feature of our tours for many years, and since we had been in touch with the brigade and had not been told at any stage that our route needed to be changed, we continued in that direction as part of our usual path.
As we drove up the road leading to the outpost, we were blocked by a Border Police jeep. Within minutes, we were presented with a “closed military zone” order, signed by the brigade commander. We were given one minute to evacuate a group of 120 participants, some of whom weren't so young. When we asked for more time to get everyone on the buses, the arrests started.
MK Mossi Raz: “It was sad to see the army working for the settlers, and it was sad to accompany my friends who were arrested until their release a few hours later. It was sad to realize that in the territories there are three legal systems: one for settlers, a different one for Palestinians, and a third for leftists. It is sad to see individual liberties shrinking, freedom of thought disappearing, and our democracy destroyed. What started in the occupied territories will surely end up seeping into Israel.”
Former Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair: "Two people from Breaking the Silence and Attorney Michael Sfard have been detained. The lieutenant colonel refuses to release them and won’t speak with me. [...] This is not the Israel Defense Forces. This is the Settlements Defense Forces. And all of this - from our tax money. It is very interesting that the army and the Border Police did not demonstrate such efficiency last weekend in defending the members of Taayush, who were severely beaten by the “innocent people” of Mitzpe Yair, in the presence of the army.”
As was reported in the media, the arrests were aimed at the leaders of the tour, which reinforced our suspicion that they were innitially meant to sabotage the tour. Despite this all, the tour did not stop. The participants wanted to stay and hear more about the reality of the occupation in the South Hebron Hills. While waiting for the detainees, they had the opportunity to hear from Taayush activist Dr. Amiel Vardi, who shared his knowledge of the area and also spoke about the attack he experienced the previous weekend. Later, as an expression of solidarity and support for the detainees, many of the participants came along with us to pick them up from the police station. Upon arriving at the police station, Avner, Achiya, and Michael had been told that they were in fact not arrested but rather detained, and that there was no immediate need for investigations or arrests. They were then told to return in a month and a half for further investigation.
We would like to thank J Street, T'ruah, Yachad, INN, and other organizations and individuals that support us.
As Avner Gvaryahu stated, we have no intention to give up, and we will continue to hold our tours in the South Hebron Hills and expose the public to the reality of the occupation. Unlike the Hebron brigade commander, we refuse to cave in to settler violence and to surrender to their intimidation, incitement, and violence directed against those who oppose the immoral reality of the occupied territories.
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World’s largest ferry will run from Dublin to Holyhead
Peter O’Dwyer, Senior Ireland Business Reporter
January 3 2018, 12:01am, The Times
The Irish Ferries ship will carry 1,500 cars and 1,800 passengers and crewIRISH FERRIES
The company that owns Irish Ferries is to splash out €165 million on the largest ferry in the world to run between Dublin and Holyhead.
Irish Continental Group has agreed terms with a German manufacturer to build the vessel, which will have the largest vehicle capacity of any ferry. She will carry 1,800 passengers and crew with a maximum of 330 trucks or 1,500 cars and 152 passenger cabins. The ship will increase ICG’s peak freight capacity by 50 per cent.
The ferry is to be delivered by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft & Co (FSG) in 2020 and will be used on Irish Ferries’ Dublin to Holyhead route.
Eamonn Rothwell, chief executive of ICG, said: “This investment underpins the confidence the group has in the markets in…
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Vikings Cranking Up The Heat In The Kitchen
Bay Roskill Sports Club Upgrades Its Kitchen
The Bay Roskill Sports Club, the Vikings, succeeded in raising a much needed $11,660 in The Trusts Million Dollar Mission to re-equip their kitchens that make and sell food to players and spectators.
Like most clubs, Bay Roskill “runs on the smell of an oily rag”. Even so it has a long history dating back to the period immediately after the World War II and is one of the few rugby league clubs left in Auckland that own their own clubrooms.
The club relies on revenue from hiring out its two halls and from a very busy tuck shop to pay for the everyday outgoings, but despite the club’s determination and a willingness to be as self-reliant as possible, previous equipment had gone beyond its useful life and holding the club back financially. So when the Million Dollar Mission popped up, the club jumped at the opportunity to apply for funding to upgrade kitchen equipment and get back into the business of catering to events and games.
As a result of supporters earning the club $11,660, the club now boasts two working ovens that work, a fridge to replace the one that died at the end of the last league season, an extra pie warmer and a microwave to replace ones that had previously stopped working. This new equipment means more sales in the tuck shop and more revenue. A PA system, also purchased gives the club the capacity to make announcements at games, prize-giving and have regular Junior Club discos.
Having ovens now means that teams can fundraise using the kitchen and sell meals at the club. This will pay for kids’ fees and merchandise along with end of year gatherings. A great way to ensure that the club is supporting their Mission.
The history of the Vikings
This proud club arrived at its present configuration as a result of the progressive amalgamation of a number of rugby league clubs that fired up after World War II. These three small clubs Eden Roskill, Wesley and Mt Roskill amalgamated around 1947 to become known as Mt Roskill Red Devils.
The folding of the Avondale club of the mid-fifties led to the formation of the Blockhouse Bay Cougars and eventually in 1979, to the merger with the Red Devils to form the Bay Roskill Vikings we know today. Today, the club is a Rugby League Club in the winter months and a Tag Club in the summer. It is home for the Bay Roskill Vikings, fielding 6 Mini-Mod teams, 8 Mod teams that include two youth girls’ teams, along with 2 senior male teams that currently play in the Sharman Cup Crown Lift Trucks Premiership, and a ladies team.
Bay Roskill utilised Facebook and emails to their database as the communication tools to get people voting for the club to get their share of the million dollars and the club successfully reached their target of $11,660 in good time.
Million Dollar Mission is just one of the ways that we give back to the community of West Auckland. If you’d like to find out more about applying for funding for your community organisation, check out the Million Dollar Mission website.
Category: Giving BackBy The Trusts July 18, 2017 Leave a comment
Tags: Million Dollar Mission
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50 Of The Most Beautiful Sentences In Literature
0 0 Unknown Tuesday, April 5, 2016 Edit this post
Buzzfeed asked their community to tell them about their favorite lines from literature. Here are some of their most beautiful replies.
2. “In our village, folks say God crumbles up the old moon into stars.”
—Alexander Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
3. “She wasn’t doing a thing that I could see, except standing there leaning on the balcony railing, holding the universe together.”
—J. D. Salinger, “A Girl I Knew”
4. “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart; I am, I am, I am.”
—Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
6. “Beauty is an enormous, unmerited gift given randomly, stupidly.”
—Khaled Hosseini, And the Mountains Echoed
7. “Sometimes I can feel my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living.”
—Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
8. “What are men to rocks and mountains?”
—Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
10. “‘Dear God,’ she prayed, ‘let me be something every minute of every hour of my life.’”
—Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
11. “The curves of your lips rewrite history.”
—Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
12. “A dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it.”
—Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
14. “As Estha stirred the thick jam he thought Two Thoughts and the Two Thoughts he thought were these: a) Anything can happen to anyone. and b) It is best to be prepared.”
—Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
15. “If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving one be me.”
—W. H. Auden, “The More Loving One”
16. “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”
—John Steinbeck, East of Eden
18. “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
—William Shakespeare, Hamlet
19. “America, I’ve given you all and now I’m nothing.”
—Allen Ginsburg, “America”
20. “It might be that to surrender to happiness was to accept defeat, but it was a defeat better than many victories.”
—W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage
22. “At the still point, there the dance is.”
—T. S. Eliot, “Four Quartets”
23. “Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”
—Nicole Krauss, The History of Love
24. “In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart.”
—Anne Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank
26. “The pieces I am, she gather them and gave them back to me in all the right order.”
—Toni Morrison, Beloved
27. “How wild it was, to let it be.”
—Cheryl Strayed, Wild
28. “Do I dare / Disturb the universe?”
—T. S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
30. “She was lost in her longing to understand.”
—Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera
31. “She was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world.”
—Kate Chopin, “The Awakening”
32. “We cross our bridges as we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and the presumption that once our eyes watered.”
—Tom Stoppard, Rosencratz and Guildenstern Are Dead
34. “The half life of love is forever.”
—Junot Diaz, This Is How You Lose Her
35. “I sing myself and celebrate myself.”
—Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
36. “There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.”
—Bram Stroker, Dracula
37. “Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it yet.”
—L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
38. “I could hear the human noise we sat there making, not one of us moving, not even when the room went dark.”
—Raymond Carver, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”
39. “I would always rather be happy than dignified.”
—Charlotte Brontë , Jane Eyre
41. “I have spread my dreams under your feet; / Tread softly because you tread on my dreams”
—W. B. Yeats, “Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven”
42. “It frightened him to think what must have gone to the making of her eyes.”
—Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence
43. “For poems are like rainbows; they escape you quickly.”
—Langston Hughes, The Big Sea
45. “I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.”
—Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
46. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
–F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
47. “Journeys end in lovers meeting.”
—William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
49. “It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.”
—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
50. “One must be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”
—Cassandra Clare, The Infernal Devices
Source: Buzzfeed via Idealist4ever
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Thinking Humanity: 50 Of The Most Beautiful Sentences In Literature
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https://www.thinkinghumanity.com/2016/04/50-of-most-beautiful-sentences-in-literature.html
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Home » American Assassin: A Thriller (A Mitch Rapp Novel #11) (Mass Market)
American Assassin: A Thriller (A Mitch Rapp Novel #11) (Mass Market)
Paperback (August 15th, 2017): $16.99
Now a major motion picture
#1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn introduces the young Mitch Rapp as he takes on his first covert assignment.
Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athlete without a care in the world…and then tragedy struck. Terrorists attacked innocent American citizens, and Rapp’s girlfriend was among the murdered. Two hundred and seventy souls perished on that cold December night, and thousands of family and friends were left searching for comfort. Mitch Rapp was one of them, but he was not interested in comfort. Now he wants retribution.
Two decades of cutthroat partisan politics have left the CIA and the country in an increasingly vulnerable position. Cold War veteran CIA Operations Director Thomas Stansfield knows he must prepare his people for the next war. America must confront Islamic terrorism with full force. Stansfield directs his protégée, Irene Kennedy, and his old Cold War colleague, Stan Hurley, to form a new group of clandestine operatives who will work outside the normal chain of command—men who do not exist.
What type of man is willing to kill for his country without putting on a uniform? Six months of intense training have prepared him to take the war to the enemy’s doorstep, and he does so with brutal efficiency. Rapp starts in Istanbul, where he assassinates the Turkish arms dealer who sold the explosives used in the terrorist attack. Rapp then moves on to Hamburg with his team and across Europe, leaving a trail of bodies. All roads lead to Beirut, though, and what Rapp doesn't know is that the enemy is aware of his existence and has prepared a trap. The hunter is about to become the hunted, and Rapp will need every ounce of skill and cunning if he is to survive the war-ravaged city and its various terrorist factions.
Behind the steely gaze of the nation's ultimate hero is a young man primed to become an American assassin.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn (1966–2013) created one of contemporary fiction’s most popular heroes: CIA counterterrorist agent Mitch Rapp, featured in thirteen of Flynn’s acclaimed political thrillers. All of his novels are New York Times bestsellers, including his stand-alone debut novel, Term Limits. The Mitch Rapp story begins with American Assassin, followed by Kill Shot, Transfer of Power, The Third Option, Separation of Power, Executive Power, Memorial Day, Consent to Kill, Act of Treason, Protect and Defend, Extreme Measures, Pursuit of Honor, The Last Man, The Survivor, Order to Kill, Enemy of the State, and Red War. American Assassin was released as a major film in 2017.
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: August 22nd, 2017
Series: A Mitch Rapp Novel
Fiction / Thrillers / Political
Hardcover (October 12th, 2010): $27.99
CD-Audio (September 2015): $19.99
Paperback (May 26th, 2011): $14.25
Hardcover, Large Print (December 2010): $36.95
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Population 4x More Important Than Climate Change on Water Shortage
Environmental carpe diem
Jaymi Heimbuch JaymiHeimbuch
Photo via victoriapeckham via Flickr Creative Commons
We're well aware of the fact that humans have a significant impact on water supplies -- from groundwater pumping to altering the course and flow of the world's rivers, we are no small player in how much fresh water exists on the planet. However, would we ever have guessed that we were four times more significant than climate change on water supplies? A new report shows that we really need to focus far more on humans than warming temperatures if we want to avoid major water conflicts in the near future.Researchers in Finland and The Netherlands have analyzed the mix of population growth, climate data and water resources and have found that despite the fact that our global climate is shifting at a dizzying rate, our population boom as a species has a far greater impact on water sources.
"In this study, the effects of changes in population on water shortage are roughly four times more important than changes in water availability as a result of long-term climatic change," the researchers state.
Environmental Research Web reports that according to the study, about 2% of the world's population experienced water shortages in 1900, but it shot up to 9% in 1960 and skyrocketed to 35% in 2005. The water shortages fall in line with our population rise -- but it also seems to fall in line with our heightened consumption of goods and services on a global level.
"In Eastern Asia and North Africa, over 20% of the population has been under some level of water shortage since the year 1900," Matti Kummu of Aalto University, Finland told the Environmental Research Web. "In the Middle East, this point was not reached until 1960, and in South Asia slightly later. In South Asia the trend has been particular sharp as today over 90% of the population are under some level of water shortage."
The researchers feel that the study highlights that in some areas there simply isn't enough water to support the population.
"Consequently, there will be an increasing need for non-structural measures, focusing on increasing the efficiency of water use, lowering water use intensity, reforming the economic structure of countries or entire regions, and optimising virtual water flows from regions without shortage to regions with shortage."
Easy peasy, right?
Just last week we discussed the groundwater supplies -- the main source of water for humans -- are being depleted at unsustainable rates. We know we're heading for a wall when it comes to water, and yet we as a global community don't seem to be making serious strides for changing our behaviors. It's one thing to give to charity:water and have a well drilled in Africa as a temporary solution. It's a whole other thing to ignore the catastrophic wastes of water our US agricultural industries are guilty of, or the virtual water held within the many consumer goods manufactured in places with water shortages, such as China, and shipped all over the world.
Rather than looking for solutions to the problem, we often spend too much brain power figuring out band-aids, from environmentally damaging desalination plants to shipping water from Alaska to India. It seems much more reasonable to invest that energy into implementing new standards for farming and regulations on water use globally -- to focus on the human problem, not the climate problem.
The researchers from Finland and The Netherlands plan to turn their focus to how water scarcity has developed between 1900 and the present, and predict how it may change in the next century.
Knowing the past helps us better manage the future, and when it comes to water, that's a literal life or death understanding.
Follow Jaymi on Twitter for more stories like this
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We're well aware of the fact that humans have a significant impact on water supplies -- from groundwater pumping to altering the course and flow of the world's rivers, we are no small player in how
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Saldana On Preparing To Play Uhura
Star Trek: XI February 4, 2009
Home Star Trek: XI
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
T'Bonz 10 years ago
For Zoe Saldana, J.J. Abram’s interest in working with her was “all she needed,” to attract her to Star Trek XI
As reported by Blackfilm.com, Abram’s interest in working with Saldana and liking her work was enough for her to agree to meet with him. “For an actor, that’s all you need,” she said. “That’s all you want. To get the acknowledgement and respect from your peers; and so I went out and met him. He then said, ‘I don’t need to see you anymore’ and I felt really good. I felt like I did it. I earned it.” Although not a fan of the original series prior to her work on StarTrek XI, Saldana has praise for Star Trek now. “…I have so muchadmiration for what they did,” she said, “and how much the seriescontinues to grow after 45 years and I had the honor of meetingNichelle Nichols and working with Leonard Nimoy and it was fantastic.”
Nichelle Nichols helped her with preparing to take on the role ofUhura. “I was able to sit down with her and she told me the whole storyof how Uhura came to be and where they were going with her character,but it all fell into place the moment she walked into the door andauditioned for the part,” said Saldana. “She named the characterherself and it was a special thing and she felt as an artist, she wasgoing to make the part big.”
Saldana also spoke to Leonard Nimoy, but was a bit intimidated by him.”You can only talk to Leonard for a little while,” she explained. “He’sso awesome. There’s not a lot I can say when I’m standing next to him.He’s a legend.”
To read more, head to the article located here.
Topics: Abrams, Nichols, Nimoy, Saldana, Uhura
What do you think? Chat with other fans in the Star Trek Kelvin universe movies forum at The Trek BBS.
Pine To Receive Award
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Robert De Niro And Grace Hightower Split After More Than 20 Years Of Marria...
Robert De Niro And Grace Hightower Split After More Than 20 Years Of Marriage
By : Julia Banim On : 21 Nov 2018 08:15
Robert De Niro has reportedly split from his wife Grace Hightower after 21 years of marriage.
The pair, who tied the knot in 1997 after ten years of dating, are reportedly no longer living together and it’s expected they’ll make a public announcement regarding their break-up in the weeks to come.
It’s been noted how De Niro has recently been attending events on his own, on occasions where Hightower would previously have been present.
De Niro met former flight attendant Hightower in 1987, at a time when she was working at the Mr Chow restaurant in London.
A source told Page Six:
They are not living together at this time.
While another source said:
De Niro and Grace are breaking up. He’s been at a few things since the very end of the summer without her — and rumor has it they are done.
As reported by People, the couple were last spotted together on the red carpet in June when they attended New York City’s 72nd Annual Tony Awards.
A source told People:
Sometimes things don’t work out the way you hope or want them to.
This will mark the second time the couple have called it quits. They originally separated in 1999 – two years into their marriage – but the divorce was never finalised.
They ended up rekindling their relationship, and renewed their wedding vows in 2004, in a ceremony attended by celebrities such as Meryl Streep and Martin Scorsese.
De Niro, 75, and Hightower, 63, have two children together, 20-year-old son Elliot, and six-year-old daughter, Helen.
The Taxi Driver actor has been married before. He was previously wed to actor and singer Diahnne Abbott, from 1976 to 1988. He has two children with Abbott, 47-year-old Drena and 42-year-old Raphael.
De Niro also has 23-year-old twin sons from his relationship with former model Toukie Smith, named Julian and Aaron.
It was a pleasure running into @Grace_Hightower and
Robert De Niro tonight! pic.twitter.com/x6GbhC7vbQ
— Marc Morial (@MARCMORIAL) November 20, 2018
The news comes after De Niro attended a glittering Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) benefit evening, where acclaimed director Martin Scorsese was honoured for his powerful and enduring influence on modern cinema.
As reported by USA Today, De Niro recalled his long friendship with Scorsese, who he’s previously worked with on iconic films such as Raging Bull and Goodfellas.
In his speech, De Niro spoke of how ‘Marty’s gift for friendship is directly related to his many gifts for filmmaking’, praising the great director as having ‘a giant heart that understands and embraces every character he helps us create, and every story he tells’.
De Niro also made reference to Scorsese’s early – and very different – career ambitions of becoming a priest, joking:
My theory was that he changed when he realised that being a priest meant serving God, but being a director meant being God.
Robert De Niro has reportedly split from his wife of more than 20 years.
According to multiple reports in the US, the revered actor and star of films including The Godfather Part II, Raging Bull and Goodfellas has broken up with Grace Hightower. pic.twitter.com/Lk7chxW72e
— Zora Suleman (@ZoraSuleman) November 21, 2018
I think it’s always terribly sad to see a break-up after so many years together, especially between a couple who’ve previously tried to reconcile.
Hopefully both De Niro and Hightower will both find happiness going forward.
Julia Banim
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.
Topics: Sex and Relationships
Page Six and 2 other
Robert De Niro and wife Grace Hightower split after over 20 years
Robert De Niro Splits from Wife Grace Hightower After Over 20 Years of Marriage
Martin Scorsese reunites with Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro at MoMA benefit
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Petsitting In New York And 8 Other Things That Are Surprisingly Illegal
Looking to stay on the right side of the law? It's harder than it seems.
by R.J. Wilson
Some laws seem pretty sensible. Others…well, not so much.
Dive into the hundreds of local ordinances, state laws, and federal statutes that make up your jurisdiction’s legal code, and you’re bound to find a few confusing entries. For instance, you might not know that…
1. Pro petsitters have a hard time working in New York City.
The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene notes that according to city regulations, anyone petsitting for pay must have an official license for boarding animals. Additionally, inspectors must visit the pet sitter’s residence to approve their “kennel.”
The good news is that the law is rarely enforced unless the health department receives complaints. However, in recent years, pet-sitting apps have challenged the long-standing law.
Senator Tony Avella, a Democrat from Queens, recently filed a complaint against one pet-sitting app.
“This is being done as a business,” Avella said to The New York Times. “They should have the proper certification, the proper training and the proper place to house these animals.”
One pet sitter, 27-year-old Raul Cordero, disputes that assertion.
“So if you have a license, that means you are certified to feed a dog or a cat?” Cordero said. “That’s crazy.”
2. Many cities and states regulate haircuts.
As long as there have been barbers, parents have been circumventing them with a pair of scissors or a set of clippers. Cutting your own hair or your children’s hair is, of course, perfectly legal. Try to expand the business, though, and you may run into legal trouble.
That’s because barbers and hairstylists are subject to licensing laws set by cities and states. This may seem like a governmental overreach, but the reasoning is pretty sound. Giving shaves with straight razors or using chemicals to bleach and color hair can be dangerous.
And while it’s technically illegal to charge a neighbor or cousin for a haircut, the authorities probably won’t bust you if you’re not causing trouble in some other way. However, cutting hair without a license can serve as an excuse to pile charges onto someone who is already in trouble.
For instance, police made a routine check of licenses in a New York City barber shop and discovered that two of the men did not yet have their licenses. In their defense, it’s a complicated, two-year process to obtain a barber’s license in NYC. One of the men, Daniel Rodriguez, received a simple summons for barbering without a license, but for the other man, known only as Q, the situation was far worse: there was a warrant out for Q, so police arrested him on the spot.
Thankfully, the police go easier on barbers than they do on more hardened criminals. “They were gentlemen about it,” Rodriguez told The New York Times. “They let him finish the guy’s hair who was in the chair.”
3. AirBnB is illegal in some places.
An AirBnB host in Santa Monica, California, named Scott Shatford “agreed to cease operating in Santa Monica, pay the City approximately $3,500 in fines and investigative costs and pay hundreds of dollars more in criminal fines and restitution,” according to the Santa Monica Lookout.
AirbnbSecrets
As if thousands of dollars in fees weren’t enough, Shatford “was also placed on probation for 24 months,” explained the Lookout.
Santa Monica adopted a “home-sharing” law in May 2015, outlawing “the rental of an entire unit for less than 30 days, requiring City business licenses, and payment of Santa Monica’s 14 percent hotel tax.”
A similar law is on the books in New York City and other municipalities across the globe.
4. Wisconsin has some strange butter laws.
Wisconsin resident Julie Rider smuggles her favorite butter, Irish-made Kerrygold, across state lines.
AP Photo/Jim Mone
“You can go over the border into Illinois or Minnesota and [buy Kerrygold],” she told the Chicago Tribune. “The dairy industry has a stranglehold on our legislators.”
According to the Tribune, “butter sold in Wisconsin [is] graded for taste, texture and color through a federal or state system,” meaning artisanal butters or those from abroad are prohibited in the state.
“We’re not a butter hit squad,” though, says Wisconsin Food and Recreational Safety administrator, Steve Ingham.
The Tribune goes on to specify, “The law also says state prisons, schools and hospitals may not swap out butter for margarine except for health-related reasons.”
Oh, and Wisconsin isn’t the only state with strange butter laws. In Iowa, it’s a misdemeanor to try to pass off margarine as butter. We can sort of understand that one.
5. Billboards are illegal in Hawaii.
Four states have actually banned billboards: Maine, Vermont, Alaska, and Hawaii. Hawaii’s law has been on the books the longest.
Galmer Studio
This is one of those laws that seems unusual, but makes sense when you think about it. Hawaii is known for its breathtaking scenery, and large outdoor advertising could realistically threaten the state’s natural beauty.
According to state law, companies can only display signs outside of the building where they do business. Signs aren’t permitted above the first floor, and the size of each sign is limited based on the size of the building.
6. In Delaware, you legally can’t sell dog hair.
The offense results in a disorderly conduct charge. You can’t sell the hair of any type of dog for any reason. We’re assuming that the law has something to do with 101 Dalmations, but we couldn’t find any justification for the odd regulation.
Oh, and you can’t sell cat hair, either. It’s a Class B misdemeanor. So if you’re running a black-market business selling prime Rhodesian Ridgeback fur, you might want to keep your operation on the down-low.
7. In Carmel, California, you’re not allowed to wear high heels.
Yes, it’s a real law:
The wearing of shoes with heels which measure more than two inches in height and less than one square inch of bearing surface upon the public streets and sidewalks of the City is prohibited, without the wearer’s first obtaining a permit for the wearing of such shoes. (Ord. 87 C.S. § 1, 1963; Code 1975 § 639.2).
According to a post on TripAdvisor, the strange law isn’t enforced. Apparently, it was added to the books in 1920, but these days, locals consider it a joke.
With that said, one user notes that high heels do carry certain risks.
“However, be very careful on the side streets, some of which can have some uneven pavement. Also, if you’re going to be walking in your heels after dark, it’s not a bad idea to have a small flashlight in your purse. Again, some of the side streets are not well lit.”
8. In Massachusetts, you can’t play part of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
If you’re going to play the national anthem of the United States, you’d better play the whole thing. According to the law of the commonwealth:
“Whoever plays, sings or renders the ”Star Spangled Banner” in any public place, theatre, motion picture hall, restaurant or cafe, or at any public entertainment, other than as a whole and separate composition or number, without embellishment or addition in the way of national or other melodies, or whoever plays, sings or renders the ”Star Spangled Banner”, or any part thereof, as dance music, as an exit march or as a part of a medley of any kind, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars.”
Well alright then.
9. In Nevada, you can’t use x-rays to determine a person’s shoe size.
This seems like a strange place to draw a line, given that the state is known for its lax attitude towards…well, pretty much everything.
However, this law makes some sort of sense, since shoe-fitting fluoroscopes actually exist. From the 1920s to the 1970s, shoemakers used these “Pedoscopes” to fit customers for shoes. X-rays are a form of ionizing radiation, however, which means that they can potentially cause cancer in high doses. As such, Nevada’s legislators apparently decided to step in (pardon the pun).
This law shows the dichotomy with strange regulations and ordinances: They might seem completely nonsensical, but at the end of the day, someone decided that they were a good idea.
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'Hunger Games' star Amandla Stenberg: 'Yep, I'm gay, not bi or pan'
Amandla Stenberg, the teen star who first gained notice in "The Hunger Games," has come out as gay, two years after she declared herself bisexual.
'Hunger Games' star Amandla Stenberg: 'Yep, I'm gay, not bi or pan' Amandla Stenberg, the teen star who first gained notice in "The Hunger Games," has come out as gay, two years after she declared herself bisexual. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://usat.ly/2yjXtuQ
Maria Puente, USA TODAY Published 6:27 p.m. ET June 18, 2018
Amandla Stenberg attends the 2018 MTV Movie And TV Awards on June 16, 2018 in Santa Monica, California.(Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images for MTV)
Amandla Stenberg, the former teen star of "The Hunger Games" who came out as bisexual in 2016 when she was 17, says she now realizes she's gay.
In an interview with "Wonderland" magazine, she got right to the point, joking about her "Ellen DeGeneres on the 'Time' cover" moment."
"Yep, I'm Gay," she told singer King Princess, who conducted the interview for the international magazine that covers new and established talent in pop culture, including fashion, film, music and art.
"I was so overcome with this profound sense of relief when I realized that I’m gay – not bi, not pan, but gay – with a romantic love for women," Stenberg said.
Stenberg, now 19, said she had a few big "Gay Sob moments" when she realized her sexuality. But she said they were joyful and overwhelmed sobs, not "mournful," and that "socialization" kept her from "understanding and living my truth for a while."
She is grateful that being gay has allowed her to "experience and understand love and sex, and therefore life, in an expansive and infinite way....My sexuality is not a byproduct of my past experiences with men, who I have loved, but rather a part of myself I was born with and love deeply."
Stenberg first came to notice as ill-fated Rue, Jennifer Lawrence's sidekick in "The Hunger Games" in 2012, when she was about 13.
In 2016, in a Snapchat video for "Teen Vogue," she came out as bisexual in an effort to inspire black women to embrace their identity. Appearing on the magazine's cover in February of that year, in an interview written by Solange Knowles, she talked about her budding social-justice activism and her difficulties adjusting to her identity.
"It's deeply bruising to fight against your identity and to mold yourself into shapes that you just shouldn't be in," she said then. "As someone who identifies as a black bisexual woman, I've been through it and it hurts and it's awkward and it's uncomfortable."
Stenberg's career has since expanded. She's released her own music, including a Mac DeMarco cover for the new film she's starred in, "Everything, Everything." She was named one of the Most Influential Teens by "Time" magazine, and has about two million followers online. She appeared in a cameo for Beyoncé's "Lemonade."
She just filmed "The Hate U Give," a drama about police brutality in a poor black community, and her sci-fi flick, "The Darkest Minds," and the war drama, "Where Hands Touch," also are landing soon, thus the interview with "Wonderland."
King Princess (real name Mikaela Straus) says she remembers walking out of her junior-year English class reading a headline: “Amandla Stenberg comes out as a queer."
"She unknowingly set a precedent in my life, a gold standard of how to be proud and exist in the intersectionality of multiple identities that were once thought of as being conflicting," KP wrote in an introduction to her interview.
Stenberg said she believes her identities intersect in her life, work and love life.
"Identity is transient and ever-shifting, shaped by our realities and relative to our environments," she said. "I think it’s a lens through which we navigate the world, and so it is inevitable that as I grow and change my experiences of life and love permeate the art that I make."
Amandla Stenberg has revealed that she was up for a role in Black Panther but chose to walk away because she didn’t want to take a role that could’ve gone to a darker-skinned actress. Time
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2yjXtuQ
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The Commanders Respond: Hellenic Navy
Vol. 138/3/1,309
A new U.S. defense strategy unveiled in January calls for a resized, refocused military. Proceedings asked the leaders of the world’s sea services: In an era of austere defense budgets and rapidly increasing technologies, what are the strategic objectives for your naval force over the next 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?
Vice Admiral Kosmas Christidis
Our navy operates in a complex strategic environment and fulfills missions in the Aegean Sea and, concurrently, in seas far from our shores. So, to remain relevant, we address the immediate concerns of today and at the same time track the challenges expected to arise in the mid- to long-term future.
My first and foremost strategic objective is to ensure that we retain the current deterrent capability and the ability to think and act adroitly with strategic effect. This will be done by focusing on how to best maintain and operate our assets and improve the training and education of our personnel. The ability to do more with the same or less is feasible, and the concept must permeate the entire chain of command. The question of “how much capability” is not quantitative but qualitative. At the same time, care will be taken in addressing international commitments, as directed by our political leaders. We must maintain our status as a dependable partner in promoting stability, and to that end, our navy is now bidding for taking command of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon Marine Operations.
Over the next 10–20 years, my main strategic goal is to set the foundation to operate a navy with the best-trained personnel and with sophisticated, agile, fully operational, and effective assets. We must stand ready to respond to a rapidly changing security environment and to issues regarding, among others, energy exploration and freedom of navigation. To achieve that, we must now invest wisely in both human and material resources. Making the correct choices today, with regard to the technologies that must be acquired and mastered in the next decade, is of vital importance and entails a multitude of decisions.
Further, an enduring goal remains being able to attract the right people and train them properly to maintain a highly capable and proficient naval force—a precondition for harvesting the fruits of peace and stability. We must make certain that the heavily burdened taxpayer believes that his contribution to our budget is providing the necessary returns.
Our navy has a storied heritage and has always been at the heart of Hellenic culture. Times may change, but values and principles remain. So, it is our sacred mission to ensure that we will maintain and deliver a naval force equivalent to its predecessors, projecting naval power and contining to be a major part of our national identity.
View All "The Commanders Respond" Entries »
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Calvin Harris Is Now Competing with Himself for Song of the Summer
New track "Heatstroke" features Young Thug, Pharrell and Ariana Grande, plus Calvin's continued bid to use Real Instruments.
by Lauren O'Neill
It's the natural progression from name-dropping in conversation, isn't it? People used to drop an A-list clanger over dinner, or while leaning over a glass of wine, to let you know that life was going well and they were, indeed, mingling with the in-crowd. Well, that's not the only way to do it. Calvin Harris has loads of famous friends and he is determined to tell you about it via the time-honored medium of Putting Them On The Track. Did you know that Calvin Harris knows and has likely spent time with bonafide cool people Frank Ocean and the Migos? Well now you do, because he made the actually fully amazing "Slide" with them, and everyone called it "an early contender for the sound of the summer!"
But now Yung Calv has thrown a spanner in the works by producing "Heatstroke," which features even more of his glamorous pals—this time Young Thug, Ariana Grande and Pharrell. If anything, "Heatstroke" is potentially even more "sound of the summer"-y than "Slide"—look at its title, for starters—with Thugger leading proceedings on a decidedly less trap-inflected flow than usual, that funky bassline, and a silky smooth chorus courtesy of Ariana and Pharrell. It's the sort of track that was made for you to play off your phone in the park as you get steadily more beer drunk in the afternoon, and it marks the second home run in what is turning into a worryingly excellent streak for Harris.
Listen below, decide whether this might even be better than "Slide," and pray Calvin doesn't cause even more confusion by releasing another "sound of the summer" contender (probably literally titled "Summer" the way things are going):
Follow Lauren on Twitter.
(Image via Calvin Harris on Twitter)
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Health Behavior And Health Education Theory Research And Practice
May 28, 2019 By admin Article Categories
The Praxis® Study Companion 6 Step 1: Learn About Your Test I. Health Education as a Discipline A. Major health behavior theories (e.g., stages of change, behavioral change theory,
Before developing health communication or social marketing campaigns, you have to do your research. This is also the time to plan how you will track and evaluate the success of your campaign. After it’s over, you need to evaluate the effectiveness. Keeping abreast of the latest communication.
Health education is a profession of educating people about health. Areas within this profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and spiritual health, as well as sexual and reproductive health education. Health education can be defined as the principle by which individuals and groups of people, learn to behave in a manner.
Hypnosis is a therapeutic practice that may be used within behavioral medicine. are intended to provide a foundation for further training in the theory and practice of mental health and other.
Based upon a tried and tested framework of intervention, Health Behavior Change, third edition, brings together the field of communication, the study of motivation and how people change, and insights derived from listening to and observing patients over many years, to provide a helpful source of advice on how to encourage individuals to embrace behaviour change and then maintain it.
Yet rarely do conflict-of-interest policies begin with a positive statement endorsing the importance of collaboration for successful translational research, advancing health. Commonly, researchers.
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH HEALTH SERVICES Detailed course offerings (Time Schedule) are available for. Spring Quarter 2019; Summer Quarter 2019; Autumn Quarter 2019; HSERV 100 Personal and Public Health (3) I&S Provides an overview of the key components of health and wellness. Presents a balance between individual responsibility and social determinants of public health, emphasizing a.
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, Ten month fellowship in Washington D.C. as Congressional or agency staff, including NOAA. November 24, 2014—(BRONX, NY)—Six faculty members at Albert Einstein. the Integrated Imaging Program, and the Harold and Muriel Block Chair in Anatomy & Structural Biology. Jan Vijg, Ph.D.Jan Vijg, About Albert. medical education and clinical investigation.
The Institute of Medicine study Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001) recommended that an interdisciplinary summit be held to further reform of health professions education in order to enhance quality and patient safety.Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality is the follow up to that summit, held in June 2002, where 150 participants across disciplines and occupations developed ideas.
. professor of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and executive vice president for Health Research and Education at the Samueli Institute. “However, many tell me that they don’t.
Guided in part by what the data and computers say, they then deploy teams of health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, and behavior health specialists. Of course, theory doesn’t always.
Good Autism Practice. and Carin Lindsten, “Health and Behavior of Children in Classrooms with and without Windows,” Journal of Environmental Psychology 12 1992 p 316. Ulrich, Roger. “Biophilic.
The education. health, in a statement. In the meantime, Jeffries said she was following instructions from Bishop’s doctor,
The authors write: Decades of valuable research on the effects of violent video games on children’s and adolescents’ aggressive behavior already exists. of the general concept of “psychological.
Health Promotion Theories Bonnie Raingruber Objectives At the conclusion of this chapter, the student will be able to: Compare and contrast nursing and non-nursing health promotion theories.
And according to research published this. they had lower education levels and were more likely to drink alcohol, smoke. Although you also had the contradictory finding that people with excellent.
Research in the past decade points to “toxic stress” as the root of the connection between adverse childhood experiences (Aces) and health problems in adult life. The theory is that continuous. the.
Critical Assumptions of the TTM. The Transtheoretical Model is also based on critical assumptions about the nature of behavior change and population health.
Emotions as Stress Reducers While research. for health, Kubzansky said. The theory, she said, is that they somehow buffer stress, although how this happens is unknown. Researchers speculate that.
Achieving positive health outcomes in today’s health care environment requires a variety of factors to come together that may be affected by educational attainment and a combination of soft and hard skills.
Essentials Of Firefighting 5th Edition Study Guide Download Essentials Of Firefighting 5th Edition Firefighting is the act of attempting to prevent the spread of and extinguish significant unwanted fires in buildings, vehicles, woodlands, etc. Essentials Of Fire Fighting Study Helper.Newly designed Code III interface lets you easily track your progress as you tear into the 1760 questions and 580 definitions included, that are
Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including. and control of neuronal signals behind animal behavior in health.
She previously led evaluation and accountability for the New York City Department of Education and began her career. the Journal of Health Systems Research and Theory, the Oxford Review of Economic.
Mar 23, 2018 · Health Behavior Change is an important concept for the practice of physical therapy. The nature of physical therapy typically requires that we explore what motivates our patients and clients in addition to determining what may be creating a barrier to performance or that is hampering compliance.
it should be at the forefront of mental health and social service training,” said study lead author Joseph Spinazzola, Ph.D. The study appears in a special online issue of the journal Psychological.
The Opportunity Cost Of Studying For An Economics Test Is The purpose of this page is to provide resources in the rapidly growing area of computer-based statistical data analysis. This site provides a web-enhanced course on various topics in statistical data analysis, including SPSS and SAS program listings and introductory routines. Topics include questionnaire design and survey sampling, forecasting techniques, computational tools and demonstrations. To
The advanced curriculum prepares for multi-level practice. research informed social work interventions that include individual children, their caregivers and community settings that provide primary.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics. and information systems managers and health care executives. Popular careers for online MBA recipients include human resources specialists.
Ground zero for clinical research in this country could. The Gap Between Theory And Practice It’s increasingly well-established that there are many patients whose health could be improved by.
11th Street uses a transdisciplinary approach to deliver primary care, behavioral health. community-based care for the education of health professions students and for faculty practice. "The Center.
This lesson will define the Health Belief Model as it was originally designed. You will also be given examples of how this health theory can be applied in the professional nursing environment.
A 2.5-day intensive training institute in California for health care workers. with your compassion practice is hindering you and see if you can test the “something is better than nothing” theory.
This includes developing an understanding of complex adaptive systems; working with diverse worldviews; and fundamentally committing to and prioritizing the health. Practice and participatory.
Colleges In Dublin Ireland For International Students
Philadelphia Veterans Multi Service And Education Center
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Joachin Beuckelaer
Geboren: After 1533 - Gestorben: 1574 Standort: Saal Tintoretto und Barocci,
Joachin Beuckelaer (or Joachim) was a Flemish painter born in Antwerp. He was an influential artist of everyday scenes set in Kitchens and Markets, often containing religious subtleties in the background. He is noted as the first painter to depict the fish stalls of Belgium (Kren and Marx, Web Gallery of Art).
A unique work combing his religious subjects and the fish stalls, is a piece titled, Water, from his Four Elements Series, which depicts twelve varieties of fish, symbolic of the twelve Disciples of Christ, where Jesus is also depicted in the background (National Gallery, London). All four paintings of the Four Elements Series, including also, Air, Fire and, Earth, are now in the National Gallery of London.
Beuckelaer also painted strictly religious subjects, as in his The Flight into Egypt, housed in the Rockox House of Antwerp. There is also his work now in the Uffizi Gallery, Pilate Shows Jesus to the People, depicting Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who presided over the trial of Jesus.
The artist is mentioned as having come from an obscure family of painters from Antwerp (The Grove Dictionary of Art). He trained with his uncle, Pieter Aertsen (1507 – 1575), called Long Peter (1507 – 1575), a Dutch painter whose genre works were influential in Italy. Aertsen’s influence can be seen strongly in works of Beuckelaer, such as his, The Cook, from 1574.
The artist’s works were rich in vivid characters, plentitudes of still-life objects, natural and architectural backgrounds, as well as in their moral essence. He had a lasting influence on Italian artists such as the Cremonese painter, Vincenzo Campi (1536 – 1591).
Pilates zeigt Jesus den Menschen
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Visualizing the Flow of Oil Around the World
Every day, 93 million barrels of oil are consumed by the world economy.
While a handful of countries are fortunate enough to have sufficient domestic production, many others must go to the $3 trillion global crude market for their energy needs.
We previously showed how oil prices affect the currencies of net oil importers and exporters, but today’s map and corresponding data from BP looks more specifically at how oil changes hands on the global market.
The Middle East was the biggest exporter of crude oil with 850.1 million tonnes shipped in 2014. Other major exporters include Russia (294.8), West Africa (213.9), and Canada (148.6).
Many countries in this category, such as Canada, are having their currencies hammered to historic lows.
Here is how major currencies did over 2015 – near the bottom of the list, you will see the currencies of many of the significant oil exporters such as Russia, Mexico, Canada, and Norway.
It is also worth noting that Venezuela, another significant exporter, is experiencing hyperinflation right now. However, the country’s tight capital controls mean that inflation information has to be extrapolated from black markets outside the country. DolarToday is a good source for this.
Related Topics:crudecurrencyexportsimportsoiltrade
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Trump’s Relationship with the Price of Oil
The 7 Major Flaws of the Global Financial System
5 Hidden Ways That Globalization is Changing
Gold has been used as money for millennia. People often attribute this to beauty, but there are basic physical properties for why gold is money.
Why Gold is Money
The economist John Maynard Keynes famously called gold a “barbarous relic”, suggesting that its usefulness as money is an artifact of the past. In an era filled with cashless transactions and hundreds of cryptocurrencies, this statement seems truer today than in Keynes’ time.
However, gold also possesses elemental properties that has made it an ideal metal for money throughout history.
Sanat Kumar, a chemical engineer from Columbia University, broke down the periodic table to show why gold has been used as a monetary metal for thousands of years.
The periodic table organizes 118 elements in rows by increasing atomic number (periods) and columns (groups) with similar electron configurations.
Just as in today’s animation, let’s apply the process of elimination to the periodic table to see why gold is money:
Gases and Liquids
Noble gases (such as argon and helium), as well as elements such as hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine and chlorine are gaseous at room temperature and standard pressure. Meanwhile, mercury and bromine are liquids. As a form of money, these are implausible and impractical.
Next, lanthanides and actinides are both generally elements that can decay and become radioactive. If you were to carry these around in your pocket they could irradiate or poison you.
Alkali and Alkaline-Earth Metals
Alkali and alkaline earth metals are located on the left-hand side of the periodic table, and are highly reactive at standard pressure and room temperature. Some can even burst into flames.
Transition, Post Transition Metals, and Metalloids
There are about 30 elements that are solid, nonflammable, and nontoxic. For an element to be used as money it needs to be rare, but not too rare. Nickel and copper, for example, are found throughout the Earth’s crust in relative abundance.
Super Rare and Synthetic Elements
Osmium only exists in the Earth’s crust from meteorites. Meanwhile, synthetic elements such as rutherfordium and nihonium must be created in a laboratory.
Once the above elements are eliminated, there are only five precious metals left: platinum, palladium, rhodium, silver and gold. People have used silver as money, but it tarnishes over time. Rhodium and palladium are more recent discoveries, with limited historical uses.
Platinum and gold are the remaining elements. Platinum’s extremely high melting point would require a furnace of the Gods to melt back in ancient times, making it impractical. This leaves us with gold. It melts at a lower temperature and is malleable, making it easy to work with.
Gold as Money
Gold does not dissipate into the atmosphere, it does not burst into flames, and it does not poison or irradiate the holder. It is rare enough to make it difficult to overproduce and malleable to mint into coins, bars, and bricks. Civilizations have consistently used gold as a material of value.
Perhaps modern societies would be well-served by looking at the properties of gold, to see why it has served as money for millennia, especially when someone’s wealth could disappear in a click.
Since the invention of banking, the global financial system has increasingly become more centralized. Here are the big flaws it has, as a result.
Since the invention of banking, the global financial system has become increasingly centralized.
In the modern system, central banks now control everything from interest rates to the issuance of currency, while government regulators, corporations, and intergovernmental organizations wield unparalleled influence at the top of this crucial food chain.
There is no doubt that this centralization has led to the creation of massive amounts of wealth, especially to those properly connected to the financial system. However, the same centralization has also arguably contributed to many global challenges and risks we face today.
Flaws of the Global Financial System
Today’s infographic comes to us from investment app Abra, and it highlights the seven major flaws of the global financial system, ranging from the lack of basic access to financial services to growing inequality.
1. Billions of people globally remain unbanked
To participate in the global financial sector, whether it is to make a digital payment or manage one’s wealth, one must have access to a bank account. However, 1.7 billion adults worldwide remain unbanked, having zero access to an account with a financial institution or a mobile money provider.
2. Global financial literacy remains low
For people to successfully use financial services and markets, they must have some degree of financial literacy. According to a recent global survey, just 1-in-3 people show an understanding of basic financial concepts, with most of these people living in high income economies.
Without an understanding of key concepts in finance, it makes it difficult for the majority of the population to make the right decisions – and to build wealth.
3. High intermediary costs and slow transactions
Once a person has access to financial services, sending and storing money should be inexpensive and fast.
However, just the opposite is true. Around the globe, the average cost of a remittance is 7.01% in fees per transaction – and when using banks, that rises to 10.53%. Even worse, these transactions can take days at a time, which seems quite unnecessary in today’s digital era.
4. Low trust in financial institutions and governments
The financial sector is the least trusted business sector globally, with only a 57% level of trust according to Edelman. Meanwhile, trust in governments is even lower, with only 40% trusting the U.S. government, and the global country average sitting at 47%.
5. Rising global inequality
In a centralized system, financial markets tend to be dominated by those who are best connected to them.
These are people who have:
Access to many financial opportunities and asset classes
Capital to deploy
Informational advantages
Access to financial expertise
In fact, according to recent data on global wealth concentration, the top 1% own 47% of all household wealth, while the top 10% hold roughly 85%.
On the other end of the spectrum, the vast majority of people have little to no financial assets to even start building wealth. Not only are many people living paycheck to paycheck – but they also don’t have access to assets that can create wealth, like stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or ETFs.
6. Currency manipulation and censorship
In a centralized system, countries have the power to manipulate and devalue fiat currencies, and this can have a devastating effect on markets and the lives of citizens.
In Venezuela, for example, the government has continually devalued its currency, creating runaway hyperinflation as a result. The last major currency manipulation in 2018 increased the price of a cup of coffee by over 772,400% in six months.
Further, centralized power also gives governments and financial institutions the ability to financially censor citizens, by taking actions such as freezing accounts, denying access to payment systems, removing funds from accounts, and denying the retrieval of funds during bank runs.
7. The build-up of systemic risk
Finally, centralization creates one final and important drawback.
With financial power concentrated with just a select few institutions, such as central banks and “too big too fail” companies, it means that one abject failure can decimate an entire system.
This happened in 2008 as U.S. subprime mortgages turned out to be an Achilles Heel for bank balance sheets, creating a ripple effect throughout the globe. Centralization means all eggs in one basket – and if that basket breaks it can possibly lead to the destruction of wealth on a large scale.
The Future of the Global Financial System?
The risks and drawbacks of centralization to the global financial system are well known, however there has never been much of a real alternative – until now.
With the proliferation of mobile phones and internet access, as well as the development of decentralization technologies like the blockchain, it may be possible to build an entirely new financial system.
But is the world ready?
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Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works - Webcast
9:30 AM PT - 3:30 PM PT
Silicon Valley USPTO
26 S. Fourth Street
Add to Calendar 2016-12-09 12:30:00 2016-12-09 12:30:00 Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works - Webcast The Silicon Valley USPTO will provide a delayed webcast viewing of the Public Meeting on Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works, broadcast from its headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday, December 9, 2016. The Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force is hosting a public meeting on Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works, to be held on December 9, 2016, at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Additional “watch parties” will be held at USPTO regional offices in Denver, Dallas, and Silicon Valley. The Task Force is convening the meeting to facilitate constructive, cross-industry dialogue among stakeholders about ways to promote a more robust and collaborative digital marketplace for copyrighted works. The meeting will focus on initiatives in this space that relate to standards development, interoperability across digital registries, and cross-industry collaboration, to understand the current state of affairs, identify challenges, and discuss paths forward. It will also be an opportunity to explore potential approaches to the future adoption and integration into the online marketplace of relevant emerging technologies, such as blockchain technology and open-source platforms. The goal is to provide a platform for discussion, and to determine in what ways government can be of assistance. One outcome could be to establish working groups to tackle specific issues through a multi-stakeholder process. The meeting will include panel sessions in the morning, an exhibition hall to showcase initiatives during lunchtime, and breakout sessions and a plenary discussion in the afternoon. Members of the public will have opportunities to participate. For more information, see the main webpage. Federal Register Notice: Additional details about the meeting are in a Federal Register Notice published on November 21, 2016. Registration is free, on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrants may attend the meeting in person in Alexandria, Virginia, and also watch the webcast in person at three of the USPTO’s regional offices. Register to attend. (link is external) Webcast: The public meeting will be available for viewing via live webcast. Silicon Valley USPTO Agenda: An agenda for the viewing at the Silicon Valley USPTO is available here Public Meeting on Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works - Silicon Valley USPTO Agenda. Additional information: For non-press inquiries, please contact Susan Allen, Attorney-Adviser, Office of Policy and International Affairs, USPTO, at susan.allen@uspto.gov (link sends e-mail). Background: The July 2013 Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force’s Green Paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy identified several issues critical to economic growth, job creation, and cultural development on which the Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force planned to conduct further work, including the issue of how the government can facilitate the further development of a robust online licensing environment. In addition to a 2013 public meeting and public comments, the Task Force hosted a public meeting on April 1, 2015, specifically to explore this latter issue. That meeting focused on the development and use of standard identifiers for all types of works of authorship, interoperability among databases and systems used to identify owners of rights and terms of use, and the possible creation of a portal for linking to such databases and licensing platforms. The December 9, 2016, public meeting will build on that discussion. Silicon Valley USPTO 26 S. Fourth Street San Jose, CA 95113 United States Silicon Valley USPTO 26 S. Fourth Street San Jose, CA 95113 United States Silicon Valley USPTO America/New_York public
Silicon Valley Regional Office
General, About Us, Office Locations, Detroit, Education
The Silicon Valley USPTO will provide a delayed webcast viewing of the Public Meeting on Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works, broadcast from its headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday, December 9, 2016.
The Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force is hosting a public meeting on Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works, to be held on December 9, 2016, at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Additional “watch parties” will be held at USPTO regional offices in Denver, Dallas, and Silicon Valley.
The Task Force is convening the meeting to facilitate constructive, cross-industry dialogue among stakeholders about ways to promote a more robust and collaborative digital marketplace for copyrighted works. The meeting will focus on initiatives in this space that relate to standards development, interoperability across digital registries, and cross-industry collaboration, to understand the current state of affairs, identify challenges, and discuss paths forward. It will also be an opportunity to explore potential approaches to the future adoption and integration into the online marketplace of relevant emerging technologies, such as blockchain technology and open-source platforms. The goal is to provide a platform for discussion, and to determine in what ways government can be of assistance. One outcome could be to establish working groups to tackle specific issues through a multi-stakeholder process.
The meeting will include panel sessions in the morning, an exhibition hall to showcase initiatives during lunchtime, and breakout sessions and a plenary discussion in the afternoon. Members of the public will have opportunities to participate.
For more information, see the main webpage.
Federal Register Notice: Additional details about the meeting are in a Federal Register Notice published on November 21, 2016.
Registration is free, on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrants may attend the meeting in person in Alexandria, Virginia, and also watch the webcast in person at three of the USPTO’s regional offices. Register to attend. (link is external)
Webcast: The public meeting will be available for viewing via live webcast.
Silicon Valley USPTO Agenda: An agenda for the viewing at the Silicon Valley USPTO is available here Public Meeting on Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works - Silicon Valley USPTO Agenda.
Additional information: For non-press inquiries, please contact Susan Allen, Attorney-Adviser, Office of Policy and International Affairs, USPTO, at susan.allen@uspto.gov (link sends e-mail).
Background: The July 2013 Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force’s Green Paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy identified several issues critical to economic growth, job creation, and cultural development on which the Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force planned to conduct further work, including the issue of how the government can facilitate the further development of a robust online licensing environment.
In addition to a 2013 public meeting and public comments, the Task Force hosted a public meeting on April 1, 2015, specifically to explore this latter issue. That meeting focused on the development and use of standard identifiers for all types of works of authorship, interoperability among databases and systems used to identify owners of rights and terms of use, and the possible creation of a portal for linking to such databases and licensing platforms. The December 9, 2016, public meeting will build on that discussion.
This page is owned by Silicon Valley Regional Office. Published on: Dec 2, 2016 08:45 PM EST Last Modified: Feb 21, 2019 10:29 AM EST
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Sanctuary Video Stream
Family Education
Jewish Camp
Officers & Trustees
Shabbat service - 19 Jul | 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
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Shabbat Morning Service - 14 Sep | 10:30 am - 11:30 am
The Valley Temple
145 Springfield Pike
*Member of Union for Reform Judaism
Shabbat Morning Service
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Shabbat Morning Service and Peter Hecht, son of Sam and Erika Hecht will become a bar mitzvah.
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CIVIL AIR PATROL / Clearwater Composite Squadron, SER-FL-447
1 person is interested
The Civil Air Patrol seeks volunteers with an interest in assisting our units in saving and managing documents and artifacts of historical significance.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 58,000 members nationwide. In its Air Force Auxiliary role, CAP performs about 85 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions. Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief, and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in CAP's Cadet Program. Visit www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.
The Civil Air Patrol- Group 3 has fourteen units in the Tampa Bay area. Our units are dedicated to assisting our local community through a myriad of emergency services and operational missions. We also focus on teaching a new generation about aerospace and its impact on our future. A variety of other positions are available as well.
Location: 1000 N Hercules Ave Clearwater, FL 33765
Date/Time: Thursdays 6:30pm to 9pm.
Duration: Ongoing
Time Commitment: 10-15 hours per month
Researching and creating articles, reports, or other projects that inform members and the public about the history of CAP and local units.
Producing the unit's annual history.
Assisting the Squadron in saving and managing documents and artifacts of historical significance.
Assisting the Public Affairs Officer in managing content on social media accounts.
Taking and preserving photographs to document squadron activities.
Conducting oral history interviews with long-standing and former members.
Mentoring cadets assigned to or interested in history-related duty positions.
Familiarizing themselves with the organization, missions, publications, and policies of the Civil Air Patrol.
Background or strong interest in history, journalism, and/or museums. Those possessing or working toward academic degrees in these areas are particularly encouraged to apply, but this is not a requirement.
Strong writing, editing, and public speaking skills.
Age 18 or older.
Willingness to become a member of the Civil Air Patrol and comply with all internal regulations and procedures.
Ability to pass a background check.
Enthusiasm for community service and working with youth.
Access to historical and leadership training and opportunities.
Formal recognition of training, qualification, and experience through CAP's Historian Specialty Track.
Training and mentoring available from Wing, Region, and National Historians.
Networking and training at Wing, Region, and National Conferences.
The opportunity to publish items in CAP's National History Journal, a quarterly publication featuring articles and scholarly works as needed
In addition to position-specific duties, all members are encouraged to participate in Civil Air Patrol’s Emergency Services, Aerospace Education, and Cadet Program missions. A wide variety of Emergency Services and other training opportunities are available if desired, though participation is not required.
To apply, please email a letter of interest to S/M Craig Hormes - CHormes@flwg.us with the subject line "SLCS-HIST".
3 More opportunities with CIVIL AIR PATROL / Clearwater Composite Squadron, SER-FL-447
1000 N Hercules AveClearwater, FL 33765
(27.9754,-82.75645)
Teaching / Instruction
10 - 15 Hours per Month
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The trade war’s unlikely victim: Hollywood
President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet business leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017. With the two nations engaged in a trade war, China appears to be punishing Hollywood imports. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)
By Steven Zeitchik
Steven Zeitchik
Reporter covering the business of entertainment in the U.S. and beyond
Last month, “Avengers: Endgame” became the highest-grossing American film in the history of China. It was a seminal moment, suggesting the partnership between China and Hollywood, which over the years has moved in fits and starts, was finally firing on all cylinders. But the $614 million that Disney-Marvel booked may turn out to be an outlier.
As the United States ups the stakes in a trade war, there are growing signs that China is quietly retaliating against the U.S. entertainment business.
Beijing is now constricting Hollywood’s ability to peddle its product in the country, say four people who conduct business in China or closely monitor its relations with Hollywood.
“I don’t want to use the words ‘total freeze,’ but it’s real,” said John Penotti, the producer of “Crazy Rich Asians” and head of SK Global who specializes in Asian productions. “They’re not saying it officially, but the industry is operating as if it’s close to a total shutdown.”
In contrast to many countries, distribution in China requires government approval, and according to these sources, the Chinese government is unlikely to offer distribution slots to more than a small handful of movies. The latest Spider-Man, Secret Life of Pets and Toy Story movies appear likely to get the nod, but most other summer and even fall hopefuls face being locked out of the world’s second-largest film market.
Hollywood relies on China to power its foreign box office, which in turn powers its film revenue, and the standoff reflects how much of a conundrum China represents for Hollywood.
The availability of so many overseas ticket-buyers at a time of intense entertainment competition at home has been a boon for U.S. studios. But at the same time, the mercurial ways of Chinese regulators and the ways that market penetration is subject to geopolitical crosswinds also make the nation a vexing place for studios to do business.
If the trade war wears on and the market remains cut off, it could result in a reduction of the budgets of studio movies, since it’s Chinese yuan that make them possible.
“I think this poses a dire situation for Hollywood,” said Aynne Kokas, a professor at the University of Virginia and author of “Hollywood Made In China,” about the complicated relationship between the two entities. “There definitely will be a trickle-back effect. It’s a very dangerous financial position to be reliant on Chinese box office to recoup profits.”
The Chinese market has become a place of increasing importance to the American movie business. As the country has rapidly built theaters — it now has more than 65,000 screens, a dozenfold increase compared to a decade ago — it has become a cash cow for American studios. Three of Hollywood’s top five movies at the worldwide box office last year — “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Aquaman” — each collected more than a quarter of their overseas dollars in China.
Other movies owe the country even more of their success. The underwater adventure “The Meg” notched 40 percent of its foreign total in China, while Steven Spielberg’s gamer-themed hit “Ready Player One” approached 50 percent. China could become the biggest film market as soon as 2020, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.
But to keep the dollars flowing, studios need those distribution slots. And that’s where matters get dicey.
China officially has a quota allowing in several dozen Hollywood movies per year — 38 in 2019, 35 the year before. Those numbers are up by more than 20 percent in the past five years.
The Film Bureau and its China Film Group division determine what movies are given a distribution slot. But with blackout periods, 11th-hour allowances and other unpredictable factors, even those who study the market say it can be impossible to parse what makes the cut. And lately, with the trade war raging, few movies are.
The Chinese slots are overseen by a mysterious network of regulators, which studios court with teams on the ground in Beijing who are in regular contact with bosses back in Los Angeles. Those regulators have been implacable in the wake of the trade war this spring.
One high-ranking U.S. studio executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity so as not to further undermine the chances of doing business in China, said the Film Bureau’s recalcitrance is as high as he can ever recall. “Let’s just say they’re not rushing to do you any favors,” the executive said.
Marc Ganis, an entertainment entrepreneur and consultant who does extensive business in China via his company Jiaflix, said he believes the de facto freeze is the result of signals bureaucrats are taking from their managers.
“Chinese regulators tend to follow unofficial cues from their bosses, and the cue right now appears to be: ‘Don’t help Hollywood,’ ” Ganis said.
Last month, the “Game of Thrones” finale did not air on tech platform Tencent as it was supposed to. Ganis and others suspect Chinese regulators pulled it as part of the trade war as well, though the show’s edgy political content probably did not help.
The effects could be greater than just a Westeros blackout. There has been no word of China slots for Paramount Pictures’s “Rocketman,” the Elton John biopic that opened two weeks ago in the U.S., or Sony Pictures’ “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” the Quentin Tarantino film about the Manson family that earned rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival and is poised for a big rollout around the world.
Both films would benefit greatly from a Chinese release but already could face an uphill climb because of edgy content, which Chinese censors frown upon. That would provide an added reason — or cover — to block them in the instance of a trade war.
“It’s not a transparent system where there are a set number of slots,” said Glen Basner, chief executive of the international sales and production company FilmNation and one of Hollywood’s most prominent overseas figures. “It’s a complicated process that depends on the content, on whether Chinese films are doing well, on a whole bunch of factors.” The trade war, he said, appears to be exacerbating them.
Two emails to the China Film Group seeking comment were not returned.
Trump has escalated long-standing economic tensions with China via a string of tariffs on Chinese products. The president is demanding Beijing do more to protect U.S. intellectual property and to open its markets to U.S.-made goods. China has responded with tariffs on U.S. products, and both sides are threatening further barriers to trade.
The standoff is also creating other effects. One prominent U.S. film producer, who asked not to be identified so as not to jeopardize relations with the country, said that when a Chinese-language movie they produced was released in China recently, they were asked to reduce their credit — that is, take a publicly lower role on the film — so they wouldn’t need to appear in marketing for the films. The Chinese distributor was worried how a prominent American name would play both to the public and to the government. “I think protectionism can take different forms,” the producer said.
The only exception to the freeze appears to be Disney. The studio has long managed the Chinese relationship well, in part because the two are business partners: The Shanghai government is the majority owner of Shanghai Disney.
That’s why, according to Ganis and others, Disney seems to be among the few companies granted release dates (“Endgame” as well as “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and “Toy Story 4″). Universal, behind “The Secret Life of Pets 2,” also appears at least partly unscathed for the moment.
The Film Bureau also works in concert with the National Radio and Television Administration (formerly the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, or SAPPRFT) to determine whether material is deemed appropriate. Censors are believed to dislike revolutionary and political stories, which may have played a role in the disappearance of “Thrones” from Tencent.
Still, some remain optimistic. Penotti, the “Crazy Rich Asians” producer, said he thought this all could turn out to be “a temporary setback” regardless of what happens in Washington.
He cites reasons for the Chinese government to prop up the U.S. film business. Typically, Chinese government officials want to make sure sales for domestic films are strong and are not overshadowed by Hollywood imports. So they adjust slots so more than half of box office comes from homegrown product.
But these officials also want to avoid scrutiny and charges of protectionism, particularly from domestic theater owners. And they want to make sure the movie economy does well in the country generally. So they will often work to make sure the foreign box office doesn’t dip below 40 percent. That could mean a flood of slots granted for December even if the trade war continues.
And with domestic movies doing well — China saw its second-highest-grossing domestic movie ever, the sci-fi epic “The Wandering Earth,” open over the Lunar New Year period several months ago — they would be incentivized to act on behalf of Hollywood imports.
China could also need American content as its own productions have slowed in the wake of the so-called Fan Bingbing tax-evasion scandal.
The actress, a huge box-office draw, has fallen out of favor after admitting to dodging tens of millions of dollars in taxes. That has knocked out one of the country’s biggest stars and slowed down its production. (One expert compared it to Tom Cruise, Will Smith and Brad Pitt suddenly becoming unhireable at the peak of their powers.) This could cause China to ignore trade-war pressures in the name of preserving its movie industry.
However, Kokas, the U-Va. professor, notes that given the dynamics of the trade war she wouldn’t be surprised to see the lockout last months or more. Securing access for tech and other exports is far more important to Chinese President Xi Jinping, she said, than propping up domestic box office. “They could keep this going indefinitely if they want to,” she said. China, she noted, could also allow in more films from India and other countries, as they recently did.
The White House has remained silent so far on the trade war’s Hollywood dimension. But Trump has repeatedly battled with some of the industry’s most prominent names, tweeting insults at the likes of Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro after they assailed him at award shows. As much as the “Apprentice” star came to prominence because of Hollywood, Trump has cemented his political brand by speaking out against it.
Could that actually cause China to back off the movie business? Experts say that’s unlikely.
“I think China is going to do what it thinks will protect its economy,” Ganis said. “What this just means is the president won’t shed any tears over it.”
Steven Zeitchik Steven Zeitchik covers the business of entertainment for The Washington Post, examining the industry's trends, challenges, issues and ideas. Before joining The Post, he covered entertainment for the Los Angeles Times for eight years. He also did reporting tours for The Times in places including Ukraine, Egypt, Germany and the Bill Cosby trial. Follow
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#MeToo movement forces Monica Lewinsky to question if affair with Clinton was consensual
Says relationship 'littered with inappropriate abuse of authority'
Law_Crime
Monica Lewinsky arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) more >
By Sally Persons - The Washington Times - Monday, February 26, 2018
Monica Lewinsky said her relationship with former President Bill Clinton was “littered with inappropriate abuse of authority, station, and privilege,” in a new essay in Vanity Fair out Monday.
Twenty years after the story of her affair with the president broke Ms. Lewinsky, who previously had said the relationship was consensual, now says she questions that, saying the emerging #MeToo movement puts the relationship between a 21-year-old intern and the president in a new light.
“I now see how problematic it was that the two of us even got to a place where there was a question of consent. Instead, the road that led there was littered with inappropriate abuse of authority, station, and privilege. (Full stop.)” Ms. Lewinsky writes.
That’s different than her take just four years ago when, in another piece for Vanity Fair, she said she would “always remain firm on this point: it was a consensual relationship.”
Ms. Lewinsky said she had to reconsider after seeing others come forward with their stories of harassment and abuse in recent months.
“Given my PTSD and my understanding of trauma, it’s very likely that my thinking would not necessarily be changing at this time had it not been for the #MeToo movement — not only because of the new lens it has provided but also because of how it has offered new avenues toward the safety that comes from solidarity,” she writes.
The #MeToo movement emerged after a New York Times report last year about mega-producer Harvey Weinstein’s decades of alleged sexual harassment and aggressive pursuits — even charges of rape — by actresses and young women who worked with him.
Most of them said that his power in the industry made them feel like they would jeopardize their career if they didn’t keep quiet about their experiences.
Several powerful men including the late Roger Ailes, former head of Fox News, former “Today” show host Matt Lauer and even President Trump, have been accused of making unwanted or inappropriate advances.
The movement has encouraged many women and some men to come forward with accusations they had been afraid to lodge before, and spurred others to reexamine past behavior in a new light.
One woman, Addie Zinone, who came forward about her sexual relationship with Mr. Lauer as a 24-year-old production assistant back in the early 2000s, said the relationship was consensual, but also described a “power imbalance.”
Accusers have been met with outpourings of support — which is very different from Ms. Lewinsky’s ordeal.
She said that a leader in the #MeToo movement wrote to her recently and said, “I’m sorry you were so alone.” The message brought her to tears remembering that time when her name was more of a punchline about oral sex than a victim.
Jennifer Lawless, director of the Women and Politics Institute at American University, said that Ms. Lewinsky’s reflection is similar to other women in the #MeToo movement, like Ms. Zinone, who are now older and looking back on relationships they had in their 20s.
“I think Monica Lewinsky’s assessment of what she went through 20 years ago now is informed by the fact that she’s a woman in her mid-40s, and I think that that’s common,” she explained.
But despite her public and intimate story, Ms. Lawless said it’s unlikely Ms. Lewinsky will become a public face of the #MeToo movement.
“Although I think it’s unfortunate … it’s probably a conscious decision on her part not to be particularly vocal,” Ms. Lawless said.
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FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2019 file photo, a woman walks on the beach next to the border wall topped with razor wire in Tijuana, Mexico. A group of former U.S. national security officials is set to release a statement on Monday, Feb. 25, arguing that there is no justification for President Donald Trump to use a national emergency declaration to fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
Defense secretary OK's $1 billion for border fencing help
The Pentagon says it will divert up to $1 billion to support the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection.
Published: 7:24 AM EDT March 26, 2019
Updated: 7:24 AM EDT March 26, 2019
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and building 57 miles of 18-foot-high fencing in Yuma, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas, along the U.S. border with Mexico.
The Pentagon says it will divert up to $1 billion to support the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection. The funding would also go toward installing lighting and constructing roads in those areas.
Shanahan says the Corps' focus will be on blocking "drug-smuggling corridors."
The El Paso sector has suddenly become the second-busiest corridor for illegal border crossings after Texas' Rio Grande Valley, many of them asylum-seeking families from Central America. The Yuma sector has also witnessed a jump in illegal crossings, particularly Guatemalan families in remote areas.
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Release Dates for ‘Episode IX’, ‘The Lion King’, ‘Frozen 2’, and ‘Indiana Jones’ Revealed
By Stephen Porter - Project Manager
www.wdwinfo.com
The release dates for Star Wars: Episode IX, The Lion King, Frozen 2, and Indiana Jones have all been announced. All four films are highly anticipated, and are all predicted to do very well in the box-office.
Star Wars: Episode IX is now set for May 24, 2019. The ninth film of the Skywalker saga will be directed by Colin Trevorrow, who directed Jurassic World.
The live-action remake of The Lion King is now set to be released two months after Star Wars: Episode IX, on July 19, 2019. The film will be directed by Jon Favreau who directed the live-action remake of The Jungle Book.
Anna and Elsa will return on November 27, 2019 as they bring Arendelle back to the big screen in Frozen 2. The film’s release date was announced on Kristen Bell’s (the voice of Anna) Twitter account.
Lastly, the new Indiana Jones film will be released on July 10, 2020. Harrison Ford is slated to return as the extremely adventurous archaeologist. Steven Spielberg will be directing.
Credit: eonline.com
Tags: disney, Film, Frozen 2, Indiana Jones, Star Wars: Episode IX, The Lion King
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‘Frozen 2’ Will Start Vocal Recordings Soon
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Candace Arthur
candace.arthur@weil.com
Candace Arthur is an associate in Weil’s Business Finance & Restructuring Department, where she is involved in teams advising debtors, creditors, equity holders, investors, and other interested parties in the context of domestic and international corporate restructurings, liquidations and distressed financings and acquisitions. Ms. Arthur’s participation in representations includes certain non-public ongoing matters, as well as the out-of-court representation of J. Crew Group, Inc. in its $2 billion debt for equity exchange, and the chapter 11 cases of Breitburn Energy Partners, LP, The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P), Southern Air Holdings Inc., and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and its affiliates in their historic bankruptcy cases.
Ms. Arthur is also involved in pro bono matters, conducting annual lectures on small businesses in distress on behalf of The Legal Aid Society and representing individuals in chapter 7 proceedings.
Prior to joining Weil, Ms. Arthur clerked for the Honorable Robert E. Gerber at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York in 2009. As an undergraduate at Yale, she was a record-holding member of the Women’s Track Team. At Georgetown Law, she served on the Barrister’s Council (Appellate Advocacy Division), was honored as Best Oral Advocate in the 2008 Frederick Douglass Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition, and was awarded a second-place finish in the Frederick Douglass National Moot Court Competition.
Firm News & Announcements
Southern District New York
Yale University (B.A., 2005)
Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 2009)
Awards and Recognition, Latest Thinking, Firm News & Announcements
Candace Arthur awarded Pro Bono Publico Award for 2012 Award Brief — The Legal Aid Society
Weil Attorneys, Firm Recognized by The Legal Aid Society for Pro Bono Service Award Brief — The Legal Aid Society
Investors Prepare to Pounce on Possible Uptick in Restructurings Publication — Journal of Corporate Renewal — By Ray C. Schrock, P.C. and Candace Arthur — February 04, 2015
To Deem Accepted or Not to Deem Accepted . . . That is the Question Blog Post — Weil Bankruptcy Blog — By Candace Arthur — November 05, 2014
Court Pierces the Corporate Veil and Tells Designer Knock-Off to Knock It Off Blog Post — Weil Bankruptcy Blog — By Candace Arthur — June 30, 2014
Weil Represents A&P in its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Firm Announcement — July 22, 2015
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Is There a Method to Trump’s North Korean Madness?
Eli Lake
Bloomberg• May 27, 2019
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- U.S. President Donald Trump often sounds more desperate for a deal than North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The latest example came on Monday, when Trump insisted that North Korea had not tested ballistic missiles earlier this month — contradicting not only his own national security adviser but also the prime minister of Japan.
After some speculation about Kim’s motivation, Trump doubled down on an earlier tweet. “All I know is that there have been no nuclear tests,” he said. “There have been no ballistic missiles going out, no long-range missiles going out.”
There are good reasons to worry about this. It’s indefensible for Trump to tweet out Kim’s dim view of former Vice President Joe Biden’s intelligence. And it almost goes without saying that Shinzo Abe and John Bolton are in a better position than Trump to assess North Korea’s missile tests.
That said, one unlikely source says there may be a method to Trump’s madness when it comes to Kim. His name is Thae Yong Ho, and he is one of the highest ranking North Korean officials ever to defect to the West.
In an interview at the Oslo Freedom Forum, an annual conference for dissidents and human-rights advocates in the Norwegian capital, Thae offered a possible rationale for Trump’s approach. “Trump still keeps the economic sanctions against Kim,” he said. “On the other hand, he is flattering him so he does not break out of the negotiations.” If North Korea tests nuclear or long-range ballistic missiles, Thae said, “Trump would have justification to use force. Kim knows this, and this is why he won’t do it.”
Coming from Thae, it’s a surprising view. When Thae defected in 2016 with his family, he became a hunted man. The South Korean government provides him with 24-hour protection, even when he travels outside of Seoul. “The world has seen what Kim has done to his half-brother,” said Thae, who was the second-ranking diplomat at his country’s embassy in London. “They can do anything to keep me silent.”
And while Thae said he understood Trump’s approach to managing Kim, he also said Kim has had some success in managing Trump. The terms initially agreed to in 2018 at their first summit in Singapore, he said, were too favorable to North Korea. “There is no clear timetable in the Singapore agreement for when the denuclearization would be completed,” he said.
Thae was also doubtful about one of the pillars of Trump’s strategy with Kim: offering North Korea economic prosperity as an incentive to dismantle its nuclear program. The regime’s elites know better, he said, but most North Koreans are brainwashed into believing Kim is a god. They will learn the truth if North Korea ever opens itself up to the rest of the world.
“Kim’s family has committed so many crimes in its history, for 70 years, for three generations, they have killed so many people,” he said. “Once justice is brought, there is no way for his family to be pardoned or forgiven by his people.”
For now, Thae said, a popular democratic revolution is not realistic. “It will probably take at least 20 years,” he said. Until then, the best strategy is for the free world to help North Koreans learn about the outside world. Initiatives aimed at doing so, such as smuggling into the country portable DVD players pre-programmed with South Korean soap operas, have been quietly gaining steam for years.
It’s not as immediate and direct as some other options. But it’s preferable to a bargain with a tyrant known for breaking his word — even if Trump is the only one who doesn’t acknowledge it.
To contact the author of this story: Eli Lake at elake1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Newman at mnewman43@bloomberg.net
Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI.
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by mirella · April 18, 2016
Release date: April 28, 2016 (USA)
Screenplay by: Amy Jump
Novel by: J.G. Ballard
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy, Sienna Guillory, Keeley Hawes
High-Rise starts with Dr. Robert Laing (Hiddleston) calmly surviving in terrible conditions in the titular building. Flashback to three months earlier, and he has just moved into this modern luxury building, with all the conveniences one would need to never leave except for work. But all that glitters is not gold, it will take very little to turn this into chaos.
High-Rise is an adaptation of a 70s’ novel by J.G. Ballard, and British producer Jeremy Thomas has been trying to adapt it to the big screen since then. Lo and behold, almost 40 years later, he got his wish with married couple director Ben Wheatley and screenwriter Amy Jump.
The film is set in a parallel 70s world, that seems to be the 70s vision of a modern (back then) era. So yeah, basically a retro-futuristic look, which can be seen in the brutalist architecture of the building itself. Also, just like in Snowpiercer, High-Rise is an allegory of society. The lower middle class lives at the bottom, the upper middle class live in the middle, the upper class lives on the top floors. And so, when things start falling apart in the building, we get a class war.
The cast does a superb job depicting this, starting with Hiddleston as Laing, who, more than a protagonist, is the one who gives us our POV. Laing seems like a civil fellow, quite charismatic and charming; but he’s also self-contained, someone you can’t totally read, and that makes him a bit creepy, and he sure wastes no time to adapt to the morally bankrupt microcosmos that surrounds him.
For a more obviously predatory character, we have down-on-his-luck documentary producer Richard Wilder (Evans), who helps ignite the class war, as well as document it. As his name suggests, he’s more savage and quick to act when he feel he’s had enough with his lot in life. Then we have Anthony Royal (Irons), the noted architect of the high-rise, who basically lives isolated in the penthouse, with his estranged wife Ann (Hawes), and the help. Royal does believe his building is the way of the future, and one can argue he has good intentions. Besides that, we have women from all the different strata of this society: Helen (Moss), the heavily pregnant wife of Richard, and Charlotte (Miller), Royal’s aide; both help illustrate the situation in the building, as well as develop interesting relations with Laing. There’s also actress Ann Sheridan (Guillory), who will team up with her friend Ann Royal, in order to make due during the events of the film.
The only thing that didn’t work so well it’s the swiftness of how things fell apart. In the middle of the film, we have a beautifully arranged montage, showing us Laing’s (and the rest of the denizens) descent into madness and a cease of social constraints. Up until that moment things weren’t that terrible, even if you could feel the spirit of anarchy lurking nearby. After said montage, everyone acts as if they are in the Mad Max universe. The time jump did a disservice to the built up of the tension.
Visually striking, High-Rise reminds us of Kubrick aesthetics, with its camera movements and edition. Then there’s constant use of kaleidoscopes, implied or straightforward, who adds to the slightly trippy and uncomfortable ambience of it all. Another good element of the movie is the music and, specially, the sound editing. I specially appreciate the use of Portishead’s cover of ABBA’s S.O.S. All this elements come to together to make a disquieting movie, whose atmosphere of unease is always present, even when things just started to go wrong. It’s a beautiful and chilling movie, but not for everyone.
Tags: ben wheatleycountry: ukelisabeth mossgenre: thrillerjeremy ironsluke evansmirella recommendsmood: artsymood: trippysienna millertom hiddlestonyam recommendsyear: 2016
YAM Magazine geek resident. Cloud Cuckoolander. Seldom web developer. Graphic designer.
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First bus NOT is offering free travel in Leeds for poppy wearers, but veterans and soldiers can travel for free
First bus in Leeds will offer free bus travel to serving members of the forces, veterans and cadets on November 11.
Laura Hill
Social media posts have been appearing online claiming that First Bus will be offering free travel to anyone wearing a poppy on armistice day, however the firm has said that this won't be the case in West Yorkshire.
The bus company WILL be offering free bus travel to all members of the armed forces, veterans and cadets on Sunday November 11.
A number of services will be held across the country to mark Remembrance Sunday
Members of the armed forces who are in uniform, or able to show an identification card, can claim free travel on any First West Yorkshire service for free, enabling them to easily travel to local Remembrance Day events.
The offer is also open to members of the cadet forces in uniform and veterans who display valid identification, such as the MOD issued Veteran's Badge.
The bus operator said that supporting Remembrance Sunday is of huge importance to the local bus operator as a significant number of its staff, including drivers, are ex-members of the armed forces.
Bus prices are going up in Leeds - full list of all new fares
Will Pearson, head of operations at First West Yorkshire, said: “Remembrance Day is an incredibly important occasion for many people to show their support, or remember family members, friends and others who have been lost in military service. We support the Royal British Legion every year, as a significant number of our team come from a military background.
“There will be many events and services taking place locally where people, communities and organisations around the area can visit to show their respect. As a supporter of our communities, we want to make it as easy as possible for people to attend local events on this important day.”
The free travel offer has been running for a number of years and the Royal British Legion has thanked First Bus for their ongoing support.
Parade to launch Royal British Legion poppy appeal in Leeds
Debra Westlake, community fundraiser for the Royal British Legion, said: “The support of First Bus for the Poppy Appeal 2018 is much-appreciated, as always, and we are particularly grateful that free bus travel will be available to members of the armed forces across our region on Remembrance Sunday.
“Donations to the Poppy Appeal will help the Legion support today’s Armed Forces community through hardships, injury and bereavements. The Legion’s work is entirely dependent on the public’s generous support – so please join First Bus and wear your poppy with pride.”
Destination Leeds for this gigantic dinosaur unpacked from a shipping container
REACTION AND RECAP: Leeds United 0 Manchester United 4: Marcelo Bielsa staying for Western Sydney Wanderers game; Stuart Dallas concussed
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https://www.yourconroenews.com/neighborhood/moco/news/article/New-Texas-road-design-dedicated-in-front-of-12620350.php
New Texas road design dedicated in front of Montgomery County Courthouse
The original pavers with names were kept and reinstalled with the new pavers around the 37-foot wide by 37-foot tall state of Texas design, according to Mayor Toby Powell.
In the middle of a rededication ceremony Thursday for a renovated street design, Conroe Mayor Toby Powell paused to a loud passing whistle.
"We were able to stop the rain," said Powell, standing below a few gray clouds on the windy day. "But we didn't stop the train."
But it was the weather and a timeline, not the train, that challenged Stafford-based Jerdon Enterprise's crew to complete the repair work on North Thompson Street, which began taking up the road Jan. 8. But the crews managed to complete the task just in time for the upcoming 53rd annual Go Texan Parade Saturday, with the large State of Texas design now on the street between the courthouse and the James H. Keeshan Building.
"That was 33 days ago – that's not working days, that's every day," Powell said. "In the cold, the rain and everything they went through to get this prepared for us for the Go Texan Parade, they need a round of applause because they did exceptionally well."
Darrol Vincent, vice president of Stafford-based Jerdon Enterprise, said the company was eager to be a part of the project following the previous work the company had done with the revitalization of the Conroe.
"We were happy to get it, and we gave it our best effort to get done before the parade with a short time frame," Vincent said. "We are ecstatic that the city is so happy about it."
According to Powell, the road was designed and built around 1992-93 under the Mayor Carter Moore administration. He said the Friends of Conroe sold naming blocks to install on the road, which gave it a unique design. Due to the deterioration of the road, the council decided to repair it with a fresh look.
"We had so many base failures, bumps in the road, that caused people to trip and fall; that was our main concern to get it (the road) fixed for that," interim director of the city's Engineering Department Thomas Woolley said. "It's kind of like icing on the cake to have the seal of Conroe and the state of Texas. It's just a good project for everyone."
The Revamped Design
The original pavers with names were kept and reinstalled with the new pavers around the 37-foot-wide by 37-foot-long State of Texas design, according to Powell.
"Around it has the square, and each one of the squares and blocks in there were the original blocks put down in 1993, Powell said. "We felt it was important to us to keep the heritage of the old with the new."
On that Texas logo, Powell has donated a large steel plate with the City of Conroe seal, his name and his wife's name and German company ICOTEX, which provided the work on the plate as a donation. Powell took time to thank ICOTEX for the seal donation, his wife Vanessa and several people, some in attendance, including council members, Jerdon Enterprise, Gulf Coast Pavers Inc., the engineering staff, County Judge Craig Doyal, county commissioners, CIDC, GCEDC, planning commission and city staff.
"The seal on display is located exactly, according to engineering, the satellite up (in space) is the exact location to where the city of Conroe is in the state of Texas, not only that-it weighs 300 pounds," Powell said. "That is a pretty large seal."
The mayor shared there were a few funny stories during the construction despite the weather, including one story regarding the Engineering Department working on the design.
"As you see, the state of Texas, as large as it is according to the satellite, it had 148 different dots put around this whole state of Texas. They came to me, started drawing lines on it, got a few sharpies and got on their hands and knees. Engineering did all this" Powell said chuckling. "He said, 'I was just afraid they were going to miss one of them.'"
The form was cut exactly to the engineer's marks.
"So this is also just a great piece of artwork, not just the great state of Texas but the seal itself," Powell said. "The lines of the Gulf of Mexico, the Rio Grande River over there, the Red River and Sabine River was pretty accurate - as much as we can get it."
Katy resident Bryan Gray stood outside the courthouse and admired the design following the ceremony as a drone flew over to take aerial photos.
"It's beautiful," Gray said. "A couple of weeks ago, this was all tore up. I can't believe they are already done with it. It makes it look nice."
Next Phases
The road repair is one of three phases. Over the next month, the city also plans to repair sidewalks in the downtown Conroe area for loose tiles. The city also is planning to install a new traffic light and walkover for pedestrians on Texas 105 and North Thompson Street due to safety concerns.
"Right now, we have to run across to City Hall; we are going to try to slow that down a little bit and make it safer for our city and county employees because we want to make sure they are protected, too," said Powell, who recognized the council members who approved the budget item last year.
While it normally takes about eight weeks to make the traffic light mast-arms, Woolley said the company went out of business, so it may take up to 16 weeks to get the order and should take about a month to complete.
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Ferry Info
The ferry service in Whitianga has operated for over 120 years since its beginning in 1895.
Many individuals rowed themselves and others across the river before an actual ferry service began. It was first officially started by Neil Harris, who rowed people and livestock across the river for a fee.
Historical Photos courtesy of
The Mercury Bay Museum
The stone wharf located on the Ferry Landing side of the river was built in 1837 and is reputed to be the first stone wharf built in Australasia.
It was commissioned by Captain Ranulph Dacre, a timber merchant who owned a trading post and ship building yard in the area. The stone used for the steps were obtained from a nearby source and were fashioned by local unskilled labour.
The Whitianga (town side) wharf was first built in 1882.
The Stella B ferry (pictured here on the far right) was built to replace a ferry that washed away off its mooring never to be seen again during the same night as the Wahine tragedy in 1968. Stella B was retired from service in 2015.
The Mercury Star (seen here in the left hand picture) was named after the bay and was built by Whangarei Engineering in 1985. It was specifically designed to operate in shallow waters for use as a ferry and river cruise vessel in Whitianga.
In August 2015 a new 63 seat aluminium ferry was launched. This new ferry has been designed to easily allow bicycles, E-bikes and wheelchairs onto the ferry with same level access as the loading dock on both sides of the estuary.
In March 2018, Jeremy and Louise took over as the new owners of the Whitianga Ferry. As well as having a great love for the ocean, Louise is in fact the great great great granddaughter of Captain Ranulph Dacre, the timber merchant who commissioned the Ferry Landing wharf to be built.
info@whitiangaferry.co.nz
© 2018 Copyright Whitianga Ferry All Rights Reserved
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Britain in the Middle Ages: An Archaeological History By Francis Pryor
Britain in the Middle Ages: An Archaeological History
by Francis Pryor
As in `Britain B.C.' and `Britain A.D.' (also accompanied by Channel 4 series), eminent archaeologist Francis Pryor challenges familiar historical views of the Middle Ages by examining fresh evidence from the ground.
Britain in the Middle Ages: An Archaeological History Summary
As in `Britain B.C.' and `Britain A.D.' (also accompanied by Channel 4 series), eminent archaeologist Francis Pryor challenges familiar historical views of the Middle Ages by examining fresh evidence from the ground. The term 'Middle Ages' suggests a time between two other ages: a period when nothing much happened. In his radical reassessment, Francis Pryor shows that this is very far from the truth, and that the Middle Ages (approximately 800-1550) were actually the time when the modern world was born. This was when Britain moved from Late Antiquity into a world we can recognize as more or less familiar: roads and parishes became fixed; familiar institutions, such as the church and local government, came into being; industry became truly industrial; and international trade was now a routine process. Archaeology shows that the Middle Ages were far from static. Based on everyday, often humdrum evidence, it demonstrates that the later agricultural and industrial revolutions were not that unexpected, given what we now know of the later medieval period. Similarly, the explosion of British maritime power in the late 1700s had roots in the 15th century. The book stresses continuous development at the expense of `revolution', though the Black Death (1348), which killed a third of the population, did have a profound effect in loosening the grip of the feudal system. Labour became scarce and workers gained power; land became more available and the move to modern farming began. The Middle Ages can now be seen in a fresh light as an era of great inventiveness, as the author examines such topics as 'upward mobility'; the power of the Church; the role of the Guilds as precursors of trade unions; the transport infrastructure of roads, bridges and shipbuilders; and the increase in iron production.
Francis Pryor
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Printing beyond paper with 3D-printed knee replacements
By: Kumasi Aaron
It's no longer "One size fits all." That's the idea behind new technology that could revolutionize knee and hip replacement surgery and make the whole process more bearable.
It's only a few steps but for Gary King each one brings more pain.
"If I walk with my knee probably about 500 feet if that I'm in a lot of pain," King says.
After a series of accidents injured his legs, he had his right knee replaced. And when arthritis flared up in his left, King asked his doctor about another replacement surgery.
"He looked at it and he called me one night and said, 'Gary this is a little bit too difficult,'" King recalls.
His doctor suggested a customized knee replacement using 3D printing.
"I thought, man, this is the way to go," King says. "The way for me to try."
Gary connected with Dr. Ian Dickey, an orthopedic surgeon at Presbyterian/St. Luke's.
"Why would you want to have to fit a knee replacement why wouldn't the knee replacement fit you?" Dr. Dickey said.
Dr. Dickey says that's the advantage of printed knee replacements. After scanning the patients hip, knee and ankle bones computer programs are then able to design and print an implant that is accurate and almost perfectly aligned for them. Dr. Dickey says standard implants aren't as personalized.
"It then knows you need to be 73.6221 millimeters wide or whatever the case may be," Dr. Dickey says. "So it then can print the implant to fit perfectly side front to back."
Dr. Dickey says patients have less pain, a better recovery, and a more stable and natural feeling knee. Just days away from his surgery, King is hopeful he'll experience those things and more.
"Waking up from surgery and have him say 'Everything went well and you're ready to ride a bike,'" King says. "I am really looking forward to it."
Doctor Dickey says knee replacement surgery using a 3D printed implant is a good option for anyone in need of a knee replacement, regardless of age.
More than 600,000 people in the U.S. have a total knee replacement surgery every year, and with people working longer and obesity on the rise that number is only expected to grow. A new technology could make every one of those replacements a custom fit.
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MICHIGAN-LIFE
Book 'em! Literacy program links inmates to loved ones
"I think the voice will uplift her and will serve as her guide and encouragement while I'm not around," said Thierry Reynolds.
Author: Brent Ashcroft
Published: 12:02 PM EST February 20, 2019
Updated: 6:00 PM EST February 26, 2019
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Teaching children to read is a time-honored challenge, but it's all the more difficult when a parent is behind bars.
Improving literacy for kids who may have one or both parents in prison, is the goal of a program called Staying in Closer Touch.
Research shows that the inability to read and write goes hand-in-glove with making poor choices which can lead to criminal activity.
"We can be experts at running a correctional facility and housing people, but if we're going to have building strong and sustainable communities be a part of our mission, then we're obligated to do something about that," said Renee Wilson, Director of Community Corrections for the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office.
Childhood can be affected by many factors that could prevent success later in life, but having a parent in prison can have an effect that's more profound than most.
It goes without saying that parents need to be involved in their children's lives. That includes making sure they have the ability to read.
"I have a desire to help children learn to read," said Bonnie Schramm, who spent her entire 40-year career in education, and is currently a volunteer for the Children's Literacy Network. "For families in at-risk populations, there gets to be that cycle of not being able to read, which can cause a lack of self-confidence, then poor choices."
According to reports, children of incarcerated parents tend to have below-average literacy rates. Statistics show 75 percent of U.S. inmates are functionally illiterate, and more than 800,000 state and federal inmates have children.
According to a study done by Rutgers University, one in 28 children in the United States have an incarcerated parent—that's a grand total of 2.7 million children.
"The cycle needs to be broken," Schramm said. "To unlock the written word can be incredibly powerful."
The trauma of the separation between the child and the incarcerated parent can be damaging to the child, both from a mental health and educational aspect.
"When a mom or dad is incarcerated, the whole family is incarcerated," added Schramm. "The children often wonder, 'Does my mom or dad remember me; do they still love me?'"
From inside the prisons, Schramm says that same emotion and outlook exists with the inmates, too.
"The inmates say, 'Do my children remember me; do they still love me,'" said Schramm.
Those who work in the prison system are always looking to provide programs for inmates, helping them build toward re-entering society and reconnecting with family and friends.
"We recognize that families, specifically children, can be victims when a parent is incarcerated," said Wilson."We do all we can to foster family reunification and keep an avenue to communication open."
Six years ago, Schramm, along with fellow volunteers from the Children's Literacy Network in Ann Arbor, set out to create a program where children of an incarcerated parent could have that parent read to them from behind bars.
The program is called Staying in Closer Touch.
When Bonnie Schramm arrives at a prison. she loads up her bin with books then spends time visiting with inmates to see if they want to read.
WZZM
"I visit a jail or prison every Tuesday, fill a cart with children's books and novels, then approach inmates asking if they'd like to participate," said Schramm. "I found that many inmates come from environments where reading wasn't valued or encouraged, so how can they place a value on it for their children.
"Doing this conjures up so many memories for the inmates. Often times they say, 'I remember my teacher read me that book' or 'my mom read me that book.'"
If the inmates choose to participate in the program, they're brought into a room, they pick the book they'd like to read to their child, then Bonnie records them while they read. She transfers their audio onto a CD, then mails it to the inmate's child so the child can listen to their parent reading to them.
"The reading lasts for about ten minutes," said Schramm. "When the inmate finishes, I ask them to they say something to their child.
"There are a lot of tears, and sometimes the inmates have a hard time finishing."
Not all of the inmates want to participate, but the ones who do consider it to be a life-changing experience—one that could serve to salvage fractured relationships on the outside.
"Bonnie approached me, and the moment I heard about it, I knew it was exactly what I needed in my life at that point," said Thierry Reynolds, 32, who was sentenced to a year in the Washtenaw County Jail for fleeing and eluding the police. "My daughter and I used to read together a lot before I ended up in here, so I saw this as a way to continue that.
"Doing this reading will let her know that I'm trying no matter where I'm at."
Schramm had Reynolds read into her recorder, then burned his audio to a CD, then delivered both the CD and a copy of the book to Thierry's house so his daughter, Faith, could listen to it whenever she wanted.
"It was pretty sad and upsetting that he has to go somewhere where I can't see him," said Faith, 10, before she listened to her father's recording. "Reading is something I like to do with him."
Faith Reynolds, 10, reads along with her father, Thierry Reynolds. Thierry's voice is playing on the CD player because he was reading from jail.
As Faith started listening to the reading, she was able to follow along with her father in the book.
"It's good to hear him like this because we're reading together just like we usually do when he's here," said Faith, once the recording ended.
Thierry Reynolds was released from jail on Dec. 16, 2018. He's hopeful that he can reunite with his family, which includes Faith and his girlfriend Margaret Gillespie, Faith's mother.
"There's still time," said Gillespie. "It's not too late. [Thierry] needs to play a part in [Faith's] life."
Thierry's family has a great chance at reconciling, thanks to reading.
Faith Reynolds (Left) and her father Thierry (Right) read together a few days after Thierry was released from jail.
"Those of us in the system are here to help restore people," said Wilson. "[We hope to restore them] better than what they were when we received them, when we release them."
Bonnie Schramm, along the Children's Literacy Network's jail reading program, helped keep the family together as well.
"The power of literacy is immeasurable," said Schramm. "For families in at-risk populations, there gets to be that cycle of not being able to read and not feeling confident about yourself and making poor choices.
"I think literacy is one of the keys to unlock that."
Staying in Closer Touch is currently being offered at four prison facilities in the state of Michigan: Leelanau County Jail, Washtenaw County Jail, Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility and Milan Federal Detention Center.
Schramm hopes more jails and prisons will consider adding the program.
For more information, contact Betsy Durant.
If you know of a story that should be featured on "Our Michigan Life," send a detailed email to 13 ON YOUR SIDE's Brent Ashcroft: life@13OnYourSide.com.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
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ZEISS Camera Lenses
Hier bent u: Home Cinematografie Master Anamorphic Flare Set
Home Cinematografie Master Anamorphic Flare Set
ARRI / ZEISS Master Anamorphic Flare Sets
One lens, many looks.
The new ARRI Master Anamorphic Flare Sets are highly versatile and economical accessories for the ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic lens series. Each of the seven Master Anamorphic focal lengths has its own specific flare set, comprising easily replaceable front and rear glass elements that can be used individually or in combination to provide the lens with three additional looks for enriched on-set creativity.
The front and rear glass elements that come with each flare set have a special lens coating that encourages flaring, ghosting and veiling glare. These image effects create a visual style that is consistent across all of the flare sets and can be controlled or tweaked via the iris setting, as well as the positioning of lighting fixtures. The front element can be used on its own, as can the rear, or they can be used in combination; each permutation provides a distinct look without sacrificing the resolution, lack of distortion or corner-to-corner optical performance for which the Master Anamorphics are famous.
By using the ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic Toolkit, the front and rear glass elements can be exchanged with the regular Master Anamorphic elements in a matter of minutes, since each flare element is pre-aligned in a metal frame. A set of Master Anamorphics effectively becomes four different anamorphic lens sets, each suitable for different flaring requirements while maintaining the famously distortion-free optical performance.
Each focal length can now deliver four distinct looks
Economical way of offering greater on-set creativity
Distortion-free optical performance retained
Flare elements can be exchanged in minutes
By using the ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic Toolkit, the front and rear glass elements can be exchanged with the regular Master Anamorphic elements in a matter of minutes, since each flare element is pre-aligned in a metal frame. A set of Master Anamorphics effectively becomes four different anamorphic lens sets, each suitable for different flaring requirements while maintaining the famously distortion-free optical performance. The ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic Flare Set will be delivered in a case with the following items:
User Manuel
Front flare element
Rear flare element
28/T1.9 Lens Flare Set
35-75/T1.9 Lens Flare Set
100/T1.9 and 180/T2.8 Lens Flare Set
135/T1.9 Lens Flare Set
A landmark year was 1937 with the design and construction of the first reflex mirror shutter camera, the ARRIFLEX 35.
A vibrant partnership for 75 years
ARRI and ZEISS
ARRI and ZEISS have been partners for three-quarters of a century, a cooperative relationship that is unmatched anywhere else in the film industry. Across every conceivable genre – comedy, documentary, action movies and computer-animated 3D productions – a long succession of masterpieces have been created, in Hollywood and elsewhere, with the cameras and lenses of ARRI and ZEISS. The script of this unique partnership has included some truly exciting moments in the history of filmmaking.
ARRI was born in 1914, when August Arnold and Robert Richter fitted an electric motor and an arc lamp of their own design to a hand-operated film projector. In 1917, the two inventors established the firm Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co Betriebs KG, or ARRI for short, based in the Türkenstrasse in the Schwabing district of Munich. Their major breakthrough came two decades later in 1937 with the Arriflex 35. This was the first movie camera in which the viewfinder showed the user the exact image being photographed, thanks to a mirror shutter developed by ARRI.
This milestone also marked the start of the partnership with ZEISS in Oberkochen; the developers from ZEISS designed the lenses for the new camera. At that stage, the camera could be fitted with three different lenses simultaneously. A special mechanism was provided to rotate the required lens into the shooting position. This enabled the camera operator to respond quickly to different situations, and the three most important focal lengths were immediately available.
August Arnold and Robert Richter working together on a grinding machine and lathe.
ARRI was born in 1914, when August Arnold and Robert Richter fitted an electric motor and an arc lamp of their own design to a hand-operated film projector. In 1917, the two inventors established the firm Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co Betriebs KG, or ARRI for short, based in the Türkenstrasse in the Schwabing district of Munich. Their major breakthrough came two decades later in 1937 with the Arriflex 35. This was the first movie camera in which the viewfinder showed the user the exact image being photographed, thanks to a mirror shutter developed by ARRI. This milestone also marked the start of the partnership with ZEISS in Oberkochen; the developers from ZEISS designed the lenses for the new camera. At that stage, the camera could be fitted with three different lenses simultaneously. A special mechanism was provided to rotate the required lens into the shooting position. This enabled the camera operator to respond quickly to different situations, and the three most important focal lengths were immediately available.
After the Second World War, the Arriflex 35 became an export winner, and ARRI, alongside ZEISS, emerged as an international player in the film industry. The first Hollywood film that was shot with this camera was Dark Passage in 1947, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. A characteristic feature of this film was the use of images as seen from the point of view of the protagonists. This required a camera that could go wherever the actors went, making the compact Arriflex 35 with its mirror shutter the perfect choice.
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in Dark Passage, released in late 1947.
The 1950s were a period of continuous expansion and new activity for ARRI. In the Maxvorstadt district of Munich in particular, the company built film workshops, a large movie theater, a color copying factory and production plants for cameras, development and copying machines, as well as cinematographic accessories of all kinds. The Arriflex, as the cornerstone of the company’s success, has also changed with the times, with a constant succession of further enhancements that continues to this day. The Arriflex has been fitted with digital control electronics since the 1990s, and more recent models, starting with the ARRICAM from 2001, have been equipped with state-of-the-art software that allows the programming of running speeds and optical settings. Today, ARRI is recognized as the market leader in the international movie industry. Of the 300 professional movie cameras that are manufactured each year, 220 are made by ARRI.
Cine lenses have also always had to meet the highest standards, given that images created on the small surface area of a 35mm film or a digital sensor are magnified up to 1,000 times when shown on a large screen in a movie theater. Dr. Winfried Scherle, Senior Vice President of the Camera Lens Division of Carl Zeiss AG, says, “Lenses for motion picture productions have always facinated me. It is a real challenge to make the performance of the lenses so good that an image taken on a detail the size of a finger nail later appears on the large screen the size of a house.”
Achieving this requires not only a very high-performance camera, but also lenses with outstanding imaging power – a combination that the partners have continued to perfect over time. ZEISS now develops and produces a wide range of lenses exclusively for ARRI, specifically used for making movies. All of these lenses have outstanding image quality, sharpness of detail and color fidelity. The Ultra Prime range of ARRI/ZEISS lenses now comprises a total of 16 focal lengths, the most extensive spectrum currently available in the cinematographic sector. In addition, the extremely fast Master Prime and Master Zoom lenses open up unprecedented expressive possibilities for cinematographers.
The outstanding diversity and recognised superior quality of ARRI cameras in combination with ZEISS cine lenses make them the technology of choice on international film sets for discerning cameramen and producers. Numerous legendary and recent prize-winning films such as The King’s Speech, The Lord of the Rings and James Bond »Skyfall« have been shot with this highly successful combination. “It is always impressive to see what works of art have been created with our technology,” says Scherle. According to the leading German cameraman Michael Ballhaus, who shot some of the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder (The Marriage of Maria Braun) and Martin Scorsese (The Departed). “With ARRI cameras and the lenses of ZEISS, what I see in the camera will be exactly what the viewers will see on the screen.”
Stanley Kubrick on the set of The Shining.
Authentic images were also the order of the day for star director Stanley Kubrick when shooting his masterpiece Barry Lyndon, released in 1975. Kubrick’s film version of William M. Thackeray’s novel aimed to give the audience a living experience of the atmosphere of Baroque painting and music. For Kubrick, this meant above all replicating the light conditions of the time, long before the invention of the incandescent bulb. After being told by all the camera specialists that this was impossible, Kubrick heard that ZEISS had an extremely fast lens, the Planar f0,7/50mm with a maximum aperture of f/0.7, which had been developed for NASA for taking shots on the moon. Using this lens, Kubrick proceeded to shoot all the interior scenes for Barry Lyndon by candlelight – a genuine sensation in 1975. And as his camera, Kubrick used an Arriflex 35 BL, a further enhanced version of the legendary camera dating from 1937.
More than 40 Hollywood films that have been shot with ARRI/ZEISS lenses have won Oscars. But it is not only their creative power that has been awarded. The lenses originating from the partnership between ARRI and ZEISS have also won three “technical Oscars”. Recently, the designers of the Master Prime range of lenses picked up the 2012 Scientific and Engineering Award (Academy Plaque®) of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®. This is the industry’s highest distinction for filming technology.
Today, as 75 years ago, ARRI and ZEISS continue to set new standards in the film industry in terms of performance excellence and innovative technology. This can be attributed to their determination, passion and mutual trust, which have proved to be the key success factors in their long, innovative and extremely fruitful partnership. For locations and more information, visit: www.arri.com
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Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-1680
Volume One: The Lands below the Winds
Anthony Reid
272 pages, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Between the fifteenth and the mid-seventeenth centuries, when the Renaissance and early capitalism were transforming Europe, changes no less dramatic were occurring in Southeast Asia. This diverse tropical region was integrated into a global trade system, while trade-based cities came to dominate its affairs. Its states became more centralized and absolutist, and its people adopted scriptural faiths of personal morality. The pace of these changes finds parallels only in our own era.
Anthony Reid has analyzed and vividly portrayed this Southeast Asian Age of Commerce in two volumes. The first volume, published in 1988 to great acclaim, explored the physical, material, cultural, and social structures of the region. The concluding volume focuses on the profound changes that defined the Age of Commerce as a period. The spice trade that animated the global boom of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries made possible revolutionary changes in urbanization, commercialization, state structure, and belief. Islam, Christianity, and Theravada Buddhism made rapid gains in alliance with the new states. Reid discerns common ground between these developments and the forces transforming Europe and Japan but identifies particular limitations on the growth of private capital and the stability of states in Southeast Asia. A final chapter explores the crisis in the mid-seventeenth century that disengaged Southeast Asians from the world economy for the next three centuries.
Anthony Reid is professor of Southeast Asian history, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University.
"A most impressive piece of work which rests upon a vast range of evidence. . . . Reid's two volumes together set a new standard for the historical study of Southeast Asia as a region."—M. C. Ricklefs, Economic History of Southeast Asia
"Superb scholarship. The book is sound, original, and clearly written."—John Bowen, author of Sumatran Politics and Poetics
"With Asia reasserting its role in the world, this book is timely reading. Clear, accurate and intricately researched, it will contribute greatly to anyone's understanding of Southeast Asia."—Asiaweek
"A fascinating and well-researched account of Asia's teeming commercial world."—Choice
"A fine-grained yet broad-gauged . . . view of politics and economics in the same period. It is clearly and unpretentiously written, superbly researched, and deftly generalized. Together with its companion volume, this book begins a new generation in the study of early modern Southeast Asia and, inevitably, in the way the entire region is perceived. . . . [Reid] offers us . . . a multitude of substantive and intriguing possibilities for investigation and debate."—William H. Frederick, Historian
"[A] magnificent panorama of Southeast Asia in the age of commerce. . . . Reid's two volumes provide an exhilarating overview of an important area of the globe during a crucially important time; they represent by far the best, most comprehensive study available. . . . They will serve us for many years to come."—Edwin J. Van Kley, American Historical Review
"Reid offers a large, broad-brushed, brightly colored canvas of carefully gleaned and finely hones detail. . . . Reid's comparative perspective lends considerable explanatory power to his treatment of the multifaceted changes in Southeast Asia. He masterfully synthesizes the broad theses of comparative economic history with his detailed portrait of the lands of Southeast Asia most influenced by the age of commerce."—Robert J. Donia, Journal of Economic History
"Expansion and Crisis will be basic reading for students and scholars in Southeast Asian studies for many years to come. The book is destined to be regarded as a classic of twentieth-century writing on Southeast Asian history."—John N. Miksic, Journal of the Economic & Social History of the Orient
The Mongols and the Islamic World
From Conquest to Conversion
Islam, Science, and the Challenge of History
Ahmad Dallal
The Crisis of Islamic Civilization
Ali A. Allawi
Divine Love
Islamic Literature and the Path to God
William C. Chittick
What it Means for the Middle East and the World
Tarek Osman
A Thousand Years of Faith and Power
Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair
History > Islamic Studies
Religion > Islamic Studies
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Zac Howard
Writer | Content Producer | Journalist
Storylines to Keep an Eye on During the 2016 NFL Season
It’s finally here. The wait from February to September seemingly feels longer every year for football fans, but the grandeur of opening weekend never loses its sweetness. For the first time ever, the season kicks off with a rematch of the previous Super Bowl. Besides the defending champs replacing their quarterback and Cam Newton’s MVP encore, fascinating storylines pepper the entire NFL landscape. New stadiums, old players, inaugural seasons and farewell tours aren’t talking points every season, yet they’re all over the place as professional football kicks off once again.
Rams home games
In the Hard Knocks premiere, Jeff Fisher said he expects the team to go 11-5 or better. That’s hard to picture given that Jared Goff is a rookie and may not even start. Maybe Fisher is trying the old “speak it into existence” routine.
Regardless of the Rams record, the Coliseum should be packed out for every home game. It’s their first season back and there is quality young talent on the roster. Because of the quarterback concerns, it’s unlikely to result in a playoff berth, but fans should be able to see the maturation of a promising nucleus led by Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn and (hopefully) Jared Goff. There were plenty of skeptics who suggested that L.A. isn’t a good town for pro football. If attendance is low this year, it might not bode well for any hope of the city getting a second team.
Jimmy Garrapolo
Like Bill Belichick assistants, Tom Brady backups don’t have a great track record once they leave New England. Just ask the Texans, who had two of them last season and are lead by a former Patriot OC in Bill O’Brien. Ryan Mallett was a head scratching third round pick by New England in 2011, while Bryan Hoyer made some preseason noise after joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Both had their fair share of believers, only to end up as career backups. Matt Cassel had an impressive 2008 season in Brady’s stead, but has failed to prove himself a quality starter in the years since.
Garrapolo, however, was a second round pick and the darling of countless draft gurus. It’s impossible to actually know Belichick’s thinking, but it’s reasonable to assume the Patriots hoped to develop Brady’s heir apparent before it became a pressing need—similar to Green Bay in 2005, which worked out pretty well. Despite his all time great resume, Belichick’s eye for quarterbacks isn’t immaculate. Like everyone else, he valued (at least) six players in the 2000 draft more than Brady. It’s safe to say he didn’t expect him to become an elite quarterback. None of Brady’s reserves have needed to be good to this point, but time will eventually run out for #12. His latest successor will have four games to show he’s different from the rest.
San Diego’s Chargers
Phillip Rivers may be the best active quarterback without a Super Bowl ring. He’s not likely to get one with the current roster. With rumors that he’d retire if the team moved to LA, it’s possible this could be his last season. If that’s the case, his antics, awkward delivery and southern drawl will be dearly missed.
On the opposite end of the career spectrum, Joey Bosa became the latest to hold out for nearly an entire training camp over a contract dispute. The number three overall pick in the draft should be a difference maker, but it’s unclear how much of an impact he can make after missing all of camp. On the other side of the ball, last year’s first round pick Melvin Gordon needs to prove he’s the home run hitter that led San Diego to draft him so high. If the young bucks can put buts in the seats at Qualcomm Stadium, maybe they can keep the Chargers in town beyond 2016.
Chargers fans hope 2016 isn’t Qualcomm Stadium’s swan song
The entire AFC South
Arguably the worst division in football over the past 5 years, the AFC South looks primed to make a big leap in 2016. In 2012, the NFC south went from worst to best, thanks to Jim Harbaugh and Russell Wilson (Bruce Arians took over the Cardinals in 2013, which has helped solidify the division’s reputation). It’s unclear if there’s a legitimate Super Bowl contender between the Colts, Texans, Jaguars, and Titans, but all four look to be on the rise. The return of Andrew Luck will put the Colts right back in playoff hunt. Perhaps no team in the league will see a greater influx of young talent than the Jaguars this season. The Titans added some nice pieces to their roster as well. Both teams have promising young quarterbacks that should take another step this season. Meanwhile the reigning division champs are somewhat of a mystery. Brock Osweiler should be an improvement over Brian Hoyer, but just how much of an upgrade remains to be seen. Houston still has the best defensive player in the league and an unstoppable receiver, so the arrow is pointing up for the Texans as well.
Returning Superstars:
Where to begin? Let’s start with the receivers. Josh Gordon (knock on wood) will finally be back playing regular season football again (since he’s on the Browns, he’ll likely only play during the regular season). Dez Bryant enters the season at full strength. Unfortunately, he’ll have to wait at least half the season for his quarterback, Tony Romo, to join him. A third elite receiver also returns from injury, Aaron Rodgers favorite target, Jordy Nelson. Cam Newton will also see the return of his top wide out, Kelvin Benjamin. Alshon Jeffery missed significant time in 2015 as well, but he’ll be back in action for the Bears this year.
As for other offensive skill players, LeVeon Bell will start off on the bench riding out a suspension, but he’s recovered from last year’s MCL surgery. Down in Miami, Arian Foster will be suiting up for the Dolphins in week 1. Reports are he’s back to 100%, following a torn Achilles. Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck all enter the season healthy and ready to return to the playoffs. Robert Griffin
Arian Foster signed a 1-year deal with the Dolphins
III no longer carries the franchise quarterback label, but he will be starting fresh with the rebuilding Browns. Tyrann Mathieu is the biggest defensive name hoping to bounce back from an injury.
Author: Zac Howard
Freelance Journalist based in NYC View all posts by Zac Howard
Author Zac HowardPosted on September 13, 2016 September 13, 2016
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The Longest Winter
Fall 2018: The Conclusion of An Unforgettable Year
Three Great Friends, Two Iconic Stadiums, One Epic Weekend
The Christian Themes in Eric Church’s “Monsters”
Why I Can’t Hate Jimbo Fisher
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Equipping for disaster
Five martial arts perfect for the apocalypse
By Zombie Apocalypse Monthly on May 13, 2019 • ( Leave a comment )
By M.L. Lewis
Every prepper has one dedicated weapon of choice they plan to use once herds of the undead begin to roam the countryside. Whether you’re a melee or firearms person, you’ve trained yourself on all the ins and outs of that particular style of weaponry.
But, what happens when the weapon finally dies on you? What if a zombie is on top of you and you can’t reach said weapon. This is why you should make your body a weapon through some form of martial arts, but which one provides the best defense?
5. Kung Fu
This is known as the grandfather of hand-to-hand combat, and it’s also one of the most popular form of martial arts. It originated in China centuries ago as a military combat artform and is still practiced there today. The foundation is to strike your opponent with great speed and power. They believe in shaping your mind and bodies into lethal weapons. This form would be great if you catch yourself surrounded by a herd of raiders/zombies and need to fight your way out it.
4. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Also known as BJJ, its claims to fame is its popularity as form of martial arts used by many Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters. It’s believed this form originated in Japan in the late 1900s, but was perfected in Brazil by Esai Maeda.
It’s a form of judo and practiced by many samurai warriors as a form of weaponless defense. It’s a mixture of multiple other fighting styles, but the core focus is using your opponent’s body weight to get them on the ground where the moves become much more destructive. This form can help you get the upper hand on your enemy no matter how big or small you are.
3. Eskrima
Also called Arnis or Kali, this form is a national sport in the Philippines. It’s a form of weapon-based hand-to-hand combat. This practice was made illegal in the 1800s so those studying it changed the form to look more like dancing than fighting.
It’s a full-on contact sport that is centered around weapons. The most preferred weapon is a stick, which is why it can sometimes be called stick fencing. Over recent years there has been a spike of melee weapons being used in fights. Overall this form teaches you how to use anything as a deadly weapon which will become handy when your blade goes or you run out of bullets.
2. Ninjutsu
One of the most renowned forms of martial arts and called Hinin by outsiders, this is the form studied by ninjas since the 14th century. The foundation of this study is focused on unconventional warfare, espionage, and assassination. They are all about infiltration and ambushing the opponent when they least expect it.
All aspects of ninjutsu are physically demanding since you have to get in and get out without being detected. Though this kind of technique is useless on a herd of zombies, it’s great when facing a group of raiders determined to steal your stuff and take you out. This form will help you not only collect key info on them but take out the key players before they even realize what’s going on.
1 Krav Maga
This is the most effective and dangerous forms of combat you can study. That is why almost every military branch across the globe teaches their soldiers this method. Its motto is “Hurt them badly and get away.” This is why the foundation of Krav Maga is all about inflicting as much pain to your opponent as quickly and effectively as possible.
It was originated by the Israeli Defense Force sometime in the 1940s. This is the youngest form of martial arts you can study. Unfortunately, there is a hot debate among the Martial Art communities over whether or not it’s part of their family because many believe it’s more of a combat system since there are no sports aspects or rules to it.
Either way, I feel this is the best form to study for any apocalypse scenario since rules of conduct are gone and anarchy will reign as the supreme ruler.
Categories: Equipping for disaster
Tagged as: Krav Maga, Martial arts, self defense
DCeased: DC’s answer to Marvel Zombies
Malaysian zombie film coming in November
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Main Page Indexes Location Angielówka \(now in Ukraine\), POW forced labor camp
Głuszak Władysław; 1899? (1)
Juszczyk Mieczysław; 15.08.1905, Łódź (1)
Olejnik Marcin; 22.07.1910, Lublin (1)
Olejnik Marian; 22.07.1910, Lublin (1)
Wasiak Ignacy (1)
Wojdyła Józef; 1901 (1)
The epilogue to September 1939 – Polish soldiers in Soviet captivity (7)
Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp (8)
Starobilsk (Ukraine), NKVD POW camp (6)
Totskoye (Russia, Orenburg Oblast) (5)
Ostróg (now in Ukraine), transit camp (Barracks of the 19th Volhynian Uhlan Regiment) (4)
Hoszcza (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp (3)
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Starobilsk (Ukraine), NKVD prison, Kirov Street 32 (1)
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NKVD Chief Directorate of Railways (NKVD train guards) (1)
Roads of death (6)
Cattle wagons (5)
Brutal Interrogation/Tortures (4)
Deportation/Exile (3)
Punishment cell (3)
Air raids (1)
Forced labor camps for POWs (8)
NKVD camp for POWs (4)
Transit camp (4)
Anders' Army (3)
Health service (3)
Polish culture in exile (3)
September Campaign/1939 Defensive War (3)
Sikorski–Mayski Agreement (3)
Epidemics (1)
Independent Historical Office of the Command of the Polish Armed Forces in the Soviet Union/Documentation Office of the Polish Army in the East (8)
Wasiak Ignacy
The epilogue to September 1939 – Polish soldiers in Soviet captivity
Hoszcza (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Teofipol (Ukraine), POW forced labor camp
Wojdyła Józef 1901
1939.09.22-1943
Włodzimierz (Włodzimierz Wołyński, now in Ukraine) Brody (now in Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Ponikwa (now in Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Teofipol (Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Starobilsk (Ukraine), NKVD POW camp Zieleńce (Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs
1939.09-1941.08.24
Lublin Chełm Olesko (Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Kamionka Las (now in Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Tarnopol (now in Ukraine) Starobilsk (Ukraine), NKVD POW camp Totskoye (Russia, Orenburg Oblast)
1939.09.22-1941.08
Kowel (now in Ukraine) Ostróg (now in Ukraine), transit camp (Barracks of the 19th Volhynian Uhlan Regiment) Brody (now in Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Starobilsk (Ukraine), NKVD POW camp
Olejnik Marian 22.07.1910, Lublin
Włodzimierz (Włodzimierz Wołyński, now in Ukraine) Shepetivka (Ukraine), transit camp Ostróg (now in Ukraine), transit camp (Barracks of the 19th Volhynian Uhlan Regiment) Busk (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Wierzblany (Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Mościska (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Starobilsk (Ukraine), NKVD POW camp Tarnopol (Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Totskoye (Russia, Orenburg Oblast)
Juszczyk Mieczysław 15.08.1905, Łódź
1939.08.24 -1941
Warsaw, Rakowiecka Street Stare Babice Warsaw, Saska Kępa Brześć (now in Belarus) Dubno (now in Ukraine) Zdołbunów (now in Ukraine) Kowel (now in Ukraine) Ostróg (now in Ukraine), transit camp (Barracks of the 19th Volhynian Uhlan Regiment) Olesko (Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Hoszcza (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Mościska (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Kamionka Las (now in Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Starobilsk (Ukraine), NKVD POW camp Totskoye (Russia, Orenburg Oblast) Łuck (now in Ukraine) Sarny (now in Ukraine) Stanisławów (Ivano-Frankivsk, now in Ukraine) KL Dachau (Germany)
1939.09.23- 1941.08.25
Shepetivka (Ukraine), transit camp Ostróg (now in Ukraine), transit camp (Barracks of the 19th Volhynian Uhlan Regiment) Hoszcza (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Romanówka (Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Zastawie (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Starobilsk (Ukraine), NKVD POW camp Totskoye (Russia, Orenburg Oblast)
Głuszak Władysław 1899?
Lublin Zieleńce (Ukraine), forced labor camp for POWs Olesko (now in Ukraine), castle Olesko (Ukraine), castle Olesko (now in Ukraine), Roman Catholic cemetery Teofipol (Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Olesko (Ukraine), Roman Catholic cemetery Angielówka (now in Ukraine), POW forced labor camp Starobilsk (Ukraine), NKVD prison, Kirov Street 32 Totskoye (Russia, Orenburg Oblast)
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'Alprax overdose was main reason behind Sunanda Pushkar's death'
Sunanda Pushkar, 52, wife of senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in a south Delhi hotel room on January 17, 2014.
New Delhi: As the mystery continues over Sunanda Pushkar's death, a news report on Thursday said that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) analysis reveals that Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's wife could have died due to poisoning and Alprax overdose could be the main reason.
According to 'CNN-IBN', the FBI in the US, which tested the viscera samples of Sunanda, has ruled out use of polonium, illicit drugs or alcohol abuse as cause of death.
The channel further reported that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) final report says that it must be investigated whether Sunanda was injected with insulin as it can cause death if a person is starving for 2-3 days.
Last week, the case of sensational death of Sunanda Pushkar reached a new stage with the FBI endorsing the AIIMS report of poisoning as the cause and also saying that a "dangerous chemical" was present in her body that may have killed her.
Disclosing the receipt of the AIIMS report analysing the FBI conclusions, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi told the media that Sunanda's death was not natural but ruled out the presence of radioactive material in her viscera.
Pushkar, 52, wife of senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in a south Delhi hotel room on January 17, 2014.
Sunanda PushkarShashi TharoorFBIAIIMSAll India Institute of Medical SciencesDelhi Police
Terror suspect escapes by jumping off train; high alert sounded in Madhya Pradesh
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How the Air Pollution Crisis Can Affect You
By wpadmin | March 13, 2019
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 92 percent of the world’s population breathe polluted air,1 and nearly 7 million deaths can be attributed to air pollution each year.2 An overall toxic environment is responsible for at least 25 percent of deaths reported worldwide, and poor air quality is one of the greatest contributors to this risk.3
Your body is dependent on the air you breathe. Poor quality can damage your lungs, heart and other organs’ systems. Sources of pollution take the form of emissions from factories, cars, planes and aerosol cans. Secondhand cigarette smoke pollutes indoor air, as do volatile organic compounds emitted from many household items, such as carpeting, furniture and chemical cleaners.
Indoor air pollution may be dependent on ventilation in the building, as well as insulation and construction materials. Short-term health effects can include illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis and exacerbation of asthma. Many also suffer from headaches, dizziness and nausea triggered by chemicals.4
Particulate matter (PM), is a mixture of solids and liquid droplets in a wide range of sizes. PM 2.5 — particulate matter 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller — can only be seen with an electron microscope and is small enough to pass through your lungs and into your bloodstream.5
Long-term effects of this type of air pollution can last a lifetime and may even lead to death after damage to your heart, lungs, kidney, liver, brain or nervous system. Scientists also suspect air pollutants may trigger birth defects.6
Ethylene Oxide Poisons Air in Willowbrook and St. John the Baptist Parish
One such air pollutant is ethylene oxide poison belching from the stacks at Sterigenics in Willowbrook, Illinois, a small affluent suburb of Chicago in DuPage County. Sterigenics uses ethylene oxide to sterilize medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and food, and has been discharging the gas into the community for the past 34 years.7
Only after the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), a division of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), assessed levels of ethylene oxide in 2016 did the surrounding neighborhood learn of the danger. Although levels had been measured in the past, the chemical’s status had been recently upgraded from “probable human carcinogen” to “carcinogenic to humans.”8,9,10
Although the levels released into the air near the plant remained roughly the same, since the IRIS had adjusted the risk level, official reflection of risk suddenly skyrocketed.
The EPA considers the “upper limit of acceptability” for cancer risk 100 cancers for every 1 million people. In the most polluted area in DuPage County, the risk of cancer was now 282 per million. However, the values set by the IRIS were not binding, leaving residents in Willowbrook with a precisely quantified threat but no obvious way to legally address it.11
Sterigenics was previously owned by a private-equity firm cofounded by then-governor of Illinois, Bruce Rauner. One year later he left the firm to campaign for public office. Although unavailable to answer detailed questions, Rauner criticized officials for releasing the report, saying:12
“This is not an emergency. This is not a public health immediate crisis. This is something we are managing. We are going to work with the federal government to monitor this whole situation … and try to reduce exposures from this as much as we can.”
EPA and Legislator Response Dramatically Different Based on Location
Although the situation in Willowbrook is drastic, the air quality in St. John the Baptist Parish in Louisiana is deplorable. This small, mostly African-American community along the Mississippi River is 30 minutes west of New Orleans with an even bigger ethylene oxide problem from a factory making chemicals used in cosmetics.
In St. John, the cancer risk from the gas is 317 per million. But ethylene oxide is only one pollutant in the air in St. John. In the most heavily polluted tract the air contains 45 industrial pollutants known to cause cancer and other serious health problems.
One of those chemicals is chloroprene, emitted from the country’s one remaining neoprene factory.13 The combination of these chemicals raises the risk for residents in the small neighborhood from 317 per million to over 1,500 per million, making it the most dangerous neighborhood in the U.S., according to the EPA’s report.
However, while the EPA is working alongside local and state officials to address the dangerous levels of ethylene oxide in the Willowbrook neighborhood, the agency has done next to nothing in St. John the Baptist Parish.
Concurrently, St. Charles, Louisiana, located just 30 minutes from St. John, hasn’t received a visit from the EPA staff either, even though Dow Union Carbide plant spits out ethylene oxide and has raised the cancer risk in St. Charles to 710 per million, according to EPA reports.
The EPA and state legislature in Illinois have played key roles in monitoring air near the Sterigenics plant, eventually ordering the plant to shut down,14 while eight other polluted and struggling communities have received no assistance from the EPA at all. Wilma Subra, an environmental consultant, commented on the disparities between Willowbrook and other poorer communities:15
“No one has required anyone to even consider putting on control technologies here. In Illinois, EPA had ATSDR [Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry] look at the risk and do air monitoring. But here in Louisiana, where we have the highest risk for ethylene oxide, they didn’t do any of that.”
Company Denies Rapidly Rising Health Problems Linked to Air Pollution
The people in St. John the Baptist Parish learned of their health risks after a 2010 assessment by IRIS showed chloroprene was far more dangerous than previously thought. However, the gas had been released into the community for the previous 40 years, increasing rates of leukemia, lung cancer, kidney cancer and liver cancer.
The plant, then owned by DuPont and now by Denka, had been spewing chloroprene at dangerous levels, but the EPA had not notified people near the factory when the assessment was published, nor did they contact residents when a new report came out in December 2015. According to the reporter at The Intercept:16
“In a written response to questions for this article, a spokesperson from Denka criticized the safety level for chloroprene calculated by IRIS as ‘based on incomplete and flawed data’ and disputed the characterization of its emissions as dangerous: ‘Scientific research shows Denka Performance Elastomer’s operations do not pose any additional health risks to the surrounding community.’
Denka’s spokesperson also cited research to back up that claim, noting in particular that ‘a published peer-reviewed study that tracked more than 15,000 workers in neoprene plants across the world, including 1,400 from the [St. John] LaPlace facility, found no increased incidence of cancer deaths among them since the 1940s.’
That study was paid for by the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers, an industry group that includes DuPont as a member. Independent studies have shown that exposure to the chloroprene increased the risk of leukemia, kidney cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer and liver cancer.”
Growing Up Green Reduces Potential for Depression and Anxiety
A lack of healthy air not only has a significant effect on physical health but also on mental health. Green space is widely understood to be health-promoting in residential environments, and has been linked to mental health benefits and reduced stress.17
Research18 from Aarhus University in Denmark also suggests access to green spaces may have a protective effect in the long term, as children growing up close to nature are less likely to develop mental health problems as adults, including depression and anxiety.
Living in a city space has been associated with higher risk of some psychiatric disorders without identification of underlying cause. In this study, green space was assessed using high resolution satellite data of the area around the participants’ place of residence from birth to age 10.19
The data show the risk for mental illness for those who had the lowest level of green space was up to 55 percent higher than those who had the highest level of green space. The effect also appeared to be cumulative, as there was a stronger association between mental health and cumulative years with access to green spaces during childhood as compared to a single year.
Indoor Air Pollution Nothing to Sneeze At
Symptoms of exposure to indoor air pollution resemble those you may experience from an allergy or a cold, such as20 worsening asthma; itchy, watery eyes; headaches; dizziness; fatigue; and runny nose. These typically disappear once you leave the problem area. Chronic exposure over a longer period of time, however, may result in more chronic and serious health conditions.
Phthalates are one common contaminant found in indoor air pollution, a chemical added to plastics to improve durability and found in literally hundreds of products in American homes. Research indicates phthalates are carcinogenic and have been linked to reproductive problems, nervous system issues and immune suppression.21
The American Academy of Pediatrics,22 a group of over 65,000 pediatricians in the U.S., is asking parents to limit children’s exposure to dangerous plastic chemicals, including phthalates, warning the chemicals may damage their children’s health for years to come.
In a panel discussion at the latest American Association for the Advancement of Science conference,23 researchers presented data demonstrating pollutants are released into your home from everyday activities such as cooking and cleaning, and from household items like furniture and carpeting.
Researchers used an uninhabited 1,200 square-foot home on the University of Texas campus. Over 30 days, they performed a variety of household activities while measuring indoor concentrations of air pollution.
To the team’s surprise, indoor concentrations were high enough that instrumentation needed to be recalibrated almost immediately. Marina Vance, Ph.D., an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at CU Boulder, commented on the results:24
“Homes have never been considered an important source of outdoor air pollution and the moment is right to start exploring that. We wanted to know: How do basic activities like cooking and cleaning change the chemistry of a house? Even the simple act of making toast raised particle levels far higher than expected. We had to go adjust many of the instruments.”
Another study undertaken by Heather Stapleton, Ph.D., one of the foremost experts in the field of fire retardant chemicals, studied children in their homes, analyzing samples of dust in air, as well as blood in urine samples from the children.25
From this information they found children who lived in homes where the sofa in the main living area contained polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) had six times higher concentration of the chemicals in their blood than children whose sofa did not contain the chemicals.
What Can You Do to Reduce Your Risk From Air Pollution?
While you may not have control over the air pollution in your neighborhood, you have some control over the air quality in your home. For a discussion of action steps to consider to reduce your health risks from indoor pollution see my previous article, “Reduce Indoor Air Pollution.”
Research26 shows improving air quality also benefits your mental health by reducing “psychological distress.”27 Many of the strategies discussed in my previous article are very cost-effective in the short run and may help significantly reduce your health care costs long-term.
Health coach Luke Coutinho stresses the importance of nutritional strategies to reduce the burden air pollution has on your health. While it continues to be important to avoid air pollution as much as possible and to lower the pollution levels in your home, also consider the following strategies to support detoxification:28
• Eat a diet rich in nutritious, whole foods — Eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables helps you ingest a wide range of antioxidant nutrients, many of which help your body remove toxins and reduce the effects of inflammation. Foods high in antioxidants help you meet nutritional deficiencies triggered by air pollution. Since your body uses these antioxidants to protect itself from toxins, you need a diet high in antioxidants to avoid deficiencies.
Green vegetables have chlorophyll that help rid your body of environmental toxins and pesticides. At the same time it’s important to stay hydrated to help your body with elimination and to reduce or eliminate sugar, processed foods and alcohol.
• Bromelain — If you’re faced with congestion and upper respiratory symptoms from air pollution, consider taking bromelain or pineapple extract as it helps improve respiratory function. Bromelain is a nonenzymatic ingredient known for the ability to inhibit inflammation.
• Curry — Curcumin is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound present in turmeric used in curry. In one study,29 researchers measured respiratory function in nearly 2,500 older Chinese adults and found a diet rich in curry appeared to protect lung function in smokers.
Coutinho believes the base of most of your meal preparation should come from garlic, onion, ginger and turmeric to take advantage of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of these foods.
Category: Blog Tags: affect, crisis, Pollution
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Reviewing the Insider Trends for Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG)
Shares are now up +34.86% over the past year, outperforming the broad market by 106.88% and outperformed a peer group of similar companies by 28%. The company has market cap of $17.33 billion. 01/03/2017 - Citizens Financial Group, Inc. had its "equal weight" rating reiterated by analysts at Barclays. 833,426 were accumulated by State Teachers Retirement System. (more...)
With Inflation Up, Odds of A December Rate Hike Are Rising
U.S. consumer prices accelerated in August amid a jump in the cost of gasoline and rental accommodation, signs of firming inflation that could allow further monetary policy tightening from the Federal Reserve this year. The CPI data is the last to be released before the Fed's September 19-20 policy meeting, where it is expected to outline a program to start offloading its $4.2 trillion balance sheet. (more...)
Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) Declines 0.47% for Sep 13
Interested traders may be keeping an eye on the Williams Percent Range or Williams %R. A reading under 20 would suggest no trend, and a reading from 20-25 would suggest that there is no clear trend signal. The ADX is often used along with the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI) to identify the direction of the trend. Aroon Up for a given time period is calculated by determining how much time (on a percentage basis) elapsed between the start of the time ... (more...)
Amazon launches 'Blink' fashion imaging studio in India
Amazon India on Wednesday formally launched its fashion imaging studio in Gurugram, its first in India and the third globally after NY and London, as part of its efforts to enhance the online shopping experience for the customer. "We are putting in unique enablers to build our fashion business in India and this studio will go a long way in achieving that", said Manish Tiwary, vice president, category management, Amazon. (more...)
(DAL) Shares now down at $48.27 Delta teams up with Atlanta Falcons,…
Therefore 40% are positive. Darling Ingredients has $20 highest and $11 lowest target. Its last month's stock price volatility remained 1.72% which for the week stands at 2.28%. Cowen & Co maintained the stock with "Outperform" rating in Friday, December 9 report. The rating was downgraded by Deutsche Bank to "Hold" on Friday, April 1. (more...)
Insider CAREY MATT sold 32000 Shares Of The Home Depot, Inc. (HD)
This represents a decrease of -8% in the number of shares being shorted compared to the previous reading, and implies that investors felt less pessimistic about the stock during the past two weeks. Another trade for 48,769 shares valued at $7.65 million was sold by HOLIFIELD MARK . Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. (more...)
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) Shares Sold by WBI Investments Inc
Lsv Asset accumulated 1.01 million shares or 0.09% of the stock. About 7,749 shares traded. CIT Group Inc. (NYSE:CIT) has risen 46.21% since September 14, 2016 and is uptrending. Citigroup maintained it with "Buy" rating and $75 target in Monday, April 18 report. The stock of Wingstop Inc (NASDAQ:WING) has "Hold" rating given on Tuesday, August 22 by Jefferies. (more...)
(MCD) Shares now up at $157.06 McDonald's Increases Hurricane Relief…
More notable recent McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) news were published by: Nasdaq.com which released: "McDonald's Corp Becomes #28 Most Shorted Dow Stock, Replacing Microsoft ..." on August 25, 2017, also Nasdaq.com with their article: "McDonald's Corporation (MCD) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for August 30, 2017" published on August 29, 2017, Seekingalpha.com published: "McDonald's sales seen tracking below consensus" on September 12, 2017. (more...)
United Natural Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNFI) Sees Price Increase - Up $3.40
The monthly stock performance comes in at 1.81%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.70 earnings per share. Guggenheim Cap Limited Liability Corporation owns 169,883 shares or 0.02% of their United States portfolio. (more...)
Array Biopharma to raise US$175mln in stock offering
Alambic Investment Management L.P. now owns 195,030 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,744,000 after buying an additional 21,800 shares during the period. The stock has "Buy" rating by Piper Jaffray on Friday, September 8. Is Array BioPharma Inc . However the six-month change in the insider ownership was recorded -12.7%, as well as three-month change in the institutional ownership was recorded 1.07%. (more...)
Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) Expected To Report Earnings On Thursday
Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL ) has risen 14.08% since September 14, 2016 and is uptrending. It has underperformed by 21.16% the S&P500. Ghp Investment Advisors Inc increased Oracle Corp ( ORCL ) stake by 12.71% reported in 2016Q4 SEC filing. (more...)
Would You Buy Newfield Exploration Company (NYSE:NFX) On These Analyst Ratings?
Citigroup Inc. cut their price target on shares of Newfield Exploration from $50.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 21st. It is engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. It has a 14.24 P/E ratio. CONSOL Energy Inc. (more...)
Does Delcath Systems, Inc. (DCTH)'s current closing price competes the market?
Earnings surprises can have a huge impact on a company's stock price. The company has 550.81 Million shares outstanding and 498.91 Million shares were floated in market. While trading, traders and shareholders have to make some important and noteworthy profitable trading decisions. For the most recent quarter, quick ratio was 0.9, current ratio was 1, LT Debt/Equity ratio was 0 and Total Debt/Equity ratio stands at 14, while Payout ratio is 0. (more...)
Nestle takes majority stake in premium coffee company Blue Bottle
The company operates minimalist-style coffee bars in major US cities and Japan. The Oakland, California-based company operates shops in the USA and Japan and is expected to reach 55 stores by the end of 2017, up from 29 a year earlier, Nestle said in a statement Thursday. (more...)
Philip Morris International Inc (PM) Shares Bought by Sawtooth Solutions LLC
About 2.68 million shares traded. Of those insider trades, 0 shares of Philip Morris International Inc. were purchased and 14,000 shares were sold. (NYSE:LEO) has declined 0.79% since September 14, 2016 and is downtrending. Ing Groep Nv owns 0.12% invested in Philip Morris International Inc. Goodwin Daniel L, a Illinois-based fund reported 48,022 shares.#img1#. Alesco invested in 0.02% or 2,190 shares. (more...)
Share Spotlight on Interpublic Group of Companies Inc (IPG)
Its quick ratio for most recent quarter is 1.50. The stock of Fortive Corp (NYSE:FTV) has "Buy" rating given on Wednesday, March 29 by Suntrust Robinson. Zacks reduced stocks of Interpublic Group of Companies, (The) from a "hold" recommendation to a "sell" recommendation in a analysis note on Friday morning, Jul 28th. (more...)
Intel Corporation (INTC) Given Overweight Rating at JP Morgan Chase & Co
Ltd. now owns 4,040 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $146,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. The total number of shares traded in the last 12 months is 1.63 million. It improved, as 65 investors sold GS shares while 424 reduced holdings. It was reported on Sep, 14 by Barchart.com . Federated Incorporated Pa reported 142,440 shares stake. (more...)
Analyst's Viewpoint About AbbVie Inc
Goldman Sachs downgraded the shares of ABBV in report on Monday, March 7 to "Buy" rating. BidaskClub raised shares of AbbVie from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 10th. Gonzalez sold 193,131 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 7th. Shares were disposed in a price range of $85.02, amounting to $705,666.00. (more...)
To Buy Or Sell Nike, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) On Latest Analyst Consensus
Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC cut its stake in Nike, Inc. Rational Advisors LLC now owns 2,572 shares of the footwear maker's stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Gru invested 0.16% of its portfolio in Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE). North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Nike by 7.8% during the first quarter. (more...)
Chevron Corporation (CVX) stock RSI 73.84 signaled a sell opportunity
Solaris Asset Management LLC now owns 1,005 shares of the company's stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Chevron Texaco Corp now has $214.32B valuation. the share presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an consensus price target of $116.40. Therefore 89% are positive. Zacks' EPS calculations are an average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that that provide coverage for Chevron Corporation . (more...)
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01 Performance SANDFIRE RESOURCES SOLAR AND STORAGE
Innovative technology for economic transformation
Sandfire Resources Solar and Storage
The CEFC has committed up to $15 million towards a $40 million solar and battery storage project at the Sandfire Resources DeGrussa copper mine in Western Australia. The project has also received funding support of $20.9 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
The 10.6MW solar plant, with 6MW of battery storage, is one of the first and largest solar and battery projects at an Australian mine.
The plant will consist of 34,080 solar PV panels over a 20 hectare site, and is expected to be operational by early 2016. It will provide some 40 per cent of the mine’s daytime electricity requirements, offsetting approximately 5 million litres of diesel fuel per annum.
The 10.6MW solar plant is to be fully integrated with an existing diesel-fired power station.
Savings on diesel fuel consumption are expected to grow with extension of the life of the mine and likely increases in diesel prices. The diesel-fired power station, owned and operated by Pacific Energy subsidiary Kalgoorlie Power Systems, will continue to provide baseload power to the mine.
Remote area mines represent a significant and growing opportunity for solar and battery storage to provide a complementary power source.
Energy costs can account for around 30 per cent of expenditure for remote area and off-grid miners, which rely on diesel- fired generators and face the additional burden of transport costs for fuel.
Rising production costs, global competition and the drive to improve overall environmental performance are motivating companies to look at how renewables can boost their business operations.
We identified some time ago that solar power presented an exciting opportunity for us to participate in a low-risk renewable energy initiative at DeGrussa, and we have no doubt that this project has the potential to be an Australian and possibly a world first – establishing DeGrussa as a reference site for the use of off-grid solar and battery storage technology in the mining industry.” Sandfire Managing Director, Karl Simich
Innovative technology for economic transformation Taralga Wind Farm
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Stephen Tyler
Artillery Captain
Profilers: Colin Kreditor, James Lee, Patrick Gevargiz
Overcoming Difficulties
Were there any difficulties that you had to overcome during your service? Like I knew you said you enjoyed your time there but was there anything…?
Of my twenty six and a half years I spent at least sixteen of them in command positions so I had people overcoming the difficulties that I may have been providing them by being their commander… sure… you get to a balancing of time vs mission vs personal life vs the rest of the world around you. I don’t know if that is a difficulty but it can certainly be a challenge from time to time… Also being in the command structure or in command of something, depending whether it’s your unit or my case different units from different branches and then it filled our artillery battalion… You’re required from time to time to deal with personal issues, not every person you’re forced to serve with has an attitude or a desire to be in the military and a few of time from time to time can do misguided things.. when they do you get to deal with them and… and again as much as it sounds a little bit maudlin it is one-sided. Their opinion of what they’d like to do in their privatizing of their sector doesn’t matter – they’re going to do it the military way or you will have a conflict. Occasionally you run into those conflicts, as a commander you’re required to solve them each time you do and they are usually easy to solve… you know… it doesn’t turn out very often to be anything overly strenuous or overly mentally taxing – its ok…
Attitudes toward the war
What were the attitudes of you and your fellow soldiers towards the war at the time? How did you guys think about it? Cause obviously we have a very different perception now way after…
Sure… For the year that I served in the Northern I Corps person of South Vietnam… the artillery soldiers that I served with – with very few exceptions and I say very few meaning maybe four people at most – was very positive very impactive… we did not have drug issues we did not have disobedient issues, we had exceptionally well-trained troops that did a damn good job period… We were very fortunate some of the units have spent more in the field as opposed to on fire bases… perhaps didn’t have quite as close of a communication control with their folks, but we did and… we had very few difficulties, we had very positive attitudes, we knew why we were there, we knew that if… if the people in the United States would tone down their anti-war rhetoric and leave us alone… there was virtually no doubt that the commitment there would have been completed in half the time and the US forces were certainly more than sufficient to be completed successfully… and looking back at it today many years later, there wouldn’t be a North or South Vietnam – North Vietnam would not exist… so it’s unfortunate that the public sentiment was allowed to go in the direction that it went for as long as it was allowed to go there and … and that the support and control of our troops was adversely affected by it because we had pretty open communication, we heard the news, we had daily reports so we knew what was going on and that was all the way down to the last private so it was unfortunate but… be that as it is that’s the way it is… they’re still trying to figure out a way to welcome us home…
Would you like to tell us any stories about after the war?
My birthday is 5 December and on 8 December, I was sent from my fire base down to Cam Ranh Bay to be sent back to the United States… It was about a 110 to 115 degrees in Vietnam so we were in short sleeve light weight uniforms… we flew from there to McChord Air Force Base which is co-located with Fort Lewis Washington… Washington in the middle of December is snowing and there were four feet of snow on the ground at McChord when we landed so it was a pretty pretty violent change from very warm to very cold. We were fed a steak breakfast. We were paid in cash currency; had a big bag of cash and change. We were fed a steak breakfast and given a one-way ticket from SeaTac to where we wanted to go, in my case Los Angeles. Walked into SeaTac, two halves of a story.
First half, two relatively not necessarily terribly bright young males walked over to me said a few disruptive things about my service and so forth and one kid spit on me… and I looked at him and said “you have about a second to get you and your friend away from me or they’re going to take you to the hospital because I’m going to damage you really badly…” Along the way I went through quick kill in the army and unfortunately or fortunately I know some pretty damaging moves. His friend apparently believed that what I said was true and dragged this stupid kid that spit on me away… that’s half the story… Kinda standing there a little tiny bit in shock… you know I’m in army green uniform wiping spit off my face… and I’m 28 years old at the time and a lady who was old enough to be my grandmother’s mother probably in her eighties walked up to me in a black long sleeve dress, pulled a handkerchief out of her sleeve and wiped all the spit off my face and said “oh sonny, I’m so sorry thank you for your service” and walked away… I had no idea who she is and I’ve obviously never seen her since… but it indubitably inscribed in my mind the total difference in the societies of the United States of America between young kids who generally speaking didn’t even understand the commitment to the Vietnam issue and therefore reacted, in my own opinion of course, rather poorly to it versus the older people who had either relatives that served in the Second World War or Korea who understood it completely… and understand the US’ commitment to overseas’ activities.
So it’s something that obviously I’m sitting here 50 years later and I still remember it almost as though it were yesterday and I will never forget it so there’s the turnkey thought… on my service in Vietnam and my return from service in Vietnam and… as an attendant to that I will say that several of the Vietnamese people that I met during the course of my tour… were just remarkably wonderful people and… and I’ll feel forever remorseful that – I’m sure their lives turned very poorly when the US association pulled out and South Vietnamese army fell… I’m sure their life became pretty nearly grim on earth…
This entry was posted in American, Da Nang, Profile, Saigon, US Army, US Reserves. Bookmark the permalink.
Stephen Tyler was born on December 5, 1939 in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of Southern California and enlisted into the army at the age of 22. He started off in the California Army National Guard and then went to active duty during the Vietnam war. He served as an Artillery Captain during the his tour in Vietnam. After the war he continued his career in the military and stayed in active duty. He spent the last third of his military career in the reserves. He now lives in Sierra Madre and he is very involved with USC and his fraternity Beta Theta Pi. He also goes to every home football game.
My name is James Jin Lee and I am 21 years old. Currently I am attending the University of Southern California as a student in the Marshall School of Business. I am glad that I had the opportunity to hear Mr. Tyler's stories during the war. Once again I would like to thank Mr. Tyler for his service. My name is Colin Kreditor and I am 18 years old. I am currently a freshman at USC and I am studying Accounting. I played golf in high school and I have lived in Southern California my whole life. My name is Patrick Gevargiz. I am currently a senior at USC and I am studying Electrical Engineering at Viterbi School of Engineering.
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Roger Guesnerie Economic Theory and Social Organization
Current resarch
Arriving in economics through unusual paths (as a higher civil servant at the Corps des Ponts et Chaussées), I started my career as a Research Fellow at the CERMAP (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Mathématiques Appliquées à la Planification) and subsequently at the CEPREMAP (the Centre d'Etudes Prospectives et de Recherches en Economie Mathématique Appliqueés à la Planification).
I did research in economics from a series of positions, namely as Chargé, Maître, and finally Directeur de recherche at the CNRS, the French National Center for Scientific Research.
By choice rather than a necessity, teaching was an integral part of my career. I taught in France in several Grandes Ecoles and Universities in Paris as well as elsewhere in the world, for example as Lent term professor at the London School of Economics and during my numerous short visits in North American Universities (Penn, Harvard, etc). In a more permanent fashion I now teach at the EHESS [ link to photo ], the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, where I am Directeur d'études (tenured professor) since 1979.
At the Collège de France, teaching has become my first duty. The opening lecture of the chair has been reproduced in the journal Revue d'Economie Politique (2002) under the title ``The state and the market : erudite constructions and spontaneous wisdom'' (L'Etat et le marché : constructions savantes et pensée spontanée), (119), 6, Nov-Dec. 2002, p. 799-814.
The conduct of research remains a significant chapter of my activities. In particular, I have been the co-founder of DELTA along with François Bourguignon [ link to photo ], and its acting director from 1991 to 2000. I had also been appointed by François Furet, then president of EHESS, as head of the doctoral group Analyse et Politique Economique, from 1981 to 1991. (see Scientific Responsibilities page). At the moment, I am the President of the Administrative Council of the Ecole d'Economie de Paris (Paris School of Economics), the suceeding situation of the previous institutions.
Policy oriented advice is another chapter of activities: a membership of Conseil d'Analyse Economique (the Council of Economic Advisors under the French Prime Minister) being its last avatar.
It is an honour to have been able to serve the profession as a member of the editorial board of several high quality journals in Economics, as well as a council member of learned societies, in particular as a Co-editor of Econometrica from 1984 to 1989, as President of the European Economic Association in 1994, as well as President of the Econometric Society in 1996 and of the Association Française de Science Economique in 2003.
To these honorable positions, I've been honored by the distictions of the Medaille d'Argent (Silver Medal) of the CNRS in 1993, being an Honorary Foreign Member of the American Economic Association since 1997, as well as being a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 2000.
My publications are presented in a comprehensive list, bearing on the issues of General Equilibrium, Applied Public Economics, Theoretical Public Economics with emphasis on public policies and cost benefit analysis, the Economics of Climate Change, Theoretical Public Economics with an emphasis on the issues of taxation and redistribution, Incentives and Contracts, Endogenous Fluctuations, the Rationality of Expectations, and Miscellaneous other issues.
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Texas Studio: Audrya Flores and Lisette Chavez
Laura August January 14, 2019
ArtSan AntonioTexas Studio
Lisette Chavez and Audrya Flores, Angel Baby (video still), 2017. From installation at Lady Base Gallery. Bed, bedding, fabric, lights, LED bulbs, LED candles, hardware, and video. Single-channel video, color, sound: 2:50 min. Photograph by Alma Hernandez, courtesy the artist.
“It’s kind of like unlearning all that good girl stuff and becoming your own person. We needed it. And from the conversations we’ve had, we realized other women needed it, too.”
—Lisette Chavez
When I walk into Audrya Flores’s home studio in San Antonio, I find a wood-paneled room, with a carefully curated selection of objects—needlework, prints, collages, fabric pieces—paired with found things—a turtle shell, stones, a preserved bat, potted plants. On the floor sits an arrangement of nopal leaves that have been sculpted into hand-like shapes. A large window looks out to a lush garden, still green despite the cold snap.
Lisette Chavez studio, San Antonio. Photograph by Laura August.
“I’m working more and more with plants,” Flores tells me. “There’s such an exchange with the material. Art can be really ritualistic, but even more so when it’s from the earth.” She hangs the nopal hands by the door of her home, a kind of talisman to protect both her family and her own energies. Raised in Brownsville, Flores is a self-taught artist whose recent work looks to mythologies, brujería, and healing.
Although she had always been a maker, when her son was born in 2012, Flores turned to art to help re-center herself. “I felt out of control, unsure of who I was,” she says. “I needed to grab something that was really me.” Instinctively, she pulled materials from around the house and began making a self-portrait on brown grocery bags, working 10 or 15 minutes at a time. “It felt so good to rediscover or pull up from the ashes something that was me.”
That self-portrait, Mother of Thousands, caught the attention of the Más Rudas Chicana Art Collective and Flores began to receive invitations to show her work. In 2016, she was invited to have a solo show at Provenance Gallery and, through Provenance, she met Lisette Chavez, who was having a solo show there a few months later. Like Flores, Chavez is also from a small border town—Harlingen, TX—and was raised in a conservative Catholic household. The two immediately connected over their shared interests in storytelling, healing, and their complicated relationships to the religious traditions of their families.
Lisette Chavez and Audrya Flores, Angel Baby (video still), 2017. Single-channel video, color, sound: 2:50 min. Image courtesy the artists.
“In high school, I was a total art nerd,” Chavez says. “And then, in my freshman year, Ms. [Olga] Sanchez was like: you could get scholarships for this kind of stuff, go to college for art, and make a living.” With graduate degrees from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the University of Arizona, Chavez came to terms with her background through art. When you enter her home studio, the walls are covered in a meticulously arranged collection of religious and occult objects. Saints, Madonnas, and devils mingle with babydoll heads and vintage vixens float over a work table covered in prints and drawings.
“Lisette likes to play on that line between spooky and precious,” says Flores. When the two artists met, they quickly realized they shared an interest in the occult, each trying to one-up the other with the ghost stories they remembered from the border. They were surprised to find that they both had been raised hearing many of the same stories, including one called “El Camaroncito,” or “The Devil at the Disco.”
El Camaroncito is the story of a Friday night—maybe Halloween—at a bar. Maybe it was in the late 70s, says Flores. “There’s this woman, dancing with a man all night,” she says. “He’s so dashing. And then, at one point in the night, she looks down and he has a hoof! Sometimes she faints, or she screams. We all just know he’s the devil. Everyone in the bar gasps and he disappears in a cloud of smoke.”
When they met, “it was right after Trump got elected,” Chavez adds. “And we thought, why do they always make the woman so hysterical in these stories? We’ve been hearing these stories since we were kids—about being ladylike—and we were mad.” Flores says, “We liked the creepiness of it, but also we were agitated by it. It was this cautionary tale – listen to your parents – don’t go out at night… We hated that. There was this wagging of the finger at young women.”
Lisette Chavez and Audrya Flores, Angel Baby (video still), 2017. From installation at Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston. Bed, bedding, fabric, lights, LED bulbs, LED candles, hardware, and video. Single-channel video, color, sound: 2:50 min. Photograph by Tere Garcia, courtesy the artists.
The two decided to collaborate on a revision of the Camaroncito story, and they started working on a video re-telling, in which the devil is played by a woman. Neither artist had worked in video before, and the project quickly included the participation of friends and family members.
“Once we decided the devil would be the woman, we knew she would be really strong, with a kind of vintage vixen vibe, but also… totally intimidating,” Flores says. At an art opening in Austin, they met a woman whose striking looks seemed perfect for the part of the diabla. “I couldn’t stop staring at her,” Chavez says. “She has this grace, this style that was so unique. She just looked strong – like something you don’t want to [mess] with… When she walks into a room, it’s like she makes all the men around her drunk. They are just entranced.” The artists wrote to the woman, Paola Cortinas, who they found through Instagram. They pitched the project to her, and she agreed to be in the film.
The resulting installation, Angel Baby, is a room the viewer enters, bathed in red light, with a bed in the center. A video projection follows the dramatic story of the Camaroncito to its startling conclusion. Shown first at Lady Base Gallery in San Antonio, the work was included in Dean Daderko’s exhibition Right Here Right Now: San Antonio at CAMH in 2018. It was a major moment for the two artists who were collaborating and making video for the first time. Both speak about the collaboration as a pivotal moment in their careers. “We met each other through this project,” Chavez says. “There’s patience to that. It’s really intimate collaborating.”
After our studio visits, we go for ceviche and mariachi at El Bucanero, commiserating over how tired we feel as 2018 comes to an end, sharing stories about how family and friendship affect our creative practices, and talking about upcoming projects and plans. Flores will be in a group exhibition at Clamp Light Gallery in June, and she has a solo exhibition opening in July at the Central Library Art Gallery, where she’ll be making a large floor installation honoring Santa Marta and Philomena Loubana. Chavez is teaching at University of the Incarnate Word. Her next project is a collaboration with Julia Curran, a multi-disciplinary artist from Saint Louis; their project will be shown at Le Shakirail in Paris, alongside Angel Baby.
In a world that doesn’t often value the healing spaces made collaboratively by women, the community knowledge of otherworldly experience, and the inexplicable, we talk about the solace that comes from female friendship and collaborative practice. Both women are thoughtful about the reaction people had to the video. “It’s kind of like unlearning all that good girl stuff and becoming your own person. We needed it. And from the conversations we’ve had, we realized other women needed it, too,” Chavez says. “A lot of people spoke about it being really empowering,” Flores adds. “It was like – hell yeah – we are sharing this story, together.”
—LAURA AUGUST
Laura August, PhD, is a writer and curator who works in Guatemala City and Houston. She was a CORE Critic-in-Residence at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and is a recipient of The Creative Capital | Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant for her writing in Central America. In 2018, she co-curated the Paiz Biennial and received an IDEA Fund grant for her project Mud & Blue. In 2019, she is a recipient of the Houston Arts Alliance Support for Artists and Creative Individuals Grant for a collection of interviews with Houston artists.
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Home Resources Chinese Zodiacs and Their Importance
Chinese Zodiacs and Their Importance
Priyanka Mishra
What is a Chinese Zodiac
The Chinese zodiac is a series of 12 years in a repetitive cycle. It is a 12-year repetitive cycle based on the orbital period of 11.86 years of the planet Jupiter which is the largest planet in our solar system. It is called as ‘shengxiao’ in Mandarin which means ‘born resembling’.
Each zodiac or the year is represented by an animal. In the right order, these animals are – the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig.
The respective animal’s personality is said to match the personality of any person born in that year. Therefore, the animal’s attributes are the attributes of the person born in that year. For example, a dog is loyal and sincere and any person born in a year of the dog is considered to be loyal and sincere.
Legend has it that the Chinese zodiac animal signs’ inception began when Lord Buddha beckoned all the animals to bid him farewell before he left Earth. Twelve animals arrived and hence they were given a place of honor by naming a year after each of them. However, there is no scientific credibility to this tale.
Chinese Zodiac and the Four Pillars
The Chinese zodiacs are built around the concept of Four Pillars. These are the 4 components that are said to define a person’s destiny. These four components are the year, month, day and hour of a person’s birth. The year represents the self and how others perceive you. The month represents the parents of the person or his childhood. Chinese astrologers consider the month sign as a critical sign in determining a person’s adult life. Similarly, the day represents the married life of a person and the hour represents the children that a person might have.
Each sign of the zodiac has its own specific natural element. The five elements of nature are earth, water, fire, air, and metal. In addition to assigning animal signs to each year, Chinese astrology assigns animal signs to each month, day and hour as well. The animal for the month is known as the inner animal, the animal for the day known as the true animal and the animal for the hour known as the secret animal. This means that it is possible for a person born under the year of the rat to be born in a month of the ox and hence he may have an inner animal as an ox and so on.
Every person is assigned a Chinese Zodiac sign based on their year of birth. The year is as per the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Chinese astrologers believed that a person born in a particular year will have specific characteristics and matched them to the animal who represented those characteristics best. Hence any person born in the years 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972 or 1960 will have the rat as the zodiac sign. A rat is said to be quick-witted and resourceful, qualities which are supposed to be found in people born under the sign of the rat. Similarly, the years 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973 and 1961 are represented as the years of the ox. Any person born in one of these years will have the ox as the Chinese zodiac sign.
The same pattern is valid for all other zodiac signs. It is notable that each animal zodiac sign repeats itself after every twelve years. For example, for the rat sign, a person born in 1996 belongs to the year of the rat and twelve years later, any person born in 2008 would belong to the year of the rat too.
History of The Chinese Zodiac
The Chinese have utilised this method for fortune prediction for hundreds of years. The Chinese zodiac with its animals first appeared during the Zhan Guo period in the 5th century BC. They were officially confirmed in the Han Dynasty about 2000 years ago and became popular during the North Zhou dynasty (557 – 581 AD). It is based on the lunar calendar which was invented by Emperor Huangdi in 2637 BC. Earlier the zodiac was a means to count the years, months, days and hours and went on to be a method for fortune prediction.
Relevance of The Chinese Zodiac Signs
The Chinese zodiac signs help its followers in the following three key ways.
Understanding Personality Traits
The Chinese zodiac animals and human have a connection between them. It is believed that a person born under a Chinese zodiac shows the characteristics of the animal representing that zodiac. This is similar to western astrology. For example, Rooster is the symbol of punctuality and fidelity. In the ancient days when there were no alarm clocks, people depended on roosters to wake them up. Just like the rooster, in Chinese astrology, it is said that a person born in a year of the rooster will have the same personal characteristics. His strength will be his honesty, his communication skills, and his quick wit. At the same time, he will also be impatient and selfish.
Determining Relationship Compatibility
One of the common uses of the Chinese zodiac is in determining whether two people are compatible with each other, be it a business relationship or a romantic relationship. Every Chinese zodiac sign interacts with another sign in a favourable or unfavourable way. This means that either the signs match or they do not match. The compatibility match between different animal signs is based on their relative positions to each other placed in the form of a clock. Animals who are four hours apart from each other are most compatible and those who are six hours apart are least compatible. An example of a chart featuring marriage compatibility between different signs is shown below.
Determine Luck for a Year
Chinese astrology uses the concept of the zodiac to find out whether the person will be lucky in a particular year. Chinese horoscope columns cover the horoscope of every animal sign for the upcoming year, month or day.
The Chinese zodiac is one of the several fortune prediction methods employed by the Chinese. It is an ancient practice aided by other divination methods like face reading and palmistry. Even though it is an ancient practice, it continues to be popularly used in Feng Shui and general Chinese astrology.
Images are taken from here, here, here, here and here
12 animals chinese zodiac
chinese zodiac and elements
chinese zodiac and pillars
history of chinese zodiac
relevance of chinese zodiac
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Rebellion Against the Bible?
Dabin Hwang | The Harvard Ichthus | Spring 2013
While various strains of Christianity put differing weight on tradition and non-canonical texts, the Bible is indisputably the single most important piece of evidence for Christianity and for discovering how to live a Christian life. More than anything else, the Bible is the fundamental basis of the Christian faith.[1] The Bible is of paramount importance not only because it provides a basis for a Christian’s faith, but also because it contains the living words of God by which a Christian can find true life through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Even outside of Christian circles, the Bible’s importance is unquestioned – for better or for worse its content has impacted the western world, and by extension all human history, in a profound manner. It is the most-owned book both all-time and in the present day and has been translated into over a thousand languages.[2]
For most Christians and explorers of Christianity, whether to accept the validity of the Bible is a key question in their spiritual journeys. In this article, I seek to introduce some of the evidence that can be used to know what the Bible says is true—how a Christian or explorer of Christianity can have confidence that it is not some gigantic fraud or fabrication. This short article aims to give an overview of the most common arguments for the validity of the Bible. This is not a comprehensive investigation and by no means will prove the historicity of the Bible one way or the other. However, I hope the reader will find time to examine the evidence that I introduce and point towards, and investigate what the meaning of the Bible.
There are four general strains of reasoning that argue for the reliability of the Bible: internal consistency, archaeological evidence, manuscript evidence, and logical extrapolation from history. Again, I will only briefly introduce each main area of evidence concerning reliability.[3]
Internal Consistency
The first issue concerning the trustworthiness of the Bible is its internal consistency. If the Bible disagrees with itself, then there is no point in examining external historical evidence as to whether the Bible’s claims may be true.
At first glance, it may seem like the Bible may never be internally consistent. Many scholars agree that the Bible was written by more than 40 authors over a period of 1500 years.[4] The authors came from different walks of life—different occupations, different social classes, different educations. They included kings, tax collectors, and fishermen. Many of them never met each other. However, their writings are consistent in the message conveyed in their content.[5] All contain the same overarching themes that emphasize loving God alone and living according to his commands. They speak of God as a creator who loves his creation but is also fair and just and will not tolerate sin. Among the more persuasive displays of unity are the Messianic prophecies throughout the Old Testament texts that were fulfilled by Jesus’ coming. Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Other prophecies concern his birthplace (Bethlehem), his hometown (Nazareth), his genealogy (of Judah and of David), and many others including arguably the most important ones the Jewish rejection of Jesus and Christ’s being a servant through his suffering.[6] Of course there are scholars who are non- Christians and so necessarily doubt the prophecies, so if you are interested I suggest looking into the work of George Davis.[7]
The Manuscripts
A second argument for the Bible is from the evidence of the manuscripts. Many people have a high degree of bias against the Bible simply because it is a religious text. I have heard it argued that there is little evidence for the continued accuracy of the manuscripts of the Bible as they were passed down many generations. Doubtlessly, skeptics say, the modern Bible contains many errors and changes from the original texts. Truly, though, the persistence of the content of the manuscripts of the New Testament is unparalleled by any other ancient text. For example there are at least 10 times the number of copies of the New Testament manuscript than manuscripts of Aristotle, Sophocles, and Homer. And those New Testament manuscripts are dated closer to the estimated date of authorship than those other famous ancient texts. Furthermore, the 5000 New Testament manuscripts are over 99 percent similar in words—scribes have not taken liberties with the texts. Even so, people believe in the historical accuracy of the copies of other ancient texts much more readily than that of the Biblical texts.[8]
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls was important because these scrolls were evidence suggesting the preservation of the Old Testament texts as well. Found in the caves ten miles south of Jerusalem, those manuscripts were preserved in jars for over 2000 years and include the book of Isaiah and some Psalms. The scrolls’ seamless similarity with the more modern manuscripts shows just how well the Old Testament texts were preserved over thousands of years.[9]
Archaeological Evidence:
A third issue regarding the trustworthiness of the Bible is the historicity of Biblical events. It’s a common myth that Biblical events are only reported within the Bible itself and so have little to no verifiability. The argument goes that there are no outside sources of evidence that corroborate the historical events in the Bible. And since the Bible is a religious book, how could one know the Bible is not a product of man’s imagination – a gigantic, albeit internally consistent, myth? Perhaps the strongest talking point of biblical historicity skeptics is the lack of corroborating archaeological evidence of the Israelite Exodus from Egypt. Biblical historian Jeffrey Sheler notes, “Inscriptions from ancient Egypt contain no mention of Hebrew slaves, of the devastating plagues that the Bible says preceded their release, or of the destruction of the pharaoh’s army during the Israelites’ miraculous crossing of the Red Sea…There is not even any indication, outside of the Bible, that Moses existed” (Sheler, 76-77). Sheler argues that while it is true that there is almost no extra-biblical evidence for this event, the lack of evidence does not necessarily indicate the events did not actually happen. In fact, it’s not surprising that Egyptian inscriptions, which were generally advertisements of the kingdom’s strength and greatness, do not mention the event where Egypt gets devastated by its slaves and the great Egyptian army gets humiliated. Nevertheless, Egypt’s case of missing evidence that we might expect is really more of an exception than the rule.
Archaeological evidence tends to support the Bible. Sheler concludes because of the plethora of evidence that the Bible is indeed a reliable historical document. One among many pieces of significant pieces of archaeological evidence leading to that conclusion was the discovery of remains of the Hittite civilization. The Hittites are repeatedly mentioned as a substantial civilization in the Old Testament, with one verse even putting the people on par with Egypt: “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us” (2 Ki 7:6). For a long time, non-Christian scholars argued that there was no extra-biblical evidence for the existence of the Hittites. People argued that this was evidence against the veracity of the Bible. But, in the 19th century, the ancient Hittite capital Hattusa was discovered and excavated in modern day Turkey. Extrabibilical evidence for the existence of a broader Hittite civilization was subsequently found, including a tablet that recorded a treaty between the Egyptians and the Hittites.[10] Other archeological discoveries have been made recently which continue to provide evidence for the truth of various parts of the Biblical record.
Logical Extrapolation from History
A final major argument for the Bible’s veracity is logical inference from history. It is a historical fact that Christians since the beginning of Christianity have died and in some places continue to die as martyrs for their faith. If what these martyrs believe, the Bible, is not true, then Christian martyrdom is only for the foolish. However, it is true that members of other religions similarly have been and are still martyred for their beliefs. That people would die for their beliefs by no means validates their beliefs.
Yet, Christian martyrdom is substantially different from those of other religions. The earliest Christian believers – the very propagators of the Christian faith – were martyred for their beliefs. Most notably, Jesus himself died.[11] Neither Mohammad, Buddha, nor Confucius did the same.
If the very earliest Christians were fabricating a religion and knew they were fabricating the religion, it is rather dubious assumption that they would be willing to go all the way to die for their fake religion. One could argue that these early martyrs were insane, but further examination suggests lunacy is unlikely. For instance, the Apostle Paul, who was the author of almost half of the New Testament, was almost certainly quite sane. In Philippians 3, he describes his credentials as a Jewish Pharisee, most highly educated among the Jews, elite of the elite. The account of Acts describes him as a prominent member of the Jewish community before his conversion to Christianity.[12] That such an educated, respected and well-taught man would be willing to suffer and die for his unshakeable belief in Jesus Christ creates a credible witness to the truth of his belief. At the very least, one must agree that any belief worth dying for is a belief worth examination, but even more so if the first believers willingly gave up their lives for it. This argumentation is further explored in CS Lewis’ book Mere Christianity.
There are many arguments for and against the historical accuracy and reliability of the Bible. I think it is impossible to find perfect evidence for one particular side. However, it is true that the Bible is a monumentally important text to mankind. People have died for the words in that holy book, and thousands of people of the faith have had profound impacts on the course of human history.
As Harvard students, the responsibility to seek the truth – Veritas – is heavy. If millions of people profess that the Christian faith is true, then it deserves investigation.
1 Some Christians (notably Catholics) might say that church tradition is also, perhaps even equally, important to the Christian life. I do not dispute that. What I mean here is that broadly, throughout all Christendom, the Bible is the most preeminent and the most unifying factor.
2 “The Worldwide Status of Bible Translation (2012).” Wycliffe.org. Wycliffe Bible Translators, 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. <http://www.wycliffe.org/About/Statistics.aspx>.
3 Unfortunately, even in this introductory form I am not able to address all aspects of Biblical reliability. For instance canonicity of the bible is unaddressed here–what if some arbitrary group of people came together to put together selected texts that would be coherent the way the Bible is?
4 “When Was The Bible Written?” AllAboutTruth.org. AllAboutTruth, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. <http://www.allabouttruth.org/when-was-the-biblewritten-
faq.htm>.
5 The theological discipline which concerns the overarching themes of the bible is called systematic theology. See Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology for a well-regarded example.
6 Reinckens, Rick. “Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
Christ.” Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus Christ. God On The Net, 1998. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. <http://www.godonthe.net/evidence/messiah.htm>.
7 David, George T.B. Fulfilled Prophecies That Prove the Bible, Philadelphia: Million Testaments Campaign, 1931. Print.
8 “Manuscript Evidence for Superior New Testament Reliability.” |Accuracy of the New Testament. Christian Apologetics &
Research Ministry, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. <http://carm.org/manuscriptevidence>.
9 Sheler, Jeffery L. Is the Bible True? How Modern Debates and Discoveries Affirm the Essence of Scripture.
New York: HarperCollins, 1999. 125-33. Print.
10 “Hittite.” AllAboutArchaeology.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. <http://www.allaboutarchaeology.org/hittite-faq.htm>.
11 And gloriously was raised again!
12 Acts 8:1-3, 9:1-31
Dabin Hwang ’15 is a Neurobiology concentrator in Winthrop House. He is a staff writer for the Ichthus.
The Veracity of the Gospels
Review of Peter Enns’ “The…
A Response to Thomas Paine’s Age of…
Tags: apologetics, Bible, CS Lewis, historicity, history, love, religion, truth
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John McCain gets go ahead
Countdown: Nothing About The FBI's Anthrax Story Adds Up
By SilentPatriot
Keith interviewed investigative journalist Gerald Posner last night, who did a great job of shattering all of the inconsistencies and improbabilities in the FBI's official case against alleged anthrax killer Bruce Ivins.
The strongest evidence they have going for them is also their Achilles' heel and that he's psychological profile. That fact that he's very unstable, that he was someone who was an alcoholic, that he might wanted to have the vaccine continue to go along, but that's also the fact that he could have been set up as a cutout or puppet or used by a group of people who wanted the anthrax out there.
They also knew about his weak psychological profile. How was he employed with the most secret biological warfare lab in the United States with this type of background that we now hear about? That they should have known about from day one. The Defense Department should hang its head in shame.
http://crooksandliars.com/2008/08/07/countdown-nothing-about-the-fbis-anthrax-story-adds-up/#more-31659
Drink it or Drive it: The Promise of Agave for Ethanol
by Sarah Lozanova
Corn has given ethanol a bad name and scientists are searching far and wide for alternative feedstock. Agave has been getting attention lately and looks very promising, although tequila connoisseurs may not be cheering. Here's why agave is so much appealing:
High Yield Per Acre
Soybeans generate a measly 60 gallons of biodiesel annually from an acre of land and has an energy balance of 2.5. Corn generates about 300-400 gallons of ethanol per acre and has an energy balance of 1.3. Sugar cane can generate 600-800 gallons of ethanol per acre annually and has an energy balance of 8. Sugar cane unfortunately is very labor intensive to cultivate and could contribute to deforestation.
Agave however can yield an impressive 2,000 gallons of distilled ethanol per acre each year annually. Cellulosic ethanol from agave has 6 to 9 times the yield per acre. This would significantly reduce the quantity of land needed to produce the same quantity of transportations fuels.
Thrives in Wastelands
Agave fixes nitrogen in the soil and actually improves the soil quality where it is grown. 95% of the Agavacea family calls Mexico home and 50% of the country is ideally suited for agave cultivation. Dry, arid, and steep terrain typically have fewer economic opportunities and greater poverty. Ethanol from agave would open up new markets in marginalized lands.
Few other ethanol feedstocks grow well on marginalized lands. Sugar cane, which is used widely in Brazil for ethanol production, is grown in tropical regions and can drive deforestation.
http://cleantechnica.com/2008/08/08/drink-it-or-drive-it-the-promise-of-agave-for-ethanol/
Worst President Ever
The Folk Brothers, David Massengill and Jack Hardy, perform Jack's song "Worst President Ever" on the Main Stage of the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival 2008
Is Anyone Ready?
by Susan Estrich
The knives are out for my friend Bill Clinton. Again.
There he is in Rwanda, not one of the top spots for August vacations, trying to do something to stop a few million Africans from dying of curable diseases. Far as I can tell, no one wanted to discuss that, or at least report what he had to say about it.
No, it was his refusal to simply say "yes" when asked whether he thinks Barack Obama is ready to be president that resulted in one of the most viewed stories this week.
In fact, if you look at what he did say, it was almost certainly true. "You can argue that nobody is ready to be president," the former president told ABC News.
"You can argue that even if you've been vice president for eight years, that no one can be fully ready for the pressures of the office," Clinton said Monday from Rwanda.
You can argue it, for sure, and you'd be right, looking at history. But if you're Bill Clinton, apparently you're not supposed to say it. News reports quoted Clinton "backers" as saying the president couldn't give the politically correct answer because he's still smarting from his wife's loss. And that's what Clinton backers were saying. My e-mails from Obama backers cannot be printed.
What was Clinton doing?
Maybe he was just being honest.
http://www.creators.com/opinion/susan-estrich/is-anyone-ready.html
The coming Republican fall
by Larry Meacham
Pay no attention to the national polls, an analysis of state voting trends shows Obama's the guy
Barack Obama's tour of the Middle East and Europe looked like the Second Coming. Barack sermonizes on a Jerusalem mount. U.S. troops cheer as Barack shoots a three-pointer with nothing but net -- the loaves and fishes. Jordan's King Abdullah personally drives Barack to the airport. A crowd of 200,000 applauds Barack's Berlin speech. Barack speaks to reporters in front of 10 Downing Street, with English bobbies on guard.
The media were seduced by the great pictures, but frustrated by a lack of gaffes. Meanwhile, in order to keep their ratings high, they are desperately trying to make the November election seem tight. Good luck.
National polls are irrelevant. Focus on the Electoral College. For instance, the West Coast map should not show Washington and Oregon as close. They went Democratic the last two elections, the polls show Obama well ahead and a recent Obama rally in Portland drew an astounding 75,000 people. California and Hawaii are even more solidly Democratic.
In the Midwest, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan also should not be counted as swing states, having voted Democratic even when the uninspiring John Kerry was the candidate. As for Iowa, George Bush won narrowly in 2004. But Obama has a powerful organization there that won him the primary, while John McCain did not even try to compete on the Republican side. Count Iowa for Obama, plus his home state of Illinois.
Obama will win the Northeast, as Democrats usually do, except perhaps New Hampshire (only 4 electoral votes). Forget maps that show Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware as doubtful -- they are consistently Democratic.
Pennsylvania is a key swing state. It voted for Kerry and Al Gore, recent polls show Obama ahead by double digits and Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell has a strong organization. Give Pennsylvania to Obama.
In other words, Obama will win all the states that usually go Democratic. That gives him 255 electoral votes. It only takes 270 to win.
http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/08/10/editorial/commentary2.html
Tear down that wall
Springtime for Hitler
By PAUL KRUGMAN
You may recall that George W. Bush promised, among other things, to change the tone in Washington. He made good on that promise: the tone has certainly changed.
As far as I know, in the past it wasn't considered appropriate for the occupant of the White House to declare that members of the opposition party weren't interested in the nation's security. And it certainly wasn't usual to compare anyone who wants to tax the rich -- or even anyone who estimates the share of last year's tax cut that went to the wealthy -- to Adolf Hitler.
O.K., maybe we should discount remarks by Senator Phil Gramm. When Mr. Gramm declared that a proposal to impose a one-time capital gains levy on people who renounce U.S. citizenship in order to avoid paying taxes was ''right out of Nazi Germany,'' even the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, Charles Grassley, objected to the comparison.
But Mr. Grassley must have thought better of his objection, since just a few weeks later he decided to use the Hitler analogy himself: ''I am sure voters will get their fill of statistics claiming that the Bush tax cut hands out 40 percent of its benefits to the top 1 percent of taxpayers. This is not merely misleading, it is outright false. Some folks must be under the impression that as long as something is repeated often enough, it will become true. That was how Adolf Hitler got to the top.''
For the record, Robert McIntyre of Citizens for Tax Justice -- the original source of that 40 percent estimate -- is no Adolf Hitler. The amazing thing is that Mr. Grassley is sometimes described as a moderate. His remarks are just one more indicator that we have entered an era of extreme partisanship -- one that leaves no room for the acknowledgment of politically inconvenient facts. For the claim that Mr. Grassley describes as ''outright false'' is, in fact, almost certainly true; in a rational world it wouldn't even be a matter for argument.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9a0defde133df93ba25753c1a9649c8b63
Wash Post: "Obama Hits Back, Too Softly For Some"
AMERICAblog.com
Interesting article in today's Washington Post. It encapsulates the angst many Democrats are starting to feel about the election, McCain's increasingly negative attacks, and the Obama campaign's responses to those attacks. Democrats we talk to are worried. They're not just the chattering class on TV. It's Democrats across the board. They're worried because they want Obama to win, but more generally, they want our party to win. This election is about far more than Barack Obama. It's about Democrats taking back the White House, taking back our country. All Democrats share ownership of that goal.
Here are a few of the key points in the article, and my thoughts:
1. "We are not going to base our campaign on the concerns of so-called campaign strategists on cable TV," spokesman Bill Burton said.
In fact, lots of Democrats are expressing concern, including senior Hill staff, senior consultants, senior activists, and more.
2. "The price [McCain] paid for his party's nomination has been to reverse himself on position after position," Obama told a crowd of more than 1,000 at a high school gym in Elkhart. "That doesn't meet my definition of a maverick. You can't be a maverick when politically it's important for you but not a maverick when it doesn't work for you."
This is great, seriously. Hit McCain on his strength, his "maverick" status. Guaranteed to tick him off.
3. [Y]ou have to counterattack. You don't want to look like a whiner. You want to look tough."
This is a point I've raised several times. I think John Kerry and Al Gore paid a high price for being intellectual pretty-boys who didn't show enough of a tough-guy side (interestingly, I think Wesley Clark has the same PR problem - way too nice of a guy on TV, and never shows his inner general). The public knows Obama is smart and good looking, now they need to know that he can be an asshole too.
http://www.americablog.com/2008/08/wash-post-obama-hits-back-too-softly.html
U.S. guns arm Mexican drug cartels
Licensed weapons dealers are abundant near the border. 'Straw buyers' assist the traffickers.
By Richard A. Serrano
SIERRA VISTA, ARIZ. -- High-powered automatic weapons and ammunition are flowing virtually unchecked from border states into Mexico, fueling a war among drug traffickers, the army and police that has left thousands dead, according to U.S. and Mexican officials.
The munitions are hidden under trucks and stashed in the trunks of cars, or concealed under the clothing of people who brazenly walk across the international bridges. They are showing up in seizures and in the aftermath of shootouts between the cartels and police in Mexico.
More than 90% of guns seized at the border or after raids and shootings in Mexico have been traced to the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Last year, 2,455 weapons traces requested by Mexico showed that guns had been purchased in the United States, according to the ATF. Texas, Arizona and California accounted for 1,805 of those traced weapons.
No one is sure how many U.S.-purchased guns have made their way into Mexico, but U.S. authorities estimate the number in the thousands.
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-guns10-2008aug10,0,6985616.story?page=1&track=ntothtml
A Nation of Whiners? Perhaps
by Froma Harrop
You won't hear me straining to defend Phil Gramm, the Texas Republican whose penchant for grating commentary sunk his 1996 bid for the presidency before the New Hampshire primary. It was really just a matter of time before the former senator, serving as John McCain's economic advisor, put his foot in it: Gramm opined that Americans complaining about the economy were "whiners."
It's not good politics to call any voter a whiner, and Gramm had to leave the campaign. But honesty impels one to grant him this: The point about America being "a nation of whiners" is not without merit.
Yes, losing one's job or home is traumatic, and having both taken away more so. But the average citizens facing $4-a-gallon gas and learning that their hacienda isn't the money factory they thought it was haven't exactly been thrown into the Dust Bowl. Some Europeans pay twice as much for gas and live in half the space, and no one is passing around the hat for them.
I spent last week replaying Ken Burns' searing series on World War II. "The War" follows several American families ranging from working class to upper-middle class. None of them, not even the fancy folks in Mobile, Ala., lived as large as today's typical McMansion family.
These people also had to endure the war's horrific sacrifice, made more unbearable by the youth of the dead. Nearly 7,000 Americans perished on the tiny island of Iwo Jima alone, with several times that number injured, many grievously. It was a hideous battle in a long parade of gruesome campaigns. Over 400,000 Americans died in that war.
One of the documentary's running themes was that of servicemen pining for their loved ones back home. And their homes were modest triple-deckers in Connecticut, farmhouses in Minnesota or bungalows in California.
When the war ended, Americans soon resumed their historic quest for bigger and better.But even then, the returning soldier's idea of palatial living was a 750-square-foot house in Levittown, one-third the average size of a new home in 2006. The accommodations in Americans, by the way, were the envy of ruined Europe.
So the recent economic downturn hasn't made Americans poor by any sane measurement.
http://www.creators.com/opinion/froma-harrop/a-nation-of-whiners-perhaps.html
No respect
7 worrisome signs for Obama
by Glenn Thrush
A few weeks back, Time magazine was musing that John McCain was in danger of sliding from "a long shot" to a "no-shot." Around the same time, a hard-nosed former Hillary Clinton insider declared the race "effectively over" thanks to the McCain campaign's ineptitude, the tanking U.S. economy and Obama's advantages in cash, charisma and hope. And Obama, up by three to six points nationally, was about to leverage a much-anticipated trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Europe into a pre-convention poll surge.
Instead, his supporters are now suffering a pre-Denver panic attack, watching as John McCain draws incrementally closer in state and national polls – with Rasmussen's most recent daily national tracker showing a statistical dead heat.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has been privately enumerating her doubts about Obama to supporters, according to people who have spoken with her. Clinton's pollster Mark Penn recently unveiled a PowerPoint presentation red-flagging Obama's lukewarm leads among white female voters and Hispanics – while predicting a five-point swing could turn a presumed Obama win into a McCain landslide.
"It's not that people think McCain will win – it's that they are realizing that McCain could win," says Quinnipiac University pollster Peter Brown, whose surveys show tight races in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. "This election is about Barack Obama — not John McCain — it's about whether Barack Obama passes muster. Every poll shows that people want a Democratic president, the problem is they're not sure they want Barack Obama."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080811/pl_politico/12433
Who Framed George Lakoff?
A noted linguist reflects on his tumultuous foray into politics
By EVAN R. GOLDSTEIN
George P. Lakoff is falling asleep. It is a bright summer afternoon in San Francisco, and Lakoff is nursing a latte at a small table near the entrance of a bustling, sun-dappled cafe. "This is what happens when you are 67," he explains sheepishly after dozing off midsentence. A stocky man with a wide smile and a well-trimmed white beard, Lakoff doesn't seem tired so much as beleaguered.
For years he's been at the center of some of the biggest intellectual disagreements in linguistics (most famously with Noam Chomsky) and has helped create an important interdisciplinary field of study, cognitive linguistics, that is reshaping our understanding of the complex relationship between language and thought. More recently he has been vying for respect among people notoriously hard to persuade about anything — politicians and their financial backers. So this summer he has been on the road promoting his new book, The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics With an 18th-Century Brain (Viking), which argues that liberals have clung to the false belief that people think in a conscious, logical, and unemotional manner and that this belief has doomed Democrats' chances with voters.
But transferring scholarly ideas into political practice can be tricky. After a heady few years when he seemed the person Democratic policy makers wanted on the other end of the telephone, Lakoff is finding that what they're asking for — and are willing to put money behind — is not always what he can provide. Lakoff's foray into politics is a story marked by intellectual breakthroughs, the allure of influence, and a fall from great heights. Yet his lifetime work permeates several disciplines and continues to spur cognitive researchers to go off in new directions.
http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i49/49b00601.htm
Oil execs for McCain
Should a president be computer literate?
How to Blow It
It's the most winnable presidential election in American history - but the Democrats are old hands at losing. Michael Moore offers some helpful hints on how they might gift it all to the Republicans.
by Michael Moore
"Let's snatch defeat from the jaws of victory."
"We never met an election we'd like to win."
"Why get elected when you can be defeated!"
These have been the mantras of the Democratic Party. Beginning with their stunning inability to defeat the most detested politician in American history, Richard Nixon, and continuing through their stunning inability to defeat the most detested politician in the world, George II, the Democrats are the masters of blowing it. And they don't just simply "blow it" - they blow it especially when the electorate seems desperate to give it to them.
After eight years of Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office, the public had seen enough. The Democrats chose Michael Dukakis as their nominee. Two months before the election, he was ahead of Bush I in the polls. Then he went to an army tank factory in Michigan, put on some kind of stupid-fitting helmet and rode around in a tank with a goofy smile on his face. Weeks later, when asked what kind of punishment he would like to see given to someone who might rape his wife, he started mumbling some sort of bleeding-heart gibberish instead of just saying what anyone would say: "I'd like to tear the bastard limb from limb!" The voters were so put off by his wimpiness, they elected an actual wimp over him, George H W Bush.
For years now, nearly every poll has shown that the American people are right in sync with the platform of the Democratic Party. They are pro-environment, pro-women's rights, pro-choice, they don't like war, they want the minimum wage raised, and they want a single-payer universal healthcare system. The American public agrees with the Republican Party on only one major issue: they support the death penalty.
So you would think, with more than 200 million eligible voters, the Dems would be cleaning up, election after election. Obviously not. The Democrats appear to be professional losers. They are so pathetic in their ability to win elections, they even lose when they win! Al Gore won the 2000 election, but for some strange reason he didn't become the president of the United States.
If you are unable as a party to get the landlord to turn over the keys to a house that is yours, what the hell good are you?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/09/michael.moore.us.elections.barack.obama
Top 9 best new drugs
One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small. Take one, take them all!
Researchers are reporting that an experimental drug can mimic the results of an exercise regimen — with no exercise required. [Called "the couch potato experiment,"] after four weeks of taking the pill, mice who hadn't worked out displayed a 44 percent increase in their running endurance. —Wired
Scientists at the Ronald Reagan School for Pschyoeconomic Paroxysms have reportedly developed a new drug that, after just a few weeks, induces random bouts of forgetfulness combined with the ability to reverse ideological direction in an instant, most notably when large amounts of cash are placed directly in front of the face.
Code-named "the McCain," users report random outbreaks of very bad jokes coupled with an extremely combative nature, acute desire to detonate large explosive devices across multiple desert nations and a general feeling that the real problem with the world today is all the gul-dang gay young peacenik whippersnapper environmentalists who like to rub their iPods all over their Googles. Common prescription: "Take two McCains and call me in 1957."
Following research at Harvard and McGill universities where scientists have been testing new drugs that "delete" bad memories, researchers in Washington, D.C., have found a new compound that tricks the brain into believing great progressive accomplishments are being made and tremendous strides have been taken to reverse all sorts of previous damage, when in fact very little has been done and mostly what's happening is a lot of general whimpering wrapped in a great many false gestures, all while promising even more super-positive changes ahead, but if only someone really good steps in as leader and tells everyone what to do.
Introduced to great excitement and fanfare when it first hit the market in November of 2006, "the congressional Democrat" has only proven moderately effective as a radical stimulant, and is currently considered a big, fat disappointment.
Drug researchers in Gnowangerup, Australia, are reporting successful Stage II testing of a rather sour new pill known as "The Gawker" (also known as "PWND," "OMG," "Get a Life," "Perez Hilton"). A neural inhibitor that blocks cognitive maturation, this new drug reportedly affects speech patterns and triggers an alarming increase in jackassianic peptides in the brain, the chemical most associated with extreme self-absorption, chronic masturbation, general mean-spiritedness and excessive use of the word "whatEVs."
Time-released. Effects reportedly last approximately six years, roughly from ages 19-25, at which time serious users suddenly awaken to fact of own adorable irrelevance, write vacuous memoir, take job as assistant manager of American Apparel outlet in south Jersey shopping mall.
Ironically, just a few years ago, this global toxin was thought to be generally harmless, albeit a huge irritant. Now "the Bush," secretly developed by teams of starved eunuchs in the dungeons of the GOP research labs between the years 1950 to 1998 and whose real toxicity only became known on Sept. 12, 2001, is widely regarded as "the bitterest pill we've ever had to swallow."
Set to expire in January 2009, notable side effects include retching, fatalism, monosyllabism, spiritual coagulation, complete intellectual stasis, and a strange, painful condition known only as "squinty face." Believed to be on track to replace "the Nixon" as worst drug ever invented.
WARNING: Contraindicated by a highly volatile ointment — "the Cheney" — containing shards of glass and the blood of insane Amazonian scorpions, which induces instant shriveling of any living tissue with which it come into contact.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/08/08/notes080808.DTL
Nine out of ten oil execs
Dead Monster Washes Ashore in Montauk
by disinfogreg
No, Lizzie Grubman's still alive. This is an actual monster, some sort of rodent-like creature with a dinosaur beak. A tipster says that there is "a government animal testing facility very close by in Long Island," but unless the government is trying to design horrible Montauk monsters that will eat IEDs and fart fire at bad Iraqis, we're not sure why they would create such an unthinkable beast. Our guess is that it's viral marketing for something. Ali Lohan's new album perhaps.
http://www.disinfo.com/content/story.php?title=Dead-Monster-Washes-Ashore-in-Montauk
Election Shocker! Senator John McCain may be the Antichrist.
by Robert Dreyfuss
Biblical scholars in Colorado Springs have uncovered startling evidence that Senator John McCain may be the Antichrist. Their conclusions, while highly controversial, may have a dramatic impact on the 2008 elections, since many Bible-believing Christians have already expressed doubts about McCain's fealty to Christianity.
The analysis was conducted by the respected True Bible Society, and it will be published next month in the End Times Journal.
The analysis was especially ironic, given that it came out just one day after McCain was accused of subtly hinting that Barack Obama could be the Antichrist. McCain ran a commercial depicting Obama as "The One," giving rise to charges that he was sending a subliminal messages to anti-Obama Christians.
"What started us looking at this issue is the fact that Senator McCain has declared his intention to maintain US forces in Iraq for a hundred years," said David Jenkins, a leading Biblical scholar. "That means that McCain wants to control Babylon for at least a century." According to many scholars of the Book of Revelation, the Antichrist will try to rebuild the ancient city of Babylon in order to use it as a springboard for an international effort at world domination. Ultimately, the Antichrist will marshal forces from Babylon to spark a showdown with Christian and Jewish-led forces in the battle of Armageddon.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/dreyfuss/343356
Starve The Beast: Appetite For Distortion
by Mark @ 3:24 pm
Almost exactly one year ago I published a comprehensive examination of the futility of appearances on Fox News by Democrats and progressives: Starve The Beast. The thrust of the article argued that…
"Every time one of our representatives appears on Fox, they are setting back our agenda. They are not just wasting a little time trying to confront the enemy in its lair. They are literally causing harm to the efforts of the rest of us who are fervently struggling to repair and improve our country."
The case was supported by studies that showed that Fox News audiences supported Republicans by overwhelming margins and that they were significantly more likely to have misperceptions about current news events. I also provided evidence that the centerpiece in Rupert Murdoch's empire was a far less ominous presence in the mediasphere than they liked to imagine themselves.
It's all still true. Rasmussen conducted a new study that affirms the previous studies. Their survey shows that Fox News viewers are still a species apart from the rest of the television population.
When nine out of ten Fox viewers say that they will vote for John McCain, you have an audience that may be more accurately described as a cult (as I described it in The Cult Of Foxonality). And while viewers at both CNN and MSNBC express a solid two to one majority for Barack Obama, that is a far cry from the near unanimous, block mentality of Fox viewers. The fact that the CNN and MSNBC audience compositions agree with one another suggests that they may be a better reflection of the population as a whole. They certainly come much closer to public opinion polling on the presidential race. Another indication of the disparity between Fox and its competitors is that 43% of CNN viewers and 38% of MSNBC viewers have a favorable opinion of McCain. However, only 14% of Fox viewers have a favorable opinion of Obama.
http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/
Where have all the real men gone?
Top American columnist Kathleen Parker is causing a furore with her new book Save the Males, in which she argues that feminism has neutered men and deprived them of their noble, protective role in society
I know. Saving the males is an unlikely vocation for a 21st-century woman. Most men don't know they need saving; most women consider the idea absurd. When I tell my women friends that I want to save the males, they look at me as if noticing for the first time that I am insane. Then they say something like: "Are you out of your mind? This is still a male-dominated world. It's women who need saving. Screw the men!"
Actually, that's a direct quote. The reality is that men already have been screwed – and not in the way they prefer. For the past 30 years or so, males have been under siege by a culture that too often embraces the notion that men are to blame for all of life's ills. Males as a group – not random men – are bad by virtue of their DNA.
While women have been cast as victims, martyrs, mystics or saints, men have quietly retreated into their caves, the better to muffle emotions that fluctuate between hilarity (are these bitches crazy or what?) and rage (yes, they are and they've got our kids).
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/book_extracts/article4448371.ece
After rape victim used cell phone to call for help, KBR bans use of personal phones in Iraq
This weekend, defense contracting giant KBR announced it would ban the use of personal cell phones by its employees in Iraq, citing no specific reason. Though KBR has not indicated the ban is related to the numerous allegations of rape by female KBR employees by their male coworkers, the ban could endanger future victims. Jamie Leigh Jones, the first victim to come forward publicly, explained that after she was gang-raped by coworkers and held in a shipping container for days, "she convinced a sympathetic guard to loan her a cell phone so she could call her father in Texas."
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/04/after-rape-victim-used-cell-phone-to-call-for-help-kbr-bans-personal-phones-in-iraq/
a war on terror update
One Nation, Under a New Obama Salute
by Paul Bedard
George Bush had his three-fingered W salute that supporters flashed when greeting him at presidential campaign events in 2000. And now, if a Los Angeles creative agency gets its way, Sen. Barack Obama will see fans meet him with his own salute like the one above. "Our goal is to see a crowd of 75,000 people at Obama's nomination speech holding their hands above their heads, fingers laced together in support of a new direction for this country, a renewed hope, and acceptance of responsibility for our future," says Rick Husong, owner of The Loyalty Inc. Husong tells me that he got the idea after seeing the famous Obama-Progress poster by artist Shepherd Fairey. "We wanted to get involved some way," he says. So, the agency came up with their own a symbol of hope and progress that also plays off Obama's name. "We thought, 'Let's try and start a movement where even while walking down the street, people would hold up the O and you would know that they were for Obama,' " says Husong. Much thought went into the relatively simple idea. "You interlace your hands in a circle, the interlacing being a symbol of different types of people coming together and the circle a symbol of unity," he says. Their design, unlike Fairey's, is free, and Husong is urging people to download it and print it on posters and T-shirts. "We want to see it everywhere, but more importantly we want this sign to take the world by storm."
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2008/8/7/one-nation-under-a-new-obama-salute.html
New evidence suggests Ron Suskind is right
What was an Iraqi politician doing at CIA headquarters just days before he distributed a fake memo incriminating Saddam Hussein in 9/11?
By Joe Conason
Aug. 08, 2008 | If Ron Suskind's sensational charge that the White House and CIA colluded in forging evidence to justify the Iraq invasion isn't proved conclusively in his new book, "The Way of the World," then the sorry record of the Bush administration offers no basis to dismiss his allegation. Setting aside the relative credibility of the author and the government, the relevant question is whether the available facts demand a full investigation by a congressional committee, with testimony under oath.
When we look back at the events surrounding the emergence of the faked letter that is at the center of this controversy, a strong circumstantial case certainly can be made in support of Suskind's story.
That story begins during the final weeks of 2003, when everyone in the White House was suffering severe embarrassment over both the origins and the consequences of the invasion of Iraq. No weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq. No evidence of significant connections between Saddam Hussein's regime and the al-Qaida terrorist organization had been discovered there either. Nothing in this costly misadventure was turning out as advertised by the Bush administration.
According to Suskind, the administration's highest officials -- presumably meaning President Bush and Vice President Cheney -- solved this problem by ordering the CIA to manufacture a document "proving" that Saddam had indeed been trying to build nuclear weapons and that he was also working with al-Qaida. The reported product of that order was a fake memorandum from Tahir Jalil Habbush, then chief of Saddam's intelligence service, to the dictator himself, dated July 1, 2001. The memo not only explicitly confirmed that 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta had received training in Baghdad for "attacking the targets that we have agreed to destroy" but also carefully noted the arrival of a "shipment" from Niger via Libya, presumably of uranium yellowcake, the sole export of that impoverished African country.
Very incriminating, very convenient and not very believable. Indeed, it may be hard to imagine that even the CIA at its bumbling worst would concoct such a blatant counterfeit. But there are a few reasons to believe that, too.
On Dec. 14, 2003, the Sunday Telegraph hyped the phony Habbush memo as a front-page exclusive over the byline of Con Coughlin, the paper's foreign editor and chief Mideast correspondent, who has earned a reputation for promoting neoconservative claptrap. As I explained in a Salon blog post on Dec. 18, the story's sudden appearance in London was the harbinger of a disinformation campaign that quickly blew back to the United States -- where it was cited by William Safire on the New York Times Op-Ed page. Ignoring the bizarre Niger yellowcake reference, which practically screamed bullshit, Safire seized on Coughlin's story as proof of his own cherished theory about Saddam's sponsorship of 9/11.
Soon enough, however, the Habbush memo was discredited in Newsweek and elsewhere as a forgery for many reasons, notably including its contradiction of established facts concerning Atta's travels during 2001.
But the credulous Telegraph coverage is still significant now, because Coughlin identified the source of his amazing scoop as Ayad Allawi. For those who have forgotten the ambitious Allawi, he is a former Baathist who rebelled against Saddam, formed the Iraqi National Accord movement to fight the dictator, and was appointed to Iraq's interim Governing Council by the U.S. occupation authorities after the invasion.
Although Coughlin quoted Allawi at some length, neither he nor his source revealed how the Habbush memo had fallen into the hands of the Iraqi politician. But the Safire column made an allusion that now seems crucial, describing Allawi as "an Iraqi leader long considered reliable by intelligence agencies."
Specifically, Allawi was a longtime asset of the Central Intelligence Agency, which had funded his struggle against Saddam for years prior to the invasion. His CIA sponsorship is noted in nearly every news article about Allawi, usually contrasted with the Pentagon sponsorship of his political rival, Ahmed Chalabi, the infamous fabricator of WMD intelligence (and suspected double agent for Iran).
Obviously, Allawi's relationship with the CIA is worth reconsidering today in light of the charges in Suskind's book, even though by itself that relationship proves nothing. There is more, however.
On Dec. 11, 2003 -- three days before the Telegraph launched its "exclusive" on the Habbush memo -- the Washington Post published an article by Dana Priest and Robin Wright headlined "Iraq Spy Service Planned by U.S. to Stem Attacks." Buried inside on Page A41, their story outlined the CIA's efforts to create a new Iraqi intelligence agency:
"The new service will be trained, financed and equipped largely by the CIA with help from Jordan. Initially the agency will be headed by Iraqi Interior Minister Nouri Badran, a secular Shiite and activist in the Jordan-based Iraqi National Accord, a former exile group that includes former Baath Party military and intelligence officials.
"Badran and Ayad Allawi, leader of the INA, are spending much of this week at CIA headquarters in Langley to work out the details of the new program. Both men have worked closely with the CIA over the past decade in unsuccessful efforts to incite coups against Saddam Hussein." (The Web link to the full story is broken but it can be found on Nexis.)
So Allawi was at the CIA during the week before Coughlin got that wonderful scoop. That may not be proof of anything, either, but a picture is beginning to form.
That picture becomes sharper in the months that followed Allawi's release of the Habbush forgery, when he suddenly returned to favor in Baghdad and eclipsed Chalabi, at least for a while. Five months later, in May 2004, the Iraqi Governing Council elected Allawi as his country's interim prime minister, reportedly under pressure from the American authorities. Combining subservience to the occupiers with iron-fisted tactics, he quickly squandered any popularity he might have enjoyed, and his INA party placed a humiliating third in the 2005 national elections.
That was the end of Allawi as a politician, yet perhaps he had already served his purpose. And it might be very interesting to hear what he would say today about the Habbush forgery -- and his broader relationship to the CIA and the Bush White House -- especially if he were to tell his story in a congressional hearing.
Until then there is much more to learn from Suskind's reporting, including new evidence that Bush and other officials knew there were no WMD in Iraq. Read an excerpt from "The Way of the World" here (where you can also sign up to receive a copy for $1 from Progressive Book Club, which happens to be run by my wife, Elizabeth Wagley).
http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2008/08/08/suskind/print.html
Countdown: Nothing About The FBI's Anthrax Story A...
Drink it or Drive it: The Promise of Agave for Eth...
Election Shocker! Senator John McCain may be the A...
After rape victim used cell phone to call for help...
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← The morning after another surprise
Obama’s contempt offensive →
Obama as a 5th grade bully
Posted on March 22, 2015 by Victor Rosenthal
President Obama cared a lot about the outcome of the elections in Israel, so much so that he watched them “minute by minute,” which is more than he did with PM Netanyahu’s speech to Congress.
Unnecessary, really. The outcome was never uncertain. Since the Second Intifada, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 Israeli Jews and perhaps 4 times as many Arabs, Israelis have lost interest in the left wing politicians that brought them the Oslo agreements. And it didn’t help that the withdrawal from Gaza led to a rain of rockets on southern Israel and three mini-wars. The only surprise in the election was that Netanyahu managed to move some voters for right-wing and centrist parties to the Likud, giving him a solid margin of victory.
But Obama was upset because he had done his best to help Netanyahu’s opponents (while maintaining plausible deniability, of course), and the plan had backfired! Netanyahu pointed to the foreign money and influence, and voters, afraid of having their country sold out from under them, flocked to him.
So now the President was, yet again, enraged, furious. Netanyahu’s remark that foreign-funded activists were working to get out the Arab vote was called “divisive rhetoric that seeks to marginalize Arab-Israeli citizens” by spokesman Josh Earnest in a press briefing the day after the election. Unnamed ‘administration officials’ called it “racism,” ringing the bell that causes Obama partisans in race-obsessed America to salivate and jump for Netanyahu’s throat.
I want to say a word about this because it’s revealing about the differences between Israel and America, differences that American liberals and especially Jewish ones, don’t get. Arab voters vote for Arab parties or for left-wing Zionist ones. They mostly do not vote for Netanyahu. Netanyahu said that “Arab voters are coming in droves to the ballot boxes. Left-wing NGOs bring them in buses” (the V15 group denied that buses were involved, but admitted working to get out the Arab vote).
The point was that it was an attempt to swing the election by using the Arabs, whose electoral turnout has historically been lower than that of Jewish voters. Most Israelis understood it that way, but when I heard it reported on the Israeli news I immediately thought: damn, that was stupid.
Stupid because it triggers the overactive American race-consciousness, playing into the false analogy between American blacks and Palestinian Arabs — whose situations have absolutely nothing in common with one another. But Americans eat it up, just as Europeans eat up the false analogy between Zionists and 19th century Belgian colonialists.
White house operatives grabbed onto the statement like red meat and the accusation of racism splattered all over the US media, from the NY Times to Facebook. A reason for the president, a victim of racism himself, to be furious! Except there was no racism, just an opportunity to get angry.
The other thing that fed his ‘rage’ (as Bret Stephens noted recently, Obama’s ‘fury’ and ‘rage’ are never directed in other directions, like at Assad, Putin or Khameini or even at Boko Haram and Isis) was the statement by Netanyahu that there would not be a Palestinian state on his watch. Later, he explained that what he meant (which in fact was exactly what he said the first time) was that a two-state solution was impossible for practical reasons, but that he still believed in the idea as expressed in his 2009 speech at Bar-Ilan University.
I don’t know if he believes in the abstract idea or not, but nothing is clearer than that today a sovereign Palestinian state in the territories is inconsistent with the peaceful existence of a Jewish one next door. I’m not going to repeat the argument which was definitively stated by Charles Krauthammer here.
But Thursday night, when Obama finally called Netanyahu to ‘congratulate’ him on his election, Israeli sources say that the call was 30 minutes of browbeating. Obama indicated that he did not believe in Netanyahu’s sincerity about the holy two-state idea, and that the US-Israel relationship would be “reevaluated.” And perhaps the US would stop using its veto to protect Israel in the UN Security Council.
Whether Netanyahu believes in his heart that “two states for two peoples” is theoretically a ‘solution’ is beside the point, because practically speaking it isn’t available. Obama says he wants it, but the realities of Palestinian politics and the chaos in the Middle East make it impossible. So either Obama’s anger is childish pique, like kicking a door because it won’t stay closed, or it really doesn’t have anything to do with the statement Netanyahu made about the peace process. Maybe Obama is using Bibi’s remark as an excuse to become “enraged.”
This takes me back to public school, the 5th grade. A boy told me that I had knocked his pencil off his desk and I should pick it up. I didn’t think I’d done that, but I picked it up. Why not be nice? Then he said that someone scribbled on his notebook and he believed it was me. I knew I hadn’t done that, and told him. Finally he said that he disliked my face. With each accusation, he seemed to get angrier. By the time he made the last remark, I understood that he wanted to be angry enough to fight.
That is what Obama is doing, and has been doing since 2009. I won’t list all of the manufactured ‘insults’ and transgressions that have caused Obama’s choler to rise, but Bibi has “picked up the pencil” more than once. Each time Obama gets angrier. Of course he is careful to let anonymous officials in the administration and the sycophantic media do his dirty work, like calling Netanyahu, a combat soldier who was wounded in battle more than once, “chickenshit” and a “coward.” Crap flows downhill, and by the time it gets to social media it’s astonishingly vicious.
This isn’t accidental, and it isn’t personal, really. It is an orchestrated campaign against the leader of the Jewish state, and if that leader were someone else, he would get the same treatment unless he were prepared to follow Obama’s instructions and lay his country on the Islamic chopping block. Like the 5th grade bully, Obama wants to generate indignation over the alleged chutzpah of Netanyahu in order to justify the steps that he would like to take — intends to take — against Israel.
So when, for example, the US votes to condemn Israel in the Security Council, demands a cease-fire in the next war that’s partial to Hamas, refuses to resupply Israel’s forces, supports European boycotts of Israeli products, etc., the New York Times readers and NPR listeners will say, “gee, that’s harsh, but Netanyahu’s a racist who spit in the president’s face and we need to teach him a lesson.”
What does Obama really want? Why does he invent reasons to punish Israel? Why has the administration leaked information about Israeli operations to interdict shipments of weapons from Syria to Hizballah, frustrated Israeli plans to attack Iran’s nuclear program, and pushed Israel to make itself defenseless by giving up strategic territory to the unstable Palestinian Authority? Why is it helping Iran overcome international law (the NPT) to obtain nuclear weapons?
If you have an answer other than the obvious, I’d like to hear it.
This entry was posted in US-Israel Relations. Bookmark the permalink.
2 Responses to Obama as a 5th grade bully
jerry1800 says:
Obola is a muslim brotherhood operative in the WH, he wants Iran to get a nuclear bomb. Bibi is 100% right, no surrender! Am yisroel chai!
Shalom Freedman says:
All this suggests to me that Israel must do as much as possible to be less dependent on the U.S. If this is really possible I don’t know.
Obama’s hostility is a truly worrisome development. His character less concerns me than the p0ssible actions he might take against Israel.
I have nightmares thinking about the nuclear deal with Iran, and any possible future war between us and the Iran -Hizbollah-Syria axis.
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State v. Holden, 2008 Ariz. App. Unpub. LEXIS 1209 (AZ Ct. App. 2008)
Defendant: Holden
Court of Appeals of Arizona, Division Two, Department B
January 8, 2008, Filed
2 CA-CR 2007-0032-PR
2008 Ariz. App. Unpub. LEXIS 1209
THE STATE OF ARIZONA, Respondent, v. BENJAMIN PATRICK HOLDEN, Petitioner.
Robert J. Hooker, Pima County Public Defender, By M. Edith Cunningham, Tucson, Attorneys for Petitioner.
PETER J. ECKERSTROM, Presiding Judge. PHILIP G. ESPINOSA, Judge, GARYE L. VÁSQUEZ, Judge, concurring.
Opinion by: PETER J. ECKERSTROM
MEMORANDUM DECISION
ECKERSTROM, Presiding Judge.
Petitioner Benjamin Holden was convicted after a jury trial of first-degree murder for the shooting death of Danny T. We affirmed his convictions and sentences on appeal. State v. Holden, No. 2 CA-CR 2003-0304, 2004 Ariz. App. Unpub. LEXIS 117 (memorandum decision filed Aug. 20, 2004). Holden then sought post-conviction relief, pursuant to Rule 32, Ariz. R. Crim. P., and the trial court denied relief. Most of the twelve issues he raises in his petition for review involve claims of ineffective assistance of both trial and appellate counsel. Because Holden has raised a colorable claim that his counsel deprived him of his right to testify at trial, we remand for an evidentiary hearing on that claim alone. We also modify his sentence to reflect 413 days of presentence incarceration credit, but we deny relief on Holden’s remaining claims.
We have taken the following facts in part from our memorandum decision. We state all facts in the light most favorable to sustaining the conviction. State v. De Santi, 8 Ariz. App. 77, 78-79, 443 P.2d 439, 440-41 (1968). In July 2002, Danny arrived uninvited at the home of Jim L., who was in bed with an injured leg. Danny was intoxicated and confrontational. He refused to leave notwithstanding requests by Jim and everyone else present that he do so. Jim eventually asked Holden to help get Danny to leave. Holden told Danny to leave several times while pointing a gun at Danny’s head. One witness testified Danny had picked up a ceramic cow’s head that Holden then broke by hitting it with his gun. Other witnesses, including Holden, stated Danny had picked up two conch shells but put them down while Holden had the gun pointed at him.
According to Holden, Danny then lunged at him and he fired the gun without realizing what was happening. Other witnesses testified Holden told Danny repeatedly that he was going to shoot him before the gun went off. Danny died of one gunshot wound to the center of his forehead. The medical examiner testified at trial that the fatal shot was fired at extremely close range—several inches at most but more likely within one inch of Danny’s forehead. A jury found Holden guilty of premeditated murder.
In his Rule 32 petition, Holden raised numerous claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. The trial court dismissed the petition without an evidentiary hearing. Rule 32.6(c) provides “the court shall order the petition dismissed” if it determines that “no [non-precluded] claim presents a material issue of fact or law which would entitle the defendant to relief under this rule and that no purpose would be served by any further proceedings.” We review for an abuse of discretion the trial court’s determination whether a defendant has stated a colorable claim for relief, warranting an evidentiary hearing. State v. Krum, 183 Ariz. 288, 293, 903 P.2d 596, 601 (1995).
“A colorable claim is ‘one that, if the allegations are true, might have changed the outcome.'” State v. Bennett, 213 Ariz. 562, ¶ 21, 146 P.3d 63, 68 (2006), quoting State v. Runningeagle, 176 Ariz. 59, 63, 859 P.2d 169, 173 (1993). “To determine whether a conviction should be reversed due to ineffective assistance of counsel, we apply a two-pronged test: (1) whether counsel’s performance was reasonable under all the circumstances; and (2) whether a reasonable probability exists that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” State v. Amaya-Ruiz, 166 Ariz. 152, 180, 800 P.2d 1260, 1288 (1990); see also Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S. Ct. 2052, 2064, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674 (1984) (ineffective assistance of counsel as violation of Sixth Amendment requires showing counsel made errors so serious they deprived defendant of fair trial).
Holden argues his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to consult with experts or present expert testimony to support his defense. As part of his post-conviction petition, Holden submitted affidavits containing the opinions of two experts: one to support his theory that the gun had discharged involuntarily and one to corroborate his theory of how the incident had happened through the analysis of bloodstain patterns.
Holden cites cases from Arizona as well as other jurisdictions in which courts have found counsel ineffective for failing to consult with an expert or secure scientific testimony in defending a case. See, e.g., State v. Edwards, 139 Ariz. 217, 221, 677 P.2d 1325, 1329 (App. 1983) (counsel ineffective in context of insanity defense when he failed to interview defendant’s psychiatrist until day of trial); see also Dugas v. Coplan, 428 F.3d 317, 331-32 (1st Cir. 2005) (finding counsel ineffective because “hopelessly unprepared” to challenge state’s “many expert witnesses” on arson); Holsomback v. White, 133 F.3d 1382, 1387-88 (11th Cir. 1998) (finding counsel ineffective for not calling or consulting expert witness in sexual abuse case with no medical evidence of abuse and only evidence of guilt testimony of alleged victim); Foster v. Lockhart, 9 F.3d 722, 726-27 (8th Cir. 1993) (finding counsel ineffective for failing to investigate or present defense of impotency in rape case when “uncontradicted medical evidence” showed defendant was “physically incapable of committing the rape in the manner the victim and the State alleged at trial”); Sims v. Livesay, 970 F.2d 1575, 1580-81 (6th Cir. 1992) (trial counsel’s failure to investigate role of quilt in shooting was ineffective when evidence would have “presented the defense with a theory of the case that squared fully with [defendant]’s version of events”). But our evaluation of ineffective assistance of counsel claims is case specific, and Holden is only entitled to relief on this basis if counsel’s failure to secure scientific testimony constituted both deficient performance of counsel and could have affected the outcome of the case. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687, 104 S. Ct. at 2064.
Because Holden has not shown he was prejudiced as a result, we need not decide whether his counsel’s performance was deficient. See State v. Fulminante, 161 Ariz. 237, 260, 778 P.2d 602, 625 (1988) (applying prejudice prong first to ineffective assistance of counsel claim); see also State v. Salazar, 146 Ariz. 540, 541, 707 P.2d 944, 945 (1985) (failure of one prong of the Strickland test results in failure of claim). Holden contends an expert was needed to refute Pima County Sheriff’s Detective Marcus Amado’s testimony about the location of Danny’s body and the lack of blood in the area Holden claimed Danny had lunged. [1] In support of this argument, he submitted the opinion of Tom Bevel, a forensic consultant. [2]
But Bevel’s opinion does not substantially conflict with the state’s theory, which Holden has inaccurately characterized. Specifically, Holden contends the state argued that Danny “was backed in the corner of the bed” when he was shot—a proposition Bevel would have contradicted. In fact, the state only claimed Danny’s head was “backed in the corner of that bed” when he was found dead. In making this statement, the state relied on photographs that showed a large pool of blood where Danny’s head had rested after he was shot. The state did not attempt to pinpoint exactly where Danny had been standing when he was shot but did argue Danny could not have fallen back by the corner of the bed if he had been standing in the doorway, as Holden claimed.
Holden also claims Bevel’s expert bloodstain analysis supports his claim Danny “had moved to within an arm’s length of Holden, who was standing near the doorway.” But Bevel’s opinion was that Danny had been “standing in the bedroom near the foot of the bed at the time he was shot.” This opinion does not conflict with the state’s theory, and therefore, we fail to see how it would have changed the outcome of the case had Bevel’s opinion been introduced at trial. See Bennett, 213 Ariz. 562, ¶ 25, 146 P.3d at 69 (defendant only suffers prejudice from counsel’s alleged errors if reasonable probability result of trial would have been different but for errors).
Holden also emphasizes that Bevel stated Danny could have remained upright for a few moments after he had been shot. He argues this evidence “supports the inference that [Danny] could have moved after being shot.” But he does not specify how such an inference would have helped his defense when he was claiming Danny had moved toward him before he was shot. Similarly, Holden emphasizes that, in Bevel’s opinion, Danny’s arm probably was in a raised position when he had been shot. But Bevel never stated that such evidence supports Holden’s contention that Danny had been reaching for the gun. Rather, Bevel opines that the bloodstains are consistent with Danny’s hand having been up by his head or face, rather than Danny reaching out in front of him. Because Bevel’s opinion would not have changed the result at trial, Holden has not established he suffered prejudice as a result of counsel’s failure to present that testimony.
Holden also argues his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to use crime scene photographs to impeach Amado’s testimony that no blood was found near the doorway where Holden said he was standing when he shot Danny. The photograph at issue, which was not admitted at trial, shows a tiny bloodstain on the ceiling. At trial, the prosecutor asked Amado, “Did y[ou] find any bloodstains in the area described by Mr. Holden as the area where the incident occurred?” And the detective responded, “No, I did not.”
Assuming for the sake of argument Amado’s answer was erroneous because of the photograph in question, Holden has not demonstrated he suffered prejudice as a result. Holden’s own expert, Bevel, concluded that the photograph “further substantiates that [Danny] was standing in the bedroom near the foot of the bed at the time he was shot, as his head would be near the ceiling and the backspatter would be capable of reaching this area of the ceiling.” Thus, Holden’s own proffered expert testimony does not support the inferences Holden would have us draw from the location of the ceiling bloodstain. Holden has not demonstrated that the admission of the photograph would have changed the outcome of the case. [3]
Holden also argues his counsel was ineffective for failing to consult with an expert, or present expert testimony, to support his defense that the gun involuntarily discharged. In support of this argument, Holden submitted the affidavit of Roger Enoka, a human movement consultant. [4] Enoka could not “state with certainty that the discharge was unintentional,” but stated there were circumstances surrounding the shooting “that could have produced an unintended discharge” of the gun, such as “the movement of [Danny] toward Mr. Holden” and “the backward step by Mr. Holden away from [Danny].”
Holden has not shown he suffered prejudice by counsel’s failure to call a witness on the topic. Enoka would not conclude with certainty the evidence showed the discharge had been accidental but simply concluded the circumstances surrounding the shooting “could have caused Mr. Holden to hold the gun more firmly and thereby unintentionally pull[] the trigger.” And many of the circumstances on which he based that conclusion were taken from Holden’s version of events—a version that was discredited on many points by the testimony of other witnesses. In addition, had the jury believed Holden’s version of the events, the jury could have drawn many of the same inferences as Enoka without the benefit of his expert testimony. See Gorney v. Meaney, 214 Ariz. 226, ¶ 15, 150 P.3d 799, 804 (App. 2007) (expert testimony inappropriate when jury can determine issue without it).
Thus, although Enoka’s testimony would have provided a scientific explanation for Holden’s theory that he had accidentally pulled the trigger, it would not have been enough to change the outcome of this case, given evidence that strongly contradicted Holden’s assertion that the gun had discharged accidentally. Holden discharged the gun within three inches of Danny’s head, he did so after repeatedly threatening to kill Danny, and none of the three eyewitnesses to the shooting corroborated that Danny aggressively lunged at Holden. Therefore, although the testimony most likely would have been relevant and admissible, Holden did not suffer prejudice by its absence and the trial court did not err by dismissing the claim.
Crime Prevention Instruction
At trial, Holden requested the jury be instructed on the crime prevention justification set forth in A.R.S. § 13-411. The trial court refused the instruction. Holden now contends his appellate counsel was ineffective in failing to challenge that ruling on appeal.
Section 13-411(A) provides a defense to the use of physical force or deadly physical force against another person “if and to the extent the person reasonably believes that physical force or deadly physical force is immediately necessary to prevent the other’s commission of [one of the enumerated crimes].” The statute further provides there is no duty to retreat before using deadly or nondeadly physical force and that a person “is presumed to be acting reasonably” when acting pursuant to the statute. § 13-411(B), (C). Holden contends he was entitled to this instruction because, in attempting to remove Danny from the residence, he was preventing Danny from committing aggravated assault. See § 13-411(A) (aggravated assault committed under § 13-1204(A) (1) or (2) one of enumerated crimes under crime prevention statute). The trial court refused the requested instruction after the state argued that the defense was not supported by the evidence.
A defendant is entitled to any justification instruction “supported by ‘the slightest evidence.'” State v. Hussain, 189 Ariz. 336, 337, 942 P.2d 1168, 1169 (App. 1997), quoting State v. Dumaine, 162 Ariz. 392, 404, 783 P.2d 1184, 1196 (1989). Holden emphasizes the crime prevention defense is broader than the other justification defenses. Its only limitation upon the use of deadly force is “the reasonableness of the response,” State v. Korzep, 165 Ariz. 490, 492, 799 P.2d 831, 833 (1990), while “the other justification defenses require an immediate threat to personal safety before deadly force may be used.” Id. Therefore, the self-defense instruction was not necessarily adequate because a jury could find one without the other. See id. (emphasizing differences between § 13-411 and other justification defenses); State v. Garfield, 208 Ariz. 275, ¶ 15, 92 P.3d 905, 909 (App. 2004) (because crime prevention justification “presents a unique defense,” not harmless error when jury merely instructed on self-defense); Hussain, 189 Ariz. at 339, 942 P.2d at 1171 (self-defense instruction did not adequately cover the requested instruction based on § 13-411); see also State v. Taylor, 169 Ariz. 121, 123, 817 P.2d 488, 490 (1991) (reversible error to fail to instruct jury when slightest evidence supported crime prevention justification).
Holden contends that, had appellate counsel raised the issue to this court, the outcome of his appeal might have been different. [5] See Bennett, 213 Ariz. 562, ¶ 25, 146 P.3d at 69. He relies on Garfield, issued while his appeal was pending in this court, in which we reversed a conviction for the trial court’s refusal to instruct the jury on the crime prevention defense. See 208 Ariz. 275, ¶ 15, 92 P.3d at 909. Holden complains that his counsel failed to seek leave to file a supplemental brief pursuant to Garfield and, in the alternative, that his appellate counsel could have made the same argument the defendant made in Garfield in his opening brief—that the crime prevention instruction applies to an invited guest—based on Arizona law at that time. See Korzep, 165 Ariz. at 493-94, 799 P.2d at 834-35 (holding crime prevention defense applicable to resident of house protecting against crime by another resident and suggesting defense applicable to even broader classes of persons).
In Garfield, the trial court had refused to provide an instruction on the crime prevention defense because the defendant was only a guest in the home he was arguably trying to protect. 208 Ariz. 275, ¶ 10, 92 P.3d at 908. Anchoring our analysis in the legislative intent behind the statute—protecting Arizona homes from crime—we rejected that distinction and found that such an instruction was reasonably supported by the evidence. Id. ¶¶ 14-15. We reversed the defendant’s conviction, finding he had suffered prejudice, in part because the self-defense instruction had not been an adequate substitute. Id. ¶ 15.
We agree with Holden that Garfield might have changed the outcome of his case if the evidence supported such an instruction. But unlike in Garfield, where we held the defendant was entitled to the crime prevention instruction based on evidence the victim had drawn a gun before the defendant shot him, id. ¶ 12, there was no evidence Danny was threatening anyone with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument at the time Holden entered the bedroom in an effort to make Danny leave. And even assuming the cow’s head or conch shells could be considered dangerous instruments, the record is clear Holden continued to point the gun at Danny well after Danny had put any such items down.
Although Holden emphasizes the breadth of the crime prevention defense in comparison to self-defense, the former defense is not available to a defendant who uses greater force than necessary to prevent the crime. See State v. Martinez, 202 Ariz. 507, ¶ 12, 47 P.3d 1145, 1147-48 (App. 2002) (defendant must have reasonable belief that force need be used and amount of force is necessary to justify actions under crime prevention defense). Holden presented no evidence that, at the time he first threatened and then used deadly physical force against Danny, Holden could have “reasonably believe[d]” that such force was “immediately necessary” to prevent Danny from assaulting anyone with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument. § 13-411(A). Therefore, Holden could not have suffered prejudice when the trial court refused the instruction and when appellate counsel failed to raise the issue on appeal. We find no abuse of discretion in the trial court’s dismissal of this claim.
Self-Defense Instructions
Holden next argues his appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to challenge the trial court’s denial of his request for jury instructions on “imperfect self-defense” and unintentional use of defensive force. The proposed instructions stated that the jury must find the defendant guilty of either manslaughter or negligent homicide—the lesser-included offenses of second-degree murder and manslaughter respectively—if it found he had “acted on the basis of an honest but recklessly [or negligently] formed belief that he needed to use the amount of force he employed for self-defense.” But the instructions requested were based on Kentucky, not Arizona, law. To supplement his request, Holden offered the trial court an Arizona case in support of one of the instructions but the court found that case did not require the jury be instructed beyond the elements of manslaughter and negligent homicide. See State v. Govan, 154 Ariz. 611, 744 P.2d 712 (App. 1987).
We agree with the trial court that Govan does not require the jury be instructed on imperfect self-defense. There, the defendant objected to the trial court’s grant of the state’s request for a lesser-included instruction on manslaughter. Id. at 614, 744 P.2d at 715. The defendant argued that the instruction was inconsistent with his theory that he had committed an intentional act but in self-defense. Division One of this court found there was sufficient evidence for the jury to have determined his act of firing the gun without aiming at the victim during an argument between the two, combined with the fact that the victim had shot the defendant earlier in the day, was enough evidence his act had been “done recklessly, i.e. without a reasonable belief that the victim was about to draw her weapon and fire at him again.” Id. at 615, 744 P.2d at 716. Thus, we approved the conventional instruction for manslaughter in Govan with recourse to the evidence of the defendant’s relevant states of mind, rather than on a theory of imperfect self-defense. Id.
The standard instructions for manslaughter and negligent homicide given here likewise anchored Holden’s level of culpability in his state of mind. [6] In so doing, the instructions also entitled the jury to return a verdict in Holden’s favor had it concluded that Holden had unintentionally used defensive force. Because those instructions adequately and correctly stated Arizona law, the court did not err in refusing Holden’s requested instructions. For this reason, and because no Arizona law supports a defendant’s entitlement to any proposed additional instruction, Holden’s appellate counsel could not have been ineffective for failing to raise the issue on appeal. See Noleen, 142 Ariz. at 104, 688 P.2d at 996; Pima County v. Gonzalez, 193 Ariz. 18, ¶ 7, 969 P.2d 183, 185 (App. 1998) (court is required to refuse instructions that do not state correct law; not error for court to refuse instructions adequately covered by those given).
Holden contends his trial counsel was ineffective for requesting a confusing self-defense instruction. [7] The instruction requested by trial counsel, and adopted in pertinent part by the trial court, was taken from the Recommended Arizona Jury Instructions and states as follows:
A defendant is justified in using or threatening physical force in self-defense if the following two conditions existed:
1. A reasonable person in the defendant’s situation would have believed that physical force was immediately necessary to protect against another’s use or attempted use of unlawful physical force; and
2. The defendant used or threatened to use no more physical force than would have appeared necessary to a reasonable person in the defendant’s situation.
However, a defendant may use deadly physical force in self-defense only to protect against [what a reasonable person in his situation would believe is] another’s use or threatened use of deadly physical force.
Self[-] defense justifies the use or threat of physical force only while the apparent danger continues. The right to use physical force in self-defense ends when the apparent danger ends.
(Alteration in original.) Holden compares this instruction to the one our supreme court found misleading in State v. Grannis, 183 Ariz. 52, 60-61, 900 P.2d 1, 9-10 (1995). But the clause the court found problematic in Grannis was specifically corrected by the instruction here. The problematic clause in Grannis stated, “A defendant may only use deadly physical force in self-defense to protect himself from another’s use or attempted use of deadly physical force.” Id. at 61, 900 P.2d at 10. The court found it was error to have given the instruction because the last clause could have led the jury to wrongly “believe that actual deadly force rather than reasonably apparent deadly force was necessary to justify deadly force in response.” Id.
By contrast, the clause in the instruction Holden requested at trial stated that “a defendant may use deadly physical force in self-defense only to protect against what a reasonable person in his situation would believe is another’s use or threatened use of deadly physical force.” (Emphasis added.) Holden nonetheless argues the language after that phrase is confusing because it only describes the use of physical force in regard to apparent danger. Therefore, he concludes, “the instruction could have misled the jury to believe that non-deadly physical force could be used in response to an apparent danger, but deadly force could only be used in response to actual danger.” But, the concept of apparent danger is appropriately inserted in the context of deadly force by the phrase, “what a reasonable person in his situation would believe is another’s use or threatened use of deadly force.” The instruction was not confusing in describing the circumstances under which deadly force may be used, and therefore Holden has not raised a colorable claim his counsel’s performance was deficient on that ground.
Next, Holden asserts appellate counsel was ineffective in failing to challenge the trial court’s denial of his request for a Willits instruction. See State v. Willits, 96 Ariz. 184, 187, 191, 393 P.2d 274, 276, 279 (1964) (endorsing instruction allowing jury to infer that evidence lost or destroyed by state would have favored the defense). Specifically, Holden contends the trial court should have instructed the jury that it could infer, from the state’s failure to take measurements at the crime scene and to preserve the location of the cow’s head, that those measurements and location would have supported the defense’s case. A defendant is entitled to a Willits instruction if prejudice results from the state’s failure to preserve potentially exculpatory material evidence. State v. Lang, 176 Ariz. 475, 484, 862 P.2d 235, 244 (App. 1993).
However, as noted, Holden can prevail on his claim of ineffective assistance of appellate counsel only if he can demonstrate that there is a reasonable probability the result of the appeal would have been different had the issue been raised at that time. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694. Thus, we must assess not only whether the trial court’s failure to provide a Willits instruction was error, but also whether any such error, if properly raised on appeal, would have entitled Holden to a new trial.
Although Holden has articulated, albeit summarily, why the placement of objects and bloodstains in the room and the distance between them was “of critical importance to the defense,” Holden has not squarely addressed whether a Willits instruction on this point could have changed the ultimate outcome of the case. In light of the undisputed evidence that Holden shot Danny T. at close range after repeatedly threatening that he would do so, the eyewitness testimony contradicting Holden’s contention that the shooting occurred either by accident or in self-defense, and Holden’s ability to argue the potentially exculpatory nature of the lost evidence even in the absence of an instruction, Holden has not persuaded us that appellate counsel’s failure to raise the issue on appeal affected the outcome of his case.
Holden also argues that trial counsel was “ineffective” in failing to seek a Willits instruction arising from the failure of the deputies to take photographs of the scene before it was disturbed. Because Holden utterly fails to articulate why that failure constituted prejudicially deficient performance of counsel, we decline to address that claim on its merits. See State v. Blodgette, 121 Ariz. 392, 395, 590 P.2d 931, 934 (1979).
Redaction of Statement
Holden argues his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request a redaction of “certain irrelevant and unfairly prejudicial parts” of his post-arrest statement to police. The trial court granted his motion in limine to preclude evidence about his conduct before he had arrived at Jim’s house but allowed the state “to introduce evidence as to Mr. Holden’s behavior, attitude and conduct while in [Jim’s] residence on the day in question.” In addition, the court granted his motion to extensively redact his statement to police in other respects.
In his Rule 32 petition, Holden complained about several references that remained in his post-arrest statement. In those portions of his statement, Holden appears to confirm that he physically assaulted a man named Walter before going to Jim’s house. He also states that he told Orrin, one of the people at Jim’s house when the shooting occurred, to wait in the back bedroom when he went to help Jim with Danny. In another segment, Holden fails to respond to police allegations that he “bitch slap[ped]” everyone he had encountered before he arrived at Jim’s house. Finally, he complains that his counsel failed to object, or move for a mistrial, when one of the state’s witnesses testified Holden had told her to watch over Orrin. He contends the admission of this evidence created a reasonable probability the jury’s verdict was influenced by unfair prejudice.
The admission of the two pieces of evidence addressing how Holden behaved toward Orrin at Jim’s house was in conformity with the court’s ruling on the motion in limine and, therefore, it was not ineffective for trial counsel not to object or move for a mistrial in response. See State v. Jonas, 162 Ariz. 32, 34, 780 P.2d 1080, 1082 (App. 1988) (“We conclude that defense counsel cannot be faulted for failing to object to testimony which was admissible.”). Nor did the trial court err when it admitted the evidence because it was relevant on the issue of Holden’s intent.
It appears the jury was permitted to hear about Holden’s admission to assaulting a person before arriving at Jim’s house and the officer’s allegation that he had “bitch slap[ped]” everyone he had encountered during that time, in violation of the court’s ruling. But we cannot conclude that trial counsel’s failure to prevent those violations, standing alone, constituted ineffective assistance of counsel. Counsel does not fall below an objective standard of representation by failing to object to every single piece of potentially inadmissible evidence against his or her client. See State v. Valdez, 167 Ariz. 328, 332, 806 P.2d 1376, 1380 (1991) (defense counsel’s failure to object to prosecutor’s comment about plea bargain at trial was a “single mistake” that did not render his overall performance below objective standards of representation); State v. Valdez, 160 Ariz. 9, 15, 770 P.2d 313, 319 (1989) (“Defendants are not guaranteed perfect counsel, only competent counsel.”). And, in response to the admission of some of the potentially prejudicial pieces of information, counsel asked the court to instruct the jury that it must not consider evidence of Holden’s other acts in deciding his guilt or innocence and the court granted his request. We presume jurors follow the court’s instructions. State v. Tucker, 215 Ariz. 298, ¶ 89, 160 P.3d 177, 198 (2007). The trial court did not abuse its discretion in its implicit determination that Holden had not raised a colorable claim of prejudicially deficient performance of counsel.
Right to Testify
Holden next argues his trial counsel was ineffective for pressuring him not to testify and for not making clear it was his decision. Although “disagreements in trial strategy will not support a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, . . . certain basic decisions transcend the label ‘trial strategy’ and are exclusively the province of the accused: namely, the ultimate decisions on whether to plead guilty, whether to waive a jury trial, and whether to testify.” State v. Nirschel, 155 Ariz. 206, 208, 745 P.2d 953, 955 (1987), quoting State v. Lee, 142 Ariz. 210, 215, 689 P.2d 153, 158 (1984) (“Counsel is encouraged to provide guidance and to urge the client to follow professional advice, but the final decision as to these three crucial questions rests with the client.”).
Holden stated in an affidavit submitted with his petition for post-conviction relief that he never wavered in his desire to testify at trial, that his “counsel’s repeated disregard for [his] earlier answers coerced [him] to believe [he] didn’t have a choice to testify,” and that “counsel never made it clear to [him] that [he] could override their decision.” Holden’s allegations, if true, amount to more than mere regrets about his decision not to testify. See State v. Schurz, 176 Ariz. 46, 58, 859 P.2d 156, 168 (1993) (regretting decision not to testify insufficient to raise colorable claim of ineffective assistance but distinguishing mere regrets from defendant’s lack of awareness of right to testify or counsel’s affirmative deprivation of that right).
Whether a petitioner has asserted a colorable claim is “to some extent, a discretionary decision for the trial court.” State v. D’Ambrosio, 156 Ariz. 71, 73, 750 P.2d 14, 16 (1988). But when there is doubt, the trial court should hold an evidentiary hearing “‘to allow the defendant to raise the relevant issues, to resolve the matter, and to make a record for review.'” Id. at 73-74, 750 P.2d at 16-17 (vacating dismissal of petition and remanding for evidentiary hearing when petition specifically described instances of counsel’s ineffectiveness and was partially corroborated by affidavit of counsel’s secretary), quoting State v. Schrock, 149 Ariz. 433, 441, 719 P.2d 1049, 1057 (1986). If we accept the avowals in Holden’s affidavit as true, the violation of his right to testify would be reversible error and entitle him to a new trial. See State v. Gulbrandson, 184 Ariz. 46, 64-65, 906 P.2d 579, 597-98 (1995) (violation of fundamental constitutional right to testify would result in new trial); State v. Martin, 102 Ariz. 142, 147, 426 P.2d 639, 644 (1967) (failure to permit defendant to take stand reversible error). For this reason, he has stated a colorable claim for which he is entitled to an evidentiary hearing. See State v. Lemieux, 137 Ariz. 143, 147, 669 P.2d 121, 125 (1983) (petitioner entitled to evidentiary hearing if, when allegations are taken as true, they would affect outcome of case); see also Bennett, 213 Ariz. 562, ¶ 30, 146 P.3d at 69 (defendant entitled to hearing on merits if she states colorable claim); State v. Shedd, 146 Ariz. 5, 7, 703 P.2d 552, 554 (App. 1985) (holding evidentiary hearing on claim defendant was denied right to testify by attorney but ultimately denying relief).
Danny’s Reputation for Violence
Holden argues his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to call anyone to testify about Danny’s violent reputation. “An accused may offer proof of the victim’s reputation for violence when a claim of self-defense is raised.” State v. Santanna, 153 Ariz. 147, 149, 735 P.2d 757, 759 (1987). Although Holden presented affidavits demonstrating that such evidence was readily available and arguably relevant, he has not demonstrated that the failure to present such evidence was sufficiently prejudicial to constitute ineffective assistance of counsel.
The jury heard undisputed evidence that Danny was intoxicated, had behaved rudely, had ignored the owner’s requests that he leave, and had picked up items in a manner arguably threatening to Holden. Accordingly, the jury received ample evidence that Danny was a potentially dangerous person given his state at the time of the shooting. Furthermore, in light of the testimony of three eyewitnesses that Danny was not engaged in any aggressive behavior at the time Holden shot him, we cannot conclude that trial counsel’s failure to present evidence of Danny’s reputation for violence affected the outcome of the case. Thus, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in rejecting Holden’s ineffective assistance claim urged on this ground.
Holden also contends trial counsel was ineffective for failing to introduce specific acts of violence by Danny. But it is undisputed Holden did not know about those other acts at the time he shot Danny. Therefore, evidence of them was not relevant. See State v. Taylor, 169 Ariz. 121, 124, 817 P.2d 488, 491 (1991) (“Arizona courts have long held that a murder defendant who defends on the basis of justification should be permitted to introduce evidence of specific acts of violence by the deceased if the defendant either observed the acts himself or was informed of the acts before the homicide.”) (emphasis added). Despite this longstanding rule, which applies Rule 404(a)(2), Ariz. R. Evid. (specifically addressing evidence brought to show character trait of a victim), Holden attempts to argue the evidence should have been admitted anyway under Rule 404(b), Ariz. R. Evid. But he does not articulate why that rule would be applicable here in light of the more specifically applicable provisions of Rule 404(a)(2). Nor does he cite any authority applying Rule 404(b) under such circumstances.
Unanimous Rejection of Self-Defense
Holden contends that fundamental, nonwaivable error occurred at trial because the trial court did not submit an interrogatory to the jury that would have permitted it to show whether its rejection of his self-defense theory had been unanimous. But this issue could have been raised in his direct appeal and he is, therefore, precluded from raising it as a ground for post-conviction relief. See Ariz. R. Crim. P. 32.2(a)(3).
In the alternative, Holden contends without explanation that “trial and appellate counsel were ineffective” with respect to this claim. But the trial court did not err in dismissing this claim because Holden cannot prove he suffered prejudice as a result of any alleged deficiency of counsel in failing to seek an interrogatory. He relies on United States v. Southwell, 432 F.3d 1050 (9th Cir. 2007), in which the court held the defense of insanity must be unanimously rejected by the jury in order to have a unanimous verdict on the underlying offense. Id. at 1056. But the court in that case was addressing a claim of error based on the court’s refusal to answer the jurors’ question about what to do if they did not agree on insanity. Id. at 1053.
Here there was no such evidence of juror confusion. The jury was instructed that it must agree on “whether or not the evidence does show beyond a reasonable doubt” the defendant committed the offense. And the court instructed the jury that if it found “the defendant has proven by a preponderance of the evidence that [Holden] acted in self-defense then [it] must find the defendant not guilty of the offense—of any offense.” It also instructed the jury that “All 12 of you must agree on a verdict. All 12 of you must agree whether the verdict is ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty.'” Had any individual juror believed by a preponderance of the evidence that Holden had shot Danny in self-defense, these instructions would have prevented that juror from joining in the ultimate verdict of guilt. When the foreperson read the verdict, the jurors were individually polled and each stated it was his or her verdict. We find no abuse of discretion in the dismissal of this claim.
Unredacted Tape
We find no merit to Holden’s claim that he is entitled to a new trial because the audiotape submitted to the jury contained material the trial court had ordered redacted. Despite his assertions below to the contrary, he is precluded from raising the claim because he failed to raise it on appeal. See Ariz. R. Crim. P. 32.2(a). And, even if he were not precluded from raising it, we reject Holden’s perfunctory, “alternative” assertion that appellate counsel was ineffective in failing to raise the issue on appeal. Holden cannot show he was prejudiced by the state’s failure to redact the final portion of the tape because he has not shown any of the twelve jurors listened to the tape during their deliberations.[8] See State v. Ketchum, 191 Ariz. 415, 416, 956 P.2d 1237, 1238 (App. 1997). The court did not abuse its discretion in dismissing this claim.
Voir Dire
Holden’s claim that he is entitled to a new trial based on a juror’s lack of response to a voir dire question is also precluded because he did not raise it on appeal. See Ariz. R. Crim. P. 32.2(a). We do not address Holden’s perfunctory statement that, alternatively, his claim is one of newly discovered evidence under Rule 32.1(e) because he made no attempt to analyze the claim under that subsection of the rule. See Ariz. R. Crim. P. 32.5 (post-conviction petition must contain memoranda of points and authorities).
Presentence Incarceration Credit
We agree with Holden that the trial court improperly calculated his presentence incarceration credit. It is undisputed that Holden was arrested on August 5, 2002, and that he remained in custody until he was sentenced on September 22, 2003. The number of days between those dates is 413 days, as Holden asserts, not the 403 days reflected in the court’s sentencing minute entry. Accordingly, we modify Holden’s sentence to include 413 days of presentence incarceration credit.
Cumulative Effect of Errors
Finally, Holden contends he is entitled to a new trial because of the cumulative effect of “errors and omissions by the State, the court, and defense counsel.” But assuming arguendo we could consider the cumulative effect of the varying types of purported errors as Holden urges, see State v. White, 168 Ariz. 500, 508, 815 P.2d 869, 877 (1991) (rejecting cumulative error doctrine in context of a variety of claimed errors), we have not herein found the trial court committed any trial errors. Nor has Holden presented us with any concrete instances of ineffective assistance of counsel that we could consider cumulatively. [9]
For the foregoing reasons, we grant the petition for review, deny relief in part, and remand for an evidentiary hearing to determine whether Holden has established his counsel was ineffective for depriving him of his right to testify.
PETER J. ECKERSTROM, Presiding Judge
CONCURRING:
PHILIP G. ESPINOSA, Judge
GARYE L. VÁSQUEZ, Judge
1. In the alternative, Holden contends “the evidence of the spatial relationships between Holden and [Danny] and the conditions at the time of the shooting” is newly discovered evidence entitling him to a new trial. See Ariz. R. Crim. P. 32.1(e). But although he concedes such evidence was known at the time of trial, he contends its significance was not discovered until the post-conviction investigation. This is not newly discovered evidence under Rule 32.1(e). See State v. Dogan, 150 Ariz. 595, 600, 724 P.2d 1264, 1269 (App. 1986) (“discovery” by different attorney of fact based on defendant’s photograph in lineup that could have been argued at trial not newly discovered evidence as contemplated by the rule).
2. We note Bevel based his opinion in part on evidence not introduced at trial.
3. For the same reason, we reject Holden’s claim that the state committed prosecutorial misconduct, prejudicial to him, when it elicited Amado’s arguably incorrect testimony.
4. Enoka based his opinion on a review of Holden’s statement to police as well as the trial testimony of two of the state’s four witnesses who were in the home at the time of the shooting.
5. In the alternative, Holden argues Garfield was a significant change in the law that invalidates his conviction pursuant to Rule 32.1(g), Ariz. R. Crim. P. But because we have determined there was insufficient evidence for Holden to have been entitled to the crime prevention instruction, he is not entitled to relief on that ground. See Ariz. R. Crim. P. 32.1(g) (to be entitled to relief based on significant change in the law, petitioner must show it would apply to his case and would probably overturn his conviction).
6. The court instructed the jury:
A person commits manslaughter by: Recklessly causing the death of another person, or intentionally committing second degree murder upon a sudden quarrel or heat of passion resulting from adequate provocation by the victim . . . [and t]he crime of negligent homicide requires proof that the defendant caused the death of another person by criminally negligent conduct.
The court also instructed that each offense was a lesser-included of another and that the jurors were
permitted to find the defendant guilty of the less serious offense if: The evidence [did] not show beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant [wa]s guilty of the greater offense; or after reasonable efforts [they could] not agree whether or not the evidence [did] show beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant [wa]s guilty of the greater offense.
7. We note Holden’s claim is based on the instruction his counsel requested, not the instruction actually given to the jury. However, the two are substantially the same and the portion of the instruction Holden claims is confusing is identical.
8. Holden submitted the affidavit of one of the jurors who said only that she could not remember whether the jury had listened to the tape but “may have done so.” In addition, he submitted two affidavits by an investigator who said two other jurors had told him they could not remember having listened to the tape and he could not find two of the jurors.
9. Arizona courts have acknowledged that they must evaluate prosecutorial misconduct claims cumulatively. See State v. Hughes, 193 Ariz. 72, ¶ 26, 969 P.2d 1184, 1191 (1998); see also State v. Ellison, 213 Ariz. 116, n. 11, 140 P.3d 899, 916 n. 11 (2006). Controlling jurisprudence likewise requires that we consider any claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, raised under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, cumulatively. See Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 694, 104 S. Ct. 2052, 2068, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674 (1984) (“The defendant must show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.”) (emphasis added); see also Harris v. Wood, 64 F.3d 1432, 1438 (9th Cir. 1995) (in ineffective assistance of counsel context, “‘prejudice may result from the cumulative impact of multiple deficiencies'”), quoting Cooper v. Fitzharris, 586 F.2d 1325, 1333 (9th Cir. 1978).
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Zadeh v. Robinson, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 24914 (Fed. 5th Cir. 2018)
Defendant: Zadeh
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
August 31, 2018, Filed
No. 17-50518
2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 24914
DOCTOR JOSEPH A. ZADEH; JANE DOE, Patient, Plaintiffs – Appellants v. MARI ROBINSON, in her individual capacity and in her official capacity; SHARON PEASE, in her individual capacity; KARA KIRBY, in her individual capacity, Defendants – Appellees
For DOCTOR JOSEPH A. ZADEH, Plaintiff – Appellant: Meagan Elizabeth Hassan, William Pieratt Demond, Demond & Hassan, P.L.L.C., Houston, TX; Delonia Anita Watson, Law Office of Delonia A. Watson, Fort Worth, TX.
For JANE DOE, Patient, Plaintiff – Appellant: Meagan Elizabeth Hassan, William Pieratt Demond, Demond & Hassan, P.L.L.C., Houston, TX.
For MARI ROBINSON, in her individual capacity and in her official capacity, SHARON PEASE, in her individual capacity, KARA KIRBY, in her individual capacity, Defendants – Appellees: John Clay Sullivan, Office of the Attorney General, Office of the Solicitor General, Austin, TX; Adam Arthur Biggs, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General for the State of Texas, Austin, TX.
For ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS, Amicus Curiae: Andrew Layton Schlafly, Far Hills, NJ.
Before JOLLY, SOUTHWICK, and WILLETT, Circuit Judges. DON R. WILLETT, Circuit Judge, concurring dubitante.
Opinion by: LESLIE H. SOUTHWICK
LESLIE H. SOUTHWICK, Circuit Judge:
The Texas Medical Board executed an administrative subpoena on Dr. Joseph Zadeh’s medical office. Thereafter, Dr. Zadeh and one of his patients sued several Board members under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, claiming that the Board’s actions violated the Fourth Amendment. The district court partially granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss and later granted their motion for summary judgment rejecting all remaining claims. We AFFIRM.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
Plaintiff Joseph Zadeh appeals the dismissal of his Section 1983 claim against several members of the Texas Medical Board who he claims violated his constitutional rights through a warrantless search of his office and medical records. Dr. Zadeh, an internal medicine doctor, owns and operates a medical practice in Euless, Texas. One of his patients, Jane Doe, is also a plaintiff-appellant in this case.
Dr. Zadeh was the subject of an administrative proceeding before the State Office of Administrative Hearings (“SOAH”) for violations of the Board’s regulations. The Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”) also was investigating him. Indeed, it appears the Board first learned about allegations against Dr. Zadeh when the DEA filed a complaint with the Board about his prescribing practices in September 2013. The DEA investigator emailed a representative of the Board, stating, “I’m at a point in the criminal case that I need to interview Dr. Zadeh and review his patient files.” The Board then initiated an investigation.
As part of this investigation, Defendants Sharon Pease and Kara Kirby, who were investigators with the Board, served an administrative subpoena on Dr. Zadeh on October 22, 2013. The subpoena had the electronic signature of Defendant Mari Robinson, who was the Executive Director of the Board. The subpoena was for the immediate production of the medical records of sixteen of Dr. Zadeh’s patients. Two DEA agents who were investigating related criminal allegations accompanied Kirby and Pease.
Dr. Zadeh was not at his office when the investigators arrived, so the investigators presented the subpoena to his medical assistant. According to the plaintiffs, the medical assistant requested time to seek advice from legal counsel, but the investigators told her that failure to turn the records over immediately could result in the loss of Dr. Zadeh’s medical license. She eventually complied, taking the defendants into a conference room and delivering the requested records to them. Although most of their time was spent inside the public waiting area or the conference room, the investigators also approached the medical assistant to ask for help while she was in exam rooms and later in a storage room.
Dr. Zadeh and his patient, Jane Doe, sued Robinson, Pease, and Kirby in their individual capacities and Robinson in her official capacity in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. They alleged the defendants’ actions violated their Fourth Amendment, due process, and privacy rights. The plaintiffs sought monetary damages under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 as well as declaratory relief. The defendants moved to dismiss the plaintiffs’ claims on these grounds: (1) the plaintiffs lacked standing; (2) the Younger abstention doctrine barred the requests for declaratory relief; (3) the claim against Robinson in her official capacity was barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity; (4) the doctrine of qualified immunity applied to the claims against the defendants in their individual capacities.
In ruling on the motion to dismiss, the district court held Dr. Zadeh had standing to pursue declaratory relief, but Jane Doe did not. Nonetheless, the district court concluded that “the Younger abstention doctrine require[d] [it] to abstain from adjudicating Plaintiff Zadeh’s claims for declaratory relief.” The district court also held that sovereign immunity barred the plaintiffs’ claims for monetary damages against Robinson in her official capacity. Finally, the court concluded that the defendants were entitled to qualified immunity for the privacy and due process claims. The only part of the suit left, then, was Dr. Zadeh’s claim that the defendants violated his clearly established Fourth Amendment rights during the search of his office.
The defendants moved for summary judgment on “whether Defendants exceeded their statutory subpoena authority by searching and inspecting Plaintiff’s office and records.” Although the plaintiffs alleged that the investigators performed a thorough search of Dr. Zadeh’s office, the district court found that the record did not support this allegation. Instead, the district court determined that the “Defendants’ presence at Plaintiff’s office was solely to execute the subpoena instanter.” The district court also held that Robinson was not liable as she neither affirmatively participated in the alleged search nor implemented unconstitutional policies that caused the alleged constitutional deprivation. Further, there was “no evidence Defendants Pease and Kirby inspected Plaintiff’s office or searched his records.” The plaintiffs timely appealed.
The plaintiffs appeal both the order granting the motion to dismiss in part and the order granting the motion for summary judgment. Although we review both de novo, a different legal standard applies to each:
In the former, the central issue is whether, in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, the complaint states a valid claim for relief. In the latter, we go beyond the pleadings to determine whether there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
St. Paul Mercury Ins. Co. v. Williamson, 224 F.3d 425, 440 n.8 (5th Cir. 2000) (citations omitted).
We first address the plaintiffs’ challenge to the district court’s grant of qualified immunity, evaluating whether clearly established law prohibited the defendants’ conduct. Next, we discuss whether the district court erred in abstaining from deciding the plaintiffs’ claims for declaratory judgment. Finally, we analyze whether Robinson was liable in her supervisory capacity.
I. Grant of qualified immunity
“The doctrine of qualified immunity protects government officials from civil damages liability when their actions could reasonably have been believed to be legal.” Morgan v. Swanson, 659 F.3d 359, 370-71 (5th Cir. 2011). Officials are entitled to qualified immunity “unless (1) they violated a federal statutory or constitutional right, and (2) the unlawfulness of their conduct was ‘clearly established at the time.'” District of Columbia v. Wesby, 138 S. Ct. 577, 589, 199 L. Ed. 2d 453 (2018) (quoting Reichle v. Howards, 566 U.S. 658, 664, 132 S. Ct. 2088, 182 L. Ed. 2d 985 (2012)).
Using this framework, we analyze the plaintiffs’ arguments that clearly established law prohibited the defendants’ execution of the subpoena instanter. The plaintiffs offer two theories for why the defendants’ conduct was unconstitutional. First, they argue it was a warrantless search that did not satisfy the administrative exception. Second, they argue it was a pretextual search and thus unconstitutional.
a. Warrantless search
The plaintiffs argue the Board violated the Fourth Amendment when it demanded immediate compliance with its administrative subpoena. We have been faced with a challenge to a subpoena instanter executed by the Texas Medical Board before. See Cotropia v. Chapman, 721 F. App’x 354 (5th Cir. 2018). In that nonprecedential opinion, we held: “Absent consent, exigent circumstances, or the like, in order for an administrative search to be constitutional, the subject of the search must be afforded an opportunity to obtain precompliance review before a neutral decisionmaker.” Id. at 358 (quoting City of Los Angeles v. Patel, 135 S. Ct. 2443, 2452, 192 L. Ed. 2d 435 (2015)).
In that case, the physician at the center of a Board investigation pled sufficient facts to overcome qualified immunity. Id. at 361. The doctor alleged that a Board member “violated the clearly established right to an opportunity to obtain precompliance review of an administrative subpoena before a neutral decisionmaker” when he took documents from the physician’s office over objections from the office receptionist. Id. at 357. Relying on Supreme Court precedent, we held that it was clear at the time that “prior to compliance, Cotropia was entitled to an opportunity to obtain review of the administrative subpoena before a neutral decisionmaker.” Id.at 358 (citing See v. City of Seattle, 387 U.S. 541, 545, 87 S. Ct. 1737, 18 L. Ed. 2d 943 (1967); Donovan v. Lone Steer, Inc., 464 U.S. 408, 415, 104 S. Ct. 769, 78 L. Ed. 2d 567 (1984)). Similarly, the demand to turn over Dr. Zadeh’s medical records immediately did not provide an opportunity for precompliance review. We agree, then, that a requirement of precompliance review in many, if not most, administrative searches had been clearly established by Supreme Court precedent prior to the search here.
The defendants acknowledge this law but maintain there was no constitutional violation because this search fell into an exception to the general rule requiring precompliance review. We next examine that argument.
i. Closely regulated industry
No opportunity for precompliance review is needed for administrative searches of industries that “have such a history of government oversight that no reasonable expectation of privacy” exists for individuals engaging in that industry. Marshall v. Barlow’s, Inc., 436 U.S. 307, 313, 98 S. Ct. 1816, 56 L. Ed. 2d 305 (1978). Even so, warrantless inspections in closely regulated industries must still satisfy three criteria: (1) a substantial government interest, (2) a regulatory scheme that requires warrantless searches to further the government interest, and (3) “a constitutionally adequate substitute for a warrant.” New York v. Burger, 482 U.S. 691, 702-03, 107 S. Ct. 2636, 96 L. Ed. 2d 601 (1987) (quoting Donovan v. Dewey, 452 U.S. 594, 603, 101 S. Ct. 2534, 69 L. Ed. 2d 262 (1981)).
Cotropia did not address whether the Board’s use of administrative subpoenas satisfied the Burger criteria because the issue was not raised until oral argument. Cotropia, 721 F. App’x at 360 & n.6. As a result, the panel’s holding was expressly limited to concluding that the Board’s demand for immediate compliance with the subpoena did not satisfy the general administrative exception to the warrant requirement. The argument was raised here. Thus, we must answer whether the Burger exception permitted the Board’s administrative subpoena and whether that law was clearly established at the time of its execution.
To categorize industries under Burger, courts consider the history of warrantless searches in the industry, how extensive the regulatory scheme is, whether other states have similar schemes, and whether the industry would pose a threat to the public welfare if left unregulated. See Burger, 482 U.S. at 704; Patel, 135 S. Ct. at 2454. The defendants characterize the relevant industry in two different ways. We evaluate first whether the practice of medicine is a closely regulated industry and then whether the practice of prescribing controlled substances is closely regulated.
Acknowledging that the medical profession is subject to close oversight, the district court emphasized the absence of a history of warrantless inspections to conclude that the medical profession was not a closely regulated industry. Important to its conclusion was the confidential nature of the doctor-patient relationship: “It strains credibility to suggest that doctors and their patients have no reasonable expectation of privacy.” On appeal, the defendants all but concede that there is not a lengthy history of warrantless searches. They instead emphasize the extensive regulatory scheme governing the practice of medicine and the risk that the industry could pose to the public welfare.
There is no doubt that the medical profession is extensively regulated and has licensure requirements. Satisfying the Burger doctrine requires more. The Supreme Court instructs “that the doctrine is essentially defined by ‘the pervasiveness and regularity of the federal regulation’ and the effect of such regulation upon an owner’s expectation of privacy.” Burger, 482 U.S. at 701 (quoting Dewey, 452 U.S. at 605-06). Another key factor is “the duration of a particular regulatory scheme.” Id. (quoting Dewey, 452 U.S. at 606).
The Board cites several laws or regulations governing the behavior of doctors. Outside of citing Texas’s licensure requirement for physicians, the regulations the Board cites do not apply to the entire medical profession. Instead, they target the practice of prescribing controlled substances. As examples, the Board states that doctors must register with the DEA to prescribe controlled substances, Tex. Health & Safety Code § 481.061; that prescriptions of controlled substances are monitored by several law enforcement agencies, id. §§ 481.067, 481.075, 481.076; and that pain management clinics must register as such, which allows the Board to inspect them from time to time, Tex. Occ. Code §§ 168.101, 168.052; 22 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 195.2, 195.3. The Board also refers us to laws and regulations that similarly regulate anesthesia. These, though, do not amount to pervasiveness and regularity of regulation over the medical industry as a whole as Burger requires. Instead, only specific groups of doctors may have been put on notice that the Board may perform some inspections.
We also do not see in the medical profession an entrenched history of warrantless searches that is relevant but not dispositive. Burger, 482 U.S. at 701. For example, when the Court held that the liquor industry was closely regulated, it mentioned that English commissioners could inspect brewing houses on demand in the 1660s, and that Massachusetts passed a similar law in 1692. Colonnade Catering Corp. v. United States, 397 U.S. 72, 75, 90 S. Ct. 774, 25 L. Ed. 2d 60 (1970). It then referred to a 1791 federal law that has continued in various forms, permitting federal officers to perform warrantless searches of distilleries and imposing an excise tax on distilled liquor. Id. Because the focus there was “the liquor industry long subject to close supervision and inspection,” the Court applied the rule from See to conclude that the Fourth Amendment did not prohibit the warrantless searches authorized by Congress. Id. at 77. Here, there is no such history.
In considering the reasonable expectation of privacy, we also consider the sensitive nature of medical records. The Ninth Circuit explained that “the theory behind the closely regulated industry exception is that persons engaging in such industries, and persons present in those workplaces, have a diminished expectation of privacy.” Tucson Woman’s Clinic v. Eden, 379 F.3d 531, 550 (9th Cir. 2004). We agree with that court’s observation that in medical contexts, the expectation of privacy likely is heightened. Id.
Admittedly, federal regulations do exempt the Board from the privacy requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”). 45 C.F.R. § 164.512. Further, the Board cites Texas laws providing that where the Board does obtain information, it is subject to confidentiality requirements. See Tex. Occ. Code §§ 159.002; 159.003(a)(5); 164.007(c). That HIPAA permits disclosure to the Board and that the regulations governing the Board continue to protect that information from disclosure does not mean that the Board is entitled to access to that information through an administrative search without allowing an opportunity for precompliance review.
We conclude, then, that the medical industry as a whole is not a closely regulated industry for purposes of Burger. Even if the medical profession at large cannot be said to fall within these Burger factors, it is possible that a subset, such as those who prescribe controlled substances, would do so. We examine that possibility.
We look again at the extent of the regulation of the prescription of controlled substances. Although the Board has not identified a Texas law or regulation that would put all doctors on notice that they are subject to warrantless inspections, the Board did identify regulations that put doctors who operate pain management clinics on notice that their offices can be inspected. See Tex. Occ. Code §§ 168.101, 168.052; 22 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 195.2, 195.3. Further, we have held that “the pharmaceutical industry is a ‘pervasively regulated business'” because “[d]ealers in drugs, like dealers in firearms, are required to be federally licensed.” United States v. Schiffman, 572 F.2d 1137, 1142 (5th Cir. 1978). “The dealer accepts the license knowing that [a statute] authorizes inspection of his business.” Id. “Inspections are essential to the federal regulatory scheme to ensure that drugs are distributed only through ‘regular channels’ and not diverted to illegal uses.” Id. The same concerns exist here.
There is a strong case that doctors who operate pain management clinics are engaging in a closely regulated industry. Dr. Zadeh, though, had not registered his clinic as a pain management clinic. How that fact might affect the analysis we leave open. Rather than considering whether the volume of his business in that specialty would itself affect his expectations of privacy and otherwise place him in the closely regulated category, we decline to resolve this question and look at other considerations.
ii. Burger exception requirements
Even were we to accept the defendants’ argument that doctors prescribing controlled substances are engaging in a closely regulated industry with less reasonable expectations of privacy, administrative searches of such industries still must satisfy the Burger criteria. There is no meaningful dispute in this case that the State has a substantial interest in regulating the prescription of controlled substances and that the inspection of a doctor’s records would aid the Government in regulating the industry. Our analysis of whether the statutory scheme is a proper substitute for a search warrant starts with identifying the search authority claimed by the Board: its subpoena authority and its authority to inspect pain management clinics. The principal response from plaintiffs is that neither provides a constitutionally adequate substitute for a warrant.
In order for a warrant substitute to be constitutionally adequate, “the regulatory statute must perform the two basic functions of a warrant: it must advise the owner of the commercial premises that the search is being made pursuant to the law and has a properly defined scope, and it must limit the discretion of the inspecting officers.” Burger, 482 U.S. at 703.
The relevant statute provides: “The board may issue a subpoena or a subpoena duces tecum to compel the attendance of a witness and the production of books, records, and documents.” Tex. Occ. Code. § 153.007(a). The Board argues that the statute, when considered with the following regulation, limits the discretion of the officials. The regulation provides that after a “request by the board or board representatives, a licensee shall furnish to the board copies of medical records or the original records within a reasonable time period, as prescribed at the time of the request.” 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 179.4(a). The regulation defines “reasonable time” as “fourteen calendar days or a shorter time if required by the urgency of the situation or the possibility that the records may be lost, damaged, or destroyed.” Id.
The district court held that a search using the Board’s subpoena authority did not satisfy the third factor of the Burger test as it was “purely discretionary,” allowing the Board “to choose which doctors to subpoena and to do so at a frequency it determines.” To evaluate that holding, we consider the limits that do exist: only licensees are subject to the subpoena; only medical records must be produced; and it is the Board or its representatives who will be asking for the records. As the district court stated, though, there is no identifiable limit on whose records can properly be subpoenaed.
As to inspections of pain management clinics, the Board argues that some limits to its authority are set by the statute permitting it to inspect pain management clinics. Specifically, the statute allows it to examine “the documents of a physician practicing at the clinic, as necessary to ensure compliance with this chapter.” Tex. Occ. Code. § 168.052(a). Providing more specific guidance, the regulation in effect at the time provided:
The board may inspect a pain management clinic certified under this chapter, including the documents of a physician practicing at the clinic, to determine if the clinic is being operated in compliance with applicable laws and rules.
22 Tex. Admin. Code § 195.3(b).
The district court found this inspection authority, like the subpoena authority, to be “purely discretionary.” The governing criteria for an inspection is that the target be a pain management clinic, that the Board performs the inspection, and that the purpose for the search be to determine compliance with pain management rules. We agree with the district court, though, that these requirements suffered from the same fatal Burger flaw as the subpoena authority: they did not limit how the clinics inspected are chosen.
In summary, there are insufficient limits on the discretion of the Board to satisfy the Burgerrequirements, whether considering the medical profession in general or as to pain management clinics. What is left is the question of whether the law on these points was clearly established and, regardless, whether the search was invalid as pretextual.
iii. Requirement of clearly established law for qualified immunity
We have concluded that there was a violation of Dr. Zadeh’s constitutional rights. Even so, these defendants are entitled to summary judgment unless the fact that their actions violated his constitutional rights was “clearly established at the time” of the search. Howards, 566 U.S. at 664.
Our analysis of the clarity of relevant law is objective, meaning it does not focus on the specific defendants’ knowledge. “The touchstone of this inquiry is whether a reasonable person would have believed that his conduct conformed to the constitutional standard in light of the information available to him and the clearly established law.” Goodson v. City of Corpus Christi, 202 F.3d 730, 736 (5th Cir. 2000). “[E]ven law enforcement officials who ‘reasonably but mistakenly [commit a constitutional violation]’ are entitled to immunity.” Glenn v. City of Tyler, 242 F.3d 307, 312-13 (5th Cir. 2001) (quoting Goodson, 202 F.3d at 736). For the law to be clearly established, there must be a close congruence of the facts in the precedent and those in the case before us. Wesby, 138 S. Ct. at 589-90. “The precedent must be clear enough that every reasonable official would interpret it to establish the particular rule the plaintiffs seek to apply.” Id. at 590.
Defendants rely on one of our precedents that reviewed an administrative search of a dentist’s office by agents of the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, accompanied by Department of Public Safety officials. Beck v. Tex. State Bd. of Dental Exam’rs, 204 F.3d 629, 632 (5th Cir. 2000). Dentist Beck was a target because of complaints filed against him for prescribing controlled substances. Id. We concluded that the search did not violate the plaintiff’s clearly established rights. Id. at 638-39. We applied the Burger exception and determined there was a significant state interest in regulating dentists’ use of controlled substances; the search was conducted pursuant to two regulatory schemes; and there was an adequate substitute for a warrant where the statute permitted the official to conduct inspections during “reasonable times” after “stating his purpose” and presenting his credentials to the owner. Id. at 638-39. In light of Beck, the Board argues that reasonable investigators could have believed the Burgerexception permitted the execution of the subpoena as they too were investigating prescriptions of controlled substances within the medical industry.
The plaintiffs urge that Beck is “patently distinguishable.” Any possible distinction, though, must be viewed through the requirement that the law, including a distinction, must be “sufficiently clear that every reasonable official would understand that what he is doing is unlawful” at that time. Wesby, 138 S. Ct. at 589 (quotation marks omitted). That means “existing law must have placed the constitutionality of the officer’s conduct ‘beyond debate.” Id. Perhaps most relevant, the “legal principle [must] clearly prohibit the officer’s conduct in the particular circumstances before him. The rule’s contours must be so well defined that it is ‘clear to a reasonable officer that his conduct was unlawful in the situation he confronted.'” Id. at 590 (emphasis added).
Thus, it was not for these Medical Board investigators to try to resolve whether what was permitted for the Dental Board would not be permitted under the different statutes and regulations applicable to them. Although Beck does not control the constitutionality of the Board’s actions in this case, it does weigh in favor of the defendants’ receiving qualified immunity. We have decided cases where a statute did not clearly limit the official’s discretion in selecting who would be subject to an administrative search. In one, we held that the statute provided a constitutionally adequate substitute for a warrant where the statute provided:
The licensing agency shall make or cause to be made inspections relative to compliance with the laws and regulations governing the licensure of child care facilities. Such inspections shall be made at least once a year but additional inspections may be made as often as deemed necessary by the licensing agency.
See Ellis v. Miss. Dep’t of Health, 344 F. App’x 43 (5th Cir. 2009) (citing Miss. Code. Ann. § 43-20-15). Though that opinion is not precedential, we agree with its reasoning.
We also upheld an administrative search where, despite limits on the conduct of an officer after a traffic stop, there were not clear limits on an officer’s discretion as to whom to stop. See United States v. Fort, 248 F.3d 475, 482 (5th Cir. 2001). Because we have not so far required there to be a clear limit on determining whom officials select for an administrative search, the defendants reasonably could have believed that the administrative scheme here provided a constitutionally adequate substitute for a warrant.
The plaintiffs also argue the defendants did not follow the statutory scheme and therefore caselaw in which the legal requirements for the search were followed is inapplicable. Regardless of the legal argument, the factual basis for it was rejected by the district court. It found only meaningless deviations from search protocols. That finding is not clearly erroneous.
Thus, the unlawfulness of the defendants’ conduct was not clearly established at the time of the search.
b. Pretextual searches
The plaintiffs also argue that the search was a pretext for uncovering evidence of criminal wrongdoing, not a valid administrative search. According to the plaintiffs, the DEA brought Dr. Zadeh’s possible misdeeds before the Medical Board. A DEA agent then was present during the search. To finish the story, though, the Medical Board proceeded against Dr. Zadeh. Before there was a full hearing on the merits, the Board entered an agreed order. In the order, the panel found that Dr. Zadeh was operating a pain management clinic without registering it. There is nothing in this record indicating whether the DEA’s investigation resulted in a criminal prosecution or any other action.
“Even under a valid inspection regime, the administrative search cannot be pretextual.” Club Retro, LLC v. Hilton, 568 F.3d 181, 197 (5th Cir. 2009). It is incorrect, though, to use the label “pretext” simply because of an overlap between an administrative search and a criminal search. The Burger Court remarked that “a State can address a major social problem both by way of an administrative scheme and through penal sanctions.” Burger, 482 U.S. at 712. To determine whether the search there was constitutional, the Court looked to whether the administrative scheme really “authorize[d] searches undertaken solely to uncover evidence of criminality.” Id.
Similarly, the Supreme Court dismissed a defendant’s argument “that because the Customs officers were accompanied by a Louisiana State Policeman, and were following an informant’s tip that a vessel in the ship channel was thought to be carrying marijuana,” the Government could not rely on the administrative search exception. United States v. Villamonte-Marquez, 462 U.S. 579, 584 n.3, 103 S. Ct. 2573, 77 L. Ed. 2d 22 (1983).
We have applied these principles to a search of an automobile salvage yard. United States v. Thomas, 973 F.2d 1152, 1155-56 (5th Cir. 1992). There, an investigator with the Texas Department of Public Safety tracked a vehicle to an auto salvage business and there conducted an inventory inspection under Texas statute. Id. at 1155. Even though the inventory inspection was prompted by suspicion of criminal conduct, the investigator still was entitled to use information gained during the inspection to obtain a search warrant for the salvage-yard owner’s residence. Id. “Administrative searches conducted pursuant to valid statutory schemes do not violate the Constitution simply because of the existence of a specific suspicion of wrongdoing.” Id. at 1155-56.
Beck has similar analysis. As here, the administrative search in Beck was initiated after a tip. Dental Board member Michael Pitcock “stated in his deposition that information was forwarded to him alleging that Beck had ordered unusually high volumes of controlled substances.” Beck, 204 F.3d at 632. The Dental Board suspected Beck of violating criminal statutes, and a law enforcement officer accompanied the board agent in its inspection of the dental office. Id. The dentist argued that the search was conducted to uncover criminal wrongdoing and thus was not conducted pursuant to a valid administrative scheme. Id. at 638. We held that the suspicions of criminal wrongdoing “did not render the administrative search unreasonable,” citing Villamonte-Marquez and Thomas. Id. at 639.
As to Dr. Zadeh, the DEA was closely involved with the Board’s investigation. Under Burger, though, we look to whether the search that occurred was under a scheme serving an administrative purpose. The Board’s purpose is demonstrated by the subsequent administrative action against Dr. Zadeh. The search was not performed “solely to uncover evidence of criminality.” See Burger, 482 U.S. at 698. Thus, the search was not pretextual.
II. Declaratory Judgment
Dr. Zadeh argues that the district court erred in abstaining from deciding the declaratory judgment claims following Younger. Dr. Zadeh asked the district court to make declaratory judgments on several laws implicating the Board. The district court did not resolve any.
“In Younger, the Supreme Court ‘instructed federal courts that the principles of equity, comity, and federalism in certain circumstances counsel abstention in deference to ongoing state proceedings.'” Wightman v. Tex. Supreme Court, 84 F.3d 188, 189 (5th Cir. 1996)(citations omitted). Following Supreme Court precedent, this court follows “a three-part test describing the circumstances under which abstention [is] advised: (1) the dispute should involve an ‘ongoing state judicial proceeding;’ (2) the state must have an important interest in regulating the subject matter of the claim; and (3) there should be an ‘adequate opportunity in the state proceedings to raise constitutional challenges.'” Id. (citation omitted).
The district court applied the reasoning of one of our unpublished cases, Perez v. Tex. Med. Bd., 556 F. App’x 341 (5th Cir. 2014). There, we held that Younger barred the plaintiffs’ suit seeking to enjoin the Board from pursuing any causes of action against them. Id. at 342-43. We agree with that panel’s determination that Texas had a strong interest in regulating the practice of medicine, and the Perez plaintiffs could raise their constitutional challenges in the state court because the law provided for judicial review of the administrative decision. Id. at 342. Following Perez, the district court concluded that Dr. Zadeh had an ongoing administrative action pending; the state had a significant interest in regulating medicine in Texas; and Dr. Zadeh could appeal his administrative action in state court and raise constitutional challenges there. Accordingly, the district court abstained from adjudicating the requests for declaratory relief.
Dr. Zadeh claims Younger is inapplicable because the Board argued that the lawsuit did not implicate the underlying investigation. Dr. Zadeh also argues that there will be no adequate opportunity in the state proceedings to raise any constitutional challenges. He claims that “[d]octors do not have the power to file an appeal concerning the findings of fact and conclusions of law contained in a final decision (but the TMB does).”
Dr. Zadeh was subject to an ongoing state administrative proceeding, and that qualifies as a judicial proceeding for this analysis. See Middlesex Cnty. Ethics Comm. v. Garden State Bar Ass’n, 457 U.S. 423, 432, 102 S. Ct. 2515, 73 L. Ed. 2d 116 (1982). As we stated in Perez, Texas has a strong interest in regulating the practice of medicine. Finally, despite plaintiffs’ contrary view, Texas law does permit judicial review by either party of an administrative decision. [1] “A person who has exhausted all administrative remedies available within a state agency and who is aggrieved by a final decision in a contested case is entitled to judicial review under this chapter.” Tex. Gov’t Code. § 2001.171.
The district court did not abuse its discretion in abstaining from deciding the declaratory judgment claims.
III. Director Robinson’s potential supervisory capacity liability
The plaintiffs argue that Robinson should be held liable in her supervisory capacity. “A supervisory official may be held liable under § 1983 only if (1) he affirmatively participates in the acts that cause the constitutional deprivation, or (2) he implements unconstitutional policies that causally result in the constitutional injury.” Gates v. Tex. Dep’t of Protective and Regulatory Servs., 537 F.3d 404, 435 (5th Cir. 2008). A failure to train claim requires that the plaintiff show (1) the supervisor’s failure to train; (2) the failure to train resulted in the violation of the plaintiff’s rights; and (3) the failure to train shows deliberate indifference. Id. For deliberate indifference, “there must be ‘actual or constructive notice’ ‘that a particular omission in their training program causes . . . employees to violate citizens’ constitutional rights’ and the actor nevertheless ‘choose[s] to retain that program.'” Porter v. Epps, 659 F.3d 440, 447 (5th Cir. 2011) (citation omitted).
The plaintiffs argue that Robinson improperly delegated her subpoena authority to subordinates whose training she knew nothing about. Therefore, the subpoena did not comply with Texas law because the Executive Director of the Board is not permitted to delegate her subpoena authority. The district court did not determine whether the delegation was permissible. “In light of the express regulatory authority for the delegation, the precedent set by her predecessors, and the sheer volume of subpoenas issued every year by the TMB,” Robinson’s actions did not amount to deliberate indifference.
In Texas administrative law, a rule of statutory construction presumes that where a statute grants specific authority to a designated public officer, the legislature intended only that officer to have that authority. Lipsey v. Tex. Dep’t of Health, 727 S.W.2d 61, 64 (Tex. App.—Austin 1987, writ ref’d n.r.e.). Still, Lipsey recognized “the authority to ‘subdelegate’ or transfer the assigned function may be implied and the presumption defeated owing to the nature of the assigned function, the makeup of the agency involved, the duties assigned to it, the statutory framework, and perhaps other matters.” Id. at 65.
In this case, a statute permits the Board to subpoena records. Tex. Occ. Code. § 153.007. Section 153.007(b) permits the Board to delegate subpoena authority “to the executive director or the secretary-treasurer of the board.” By administrative rule, the executive director may “delegate any responsibility or authority to an employee of the board.” 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 161.7(c).
In resolving this issue, we start with the fact the rule articulated in Lipsey is only a presumption. Even assuming that the plaintiffs could show that Robinson failed to train her subordinates and that failure resulted in a constitutional violation, Robinson was not deliberately indifferent in delegating her subpoena authority in light of the fact she was acting pursuant to the regulations in the same way as her predecessors and the numerous subpoenas issued each year. To the extent the plaintiffs seek to impose Section 1983 liability on Kirby and Pease through the subdelegation argument, that law also was not clearly established.
Concur by: DON R. WILLETT
DON R. WILLETT, Circuit Judge, concurring dubitante:
The court is right about Dr. Zadeh’s rights: They were violated. But owing to a legal deus ex machina—the “clearly established law” prong of qualified-immunity analysis—the violation eludes vindication. I write separately to register my disquiet over the kudzu-like creep of the modern immunity regime. Doctrinal reform is arduous, often-Sisyphean work. And the entrenched, judge-made doctrine of qualified immunity seems Kevlar-coated, making even tweak-level tinkering doubtful. But immunity ought not be immune from thoughtful reappraisal. [1]
To some observers, qualified immunity smacks of unqualified impunity, letting public officials duck consequences for bad behavior—no matter how palpably unreasonable—as long as they were the first to behave badly. Merely proving a constitutional deprivation doesn’t cut it; plaintiffs must cite functionally identical precedent that places the legal question “beyond debate” to “every” reasonable officer. [2] Put differently, it’s immaterial that someone acts unconstitutionally if no prior case held such misconduct unlawful.
Today’s case applies prevailing immunity precedent (as best we can divine it): Dr. Zadeh loses because no prior decision held such a search unconstitutional. But courts of appeals are divided—intractably—over precisely what degree of factual similarity must exist. How indistinguishable must existing precedent be? On the one hand, the Supreme Court reassures plaintiffs that its caselaw “does not require a case directly on point for a right to be clearly established.” [3] On the other hand, the Court admonishes that “clearly established law must be ‘particularized’ to the facts of the case.” [4] But like facts in like cases is unlikely. And this leaves the “clearly established” standard neither clear nor established among our Nation’s lower courts.
Two other factors perpetuate perplexity over “clearly established law.” First, many courts grant immunity without first determining whether the challenged behavior violates the Constitution. [5] They avoid scrutinizing the alleged offense by skipping to the simpler second prong: no factually analogous precedent. Forgoing a knotty constitutional inquiry makes for easier sledding. But the inexorable result is “constitutional stagnation”[6] —fewer courts establishing law at all, much less clearly doing so. Second, constitutional litigation increasingly involves cutting-edge technologies. If courts leapfrog the underlying constitutional merits in cases raising novel issues like digital privacy, then constitutional clarity—matter-of-fact guidance about what the Constitution requires—remains exasperatingly elusive. Result: blurred constitutional contours as technological innovation outpaces legal adaptation.
Section 1983 meets Catch-22. Plaintiffs must produce precedent even as fewer courts are producing precedent. Important constitutional questions go unanswered precisely because those questions are yet unanswered. Courts then rely on that judicial silence to conclude there’s no equivalent case on the books. No precedent = no clearly established law = no liability. An Escherian Stairwell. Heads defendants win, tails plaintiffs lose.
Count me with Chief Justice Marshall: “The government of the United States has been emphatically termed a government of laws, and not of men. It will certainly cease to deserve this high appellation, if the laws furnish no remedy for the violation of a vested legal right.” [7] The current “yes harm, no foul” imbalance leaves victims violated but not vindicated; wrongs are not righted, wrongdoers are not reproached, and those wronged are not redressed. It is indeed curious how qualified immunity excuses constitutional violations by limiting the statute Congress passed to redress constitutional violations. [8]
Qualified immunity aims to balance competing policy goals. [9] And I concede it enjoys special favor at the Supreme Court, which seems untroubled by any one-sidedness. Even so, I add my voice to a growing, cross-ideological chorus of jurists [10] and scholars [11] urging recalibration of contemporary immunity jurisprudence and its “real world implementation.” [12]
1. The plaintiffs note that the administrative law judge in the SOAH proceeding declined to address the constitutional questions. Even so, all the law requires is that the issue have been preserved for the appeal to the state court. See Ohio Civil Rights Comm’n v. Dayton Christian Sch., Inc., 477 U.S. 619, 629, 106 S. Ct. 2718, 91 L. Ed. 2d 512 (1986).
Footnotes (Concurrence):
1. “[Four] of the Justices currently on the Court have authored or joined opinions expressing sympathy” with various doctrinal, procedural, and pragmatic critiques of qualified immunity. Joanna C. Schwartz, The Case Against Qualified Immunity, 93 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1798, 1800 (2018).
2. Ashcroft v. al-Kidd, 563 U.S. 731, 741, 131 S. Ct. 2074, 179 L. Ed. 2d 1149 (2011); see also, e.g., Kisela v. Hughes, 138 S. Ct. 1148, 1153, 200 L. Ed. 2d 449 (2018) (per curiam); Mullenix v. Luna, 136 S. Ct. 305, 308, 193 L. Ed. 2d 255 (2015) (per curiam).
3. Kisela, 138 S. Ct. at 1152 (quoting White v. Pauly, 137 S. Ct. 548, 551, 196 L. Ed. 2d 463 (2017)).
4. Pauly, 137 S. Ct. at 552 (quoting Anderson, 483 U.S. at 640).
5. See Pearson v. Callahan, 555 U.S. 223, 227, 129 S. Ct. 808, 172 L. Ed. 2d 565 (2009).
6. Aaron L. Nielson & Christopher J. Walker, The New Qualified Immunity, 89 S. Cal. L. Rev. 1, 12 (2015) (“Because a great deal of constitutional litigation occurs in cases subject to qualified immunity, many rights potentially might never be clearly established should a court skip ahead to the question whether the law clearly established that the officer’s conduct was unlawful in the circumstances of the case. The danger, in short, is one of constitutional stagnation.”) (cleaned up).
7. Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137, 163, 2 L. Ed. 60 (1803). In Little v. Barreme, Chief Justice Marshall’s opinion declined to “excuse from damages” Captain George Little for unlawfully capturing a Danish vessel, though it was “seized with pure intention.” 6 U.S. (2 Cranch) 170, 179, 2 L. Ed. 243 (1804).
8. Cf. United States v. Ugalde, 861 F.2d 802, 810 (5th Cir. 1988) (“We must ensure that for every right there is a remedy.” (citing Marbury, 5 U.S. at 163)).
9. The Supreme Court has flagged “two important interests—the need to hold public officials accountable when they exercise power irresponsibly and the need to shield officials from harassment, distraction, and liability when they perform their duties reasonably.” Pearson, 555 U.S. at 231.
10. See, e.g., Kisela, 138 S. Ct. at 1162 (Sotomayor, J., dissenting) (fearing the Supreme Court’s “one-sided approach to qualified immunity transforms the doctrine into an absolute shield for law enforcement officers, gutting the deterrent effect of the Fourth Amendment” and signaling “that palpably unreasonable conduct will go unpunished”); Ziglar v. Abbasi, 137 S. Ct. 1843, 1872, 198 L. Ed. 2d 290 (2017) (Thomas, J., concurring in part and concurring in the judgment) (“In an appropriate case, we should reconsider our qualified immunity jurisprudence.”); Thompson v. Clark, No. 14-CV-7349, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105225, 2018 WL 3128975, at *11 (E.D.N.Y. June 26, 2018) (Weinstein, J.) (“The Supreme Court’s recent emphasis on shielding public officials and federal and local law enforcement means many individuals who suffer a constitutional deprivation will have no redress . . . .”).
11. The most recent issue of the Notre Dame Law Review gathers several scholarly essays that carefully examine qualified immunity and discuss potential refinements in light of mounting legal and empirical criticism. Symposium, The Future of Qualified Immunity, 93 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1798 (2018); see also, e.g., William Baude, Is Qualified Immunity Unlawful?, 106 Calif. L. Rev. 45, 88 (2018) (claiming the doctrine “lacks legal justification, and the Court’s justifications are unpersuasive”); Joanna C. Schwartz, How Qualified Immunity Fails, 127 YALE L.J. 2, 70 (2017) (concluding that “the Court’s efforts to advance its policy goals through qualified immunity doctrine has been an exercise in futility”); John C. Jeffries, Jr., What’s Wrong with Qualified Immunity?, 62 Fla. L. Rev. 851, 869 (2010) (“Today, the law of qualified immunity is out of balance . . . . The Supreme Court needs to intervene, not only to reconcile the divergent approaches of the Circuits but also, and more fundamentally, to rethink qualified immunity and get constitutional tort law back on track.”).
12. South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., 138 S. Ct. 2080, 2097, 201 L. Ed. 2d 403 (2018).
By Andrew Branca| 2018-10-17T11:49:13+00:00 October 17th, 2018|0 Comments
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Copthorne Kuwait City Hotel hosts teams of Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship
By ali Saturday, 06 April 2019 4:58 PM
Copthorne Kuwait City Hotel, located in the vibrant heart of Kuwait City, is hosting the participants of 6 teams of 21st Asian Men’s Club League Championship from 21st march till 01st April 2019.
The 10 day championship held at the Kuwait Club witnessed participation from a total of 11 countries including Bahrain, China, Iraq, India, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. Participants and coaches of teams from Bahrain, China, Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman and United Arab Emirates were booked to stay at Copthorne Kuwait City.
Organized by Asian Handball Federation for the men's handball clubs of Asia, the winners of this championship also qualify to participate in the tournament for the IHF Super Globe, a handball competition contested between the champion clubs from continental confederations.
Alaa Selim, General Manager, Copthorne Kuwait City Hotel said, “We are honored to be chosen to host the participants of the championship. I would personally like to thank each member of the team for putting in the hard work and dedication in delivering the best of services. Hosting the participants of the championship is a testament to the kind of services and facilities the hotel has to offer. We will strive further to position Copthorne Kuwait City Hotel as a destination and look forward to host many more prominent personalities and events.”
Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship administered by Asian Handball Federation is headquartered in Kuwait City. The inaugural season of the sport was held in 1998 based on the fact that the handball game is widely played in Asia.
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Togo priest living in Detroit found not guilty of rape charges today
Annie Lamott has a new book. It's called Blue Shoe:
Such everyday worries provide tiny pulpits from which Lamott can offer spiritual reflections. These philosophical nuggets, born of her strong Christian devotion, which she discussed in her nonfiction best seller "Traveling Mercies" (1999), are the real hook of this book.... Lamott wraps her philosophizing in a plot that pulls you quickly through the book. And after reading "Blue Shoe," you feel as if you had sat on the kitchen floor and talked with the author late into the night about your mothers, your bodies, your lovers and God. And that, in a nutshell, is the minor miracle of Lamott's writing.
A reader sez.....that Fr. McCloskey will be on EWTN's The World Over tonight.
Unfortunately, we don't get EWTN anymore, since we switched from Dish to DirectTV (hopefully, if they merge, we'll be back on track again), but we, as well as the rest of you, can listen online, if not live, then when it gets archived.
A reader points me to John Derbyshire "fanning the flames of religious indifferentism (scroll down for that part).
Because of the accident of having been born in a Christian country and educated by Christians, it is Christianity that gives me a window into the real world. If I had been raised among Hindus, Taoists, Jews, or Muslims, then I suppose it would have been one of those religions that provided the window. A different-shaped window, if you like — square instead of oval. These windows are manmade objects, sharing in all the imperfections of humanity. Some of them are a bit dirty; some are long overdue for a coat of paint on the frame; on some can be seen what look suspiciously like bloodstains. The world that they permit us a glimpse of, though, is beautiful, pure, and kind, a realm of perfect bliss. That's why I am always ready to give benefit of the doubt to other religions, while having no intention whatsoever of embracing any of them, or of apologizing for my own.
Well, of course, a fellow's entitled to whatever explanation of religion he chooses, but who can blame us if we're left wondering...why bother...with explanations like this. Sure, it would make sense coming from a sympathizer with Eastern religions, but from a Christian? I have to say, I can't rouse up much interest in the whole Jesus thing if it's not true from top to bottom. Christianity may certainly mean treating all as children of God, no matter what their professed religion, but it doesn't mean dumbing down the Christian claims, to just another window into the Twilight Zone. Jesus crucified and risen is more than one window among many. Much more.
Here's the Catholic News Service story about Dolan's installation.
Here's a year-old piece I wrote on Catholic Exchange today!
If you came here because of that, and would like more along those lines, go to the home page and click on the picture of Flannery O'Connor near the top.
No, this blog is not HQ for the Dreher Cult (although He did take up some comment space outlining His demands somewhere down there- pretty funny if you can find it), but I was struck by the wisdom in the piece in today's NRO taking CBS to task for their "reality" Beverly Hillbillies proposal:
hat if a major television network sent out teams to search the Bronx, Compton, and the south side of Chicago looking for a large "multi-generational family" of poor black folks, who would move into a Beverly Hills mansion for a year? Cameras would follow the Negroes around, capturing their fish-out-of-water hijinks for the entertainment of millions of viewers, who will be invited to laugh as the urban rustics squirm and gawk in front of their social betters. If that were true, there would be no end to the outrage over the racist exploitation and class denigration inherent in such a morally rancid enterprise. Jesse Jackson would be all over creation, raising hell about a media corporation sponsoring a minstrel show — and for once in my life, I'd have to agree with him.In fact, this is a true story, but the hapless rubes CBS is searching out are not African Americans, but poor southern whites, the only ethnic group in the country that it is permissible to mock in polite company.
Reminds me a bit of the flap over the ESPN Tennessee-Vol ad
The commercial showed Lee Corso, one of the College GameDay analysts, waiting for an elevator. The doors open, and the elevator is filled with orange-clad Vols fans. A pig runs out, and an overweight woman holding another pig and wearing a shower cap and robe yells, "Come here, Rocky Top!" An elderly man wearing shorts and hooked up to an IV bottle is shown with a couple kissing in the back of the elevator. A sign mentioning Tennessee alumni is also visible.
My eldest son, who works with the UT Athletic Department, tells me that yes, they really were incensed (he wasn't, by the way), and shared some choice, unprintable quotes from Phil Fulmer on the subject. My father, who also lives in Knoxville, though, tells me that some time this week, a local radio show was broadcasting on locations somewhere, and was to have new UT President John Shumaker as a guest. He showed up - in a shower cap and a robe, carrying a pig. Now that's the way to deal with an objectionable commercial - take notes, Catholic League. (Although they were right in the Opie and Andy stunt, and great kudos for them for that....but sometimes...a little humor would be in order to put everything in context...)
Peter Vere has posted his canonical evaluation of the priest and the Planned Parenthood employee
Fr. Rob Johansen has very helpfully collated all the thoughts on "gripping and grinning" - i.e. greeting each other before Mass, and offered his own concluding thoughts.
Also, at Fr. Rob's spot, you'll find a description of the latest foray in the War of the Rose, as he calls it - a piece in the September issue of Crisis magazine about Rose's treatment of a situation at Louvain.
From SF: Even good priests fear zero tolerance:
Catholic priests in the Bay Area and across the nation are waking up to the harsh new world of "zero tolerance," fearful that a decades-old allegation of inappropriate touching can ruin a life of service. "Some priests are scared that Monday morning they will find their names in the paper or get a letter from the bishop," said the Rev. Eugene Tungol, chairman of the Council of Priests of the San Francisco Archdiocese. "We have no peace of mind now. Who will be next? It's scary to us. All it takes is one parishioner from 10 to 15 years ago who hated us, and this can happen."
There's only one seminary left in Ireland
The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, whose network of theological schools once exported priests worldwide, closed another hallowed institution Thursday, leaving just a single seminary in this predominantly Catholic country. The directors of St. Patrick's College in Thurles, County Tipperary in southwest Ireland said that their few remaining seminarians would transfer immediately to the church's flagship seminary, Maynooth College near Dublin, which is struggling to produce enough priests for the next generation of Irish Catholics.....The Thurles seminary was the seventh to close in the Republic of Ireland since 1993, leaving only Maynooth, which was the first Irish seminary, founded in 1795. This summer Maynooth enrolled 15 new seminarians. A handful of others entered the Irish College in Rome and a Belfast seminary, St. Malachy's, in the neighboring British territory of Northern Ireland.
Hideous, hideous stuff. This is what we're talking about, and you've got to read the whole thing:
Molesting priest has hidden for years on St. Maarten's, with the law after him and more than a few Church folk aware of his location, even if they deny it.
The Rev. Laurence F.X. Brett vanished abruptly almost a decade ago, leaving clothes still hanging in his closet and a trail of accusers stretching across four states and back 30 years. Now, a Hartford Courant investigation has found the onetime fugitive - whose flight took him beyond the reach of police and plaintiffs' attorneys investigating accusations that Brett sexually abused teenage boys - living a secretive but comfortable life on the tropical island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean....Since shortly after his disappearance late in 1993, the official position of the Roman Catholic Church has been that it wants Brett found and brought to justice. Church officials in Bridgeport and Baltimore have called Brett a criminal and an "evil man." The FBI and a private detective have tried, unsuccessfully, to find him.But interviews and documents make clear that, during the past decade, a handful of priests and laypersons loyal to Brett have known where to find him - and, in one case, were financially supporting his life on the lam.The Courant found evidence that Brett has been in contact for years with at least one and perhaps two priests in the Bridgeport diocese, a prominent businessman who is an associate of Baltimore Cardinal William Keeler, a psychologist from Johns Hopkins University, and an order of Catholic priests in Washington.An evangelical branch of the order, the Paulist Fathers, for whom Brett worked for many years, supported him financially for years on St. Maarten by sending checks to a Miami mailbox, where they were forwarded to an offshore company in Brett's name, a source familiar with the arrangement said.
Christianity Today's Film Forum asks the question:
Is software that enables a viewer to edit out offensive material from movies a good idea?
The most frequently cited examples in this discussion are Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. I say - if you're old enough to see either, you're old enough to see the "offensive" material in either - these are mature, complex films. Isn't it a bit crazy to "be offended" by nudity in a movie about genocide? What - you want your movies about mass murder to be...inoffensive?
And as for the rest of the film canon, ready for the parent's editing knife, I say - sure. But wouldn't it save time, instead of going through all the trouble of editing the vulgarities out of an Adam Sandler or Eddie Murphy movie, to maybe...skip the movies completely (masterpieces that they are) and read a book or watch the Marx Brothers instead?
Today is the feastday of the Beheading of John the Baptist.
I'll be heading off to Mass at our parish/school (St. John the Baptist) where Katie will be doing the first reading this AM.
From the Chicago Tribune (LRR): Black Catholics still crusading
More than a century ago, when delegates to the Congress of Colored Catholics met in Chicago in 1893, they called for the ordination of black priests, an end to discrimination in churches and schools, and more evangelism in black communities.When the National Black Catholic Congress opens another Chicago meeting Thursday, delegates will demand more progress toward all of those same goals. They also are calling for the acceptance of blacks at the highest levels of church leadership and for a full recognition of their gifts in a church they feel has too often dismissed their concerns."Some of the issues that came up at the congress in the late 19th Century are the same issues that are important to the congress today," said James Cavendish, sociology professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. "The difference is that we have 13 black Catholic bishops, and we have 350 black Catholic priests who can represent black Catholics."Among those 13 are Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Perry and Belleville Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Both men will participate in the four-day congress, which is expected to draw 3,000 people and will be addressed Friday by Cardinal Francis George
The kind host of Cella's Review has sent along a link to a wonderful essay by Rebecca West on St. Augustine.
Looking ahead, Pete Vere sez he'll soon be blogging on the Alberta priest who refused the PP employee marriage.
Karen Marie Knapp is in Milwaukeee, telling us all about Archbishop Dolan.
Here's a brief AP article on the installation.
Okay, you all can lay off Dreher...
And start directing your arrows at Ralph McInerny
Is it fair of conservative critics to lay such scandals at the feet of John Paul II? The fact is that he has dealt no more harshly with theological dissenters than Paul VI. Some of the bishops he named, even some of the cardinals he created, are, if only covertly, on the side of the dissenters. It is clear that John Paul II does not micro-manage the Catholic Church and that his macro-management is faulty. The indictment of him by liberals and representatives of the “false spirit of Vatican II” is amplified by the secular media and many once great Catholic publications. This has led to the founding of new journals and magazines and publishing houses whose role in strengthening the faith of ordinary Catholics cannot be underestimated. But Catholics who enthusiastically support and defend the Pope often get the cold shoulder from bishops appointed by him. To say that John Paul II has often been let down by bishops may be true, but that is not much of a defense when it is realized that it was he put these bishops in place. So it is that, on left and right alike, John Paul II’s governance of the Church comes under severe and justified criticism. So wherein does his greatness lie?
There's an answer, of course, and it's similar to much of what's been said on the blogs:
It is here, I suspect, in his laying the ground work for the Third Millennium, that John Paul II’s greatness lies. He declined to enter into an overt civil war with dissenters. He knew the Church would survive them. Despite the terrible depredations of doctrinal confusion, there is only so much discipline can do. Neither faith nor orthodoxy can be forced on anyone, not even theologians. John Paul II has apparently chosen to wait them out, to look to the future, and to provide sound doctrine for the renewal that he and Vatican II foresaw.
From an editorial in Catholic Dossier
Many thanks to reader David for pointing us to this article, which perhaps will broaden the discussion a bit.
Here's information on the protests going on at Catholic pro-abortion Michigan candidate Jennifer Granholm's parish.
Here is more specific information about a prayer/protest that will be taking place at the Cathedral in Detroit this Sunday.
Thanks to Tim Drake for pointing us to the National Catholic Register editorial responding, without naming him, to Dreher's WSJ piece.
One question of usage: (from NCReg, not Drake)
He has written a beautiful and thorough magisterium, he has encouraged the apostolic movements, he created the World Youth Day gatherings with their many fruits.
Can that possibly be a correct use of the word "magisterium?"
Want to support a good priest? Or read about a good priest?
Then go to Thank You, Father , a website described in this CNS story.
Fr. Rob Johansen has asked our views on the practice of congregations being asked to "turn to your neighbor and introduce yourself" before Mass.
You can critique this practice from many perspectives, but the most important one is theological. Such a practice is usually instituted with the hopes that it will help "form community." The expression of this hope reveals a profound and rather frightening ignorance of what Mass is all about.
Mass is, indeed, all about community, but it's not community that's humanly created or scripted or manipulated. It's about the real community that comes into existence and is nourished by - Communion. Get it?
Whether we know it or not, whether we feel it or not, it's there. In the mystery of the Eucharist, in the act of sharing in that mystery, we are joined in the profound community called the Body of Christ.
The call of the liturgical presider and planner is not to "create" community - it is to deepen people's understanding and consciousness of the community that already exists in the Body of Christ, and what that means.
To be fixated on "creating community" through imposing new rituals upon the liturgy is to send the message that the Eucharist is nothing; but our handshakes are everything.
Victor Lams has the text of Papa Doc's clarification and another bulletin note on the same issue by another priest with a distinctly different view than our Padre in Plymouth.
Alberta priest refuses to marry Planned Parenthood employee
A southern Alberta Catholic pastor has told a Planned Parenthood employee that she cannot be married in the Catholic church because she refuses to renounce her pro-abortion beliefs and employment. Celina Ling, who was supposed to marry fiance Robert Symmonds at St. Patrick's Church on Sept. 21, was told by Fr. John Maes that she could not be wed in the church due to her pro-abortion stand.
Today is the feast of St. Augustine.
Here's a link to a piece I wrote on Augustine a few years ago.
Here's a link to a page of St. Augustine links.
And here's a very, very interesting site, well worth your time, of an account of a trip to a conference on "Augustine in Algeria" compiled by a former University of Pennsylvania Classics prof who's now Provost of Georgetown.
God has no need of your money, but the poor have. You give it to the poor, and God receives it. (St. Augustine)
Go check out the picture that Lucianne has on her site today.
Don't you feel safer now?
Research begins into possible beatification of John Paul I
The Catholic Radio and Television Network: providing a way for Catholic programming to be broadcast over the Internet.
Richmond Diocese opens up cause for beatification of eight Spanish Jesuits.
Bishop Walter Sullivan of Richmond has opened the diocesan phase of the beatification process for eight Spanish Jesuits who were put to death in 1571. The cause should ascertain the martyrdom of the religious, who were killed by the Indians of a village near present-day Yorktown. Two of the victims were priests: Father Juan Bautista de Segura, vice provincial of Havana, and Father Luis de Quirós. Three were lay brothers and three were novices.
St. Blog's Drinking Game! All in one place!
Thanks to Victor for pointing out this website on Jennifer Granholm, compiled by Michigan Right to LIfe.
Kathryn Lively started the St. Blog's drinking game.
Victor Lams jumped in
Pete Vere issued some canonical threats (I think.)
My contribution: Hoist one everytime....
My husband Michael Dubruiel mentions the Florida Gators, Steve Spurrier or a racing Bodine brother. You'll be wasted by 9am.
A morning passes with only Popcak contributing to the allegedly "co-operative"HMS Blog (I can say that, since I'm one of the guilty ones...)
Eve Tushnet uses the phrase "vast post" and then does it.
Sean Gallagher mentions either his lawn or his golf game.
Welborn complains about how much work she has to do and then follows it up with about 73 blog posts.
An account from the Detroit News of the Granholm controversy
The weekend pickets will continue until at least the Nov. 5 election that pits Granholm against Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus, said George D. Stephens, 49, a Madison Heights salesman who is leading the demonstrations. "Jennifer Granholm appears at campaign stops with a Bible in her hand, but she's not following what it says," Stephens said. The archdiocese mostly has stayed out of the fray, except to issue a statement reaffirming its opposition to abortion after Our Lady of Good Counsel associate pastor the Rev. Doc Ortman wrote an Aug. 4 article in the church bulletin that defended Granholm's right to be pro-choice and Catholic. Granholm's husband, Dan Mulhern, passed out fliers to parishioners that same day apologizing for the "siege" and asking them to pray for his wife.On Sunday, Ortman apologized in the church bulletin for causing "embarrassment and hurt" and wrote that he remains opposed to abortion.
Yes, an archdiocese silent in the face of a political candidate flaunting her religion and her pro-abortion creds. Yeah. Good job.
Condoleeza Rice on her religious faith.
A fairly thorough article on controversy about the Catholic-Jewish statement on evangelization from Catholic News Service.
I suppose I still wonder.....I understand the nuances of this issue in terms of the reality of the covenant , but...if evangelization to Jews were to be considered off-limits..would the Catholic side of this dialogue tell Jesus to just cut it out?
Four Detroit-area priests charged.
Four Roman Catholic priests who formerly worked in the Archdiocese of Detroit have been charged with criminal sexual conduct in cases that date from the 1960s to the 1980s, the Wayne County prosecutor said Tuesday.The charges are unusual because the alleged crimes occurred so long ago, but prosecutor Mike Duggan said the priests can be tried because they left Michigan before the statute of limitations ran out.The charges include multiple counts of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving boys 14 and younger. The most recent case involves a 13-year-old allegedly molested in 1986 at St. Robert's in Redford Township.The priests are Harry Benjamin, 60, of Virginia; Robert Burkholder, 82, of Hawaii; Edward Oleszewski, 67, of Florida; and Jason E. Sigler, 64, of New Mexico."The magnitude of this is astonishing," Duggan said. "If they have one skill, it's manipulation."
Archbishop Milingo returning to Rome in October.
He's been in Argentina:
Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, who went through a marriage ceremony presided over by Sun Myung Moon last year, will return to Italy in October, a Vatican official says. Following a year of "retreat" in Argentina which enabled him to write an autobiography, the Zambian prelate is preparing to take up his ministry in the Zagarolo center of spirituality near Rome, according to Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Archbishop Bertone revealed the news Friday to the newspaper Il Giornale and to Italian state television. He said Archbishop Milingo "is well physically, morally and spiritually," thus denying the public protests of some followers who accused the Vatican of keeping the African a "prisoner." The Vatican official said that since Oct. 10, Archbishop Milingo has been living in Argentina with a local bishop and two priests. Neither the city nor the bishop was identified
One of the more balanced articles I've seen about a parish and its accused priest, from Worcester, Mass where, if you recall, the priest is accused of multiple strange and abusive acts - before his ordination.
So I asked Mr. Delisle why no diocesan leader, including Bishop Daniel P. Reilly, has stepped forward to urge these misguided parishioners to knock it off. To let the system work and end the divisiveness. To stop causing distress to those now telling allegedly difficult details of their past relationship with the popular priest. “There have been conversations between the bishop and the people of St. John's,” Mr. Delisle said. “I don't know that he hasn't been having these conversations privately.” I do know -- and he hasn't. John R. Sharry, originally one of the most vocal and public supporters of Rev. Coonan, has met with the bishop twice -- once privately, and once with other supporters. At no time did the bishop suggest that supporters back off, or tone down their support, he said. Mr. Sharry, apparently, has tempered his support on his own. Recently, he decided to call one of Rev. Coonan's alleged victims. The men spoke on the phone for about 15 minutes, he said. “He was very articulate and credible,” said Mr. Sharry, a former Worcester County commissioner. “He didn't strike me as someone who was trying to profit from the scandal. He seemed like he wanted the truth as he knows it to be known.” Earlier this month, an emotional Mr. Sharry gave an impassioned speech in support of Rev. Coonan, rousing parishioners to fight for his return. Yesterday, he acknowledged that his outlook has changed. “I've switched gears from blind loyalty to Father Coonan to a commitment to keeping the parish healthy,” Mr. Sharry said. “I'm not suggesting anymore that things didn't happen ... Father Coonan denies it. Do I believe him? I don't know. In the beginning I was caught up in the emotion of the situation, but it's become apparent to me that my focus should be in maintaining St. John's parish. There is a good possibility that St. John's will need to survive without Father Coonan.”
Another, slightly more colorful account than I've posted before, of the turf battle raging on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
At 11:40 a.m. Saturday, a 72-year-old Egyptian priest walked out onto the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher carrying a wooden chair. Limping heavily, the Reverend Abdel Mallek walked to a wall in the shade of a tree mysteriously rooted in the ancient stone and sat down near a cluster of Ethiopian monks, gazing at nothing in particular.Exactly 15 minutes later, he gathered his chair and walked back into the Coptic monastery.It was the most prosaic of scenes, except that Mallek was closely guarded by an Israeli policeman, and three others stood guard. From the windows of the Egyptian monastery on one side, someone recorded the scene with a video camera, while several Ethiopian monks peered over the wall of their ancient compound on the other side.Only a few weeks earlier, the position of the old priest's chair had provoked a vicious fight between Ethiopians and Egyptians, which resulted in the hospitalization of 11 monks. Since then, while trying to mediate a cease-fire, Israel has sent armed guards daily to accompany Mallek on his daily sit-down.
2 DC priests accused of abuse dismissed
The priests are the Rev. Paul E. Lavin, who was pastor of a well-known Capitol Hill parish, and Monsignor Russell L. Dillard, who was pastor of the historic St. Augustine Church in Northwest. Both had been on suspension since allegations were made against them earlier this year....According to a spokeswoman for the Washington Archdiocese, allegations against the two priests were heard by a panel named by the cardinal to determine the credibility of the allegations and whether they came under the bishops' new policy. Under the policy, any priest who has sexually abused a minor, no matter how long ago, must be removed permanently from the ministry.
Details of the Washington panel's deliberations, which apparently began this month, could not be learned. Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, emphasized last night that church leaders regarded McCarrick's action, taken within the past two weeks, as an "interim step" under church procedures. She said both priests have the right to appeal their dismissals to the Vatican.
The terms for the investigation of Archbishop Pell have been released:
THE inquiry into sex abuse allegations against Sydney Catholic Archbishop George Pell will be held behind closed doors, according to the terms of reference released today.The co-chairmen of the Catholic Church's National Committee for Professional Standards, Archbishop Philip Wilson and Brother Michael Hill, today said all hearings would be held in camera....The terms of reference for the inquiry say information obtained during the hearings will not (not) be released by the commissioner without the written consent of both parties, unless he is compelled by law to do so.It also says the chairmen may make public all or part of the commissioner's report if they consider it appropriate.A statement released by the Catholic Church with the terms of reference today said the hearings would be conducted in Melbourne "as soon as possible"....
Today, of course, is the feast of St. Monica, with tomorrow being the day we remember her son.
Here's a piece I wrote about them both last year.
Lane Core has good observations on what he calls the "scorched-Dreher" reactions of the last few days.
Frankly, I am astonished — and I am appalled — at the reaction by many Catholics to Dreher's article. Mostly because vitriolic personal judgements have been levelled at him for daring to criticize the prudential judgements of a reigning pontiff. He is accused of grandstanding, of not thinking with the Tradition, and of being the seat of monstrous pride.No matter what else they do, these inexcusable personal attacks will provide boatloads of ammunition to any anti-Catholic bigot who is paying attention.....
The Boston Herald is running an investigative report on the Archdiocese of Boston's assets, particularly unused property. The main story is here.
But using figures from the assessor's office in each of the 144 communities, the Herald found $159,393,996 in property unrelated to the operation of any active church, school, cemetery or hospital owned by the archdiocese.
Selling off that property, even at assessed value alone, plus the estimated $40 million in insurance money church officials have said is available would easily cover the Geoghan settlement and provide enough money for the estimated 400 remaining victims without affecting active parishes, said experts.
The question being, therefore, is it lawful or moral for the Archdiocese to threaten bankruptcy in the the face of large settlements when it has unused land of this value in its possession?
Other article are here, here, and here.
Of course, the issue of property is a complicated one, even for a Catholic diocese. Today's unused property might prove to be very useful two decades down the line. In growth areas, the Church actually does well to try to look ahead, predict demographic change, and buy property in anticipation of needs for churches and schools. But the extent of unused properties these articles document is problematic and probably unnecessary.
The statement of the Boston Beer Company's president on the Opie and Andy stunt
By the way, if you are boycotting Sam Adams beer because of this, be sure to let the company know. Contact information is at the website linked above.
Here's an article from the Globe about the apology and some efforts to put pressure on the company:
Koch said he had heard complaints from at least two local accounts that want to stop serving Sam Adams products. One was Michael Sheehan, owner of Jimmy O'Keefe's in Boston's Financial District. Sheehan said he's been in contact with about a dozen other local restaurants in an effort to organize a protest.Describing himself as Catholic father who is ''trying to bring his kids up right,'' Sheehan said he was ''deeply offended'' by the Opie and Anthony promotion. Sheehan confirmed that Koch had called him to make a personal apology, and Sheehan said he pressed Koch to take out newspaper ads to make his contrition more public.''He told me he'd think about it,'' Sheehan said.
A reader writes in with the text of another WSJ letter re/Dreher: (reader's comments in bold):
"I agree with many of the opinions expressed by Mr. Dreher, particularly his assessment of Cardinal Law's mendacity. However, his article betrays an offended enthusiasm, a jejeune sense of injury and scandal [!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -- oh...injury? scandal?...], that I find surprising in anyone old enough to be a senior editor of anything. Such disappointment as he expresses is the almost inevitable result of the excessive enthusiasm about the person of this present pope, as distinct from his office. Maturity, particularly maturity in the faith, requires that we accept the failures and the successes of our fellow man, even bishops and popes, with equanimity. One might object that bishops and the pope have shown excessive equanimity in the face of the evils they were in a position to punish and prevent--I wouldn't disagree. Nevertheless, serenity is the proper attitude for those who do not bear that responsibility. Evil we will have with us always."Angela Lessard, South Pasadena, California
...but I, Angela, can put aside my own equanimity long enough to be so surprised at someone's jejeune sense of injury that I need to write a letter about it to the Wall Street Journal.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Oh yes. Nancy Nall points me to Lileks, first thing. Scroll down to get in the swing of his bleat on Opie and Anthony,
I’m curious how we got here. How we ended up paying four million dollars to a breed of morons so devoid of empathy that they cannot begin to imagine the reasons why their stunt was so deeply offensive - and not just to Catholics, but people like me who are not welded to organized religion. Well, the Islamicists regard the sight of an uncovered female head as deeply offensive, and you don’t care about their reactions. No, I don’t. But I understand why it is offensive to them, and I don’t advocate sending scarfless women into their mosques, or sending in Stammering Stu to rip off their headgear and shout “saw your hair! Haw haw!”
...then building, as the Bleats always do, to a fine crescendo and a perfect final line, which you'll have to just go and enjoy yourself. Here.
Fr. John McCloskey (whose website is here) has a letter in response to Rod Dreher's piece in today's WSJ. It's not online, of course, but it reads in part:
Mr. Dreher, as a convert to the Catholic Church, does not seem to realize that the church in this world is made up of a [sic] 100% fallible sinners from the pope on down. The church exists to forgive our sins and to give us the supernatural help to become saints. The Holy Father (John Paul II) has repeatedly spoken out strongly against and about the proportion of the minuscule proportion of [sic] Catholic priests and bishops in this in this [sic] disgusting matter of sexual abuse in the US. The remedies are already being put into effect. I would hope that Mr. Dreher would be more patient in terms of the remedy. The church has a pretty good track record. Check in again in about another thousand years.
Here's Rod's response:
How dare Fr. McCloskey condescend to me as a convert (read: second-rate Catholic), as if my respectful questioning of the Pope's handling of the sex-abuse scandal were a sign of naivete. He is trivializing a very serious matter with these smarmy remarks. What does recognizing the theological truth that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God have to do with the fact that the Pope can be faulted for the way he's governed the Church? It seems apparent to me that Fr. McCloskey takes the failure of the hierarchy, up to the Pope, to have reacted with a proper sense of outrage in the face of this evil as just another garden-variety sin, a sign of our fallen human nature. Could he possibly be more out of touch with the people in the pews, most particularly the victims and their families? This is the kind of failure of compassion and indeed common human decency that makes people lose their faith in the Catholic Church.
In point of fact, John Paul has not spoken out much at all about the crisis, and when he has done so, it's usually in the context of worrying about how the scandal affects other priests. I have good priest friends who are suffering greatly in this crisis, but I'd wager that every one of them believes that the victims of clerical sex abuse deserve the most attention. I appreciate what the Pope has had to say about the crisis, and wish he had said more, but aside from that, I wish he would *do something* about it. I'll quote C.S. Lewis again: "A long face is not a moral disinfectant."
I have no idea what Fr. McCloskey means about "remedies ... already being put into effect." Is he talking about the Dallas norms? Those are likely to be rejected by Rome, and from what I understand, with good reason. If he's not talking about the Dallas norms, then what is he talking about?
Fr. McCloskey's invitation to "check in again in about another thousand years" is insulting to those faithful Catholics who are sick and tired of the Church hierarchy knowing precisely the extent of the problem, and continuing to do nothing but lie, evade, reward clerical wrongdoers, and punish victims. If we have another 17 years like the time since 1985, when the sex-abuse crisis in the US Catholic Church broke into the public's consciousness, there won't be a Church here. Christ promised the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church; he did not promise that the Church would survive in the United States. Clerical attitudes such as Fr. McCloskey's only make things worse for the Church.
Back in January, when I first began to write critically about the Boston scandal, Fr. McCloskey wrote to me to advise me to shut up about the scandal, to let "secular journalists" work on the matter. As if being silent in the face of child-rape and a cover-up by the Church hierarchy were the duty of good Catholics. I'm grateful to God that those days are over, and good Catholic men and women who love their Church and are faithful to her are no longer going to be silenced by the smug opinions of clericalists who appear more interested in the image of the Church than in the protection of children, and justice for victims of the clergy. There is too much at stake here. Fr. McCloskey recommends patience; as I've said elsewhere, if you seek a monument to the patience of the Catholic laity with the bishops, read the daily papers.
I have much to do, so I don't have time to adequately respond right this second, except for two points:
This condescension to converts has got to stop.
It reminds me of the scene in the Sean Pean - Robert DeNiro masterpiece We're No Angels in which, as I recall, a presiding bishop or abbot or something is informed that the two men who had been masquerading as monks were really convicts. He mishears. "Converts?" he responds, horrified. No, he is assured - convicts. Oh, well then, that's all right.
It's absurd. Anyone with a sense of church history would know the life and energy that flows from converts. Of course, at the beginning, everyone was a convert, which sort of proves my point on its own, but moving ahead a few centuries, all it takes is a quick look to see what wisdom our Church gains from converts from Newman to Chesterton to Merton to Dorothy Day to our slew of modern-day converts who are at the foundation of contemporary apologetics...it's hard to think of many twentieth century "great Catholics" who weren't converts in some sense - either from another religion or Christian denomination, or from nominal Catholicism.
Secondly, focus, focus, focus...once again. What's the problem with wondering, in a faithful-I-really-dig-the-Pope-but-still kind of way.. what in the hell's going on? Surveys show that most Catholics can deal with the sin of the individual priest. It's the institutional nonsense that's beyond them, and rightly so. What's going on with these bishops who've priest-shuffled - Catholics want to know. What price are they paying? Our schools and other institutions might get shut down. Our kids and the poor might suffer. What price are the bishops paying beyond their good reputation? And more importantly, what's being done to prevent such dealings again? the Vatican apparently doesn't like the Dallas norms, as many predicted...so....what's the alternative? What's going on?
And as someone commented several scores of comments ago - enough with the mystery. If something is indeed beind done, out with it. Let us know. There's no reason for us to be left guessing on this.
And no.. I don't have more of the letter. If you have it, either post it in the comments or email me, and I'll supplement.
And on those converts?.....take a look at Dave Armstrong's convert page for some edification and education.
Update: I'm told that is the entire text of the letter, typos and all...does the WSJ need new copy editors or does Fr. McCloskey?
Update: As a reader points out in the comments, Fr. McCloskey's initial comments about converts is very odd, given his role in the conversion of many people, both famous and not-famous.
Canonization cause for architect Antoni Gaudi advances
US Catholics barred from kneeling to receive Communion?
From Catholic World News via Catholic Exchange
The Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy declared in its July newsletter: "The bishops of the United States have decided that the normative posture for receiving Holy Communion should be standing. Kneeling is not a licit posture for receiving Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States of America unless the bishop of a particular diocese has derogated from this norm in an individual and extraordinary circumstance."
Forget Sunday night church: Sunday night TV gives this columnist just as much food for thought
Growing up, Sunday night church services were often the most spiritual part of my week. On Sunday nights, we got to talk about music and movies and books and school and, well, sex. I can almost picture exactly where I was sitting and what I was wearing when our pastor's wife, Katie, gave the youth group the old "how far is too far" sex talk one evening about 20 years ago.Somehow, Sunday night church felt more relevant.I rarely make it to church on Sunday nights any more. But I have managed to maintain the relevant church mindset with a new ritual. This one's a little unorthodox. Almost every Sunday, after or while my husband and I are eating dinner, we flip on the idiot box for what are often, for me at least, some of the most profound and introspective hours of the week.It starts with "The Simpsons" on Fox. Then, I move on to HBO for "The Sopranos" (though not lately), "Sex and the City" and "Six Feet Under."Sunday night TV has replaced Sunday night church for me. And I don't think it's a bad thing.
Bishop banned from boarding airplane with his crook
Northumberland bishop has been banned from boarding a plane with his traditional crook after security staff deemed it an offensive weapon.The Right Reverend Christopher Rogerson was on his way from Newcastle to Brussels for a religious festival and wanted to take the crosier as hand luggage.Airline staff at British European say the four-piece crook is classed as a possible security risk under new checks brought in since September 11
In case you hadn't heard...Pope cancels visit to Philippines.
I still haven't seen Signs,, but I'll throw Stephen Holden's NYTimes (LRR) critique of the film's spirituality your way, anyway.
The exploitation of magical thinking in mass entertainment — the "touched by an angel" syndrome — triggers an almost allergic reaction in me. It strikes me as a sentimental palliative that encourages people to wallow in passivity and wait for miracles instead of doing for themselves. As much as I admired the craft behind the whopper ending of "The Sixth Sense," that movie left me feeling manipulated by a spiritual huckster. And so does "Signs."
An interesting look at the neo-Pentecostal movement in Black churches:
Scholars who study the African-American church consider neo-Pentecostalism and the rise of the black megachurch to be the most significant trends in the past two decades.Although there are no official statistics, historian Vinson Synan said a conservative estimate is that a third of mainline black churches - Baptist and Methodist - have embraced neo-Pentecostalism; that's about 5 million people. Perhaps more significant is that nearly all the African-American megachurches (those with more than 2,000 members) are neo-Pentecostal, including Bethel AME, Empowerment Temple AME, and New Psalmist, New Shiloh and Mount Pleasant Baptist churches in Baltimore. But the success of neo-Pentecostalism has prompted debate about the nature and mission of the black church. On one side are the longtime heroes of the civil rights movement, who express grave concerns that church-based social activism is being cast aside by the new emphasis on entertaining worship services, which they deride as "shake and bake," and by the creation of a cult of celebrity preachers.... There is hesitation among the generation of neo-Pentecostal ministers to directly criticize men they consider their elders, for whom they profess respect and admiration. But the ministers also offer no apologies for their approach. "When social action became the emphasis, the church lost its balance," said the Rev. Frank M. Reid III, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the city's oldest and largest black church. "Now, what the principles of this movement have done is to help us regain the balance between spirituality and social action."
At last, at last:
Here's Rod Dreher's WSJ piece online
An accused Cleveland-area priest fights back
In an April 8 letter to his staff and congregation, Lieberth announced his leave and acknowledged an "isolated incident" involving a 17-year-old boy. He said he apologized to the youth and his parents for "violating their confidence" and received the parents' forgiveness. He went through multiple psychological assessments before continuing a ministry that eventually brought him to Holy Family. In a recent interview, Lieberth's brother said the priest had acknowledged a "spontaneous" and "unplanned" incident with the teen on their trip. But, as Rev. Lieberth wrote in a July 22 letter to his staff, he has denied committing any sexual abuse of a minor, as the Dallas charter defines such behavior. Reading from the charter, Lieberth's brother said sexual abuse is defined as "contacts or interaction . . . when a child is being used as an object of sexual gratification for the adult." "Father Joe denies that his behavior meets that test," David Lieberth said.
So....now. Before we get all upset about the unjustly accused priests gamely fighting back, let's take a close look at this story, in particular.
It involves a priest who has been accused by two men of making sexual advances of various sorts...while they were on driving trips out to the West with him. In one of the incidents, the priest has admitted that something occurred, but that it doesn't meet the standard of "abuse" defined by the bishops. The other accuser has very specific accusations, which the priest denies.
The truth of it is murky, and the priest deserves fair treatment, but doesn't it seems as if something is strange here? Taking kids on long driving trips? Why?
Theologians re-thinking the whole "giving scandal" thing
But since the revelations that some bishops routinely failed to inform the public or prosecutors that some priests were molesting minors, Catholic theologians and ethicists are rethinking the priority the church has attached to protecting rank-and-file Catholics from the dark secrets of their church.''Clearly, this disaster was shaped, in part, by a misplaced preoccupation with institutional repute,'' said Julia A. Fleming, an associate professor of theology at Creighton University, a Jesuit school in Nebraska. ''As is often true in such cases, attempts at damage control eventually compromised the most basic form of reputation - the reputation for decency.''
A look at five priests who are fighting back against sexual abuse allegations with civil suits
Because all five cases have been filed since early July, they have invited comparison. Father Eremito was removed from his duties in the Archdiocese of New York in 1992 after accusations of sexual abuse. But the career records of the four priests in the Tulsa, Oklahoma City, St. Louis and Cleveland dioceses show no allegations of sex abuse beyond the single accusations that the priests have contested, church officials said. Because of those otherwise unblemished records, all four priests have received at least private endorsement for their civil lawsuits from their bishops, church officials and the priests' lawyers said.
I hope truth comes out - that falsehood on any side is exposed as just that. However, the slight problem I have in this reporting, as well as in other similar types of reports, is the implication that because an alleged victim is a criminal or has had substance abuse problems, they are not credible. Some might see it that way - but I see it this way: Abuse can (although not necessarily does) lead to dysfunctional behavior on the part of the victim. Further, it is not unthinkable that an abuser would purposefully pick out victims who come from damaged backgrounds or are already engaging in questionable behavior as a way of protecting themselves against future accusations - "Look at me! Priest! Look at him! Drug addicted petty thief! Who are you going to believe?"
Heartwrenching story from tomorrow's NYTimes Magazine about the struggle to keep a pregnancy - and a newborn - going in the wake of pre-eclampsia.
From the NYTimes Book Review: Judith Shulevitz writes about the perils of writing about faith
In other words, religious sentiment can be deadly to the literary impulse, which must be as willing to traffic in vain chatter and smart wit as in solemnity and uplift. Fortunately, there are always a few writers in a generation capable of taking on religion without limiting themselves to the higher emotions. The past few years have seen a remarkable number of books that never make the reader cringe despite their expressions of love for God or religion. I'm thinking of Garry Wills's ''Why I Am a Catholic,'' Leon Wieseltier's ''Kaddish,'' James Carroll's ''Constantine's Sword'' and Jonathan Rosen's ''Talmud and the Internet.''
Well. I guess. What I guess is that Shulevitz doesn't do a lot of reading on the subject - the books she cites are all acceptable-to-the-NYTimes-Bestseller-List type of books. Can we assure Shulevitz that there are plenty of good writers out there writing about their faith who might not cause even her to cringe?
And to say this about Augustine's Confessions:
The larger lesson here may be that it is possible to conduct a dignified yet personal conversation about religion if you do it with artful restraint. This isn't all that surprising, but we tend to forget that the model for all personal discussion of belief, Augustine's ''Confessions,'' is less a work of self-revelation than of philosophy, a critique of Manichaeism and a working-through of Neoplatonist ideas about God, the self and the world.
Has she read the Confessions? It is a deeply personal work, boldly revealing of the passions with which Augustine wrestled at his most heartfelt level - even his "theological" questions that he pours out in Book One bear the mark of a searching soul, not a mere intellectual working out problems.
Terry Mattingly on the trend of "missionary cohabitating"
Church people have a name for what happens when young believers get romantically involved with unbelievers.They call it "missionary dating," usually with one eyebrow raised in skepticism. Most of these relationships involve a good girl who is convinced that, with time, she can help a bad boy see the error of his ways and learn to walk the straight and narrow path. Times have changed. According to new research, a surprising number of females have graduated from "missionary dating" to "missionary cohabitating." "My theory is that women are willing to make sacrifices for their partners, once they have become emotionally attached," said researcher Scott Stanley, co-director of the Center for Marital and Family Studies at the University of Denver. "They're willing to make compromises to try to hang on to the relationship. Men won't do that."These girls are probably thinking, 'He's not perfect. But I love him and I can help him change.' Meanwhile, we know what the guys are thinking. They're thinking, 'I'm not sure she is the one I want. She's not my soul mate. But she'll do for now.' " What is fascinating is that women who say they are deeply religious are just as likely to live with men before marriage as women who are not, wrote Stanley, Sarah Whitton and Howard Markman. Their work is summarized in "Maybe I Do: Interpersonal Commitment and Premarital or Non-Marital Cohabitation," written for the Journal of Family Issues.
A very cool new search engine: Kartoo. I don't quite get it, but it's purty to look at.
Priests slaps girl he's baptizing
A Spanish priest baptizing a 3-year-old girl slapped the child in the face because she would not stop crying, a newspaper reported Saturday.Father Enrique Abad of Santa Rosa parish in the southeast town of Alcoy had asked the mother of 3-year-old Alba Diaz Pons to quiet her during the ceremony last Saturday, El Mundo said.
A firecracker explosion outside the church upset the girl even more. So as Abad anointed the child's forehead with oil, he slapped her in the face with his other hand, the paper said.
From the NYTimes: (LRR): A look at how zero-tolerance has impacted the diocese of Amarillo which, at most, has had 41 priests in recent years - 8 have had to leave because of the policy.
Of course. part of the reason for that is that the previous bisop made it a habit to recruit priests who were doing time in treatment centers for service in his diocese. The first priest described in the story had done jail time in California.
Bishop Matthiesen had hired him directly from a treatment program at Jemez Springs, N.M. where parole officers in California had allowed the priest to enroll for rehabilitation and counseling on sexual abuse. California officials refused to transfer his parole to Texas, so he had to return to New Mexico to finish his sentence. "I trusted the professional people at Jemez, who gave me a very good report on him," Bishop Matthiesen now says, explaining why he hired a man with a criminal conviction for sexual abuse of minors. "Their evaluation of him was that he could minister."By his own admission, Bishop Matthiesen developed a close relationship with officials at Jemez Springs, who began to recommend other priests from the program to him. He said he earned a reputation for taking such priests and began getting referrals from other bishops. He took one priest from a program in Maryland. He denied that he took the priests because of any difficulty in recruiting candidates in such a remote and small diocese, but his successor, Bishop Yanta, has told parishioners that was the case....In the cases of the eight priests, Bishop Matthiesen said he accepted at least five from the New Mexico treatment center and never told parishioners of their backgrounds. He said he had instituted safeguards, like monthly group sessions and meetings with a counselor for the priests. He also noted that none of these priests had been accused of any wrongdoing in the Amarillo diocese."I think I made the right decision," said Bishop Matthiesen, noting that he never accepted pedophiles but rather ephebophiles, abusers whose victims were ages 14 to 17. "I do believe in the possibility of conversion, of repentance, of rehabilitation."His mistake, he now says, was not telling parishioners."I personally wish I had done that," the bishop said. "But it wasn't what we did in those days."
Also from the Tikmes, the bishops have appointed the final member of the review board, Justice Petra J. Maes of the New Mexico Supreme Court.
SNAP has hardly any funds.
The leaders of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests have had a dizzying year, getting quoted on newspaper front pages across the country, chatting with Oprah Winfrey and Phil Donahue on national television and meeting with lay and ordained church leaders in Dallas and Washington, D.C.And although the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis has catapulted SNAP's once unpopular cause from the shadows of obscurity into the limelight, the group's finances often still linger in the red.SNAP's leaders have no letterhead, no national office and no operating budget. Their headquarters in Chicago is essentially a post office box. Their Midwest regional office is in Milwaukee, in donated space in Plymouth United Church of Christ, with no telephone....Clohessy, 45, said the most that SNAP had raised in any previous year was about $5,000, mainly from members."I used to say that we are a low-budget organization, and someone pointed out to me that this isn't true," Clohessy said. "We are a no-budget organization. If we had not been so busy simply trying to deal with people in pain, we certainly could have done a better job at organization building and fund raising."SNAP began soliciting donations at its Web site earlier this year, with people able to donate with credit cards through the PayPal Internet service. That has raised about $15,000. Another $12,000 to $15,000 has come from groups and individuals in other ways, including $5,000 from a California foundation and $2,000 from the Voice of the Faithful chapter in Boston, Clohessy said.
Jeb Bush cites religious bigotry as motivating force in outcry against appointment
Gov. Jeb Bush defended his choice to lead Florida's beleaguered child welfare agency after an article surfaced in which he condoned "manly" discipline of children and asserted that men have authority over their wives. Bush told reporters Friday that he questioned whether Jerry Regier was being pilloried because of his conservative religious views, and condemned a "soft bigotry that is emerging against people of faith." "It really doesn't matter if Jerry has a deep and abiding faith and it certainly doesn't disqualify him for public service," Bush said as Regier stood nearby. "I think there's bigotry here and it troubles me."
From Karen, two links related to the about-to-be elevated Dolan:
Archbishop looks forward to making Milwaukee home and Everything you ever wanted to know about Dolan
A short interview with a Catholic seminarian from the Boston Globe
Detroit man arrested for driving drunk on his way to performing a circumcision.
Write your own joke. Or - don't. Please.
From St. Petersburg: A look at the Jehovah's Witness practice of "disfellowshipping" or excommunication
The Thing is Jewish - From the Dallas Morning News (LRR), a a look at the religious faith of comic book heroes.
There have been a few characters over the years whose faith has been made explicit. Daredevil, the blind superhero who will be played by Ben Affleck, is Catholic. Nightcrawler, a member of the X-Men who may make it into the next movie, is considering becoming a Catholic priest. But their religion will not be a part of the upcoming movies. Neither is Ben's faith a part of the plan for the FF movie, or the Punisher's for that character's movie, Marvel officials said. Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad declined to explain why faith wasn't woven into the scripts. But comics industry experts said it was for the same reason religion hasn't been a big part of the books: Not offending is safer.
From the AP: The pain of closing ethnic parishes:
In the 1800s and 1900s, Eastern European immigrants flooded into southwestern Pennsylvania to work in the coal mines and steel mills. Neighborhoods in and around Pittsburgh swelled with their numbers. The immigrants brought with them their work ethic, their languages and their religions. Churches — many of them Catholic — sprung up, statues of patron saints watching over them in the New World, masses being held in their native tongues. Now, in Pittsburgh and across the nation, many of those old ethnic churches are gone, and parishioners worry their cultural past could be lost. On the same day Holy Trinity shut its doors in Ford City, 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, two other ethnic parishes did the same: St. Francis of Paola, a predominantly Polish church, and St. Mary's, attended by German families. Church officials said there were too few people to support keeping all three. It was the same story a month earlier in McKeesport, where St. Stephen's closed after ministering to Hungarian immigrants for more than a century. It had gone as far in its early history to import a priest from Hungary to serve Mass; there were 13 oaken statues inside the church, each representing an aspect of Hungarian history and religion.
From North Carolina: A story about Hispanics drawn to Pentecostalism:
Like most people in his native Colombia, Jairo Gallego grew up Roman Catholic. But after immigrating to the United States, the Raleigh man grew bored with what he saw as tedious, repetitive Masses. He stopped attending church, but he could not find anything to fill his spiritual void.Then, two years ago, as he prayed with a Pentecostal minister whom his sister had invited to their mother's house, Gallego suddenly found what he had been seeking for so long. The prayer was more inspired and more emotional than what he had experienced as a Catholic, he said, and it spoke directly to him."I converted right there," recalled Gallego, who minutes before had been swaying to the rollicking music that boomed inside Primera Asamblea de Dios, a Spanish-language Assemblies of God church in North Raleigh."Here I feel joy, and during the music, I can barely sing, because I want to cry," he said. "I feel something I never felt at Catholic Mass. They don't praise God like we praise God here."....There's no way to know whether Jairo Gallego would still be attending Mass if he hadn't immigrated to the United States. But once he converted, he made his church the center of his social life and began making wholesale changes to his life, such as quitting smoking and drinking. "I never really wanted to do those things, but I couldn't change, because the Catholic Church never taught me how to change," he said.
Tampa-area podiatrist accused of stockpiling weapons, targeting mosques.
Two tales of parishes backing their priests. Very different accusations, very different parishes.
In the first, St. John Parish in Worcester, Mass defends its priest accused of bad things with boys. (before he was a priest) The story is also examined by Leon Podles at the Touchstone Blog (top item)
In the second, traditional parish Assumption Grotto in Detroit is rallying to the defense of an African priest about to go on trial for rape there and accused of it in other states.
Hey! I get bashed in the New Oxford Review! Not by name, apparently, but they quote my reserved review as a part of the general indictment.
Just a reminder: My take on Rose was that a)He said many things that were true and that everyone interested in the issue of the priesthood in the contemporary church should read the book but b)I thought that the research standards used in the book didn't quite cut it.. There were plenty of citations of hard evidence as cited in the press and so on, but there was also lots of anecdotal, anonymous sources who told their stories without any apparent attempt to verify those claims. I didn't say that such a method made the book false. I said that it made the book weaker and easier to dismiss. I mean, if you bash a seminary based on the testimony of an anonymous source without a)visiting the place yourself and doing independent research on site or b)offering the other side, you've not made a strong case. There was also a very strong scent of...having a thesis and judging your sources on how useful they were in supporting that thesis. Sorry. I was trained as an historian, and the first thing I always look at when I read a book like this is the sources and how they are used. It's not just a picky, technical point, either. When we read books or pieces of journalism - say on this crisis - that are one-sided in their sourcing and seem to be flowing from a predetermined conclusion, we object, and rightly so. I saw the same flaw in Rose's book. That is not to necessarily question his conclusions, merely to say, once again, that he would have a stronger book that would be more difficult t,for his (real) opponents to dismiss if he had not relied so heavily on anonymous anecdotal evidence and apparently shunned even the attempt to balance out those stories of oppression with the other side. (After all...some of us have known a seminarian or two who says he was dismissed because he was "too orthodox" for the room, but who, in the end, turned out to have done other things that quite rightly got him booted.)
In the wake of the Dreher piece, many have suggested a look at this essay by uberapologist Dave Armstrong called "Why Doesn't Pope John Paul II DO Something About the Modernist Dissenters in the Catholic Church?".
It's a helpful read (as is everything Dave does - go to his website and give him support!), but it doesn't quite address the same issue. Dave is looking at the question of excommunicating theological dissenters, and he makes the very good point that a wholesale cleaning of house of "dissenters" and "heretics" (whoever they may be) would probably produce schism, and quick. I think he's right.
In this instance, however, I think one must judge his plan, tactics, or strategy for recovering the institutional orthodoxy of the Church against the backdrop of the entrenched modernist rebellion or revolution. I maintain that anything his critics and "armchair popes" might say he "should" do would have a far worse effect than what he is doing. To casually assume that the liberals are not capable of literal schism is to vastly underestimate both their power and resolve. What would his critics on the matter of Church discipline have him do? Burn every heretic at the stake? The Church used to do that, after all (or at least gave approval to secular authorities to do so). I exaggerate, but this did indeed occur, and it was a way of "removing" heresy. The Middle Ages were very "decisive" in that way. Should he remove every modernist professor? That would almost certainly produce schism, etc.
That next-to-last sentence comes closer to the issue I'm interested in than the question of excommunication. For, as I see, the problem with these clerical sexual predators as well as others who use the Church as a convenient life-support while they gad about merrily undercutting its mission, is not as much related to faith as it is to discipline and support.
What concerns many of us is not that these people continue to be Catholic, but that they continue to be supported and protected by the Church. I'm not wondering why anyone is "allowed" to stay Catholic - If we're making lists, I'm sure my name is on someone's, somewhere, after all. No, I'm wondering why Church authority presumptively favors the clerical abuser, quite often in ways that go beyond the totally fair presumption of innocence, and has been known to make life hell for victims. And as far as the more general question of those some of us like to label as "dissenters" "heterodox" and "heretical," (I put them in quotes, not because I don't believe such a thing exists, but because it's not my job to define anyone's faith as such), the issue, even here, is not excommunication, in my mind. It's this:
Permitting people who teach material that undercuts faith and disposes students against faith under the label of Catholic in Catholic institutions Don't excommunicate 'em. Just don't hire 'em, for pete's sake. Don't send your catechists and liturgists to their summer programs, don't invite them to speak at your conferences. Let them say what they're talking about is Catholic, sure - but just don't make the rest of us pay for it, and do what you can to contain the damage, which would not be too hard if bishops and college administrators were as interested in getting rid of questionable faculty in Catholic universities as bishops are in getting rid of Catholic grammar school teachers who get married outside the Catholic Church.
Calling a spade a spade. No fire and brimstone needed, and , can leave the stakes in the garage. But if bishops and their diocesan staffs, from the communications office on over to the catechetical offices a)paid no attention to the imaginative stylings of the Reuthers and Crossans among us or, if necessary, b) pointed out with good humor and Chestertonian wit what a joke they are and how we need not bother with them...these folks would not have nearly as much power as they do.
I can't see any schism flowing from that. More like a big sigh of relief that at the next Catechetical Conference, at least, we won't have to hear the phrase "claiming our stories." Not once.
Oswald Sobrino unpacks just one flaw in Why I am a Catholic
Recently, I corresponded briefly with the book editor of a major newspaper who reviewed Wills’ book favorably. Her view was that the key to the book was Wills’ revelation that the Apostle Peter was not the first bishop of Rome. She treated this revelation with a wonder more appropriate to an older child first discovering that there is no Santa Claus. She uncritically emphasized this wondrous discovery in a major urban newspaper to the detriment of her readers’ right to a critical book review.
Please hop over and see what Eve has to say about all of this. Brilliant all the way through.
Hey! Here's a new post on which to comment...the one below is getting too long. If you want to keep talking about that issue comment here.
In short...is wondering out loud what the heck Church authorities, from the Pope on down - or over - or whatever - are doing about this crisis in a substantive way hurting or helping the Church and its mission?
Frequent and valuable commentor Maureen M. has an excellent essay on her site about August, Art and the Catholic League.
In Indonesia: A TV Preacher Satisfies the Hunger for Islam Lite
Mr. Gymnastiar's appeal among Indonesia's young and the middle class appears to lie in a combination of his modernity, his background as the son of a soldier and his interest in business. In the country's precarious economic environment, where an unruly democracy is unfolding after three decades of dictatorship, his homilies inspire hope and confidence."Success is how we can improve ourselves all our life," he said during a taping. "Don't think success is only money, a beautiful wife and a good job — but how we can improve ourselves to the end of our life." At his base in Bandung, a city in West Java, he charges $100 for three-day motivational seminars on how to succeed. A local supermarket, a radio station and a variety of home industries opened by his organization are supposed to illustrate to the participants how to do better in their own businesses. Always mindful of the reach of his television audience, Mr. Gymnastiar had a waterfall built in the backyard of his modest home there, so the cameras could film him for special segments in front of an attractive backdrop.Every Monday he gathers his senior staff of eight men, all under 40, on his veranda to plan the week's commercial activities.His latest venture is "Al Quran Selular," a telephone service that allows subscribers to call daily to listen to their favorite texts from the Koran, recited in his deep voice. For several years, he has run charter flights to Mecca.
More questions about the disputed Boston abuse case: here and here.
Very bizarre family feud:
Indian nun charged with forced conversion and murder.
Explain to me why....American teachers find it a challenge to teach a class of 25 to read...while
4 nuns in Africa teach 2,000 kids to read
Four Spanish nuns, of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, taught more than 2,000 children to read during the last school term. The instruction was carried out in 11 community schools spread over the Bongord region in the central African republic of 8.7 million, AVAN agency reported. Moreover, close to 200 young people are now being trained in agricultural technical schools, which the nuns have established in the same region. ..Last year the nuns trained more than 60 teachers, who now give basic instruction to students in reading and writing, oral expression and mathematics, among other fundamental subjects.
Why did the San Diego newspaper highlight a story about a possible Catholic clerical abuser and bury an article about a convicted Lutheran clerical abuser?
The newspaper's ombudswoman answers.
Finally (for now) - these points that are being raised are not demands, nor are they claims that any one of us knows better or knows the full extent of what is going on. They are questions - simply that. Questions about whether real justice and authentic change is happening. Questions about how this impacts our faith. It is all well and good to say, "It shouldn't," and it is easy for some to say, "Oh, if you only had more faith you'd get it." But the fact is, this is a challenge to faith, if not in Christ, but in those who say they have the authority to represent Him on earth and who teach authoritatively because of that. Pope John Paull II has spent decades writing and speaking about the sacredness of human life and of the human body. He excoriates societies for violating that sacredness and calls us all to be ever-mindful of it in forming our views and making intimate decisions. He articulates and fleshes out in contemporary terms the tradition which calls us to a reverence for life in general and our own lives in particular. What is the point, some wonder, if a violated child is ignored, his violator is protected, and those who protect the violators are (apparently) supported at the highest levels? What are we to make of this? Is there not just a bit of dissonance here? Granted, we are not privy to the whole story, and who knows what will have come of all of this in five or ten years. We know this. But we still wonder...
Wading through the scores of comments below, be sure to catch Julia's very helpful citations from canon law on the matter. It belies the claim that "nothing can be done." Thanks, Julia! Who are you, anyway?
All sides in this debate have legitimate concerns:
Some are concerned that in questioning the way that authorities are handling of Situation, we are risking a move towards an ecclesiology that is less RC and more congregational in the Protestant sense. They are also concerned that we risk being played for dupes by our enemies - by a press that has not, in recent memory, been particulary interested in traditional moral standards, but all of a sudden has taken a keen interest in this cause, and by those who would wish to re-envision the Church right out of Christianity.
Others are concerned that in not questioning the way that the same authorities are handling the Situation, we risk putting more children and youth's lives at risk, we risk further injustice for past victims, and we risk, plain and simple, our Faith.
Group the First supsects Group the Second of dubious faith and not a bit of ego-tripping.
Group the Second suspects Group the First of blind faith and indifference to victims.
Group the First is convinced that Church is being harmed by the continued airing of these stories. Group the Second is convinced that the Church is harmed by the events themselves and their covering-up.
In these discussion, Group the Second does well to clarify its fidelity to orthodox Catholic theology and acceptance of traditional ecclesiology, which, I think, for the most part, it has done.
Group the First would do well to clarify its compassion for victims, its understanding of the sins wrought in their Church's name and their sense of what Church leaders are doing to bring justice to past victims, ensure to the extent it can that no more children or youth are victimized, and their sorrow for how they have failed. That, I have to say, I'm not hearing. Yet.
Re: a comment. I wasn't even thinking of VOTF as Group the Second....it's funny...they didn't even enter my radar as I was writing. I was thinking of orthodox Catholics who are being excoriated for asking questions and expressing concerns about the impact of church authority's actions in regard to the matter. And as far as my last question...let's get specific. Specifically explain to me how the Church's support of Trupia fits into The Plan and reflects well on Church authority.
As per usual, I just got halfway through another vast post, hit the wrong button and disappeared it. You're probably relieved.
Student: Ms. Catechist, I read about a priest who hurt kids and is still being supported by the Church because the Vatican says he has to be. How can this happen? Does the Church think hurting kids is right?
Ms. Catechist:Oh, no, no. Of course not. The Church thinks hurting kids is very wrong. But you see, the bishop who tried to punish the priest didn't follow exactly the right procedures, so the Vatican said they had to keep supporting him.
Student But how can I tell that the Church thinks hurting kids is wrong if the priests who do it don't get punished?
Ms. Catechist. You just have to trust, my dear. These are things we may not understand right now, but since Jesus has promised He'll be with the Church always, we trust that somehow, no matter how strange it might seem, His will is always being done. It's shows a lack of faith to question those He's put in charge. You don't want that, do you?
Student. Ms. Catechist, didn't Jesus say something about not hurting His little ones? I thought I...
Ms. Catechist: (sharply) You've not been reading that Bernard Haring again, have you missy? Back to your catechism, please.
Go find some Catholic Bargains!
Bill Cork has a response to the Lutheran response to reports of Lutherans Catholic-poaching in Chicago
Rod Dreher has a response to Fr. Rob Johansen on Fr. Rob's blog
Oh, come on....who are we to judge their cultural traditions?
100 children briefly buried alive to appease Hindu deities
Well, I’ve finally read Rod’s piece (which will be online at the WSJ on Sunday), and here’s what I have to say:
Why are you people so bent out of shape?
Here’s a recap of Rod’s points:
Pope John Paul II is a great, holy man.
During his watch, many directives have come from Rome with the intention of correcting abuses and bringing the Church closer to the authentic spirit of Vatican II.
Many bishops, both individually, and as groups of national bishops’ conferences, have evidently felt free to ignore those directives (Ex Corde Ecclesia) that have come from Rome and, indeed, directives they have supposedly placed upon themselves (guidelines for dealing with sexual abuse among the clergy).
Why, Rod wants to know, has the Holy Father not been stronger in seeing his own directives enforced on the diocesan level?
Why is this a controversial question? Answer: it’s not. It’s a question that’s been asked for years by people from various quarters, and one for which I have no answer.
But it’s a legitimate question, and not expressive of any lack of faith. Far from it.
As someone pointed out in a comment somewhere, to ask questions about this aspect of John Paul’s administrative legacy is not to question anything else about the man (who is, indeed, a man, and an uncanonized one, by the way). Even saints have their faults and weaknesses – and – this is important – they would be the first to admit that. True saints would be horrified, if during their lifetime, you told them that they were going to be canonized in the first place, and they would be doubly horrified if you suggested to them that they were perfect. One of the marks of a saint is true humility and a profound sense of his or her own weakness and need for God.
Nothing that any human being does or says is beyond question. Human beings are not God, no matter how close they are to God.
One of the things that bothers Rod is the apparent dissonance between the call to a higher moral standard that Christ, through our Church and its leaders calls us to, and the tolerance of the presence of sexual abusers among the clergy and, further, the instinct of Church authorities, when dealing with these incidents to put the welfare of the priest before the victim. This is not just a local thing - witness the difficulties that bishops have had in getting Rome to defrock priests. Bishop Wuerl of Pittsburgh had to work for years to get one abuser defrocked. Scroll down a bit and read the business about Trupia of Arizona, an admitted serial molester who appealed his defrocking to Rome – successfully – and is still being supported by the Church to the tune of $1,200 dollars a month. Rhapsodizing about the Body of Christ and crosses and mystery just doesn’t cut it when the man who sexually violated your son under the cover of the Church is still being supported by the Church.
Some people, in discussing this, tend to immediately jump into an abstract mode, but reporters and people who deal with victims and the Church rightly resist this temptation, and their insistence on showing us the real faces of abusers and their victims is a call to us to resist that temptation as well.
Fact: the Church is a messy thing, and has, through its history, been at the least tolerant, and at the worst, responsible for the mistreatment of other human beings. It’s happened, people, and you know it. It is not pleasant to talk about these things as they’ve happened in the past, and it’s even worse to talk about them as they occur in the present, for in the present, it’s more difficult to fall into abstractions, put mistreatment in context (Everyone was racist and misogynist back then!) or take the “long view.” Some people are attempting to do this in the present – suggesting that God must have a good reason for permitting this situation to take the shape it has, and we just have to shut up and trust God.
As if everything that happens in the Church is what God wants. Not to get into a big discussion of the relationship between God’s will and ours (which ends, naturally enough, in the question of theodicy, and I’m not up to going there at this moment…), I would suggest that it’s my deep, personal hope that God is not using the abuse of children to build the character of any bishop or pope. I hope that God is pissed off and would like the rest of us to be, as well.
Here’s what I want to know: What if sexual abuse weren’t the issue here? What if it were…say…abortion.
Let’s say that over the past half century, a shocking number of priests had gotten women pregnant and paid for their abortions – some many times over. Let’s say that some bishops, upon learning of these abortions, had called in the priests in question, given them a talking to, sent them to counseling, and then sent them back to parishes. Let’s say that these same bishops, when confronted with grieving women concerned that the priests were continuing these activities had given them money, made them promise to be quiet, impugned their motives and then promptly elevated and promoted the priests in question. Let’s say that some bishops, upon learning about these abortion-providing priests among them, had been properly horrified and sought to have the unrepentant accessories to murder defrocked, only to be rebuffed by the Vatican.
Would you be so sanguine? Would you be telling us all to calm down and trust that these bishops are really, despite all appearances, on top of this, and that the media is simply overinflating the issue and using it for its own purposes?
Or you would you not be outraged, dismayed and appalled that Church authorities could meet the news of even one priest who paid for the destruction of one life with a promise of lifetime support and a letter of gratitude for his good service to the Church?
Why does not the attempted murder of innocent souls provoke the same outrage?
Finally (for now), Rod has been scolded for his insufficient grasp of church history and ecclesiology and “how the church is run.” Bishops are not CEO’s, not managers….they’re heads, they’re shepherds, they’re a lot of things. The implication being there is something immutable about modes of church governance. There’s not.
Sure, there are some elements that are rooted very deeply in Tradition and, we can say the will of Christ as expressed to His apostles. But if you truly do know anything about Church history, you see that bishops have been elected by the people of their diocese. They have been selected by secular rulers. They have been selected by Popes. They have been given their sees by their relatives. Church decisions have been made by papal fiat, by local synods, by ecumenical councils and by gradual popular acceptance. Church decisions have been made with the knowledge and consent of the pope and with the pope hundreds of miles away while bishops gather under order of the emperor to discuss matters of faith and discipline. Bishops have been ascetics and they have been princes. They have been profoundly concerned about the spiritual health of their dioceses, and they have been profoundly concerned about the decoration of their own palaces. Ditto for popes.
What is true is that the relationship between the bishops and the Bishop of Rome is an evolving, delicate one, involving a balance between Rome and collegiality (see Lumen Gentium and # 880-887 in the Catechism). The guidance of Rome – which is supposed to reflect the Spirit as it moves through the entire Church - has and must be balanced by the judgment of the local bishop. For many years now, this truth has been used as an excuse to ignore the guidance of Rome, rather than to shape it to individual circumstances. Rod may overestimate the role of the Papacy just a bit, but he is right to question why Rome tolerates bishops ignoring directives and guidance that does, indeed, reflect the mind of the Church.
Tom Hoopes says at Mark’s joint that: The Church has never functioned in the way he wishes JPII would run it. Not in the times of the Cristological heresies, when the Church lived in another practical schism….. That’s right. At that time, the Roman emperors, from Constantine to Theodosius, basically ran the show, calling councils, sending bishops into exile depending on whether they were orthodox, Arian, monosphysite, Nestorians, and so on. Heads were sure as hell rolling then….look at the career of Athanasius for a clue: banished by Constantine, brought back by Constantine II, deposed by a local synod, restored by another local synod and then a Council, forced to flee to the desert under Constantius, restored under Julian, then forced to leave again, brought back by Emperor Jovian, then banished by Jovian, and then finally restored when Jovian revoked his banishment of all orthodox bishops.
So yeah, that’s not the way JP II runs the Church. And the way JP II runs the church isn’t the way the Church was run then. So…….
Here’s my point: in our effort to see the hand of God at work in our Church, in order to explain the sure presence of Christ in the Church, let’s not romanticize the past. Let’s not pretend that church governance has been anything but a hit-and-miss mess from day one, with truth shining forth through the most unlikely events and through the oddest, most human means. There is, indeed, a stable sense of basic church structure, one that’s Scripturally rooted. But how that has been lived out and how decisions have been made has not been immutable. Given the fact that in the early Church period to which Hoopes refers, decisions were made in very different ways with different players than they are now, it is not unreasonable for some to suggest that perhaps circumstances warrant a slight shift from recent tradition – that is, instead of giving a recalcitrant bishop the See of Dystopia to rule, it is, indeed, thinkable to just go ahead and depose the guy. Maybe not banish to the desert, but a removal, nonetheless.
No one here is claiming to know better than the people who are really in charge. But what Rod and many others are asking is this: the Holy Father calls us all to a higher standard, and many of us are willing to live it. But what is the point when church leaders, presumably called to same standard of sacrificial love and protection of the innocent, are allowed to continue in their defiance of this call? What meaning does the call at all in the presence of such an apparent double standard for laity and clergy? How are we supposed to impress upon our children the truth of the Catholic faith when that truth is so rarely preached and taught by those called and supported by the Church to engage in that very task?
And most painfully, we just don’t understand why, when a child has been victimized by an adult, those called by Christ to lead – which means to be Christ to the world – and place the needs and hurt of the child first – absolutely first – every single time.
Serious questions raised about two Boston abuse allegations
Catholic on Northern Ireland soccer team threatened
A Roman Catholic on Northern Ireland's soccer team decided not to play in a game Wednesday night after Protestant extremists threatened to attack him or his family home. Neil Lennon, a starting midfielder who also plays for Scottish champions Glasgow Celtic, withdrew from the game against Cyprus after police told him about the telephoned threat.
Lennon had previously considered quitting because of anti-Catholic taunts and threats from the team's predominantly Protestant fans, and he briefly left the team two years ago. It was not immediately clear when or if he would return to play.
Lennon has subsequently decided to retire form the national team.
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Many Scottish Clans of the Highlands adopted a family badge. This badge serves as the logo of A.G.Campbell Advisory and traces its' roots back to the 17th Century. The latin motto, "Ne Obliviscaris" was a War Cry and literally meant "forget not."
Today, A.G.Campbell uses that same logo and motto to mean "never forget the client." In a world where so many are consumed with self interests, this historic Clan badge symbolizes a promise to the clients of our great firm. The significance of the wild boar was purely one of ferocity.
The investment advisory is named after Zandy's father, Alex.G.Campbell, Jr., who has been a great investor and values integrity above everything else. Mr. Campbell also believes in the strategies associated with value investing and has made his livelihood doing that. Zandy was able to use his father's insights long with Founding Partner, Mark Scott, to build a firm that would be a lasting homage to Mr. Campbell and investors everywhere.
The Campbells first came to the shores of North America in 1735 and today A.G.Campbell Advisory, LLC. is managed by the 13th Alexander Campbell.
A.G. Campbell Advisory, LLC, 1340 Smith Avenue, Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21209, U.S.800-262-7617mark@agcadvisory.com
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Commentary :: International
Cindy Sheehan: Is Iraq War Another Vietnam?
by William Hughes
Email: liamhughes (nospam) comcast.net 26 Oct 2005
On a sidewalk in front of the White House, on Oct. 26, 2005, anti-war activists, Cindy Sheehan, John Bruhns and Juan M. Torres, Sr., and others from groups, like “Veterans for Peace,” gathered at a Vigil to protest the conflict. The toll of U.S. military dead had just reached the grim 2,000 mark. Sheehan predicted the war will be another Vietnam, unless the people can bring it to an end.
Click on image for a larger version
Washington, D.C. - Standing on the sidewalk in front of the White House on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 26, 2005, was the co-founder of the “Gold Star Families for Peace” - Cindy Sheehan. She’s a gutsy woman, whose remarkable activism has breathed new life into the anti-war movement. Her son, Spc. Casey Sheehan, age 24, was killed in action in Sadr City, Iraq, on April 4, 2004. It is fair to say that Sheehan’s hard work to end the war has rattled the Bush-Cheney Gang and their lackeys in the Right Wing media, such as Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and that repulsive Ann Coulter. From camping outside George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford, TX to doing vigils in front of the White House itself, Sheehan won’t let him forget that his so-called, “noble cause,” isn’t worth anyone giving their life for.
Coming on the heels of the sad news that the death toll for U.S. military personnel has now exceeded the grim 2,000 mark in the Iraq conflict, Sheehan said, “There have been more U.S. troops killed in the first two and half years of this war, than there were at the beginning of the Vietnam War. It took four years to kill 2,000 Americans in Vietnam.” And not only are Americans dying: according to the prestigious British medical journal, “Lancet,” over 100,000 innocent Iraqis have also been killed, since the Bush-Cheney Gang launched its immoral and unjust preemptive war against Iraq in March, 2003.
Sheehan continued, “I don’t think America wants another Vietnam. We have to get our troops out. We’re going to leave anyway. We’re going to pull out anyway. Let’s do it before 50,000 more Americans are dead and before millions of Iraqis are killed. Let’s do it, now!” The Iraqi conflict was inspired by Neocon ideologues, like the then-Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz. He now holds the post of President of the World Bank. (1) It was pushed by powerful warmongers, besides Bush and Cheney, such as: Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condi Rice, Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT), and the recently indicted - Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX).
Earlier in the day, Sheehan had traveled over to Arlington National Cemetery, located in Arlington, VA, just across the Potomac River, and south of the nation’s capital, to lay a wreath at the grave of “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.” On this Friday morning coming, Sheehan, and others from the “Military Families Speak Out” and “Veterans for Peace” groups, will be going to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to visit with U.S. veterans, who have been wounded in Iraq, delivering flowers and cards, donated by anti-war activists. The historic medical center is located in the northern end of the
district. It is, unfortunately, slated for closing by the Bush-Cheney Gang.
One of the untold stories about the tragic Iraqi War is the dismal fate of the over 15,000 Americans men and women, in the U.S. military, who have been wounded there in combat. They have come back home to an “overburdened Veterans Affairs system, which will need over $315 billion to pay for care and benefits over their lifetime.” At least, 7,159 of the returning veterans have been “severely injured, including 10% with spinal injuries, 10% with head injuries and 8% who were amputees. Among the 420 who lost limbs, at least 44 were multiple amputees.” (2) To date, the Iraqi War, without including the above expenses, has cost the American taxpayers $ 203.7 billion, and that number has been rising at a rate of over $7 billion a month. (3)
Juan M. Torres, Sr., whose only son Juan, Jr., age 25, was killed in Afghanistan on July 12, 2004, said that Bush acts like “the Iraqi war is a game. He talks about winning. It’s not a soccer game. It’s the lives of our children that he is talking about.” Torres was standing on the left side of Sheehan, along with a veteran of the Iraqi War, John Bruhns of Philadelphia, who was on her right. Bruhns served in Iraq, in 2003, with the 1st Armored Division, where he obtained the rank of sergeant. Bruhns wondered, “If Iraq is such a noble cause, than why aren’t Bush’s daughters over there? Why don’t they (the Bush-Cheney Gang) offer their own flesh and blood?” He labeled Wolfowitz’s appointment to the World Bank sinecure, as “a miscarriage of justice - a disgrace.”
Finally, Sheehan reminded everyone that “Dick Cheney,” whose has incestuous connections to the controversial Halliburton company, a contractor who has made billions off this conflict, (4) had said, “the Iraqi war would only last six months and that the oil would pay for it. Now, he’s saying it will last a dozen years.” With respect to the expected federal indictments of top White House officials in the Plamegate affair, (5) Sheehan called it, “a first step in addressing a culture of corruption.”
1. http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/03/17/1442215
2. New York Daily News, “15,000 Hurt Vets Need Care,” by Richard Sisk, 10/26/05.
3. http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182
4. http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?fmedia_id=3617&fcategory_desc=U
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plame_affair
© William Hughes 2005.
William Hughes is the author of “Saying ‘’No’ to the War Party” (IUniverse, Inc.). He can be reached at liamhughes (at) comcast.net.
http://homepage.mac.com/bhughes2/iMovieTheater160.html
Re: Cindy Sheehan: Is Iraq War Another Vietnam?
by Half Century
(No verified email address) 26 Oct 2005
Yea.
Cindy Speaks The Truth
Cindy is the American hero. Not some lying, stumbling selected criminal in D.C.!
What pisses me off is the ignorance of anyone supporting the Iraqi war. How the hell can anyone support invading a country illegally? The war crimes are piling up everyday. From the grunt on the ground to the officers who give the orders...to of course, the president. All these criminals will eventually be charged. Then the truth will prevail.
Geneva Convention is a world law. Signed by the United States and 108 other countries. Torture is illegal. Treating P.O.W.'s against Geneva is illegal too!
You Bush lovers can blow all the crap you want. In the end, the criminals that participated in this evil mess will pay.
Hooray for Cindy!
by Veteran
Misguided exploitation of a hero with profanity. She is losing respect nation wide. Keep up the rants, Cindy.
by Jesus
directing_wrath (nospam) you (unverified) 28 Oct 2005
Misguided explosion of children with projectiles. The U.S. military is losing respect worldwide. Pull up your pants, Veteran--the fires of hell tend to singe...
by Opus
The best thing for the Iraqi people is for us to simply leave and admit failure. Saddam has not yet been tried so we simply declare a mistrial and say we're sorry. At least Saddam was able to keep control of the country. If we let him go and restore him to power he will be our best ally in the middle east. He really didn't do us any harm and his people seem to want him back in power, so why not?
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Bridget McGuire's Filling Station
Musings of an Irish Girl, (and zoo keeper's wife), living in the Ozarks ...
West End Girls
Pet Shop Boys, taken from the album Actually
This week's edition of Retro Friday features the band Pet Shop Boys, and the song "West End Girls."
The Pet Shop Boys were an electronic dance music duo from the UK, featuring Neil Tennant on vocals, keyboards and guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards. They are one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 100 million records worldwide. They are also listed as the most successful duo in UK music history by The Guinness Book of Records. The Pet Shop Boys have been recognized with numerous awards. They are three-time Brit Award winners and six-time Grammy nominees. Since 1986 they have achieved 42 Top 30 singles and 22 Top 10 hits in the UK Singles Chart, which include four number one hits: "West End Girls", "It's a Sin", "Always on My Mind" and "Heart".
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe met in August of 1981 in an electronics shop on Kings Road in Chelsea. They immediately recognized that they shared a mutual interest in dance music and began to work on material together. It was during those early sessions that several future hit songs were created, including "It's a Sin", "West End Girls", "Rent" and "Jealousy".
They orignially called themselves West End because of their love of London's West End, but later they came up with the name Pet Shop Boys, which came from friends of theirs who worked in a pet shop in Ealing. They received their big break in August of 1983, when Tennant was assigned by Smash Hits to interview The Police in New York. During their trip to New York, the duo managed to have lunch with their idol, Hi-NRG records producer Bobby Orlando. They got Orlando to listen to their demo tape, and Orlando then invited them to make a record with him.
In April 1984, the Orlando-produced "West End Girls" was released, which became an instant club hit in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was merely a minor dance hit in Belgium, and France, and ironically was only available in the United Kingdom as a 12" import.
I love the song "West End Girls." This song reminds me of being at one of those awkward high school dances where the boys are standing on one side of the room, and the girls are standing on the other side of the room, and no one wants to make the first move! I am so very glad I am past those days!
And here it is, for your listening pleasure ... "West End Girls."
And as a bonus track, here is "It's a Sin. " In June of 1987 the Pet Shop Boys released what would go on to become their second number one single, "It's a Sin". Despite it's overwhelming success, the single caused some controversy in the UK. Tennant's school, St. Cuthbert's Grammar School, in Newcastle upon Tyne, criticized him in the press, and Jonathan King accused them of plagiarising the Cat Stevens song "Wild World". Pet Shop Boys went on to sue King and won damages, which they donated to charity. Here is "It's a Sin" for your listening pleasure!
Posted by Bridget McGuire
Where Are They Now? Gerome Sapp
Gerome Sapp, photo from TheInsightfulPlayer.com
Born in 1981, Gerome Sapp grew up in a tough area of Houston, raised by his mother with little in the way of extras to be found.
She helped steer him toward a successful path that later included an important role model in his high school football coach, Lee Malowitz. Sapp played football at Lamar High School in Houston where he became a Parade All-American defensive back as a junior and the top-ranked recruit in Texas as a senior. Acting upon his mother’s request to see the world, Sapp left Texas and became a part of a Notre Dame defensive squad that scored more points than the offense. He then went on to play safety for five years in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts.
Q: How did you make the decision to leave Texas and play football at Notre Dame?
A: “I didn’t really know much about Notre Dame as a kid. When I was about 8 years old I remember seeing them on TV. I thought they were a professional team, though, because they were always on TV. At about 13 I realized they were actually a powerhouse college football team. Growing up I did not really like Notre Dame. Florida State was my favorite team and I loved Charlie Ward. When the movie “Rudy” came out, my whole perspective of Notre Dame changed. When you grow up in Texas, the only schools you are exposed to are Texas, Texas A&M, and maybe Oklahoma. Once I figured out what the essence of Notre Dame was, they moved to the top of the list.”
... Read more at NoCoastBias
Where Are They Now? Reggie Brooks
Reggie Brooks at Notre Dame in 1992
Reggie Brooks burst onto the scene at Notre Dame, switching from defensive back to running back in 1992 with great success. He once scored a touchdown while unconscious after fighting his way through six Michigan tacklers, a play that took its rightful place in Fighting Irish lore. Brooks then found more immediate success in the NFL in 1993 as a rookie running back for the Washington Redskins, racking up 1,063 yards in his first pro season.
Brooks was born in Tulsa, Okla., on Jan. 19, 1971. He played football at Booker T. Washington High School, and was originally set on staying local and playing football for Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. Instead, he followed in older brother Tony’s footsteps and played football for Notre Dame. He currently resides in South Bend, Ind., with his wife and five children ages 21, 17, 14, 8 and 1.
Q: Why did you decide on accepting a football scholarship from Notre Dame?
A: “I was very interested in playing for either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State, but by the time I got to be a senior in high school both of their programs were on probation. There were three other schools on my short list, USC, Miami and Notre Dame, but several factors caused me to lean towards Notre Dame. The biggest was the fact that Notre Dame had just won the national title. Also, the fact that my brother was already at Notre Dame and I had been there several times to visit him and had gotten to know his teammates. That really pulled me in.” ... Read more at NoCoastBias
Hold Me Now
Joe Leeway, Alannah Currie, Tom Bailey (1983)
This week's edition of Retro Friday features the band The Thompson Twins, and the song "Hold Me Now."
The Thompson Twins were a British new wave band that formed in April of 1977. The band consisted of Joe Leeway, Alannah Currie, and Tom Bailey. They achieved considerable popularity and success in the United States and the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s. The band was named after the two bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson in Hergé's comic strip, The Adventures of Tintin. The band's sound was predominantly synthpop, however they were joined on stage at Live Aid by Madonna and were at the forefront of the so-called Second British Invasion.
The band achieved success on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at the beginning of 1983 with the songs "Lies" and "Love On Your Side", the second of which became the band's first UK Top 10 single. At this point they released the album, Quick Step and Side Kick (called simply Side Kicks in the US), which peaked at number 2 in the UK. During 1983, the band also opened for the The Police on their US concert tour.
Near the end of 1983, a new single, "Hold Me Now", was released, and was an international chart success. It peaked at #4 in their native UK, and reached #3 in the US in the spring of 1984 becoming their biggest American hit.
The band released their next album, Into the Gap, in early 1984 and became one of the year's biggest sellers. Hit singles from Into the Gap included "Doctor Doctor" (UK #3) and "You Take Me Up" (UK #2, which was their their highest UK singles chart placement).
The Thompson Twins were a classic retro band. Their synthpop sound is resonant of the 80's. The band, according to Currie, strove to "make something completely different . . . using technology." So many people at the time did not think good music could be made with machines, but The Thompson Twins proved the skeptics wrong. They continued on to become the leading purveyors of synthpop music. They were innovative, combining dance, pop and reggae music with experimental sounds to produce a string of distinctive hit singles.
And here it is, for your listening pleasure ... "Hold Me Now:"
And as a bonus, "Doctor Doctor"
Where Are They Now? Adrian Jarrell
Adrian Jarrell was born in Athens, Ga., and grew up in the shadows of the University of Georgia. Instead of following many of his classmates there, he instead chose Notre Dame and played there as a wide receiver from 1989 to 1994, receiving a fifth year of eligibility after breaking his arm during his Junior season. Here is my interview with Jarrell, walking down the memory lane of time spent at Notre Dame and a discussion of where life took him after football.
Q: What made you want to go to Notre Dame instead of Georgia, which was so close to home?
A: “When I was being recruited in high school to play football at the collegiate level, I was one of the top rated quarterbacks in the country. I grew up in the shadows of the University of Georgia, but UGA really wasn’t where I wanted to be. I was very familiar with many of the guys at UGA. I also saw what happened to many of these guys when their football careers ended, and they did not put education first. They did not have any skills to fall back onto and many of them were lost.”
“Notre Dame was another story.... read more at NoCoastBias!
Chloe Dancer
This week's edition of Retro Friday features the band Mother Love Bone, and the song "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns."
"Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" is a song by the Seattle based rock band Mother Love Bone. The song is the fourth track on the band's debut album, Shine (1989). "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" is actually two songs sequenced together. "Crown of Thorns" is found by itself on the band's sole studio album, Apple (1990). "Chloe Dancer" was not released as a stand alone track.
"Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" is considered one of Mother Love Bone's best songs. Jason Josephes of Pitchfork Media described it as "one astoundingly great song." Steven Rosen of The Denver Post referred to the song as "trancelike epic." Spencer Patterson of the Las Vegas Sun comments that the song is "fantastically melancholy." Essi Berelian of the Rough Music Guide writes that it is "beautifully swirling." The Salt Lake Tribune found the song "eerie" and praised Mother Love Bone vocalist Andrew Wood's "powerful and emotive voice." The song was included by Rolling Stone in their list of "The Fifty Best Songs Over Seven Minutes Long".
The song was featured in director Cameron Crowe's 1989 film, Say Anything, however it was not included on the film's soundtrack. The song is also featured on the soundtrack for another one of Crowe's films, the 1992 film Singles (which is one of my all time favorite films as far as sound tracks go). It was also featured in the One Tree Hill episode "Pictures of You" in 2007 and can be found on The Road Mix: Music from the Television Series One Tree Hill, Volume 3.
I absolutely love this song. First of all, it was one of the songs on the standard play list for the band that we were "band-aids" for on college. Second of all, the song tells a beautiful/erie song that tells a story of love, life, and the struggles that one faces along the journey. I'm not really sure why I like this song so much, but the lyrics and sound are all pretty amazing.
Okay, without any more rambling, here it is for your listening pleasure, "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns."
Rock 'N' Roll High School
The Ramones, Chateau Neuf, Oslo, Norway [Helge Overas]
This week's edition of Retro Friday features the band the Ramones, and the song "Rock 'N' Roll High School."
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in 1974 in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, near Queens. Many music critics give them the distinction as being the first punk rock band. Despite achieving only limited commercial success, the band had a large influence on the punk rock movement both in the United States and across the pond in the United Kingdom.
All of the band members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname "Ramone", though none of them were actually related. They performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for a total of 22 years. In 1996, after touring with the Lollapalooza music festival, the band played a farewell concert went their separate ways. Little more than eight years after the breakup, the band's three founding members, lead singer Joey Ramone, guitarist Johnny Ramone, and bassist Dee Dee Ramone, had passed away.
The band's logo, based on the Seal of the President of the United States
Their only record with enough U.S. sales to be certified gold was the compilation album Ramones Mania. However, since then the band has been recognized for it's influence over the years, and they are now cited in many assessments of all-time great rock music, such as the Rolling Stone list of the 50 Greatest Artists of All Time and VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. In 2002, the Ramones were listed as the second-greatest band of all time in Spin magazine, trailing only The Beatles. On March 18, 2002, the Ramones, including the three founders and drummers Tommy and Marky Ramone, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2011, the group was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Ramones' musical style was loud, fast and straightforward, and was highly influenced by the pop music that the band members grew up listening to in the 1950s and 1960s. The band that were of most influence to their musical style included such groups as: The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones; bubblegum acts like the 1910 Fruitgum Company and Ohio Express; and girl groups such as The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las. They also drew some of their style from the harder rock sound of The Stooges and the New York Dolls. The Ramones' style was in part a reaction against the heavily produced music that was dominating the pop charts in the 1970s. "We decided to start our own group because we were bored with everything we heard," Joey once explained. "In 1974 everything was tenth-generation Led Zeppelin, tenth-generation Elton John, or overproduced, or just junk. Everything was long jams, long guitar solos.... We missed music like it used to be."
My favorite Ramones song is, "Rock 'N' Roll High School." The song "Rock 'N' Roll High School" was on the album, End of the Century. End of the Century was the fifth studio album recorded by The Ramones. It was released on February 4, 1980 and was produced by Phil Spector. Vocalist Joey Ramone was an avid fan of Spector's early work, most notably Let It Be by The Beatles. In an attempt to achieve a Top 40 record and gain some mainstream acceptance, the songs on this album are more "produced" and longer in duration, averaging around three minutes.
End of the Century achieved a top 50 placement, reaching number 44 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and number 14 on the UK Albums Chart. This made it the band's highest-charting album in both countries.
And now, for your listening pleasure, "Rock 'N' Roll High School!"
Where Are They Now? Marc Edwards
Marc Edwards vs. USC, from Aaron M. Smith, Odyssey
This is the third post in my series, “Where Are They Now?” featuring Notre Dame athletic greats and showcasing how their lives have changed since leaving South Bend. This week I interview former Notre Dame fullback Marc Edwards.
Marc Edwards was born in Norwood, Ohio on Nov. 17, 1974. He was named Ohio’s Mr. Football in 1992 as the state’s top football player. He went on to play fullback for the University of Notre Dame from 1993-1997. His NFL career consisted of playing for five NFL teams including the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears. During his time with the Patriots, he won a Super Bowl in 2002. He is now married and has four children ages 13, 11, 8 and 2.
Q: What made you want to go to Notre Dame as opposed to Ohio State or another major university?
A: “Well that is kind of funny, actually! During the late 1980’s I hated Notre Dame. When Notre Dame was in the run for the 1988 national championship I was not a Notre Dame fan at all. I was rooting for Miami to beat Notre Dame. But by the time I got into high school, I started to change my mind.
Read more at NoCoastBias.com!
This week's edition of Retro Friday features the band The Escape Club, and the song "Wild Wild West."
Source: http://www.geocities.com//patmil007/2942.jpg,
Copyright : Warner Music UK, Ltd., 1991
The Escape Club are an English pop rock band, formed in London in 1983. The Escape Club was composed of former Mad Shadows members' lead singer/rhythm guitarist Trevor Steel and guitarist John Holliday, along with former Expressos members bassist Johnnie Christo and drummer Milan Zekavica.
In 1985, The Escape Club signed with EMI and recorded the album White Fields, which was released in the following year. In 1987, the group moved to Atlantic Records and began recording their next album, entitled Wild Wild West. The album was released in the summer of 1988 and the first release off album was the single, "Wild, Wild West." The single very quickly became a hit sensation, and climbed to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while the song's distinctive video received a lot of MTV airplay. Notably, it was banned from being used in their homeland because it was claimed to have been sexist and offensive.
This may not be one of my typical Retro Friday songs, but this is one of my all time favorite songs from the 80's. It was released the summer before my senior year in High School, and I have great memories of this song, and the boy that I very much associate with this song. Unfortunately said boy has since had a tragic life story since High School, but I still have very fond memories of him, and this song brings them into full view.
And without further ado, here it is for your listening pleasure ... "Wild Wild West"
WINNER Biggest Fan of the Big East contest!
I am proud to represent @VolvoCars_US, the @BigEastConf and the University of Notre Dame as the Winner of THE Biggest Fan of the Big East contest!! It has been an amazing ride, and I cannot thank my blog readers and Twitter followers enough for all of their support!!
Big East Biggest Fan
I love black and white photography ... classic.
The Dome On Game Day
Notre Dame du Lac
Wait ... what? Is that GO? lol
Three - I like words ... but I also like numbers. I have a few favorite ones ... 3, 10, 11, 26, 29 ... and I'm the person who sees these numbers, or combinations ...
Confessions of an Unintentional Domestic Goddess
Words to Live By - Yesterday, the world changed for many people. A wonderful, sweet and loving man was suddenly taken from us. Every time someone who is seemingly healthy, di...
Then Life Happens
Social Media is Great But Look in Your Own Backyard - Social Media and professional networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and a plethora of others are responsible for connecting millions of peop...
Rumbling Bubbles
Swimming in Wrapping Paper - June was filled with birthday party planning. Ella turned 8 and Lauren made the big 1!!!! My babies are growing! I have tried writing this a few times,...
Home - The Chic Site
Bridget McGuire
Sugar and spice, & everything nice. Loves Marketing, Advertising, Social Media, Great *Content* ... Haunted House Entrepreneur, College Football analyst on Wes & JR Radio (Sports Radio) & Notre Dame Alum!
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A young woman with a wicker basket picks flowers in the woods; a horned figure, half man and half beast, creeps up behind her. It sounds like a scene from a fairytale - and in a sense, that’s exactly what it is. We soon learn we’re in a sleepy village on the side of a mountain in Germany; the monster’s just a man in a mask, and the flowers are props for a festival of folklore. But the man’s spent the last four years away from home… and the conversation that follows this reunion is an uneasy one.
The festival in question is in honour of the Krampus, a devilish counterpoint to Santa Claus who metes out terrible punishments to naughty children at Christmas time. The blood-curdling tradition would give anyone nightmares, and the unexpected visitor is clearly on edge. So what’s he afraid of, in this clearing in the woods? Why’s he come back here? What was it, in fact, that ever drove him to leave?
It’s as clear as clear could be that there’s a Big Terrible Secret, and that we’ll find out what it is by the time the curtain falls. When the revelation comes, is it Terrible indeed - but it’s soon forgotten as the plot moves on to a second Big Terrible Secret, which is more-or-less unrelated to the first. By the time we got to the third Big Secret, which is Terrible in a very different way, my reaction was less shock and sympathy and more “here we go again”. It’s all too much; each of the reveals loses impact by being forced to jostle with the other ones.
It feels to me too that Black Peter hasn’t quite decided on a style. At times it prickles with horror, yet whenever there’s a moment of skin-crawling tension it’s almost immediately defused. With its complex back-story of self-fulfilment and desertion, it would work equally well as a psychological drama, or as a commentary on the nature of forgiveness. But these are all all different genres, with their own demands and tempo - and the play suffers from its lack of commitment to any of them.
Still, the general backdrop of trauma is painted well; farmer’s daughter Annika speaks matter-of-factly about a mass slaughter of diseased livestock, while the visitor shares an equally hideous tale about the fate of a man who tried to cross the Berlin Wall. The details are nicely conceived and the emotion portrayed is believable, even if some of the storyline isn’t. There are neat reminders of the early-nineties setting as well, including a good old-fashioned boombox and a mobile phone with an aerial you have to pull out to make a call.
Without doubt, Black Peter is a quality production: strongly acted, confidently delivered and boldly styled. It builds a promising story and sows intriguing mysteries, all the time reminding us on the distinctive time and place in which it’s set. There’s a lot to enjoy here, and I’m glad I went to see it… but in terms of its core storytelling, I suggest that less would be more.
This review of a show at the Brighton Fringe 2019 was published on Tuesday 7 May.
3-9 May, 7:50pm-8:50pm
Sweet Werks 1
Richard Stamp
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Tag: phenomena
Way back in the day, I studied the philosophy of science. I also studied the sciences. I pretty much left it behind as an active study, but these things informed and inform and will continue to inform my engagement with the world. My youth was informed by scientific study and my childhood informed by the character Spock. You know, that counts for something, anyway. I do not now consider myself to be a scientist, though I feel that I continue to apply a scientific attitude in my engagement with the world. So, I sometimes find it a bit surreal when I’m accused of being otherwise.
In specific, I’ve come to understand that I engage the world informed by the science and scientific method I’ve learned, and an attitude of scientific philosophy, which is at odds with the deathly serious certainty held by defenders of a religious faith in science, or, more generally, anything at all, I suppose. Even more generally, I feel I’m an edge-seeking thinker, looking at and wondering about those places where anomalies demonstrate the vulnerability of paradigms to shift. (The particle to the wave of that is that this same thinking is also pattern-seeking.) I think that means that I hanker to have a, sadly twarted, healthy humour, in myself and others, about accuracy. One thing I do is experiment with how rules breakdown in interesting ways and what that means. You know, I’m a Munkchin. (Anyone interfering? 3 … 2 … 1 … Time’s up! I kill Medusa and gain a level.)
I suppose defenders of the faith tend to feel a paranoid kind of fear of anyone, so I shouldn’t take it personally, willing to look for anomalies, or who point out the difference between fanatic faith in one, true paradigm and the real method and philosophy of science. And, they are happy to externalize their feverish insecurity onto others by claiming they’ve got the truth of a thing and anyone that is even willing to question that thing is at some kind of fault. You know, that’s usually when the righteous accuse other people of being witches, of some kind or another. Sometimes those accusations are purely out of fear. Other times those are out of some measure of strategy and sociopathology. The former is merely sad, the later, however, is most scary and something to validly take personally and seriously since it is thwartsome of liberty of thought.
The predictable fiasco that follows this realization is that defenders of the faith, machiavellian or otherwise, in a pique of persecution complex, then preemptively, or at least with more melodrama and passive-aggressive forum shopping, breathlessly turn about and accuse those intolerant of intolerance of being intolerant instead, and thus the whole thing devolves into a recedingly bizarre and sinister farce from which the only escapes are taking names and tossing people to the lions. (See Crowley’s new comment on Liber AL II,57. Unfortunately, I’m all out of lions. Does a ginger tabby suffice? “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” I need to refill my hipster PDA, it’s getting full of names.)
I keep meaning to go back to my notes and figure out all the texts that were required in my philosophy of science course, but the only one I remember for certain is Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
The ideas introduced by Kuhn have been misused quite a bit, and the ubiquity and emptiness of most usage of the terms “paradigm” and “paradigm shift” has greatly damaged the utility of these term and the original ideas. Because of misuse, many valid and important points about and supported by these ideas made may be misheard or ignored.
Paradigms are internally coherent models which explain sets of observed phenomena. The knowledge, observation, of phenomena is understood within the context of a paradigm, and are made sense of through the coherence of a particular scientific model. A paradigm shift does not change the observed phenomena, but it does change the understanding, the meaning, derived from the phenomena.
This is the difference between knowledge and understanding. Understanding is changed through scientific revolutions when paradigms shift. Phenomena only change when the method of observation is improved, and then it is not really the phenomena that change but rather the observation of them.
There are those that legitimately toil within a paradigm, doing the day to day work that is involved with applying the implications of a particular paradigm in an almost mechanical way. They mainly and merely seek verification of their current paradigm, usually through application, and maybe occasionally the falsification of another. I know my personal bias is showing here; I’m sure it’s all quite rewarding to those that tautologically find it rewarding.
There are also edge-seekers willing and able to do new science. By a willingness to contemplate anomalies, and the possibility of falsifiability or inexplicability within a current paradigm, edge-seekers are able to approach with a real scientific attitude the interchangeability of paradigms. A paradigm is useful to the extent that it explains phenomena, and harmful when held onto in spite of or in the face of falsification or inexplication.
But, I’ve also noticed, you probably have too, that there are defenders of the faith. These are the ones that use the banner of science to champion a particular paradigm as truth instead of using the method and philosophy of science to become more accurate (see xkcd 701, including the hoverover, for one clue to discern the difference: as opposed to waving the banner of “science”, the use of actual science does not always give welcome answers to the wielder). These defenders are devoted to discovering nothing that upsets their existing paradigm and are so very often over-willing to do what it takes to prove that to others, with a fanatic’s frisson and fervor.
Defenders of the faith seem to be focused on purity of doctrine and sub-cultural identity maintenance. That’s not the method or philosophy of science. It’s definitely also not minding one’s own business. It’s being a busybody, both sneakily behind people’s backs and but also brazenly in the open, and then running as quickly as possible to touch the flag pole of “science” as a rhetorical convenience only when necessary to avoid being tagged “it”.
(I suppose to be fair there’s also, to fill out the obvious fourth frame, those that don’t use science at all, and so on. These might be called kooky, whereas the defenders of the faith are creepy; neither are Addamses [also], but I also suppose it’s no mystery that both are kind of ooky. But, I further suppose, as long as there’s Wednesdays around, I’m kinda cool with this fourth.)
The key to scientific revolutions here is the rough ashlar, the anomaly, the notion that all paradigms contain their own seeds of destruction, in that they cannot and do not explain everything. You know, say it with me: they are maps, not territories. But, that failure becomes a fulcrum for the builders. Paradigms are meanings derived from sets of observations, theories derived from observations. It is the anomaly that initiates change, and the power of the scientific attitude is an active spirit that is both able and willing to go to those edges and contemplate change by climbing to the top of the pyramid just to see from a different perspective, with all the other potential benefits that accrue therefrom as a bonus. And, the stone rejected by the defenders of the faith becomes the foundation of a new temple, levered into place on the fulcrum of change.
It’s important to also understand here the difference between function and form. Real scientific attitude does not prejudge or prejudice the form that is derived from the function of thought, but rather only the method by which the function of scientific thought is enacted. Rather, it is the religious faith of science which prejudges and prejudices the function of thought to condition the form derived therefrom. Mind, both are subject to the human condition, which could lead to a wide tangent discussing metaphysical concepts. But, since these metaphysical concerns are the same for both cases, I chose to make my calculus on the differential. Scientific method and attitude is a function that does not determine, aside from metaphysical concerns, form.
Eventually, people pushing one, true paradigm end up saying or doing ridiculous things to defend the privileged position they’ve given their pet. The example that springs to mind most strongly is the possibly apocryphal example, heard through reading Robert Anton Wilson (What book was that, anyway? Was it The Earth Will Shake or Cosmic Trigger?), of the committee which consistently dismissed evidence of meteors because the idea of a meteor did not fit the prevailing paradigm. This is an egregious example of the defenders of a faith rejecting observation in order to preserve a paradigm, but no doubt there are many other and other less egregious examples throughout history.
The notion that all paradigms have limited boundaries of applicability, that they contain their own sets of inexplicability, means that the activity of defending a paradigm as one true anything is inherently nonsensical and illogical and unscientific. And, vehement hatred of other paradigms, or those operating within different paradigms, is bogglingly, self-evidently, torturously backward to the very idea and philosophy of science. It seems to me, that kind of vehement hate is a failure of humanity to live up to the potential afforded by the idea and philosophy of science as a function which liberates them from tyranny of form determined for them by faith.
The implication of this structure of scientific revolutions suggests to me is that the people of the world need is not advocacy, violent or otherwise, of another one, true paradigm; but, rather to grow up and evolve to the point that they don’t have the maniacal need for there to be one, true paradigm. Like Herbert’s last book written in the Dune series, it’s the messianic impulse from which humanity ultimately needs to be and becomes free. We need to be free from the tyranny over ideas and thought and understanding that the notion of one paradigm to rule them all implies and requires.
Real science, science that is honest with and about itself, recognizes that understanding is always provisional, and susceptible to radical revision at any point not just when new, unexplained phenomenon are observed; but further that the same phenomena could at any point be explained simultaneously via radically different paradigms. And, that observation is dependent on methods and tools which can never be perfect or exact but rather are more or less accurate, always have a margin for error and have a mechanism of observation which can be questioned.
Real science is a fiery liberation of thought; not thought shackled to a rock, perpetually pecked at by birds. Whether out of revenge or not, being shackled for thinking is the ultimate reward for standing idle in the face of defenders of the faith victorious. Being pecked by birds is the constant conscious reminder of paradigmatic anomalies ignored. The only escape is escape. Either break those chains or refuse them in the first place; or be resigned to fate and hope for rescue, like some outmoded formula of the damsel in distress in a tattered prom dress.
And this, to me, is the difference between a real scientific attitude, the function of science, and the rigid form of religious faith in science. A religious faith in science conflates observed phenomena and the understanding that is derived from those phenomena. And, the religious faith in science approaches both phenomena and understanding with various levels of non-skeptical certainty. A real scientific attitude recognizes that the accuracy of observation is never exact, but is conditioned by the qualities of observation. A real scientific attitude recognizes that understanding derived from observation is always provisional in the face of additional or more accurate observations, including the possibility of a need for radical paradigm shift to explain new phenomena. A real scientific attitude generally seems always skeptical not certain. A religious faith in science generally seems always certain not skeptical. Real science seems to express itself in its followers through rigourous methods but flexible understanding. A religious faith in science seems to express itself in its followers through ruthless methods and rigid understanding. A real scientific attitude is adaptable and ecstatic, whereas a religious faith in science is as atrophied as any foolish lover of Medusa ever was.
I think I bring, as best as I am able, the ever-provisional understanding of this theoretical structure to the way that I engage the world, others and myself. While I generally feel it’s the best thing for me to do (except when it’s not), I’m also open to the possibility that can change for me. To the extent that I have my liberty of thought undiminished by another’s rigidity and faith, my attitude does not require others to do as I do or think as I think. However, I suspect I will continue to be vocally intolerant of intolerance to myself, or to those around me whether close to me or not, when I encounter it. At least, until I get more lions. Or, find a way to tolerantly chop off Medusa’s head.
Posted on Mar 4, 2010 Dec 11, 2011 Categories EsotericaTags coherence, defenders of the faith, new science, paradigm shift, paradigms, phenomena, philosophy of science, religious faith, Robert Anton Wilson, scientific method, structure of scientific revolutions2 Comments on Paradigms
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Scalabrine To The Bulls?
A Celtics fan favorite is shipping out of Boston and heading to the Chicago Bulls to join long-time assistant coach Tom Thibodeau.
Although it may not be the last of Brian Scalabrine, as he’s contract is a non-guaranteed deal, the writing was on the wall this off-season as Danny Ainge seemed to have already marked a mini-Scal into the 15-man roster with second-round pick Luke Harangody.
After suiting up for 264 regular-season games and handing in the some gutsy playoff performances, the fan favorite is heading to the rival Bulls. After signing a five-year, $15 million deal in 2005, Scal was the new Walter McCarthy at the TD Garden.
But now with Harangody, and the additions of Shaquille and Jermaine O’Neal, there was just no room left on the bench for the former USC standout.
So if you can’t really remember how Scal played, or even what he looked like (pretty hard to forget), this clip may be what he’s most remember for in Boston.
Boston Celtic Great Kevin McHale’s Daughter Passes Away
Rondo-less Celtics Lose Nail-bitter to Raptors
Big Baby Provides Late-Second Magic For Celtics
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Recently Added Blog Posts - Page: 3
Amazon has a ton of gaming deals happening today — here are the ones most worth your time
Posted December 3, 2018 4:35 PM
The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
Amazon has rolled out "12 Days of Deals" to deliver discounts on items from one category per day until December 13. Today's deals are all about gaming with a focus on PC hardware and accessories. Among the deals, you'll find a $70 discount on the
Netflix says 'The Christmas Chronicles' is Kurt Russell's biggest movie ever
Posted December 3, 2018 4:5 PM
Netflix's content boss, Ted Sarandos, said Monday that "The Christmas Chronicles," starring Kurt Russell, had 20 million views in its first week. "If every one of those was a movie ticket purchase, that's a $200 million opening week," he said. We don't know how many of those were repeat viewings, however.
Netflix doesn't release viewership numbers, but claimed "The Christmas Chronicles" is the biggest movie of Kurt Russell's career.
Netflix's Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos discussed the movie, which debuted last month, at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference on Monday. It stars Russell as a "savvy, straight-talking" Santa Claus who teams up with young siblings to save Christmas after the pair crash his sleigh.
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At Business Insider's Ignition conference on Monday, Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo says the company he helped co-found two years ago has already created the world's largest fully autonomous delivery system. Instead of consumer products, however, Zipline has focused on humanitarian needs, delivering medical supplies to rural communities around the world. To start, the company has set up a distribution center in Rwanda where autonomous airplanes take off to deliver over 36 different blood types to hospitals in hard to reach places. "We don't think the exciting potential for that technology is delivering burritos or pizza. We think the exciting potential for that technology is providing universal access to health care to every human on the planet," Rinaudo said.
Uber's new rates are designed to make driver payout more consistent, but some say it has decreased
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It was only a matter of time before tech giants got interested in health, because the industry is massive and ripe for disruption.
At Business Insider's
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The Many Ethical Questions Arising from the Conduct of Michael Avenatti
Posted on March 19, 2019Michelle McGoughCategories Uncategorized
Shelly McGough
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2019
By now, Michael Avenatti is a household name. He shot to fame in 2018 while relentlessly representing adult film actress Stormy Daniels in her pursuit of the invalidation of a 2016 non-disclosure agreement regarding an alleged affair with President Donald Trump. Avenatti is famously brash and confrontational, and since his rapid rise to fame, numerous allegations of professional misconduct have come to the public’s attention. While he has avoided formal discipline thus far, it seems like only a matter of time until Avenatti faces some consequences for his actions.
Tully’s
In November 2018, the California State Bar cleared Avenatti of claims of fraudulent and unethical business dealings while he ran the Seattle-based coffee chain, Tully’s. David Nold, an attorney who represents landlords and other creditors of the failed coffee chain, filed a complaint in April 2018. He alleged that while Avenatti ran Tully’s parent company, Global Baristas, Avenatti stole millions in state and federal tax withholdings from employee paychecks and fraudulently transferred $100,000 from the business to hire lawyers for his law firm’s unrelated bankruptcy case. The Bar notified Nold that it “did not believe it had clear and convincing evidence of violations of the state’s ethics rules.”
Avenatti denied all allegations, and blasted Nold as dishonest, saying “Mr. Nold is widely known as an unethical hack of a lawyer who routinely files baseless complaints.” Avenatti provided no evidence for this attack against Nold, who has no record of disciplinary actions or ethical violations.
In a statement to Fox News, Nold said that “A license to practice law is a sacred privilege, and one that I still believe imposes duties of morality inconsistent with what has transpired in connection with Global [Baristas].” Other creditors of Global Baristas have commenced an involuntary bankruptcy against the company, and Nold says that “the bankruptcy will shed light on many of the issues because no longer will those who were running the company be able to hide their identity or conduct.”
Gregory Barela
Another major issue for Avenatti has arisen from his dealings with a former client. Gregory Barela alleges that Avenatti illegally withheld settlement funds in a “Ponzi-like” scheme and then repeatedly lied about it. Emails and texts document Barela’s extensive efforts last year to obtain the settlement funds that had resulted from his intellectual property dispute.
Financial documents show that the settlement funds had been wired to Avenatti’s client trust account on January 5, 2018, but Avenatti failed to communicate this to Barela. Instead, Barela sent increasingly desperate emails to Avenatti throughout the year inquiring about the status of the funds, most of which went unanswered. Finally, in November, Barela hired another law firm to demand answers.
Adjunct professor at UCLA School of Law and former chairman of the California State Bar’s Committee of Professional Responsibility and Conduct, Neil Wertlieb, said that losing client funds is a very sensitive area that could lead to disbarment. Wertlieb says, “Attorneys act in a fiduciary capacity with their clients, and as it pertains to receipt of settlement proceeds, they have to act in accordance with their fiduciary responsibility.”
The combination of the allegations made by Barela, including the failure to pay the client, lying about the receipt of funds, and entering into a business relationship with a client via a loan, strike Werlieb as serious enough offenses that could lead to disbarment.
Avenatti even became involved in the contentious issue of Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States. Avenatti’s involvement with Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation as Supreme Court Justice began with a cryptic tweet stating that he represents “a woman with credible information regarding Judge Kavanaugh and Mark Judge.” He then proceeded to make a series of serious statements about Kavanaugh, which to many, raised professional and ethical implications.
All attorneys in the US are subject to the ethics rules followed by state bars in which he or she is admitted. Although the rules can differ from state to state, they all restrict what lawyers can say about judges in the interest of maintaining the integrity of the legal profession. Rule 8.2 of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct states that “a lawyer shall not make a statement that the lawyer knows to be false or with reckless disregard as to its truth or falsity concerning the…integrity of a judge…or of a candidate for election or appointment to judicial or legal office.” The Rule only applies to statements of fact, not opinion, but to the extent they are unsubstantiated or false, Avenatti risked facing yet another ethics violation.
Finally, last November, Stormy Daniels claimed that Avenatti launched the (now dismissed) defamation lawsuit against President Trump in direct opposition to her own requests. Stephen Gillers, a New York University Law professor and legal ethics expert, noted that by filing a case with her name when it was clearly against her wishes, he could be sued for malpractice and be subject to discipline.
Daniels also claims that Avenatti started a crowdfunding on her behalf without informing her about it and had repeatedly refused to provide her with information about funds raised and spent on her behalf. Rules 1.2 and 1.4 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct together make it clear that a lawyer cannot make significant decisions about a potential legal case without the client’s informed consent. An attorney’s job is to abide by the client’s wishes, and the attorney cannot make decisions without consulting the client. However, this issue may be moot considering it appears that Daniels and Avenatti have since appeared to reconcile.
The aforementioned accusations are only a few of the allegations made against Avenatti. Of course, he has denied all of them. As an attorney, Avenatti should have a firm grasp on the ethical obligations that require his compliance, but these repeated violations demonstrate that he is either unable or unwilling to comply. The California Bar is perfectly able to initiate an ethics investigation without a third-party complaint, and it should not be a surprise if it chooses to do so in the near future.
Avenatti is one of the best known attorneys in the media, and this is problematic when it comes to ethical compliance for the legal profession. His ethical gaffes, while perhaps not recognized by the non-attorney public, are widely seen by other attorneys across the country. Should Avenatti continue with his usual antics without serious consequences, the rules of professional responsibility and the entities that regulate them may lose some credibility.
Tags ABA Model RulesAvenattiEthicsMichael Avenattirules of professional conductStormy Daniels
1 thought on “The Many Ethical Questions Arising from the Conduct of Michael Avenatti”
Rick Sims says:
Excellent article. It seems the law applies differently to attorneys than the general population.
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At Some Disputed Barricade
by: Anne Perry (author)
Anne Perry’s gift for illuminating the heart’s deepest secrets shines through in her bestselling series of World War I novels. With compelling immediacy, she depicts the struggles of men and women torn by their convictions and challenged by the perils of war.July 1917. Joseph Reavley, a chaplain,... show more
Anne Perry’s gift for illuminating the heart’s deepest secrets shines through in her bestselling series of World War I novels. With compelling immediacy, she depicts the struggles of men and women torn by their convictions and challenged by the perils of war.July 1917. Joseph Reavley, a chaplain, and his sister, Judith, an ambulance driver, are bone-weary as they approach the fourth year of the conflict; the peace of the English countryside seems a world away. On the Western Front, the Battle of Passchendaele has begun, and among the many fatalities from Joseph’s regiment is the trusted commanding officer, who is replaced by a young major whose pompous incompetence virtually guarantees that many good soldiers will die needlessly. But soon he, too, is dead–killed by his own men. Although Joseph would like to turn a blind eye, he knows that he must not. Judith, however, anguished at the prospect of courts-martial and executions for the twelve men arrested for the crime, has no such inhibitions and, risking of her own life, helps all but one of the prisoners to escape.Back in England, Joseph and Judith’s brother, Matthew, continues his desperate pursuit to unmask the sinister figure known as the Peacemaker–an obsessed genius who has committed murder and treason in an attempt to stop Britain from winning the war. As Matthew trails the Peacemaker, Joseph tracks his comrades through Switzerland and into enemy territory. His search will lead to a reckoning pitting courage and honor against the blind machinery of military justice.At Some Disputed Barricade is an Anne Perry masterpiece–brilliant, surprising, and unforgettable.From the Hardcover edition.
Publish date: March 25th 2008
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Adventure, European Literature, British Literature, Historical Fiction, Mystery, War, Military, Historical Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Suspense
Series: World War One (#4)
Books by Anne Perry
http://booklikes.com/at-some-disputed-barricade-anne-perry/book,577539
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Portmeirion: Architectural marvel, the setting for cult sixties TV show The Prisoner, and for the last four years home to Festival Number 6.
Neal has been trying to make it over to North Wales for this festival for the last few years, but wedding commitments meant he was unable to make it until this year. It's safe to say that it was worth the wait.
There can't be many better settings for a festival than the surreal Portmeirion, with it's Italianate architecture and it's beautiful woods. The music didn't disappoint either with almost too many highlights to mention, but closing the festival with Grace Jones, the High Priestess of Weird herself, could not have been more fitting.
So, who's up for 2016?
In MUSIC, PERSONAL Tags Festival No.6, Grace Jones, Music Festival, Wales, Belle & Sebastian, Badly Drawn Boy, Human Chess, The Prisoner, Portmeirion, Metronomy, Ghostpoet, Hookworms, The Grace Jones Mirror Ball Parade, Festival Number 6
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The Somerset Levels: King’s country
The flatlands of the Somerset Levels have inspired wildlife film-maker Simon King since he was a boy, and in this exclusive article he explains why.
The Somerset Levels and Moors have played a pivotal role in my life since I was a teenager. This low-lying, flat land covers some 650km2 between the Mendip Hills to the north and the Quantocks to the south, and, to the casual observer, may seem featureless and unremarkable. Here and there, anomalies rise up from the flood plain like giant molehills – the best known being Glastonbury Tor – but it is otherwise easy to label as topographically dull.
Why, then, did the Levels capture my imagination and heart with such fervour, and take such an enduring hold on my passion for exploring the natural world? To understand the magic of the Levels, you must understand what made them, you must look to the sky as much as the earth, and you must feel the pulse of natural forces weaving a spell that can be felt nowhere else in the country.
First snipe
I was introduced to the Levels by my friend and mentor, Mike Kendall. Mike and I worked together on a television series called Man and Boy in the 1970s and, from time to time, I would stay at his house just south of Cheddar to go birdwatching. Our trips took in the reservoirs of Chew and Blagdon, the cliffs and quarries of Cheddar, and the Levels themselves.
I confess to wondering what these low, wet fields could offer in the way of natural marvels when Mike first took me to Tealham Moor, one crisp spring morning in 1976. There were no hedges and few trees except for lines of pollarded crack and white willows. Instead the area was crisscrossed by drainage ditches, or rhynes as they are known locally. It all seemed entirely unremarkable.
As we strode across a puddled meadow that was stickled with unruly mops of rushes, a small brown bird rose on whirring wings from the grass a few metres in front of us, then arced back into the lush green sward. “Jack snipe,” Mike hissed, his cheeks round with his inimitable grin. It may not have been a golden eagle, but it was still a species that, for me, had so far only existed on the pages of field guides. A ‘lifer’, albeit for a 14-year-old boy.
We continued our walk, listening to the symphony of the skylarks and watching the lapwings that tumbled and hurled themselves about the sky.
“Ah, just there, Simon, on the fence. See it?” Mike urged me to join him and pointed at a small, dainty bird that swayed on a strand of barbed wire. Its yellow chest had a dandy joy that was echoed by its strident metallic voice. “Yellow wagtail,” Mike whispered, “just in from Africa.” The revelation that this individual had been snatching flies from the ankles of elephants only a few weeks ago thrilled me to my core.
As our walk continued, we spotted male brown hares racing madly in pursuit of a female, and a late flock of golden plovers flying high towards their northern breeding grounds.
Tealham and Tadham Moors were just a couple of the haunts that Mike introduced me to over the following years. Westhay Moor boasted a small but mesmerising acid bog reserve, surrounded by peat cuttings, that was home to exotics such as the insectivorous sundew and the flashing forms of hobbies. Here, we would wait in the summer dusk for the air to fill with the woody churring of a nightjar and, if we were lucky, the event would reach a crescendo with the addition of the liquid cadence of a nightingale.
Heavens above
As my career as a cameraman developed, I started to go to the Levels to film its wildlife. By the time I was 18, I was driving around the moors in my Morris Traveller with a camera rigged on a tripod in the passenger seat, poised to film hares chasing in the fields, lapwings displaying or a fox sniffing along the edge of a rhyne. The more I explored, the more I discovered: every quiet corner could harbour exotics such as water rails and marsh harriers. I had close encounters that will remain in my catalogue of wild memories forever.
I lived through the different faces and moods of the Levels: the hazy meadowsweet-scented shimmer of summer, the eerie, half-lit low mists of autumn. And then there was the sky – always the sky. Gradually, it dawned on me that, for much of the time, it is the heavens that take centre stage. The Levels, I realised, are an ever-shifting tableau on a vast scale, an impression reinforced by the flat-land horizon.
Eventually, I bought a cottage on the edge of the Levels in Westbury-sub-Mendip, and then moved into the heart of the moors in Godney when I was in my 20s. But as I made them my home, so there came a change.
Vital floods
Sadly, the annual winter flooding that has made the Levels what they are for thousands of years was becoming increasingly incompatible with the need to exploit the rich alluvial and peaty soils for livestock. Humans have drained the Levels – via those rhynes – for hundreds of years, but to a certain extent had always fought a losing battle because flooding still took place. But, in the latter half of the 20th century, we became more and more successful at it, draining the life-blood from the wetlands.
Battles raged between what was then the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) and farmers, who burned effigies of its officials in protest. Then there came a radical change in the harvesting of grass to feed cattle – instead of cutting for hay in late summer, farmers began cutting for silage in late spring. Arguably this had an even greater impact on the Levels and their wildlife.
Where I had known fields to harbour lapwings, skylarks and yellow wagtails, there was now a chilling silence. When meadows were left for hay, these wild inhabitants had time to raise their families before the cut in late July, but now they were being sliced out of existence. Bit by bit, the magic of the moors was being squeezed into a few, postage-stamp reserves and fallow fields.
Peat extraction also became mechanised. When I first started filming on the Levels, peat was dug by hand, with lines of workers staking the peat blocks into bee hive-shaped mounds to dry. Now, machines chewed up the acid bogs and tossed the valuable peat into grow-bags at an ever increasing rate. In a matter of years, it seemed, the sky would be the only element of the Levels that would be left.
But, I am delighted to say, this is not the case. The attitude of many landowners has evolved to accommodate the Levels’ wild residents alongside viable businesses. More significantly, the network of reserves has been extended and linked together to create an increasingly living landscape. The Somerset Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Natural England (once the NCC, then English Nature) and some private owners have developed a shared vision to restore the magic of the moors.
Though there have been casualties – tree sparrows, nightjars, redstarts, breeding lapwings and other waders are either very rare or absent now – their vision is being realised, and there have been astonishing and exciting success stories. The reserves at Shapwick Heath and Ham Wall fizz with life throughout the year, and some of the cast of players are old friends such as hobbies, barn owls, marsh harriers and water rails. Other species are new to the scene.
Bitterns now boom in the reedbeds, and little bitterns have bred successfully here, too. The explosive song of Cetti’s warblers rings out and little egrets are increasingly common. I still do a double take as I drive past a rhyne and spot one of these graceful hunters stalking along its edge. Otters have made a comeback, and can be spotted during the day on some reserves, including Shapwick Heath. Everywhere roe deer browse in meadows and marsh borders.
Category: | UK and Ireland | Travel |
Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012: Rules
How to improve your British wildlife photography
A history of the world in 100 natural objects
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Ijegun Explosion: Barely a week after,Ten more victims dies
In HEALTH, Human Angle, STRANGE
Barely a week after, Ten more death has been recorded following the pipeline explosion in the Ijegun area of Lagos State Government Thursday, July 4. This was disclosed in a statement by the Lagos State government on Monday, according to the statement, the victims died due to severe and high degree burns suffered from
Barely a week after, Ten more death has been recorded following the pipeline explosion in the Ijegun area of Lagos State Government Thursday, July 4.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Lagos State government on Monday, according to the statement, the victims died due to severe and high degree burns suffered from the inferno.
The Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Health, Dr. Titilayo Goncalves, who made this statement on behalf of the state government, said three of the victims died at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja while seven died at Gbagada General Hospital.
Dr. Gonclaves said that out of the 22 victims rescued by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), nine were taken to LASUTH, while twelve others were taken to Trauma and Burns Unit of Gbagada General Hospital and one to Alimosho General Hospital.
The Lagos State Government said it has so far expended over ten million naira in the care of victims of the Ijegun pipeline explosion adding that the survivors of the inferno are receiving adequate and quality care at designated government facilities free of charge.
Dr. Goncalves who disclosed this during a visit to the victims of the incident at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) noted that the State Government has not abandoned the victims as being speculated but is providing the best care possible to ensure their full recovery.
“Victims of the inferno are being provided with adequate and quality care in our facilities free of charge in line with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s directive and they are being closely monitored and cared for by our specialists to ensure their full recovery and rehabilitation”, Goncalves said.
She explained that out of the 22 victims rescued by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), 9 were taken to LASUTH, 12 were taken to Trauma and Burns Unit, Gbagada General Hospital while one is being managed at Alimosho General Hospital.
She said: “unfortunately, due to the high degree of burns suffered by these victims which is almost at 100 percent, we lost 10 of them but we are doing everything possible to ensure that no other life is lost and we will continue to do all in our might to provide intensive care for the remaining and from reports received they are responding to treatment”
“Treatment of victims with high percentage of burns requires intensive care and management which should follow some treatment protocol and this is why I am appealing to families of the victims to be calm and cooperate with our health workers as they care for their loved ones”, Goncalves stated.
The Chief Medical Director, LASUTH, Dr. Adetokunbo Fabamwo who spoke in the same vein stated that the teaching hospital and its annex, Trauma and Burns Unit, Gbagada General Hospital had since received the patients, and are providing the necessary care and support needed to aid their quick recovery.
“LASUTH alone has expended about six million naira so far to cover laboratory investigations, X-rays, consumables and medications, infact, one of the patients was treated with silver patches costing 350,000 thousand naira”, Fabamwo said.
He further added that daily on-the-spot assessments are being conducted by specialists in burns and trauma to ensure that the victims are rehabilitated in line with treatment protocol for the burns.
“I want to assure families of the victims that their loved ones will receive the best care possible and we will ensure availability of medical and other supplies throughout the period of their management”, the Chief Medical Director said.
He therefore advised families of victims not to liaise with any non-hospital staff and report any case of extortion or ill-treatment by any person to his office or better still call him on 08037787788 or the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health on 08023049478. He stressed that the treatment of the victims is free.
Allahu Akbar”
Dr. Gonclaves
Gbagada General Hospital.
Ijegun Explosion
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cgranade::streams
stream of a consciousness
Writings on personal projects, politics, religion, society, education, and what ever other rants cross the mind of cgranade.
When good faith fails.
My previous post notwithstanding, there are many times when one finds themselves arguing some position with someone that has little to no interest in seeking the truth. When one's opponent fails to reciprocate your good faith and intellectual honesty, what remains? One strategy is to shift your goal to demonstrate to your audience the lack of honesty exhibited by your opponent. In doing so, perhaps it can be demonstrated that their argument does not rest upon logic and evidence, but upon emotional appeal and on preconceived notions. If so, then the audience is enlightened for having seen the pretense and facade of rationality stripped from your opponent's counterarguments— assuming, that is, that they truly are violating the principle of intellectual honesty.
The question, then, becomes one of how best to strip away pretense and nonsense from what is claimed to be a logical argument. Enter humor. A long tested technique in discourse, the use of humor to defuse emotional appeals by one's opponent and to lay bare the flimsy pseudologic of their arguments has been elevated to an art form. Take, for example, a rhetorical device such as the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The FSM doesn't make its point directly through well-reasoned arguments, but by a sort of reductio ad absurdum that cuts to the essential absurdity of intelligent design creationism (IDC): the Christian god is added ad hoc without any justification, when any other deity (even a manifestly absurd one like the FSM) would do just as well in its place.
By ridiculing the intelligent design creationist argument, then, the FSM device makes room for a real debate (that is, one based on good faith and intellectual honesty) to occur as it adds a cost to introducing further irrational arguments of a similar kind. In this way, we can see that ridicule acts as a cultural tool to enforce good faith: when one deviates from the principles that enable a debate to be productive, ridicule and sarcasm can be employed to steer the argument back to a potentially constructive state.
One can also think of ridicule as a kind of memetic inoculation against bad-faith arguments such as those used to prop up IDC. Used as inoculation, ridicule works quite well along side well-reasoned and honest arguments, as the ridicule can serve as the mnemonic hook upon which an argument can be hung. For instance, following an argument about the methodological incompatibilities between science and faith, using a term like "faitheist" adds a social cost to using the same discredited arguments (such as "they must be compatible--- to prove it, here's a religious scientist") to justify complete compatibility. In order to be effective, one arguing for compatibility must either provide a novel demonstration of why the arguments packaged up in "faitheist" are wrong, or they must provide novel arguments not addressed in preceding discussions.
In a completely different context, economist and Nobel laureate Paul Krugman effectively uses ridicule in the same way: his use of the terms like "Serious People" and "Confidence Fairy" serve to keep readers in the context of a previously made argument. Whereas the Republicans (and neo-conservatives more broadly) rely heavily upon a small set of arguments even long after they have been discredited, the use of ridicule can serve as an expedient way of connecting such a discredited argument to its rebuttal.
Even beyond the importance to enabling discourse, there is another important aspect to ridicule and even outright scorn that we ignore to our detriment. Many humans implicitly measure the acceptableness of a position by how their peers react to it, so should we not use that mechanism to stymie the propagation of truly hateful ideas? Leaving the material questions of an afterlife aside, for instance, should we not ridicule and scorn the hateful notion that a being worthy of worship would ever create a place of eternal torment? Hidden in such a supposition is the truly despicable idea that people ever deserve to be tormented, much less for eternity. By ridiculing those advancing without evidence claims of a literal hell (see, for instance, George Carlin's hilarious rants on the subject), we can introduce a social cost not just for being illogical, but also for being hateful.
The danger, of course, in the use of ridicule to remedy bad faith and enforce social costs is that it can all too easily become another example of bad faith itself. Put differently, ridicule is a tool that can be used to manifestly delegitimize arguments that aren't actually legitimate in the first place, or it can be used to delegitimize arguments that are in fact made in all good faith. As a step towards addressing this danger, note that ridicule can be its own balance. Someone that uses ridicule poorly or as a bludgeon to cut off reasoned debate instead of fostering it should themselves be ridiculed. After all, the best of applications of sarcastic wit must necessarily draw upon reality, so having reality on one's side lends potency to their ridicule.
In an ideal situation, such a tool should never be needed, but in practice, I posit that there are many situations that call for tools like ridicule to make room for reasoned discourse to start. I look forward to the day where I can assume good faith by default, but until then, I shall have to be content to have a laugh at the expense of poor reasoning.
Labels: atheism, politics, religion, society
The importance of good faith.
Listen long enough to any group of humans talking, and you're likely to hear an argument of some kind. It may be a small argument or it may be a loud and angry argument, but either way, it will very likely nucleate about a disagreement between the parties about some aspect of reality. After all, if all parties involved in an argument agreed with each other on their assessments of reality, there would be nothing to argue about. In much of our arguments, then, we should expect that our goal is to impress upon our peers that some claim is true and correct.
This process of disagreement and ensuing debate are thus potentially good and useful: to the extent that we are only convinced by logically and empirically sound arguments, then debate furthers our understanding of the world. Implicit in this assessment, however, is an assumption that both parties are actually interested in the pursuit of truth. That is, arguments are useful only insofar as the parties to an argument are practicing good faith.
If one is honest about their arguments, then that must necessarily include an understanding that they could be wrong and hence that they could "lose" an argument. Thus, one can violate good faith by disallowing for any change in their views as the result of an argument. This violation is especially common in discussions about religion, where one party to an argument (typically the more religious party) refuses to admit of any evidence or line of reasoning which could possibly budge them from their beliefs. It is simply not plausible that any individual human is infallible, even within some particular domain of knowledge, and so to argue from infallibility is to deny that one's understanding of the world could possibly be more complete. Such a denial is fundamentally incompatible with the goal of learning, and hence has no place in a discussion intended to bring enlightenment.
In a similar vein, good faith requires that one only advance arguments that they do not already know to be false. If someone shows that your argument is not in correspondence with reality, then continuing to use that argument is an affront to the pursuit of understanding and of truth. To be particularly blunt, the use of known-false arguments is simply dishonest, and is the practice of a liar.
It is concerning ourselves with good faith that we find it important to be aware of common logical fallacies. It hardly does anyone any good if an argument is tainted by mistakes which have been well-understood for centuries to be flawed. Appeal to authority, post hoc ergo propter hoc and confusion between correlation and causation, to name a few examples, should all be seen as undermining an argument and hence avoided.
On the other hand, it is similarly unconstructive to bludgeon others with a mistaken understanding of some particular logical fallacy, such as the ad hominem fallacy, that favored bludgeon of those arguing from bad faith. ("What? You called me a clueless gobshite? That means I won!") Focusing on name-calling, ridicule and other such patter comes at the cost of focusing on the merits of an argument. Taken to its extreme, critiquing a lack of decorum represents bad faith in that it distracts from critical evaluation of an argument. Of course there is a point at which a stream of ridicule or a particularly vile insult also disrupts useful debate; I call it a failure of good faith when this valid concern is exaggerated and perverted for the purposes of distraction or suppression.
Perhaps the most common and hence egregious violation of good faith, however, is the intentional mischaracterization of another's opinions for the purpose of delegitimizing their views. While there is room, of course, for arguing that one's opponent is being dishonest in how they describe their views, there is a wide gulf between such arguments and flat-out lying about what someone else does or says. By lying and employing such strawmen, one once again gives up discovering what is true. To wit, fighting a strawman doesn't expose holes in an argument, but rather is a strategy explicitly purposed to prevent having to change one's views in the face of opposition. Such dishonesty is by nature incompatible with reasoned and constructive debate, and should be disdained as strongly as any other form of blatant dishonesty.
Why is good faith so important to me, though? Because I actually care about learning more about the world. Because engaging someone in an well-reasoned argument is time-consuming, and should be reciprocated in kind. Because we, at a societal level, desperately need constructive discourse, no matter how much popular etiquette demands that certain views be kept out of the public sphere. Because constructive dialogue is much more about intellectual honesty and mutual respect for the truth than about how many profanities are spoken. Because we, as a culture, seem to have forgotten (if indeed we ever knew) that truth is something to strive for and that dishonesty is something to hold in contempt.
I don't ask that the whole world agree with me--- that would be boring and quite useless, after all. I don't even ask that people refrain from calling me an ignorant fucktard (or whatever the slang of the day might become). I merely ask of my peers that we all engage in good faith as we seek to improve our understanding of the world.
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Trump businesses lost over $1 bn in decade
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump's businesses reported losses of $1.17 billion from 1985 to 1994, the New York Times has reported, citing information from tax documents from those years.
According to the daily, the data printouts from Trump's official Internal Revenue Service tax transcripts, with the figures from his federal tax form for the years 1985 to 1994 - represents the fullest and most detailed look to date at his taxes, information he has kept from public view.
The New York Times on Tuesday said that the 10 years of tax information obtained by it "paints a different and far bleaker" picture of Trump's deal-making abilities as well as financial condition.
It appears Trump lost more money than nearly any other individual US taxpayer year after year, the daily reported.
Trump ran for President branding himself as a "self-made billionaire", touting his financial success, but he has been steadfast in his refusal to release his tax returns to the public, despite mounting pressure from Congress.
On Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin formally denied a request from the House Ways and Means Committee for the President's last six years of tax returns -- a period not covered by the documents reported by the daily.
In 1990 and 1991, Trump's core business losses were more than $250 million each year -- more than double those of the closest taxpayers in those years, the report said, adding that Trump lost so much money that he avoided paying income tax for eight of the 10 years.
It previously reported that Trump helped "his parents dodge taxes" in the 1990s, including "instances of outright fraud" and that he and his siblings helped his parents hide millions of dollars in gifts in a "sham corporation".
It had also reported that Trump, starting at the age of 3, received at least $413 million from his father's real estate empire.
Several weeks ago, a senior White House official told the daily: "The President got massive depreciation and tax shelter because of large-scale construction and subsidized developments.
"That is why he has always scoffed at the tax system and said you need to change the tax laws. You can make a large income and not have to pay large amount of taxes."
Trump's lawyer Charles J. Harder, however, rubbished the tax information acquired by the daily and said that its statements "about the President's tax returns and business from 30 years ago are highly inaccurate".
"IRS transcripts, particularly before the days of electronic filing, are notoriously inaccurate and would not be able to provide a reasonable picture of any taxpayer's return," he said.
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Meet N-YHS Docent, Deirdre Laporte
March 23, 2016 by Anna Gedal Leave a Comment
Deirdre Laporte has been a docent at N-YHS for eight years. She also worked at Bell Labs and AT&T for a full decade. We recently sat down with her to learn more about her roles at the tech giants and how her professional experience enriches her exhibition tours of Silicon City: Computer History Made in New York.
What were your responsibilities as Bell Labs’ internal management consultant?
When I was working at Bell Labs and later at AT&T Labs, I did a number of different things. I started as a technical editor working at first on specifications and then on customer documentation for various products. At one point I was one of only two people allowed to “touch” the prose of Bill Baker, the president of Bell Labs, who spoke in rambling, circuitous, baffling sentences. I also helped produce a special collection of his papers which was presented to him at his retirement dinner at Windows on the World restaurant. I helped edit and produce the last couple of volumes of the nine-volume History of Science and Engineering in the Bell System. Then I set up the archives at Bell Labs, which at that time consisted of the material that had been gathered to produce the history volumes. In January 1981Henry Pollak of the Mathematics Department and I conducted oral history interviews with Thornton Fry and Richard Hamming out in California. Fry founded the Math Department and was the one who hired and supervised Claude Shannon and George Stibitz. Hamming introduced computers to Bell Labs.
Later, after 75 percent of the labs went to Lucent Technologies, I worked mainly as a Quality Control consultant for various new products and with our Call Centers. Quality Control was created at Bell labs and later, most famously after World War II, introduced into a reindustrializing Japan.
Laporte leading a tour of the Smith Gallery at N-YHS.
You worked at Bell Labs from 1978 to 1998. During those years, technology changed drastically. How did this digital evolution affect your job and work at Bell Labs in general?
When I started at Bell Labs, AT&T was a monopoly, and its products were mostly hardware. Customers rented phones. Engineers focused internally on quality, reliability, ease of manufacturing, maintenance, etc. Time and money were not real concerns. Later as the field grew more competitive, the focus shifted to software development and to discovering and fulfilling our customers’ needs. This change of focus involved a real paradigm shift. As an historian of science, I was familiar with this idea, having studied Thomas Kuhn’s landmark book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) during graduate school at Harvard.
As I tell visitor on my exhibition tour of Silicon City, when I started at BTL (Bell Telephone Laboratories) in 1978, I had to learn to keypunch cards to use the large main frame computers. Later, my group built an early desktop computer. I can’t remember exactly when I sent my first electronic message to a fellow historian of science at Brooklyn Polytech over the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) network, which eventually evolved into the Internet. I did a lot of document formatting using BTL’s UNIX system. We eventually also used WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) software and interfaces, including programs like Lotus 123 and Microsoft Word. I’m still nostalgic for the control UNIX gave me.
While technology changed radically during my time at BTL, the greatest changes were wrought by the divestiture of the “Baby Bells” and then later the break-up of AT&T and Western Electric.
What is your favorite object in Silicon City?
My favorite object in the exhibition has to be the Telstar satellite, which encompasses so many of the technological innovations that the scientists and engineers at BTL were responsible for.
Bell Labs Engineers working on Telstar 1, ca 1961. Courtesy of Alcatel-Lucent / Bell Labs.
As a docent, what do you hope visitors learn for your tours of Silicon City?
As a docent and an historian of science and technology, I hope visitors to the exhibition see what a national treasure we had in the great industrial laboratories like those of AT&T, GE, Westinghouse, and IBM. As a New Yorker, I hope they have a renewed appreciation for what this metropolis has given the world in an area that is often overlooked.
Posted in Exhibitions, Now on View, Technology Tagged at&t, bell labs, computer history, computer science, computers, deirdre laporte, docent, Interview, meet a docent, n-yhs docent, silicon city, silicon city: computer history made in new york, tech, tech history, technology, telstar
Taste of New-York History: Interview With Brent Ridge of Beekman 1802
New York has long been a food capital, from the upscale kitchens of our finest restaurants to the bagels and sausages on the street corners. But as anyone who has walked around Brooklyn has figured out, the next chapter of New York’s food history has everything to do with the local, “artisanal” food scene that is making its mark on the city. From the rise of greenmarkets and food fairs to the focus on seasonal...Read More
Stories in Sterling: How Silver Tells New York's History, Part 2
Sure, silver is beautiful to look at. But there's a lot more to learn beneath that sparkle. Stories in Sterling: Four Centuries of Silver in New York uncovers the stories behind the pieces, from the humble beginnings of a slave-made spoon to the ornate trophies of a corrupt political machine. In this two-part series, we speak with Curator Margi Hofer about some of her favorite stories, and why silver is so important to the history of New...Read More
Blue Point Brewery Celebrates How Beer Used To Be Made
To celebrate our exhibition Beer Here: Brewing New York's History, the New-York Historical Society is hosting a series of Saturday beer tastings run by local breweries in the exhibit's Beer Hall. The program will run from May 26 through August 25; half-hour tastings will start at 2pm and 4pm. Not only will visitors get to taste some of these local creations, but there will be hops, whole leaf flowers and other beer ingredients for people to touch,...Read More
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VIDEO: Kelly Rowland – Kisses Down Low (Behind The Scenes)
Behind The Scenes, New VideoBy Chigz February 25, 2013 Leave a comment
While Kelly Rowland is preparing for her new album “Talk Of The Game” she drops a behind the scenes video of her new visual “Kisses Down Low”. Kelly also talks about how it was working with Mike Will Made It and the theme behind the video. @thisisblanco
Styles P Announcnes New Project “Float”
New VideoBy Chigz February 25, 2013 Leave a comment
Good news today from LOX member Styles P as he prepares a new project entitled “Float” which will hit stores on 4/20 and according to Styles this is a going to be a project for all hip hop heads. Float will be produced entirely by Scram Jones. @thisisblanco
VIDEO: Fat Trel & Alley Boy – Cocaine
Music Video, New VideoBy Chigz February 25, 2013 Leave a comment
Fellow Louie V Mob members Fat Trel & Alley Boy link up for there latest visual titled “Cocaine”. Sit back and watch how Trel & Alley Boy confess there love & hate for cocaine. Expect a new project from Trel soon as he gears up to drop SDMG (Sex, Drugz, Money & Gunz). Directed by…
VIDEO: International Jones – Blue, White & Red
Fiend who is now known as International Jones is back with a new visual for his “Blue, White & Red” track. International Jones is prepping for the realease of his project “Lil Ghetto Boy” which is slated to drop March 4th. @thisisblanco
GBE & King Louie Join Trinidad James Live At Reggies In Chiacago
New Video, PerformancesBy Chigz February 25, 2013 Leave a comment
Saturday night Trinidad James was live at Reggies in Chi Town and although Chief Keef is locked up his GBE homies were on hand to assist Trinidad James as well as King Louie. The first part of the performance was dedicated to Chief Keef as they played a few of his popular tracks then Trinidad…
French Montana Explains Album Cover
Interviews, New VideoBy Chigz February 25, 2013 Leave a comment
French was live on air with the La Leakers and he mentions that the reason for the pushback was due to him changing his single last minute, French also mentions Neyo, The Weeknd, MMG & Bad Boy will be featured on the album & explains the reason behind his album cover. “Excuse My French” in…
50 Cent Interview With DJ Whoo Kid
50 Cent checks in with DJ Whoo Kid and while on the phone and they discussed his new single “We Up” Ft Kendrick Lamar & Kidd Kidd, working with young and upcoming artist such as Schoolboy Q & Chief Keef, his boxing ventures, SMS promotions company & much more.
Lil Wayne Says Uncle Lukes Opinion Of Him Doesn’t Matter
Lil Wayne was on Miami’s 99 Jamz the other day in the midst of what has been a crazy last few weeks for the Young Money MC. While on the phone Weezy spoke on his comments about sleeping with Chris Bosh’s wife & his comments about the whole Miami Heat basketball team which eventually led…
Jermaine Dupri Brings Out Ludacris And Usher At So So Def’s 20th Anniversary Concert
New Video, PerformancesBy Smithalar February 24, 2013 Leave a comment
Jay-Z wasn’t the only big guest that @Mr_Dupri brought out at last night’s So-So Def 20th anniversary show. JD also surprised those in attendance as he brought out Usher and Luda to perform. Check Usher run through a number of his classics before Luda joins the party.
Jermaine Dupri & Jay-Z Perform “Money Ain’t A Thang” at So-So Def 20th Anniversary
New Video, PerformancesBy DDot Omen February 24, 2013 Leave a comment
Here’s some more footage from the So-So Def 20th anniversary show. This clip has Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri performing their collaborative hit single “Money Ain’t A Thang”. Watch below.
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Under the Streetlamp to Play Retro Classics in Amphitheater Tonight
by Julia Arwine on July 11, 2019 add comment 156 views
Chautauqua will take a trip back in time when retro cover band Under The Streetlamp takes the stage to perform some of the 20th century’s greatest hits. Under the Streetlamp will rock ’n’ roll at 8:15 p.m. tonight, July 12, in the Amphitheater.
The band is all about breathing new life into songs, primarily from the 1960s and ’70s, though they have performed music from as far back as the ’20s, and as recent as 1980. Under the Streetlamp takes all their music from what founding member and choreographer Shonn Wiley called “the American radio songbook.”
“(It’s) music that was prominent and on the radio anywhere from the ’50s all the way to the 1980s,” Wiley said.
Under the Streetlamp got started when Wiley and the other original members met during a Chicago production of Jersey Boys, a musical about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Wiley and the others decided to dive into ’60s music outside of the show, performing around Chicago and gaining traction within the city’s scene. They filmed several shows that aired on PBS, and received an enthusiastic response from many new fans. They have toured all over the country, including Chautauqua twice before in 2012 and 2015.
The name of the group comes from “a sense of where this music was first created,” Wiley said. Decades ago, musicians and singers would play and sing in the streets of large metropolitan areas, especially on the East Coast and in Chicago and New Orleans, while others watched from door stoops and street corners. As night fell and the streetlights lit up, the performers would go on playing under the streetlamps. This, Wiley said, was the birth of doo-wop, rock ’n’ roll, jazz and rhythm and blues.
It also comes from a line in Jersey Boys, Wiley said, when Valli ruminates on his fame and what the high point of it all was, and concludes that it was not the fame at all, “But four guys under a street lamp, when it was all still ahead of us, the first time we made that sound, our sound. When everything dropped away and all there was, was the music. That was the best.”
Whereas Postmodern Jukebox, who performed at Chautauqua in Week One, gives new music a vintage twist, Wiley said, Under the Streetlamp makes older music sound new by performing it live with high energy and dance numbers.
“Retro is in fashion,” Wiley said.
Though the music they play is from past decades, Wiley said it’s for everyone, especially when played live. It is not uncommon to see people from three different generations at their concerts.
“It’s a testament to the music,” Wiley said. “Great melodies, awesome harmonies, really great groove (and) exceptional songwriting during that period of time. There’s really something for everybody.”
Though some of the original members have left the band to do other things, the spirit of the group remains the same. The band is currently comprised of three other main singers: Eric Gutman, David Larsen and Brandon Wardell. The personalities and preferences of all four members make the show more varied and exciting, as each performer gets to sing some of his own favorites.
“When you get an opportunity to bring new folks in, it’s not necessarily replacing the people who were there before but adding to the energy and the culture, and we’ve done that every time a member has left,” Wiley said.
Under the Streetlamp’s shows are more informal than not, and the group encourages the audience to dance, sing and lose themselves in the music.
“We take the music seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Wiley said.
Tags : concertmusic
With Guest Conductor, Pianist Eddins, CSO To Present Gershwin, Ellington’s Jazzy Nutcracker
The author Julia Arwine
Julia Arwine is a rising junior at Miami University in Ohio, where she studies journalism and interactive media studies. She will be covering the School of Music this summer. Julia’s three main ambitions in life are to write for National Geographic, to be a chef and to own a sheep farm in Scotland — not necessarily in that order.
Voice Program to Present Britten’s Opera Adaptation of ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Poetry in Motion: J.Y. Song to Combine Spoken Word and Music in Recital in Lenna
‘The Man, the Music and Chautauqua’ Lecture to Cover John Philip Sousa’s Local & International Legacy
Venice Baroque Orchestra to Perform With Antique Harpsichord in Lenna
MSFO Students to Join Young Artists in Sonic Opera Invasion of ‘In C’
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according to legend, St James, one of Jesus's apostle brought Christianity to Iberian Peninsula. James was beheaded in Jerusalem. His remains was later brought back to Galicia. His tomb was abandoned in the 3rd century, but was discovered in 814 AD by a hermit. The hermit was guided by strange lights in the sky. The then Spanish king Alfonso II ordered the construction of a chapel at the site. Construction of the present cathedral started in 1075 under Alfonso VI Castile. Camino de Santiago - The way of James has been, since middle ages, a pilgrim route with the cathedral of Santiago being the final destination.
We walked the last part of the route toward the cathedral:
Other pilgrims. The Spanish prison system for teenagers would at the end of the imprisonment including a walk on the El Camino trail.
Inside the cathedral:
Santiago has become too much a tourist town these days with way many shops and eateries.
We visited an archaeological museum because Carmen mentioned that the museum has a most beautiful spiral staircase:
It was two spirals winds together like a DNA helix. Each helix takes you to a different floor.
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Philadelphia 29 20 28 25 102
5:00 PM PT6:00 PM MT7:00 PM CT8:00 PM ET1:00 GMT9:00 6:00 PM MST8:00 PM EST5:00 UAE (+1)02:0020:00 ET7:00 PM CTNaN:� , December 5, 2018
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 19,800
Leonard scores 36 points as Raptors beat 76ers 113-102
New Celtics Walker, Kanter meet media
Wolves sign undrafted rookie C Reid
76ers extend Simmons for $170M, 5 years
Simmons backs out of World Cup
Pistons claim F-C Wood off waivers
Warriors GM Myers moves on from Durant
Cavs waive G Smith after eventful tenure
Ingram 'close' to normal after surgery
Suns re-sign Oubre Jr. to multiyear deal
Bucks sign Giannis' brother Thanasis
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 5: Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka (9) manages to elude the foul as Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) throws up a shot. Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers in 2nd half action of NBA regular season play at ScotiaBank Arena. Raptors won 113-102. Toronto Star/Rick Madonik (Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
By IAN HARRISON
TORONTO (AP) Kawhi Leonard insisted he doesn't try to do anything extra in big games. His numbers suggest otherwise.
Leonard had 36 points, Jonas Valanciunas scored 18 of his season-high 26 in the fourth quarter and the Toronto Raptors beat Philadelphia 113-102 on Wednesday night, handing the 76ers their 13th consecutive loss in Canada.
Serge Ibaka added 18 points as the Raptors bounced back from Monday's loss to Denver to win for the ninth time in 10 games. Toronto, with the best record in the NBA at 21-5, improved to 11-3 at home.
Leonard shot 13 for 24, finishing one point shy of his season high, and set a season best by making five of six attempts from 3-point territory. The rest of the Raptors struggled from long range, combining to shoot 3 for 23.
Leonard's season high of 37 points came last Thursday in an overtime victory against two-time defending champion Golden State. Leonard has led Toronto in scoring in four straight games.
"He's an immense talent, he really is," coach Nick Nurse said. "And when the stakes go up a little bit, he's going to play his hand a little harder."
Leonard, who set a season best with five steals, said he doesn't let the opponent or circumstances dictate his effort.
"I try to perform every night," he explained. "If you try to turn it on against the good teams, it's really hard to do that. You've got to do it on a nightly basis."
Leonard has never lost in 12 career meetings with the 76ers, including two victories this season.
"That's what you're going to get out of big-time players," Philadelphia's Jimmy Butler said. "He had a great game."
Butler scored a season-high 38 points and added 10 rebounds. Joel Embiid had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Philadelphia, whose last win in Toronto was 93-83 on Nov. 10, 2012.
"Jimmy showed why he's an All-Star," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "He came in and gave us some tremendous things."
The day before, Brown suggested the game would be a "barometer" for the 76ers. Afterward, he said his team's 21 turnovers and 22 second-chance points allowed underscored the gap between the Sixers and Raptors.
"We leave disappointed," Brown said. "We also leave, we feel, a little bit smarter about what it's going to take to beat the best team right now in the NBA."
Toronto's 17 offensive rebounds were a season high.
"We gave ourselves a chance to win with our effort but the execution just wasn't there," 76ers guard JJ Redick said.
Redick scored 25 points and Ben Simmons had eight points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the 76ers, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.
The Raptors held a 78-77 lead after three quarters, and Philadelphia's T.J. McConnell tied it 81-all with a hook shot at 11:07. Valanciunas scored a pair of baskets as Toronto's reserves replied with a 9-0 run, opening a 90-81 advantage at 9:07.
"Our bench did an unbelievable job," Toronto guard Kyle Lowry said. "Tonight was one of those games where they just had it clicking."
TIP-INS
76ers: Embiid's double-double was his league-best 24th. ... The 76ers committed 11 turnovers in the second quarter. Toronto scored 27 points off Philadelphia's 21 total turnovers. ... Butler was called for a technical foul in the third quarter and Embiid got one in the fourth.
Raptors: Lowry shot 0 for 5 in the first half and missed his first six attempts from 3-point range. ... Leonard led Toronto with nine rebounds. ... The Raptors outscored the 76ers 62-42 in the paint and 41-18 off the bench. ... Toronto has won 20 of the past 22 meetings with Philadelphia. ... G Malachi Richardson (illness) was inactive.
Leonard has 522 points in his first 20 games with Toronto, more than any other player in franchise history. He's the fourth active player to score 500 or more in his first 20 games with his current team. The others are Kevin Durant (Golden State), James Harden (Houston) and LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers).
CAN'T HANDLE IT
Simmons had seven turnovers, giving him 18 in two games against Toronto this season.
STAR-STUDDED
The game drew several celebrities who attended Tuesday's gala for Giants of Africa, the charity of Raptors president Masai Ujiri. That group included former Raptors All-Star Chris Bosh, former Blue Jays slugger Joe Carter, soccer player Didier Drogba, and comedian Chris Tucker.
76ers: Visit Detroit on Friday night.
Raptors: Visit Brooklyn on Friday night.
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
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Countdown to Indians’ Opening Day – 34: Zach McAllister
Bob Toth | On 01, Mar 2016
As Did The Tribe Win Last Night helps fans count down the days until the Indians retake the field in an official Major League game, we look back at some of the players who wore the Cleveland jersey with pride.
Countdown to Opening Day – 34 days
Just when it looked like Zach McAllister had found a role to flourish in as a member of manager Terry Francona’s bullpen during the 2015 season, the Indians skipper throws a wrench into the whole thing as spring training starts by stating that the former Cleveland starting pitcher would be stretched out during camp to potentially compete for a role in the rotation again.
So was this just pandering by Francona, or is he really willing to take another glance at McAllister on a starting staff with more candidates than spots available?
The tall right-hander has made starts in each of his first five seasons at the Major League level, but has never gone a full season with the staff and the results have been inconsistent at best. His best season may have been in 2013, when he was 9-9 with a 3.75 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 24 games, but missed almost all of June and July while injured. Instead of building upon the success, he fell to 3-7 with a 5.67 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 15 starts the next season.
It was in that season that he had a handful of opportunities in the bullpen and showed some promise. He appeared in seven games, struck out 14 batters against two walks in 13 innings, and allowed 13 hits. His strikeout rate per nine inning jumped by 2.3 and his WHIP was just 1.15 in the small sample size. It was enough that after he was shelled in the home opener against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth game of the 2015 season, he retreated to the bullpen and put together a solid year overall with the bad start behind him.
“I think the way that I work, the way that I prepare, it’s probably a starter mentality as far as the work load that I like to do before spring training,” said McAllister in a video last week on MLB.com. “I enjoyed the bullpen last year. I had a great time out there. It was a new experience for me but definitely enjoyable.”
As for where McAllister lands on the roster for this season, it would appear his most likely destination is in the bullpen, but Francona could not rule out the possibility that something could change.
“We’re not telling him he can’t start,” Francona was quoted in a Cleveland.com story posted on February 20. “But from where we are now, it looks like he’s probably a better weapon in the bullpen. That can change.
“If you’re a starter and you’re coming through a lineup a second time and you’re having trouble with your off-speed, so many times you look up and you’re at 100 pitches after five innings because you have to work so hard. Out of the bullpen, especially with the extra velocity, he’s seeing hitters one time and he’s a weapon, as opposed to a guy who’s throwing too many pitches and working too hard.”
The biggest concern for McAllister in the past was his lack of strong secondary pitches to complement his fastball. It would lead to him being exposed to hitters the second and third time through the batting order. In the bullpen, McAllister can use his smaller pitch arsenal to his advantage.
So far, the results have shown. In 66 career starts, he has an ERA of 4.52, a WHIP of 1.44, and has averaged 2.40 strikeouts per walk and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. In 67 relief appearances, he has a 2.54 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 3.88 SO/W, and 10.7 SO/9 rate, all while opposing hitters have batted 41 points lower while he was in that role.
While the starting rotation seems to be largely settled with Carlos Carrasco, Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer, and one of Josh Tomlin or Cody Anderson as the likely staff to start the season, the bullpen is an area of much greater concern. Beyond Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw for the eighth and ninth innings, the other relief options are question marks. Some are young and inexperienced while others are veterans coming off of bad seasons. If the starting staff is as good as hoped and hyped, there will not be much work to go around in the middle innings, but history has shown that Francona loves to match up late in games and will use his men as often as possible.
McAllister fills a much greater need in the ‘pen and it plays to his strengths perfectly.
Photo: Jason O. Watson/Getty Images
Zach McAllister
Today in Tribe History: March 1, 1919
Plutko in Spring Camp with Tribe After Strong Summer on the Farm
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